Have we confused immortality with resurrection? Samuel Clemmons was quoted as saying, “The news of my death has been greatly exaggerated.” Of course he was responding to a newspaper account that he had died. How curious it would be to see our own obituary in the press. Interestingly, this is not at all unlike Clemons’s fictional character of Huck Fin who faked his own death and attended his own funeral.
I wonder if the news of our lives may have also suffered the same illness as Clemons’s death of having been greatly exaggerated. Our culture seems to expect, even demand, a reality of immortality apart from any relationship with God. To be immortal is to stand over and above the trials of time and history. The immortal human life transcends all earthly powers and, if we are honest, perhaps even God. I find many funerals primarily concerned with offering a sense of human immortality, a kind of disembodiment of the Spirit, rather than sharing the reality of physical death and resurrection as offered through Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15 offers, “We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed…the mortal puts on immortality…” The mortal life here celebrated is the created life, both physical and spiritual, even in a fallen and sinful state. The immortal life being “put on” by the change of accepting new life in Christ is also both physical and spiritual. The immortality of Jesus Christ is accepted and appropriated during the change. Simply put, our immortality is the resurrection immortality of our God. Note the key operative here is God. Without God we are left with good deeds and kind words offering a kind of temporary buffer against meaninglessness. However we are also without real power to hold back the dark night of the soul. Neither are we able to consistently view and understand the body and soul as still together in one package, one person.
Resurrection offers both the immortality of God and the final oneness of Body and Spirit. This is the final resolution and wholeness we seek. Here, in resurrection, we find true immortality of both body and soul.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Notes for Sunday May 31, 2009
Read: Acts 2:1-12 Pentecost
What do we really know about the Holy Spirit? Maybe the best we can ever know is the feelings we have when the Spirit wants to be known to us. The Spirit goes where and how it wants. The best we can do is open our lives to be a living vessel into which the Holy Spirit may be poured. We invite our lives to be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Most days we go through the motions of work, eat, play, and sleep. We may even find some of our activities enjoyable, but much of the time is spent simply breathing. However every once a while a very special day comes along which lifts us and moves our hearts. We may feel empowered to say and do giant things for God. We may feel prayerful and deeply connected with our neighbors. We may even fall to our faces in honor and praise of our God.
Consider the most special of all those special days over the course of the history of the world. For those who follow Jesus Christ, that day is Pentecost. This was the day when the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, cut loose and filled the believers to overflowing with Spiritual fruits. Everything was in process, anything was possible, and nothing was out of the question.
We in the church like to celebrate Pentecost much like we celebrate a birthday or a holiday. We may pause to remember, sigh, eat some cake, and go home pretty much like we came. But that was never the intent in Pentecost, not then, not now. After all they were people just like us.
What do you have in process? What do you find impossible? What have you been told is out of the question?
Now we are talking; a little Holy Ghost action. Oh, Yeah! Come Holy Spirit, be our guest.
Scripture: Acts 2:1-12
Sermon: “People Just Like Us”
What do we really know about the Holy Spirit? Maybe the best we can ever know is the feelings we have when the Spirit wants to be known to us. The Spirit goes where and how it wants. The best we can do is open our lives to be a living vessel into which the Holy Spirit may be poured. We invite our lives to be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Most days we go through the motions of work, eat, play, and sleep. We may even find some of our activities enjoyable, but much of the time is spent simply breathing. However every once a while a very special day comes along which lifts us and moves our hearts. We may feel empowered to say and do giant things for God. We may feel prayerful and deeply connected with our neighbors. We may even fall to our faces in honor and praise of our God.
Consider the most special of all those special days over the course of the history of the world. For those who follow Jesus Christ, that day is Pentecost. This was the day when the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, cut loose and filled the believers to overflowing with Spiritual fruits. Everything was in process, anything was possible, and nothing was out of the question.
We in the church like to celebrate Pentecost much like we celebrate a birthday or a holiday. We may pause to remember, sigh, eat some cake, and go home pretty much like we came. But that was never the intent in Pentecost, not then, not now. After all they were people just like us.
What do you have in process? What do you find impossible? What have you been told is out of the question?
Now we are talking; a little Holy Ghost action. Oh, Yeah! Come Holy Spirit, be our guest.
Scripture: Acts 2:1-12
Sermon: “People Just Like Us”
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
100 Books
A fellow shared a while back that his library was only 100 books. If he purchased a new book for his shelves, then one had to go. That got me thinking and looking at my library. What 100 books would I keep and which would I let go? What do you think might be the best 100 books for a pastor's library?
Some of my favorites I would ahve to keep (not including my Bibles) are:
A History of the Christian Church, Walker
Homiletic, Buttrick
The Moral Vision of the New Testament, Hays
The UMC Book of Worship
The UMC Hymnal
John Wesley's Sermons, Outler
Generation to Generation, Friedman
Theology of the Old Testament, Brueggemann
Servant Leadership, Greenleaf
The Nature and Destiny of Man, Niebuhr
Some of my favorites I would ahve to keep (not including my Bibles) are:
A History of the Christian Church, Walker
Homiletic, Buttrick
The Moral Vision of the New Testament, Hays
The UMC Book of Worship
The UMC Hymnal
John Wesley's Sermons, Outler
Generation to Generation, Friedman
Theology of the Old Testament, Brueggemann
Servant Leadership, Greenleaf
The Nature and Destiny of Man, Niebuhr
Notes for Sunday May 24, 2009
Read: Luke 24:44-53 Ascension Sunday
I trust you all had a wonderful Easter celebration and are enjoying the spring weather I am sending you. I am encouraged by all I see happening among you in my name.
I thought a little update since I last wrote you might be in order:
Since the ascension I have been hanging out here with the Father doing a lot of remedial kind of work. As much as you may think there has been a lot of water under the bridge, and things have changed, I have to say most of that change is on your side of the river. Here in heaven it is pretty much business as usual and overall business has been good.
I know that I left you all in a pretty big hurry and some of you are still hurting about the fact that I cannot be physically with you all the time. I am, however, with you in Spirit which is perhaps an even a better thing for all of us in the long run. In the short term consider ways we can be in communication throughout every day. I am really open to visiting with you when ever you have time.
Most of my time here is currently taken up with worship. As I think about it, worship has taken up most of the last 2000 years. We have had some excellent times of powerful worship. Sometimes I even get to singing and waving my hands in the air to join in the chorus. But that is for another day.
Right now I want to share that you are my hands and feet. Your willingness to reach out to the people in your neighborhood is quite important. Please know that I will go with you and even speak a quiet word to you about where to go and how to speak. I want the best for you, but also for the others who do not yet know me. I know this may leave you feeling stuck in the middle, but this was the plan I was given by the Father, and it has worked out good so far with many others before you.
The future is not to be revealed to you, but if you could see what I see for the future, you would follow with all your heart. Do not be scared by this; because nothing can harm you while you are with me and I am with you. Thanks again for all you are doing. Hold me in prayer as I hold you.
Jesus.
Scripture: Luke 24:44-53
Sermon: “Mixed Feelings”
I trust you all had a wonderful Easter celebration and are enjoying the spring weather I am sending you. I am encouraged by all I see happening among you in my name.
I thought a little update since I last wrote you might be in order:
Since the ascension I have been hanging out here with the Father doing a lot of remedial kind of work. As much as you may think there has been a lot of water under the bridge, and things have changed, I have to say most of that change is on your side of the river. Here in heaven it is pretty much business as usual and overall business has been good.
I know that I left you all in a pretty big hurry and some of you are still hurting about the fact that I cannot be physically with you all the time. I am, however, with you in Spirit which is perhaps an even a better thing for all of us in the long run. In the short term consider ways we can be in communication throughout every day. I am really open to visiting with you when ever you have time.
Most of my time here is currently taken up with worship. As I think about it, worship has taken up most of the last 2000 years. We have had some excellent times of powerful worship. Sometimes I even get to singing and waving my hands in the air to join in the chorus. But that is for another day.
Right now I want to share that you are my hands and feet. Your willingness to reach out to the people in your neighborhood is quite important. Please know that I will go with you and even speak a quiet word to you about where to go and how to speak. I want the best for you, but also for the others who do not yet know me. I know this may leave you feeling stuck in the middle, but this was the plan I was given by the Father, and it has worked out good so far with many others before you.
The future is not to be revealed to you, but if you could see what I see for the future, you would follow with all your heart. Do not be scared by this; because nothing can harm you while you are with me and I am with you. Thanks again for all you are doing. Hold me in prayer as I hold you.
Jesus.
Scripture: Luke 24:44-53
Sermon: “Mixed Feelings”
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Notes for Sunday May 17, 2009
Read: Psalm 98, Acts 10:44-48, 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17 Easter Six
“Abide in my love.” One of the last things Jesus offered to the disciples before his death was this command to abide. The word abide can be defined: to wait patiently. Abide can also be defined: to remain or dwell, in other words, to stay put. To wait patiently for Christ’s love is a wonderful idea, nice to offer, but hard to accomplish. Most days we are anything but patiently waiting. Rush, rush, rush.
How lovely to linger in the path of the love of God. I like the idea of dwelling in Christ’s love. To remain, as if I already have that love about me, I dwell richly; I stay put in the midst of grace offering life. What if … I was able to live my life in the midst of a constant experience of God’s love? What if … we as a church we willing to stay put in the midst and not allow our minds or our tongues to wander or wag causing divisions and hardships in our relationships? That would be something to behold. I believe it is possible, yet not easy. Abiding is not our thing. But Christ helps us again.
The next verse (vs. 10) offers Christ abiding in the love of the Father. As we abide in Christ, so Christ abides in the Father, therefore we have direct access to the Father through the Son, or along with the Son. “Where I am, there you will be also,” Jesus said to the disciples just a few verses before this passage. Fear not, my sisters and brothers in Christ; Abide.
Scripture: John 15:9-17
Sermon: “What If …”
“Abide in my love.” One of the last things Jesus offered to the disciples before his death was this command to abide. The word abide can be defined: to wait patiently. Abide can also be defined: to remain or dwell, in other words, to stay put. To wait patiently for Christ’s love is a wonderful idea, nice to offer, but hard to accomplish. Most days we are anything but patiently waiting. Rush, rush, rush.
How lovely to linger in the path of the love of God. I like the idea of dwelling in Christ’s love. To remain, as if I already have that love about me, I dwell richly; I stay put in the midst of grace offering life. What if … I was able to live my life in the midst of a constant experience of God’s love? What if … we as a church we willing to stay put in the midst and not allow our minds or our tongues to wander or wag causing divisions and hardships in our relationships? That would be something to behold. I believe it is possible, yet not easy. Abiding is not our thing. But Christ helps us again.
The next verse (vs. 10) offers Christ abiding in the love of the Father. As we abide in Christ, so Christ abides in the Father, therefore we have direct access to the Father through the Son, or along with the Son. “Where I am, there you will be also,” Jesus said to the disciples just a few verses before this passage. Fear not, my sisters and brothers in Christ; Abide.
Scripture: John 15:9-17
Sermon: “What If …”
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