Worship in a Barn

On Saturday evening Cheryl and I worshiped in a barn.  Not a working barn mind you, but the smell of hay and the rich visual of the inside of the old haymow was enough to send me cascading into my childhood. 

River of Life UMC which is the new church plant of Des Moines New Hope held Christmas services at the Johnston Barn.  It was packed to overflowing at the 5 PM service; what a blessing. 

The pastor, Craig Ferguson, led a powerfully simple service of carols and nativity.  The gathered congregation was lively and engaged.  Even Santa was present and shared a poem about Jesus. 

In his sermon Craig shared top rated gifts received and offered over the years beginning with Mr. Potato Head to Pong to Tickle-Me Elmo dolls.  And he finished with, yes, best of all is the gift of life through Christ.  We were left with cookies, warm wishes, and an ornament for the tree to remember the night.  It was a Spirit filled encounter with the traditions of Christmas and we were blessed.

If you are looking for a church home in the Johnston area or just want to take a quick peak at the ministry, then head to the website for the latest information http://www.johnstonriveroflife.org/

My Christmas Wish

The news report staggers us to defend our days.  We find violence overtaking our ability to understand.  We shake our heads and scuff the soles of our shoes on the gravel path.  Good days, summer days of joy and celebration can feel distant, even corrupt. 

Perhaps I should just go shopping and try to fill the cart, fill my heart.  Perhaps I should just eat or drink something, something rich and filling, after all it is Christmas.   Perhaps I should get some sleep, preferable during the day, and slowly withdraw from obligations and relationships.

Look at the picture, look into their eyes and become aware of what they know.  What is real?  What is truth?

 My wish is for good news.

My wish is to give like never before.  Help someone yet unknown.  Seek the mystery of the season as if life depends upon it.  Look into people’s eyes, really look and see their hearts.  Hug the children in ways that bless and sanctify their lives.  Feel the pain, lean into the joy, remember what is lost, and conceive a new grace offered by the season without notice or price.  

Now go.

Easter Soul

What if a soul, your soul, was somehow separated from you.  Sort of like it was lost from you.  Oh you still had a soul but it was difficult for you to put a handle on the thing.  Every once in a while you and your soul would connect and it would be wonderful, or not so wonderful, but in any case for just a bit you would know you were more.   You would feel something stirring in you and know things unknowable; unexplainable.  Think previenent here; something happening on our behalf before we are even aware.


What if Easter, the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, was is fact a celebration of the restoration of your soul back to you.  What if along with the Christ, you also came alive in a way unexplainable unthinkable.  I think this may be exactly what Easter is for us.  Think justification here; a being put right even though we are not even close to perfect.

I also believe that as we regain our souls we eventually find they are too much for us to bear, too difficult to carry, too complex to maintain for any human.  We can only offer them back to God, but not in defeat, rather in celebration, because God will hold them for us and allow us contact with our souls at any time we chose.  Kind of like working on the cloud; literally.  Prayer and mediation do this work for us of reconnecting ourselves to ourselves.  I believe in prayer which molds us further into who we are, not the kind which gives us something we think we may want.  Think sanctification here; a going on to perfection by the grace of God, we are reconnected and molded to be our created selves.

I like thinking of my soul as being in God's presence even while I know I am not yet fully.  Someday will be soon enough, however in the days until then, we get a soul which can lead, confound, and direct our steps.  Sounds like grace; sounds like Easter.

Picture in this Blog post is titled: A Soul to Heaven by William - Adolphe Bouguereau

Communication

She is a student at Simpson College.  We shared lunch last week while the Simpson College Trustees met. 
The young woman lowered her voice as if asking a very difficult question, "So what are your personal goals with your job?"  "Well, umm," I said as I searched my thoughts for a goal worthy of the earnetness of the inquirey.  Sometimes I like to joke around and play off the moment, but not this time.  So I motioned her to come closer and I spoke in a low and solomn tone.  "I am a subversive; my goal is to make disciples for Jesus Christ.  Most of the time I just do stuff that looks like I am doing church work, pays the bills, you know." 
She physically backed away as if I had some smelling salts in my pocket.  Then she smiled and offered a glimmer of understanding.  Then came her next question, "How do you communicate that with the people you work with?"  My answer was honest and lacking, "Not very well."  She encouraged me to continue to blog, tweet, and facebook.  "It is the way we communicate these days."  It was good to focus on one thing and know it is of ultimate importance for me and this young woman.
 Everyone is so busy and on thier way someplace.Where are you headed?  What are your personal goals?  Are you following the crowd or going the wrong way?

O Foggy Night!

Let me clear the air a bit of the Advent/Christmas fog.  I am consistently hearing from good Christian folks that Advent, these precious days leading toward Christmas, are special days to get busy by preparing ourselves.  While I understand the logic, too often feels like a “Santa Clause religion.”  You know the drill, Santa is going to find out who is naughty and nice and then there will be sort of judgment day on Christmas Eve, so you better be good.  I hear the church echoing some of the same insights such as; you better get busy and be productive for Christ, you better prepare the way of the Lord, you better forgive, attend, witness, and offer or else you might miss the “real” Christmas.  In a strange humorous way, as a superintendent for the church, I can appreciate the guilt path of “you better be good,” because many times it works. 

However, as a theologian and child of God, I am here to proclaim it just isn’t so.  Christmas doesn’t need our good works, our good gifts, or our good anything.  Truth is you/we do not deserve Christmas, not a bit.  Truth is we cannot seem to do much of anything worthy of God’s love, never have.  And this is the power of the season.  Christmas is something God is doing and we cannot change a single thing about it.  It will be what God wants it to be.  Period.  And that is grace so large my eyes begin to leak water.

I do not give myself to the season because God needs me to do so.  I give myself because I believe in Jesus Christ as the Lord of the entire world.  My faith is secure that Jesus came to save all people, those who care and those who do not; those who sing in choirs and those who curse in darkness; those who give with all their hearts and those who have yet to find their hearts, let alone their ability to give.

My heart tells me to sit quietly and listen for the voice of God during this season.  My soul wants to sing praise to God, not of my need to act.  “Get busy or miss the season”; sounds like more Santa talk to me.

“Come and sit here by me Mary.  Sit and listen to what your heart is telling you.  Martha, come quickly and join your sister Mary.  She has chosen the better path which will never be taken away from her.”   My paraphrase of Luke 10:38 FF