On my mind today is a song by Bob Dylan called "Gotta Serve Somebody." He wrote this song when he was going through his "born again Christian phase" as Rolling Stone would put it. I love the lyrics because they speak the truth. Here is one verse with the chorus:
You may be a construction worker
working on a home
You may be living in a mansion
or you might live in a dome You might own guns
and you might even own tanks You might be somebody's landlord
you might even own banks.
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
You're gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
We call ourselves servants of Christ. In the past at times we have been. Sometime we are in the present moment. We hope we will be in the future. Who will you serve in the next five seconds? How? That question will keep you focused and alert which was one of Jesus primary messages whenever he preached.
The hot as blazes summer sun these days feels like a fulfillment of Jesus' saying in Luke 12:49: "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" With temps above 100 several days in a row, it feels like that fire has already been kindled around here in Houston. Jesus has a way of saying and doing the unexpected. For example, a few verses later in Luke's gospel, Jesus says: "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three ... " -Luke 12:51-52 In some cultures today if you become a Christian you will be cast out of your family. That was also happening during the time when Luke's gospel was written. So Jesus says there will be divisions in the family due faith in Jesus and that is still true today. "I call for a division of the house" is the terminology we use when there is a close vote on a controversial issue and we want a head count of who is "For" and who is "Against" the issue. Jesus would not be surprised by a call for a division of the house. Conflicts even exist between family members of different Christian denominations. We hear of conflicts even within the same Christian denomination on certain hot button social issues. Such conflicts are anticipated and foreshadowed in this text. According to Jesus, conflict is normal, natural, and to be expected in the church, in your family, even in your marriage. So let's not get stressed out over conflict. Note there is a difference between division and disconnection. Jesus says he generates division. Satan, on the other hand, generates disconnection. There is a big difference between division and disconnection. The key to a healthy church or family is how we stay connected even when we disagree. There were three huts on an island. One of the islanders was asked by a tourist how the three huts were used. "That one is my house and that one is my church," said the islander. "So what's the third hut?" Said the islander, "That's my former church." We have a preconceived idea of what Jesus is like and this text does not fit our perception. We think of Jesus as a mild mannered man of peace. Yet Jesus says I'm not here to give you what you expect. I'm here to give you what is hard to handle. I'm here to give you the Kingdom of God. Sometimes the Kingdom of God feels as hot as Houston in mid August. Is the Kingdom of God too hot to handle?
Aside from the citrus like sound of this album with its orange and brown tones, broad and full, accentuated with the tart and twang of a whining electric guitar and the sparkling and sparse acoustic guitar served cold with bright harmonica blue notes, there are the stupendously wonderful lyrics that meander and welcome and tease in this classic rock album from the early 1970s that sounds best when listened to as a complete album rather than as individual tracts.
Here are some of my favorite lyrics from this album. I'm listing them by song instead of line by line.
a. Think I'll pack it in. Buy a pickup. Take it down to LA. Find a place to call my own and try to fix up. Start a brand new day. See the lonely boy out on the weekend trying to make it pay. Can't relate to joy. He tries to speak ... and ... can't begin to say.
b. Did you wake you up to tell you THAT it was only a change in plan? As the days fly past will we lose our grasp or fuse it in the sun? Dream up. Dream up. Let me fill your cup ... with the promise of a man.
c. My life is changing in so many ways. I don't know who to trust anymore. There's a shadow running through my days like a beggar going from door to door. To give a love you've gotta live a love. To live a love you gotta be part of. A maid. A man needs a maid. When will I see you again?
d. It's these expressions I never give that keep me searching for a heart of gold ... and I'm gettin' old. I've been to Hollywood. I've been to Redwood. I crossed the ocean for a heart of gold. I've been in my mind. It's such a fine line. That keeps me searching for a heart of gold. An' I'm gettin' old.
e. Slippin' and a slidin' and playin' dominoes. Leftin' and a rightin' it's not a crime you know. You've gotta tell your story boy before it's time to go. Are you ready for the country? Because it's time to go.I was talkin' to the preacher said God was on my side. Then I ran into the hangman. He said it's time to die. You gotta' tell your story, boy, you know the reason why.
f. Old man look at my life. I'm a lot like you were. Old man look at my life. I'm a lot like you were. I've been first and last. Love lost such a cost. Give me things that won't get lost. Like a coin that won't get tossed rollin' home to you. Lullabies look in your eyes. Run around the same old town. Doesn't mean that much to me to mean that much to you. I''ve been first and last. Look at how the time goes past. But I'm all alone at last. Rolling home to you.
g. Look around it. Have you found it? Walking down the avenue. See what it brings. Could be good things in the air for you. In the mountains, in the cities, you can see the dream. Look around you. Has it found you? It is what it seems? There's a world you're living in. No one else has your part. All God's children in the wind. Take it in and blow hard.
h. Alabama, you've got a weight on your shoulders that's breaking you back. Your Cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch and a wheel on the track. Alabama, you've got the rest of the union to help you along. What going wrong?
i. I caught you knocking at my cellar door. I love ya baby can I have some more? Oooh the damage done. I hit the city and I lost my band. I watched the needle take another man. Gone. Gone. The damage done. I sing this song because I loved the man. I know some of you don't understand. Milk blood to keep from running out. I've seen the needle and damage done, a little part of it in everyone, but every junkie's like a setting sun.
j. Words. Words. Between the lines of age.
Which is your favorite? Or perhaps yours is not listed here and you may write it down in the comments below.
And here, for your listening pleasure, is said album, at least until such lanky link may be removed.
As you may notice, this version of the Epistle looks a bit better than previous ones. I appreciate the work Pam has done in finding and setting up this new look for The Epistle. It provides a better look and feel and gives us a space to share more stories about what God is doing in our midst. On the left side of this email each week we will feature prayer concerns and the worship leaders for the upcoming Sunday. Below my article each week we will feature a few upcoming events. It is likely to evolve over time so let Pam or me know what you think about the upgraded version of The Epistle.
The Session is pleased to announce that the plans for the Single Parent Family Ministry are now on display in the office building during the week and will be in the narthex on Sunday mornings. These four duplexes will be a magnificent addition to this neighborhood. The people whose lives will be changed will not be limited to the women and children who occupy the homes and complete the state of the art program therein. Our lives also will be changed by our ministry to these wonderful people. In our Session meeting last Wednesday we started to talk about how we need to prepare ourselves for this new ministry and agreed that at this point we need to be in prayer to spiritually prepare ourselves for the ways in which the Holy Spirit may want to get us ready to be in ministry in this exciting new way. Last Friday our partners in this ministry received final permits to begin construction on the four duplexes and the tentative date for construction to begin is in late June.
In the meantime, on Mother's Day, May 12, after worship, we will celebrate the start of this new ministry with a Groundblessing ceremony on the site. Then on May 16 at 10 am we will have the official Groundbreaking ceremony on our campus with our partners including New Covenant Presbytery, Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services, architectural firm MASA studios, HomeAide Houston, and the Greater Houston Builders Association. May the Lord continue to guide this new ministry that will contribute so much to this community and this city over the years and decades to come. Truly we continue to fulfill our mission of glorifying God by meeting human needs.
Your giving glory to God pastor,
JON BURNHAM
Vacation Bible School
Photo from VBS 2012
July 21 - 25, 2013
5:45 Lite Supper
6 - 8 pm Program for all ages
Inquirer's Class
Pastor Jon will teach a Sunday afternoon Inquirer's Class as an orientation for those who are new to the church on Sunday, April 21 from 4-7 pm in the Session Room with a light dinner provided. Those who come may then join the church on Sunday, April 28, during worship.
Michael Bisase: Walking All Night!
Support Michael Bisase, and his team The Boot Scootin Boobies, as they walk to raise funds for the fight against Cancer.
Support Michael through his online page. Visit www.relayforlife.org, scroll down the page and put in Michael's or the teams name in The Support a Participant box.
The Relay for life is:
Organized, overnight community fundraising walk
Teams of people camp out around a track
Members of each team take turns walking around the track
Food, games and activities provide entertainment and build camaraderie
Family-friendly environment for the entire community
St. John's Presbyterian Church
5020 West Bellfort Houston, Texas 77035 / Phone 713-723-6262
