Catching up on my writing about reading

I got behind on my reading and built a pretty big stack next to my bed. Then I caught up with my reading, but now I have gotten behind on writing about what I read. The longer I wait the harder it is to write about the book.

A couple of weeks back, I finished Thomas L. Friedman's The World Is Flat, A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005).

What is the author talking about when he refers to a flat world? If you own a Dell computer and have ever called tech support and spoken to someone in India, you have experienced a flat world. If you drive a Toyota made in America, you have experienced a flat world. If you have shopped at Walmart, you have experienced a flat world. Friedman does an amazing job of explaining the changes in technology, global trade and economics that have changed everything about how business in done around the world. He then does an amazing job of explaining why this matters.

If you really want to have a better perspective about how the modern world works economically and geo-politically this book is a must read. Whether or not you personally agree with Friedman philosophy, you have to agree that this book was researched incredibly well.

Ok, so why does a pastor, who should be reading Bible and theology, have such an interest in this book? I believe as Christians, we are called to take we believe and understand about God and Jesus, things we learn from scripture and prayer and discernment and let those things affect every aspect of our lives. As we reflect on what is happening in the world, as we make choices as consumers and we weigh in on political and social issues, we do so in the context of our faith. This requires two things: first that we take our faith seriously, second that we inform ourselves about the issues.

Let me give an example. I am a Christian and a consumer. I buy food, clothes, gasoline and lots of other stuff. As a Christian and a consumer, I have a moral obligation to consider where I shop and what I buy. Do I spend my money at a store that treats its employees well, that buys from suppliers who treat their employees well and treat the environment well? Am I spending my money responsibly or in my effort to save money am I contributing to the mistreatment of employees or even the planet?

To really make these decision well, we need to be informed. Sometimes we make well intentioned decisions based on a lack of information. For instance, I might decide to not by clothing from a certain store because I hear it is made in a foreign country in a factory that only pays their workers $10 a day. That seems unfair. However, what I may not know is that $10 is twice or three times the going wage in that country and that the company who has set up shop there is contributing to the country's infrastructure and giving the entire country an opportunity to begin to climb the ladder of economic opportunity.

This is all a long way of saying, good book. Give it a read if you get a chance.

peace,

will

Back from New Mexico

Alisha, Bodhi, Violet and I are back from vacation. We spent a week in Ruidoso, New Mexico hiking and relaxing. As usual there are lots of great pictures that are bound to end up on the screen during a sermon or two.

I got lots of reading done as well. I will try to catch up with the posting of books I have read. I have a stack of read books on my desk that I would love to tell you about.

I am rested and relaxed and already back in the thick of things. After a few weeks off from preaching, I have a sermon to prepare for Sunday.

Have a great week!

peace,

will

Happy Easter!

I want to wish everyone a joyous Easter filled with all the possibilities God reveals to us in the resurrection.

I will be out of the office (and away from the blog) for a few days. See ya when I return!

peace,

will

Maundy Thursday

If I had to make a list of the days on the Christian calender that I thought were the most important, Maundy Thursday would be in the top five. Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum which simply means "command." It refers to the new commandment that Jesus gives in the John 13:34 after he washes his disciples feet.

³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

The service is about more than the commandment and it is more about washing feet. (Don't worry, there will be some foot washing, but the congregation won't be asked to participate.) The service also helps us to root our celebration of Easter in the Jewish celebration of passover. We will focus on two questions similar to those that would be asked at a traditional Jewish Sedar meal. We will add a third question unique to our Christian faith. Instead of a typical sermon, John and I will respond to the questions with scripture and some explanation.

Our service will build up to a celebration of Holy Communion. In an effort to root ourselves in the Jewish tradition, you will hear some of the Eucharstic prayer read in Hebrew.

I hope you will join us!

peace,

will

Take a deep breath... and go!

Holy Week is upon us. As a pastor this is one of the most hectic weeks of the year. We will have services on Thursday and Friday and a total of four on Sunday. (I actually get a break this year. In previous years in Austin we did an Easter vigil late Saturday night.)

There is always a little extra pressure surrounding Easter Sunday services. First of all, it is an important day in the life of the church. Second, it is a day when we will be joined by a bunch of people who don't normally attend our church. Some are first time visitors. Some are people who have visited before but not been back for a while. Some are long-time members, who for whatever reason have been away a while.

Whoever decides to come and worship with us and whatever it is that draws them to this place on Easter Sunday, it is so important that we do all we can to make them feel welcome and comfortable. On Easter Sunday they are likely to make a decision, consciously or unconsciously as to whether they will return and take part in the weekly rhythms of the life of the church.


Blessings to you on this Holy Week!

peace,

will

Walking on thin ice?

When I was new to the faith, I was often frustrated around Easter time. The root of my frustration was that some people often used the occasion to try and debunk certain aspects of Christian belief. There are always tv shows, news specials, magazine articles, etc. tackling "controversial" issues about Jesus life, death and resurrection. There is always someone asking, "Was Jesus a real person?" or "Was Jesus really resurrected?"

It took me some years to realize why these things bothered me. I realized, for me, that the problem was my own internal struggle. Because I was new to the faith, there were parts of me that had questions, and parts of me that weren't sure. When someone asked a question about what I believe to be true, I had to ask the same question and wonder what the consequences of the answer were.

This Easter season is no different than most. Yahoo! News this morning caught my attention with the headline: "Jesus May Have Walked on Ice?"

Professor Doron Nof of Florida State University has announced a study that found that an unusual combination of atmospheric and water conditions in northern Israel may have created ice on the Sea of Galilee that may have made it possible for Jesus to have walked on ice and appeared to have been walking on water.

Now this is precisely the sort of thing that would have unnerved me a few years ago. Upon reading this, I would have been faced with the question myself, "What if Jesus didn't walk on water?" and "If Jesus didn't walk on water, what does that mean for my faith?"

With a few years of spiritual growth behind me, my reaction has changed. I am less bothered and more compelled by this sort of thing. Here is why I am less bothered: my belief in God and Jesus Christ is not a thing that can be proven or disproved. It is more than a collection of facts. If you could prove of disprove any one of the facts that are part of the overall system of my beliefs, it will not change that faith that I have in God and Christ. In other words, if you could prove that Jesus didn't walk on water, it would cause no change to my belief in Jesus. Besides that, the gospels are more than just a collection of stories that prove that Jesus is the Son of God,
they are a collection of stories that tell who Jesus is and therefore who God is. If, indeed, Jesus did walk on ice, it doesn't change what the Gospel reveals to me about the nature of God.

Here is why the "controversial" announcements around Easter compel me. The reasons behind them are quite varied. Some are trying to debunk Christianity. Some are trying to make a name for themselves. Some are just trying to start a conversation. It is the last one that I like. I don't think that we talk about Christianity enough. I am not even talking about in "public" life. I don't think in the church or in our homes we talk about this stuff. If headlines like this one get us to think about our own faith and discuss it with our fellow journeyers, than they do more good than harm.

peace,

will

Can I see it?

I love it when people feel comfortable around a pastor to ask the questions that are actually on their mind. Someone asked me the other day if I thought it would be ok if they went to see The Da Vinci Code when it comes to theaters May 19th. The person wasn't asking my blessing and she was going to see it no matter what I said, she just wanted to know where I stood on the issue.

My answer, "of course it is ok." The movie, as is the book, is a work of fiction, an attempt to entertain. I am rarely in favor of suggesting one boycott things meant as entertainment. (Except in the event of children who may not always be ready to separate fact from fiction.)

As a pastor, I might go so far as to even suggest seeing this movie. If it is anything like the book, it will contain some things that we Christians consider heretical. There are some assertions made in the book that are contrary to the doctrinal beliefs of the church. However, I don't find that to be harmful to Christian readers or viewers. The wonderful thing about heresy is that in order to know what we don't believe, we have to know what we do believe.

The book, and I hope the movie, address, in a somewhat overdramatic fashion, the formation of the central beliefs of the Christian church. The subject matter is actually stuff that most pastors would love to talk more about, but people tell us it is boring. The book touches on topics of the history of the Christian Church, the formation of the canon (which books ended up in the Bible) and the development of the ancient creeds.

With a little study of the topics of The Da Vinci Code it quickly become apparent that the controversy it raises is over some seemingly terribly boring stuff. I think if there is truly any conspiracy going on, it is a conspiracy of boredom. So much of the history and "hidden" documents are available to us, it is just that nobody really wants to spend any time studying them.

If the movie ends up a box office success and it raises lots of questions about faith and religion for people, that will be wonderful. Christianity is a continuing conversation and we all need more conversation partners.

If you are interested in reading more about this topic, The United Methodist Reporter had a great article a couple weeks back.

peace,

will

Nobody's Perfect

If you can't quite make out the image, click on it for a larger image. This is proof that even big, polished companies like Amazon.com blow it once in a while. The subject line of this email from Amazon.com reads: "[placeholder for winning team] Wins the NCAA Tournament!" The placeholder is in there because the game has been played yet. This email was obviously set up to go out later tonight, but someone hit send too soon. I am sure some Florida fans (like my wife) are a little unnerved by the UCLA Wins! banner in the email.

I just can't help but feel bad for the guy (or gal) who hit send.

Back and ready for Sunday

I got back from San Antonio this afternoon and got right to the glamorous work of mowing the lawn. I really had a great experience at Soul Fiesta. Usually conferences are good and useful and stuff, but this one was a true "mountaintop experience." Trevor Hudson was absolutely amazing. We were truly blessed to have him come all the way from South Africa.

This week should be pretty busy getting ready for Palm Sunday and Holy Week, but I will try to find some time to blog more about the event. For those who went, feel free to post some of your own thoughts.

peace,

will

Greetings from San Antonio

The Soul Fiesta Conference is wonderful. We had a mini-retreat for clergy yesterday with author and pastor Trevor Hudson. He also preached a sermon on the wedding at Galilee during worship last night. Worship was over two hours long but it was worth every moment. If you worship at Grace or read the sermons online, I am sure you will be hearing about some of Trevor's thoughts on Christian transformation.

Today I am off to downtown San Antonio to consider spirituality in the midst of the city's homeless population. Travis Park UMC is hosting this break-out session. I am looking forward to it.

More later.

peace,

will

On the road again

When I first got into ministry, I didn't figure pastors traveled that much. However, it turns out I do get out of town quite a bit. Today I am off to San Antonio for Soul Fiesta. This is a dual purpose trip. First, it is something that I want to attend. Second, it qualifies for continuing education which I am required to complete a certain amount of each year.

This conference is for lay people and clergy and will explore spiritual vitality in our congregations. This is a national conference and it is quite fortunate that it is being hosted right in San Antonio. They have brought in a lot of top notch presenters including Marjorie Thompson author of the Book Soul Feast.

I will be back in plenty of time for church on Sunday. So, see you then!

peace,

will

Sanctuary outside the sanctuary

A momma cat settled into a little corner outside our sanctuary to have her kittens. It may be hard to tell from the photo, but there are three. Two are dark colored and one is pure white.

If you are an animal lover and are willing to help with the eventual relocation of these kittens, e-mail or call the office.

peace,

will

This Week's Sermon

Sunday's sermon has been posted. If you read it, feel free to return to this post for comments or questions.

Sermon 19 - "Lifted Up!"

Peace,

will

Sunday Preview

Scriptures: Numbers 21:4-9
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 3:14-21

Sermon Title: "Lifted Up!"

This Sunday I am faced with the challenge of preaching on one of the most well-known pieces of scripture in the entire Bible, John 3:16. So many of us know this scripture, some even memorized it as children, but we don't take many opportunities to hear it afresh. What can be so appealing about the words of John 3:16 is that they simply and succinctly represent the good news of Jesus Christ. When we read them carefully and in the context of the words that surround them, they also represent a rich, in-depth understanding of the Gospel. On Sunday, I will try to help us to see these well-known words with fresh eyes and hear them with fresh ears.

See you Sunday!

peace,


will

P.S. The Labyrinth will be available again Sunday for walking prayer from 4:00-6:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall, as our Lenten series, "Journey to the Cross" continues. Come any time. There will also be a contemplative prayer service in the sanctuary at 5:00 p.m. You can walk the Labyrinth before, during, or after this common service.

Sometimes Deep, Sometimes Not

I think this weblog is a fairly accurate reflection of my life. Sometimes, in my posts, I share deeply theological and spiritual insights and sometimes I just post about the mundane, day to day parts of my life.

Spring is here, (It is hard for a man from New York to say that on March 21^st.) so I spent most of Saturday bringing the yard at the parsonage back to life. I raked and mowed and trimmed and fertilized. In case you think I am one of those men who enjoys yard work, I am not. I love being outside, I don’t mind working with my hands, but I do not enjoy yard work.

I am however, fascinated by fertilizer, especially the chemical kind. As I spread it on the lawn, I can’t help but think about how many lives it has saved. I put it on my lawn just to keep the lawn a nice pretty green and full. It keeps my grass healthy so that Violet won’t create so much mud when she runs around. However, worldwide, mass-producible, chemical fertilizers have increased crop-yields and allowed more crops to grow in more places therefore keeping people from starving to death.

Of course, now there are places where we use too much of the stuff and threaten the eco-system. But without it, there would be a lot more hungry people. (And my lawn wouldn’t be so green.)

peace,

will

Awake and Hungry

(click on the photo for a larger view)

In case you didn't know, turtles hibernate. How deep their hibernation depends on the climate and the turtle. Our big one, Simone, got up a few times during the winter, had a little snack and went back to sleep. The small one, Simon, slept straight through. The recent stretch of warm weather has woken them both and Simone is especially hungry. The picture shows her attacking a cherry tomato. On her plate is also some lettuce, grapes, strawberries, mushrooms and peaches. Simon better hurry or there won't be any left.

peace,

will

The Joy of Bible Study

One of the neat things about being a pastor is that you get to do a lot of different things. However, if I had to choose one part of the job to do exclusively, I think I would just teach Bible studies. The Bible is the most transformative pieces of writing ever created. As a church, we tend to just sort of poke around in it, picking out little pieces and ignoring most of it. I find when people really dig into it, explore it and engage it, lives are changed.

While individual study of the Bible is important and rewarding, group Bible studies are amazing. The dynamics learning and understanding are taken to a whole new level when people of different backgrounds gather around the text. People are able to hear and understand the message in whole new ways through the experiences of others. As a group leader, it is occasionally awe inspiring to give a group a little guidance and background and then let them turn them loose with the text. The insights and revelations they produce in groups rival the most impressive thinking of top theologians and Biblical scholars.

Right now, I am actually teaching two Bible studies, Disciple I, (the picture up top is from one the sessions of that class.) and The Bible from Scratch, The New Testament for Beginners. These two classes are some of the best hours of my week.

If you have never engaged in a real, in depth Bible study, I hope you will consider it. I will be offering another group study soon. Watch the blog for more info.

peace,

will

This Week's Sermon

Sunday's sermon is posted for review.

Sermon #18- Choosing Something More


peace,

will

Sunday Preview

Here is what is in store for worship this Sunday:

Scripture: Mark 8:31-38

Sermon Title: "Choosing Something More"

This Sunday we will take a look at one of those slightly odd and troubling exchanges in the Bible. Jesus is telling his disciples about what is on the road ahead. He tells them about his coming rejection, death and resurrection. Peter doesn't like this much and starts to reprimand Jesus. Jesus stops him in his tracks and says one of the harshest things Jesus ever says in the Bible, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

This is more than just a harsh reprimand; it is the beginning of another explanation of what is at the core of Gospel and the temptation we have to make it something else. It is a temptation that we all face as individuals and as a church. I hope you will be there Sunday as we continue our journey through Lent and explore this text together.

Remember that throughout these remaining Sundays of Lent, the Labyrinth will be available from 4:00-6:00 p.m. in the Grace church fellowship hall. A brief communal service will also be provided in the sanctuary each week beginning at 5:00 p.m.

See you Sunday!
peace,



will

Has anyone seen Will?

In case anyone has wondered where I have been, I spent most of the week in Kerrville. Monday and Tuesday I was at Mount Wesley in Kerrville for the annual Bishop's Convocation. In case you are wondering what a convocation is, it comes from the verb convoke, which means to cause to assemble for a meeting. Basically, the Bishop's convocation is an opportunity for all the clergy (pastors) of the Southwest Texas Annual Conference to gather to worship, study, meet in small groups and share fellowship. It is one of the only times that we all get to see each other since we are spread out from the valley, to Austin, to San Angelo and everywhere in between. It was nice to see some of my colleagues that I haven't seen in a while. Bishop Sharon Christopher of the Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference also did a great two part presentation of the need for spiritual vitality among clergy.

I spent Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday at my Covenant Connection meeting. I didn't get back in town until last night. Sometimes I get frustrated when I have to be out of town a lot. However, it is truly a blessing to be a part of the United Methodist Church. Gatherings like these remind us that we are not alone as pastors or as a church, but are working together with churches all around the world. Together, we are able to do a lot more for God's kingdom than we can on our own.

I hope to see you Sunday!

peace,

will

Leadership and Vision

I had the true blessing of spending this past Saturday with the leadership of Grace United Methodist Church at our annual leadership retreat. I was so pleased that so many (I think we had around 50) of our leaders willingly gave up their Saturday and spent it considering the life, ministry and future of Grace United Methodist Church.

We spent the first half of the day working through a program called Developing Discipleship Systems, created by Dan Glover, Director of Discipleship at Greenville Evangelical United Methodist Church in, Greenville, Ohio. The program made it clear once again how important it is for us to be a place of radical hospitality. We must send a clear signal to everyone who even comes near our doors that they are welcome at Grace! Dan’s program also reminded us all about how, as a church, we need to be intentional about helping our members grow and develop in faith and spirituality. In order to truly help people to become disciples of Jesus Christ, we need to do more than simply get them busy doing the work of the church. We need to continue to provide opportunities for people to grow in their faith in small group ministries that attend to their educational and relational growth.

We spent the second half of our day thinking and praying about the future of Grace. Pastor John got us started by sharing a piece of his vision and then we all spent some time absorbing the beauty of creation at the Berry’s Lonesome Dove Ranch and listening for God’s gentle whisper of guidance.

Grace United Methodist Church is a vibrant, loving, dedicated community of faith. Churches like Grace can’t help but grow, but growth can be a difficult thing. If we are going to be truly open to the abundant possibilities that God may place before us, we will have to make plans that allow room for more ministries, more missions and a lot more people.

I hope you will ask some of our church leaders about what they learned and discovered in our time together. Their vision and excitement along with everyone’s faith, trust and hope will pave a future greater than even we can imagine.

peace,

will

The Gospel vs. H.R. 4437

I want to share an interested editorial piece from this mornings New York Times. Wherever you are on the issue of immigration, it brings up some interesting issues on our roles as citizens and our roles as Christians.

The Gospel vs. H.R. 4437

As always, I love to hear your comments.

peace,

will

Settling into Lent

We had an amazing turnout at our Ash Wednesday service last night. I don't know that I have ever seen the sanctuary that full. If you were there, I hope that you found the service meaningful and I hope it will add to the meaning of the entire season of lent.

Don't forget that all through Lent we will be offering a special Sunday evening experience Journey to the Cross from 5:00 to 5:45. It will be a time for prayer and meditation as well as an opportunity to walk a labyrinth, an ancient means of prayer in the Christian tradition.

There is more information about Journey to the Cross as well as a lot of great information about lent in this week's newsletter.

peace,

will

This Week's Sermon

This Sunday's sermon has been posted. You can read it here:

Sermon #17 - Come and See

If you read my sermons online, you will probably find a number of typos and mistakes. You may also find some minor or major differences between what was said on Sunday and what you read. I really like to get the sermons posted as soon as possible and if I wait until I get it perfected, it will probably never get done.

I have turned off comments on the sermon page itself. If you have any thoughts or questions, just come back to this post to comment.

peace,

will

Remembering to Rest

I am constantly talking about our need for sabbath, our need to take time to rest our bodies and be in God's presence. (Read my post - Sabbath? Is that Really a Commandment?)

My dogs take me pretty seriously, but sometimes I don't even get it right.

Jesus tells us in Mark that:

"The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath."

Jesus showed us that we shouldn't be too legalistic about sabbath rest. He healed on the sabbath and he let his disciples gather food when they were hungry. This was technically breaking the religious laws of the time, but he knew some things were more important.

We can be too legalistic and we can also go too far the other way. If we try, we can always find something to do and never find time to rest with God. This week I am a little out of balance. I gave up my regular sabbath on Friday to preside at a funeral of a woman who had no church of her own. I think that was a valid reason to give up my day of rest. But then, I spent today at a meeting in San Antonio. Tomorrow is Sunday, so there will be little rest. Then, the week starts over.

Sabbath, for me, is like any other discipline. Once I get out of the pattern, it is really easy to stay out of the pattern. My challenge for the week will be to find some real time to rest in God's presence. I hope you find some time as well.

peace,

will

Worship this Week

For those of you who don't get the e-mail, here is the worship preview for this Sunday:

Scripture: John 1:43-51

Sermon Title: "Come and See!"

Have you ever invited someone to church? Most people never have because it seems like such a complicated issue. In John's gospel, a man named Philip makes the simplest invitation on record. He says to Nathanael, "Come and see." Simple, yet effective, because Nathanael follows Philip to see Jesus. This Sunday we will talk about that "come and see" invitation and also what we, as a church, need to do in the event that people actually take us up on it.

Remember that the United Methodist Men will be ready to serve you and your family a tall stack of pancakes this last Sunday of the month, with plenty of butter and syrup to go around.

See you Sunday!

will

More from Mexico

Here is a shot of the library nearly done. This is from day 2. You can tell by the extra layers of clothes. It was quite chilly. The roof is on and the windows and doors are in. The guys are just finishing up some trim while everyone else cleans up the site.

Picture number two is our group in front of the completed library. Our local help, our mistros are also in the photo. They were a huge help is showing us what to do and also doing the really difficult parts of construction. Right there next to Kathy is also our wonderful cook!

This building will be finished off by the folks at DIF. It will be painted and stuccoed before the books are moved in.

Mexico - First Look

Thank you to Robert for getting me some photos so quick! Here are some pictures of the first day of one of the building projects. This team was building a library at Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (or DIF for short). DIF is the equivalent of a child welfare services. This library is to be part of the facilities that offer food, health services and education for children and families in need.

What you can see in the first picture is a stack of cinder blocks being loaded onto the slab. We took the blocks and assembled walls on day one. You can see the walls going up in the second shot.

I will post some more photos and details soon!

peace,

will

Back from Mexico

The whole crew is safely back from Mexico. We had a really great trip. I think it might be interesting (and actually possible) to take the laptop and the camera next trip and blog each day from Mexico. (Yes they do have internet in Mexico, it is just a little trickier to get online.)

If you are a faithful weblog reader, were on the trip and took digital photos, please e-mail them to me so I can post them here.

I will post some more details of the trip once I get some photos to go with them. Basically though, we had a very successful trip. Our teams built two small houses for families and one decent size library for a community center in Rio Bravo. We had decent weather (though everyone was a bit chilly on Saturday). We even have great food, especially the folks on the library project who ate better than they did at home.

I will share more as I have time and photos. I hope the trip was a blessing to the residents of Rio Bravo, it certainly was a blessing to those who went.

peace,

will

Off to Mexico

I have been slacking a bit this week in my blogging. I am trying to get ready to leave tonight for Mexico for Grace's annual Mexico Mission Trip. I wish I had more time to write about the trip and what we will be doing, but I have been putting together my part, the worship for the weekend. Most of our trip will be building small houses and a library in the small town where we will be staying. But, we will also have lots of time for worship and prayer and reflection.

I look forward to writing more about the trip and experience on my return.

peace,

will

This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home, this little piggy glowed in the dark

If you have ever lost your pig in a dark parking lot at night, you will certainly be relieved to hear this. Scientist in Taiwan have bred fluorescent pigs. They have added genetic material from jellyfish to pig embryos to breed a pig that glows in the dark.

The point of this was not that we are in need of glowing pigs. It is an attempt to better understand genetics in hopes of helping to cure and prevent disease in humans. Anything we do genetically does, of course, cause us to pause momentarily to think about the moral, ethical and theological implications of such a thing and consider how far we should take such endeavors. But, in the meantime, enjoy the wonder of pigs that glow.

The full article is available here.

Taiwan breeds green-glowing pigs

peace,

will

This Week's Sermon

This Sunday's sermon is posted and ready to read.

Sermon #16 - "Servants of Christ: First Steps, Next Steps"

Your thoughts and comments are always welcome.

peace,

will

Newsletter Column

The following is my column from this week's newsletter. I am posting it here for those of you who don't get the newsletter or think paper is "so 1900s."

This Sunday marks the final week of our emphasis on stewardship of service. As I said in my sermon on Sunday, the point of this time is not to find volunteers to fill all the jobs around the church. Just as we see financial stewardship as a spiritual response to the freely given grace of God, this is about considering the way in which we use our hands and feet to serve in the same way. We give to God in response to what God gives to us and then we trust in God to transform what we give into things greater than we could ever imagine.

Not only does our service hold the promise of transforming the world in God’s name, it can transform us as well. It is my experience that people who find ministries of service that connect their God-given gifts and talents with the needs of the world are forever transformed and drawn closer to God.

The very day I was baptized, I was asked to by a member of my church to help out with the Sunday School program by becoming the Sunday School Superintendent. All I had to do was collect attendance sheets and offerings and make sure all the children’s classes had graham crackers and icewater. I was terrified! I thought for sure I would some how mess it up. That first service opportunity turned out to be one of the most important things I have ever done. Not only was it important because it follows Jesus’ instruction to care for the little ones (see Matthew 18) it was also important because it drew me closer to God and helped me to better understand my role as a servant.

I really want to challenge you this week to think about what God is calling you to. I believe that every member of Grace can turn in a commitment card this week, whether you are stepping forward for the first time to try a new ministry or simply committing to continue in a ministry you are already involved in. If you are already involved in ministry at Grace, maybe you will consider taking on something else. Might I suggest that if you are serving in a ministry within the church (reaching in), you consider trying one outside of the church (reaching out)? If you are serving outside of the church, perhaps you will consider something inside the church.

I am really excited about this Sunday. I am looking forward to the number of people who will step up in ministry. I am looking forward to how God will transform our commitments and truly help us to bring God’s love to the people who surround us. I am looking forward to how we will be transformed as well!

peace,

will

Sunday Music

Our praise band did a great song during the offering in 9:45 worship this week. It is a song they were working on and I asked if they might do it during our stewardship of service emphasis. It is not typical worship song since it is somewhat confessional nature. It asks the question, if we are truly the body of Christ, why aren't we doing more?

For those of you who attend 8:30 or 11:00 service, or those at 9:45 who didn't quite catch the lyrics, I am posting them here.

CASTING CROWNS- If We Are The Body
Album : Casting Crowns (2003)

It's crowded in worship today
as she slips in
trying to fade into the faces
the girls teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
farther than they know

But if we are the body
why aren't his arms reaching
why aren't his hands healing
why aren't his words teaching
and if we are the body
why aren't his feet going
why is his love not showing them there is a way
there is a way

A traveler is far away from home
he sheds his coat
and quietly sinks into the back row
the weight of their judgmental glances tell him that his chances
are better out on the road

But if we are the body
why aren't his arms reaching
why aren't his hands healing
why aren't his words teaching
and if we are the body
why aren't his feet going
why is his love not showing them there is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price
for us to pick and choose who should come
and we are the body of Christ

But if we are the body
why aren't his arms reaching
why aren't his hands healing
why aren't his words teaching
and if we are the body
why aren't his feet going
why is his love not showing them there is a way

Jesus is the way


peace,

will

This Week's Sermon

This week is week two of our emphasis on stewardship of service. At Grace we will be talking about stewardship all year and talking about it in every form. Sometimes stewardship is limited to speaking about financial giving. However, when we join the United Methodist Church, we promise to support it with our prayers our presence our gifts and our service. Throughout the year, we will focus on each on each aspect.

You can read the sermon here:

Sermon #15 - "Servants of Christ - Reaching Out to Serve"

peace,

will

The End of an Era STOP

I guess the era was pretty much over since I had never actually sent or received one, but I was sort of sad to read today about the official end of the telegram. After 145 years, Western Union has stopped sending telegrams.

If you want to read more, there is an article on LiveScience.com.

It is not surprising. With cell phones, pagers, faxes, e-mail, instant messaging, fedex, ups, and a billion other ways to communicate instantly, it is hard to see where there would be a market for the telegram. I just always thought it would be cool to get a telegram. Had I known they were going to stop, I might have sent one to myself. STOP

peace,

will

Private Prayer and Home Worship

I was working on a devotional yesterday and I ended up getting completely sidetracked and thinking about private prayer and home worship. I started thinking about the fact that the corporate worship that we gather for on Sundays was developed with the assumption that those who attend spend some amount of time in personal prayer. In the Didache, believed to be one of the earliest set of written instructions on Christianity, Christians were instructed to prayer the Lord’s prayer three times a day. There are still Christians who follow this practice. There are other Christians who, while not being that rigorous or specific, take time for daily prayer. There are also Christians who are even more rigorous in their prayer life than those original instructions specify. Some pray for extended periods several times a day.

However, I know from experience dealing with Christians of different ages and at different stages of the journey that there are a quite a few people for whom personal prayer is not a part of their life. I have heard on more than one occasion from people who are faithful church members, people who come to worship nearly every week and who even have leadership roles in the church, statements like, “I only really pray when I need something.”

Now I am not writing this in an attempt to tell people to pray more (though that is a good idea). I was thinking about this in the context of the assumptions under which our model of corporate worship was developed. The things that we do on Sunday morning, the prayers, the music, the sermon, and the order of the whole thing are based in the historical tradition of the church. The way we worship was developed based on the assumption that most people had a serious prayer life.

Let me add something else to the mix. I was looking at my copy of the 1965 version of The Methodist Book of Worship, the predecessor to The United Methodist Book of Worship on which we base our worship services. The thing that was most noticeable was that the full name of the ’65 book is actually The Book of Worship for Church and Home. What is a little less noticeable is that within the pages of this book are resources for families to worship together, including “A Form for Family Prayer or Worship in a Small Group” and “Table Graces”. This book assumed not only private prayer, but family prayer and worship. Think about standing in a congregation and asking three questions. First, a show of hands for those who pray privately outside of worship. I bet there would be a lot of hands for that one. Second, a show of hands for those who pray as a couple or as a family. I guarantee there would be fewer hands for that one (especially if the pastor promised to close her eyes.) Third, a show of hands for those who worship as a family (as in read scripture, sings hymns and pray together.) Of course there might be some, but not a lot of hands for that one.

There may be a problem with the fact that since we still do worship basically the same way we have for years, we still assume that most people are doing those things. I think that this puts and awful lot of pressure on worship. Think about it. If Sunday is the only time that many people are worshipping and praying alone and as families, Sunday worship carries the whole weight and responsibility for the development of people’s relationship with God. All of that in one hour. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that worship issues are so emotionally charged. Large arguments and even church splits happen over the specifics of worship, which makes a lot of sense if people consider that time their only time with God. If Sunday morning were my only time with God, I would want it to be perfect too!

Well that is more than I have to say in my average blog post. But I hope it will get you thinking about your own personal and family prayer and worship life. Perhaps it will get me thinking about more ways to help people be more intentional about their relationship with God the other six days a week.

peace,

will

Wireless in Austin

I have been out of town for a few days. I flew up to Buffalo to get my father and drive him to Austin. He is in poor health and he can get better care down here. So, I flew out Friday morning to Buffalo, left Friday night by car from Buffalo and got into Austin last night. Now I am waiting on a plane to fly back to Corpus and hopefully take a nap.

Just in case you keep track of these things, Austin's airport is probably the best place to wait for a plane. They have gourmet coffee, world class bbq and wireless internet. If it weren't for the security screening, it would be a pleasant place to hang out.

See ya back in Corpus.

peace,

will

Easily Offended? Some More Reading

I think people who are easily offended miss out on a lot of stuff. We all have certain areas that we are a little touchy about. In those areas of my life, I miss opportunities to broaden my perspective because I am too sensitive about the issue. For a lot of folks, religion is just such an area. There are certain boundaries that once people cross, our defense mechanisms kick in and we stop listening. What we miss out on in the realm of religion is the opportunity to see our faith from another point of view and perhaps deepen and strengthen our beliefs.

This is all a long way to get to talk about the latest book I have read Lamb, The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore. It was a Christmas gift from my wife Alisha and it was recommended to her by a close friend. Let me start with this: based on what I started this entry with, if you are easily offended about issues related to religion, Christianity or anything faith related, perhaps this book is not for you. Christopher Moore is not a religious writer, nor is he trying to write about religion. He says clearly in his "afterword",

The book you have just read is a story. I made it up. It is not designed to change anyone’s beliefs or worldview, unless after reading it you’ve decided to be kinder to your fellow human beings (which is okay), or you decide you would like to try to teach yoga to an elephant, in which case, please get videotape.[1]

That aside, this is one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. However, it isn’t just humor at the expense of Jesus or Christianity. Moore takes a lighthearted guess at what Jesus younger years might have been like. He did some great research to try and make an educated guess based on what we do know about that time in that part of the world (he does a really great job with the different factions of Judaism present during Jesus’ time), but from there he just makes stuff up. Whether he intended to or not, he ends up doing some great theology. If you can read this book through non-sensitive eyes you might start to see some truth about Jesus in a new way. If nothing else, you will probably laugh out loud quite a bit.

If you have read or do read the book, I would love to hear your thoughts.

peace,

will

---

[1] Christopher Moore, Lamb, The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, (New York: Harper Perennial, 2002-2004) 438

Updating the Profile

A couple people have pointed out that our new pup Violet was left out of my weblog profile on the right. It has been corrected. Thank you for noticing and no, I am still not going to change my picture.

peace,

will

A Day Off, Sort of...

Thank you to the United Methodist Women for leading worship in honor of United Methodist Women's Sunday. It was nice to sit back and participate in worship (mostly - I did have a few small parts.)

As a pastor, my opportunities to be in worship that I am not leading are limited, but there are some. When I go on retreat to Mt. Wesley for Covenant Connection, we have two worship services, each led by another member of my commissioning class. (I have to lead in a couple of months.) I also get worship at the monthly District Professionals Meetings. Pastors are very aware of their limited worship opportunities, so almost every gathering we have, administrative meetings, continuing education, etc. has a worship component. It is always very refreshing and it also opens my eyes and ears to new possibilities of worship.

I hope you are having a great week!

peace,

will

Will there be plenty of parking in the Kingdom of God?

Someone told me today that she had met a woman who had tried to come to church at Grace once. The woman said that she pulled into the parking lot but there was just nowhere to park, so she left. She hasn't come back and hasn't found another church yet. Often when I share stories like that, church people say, "What a great problem to have!" I understand where that comment comes from. With many churches and denominations shrinking, it is encouraging that we are dealing with not enough space. However, I do not think that this is a great problem to have. In fact, it is a really bad problem to have.

I feel like I say it all the time, but I did not find God in my life until I was 27. God reached out to me before I even knew it, but it was within the life and walls of the church that I truly began to allow God into my life. I choose my first church because I saw their sign on the street. I stayed because I felt welcomed and accepted. There was a place for me to park (a visitor spot right up front, which I didn't use because I didn't wanted anyone to know I was a visitor). There were plenty of seats in the back. There was room for me. Had there not been, I may have just gone home.

I believe God wants a relationship with every person on the planet. The church can be a vehicle for that relationship. For that to happen, the church must truly say, in word and deed, "Welcome, we have a place for you." No place to park sends the opposite message.

This post is a spontaneous reaction to the story I heard today. I don't know what we need to do to make more parking. (Though I am sure that could be figured out with some money.) What I am wondering at this moment is, even without more parking spots, what could we as individuals do if we really embraced how important it is that no one be turned away by a lack of place to park? I imagine we would be creative. I imagine more of us would park on the grass lot in the back. I bet some of us would carpool or ask our neighbors for a ride. I bet we would make some room.

Just a thought.

peace,

will

Busy Season

I realize that when asked, I tend to refer to the weeks following Christmas as sort of a down-time. I think I have told a number of people that it is a time to refresh and regroup after the busy Christmas season. I realize that there is actually very little truth to that. January is always busy.

The first few weeks of the year are actually some of the most important weeks in the life of a large church like Grace. Now is the time when we set the momentum for the whole year. If, in January, we fail to make plans and help others embrace those plans, the momentum of the year just catches up with us and we have trouble making new things happen

It is not that there is anything wrong with the old things. It is just that there is always more to do. There are always opportunities for people to train and inspire others to start new ministries, or hand off current ministries to new hands so that we can start new ones.

Our next big emphasis at Grace, starting in just a couple of weeks will be a focus on getting every member of the church involved in ministry. I say it over and over, Christianity is not a spectator sport. However, as a pastor, I never do a good enough job of helping people get connected to ministries that connect their gifts and passions to true human needs. When that connection gets made, ministry happens. I hope you can get connected, or reconnected this year!

Personally, I am taking seriously a challenge from one of my colleagues. He reminded me the other day to lead from my strengths. One of my greatest strengths is in the area of teaching, so starting in February, I am offering a four week course called, "The Bible from Scratch - The New Testament for Beginners." This is one of my favorite short-courses to teach because it is specifically designed for people who haven't done adult Bible study before. Watch this space and the church's newsletter for the details.

I am really excited about this new year and all the ministry possibilities at Grace. I hope you will be too!

peace,

will

Monday Greetings

Today is officially Martin Luther King day. I am out of the office today, but not properly celebrating the holiday, but rather just catching up on some stuff I haven't had time to get done over the last few weeks. You know, the stuff we all look forward to: straightening the garage, running errands, etc. Fun, fun, fun.

Whatever you are doing today, I hope we all have a chance to, at least briefly, consider the dream of peace, justice and equality Dr. King had.

peace,

will

My Job Workshop

I am spending most of today getting ready for the Corpus Christi District "My Job Workshop" this Saturday here at Grace. This is an annual training event for church leaders. It is set at the time of the year when committee leaders and members are moving into their new roles. Some of the sessions are directed toward specific committee functions, such as worship or trustees, some are more general, such as the session on conflict resolution.

I am leading a session called "The Ministry of Worship – How To Be in Partnership With Your Pastor.” The basic idea of the session is to look at what lay people can do to help their pastor create excellent worship.

You don't have to be on any committees to come to the event. Everyone is welcome this Saturday morning at 8:45. It is all free. Here are some of the other topics of some of the sessions: Becoming a Church of Irresitible Influence, Conflict Resolution for the Enlightened Amateur, PPRC/SPRC, Trustees, Disaster Preperation, Response and Recovery, Youth Ministry, Older Adult Ministry, Finance, Godly Play (Children's Ministry), Starting an Endowment Fund and two session offered by Conference Board of Church and Society: In Search of Security and Hot Topics in the Social Principles.

I hope to see you Saturday!

peace,

will

This Week's Sermon

I am back from Mt. Wesley and finally had time to make to text version of my sermon more like the one I actually said aloud. Sometimes there are very few differences. Others, like this week different words come out. For some reason (hopefully a Spirit led reason) I added a section in the middle and dropped what had been the end. Anyway, here it is:

Sermon #14 - Broken Glass and Wisemen

Your comments are always welcome.

peace,

will

Is it time already?

I am back off to Kerrville this morning for another Covenant Connection retreat. (If you missed the post about what that it, you can find it here.) I haven't finished editing my sermon from Sunday yet. It turned out quite a bit different from my original manuscript. I will try to post it when I get back tomorrow.

peace,

will

Italian court to decide, about Jesus?

Don't worry, no matter what the Italian court decides, God has the final say. This is an interesting article:

Did Jesus exist? Italian court to decide

peace,

will

Worship This Sunday

Here is what is going on this Sunday

Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-6
Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon Title: Broken Lights and Wise Men

Are you still celebrating Christmas? As I walk through my neighborhood, I see a lot of Christmas trees out at the curb. Some people take down their decorations early because they just like to get them put away. For others, the celebration of Christmas is cut short by the realities of life. However, Christmas is not over. This Sunday, we rejoice in the final Sunday of the Church’s celebration of Christmas, The Epiphany of the Lord.

The celebration of Epiphany is actually older than Christmas. It originally focused on the nativity, incarnation and Baptism of Christ. In the modern church, it mostly focuses on the coming of the three wise men or magi who brought gifts to the Christ child. The story of the wise men is fairly well known, but there is more to it than most of us know. I believe that in it, is a word of hope that holds true even when the joy of Christmas is interrupted by the harsh realities of life.

I hope you will join us as we celebrate one last day of Christmas together.

peace,

will

Happy New Year Part II

So, did you make any New Year's resolutions? People who survey these sorts of things say that losing weight and getting in shape top the list of resolutions this year. Quitting smoking has been on the top of the list for years, but since the prevalence of smoking has gone down 47 percent between 1965 and 2002, the number of people to make that resolution has gone down significantly.

Statistically, people have a lot of trouble keeping resolutions, but that is no reason not to try, as long as your expectations are realistic. I have fallen into a pattern of making the same resolution every year. For the last few years I have resolved to work on deepening my relationship with God. How much success I have with that varies from year to year, but I still think it is a good resolution. If you think about it scripturally and theologically, it is a resolution that encompasses almost any other good resolution you might make. If I am truly working to deepen my relationship with God, even without resolving to, I will think about my health since I will remember that my very life is a gift from God. I will probably lose weight, because I will remember, from time to time, that my joy comes from God, not from donuts. (Though I do love a good donut.) I will find time to volunteer to help others, since love of neighbor is a natural extension of love of God. I will spend time trying to improve my finances, because stewardship of my own money makes it easier for me to give money for God's purposes. I will recycle, because I will remember what a unique gift from God this planet is and I will want it to last.

I imagine, if you think about it, whatever resolution you have made will fall under deepening your relationship with God. So, where to start? Coming to church can help, although it isn't the only way, nor is it enough. You can read scripture. The Upper Room has some ways to help you with that. You can take time, every day to pray. There are lots of ways to get at that, one of my favorites is Sacred Space. If you like their website, they also have a book out. If none of that works for you, go outside and spend some time just being in God's presence of stay inside, find a quiet place and just practice being quiet. You be surprised what God might have to say to you if you could just be quiet long enough.

I wish you much success on all your New Year's resolutions and peace and joy for a new year.

will

Happy New Year

It occurs to me that I haven't posted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. It is all the rage in the blogosphere (I didn't make that word up, yet it isn't in the dictionary yet. It refers to the global collection of weblogs.) to post some year ending or year beginning thoughts. My friend Jen listed all the things she was thankful for in 2005. Many have written about their resolutions for 2006. I am not going to do either. It is not that I am not thankful or that I don't have any thoughts about the coming year. It is just that as I look back over the postings for the last few months, I see I have already done my share of philosophizing and if you go to the sermon page, you can find plenty of preaching. Therefore, I will just wish you a very happy and blessed New Year full of the knowledge and love of God.

peace,

will

Getting some reading done

I said I was going to find some time to read this week. It mostly happened today. I finished Donald Miller's Searching for God Knows What. Some people are more familiar with Miller from his book Blue Like Jazz. That book is also on my stack, but I haven't read it yet.

I really liked this book, but it was challenging. I can't say I agree with everything Miller says, but I am really inspired by what he is trying to do and how is going about it. If I had to describe the author in one word, it would be "unpredictable." He comes from a conservative evangelical background. What makes him unpredictable is how he holds on to some conservative and evangelical ideas while rejecting others. That is what makes this book so interesting. With a lot of Christian authors, you can easily label them as liberal or conservative a know where they are going to go in the book. Miller doesn't let himself get so easily labeled. If you consider yourself religiously conservative, he is likely to offend you. If you consider yourself religiously liberal, he is likely to offend you. I like that. It makes you think.

That all fits with what it seems he is trying to do. Miller to trying to make and argument against formulaic religion and for relational Christianity. Like a good preacher, he makes relating to God much less complicated and much more challenging. He starts in a great place as well, back in the Garden of Eden.

If you do opt to read this one, read it with an open mind and a critical mind. You don't have to agree with everything he writes, even if he writes it well. I don't particularly agree with his thoughts on authorship of some parts of the Bible. But, in the end the book was certainly worth reading.

As always I love your thoughts. If you read the book many months from now, feel free to just e-mail me and let me know what you think.

peace,

will

Silly Putty

In an effort to thwart any attempt to guess what might appear on this blog...

Did you know that you can buy Silly Putty in bulk? If you don't remember, Silly Putty is the super versatile, if not completely useless, clay like substance that can be formed into any number of shapes and can also miraculously copy cartoons right out of the Sunday funnies. When I was a kid, it came in a little plastic egg. It still does but know you can buy it in bulk! The stuff in now available in 5 pound bulk packs. You can also buy a case of 100 of the little plastic eggs.

For many, this may beg the question, "so what?" or the more thoughtful, "who needs that much Silly Putty?" Both are valid questions and I currently have no answers. Some of us are just mesmerized by things that come in large quantities. You know the type whose jaw drops in Sam's Club at the idea of buying 500 roles of toilet paper or a five pound bucket of dishwasher detergent.

If a little plastic egg full was fun, 5 pounds must be off the charts. This type of fun is not for the stingy like myself though. Five pounds of original goes for $76.99 and if you want the fancy new kind that changes colors, get ready to cough up $152.99. Shipping is free though! If you just can't help yourself, here is the link:

Silly Putty Store at CrayolaStore.com

peace,

will

This I Believe

National Public Radio is doing a series called "This I Believe" which invites people, celebrities and others to reflect on their faith. I have really enjoyed listening to and reading these and I wanted to share two of them.

"How Is It Possible to Believe in God?" by William F. Buckley, Jr.
"Be Cool to the Pizza Dude" by Sarah Adams

If you go to either essay, you can link to the rest of the essays in the series and enter your own if you like.

peace,

will

Taking a breath...

Many pastors take vacation the week after Christmas. It is a good idea. The weeks before Christmas can be quite exhausting. It is not just preparing for Christmas services, although that can be quite a bit of work. The fall of the year in the church is one of the busiest times. Here at Grace it seems like a pretty straight run from the pumpkin patch right to Christmas day. Fall also brings some extra work for pastors in our commitment to the larger connectional church. We have to get ready for our annual Charge Conference and there are evaluations from the district that must be completed.

Whether a pastor chooses to go on vacation, or stick around the office like I am doing, the week after Christmas is a week to take a breath. For me, it is about looking over some of the things that just didn't get done over the last couple of months. There are things I can go back and do, and others that I will just have to let go of. It is also about getting some reading done. It is a very important part of my life and work to keep reading. As a pastor, if I don't input new things into my brain, I will eventually run out of meaningful things to say.

I know that a lot of people are worn out. Fall and the Christmas season can be overwhelming for lots of reasons. There is the stress of too much to do, too much to buy and too many places to be. For some, Christmas holds unique stresses related to family and friends who are either too far away or too close.

Here's hoping that we can all find some rest and peace.

blessings,

will

Christmas Day Sermon

It was a very short one...

Sermon #13 - Christmas Day - "Rejoice"

A wonder filled Christmas

I haven't had a chance yet to reflect on the Christmas Eve or Christmas Day worship. John and I were overwhelmed by the turnout. I don't have the exact numbers, but I believe we had around 580 on Christmas Eve alone. We were really pleasantly surprised by the group we had Christmas morning. We really thought it would be a small group, but the sanctuary was full for worship!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, some churches opted to close on Christmas day. I really think that was a mistake. Certainly there are people who will come on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas day with their families, and that is perfectly alright. But obviously there are some people who wanted to begin the day by praising God and celebrating Christmas in worship.

Here is the next question. What do we do next year. This year, we had the unique situation of Christmas Day on Sunday. Next year, Christmas Eve will be on Sunday. Will people want to come on Christmas Eve morning for Sunday worship and then come back at night for Christmas Eve service? Fortunately we have a few months to work that out.

As always, I love to hear your thoughts.

peace,

will

Settling in..

Violet is settling in nicely. She likes her new home. (She has kicked Bodhi out of his bed.)

New addition...

If you read the Caller Times you may have seen Violet in Friday's paper. She was displaced from a shelter when Katrina hit. She is now living at our house. We will officially adopt her next week. She is as sweet as can be and she and Bodhi are getting along fine!

I will have some more photos once she settles down a little. (Moving day excitement makes it hard to get a focused picture.)

peace,

will

On a lighter note...

Why is it that dogs hate hats so much?

More Working, Less Blogging

This week before Christmas has kept me away from the blog. It really has been a busy time. Christmas Eve services always take a lot more time to prepare than other worship services. If you notice, most worship services at Grace follow a particular pattern. A lot of preparing the service involves filling in parts of that pattern with things that are appropriate for the season, the scripture and the sermon. If you are here on Christmas Eve, you will see that we have changed the pattern quite a bit because of the unique nature of the Christmas Eve services. What is unique about it? First of all, the narrative telling of the Christmas story is central. (Don't be thrown by the word "story". I am not implying anything, it is just how to I refer to the words that describe Jesus' birth.) In the case of these services, you will see that everything liturgically and musically focuses on that. Second, a lot of people who come on Christmas Eve are coming for the first time or coming after some time away. Even more so than on other Sundays, we want to reflect in every thing that we do, that they are welcome and that we have made a special place for them.

I hope YOU join us!

peace,

will

The Sounds of Christmas

I was blessed last night to hear the Christmas Cantada performed by the Grace UMC choir with a wonderful prelude from the handbell choir. I mentioned during worship yesterday and before last night's performance that there are a number of ways that we hear the message of Christmas. We hear it in the reading of scripture. We hear it differently in the words of sermons and devotions about those scriptures. We also hear the message in our traditions. Often, when we look to the root of the traditions surrounding Christmas, we realize that they are ways to retell the story in actions instead of words, or make the message tangible through physical means. (That's what gift-giving is all about.) As I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago, our decorations, in that case the nativity, can be a retelling of the stories without words and a sharing of the message. Many of us most clearly hear the message of Christmas through music. Music has the amazing power of speaking directly to our hearts, helping us to understand something that we can't quite grasp with our heads.

I will never forget, as a young boy, standing outside in the freezing cold of a Western New York winter in front of the United Methodist Church down the street from my home. My oldest sister was singing "Silent Night" as part of what I think was a live nativity. I remember being moved by the sounds I heard, but not knowing why.

Music is one way that we can shed that impulse to think we must understand something for God to be moving in us. As United Methodists, we believe in prevenient grace, that idea that long before we go searching for God, God is reaching out to us, seeking to draw us close, just waiting for us to reach back. As I think about that moment and that music, I sense God's wonder in it and consider how that worked in my heart for decades before I reached back and accepted the love that God had always offered me.

It is a humbling thought as John and I prepare for Christmas services. We will plan and fuss over all the words and what order to put them in. We will consider every last detail, hoping to share the glorious message of Christmas and God will gently whisper through it all reaching out for people in ways we just can't imagine.

peace and Merry Christmas,

will

Getting Ready For Christmas

Are you falling into that last minute rush toward Christmas? I feel especially calm this year but there are still parties to prepare for, gifts to wrap, services to plan and a sermon to write. Online shopping has certainly taken a lot of pressure off of present buying. Although I often have a last minute thought, my shopping is pretty much done.

Pastor John will be preaching Christmas Eve and I will be preaching Christmas morning. It is taking me a while to think about how to plan Christmas morning. I know most of our regular worshippers will come on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas morning with their families. Others will be out of town. As I am thinking about the service, I am thinking about who might be there and what message God might have for them.

I remember when I first became a Christian, I was living by myself. I had family in the same city but we weren't planning on getting together until Christmas dinner. Begin a new and excited (and naive) Christian I thought I would get up Christmas morning and go to church (it wasn't on Sunday that year). I was somewhat taken aback that not only did my church not have service, I couldn't find any church that did. When your church family is your family, it seems sad not to spend Christmas with them.

This is not an attempt to guilt you into going to church on Christmas morning. Christmas Eve will certainly suffice. I am just saying, I am glad that we will be here for those who want to be here.

peace,

will

(by the way, on Christmas morning, we will have one service at 10:00)

Poll Finds Most Americans Believe God Exists

Gallup just released a new survey that shows that 94% of Americans believe that God exists.

You can read about it here:

Gallup: Poll Finds Americans' Belief in God Remains Strong

I haven't seen the text of Gallup's release, but the article uses "believe in God" synonymously with "think God exists." I don't think those are necessarily the same. It may sound nitpicky, but it is something to think about. Is it possible to think God exists and still not believe in God? I think so. I think I spent much of my life in that place. If pressed, I certainly would have said I believe God exists, however, I was not ready to believe in any picture of God that was presented to me.

One of my seminary professors defined an atheist as one who had yet to be presented with an image of God that they could accept. I believe atheists would disagree with that, but it makes a good point. 94% of Americans think that God exists, but yet 14% of Americans do not follow any organized religion. That means there are more Americans who don't follow an organized religion than there are United Methodists, Episcopalian and Lutherans combined.[1]

It seems that our goal then, in reaching out to the unchurched is not about getting people to believe that God exists, but to see an understanding of God that makes them want to believe in God, to put their trust in God.

Just a thought. In a related statistic. God still believes in 100% of us.

peace,

will

[1] Cathy Grossman, "Charting the unchurched in America," USA Today, 2002-MAR-7, at: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/110249542.html?

This week's sermon

This week's sermon "C is For ?" is now posted at gracesermons.blogspot.com.

Feel free to post comments here. This sermon was really a joy to preach. I never know how well it will translate when read, but I know that not everyone can be in worship. I hope you are able to get something from it.

Just a reminder, weekly sermons (John's and mine) are available in the glassway here at Grace each week.

peace,

will

Church on Christmas

It doesn't happen very often, but this is one of those years that Christmas falls on a Sunday. We will have four services on Christmas Eve but only one on the Sunday of Christmas morning. I was reading in The New York Times this morning that some churches has given up on Christmas day all together.

When Christmas Falls on Sunday, Megachurches Take the Day Off

I would be interested to hear what you all think about this.

peace,

will

Home For Christmas Cards

Note: This will be in this Sunday's bulletin, but I wanted to post it here as well.

will

Home for Christmas Initiative: Together, We Can Extend a Warm Welcome

Help us invite people to “come home for Christmas” here at Grace on December 24.

Research shows that more people visit a church for the first time on Christmas Eve than at any other time of the year. That makes Christmas Eve one our best opportunities to help connect people with Christ and the grace he bestows.

During the worship services this Sunday, December 11th, you are invited to provide us with names and addresses of at least three households that do not regularly attend any church. We will mail these families personal invitations to the Christmas Eve services here at Grace. Please note: we will not use your name in any way in the invitations we send.

However, if you feel comfortable doing so, you may hand deliver or mail our beautiful Home for Christmas postcards located in the glassway. This second contact of a personally signed card often accomplishes what the less personal invitation from the church could not. Research shows that 85 percent of people who attend church visited the first time because someone they knew invited them

Whether or not you choose to send personal invitations, please come prepared to give us some names and addresses to go on the church’s invitation list. They can be neighbors, friends at work or school, relatives, people with whom you socialize, people you know in school or community organizations and clubs, customers and clients. (Do not include names of our own inactive members; we already have those.)

Please include the people you are submitting to our invitation list in your daily prayers. Ask God to use our invitation as an effective outreach to your friends. By working together we can get the word out to the largest possible number of people that “there is room at the inn” this Christmas Eve.

I think they made a movie about this...

According to Guardian Unlimited from Great Britain, there is a giant asteroid hurtling toward earth that could crash right into us in just 31 years.

You can read the article here:

It's called Apophis. It's 390m wide. And it could hit Earth in 31 years time

I am not all that alarmed, mostly because 31 years is a long time from now. What I find compelling about this is the fact that we know about it. If you know anything about astronomy (which I know exceedingly little) you know that it is quite miraculous that we can even see something just 390 meters wide this far away and it is almost unbelievable that we can make a guess about where it might be going.

If you don't know much more astronomy or space in general, let me put it in perspective. We are not exactly sure how many planets are in our solar system. If you don't believe me, see Solar System Surprise: A New View of What's Out There at Space.com.

Space is really, really big and really hard to figure out, so I am quite impressed that someone has figured out that an asteroid might run into us in 31 years. But, I am still not worried about it.

Speaking of space, I am worried about this: According to an op-ed piece by Nicolas D. Kristof in Monday's New York Times, about one-fifth of Americans still think the Sun goes around the Earth. (See The Hubris of the Humanities) (This is posted on Times Select subscription service, but there is a copy of it posted here - though I make no warranties about what else in on that site) By the way, let's be clear, the Earth and the other planets do revolve around the Sun, we are pretty sure about that.

Enough about space, back to working on this week's sermon. I promise it won't be so "spacey."

peace,

will

Some More Light Reading

A while back, I promised to post something about every book I read. I haven't forgotten, I just haven't been getting through books as fast as usual.

I just finished Bill Bryson's masterpiece A Short History of Nearly Everything. The title is more descriptive than you can imagine. Bryson takes a scientific stroll from the beginning of the universe to the present day with stops along the way to give the reader a basic understanding of physics, chemistry, paleontology, genetics and I am sure a few more sciences I have forgotten. Bryson is not a scientist, he is a writer and that is what makes the book so fantastic.

What I kept thinking throughout the book was, "I sure wish he had been my high school science teacher." Bill Bryson has a knack for making anything interesting. If you are a fan of any of his other books, you may know what I mean. (In his book A Walk in the Woods he made his failed attempt to hike the Appalachian trail fascinating.) He does more than share the facts, he tells stories, a lot of stories about the quite peculiar people he have discovered some of the most important things in our history.

A couple of words of warning about this book. First, Bryson is attempting to share an overview of the scientific understanding of the history of our planet. He is not thinking at all about theology. There is no mention of God's part in creation, not even a fleeting wondrous mention. He also states some pretty clear views on the creation of the universe and evolution. If you are easily offended by this sort of thing, this might not be the book for you. It would be easy to argue with some of his points on a theological basis, but I don't know that I would want him to argue with my sermons on a scientific basis.

Second, this book may have the consequence of making you feel amazingly small, but that sort of thing happens when you consider the total of all creation.

Happy reading.

peace,

will

A Little "Holiday Spirit"

Evidence that I am not a total scrooge. While it is true that I don't have 15,000 lights not a waving Santa on the roof, there are now lights at the parsonage. If you look closely you will also see an inflatable reindeer on the porch.

peace,

will

Oh, by the way...

For those of you who were getting the impression that I am a total scrooge, Alisha and I got our Christmas tree yesterday and most of the lights are up in the yard. I will post some pictures.

peace,

will

More Christmas Thoughts

I have been absent from the blog for a few days, a little under the weather. I came across this in the New York Times this morning.

This Season's War Cry: Commercialize Christmas, or Else
By ADAM COHEN

You may not agree with Cohen's tone or all his points but he may cause you to stop and think. There is a lot of outcry right now about retailers saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." Personally, I am less worried about what Target is doing about Christmas and more worried about what the church, whose mission isn't retail, but rather changing lives in the name of Jesus, is doing.

Just something to think about.

peace,

will