Vacation!

Well, this week is about gone. I have spent some time visiting folks in the hospital, preparing for Sunday's worship, and refinishing our front door, as well as preparing for our upcoming trip.

Sunday afternoon, my family and I will be heading to Gillette, Wyoming for a week of relaxing with my sister and brother-in-law. I anticipate some wonderful fellowship with them! We will return home on Thursday or Friday to see our new bathroom (the Trustees are remodeling it while we are gone)!

Freedom

Preached at Hallam and Martell United Methodist churches June 24, 2007.

It was one of those scenes that attracts onlookers. Two police officers had stopped a car in downtown Milwaukee and ordered the driver to get out from behind the wheel. The man was obviously very drunk and had a hard time standing up, much less completing the field sobriety test. The resulting exchange between officers and the glassy eyed, thick tongued offender drew a crowd. The police were trying to get the man to turn, lean over and put his hands on the hood of his car. The man was screaming, "Hey... I'm an American and I live in America and that means nobody can tell me what to do!"

Oddly enough, this story is about freedom. Here in the United States we have freedom—glorious wonderful freedom. But does that mean we can do whatever we want?—No. There are limits on what you can do—you can’t shout fire in a crowded theater. You can’t drive drunk, you can’t sell illegal drugs. There are limits on our freedom designed to protect others, and to protect us from ourselves.

I want to take this just a step further, and say that to do anything we want would not be freedom, rather it would simply be an abuse of freedom—a self-indulgence.

But our scripture from Galatians says that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free, Christ came that might have life abundant—what could be more abundant than indulging our passions and pleasures, whatever they might be—that 10 commandments thing?—well, that’s Old Testament! As New Testament Christians, we should be free by grace of God to do whatever we want—as long as it is legal according to the laws of the land, right? After all, we are forgiven of ALL our sins aren’t we?

But wait a minute, let’s back up and look at what Paul writes here in Galatians.

Galatians 5:1

First, it is true that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. But what Paul means is that you are free from having to try to earn God’s favor by obeying the Jewish law—something nearly impossible to do in its entirety. It is Good News that that through faith in Jesus Christ, our sins are absolved—not just covered, to be brought out again later, but gone—washed away! It was especially good news to those who thought that they had to lead great or holy lives to earn or deserve God’s love. Truth is that none of us can earn God’s love—we can’t be good enough to measure up to the holiness of God—that’s why it is called Grace!

Paul’s opponents in Galatia wanted to make sure that people still followed the law—it was OK to believe in Jesus, but you still have to, by your own efforts, follow the law! Men have to be circumcised, you still have to follow the ritual cleansings, on and on and on.

I think this is where we today get confused. We know that we should live lives that are pleasing to God, so that means we have a set of laws and guidelines to follow, right? When we become Christian we have to do certain things, right? When we join the church, we vow to support the church with our prayer, our presence, our gifts, and our service, right?

But if you examine what this promise is, you’ll see that it goes back to doing these things in response to God’s grace through Jesus Christ rather than as a prerequisite for salvation.

Paul refers to what Jesus said, that we should serve each other, that we should love our neighbor. If we do this, then our eyes are no longer on ourselves. That is the only rule that Paul gives us here—that in response to the selfless sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we should refrain from a focus on ourselves—rather, love one another as Christ has loved us.

Look at vss. 16-21 This is a list of the works of the flesh -- every one is something we do for ourselves—whether pleasure, power, or personal gain. This is self-indulgent living—focusing on ourselves.

Now look at the next passage, vss. 22-23. This is a list of the fruit of the Spirit. Notice that they are not things that we can do by our own power—they are what the Spirit does in us if we stop focusing on ourselves.

This is the challenge—the war within us so to speak. We are given freedom, yet that freedom is to live freely for others, because living for ourselves is bondage. Self-indulgence is an abuse of freedom. This battle to take our eyes off ourselves is hard, but it is possible. But it is not possible though our own strength, but only through our submission to the Spirit of God.

We all struggle over right and wrong everyday. We decide over loving ourselves and loving our neighbor and we probably don’t win as many battles as we could.

God offers us the help we need, it is not always as easy to find as we want. It takes real effort and control to listen to the Spirit. It takes even more to follow the Spirit’s direction.

My challenge to you today is this: Live by the Spirit, and you will experience freedom. Freedom from unmet expectations, freedom from self-focus, and freedom from fear.

Nothing but Christ!

Preached at Hallam and Martell UMCs June 17, 2007.

Have you ever wondered why people aren’t just flocking in the doors on Sunday morning? Why aren’t people standing in line to get in the door? Why is it not standing room only in this place every Sunday morning? Have you ever wondered? I have. Because I look around at this world and I see that people are hurting. They are searching for truth, sensing that there is more to life. And as hard as they try, they are never finding it!

It is plain to see that the world is searching for things that are spiritual. Just turn on the TV or the radio and pay attention for a while. People are trying to find meaning everywhere they turn. I turned on the radio on the way here and I heard a song by Train called “When I Look to the Sky.” I was struck by the spiritual tones of the song—it could be a prayer! The chorus goes:

Cause when I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me
And you make everything alright
And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me
And I can always find my way when you are here.

I see people trying to measure up to the expectations placed on them by family: parents who want more from their kids, self-imposed expectations to be a better father, mother, husband, wife, lover. I see people trying to measure up to the expectations placed on them by the culture we live in. We are expected to succeed, and success is measured by the stuff we have by the society we live in. The other day I saw a beautiful brick home with a lovely manicured lawn. In the driveway sat a new Escalade, pulling a boat painted to match. For a moment I was envious: Why can’t I be rich and successful? But then I realized that I was already blessed by the family I have and the people I live and worship with.

But friends, I believe that the reason we can find a seat here this morning is not that people have better things to do, rather I believe people believe that we expect them to measure up to expectations placed on them by the church. Whether these expectations are real or imagined, in the minds of those who aren’t here, they are as real as the hunger in their souls for something real. To them, we expect them to behave a certain way, speak a certain way, listen to a certain kind of music, even dress a certain way. Maybe they are not real expectations, but the truth is that the expectations people perceive are there until we show them differently, and continue to show them!

Turn with me to Galatians 2:15-21. This is an interesting place in this letter. Paul is relating a confrontation he had with Peter. Peter had been eating with the new Christians, but stopped when pressured by those who wanted to bring some of the old traditions into the faith like circumcision and the observance of Jewish holidays. This passage is interesting because he starts out talking to Peter, and finishes by talking to the Galatians!

Read with me what Paul says…

Galatians 2:15-21 ¹⁵ You and I are Jews by birth, not 'sinners' like the Gentiles. ¹⁶ And yet we Jewish Christians know that we become right with God, not by doing what the law commands, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be accepted by God because of our faith in Christ -- and not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be saved by obeying the law."

Paul is saying that it is only by our faith that we are saved: It doesn’t matter what we have done, what clothes we wear, how we live—anything!

¹⁷ But what if we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then find out that we are still sinners? Has Christ led us into sin? Of course not!

This is equivalent to being told “You can’t be a real Christian--you gamble, drink smoke or chew—or go with girls who do!” or “You can’t be a real Christian, you don’t speak in tongues!” or “You can’t be a real Christian because you don’t wear a tie to church.” Is it possible that Christ can come into someone’s life, no matter where they are?

¹⁸ Rather, I make myself guilty if I rebuild the old system I already tore down. ¹⁹ For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. ²⁰ I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die.

If we take the acceptance Christ extends to us and add a bunch of other requirements—then we rebuild the walls that contained us before! It is only by the power of Christ that we can be freed from our hang-ups—that we can realize that we measure up to any standards through the power of Christ. If we could make it on our own, by being good people-- without faith in Christ—then Christ died for nothing—and we as a people are to be pitied. By putting aside the rules that have governed our lives and putting our full trust in Christ, we nail that old life to the cross—we are crucified with Christ—and the old ceases to have control. We can cry out with Paul—It is Christ who lives in me!

Does that mean I don’t have to quit sinning? No.
Does that mean that I don’t have to grow in my faith? No.
Does that mean I don’t have to give? No.

It means that we all start somewhere, and as we mature in faith, we realize that there are things that draw us closer still. Some of these things are things like giving – it is a contradiction to say “selfish Christian.” By definition, a follower of Christ gives of self—of time, talents, and money. Another is study – if the primary revelation of Christ is through the Bible, how can we draw closer if we don’t study? Finally, there is worship – a time to be encouraged, enriched, to share and build up

The point of this passage of Scripture is that the Galatians were putting on shackles Christ had taken away. But it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Don’t put shackles on your faith, or on anyone else’s faith. I encourage you to grow and develop your faith, and to give your life to Christ –to see him as the Messiah—allow him to save your life, to free you from the expectations of the world, and to empower your life.

God's Agenda

Preached at Hallam and Martell UMCs June 10, 2007.

For one week each year, a representative of every UMC in the state, and every UM clergy person in the state come together for Annual Conference. Now, for many people, this is a time of reunion. They get to see old friends, former pastors, people they’ve met in their travels across the state, even family.

A lot of things happen at Annual Conference. There is worship, training and educational events, and reports from various ministries. The members of annual conference decide on the stance of the UMC in Nebraska on various issues and work out the funding for ministries in Nebraska.

As most of you know, this last week was our church’s Annual Conference. There was extra work this year, as the election of delegates to other gatherings of global and regional UMC took place. I would like to take opportunity to thank the delegate from this church, and invite them to say a few words about their experience.

Lay Member speaks

As I reflect on the events of AC, and listen to the words of scripture for this morning, I am compelled to tell you that I am excited. I am excited to gather with you this morning to praise God, and to bring to you a message of hope--hope for the future of our church. At Annual Conference, I saw a lot of pastors and lay people, with agendas of their own. Some seemed to be outright angry! There were sour looks, bitter voices, hurt feelings. And I realized that many had been beaten up emotionally and spiritually in the past year. I noticed that many were concerned about pennies and nickels, rather than the mission of the Church. Some were condemning others for their beliefs—it didn’t seem to matter, to some you might not be conservative enough, to others, not liberal enough.

It seems to me that those who struggle with some of these issues were the most angry and concerned because their churches were struggling, some even dying, maybe as a result of their anger and concern. I saw members of other churches who were excited, though. Water’s Edge in Omaha started in September and is steadily growing—their membership is larger than our town! St. Mark’s NW? Same story! Bellevue? Yes! But these weren’t the only excited and joyful people there. There were many excited and joyful people there, including the delegation from our church—because good things are happening, because we are becoming a vital congregation!

To support this argument, this morning I want to begin a series on Galatians. Open your pew bibles to Galatians 1, this morning we will focus on verses 13-17. Take a close look at the verbs and their subjects. In the first part, you see that Paul was trying to do a lot of things on his own power. But then God intervened, and Paul responded.

Paul had been bitter and concerned with his own agendas. He was struggling and striving, bitter and unhappy. It wasn’t until God intervened and Paul had an encounter with the living Christ, that Paul’s attitude was changed. The same urgency and passion with which he had persecuted the church was then used to build the church and share the gospel.

My point this morning is this: regardless of the agendas WE have, we will not be blessed until we surrender our will to the will of God and have an encounter with the living Christ. God can then use our lives to expand HIS Kingdom.

I see hope in this church, because I believe that many of you have caught sight of the living Christ, yet still struggle with the sense of urgency conveyed by our mission and vision statements—a document we constructed together. It talks about a lot of important things (see http://www.hallamumc.com/vision.htm).

Friends, I believe this document is inspired by God, and represents our encounter with God. I pray that our eyes have been opened—we can see that the task is clear. Let us approach the future with our eyes wide open, looking for what God is doing among us, and celebrating God in all we do.