A Thought For The Week Of January 28

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect ..." (1 Peter 3:15) On Sunday, instead of preaching, we had a Question & Answer session in church. I took 5 random questions from the congregation and offered 5 totally unprepared answers. The questions were on 5 totally different subjects. This was the verse that came into my mind as I thought about what I was planning to do. Sometimes it's good for us to be caught off guard by the questions and comments of others, because it's in responding to others that we're forced to confront our own questions, and to refine what it is that our own faith is about. Sometimes we take things very much for granted. We don't allow ourselves to be pushed out of our comfort zones, and we certainly don't talk much about our faith. That - we've convinced ourselves - is a private matter best kept to ourselves. To talk about our faith is disrespectful to those who might disagree with us. That's what we say anyway. But I suspect that for many the real reason is that we just don't want to have to face the awkward questions that people can sometimes ask. But the Bible tells us to be prepared - to know what we believe and to be able to express it, not arrogantly, but gently and respectfully. Some of our congregation asked for more services like that one. And maybe it's a good exercise for the minister to go through. But it's not only ministers who have to be on their toes about matters of faith; it's all of us who claim Christ as our light, our Lord, our Saviour, our God. Always be prepared. Have a great week!

A Thought For The Week Of January 21

Thought for the week: "They said to [Samuel], “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” (1 Samuel 8:5) Barack Obama is being sworn in as president today. Well, not really. He was actually sworn in yesterday - but yesterday being a Sunday, it was a very low key ceremony that lasted about 2 minutes. Today they're going to do it again - just for the show, of course. And trumpets will blare, and bands will play and parades will be held. All the trappings on display. It always intrigues me that for a country born out of a rebellion against a monarchy, Americans sure invest their presidents with a lot of kingly trappings. And it made me think about Israel. Israel demanded a king. Supposedly, God was their King, but they weren't satisfied with that. They wanted to be like everyone else. God really wasn't good enough. And thinking about that made me think about Christians today. We have a King. His name is Jesus - the King of kings! But how many of us really let Him reign over our lives. And how often do we just want to be like everyone else, hiding our light, and easily setting aside the gospel and Jesus' clear teachings when we decide that they're just to hard for us to follow - or maybe they're not necessarily too hard; maybe we just don't want to follow them, so we act as if they don't exist, probably so that we won't stand out too much; so that we can look and act like everyone else. I think Jesus wants us to stand out in the crowd. I think Jesus wants us to live out the gospel in ways that make people stand up and take notice - not of us and how good we are, but of Him and of the difference He makes. That's our challenge. Being noticed for the gospel; being noticed for Jesus; being noticed in a way that bears faithful witness to both. Have a great week.

January 20 sermon - The Beginning Of A New Covenant

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17)

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     I’m interested in the word “new” today. Sometimes it’s interesting to check out words in the Bible and how many times they occur. Of course, it can vary slightly, depending on which translation of the Bible that you choose to research, but I checked out the word “new” in the New International Version, which is my usual version of choice for preaching. The NIV tells me that within its pages, the word “new” appears 264 times. I’m a little surprised that it doesn’t appear more often than that. And it does vary from translation to translation, so in the King James Bible the word “new” only appears 136 times, while in the New Revised Standard Version (which is probably the most popular of the modern translations) “new” appears 408 times. So, why my fascination with the word “new” and how it’s used in the Bible?

     First of all, we know that the word “new” gets used a lot in the Christian faith. There’s “new life,” and “New Testament,” and “new heaven,” and “new earth.” When I checked out my Bible, I discovered that there’s new wine (that we should put in new wineskins) and new clothing and new kings. There’s new grain and new clay. There are references to the new moon. Sometimes people get a new house, and we hear about new grass. There are even new ropes and even new gods referred to in the Bible. There are new carts and new swords and new cloaks. There are new altars, perhaps found in the new Temple that has a new gate. Of course, God’s people often sing a new song and there’s often new growth and sometimes we get a new name and a new spirit and a new heart. There are new treasures and new tombs, and there’s a new teaching sometimes offered in new tongues. We are, of course, a new creation. All right. I’ve made my point. For a book whose oldest writings could be close to 4000 years old, there’s a lot of emphasis on newness and freshness within its pages, and when you stress the idea that something should be new and fresh then you’re also offering the idea that something should be exciting and wondrous. There is one thing I haven’t mentioned yet.

     Jeremiah in his prophecy promised a new covenant between God and God’s people, and both Jesus and Paul basically declared that new covenant in effect through the symbolism  of the Cup we lift at Communion services. What I want to reflect on today is the nature of this new covenant between God and God’s people, because the new covenant we’re a part of gives us a new identity, and I think we get to the heart of that when we think about all of the symbolism attached to the baptism of Jesus, and there are really two key things - trying to figure out why Jesus was baptized in the first place, and then the voice from heaven, and really, I think that both of those key parts of the story are basically telling us the same thing. Jesus was baptized not because he had to be but because he chose to be. John understood the dilemma very clearly. “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” The point, of course, is not that Jesus needs to be made righteous. He’s already that. But he’s talking about “all righteousness” - not his, but yours and mine as well. By being baptized, he’s identifying himself with the work of God, because Jesus clearly sees John as having been called by God to engage in this ministry. And by being baptized, Jesus is identifying himself with us. He’s saying that he’s one of us. He’s saying that what we go through he’ll go through. He’s saying that our relationship with God will be his relationship with God. He’s saying that our life will be his life. And by Jesus choosing to be in solidarity with us, Jesus is accomplishing one other thing.

     The story of Jesus’ baptism ends by telling us that as he came out of the water, “at that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’” Here is the moment at which all was revealed. Jesus had a relationship with God that was like no other. “This is My Son,” God said. My Son! And think about this for a moment. We usually think about this as saying something about Jesus - but really it’s saying something about us, because if by his baptism, Jesus is saying that he’s one of us, and if after his baptism God declares a special relationship, then God is also saying something special about us.

     Until this point in the history of God’s people, the idea of God’s people being the children of God wasn’t very common. God’s people were just that - the people of God - but they weren’t especially thought of and they didn’t think of themselves as the children of God; a much closer and more intimate kind of relationship. Jesus changed that. Our relationship to God was changed by Jesus. You see, this story of Jesus’ baptism is primarily about identity. Jesus is declared by a heavenly voice to be the Son of God, and because we are in an unshakeable and unbreakable relationship with Jesus, this voice is also telling us that we’ve taken on a new identity as sons and daughters of God, as beloved children so precious to God that God would go to any length to demonstrate that love to us, even to the point of dying on a cross. That’s why this story of Jesus’ baptism is so important - because it’s the start of our understanding of what our identity as God’s children is really all about. We live in an age when so many people are trying to discover themselves; to figure out who they really are. The baptism of Jesus tells us that we come to understand who we are by paying attention to whose we are . We are God’s beloved children. We have infinite value and worth, and God will always maintain that relationship of love with us and will forgive us when we wander away, and God will be with us all the days we live. Amen!

A Thought For The Week Of January 14

“Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory, honour, and power. For You created all things, and by Your will they were given existence and life.” (Revelation 4:11) I sometimes wonder about this verse. Is that the only reason? I mean, God must already have power, or God couldn't have done all this creating, and as for glory and honour - well - I create lots of things, but I don't think that makes me worthy of glory or honour. Well, I might think it does, but no one else seems to! No, God's creativity - even of me - can't be the whole of what makes God worthy of glory and honour. Some might say that it's what God gives us that makes God worthy of such things. God gives us grace and forgiveness and new life and a new beginning. But it can't be just that. That's just kind of selfish if we think God is worthy of glory and honour because of what God gives us. So it has to be more. I think that what really makes God worthy of glory and honour is God's nature. It's not what God does or what God gives, it's what God is in the depths of the divine being. It's that God is love. It's that God is so close to us. It's that God is both so intimate and so mysterious all at the same time. It's that God is with us and never leaves us. It seems to me that's what makes God worth of glory and honour. It also demonstrates that God is worthy of the power God exercises as well. So - do give God glory and honour, and rejoice in God's power. God is worthy of all these things. Have a great week!

January 13 sermon - Born Again To Be Noticed

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come One Who is more powerful than I, Whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:1-12)

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     “Born To Be Wild.” What a song. It was released in 1967 and sung by Steppenwolf. Some people have called it the first “heavy metal” song - can I mention heavy metal music in a worship service? (And, believe it or not, there is Christian heavy metal music!) You can look it up on You Tube if you’re at all interested. But back to “Born To Be Wild.”

Get your motor runnin'

Head out on the highway

Lookin' for adventure

And whatever comes our way.

     And it goes on to say:

Like a true nature's child

We were born, born to be wild.

     I read about John the Baptist, and I thought about this song, and it seemed to me that John the Baptist would have approved! I mean, the guy ate bugs and he had a wardrobe that would have made him stand out in the crowd. If there’s such a thing as a “wild man” John the Baptist might have been it. Back in 1965, Charlton Heston offered one of the best film portrayals of the Baptist ever. Here’s a look at it, in a two and a half minute video from You Tube:

     That was John the Baptist, in a pretty good portrayal by Charlton Heston. And he was wild - which meant, basically, that he was noticed. Being noticed had some unfortunate consequences. The man ended up having his head cut off and brought to Herod on a silver platter. Being noticed comes with a price. Years ago, I used to spend a fair bit of time in downtown Toronto. I used to see on a regular basis a John the Baptist type standing at the corner of King and Bay (the financial heart of the city; some would say the financial heart of the country.) Unlike John the Baptist he was nicely dressed, and I never saw him eat a single bug, but he did get noticed, because he would spend his time shouting at the well-dressed, wealthy, powerful folks passing him by (and some of the not so well dressed, not so powerful and not so wealthy folks, because he didn’t seem to play favourites) “Repent! Repent!” I’m not sure that anyone ever took his message to heart, but people noticed him. There’s no doubt about that.

     I don’t want to be John the Baptist. I wouldn’t look good in a camel hair shirt. And locusts? Well, they’re probably full of protein, but … I don’t think so. But I do still want to think about John the Baptist as an example of living out faith and living out one’s call from God. We live in a society that has become conditioned to the idea that somehow faith should be restricted to the private realm. It’s not to be a public thing. Go to church if you want, but don’t bother me with it. And it’s my honest opinion that we too often look for excuses to avoid God’s call on our lives rather than looking for opportunities to fulfil God’s call on our lives.

     If John the Baptist was “born to be wild,” then it seems to me that we are called to follow in his footsteps. We might not be “born to be wild,” but I would say that perhaps we’re “born again - to be noticed!” John the Baptist called people to God, and so are we called to do that. Certainly not with the same strategy. “Repent you bunch of snakes” probably won’t get much of a hearing in the modern world, but we have opportunities to call people to God and to bear effective witness to Jesus, if we take advantage of them. We shouldn’t be anonymous doers of good. Instead, we need to make sure that we’re noticed in such a way that we make sure people understand that the good we do isn’t just for the sake of doing good, but that it represents our way of fulfilling God’s call on our lives. We shouldn’t hide our faith - we should live it in such a way that people come to know, through us, the love and care and compassion and mercy of God. Too often, our  culture conditions us to adopt an attitude of what might be called “easy-believism.” Just believe, and you’ll never have to think about it or talk about it again. That seems to be the message that’s even crept into the church. The church becomes the place to be Christian, in the rest of the world we just don’t talk about it.

     Here’s why John the Baptist is a good example for us. He would have talked about it. No one could have stopped him. It should be our privilege to be noticed for Christ and to offer people the good news of God and God’s grace.

Three Kinds Of Church Fights

Earlier today I found myself engaged in a discussion about church fights. I haven't been involved in any recently, thank goodness, although the potential is always there when you're the minister. Actually over the last couple of years I've been doing a lot of reflection about church fights - both those I've been involved with and those I've just watched from the sidelines - because dealing with church conflict (specifically from a preaching perspective) is the subject of my D.Min. thesis. In the chat I was having earlier today I was concerned that a colleague was being dragged into a church fight that couldn't be won and that wasn't especially necessary. That made me think about the theory I've developed over the years that there are essentially three kinds of church fights, and I thought I'd share them.

(1) The Fights That Have To Be Won

The first kind of church fight is the fight that has to be won. It's over an issue that is so central and so fundamental to my identity that if I don't get my way I have to move on. If that sounds immature - like someone throwing a temper tantrum - it's not. It's actually quite mature and thoughtful. You see, very, very few fights would fit into this category if we take it seriously. The fight has to be about an essential point. For example, if I were serving in a denomination or a congregation that decided that it no longer believed in the resurrection of Jesus and made it a rule that I was not to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus as a historical reality, I'd have to leave. That's one example. The examples would be different for others, but the point is that the church you're a part of is insisting that you buy into something that you simply cannot buy into - and it's something that really, really matters. It's win or else - and, in some circumstances, that's perfectly valid.

(2) The Fights That Have To Be Fought

The second kind of church fight is the fight that has to be fought. It's over an issue that's important; important enough that as the minister I need to have my position expressed and on the record so that everyone knows where I stand. I may win the fight or I may lose the fight, but it isn't a make or break issue. I can remain even if I don't get my way, but I have to remain as a dissenter; as one who represents what might be called "the loyal opposition." An example might be over a mission project. I might feel strongly that a particular mission project either should or shouldn't go ahead for any number of reasons. I'm not going to leave the church over it, but my reason for either supporting it or not supporting it is important enough to me and represents something vital enough to me that I need to be public about it.

(3) The Fights That Shouldn't Be Fought

The third kind of church fight is the fight that shouldn't be fought. In my experience, the vast majority of church fights fall into this category. They're over no particularly vital issues. They're caused in many cases by personality conflicts. Sometimes they're over things that have nothing to do with the primary purpose of the church. They're secondary issues at best and they're not worth investing time or energy in. These are the fights to sit back and observe, in the hopes that by staying above the fray, I can somehow try to bring peace to the situation. An example might be what colour to paint the sanctuary or singing Christmas carols during Advent. They're things I might have an opinion on, but I don't need to express that opinion because, really, in the overall scheme of things, what difference does it make? Maybe as the minister I don't need to have my hand in every single thing that goes on, and maybe not everything has to be the way I like it. If I could learn not to fight the fights that shouldn't be fought, the truth is that there'd be precious little left to fight over.

My thoughts here are mostly directed to clergy, but the laity could learn from it too, because the fights that don't have to be fought could be avoided altogether if both clergy and laity could learn to direct their passion toward only those things that are really of central importance to the work and calling of the church.

A Thought For The Week Of January 7

"if you forgive others for their sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive you." (Matthew 6:14) It seems to me that all life requires a healthy dose of forgiveness. Let's face it - there are all sorts of things people have done to do each one of us over the years that have hurt us and caused us anguish. Some people choose to nurture those hurts and live with resentment, so that they simply descend into bitterness and get little enjoyment out of it. That's not much of a way to live. But there's more to it than just taking the enjoyment out of our lives. Let's be honest. As much as others have hurt us, we've also hurt others. Maybe not deliberately, but we have. In other words, we need forgiveness too. And as much as we've hurt others, we've also sometimes hurt God by choosing to live in ways that haven't honoured God, haven't reflected Jesus, and haven't borne faithful witness to the gospel. The good news is that God does forgive us. Forgiving others isn't the "price" we pay to be forgiven by God. God's forgiveness comes from grace, and grace is something that can't be earned. But as people who are forgiven, we need to also be people who are forgiving. We can't in good conscience accept forgiveness without offering it as well. And it doesn't matter whether people do forgive us; the point is that we ask for forgiveness, and seek to be reconciled to those we've hurt. How they respond is between them and God, but by making the effort, we've honoured God. Have a great week!