Out the Door

First of Many Lasts

I walked back into my office last night after our Lenten service and it hit me out of the blue that I had just led my last Lenten service here in Sumner.  This coming Sunday, I will confirm the last group of students here.  And so it will go for the next three months.  I counted the Sunday’s before we move and because I’m going to be gone the first couple of Sunday’s in June, I’ll only be preaching here 10 or 11 more times (depending on the exact moving date). 

After nearly nine years of trying to proclaim God’s Word to the people of Sumner, it comes down to 10 or 11 sermons.  There’s so much more that I want to say.  Though I’ve preached more that 400 messages here, I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface of the depth of the scriptures.  While I can’t begin to summarize all of these, there are a few things I hope I've been able to teach the people of my congregation.

First and foremost, that God loves them and there’s nothing they can do about it.  No matter what they do or don’t do, God will neither love them more or less.  It’s called grace.

That they were created to fulfill God’s purposes, chief among is to worship God through Christ in ways which connect them with the Holy Spirit.

That being a disciple of Jesus Christ requires radical, counter-cultural living.

That God already has given each one the spiritual gifts, talents and abilities needed to become the person He desires.

That no matter how bad things get, no matter what the circumstances are, there is always hope.  Just as God came to the aid of His people in the past, so God can come to His people's aid today.

That it is only through Jesus, crucified and dead, risen and glorified, that anyone can receive eternal life and have a relationship with God the Father.

That giving people permission to pursue their passions and the call of God in their lives without having to jump through a bunch of hoops is absolutely essential for the success of the church.

I’m sure there are others that I could list here, but in the end it’s not about anything that I might have said or done.  It’s all for the glory of God and the furtherance of His Kingdom. 

Moving to New Sharon

After waiting a number of months, I learned last week that my new appointment will be in New Sharon.  It's a happening place.  During the put-in interview with the Staff/Parish Relations Committee, the UMYF was meeting in a nearby space.  There were approximately 50 Jr. & Sr. High youth playing games, eating, singing and participating in a lesson.  The building was rocking.  The building was originally designed to be a mini-mall.  However, after it was constructed the mall idea didn't work out, so the church was able to acquire it.  It now contains a large open activities area, several classrooms, a huge kitchen, and the church offices. 

I can hardly begin to tell of all the positive activities that are taking place at the church.  One of the coolest is the 24/7/365 prayer vigil.  That's right, someone is praying for the church and the world, 24 hours of every day.  They also have a prayer shawl ministry and have begun work on a prayer room.  A congregation bathed in that kind of prayer is bound to be doing incredible ministry.

Their present pastor, Kevin Glesener, who's been there for 15 years has done a marvelous job developing small group ministries and equipping people to live out their passions.  I have some mighty big shoes to fill, but since I wear 13 EEEE I think I'm up to it.  In the words of Foghorn Leghorn "Thaaat's a joke, son."  Seriously, I admire what Kevin has done and pray that God will allow me to continue the growth that was started through him.  And I do believe that I can bring some skills to the congregation that will strengthen its ministry.

I hope whoever follows me here in Sumner will feel the same way.  Hopefully, he or she will recognize the many good things that are happening here, while at the same time be confident that s/he will bring new ideas and abilities that will help the congregation grow.   

Christianity without Easter?

Jesus' bodily resurrection has caused quite a ruckus among the Methoblogsphere.  John's had more that 50 comments as a result of his posting on it. Allan also had quite a bit to say on the subject and got a number of replies.

I was taught that every Sunday is a little Easter.  That's why Sundays aren't included in the 40 days of Lent, every Sunday is to be a celebration of Christ's victory over death. 

If Christ is not raised, there is no reason to worship for Christianity is simply religious superstition.  The entire New Testament rises or falls on Jesus' resurrection.  If Jesus is not raised, we are still locked in a losing battle to sin.  If Jesus is not raised, we have no hope beyond this world.  If Jesus is not raised, we cannot trust anything that the gospel accounts tell us.  If Jesus is not raised, then the moral teachings of Jesus are no different from the moral teachings of other religions and Christianity becomes just one more religion among many and offers nothing more than any other religion can.

Christianity without Easter?  There is no such thing!   

My Least Favorite Fruit

In Galatians chapter 5, Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."  Most Christians long to develop these characteristics in their lives.  I mean, what Christian doesn't want to be more loving, more joyful, have a deeper sense of peace?  And what Christian doesn't desire to demonstrate a spirit of kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Patience on the other hand, isn't quite so popular.  It's certainly my least favorite fruit.

The problem with patience is that the only way to develop it is by waiting.  Oh, I know that the Bible in a number of places talks about the importance of patience and that we should look to the example of people like Job when it comes to being patient.  But personally, I just don't like waiting.

Ever since Jason entered the culinary world, I've been watching the Food Channel.  Two of shows I most often watch are Rachel Ray's Thirty Minute Meals and Alton Brown's Good Eats.  Their approach to cooking is dramatically different.  Rachel shows her audience how to whip together an entire meal in just a half hour.  Alton's recipes, on the other hand, often take hours, sometimes days to prepare a single dish.

Sometimes I wish God would come up with a Thirty Minutes to Spiritual Fruits, then I might be more inclined to want to develop patience.  However, I know it can't work that way.  The joy and effort of the preparation is as important as the final product.  So I guess I'll have to learn to wait and trust that whatever God has in store will be delectable.