“The great challenge today is to convert the sacred bread into real bread, the liturgical peace into political peace, the worship of the Creator into reverence for creation.”
Monthly Archives: July 2006
Idolatry – What Takes God’s Place in My Heart
Quaker Boy Timothy in a post from quite a while back had something interesting to say about idols. He wrote:
I came across a new understanding of “idols” this morning–not completely new, just nuanced. It was in the New Living Translation that my daughter uses. John 5:21 says: “Little children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your heart.” Both the King James Version and the New International Version translate that verse as “Keep away from idols.”If an idol is something that takes God’s place in my heart then…
by what standard am I judged?
by what rules do I live?
by what principles am I guided?
by whom am I taught?
by what am I guarded?
In the end, where am I safe?Perhaps there is a clue to the importance of this right above this verse, in 1 John 5:19: “We know we are children of God but the world around us is under the power and control of the Evil One.”
I like some of the questions he posed, but even more I like the understanding of an idol that the NLT uses: “things that take God’s place in my heart.” Too often I believe that we modern (and post-modern) folk relegate the worship of idols to some far away place and time. After all, we don’t go around carving or hewing statues that we set up in high holy places and bow down before. Very few, if any, of us, have ever been confronted about our faith in God and Christ, let alone facing the temptation or pressure to worship some inanimate object. Those days are, for the most part, over, though there are some who see the pursuit of those pieces of paper with graven images of former presidents and leaders all over them as being roughly equivalent to idolatry.
But if we broaden our understanding of an idol as being anything that takes God’s place in our hearts, then idolatry is certainly alive and well in the world today, even in the church. In our personal lives there are the idols of family, work, material success and well-being, and let’s not forget the modern nation-state with it’s call for undivided loyalty and allegiance. In the lives of many churches, there is the worship of church buildings and architecture, church growth and worshiptainment, and the cult of personality that sometimes surrounds the lead pastors in mega-churches. In smaller churches the issues of survival, the lure of the glorious past, and the mantra/prayer of “We’ve aways done it this way.” often is first and foremost in congregational life.
This brings me back to some of the questions raised earlier, particularly these: “By what rules do I/we live?” and “By what principles am I/are we guided” It seems to me that the answers we give to these questions will help us determine the extent to which lives are infected by the disease of idolatry.
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Two Poems by Billy Collins
One of my favorite poets is Biilly Collins, and below you will find two of my favorite poems by him.
I Chop Some Parsley While Listening To Art Blakey’s Version Of “Three Blind Mice”
And I start wondering how they came to be blind.
If it was congenital, they could be brothers and sister,
and I think of the poor mother
brooding over her sightless young triplets.
Or was it a common accident, all three caught
in a searing explosion, a firework perhaps?
If not,
if each came to his or her blindness separately,
how did they ever manage to find one another?
Would it not be difficult for a blind mouse
to locate even one fellow mouse with vision
let alone two other blind ones?
And how, in their tiny darkness,
could they possibly have run after a farmer’s wife
or anyone else’s wife for that matter?
Not to mention why.
Just so she could cut off their tails
with a carving knife, is the cynic’s answer,
but the thought of them without eyes
and now without tails to trail through the moist grass
or slip around the corner of a baseboard
has the cynic who always lounges within me
up off his couch and at the window
trying to hide the rising softness that he feels.
By now I am on to dicing an onion
which might account for the wet stinging
in my own eyes, though Freddie Hubbard’s
mournful trumpet on “Blue Moon,”
which happens to be the next cut,
cannot be said to be making matters any better.
-Billy Collins
The Lanyard
The other day as I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room
bouncing from typewriter to piano
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
I found myself in the “L” section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word, Lanyard.
No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one more suddenly into the past.
A past where I sat at a workbench
at a camp by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid thin plastic strips into a lanyard.
A gift for my mother.
I had never seen anyone use a lanyard.
Or wear one, if thats what you did with them.
But that did not keep me from crossing strand over strand
again and again until I had made a boxy, red and white lanyard for my mother.
She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted teaspoons of medicine to my lips,
set cold facecloths on my forehead
then led me out into the airy light
and taught me to walk and swim and I in turn presented her with a lanyard.
“Here are thousands of meals” she said,
“and here is clothing and a good education.”
“And here is your lanyard,” I replied,
“which I made with a little help from a counselor.”
“Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth and two clear eyes to read the world.” she whispered.
“And here,” I said, “is the lanyard I made at camp.”
“And here,” I wish to say to her now,
“is a smaller gift. Not the archaic truth,
that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took the two-toned lanyard from my hands,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless worthless thing I wove out of boredom
would be enough to make us even.”
- Billy Collins
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United Methodists – Not Dead Yet
The following information comes from Bishop Monk Bryan, who occasionally posts on the blog Enter the Rainbow. All I have to say about it it that at least it shows the United Methodist Church capable of doing a little more than arguing about sexuality and watching our churches decline and die.
Through the United Methodist Committee on Relief, United Methodists have sent :
$ 8,000,000.00 to help after the earthquake in Pakistan.
$40,000,000.00 to help after the tsunami in Indonesia.
$80,000,000.00 to help after Katrina.They have also sent over 1,000 work teams and over 100,000 people to work and help in relief, recovery, and rebuilding along the Gulf coast after Katrina. To snatch a figure out of the air, if these people worked 40 hours, that would total four million hours given.
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That's Not Funny
Here’s a story just for my friend Jim, rural postal delivery main extraordinaire:
FARMINGTON HILLS, Michigan — A man’s idea of a joke — putting a pet 6-foot boa constrictor in his mailbox to startle a mail carrier — could bring him time behind bars.
“It was an incredibly stupid practical joke that wasn’t funny,” said James R. Mell, 31, an auto mechanic from the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills.
Mell put the snake in his mailbox July 7, The Detroit News reported.
The full story can be found here.
Just a Quote
Another Wedding Sermon
Earlier in our service we heard about another wedding that took place almost 2000 years ago,
where one of the guests was none other than Jesus himself.
You remember the reference that I am speaking of:
with his presence and power Jesus graced a wedding at Cana.
You can read about this wedding in chapter 2 of John’s gospel.
It is the familiar story,
told in only 11 short verses,
of how the wedding feast was about to come to a screeching halt because there was no more
wine.
What this story of the wedding at Cana tells us is that because Jesus was at that wedding,
the wine was replenished.
What could have been a most embarrassing situation for the bride and groom was avoided,
and not only that,
but the celebration continued with renewed vigor,
because Jesus literally turned water into wine,
worry into joy,
and the anxious expressions of the wedding party into smiles and laughter.
But what does that have to do with us?
Well, I think it has everything to do with what we and specifically you,
Andy and Margaret are doing this afternoon.
Let me assure you,
Jesus is as present here today, in this church,
at this celebration,
as he was at Cana 2000 years ago.
And it is because of his presence that your wedding day and your entire marriage can be a time of
celebration and joy.
Even when the the going gets tough,
even in the midst of tribulations and trials,
even if everything around may seem to be falling apart.
The fact that God in Christ is with you today,
and would be with you throughout your marriage will make all the difference in the world.
The wine of joy, true joy, never need run out for either of you ever again.
The promise of God’s continual presence is seen in the passage we read from Isaiah.
Here God tells the people of Israel,
and by extension all those who follow him,
Do not fear,
for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and through the rivers,
they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through through fire,
you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
In other words, God is saying to those who look to him,
who worship him,
come hell or high water,
I will never leave you,
and I will see you through.
It is this promise that will see you through,
and it is this promise of God’s that will enable you to keep your promises to each other.
And this is extremely important.
In a few minutes,
we will come to that part of the celebration in which the two of you will make some very serious
promises to each other.
You are about to make a commitment to each other,
and this commitment will not be easy to fulfill,
marriage itself is not easy,
and these vows are a reminder of that fact.
For one you are going to promise that you will be with each other in sickness and health.
Be honest: Most of us are not a joy to be around when we are sick.
We are not thoughtful of others.
We are not very considerate.
And even the most attractive of us don’t look good when we are ill.
And if this is how we are when we have a cold,
think how difficult it is when there is a serious illness.
You are also going to promise that,
whether you are rich or poor,
you will continue in your relationship.
It is not easy to give up creature comforts,
to sacrifice for each other and for your children.
And there will be sacrifices to be made.
But this is your promise, your vow.
You are also promising to be faithful.
In a world that flaunts sexuality and unfaithfulness,
this is no simple or easy promise either.
As time wears on,
you will begin to see in each other all the imperfections every human being has.
And Cheryl can tell you herself,
that amazingly enough,
even I am not perfect.
But seriously,
how will you deal with each other’s grumpiness,
your stubbornness or anger.
How will you deal with the temptations of the world,
especially when you and your spouse are not getting along all that well.
And yet, you are committing yourself to a life of fidelity, of faithfulness.
Lastly you are promising to stay together until you are parted by death.
When you are young,
it is hard to imagine there will come a time when one of you must watch the other die.
But that time will come,
and it is not a pleasant thought.
During those difficult times,
I would encourage you to keep in mind four things.
One – think back to that Wedding in Cana,
remember that Christ’s presence there made all the difference,
and then know that his presence in your lives will make all the difference now as well.
Second – remember that God in Christ will always be with you,
especially in those difficult times -
when the water gets high,
and when things heat up.
Third – attempt to live your lives together following the advice of John who is his first letter
writes:
children, let us love,
not in word or speech,
but in truth and action.
In other words, love is much mouch than saying, “I love you.”
Love is a decision,
a choice that we make each and every day.
When your spouse seems particularly unlovable -
when he or she is grouchy, angry, justifiably upset at something you have done,
when things are not going well,
don’t just mouth the words, “I love you.”
Show each other your love by what you do.
And fourth, but most important,
build your life together on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ.
As John also says:
And this is God’s commandment,
that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another,
just as he has commanded us.
Note the order here:
First comes belief,
first comes faith in Christ,
then comes the ability to love.
If you trust only or primarily upon your own ability to love,
to cherish,
to be faithful,
then you will surely fail.
But if you first look to Christ,
if you seek to live your life following Christ and heeding his words and commandments,
then your marriage,
your family,
your home,
will be like a house that has been built on a rock.
The rain may fall,
the winds may blow around you,
the floods may rise,
but nothing will destroy what has been founded and established in Christ.
It is my prayer that you, Andy and Margaret,
would look to Christ this day as the foundation for the vows you will make,
and for the life you will build together.
It is my hope that your home will be a house built on the firm foundation of Christ,
and that you would make Christ a welcome guest in your home and lives today and all the days
of your lives.
If you do,
then know that the wine,
the joy and the celebration of this moment, and of this day,
will never, ever end.
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Following Jesus
Dorsey Marshall, in his blog Head First had an excellent post a couple of weeks ago entitledI never even got to the question. Here is some of what he wrote:
Tony Campolo posed the question, “If there were no heaven and no hell, would you still follow Jesus?” I started to answer, but stopped. I had to admit that I’m not even sure I follow Jesus now. I’ve been a Christian for many years. I believe that Jesus is who He says He is. I invited Him into my heart (over a hundred times…and counting! Thank you, A/G youth camp!). I always cooked at the men’s fellowship breakfast. Spoke in tongues (but was never “slain in the Spirit”–I’m no wacko). I do my best to be obscenely generous. I’ve experienced immediate healing when I called together the elders of my church. I pray (for other people, not just myself). I don’t know too many orphans, but I help widows and reach out to strangers whenever I can. I go to third-world countries and help build meeting places for the Church to gather. And this little light of mine? I’m gonna…well, you know. Is that following?
The idea of following Jesus has somehow been blurred into . . . Christian activities. I’m not saying these things have no merit. I just question whether they necessarily represent an accurate definition of following. If I say I’m following Jesus, then it stands to reason that I am going somewhere that Jesus has been, or that I am doing something Jesus did. Yeah, we did the gay coffee thing, and I’ve sat in the gutter and befriended homeless guys in the city. But I still stop for a cheese steak on the way out of town and come home to my sleep-number bed (Jesus didn’t have a bad back like I do, you see). Is there a balance (as we all so desperately hope)? Or is that a cop out? Would you still follow? Do you follow?
The question of whether or not I am truly a follower of Jesus is one I ponder almost every day. The only days when I don’t struggle are the days when I allow all my church activities and business to keep me so busy I have no time for reflection. I have been a “Christian” for 38 years and a pastor for 20 and yet I still wonder at times: Do I follow Jesus? I think it’s a question every Christian should consider often.
The question that Campolo poses at the beginning of Marshall’s post in one of my favorites to pose to new members, older children, and especially confirmation age youth. It is always amazing to see how many people “follow” Jesus in order to avoid hell and gain heaven. It just seems a little mercenary to me, but then again Paul once said “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19). My desire is to follow Jesus regardless of the rewards that are forthcoming, however. My desire is to follow him because of the great love he has shown the world and to me.
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A Great Quote
I know nothing, except what everyone knows
if there when Grace dances, I should dance.
- W. H. Auden
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There Will Come Soft Rains – Sara Teasdale
This is one of my favorite poems of all time. I read it first ina collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury.
Tags: poetry, poem, Teasdale, rains, soft
There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;
And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white;
Robins will wear their feathery fire,
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;
And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.
Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly;
And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn
Would scarcely know that we were gone.
Sara Teasdale
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