Unorthodox Lives

I’m not the most orthodox of preachers. With a background in both art and youth ministry, I tend to look at things differently. I often approach my study of scripture by asking, “God, what am I missing?” This question often takes me to places I’ve never been before. 

Both Christianity and United Methodism began as movements within existing religious traditions. Christianity began as a sect within Judaism. Jesus and his Disciples were Jews. Whether it was picking grain on the Sabbath or socializing with tax collectors and prostitutes, Jesus and his disciples were known to cross the line of orthodoxy and were persecuted and killed for it. Methodism began as a renewal movement in the Anglican denomination. John Wesley, an Anglican priest helped pioneer field preaching, appointed Lay Speakers, and even converted a canon foundry into a mission center for the poor providing food, clothing, education and medical care. Such unorthodox activities made him a pariah in the Anglican Church. Despite this, Wesley lived and died an Anglican priest. 

Isaiah prophesied that God's people were to be a “light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6) and concludes with these words, “See, the former things have come to pass; and new things I will now declare…” I believe that when God said these words through Isaiah God had an eye on us.  Isaiah's words challenge our sense of orthodoxy, forcing us to rethink 2500 years later, how we are to be God’s light to the nations. To borrow a metaphor from Jesus, “You are the light of the world…so let your light shine (Mt. 5:14-16).” 

Seeking An Intelligent Faith

God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. I Cor. 10:13b

Peter’s Great Escape (Acts 12) could easily be titled, “God provides a way out.”  Some might interpret this to mean God will always provide a way out of harm or trouble, a response that reveals a tendency to read into scripture something that’s not there. The word for “tested” in the original language is pā-rä-smo's. It can be interpreted as temptation or trial or testing (e.g. one’s moral integrity or faith).

In scripture, context is everything. If you interpret pā-rä-smo's as temptation, then it makes sense that the way out is to resist temptation and flee from it. If you are in a committed relationship and a co-worker “comes on to you,” then the way out is to set clear boundaries and resist his/her overtures. 

In addition, every scripture must be interpreted under the larger umbrella of the Biblical Witness. For example, a great many of the “faithful” in scripture suffered and even died for what they believed. For these faithful, the way out was the way of suffering and/or death. Thus, to read this verse to mean that God will always provide a “way out” of suffering is simply inconsistent with the greater witness of scripture.  For these faithful, there were worse things then death.

Bon voyage

It's a sort of like building a ship and sending her out on her maiden voyage. This Sunday we move our daughter Clari into her campus housing at the University of North Texas. I realize the metaphor is fundamentally flawed. While we have certainly contributed to the person Clari has become, she is very much her own person. Always has been. So at some level we are confident she'll do just fine without us. Still the last 18 years have all been about preparing her for the day she'd be on her own, sink or swim. The older I get the more I understand that letting go is very much a part of life. Letting go involves change, and change, movement. Maybe that's why we resist it so much. We get comfortable with things "as is." We prefer the familiar and predictable. But change is inevitable, even when we fight it tooth and nail. It is our failure to adapt and move with change that leaves us stagnant and scared, longing for the good old days. But here the ship metaphor helps us. We trust that she'll hold water; that the inner bracing will withstand gale wind forces; the riggings, sail and rudder, provide some level of control. Ultimately we must let go and trust. I suspect that this metaphor holds true for the child of God. While God has certainly contributed to the people we've become, we are very much our own persons. Still, God in his wisdom sets us free. While we often talk about trusting God, we rarely talk about God trusting us. Clearly, it is a leap of faith.

Thoughts about fishing

When I was young my Grandpa Kim used to take me fishing. I totally idolized this man and believed he was the most accomplished fishermen in the entire world. No question Grandpa Kim knew how to catch fish but I doubt he was the worlds best at it! Still, I remember that when we visited new fishing spots grandpa had the habit of asking the locals what kind of bait they were using. This often resulted in a change of tactic when it came to choosing our lures.

Three years ago General Conference voted to embraced a revitalization program called "Rethink Church." Emerging out of our, "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors," campaign, it seeks to raise the question, "What if Church were a verb?" You can find out more about this UMC movement by going to rethinkchurch.org. Presenting the Gospel in a rapidly changing world forces us to rethink how we reach those "fish" who did not grow up in the church or perhaps had a bad experience with it. That discussion has led to further dialogue about how we advertise (i.e get the word out). The hope is that we can get people into the doors so they can experience our church and its distinctive Christian message. We've played with logos and with the shorten reference to First UMC Lewisville of "First church." Some members have questioned whether this meant we were no longer United Methodists. Of course we are not officially changing the name of the church or our denominational stance. We are merely taking seriously Jesus' command to fish for people and that means a willingness to use different types of bait.

Over the years this church has made some difficult changes; relocating, adding new programs (CCDC,  New Hope Learning Center, and YOTO), changing hymnals and even Bibles (remember the KJV?); adding a contemporary service, and so on. None of these changes have made us any less a United Methodist Church.  And just for the record, many times over the last three years I've referred to our church as First Church. Some of you know that my home church no longer exists. As the community changed, the church was either unwilling or unable to address those changes.  I fear for the future of the church if we hold so tightly to our traditions that we can never adapt how we present the gospel. I've been in the church most of my life, much of it as an ordained minister. We don't do church like we used you....that's clear. The good news is, we are a thriving community of faith because of it.

Wordsmithing Love

There is a tendency for preachers to use a vocabulary often not used in the day-to-day of life. Narthex; its the lobby outside the sanctuary. Sanctuary; its the place we gather for worship. Worship, its a word designating how we can respond to God (and so on). Such church-speak while familiar to insiders, leaves the unchurched baffled and wondering what planet we fell off, which is why I avoid church-speak where possible. The scripture I've been wrestling with this week is from the Book of Ruth. Did you know that there are only 85 verses in this book and yet the word "redeem" is used some 23 times. So I started asking people to define it. Typically my question was met by blank stares and/or silence. God's honest truth? I found the word a bit hard to define myself. If you're old enough to remember Blue Chip or Green Stamps, you might remember the "Redemption Centers" where you could trade in completed stamp books for a can opener. Where else does that word pop up? In the Old Testament "redeem" is a legal concept used to describe the recovery of something sold (by necessity), through payment of some kind. Lev. 25:25 says if someone is forced to sell his or her property to pay a debt, the next of kin was obligated to repurchase it for them, given the means. Of course that seldom happens, hence the popularity of such reality TV shows as Pawn Stars! New Testament writers use "redeem" to describe Jesus' death on the cross, meaning Jesus has paid for our sin, restoring us to a right relationship with God. In other words, we have become the redeemed; and the redeemer? The one who loves us enough to recover what was lost. To quote the Prodigal's father in Jesus' parable, "My child was lost and now is found." We may not use it much but the word "redeem" holds profound meaning both for the one on the receiving end, and the one on the giving end.