The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Sermon outline for January 22, 2012

2012-01-24T11:46:00.001-08:00

REFLECTION: Tribal Leadership

2012-01-17T06:06:00.000-08:00

YouTube video: Seth Godin on the tribes we lead.
My personal "Cliff notes" version of this video is below plus a link to the book.

- - -

Tribal Leadership (How to Lead a Tribe)

1. WHO are you leading is a moreimportant question than HOW are you leading.

2. What people want from their leadermore than anything is TO BE MISSED when they are not there.

3. You don't have to have charisma tobe a leader. Being a leader gives you charisma.

4. Leaders commit to the cause. Theycommit to the Tribe. They commit to the people who are there.

More about Tribes is available from Seth's book here.

SERMON TEXT: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus: Your Personal Invitation to God’s Epiphany

2012-01-16T14:19:00.000-08:00

All the tech companies are in the cloud now: Microsoft, Google, and Apple. “In the cloud” means they store your files and information on remote servers. iCloud - Cloud computing is all the rage today. Jesus calls two disciples and talks to them about being “in the cloud.” He talks to them about angels ascending and descending into heaven. Jesus is the epiphany of God. Listen to the reading from John 1:43-51.

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth."

Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

Philip said to him, "Come and see."

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!"

Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?"

Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you."

Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these."

And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

My friend Buck told me a story this week. He has a pharmacy buddy he visits with in the furniture section of his pharmacy. The pharmacist friend was fishing in a nearby lake and it was kind of cold. He had his cell phone in his upper left jacket pocket and was fishing on the bottom with a weight and a hook. He leaned over to look down in the water, and there were two people on either side of him, and his cell phone fell down into the water. Just then he felt a bite on his fishing pole and reeled in what he thought was a small fish but it was his cell phone. The guy next to him, instead of saying, "Whoa, you're lucky!" said, "How did you do that!?"

I was in the midst of a prayer meeting earlier this week when my cell phone buzzed and I left the room to answer it. After the call I poked my head in the door but the prayer session had begun. So I left. How much do our cell phones ensnare us? How do they enhance the web of our relationships? If only we could look up God's cell number in our address book and click on it. Would God's voice sound like Siri's voice on the iPhone 4S? I wonder.

Passing along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw Simon and his brother Andrew net-fishing. Fishing was their regular work. Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." They didn't ask questions. They dropped their nets and followed. [Mark 1:16-18 (MSG)] They dropped their nets and followed Jesus. We drop our nets when we drop our defenses. We drop our nets when we drop our ego, our sense of who we are and how we want to be seen by others. We drop our nets when we let go of the distractions and obsessions that keep us away from the freedom to which Jesus calls us. Jesus once said, "If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." We are desperately seeking an inner freedom from the nets that entangle us. We are entangled by relationships that haven't worked out as we had hoped. We are entangled by family members whose health is failing. We are entangled by our sense of lack of money, or lack of friends, or lack of family or whatever it is that we think we lack. Jesus approaches us and says, "Come with me. I'll show you how to get untangled from those nets. I'll teach you how to use different kinds of nets to bless people. You have no idea what you can do with those nets." And we drop our nets and follow Jesus. Jesus is ever enlisting us in projects that we hadn't imagined. We had never thought of that before. Someone from the church calls us on the phone and wonders if we will help with this project and our initial reaction is no, I've never done that. Yet as we think about it and pray about it we sense God calling us to do this thing that we weren't planning to do. We see this new project as an opportunity not a responsibility. So we say yes and we find ourselves, with Gods' help, doing this thing we had never considered.

What are the nets that are tying you up? What are the nets that are keeping you from following Jesus? Have you ever noticed how the Internet is sometimes called "The Net." That is a good name for it because it ties us up. We are tied up by our fascination over the presidential race, the Kardashians, sports, technology, whatever it is that ties up our time. Interests are good. There is nothing wrong with reading and keeping up with the news. That is part of what we are called to do as Christians. Sometimes our experience of "The Net" is tied up with making a living. Some of us work in the Information Technology industry or other industries that are tied into the net. In truth, the net includes our whole financial, political, cultural and religious system.

Following Jesus gives us freedom by connecting us to the Christ within us. We discover new kinds of nets that are good, healthy, spiritual nets that tie us in to our true selves, not our false selves. These nets are spiritual practices such as spending time with a spiritual friend, reading the Bible with spiritual eyes, praying in whatever way makes us feel connected with God. The freedom also is freedom from the net of enslavement to the desire to be "successful" in the eyes of the world. Think of the fishermen who dropped their nets to follow Jesus they were laying their burdens down in the sense that they were no longer going to be defined by their jobs. There is a difference between a job and a calling. Our job is what we do to make a living, to pay the bills, to pay the rent, to buy food, to support our families. Our calling is what we do to find life, to get out of the bed in the morning, to fulfill our purpose in life. Our calling is why we are here. It's why God put us here on this earth. Our calling is our purpose in life. Find your calling. We find our calling when we find our epiphany. We find our epiphany in the person of Jesus.

In our gospel reading this morning, Jesus’ call to Nathaniel and Philip is an invitation to an epiphany. What is the epiphany? What is the revelation? The epiphany is the person of Jesus. Jesus call to these two fishermen is not a call to mission so much as it is an invitation to an epiphany. Jesus is the revealer, the epiphany, of God.

And Jesus said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." The angels ascending and descending remind us of Jacob in the Old Testament. Jacob wrestled with an angel of the Lord at Bethel and won a blessing from God. He had a dream about a staircase stretching from earth to heaven. Angels were ascending and descending this ladder to heaven. (Gen. 28:1-17)

Jesus says Nathaniel is an ideal Israelite. Jacob’s new name, given to him by God, is Israel, which literally means “God’s people rapturously beholding their God.” Jacob saw God face to face and he was transformed. (Gen. 32:30)

Our gospel reading wants to tell us that people like Nathaniel who see Jesus are seeing God face to face. Jesus, the Son of Man, is the ladder stretching from heaven to earth. Jesus is the point of contact between the finite and the infinite. Jesus is the conjunction between time and eternity. Jesus is the place where the heavens are opened and the divine glory is contemplated. Nathaniel, as guileless Jacob, is the prototype of a new humanity. He is reborn in Christ but this is an extended process as we see in the rest of the Gospel of John. The cross is the place where the heavens are opened. There is a mysterious conjunction between the crucifixion and the exaltation.

Amazon.com started out as a tiny company with less than a dozen employees. They worked out of a 2,000 square foot basement with a 6 foot high roof. One employee was 6 foot 2 and had to walked with his head stooped down at all times. During the day, they handled computer programming and other tasks. Afternoons and nights they would spend packing and shipping orders. Bezos says the team would be kneeling on the concrete floor packing books, until one day he announced that his knees were killing him. His solution? Knee pads for everyone! Bezos says the person next to him cast him a look of disbelief that seemed to say: “I’m working for this person . . . ?” (Holtje, Jim (2011-12-06). The Power of Storytelling: Captivate, Convince, or Convert Any Business Audience UsingStories from Top CEOs (pp. 27-28). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.) Amazon.com today is a billion dollar company. Remember what Jesus said about the explosive growth of the tiny mustard seed. Amazon.com's humble beginnings are an illustration of that concept.

Imagine Jeff Bezos and his employees getting down on their knees to pack boxes. They spent so much times on their knees that Bezos ordered knee pads for each employee. Do we need to order knee pads for each member of our congregation? Are we spending enough time on our knees in prayer? Strangely enough, it is that time down on our knees in prayer that helps us ascend Jacob's ladder from earth to heaven. For that time on our knees shows our intention to develop a relationship with the Christ within. That Christ within us is the connector between our human nature and our divine nature. God calls us like God called Nathaniel, to come and see. See Jesus. See Jesus in the people who persecute you. See Jesus in the people who can do nothing for you. See him in those who will do nothing to further your agenda. Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim. In the light of his glory and grace.

JOURNAL: The night the music died

2012-01-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

"It's funny how one insect
can damage so much grain ...
Can't you come out to play
in your empty garden,
John?"

Where were you the night John Lennon died? I was with a college friend in Jackson, Mississippi. We were shocked. Drove to Smith Park in Belhaven in his red Beetle convertible. People were there. Sitting in circles with candles. It was a surreal scene. We sat there on the ground with the others in silence. I was impressed people knew and cared. I remember a dull feeling of loss. I remember wondering why he was killed and felt angry anyone had the nerve to do it. Another one bites the dust. Yes, I know each person is unique in her own way. But this was someone special. Famous. Beatle. Imagine.

"And we are so amazed.

We're crippled and we're dazed.

A gardener like that one

no one can replace."

BOOK REVIEW: iPad at Work

2012-01-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

iPad at Work is a revelation as wellas an incredibly useful tool. The author's writing style is soinstructive and engaging that I read the book in one sitting. I lookforward to returning to it time and again if and when I ever get upand running with the iPad. You see, I don't even own an iPad yet andI still enjoyed the book.

This book is a great place to look ifyou are thinking about whether or not to purchase an iPad. If you arelike me, wondering whether to go with an Android based tablet or aniPad, after reading this book, chances are you will decide topurchase an iPad. This is especially true if you, like me, use a Macat home or work.

If you do already use a Mac, you shouldalso get this author's book, Mac at Work. That book is alsomesmerizing and extremely useful. It will change the way I use my Macfor the better. As the author puts it, in regard to the way I've beenusing my iMac, I've been driving a Ferrari in the parking lot. It'stime to take it out on the highway with some of the Omni softwareprograms he describes in Mac at Work.

Having read these books on the Kindle,I recommend purchasing them from iTunes in the iBook format. Theywill look better and the links to the Apple App Store will workmaking for a seamless experience on your Mac or iPad. However, theKindle experience is just fine for getting your head around thesewonderful tomes.

If you have an iPad, you should readthis book. If you are considering buying an iPad, you should readthis book. Even if you don't have or want an iPad, this book is aninteresting read just to see where we are in 2012 in terms oftechnological devices and productivity tools. The title of the bookpromises the iPad is a business tool and by the end of the book youwill have no doubt that indeed it is that.

I like the way the author takes care ofnewbies at the beginning of the book with basics and fundamentalssuch as how to use gestures to work the iPad. I'm talking aboutbasics such as whether to get a black or white one. The authorprefers black because videos look better against a black outlinedscreen. You'll also learn the difference between WiFi and 3G devicesso you can decide which suits you best. All the basics such as how tocut, copy and paste on the iPad are covered. If these topics soundelementary to you, hang on because you are just getting started.

The book then goes into a detailed butnot boring overview of all the different ways you may use an iPad forbusiness. This includes everything from printing from you iPad totext messaging and video conferencing. You learn to how remotelycontrol your home and work computer from your iPad whether yourcomputers are Windows based PCs or Macs.

The book goes into great detail onpertinent items without being tedious. For instance, here are a fewof my notes from different sections of the book:

How to sync photos from iPad to Mac &iPhone ... Must have OS X Lion on Mac
Move PDF files from iPad to GoogleDocs or Dropbox via the GoodReader app
iCloud account : How and why to addit on Mac OS X Lion

Throughout the book, each topic coveredsuch as taking notes in meetings or managing contacts gives a nicereview of a few of the best apps available and each chapter ends withthe author giving a few paragraphs about his workflow stating how heuses the apps he has reviewed in his own work as a trial attorney. Ialso appreciated the author's dry wit which adds interestingnesswithout being sarcastic.

This is a well written and fascinatingbook on many levels.

I recommend it without reservation.

SERMON: Three Steps You Must Take in 2012 1. Decipher Where You Are; 2. Envision Where You Want to Be; 3. Take Action to Get There

2012-01-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

2012 lies before you like a path not taken. This new year brings you new opportunities in your spiritual journey. Today, January 1, is a time for reflection and preparation for a new leg on your spiritual journey.

The sermon scripture for today is Matthew 2:1-12. Listen for God's word to you.

2:1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

2:2 asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."

2:3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;

2:4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

2:5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

2:6 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

2:7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.

2:8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage."

2:9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.

2:10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.

2:11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Here ends the reading.

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Life is a journey. The wise men were on a journey to find Jesus. They were experts in the field of astronomy. They had come perhaps from the royal courts of Persia to visit King Herod in Jerusalem. When they saw a special star or a shining angel above Bethlehem they knew it signaled the birth of the Messiah. They knew this because they knew both astronomy and the holy scriptures that spoke of the birth of a messiah.

The wise men presented baby Jesus with certain gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts have been given many symbolical meanings. Traditional Christianity says the gold symbolizes Jesus' royalty, frankincense his priestly duties, and myrrh points to the prophet's death he would suffer. More important than the gifts was the thought behind the gifts. The magi believed this baby was the Messiah and had come to worship him.

The wise men brought gift to baby Jesus. They brought the newborn king gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Like the wise men, you may have the gift of giving. You may have the gift of giving as expressed in giving money, time or talents in service to Christ. The magi had the gift of encouragement. Their gifts would have encouraged Mary and Joseph. You may have the spiritual gift of encouragement. You notice what other people contribute and thank them for what they do. We need more of that gift in our world today.

The wise men had studied astrology and the sacred texts. They also kept abreast of what was happening in the world. So they noticed the new shining star that appeared in the heavens and knew what it foretold. What signals or signs help you to locate the Christ within? You have the sacred texts, study opportunities, prayer groups, meditation times, and other spiritual disciplines. You know what is going on in the world and all the challenges we face as a species. The first step you need to take today is to decipher where you are in your spiritual journey.

Along the journey we encounter certain road blocks. The wise men encountered an evil ruler who wanted to use them to thwart God's plan. King Herod wanted to kill the Messiah. He wanted to shut up the Truth. He wanted to use the wise men to accomplish his evil purpose. But God reached out to the wise men in a dream and helped them find a way around the road block of King Herod. God warned them in a dream not to return by the same road. God will help you find a way around the road blocks in your life. God will show us the way forward even when we feel trapped. Yet God's purposes cannot be thwarted; God's purposes will prevail. The second step you need to take today is to envision where you want to be and trust God to help you get there.

There is a medieval woodcut that shows the earthly world contained within a great bubble. Outside the bubble lies a celestial realm filled with stars and moons and with the mechanisms that make creation run. In the picture, a man is poking his head through the bubble and gaining a glimpse of that wondrous creative realm that had previously been invisible to him. The wise men were aware of a spiritual realm beyond our five senses. Their heavenly vision was based on a combination of the science of astronomy and a spiritual discipline that connected them with a realm beyond this earth. We too have moments when it is as if our head has momentarily burst through that bubble and we get a taste of a new world spread out before us. [Spangler, David (2008-10-01). Everyday Miracles: the inner art of manifestation (Kindle Location 281). Lorian Press. Kindle Edition.]

The wise men took action on what they knew and believed. Taking action is what you must do as well. When we act on our knowledge and faith God honors our energy and things change for the better. Perhaps today you know what is happening and you see what God wants you to do. Take action now. Get yourself going in a way that is in alignment with God's will for your life. Take action to get where you want to be. That action may be subtle rather than forceful. We do not acquire what we desire, we become it. The smallest change can have a very large effect. This has become known as the Butterfly Effect. The Butterfly Effect suggests that something as seemingly tiny and inconsequential as the flutter of a butterfly's wings can set up a chain of cascading consequences, such as a growing interaction of atmospheric disturbances that eventually could result in a tornado or hurricane many thousands of miles away. Any small change we make in moving toward our goal may make a huge difference in our lives and in the world. So let's not feel overwhelmed or underprivileged. Let's not get discouraged with the enormity of the change we desire and say there is no way we can achieve that goal. Let's just take an action, however small, in the direction we want to go. God may multiply our small step way beyond what we had thought possible.

We are not astrologers so we may never see a sign in the heavens such as the night star over Bethlehem. That star led the wise men to Jesus but that is a star we will never see. There is another star that we may see every day. That star may lead us to Jesus birth. That star is the sun. We sit with God in silence in the morning time. We read and meditate upon God's word. And as we pray, there, through the window, we see another star rising. It is a star called the sun. The sun rising, shining through our window in the morning, that is our sign that the Christ wants to be born anew in our heart this day. Let's take that sign of the sun star rising as God's sign to us that this is a new day, a new year, a new era in our lives and in the life of this congregation. As we focus on God's star we find a wise way on life's joyful journey.

There are three steps you must take today: 1. Decipher Where You Are; 2. Envision Where You Want to Be; 3. Take Action to Get There. This is important to you because today, on the first day of 2012, you have the opportunity to turn your life in a more positive direction. God has a claim on your life's journey. You have a purpose in life. The wise men's purpose was to find and worship the Christ. Your life's purpose is to find and connect with the Christ within you.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035 on January 1, 2012, Epiphany Sunday. Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com

JOURNAL: Auld Lang Syne

2012-01-02T16:46:00.001-08:00

I get sentimental this time of year.

My heart is full of gratitude

for friends old and new.

May 2012 be an eventful year

full of joy, love and peace

for you and those you love.

REFLECTION: 2012

2011-12-31T09:01:00.000-08:00

So we begin this most auspicious year. The Mayan calendar ended with 2012. Let's hope we disappoint them. With God's help, I think we will. All the best to you and your family during the forthcoming year.

Happy New Year!

Peace, Jon B.

SERMON TEXT: The Whimper and the Roar of Christmas Day

2011-12-29T11:42:00.001-08:00

Luke 2:1-20

2In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered. 4Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

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Some of you with small children had an exciting night last night. Christmas Eve at my childhood home on 7th Avenue in Morton, Mississippi was an exciting time. There were already many presents under the brightly colored tree. We had a live cypress(?) tree with those large colored light bulbs with red, green, blue, orange and yellow lights. My body literally shook with excitement when I thought about my presents under that tree. I had closely examined my gifts under the tree. I gently shook each gift to see if it made a sound. One gift sounded like a board game when I shook it. Hopefully, it was the Risk game or maybe Monopoly. Another gift made no sound when I shook it. It was probably a book, a pretty heavy book, most likely a new Living Bible. Mama had made a cake for Santa Claus and it was time to put it on the table along with a glass of milk. Why, that big, hefty, lovable ole Saint Nick would certainly be hungry when he got to my house, considering all the heavy lifting he would have to do bringing in my gifts, hopefully he would be bringing me a new bicycle, one with the twisted handlebars like a ram's horns. That would be so cool!! And now we were watching Santa Claus on our TV. There he was, right there, making his way across the state of Mississippi. You could see the outline of Santa and his reindeer on the radar right there on the screen. Oh my goodness, there had been another Santa spotting two counties over from where I lived. It was be time to get to bed about now. If we were awake when Santa came with our stuff, we may scare him away. Best to get to sleep and awaken early in the morning to see what he brought us. So off to bed we went. My older brother and me slept in the same bedroom. It was night, night and sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs night. No, no, no. Not on Christmas Eve.

We live in fear with good reason. Death is ever near. There is no guarantee that any of us will make it home alive today or any day. Life is contingent. I was never afraid to die but always afraid to live. Why? Here are three of my fears that are common among many people: I fear will make a mistake. I fear rejection. I fear I will not achieve God's purpose for my life.

Some variation of "Be not afraid" or "Do not fear" occurs 40 times in the New Testament. This theme of do not fear carries over from the Old Testament in texts such as Psalm 23: "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil." So in our text today an angel says to a group of shepherds, "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

Banishment of fear is a common thread throughout the synoptic gospel birth narratives. Mary was afraid the first time the angel of the Lord appeared to her to announce she was carrying the Christ child within her. The angel's message to Mary was "Be not afraid." The shepherds were afraid when the angel appeared to them to announce the birth of Jesus. The angels told the shepherds: "Be not afraid."

We are afraid when we become aware of the potential to bear the Christ child within us. The angel says to us: "Be not afraid."

The shepherds and angels bear witness to what God is doing in your life. Think of the shepherds as the human mentors who have guided you through your life. These include parents, teachers, coaches, pastors and friends. The angels are the spiritual entities who accompany your spiritual journey. They have been called guardian angels. The shepherds and the angels in your life bear joyful witness to the birth of Christ within you.

A lost lion was adopted and raised by a herd of sheep. When he was three years old, the lion was bleating in the field with his brother and sister sheep when an older lion found him. The older lion was shocked to find this young lion acting like a sheep. So the older lion said: "Hey, what are you doing?! You are bleating like a sheep. You are not a sheep. You are a lion. Wake up. Get yourself together. Be a lion." The young lion was amazed to hear this and even more amazed to see this older lion since he had never before seen a lion. The young lion did not respond to the older lion but it made him start questioning his identity. A few days later the young lion who thought he was a sheep was standing by a stream when suddenly he saw another lion. It was his own reflection in the stream! And when he saw his reflection in that stream, he suddenly realized that he really was a lion and for the first time in his life, he roared! In a similar way, we have lost sight of our true identity. We have forgotten that we are made in God's image. We are God's children. We are not mere descendants of apes. We now stop acting like apes. We stop living out our animal nature. As we stare in wonder into the eyes of the baby in the manger, we see our own reflection staring back at us. We get in touch with the wonder and innocence of life. We bring that back to the world. Boxes and bows are good. But Christmas is about the gift that's inside the package. Christmas is about the birth of Christ within us.

In the jungle, a middle aged man hears the roar and footsteps of a tiger behind him. He takes off running as fast as he can. Up ahead he sees a precipice that leads to a his sure death if he jumps over it. Yet in his fear of the tiger behind him the man decides to jump over the cliff. As he falls down over the cliff he hits the side of the mountain and grabs hold a blueberry bush. Hanging there between heaven and earth, he notices that the blueberries are ripe on that bush. He reaches out and takes a handful of those blueberries and puts them in his mouth. They are the best thing he has ever tasted! (The stories about the lion and the tiger are adapted from some stories told by Anthony de Mello, a list of whose books are available for sale here.)

In our daily lives, we find ourselves between a rock a hard place. We realize the wonder and joy of life without fear. The man being chased by the tiger finally reached a point of not fear. He didn't cae whether he was eaten by a tiger or whether he was crushed on the rocks below the cliff when he juped. Every day of your life we have a similar choice. Every day we can choose to be not afraid. Thus, every day can be sublime. I have heard more than one story of a person who has been diagnosed with a terminal disease and then, only then, were they able to really live without fear.

Back when Jesus lived 1 out of 4 infants or mothers died in childbirth. Yet, Mary gives birth to Jesus without fear. Your job and mine is to give birth to the Christ within us. Let us do that today, on this Christmas Day, without fear. Do not be afraid of the good news that Christ is ready to be birthed in your heart today.

Early on Christmas morning, really really early, while it was still dark, someone awakened me.

It was my older brother, Tim. "Jon, Jon, get up! It's Christmas morning. Let's go look at our gifts. Let's go see what Santa Claus brought us."

"No. I'm still asleep. You go see what he brought and come tell me," I mumbled, half awake.

"No!" said my older brother. "He might be still in there!! I'm not going alone. You come with me."

"Okay. Okay. Let's go!"

So we fearfully and expectantly crept from our bedroom through the hallway into the living room, hoping that Jolly Ole Saint Nick would not be still in the house or we would scream in fright.

When we got to the living room, hey, no one was in there. We could see from the glowing lights on the Christmas tree a brand new bicycle! A blue one! With ram's horn handlebars!! Wow. Unbelievable! Santa Claus really came through this year! We were thrilled with the mystery and wonder and joy of life on that Christmas morning.

It's hard to put in words what it feels like Christ is born in your heart. Let's just say it feels something like the combination of joy and wonder and dread I felt when my brother and I were creeping down the hallway to peek into our living room to see what Santa had brought us. What is the present you were hoping for today? What is the bicycle you want for yourself? Imagine yourself getting that for Christmas. May such joy come into your life as Christ is born in your heart today.

Your role, like Mary, is to treasure all these words and ponder them in your heart. May this Christmas day be a day of treasuring what God has done in your life. Ponder what God is doing in your life now. The mystery of how Christ gets born in your heart is the greatest mystery in the world. May you, like the young lion who thought he was a sheep, see your own reflection in the eyes of the baby in the manger and may the Christ within you roar!

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon on Christmas Day, 2011, at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035, Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com.

SERMON TEXT: God's Christmas Wish for You: Experience Miracles Like Mother Mary

2011-12-21T04:54:00.000-08:00

You are a walking miracle and you don'teven know it. You are blessing people right here in this church andall over the world by being who you are and doing what you do. Thedifference between a life filled with wonder and a boring so-calledlife comes down to one word: Perception. Let us see what we find aswe look and listen for God's word to us today from Luke 1:26-38.

Text: Luke1:26-38

1:26 In thesixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galileecalled Nazareth,

1:27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose namewas Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

1:28And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lordis with you."

1:29 But she was much perplexed by hiswords and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

1:30The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you havefound favor with God.

1:31 And now, you will conceive in yourwomb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.

1:32 He willbe great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the LordGod will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.

1:33 Hewill reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom therewill be no end."

1:34 Mary said to the angel, "Howcan this be, since I am a virgin?"

1:35 The angel said toher, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of theMost High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will beholy; he will be called Son of God.

1:36 And now, yourrelative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and thisis the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.

1:37 Fornothing will be impossible with God."

1:38 Then Marysaid, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with meaccording to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Last week I ate some delicioushome baked gluten free bread. I put some raspberry jam on it aftertoasting the bread. It tasted fantastic. My wife had cooked the breadin a little bread oven. She had bought it the day before at theKroger grocery store. It tasted great.

An American businessman was in a smalltown in Israel when he came across a Jewish bakery. He first smelledit from a block away. His mouth was already watering by the time hecame to the bakery door. He loved fresh baked bread. Put some butteron top of it. Watch the butter spread like sunshine on the bread. Sohe could hardly wait to get his hands on some of that fresh bakedbread he smelled. He could tell it was his favorite kind: Irishsourdough bread. But when the pushed on the door to enter the doordid not move. With and a tinge of anger, he noticed the "Closed"sign on the door. He had just missed the deadline and with a sense ofgreat disappointment he kept on walking down the street. A fewblocks he later he heard a loud whistle. It was a policeman, standingwith one hand behind his back, motioning him to come hither. Thesurprised man walked to the policeman who took his hand from behindhis back and presented him with a loaf of fresh baked bread. Thepoliceman had seen the man standing at the bakery door and could tellhe was disappointed it was closed so the policeman talked to thebaker and brought a free loaf of bread as a sign of good will for theAmerican tourist. The American businessman sure did enjoy that bread.

Which of those two stories tells abouta miracle? In both stories a man gets to eat some delicious bread.But the second story seems more miraculous because of the dramaticdelivery mechanism. What makes that story seem miraculous is not theoutcome but the process by which that outcome appeared. In the storyof the American businessman there is wonderment involved, a sense ofsomething happening that transcends the boundaries of the normalworld most of us live in. In short, there is a feeling of themiraculous. What differentiates what we perceive as miraculous fromother forms of acquisition, then, is not the results but the processby which the results are achieved. (Spangler,David (2008-10-01). Everyday Miracles: the inner art of manifestation(Kindle Locations 247-250). Lorian Press. Kindle Edition. )

Your birth was full of mystery. If youhave given birth or witnessed the birth of a baby you may have feltlike this birth was somehow a miracle. A birth gets us in touch withthe sacred. Yet there is something about the birth of Jesus that goesbeyond even the natural feeling of miraculous that we experience atthe the birth of any child.

The miraculous nature of Jesus' birthgoes back to the very announcement of her pregnancy. The AngelGabriel announces that Mary will give birth to a Messiah who will situpon the Throne of David. Mary wonders how she will give birth whenshe has never slept with a man. Gabriel tells Mary even her cousinElizabeth in her old age has conceived a son, "Fornothing will be impossible with God."(Luke 1:37)

According to our text today, the AngelGabriel appeared to a virgin named Mary. She was a young Jewish girlwhose fiancee was from the royal lineage of the House of David. Maryallowed God to work a miracle in and through her even though she had3 strikes against her in the eyes of her culture as a poor, pregnant,unmarried woman. Mary had some things going for her. She was engagedto a man from the royal House of David. She was looking to God.She was open to miracles in her own life. She was open to the"revelation of the mystery." Mary responded to God infaith.

What are the strikes against you? Dopeople say you are too young or too old? To pretty or too ugly? Toorich or too poor? You can hinder miracles in your life by focusing onthe wrong things. You can facilitate miracles in your life byfocusing on God.

Members of this congregation are good at looking to God. You areamong the most generous people I have ever known. Remember the churchwith an end of the year if you are able. Rest assured whatever yougive to this congregation will be multiplied many times over in vitalministry. If you spent as much time as I do in the church officebuilding, you too would be astounded at all the ministry and outreachthat goes on here. The loving energy that passes through thisbuilding and out into the world is palpable. And this is but one hubfor the ministries that each of you carries out in the fullness ofyour life at home - listening to a child, caring for a parent,praying for a friend; and at work - dealing with difficultsituations, meeting deadlines, being a peaceful presence for yourcolleagues.

Your life is a gift to God that is expressed inmany ways, one of which is in and through a faith community calledSt. John’s. Let me take this opportunity to THANK YOU for yourgenerosity to me, the church staff, this community, this city and theworld. You are inspiring people. You are gifted for ministry. You arecommitted. And you are generous. Do not hesitate to express yourgenerosity with an additional gift to St. John’s at this time ofyear. You may think of it as your Christmas gift to Jesus. No doubtyou will a Christmas gift to every other important person in yourlife. Consider also giving a special gift to St. John’s above andbeyond your pledge.

Speaking of pledges, if you have notpledged for 2012, cards are in the pew racks and in the churchoffice. If you’ve never pledged, it is a wonderful spiritualdiscipline that will help you grow in your faith. If you’ve neverdone it, perhaps you may start by pledging a dime a day to supportChrist’s ministry through this congregation next year. The attitudeof commitment to Christ and the desire to be a part of thissuccessful enterprise matters more than the amount of money pledgedfor those who are new to this spiritual discipline.

Christ’sbirth may not be acknowledged in the secular world but it will mostcertainly be acknowledged in our hearts, in our lives, and in theworship and ongoing ministry of St. John’s Presbyterian Church. IfGod has blessed you in such a way that you are able to do so, writean additional check to St. John’s today in honor of the baby whowas born in a manger long ago and who is reborn in our hearts duringthis holy season. Think of this additional check as a way ofacknowledging the true reason for the season, the birth of Christ ourLord.

Closing: The biggest miracle you mayexperience is the miracle of learning to view life in a differentway: As a gift from God to you. Just because you purchase your dailybread from a local grocery store does not mean it not a miracle. Godgave you the money to buy the bread. Use of some of God's bread moneyto you to feed the world. Get excited by the possibility that Godwants to work miracles in and through you. Then Mary said, "Heream I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to yourword." Then the angel departed from her. God's Christmas wishfor you is that you will believe that nothing is impossible with Godand allow the Holy Spirit to work miracles in and through you.

SERMON NOTES: For Christmas Day, December 25, 2011

2011-12-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Link to the texts: John 1:1-14 & Luke 2:1-20

SERMON OUTLINE: How to experience miracles like Mother Mary

2011-12-18T05:17:00.000-08:00

The more exotic the delivery mechanism the greater the perceived miracle.

Here is my sermon outline for today. The conclusion is cut off from this image. The last phrase on the outline is this: "Nothing is impossible with God."

Sermon text = Luke 1:26-38

SERMON TEXT: Among You Stands One Whom You Do Not Know

2011-12-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

It's easy for us to get distracted this time of year. We have coaching changes in college football. There are the important questions of which is better: The iPad2 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab? We have family arrangements to consider. Who will be home for Christmas? What presents will we give them? In the midst of such considerations comes a strange man in weird clothes with one of those off-beat Southern California kind of diets. His name is John the Baptist. His message sounds like it is straight out of a science fiction movie about aliens in our midst. He claims there is one among us whom we do no know.

John 1:6-8, 19-28
1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

1:7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.

1:8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

1:19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

1:20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah."

1:21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No."

1:22 Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

1:23 He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said.

1:24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.

1:25 They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?"

1:26 John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know,

1:27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal."

1:28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

= = =

One of my favorite sci fi movies is called "They Live." A drifter discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to wake up to the fact that aliens have taken over the Earth. The turning point in the movie comes when the drifter wears those special sunglasses for the first time. As he walks along a busy sidewalk in the city, words on signs and magazine covers morph from advertisements into blunt propaganda such as "OBEY." "STAY ASLEEP." "DO NOT QUESTION AUTHORITY." Money now changes from regular bills to papers that read "THIS IS YOUR GOD." And what's even spookier is that certain people's faces now look like scary reptiles. Clearly, all is not as it seems on the surface. Some of the most successful people are revealed to be reptilian aliens who are in control of the media and politics. The drifter forces a friend to wear the sunglasses and together they seek other humans aware of the situation. They organize a resistance against the powerful aliens from Andromeda and their associates.

Like the drifter in the movie "They Live," so John the Baptist is hard to classify. He's not an Old Testament prophet and he's not one of Jesus' twelve disciples. He is a first cousin of Jesus to whom he was introduced while still in the womb. His mother and Jesus' mother were very close family members. John baptized his followers in the Jordan River preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. In the early days after Jesus lived there was a competition between the followers of John the Baptist and the followers of Jesus. Some of the original disciples, such as Andrew, were first disciples of John the Baptist. His followers today, the Mandeans, of whom there are about 70,000 members, still baptize themselves today as a sign of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

John the Baptist shares much in common with Jesus. They are related by blood and faith. They are cousins whose mothers are close. They share a Jewish heritage and the Jewish Bible. John the Baptist dies beheaded by King Herod. Jesus dies crucified by Pontius Pilate. John the Baptist's head is said to be entombed in the Umayyad (meaning "Great") Mosque of Damascus in Syria. It is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world and it is considered the fourth-holiest place in Islam. After the Arab conquest of Damascus in 634, the mosque was built on the site of a Christian basilica dedicated to John the Baptist which heralds from the time of Roman emperor Constantine I. Back in my seminary days, I had the pleasure of visiting this mosque and seeing the Christian basilica within it that is said to entomb the head of John the Baptist.

In the gospel stories, John the Baptist points the reader to "one who stands among you whom you do not know." That one is Jesus. Jesus is the one we do not know. He is the one who comes to us from God. "He came from God but God's own people did not know him." The unique quality of Jesus is that he is God come down to us in human form.

John's gospel goes to great lengths to show us that John the Baptist is inferior to Jesus. We read in John 1:20 where John the Baptist says: "I am not the Messiah." John the Baptist says of Jesus: "I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal."

John the Baptist refers to Jesus, saying, "Among you stands one whom you do not know." The one he refers to is Jesus. You do not know him, says John. John the Baptist says, "Follow Jesus not me."

The one we do not know is the Christ within us. We are not well acquainted with the Christ within. We either ignore the Christ within or try to subdue it out of fear. We are afraid of letting Christ loose in our hearts. Changes may come. We may become more vulnerable. Getting to know the Christ within can be scary and uncomfortable. It sometimes feels as if the Spirit is shining a light around in the basement of our unconsciousness. Hidden sins are brought to light. This is what John the Baptist was all about, revealing the darkness within us.

A BOY was hunting for locusts. He had caught a goodly number, when he saw a Scorpion, and mistaking him for a locust, reached out his hand to take him. The Scorpion, showing his sting, said: "If you had but touched me, my friend, you would have lost me, and all your locusts too!" [Translated by George Fyler Townsend. Aesop'sFables (p. 16). Amazon Digital Services, Inc.] We fear if we get in touch with our inner John the Baptist we will lose ourself and everything we have worked for but the exact opposite is the truth. As we get in touch with our inner John the Baptist, we discover our true self. As we see our inner sinfulness mirrored back to us in the waters of our baptism we come to know our true nature as sinful human beings. Yet is is precisely sinful human beings whom Christ comes to redeem.

A DOG, crossing a bridge over a stream with a piece of flesh in his mouth, saw his own shadow in the water and took it for that of another Dog, with a piece of meat double his own in size. He immediately let go of his own, and fiercely attacked the other Dog to get his larger piece from him. He thus lost both: that which he grasped at in the water, because it was a shadow; and his own, because the stream swept it away. [Translated by George Fyler Townsend. Aesop's Fables (p. 18). Amazon Digital Services, Inc.] When we fight our inner John the Baptist we fight against ourselves. We waste our energy attacking shadows. We do not realize we are seeing another aspect of ourselves.

A GOATHERD had sought to bring back a stray goat to his flock. He whistled and sounded his horn in vain; the straggler paid no attention to the summons. At last the Goatherd threw a stone, and breaking its horn, begged the Goat not to tell his master. The Goat replied, "Why, you silly fellow, the horn will speak though I be silent." Do not attempt to hide things which cannot be hid. [Translated by George Fyler Townsend. Aesop's Fables (p. 22). Amazon Digital Services, Inc..] Do you think you can hide your inner nature from others? Well, you can't. It's impossible. Some people know you better than you know yourself. Certainly, God knows us better than we know ourselves. And yet, here is the amazing part, God loves us just as we are. Self acceptance is the foundation of charity.

John the Baptist reminds us, "Among you stands one whom you do not know." The one you do not know may be Christ. Or the one you do not know may be yourself. Or the one among you whom you do not know may be the Christ within you, the hope of glory. Get in touch with your inner John the Baptist. The part of us that we try to avoid. The part of us we think is secret but it is there for everyone else to see. The connection to the Isaiah text would be that we are the spiritually oppressed, the brokenhearted, the captives who need to released from prisons of our own making. (See Isa 61:1) The one among us whom we do not know is neither John the Baptist nor Jesus: It is we ourselves. We are strangers to ourselves.

As the holidays approach, what bombs will we encounter as we gather around tables for meals and conversation? Alcohol abuse, infidelity, drug abuse, mental illness, sexual addiction?

What bombs will we bring with us? Anger, resentment, jealousy, bitterness? And perhaps the most important question of all: How can we defuse these bombs?

During the Christmas season, we are bombarded by cards, gifts, music, ads and parties. All promise happiness. But many people enter the season feeling hurts, losses, disappointments and grief. How can this pain be acknowledged?

The early disciples interaction with Jesus was experiential. Jesus invited them to "come and see" and they came and saw. They gained insight found only at the level of profound trust. Jesus invites us to experience transcendence for the mystery of our lives is in our midst. Superseding John the Baptist, Jesus invites us to explore the Christ within us. There we may find the "God of peace" that passes all understanding. This Advent may the lyrics of that anthem become our inner battle cry: "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me."

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon on December 11, 2011 at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035.
Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com

SERMON NOTES: Advent 4B

2011-12-13T04:25:00.000-08:00

Here are the texts.

REFLECTION: Possible future publishing schedule

2011-12-10T05:18:00.001-08:00

Ideas for a weekly schedule of sermon related material to publish here ...

Monday: Video of yesterday's sermon

Tuesday: Text version of last Sunday's sermon

Wednesday: Copy of sermon notes for upcoming sermon

Thursday: The Epistle email to the congregation

Saturday: Outline of upcoming sermon

SERMON OUTLINE: Advent 3B - John 1:6-8, 19-28

2011-12-10T05:01:00.001-08:00

Here is an outline for tomorrow's sermon titled: "Among You Stands One Whom You Do Not Know." The conclusion is not shown on this outline but I will share it with you below.

Yesterday marked the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. World War II was also brought to mind this week in the largest evacuation of a German city since WWII. Koblenz, Germany was evacuated last Sunday after unexploded bombs from World War II were found in a nearby river. The dramatic story of the defusing of these weapons inspires reflection on the "unexploded bombs" that lurk beneath the surface of so many of our relationships with family members and friends.

As the holidays approach, what bombs will we encounter as we gather around tables for meals and conversation? Alcohol abuse, infidelity, drug abuse, mental illness, sexual addiction?

What bombs will we bring with us? Anger, resentment, jealousy, bitterness? And perhaps the most important question of all: How can we defuse these bombs? John the Baptist suggests we get in touch with the one among us whom we do not know, the Christ within us, the hope of glory.

The early disciples interaction with Jesus was experiential. Jesus invited them to "come and see" and they came and saw. They gained insight found only at the level of profound trust. John the Baptist challenges us to explore the secret places within us where the bombs lay buried under the surface. Superseding John the Baptist, Jesus invites us to explore the Christ within us. There we find the God of "peace that passes all understanding."

This Advent may the lyrics of that beautiful anthem become our inner battle cry: "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me."

P.S. I will post the text version of this sermon next week. Soon I plan to start posting weekly videos of each sermon.

REFLECTION: An Advent Prayer

2011-12-08T08:55:00.001-08:00

Let there be peace on earth

and let it begin with me.

A German city was recently evacuatedafter unexploded bombs from World War II were found in a nearbyriver. The dramatic story of the defusing of these weapons inspiresreflection on the “unexploded bombs” that lurk beneath thesurface of so many of our relationships with family members andfriends.

As the holidays approach, what bombs will weencounter as we gather around tables for meals and conversation?Alcohol abuse, infidelity, drug abuse, mental illness, sexualaddiction?

What bombs will we bring with us? Anger,resentment, jealousy, bitterness? And perhaps the most importantquestion of all: How can we defuse these bombs?

Duringthe Christmas season, we are bombarded by cards, gifts, music, adsand parties. All promise happiness. But many people enter the seasonfeeling hurts, losses, disappointments and grief. How can this painbe acknowledged?

The early disciplesinteraction with Jesus was experiential. Jesus invited them to "comeand see" and they came and saw. They gained insight found onlyat the level of profound trust. Jesus invites us to experiencetranscendence for the mystery of our lives is in our midst.Superseding John the Baptist, Jesus invites us to explore the Christwithin us. There we may find the "God of peace" that passesall understanding. This Advent may the lyrics of that anthem becomeour inner battle cry: "Let there be peace on earth and let itbegin with me."

REFLECTION: The Oxen and the Axle-Trees

2011-12-07T13:58:00.001-08:00

A HEAVY WAGON was being dragged along a country lane by a team of Oxen. The Axle-trees groaned and creaked terribly; whereupon the Oxen, turning round, thus addressed the wheels: “Hullo there! why do you make so much noise? We bear all the labor, and we, not you, ought to cry out.” Those who suffer most cry out the least. [Translated by George Fyler Townsend. Aesop's Fables (p. 22). Amazon Digital Services, Inc.. ]

How are you suffering?

How loudly are your crying out?

If you cry louder, your voice will be better heard.

If you suffer in silence, your reward will be small.

Speak your mind.

Make your complaints known.

Be rewarded

HOW TO: How to write and preach a sermon

2011-12-06T05:19:00.001-08:00

Here are my sermon notes for this Sunday. As you can see it is still under construction. Above are my initial thoughts and below is the outline format I use. From there I will write a manuscript and then translate the manuscript back into a 1 page handwritten outline. The sermon will then be preached extemporaneously from the outline.

Title: Among You Stands OneWhom You Do Not Know

Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 &John 1:6-8, 19-28

Key texts:

-"Do notdespise the words of prophets ..." (1 Thess 5:20)

-"May the Godof peace, himself sanctify you entirely ..." (1 Thess 5:23)

-"Among youstands one whom you do not know ..." (John 1:26c)

Why matters: Your perception ofGod creates your experience of reality.

One Sentence: Superseding John theBaptist, Jesus invites us to explore the Christ within us.

Ramp: What are the things wehear about this time of year?

a. Football: (New coach at Texas A&Mas they move into SEC West. Texans are having great year.)

b. Tech toys: (iPad2 vs. SamsungGalaxy Tab).

c. Family: "Can't have Christmaswithout so and so being home."

d. You hear about these things butJohn the Baptist is here today to remind you that "Among youstands one whom you do not know."

Know:

John the Baptist

John's gospel goes to great lengths toshow us that John the Baptist is inferior to Jesus. We read in John1:20 where John the Baptist says: "I am not the Messiah."John the Baptist says of Jesus: "I am not worthy to untie thethong of his sandal."

In the early days after Jesus livedthere was a competition between the followers of John the Baptist andthe followers of Jesus. Some of the original disciples, such asAndrew, were first disciples of John the Baptist.

John the Baptist refers to Jesus,saying, "Among you stands one whom you do not know." Theone he refers to is Jesus. You do not know him, says John. Of course,we think we do know him. The one we don't know is John the Baptist.Yet there are followers of John the Baptist to this day who claim toknow John the Baptist better than we do. John the Baptist is stillfollowed today by the Mandeans. The Mandeans have a history from theKnights Templar.

John the Baptist says, "FollowJesus not me."

The head of John the Baptist is saidto be entombed in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.

Here is a comparison of Jesus and Johnthe Baptist:

a. They are cousins whose mothers areclose. They share a Jewish heritage and the Jewish Bible.

b. John the Baptist dies beheaded byKing Herod. Jesus dies crucified by Pontius Pilate.

c. John the Baptist's followers will later be called Mandeans. Jesus followers will later be called Christians.

Jesus

The one we do not know is the one whocomes to us from God. "He came from God but God's own people didnot know him." The unique quality of Jesus is that he is Godcome down to us in human form.

The one we do not know is the Chriswithin us. We are not well acquainted with the Christ within. Weeither ignore the Christ within or try to subdue it.

Colossians 1:15-17 describes Jesus as:

a. the image of the invisible God

b. the firstborn of all creation

c. all things have been created through him and for him.

d. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Feel: Inspired. Headrush from new insight/realization. Relief. Gratitude.

Bible references: 1Thessalonians 5:16-24 & John 1:6-8, 19-28; Jonah

Personal references: Getting to knowthe Christ within can be scary and uncomfortable. It sometimes feelsas if the Spirit is shining a light around in the basement of ourunconsciousness. Hidden sins are brought to light. This is what Johnthe Baptist was all about, revealing the darkness within us.

Dessert:

Need a powerful story that brings these thoughts together to close the sermon.

Closing: The early disciplesinteraction with Jesus was experiential. Jesus invited them to "comeand see" and they came and saw. They gained insight found onlyat the level of profound trust. Jesus invies us to experiencetranscendence for the mystery of our lives is in our midst.Superseding John the Baptist, Jesus invites us to explore the Christwithin us.

- - -

This method of writing a sermon or other speech comes from the excellent book shown below. I recommend this book for all public speakers. The book also contains suggestions for preparation and delivery. It is written not for preachers but for any public speaker and is oriented toward professional business people in the corporate world. It positively changed the way I prepare and deliver sermon.

SERMON TEXT: The Bad News (The System Is Broken) & The Good News (Jesus Offers a Superior System): Here's How We Get It

2011-12-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

The Tea Party yelled it two years ago. Occupy Wallstreet hollered it this fall. The Congressional Super Committee who couldn't agree on budget cuts whispered it once again last month. Polls of public opinion tell it time and again. The system is broken. According to Mark, the birth of Christ is going to bring about some big changes in human society. Yet Jesus claims his kingdom is not of this world. Welcome to Jesus' politics of the spirit. Jesus offers a superior system and Mark suggests how we can get it. It all starts with our text today from the beginning of the Gospel According to Mark.

Mark 1:1-8

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,  who will prepare your way;  3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" '

 4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, 'The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'

The beginning of Mark's Gospel may be read as a political document. Here is a literal translation of the Greek text of Mark 1:1, "Beginning the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son fo God." While that sentence sounds familiar and tame to us it would have sounded like a dynamite explosion to the original audience. The statement sounds like a direct frontal assualt on the Priene inscription that celebrated the birth of Augustus and it was written 9 years before Jesus' birth. The last sentence of the Priene inscription celebrating the birth of Augustus, written 9 years before Jesus' birth, reads as follows. "The birth date of our God, August Ceasar, has signaled the beginning of good news for the world." So the first sentence of Mark's Gospel turns the world on its head by subverting the language of a political/religious document of the Roman world.

This is more than just an interesting historical fact. This is a direct line into the purpose of Mark's Gospel at the time when it was written and a vision of its proper interpretation for us today. Mark is saying that the Realm of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, stands in direct opposition to the Realm of Caesar Augustus, son of Julius Caesar, son of God. That is a bold and risky statement. The rest of Marks' Gospel will attempt to prove that point and bring its readers into an alternative realm - the Realm of God. For according to the testimony to King Pilate by Jesus himself, "My realm is not of this world."

The Kingdom of God is a kingdom outside and other than the current power structure of the world.

Our current political system is built on monopolistic greed supported by the rule of law and the power of the military that supports the government.
Jesus' Realm is based on going the extra mile in human relations, turning the other cheek, and giving ourselves away while asking nothing in return.

Mark raises the question of citizenship. Whose system are you supporting more: The American Empire or the Kingdom of Heaven? The American Empire is funded by taxation. The Kingdom of Heaven as expressed in our faith tradition is funded by pledges and gifts. Here is an exercise that will help you know where you stand. Sit down and figure out how much money you pay for all your taxes including income taxes, property taxes, and sales taxes. Then figure out how money you pay for all charities including what you pledge to St. John's and other non-profits. Subtract the second figure from the first figure. That number will tell you how much more you are supporting the kingdom of this world than you are supporting the kingdom that is not of this world. Do you feel good about that? What can you do to change it? These are excellent ways to think about our personal stewardship our stewardship season comes to a close.

God's Word challenges us to count the cost and pay the price. Mark presents Jesus as an alternative champion instead of Augustus Ceasar. Yet Jesus as victor is complimented by Jesus as victim. For the birth of baby Jesus is not even mentioned in Mark. It is the political, cosmic implications that are of primary importance. Throughout the gospel Mark will show us how Victor Jesus becomes Victim Jesus. The irony is profound and has implications for our own discipleship.

The Good News of Jesus Christ is concerned with the finer things in life such as joy, peace and love. Isaiah shows us a vision of a peaceable kingdom where the lion will dwell with the lamb without trying to eat the lamb for dinner. This is a world in which the extremely wealthy do not take advantage of the extremely poor. In this world a person's worth is not judged by her bank account by the quality of her sense of purpose in life.

Our political system is broken. The polls say that. The Tea Party says that. Occupy Wallstreet says that. The failure of the Super Committee to agree on how to cut the budget says that. Our political system is broken. What will arise in its place? That is a question for the next decade. According to Marks' gospel, we need a better system, a system that is out of this world. We need a system such as the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed. This is not a kingdom not of greed, corruption and waste like the current system. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of peace, love and joy. It is a kingdom based on different principles and goals. That is the kind of alternative system proclaimed in the Gospel According to Mark.

The Good News of Jesus proclaimed by Mark is cosmic in scope. Mark's concept of "good news" was not limited to military and political victories. It is deeper than that. In the prophet Isaiah "good news" is transferred to the inbreaking of God's final saving act when peace, good news, and release from oppression will be showered on God's people (Isa 52:7; 61:1-3). For Mark, the advent of Jesus is the beginning of the fulfillment of the "good news" heralded by Isaiah."

Imagine a different political system: One that actually works. This system represents the people. It enables ordinary people to make contact with their elected officials. The elected officials live in the same neighbohood as the people who elected them. Yet they serve on the national level. Imagine instead of the couple of hundred people who serve in congress we instead had 20,000 people serving in congress. Instead of meeting in DC to conduct business they meet online in a virtual hall of congress from the convenience of their own home. Imagine each neighborhood, Meyerland, Westbury, and Bellaire, had their own congressman who lived in that neighborhood year round. They had no need to travel to Washington DC because all their meeting are held in a virtual reality. No longer would our political system be vulnerable to a terrorist attack on one place such as the Hall of Congress in DC. What good would it for a terrorist to take out one congressman if there 20,000 of them? How would rich corporations have such influence over 20,000 people as they have over the 200 we have now? That kind of change will become more possible and more likely as technology and public opinion are refashioned over the decade ahead. Such a large scale change is what Mark has in mind when he talks about the "Good News of Jesus Christ" but Mark's vision is much greater than this. Mark's gospel is like a joke in this sense: It is designed to seduce us into a new way of seeing and experiecing life. The difference is that a joke seeks to seduce us temporarily while Mark's gospel attempts to seduce us permanently. Mark's gospel seeks to seduce us to live our new lives in God's realm, not in the realm of our current, broken political system.

Where do we start to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth? We don't start in Washington, DC or London. We don't start in Tokyo, Moscow, or even Houston. The first place we start is right here, inside of ourselves. We need to change the way we think about success. We need to change the way we live our lives. We need to prepare the way of the Lord in our lives.

Get in touch with the John the Baptist within yourself. Get in touch with the part of you that does not care what the world thinks about the way you dress or what you eat. Get in touch with the part of yourself that hungers more for God than for public opinion. Get in touch with the part of you that says of Jesus Christ, "He must increase but I must decrease." Get in touch with your inner John the Baptist. He will lead you to the renewing waters of baptism in the River Jordan. He will lead you to Jesus Christ who will baptize you with Holy Spirit. The way to prepare for the birth of Christ within you is to let your inner John the Baptist come out. We are talking about more than alternative Christmas gifts here. We are talking about an alternative way of life. We are talking about bearing in your soul the fruit of the spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control. Those are the gifts you can bring to the newborn king: Christ the Lord. Those are gifts fit for a king whose kingdom is not of this world.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon on December 4, 2011, 2nd Sunday of Advent, at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035.
Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com

SERMON TEXT: Very Good News Going Forward: How Additive Manufacturing will Change Our Experience of Church

2011-11-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

We stand face to face with the First Sunday of Advent. This new liturgical year heralds a new beginning in our church. Things are going to get very creative over the next ten years as we make the transition to a new system of production. A Renaissance is in the works during our lifetime. The link below presents a brief overview of 3D Printing and will be my source document along with the text of Isaiah 64:1-9. Churches such as ours that intentionally incorporate the principles of additive manufacturing will prosper.

Isaiah 64:1-9
64O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
   so that the mountains would quake at your presence—
2 *as when fire kindles brushwood
   and the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries,
   so that the nations might tremble at your presence!
3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,
   you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
4 From ages past no one has heard,
   no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
   who works for those who wait for him.
5 You meet those who gladly do right,
   those who remember you in your ways.
But you were angry, and we sinned;
   because you hid yourself we transgressed.*
6 We have all become like one who is unclean,
   and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.
We all fade like a leaf,
   and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
7 There is no one who calls on your name,
   or attempts to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
   and have delivered* us into the hand of our iniquity.
8 Yet, O Lord, you are our Father;
   we are the clay, and you are our potter;
   we are all the work of your hand.
9 Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord,
   and do not remember iniquity for ever.
   Now consider, we are all your people.

There are two primary ways a sacramental object such as a communion cup may be manufactured. One way is to take things away from it. This is the pottery method of construction. Remove every part of the clay except that which is the form you want to create. The subtractive manufacturing technique is the metaphor Isaiah uses for the relationship between God and God's people when he says, "We are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand." (Isaiah 64:8) Yet there is another form of manufacturing called additive manufacturing and that is what Isaiah has in mind when he talks about a powerfully disruptive experience of God, "O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
so that the mountains would quake at your presence." (Isaiah 64:1) Another other way to manufacture is the tinker toy method. You add this piece to that piece to that piece until you have created the object you desire. This is the additive or 3D method of construction.

The Hanging of the Greens is an additive process. You don't just snap your fingers and the sanctuary is magically decorated. It is a process. First you gather the supplies. Then you put up the greenery. Next you add the decorations to the greenery. Then you put the chrismons on the tree. Hanging the greens is similar to working with Lego blocks. This part adds with that part and another part to make something that was not there before. The green wreaths added with the red bows added with the Chrismon tree creates a beauty that before was not present.

We saw a similar manifestation of this principle in the Community Thanksgiving Service here in this sanctuary last Sunday afternoon. The St. John's Handbell Choir plus the adult choir plus our ladies who produced the reception plus the Cantor from Temple Beth Israel plus the preacher from Westbury United Methodist plus the Director of BIM plus the youth choir that sang plus all the other worship leaders and participants created a sense of unity of purpose in this community that was more than the sum of its parts. It felt so good look around at faces you know and some you've never seen and know that we are united in providing food for the hungry in our community. Additive spirituality creates opportunities and provides results.

Beyond the church in greater society, the way things are made is undergoing a fundamental transition that will lead to a Renaissance in human productive capacity. Yes, that is a big claim but it is true. When you think of transformative technologies you think of the steam engine, light bulb, atomic energy, or the microchip, to name just a few. These technologies transformed our world. Such breakthroughs take decades to develop from the time when they are invented to the time when they become ubiquitous. 20 years ago, I doubt the Defense Department had any idea how the World Wide Web would transform the communications system of humanity. Repeated small, incremental improvements have a big benefit over time. We feel the sense of such a change in our text today as the prophet recalls a time when God "did awesome deeds that we did not expect."

Now another new technology is coming along that will change the world. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a revolutionary new technology that could change the the way we design and manufacture products from cars to combs. It has massive implications in the world. For instance, production of goods will move away from nations such as China back to the United States.

Additive manufacturing will change the world by adding rather than subtracting. It is amazing what a difference that can make. Say goodbye to assembly lines full of parts shipped from dozens of factories from around the world. Products will be printed on demand at a location near your home. Instead of your car being built in a factory in Detroit or Tennessee, it will be built in a lab in Downtown Houston or even closer to your house.

Today you can email a document from your house to your child in Africa. He can then print a paper copy of your email and hold it his hand. Ten years from now you will be able to email a design to your son in Africa. He will be able to take a copy of that design to his local maker space and they will print a 3D copy of your design. That design may be anything from a new cell phone to a set of legos. Any physical object could be delivered and produced that way. What has happened in terms of words (type anywhere and email anywhere and read anywhere you have internet access) will happen with object (design anywhere, email anywhere, print anywhere).

Let me describe the technique of additive manufacturing then we'll consider the implications of this method for the church. Additive manufacturing adds layer upon layer of material until a final object is printed. Additive manufacturing adds and adds and adds, layer by layer, until a product is complete. For example, in 3D printing you take a raw material such as tiny plastic pellets, load them into the printer, insert a software design of an object you want to produce such as a wrench or hammer, push a button to start the process, and the printer uses the plastic to print the hammer layer after layer until you have a finished project. When the print is finished, remove the hammer from the printer and it is ready to nail a nail. In time you will be able to print not just a hammer but a car or cellphone or computer chip or replacement part for any object in your house or business.

Churches who are able to apply the principles of additive manufacturing will prosper. Here is how this will look in the church. For centuries the church has operated under the idea of subtractive manufacturing. If we are doing one thing in a church - such as hanging banners in the sanctuary - then we cannot do another thing - such as project images on a screen. Subtractive manufacturing led us to believe there are a limited number of things we can do. If you have one wall you can either put a banner on it or project an image on it. It's either - or. This is based on the idea of limitation. Beyond the church this expresses itself in society as the idea of limited resources. Additive manufacturing teaches another way to look at things. In additive manufacturing you add and add and add and add until you get what you want.

Here is another example of the principles of additive manufacturing in the church. In the old way of making a church budget, ten years ago and older, you had a unified church budget. Everyone was asked to give to that budget. Everyone agreed what the budget was going to be for each item and some items were not included (they were subtracted from the budget) because they were not affordable based on the pledges received. The additive model of making a church budget is to say here is what we agree we want and here is how much money we have to spend on that and then here is what we want to do but we don't yet have the money for it. But rather than subtract that from the church we will add it to a "Wish List" and ask people to give for that specific thing. We did that recently with several items from new cribs in the nursery to a new church sign and people gave - in ADDITION - to their regular pledge. This is additive budgeting. Another way we do additive budgeting is through our various memorial funds. We have certain memorial funds such as a college scholarship fund. People may choose to give money to that fund in addition to their regular pledge and offering and those monies will be used That is our version of additive budgeting. Although we primarily rely on pledges, we have income that we receive in addition to our pledges.

Finally, additive technology will vastly multiply our mission efforts. We now take a few months to gather needed materials to build a water system and then have to pack all the parts in an airplane. We then take a week long trip to Cuba or Haiti to install a clean water system. Ten years from we will take a week long trip to install a 3D printer in a village and teach them how to use it. They will then be able to use the 3D printer to build the parts for a clean water system right there on site. In addition to that, they will be able to use the 3D printer to manufacture any number of useful items that will increase their standard of living. Imagine being able to create solar panels right on the mission site. Imagine being able to create dental implants right on site. Or perhaps a surgeon is present and needs a leg implant. She can create is on site on the 3D printer. And someone is there to teach the villagers how to use the 3D printer because it stays behind after we leave. This will multiply our mission efforts a thousand fold for the same amount of money which will be the cost of a 3D printer and plane tickets for the missionaries.

Additive manufacturing teaches us to say, "Yes, and this ..." rather than "Either this or that." There is a profound difference between those two. It is as profound as the difference between subtractive manufacturing and subtractive manufacturing. This slight shift is transformative in the life of a church.

Subtractive thinking says that each person - each member - must participate in each activity. So if we don't have a sizable crowd at a particular activity then that activity is considered a failure. On the other hand, additive thinking says that each person is not expected to participate in each activity. So if we have an activity in which only a few people participate we may still consider that activity a success.

One of our members who returned from a mission trip to Cuba was struck by all the activities they have going on at a very small church. There are guitar lessons during the daytime, English lessons at night, choir practice, lectures, mission projects, the church building is always buzzing with activity. That is an example of additive thinking. Not every participates in every activity in that small church and that is okay with them. By having a large number of small and smaller groups they add up to a total number of people blessed than if they had fewer activities that were attended by a large group of people.

We are moving toward the additive model here. Look at what happened last Sunday morning. We had several church school classes at 9 am last Sunday. There was a Session meeting to receive the confirmands at 10 am. The choir and handbell choir were practicing at 10 am. During worship we recognized the confirmands, remembered Lee Shoemake and then had a reception for the confirmands. The choir had a prayer of dedication for Lee's brick in the columbarium after worship too. Then at 4 pm we hosted the Community Thanksgiving Service here. The church was literally packed with people. After the service we hosted a reception for the community. The day before several people had spent time preparing for the reception and the Harvest Sunday and everything else. Sound exhausting? If you participated in every event it could have been. But the way it works with additive thinking is you add and add and add activities and then let people pick and choose which ones they want to participate in. Then you don't judge success by numbers. If an activity has 3 people involved but it transformative for those three people then it is a success.

What we don't want is to wear people out with too much activity but that will happen only if people feel like they have to participate in every event offered.

This is the most energetic, creative church I've ever been around. We have SO many great ideas. Each of them is free to live and prosper if someone makes it happen. Our challenge is how to be free and creative and additive in nature and still do things "decently in order" as is our Presbyterian inclination. The foundation for that is TRUST. The more we build trust within this congregation the more additive we can be and the more successful we will be at making disciples and meeting human needs.

The additive process is a trend in the Presbyterian Church (USA). You can see it in the new Book of Oder that was passed. The book is shorter and meant to provide for greater flexibility in how we operate. We are already moving toward the model of additive manufacturing in church and society. Once this technology takes hold in the world we will all benefit beyond our dreams. Truly, additive manufacturing is a game changer for the good in both society and the church. Let us embrace it and prosper. For you see, God is not out to get us. God is out to change each of us, the church and all human society for the better through additive manufacturing.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon on November 27, 2011 at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035
Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com | November 27 - 1st Sunday of Advent / YEAR B

SERMON TEXT: Christ's Church in Transition: Moving Beyond People and Place

2011-11-22T08:56:00.000-08:00

One of the topics we cover in our Confirmation Class each year is "What is a Christian?" We often answer that question in one of two ways. We say the church is the people of God or we say the church is the facilities where the people of God gather. According to modern theologian Jurgen Moltmann, there is third way of viewing the church. The church is the body of Christ. It sounds esoteric but it has practical implications. You will learn more about his view of the church today and how it changes everything. Now let us turn our attention to the reading and hearing of God's word to us today, from Ephesians 1:15-23.

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

When I was a child we would drive an hour in our brown station wagon to go to Grandaddy's house on Thanksgiving Day. When we arrived there were many cousins, aunts, uncles, dogs, cows, chickens, squirrels and crickets on my grandaddy's farm. The food would fill a three big tables to overflowing. Grannie's chicken and dumplings were always a big hit and her black bottom pie for dessert was unstoppable. Before lunch the women would be preparing the table while the men sat in the living room and watch the Dallas Cowboys play the Detroit Tigers. No one cared who won the game. There was not much small talk. Just an occasional, "Look at him go!" Or "Did you see that?!"

After lunch the men would get their guns and go tromping off into the deeply wooded forest in search of squirrels. A couple of squirrel dogs would be set loose to tree squirrels and let us know where to look. I felt proud to be walking with this group of cousins and uncles. One Thanksgiving Day when we were walking through the deep woods I saw large pieces of tin that had flown off the chicken house miles away and wrapped themselves around an oak tree. Other trees had fallen there where a tornado had touched the group. The power of that tornado on display made a big impression on me.

We Christians tend to think of the church as being the hunters in the woods or the trees themselves. But really, in this analogy, the church is to be found in the tornado. Gods Holy Spirit gives life like the very air we breath. Sometimes that air is stirred up into an overwhelming storm that causes destruction wherever it touches down. Yet that power that caused the damage in that storm is often only evident in retrospect. So it is in the church. We come to this sanctuary and see the evidence that God has been here before. Yet we have lost contact with the power of God which is the very church. So Moltmann would say the Church exists in the power of the Spirit. Wherever the Spirit of Jesus is moving, there is the church. So let's never get puffed up thinking that WE are the church. We are NOT the church. This building is not the church. The power of the Holy Spirit is the church.

Just like that forest that was damaged by a tornado, so you've been through tough times that changed the way you viewed the world. That is what the church is going through now. This is nothing new. Israel went through a transition in how they viewed themselves after they were exiled into foreign countries. The Old Testament prophets helped Israel understand God in a new way in that time of transition. Today, in this time of transition for the church we have theologians who are leading the way in helping the church re-imagine who we are and who God is during this time of transition and decline. One such theologian is Jurgen Moltmann. His book, The Church in the Power of the Spirit, shares his understanding of the church.

Jesus said God's kingdom is not of this world. Moltmann says the church is not of this world. The power at work in the church is the power of God that raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to heavenly places. Do you see what this shift does? It changes the question for the church. We no longer question why the church as an institution is losing influence in society. Instead, we wonder how we can get ourselves into alignment with Christ because Christ is the church. That is what we mean when we say the church is "the body of Christ." We know what happened to the body of Christ. The body of Christ was ripped and torn and crucified on the cross. So the present decline of the church becomes a symbol of the suffering Christ bore in his own body. Moltmann's view helps us reconstruct our image of the church in a way that fits with our exile from influence in society.

You belong to something greater than yourself when you belong to this church. You will see this principle in even greater detail at the Community Thanksgiving Service this afternoon. God is at work in this community through Salem Lutheran Church, Westbury United Methodist Church, Southwest Church of Christ, Temple Beth Israel, Willow Meadows Baptist Church, Corpus Christi Catholic Church, St. John's Presbyterian Church and all the other churches that compose our Southwest Houston Ministerial Association. God is at work among the people of this community. We are part of God's work in this place. That is what we will celebrate this afternoon.

Remember the Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He did not ride into the city inside a taxi cab or a limousine. He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Small children threw palm branches on the path before him. Old men and young women threw their cloaks on the ground to pave the wave for his entry into the city. Yet three days later this same crowd who welcomed him with open arms will vote to have Jesus arms stretched out on a cross, naked, on public display. Remember the suffering of the King of Jews. That is the key to understanding Christ's Kingdom that is not of this world. This is a kingdom where suffering leads to glory. This is a kingdom where it is better to give than to receive. This is a kingdom where those who mourn will be comforted. This is a kingdom in which those who are persecuted will rejoice. This is a kingdom which is not of this reality. This is an alternate reality to which we belong. We must learn to view reality with the eyes of Christ. This is a different way of seeing. It takes practice to see things in this way. It does not happen overnight. We must develop our spiritual eyesight through spiritual practices such as prayer, study, meditation, and service to others in Jesus' name.

Last Monday my wife's van needed to have the wheels aired up and rotated. We drove to a repair shop and left her van there. We wondered whether the tires would need to have an alignment. The mechanic said you'll know you need an alignment on your car when it starts veering off course. Have you ever had your tires go out of alignment on your car? You find your car veers to the right or to the left when you are driving on the freeway. When your wheels are out of alignment you can set your steering wheel straight ahead and remove your hands and your car will move off of dead center and start veering to the left or the right depending on how your wheel is out of alignment. You take your car to a mechanic and he will put your wheels back into alignment. You want to get your wheels back into alignment because driving when your tires out of alignment is dangerous and costly. It is dangerous because by veering off course the car could cause a wreck. It is costly because a tire that is out alignment requires more gasoline to make it run. An out of alignment tire will also wear out a tire faster. Our role as Christians is to align ourselves with Christ. When we get in alignment with Christ it takes less energy to get more done in the church. When we get in alignment with Christ we are all going in the same direction as Christ. There is no veering off course such as happens when we are out of alignment. Moltmann wants to get the church back into alignment. Confirmands, and all Christians, keep your life in alignment with Christ and you will stay in alignment with Christ's church.

As our text tells us, right here in Ephesians 5:22-23, "the church is Christ's body." To the extent that our lives are in alignment with Christ, then we are part of the church. To the degree that our lives are out of alignment with Christ, we are not part of the church. Even when we are in alignment with Christ, we do not own the church. To think that we somehow "own" the church is to think that we somehow "own" Christ. Of course, that is a silly thought. We do not own Christ. We do not own Christ's church. Christ is the head of this church. This church is Christ's body. If you are joined to Christ, you are part of Christ's church. Today we celebrate three young people who are wanting to live their lives in alignment with Christ's vision and mission. Take this service as you invitation to rededicate yourself to following and obeying Jesus.

The image of the church as the body of Christ relieves us of the responsibility of saving either the world or the church. That is beyond our ability to accomplish. Yet it leaves us with a clear responsibility. We must follow and obey Jesus. We live our lives in alignment with the vision and mission of Jesus. That is how we know we are part of the church. Those who make the daily effort to obey Christ are the Church. Your efforts at following and obeying Christ are either sincere or they are not. Today let us rededicate our lives to Christ. Thus will we be joined with the suffering body of Christ, the Church.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon on November 20, 2011 at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035.
Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com

SERMON TEXT: Wield the Power of Life and Death - Stewardship of the Tongue

2011-11-16T07:49:00.001-08:00

You recognized the sound of your mother's voice while still in your mother's womb. The sound of her voice spurred your growth and accompanied your birth into this world. The tongue is a powerful force that may be used to bring death or life. Jesus demonstrated the power of the tongue to kill when he destroyed a fig tree with his words. God demonstrated the power of speech when God created the world through speaking it into existence as described in Genesis. Our text today challenges us to use our tongue for building up rather than tearing down. Listen for that message in this reading from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11:

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.
So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.
Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

- - -

Frank is sitting in his car in a large mall parking lot, and nobody is coming near him because he's holding a shotgun to his throat. The SWAT team and the hostage negotiation team are called in. The SWAT team takes positions behind other cars and vehicles, trying to not agitate the man. As they wait, they fill in the background details.

They're looking at a man in his early thirties who lost his customer service job at a large electronics store six months earlier for yelling at customers and coworkers. He'd interviewed for several jobs, but didn't get any of them. He was abusive verbally to his wife and two young children. A month earlier, his wife and kids moved in with her parents in another city. She told him that she needed a break, and he needed to get his act together. The landlord of their apartment kicked him out at the same time because they hadn't paid the rent. He moved into a shabby room in a poor section of the city. He stopped bathing and shaving and ate next to nothing. The last straw was the restraining order he'd received the day before he ended up at the mall parking lot.

Now the lead negotiator is talking calmly to the man. "Frank, this is Lieutenant Evans, I'm going to be talking with you, because there is another way out of this besides hurting yourself. I know you don't think you have any choice, but you really do."

Frank exclaims: "You don't know anything. You're just like everyone else. Leave me alone!"

Lieutenant Evans replies: "I don't think I can do that. You're here in the middle of a mall parking lot with a gun to your throat, and I need to help you find another way out of this situation."

"Go away! I don't need anyone's help!" Frank replies. And so the conversation proceeds for an hour, with stretches of silence lasting several minutes or more.

As the information about Frank comes in, it becomes clear that he's not an evil person, just a very disturbed and angry one. The SWAT team is poised to "take him out" if he threatens anyone else with his gun, but everyone except Frank would like to end this peacefully. However, the odds of that don't look so good.

After an hour and a half, another negotiator, Detective Kramer, arrives. Kramer is a graduate of one of the hostage negotiation training sessions I've delivered to police and FBI hostage negotiators. Detective Kramer's been briefed about Frank's background and the status of this negotiation and offers Lieutenant Evans a different suggestion: "Here's what I want you to say to the guy: 'I'll bet you feel that nobody knows what it's like to have tried everything else and be stuck with this as your only way out, isn't that true?'"

Evans replies, "Say what?"

Kramer repeats the suggestion: "Yeah, go on, say this to the guy: 'I'll bet you feel that nobody knows what it's like to have tried everything else and be stuck with this as your only way out, isn't that true?'"

Evans complies and when he says that to Frank, Frank too replies with: "Say what?" Evans repeats it to Frank, who this time responds: "Yeah, you're right, nobody knows and nobody cares!"

Kramer tells Evans, "Good, you got a 'Yes'; now you're in. Let's build on that." He adds a second question for the lead negotiator to ask: "Yeah, and I'll bet you feel that nobody knows what it's like to start every day believing that there's more chance that something will go wrong than go right, isn't that true, too?" To that, Frank replies: "Yeah, every single day! The same thing happens."

Kramer tells Evans to repeat what he's heard and get an additional confirmation: "And because nobody knows how bad it is and nobody cares and because nothing goes right and everything goes wrong, that's why you're in your car with a gun wanting to end it all. True?" "True," Frank replied, his voice showing the earliest signs of calming down. "Tell me more. What exactly has happened to you? When was your life last okay, and what's happened since then to turn it to crap?" Evans invites. Frank starts to recount the events since he was fired from his job. When he pauses, Evans responds with: "Really . . . tell me more." Frank continues describing the problems he's had.

At some point, with guidance from Kramer, Evans says: "And all of that's caused you to feel angry? Or frustrated? Or discouraged? Or hopeless? Or what exactly?" Evans waits for Frank to pick the word that best fits how he feels. Frank finally owns up to: "Fed up." Evans follows up with: "So you felt fed up and when you got that restraining order, that was the breaking point?" "Yeah," Frank confirms. His voice, once hostile, is quieter now. In a few sentences, Frank's gone from refusing to communicate to listening and beginning to have a conversation.

What just happened? The most critical step in persuasion—the step I refer to as "buy-in"—has begun. That's the step where a person goes from resisting to listening and then to considering what's being said. What caused Frank to start listening and begin to "buy in" to what Lieutenant Evans was saying? That shift was no accident. The secret lay in saying the words that Frank was thinking but not saying. When the lieutenant's words matched what Frank was thinking, Frank leaned into the conversation and began to say, "Yes." [Goulston M.D., Mark; Keith Ferrazzi (2009-09-15). Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through toAbsolutely Anyone (p. 5-7). AMACOM. Kindle Edition.]

Our role is to encourage one another in Christ. We are to build one another up. We do that through our words and deeds. How we speak and what we say are the ammunition we use to strike one another or the power we use to heal one another.

Jesus demonstrated the negative power of the tongue when he cursed a fig tree that did not produce good fruit and the fig tree withered and died. So did he symbolically illustrate the power of the spoken word to have effect on material objects.

On the positive use of the tongue, in Genesis we read God created the night and the day and God said that it was good. We try to escape the night, the darkness, our shadow selves. But there is much power there inside us. Our shadow selves may be binding us. Our shadow selves may cause us to sleep walk through life unaware of what is going on in our lives or how. For example, share story of my mom and dad laughing when I asked why they needed another child other than me? They thought it was a funny question from a child but I took their laughter as mockery which is not how they meant it. That moment was a significant one in my development and left a scar in my shadow self that only recently have I been able to recognize and heal. The little things we say and how we say them are the things that will replay before our eyes when we see our life relived before we die. So let us be mindful and awake to how our words and actions effect other people. That is the message of our text.

On this Stewardship Sunday the most significant gift we may give God is control of our tongue. No other body part may be used for such good or such evil. No other body part is harder to control than our tongue. Self control is a foundation for Christian living. We cannot encourage one another is we do not have control of our tongues.

Jesus once told a crazy parable about a wedding banquet. A king invited his courtly, wealthy friends to his son's wedding banquet and none of them showed up. So he sent his servants out to invite people from the streets, anyone they could find, to come to the wedding banquet. Then when these common people showed up, pulled in from the street, and they were having a great time eating and drinking. Then the king spotted a guest who was not wearing the proper attire and he went ballistic. He demanded this inappropriately dressed guest be thrown out of the banquet feast.

This is a parable about us. We come to church dressed in our church clothes because we know on Sunday morning that is what we are supposed to wear. We come to church with our Sunday language and nice words to each other. Then we go home and deconstruct every conversation and encounter we had with someone at church that morning, what the preacher said or did that was wrong, any mistakes we noticed the liturgist make, any wrong note sung by the choir or the person in the pew next to us in singing a hymn. And Jesus says to us, that is wrong. You are not getting it. You are missing the point. You must wear the right clothes at all times in all places. The right clothes refers to your tongue and how you use it as an instrument of healing or destruction.

You must wear wedding clothes every day all day means you must use positive words that build up rather than tear down every day all day. Otherwise, just because you show up on church on Sunday morning and use nice words from 9 am until noon on Sunday does not mean you belong here at the wedding banquet of the king's daughter. It is insane to think that every person on the street should wear their finest wedding banquet clothes every single day just in case the king should on the spur of the moment invite them to his son's wedding banquet. That is absurd. And Jesus uses that absurd image to make his absurd demand that every moment of every day at all times we must be aware, awake, and using our best language to build people up rather than tear them down. That is a tall order. It is just about as hard to do that as it would be to wear your finest dress clothes around your house all day just in case President Obama calls you up to come attend a wedding banquet in the White House. But we must be prepared to get such an unlikely call because that "staying on your toes" attitude is the one that Jesus is after. That is the key to the kingdom. Paul said he was always prepared to preach the gospel whether in a boat or in a jail, whether in winter or summer, in season or out of season, in Rome or in Jerusalem. This is a radical interpretation of the Boy Scout motto: Always be prepared.

Jesus is more interested in what we say than what we wear. He scolded so-called religious people who wore the proper clothes but did not use their tongues to build people up. Remember Jesus in the temple with the publican and the Pharisee. The Pharisee cut the publican down but the publican used his tongue to repent. Jesus approved the publican and castigated the Pharisee.

Our text today says we are to encourage one another. In the New Testament book of James we read the tongue is a raging fire that can get out of control. We also find this advice: "Be slow to speech." I took that literally when I was in Junior High School. That is why I speak so slowly today. We are to think before we speak. That is good advice for everyone.

In 1996, Powell was the keynote speaker at a national conference for a leading residential real estate company's top producers. By that point, he'd achieved tremendous popularity with the American public and was being considered as a presidential nominee. General Powell had the audience in the palm of his hand. He urged the audience to give back to their communities. He spoke passionately of his gratitude for his family, childhood, and friends. And he exhorted us all to "do well by doing good." At the end of his talk, he called for questions. Still feeling the warm glow of his inspiring words, we were totally unprepared for what happened next. "General Powell," the first questioner said, "I understand that your wife once suffered from depression, had to take medicine, and was even in a mental hospital. Do you want to comment on that?" You could hear all 8,000 people in the auditorium gasp at the inappropriateness—not to mention the cruelty—of the question. In the silence that followed, we all wondered how Powell would react to being blindsided. Edmund Muskie had thrown away his presidential hopes years earlier when a reporter asked about his wife's sanity, and he started to cry. What would Powell do under similar circumstances? Here's exactly what he did. He looked at the questioner. He paused for a moment. And then he simply responded: "Excuse me—the person you love more than anyone is living in hell, and you don't do whatever you can to get her out. Do you have a problem with that, sir?"

He reached everyone in the audience and touched them to their core. And I have no doubt he reached the questioner just as powerfully as a fist in the face would have—without having to lift a finger to do it. That's poise under pressure. And if you can achieve that same poise, it'll get you successfully through any stressful, high-stakes encounters that life hands you. [Goulston M.D., Mark; Keith Ferrazzi (2009-09-15). Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through toAbsolutely Anyone (p. 35). AMACOM. Kindle Edition.]

Watch what you say and how you say it so that you are building people up rather than tearing them down. Wield the power of life and death with subtlety and wisdom. Practice stewardship of your tongue.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon on November 13 - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Stewardship Dedication Sunday at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035
Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com.

SERMON TEXT: Sign the Card for the Spiritual Survivalist Society

2011-11-16T05:46:00.001-08:00

Sermon Text: Matthew 25:1-13

25"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' 12But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

People react in different ways to today's tough economy. Some people take action by protests and political involvement such as joining the Tea Party movement or the Occupy Wallstreet movement. Others become proactive about learning to survive off less money and less things. They are called survivalists or preppers. They stock up on food, gold and guns in anticipation of the breakdown of society. I don't think it's going to happen as they envision it but you have to respect the way they act on their beliefs and try to be self reliant and prepared. If they wrong, so what? What have they lost? If they are right, well, they have saved their lives and the lives of their families. . It is a sign of the times that such people may be considered radical by some. How radical an idea is it to follow the Boy Scouts motto and "Always be prepared?" This is also the main point of Jesus parable of the ten bridesmaids.

The survivalist movement is concerned about the risk of a coming societal meltdown. They prepare for the consequences. The true message of survivalism is to prepare oneself and one's family for dire possibilities. The typcial survivalist lives in the city but seeks a rural retreat for safety and freedom from the coming storm. Rural self-sufficiency requires a lot of hard work and specialized knowledge. Thus, survivalist tend to be seekers of knowledge as well as supplies. James Wesley Rawles is a survivalist from the United States who prefers to live in a rural retreat. Rawles is an outspoken proponent of family preparedness, especially regarding food storage and advocates relocating to lightly populated rural "retreat" areas. His preparedness philosophy emphasizes the fragility of modern society, the value of silver and other tangibles for barter, recognition of moral absolutes, being well armed, maintaining a "deep larder," relocation to rural retreats, and Christian charity. In an interview in The New York Times, Rawles referred to himself as a "guns and groceries" survivalist.
Another branch of survivalist thinks the city is the safest place to be in during a societal breakdown. The reason is that governments in such a case would likely concentrate what resources and security they can muster on the inner core of urban areas in their attempt to maintain power and control.

Fernando Ferfal Aguirre is survivalist from Argentina who recommends riding out the storm in a city. He is the author of The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse and the Surviving in Argentina blog. FerFal lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina when the city experienced the trauma of hyperinflation. He gives a fascinating account of what life was like before and after that event in 2001. He now lives in Dallas, Texas as well as Beunos Aires.

James Wesley Rawles and Fernando Ferfal Aguirre are recent manifestions of an old idea: Always be prepared. The Mormon Church teaches its members to be prepared spiritually, physically, financially, and mentally for any unforeseen disaster. They are strongly encouraged to live within our means, get as much education as is possible, and prepare for a rainy day. Historically, there have been different levels of preparedness. Each family should have a "72-hour kit" which includes food, water, clothing, medications, etc, which will last the family 3 days. Usually outside help takes 2 or 3 days to arrive in the case of an emergency. Consider when helpers started arriving after Katrina. This kit should be in a place where you can grab it and run. Each family is asked to have food, water, and cash reserves for one year. (Online: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2320063#ixzz1cYsOW5rl)

As Presbyterians we do not emphasize such intentional prepareations but perhaps we should. We struggle with this question in the stewardship of our resources. For example, if our budget was based only on the pledges of our members we would have to cut everything by ten percent. In reality, we receive gifts other than what is pledged. In the past few years we have been blessed by significant additional gifts from the estates of a few families. Some people include the church in their wills and that makes a huge difference in how we are able to fulfill our misison of making disciples and meeting human needs. We wonder how much money we should hold in reserve for unexpected expenses such as when the air conditioning system dies. These are the kinds of questions the elders wrestle with each year. And these are the kinds of questions addressed in our text this morning.

Our Christian hope is that one day God will make everything right. God to tie up all the loose ends. Yet, in the parable of the ten bridesmaids demonstrates, Jesus challenges us to tie up the loose ends in our own lives. God calls upon us to take responsibility for our own success. The bridegroom, who represents God, appreciates the self reliance of the five wise bridesmaids. God shuts the five unprepared bridesmaids out of the kingdom. If we think of the kingdom of God as being located within us, the message of the parable is clear. When we neglect to keep our inner lamp burning we shut ourselves out of the kingdom of God. When we block the flow of the oil of Holy Spirit within in, our inner lives run dry. We express that inner lack with a lackadaisical attitude toward life. The purpose of this story is not to scare us about the possibility of being locked out of heaven after we die. The purpose of the story is to wake us up so we live each moment fully awake and in anticipation of the coming of Christ within us.

Even the Old Testament has its spiritual prepper stories. Moses had followed God's call to become the leader of the Israeli Revolution in Egypt. Like the Occupy Egypt group last Spring that ousted Mubarak, the Israelites under Moses wanted to oust the Pharaoh of Egypt. Either the Pharaoh had to go or the people had to go. Pharaoh finally let the people go. But he only did that after a series of ten terrible plagues. The last plague was the death of the firstborn of each Egyptian household. Actually, this plague was to apply to every family living in Egypt. The only way to escape this plague was to paint your doorframe with the blood a lamb so the angel of death would pass by your house. Those who knew about this secret sign and followed it were spared. The other families were not spared. Painting your doorpost with the blood of a lamb is another sign of the concept of being spiritually alert and prepared.

After the people of Israel made it out of Egypt they spent forty years wandering in the wilderness. Then they set about conquering the land. This is symbolic of the inner landscape we must conquer in our spiritual journey. When the Israelites wanted to take the fortified city of Jericho they came up with a plan. They sent Joshua to scout out the promised land and in particular the city of Jericho before the Israelite army attacked it. Joshua recruited a harlot named Rachel who helped the Israelite spies. She opened the gate to the city so they could take the city. Joshua the scout would later follow Moses as the leader of the Israelites. Advance preparation is key to spiritual victory. We see this concept over and over in the Bible in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

From the New Testament comes a Reformed belief called "The Priesthood of Believers." This belief was revolutionary when it was established. It came about in a day and time when the church served as the middle man between God and the people. No one could get to God except through the church. The church and church tradition was more important than the Bible. The church was more important than the state or nation. The church held the keys to eternal bliss or eternal torture because the church could determine whether you would spend eternity in heaven or hell. The local church representative, your local priest, served therefore as a kind of mafia don. Whatever he said went. He (it was never a she) called the shots about who could marry whom for instance.

The Protestant Reformation took the radical step of removing the priest from the equation. The church was no longer the middle man. There was nothing allowed between the believer and God. This concept is called "the priesthood of believers." It meant each believer, each Christian, was his or her own priest. Each Christian was responsible for doing what the Apostle Paul called "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Each Christian was their own priest. So it was that the church was to be run not by a hierarchy of religious mafia dons called the priesthood but by consensus of individual believers that formed a local governing body called a "Session" in a local church. Each church would be connected to other churches in the body of Christ by higher ordering of assemblies of believers called a presbytery and then a general assembly. But the real work, the heavy lifting in the spiritual life, was up to each individual believer. This greatly reduced the importance of the local priest and greatly increased the responsibility of the individual believer. Jesus points to this concept in our parable today as he says each bridesmaid is responsible for her own oil which represents the Holy Spirit. Remember when David was anointed as king of Israel the oil was poured over his head as a symbol of God claiming and sustaining him for this important role. So with the oil in the bridesmaids lamp, it represents God claiming and sustaining each person to be a missionary, a missional person, a blessing to the world. The bridesmaids who do not put oil in their flasks are like Christians who do not fill their lives with the Holy Spirit. Once again we are back to the basics here. We cannot stress enough the importance of the personal daily devotional in the life of the believer. Allow God's Spirit to fill your flask, your body, on a daily basis. Keep your flask, your body, filled with God's oil, God's spirit. Then you will be ready to welcome Jesus when he appears in an unexpected way in your daily life.

It feels good to know that God cares enough about us to give this wake up call. If God didn't care about us, God wouldn't say anything. If God were a trickster, God wouldn't reveal the secret of how to be a spiritual prepper. Yet you must take action today. You need to put more emphasis on developing their spiritual lives. You are responsible for your own spiritual growth. You cannot rely on a priest, preacher, or guru to grant you access to God. You are responsible for your own spiritual life and if you do not give it time and nourishment you will wither away and die like the five bridesmaids who are trapped outside the presence of God and not allowed to enter the kingdom.

Here's my lesson. Here's my story. A lesson from a spiritual survialist. I remember walking my dog around the back yard where we lived way out in the countryside. Walking my dog in the heat of the summer. Walking and praying. Desperate praying. "Here I am, Lord, do you want me?" There was no response. There was just the sound of one dog walking and the heat. It was so hot you could practically hear the heat. I kept walking that dog. I kept praying that prayer. Just like Israel in Egypt. Let my people go! That was my prayer in a nutshell. God's only response was silence. In time, after many walks, after many prayers, after many miles, I learned to enjoy God's silence. Let it cover me. That's all I need now. God is always there for me in the silence. That is how I became a spiritual survivalist.

You have an opportunity this week to make a spiritual commitment with your money. This week you will receive a pledge card in the mail. Take it as a sign of your spiritual commitment to Christ's church, which is the body of Christ on earth. This is a great opportunity for you take a step toward spiritual growth. Some churches require a pledge of ten percent. Our standards are more open. We ask you to give whatever you feel good about giving. Use the question of your pledge as an opportunity to do a spiritual evaluation of where you are and where you plan to go in your relationship with Christ. Use the money you plan to give to the church as a way to plan your family budget. Use this physical method of giving money to serve as a signpost of your spiritual intentions. Are you really committed to God? Are you really committed to Christ? How much? The figure you submit on your pledge will help you to know where you stand. Don't be like the five foolish bridemaids who did not bother to purchase oil for their lamps. Don't depend on other people to provide the oil you need for your own spiritual life. This purchase is between you and God. I don't know how much you give. God does. And so do you. That tells you where you are in your spiritual journey right now and where you want to be in 2012. Seize the opportunity before you to become a spiritual prepper. Your pledge card will help you to do that.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon on November 6, 2011 at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035 | Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com

SERMON TEXT: Victors United

2011-10-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

Sermon text: Revelation 7:9-17

Even though I am the pastor of a Presbyterian Church no one gave me tickets to the World Series this year. Imagine that. Now if we were living in the 1950s or 1960s a Presbyterian pastor would have been more likely to be given those tickets. You see, back in those days Presbyterians had some clout in society. When the President of the United States wanted to hear the concerns of the religious community in America, he would want to speak with leaders from the Presbyterian Church. In contrast, very few people in our pews can tell you name of the current moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Practically no one outside the PCUSA could name the moderator. The Presbyterian Church USA has lost influence in the culture. We have very little clout these days. No one comes knocking on our door wanting to know what we think. So we have self doubts. We have nagging questions. Are we still playing on a winning team? Do we have a chance of making it to the spiritual world series? Or should we put down our spiritual bat and gloves and go home and forget about it? These questions are answered by our text this morning.

Before dawn's early light my family and I met the rest of the little league team at a service station on the edge of town. We filled up our tanks and prepared ourselves for the long drive to Atlanta where we would compete in the Little League world series. We had won our state championship but how would we compare to championship teams from other states? As we joined the convoy leaving town, I put the little white headphones from my iPhones in my ears and listened to a spiritual song. It started with our reading from today in Revelation 7:9-10:

"After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!'"

As our caravan pulled out of the gas station and onto Highway 6 East in Mississippi, I felt connected to all the other families from all over the country who were starting out on a similar journey to Atlanta that morning. The big drive had begun. We were on our way.

The hotel in which we stayed in Atlanta was not an expensive hotel. It was not in the best part of town. It was clean but not fancy. An Indian family ran the hotel. There was some dissension about the hotel among the team. Some of the folks on the first floor did not feel safe there. They did not feel comfortable. Others of us who were more accustomed to the smell of Indian food liked the hotel. Before the tournament ended, we all moved to a larger, fancier hotel. That did not help us win the game but it made some of the folks feel safer and more comfortable. God's purpose in life is not always to make us feel more safe and comfortable. In fact, sometimes God's purpose is to make us feel less safe and comfortable. This may challenge us to greater growth. The great players in the World Series this week did not hone their skills by practicing what they were already good at. They had coaches that pushed them to develop skills and get better at doing what they were not good at doing. Such pushing beyond our comfort level is what improves their skills and makes them great players instead of just good players. That is the difference between playing in the world series and playing in a little league tournament in Atlanta. The skills of the world series players have been fine tuned by always being pushed beyond their comfort level. God does that to us in our inner lives as well. We find ourselves facing challenges that we feel unable to meet. The old saying "God never gives us more than we can handle" is true. And sometimes we wonder just how far God can push us before we break. That is how spiritual growth happens. That makes us better players. That makes us a better team.

God's standards for us are way higher than we thought. God is not satisfied with mere Sunday worship attendance. Jesus himself was never much impressed with worship attendance. One of his biggest fights with religious leaders came when he was passing through a wheat field one sabbath day. His disciples were hungry so they picked some wheat from the field and ate it. When the religious leaders saw this they felt outraged because picking wheat was considered work and you were not supposed to work on the sabbath day. In our congregation today are folks who grew up in a time when neither work nor play was allowed on the sabbath day. Strict Presbyterian parents required that children be silent and still all day Sunday. If they had to do something they could read the Bible. Other than worship attendance, no other activity was allowed on a Sunday morning.

The Rev. Ted V. Foote, Jr., pastor of the Texas A&M Church told the story of his grandparents generation in central Texas. They had ordered a shipment of special wood to build their sanctuary. The wood arrived on a Monday and they rode their horses out to pick it up. One of the men delivering the wood said it was a good thing they were able to ride all day Sunday or they wouldn't have gotten there on time due to the rain. The Presbyterian elders told the delivery men that they would have to make another delivery of that order and under no circumstances were they to move the wood on a sabbath day for this was holy wood to be used to build a sanctuary. They paid for that wood and took it back to their community where they divided it up among themselves to build barns and outhouses. They would not use wood that had been moved on a sabbath day to build a sanctuary.

The pastor said today in his community not so far from where his grandparents had lived there are many activities on the sabbath day. Presbyterian elders in his church today have no problem with shopping on the sabbath or having their children play soccer on the sabbath. Yet they still have a sense of propriety at that church. This was recently expressed in a community worship service sponsered in the sanctuary of their church on a Sunday afternoon. It was a service in which many different religions participated included Buddhists, Jews and Muslims. It was a memorial service for the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001. The pastor said on that day he couldn't help think about the difference between the community of a hundred years ago and the community there today. All the difference races and religions gathered under one roof in a solemn memorial service. He said he thinks Presbyterian elders today still have a good sense of propriety and what is right as we live out God's calling for us in this day and age.

Worship was serious business for those Presbyterian elders of old. So it is in our text this morning. In Revelation 7:11-12, we read:

They cried out in a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!'  And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.'

The church universal depicted here has overcome the world. We are part of the church universal. Thus our victory over death is sure. Even though the outcome is sure, we may lose some tournaments along the way. The Batesville Blaze little league team did not win that tournament in Atlanta. We won some games and lost some games but each player got better. We improved our skills. We created some lasting memories. For a week we learned what it means to belong to a tight nit team. There were arguments among team members about who should get more playing time and who was going to pitch. There were fights over whether the boys should be allowed to go swimming on the afternoon before a big game in the evening. We couldn't even agree on which hotel we should be staying in. Even so, when the first pitch was tossed in each game we pulled together and rooted for our team. We all stood together for a common goal. We were on a on the winning team. That is how it is in Christ's church. We have fights. We have disagreements on little things that sometimes become big problems. Yet we are working together for a common cause of glorifying God by making disciples and meeting human needs. This God project in which you are involved is destined to succeed.

Today, on this All Saints Day, we remember our team members who have gone on to the Big League. They are now on God's home team in heaven. We will join them there one day in the World Series of the ages. In the meantime, we will play in a tournament here in Meyerland, in Westbury, in Houston. We won't win every game. We may not even win this tournament. But we are honing our skills for the Big Leagues. We are preparing for that World Series in the life to come. They say practice makes perfect but that's not really true. Proper practice makes perfect. How we practice is the key to our growth. We must push ourselves beyond what we think we can do. We must work on those skills that do not come naturally. Skills such as how to worship God, how to participate in and lead a small group. We will continue to work on treating one another with patience. We will show more loving kindness to the people who irritate us. We will work on controlling our tongue and what we say and how we say it so that we build people up instead of tearing them down. We will do our daily devotionals to cultivate more love, joy and peace in our lives and in our community. In the end, ultimately, we will win because we are playing on the winning team. With God as our manager, Jesus as our pitcher, and the Holy Spirit as our coach, there is no way we are going to lose the World Series in the skies.

Such is the vision presented to us in our text today from Revelation 7, which concludes with an image of our team, the home team, in our white uniforms.

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?'
I said to him, 'Sir, you are the one that knows.' Then he said to me, 'These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

Here is the encouragement of this text and of this All Saints Day. Our people are taken care of. The players who have gone before us into the Big Leagues - into the church universal - are being taken care of. We have a future in heavenly places and in that future our success is ensured. We have a place on God's roster. God will never give up on us. Our retirement plan is ultimately secure. As the revelator closes it out in our reading today from Revelation 7:16-17:

They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;  for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'

We live with the confidence that as children of God we are on the winning team. So let's focus on building our individual skills so we can contribute to the success of the team. Team work is the key to victory in this life and in the life to come. We are only as strong as our weakest player. Go with the confidence that this is a championship team. Our success is sure. So let's stay focused and let's stay hungry. We are on the winning team. We will win the cosmic World Series. You can count on it. It says so right there in the Bible. Let's act like the winners we are. Show respect for your team mates. We will win not because of who we are but because of WHOSE we are. We belong to God. We play on Christ's team. The Holy Spirit will ensure our success. Go with the confidence of children of God on this All Saints Day.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035 on October 30, 2011.
Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com

GREEN PRODUCT: Rechargeable Batteries

2011-10-25T17:52:00.001-07:00

Rechargeable Batteries

Life in Pre-Facebook Days: Memorizing Phone Numbers

2011-10-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

As demonstrated in the video above, back in the dark days before Facebook ruled the earth people who had trouble memorizing their phone number would make up a silly song about it and invite their friends to sing along. Crowds would form around a stage as strangers gathered to listen and memorize the mysterious phone number. Such tribal rituals replaced the ancient oral tradition and flourished for a few decades until they were replaced by robotic ringtones on cell phones.

Worship Is Work

2011-10-19T08:09:00.001-07:00

Psalm 96:1-13

O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.

Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, "The Lord is king!

The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity."

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.

You are here because you want to experience something. You want to feel better. You want to feel closer to God. You come here to take a break from your weekday life. Yet worship is work. Worship is work beyond just the business of showing up at a particular place at a certain on a Sunday. The Latin word liturgy from which we get our word liturgist, literally means work of the people. Today we will explore the connection between the inner spiritual work and the worship of God.

The psalmist's description of worship begins this way: "O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth." Singing is a joyful activity in which we forget ourselves and join a community of people in working on a specific task. A church choir has a choir director who leads the singing but the song is not sung for the choir director. The song is is sung to the Lord. The psalmist challenges us to sing s a new song to the Lord. What does he mean by a new song? He gives a hint in the next verse when he says: "Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day." That day to day salvation is the key to this psalm about worship. Daily inner work on our relationship with God is what will electrify our worship service.

And let's face it, everyone wants a more exciting worship service. The so-called worship wars are fought out in congregations across the country week by week. One faction wants the hymn lyrics displayed on screens and another wants the lyrics read from a hymnal like we've always done it. One faction wants contemporary music with electric guitars and lead singers and another group wants traditional music with the organ and a volunteer choir. Some churches get so caught up in the techniques of worship that they miss the point of worship. Regardless of the method of worship employed, the style of music and how the lyrics are displayed, the deeper question is what is going on inside the worshipers.

Jesus told a parable about this very thing. The story goes like this. Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a publican. The Pharisee struck a dramatic pose and prayed like this: 'Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this publican. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.'

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. Jesus commented, "This publican, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself." (Luke 18:11-14, The Message)

We come to worship just as we are and aware that we are not great. We are not perfect. We are in need of spiritual growth. We need to grow in spiritual maturity. The awareness of our own sinfulness and lack is the proper attitude that leads to our being filled by God's Spirit during worship.

Just in case there is any misunderstanding about what he meant in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, Luke adds this story immediately after Jesus parable. Luke says, "People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. "Let these children alone. Don't get between them and me. These children are the kingdom's pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." (Luke 18:15-17)

Come to worship as a child who expects something to happen. Children do not come to worship to sit back and judge the performance of other worshipers. Children come to worship open and ready to experience whatever may happen. Come to worship open to experience God.

Jesus said we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. We are not to worship God in a spirit of judgment. How good is the children's sermon? How perky is the preacher? How does the choir sound today? These are not the central questions of worship. The central questions of worship are: Are you ready? Are you ready to worship? Did you come hear today with clean heart and a focused mind? God is the only judge of worship and God is judging your performance during worship.

You may recall the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Their conversation moved from talking about drinking water to talking about living (spiritual) water. This led to a discussion about worship. The woman says where you worship is the most important thing. Jesus insists how you worship is the most important thing. Jesus says we are to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Worship is more than attendance at a church service. Worship is a way of life. When we are living worshipful lives during the week Sunday morning worship takes on a whole different meaning. It becomes part and parcel of what we are doing with our lives. Suddenly the lyrics to the hymns touch our hearts. The sermon speaks to our souls. Our minds are focused on what God is saying and doing in our lives and the entire experience glorifies God.

Worship is not a spectator sport. It is not about sitting in a pew and being entertained. It is not meant to be like watching a TV reality show in which we judge the actors based on their performance. Worship is called liturgy because it is the work of the people. It's not the duty of the preacher to make you feel something inside. The preacher has no power to do that. If you come to the service with your mind and heart closed, planning to sit in judgment of the service, you are going to leave empty and dissatisfied. I know how that works. I've done that myself when I sat in on other people's sermons. It doesn't feel very good. What you get from the service or the sermon has more to do with you than it does the preacher. If you expect the preacher to live your spiritual life for you, you will continually be disappointed. The preacher cannot live your spiritual life for you. The preacher cannot break your bitterness. The preacher cannot melt your heart. The preacher cannot make you repent. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. If that needs to happen in your life, your issue is not with the preacher. Your issue is with the Holy Spirit. Your relationship with God is your own responsibility. It is not the preacher's responsibility. The preacher cannot repent for you. Reformed theology talks about the "priesthood of believers" which teaches that each believer is to be their own priest. That means you are responsible for your own spiritual growth.

Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard envisioned worship as the work of the congregation. People in the pews gather not to watch the show but to participate in the play. We are actors in the divine drama of worship. We are not spectators. We are actors. The liturgist is not a performer but a prompter t help you remember your lines. The preacher is part of the production but not the star of the show. God is the audience and the members of the congregation are the performers. God is the audience and will judge your worship performance. How well did you participate? Was your heart really in the performance or were you just going through the motion. Are you sitting in judgement of the actors and performers or focused on your own performance? These are the questions the Holy Spirit has in mind for you during this and every worship service.

Worship flows from a daily lived relationship with God through Christ. Worship is a weekday love affair with God. As the Psalmist says, "Sing to the Lord, less his name; tell of his salvation from day to day." The quality of your relationship with God in Christ during the weekdays will determine the quality of your worship experience on Sunday morning. As Jesus said to the woman at the well: "Those who worship God must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." (John 4:24)

What would it look like for you to "sing to the Lord a new song" as the Psalmist recommends? What would it take for you to become excellent at worship? It would take more than you think. Nothing comes easy in life. Excellence in worship participation takes constant practice. The mistake we make in churches is the way we lower the bar. Anyone who walks through the door is accepted. The barriers to entry are extremely low. Consider the Mormon church in which young adults are required to sacrifice two years of their life doing missionary work. In contrast, we give our young adults those years off. We don't even expect them to attend worship during their college years. We figure they will come to church later, in the 30s or 40s when they have children whom they want to educate in church school. But they rarely come back to church.

Our expectations are too low across the board in the church. Harvard Business Review published a paper called The Making of An Expert which demonstrates the journey to truly superior performance is neither for the faint of heart nor for the impatient. The development of genuine expertise requires struggle, sacrifice, and honest, often painful self-assessment. There are no shortcuts. It will take you at least a decade to achieve expertise, and you will need to invest that time wisely, by engaging in "deliberate" practice— practice that focuses on tasks beyond your current level of competence and comfort. You will need a well-informed coach not only to guide you through deliberate practice but also to help you learn how to coach yourself. Experts are not born they are trained. All the superb performers investigated had practiced intensively, had studied with devoted teachers, and had been supported enthusiastically by their families throughout their developing years. These facts come from more than 100 leading scientists who have studied expertise and top performance in a wide variety of domains: surgery, acting, chess, writing, computer programming, ballet, music, aviation, firefighting, and many others.

Do you want your worship participation to improve? It will take years of concentrated effort. Plan to get up earlier. Learn to meditate. Study the scripture. You may want to practice a spiritual discipline such as fasting. Seek God with all your heart each day during the week. Concentrate on developing your relationship with God. Then your worship experience will improve. You will find the sermon speaks to you. The lyrics of the hymns will take on new meaning. The anthem will seem like a spiritual feast. Worship is the work of the people in the pews. Like any other work, you can't just show up and expect to be an expert at it.

If you do put in the time and effort to improve your worship participation, things will start to come together in a new way in your life. You will begin to "sing a new song to the Lord." This is the Biblical vision for you and me and all of creation. As the psalmist says: "Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth."

God will judge your worship performance. Not how well you sing. Not how much money you put in the plate. God will judge your attitude. God will judge your worship performance not by your Sunday worship attendance but by your Wednesday devotional attendance and how you treat your loved ones on Friday night. Worship is work. It's your job 7 days a week. If you think it's easy, you've been misinformed. Nothing is tougher than the self discipline required for spiritual growth. Nothing is harder than becoming an expert in worship as a way of life. That's what Jesus meant when he told his would be disciples to sit down and count the cost before they started following him. The disciples who did their homework, who did the math, they figured out it cost a lot more than they had figured. Some of them never came back. They were among the most honest of all the disciples.

Worship is not about you. It's not about how you feel or what you get out of the service. Worship is about God. Worship is about how well you open yourself up to the Divine Flame within and without. If you are living a worshipful life during the week then you will have a meaningful spiritual experience on Sunday morning. But ultimately worship is not about us. Worship is about God. So sing a new song to the Lord.

O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. (Psalm 96:1-5)

Let's reach for the stars. Worship starts inside us. That is where the work must start.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon on October 16, 2011 at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035.
Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com

You've Got a Friend

2011-10-10T07:04:00.001-07:00

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil;

for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

- - -

You may have been through some hard times in your life but imagine the life of Viktor Frankl. Frankl is a Jew and a psychotherapist who survived six months in various German concentration camps but his wife did not survive. You may experienced the death of a loved one. You may still be grieving and wondering why you were left behind and they were taken.

Frankl describes how once, an elderly general practitioner consulted him because of his severe depression. He could not overcome the loss of his wife who had died two years before and whom he had loved above all else. Frankl wondered how he could help him? What should he tell him? He refrained from telling him anything, but instead confronted him with a question, "What would have happened, Doctor, if you had died first, and your wife would have had to survive you?" "Oh," he said, "for her this would have been terrible; how she would have suffered!" Whereupon Frankly replied, "You see, Doctor, such a suffering has been spared her, and it is you who have spared her this suffering; but now, you have to pay for it by surviving and mourning her." He said no word but shook Frankl's hand and calmly left the office. (Viktor Frankl http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logotherapy)

In such instances, the words of the Psalmist ring down through the ages: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."

This week the world mourned the death of a great businessman, leader and visionary named Steve Jobs, the founder and CEO of Apple Computers. His vision helped create popular electronic devices such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad. An entire industry sprang up around these devices as software developers created small, specific software programs called "apps" for these devices. These apps covered the gamut from productivity tools to games. This week there was a comic strip showing Steve Jobs standing before St. Peter at the gates of heaven as St. Peter flips through a massive volume of the Book of Life searching for the entry for Steve Jobs in the Book of Life. Steve looks at Peter and says with a twinkle in his eyes, "I've got an app for that." A app for locating people in the Book of Life. That image bridges the gap between life and death, human technology and unseen spiritual dimensions. Bridging that gap is exactly what Psalm 23 does as well.

Purpose in life is the theme of the best known passage from the Old Testament: Psalm 23. The key to the passage lies in the first phrase: "The LORD is my shepherd." The LORD is my shepherd. The key to effective Christian living is our friendship with the LORD, our shepherd. Christianity is not so much a religion as a relationship with Jesus Christ. Our trouble arises when we neglect our relationship with the LORD. As long as we are growing in our friendship with God we will find there is nothing we lack and there is nothing we need.

Psalm 23 describes how our friendship with the Good Shepherd develops until following God's leadership becomes second nature. We luxuriate in the abundance of spiritual sustenance God's provides. We freely eat the bread of heaven and drink the cup of eternal salvation. As the Psalmist puts it: "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." We can relax and be ourselves, secure in our friendship with God. Even our peculiarities and blemishes do not diminish the love of our Divine Shepherd. We have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. We are spiritually well fed, watered, and satisfied.

We sleep well at night and awaken refreshed and ready for further service. When our spiritual energy feels depleted, we know how to tap into God's power through prayer, study, and silence. Difficult choices demand our attention but we intuitively know what to do and how and when. The Spirit nudges us to contact someone we haven't seen in months and we find their dog just died and they needed some loving support at that moment. A relational knot that has been tied for years seems to dissolve and unravel before our very eyes. Miracles really do happen when we are following the Good Shepherd along the right path. We move in the flow of the Spirit and God gets all the glory.

Yet even in the midst of our relationship with Jesus, the human side of the equation breaks through in all its dull drudgery. Suffering breaks in upon out of the blue like like a downpour of rain from high on a cloudless day. We cannot get around the cruel concentration camp prison guard, the boss who is a bully, the friend who betrays us, or the relative who cannot seem to get her life together.

Someone sent me an email this week that describes such a scene. It starts, "Here I was sitting at the bar staring at my drink when a large, trouble-making biker steps up next to me, grabs my drink and gulps it down in one swig."

"Well, whatcha' gonna do about it?" he says, menacingly, as I burst into tears.

"Come on, man," the biker says, "I didn't think you'd CRY. I can`t stand to see a man crying."

"This is the worst day of my life," I say. "I'm a complete failure. I was late to a meeting and my boss fired me.

When I went to the parking lot, I found my car had been stolen and I don't have any insurance.

I left my wallet in the cab I took home.

I found my wife with another man and then my dog bit me."

"So I came to this bar to work up the courage to put an end to it all, I buy a drink, I drop a capsule in and sit here watching the poison dissolve; then you show up and drink the whole thing!

But enough about me, how's your day going?"

Everything is fine and dandy until we enter the dark valley. We see the shadow of death on the canyon walls and our knees feel weak. We stand beside another hospital bed and pray with a fearful family facing late stage cancer. Or perhaps we are the one laying in the hospital bed, learning for the first time the feeling of vulnerability and lack of control that comes with the term "patient." Or perhaps we are staring into the pit of financial ruin or the destruction of a long term relationship. Even in such desperate circumstances, we fear no evil. As Martin Luther wrote of the evil one, "One little word shall fell him." (Hymn: "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God")

Fear is the opposite of love. Our friendship with God is not based on fear. In fact, many of us must overcome fear of God as we begin our friendship with God. When we overcome our fear of God and enter into friendship with God, no other fear may conquer us. We become fearless with God at our side. We trust God. We have experienced God's discipline and support. We know God will defend us from all evil. The Good Shepherd imparts courage and comfort in times of need.

God sets a table before us as our enemies gaze and glisten. We feast without worry knowing our friend , the Good Shepherd, has our back. That rod and staff is God's big stick and God knows how to use it in our defense. From this place of friendship with God, we are able to defend the friendless, welcome the stranger, and minister to the sick and dying. Safe in God's loving embrace, we offer a supportive shoulder for others to cry on. Having been anointed with God's Holy Spirit, we have plenty of Spirit to share with others. The life force inside us overflows the boundaries of our energetic field and embraces all whom we encounter.

When wolves and robber barons discover God has our back they lose interest in pursuing us and seek out easier targets. We are then pursued by goodness, mercy, and love. As the Apostle Paul put it: "If God be for us, who can stand against us?" Our ultimate security is good for this life and the life to come. Again, Paul says, "Who shall separate us from the love of God? For whether we live or whether we die we belong to the LORD." Our friendship with Christ, the Good Shepherd, provides the foundation for spiritual health, abundance, sustenance, and help, in this life and in the life to come.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

According to Viktor Frankl, "We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways:

by creating a work or doing a deed;
by experiencing something or encountering someone; and
by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering" and that "everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances."

Frankl's three ways of finding meaning in life resonate with John Calvin's teaching. We can discover meaning in life by experiencing something or encountering someone. John Calvin said: "We are saved." Christian life is a kind of salvation from meaninglessness through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Frankl says we may find meaning in life by creating a work or doing a deed. Steve Jobs found meaning in life by creating a corporation called Apple that will survive long after his death. John Calvin says you and I may find meaning in life through service to others. As Calvin put it: "We are saved to serve." Through serving Christ by serving other humans we may find meaning in life. I was reminded of disciples who do that last Thursday evening. Braes Interfaith Ministry had a dinner celebrating our years of partnership with other churches as we feed the hungry in this community. As I looked at the crowd of BIM volunteers at that dinner I saw people who had found purpose in life by serving others.

Yet even serving others does not protect us from suffering. Let's face it. Life is tough. It's not easy being a human being. Each day brings new challenges. We fall down and have to get back up on our feet. Suffering is unavoidable. Yet our attitude toward suffering is always our own choice.

As Jesus faced the suffering of the cross, in his last meal with his disciples, Jesus told them, "Listen to me, you are no longer just disciples, you are my friends." Jesus needed friends at that moment and Jesus needs friends now. We are the hands of feet of Jesus on this planet at this time. Jesus is counting on us to continue his work in the world. Jesus final message to his disciples is the same message as Psalm 23. Jesus says "You are my friends."

Whatever your suffering today, however your pain may sit in your soul or your body, know that Jesus considers you his friend. Imagine Jesus saying this to you for this is how he feels about you, from the lyrics of the pop song, You've Got a Friend:

When you're down and troubled and need a helping hand
and nothing, no nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me and soon I will be there
to brighten up even your darkest night.
You just call out my name and you know, wherever I am,
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer or fall all you've got to do is call and I'll be there
You've got a friend.

Let us renew our friendship with Jesus, the Good Shepherd, so that we may join with the Psalmist and with the faithful of every age and say:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon on October 9 - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - at at St. John's Presbyterian Church , 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035 | Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com

Timing Is Everything

2011-10-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Psalm 80:7-15

Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land. The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches; it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the River.

Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it. Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted.

You may be like Jack today. Jack is discouraged. He is broke and lonely. One day his luck changes for the better. A fairy gives a penitent a hatful of magic beans. Jack soon passes by with the family's bouncy bovine, which he trades for the beans. Back home, Jack's mother throws the beans into the middle of the garden in disgust. That night, as Jack sleeps, the fairy causes the beanstalk to grow, visits Jack's room, and sends him sweet dreams. When he awakens, he sees the beanstalk and climbs toward the sky as his mother, friends, and villagers cheer him on. At the top of the beanstalk, the fairy again guides him to the home of a wealthy giant, whose maid hides Jack. As the giant sleeps, Jack steals gold and a magic fowl; the giant wakes, grabs his cudgel, and gives chase. Jack escapes from the giant and cuts down the vine. He takes home the gold and marries his beloved and is rich and happy for the rest of his days.

Jack in the Beanstalk is a fairy tale. Vines don't really grow up into the sky overnight. But that's the way we remember the past sometimes. Like the Psalmist in our text today who remembers the good old days and says to God:

You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.

You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.

The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches;

it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the River.

The psalmist recalls a time of expansive growth in Israel's past. The people had just come into the promised land and were growing like the vine in Jack in the Beanstalk fair tale, taking over the land. Israel, God's vine, experienced fairy tale like growth. But as the psalmist notes, that was then and this is now and now the growth now is slim to none and slim left town last week.

So the psalmist laments:

We can relate to the disappointment of the psalmist. Times are hard. Unemployment is up. The economy is down. Growth seems elusive. Some of us are old enough to recall a time of dramatic growth in our churches back in the 1950s and 60s. Since then church membership has steadily declined all across the United States. We cry out with the psalmist, "Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted."

Discouragement is the problem we must address in a time of economic recession and religious decline. In these hard times be careful how you use your time. Isn't this ironic? Despite time-saving devices like email or online shopping, most Americans say they're spending less time with their loved ones these days. This comes from a poll administered by USA Today on how people manage their time. This poll was originally done 23 years ago and was updated in 2008. They tested more than 2,000 people in a web based survey. They found that the majority of Americans feel very busy. 92% say I'm somewhat to very busy. One one hand they say we're happy, we're healthy, BUT we're busier than ever. Last year was busier than the previous year. People say "I wish I was less busy." And they spend an enormous amount of time and money on time saving devices and nothing makes a difference.

You've got to take time for yourself to maintain your strength. Exercise your body and refresh you soul by taking a sabbath day of rest every 7 days. Our bodies and our souls need time for rest and reflection when we are hid away with God and allow God's face to shine upon us. A vine needs sunlight to live, and we need God-light to live. To deny ourselves what we need in order to survive would be suicidal. Develop the self-discipline to give yourself time off every week. We need the rest because real vine growing requires patience. Unlike in fairy tales, vines do not spring up overnight in real life.

Sometimes you may feel like you are not growing at all. Sometimes you may feel like your vine has been cut back. Perhaps a spouse has died and you feel like your heart has been cut out of your chest. Or a relationship has ended. A job has been lost. You may feel like God has cut back your vine. God may cut us back sometimes like a good gardener cuts back on a vine. This is how God prepares us for further growth. It is called pruning. We experience it as painful, as damaging, but sometimes it's the best thing that can happen to us.

You see, God is responsible for the growth of the vine and God is an active gardener in our lives. Our job as God's vine is to take root and grow in the light of God's care. Sometimes your spiritual growth seems to come as fast as the fairy tale vine in Jack and the Beanstalk. Other times you can't even tell you have a spiritual life. God is present in your life both in times of dramatic growth and in times of pruning and cut backs.

You may be familiar with the famous marshmallow study conducted by Dr. Zimbardo and a colleague at Stanford University. A group of four year olds were given one marshmallow and told they were allowed to eat it immediately. They were told if they could wait to eat the marshmallow after being left alone with it for awhile then they would be given an extra marshmallow to eat. Most eat the marshmallow as soon as they are left alone with it but some other children are able to resist temptation. Those children who ate the marshmallow right away are considered to be oriented toward the present. Those who resist the temptation have an orientation toward the future. When the children were interviewed years later when they were 18 years old, there were amazing differences between the children who were able to delay gratification and those children who couldn't resist the immediate.

The present oriented children tested as being moody, over reacts to frustration, indecisive, prone to jealousy and envy.

The future oriented children scored 250 points higher on the SAT. They were described as cooperative, works well under pressure, self-reliant and confident.

The marshmallow experiment is a classic study of how a person's ability to delay gratification even at the age of 4 can predict many significant future outcomes. The experiment and its implications are described in Philip Zimbardo's book The Time Paradox. There he describes what this experiment has to do with you. Your own relationship to time plays a significant role in your personal happiness. Whether you are looking for a better understanding of the world at large, from religion to politics to business or want a better understanding of yourself, The Time Paradox teaches you how to recognize your own attitude toward time and how your everyday decisions are influenced by your personal time orientation. It will help you overcome the hidden mental biases that keep you too attached to the past, unhealthily obsessed with future goals, or too focused on immediate gratification. You can improve your personal success, happiness and psychological health. The Time Paradox will show you how. It's only a matter of time. Making time work for you.

Timing is everything in the church as in life. Let's not lose ourselves in the past as we fantasize about a Jack in the Beanstalk fairy tale of the vine that grew up to the sky overnight. Let's not foster an unhealthily obsession with future goals by always being disappointed that the church is not yet all that is could be or will be. And let's not get too focused on immediate gratification like the four year child who would rather eat one marshmallow now than have two marshmallows later.

The benefits of future orientation also apply to gardening. We have witnessed the resurgence of home and community gardening but they are also discovering that gardening can be a lot of work. Weeding may quickly evolve into a full time taking the fun out of gardening.

Enter Slow Gardening. Inspired by Slow Food, an international movement that promotes local food systems and biological and cultural diversity, the slow-gardening approach can help us enjoy our garden more by taking more of a future orientation to the project.

Gardending expert, Felder Rushing, offers a practical yet philosophical approach to gardening that will help you slow down, evaluate your yard, and follow your own fancy in creating and maintaing a garden. His book, Slow Gardening, will inspire you to rest in the rhythm of the seasons and take more joy from your garden. The future orientation of waiting for the desired outcome - like waiting for that second marshmallow - is what makes this work.

In a similar fashion, God is slow gardening God's people, the church. Perhaps God is now pruning God's church for future growth. I know St. John's is growing down in the roots of prayer because we do have some prayer warriors in this congregation. Such prayer fertilizes the root system of this vine called St. John's Presbyterian Church. Prayer provides the spiritual nourishment we need for further growth. Pray for this church. Do not be discouraged by what you see. God has not forsaken us. God is with us still. You have been praying for this church and have gotten discouraged. You have forgotten that God is the sun and the soil in which we are planted. Therefore, our growth is assured. Often spiritual growth occurs in secret, down under the soil where the roots grow. We are growing strong roots here in this church. Be encouraged. God is still gardening here.

As in the church, so in your life, your spiritual growth may be so deep down in the roots of your life that you see no evidence of anything growing inside. Even so, God is still gardening in your life and in this church. God may be pruning us now for future growth. How shall we respond in the meantime? What is a healthy attitude toward time? Celebrate the past. Anticipate the future. Focus on the present moment which is the only time we ever really have. The Prophet Isaiah put it well: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31) Teach me, Lord -- teach us, Lord -- to wait.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035 on October 2, 2011.
Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com

Going out to work or to get stuff? More and more of us are staying at home -...

2011-09-25T17:50:00.001-07:00

It will be interesting to see how our perception of the internet may change with the ongoing downtrend in social mood. We have a very positive feeling about the web these days. I wonder how that may change as social mood sours? Will the web be seen as a negative, scary place to be? That is hard to imagine now but it may happen. I think the use of the web will continue to grow but our collective positive feeling toward it may change over the next few years. Time will tell.

Sent to you by Jon via Google Reader:

Going out to work or to get stuff? More and more of us are staying at home - a powerful trend

via Robert Paterson's Weblog by Robert Paterson on 9/22/11

Created by: College At Home

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To the Morning

2011-09-22T05:59:00.000-07:00

Dan Fogelberg: To the Morning

You may think this song sounds smarmy but it has a lasting memory for me that is rooted in earnestness and angst. This song has been with me since since my early teenage years. It was a song that marked my transition from childhood to adolescence.

Those first few bars on the piano always sounded to me like the urgent pull of adulthood on my life. It was God/Life/Energy/Source pulling me forward, gently seducing me, inviting me to come on, or dragging me sometimes reluctantly, sometimes willingly toward the mystery and the magic and the tragedy of life.

Never was the fear for me the fear of dying. The fear for me was the fear of living. Death was a great relief. The end of the play. Time to take a bow and be recognized for a job well done. The harder part was the acting in scene 1, 2 and 3. Memorizing the lines. Learning the moves. Integrating with the other actors. Studying how to come across well to the audience.

Funny how it always felt like I was onstage. Perhaps that came from living in a small town in which every adult knew who I was and who my parents were. There was no escaping from any crime however small. I suppose it was good training for an adulthood spent in a city where video cameras abound. Are the cameras still on all the red lights? Don't know. It changes by the week. The voters want them off but the city wants them on. It's a good revenue source. Never mind the privacy issues. Once again it comes down to the money.

Why You Should Blog

2011-09-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

You can call me convinced. This blog will now be my venue for expressing my thoughts about life, religion, God, all such topics that are now considered politically incorrect to talk about in the public sphere. Yes, all my life I've been talking about God. But now I will blog about God. What do I mean by God? Come back often and you will find out.

This will also be my venue for posting music videos with commentary. No longer will Facebook get my best stuff. That venue is too restricting. I'm tired of providing free content for 5 white boys in California who are making billions of dollars off the creative input of millions of people such as me. Facebook will now become a mailing list. There you will find an invitation to come to my blog to watch a video and share some thoughts or feelings about it. No more posting music videos on Facebook. No more posting anything but links to my blogs with a brief summary and invitation to come and see.

Facebook is too controlling and too restrictive. It's time to carve out some space for ourselves. Feel free to use the comment option below and let the conversation begin. If no one feels like talking I'll be happy to talk to myself. That has been done before. It won't be the first time. It won't be the last time. It will just be this time. In the meantime, here's to Facebook for Dummies.

A Cure for Envy

2011-09-18T06:51:00.001-07:00

Sermon text: Matthew20:1-16

Julie and Juanita were sisters but they were completely different. Julie was attractive and attracted to money. Juanita was plain looking and like to help people. Their childhood was a series of fights that culminated when Julie graduated high school. She wanted to go to an expensive private college in another state but her family couldn't afford that. She shamed her parents into taking out a loan for and as soon as she got on campus she immediately began blowing that money. She partied hard and went through thousands of dollars and flunked out of college the first semester. Meanwhile, Juanita plugged away at the community college where she was studying law enforcement. One of her three part time jobs was pulling night guard duty at a local department store. Imagine her surprise at 2 am one morning when she was making her rounds outside the department store and heard a rustling in the trash bin. When Juanita shined her flashlight in there it fell upon the frightened face of her sister Julie. It was like something out of a bad dream.

"What are your doing here?!" Juanita yelled.

"Where am I?" sighed Julie. "Take me home. I wanna go home"

Juanita had to leave her post on duty to drive her sister home in the dead of night. She just knew their mother was going to let Julie have it for being so selfish, for wasting all that money, and flunking out of school. But when Juanita dragged her sister into the house she couldn't believe the tears of joy her mother shed for having Julie back home.

"How could you welcome her home?!" shouted Juanita. "She humiliated our family. She wasted thousands of dollars. She's like a parasite on us!" Mother said, "I know. You're right. And she's also my daughter. Just like you."

Welcome to the Kingdom of God where all are paid equally. It seems so unfair! Is there a deeper lesson here? These are the questions we will consider. We need to get this message because it applies to each one of us. When we understand the truth of this parable it sets us free on the inside. We need to be freed from the prison walls of resentment, bitterness, and gall. When Jesus was hanging on the cross dying of thirst because his fluids were drained he was offered a drink of wine and gall and he refused to drink the gall. Jesus knew the gall of envy would kill him faster than the cross.

If you turn a garbage can upside down and leave it over a flower for weeks the flower will wither and die. It is cut off from its source of life and energy. It festers in darkness and slowly chokes and dies. That is what we do to ourselves when we cover ourselves with the garbage can called gall, bitterness, envy.

We are not talking here about coming to church. Yes, that helps. We come to church and there we are reminded that God loves us and cares for us and wants what is best for us. But what do we do with that knowledge? Does it sink in and take roots? Do we stay connected to source on Monday morning? How about Friday night? We must not place a garbage can over our lives and wither away in darkness. Awaken from your slumber. Stand up and lift that garbage can of gall off of you. As Jesus said to the crippled man who came to him for healing so he says to you: "Get up and walk!" And he did. And so will you.

God does not owe you anything. That is a hard concept to internalize. Your false assumptions about God may trap you inside a garbage can shaped prison of your own illusions about life. Everything in life worth having is a free gift from God to you. The old doctrine gets a bad rap these days but that was the central meaning of Predestination. Predestination was trying to say that God doesn't owe you anything. Certainly, God does not owe you salvation from your own sinfulness, from your own gall. So anyone who is saved by God is saved purely and only because God chooses to do so. Predestination says you cannot achieve your own salvation. That is a free gift that God may grant to you if God so chooses. Today it's different. Predestination is a forgotten creed. We all act like God owes us something. That makes us assume that everyone else owes us something too. We all walk around feeling cheated. This is an odd way to live. It has nothing to do with the Bible or good theology. That is what our text today is trying to get across to us. God does not owe you anything.

But you don't get the message so you feel cheated by other people. You resent your neighbor who has more than you do. She has better health. She is younger. Her children are better at sports. Her dog is cuter than yours. And you hold that against her and envy grows inside you like a cancer. Envy is quite a darling in the beginning. It may even make you feel closer to someone else when you share a secret grudge or resentment against a third party. Such triangulation feels good in the beginning. But envy is a cruel mate over time. Envy won't murder you on the street in cold blood. Like a drug addiction or alcoholism, envy kills more slowly over time. First, it compromises your immune system so your body becomes less able to resist germs and diseases. Then it feeds those germs and diseases so they grow strong within fueled by bitterness and anger. Finally, it kills you, the real you, the Christ in you. You may be still breathing. You may still be walking around. But inside your spirit has died. The Christ in you has been smothered. You have been robbed. You have been killed. Envy will rob you blind. Then it will kill you.

There is a cure for envy. There is something that can stop envy dead in its tracks. The cure for envy is a spirit of gratitude. Such a cure requires repentance.

"Why do you never preach repentance?" asked the preacher.

"It's the only thing I teach," said the Master.

"But I never hear you speak on sorrow for sin."

"Repentance isn't sorrow for the past. The past is dead and isn't worth a moment's grief. repentance is a change of mind, a radically different vision of Reality." (Anthony de Mello, Awakening: Conversations with the Master, p 258)

Jesus, our spiritual master, teaches repentance in his parable from Matthew 20:1-16. Listen to this story.

"God's kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work.

"Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.

"He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o'clock. At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?'

"They said, 'Because no one hired us.'

"He told them to go to work in his vineyard.

"When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.'

"Those hired at five o'clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, 'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.'

"He replied to the one speaking for the rest, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?'

"Here it is again," says Jesus, "the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first." (Matthew 20:1-16, The Message)

The Great Reversal we need to seek is to throw off the garbage can of gall that has us trapped inside. Break free from the prison of resentment. The dynamite that will break our prison walls is called gratitude. We have already been given what we need to live gratefully. Listen to this story.

There was a poor Jewish rabbi who lived in the city of Krakow in Poland. His name was Isaac, son of Yekel. He had almost no money. Then one night Isaac, son of Yekel, had an exceptionally vivid dream. He dreamed that underneath a bridge in the city of Warsaw there was a great treasure. The dream was so real that when he woke up, he was troubled. He was all the more troubled when the next night he had exactly the same dream, and again on the third night the very same dream. There was nothing for Isaac to do, but walk to Warsaw and see for himself. When he finally arrived, he saw the bridge just as he had dreamed it. He went underneath to take a look, but he was grabbed by the back of the neck by the captain of the guard who said, "You Jew, what are you doing prowling under this bridge?" Isaac was a simple man who wouldn't lie: "I've dreamed that underneath this bridge there is a treasure and I have traveled many miles to find that treasure." The captain of the guard burst into laughter: "You fool. You traipse over the world because of your dreams. If I were so foolish, I would be lost in the city of Krakow right now, for I also have dreams. For weeks I have dreamed of a voice that came and said, 'In the city of Krakow, in the home of a certain Jew named Isaac son of Yekel, underneath his stove is buried a great treasure.' But imagine that when half the Jews in Krakow are named Isaac and the other half Yekel." He laughed again and sent Isaac home. The son of Yekel quietly made the long journey back to Krakow. Isaac went to his home, moved his stove, and began to dig. There he found a great treasure. With the money he found he paid all his debts and married off his three daughters. With the money that remained he built a synagogue for the praise of God. He found his treasure in the place he had been living all along.

We come to worship to remember that the treasure is here, that we have already been given all that we need to live gratefully. Focus inside and count your blessings. Stop eying others with envy. Envy is a killer. It will not kill the person you envy. It will kill you. Do not resent those whom you deem unworthy but whom God chooses to bless. God is a generous God and is free to bless any and all as God wishes. Dig deep inside your self like Yekel son of Isaac. You will find your hidden treasure within your heart, within your mind, within your soul. Gratitude is the secret treasure that will break you out of your prison of resentment. Envy kills. Gratitude gives life. A grateful spirit is the cure for envy. Repent means change direction. Go in another direction. Follow Jesus in joy and leave your old friend envy behind. You will find you are happier and bring more joy to others.

---

The story of Isaac son of Yekel comes from William Bausch, Storytelling: Imagination and Faith, Twenty-third Publications: Mystic, Connecticut, 1984, 76-77.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035, on September 18, 2011 (OT25A). Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com

Conflict Resolution the Presbyterian Christian Way

2011-09-12T08:33:00.001-07:00

Romans 14:1-12

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God." So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Where were you and what were you doing ten years ago today on September 11, 2001? We were all caught by surprise. I was walking across the church parking lot headed to my car when a woman told me in an excited voice, "Have you heard the news? Have you heard the news? They're bombing the world trade center!" With a startled expression I said, "No. I hadn't heard that." And got in my car feeling a bit shaken. Turned on the car radio and for the next 45 minutes as I drove to a presbytery committee meeting I listened to the story unfolding in real time.

You remember how the day unfolded. One of the World Trade Center towers was on fire. An airplane had crashed into it. People were jumping out of windows. Then there was another airplane that flew into the other building. The radio announcers on NPR were at a loss for words. It was all so surreal. The entire nation was gripped by fear and shock. We felt as if we had been snakebitten. We felt the poisoned by hate. The gentle doves had flown away and the hawks ruled the skies above.

Ten years later many questions remain about how the buildings came down and why. Beyond the basic questions of when, where and how is the bigger question which is why? Why did it happen and why did we respond the way we did? The alleged bombers were of Saudi Arabian descent yet the United States government responded by attacking Iraq. One thing we can say for sure is that acts of violence beget acts of violence. The conflict that emerged has been euphemistically called "The War on Terror" as if we could fight a war against a tactic. It is conflict by whatever name you choose. Both 911 and our reading from Romans 14 are about conflict.

We will consider the differences between healthy and unhealthy methods of interaction in the church. There are dangers and there are opportunities for us at this time in our church's life and we will talk about those. In essence, we will talk about the issues addressed in our text today since these are the issues Paul addresses in his letter to the Church in Rome. There were apparently several different Christian groups meeting in Rome. One group thinks its fine to eat meat that has been offered to idols such as the meat regularly sold in their markets. Some say yes and some say no. Regardless of the presenting issue the dynamics of conflict are the same throughout the generations from the early church until today.

Conflict goes all the way to the first story told in the first book of the Bible. You may recall from Genesis the story of how the serpent tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of knowledge and they would become like God. They succumb to the temptation of spiritual pride and that causes God to turn them out of the garden. Spiritual pride is also the sin of the Pharisees that Jesus spoke out so strongly against. The Pharisees were good people. They tithed their money. They knew and taught the scriptures. Where they fell short is that they focused too much on outer manifestations of religion and not enough on the spiritual qualities of love and mercy.

A cursory glimpse at Christian history says we have a disposition toward conflict. Beyond the conflict in the early church we have the sad episode of the Crusades in which Christian mobs raped and pillaged Jewish and Muslim folks in their cities and villages. Then we have the inter-Christian conflicts called the Inquisitions, the last of which concluded less than four generations ago. So conflict has always been a relevant topic and it still is today. A sermon about conflict could be preached in any church in America today and each congregation would feel that the message was pointed directly at them. That is how widespread and common conflict is and always has been.

The question is not whether a congregation will have conflicts or not. The answer to that question is always yes. The question is how a congregation deals with the conflicts they have. Does the congregation have healthy or unhealthy practices when dealing with conflict? Unresolved conflicts can escalate to the point of tearing communities apart. In contrast, mutual forbearance is one of the hallmarks of the Reformed faith. Presbyterians have traditionally dealt with conflict head on and face to face. We show courage by saying what we think out in public. We don't slip anonymous notes under doors to make our point. That is the coward's way. It is not the Presbyterian way. Presbyterians are not cowards. Never have been and never will be.

It was in Minneapolis in 1986 where I first experienced the Presbyterian way of dealing with conflict. I was there as a seminary student representative to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). What amazed me about the gathering of a thousand or so Presbyterians in that convention hall was how the people respectfully but passionately disagreed on topics that ranged from the mundane church matters to apartheid in South Africa. The thousand or so delegates were seated. Standing microphones were dispersed throughout the delegates. When a controversial issue came forward the moderator would allow one person to speak for the issue for 2 minutes maximum and then one person to speak against the issue for 2 minutes maximum. Finally, all the delegates voted and the majority won and they went on the next controversial issue. I saw a lot of passion compressed into a system for expression and resolution that worked. Seeing the Presbyterian way gave me great respect for how we conduct business.

You may have noticed the same debating format when we hosted the presbytery meeting last fall. The controversial issue that day was the ordination of gays and lesbians. Those in favor of the motion lined up on side of the sanctuary. Those opposed on the other side. One by one they came to the microphone and each one gave an impassioned presentation of their view. They each had two minutes to make their presentation. Then time was called on them and they had to sit down. The vote was then taken and the majority ruled and the meeting went on to the next issue. One of the features of the Presbyterian system of public debate is that bullies are not tolerated. Bullies are not tolerated in the Presbyterian system and they will not be tolerated in this church.

Christ expects us in the church to be role models for the community. If the church models unhealthy behaviors such as bullying, let's not act surprised if the recent riots in London and flash mobs in the United States materialize in our city and our neighborhood. Perhaps we should look in the mirror and ask how do we relate to other people in the church? If we can't relate to one another in healthy ways in our local church then what hope do we have for our civilization? The church needs to model healthy relationships and mutual forbearance to the community. Otherwise, we shouldn't be shocked when the flash mobs and riots come home to roost.

During these days when the world seems to be slowing ripping apart at the seams, our faith communities are our best public defense. We've got to get it right in the church or we have very little hope for society. The stakes are very high. Make no mistake about that. The good news is that there is a way forward for the church and our society. When we learn to deal with one another is healthy ways our church will benefit and will our community and the world.

Let's live up to our Presbyterian heritage which includes being open and welcoming and willing to dialogue with people of other faith traditions. In his email last Wednesday, Elliott Gershwin, President and CEO of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, himself a Jew, wrote about celebrating his 40th wedding anniversary. He says,

"The other day when I was talking about my upcoming 40th anniversary someone said 'boy, I bet you've had a really good 25 years together.' There's a lot of truth to that.

So why have we've kept it going all this time? Here's why.

Even though we are very different people, we share the same core values. And our relationship from the very beginning has been based on those. We believe in honesty so there are no secrets between us. We believe in family so our hearts swell when things are good and burst when things are sad. We believe in community, so we give back to others always reminding ourselves of the many blessings that God has bestowed on us.

And because of the bonds of trust, loyalty and honesty, our relationship has turned to love. It's not the same infatuation we had when we were teenagers, but it still burns today." ("Coming Together to Serve" email from September 6, 2011.)

What keeps us together as Presbyterians is that we share the same core values of mutual respect and forbearance. The biggest value we share is love for God and for one another as children of God. Working out the details of how we live out that love in a Christian community is messy and hard. Thus is our Christian history besotted with both Crusades and Inquisitions. Jesus said how we treat other people is equivalent to how we treat Jesus in his eyes. With that sobering thought in mind, we do well to remember that each of us will be accountable to God not for what our neighbor did or said but for what we do and say. That is a challenging thought for our nation as we consider our response to 911 over the past ten years. On the national and on the personal level, if we hope to receive mercy from God for ourselves, then we will show mercy to others. If we don't care how God will judge us then we are free to bully whomever we wish. And if we are the ones being bullied Jesus invites us to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves. Somewhere in between the serpents and the doves there is a balance to be found. That balance is the key to our survival as a church and as a nation.

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham preached this sermon on September 11, 2011 at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035 | Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com

Jon's Energy Conservation Reading List

2011-09-06T19:35:00.001-07:00

Energy Conservation

Fires raging in Texas

2011-09-06T09:52:00.001-07:00

Here is the site that shows all the fires in Texas right now. It was much worse yesterday. http://ticc.tamu.edu/Response/FireActivity/

--
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Burnham
St. John's Presbyterian Church
5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035
Phone 713-723-6262 | sjpresby.blogspot.com