Poets, Prophets & Preachers: Tuesday Late Morning and Afternoon

The one-two punch of Peter Rollins and Shane Hipps...all I can say is "Whew!"

First this: Peter the Irishman got an extended, passionate standing ovation for his "talk."

The essence of his "talk": we need substantial change.

Not intellectual change, but gut change.

Christianity is not violent enough: a violence against the principalities of this world that enslave and deceive and corrupt and wreck the hearts and homes of humanity.

What kind of violence are we talking about?

The violence of Jesus that subverted the Roman Empire

The violence of Ghandi that subverted the British Empire

The violence of MLK that subverted the racist stranglehold upon America

The violence of Mother Teresa that subverted the caste stranglehold upon India

Substantial change comes from how we know God.

Do we know God like the biologist knows biology? Is God another fact alongside the other million facts we sort and catalog in our libraries and universities?

According to Anselm, there are three ways to think of God.

God exists as an idea.

God exists as an idea and reality.

God exists as reality, but not in a way that we can fully comprehend.

Peter prompts this consideration: God in Jesus is a mystery not fully revealed; rather it is a mystery that is brought nearer, is deepened.

When it comes to parables - they are designed to be incarnated. Parables are to rupture a person unto change, transformation, life-full obedience. Parables are an insurrection against evil.

What if theology was less about explanation and more about grounded, disruptive provocation?

If Christianity is about God bringing heaven and earth together unto the New Heavens and the New Earth, then shouldn't theology be less about description and more about poetic action?

* the attempt to capture some of Peter's talk in this blog is completely insufficient. How to capture his energy and passion and obvious loyalty to God and Christ, his throbbing mind and racing heart to follow the Spirit in this world, to be used as a disciple for substantive change. It's clear that Peter is overflowing with enthusiasm for the renewing work of Christ in our world. It was the same Spirit that is seeking to overflow in us...in me...

The talk by Shane Hipps was quite unlike anything I've ever encountered. Thought provoking, breaking new ground in considering the idea that "the medium is the message".

As Shane explained it, there are three bodies: our physical body, our energetic body, our essential body. We are wise to consider how our body - physical, energy, essence - contributes to the message that we communicate through word, action, attitude, etc. If body language is the bulk of what we communicate when we use words, then we are obligated to consider how our physical, energetic, and essential body contribute to what is actually communicated - especially when it comes to the Gospel.

I may have missed it, and maybe in one of his books, Shane Hipps cites the sources for the stuff he shares about the body. I'll be tracking that information down. He didn't spend much time discussing the effects of the physical body on our communication - he noted that many people have written many things about it already. He wanted to spend time on the effects our energetic and essential body have on our communication - especially since this is new stuff to most of us. Agreed!

What is the energetic body?

Everybody exudes a certain amount of energy. It's what you sense when someone is angry, afraid, or aching. It's more than just reading body language of the eyes, of the posture. You can sense something in the room - it can be palpable. It's the energy that exudes from the person, from the crowd. Just as some people have unique physical bodies, so people can have unique energetic bodies. Shane gave the example of Bono having enormous energetic capabilities - someone who can affect a stadium of tens of thousands of people. Just as people can neglect or strengthen their physical bodies, so people can shape their energetic body. We all have an energetic identity - the question is what will we do with it? Will we seek to use that energy for good, or will we ignore it's influence on our communication?

What is the essential body?

Everybody has an unchanging essence - the deepest part of us, that part of us that is made in the Imago Dei. We can't develop it, we can't alter it, we can't shape it - it is unlimited and free. It is the part of us that endures and emerges (or is shrouded) as our body grows, our voice changes, our attitudes shift, our personality develops, our skills are modified, our interests change, etc. Knowing who we really are is connected in a profound way with who God made us to be; when we live out of this essential body, we live in a union with God that Christ prayed for in John 17. To live in union with Christ, to be "in Christ" as Paul states it, comes out of our emerging awareness of who we really are, who we were created/born to be according to God's desires. When we live out of the essential us, we are able to better develop our energetic self and physical body - and when there is a kind of unity between the three bodies, our communication becomes much more powerful. Unity with God, self, and others is part of what Christ prays for...and it's something we ought to work towards, especially if we go as his disciples and ambassadors.

How serious are we in considering that our body affects the message we communicate?

Rob ended the event with a challenge to all preachers everywhere: become masters at forgiveness.

We all experience "death by papercuts", those words and comments that wound - whether intentional or not. When people criticize or lambast or twist or misunderstand, and it comes back in a way that wounds, be willing to forgive.

Let go of the hurt, learn from the experience, take what is true, and forgive whatever grievance emerges from the situation.

Obviously Rob Bell has become a lightening rod for controversy. Any preacher worth anything will stir up controversy, just maybe not on such a global scale. Nobody pickets when I show up!

Nonetheless, learn to forgive the people who you are in community with, forgive those who are outside the community, forgive those whose words come from distant places but still find a way to hurt. Forgive, just as in Christ God forgave us. Forgive, for they do not know what they are doing. Forgive for this is the way of Jesus.

Poets, Prophets & Preachers: Tuesday Morning

What's writers block look like for a preacher?

A blank screen or blank sheet of paper, a closed Bible, pen in hand, and a blank look while staring out the window. And then the frustrating question: "What should I preach this Sunday?"

As Rob Bell phrases it: what can we do to not start with a blank screen at the beginning of the week? How can we move from having to say something to having something to say...

Here's the contrast:

all around us

all the time

everywhere

everybody

vs.

Tuesday 9am

When is the radar up for discerning what the message ought to be on Sunday?

Rob worked hard to inspire preachers to keep the radar always up - use everything as fodder for messages in the works. By working six to twelve months in advance, and by having the radar up the whole time, when it comes to Tuesday 9am there is no blank screen. Rather, the new problem is one of editing - sifting out all the good stuff that can't be worked into the message.

Here's how Rob breaks it down:

Radar

Buckets

Chunks

Marinade

Radar: the attitude of the preacher that the Spirit is always at work, that Jesus is always at work, that God is always at work - and thus we ought to be more aware of what They are up to in the world around us. This awareness both fuels the content of the message, but also the context.

Buckets: the many, many, many categories of content that you gather as you do life; with a big ever working radar there will be many buckets of stuff that is accumulate. Which is good - if you are trying to avoid starting with a blank screen!

Rob challenged preachers to get their buckets going by collecting one idea/fragment/insight/sentence per week. Give it a year - but don't put any pressure on the self to collect, just look for it, let it come. Revisit regularly what you find, stay familiar with the stuff in the buckets.

Chunks: the content that connects with what you perceive going on in the congregation - the stuff that stirs curiosity and arouses conviction. The stuff you draw from the buckets to begin exploring, exegeting, examining in order to discern what the Spirit is saying to you and the church.

With the chunks, be intentional with the text - and pay attention to what it is saying. Look for the organizational principles at play in the text and ideas emerging. For the buckets and chunks that grow into something interesting and convicting, work with them. For buckets and chunks that don't seem to go anywhere, either dump them or let them sit on the backburner.

Don't just accumulate information, look for ways to arrange it. Keep the radar up, not only for content to collect, but what is going on in the world of the congregation and city. Be aware of what buckets and chunks are most pertinent to what the Spirit is doing.

Marinade: once the content has been discerned, let it sit in the head, heart and gut. Let the ideas and convictions soak into the soul - let it stay with you so that as you do life, the message will emerge from real life, not abstract ideals. For example: memorize the Scripture you'll be preaching from - months in advance. Then let that Scripture stay with you as you go for a run, cook dinner, play with the family. Let stuff you learn from that Scripture swirl in the mind so that by the time it gets penned to paper it is a well-considered text.

When it comes to collecting information from what you see and hear in life, here's Rob's suggestion:

write it down

take a picture of it

save it

ask for it

get it

clip it

tear it out

make it

remember it

When it comes to working with the Scripture text, here's some of Rob's suggestions:

memorize it

inhale what others have said about it

examine key words

get to know the location

ask questions about the culture

explore the concepts

what are the stories about

where in time does this occur

what are the pictures

actions - who and what

connections with anything else

When it comes to distilling the message, here's a practice that Rob puts himself through:

If I couldn't use any biblical or religious language, how would I describe this...

to a child?

to a Martian?

without words?

using only drawings and pictures?

using only actors?

to non-Christians?

to irreligious people?

to help people become fully human?

A big part of what drives Rob in his sermonwork is this goal: asking what is the thing behind the thing? What is the mystery behind the mystery? What is the truth behind the truth.

This preaching event provided me some space to rethink how I plan out my messages, where do I get my content from, and what I can do to sharpen my skills. Obviously Rob isn't telling preachers to do it like him - but we can learn from him and apply the wisdom to our own personality and place.

What are some specific ways I could improve my preaching?

Plan out at least six-months in advance, and NOT change the schedule!

Take some days to plan out the six-month schedule.

Take some time to get insights from fellow Anchorites before planning out the schedule.

Rearrange my weekly schedule - make it a bit more rigid when it comes to working on sermons -not only for the upcoming Sunday, but for the ones in the weeks to come. Plan my work, than work my plan!

I'm sure people who listen to my sermons regularly could give me some more suggestions for improvement!

Poets, Prophets & Preachers: Monday Night

What makes some sermons work and others don't?

In an exploration of this topic, Rob Bell suggested that sermons have an engine; sermons have an energy that come from somewhere. The preacher and the listeners are well served when the preacher understands what is energizing his message.

Four questions every preacher must ask:

Why are you saying this?

Why do we need to hear this?

Why should we care?

Why do I care?

And one more statement:

What's the spark, impulse, insight, twist, revelation, truth, picture, reality that has compelled you to say these things to these people at this time? And say it in 30 seconds.

As Rob Bell sees it, sermons can center around...

1) a Moment - a story or teaching that in itself has significant implications for our faith and life

2) a Movement - a progressive story or teaching that together has implications...

3) a Mystery - story or teaching that has multiple layers of meaning, depths to explore.

Understanding what kind of text(s) the sermon is centering on helps focus what is energizing the message.

When it comes to the architecture of the sermon, everything is related to everything else in the message. Whatever the different parts of the sermon are, be able to name those parts, really know the parts, be aware of the potential of the parts, feel the parts, and step outside the parts. Intentionally arrange the parts in a purposeful way.

What are the parts?

(include but not limited too...)

information

story

question

picture

rant

action

insight

observation

statistic

declaration

invitation

When it comes to using these parts, know what you are dealing with, and how to effectively use them.

Consider...

speed

intensity

tension

pacing

tone

posture

arc (how will it land?)

Be careful of openers that overwhelm.

There are no rules other than knowing what you are doing. You can do it any way you want, just make sure it works, it accomplishes what you as the preacher intend, and it does so in a way that is true to way of God.

A sermon creates a picture, a space, an image, an experience, an encounter, a world, a place that allows people to find themselves in it.

Within in a sermon, there is...

a focused preacher, yet an open one...

what is said, and yet unsaid...

definiteness and yet imagination...

resolution and yet unresolvedness...

Last: know your audience...know who is listening...the diversity, the differences. Help individuals take their next step forward - wherever they are in their walk with Jesus.

The technical aspect of this conference has been helpful. A lot of it is review - but in my case it is much needed review. It's also helpful to get the basics from another point of view - which would be Rob's speciality. He has a unique preaching style that connects with many...and like any preacher does not connect with many. There is no preacher that I want to imitate, but there are many that I admire and have learned from, or are continuing to learn from.

Who are preachers that you have really respected as communicators?

Dennis Miller was the first preacher to really inspire me as a preacher.

Robert Smith Jr. is an amazing orator and with a deep pastoral heart in his communication.

Richard Allen Farmer is a master crafter of words.

Andy Stanley is brilliant when it comes to moving the message along while touching almost everybody in the audience.

Rob Bell has a fascinating way of opening up the Scripture, prodding every deeper thinking all the while pointing to concrete actions.

John Ortberg has a slow and steady way of speaking that builds potent momentum until the message has lodged itself in the heart

Poets, Prophets & Preachers: Monday Afternoon

What do an Irish theological maverick and a former Porsche advertiser have in common? They are friends with Rob Bell and have something to say to preachers.

The late morning session was with Peter Collins. Reminded me of a hobbit. Smeagol, before he found the ring. And Shane Hipps reminded me of a famous actor who has been in some movies I watched, but whose name completely escapes me. Anywhooo...

Peter in his own eccentric way tried to open up preachers to the idea of the social self - to whom are we preaching, who are we as preachers, within what context are we preaching.

For example: is there any irony in railing against corporate America while sipping coffee in Starbucks? Is there any irony in resenting the influence big business has on American politics while we shop at Wal-mart? Is there any irony in our despising radical fundamentalist violent Islamic extremists while going out to the movies to watch American Pie or Saw?

If preaching is going to change somebody, we can't just try to convince the mind or heart of a woman or man, we must convince the deeper self, the inner core, the gut of a human being.

Christianity is about revolution and insurrection: revolution in that the whole structure is changed, and insurrection in that we live out that change in our own little world until the whole structure is changed. And preachers need to recognize the difference between minor modifications in behavior and insurrection. Are preachers trying to get people to escape out of the ironic living, or stay in it, but with an altered attitude of cynicism or angst?

It is worth noting that Peter spews out ideas briskly with a thick brogue. The ideas are dense and layered and provocative and interesting. The kind of ideas that are hard to get down on note paper, the kind of ideas where when you are done with the session, you know you heard some good stuff, but not sure what to do with it. Seeds were planted, though...

Peter did remind me of the potent idea of kenosis: the idea that Christ emptied himself God became incarnated in Jesus. Preachers are to do kenosis: we empty ourselves so that God can fill the space, and thus use our words to create space where people can empty themselves and be filled with God. In becoming full of God we become fully human...

This Poets, Prophets & Preachers event is definitely provocative...

After lunch then, we listened to Shane Hipps the former Porsche advertiser point out to us all the different ways that media shape the message. The message changes depending on the media that is used. The gospel gets changed depending on what media is used to proclaim it - whether shouted from the street corner, blared through the radio, displayed on the television or blogged on the internet. The media we use matters - though it is neutral. The task is to understand what we gain and lose depending on what media we use - and take this knowledge into account when we use it as preachers to proclaim the gospel.

For example: watching television engages the right side of your brain, but watching a film movie in the theatre engages the left side of your brain. Reading a document engages the right side of your brain, staring at a picture engages the left side of your brain. Depending on the communication event, the left side of the brain process the data different than the right side.

The church has been so much focused on the "word" as the primary means for communicating the gospel, we have not learned how to use "image" very well. Since we live in a new digital age, the church better learn quick how to adapt and learn to use "images" well. Words will always matter, but images matter just as much - actually more because images are more memorable than words.

Here's some more stuff from Shane:

Advertisers use images not essays to sell stuff.

Images always win.

What do images do? They foster a shared experience.

What do words do? They unleash the imagination.

Use media; don't be used by it.

We live in a multiple layer of communication eras: The reformation "word" era, the radio/tv broadcast era, the internet era... none is better or worse - but they are reality.

Become better students of preaching by better understanding the reality of the age we live in, and the reality of how to communicate in this age we live in.

Learn the art of surprise. New insights, introduce curiosity, present another angle.

Learn the art of letting go. Don't have a vested interest in the outcome.

Poets, Prophets & Preachers: Monday Morning

Some think that the teachings of Rob Bell can be controversial. I guess I can see their point. And I suppose the the morning session on Monday might be ranked in that category.

The heart of the session zeroed in on where the sermon comes from: what is behind the sermon - what are the basic assumptions from which a sermon comes forth?

Without being overly simplistic, but giving a simple framework for differentiating two different starting points, Rob pointed out that sermons tend to come from either Genesis 1-2 or Genesis 3. Preachers tend to either focus on Genesis 1-2 as the start of the story of God's work in the world, or they focus on Genesis 3 as the starting point for the story of God.

Where and how you begin the story and where and how you end the story shape and determine what story you are telling.

Is the story being addressed by the sermon one about the removal of sin, the problem of sin, the rejection of sin? Or is the story the sermon in addressing is about God's restoration of the world, Jesus' reconciling work of shalom, the Spirit's renewal of all things? Sure, sin is definitely part of the story, but it's not the point of the story, or even the heart of the story. God is. And God said our world is good. God loves our world. And God has blessed this earth. And now he is at work always to rescue sinners, restore the rebels, and reconcile humanity whom God made in his image.

This Poets, Prophets & Preachers event has been affirming and stretching. When it comes to my preaching, I've been able to better understand what I knew intuitively to be where the Spirit was taking me. I know how much I want my preaching to be used by God to help others follow Jesus in their everyday life. While there are very important technical skills I need to develop to aid that work, there is also vital theological and philosophical elements I need to develop. Getting a better grasp of the Story, and how preaching fits into it, has been helpful.

If you start in Genesis 3, the emphasis in preaching is on the removal of sin, on what you aren't, on disembodied evacuation.

If you start in Genesis 1-2, the emphasis in preaching is on restoration of shalom, what you are, participatory physicality.

The story is about Jesus' resurrection...

beginning a new creation right her in the midst of this one

about God reaffirming the goodness of creation

is about anticipating the coming of the day when Heaven and Earth are one again.

Implications for business, art, justice: it's all good. It's all an avenue for God's work to move forward in the world. It's not above ministry, below it or alongside it: it is ministry.

A sermon, then...

is the continuing insistence that through the resurrection of Jesus a whole new world is bursting forth and everybody everywhere can be part of it.

is about helping people see this creation with their own eyes. "you will find what you are looking to see.."

then, brings hope rooted not in escape but engagement, not in evacuation but in reclamation, not in leaving but in staying and overcoming.

then is never surprised when grace, beauty, meaning, order, compassion, truth and love show up in all sorts of unexpected people and places because it always has been God's world, it is God's world, and it will always be God's world.

Yeah...

Poets, Prophets & Preachers: Sunday Night

Want to do a little word association?

I say the word "sermon" and you say...?

I say the word "preacher" and you say...?

Are sermons those experiences that rank up there as the greatest, most significant of your life?

Are preachers those women and men who are most full of inspiration and revolution?

Ha!

And yet, Rob Bell insists, the world needs great sermons and great preachers!

We all know what a bad sermon sounds like, we know what lousy preachers sound like - there are plenty of them out there. But what makes for a great sermon? What could make sermon's great? For those that preach them, for those that hear them, what should be our grid for discerning what makes for a great sermon?

Rob Bell, a preacher from Grand Rapids, casts a vision for sermons that are...

Performance art - they move people, capture their imagination...

Guerrilla theatre - they surprise people, startle people, provoke people...

Evocative actions - they point to something else, they use everything to reveal...

Sermons are witness: there is something in the gut that must be shared...

Sermons are a reminder that this is NOT the way the world is supposed to be...

Sermons are an implicit critique on the way things are now...

Sermons are a first punch...

Sermons are an invitation: NOW is the day to change...

Sermons are about a return...

Sermons are fresh word about reality...

Sermons are...

Provocation

Loaded Language

Warning

Sub-version: there is another story about this world we live in...

Sermons open up possibilities to mis-interpretation and revolution!

I'm at a preaching conference - and since it's hosted by Rob Bell, it's not quite like any I've ever been to. And I've been to a few in my quick decade as a preacher. The event is billed as: Poets, Prophets & Preachers: Reclaiming the Art of the Sermon

Sunday night was the opening salvo of ideas about what the sermon could be in our world today. Rob does a skillful job of reframing traditional ideas of sermons, opening a can of worms with new ideas, and passionately inviting people to give their best to using sermons for God's redemptive work in this world. My kind of guy.

All of this to say: my sermon this Sunday is going to be super awesome because I was at this conference!

Hmph...

Who knows how awesome it will be; I do know that I'll be trying some new things and retrying some old things. And keeping in mind the grand vision of what sermons could be for our world today...

John Adams & the HBO version...

It's almost Independence Day - do something patriotic and watch the John Adams story. Maybe it will prompt you to think more deeply about what makes our country unique and special. And then maybe it will prompt more of us to vote and work in line with our original core values.

As always, anything that appears on the television is almost automatically not 100% reliable information. There are plenty of sources out there that critique HBO for what they get wrong in their version of David McCullough's story of John Adams. But most of it is helpful information.

Breathtaking is the best word to use when describing the background scenery, the attention to detail of the clothing and mannerisms and diction. The visual effect of the series is a historical experience. And learning - (not for the first time) about the issues that prompted America to rebel against Britain is always an interesting task. Truth is stranger than fiction. And facts are stubborn things.

John Adams is not a well known character, though his name is remembered. According to this series, Adams is principled, just, devoted to his wife, and yet vain, neglectful of his children, and petty towards those who disagree with him. He is brilliant in the right moments, and a blunderer in the wrong moments. He makes important contributions, but then he isn't willing to move aside and let others make theirs.

As a father of young children, I could identify with Adam's struggle to leave his family in order to serve the Continental Congress. And it was painful to watch this father's relationship with his son Charles degenerate into a terrible mess. Charles made wrong choices, but he also grew up without a father whom he needed very much, especially his affection and attention.

Interesting that the series makes no mention whatsoever of John Adam's Christian faith and practices. New England at the time was very religious, so clearly HBO would not have been playing favorites if they showed Adams to be devout. Unfortunately HBO let secular views prevail over purely historical accounts.

The music is great - and the imagery that accompanies the opening scenes of each show is riveting. The image of the snake mystified me - where did that metaphor come from? Well, after some research, I now know. Short version: an American rattlesnake with thirteen rattles became a symbol for the young nations' effort to defend itself against unjust aggressors. Ben Franklin had used a diced up snake (thirteen pieces) with the phrase "Don't Tread on Me" as a political cartoon - stirring up sentiment for the colonies to unite as one under the threat of further British oppression.

Apparently American politics as we know it was just as common then as it is now. The art of compromise, the party politics, the interest of big business, the interests of the mob - all are realities now in this post-modern age, as they were in the beginning. Nothing new under the sun...

My friend Jon Davison has been insisting that I read McCullough's book. I will. Interested to know more about the factors that played into the founding of our country, as well as the role that the eccentric John Adams had in it. Click here for some pics of Adams.

Sunday Sermon Notes 6.28.09

God is...Holy

The news has been full of stories where people have been acting "human" - people failing others, letting others down. Are we okay with this explanation? Is this just the way it is? Are we to expect others to be "human" and let us down, or can there be another perspective, another expectation? The question isn't only about what explains the failure of people, but it's also a question about what you do next, after you have failed someone. Do you turn your back on failures? Excuse the behavior? Ignore it? Resent it?

This fundamental issue of humanity frames the importance for God's command to the Israelites - as well as to the Church - BE HOLY! We need that command - and all that it implies.

God commands his people to be holy. Why? Because he is holy. If God is our Father and we are his children, it makes sense that he would command us to be holy. But it's not only a command, it's a promise: you shall be holy. And it's a vision for our life: through you being holy God will heal and bless the world.

Do you ever think of yourself as holy?

Have you ever set a vision for your life that included the idea of "being holy?"

It's interesting: the idea of God being holy is central to our understanding of God - and yet we don't really know what the word means, and we give it almost no consideration for how to think of our life with God in this world.

Holy is a category word, meaning it denotes something that is set apart for special use. It is also a ethical word, since it's purpose for being set apart is for something good, right, just, beautiful, and true. So if God is holy, that means that he is set apart from everything else in existence, and his words and deeds are always good, right, just, beautiful, and true. Logically this means that nothing else in the world is intrinsically holy.

Nothing we can do can make us holy. Thus nothing we can do can make us unholy. We already are unholy, since we are not God. Only God can make us holy. Only God can choose to see us, categorize us, use us as holy. And if we respond to God's command and promise and vision to be holy, he outlines for us a way to do life in the spirit of being holy.

What's the essence of being holy? Love your neighbor as yourself.

If God chooses to make us holy, he is making us capable of loving our neighbor as ourself. We don't love in order to become holy, we love our neighbor because God has made us holy.

Holiness isn't about being pure from all sin, holiness is about loving your neighbor as yourself. The motivation to not sin is rooted in our desire to love our neighbor as ourself. Sin taints and ruins and corrupts our love. Sin is not what ultimately ruins love though - it's our unwillingness to confess the sin, to repent of the sin, our unwillingness to make amends for the sin - that is what what corrupts the love.

In ancient Israel God made the nation holy. And he set up a sacrificial system so that when the people would sin, they could make atonement for their sins and thus stay in the holy covenant. Sinning didn't kick them out of the holy relationship. Refusing to make the sacrifices was what led to their removal from the covenant. Death was the prescription for those who refused to live up to the holy status God had conferred on ancient Israel. God had a very special relationship with Israel, unlike any other nation - which is the whole point of God saying that the people were holy.

But now God has that relationship with the whole world - through Jesus Christ God has forgiven the sins of the whole world. He is calling all people to be holy - God has made it possible for everyone everywhere to repent of their sins, be made new in Jesus, and live by the Same Spirit. God makes people holy. And then he gives them the Same Spirit Jesus had to live and love in this world. This is how God will heal the nations and rescue sinners.

So, what keeps you from seeing yourself as holy, right now?

Do you want to be holy?

Sunday Sermon Notes 6.21.09

God is...Our Abba

When you think of God...what do you think of? Is God an idea to you? A distant figure? A being hard to figure out? Depending on how you answer this question, you'll reveal the kind of relationship you have with this God. So it's helpful to think about how Jesus describes God - when Jesus thought of God, what did he think of?

Jesus thought of God as his "abba" - the Aramaic word for Father or Dad (Jesus spoke in Aramaic - the local dialect, but the New Testament translated his teachings into the Greek language). The Lord's Prayer teaches us to pray to God as "our Father", or our Abba. Do you ever think of God as your Abba, as your Dad?

When Jesus thought of God as his Abba, what did that mean for him? There is a really interesting story that reveals quite a bit about their relationship. Remember when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, getting ready to be unjustly arrested and put through a unfair trial? As Jesus prepares for his betrayal by one of his disciples, he groans out this prayer:

"Abba, Father,” he said,
“everything is possible for you.
Take this cup from me.
Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Mark 14v36 [TNIV]

When Jesus thought of his Father, he thought of his Dad as one who was highly capable, of great ability, of infinite strength. Which is kind of like kids who think their dad can hit a home run every time they are up at the plate, or think they can pull a tree out of the ground, or always have an answer for the question "why?"

When Jesus thought of his Father, he thought of his Dad as one who have him tough assignments, who required difficult work, who put him through some hard experiences. Jesus respects his Dad, trusts his Dad, but he still doesn't like the task given to him by his Dad. Kind of like when our dad's force us to get up for school, or not quit the job, or pay for the damage to the car, or apologize to the neighbor for breaking their window.

When Jesus though of his Father, he thought of his Dad as one whom he would obey. Because he respected and trusted him, Jesus would take the next required step, even if he didn't want to, even if it felt impossible. Kind of like when we agree to the curfew our dad sets for us, when we agree to eat the asparagus and liver for dinner, when we agree to save some of our allowance instead of spending it on junk.

Jesus thought of his Dad as one who was highly capable, who had high expectations, and who expected to be obeyed. But Jesus also respected this Dad, trusted this Dad, clearly loved this Dad. And Jesus knew that his Dad loved him. And so it is for us: we have a Dad in Heaven who we can respect, trust, and love - and who loves us.

Clearly we view our Abba in Heaven through the lens of our abba on earth - our experiences with dad at home deeply shapes how we first think of Father God. Yet God the Father and Jesus the Son invite us to learn from and experience the Abba on his terms - and to let the resulting knowledge shape our perspective of our dad here on earth.

The Whole Person in a Broken World - the Task of the Church: Part Deux

What accounts for the great ineffectiveness of so many churches and Christians? How can there be so much church-stuff and Christian-stuff, so many signs and sounds, and yet it seems that the world pays so little attention? How is it that the church and Christians so greatly misunderstand or misjudge the world?

Again, Dr. Paul Tournier has some interesting insights...well, at least I think so.

Have we not seen that the modern world is acting like a neurotic? Dr. Jung does not claim to be a Christian. But he sees, far better than many Christians, the true meaning of the anxiety of our time. I am always amazed to hear so many ministers complain of the religious indifference of our contemporaries. "How do you manage," they ask me, "to get those with whom you talk to interest themselves in religious problems?"

I have no answer to that question. I do not need to stir up any religious disquietude in my patients. I know that they are full of it already and far more consciously than they admit. If we look upon them as being indifferent, we are not establishing between them and us the climate in which they will disclose their real torment. Let us be the first to discern what modern man is seeking.

He is thirsting for God. "The aggrandized body is waiting for a supplementation of the soul...and mechanicalism requires a mysticism." The question is whether the religion which is now to be given to men is the true one. Otherwise they will go on inventing new religions which will inevitably break down one after another.

Everybody today is searching for an answer to those problems to which science pays no attention: the problem of their destiny, the mystery of evil, the question of death. I an not saying that the church of today is not answering these questions. The trouble is that the answers are being given in terms which our contemporaries no longer understand.

These people use a completely different language to express their personal and social difficulties, a concrete, direct kind of language which the church must adopt if it is to make itself understood. As the world was despiritualizing itself the church has been disincarnating, disembodying itself. Hence there is a tremendous misunderstanding, which undoubtedly is just as much the fault of the church as of the world. "The number of people...who...do not find the answer in religion, who are searching in despair, is considerable...We cannot say that the church has dealt brilliantly with the problems which arose from the industrial revolution."

To be sure, if the world does not listen to the church, this is often because it does not want to listen to God, against whom it has rebelled. And yet the church justifies itself all too easily if it thinks that the fault lies only in the world and not in itself.

~ Paul Tournier, The Whole Person in a Broken World, pgs 148/149

The Whole Person in a Broken World - the Task of the Church

Less and less people in the United States participate in a church on any given Sunday. For some who gave church a chance, the experiences were less than helpful. For others who never gave the church a chance, they had pretty good reasons. So does the Church have a chance at being useful in our society? Can the Church be a force for good...or just juicy headlines? What is the task of the Church in our culture - in our lives?

Dr. Paul Tournier wrote these words in 1964 - from Europe, amidst some dark and dismal days for the church. Yet - and we'll see what you think - his words ring with hope.

It is my conviction that the church's hour has come. The church, instituted by God, the servant of God, must again become his instrument to effect the synthesis for which all men of our time are consciously or unconsciously yearning. And here I mean the church in the broadest sense, not only the clergy, not only the established churches, but all those who have been gripped by Jesus.

~145/146

...men of very different outlooks, doctors, lawyers, economists, scientists, writers, freethinkers, atheists, Jews, as well as Catholic and Protestant Christians are searching for something completely new. For something which is not simply a prolongation of the cultural development of the last several centuries, but which will rather interrupt the development. For something which is not so much on the order of scientific analysis but is more on the order of intuitive analysis; for something which no longer fragments man but rather restores his unity.

~ 147

I am convinced that we today, we Christians, must unite two things which are often opposed but which Christ joined together. On the one hand we must have a clear consciousness of our own unique vocation, our calling to make His voice heard, that voice which alone can provide a true answer to the questions of this tormented world.

But at the same time we must guard against making His divine person the subject of division between us and other men, against rejecting them under the pretext that they do not possess the truth which has been given to us. Without concealing anything of our faith, let us seek that which brings us closer to them, that common need for a spiritual renewal, even though they may put it in words different than ours.

~ 148

-- Paul Tournier, The Whole Person in a Broken World

Sunday Sermon Notes 6.14.09

God is...One

Everybody has a belief about God. It can get pretty confusing trying to sort out what to believe about God.  With all the different religions, with different branches of Christianity, thousands of denominations, millions of churches...

But there are some core beliefs that Christians have about God, and one of them comes from our Jewish roots is central to our understanding of God.  It comes from a famous prayer, called the Shema: Hear O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

According to some Jewish theologians, there are three traditional points drawn out of this prayer: God is NOT none, God is NOT two, God is NOT many.  In believing that God is one, we believe that God does exist, that he has integrity - thus is not a god of good and a god of evil, and that God is not polytheistic  - there is only one of him and he has all the power often attributed/distributed to thousands of other little gods.

What we believe about God shapes our life. Often times our actions reveal what we actually believe about God. Saying we believe something about God is not quite the same as living out a belief about God. Which is why it is important to take moments to reflect on what you really do believe about God. If you want your life to be different, you may need to absorb some different beliefs about God - or fully absorb the right ones you have in your head, and get them into your heart and hands.

It's in this direction that Paul is going when he writes to the Christians in Ephesus, trying to help them make a connection between their belief in the One God and their actions towards God and neighbor.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit,
just as you were called to one hope
when you were called;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4v1-6 [TNIV]

Our belief in the One God ought to bring about an integrity in our own lives and a unity with the lives of others. Just as we have to work at understanding our belief in One God and Father of All, so we have to work at integrity and unity. When we pour little effort into our integrity, when we dismiss the value of unity - we reveal what we believe about God.

Integrity isn't about convincing people that you have it all together, and unity isn't about pretending that everything is fine with you and someone else. Integrity is being honest with yourself and God and others about who your really are - and about your work to become one person with yourself, God, and others. Unity is the social side of integrity - connecting to others as they really are - working in a spirit of justice and mercy.

Paul goes on to say that we are to "walk in the way of love." If we're going to believe that God is One, then integrity and unity are going to be central to our life, to our way of doing life, to our walk of love. If you are convicted over your lack of integrity, over your lack of unity, then confess it, repent, and seek out help to strengthen your belief in the One God, the One Lord, the One Spirit.

Happy Times at Fair Oaks Farm

Jim and Naomi took our family over to Fair Oak Farms nearby Winamac Indiana. It's one of the largest dairy farms in the nation - over 30,000 cows! It's a neat place - alongside the working farm is a educational center of sorts, teaching in creative ways about how the farm works and promoting dairy products. Jim was a dairy farmer, and this means that Tara used to drink unpasturized milk, which she claims was very tasty. I don't know much about dairy farms, and neither do our kids, so we learned alot about milk.

Emma enjoyed learning where milk comes from. I'll bet this is about how happy Tara looked at six years old when she had to milk cows.

Jim teaching Isaac where vanilla milk comes from. Later on we'd look for the chocolate cows.

Emma getting ready to climb a big milk carton!

Go Emma Go!

We just got done watching a calf being born. Amazing. Kids are standing in front of a calf born in the morning.

Say Cheese!

Taking a bus tour, seeing where the cows are kept. A lot of cows. Thousands of cows!

Naomi, Emma, Tara, Eli taking a break. It was a sunny day!

By about four in the afternoon, Eli was exhausted. And so was his dad.


Boing Boing Boing!



A train ride was a highlight. This was the first of many times around the tracks.

Levi and Isaac taking their turn to climb the mammoth milk carton!

Keep climbing guys!

Isaac on a John Deere!

Say "Hey", Emma!

Here Eli, I'll hold your foot down on the accelerator while you steer like a maniac!

Keep going Levi!

Jim, Naomi and the grandkiddos!

We had fun!

The Healing of Persons - ...accept...everything

In my effort to understand - myself, my life, my wife, my children, my ministry, my family, my country, etc. I only get more frustrated. To understand...requires so much work, so much knowledge, so much intelligence. And time. And I don't want my effort to understand to take away from my time and energy to actually do life with those I love. But the yearning to understand is still there, in a deep way...

Once again Dr. Paul Tournier has some helpful words, some perspective for me. Here's a paragraph that I thought to be instructive.

Accepting suffering, bereavement, and disease does not mean taking pleasure in them, steeling oneself against them, or hoping that distractions or the passage of time will make us forget them. It means offering them to God so that he can make them bring forth fruit. One does not arrive at this through reasoning, nor is it to be understood through logic; it is the experience of the grace of God.

I had an old and dear friend, one of the men I have esteemed most highly. For some weeks his health had been deteriorating. It was on Christmas Day that the doctor who tended him asked me to go with him on what must be his last visit.

The patient could speak only with difficulty. Medicine could afford little relief; we concentrated on surrounding the sick man with our affection. I was left alone with him for a moment. He spoke painfully to me: "There's something I don't understand..." He did not succeed in saying what it was he did not understand. This struck me particularly in a man who all his life had been devoted to intellectual clarity. Faith had always had the last word with him, but it was allied to a most lively intelligence. One felt that he was still troubled by whatever it was he did not understand. But he was too weak now to put his problem into words. And I realized that it would have been useless to ask him any questions, or to start a discussion.

After a moment's silence, I bent over him and said quietly: "You know that the most important thing itn the world is not to understand, but to accept." With a happy smile he stammered: "Yes... it's true... I do accept... everything." It was almost the last thing he said. After my visit he fell asleep. During the night he suddenly awoke, sat up, and said aloud: "I am going to heaven," and died.

~ Paul Tournier, The Healing of Persons, p155

Why U2 is the greatest rock band in the world

Reason number one: Bono's real name is Paul, and my name is Timothy

Reason number two: Hewson and Hallman 

- last name starts with "H" and ends with "n"

....it's something... right?

Reason number three: my wife's name is of Irish origins (Tara means "king")

Reason number four: the four guys have been together since 1976. and they're still friends.

Reason number five: the themes they sing about are connected with the biggest themes of life - some of it playful, some of it serious, some of it probing.

Reason number six: their name, U2, is brilliant for it's simplicity and it's layers of meaning

Reason number seven: U2 is a bunch of rebels....against the typical, predictable rock-n-roll scene

Reason number eight: they have an intriguing way of infusing Christian themes into their art and life.

Reason number nine: inspiring songs like...

* Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

* 40

* Magnificent

* Beautiful Day

* Mysterious Ways

* Pride

* Where the Streets Have No Name

* Wake Up Dead Man

* All Along The Watchtower.

Reason number ten: because that's just what I think.

Sunday Sermon Notes 6.07.09

God is... Magnificent!

At Anchor we've started off June by joining in the OnePrayer series - over 1,600 churches around the world!  OnePrayer is a movement of churches coming together to serve, share and give as part of the Church.  Anchor is all about that!

Last year for the preaching themes, we prayed: God, make us...

This year, the preaching theme centers on: God is...

One of the ways that the OnePrayer series connects churches is through video-sermons.  Preachers from all over the world videorecord a sermon and submit it to the website.  Then other churches can download it and show a video-sermon of a preacher from some other part of the nation or world.  Cool idea.  We did three of them last year, and it went over okay.  The upside is that it's a neat way to connect the congregation to other good teachers.  The downside is that the preacher goes on for more than thirty minutes on the video - you've got to be really really, really good to do that.  Unfortunately the ones I previewed for this year didn't pass the test.  Maybe we'll find some that do, yet.

The first sermon was inspired by U2's masterpiece Magnificent.  Haven't heard it yet? Check it out at YouTube.  Great song about worship - about how a husband and wife want their life together to be one of worship of The Magnificent.  The song inspired me...and it prompted me to develop a sermon about God being The Magnificent.

The obvious text was Mary's Song - traditionally titled the Magnificant (because in Latin the first word is magnificant).  Interestingly, Psalm 34, in my opinion, is a foundational song for what Mary created.  I read through both songs for clues for why David and Mary magnified the LORD.  

Here's my summary: 

God is...Magnificent because he is 

Beauty-Full, Strength-Full, Mercy-Full, and Remember-Full.

God is Magnificent when he is Beauty-Full.  What are the times when you walk outside into Creation and gasp - when you sigh in relief, when you stare in wonder, when you soak up the sunrise or sunset -and then you breath out a prayer of praise and thanks to God?  It's in moments when we notice the world saturated in magnificent beauty that we see the magnificence of God.  

Sure enough it is easy to see what is ugly and defiled in the world.  Rivers polluted and forests hacked, mountains stripped and fields gouged.  It's easy to see what's wrong in the world, to miss the beauty because of what's been battered.  And yet what is most beautiful in the world is not seen in Creation alone, but within each Human.  God made us Imago Dei - in his image. We are made in is magnificent image - to look into the eyes of another man or woman is to look upon beauty-fullness.  Except that most women and men I know refuse to look in the mirror and see beauty.  They keep choosing to see what is wrong.  But if we are crafted in Imago Dei, then we have the option of seeing in ourselves and one another The Magnificent.

God is...Magnificent when he is Strength-full, Mighty-Full, when he is Capable.  When God comes through, when he helps us turn a corner, nail down a victory, start again, push through to the other side - then we praise God, thank him, and magnify Him.  How many times have you needed help from the outside - when you were too tired or confused to do the next right thing.  And so God comes to you - in the guise of a friend or stranger - and makes possible a new way forward.  When we go over these moments, we see the magnificence of God - we don't deserve those miracles, and we can't barter for them - they are gifts that God loves to give.

Scriptures repeatedly refer to the power of a seed as a picture for the power of God.  Take whatever seed you want - a peach core, a wheat grain, a mustard seed.  There is latent power and capability in that tiny little pod.  It gets put in the ground, it gets watered, it gets fueled, and then out if sprouts a seedling, and then it stretches high, it bends with the wind, and then it increases in firmness and height and it's leaves soak up sunshine; some power is at work bringing out of that seed something that is new and yet natural.  And at the right time a harvest is made possible - all from that little seed.  And so God's power is at work in you - you are the seed, your deeds are the seeds, your attitude and choices are seeds from which God will take and plant and fuel and bring forth from it more than we could possibly imagine or hope for.  

God is Magnificent when he is Mercy-Full.  When God gives you a break, when he helps you let go of your sins, when he helps you replace despair with hope, when he helps you yank out the root of bitterness and fill the space with shalom - that is worth uttering prayers of praise.  When God brings people into your life who forgive you, who make amends to you, who guide you into freedom from past guilt and shame, when you find opportunities to give mercy - when we think about it - that's a beautiful moment to magnify the Lord.  God is merciful to us, and we best value that mercy when we give out mercy to others in response.  To those who see this at work in their homes and schools, in churches and workplaces - it's magnificent!

God is...Magnificent because he is Remember-full.  God never forgets us, never abandons us, never leaves us alone.  God is loyal, he is faithful, he is persevering, he is patient, he endures.  God thinks of you - a citizen of the world he created and loves - and continues to work to help you receive mercy and give it.  He remembers you - and for those of you who have chosen to follow the way of Jesus - he remembers your sins no more.  When he remembers you - and he does it very often - he does not remember someone who is a failure, prone to mistakes, a flop - he remembers you as one made in his Imago Dei - every deed and word a seed for his work as the Great Farmer!

When God thinks of you, he thinks of you as you are according to his reality, his perspective on the world.  He remembers you according to his great mercy and might - he seeks to redeem and restore all people - his interest is not in reminding you of your sins, but of reminding you of his gifts of grace and new opportunities.  When God thinks of you, he is interested in helping you work through the consequences of your actions, which are seeds for him to do a new thing.  How magnificent is that?

Psalm 34 has become a central song for me - in where I am at in my journey.  Maybe it can be for you also - a song inspired by a Magnificent God at work in his Magnificent World.

U2 & Letterman - a Top Ten that is actually funny

Tara and I used to watch Letterman's Top Ten all the time when the boys were babies - their feeding time was right around 11:30pm.  About eight out of ten times the Top Ten wasn't that funny.  Maybe four out of ten of the actual Top Ten items was funny, and the Number One was almost never funny.

Anyway, I didn't see any of the shows when Letterman hosted U2 for a week.  I'm sorry I missed it.  So lucky for me I found some clips of when they were on CBS.  Here's the link to U2 doing the countdown of the Top Ten with too-tall Dave. I laughed at nine out of the ten items.  The comment about cheese wasn't that funny.

Sunday Sermon Notes 5.31.09

Happy Pentecost Sunday!

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.    Acts 2v1-4

Happy Baptism Sunday!

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."  Luke 3v21-22

This is a pretty special Sunday - the weaving together of the two themes of water and fire, of baptism and Spirit.  Pentecost Sunday reminds of the day when the Spirit of God descended upon each believer in the Upper Room - it felt like a thunderous wind blew through depositing flickers of light upon each of the Jesus followers praying in the room.  Pentecost was the fiftieth day (seven weeks plus one day) from Passover.  It is a Jewish harvest holiday.  And God used that holy day to spread his presence throughout the world by putting his Spirit-crop into all who would receive it.

Pentecost Sunday has become a traditional day of baptism, thus it is often referred to as Whitsunday, or White Sunday - since it is common for those who get baptized to wear a white robe as they enter the water.  Baptism on Pentecost - a beautiful mix of metaphors.  For Christians who have been baptized and received the Holy Spirit, they have a fascinating story to share - a story of water and fire.

The water of baptism carries layers of meaning: to be immersed in the water is to have your sins washed away, it is to be buried and then to be raised up born again, it is to be initiated into the community of Jesus followers, it is to have a new beginning.  The fire of Pentecost carries with it also multiple meanings: the flame makes you the light of the world, it's a lamp unto your feet, it is a blaze that consumes your impurities, it's a furnace that unthaws cold hearts, it's a fire that reminds us that God can bring good out of everything.

For those of us with these metaphors as part of our story, we know that being immersed in water, we know that letting the Spirit be at home in us, doesn't guarantee a problem free life. We know that having our sins washed away doesn't keep us from sinning again.  We know that having the Spirit guide us doesn't mean that we'll never stray again.  But we come to believe that the Same Spirit which prompted us to be baptized and welcome him is the Same Spirit that will sustain us on the long journey we call life.

We need more people to share their story of water and fire, their honest account of their life leading up to baptism, their life following baptism, their life before the Spirit, their life with the Spirit.  We're not looking for cute, inspiring, fairy-tale stories of faith.  We're yearning to be reminded that if the Spirit perseveres with you and your real-life journey, then maybe the Spirit will endure with me.

Part of my story of water and fire, of my starting again and of letting God bring good out of everything centers on the death of my brother Matt.  I know that many people go through far worse tragedies than what our family endured, but that doesn't lessen the pain in the moment. And in the moments and days following his death, I found my faith faltering, my anger raging, and my bitterness sending down deep roots.  When my youngest brother had died just before his fourteenth birthday in 1994, as sad and terrible as that loss was for our family, I/we kind of thought that we were immune from that kind of sadness in the future.  

So when Matt gets killed by a drunk driver at age twenty-three, just after Christmas 2001, the immunity was gone.  Now anything could happen.  A trip to the grocery store was accompanied by thoughts of possibly never coming home alive.  It became a constant companion - fear and anxiety about another sudden death.  And the God I had been believing in became a very confusing person.  I was not able to wrap my mind around the "reasons" for this tragedy.  I could not figure out why God let this happen - to us.

I began to feel my faith slipping away.  Here I am, a pastor, and I'm going to need to show up on Sunday with a message from a Lord that I'm really, really, really confused about, angry at, and deeply frustrated.  What am I going to do?  Out of integrity, I should quit.  But I need a job to feed my family - so don't quit.  At least not yet.  Where will I find resolution for my despairing faith?  I took several steps, one being that I decided to go back to school. I needed time to study/read/think/learn from others who had gone before me - brilliant thinkers and intelligent writers, honest believers and authentic followers - to help me build a new faith. 

Here I was, an adult, a pastor, a family man, and I needed to decide whether I was going to believe in Jesus or not.  At age four I had asked Jesus into my heart.  At age ten I had received forgiveness of my sins.  At age sixteen I accepted the call to become a pastor.  And now at age thirtysomething, I'm having to decide as an adult, not a kid, not a teen, whether I want to be a Christian or not.  I was baptized at age twelve - was I willing now almost two decades later, to let God give me a new start again?  At some point in my life the Spirit had come into my life - and now as an adult with fear and worry and despair and sadness attached to my soul - was I willing to let God's Spirit take me as I am?

I had gotten in the habit of trying to stop being afraid or worrying so that I could be a better Christian, a better person, etc.  But that tactic was only bringing frustration.  So then it seemed like the Spirit was prompting me to turn the fear and worry, the despair and sadness over to him, let him influence it's affect on my life.  And so that is what I've been trying to do.  On this side of that decision, it has proven to be the better tactic.

And so for you - and your story of water and fire - the things in your life that you want to be different - or the good in your life that you are trying to hang onto/milk for all it's worth - give it over to God.  Let him take what is good and not good in your life - and let him find ways of bringing more good out of it.  God doesn't need you or me to be problem free, to be worry free, to be sin free - he just needs you and me.  When we hand the stuff in our life over to his Spirit, we give the Spirit more to work with.  And when the Spirit has more to work with, the effect of the Spirit gets stronger and stronger.

Give the Spirit more to work with: keep turning your life, your relationships, your hopes, your failures, your frustrations, your job, your finances, your sins, your mistakes, your talents, your problems, your opportunities - keep giving it over to the Spirit.  How?  First you got to want to do it.  If you really want to do it, the Spirit will help you do it.

People need to hear your story of water and fire, of new beginnings and inspiring opportunities for good.  Turn more and more of your life over to His Spirit, give the Spirit more to work with, and be willing to share your story

Sunday Sermon Notes 5.24.09

Be The Anchor!

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Luke 11v13 [TNIV]

Be the Anchor: Go in the Same Spirit

You want to be strong for someone? You want to give/be hope for another? Then be the Anchor.
You need someone to be strong for you - to pour strength and hope into you? Find an Anchor.

The past bunch of weeks we've been exploring ways to be an Anchor, and to let Jesus be our Anchor. This message wraps up this series with this final thought: the Same Spirit that made Jesus an Anchor in his day is the Same Spirit that can make us an Anchor in our day.

Wherever we go in life, as a follower of Jesus, God wants us to go in the Same Spirit which he placed upon/within Jesus. And when you think about how hard it can be at times to do/say/think/go the way of Jesus in everyday life, the need for that Same Spirit becomes obvious. Jesus tries to make it clear: when you ask for the Same Spirit, God will be glad to give it. It's almost as if the whole point of the Lord's Prayer is to direct us toward the need and availability of the Same Spirit.

When you need the right word to say...or the strength to keep your mouth shut so you don't say the wrong thing; when you need inspiration to get up and do the right thing...or a prick of the conscience to avoid doing the wrong deed. When you need direction, revelation, reminders - the Same Spirit that shaped the way of Jesus will shape your way. Everyday.

A lot of Christians don't know much about the Holy Spirit, the Same Spirit that was at work in the days of David and Daniel and the Disciples. The Apostle John spends some time teaching about the Spirit, but Luke spends lots of words telling stories about what Jesus did through the Spirit.

The invitation to you and I is to want the Same Spirit to go with us into every conversation, every scenario, every dark place, every interesting opportunity. This Same Spirit makes good possible in an enduring and redemptive way. This Same Spirit, if you want Him, gives energy and insight, inspiration and direction for furthering God's work in you and through you. Who wouldn't want that?