Saturday, February 25, 2012

Sermon for 2/26/2012


Judges 6:11-16

The Calling of Gideon

 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.’ 

Gideon answered him, ‘But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, “Did not the Lordbring us up from Egypt?” But now the Lord has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian.’ 

Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.’ He responded, ‘But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’ TheLord said to him, ‘But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them.’



Everyone loves the underdog. It's part of our American ethos—we love the story of the person who is down and out, who has no advantages, but ends up succeeding beyond everyone's wildest imaginations. It's the reason that all the presidential candidates latch on to some story from their past that indicates they have humble roots, no matter how many millions they may have now—they're trying to connect with that story, to make us believe they are just another commoner who has succeeded by the value of their own work.
The movie Rudy is one example of this story. It's the story of a kid who is too small to play football at Notre Dame, but the movie would have us believe that through his hard work and determination he becomes a hero to many and eventually makes it onto the field for Notre Dame's football team. The truth behind the story is debated, but we're supposed to love the movie and want it to be true even if it isn't. To not like the movie, I've heard, is un-American. Which means that it's probably not a good thing that I don't particularly like the movie. But maybe it's just because I don't care for Notre Dame's football team.

The Bible is also littered with these stories. The story of David is probably the first one that comes to many of our minds, although if the story of Jesus Christ were being sold to movie theaters today, it would probably be advertised along the lines of Carpenter's son ends up saving the world...and your soul! Gideon fits in well with this storyline—he tells the Lord as much when he is called to save the Israelites—My clan is the weakest, and I am the least in my family. Not exactly a promising start to a career, but it's bare honesty.
In fact, everything that Gideon says in our reading today wouldn't be how we would script it. Gideon doesn't respond to the Lord's call with enthusiasm or a great desire to serve. If we were in charge, Gideon's initial response might be enough to have the Lord go ask someone else.

Listen again to his reply: If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us? Gideon isn't pleased with the Lord's role in the life of the Israelites. And, to be honest, who can blame him? To give you a bit of context, the Israelites are being oppressed by the Midianites—they are constantly being overrun, and every time they begin to get their feet on the ground, they get overrun once more. The scene opens with Gideon hiding wheat so that the Midianites won't find it the next time they decide to beat up on the Israelites.

So Gideon is angry with God, because he feels like God has abandoned his people.

And who here hasn't every been angry with God?

I was listening to an interview with someone in Homs, Syria the other day, and they said that they are begging for humanitarian aid in their city. He said that all they want is half a life, as though it's too bold to ask for a whole life. Their expectations are so low because they've been brutally abused over the past months, with no sign of hope. They only want half a life.

Think about all that's going on in the world. There is chaos everywhere. War seems to linger in so many places on the planet. Famine has parts of Africa in its grip. Mexico has fallen prey to druglords. Gangs threaten the prosperity of Chattanooga and many of its residents, some of whom have no other hope. And in our own lives, how many of us have known death to take a loved one from us? How many have dealt with disease and illness? Or have spent weeks and month searching for employment?

In all of these situations, we wonder where God is. We wonder why God doesn't intervene and feed kids in Africa. We wonder why God doesn't offer hope to kids in rough neighborhoods. We wonder why God doesn't heal a loved one, why God doesn't direct our feet in the paths that lead to life. We wonder why God keeps silent when we shout our prayers to the heavens.
We share our concerns with Gideon, who shouts his prayers to the angel of the Lord when God calls him.
I want you to notice something very important in this text. I want you to notice what isn't there.
A rebuke.
God doesn't rebuke or strike Gideon down for voicing his anger to the Lord. Instead, he still calls him to serve, to lead.
I think this is a very important point. Serving God doesn't have to mean that we're not allowed to question God. Loving God doesn't mean that we're never allowed to be angry with God. Being in a loving relationship means that we'll grow frustrated at times. Marriages don't fail because people start arguing—they fail when people stop arguing, because that means that the people have stopped caring enough to fight. Our relationship with God is no different—we're supposed to offer everything to God, and when we have frustration and anger, we can offer that to God, too. God is big enough for your questions. God is big enough for your anger. God is big enough for your frustration. So place it all before God.
But don't expect God to give up on you just because you're angry. God doesn't answer Gideon's questions, just like we may never truly understand why so many awful things go on in the world. God is big enough for our questions, but while God may not give us answers for all of them, God will make a way forward, promising a victorious future. And just like Gideon, God will still call you to be a part of this victory, a part of the church, to be an instrument of his redemption. Even if you don't feel worthy—even if you feel like the last person that God would call, God wants you to be a part of what God is doing in the world. God wants you to join in.

You may not feel worthy—but just as God promises Gideon, God will be with you. God's power will work in you and through you in such a way that you may not always realize what God is doing, but I promise you that God is at work within you. The way to live as Christians is to stop working against God, and to begin working with God, to discover the places and ways that God is at work within you and grow in that direction. God isn't going to fix all of your flaws at once, but God works on parts of our lives at a time, and if we're patient and let God work, we find ourselves constantly growing as a part of our life of faith. God is at work in us, through us, working out salvation for all of humanity and using the church.

Remember, it doesn't mean you can't ever be upset with God. What it does mean is that God can handle your anger, as long as its part of your offering. We're in this covanental relationship, and God wants us to pour all of ourselves out before God as an offering. So let us pour ourselves out, joys and concerns, and let God do a mighty work through us.

Let us pray


Friday, February 24, 2012

Tulips and the church

  Those are my tulips.  It's February 24.  While I have a hunch that my tulips are going to regret breaking forth in their splendor this early in the year, there isn't anything in the future that seems to indicate that cold weather will strike them down as punishment for their pre-emergence.

  The world is changing.  Perhaps it's just been a mild winter--I certainly have no objection to that.  I love the warm weather, but I also wonder if this isn't a harbinger of things to come.  I'm not about to say that one mild winter means that global warming is about to have cataclysmic results, but I wonder what is in store for us.  Whether or not you agree that humans have caused global warming, the science shows that the earth is warming.  Things are changing.

  Things are changing in the church, too.  The world is changing around us, and our ability to thrive in the midst of these changes depends on our ability to attend to the world around us.  (I don't doubt our ability to survive--let us not forget that we are Christ's church, and we will survive.  That doesn't mean we won't look very different, but I believe Christ will ensure that his Truth is proclaimed here on earth.)  If we simply carry on ignoring the world around us, the world will simply return the favor.

  What does it take for the church to thrive?  I'll not pretend to have all the answers, but I do believe that it relates directly to our ability to engage with the world, to be relevant in the lives of those around us who believe that they do not need the church.

  But first this means that those within the church need to ensure that we are engaging with our own faith.  We need to understand why it is that we need Christ in our lives, why it is that our faith matters day in day out.  We need to come to grips with the reality that the church has not always done a great job of living out the faith that it proclaims--we have invested too much time in caring for ourselves and not enough time caring for the world.  We have not encouraged engagement with the world, and as the world has changed around us, we have lost touch with our community.

  I think the changes in the world could be good for the church--I think it forces us to examine ourselves, our practices, and determine where we have drifted in our faithfulness.  It should make us question how our faith makes us different than those around us who are not Christian--how does our faith change us?  It forces us to examine our priorities and ensure that we are placing Christ first.  If we do such honest examination and can lead lives that demonstrate our hope is in Christ in everything we do, we can demonstrate a faith that is relevant, that is healing, that is hope in the darkest of valleys.  Then, as the community of believers engage with the world around them throughout the week, as the church scatters into the community each Sunday afternoon, we take with us something that has transformed us, something that we can offer to those in our workplaces, in our neighborhoods, something that offers relevant hope and security in a changing world.

  So how do we, the church, equip and encourage believers to be transformed by the power of the Spirit?  How do we invite people to hand over everything to the Holy Spirit, that something dramatic may happen in our lives?  How do we focus on the world around us, rather than caring for ourselves first?

  Fine questions.  I will be in prayer for the answers, for the leading of the Spirit, that New Hope may be a witness to the world, a light to the community, a place where people come to worship and go forth to let Christ change the world through them.  May our eyes look outward to the world, that we may be in tune with the changes taking place around us.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

2/23 E-News


Announcements

Men's Breakfast--This Saturday at 8. Following breakfast, we'll head up to the Brandon's to split wood for a few hours.

Snack PacksWe'll be packing these following church on Sunday, February 26. Stay and help out with this great ministry!

Wednesday Night SupperNext Wednesday, Feb. 29, there will be no supper.

Prayer—It's my hope that my ministry here at New Hope provides you all some tools to use throughout the week to help draw you closer to God. To that end, we'll be hosting a prayer service on Sunday, February 26 @ 6 PM. It's my hope that these services will become a regular part of our life together.

New Hope News

Lynn Meyer is home! They have enough food for now, but if you're interested in signing up to take them meals, they have created a webpage for that.

Sunday School—We'll be diving into Leviticus this Sunday morning @ 9:45 in the McMillan Building.

Pray for:

David Smith

Those searching for jobs

Links






Text for this Sunday

Judges 6:11-16

The Calling of Gideon

 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.’ 
Gideon answered him, ‘But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, “Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?” But now the Lord has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian.’
Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.’ 
He responded, ‘But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’ The Lord said to him, ‘But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them.’







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2/23/2012

Holy and awesome God,

  You are.  You have existed since before creation, and time itself is a part of your creation.  Your existence spans the heavens, and even the most distant star does not escape your sight.  Life, wherever it may exist, is there because you have created it, and surely this entire universe reflects your glory.

  Lord, I pray that you might inspire me by your Spirit to see everything in this world as your work.  May I offer praise and glory to you when I see the trees covered in frost and the rains falling around me.  May I praise your name at the sight of the stars in the sky and the mud beneath my feet.  May this life be so filled with an awareness of your nearness that not a moment goes by when I do not praise your name.

Amen

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Ash Wednesday Meditation


You may know that I listen to a lot of country music. One recent song that has come out is 'I want you to love me like my dog does.' In it, the singer laments that his girlfriend does not share the overly optimistic view of him that his dog has. Now, I will not attempt to offer relationship advice, but I will say that dogs are wonderful at giving out love.

I haven't owned a dog in some years, but I will never forget the fact that my dog used to think that it was a miracle that I came home. Every single time. It was like it had won the lottery simply to see my car coming down the driveway. If I ever felt neglected, the best thing in the world to do was to go drive around the block and come home, sure to see a tail wagging in anticipation of my arrival. It's hard for us to match a dog's love. Now that I have cats, there is a very clear distinction. Cats appreciate my existence because they wouldn't get fed otherwise. But as for the cat bothering to stand up when I return home, there's not much chance. Unless it's hungry.

I suspect that part of our amazement with a dog's love is that we're not very comfortable with unconditional love. It doesn't seem natural to us—when we go off to work or school for the day, it seems as though we should have to prove ourselves worthy of a dog's love, when in fact the dog usually pours out its love whether or not you deserve it. We have conditioned ourselves to believe that love is something we earn—part of the aura of Valentine's Day is the line of men standing in the greeting card aisle at 5:15 in any store in the country. These men know that they need a card, or else they will suffer some sort of repercussion, even if it is only embarrassment. We feel as though we need to earn love. And, in some ways, this is good—we are called to live in such a way that makes our beloved love us more. We are to love them selflessly. But we can't forget about unconditional love.

This is the love God gives us. It's the love we would give others if we weren't so sinful, but God doesn't sin, so God doesn't put conditions on his love. He gives it freely to us, offering us all the love we can stomach and more. We don't have to be good people or live good lives—the love is there regardless. God loves us while we are sinners, before we are ever aware of God's love, and so powerfully that nothing can separate us from that love. It's the greatest love ever—the love that sends Christ to the cross to die for your sins 2,000 years before you were born and before you can ever think to ask for a Savior.
There are no conditions for us to earn this love. But it should change the way we live.

And this is the purpose of the Lenten season. Not to begin to live in such a way that we are worthy of God's love, because that isn't possible. The purpose of Lent is that we examine our lives and recognize the areas in our life that are not drawing us closer to God. The purpose of Lent is to examine, to alter, and to be transformed. In a few minutes we'll have an invitation to the discipline of Lent, but I think it's wise to begin with an understanding of God's love—it's a deeper ocean than we can imagine, and we cannot ever find the bottom of God's love--it simply doesn't exist.

Perhaps, in years past, you've entered Lent with the thought that if you change or begin a certain behavior, you'll be more worthy of God's love. Set down that idea. It's not Biblical. God gives God's love freely, without condition. And we can never be worthy of it—Christ alone makes us worthy, because he is worthy. We wander the road of Lent because our lives are meant to be lived as responses to God's love, responses that help us see God's love in the world, in our lives, and help us to be changed by it, rather than simply living in ignorance of it. Our Lenten journey, our preparation for Easter, is to help our lives be in tune with who and how Christ is calling us to be as individuals, as a community. It's about making sure that your life is an accurate reflection of God's selfless and generous love.

So as we enter Lent, may we do so with hearts free of the burden of earning God's love. May we learn to simply accept it, and in so doing, may we be transformed by it.

Let us pray.


2/22/2012

Forgive me, Lord, I dare to pray
That my life may go another way
And to your mercy, strong and true
I might offer this life to you

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The Heartbeat of Christianity

  The human heart is an amazing thing.  I have almost no idea how it works, although I am very grateful that it does.  Mine beats roughly 60 times a minute (or 90, if it's the bottom half of the 9th inning), meaning that in an hour it beats 3600 times.  That's over 86,000 times a day, over 2,500,000 a month, and over 31,000,000 beats in a year.  You can add a few onto that if you have to drive in Atlanta traffic more than once a month.

  Over 31 million times a month, your heart beats, drawing blood to itself from the extremities of the body, and sending blood back out, to the brain and the liver and the fingers and the toes.  It repeats this simple activity, and in so doing, sustains life.

  When the human heart fails to function properly, it can mean anything from lifestyle modifications to death.  Incredible surgeries can now be performed, even on infants, to correct malfunctions in the heart.  Many things can go wrong with the heart, and it's amazing that not more do.  Most of these malfunctions mean that the heart ceases to balance the amount of blood the heart pulls in with the amount of blood the heart sends out.

  And, in many ways, the church needs to have the same balance, or our malfunctions threaten seriously to impair our witness as Christ's hands and feet here on earth.  While I am not prepared to say that our sin might endanger the existence of Christ's church, it can imperil its witness.  The church needs the same balance as the heart--it sends to send out disciples just as surely as it gathers them to itself.

  What does this mean?

  The first half of the equation, the bringing in, refers to the importance of our fellowship, of our worship.  We gather together to grow in faith.  We gather to witness to the Holy Spirit's work in our lives, and to wait on the Spirit's guidance.  We gather to be led, to sing God's praises, and to be strengthened.

  Having gathered together, we are sent out into the world to witness to God's grace, to proclaim his name.  It's vital that the church be a sending point as well as a gathering point--we can't simply try to hoard God's grace, to enjoy his gifts while never bothering to share them with the world.  From the beginning of time God has been freely sharing his gifts with the world--we need to follow his model and freely share our gifts with the world.  We can't simply sit back and look forward to eternity.  We're called to join in with what God is doing in the world, not just in the church.  We can't become imbalanced and only gather to worship.  We have to go forth to witness, to proclaim.

  We have to be sent, to send, just as much as we gather and are gathered.  May our hearts beat for Christ, and may he lead us boldly forward.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

February 19 Sermon


Luke 24:36-53

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

 Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’

The Ascension of Jesus

 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.


*****************************

We're going to begin with one of those logic puzzles that you probably haven't done since you took the SAT.
Everyone knows that zombies love to eat what?
And in today's story, Jesus eats what?
Therefore, we can state that Jesus is not a zombie.

Now, this may sound silly, but part of the mission of the early church including convincing the world that Jesus Christ was not a zombie or a ghost, some figment of overactive imaginations that had returned from the grave to haunt them. We're so used to it today—we say that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. But when we stop to think about it—it's not exactly an easy claim for people to believe. And I doubt that it's easier to have someone believe it today than it was two thousand years ago. I have no doubt that many in the early church were simply discounted as crazy. Peter himself was accused of being drunk with wine on Pentecost. Why? Well, he was merely trying to convince a crowd that the Savior of all humanity, the one who was crucified on a cross, had risen from the dead.
Put yourself in the shoes of the disciples—you've watched Jesus be crucified. You're certain that he is dead. The Romans were not amateurs at crucifying someone. They had earned their masters' degree in killing their enemies, and they go extra credit for added brutality. There is no doubt that Jesus was dead.
These same men and women, the ones who watched Jesus die, were now standing in a room with the man. You'd think you were crazy, too. You'd think he was a ghost, come back to haunt you. You'd probably think anything except the truth—that he was raised from the dead.
But raised he was—he even asks for, and eats in their presence, some boiled fish, in the hopes that it will convince them that he is truly alive. The disciples, seeing him in the flesh, are able to be convinced. But then they are charged with going forth and convincing others that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, and that he was raised from the dead. No easy task—if he is a ghost, or a zombie, or an imagination based on too much wine, then all of Christianity falls with that truth. If he's just a ghost, we believe in vain—for if there is no hope for life beyond death, if God is not stronger than death, than our faith is worth nothing.
But if Jesus Christ is who he says he is, and if he is raised like he proved to the disciples, than everything changes. For then death and sin have been defeated, and he is the Lord of life, and of life everlasting, and all who believe in him will have life in his name. Now that's something worth believing in, right?
But first he has to prove he is alive, and that he has defeated death. That is the purpose of the first half of this passage.
Having done that, he moves on to the next step—telling the disciples how they are to live.

These instructions are for us, too. Think about it for a moment—it's the only thing left, to tell us how to live, because we have nothing else left for us but life. We have no need to fear death—it has been defeated. Whatever fear we may have in our life is destroyed by the resurrection—we still hold on to some of it, but not because we need it—rather simply because we aren't quite able to wrap our minds about the truth of the resurrection for us today. The simple truth is that our resurrection life has already started—this life is our warm-up, the first round, for what is to come in eternal life. We aren't just waiting for the resurrection—rather, we're living so that we'll be prepared for the resurrection. The beauty and love and joy that you have in this life, in small and big portions, are hints of what is to come—they reveal God to us. It's why we're called to spread love and beauty and truth in this life—we don't have to resist them, but rather we celebrate them, because they're gifts of God. They are signs of life, and they are everywhere, and we are called to celebrate and embrace them, because they're all practice for eternal life. Death is defeated—we need not fear death, because it is gone. All that is left is life.
So Jesus tells us how to live.
And he gives us a pattern, a rhythm. He doesn't tell us exactly what to do on Sunday or Tuesday, he doesn't tell us what to say or where to go, but he gives us a pattern that we are called to model our life after. It's a simple, two step pattern, and if we live each and every day following this pattern, we'll be drawn closer to God and to the abundant life God has prepared for us.

Step 1: Verse 45—open your minds to the Scriptures. Grow in faith. Learn about God. Be led by the Holy Spirit as it says in verse 49.
Step 2: Verse 47—proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins, in word and deed. Proclaim Christ, constantly.
Step 3: Repeat.

This is the pattern of the Christian life. It's who we are as Presbyterians. Christ give us this simple gift and assures us that if we establish this pattern in our lives, we will grow as disciples.

When we talk about the growth aspect of it, we're talking about a lifetime's worth of work and investment into spiritual growth. We never stop growing. I'd like to say that there is some shortcut, some sort of workaround where we can get to where we need to be and finish growing—but there isn't. This is simply about establishing a rhythm in your life—it's about recognizing that you're never finished, and committing yourself to a lifestyle of habits that will help you grow spiritually. There is no substitute for putting in the time that it takes to grow in faith—we have to commit to spending time in prayer, in study, in reflection. It's the first stage of our faith, and if we shortcut this part, we don't get to reap the full rewards of the second half. We wait first. We grow first—and we do it waiting on the presence of the Holy Spirit. In our spiritual growth, we learn about God, and we learn about ourselves in relation to God. The Holy Spirit opens windows for us—but it's our responsibility to look through them and see what God has in store for us.

After we have invested ourselves in spiritual growth, then God leads us out into the world. We pray, we grow spiritually, and then we are led outward. If all we're doing is worshiping and fellowshipping together, we're missing half of the Christian life. We're not balancing ourselves. Christ instructs us to grow spiritually, and that should naturally lead us out into the world. The more we learn about God, the more we recognize that God is a God who is always reaching out. This should lead us to reach out, too. We should go out and proclaim God's name, his love, his grace. The more we grow, the more motivated we are to reach out. The more we reach out, the more we realize how much growth we still have to do. But our worship should lead us out into the world, to engage with our neighbors and those in need, so that our lives are about proclaiming Christ in all we do. As Christians, it is crucial that we engage in mission work in the world, telling the Good News in word and deed.

It's the rhythm of the Christian life. It's how Christ instructs the disciples, and it's how he instructs us. He will always be with us, he promises, but we are called to offer our lives back to him.

Let us pray   

Friday, February 17, 2012

Vexing Questions

  I've been struggling lately.  Mostly, because of two reasons that turn me more and more cynical each day.

  1)  Most people who show up at the church claiming to be hungry are incredibly disappointed when I offer them food.

  2)  The next call from outside the congregation for emergency pastoral care that doesn't end when I say we don't have money to give away will be the first.

  These two facts have me wrestling with how I respond to those in need.  First of all, it convinces me more and more of the importance of working through established agencies to help those in true need--their screening abilities and economies of scale make them far more effective than we could ever hope to be.

  But it feels like the church should exist to help meet the needs of the community.  At times, we have a small amount of money available to give out, but most of the results of giving that money away have been so disheartening and discouraging that it doesn't even seem like good stewardship of that small amount of money.  The few encouraging experiences I've had in helping those who seemed to be truly in need were shattered when those people turned up not long after with a different story (and sometimes a different name), completely forgetting that we had helped them before, and rather defensive when they were reminded that they had been here before.

  So what to do?  Do we help everyone and expend every resource of the church to help those who call, trusting that we will meet some genuine needs?  Do we help no one, turning away those with genuine need as well as anyone else who calls?  Neither feels quite right or particularly faithful.  I've been burned enough times that I'm skeptical of everyone, whether they deserve it or not.  I want to trust, I want to believe, but a voice in the back of my head makes me question every story.

  What would Jesus have me do?  As the author of all wisdom, he certainly knew what everyone's true need was.  He knew that we were all equally sinful, that I am no different than those who call the church.  He could offer a deeper and more important help than I could ever dream to offer.  He sees hope in every situation, and loves each one of us deeply.

  I struggle to follow his footsteps, to discern his wisdom for me, to understand how best to deal with those in need--there's a need, even if it isn't the one to which they give voice.  How do I be a good steward of the church's, and of my own, resources, obeying Christ's command to help those in need while still discerning those simply trying to take advantage of the church's generosity?

  For wisdom, Lord, I pray.  For I simply don't seem to be able to find the answers to these questions.

2/17/2012

Holy God,

  You are perfect.  In every way, you are perfect.  You love perfect.  Your grace is perfect.  You are wondrous beyond my imagination.  What you create is good.  Your forgiveness is powerful.  Your Son's death and resurrection conquers sin and death.

  I wonder, Lord, why you extend grace to me.  Why you offer me everlasting life.  Why you forgive and invite me to dwell with you when I am so beneath you.

  And this makes me wonder at you even more.  You are incredible--you invite humans into eternal life out of your love and grace, out of a deeper well of generosity than I can even imagine.

  Thank you.  I hope this day I can live in such a way that demonstrates my thanks to you.

Amen


Also, two semi-interesting things for your morning reading:

One is an article by David Brooks which puts faith and athletic achievement in contrast.

The other is a page about Chattanooga developing its own font.  Unique.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

2/16 E-News


Announcements

PotluckThis Sunday!

Snack PacksWe'll be packing these following church on Sunday, February 26.

Ash WednesdayNext Wednesday, Feb. 22, we will have a short Ash Wednesday service in the sanctuary at 6:45.

Prayer—It's my hope that my ministry here at New Hope provides you all some tools to use throughout the week to help draw you closer to God. To that end, we'll be hosting a prayer service on Sunday, February 26 @ 6 PM. It's my hope that these services will become a regular part of our life together.

New Hope News

Lynn Meyer is probably heading home today or tomorrow. If you're interested in signing up to take them meals, they have created a webpage for that.

Sunday School—Dan & Elizabeth Turk will be leading us this Sunday in a discussion about what God is up to in Madagascar.

Pray for:

David Smith

Jan Edwards, whose Father passed away last weekend

Those searching for jobs

Links









Text for this Sunday

Luke 24:36-53

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

 Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’

The Ascension of Jesus

 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.





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"Food Rules" by Michael Pollan - RSA/Nominet Trust competition from Marija Jacimovic on Vimeo.

Itching ears

2 Timothy 4:3-4:  For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.


  I can't help but be amazed by the term 'itching ears'.  How appropriate it probably is for modern society--it seems like such a common thing for people to gravitate towards those who will tell us what we want to hear.  The sharp corners of discipleship and rebuke are spurned for the easy, sweet honeyed words of the prosperity gospel, the lie God wants us all to be rich, fat and happy.  It's easy to hear such words.

  But it isn't the truth I read about in the Gospels.

  I don't think Jesus came to make life easier and more comfortable for us.  I believe Jesus came to offer us the abundant life, but he calls us to find it through a walk of discipleship that demands effort, that demands sacrifice, that demands tough choices.  He calls us to listen to tough words and examine ourselves honestly, humbly.  We're not always going to like the tough message of the Gospels, but the words are there to help us grow, to give us life, to point us to Christ.  Being faithful isn't always going to be easy or fun or entertaining, but it's what is right, and it leads to life.

  But discipleship may not scratch one's ears like a simpler message will.

  So what's your choice going to be?

2/16/2012

Gracious Lord,

  Here I am, for one more day.  I know not what this day will hold, or what opportunities will arise.  I do know that I have a sinful heart, and yet I long for each and every beat to be offered up to you.  You sustain me by your righteous hand, and I pray that my response will be a grateful life lived for you and you alone.  As I wander into the depths of this day, keep me faithful, that all I do may be done for your glory--that I will seek out love and the chance to revel in your abundant joy, that I will be gracious to friends and foes alike, that I will turn from sin and temptation.  Keep me strong by your Holy Spirit, that I may come to the end of the day and know that I have lived for you.  Thank you for the generous gift of another day of life, and may it be a pleasing offering to you.

Amen

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

2/15/2012

All-powerful God,

  I come before you this morning laden with sin.  I have chosen to pursue comfort rather than discipleship, and for that I beg forgiveness.  I come laden with sin, and yet you are filled with grace, with mercy, with forgiveness, with restoration.

  I pray that you might restore me to a humble walk with you, a walk filled with the light of the Holy Spirit to guide my feet, filled with the grace of Christ to help me see the world the way you see it, filled with your conviction that I might live out the Gospel in all I do.  I am often uncertain of where best to place my feet next, but you are with me, my comfort and my guide, and I pray that I might bow before your holy throne, aware of how great and powerful you are, that I might empty myself to be filled by you.  May I be a disciple today, and in so doing, may I point to you.

Amen

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentine's Day


Holy and Awesome God,

  On this day, we celebrate love.  May we remember and celebrate your love more than any other.  May we recognize that all love has its origin and destination in you--for you are love, and you pour out love upon us, a love we do not deserve, a love that roars forth in abundance like the mighty waters that rush over the cliff, showering the world below in their joyful flight.  Your love echoes from generation to generation, and each of our voices rise to the heavens in the hopes that we might be transformed by your love.  You are power and mercy and might, and your love is evidence of your generosity and grace.  We see it on the cross, we see it shining forth from the empty tomb, and we see it in each and every sunrise, the gift of a new day, and by its light we recognize that our sins, once crimson, are made white as the newly fallen snow.  By your love we see our sin, and by your love we see a future redeemed by your love.  May we celebrate this today and every day.

Amen

Monday, February 13, 2012

Follow the Money



  It's important to think about how we spend our money--it says a lot about us.  When you look at a church's budget, it should reveal something about what the church values.  When you look at a family's checkbook, it should show you what the priorities of that family are.

  And we are called to think about what our dollars support.  If we don't like an organization's principles, we shouldn't support them with our money.  We make choices every time we purchase something.  I often don't think about the long chain that stands behind the product I purchase--but I should.  Some corporations count on us not caring too much about it, while others are proud of the way they procure their products.

  May we be good stewards of our money, spending it in places with good practices.

2/13/2012

Everlasting God,

  You have set us here by your power alone--nothing else could have created this amazing world.  You, and you alone, sustain life by your righteous hand, and all of life should glorify you.  When we turn and focus on ourselves, we turn from you in sin.

  I wonder, Lord, how much it breaks your heart to see us fritter away our time on actions of little consequence.  I wonder, Lord, how sad it makes you to see us invest our lives in things that do not matter, in little diversions and small entertainments.  I wonder, Lord, how much you long for us to renew ourselves in your glory and power each morning.

  Bring us back, Lord.  Bring me back into a faithful walk with you, that I may proclaim your name through my words and my deeds.  May I not focus on myself this day, but may I humbly bow before you in all I do.

Amen

Saturday, February 11, 2012

2/12 Sermon


Luke 24:13-35

The Walk to Emmaus

 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them,but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ He asked them, ‘What things?’ 

They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth,who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ 

Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 

They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within uswhile he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.


I want you to think for a moment about this question:  What did you expect to happen this morning?  When you got up and came to church, what did you expect?  Did you spend any time thinking about it?  Did it occur to you to have expectations?  Did you think it would be just like any other Sunday?  Or do you expect something so incredible to happen you couldn’t possible imagine what it might be?
Our expectations can have a powerful impact on how we perceive an event.  If I go in to the movie theater and expect that I’m going to see a great movie, it would take a lot for me to not like the movie.  In the same way, if I expected the movie to be terrible, I’d probably seek out every possible glaring hole in the plot and manage to dislike the movie, even if it isn’t a bad movie.
Our expectations can also change.  I’ve been on planes before where I expected the flight to be a smooth ride to my destination.  Thirty seconds into the flight, when the plane hits a rough patch of air and jumps sideways, suddenly that expectation is gone—my hope is that I make it to my destination safely, while somewhere in my gut I’m expecting the plane to crash any minute.
So we can have all sorts of expectations, and we acknowledge that they can have a big impact on how we perceive an event, and that they can also change after an event has started.
Now, let’s turn to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  Think of everything they have going on in their minds as they go to walk these seven miles.  The average person walks about 2.5 miles per hour, so they have almost three hours to ponder the events of the weekend.  They’ve seen their Lord arrested by the Jewish leaders, crucified by the Romans, and they spent time mourning him before hearing reports that he was not in fact dead but has risen from the grave.  They set out for Emmaus with all of this information on their hearts, probably hoping that by the time they reach their destination they will have sorted this all out and come to some sort of conclusion.  They probably expect this to be an uneventful walk in which some truth is shed upon their situation. 
The reality of what they experience is far different than their expectations. 
In summary, Jesus appears and walks to Emmaus with them.  The entire time they walk, he is busy unfolding the truth contained in the Old Testament that points to him.  He is opening their eyes to the reality of Christ as a Savior, and they are spellbound.  What they expect to be an ordinary walk is transformed into a lesson about the single most important truth that has ever graced this world—that Jesus Christ is the Messiah the world has been waiting for. 
What Christ did on that walk was transform their expectations.  They hadn’t expected to be confronted with the reality of Christ.  When they invited him in for a meal, they thought they were simply going to have a dinner guest.  Instead, their ordinary evening was transformed into a sacramental moment, into an incredible encounter with the Risen Christ.  Their eyes were opened and they realized that Christ had always been with them, and it had been no ordinary walk at all.  Their expectation and the reality were far different.
I think it’s important that we shift this back to ourselves—that we make the connection between the disciples and ourselves.  But this story isn’t only about us.  Remember, we’re talking about expectations.
Forty years ago, there were different expectations than there are today.  Forty years ago, it was expected that people would be in church on Sunday morning.  It was expected that the church was the place you would be, and that the church was a trustworthy and worthwhile institution for people to put their trust in.
No more. 
There is a general loss of trust in institutions.  It’s part of what this big, post-modern world is about—people don’t have faith in institutions.  They don’t approve of Congress, and don’t expect them to make good decisions—and Congress, lately, hasn’t been disappointing them.  They don’t expect to grow up and spend their Sundays in church.  There isn’t the expectation that the church is a trustworthy institution.  The church is not considered relevant anymore. 
It’s difficult for those of us inside of the church to grasp all of this.  We wonder why people don’t trust us, but the reality is that people don’t expect the church to be a worthwhile place to spend their Sunday mornings.  And so they stay home. 
The reality is that if we are going to be relevant in the 21st century, we have to break some expectations.  People expect the church to be a stale and irrelevant place, a place where people come and are comfortable but are not transformed into disciples who base their entire lives on Christ.  People don’t expect transformation, so for the church to reach out to people, we have to break some expectations and allow ourselves to be transformed by the reality of Christ in our midst.
Friends, for us to be agents of transformation in the community, for us to demonstrate to the world that we are serious about our faith and that it is worth their lives, we first have to be willing to be transformed ourselves.  We can’t expect other people to want to take up Christianity if we are not living a faith that transforms us.  If we’re caught up in something comfortable that isn’t dynamic and alive, why would someone else want that?
And this is where we turn back to the disciples, walking the road to Damascus.  They didn’t expect Jesus Christ to accompany them to Emmaus, but they were mistaken.  They didn’t realize it until much later, when they sat down to break bread, but Christ was with them every step of the way. 
In the same manner, Christ is with you every step of the way.  Think about that for a moment—it’s not just some nice platitude that should make us feel better—it should radically alter the way we look at the world, the way we see our lives.  Jesus Christ, the God who created the universe, walks with you every step of the way, every moment of your life.  Wherever you go, Christ goes with you, is already there before you arrive.  Whatever you do, Christ is beside you—leading us to the question, do your actions bring glory to him?  If you stopped for a moment and recognized that Christ was with you, would you live differently?
How would you live differently if you expected to meet the Risen Christ on your daily commute, around your breakfast table, in a conference or hospital room?  Would you act differently if your expectation was that Jesus Christ, Lord of Heaven and Earth, would be with you?  Would you come to church with a different set of expectations if we stopped for a moment and recognized that Jesus Christ is here to transform our hearts and our lives?  Would you go out with a different attitude if you realized that Christ goes with you, before you, and leads you outward?
Friends, we’re called to live with a different set of expectations.  Each day, we should expect that Christ will accompany us in all that we do.  His Holy Spirit is at work within us, and that should transform how we live, how we speak, how we act.  Our lives should be evidence that Christ is with us.
Do you show that to the world?  Do you allow Christ to transform your ordinary life into a holy offering?  Do you expect Christ to show up every day?
And if not, why would anyone else want to have the same faith?

Let us pray

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Feb 9 E-News


Announcements

PotluckWe'll be having another on Feb. 19 in celebration of the Turks visiting us to relate the news of their mission work in Madagascar. There will be no March potluck.

Snack PacksThis month we are collecting fruit cups for the snack packs we are making for East Brainerd Elementary. Please continue to bring these every Sunday, that we may meet our goal of 250! Also, we could use some more ready-to-prepare chilis/mac & cheese/bean dishes (microwaveable, preferably).

Prayer—It's my hope that my ministry here at New Hope provides you all some tools to use throughout the week to help draw you closer to God. To that end, we'll be hosting a prayer service on Sunday, February 26 @ 6 PM. It's my hope that these services will become a regular part of our life together.

New Hope News

Lynn Meyer is going to be moving to a rehabilitation facility tomorrow. If you're interested in signing up to take them meals, they have created a webpage for that.

Sunday School—We're starting a new Sunday School this coming Sunday. We're going to roll through some books of the Bible, discussing what's in them, why we read them, and what they have to say to us today. Join us this coming Sunday for Exodus!

Pray for:

David Smith

Russel & Donna Mabry

Links







Text for this Sunday

Luke 24:13-35

The Walk to Emmaus

 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them,but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ 

He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth,who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’

Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 

They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within uswhile he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.




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