Read: John 14 Biblical Mythbusters: God Needed Them
I never again care to hear the words, “God needed them.” Repeatedly in ministry, I have stood by grieving families as a well-meaning friend or family member has uttered these words. I try hard to not puke on my shoes. The words you just read are not strong enough to convey my disgust of this ill conceived, yet popular theology.
Our God never “needs” a child for a flower garden in heaven or “needs” a young dad for a heavenly choir. The God we serve would never kill or murder to gain fuller access to a life. What are we thinking when we say something like this? Oh yeah, we are not thinking. We are hurting, so we blame God. God did this. God is responsible. God is the heavy. This may also be a backward way of saying that regardless of our commitment to God, we all go to heaven. I do not find that idea in scripture, but it must feel nice to say something like this to someone who is broken in half with grief. Get real. God will be God in justice and in grace. God is not always pretty, but we can live with this kind of God because we know where we stand.
You can see my strong feelings about this topic and I am not very sure how the sermon is going to go. Guess it could be memorable to some. God have mercy.
The Good News is that God loves us and offers a just and graceful freedom into our lives. This complete and honest freedom means that sometimes awful things happen. Miracles also happen and they are a mystery of God; a blessed mystery. When we understand that God weeps with us, walks the lonely path with us, and grieves with us then we find a friend in Jesus like no other. God accepts us.
This is why it is so important to find Christ now and live into the grace of God today. Tomorrow the freedom of God’s grace may find us in a wrong place at a wrong time. It happens every day. Get with God. Bring your family to Christ. Share God’s love with your neighbors. It is all about life and death.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Cubs Baseball
Here is a nice quote that makes me smile from Cub's manager Lou Piniella I found on ESPN.
After Soto's leadoff single, Zambrano popped out on an attempted bunt and broke his bat by slamming it over his knee in frustration.
"I wish I was strong enough to do that when I played," Piniella said. "I had to use a water cooler."
After Soto's leadoff single, Zambrano popped out on an attempted bunt and broke his bat by slamming it over his knee in frustration.
"I wish I was strong enough to do that when I played," Piniella said. "I had to use a water cooler."
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Notes for Sunday July 27, 2008
Read: Luke 6:17-31 Biblical Mythbusters: Money is Not Important
Jesus spoke more about money than any other single thing. Jesus taught about our love of money and the need we have to let go of greed and treat our neighbors like we would treat ourselves.
Unfortunately, I find the church offering thoughts like, “Money is not important” or “Money is the root of all evil.” Yet money is so central to our lives that Jesus talked about our relationship with money non-stop. Lets be clear that money is not evil. Rather in 1 Timothy 6:10 we read it is the love of money which is a cancer in our souls. Money is quite important. However, money is not the Lord our God and we should not worship money and the possessions it affords.
The problem for us is that we must live in the world using money on a daily basis, while shunning a dysfunctional relationship with the idea of wealth. We have to use money to live, however, we must not make money our primary focus or vision for our lives.
Most folks, even in the church, have money as the number one God. Money directs our thinking and our giving. Our missions take a backseat to our pocketbook. What would a proper financial response to God look like? Would we only give when we hear the church needs money? Would we only give when hearts are touched by a tragedy? Or would we place God first in line and openly give a sacrificial-graceful offering because God has blessed us beyond anything 90% of the rest of world would even begin to believe?
Jesus talked more about money than any other single thing. I wonder if anyone is listening?
Worship This Week
Scripture: Luke 6:17-31 NRSV
Sermon Title: “Money is Not Important”
Jesus spoke more about money than any other single thing. Jesus taught about our love of money and the need we have to let go of greed and treat our neighbors like we would treat ourselves.
Unfortunately, I find the church offering thoughts like, “Money is not important” or “Money is the root of all evil.” Yet money is so central to our lives that Jesus talked about our relationship with money non-stop. Lets be clear that money is not evil. Rather in 1 Timothy 6:10 we read it is the love of money which is a cancer in our souls. Money is quite important. However, money is not the Lord our God and we should not worship money and the possessions it affords.
The problem for us is that we must live in the world using money on a daily basis, while shunning a dysfunctional relationship with the idea of wealth. We have to use money to live, however, we must not make money our primary focus or vision for our lives.
Most folks, even in the church, have money as the number one God. Money directs our thinking and our giving. Our missions take a backseat to our pocketbook. What would a proper financial response to God look like? Would we only give when we hear the church needs money? Would we only give when hearts are touched by a tragedy? Or would we place God first in line and openly give a sacrificial-graceful offering because God has blessed us beyond anything 90% of the rest of world would even begin to believe?
Jesus talked more about money than any other single thing. I wonder if anyone is listening?
Worship This Week
Scripture: Luke 6:17-31 NRSV
Sermon Title: “Money is Not Important”
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Notes for Sunday July 20, 2008
Read: Matthew 22: 15-22 Biblical Mythbusters: God Bless the USA?
It needs to be said. “God bless the USA,” is not a Biblical text. Most all of us have grown up in the luxury of freedom. We have wonderful access to education, arts, and employment opportunities. We can worship what we want, when we want, and with whom we want. That is a constitutional freedom. What an amazing country we live in today.
The rub comes when we begin at take for granted these wonderful freedom opportunities and assume that God has blessed the USA in such a way that we are different, unique, among all of God’s children. We forget that these freedoms were earned, not given. Freedom is painfully extravagant, even while our society blithely demands regression in the midst of recession without concern for the sacrifice needed to maintain even our current posture of freedom.
Does God consider the USA as the Promised Land, the chosen people, or the revelation of the kingdom of God on earth. I hardly think so. Let us turn that idea on it’s head and consider how the USA might Bless God, rather than the other way around. So is it wrong to sing along with Lee Greenwood, wrong to feel national pride, or wrong to say the pledge a allegiance, salute the flag, or shed tears at the national anthem? No, these are all fine and good. However, also be clear that the kingdom of God is a Kingdom of all of God’s children from all corners of the world.
From the second verse of the great hymn, “This is my Song,”
“My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean, and sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine; but other lands have sunlight too, and clover, and skies are everywhere as blue as mine, O hear my song, thou God of all the nations, a song of peace for their land and for mine.”
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Matthew 22:15-22 NRSV
Sermon Title: “God Bless the USA?”
Next Week: Biblical Mythbusters: Time is Money
It needs to be said. “God bless the USA,” is not a Biblical text. Most all of us have grown up in the luxury of freedom. We have wonderful access to education, arts, and employment opportunities. We can worship what we want, when we want, and with whom we want. That is a constitutional freedom. What an amazing country we live in today.
The rub comes when we begin at take for granted these wonderful freedom opportunities and assume that God has blessed the USA in such a way that we are different, unique, among all of God’s children. We forget that these freedoms were earned, not given. Freedom is painfully extravagant, even while our society blithely demands regression in the midst of recession without concern for the sacrifice needed to maintain even our current posture of freedom.
Does God consider the USA as the Promised Land, the chosen people, or the revelation of the kingdom of God on earth. I hardly think so. Let us turn that idea on it’s head and consider how the USA might Bless God, rather than the other way around. So is it wrong to sing along with Lee Greenwood, wrong to feel national pride, or wrong to say the pledge a allegiance, salute the flag, or shed tears at the national anthem? No, these are all fine and good. However, also be clear that the kingdom of God is a Kingdom of all of God’s children from all corners of the world.
From the second verse of the great hymn, “This is my Song,”
“My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean, and sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine; but other lands have sunlight too, and clover, and skies are everywhere as blue as mine, O hear my song, thou God of all the nations, a song of peace for their land and for mine.”
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Matthew 22:15-22 NRSV
Sermon Title: “God Bless the USA?”
Next Week: Biblical Mythbusters: Time is Money
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