Responding to Tragedy

I must apologize to my congregation.

I failed to acknowledge or respond to the deadliest mass shooting in US history which happened in the early hours Sunday morning.  I was preparing for worship and simply failed to read any news before our services.

At a minimum, we should have prayed for the families of those who had been killed.

As I've explored the reports, I have seen responses diverge into two basic camps.

Left-leaning people are calling for more gun control in the United States.

Right-leaning people are calling for a more substantial response to radical Islamic terrorists.

We have people in our congregation which fall into one camp or the other.  Sometimes, people of one political persuasion automatically oppose what is put forward by the other side.  There seems to be a mentality that if "they" are for it, then I'm against it.

This shutting down of any openness to contrary opinion is a part of our divide as a nation.

As I've spoken with reasonable people in our church who do put forward these two ideas, pastorally, it makes me pose the question, "could both be correct?"

There are reasonable gun safety measures that most Americans would probably favor if the issue weren't so polarizing.

Radical terrorists - Islamic or otherwise - are difficult to negotiate with.  If someone is convinced that God is on their side and they refuse to acknowledge your humanity, this is a dangerous mix.  To ignore it is to leave our neighbor at risk.

We grieve with all those who are hurting.

Unfortunately, as we get caught up in the various responses, we neglect the dead and wounded in Orlando.  There are families in mourning right now who may not care about the political or philosophical responses to this latest tragedy.  They may just be in shock.

How do we rally around them?  How do we support them?

How does the church declare that the categorical hate of any group of people is anti-Christian?

As we look at our Christian story, when great violence was done to Jesus, God does not respond by outdoing the violence.  God responds with resurrection.

It transformed the world then and we pray that as followers of the resurrection, it will continue to transform the world today.

I invite you to take a moment and pray for our hurting world.

In Christ,

Sam


Picture by Cathy Baird via Flickr.com, used under Creative Commons license.  

Categorical Christians

"As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise."

                                                                         Paul's Letter to the Galatians 3:27-29

In human history, we have a need to create status and hierarchy.  It is one way that we measure ourselves against others.  How am I doing?

In elementary school, it became apparent in many different ways.  For some it is grades or being put into different levels of reading or math.  For others, it comes in athletic prowess.  And then others rely on their looks, their wit or their social game - how many friends do they have?

Wolves determine status and order through play and
we are not so different.

These can all become measurements of success or failure.

I wish that I could say that we mature and set them aside in adulthood but we don't.

Adults begin to measure themselves against one another by their jobs and their possessions.  What kind of home do you own?  What kind of car do you drive? What kind of clothes do you wear?  What kind of social scene do you frequent?

Of course, status is set aside once we enter the sanctuary, right?

Paul in his letter to the Galatians seems to be reminding us that these expressions of status are merely our way of maneuvering through life with one another.  When we are in Christ, these symbols melt away - at least in God's estimation.

Before joining United Methodism, my family of origin was a part of the Assemblies of God when I was a child.  Within that denomination, there is a strong emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit such as speaking in tongues.  The critique of this emphasis (made by Paul to the Corinthians) is that those who exhibit the gifts may feel superior to those who don't.  It is as if God must favor me over you.

The need to compare and measure ourselves - even within God's favor - is not easy to set aside.  Yet it seems to be Paul's vision of what we should attempt as the church.

Sometimes we interpret this to mean that all categories are bad or unnecessary.  I don't think this is what Paul is saying either.  For instance, in order to transcend racism, some people make the statement that they are colorblind.  How do we celebrate who we are while not holding ourselves as superior to one another?  As we explore Galatians chapter 3 this week in worship, we will be delving into these questions and more.

In Christ,

Sam



Picture by _paVan_ via Flickr.com.  Used through the Creative Commons license.  

Holiness or Hospitality?

On Sunday, I started a series on Galatians.  While the lectionary covers most of the letter over the next few weeks, I have decided to deviate slightly from this path and take on a chapter each week.  Chapter one really allowed us to look at the overarching issue of grace and the essentials of salvation.

Technology brings joy and information to us
but also certainly has changed the way
we relate to each other.  Has it intruded
on our hospitality for one another?

As we get into chapter two, it becomes clear that the old arguments of holiness versus hospitality were springing forth in the early church. Those residing within the holiness faction wanted to be very clear on what God allowed from God's people. Because dietary restrictions were not observed by Gentiles, some Mosaic Law-abiding Christians refused table fellowship with them at meals.

Paul notes in the letter that Peter seemed to waffle on this.  This shouldn't surprise those who know of Peter's character from the Gospels.  He often means well.  In fact, it is Peter's wavering that help us to realize that doing the right thing is often difficult when those around us are encouraging us to go back to what is "normal".  When we attempt large changes in systems, the system will rise up in defiance!

If Paul had not been adamant in his table fellowship with Gentiles, it is likely that I would not be writing this blog piece or that you would be reading it!  Hospitality with those outside the mainstream also seems to be a an emphasis of the ministry of Jesus.  In fact, his engagement with those outside the Law is often confusing to his own disciples. This seeming confusion allows some scholars to ponder how much influence Paul's movement had over the recollection of the stories of the disciples as the Gospels were written down roughly a generation after Paul's letters.

How is hospitality related to grace?  Paul definitely ties the two together.

As we take on the character of Jesus Christ as his followers, we are to exhibit grace in ways that surprise those outside the church today.  This is important for us in many ways as we seek to be the church to a society that seems unwilling to hear from the institution but might be open to listening to Jesus.

In Christ,

Sam



Picture by Paul Townsend via Creative Commons license. 
 

Heading to Portland

Every four years (known as a quadrennium), The United Methodist Church gathers delegates elected from each of its annual conferences around the world in order to worship, share and re-order ourselves for the purpose of how we might be the best witness to Jesus Christ in the world for the next four years.

As United Methodists, we order ourselves around biblical principles that are codified as rules with which we covenant to abide that are known as The Book of Discipline.  These rules may stipulate how we care for our property or treat our staff.  They line out the process for becoming ordained as clergy.  They offer guidance for social matters in secular society.  They organize how bishops are elected and function.  They provide checks and balances so that power is shared with clergy and laity alike.  The rules provide for reviews and accountability for when a perceived injustice is committed. 

This time, the General Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon from May 10-20.  Seven clergy and seven laity were elected from the Oklahoma Conference to serve as our delegation and I was fortunate enough to be the fifth clergy elected.  I first served in 2004 when we went to Pittsburgh and I was elected as a Juridictional delegate which also serves as an alternate to General Conference.  This means that we can sub in to vote for one of the General delegates since the conference lasts around 10 days.  I served again as a Jurisdictional delegate in 2008 in Forth Worth and then as a General delegate in 2012 in Tampa.

Here I am speaking to the membership issue
 at the 2008 General Conference.  You can see by
the body language of the other delegates
that I have them enthralled!

I’ve written legislation for our Discipline, some of which has passed and more which hasn’t.  One of the pieces had to do with church membership.  I argued that laity should have the final say on whether or not they could join a church.  The current rule is that the senior pastor is the final deciding factor and may choose to deny membership to a person seeking to join the church.  There is the sense from caution that there might be circumstances where for the sake of the congregation’s protection, membership should be denied.  I feel that if we are truly witnesses of God’s grace, this extends to all people and that the Body of Christ should be strong enough to overcome any problems or baggage that people may bring with them.

Other legislation I presented had to do with our online presence as a denomination.  I would still like to see the Discipline available for free online.  Amazingly, we are not there yet.

It is likely that we will argue over issues of human sexuality as has been the case for the last forty-four years.  My own position has been to err on the side of grace rather than judgment.  My prayer is that our denomination will be a stronger witness to faith in Christ than before.  I believe that our Wesleyan understandings of grace speak quite rationally to a world that seems ever more resistant to listen to the Gospel message.

I would appreciate your prayers not only for me but for all of those serving in Portland.  If you would like to watch the proceedings online, you can do so here.  Worship and preaching will be good and you can access the schedule in this pdf file (pages 8-12) here.  Floor debate will begin on Monday, May 16.  What is important to remember when you see United Methodists come at an issue from different angles is that we all love God and want the church to succeed.  We simply have differing ideas on how we best do that as a church.  So you see, the General Conference is not so much different than the local church today or from the early church viewed from the letters of Paul!  

In Christ,

Sam

Feeding the Sheep

This Sunday will be the seventh and final Sunday of the Easter cycle for 2016.  During these Great Fifty Days, we have examined how the resurrection continues to impact our lives and our outlooks today.  In worship, we shall continue in the Gospel of John with 21:15-19.

Within this text, the resurrected Christ asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?"

I always kind of felt sorry for Peter in this story.   I've been on the side of being questioned when I was in the wrong and it's never comfortable.  Why does Jesus seemingly badger Peter about this?

One popular interpretation is that this gives Peter the chance to publicly affirm Jesus three times since he denied him three times after his arrest.

Sometimes tending the flock includes keeping them together!

When I was growing up, I heard in sermons that Jesus uses the Greek word agape for the first two times which refers to a more unconditional love.  Then Jesus uses the Greek word philia which is more commonly thought of as brotherly love for the final question.  Sometimes preachers would read into this the idea that Jesus didn't quite buy Peter's attestation of agape and settled for philia.  This kind of shaming seems inconsistent with Jesus and it doesn't make sense for John to end his Gospel on this note.  One of my professors in seminary, Gail O'Day, challenges this notion in her commentary on John as she states that the author simply uses the words for love more interchangeably as he does with the "disciple whom Jesus loved."¹

I see these questions as both a challenge and an affirmation.  They come to Peter who leads the church as we move into the next chapter of the Christian story at the end of the Gospel.  And so, along with Peter, we are all affirmed as Jesus charges us with his own mission.  Jesus actually has faith in us that we can do this!  At this same time, it is a challenge in that it is not an easy task.

The church is still working on what it means to feed the sheep of Jesus.  Sometimes we get it right and other times we fail miserably which is also Peter in a nutshell.  Maybe the real point of this story is that Jesus doesn't give up on Peter.  And so Jesus doesn't give up on us as well.

I'm looking forward to exploring this text more on Sunday morning as we put ourselves in Peter's shoes!

In Christ,

Sam



Photo by Wayne Seward via Flickr.com, used under the creative commons license.  

1 O'Day, Gail R.  "The Gospel of John: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections", The New Interpreter's Bible, Volume IX.  Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998, 860.

What Does It Mean to Move Forward?

“I can’t do that now because I’ve been baptized!”

This was a statement made by a young man in one of my previous appointments.  He had been baptized after going through confirmation in our church as a 6^th grader.  Some boys were getting into mischief and although he was tempted, he allowed this statement to be the direction with which his life would go.  And least for this instance!

Many times, I hear people saying, “Don’t talk like that, you’re in church!”  Or they may refrain from speaking ill of someone on church grounds.  This refers to the idea that certain behavior is not allowable on sacred ground.  We have an idea that God would not approve.    

As we mature in our faith, we realize that when we come to certain spiritual awakenings, we must change the way that we do things if we are to have any integrity at all.  So that while the comment on baptism may remain valid, the idea that church grounds hold any special sway over our behavior becomes inconsistent because we understand that if it is wrong in church, it is wrong everywhere else too.

Fishing on the boat was a little different
for the disciples.

This Sunday’s Gospel reading is John 21:1-14.  This is a resurrection appearance of Jesus but the disciples have difficulty recognizing him.  Could it be because they have gone back to their previous line of work?  When they decide to go fishing, this doesn’t seem to be in the same recreational way that many people undertake to relax or enjoy the outdoors.  With the nets involved, it seems that they are taking up their commercial enterprise once more.  It is almost as if they never encountered Jesus.

Except that they did.

Would it have seemed like they were caught doing something they shouldn’t?  Peter can’t wait for the boat to get to shore but jumps into the water and swims to meet Jesus.  Maybe he imagines the unspoken question from Jesus, "Peter, what are you doing?"  Jesus definitely seems unexpected!  

How does the resurrection interrupt our lives?  How does it keep us from going back to business as usual?

This will be our focus in worship on Sunday at First UnitedMethodist Church of Edmond.  Catch our livestream at 11 am or join us in the sanctuary at 8:30 or 11 am or in Wesley Hall for Worship on Hurd at 10:50 am. 

In Christ,

Sam

Photo by Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington via Flickr.com, used under the Creative Commons license. 

Spring and Resurrection

If you do some research, you might find that the word "Easter" could have pagan connotations.  It is a word that was used long before Jesus meaning "spring".

Celebrations surrounding the Spring equinox are much older than Christianity or even Judaism.  One of the ways that we interpret the world around us is through our faith.  We recognize that the concept of resurrection comes with the spring.  Vegetation leafs out once again after being "dead" during the winter months.  Animal life that has been in a hibernation state begins to become active again.

There is something mystical about
reconnecting with the wilderness

The reproductive drive seems to kick into overdrive in the spring all through the animal kingdom.  We associate the egg with the new birth and it becomes a symbol of who we are in Christ as we break through the shell of sin and greet life anew.

As the early Christian community began to interpret the world through this new lens of Jesus Christ, we had to discover what it meant.  How are we going to look at things differently now?

The earliest gospel, Mark, begins the story with the baptism of Jesus.

Matthew and Luke were written next and they stress that this is not early enough and begin the story with his birth.

Finally John takes us back to the very beginning - to Genesis itself as we see Christ involved with the creation of the world.  Jesus, a humble peasant, is a cosmic Christ or Messiah who is God.  We have this mysterious sense of the dual nature of Jesus Christ: we believe that Jesus is fully human and at the same time fully divine.

As we understand Christ redeems humanity in the world, we see in John's Gospel the bonding of Christian faith and the very created order itself.

What does this mean for my faith today as a Christian?

How do I see God at work in the natural world?

We'll be sharing in a different understanding of resurrection faith as contained in John 1:1-5 this Sunday at First United Methodist Church of Edmond.

In Christ,

Sam