The Rev. Life

Check out the tumblr blog, where most everything will now be posted!

2011-07-20T10:51:00.004-05:00

Hey there!
So, I'm on to tumblr, which is a great way of blogging that is hyper-visual. If you have a moment I'd invite you to check it out. I've still got a long way to go to catch-up, content-wise, but I really like the visual format of tumblr. I will still post occasional sermon manuscripts, orders of worship, and more text-heavy things on this sight but will primarily be on tumblr. Hope to see you there!!!
Grace and peace,
Joe

Sermon Manuscript for the 2011 United Methodist Student Movement Student Forum

2011-05-31T09:44:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was amazing! I had the amazing blessing to preach at the 2011 United Methodist Student Movement Student Forum, held at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. I was a little overwhelmed for a few moments when I read that Martin Luther King, Jr. preached at the Forum back in the 1960's. The event was wonderful: the students were absolutely amazing. The church is going to be in good shape! The text for the sermon was Galatians 3:28. Thanks to Joseph McBrayer for the photo!

Do It Again
The United Methodist Student Movement
2011 Student Forum

Primary thoughts: we are made by God to be in community, connected, to be one body, beautiful in our diversity. When we are able to recognize and overcome with love and grace the things that divide us, the root cause of which is fear, we will become a movement again, we will partner with God to transform the world!

Intro--Center

We are going to pray before we hear the scripture proclaimed by singing together an invocation to the Holy Spirit from the Iona Community in Scotland.

Sing "Come, Holy Spirit" read Galatians 3:28, vamp last line.

Pray...

TRAVIS PARK

(MOVE TO STAGE RIGHT)

Have you ever had a transformational experience? One that altered the way you live, or work, or the way that you understand what God is doing in the world?

I'd like to share with you one of those moments from my life. It occurred in my previous appointment at Travis Park UMC in downtown San Antonio, Texas.

Loved serving at TPUMC, downtown San Antonio, first Protestant church in San Antonio, The UpperRoom Devotional Guide was birthed there, as was the Methodist Mission Home. By the time we got there the church was reinventing itself by being in ministry with those on the matins of society. We served 50,000 meals a year to anyone who was hungry, had medical, dental, and vision clinics in the church, employment assistance programs and ID recovery. When Katrina came we had over 25,000 displaced folks living in San Antonio and the city and FEMA gave the church the contract for all of their ID recovery needs.

And the community itself was a slice of the kingdom of God! People of all races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, economic and educational status, and political stripes worshipped together. It was beautiful!

The church was very rewarding and also very challenging. It was, at times, difficult to stay unified with such a wonderfully diverse group of people. The possibility for division was always present.

I was finishing up my ordination requirements when first appointed to Travis Park when I had a transformative experience. I had finished everything for ordination save one sermon that had to be videotaped and turned in to the Board of Ordained Ministry for evaluation.

Now, I'm an associate pastor and, as an associate, we never get the prime preaching times! So, I was scheduled to preach the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the last Sunday in November. Everything for ordination was due the first week of December, so I had one chance to get this right!

I'm preaching and it's going great! I've connected with the people and it's rockin'! I'm wrapping up the sermon on the prologue to The Gospel of John, preaching about how the Kingdom of God ia an "already/not yet" kind of thing when a man stands up in the balcony and yells out "Sir, Sir, excuse me, Sir, I have a question."
Now, its amazing how many different thoughts one can have in a very short time.

Here's just a sample of the things that were running through my head:
I will confess that I'm not proud of this but my first thought was "OH MY GOD! What am I going to do?"
My second thought was filled with sarcasm, "well of course it would go down like this!"
The third thought was, "just keep going, he will stop!". I tried that for about two seconds and it became abundantly clear he wasn't going to stop.
My fourth thought was one based in fear: "My ordination!!! I've worked so hard and it's all about to go down the drain if I can't answer this man appropriately."
Then, I had a spiritual breakthrough. The Spirit said, "Joe, this is not about you. It's about the community and what I'm doing here."
I realized I had a choice: I could continue to make the divide that was occurring in the community worse and suffer more indignnity on this poor man, or, I could get real with it, address my brother with dignity and respect and keep e sanctity of the moment.

Thanks be to God, the Spirit saw it fit to give me the grace to choose the latter. We had a brief exchange and agreed to talk about it after the sermon.

(MOVE TO STAGE LEFT)

After I had a chance to debrief the experience I felt some shame, i will be honest with you, in that my initial reactions were motivated by fear.

Fear is a powerful force: it can create division amongst us and it can enslave us.

There is something in the human condition that, when left unchecked, has the potential to want to label people and things in order to compartmentalize and marginalize them. Why do so many of us seem to have dualistic, binary thinking as our default setting? Many of us have sold out completely to Greek dualistic thought.

Why is it that we, in our darkest moments feel the need to unravel the rich tapestry that God continues to weave so and to take those threads and use them to create separate, homogenous banners that proclaim "us" versus "them."

Some politicians seek to divide us with fear, some members of the media seek to divide us with fear, some religious leaders, in all traditions, instead of using our common ground of love and compassion as tools of unity strive to separate us from one another using fear based tactics.

Fear...it is the lingua franca of the day. Fear can pollute individual hearts, heads, families, churches, communities, governmental policies, cultures and ultimately all of creation.

This proclivity for divisiveness caused by fear is prevalent in our day and as we have heard, it was clearly prevalent in Paul's day as well.

(MOVE TO CENTER)

But...our Creator has given us a powerful command regarding fear.

You know what the number one imperative in the Bible is, don't you?   “DO NOT BE AFRAID!”

Do not be afraid. Every time something divine connects with humanity in the Bible we hear the same phrase repeated over and over again: do not be afraid.

Sisters and brothers, fear-filled insular creatures is not who God intends for us to be!

God’s dream for us is so much richer and deeper and more connective than that! I say again to you, "do not be afraid."

God is calling us to love and to be united, to be in community: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear!

The Biblical Record

In Genesis we see God creating the world. The artist in me loves that the first trait we see in God is that God is creative. Since we are made in God's image it means that each of us is fundamentally creative as well!  God calls all that God has made, the cosmos, from the smallest sub-atomic particle to the largest whirling and swirling galaxies and God, with an admiring smile pronounces it good,...except for when God made us. God looked at a symbolic Adam and said, “Wow! You are not just good, you are very good.”

You, and you, and you, and you, and you, and you, and you, and me, everyone in this room God calls very good, you are precious and beloved to me! God made us for good out of God's goodness. In Zephaniah 3:17 God says to us that God take great delight in us and rejoices over us with singing! What an amazing, transformative and radical thought! Why would we ever give into fear?

And after pronouncing all of this goodness, God looks at Adam, in Genesis 2:18, and says, for the first time, that something is not good. God sees that Adam is by himself and God says, “it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner."   Do you see what God proclaims here? God MADE us for community, God made us for Godself and for one another and God calls us to be in community with each other and with God, just as God is in community with Gods-self in the Trinity.

God says to us: "do not be afraid of anything!". Especially, do not be afraid to be how I have made you to be.

Recall Moses, who was rightly terrified of leading a liberation movement and of confronting Pharaoh. God said to him, "Do not be afraid, I am with you."

Think of the prophets, who every time imperialistic forces or desires encroached upon the Israelites, God asked the prophets to call the people back to themselves with the assurance that God would always be with them and to not let fear rule their actions.

Remember Jesus, sleeping on the boat in the midst of a terrible storm. The storm was so bad the apostles thought they were going to die! They wake up Jesus and he says, "Why are you afraid?" Can you imagine? The implication being that they shouldn't be afraid, because He is with them. Jesus' promise to his disciples, that he would be with them to the end of the age is his promise to us as well.

God calls us not to be afraid!

Consider Paul. In Romans 8 Paul tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God, therefore we should not be ruled by fear

The apostle Paul’s world, was, in some respects, very much like our own. In the letter to the Galatian Church, Paul was addressing the issue of division, a division that was rooted in fear. Paul spent much of his life fighting divisions.

The Galatians church was divided between Greeks and circumcised Jews and their social standing and cultural heritage was being used to divide them from one another.

Paul, in addressing this division, does something brilliant! He cites to the Galatian church a baptismal liturgy saying there is no Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female in God’s family.

There can be no social divisions in God's family, all are more than equal, all are sister and brother, all are children of God. Paul was reminds them of their unity in their baptism!

And though Paul’s words sound to some of our 21st century ears as conservative and antiquated they were actually revolutionary in the Graeco-Roman world that Paul lived in.

And, as we realize this, if we believe that the Bible has something to us to say today, we must use Galatians 3:28 as one of our cornerstones for theological reflection on what it means to be a community of little Christ’s, to be the body of Christ, made beautifully and wonderfully diverse yet united in our baptismal identity!

Paul had a vision for the church: it was to be a movement in which all are one in Christ: a church united at one table.

As Richard B. Hayes has said, the church is to be “an alternative community that prefigures the new creation in the midst of a world that continues to resist God’s justice.” (repeat)

God is calling us to be different and to live in the light of God, open to what God is doing in the world and the future to which Christ is continually pulling us into.

The Arch and Ubuntu

One of my heroes in the faith and one of my theological teachers is Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He has given the world a great gift by introducing us to the African theology of Ubuntu.

In essence ubuntu means this: We can only fully become what God made us to be when others are able to fully be what God has called them to be. (repeat)

We can only experience the fullness of God's dreams of true community, when we recognize Christ in the other and our mutual need of one another.

I am completely convinced that this is part of God’s dream for us: to be people who live together in unity, in wholeness, in harmony with one another and also dependent upon one another. There is no such thing as a self made person. You and I would not be here on this beautiful campus tonight without the help of other people.

God made us to be family. When the body of Christ is at its best we treat one another as beloved sisters and brothers, united in our baptismal identity.

We need each other, because we depend upon one another for many things, one of which being the work that you are doing this weekend. Everyone here has a way of seeing the world and separate set of gifts. We need each other! You have gifts that I don't have and I have gifts that you don't have. The body of Christ needs all of it's eyes to be eyes and its feet to be feet and for all of it's systems to work together.

Ubuntu is a liberating theology: How can I know who God has called you to be unless I KNOW you? We can only know each other by being in dialogue with one another such as we are this weekend and by sharing at the Lord’s Table together, by being in the presence of the Risen Christ and by loving and listening to one another.

And when we are able to see the Imago Dei, the image of God in each of us, we can see that the false, binary thinking that we so often fall prey to is really unworthy of God, unworthy of the Beloved Community, and unworthy of the future that God is co-creating with us right now.

We are to live and to love and to serve now as a sign to the world as to what it looks like to be citizens of the Reign of God. We are to be what it looks like when God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven!

We are to be a community who celebrates the diverse ways that God has created us and weaves a rich, united tapestry of life together in God’s Kingdom!

And when we do that, we will become a movement again. But the church cannot become a movement without you.

Becoming a Movement Again

You have to help bring us forward, for you are the hands and feet of Christ. God has no one but us! We need you to be you, the way God made you, with all of your unique gifts and graces. Especially if you are feeling a bit maladjusted towards the situations that are unjust in this church and in the world. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.”

History is filled with progress and regress. The progress seems to come fastest when the church behaves as a movement!

Remember Francis of Assisi, who after receiving a calling from God to repair God’s Church, partnered with God to live a life of love and service and who challenged a generation of church leadership and has inspired Christians for hundreds of years and who founded a movement based on love and service to the least of these.

Remember Margaret Fell, who partnered with God while in prison in 1667 to write Women’s Speaking Justified which helped paved the way for many movements who have worked tirelessly to make Galatians 3:28 a reality.

Remember Martin Luther King Jr., who though only 26 years old, some of you here tonight are about that age if you are on the five or six year program, at the urging of his colleagues decided to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott, despite the threats and attempts against his life and the life of his family. He partnered with God to lead the American Civil Rights movement which proclaimed liberation and peace and justice for all of God’s children.

Remember the Freedom Riders who fifty years ago this month partnered with God to bring courage and inspiration to the same movement that Dr. King worked with.

Remember Mother Teresa, who, after her death, we learned had large doubts about the very existence of God but in spite of her doubt, stepped out on faith and partnered with God to serve the poorest of the poor in India and sparked a movement that inspired the world.
 Remember Shane Claiborne, who is partnering with God as we speak to build a movement of New Monasticism that is speaking a vibrant and powerful word to the institutional church.

Friends, you are not alone! You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. But, with the exception of Shane Claiborne, that was then. And this is now.

God has seen it fit to bring each of you here. Each of you has something important and valuable to say to each other, to me, to the church, and to the world.

God is calling and we are responding! We are ready! We are ready to take our place in the line of endless splendor, to take the baton from those who have run the race before us so faithfully, and to lead the church in a new direction for the 21st century.
We live in a new day with new challenges. The church is in the midst of a sea-change, a reformation the likes of which haven’t been seen in five hundred years.

The time to lead is now, the time to speak is now, the time to love is now, the time for reconciliation is now. It is our time, it is our time to be the change we want to see. It is our time to sow the seeds of compassion, and unity, and love, and grace, and justice. Because if we do that, we will become a movement of God once again.

God is calling us, friends, God is calling you and God is calling me.

Lesson from London.
An Episcopalian priest traveled to London last spring for some meetings. He only had one day to tour the city. Because it was close to the hotel he was staying in, the priest decided to go to the City of London Museum. The museum is on Aldersgate Street and sits across the street from the church where John Wesley had his awakening experience.
(CLICK)
The museum hosted “London through the Centuries” exhibit. The priest toured through the Mesolithic period of London to the Roman period to medieval London to the 18th century London, wherein a plaque read: “At the beginning of the eighteenth century, London was riddled with disease, crime, grime, illiteracy and addictions of every sort. Without the faithful work of John and Charles Wesley and their Methodist followers, London would have been a far worse place at the beginning of the 19th century. These significantly changed the lives of Londoners for years to come.” The priest was affected greatly by this, finished his tour and made his way back to the Metroplex. As he drove home from the airport, when he passed the United Methodist Church’s lining his route, he found himself praying: “God, please do it again.”
(CLICK)
God, do it again! “God, do it again!”
Are you with me? “God, do it again!”
People of love! "God, do it again!”
A people who love God! “God, do it again!”
A people who love our neighbors! “God, do it again!”
A people of love our enemies! "God, do it again!”
A people who work for justice! “God, do it again!”
A people who are letting the Jesus in them shine brighter every day! “God, do it again!”
A people who love more! “God, do it again!”
A people who live more! “God, do it again!”
A people who serve more! “God, do it again!”
A people who don’t take life for granted! “God, do it again!”
A people who are part of a movement! "God, do it again!”
A people who gather around Christ’s table, to be filled with God’s grace and then sent out into the world to love and to serve. God, do it again.

Remember it was college students that God used to get this movement started 300 years ago and I believe that God will use college students again--not the bishops, not the large churches ...YOU. Charles Wesley, John Wesley and their friends decided to a live a holier life and it transformed not just London, but the world. Their decision to live a holier life has influenced YOU to be here and live a holier life. We can shout "do it again" to God over, but here's what you need to hear: God saying it right back to you 'do it again...do it again...I love you my precious child and I can do great things through you..partner with me to do it again!'
In the name of our Creator, Liberator, and Sustainer, let all of God's children say: Amen

PASSING OF THE PEACE.

Our first healing and wholeness service

2011-04-18T14:39:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday night AUMC hosted its first ever Healing and Wholeness service, as part of the Soul Cafe Worship series. The above imagine was taken by Matthew Kelling, our Director of Media Ministries. I learned this particular lighting trick from the amazing Dr. Marcia McFee!

The joys of the remix/arrangement

2011-03-28T22:59:00.003-05:00

Tonight, while working on a variety of different projects I've been listening to Jaydiohead and Rodehead...Jaydiohead is the creation of Max Tannone, an artist out of NYC. It's a mash-up of Jay-Z and Radiohead and it is stellar! Rodeohead is just what it sounds like. Good times!

Pillars of the Earth

2011-03-28T09:42:00.002-05:00

One of the best books I've read so far this year, in my quest to read more fiction, is "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. The book was recommended to me by my dear friends Jackson and Katie Henry. Jackson used an excerpt of the book in a worship service he designed for Lake Junaluska around the theme of silence. I remember worshipping in the service and being very struck by the reading.
The book has been called Follett's masterpiece and I believe it! The work centers around the building of a cathedral in medieval England. The cathedral itself is one of the main characters. Sadly, I've got to run to a meeting but I wholeheartedly recommend the book: it is AMAZING!
Hope you have a great day!

The Search for God and Guinness

2011-03-22T09:31:00.002-05:00

I had the great blessing to receive as a gift for Christmas this year a Kindle. I LOVE it! Ever since I was a little boy I've loved to read and the Kindle has really been a blessing for me as I can read all kinds of books quickly and it has been a blessing to my spouse because it has cut back on the flood of books in our home!

One of the books I've read this year is Stephen Mansfield's "The Search for God and Guinness." Mansfield provides an overview of the history of Christianity and beer as well as the rise of the Guinness family and business. I had read somewhere else (I can't remember where, sadly) that Arthur Guinness heard John Wesley preach in Dublin and was much moved by the experience. As a Wesleyan I had to know more! Mansfield does a commendable job tracing the influence of Wesley and others and their impact on the development of the exceptional respect that the Guinness family had for its employees. That in and of itself is worth the read. I would hope those who own businesses or have supervisory responsibilities would read this book and take the lessons from the Guinness family regarding the treatment of employees to heart!

At the end of the book, Mansfield draws a few lessons for us from the Guinness family. The lesson that struck me most was this: Think in terms of generations yet to come. This is the theme for this week's posts, from Bach to Guinness to cathedral building. Mansfield says,

"Historians tell us that more than twenty-three generations were required to complete the glorious Canterbury Cathedral of England. We know that men sometimes worked all their lives on a portico or a vault or a series of pillars, understanding their labors as an offering to God. And when they were about to die, they often asked to be taken to the place they had worked in the cathedral. With their family gathered around them, they would pass their tools to their sons and command the next generation to further progress on that tabernacle of God. Then, in peace, they would pass form this life.
It is a vision that is easily lost, this idea of each generation playing a role in a larger purpose, but it has proven a pathway to success time and again."

The Guinness family embodied the idea of seeing themselves and their story as part of a greater story. Isn't it easy to miss this in our own lives? I know how often I get caught up in short term thinking. The tyranny of now. Certainly there are circumstances that require immediate attention but too often I fail to think in terms of generations, settling instead to think in terms of minutes and hours.

As a follower of Christ and one who strives to live as a citizen of God's Reign, (as one who hopes to "further the work on the tabernacle of God, if you will) I think this has huge implications for my life. Perhaps another way of putting it could be this: we must put our story into God's story. Or, perhaps, we need to recognize that our story is a part of God's dreams for the world. Portions of God's dream for the world must unfold through us!

So today I'm striving to remember to think in bigger terms, to not be held captive by email, voicemail, meetings and facebook (and blog posts) but rather to think of my life as a part of God's story and to live not only for now but for the benefit of the generations to come.

How about you?

Happy Birthday, J.S. Bach

2011-03-21T07:43:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday to J.S. Bach, who turns 326 today! Seriously, 326! I wonder how differently we would conduct our lives if we believed that our daily life and work would have implications three centuries after our birth? I've been reading a few "for fun" books this year that I will post on soon that will continue this thread of investing in the future. May you see God everywhere today!

National Launch of "Worship and Song" next week!

2011-02-22T09:48:00.002-06:00

Next week the publishing arm of The United Methodist Church will be launching a new supplement to the current hymnal called "Worship and Song." I'm excited to be a part of the launch team at this event. I hope you will be able to join us in Nashville!

PSYM 2011

2011-02-21T10:32:00.002-06:00

Last month I had the wonderful opportunity to serve as the worship leader for the Perkins School of Youth Ministry. We had a week of incredible worship centered around the theme of the church year. Many wonderful worship artists contributed to this event! If you're interested in the rubrics to the services or in the lecture notes of a class I taught about the spirituality of the liturgical year, let me know and I'll send them to you. Have a blessed day!

Snowmeggedon 2011

2011-02-04T08:29:00.002-06:00

What an incredible week of weather we've had here in North Texas! As I look out of my study windows, I can see 5-7 inches of fresh snow on top of a layer of ice. We are now on day 4 of school closings! I don't remember a week of weather like this since I've lived here. So, I've been able to make good use of the time at home, playing with my children, planning worship, making some pastoral care calls, catching up on some reading, cooking, watching films and making music! What a crazy and wonderful week for the Stobaugh family. Having said that, my heart is breaking for our homeless brothers and sisters who have no place to go today. I will be cleaning out my closet today and, when I can get out of the house again, will be delivering those clothes to a shelter in Denton. I hope and pray that you are well!

Link to the video of last Sunday's sermon

2011-02-04T08:25:00.003-06:00

Here you will find a link to a video of last week's sermon, "Work Hard...Rest Easy" at Argyle UMC.
Just copy this link and paste it in your browser: http://tinyurl.com/6cocnha

"Work Hard...Rest Easy" A sermon about the importance of Sabbath.

2011-01-30T17:20:00.003-06:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to preach today at Argyle UMC! This sermon was the last in a series entitled "First: What Happens When We Put God First in Our Lives."
Below is the outline of the sermon. (When it comes to the liberation story in Exodus I told the story in via paraphrase, which is not reflected in the outline.)
I hope you can find some Sabbath rest this week!

Work Hard…Rest Easy

• Open in prayer
• Today’s sermon is the last sermon in our series FIRST: What it means to put God first in your life.”
• Today we are going to talk about how God wants to orient us to putting him first in our weekly rhythms.
• The title of this morning’s sermon was already set out for me, and it is this: Work Hard…Rest Easy
• I’m not going to tell you all to work hard. Most of you have that figured out already. Most of us, I’ll dare to say, are in danger of working too hard.
• In the U.S., 85.8 percent of males and 66.5 percent of females work more than 40 hours per week.
• According to the International Labour Organization, “Americans work 137 more hours per year than Japanese workers, 260 more hours per year than British workers, and 499 more hours per year than French workers.” Well, maybe that last one doesn’t surprise you!
• Using data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average productivity per American worker has increased 400% since 1950.
• The typical American middle-income family put in an average of 11 more hours a week in 2006 than it did in 1979.8
• We KNOW how to work hard: we’ve elevated hard work to be one of our highest virtues in our country.
• I remember growing up and learning all about the “Protestant work ethic:” in school. It is expected of us that we will work hard.
• I believe in hard work. Work is a good and wonderful thing, a Godly thing. God calls us to a life of imitation: we are to work, to create, just as God does. Creation and work can and should be a holy endeavor.
• However, one of the biggest impediments to our spiritual growth as American Christians, is that many of us do not have a healthy balance between work and rest.
• Many of us have elevated work to idol status in our lives. We’ve made having a packed schedule a badge of honor. I’ve even heard people brag about their ulcers!
• Our culture has a fetish with busyness and laziness is often regarded as the ultimate American sin. If you are not always busy, you must not be living right!
• If you don’t have your smart phone with you and on 24/7 then you aren’t working hard enough!
• This lack of balance between work and rest is a matter of life and death, both physical death and spiritual death.
• As I said earlier, I remember learning about the Protestant Work Ethic brought to the America’s by the Puritans. I recently read another well-known phrase from the Puritans that I didn’t learn in school: “Good Sabbaths make Good Christians.”
• While the Puritans went about life in a much more sever manner than most of us would be comfortable with today, they were on to something here! Work Hard…Rest Easy.
• Work and rest must go hand-in-hand. So today, we are reflecting on the God’s goodness and wisdom and God’s dreams for us: God has given us a command to rest and to be in community. Jesus has given us the pattern for life that he wants us to follow.
• We are to ‘set-apart’ one day in seven as a day of rest. We are to make time to go away and pray and then to get back into the action!
• This is hard for us to do! It doesn’t really matter how you occupy your time, the temptation to get out of balance is very easy.
• Let me just illustrate this with a story from a period of time in my life.
• As Will Rogers used to say: “Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.” This was the case for me.
• My education in keeping the Sabbath and what happens when you don’t came by my breaking the commandment frequently and repeatedly! I was one of the chief sinners and I learned some very hard lessons in my first appointment.
• It was my first church out of seminary, a big church with 2400 members and 10-12 ensembles rehearsing during the week and I was so gung-ho about the kingdom of God, and so in love with Jesus, that I got into the habit of working 60-90 hour weeks, of being at the church every day and always available on the phone.
• After about a year of that, I realized that I was becoming bitter, angry and resentful.
• I never took a Sabbath. As I look back at that time, I realized how much life I missed. My life was out of balance!
• I got caught up, unintentionally and subconsciously, in believing that the kingdom was only going to come if I helped bring it about. While there is an element of truth in that last statement, it is incredibly easy for us to elevate our work over the work that God has done and is doing.
• I had completely lost the realization that God had already brought the kingdom here through Jesus Christ.
• I lost sight of this because I had completely violated the first and fourth commandments! Thou shall not have any other god’s before me and thou shall observe the Sabbath and keep it holy.
• The violation of the first commandment came about because of the violation of the fourth commandment.
• Friends, I just got out of synch: my work consumed me and thus came to define me. This lack of balance caused me to miss out on much of the wisdom of God, the rest that only God can give as well as the good things that God wanted for me.
Anybody been there?
• Have you ever become so consumed by what you were doing that you missed what God was doing in your life and in the lives of those around you?
• God doesn’t want that for us. God doesn’t want us to work ourselves to death.
• God wants something better for each of us. God has dreams for us that are richer and more beautiful than death by work!
• God knows us well, knows our tendencies and our foibles, God knew we’d need help developing a healthy balance of work and rest.
• And so, God gives us several examples of how important it is to develop a healthy work-rest balance in the Bible. Let’s take a look at a few of these moments.

SCRIPTURAL BASIS FOR SABBATH—THE CREATION ACCOUNT

• In the very beginning of the Bible we find God creating! God was, and is, at work! In the beginning God created for six days and then what? On the seventh day, he rested!
• Did God need a break? No! God finished his project and ceased working on it. I think God was also trying to teach us something essential: we must rest on a regular basis. We must cease our labor.
• God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it: this Sabbath day is supposed to have a unique status amongst God’s people.
• From the very beginning, we find God setting out the life-giving rhythm for us of work and rest.

SCRIPTURAL BASIS FOR SABBATH—THE LIBERATION STORY
• Then, we move to the next book of the Bible and we find the story of the exodus from Egypt. I hope you will go home and read it this afternoon, it’s an incredible story that is foundational to who we are followers of Christ. We could spend a six-week sermon series on this story alone!
• Early in the first chapter of Exodus, we learn that the Israelites are living in Egypt when “A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come let us deal shrewdly with them.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor…The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.” (Exodus 1:8-15)
• Here we see something very different enter the story of God’s people. Here we see how the good and Godly act of creation can be used for evil.
• A few paragraphs later, we find Moses encountering God in the burning bush.
• God tells Moses, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have hear their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
• God is telling the Israelites, and us, that God keeps his promises!
• Eventually in the story, God convinces Moses to do what God has called him to do and so Moses and Aaron head to Egypt to help liberate God’s people for the horrible workload that the Egyptians have placed upon them.
• Of course, this doesn’t sit well with Pharaoh, who increases the people’s work and makes impossible demands on them. Pharaoh tries to break the people and to “keep them in line” by forcing impossible work on them.
• He tries to keep them distracted from becoming the people God has called them to be.
• Even though Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, God’s will cannot be denied! God keeps his promises and liberates his people!
• The liberation of the Israelites from the slavery inflicted upon them by the Egyptians is one of the most foundational stories of our faith: their story is our story.
• Sisters and brothers, God wants all of God’s children to be free from bondage and oppression! Only when we are free from the bondage of a seven-day workweek can we truly become the people of God that God calls us to be.
• We are told all the time that we are what we can consume, that our value as human beings comes from what we can buy.
• We are told that we live in a time of scarcity! Fear is one of the devil’s greatest tools! But God tells us over and over again, “Do Not Be Afraid!”
• God’s economy is not one of scarcity but rather one of abundance. There IS enough for everyone if we but live out our trust in God!
• God made us to be in relationship with God and with one another, to love and to serve and to liberate God’s Creation.
• We can’t live the life that God has made us for when we are working seven days a week. There’s simply no time to connect, to reflect, to prioritize and to rest.

THE GIFT OF THE DECALOGUE

• After being liberated from the Egyptians, the Israelites have a 40-year adventure in the wilderness on their way to the land promised to them by God.
• One of their most important stops occurs at Mount Horeb also known as Mount Sinai, where God gives Moses The Decalogue, the Ten Commandments.
• John Wesley called the Ten Commandments a “complete scheme of Christian practice.”
• The observance of Shabbat is so central to the lives of the Jewish people that is it is recounted twice in the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Scripture.
• In Exodus 20:8-11 we find “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.” (NRSV)
• The primary focus of this account is remembrance of what God has done and the command to imitate God. To strive for holiness, to strive to be like God by reorienting our weekly schedule to God.
• Remember God and be like God. We are to remember that God worked for six days and that on the seventh day, God rested. The seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD, our God, and so it should be for us.
• Now the account in Deuteronomy 5 has a different and equally important set of nuances. “Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”
• While we find a lot of similar themes from Exodus the writer of this Scripture has now added the liberation of the Jews from Egypt, of God liberating God’s people from oppression and overwork so that they could bless the world as God intended.
• In addition to remembering and imitating God by striving to become more holy, now we are to also remember our liberation.
• As Christians we remember Jesus’ victory over sin and death on the Sabbath, our liberation from sin and death through the work of Jesus Christ.
• Did you know that the commandment to keep the Sabbath has the longest instruction of any of the Ten Commandments?
• God KNEW we were going to struggle with keeping this one, and further, God knew of our tendency to play Pharaoh to those who have less power than we do.
• Later in Deuteronomy we find whole chapters given over on how to keep the Sabbath.
• We need so much instruction in this because we are not good at it! At least, I’m not.

THE PATTERN OF JESUS

• Then we come to Jesus, the consummate Jew. Throughout the Gospels we find Jesus engaging in a similar pattern: work, ministry, service, and prayer and rest.
• It probably goes without saying but the Sabbath was very important to Jesus, as Jesus himself says he is the fulfillment of the law. Jesus never tells us to do away with the Sabbath; but rather refines for us what it means to observe the Sabbath.
• Jesus, the Son of God, needed times of prayer and rest to be rejuvenated for his work.
• Over and over again we find this pattern in the life of Jesus.
• If Jesus needed this time, how much more do we!
• In Mark 2:27-28 Jesus tells us that the Sabbath was made for us! Sabbath is a gift from God to us and, we are free to enter it and observe it as a matter of Christian liberty.

HOW DOES ONE ENJOY A SABBATH?

• Many of us have a pre-conceived notion, given to us by our Puritan ancestors, that the observance of the Sabbath is about being shut-up in one’s home and, if we are to be honest, being bored.
• Jesus gives us a very different picture: a God who loves us made the Sabbath for us!
• We are to rest in the fact that God is God and we are not. Sabbath, when observed, brings perspective to us: when we cease our work we find that the world continues on without us and that is a good thing!
• Our salvation, the good life that God has provided for us is not dependent upon our effort: it is a gift from God.
• So, how do we observe Sabbath?
• I’ll give you two hints. One is a statement, the other is a question.
• Pastor Mark Buchanan has put it simply: to properly observe Sabbath we must “cease work and embrace the things that give life.”
• “Cease work and embrace the things that give life.”
• Simply put, whatever it is that you do for work, if you are so blessed as to have it in this economy, try to cease it one day of the week and rest.
• For most of us, Sunday is the ideal day to observe and keep the Sabbath, but the day of the week one observes Sabbath is not essential to keeping it. I do my best to observe the Sabbath on Friday’s, for example.
• In addition to stopping the work we do six days of the week, we are to embrace the things that make for life. The first of these things, and the most important, is the worship of God. For Christians, we are to worship together every Sunday, at a minimum. Worship gives us life and allows us to focus our love, adoration, and attention on that which truly deserves it: the Triune God!
• We are also to be in community with other Christians, with our friends and with our families if we are so blessed to be near them. We are to be in community. We are not to be alone.
• A second hint: one of my favorite authors who write about Sabbath is a man named Dan Allender, who lives in Washington. He asks a great framing question for observing the Sabbath: “What would you do for twenty-four hours if the only criteria were to pursue your deepest joy.” (Repeat the question.)
• I hope you will pray about that this week and that you will come up with an answer.
• And, whatever that answer is, as long as it leads to God’s glory and doesn’t hurt others: do it! Talk a nap, take a walk, read books or see films that deal with resurrection! The Sabbath is about freedom!
• Get some rest and recreation time. Play some music, look at beautiful art. Enjoy the sensual things, like the weather yesterday, that God has given us.
• Feast! Be playful! Be grateful. Be with your friends and family!
• Get a beautiful journal and a nice pen and take an hour each Sabbath to write down and remember all of the things for which you are grateful.
• The point of all this is, make time for the things that bring life, rest and joy!
• Our ministry, friends, in the world, is too hard to do well, and joyfully, and faithfully, without an ability to rest in God and to trust God, so that we can be reclaimed and revitalized and renewed by God.
• It is through keeping the Sabbath that our lives are changed, because we live in God’s rhythm of time. The pattern of creation, liberation and resurrection becomes the pattern of our lives as well. Through Sabbath we gain an added sense of perspective about life. We learn what is important and what isn’t.
• Sabbath life is part of life in the kingdom of God: worship, community, rest, and play (in that order) are an important part of God’s creation and of God’s dreams for us. Sabbath is to be joyful and to allow us to restfully reorient our lives to God.
• As far as my Sabbath journey goes, I can tell you I now only occasionally work those 90-hour weeks. By continuing to learn to keep the Sabbath, my life becomes ever more oriented toward God.
• Sarah, my wife will tell you, I am a better person to be around and I mostly enjoy the yoke that God has placed on me. My prayer life has deepened considerably and, honestly, I have become physically healthier and more efficient.
• More importantly, I have learned that the weight of the world does not solely hang on my shoulders but primarily on God’s, and that is one of the most freeing epiphanies I have ever experienced.
• The Hebrew word for holy is best translated as being ‘set apart.’ I pray that you will be able to set apart a day, preferably Sunday, where you can strive for holiness by observing the Sabbath.
• I pray that you will say yes to God’s gracious gift of Sabbath in your life.
• I’d like to close today by praying a prayer I found this week from Shane Claiborne, a prayer to welcome the Sabbath. Let us pray:

Lord of Creation,
create in us a new rhythm of life
composed of hours that sustain rather than stress,
of days that deliver rather than destroy,
of time that tickles rather than tackles.

Lord of Liberation,
by the rhythm of your truth, set us free
from the bondage and baggage that break us,
from the Pharaohs and fellows who fail us,
from the plans and pursuits that prey upon us.

Lord of Resurrection,
may we be raised into the rhythm of your new life,
dead to deceitful calendars,
dead to fleeting friend requests,
dead to the empty peace of our accomplishments.

To our packed-full planners, we bid, “Peace!”
To our over-caffeinated consciences, we say, “Cease!”
To our suffocating selves, Lord, grant release.

Drowning in a sea of deadlines and death chimes,
we rest in you, our lifeline.

By your ever-restful grace,
allow us to enter your Sabbath rest
as your Sabbath rest enters into us.

In the name of our Creator,
our Liberator,
our Resurrection and Life,
let all of God’s children say:
Amen.

January, 30th, 2011

The Feast of the Epiphany

2011-01-06T09:23:00.001-06:00

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany! I hope that you are experiencing the joy of this day to the fullest.
May God's grace and peace be your's today!

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Location:Redwood Dr,Corinth,United States

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:16:00.001-06:00

Hello! Happy New Year! Can you believe it's 2011?!?! I'm so ready for 2011, you? God bless you! I have a feeling this is going to be an amazing year!

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A Sermon for the Reign of Christ Sunday

2010-11-21T15:24:00.001-06:00

I had the great fortune to preach this morning at Argyle UMC! I have attached the link to the video of the sermon from the third service. Grace and peace!

Enliven 2010

2010-11-11T21:35:00.001-06:00

I am feeling so very blessed tonight! Currently I am blogging from my cell at Richmond Hill, a former monastery that is now an ecumenical retreat center. There is something about being in a place that has been "prayed in." One can feel the prayers that have risen to God from those who have lived, loved, and worshipped in this place.

I am here attending the Enliven 2010 event for global song leaders and it is AMAZING! Our masterclass tonight was led byPatrick Evans from Yale and he was outstanding. His discussion around 'invitations' was encouraging and thought-provoking!

More to come!

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Location:Brander St,Richmond,United States

Bonhoeffer on relationships

2010-08-31T08:35:00.001-05:00

"We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer. The only profitable relationship to others--and especially to our weaker brothers and sisters--is one of love, and that means the will to be in community with them. God did not despise humanity, but became a human for humanity's sake."

--Dietrich Bonhoeffer

As found on pg. 263 of "A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer" The original quote comes from "Letters and Papers from Prison 9"

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A quote from Oscar Romero

2010-08-11T10:50:00.001-05:00

Let us not measure the church by the number of its members or by its material buildings. The church has built many houses of worship, many seminaries, many building that have been taken from her. They have been stolen and turned into libraries and barracks and markets and other things.
That doesn’t matter.
The material walls here will be left behind in history. What matters is you, the people, your hearts.
God’s grace giving you God’s truth and life.
Don’t measure yourselves by your numbers. Measure yourselves by the sincerity of heart with which you follow the truth and light of our divine Redeemer.
--Oscar Romero, December 19, 1977
(as found in "The Violence of Love")

A Great Quote from Br. Roger

2010-07-27T09:32:00.001-05:00

"When the Church is intent on loving and understanding the mystery of every human being, when tirelessly it listens, comforts, and heals, it becomes what it is at its most luminous: the crystal-clear reflection of a communion." --Brother Roger of Taize

A Great Quote from Br. Roger

2010-07-27T09:32:00.000-05:00

Desmond Tutu's latest op-ed

2010-07-21T17:43:00.001-05:00

http://nyti.ms/aAXtFQ

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The great Jamie Cullum

2010-07-14T16:33:00.000-05:00

Sarah and I are headed to see Jamie Cullum at the Lakewood Theater tonight! I have been looking forward to this night for a long time, ever since the last time I saw him at Stubbs in Austin, several years ago. He is an incredible musician who puts on a great show. If you aren't familiar with him, check him out!

www.jamiecullum.com

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Ortiz and Cliff Lee

2010-07-13T21:34:00.000-05:00

Ahhh...it finally feels like a real summer! I've been very fortunate to have been on the road working these last five July's and I'm always gone during the All Star game. This year, I'm only out one weekend in July and I've been able to indulge myself by watching this year's Home Run Derby and now the All Star Game! Finally, I feel like I am having a real summer!
It was such a joy to watch David Ortiz hit last night: I have always been a big fan, even with the steroid accusations. To see him stand up and dominate like that was amazing!
And Cliff Lee is a Texas Ranger?!?! What a summer indeed!

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There Will Be a Witness!

2010-07-12T14:53:00.001-05:00

Hello! I hope this post finds you well! In the off chance anyone still looks at this blog, I've decide to post a link to a sermon I preached this past Sunday, July 11th, at my home church, Custer Road UMC in Plano, Texas.
Grace and peace,
Joe
http://tinyurl.com/22lm7nl

Summer Greeting!

2010-06-14T12:53:00.001-05:00

Grace and peace to you, friends! I hope this post finds you well. Currently, I am preparing to be travel to Music and Worship Arts Week at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. One day, I hope to be able to take a group from AUMC to this tremendous place. Lake Junaluska is a United Methodist Retreat and Conference Center in the Great Smokey Mountains and it is truly stunning! For me, “Lake J” is a thin place: a geographic location where I connect with God quickly.

The ancient Celts called these places where God seemed to be more readily available “thin places.” No one really knows why such places exist. I know I actively look forward to being in a thin place. I anticipate the chance to be in God’s presence in a way that is different from my day-to-day routines. I look long for the chance to pay extra attention to God and to continue to be attentive to Jesus! Do you long for that as well?

Where are the thin places in your life?

I hope that, in the midst of this busy summer season that you will be able to take some time to nurture your relationship with Jesus, to be attentive to him, to listen to what he might be saying to you, and to luxuriate in your relationship with him!

There were patterns in Jesus’ life that we need to appropriate for our lives. Often, Jesus would engage in some prophetic action, some deep engagement with the people and then he would retreat for time with his Father to pray and to renew. We must do this in our own lives as well. Life is too short to live any other way.

Dear friends, take some time this summer to renew your relationship with God! I look forward to worshipping with you this summer and to gearing up for an incredible fall!

Grace and peace,

Joe

Been taking a break

2010-04-26T17:44:00.000-05:00

Hello there!
So, I have been taking a break from blogging, tweeting, facebook, etc. for a while now. To be honest, I haven't missed it all that much!!! The only thing I have missed has been connecting with folks I do not normally see on a frequent basis. I am not sure if I am going to pick up the activity or not just yet. We will see! God bless you!

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Location:I-35 in Lewisville, TX

A thought for Holy Week

2010-03-29T08:47:00.002-05:00

This morning, as I was praying the morning office, I came across the following line which arrested my attention: God whose word can never be broken.
God whose word can never be broken.
God's word of love, justice, forgiveness, mercy, and grace can NEVER be broken! Despite what the powers and principalities can throw at God, God's word can never be broken. We may not see it in our own lifetime but in the end love wins!
Amen and amen!

Prayers appreciated this weekend!

2010-03-05T11:59:00.001-06:00

At dfw getting on the plane to go speak at The Crossing conference in South Dakota! Crazy excited!

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Location:Unnamed Rd,Irving,United States

Who are Your Most Influential Theologians?

2010-02-22T08:34:00.002-06:00

Grace and peace to you!
At lunch with a good friend the other day I posed the following question: if you could only pick five theologians who most influenced your thinking, who would they be? His answers were fascinating and have spurned me to reading in some new directions! I'm curious, who are your top-five theologians? They don't have to be academy trained folks, novelists, film-makers, family members, etc. are all great choices!
Without giving it a great amount of thought my first list would have to include (in no particular order with a few groupings):
1. The Wesley's
2. Desmond Tutu
3. Marcus Borg
4. Gutierrez and Cone
5. Three of my professors at Perkins: Michel Hawn, Mark Stamm, and Theodore Walker.

Who has most influenced how you talk and think about God?

I'm alive!

2010-02-13T10:08:00.001-06:00

I have no idea how long it's been since I've posted. Sorry it's been so long. Life has been crazy full lately, as I am sure it has been for you.
I was supposed to be in route to a rehearsal at the moment but the reheasal has been canceled, so there's time for a quick update and time to hang with the family!
Of late I have been rereading a lot of Desmond Tutu's writings as means of preparing for an event with the youth of the Dakotas Annual Conference. Father Tutu is the man! He inspires me towards that great Wesleyan ideal of personal and social holiness! His theogy, especially the African concept of ubuntu has been one of the central tenants of my theology since I first encountered it in the late 1990's.
Well, there is still a foot of snow on the ground, which is incredible to see in Texas, and it's time to play some UNO with Ellie!
Grace and peace!

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Location:Redwood Dr,Corinth,United States

The lone, wild goose

2010-01-21T22:22:00.001-06:00

My Lord, what a week it's been. Without getting too far into the details of the week, the last seven days have been over-the-top stressful. I have been asking some tough questions of late and am not satisfied with the answers I have been coming up with!
Tonight, however, I'm reading dcom and p&q papers for friends of mine out on my porch. The weather is crisp and cool and the papers are good! My soul feels like it's getting a bit of a rest from the chaos of the last seven days.
While I'm not a big believer in "signs" per se, I just recieved one, I think. It's 10:12 pm and the moon is shining brightly. Out of no where a few moments ago I heard the rustiling of feathers and then I heard the honking of a solitary Canadian goose. In Scotland, the wild goose is considered a symbol for unpredictable and, at times, disruptive nature of the Holy Spirit. I feel encouraged! Perhaps the Spirit is doing a new thing in the midst of a bit of chaos!

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Location:Redwood Dr,Corinth,United States

Martin Luther King Day, 2010

2010-01-18T15:29:00.001-06:00

Another MLK day has come and I wonder what his ministry would look like if he were still with us today? What fruits would have been harvested from the Poor People's Campaign? What of his work opposing Vietnam? Because of hate, we will never know.
I started a book yesterday that I've been meaning to read for years: "Bonhoeffer and King: Speaking Truth to Power" by J. Deotis Roberts. Currently, I am reading about the impact of early adulthood impacted their respective ministries. I wonder what paths they would have taken in this day and age?

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Location:Corinth, TX

Apologies for the Twiiter Issue

2010-01-05T18:56:00.003-06:00

Hi friends!
I hope all is well! I'm sorry for the twitter posts that appeared on the blog recently. For some reason, the updates were not coming from my twitter account but rather from other accounts. My apologies for the language that appeared!
Grace and peace,
joe

Fun pictures of Sam!

2009-12-30T18:16:00.000-06:00

Exploration 2009 in Dallas

2009-12-30T18:15:00.000-06:00

The Justice Revival!

2009-12-30T18:12:00.000-06:00

The Beautiful New Christmas Banners at AUMC

2009-12-30T18:09:00.001-06:00

More foggy day photo's

2009-12-30T18:07:00.002-06:00

Trees on a Foggy Day

2009-12-30T18:01:00.000-06:00

2009 Star's Pictures

2009-12-30T17:59:00.000-06:00

More Camera App Fun!

2009-12-30T17:56:00.000-06:00

Teamwork at it's finest!

2009-12-30T17:54:00.000-06:00

Fun with a new camera app!

2009-12-30T17:50:00.000-06:00

A few fall pictures!

2009-12-30T17:47:00.000-06:00

A few Christmas pictures of the fam!

2009-12-30T17:42:00.000-06:00

A lovely prayer from Larry Peacock for this day

2009-12-30T08:21:00.001-06:00

God of the winter sky, place a star on the horizon, for I need your light to guide me. I carry the darkness of resentment and anger, the shadows of fear and self-doubt. I need your light to show my community and me that you tenderly love us.
God of the winter sky, place a star on the horizons, for our world needs the assurance of your shining presence. Shine gently on those who grieve. Shine brightly on all who struggle for bread to eat, land to till, work to do. Shine with a strong light on all those who struggle for justice, who work for peace, who bind up the wounds.
God of the winter sky, place a star above me so that I may go into the new year with your light to guide me. Amen.
--Larry Peacock, as found in his book "Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Psalms, and Prayer."

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T14:32:00.003-06:00

I hope this post finds you well! What a crazy Advent/Christmas Season this has been. As I look outside my window I'm still amazed to see so much snow! We had an honest to goodness White Christmas in North Texas. Crazy! I hope you are experiencing God's deepest blessings during this season!
Merry Christmas!

P.S. I won't be posting much this week as I leave on tour tomorrow with the Veritas Youth Choir. Have a blessed week!

A Beautiful New Poem by John Thornburg

2009-12-08T10:46:00.002-06:00

Check out this beautiful new poem from the amazing poet, John Thornburg:

CALLED TO PONDER MYSTERY

If everything were known,
if we could quantify the 'why',
explain the 'how' and name the 'when',
then nothing would remain
but naming who was rightest of the right,
and blaming those who got it wrong.
Know this alone;
Emmanuel.
The One who made us came to us.
It is enough.

Copyright 2009, John Thornburg

Now What? Revisiting a three year old homily for World AIDS Day

2009-12-02T10:00:00.001-06:00

Now What?
A Homily for World AIDS Day 2006

Tonight, friends, we are here together. That is important! Tonight, even if only for an hour or two, we are in community. Tonight we have sung songs, prayed prayers, and we’ve listened to beautiful music. We have raised our voices against injustice. And all day long we’ve been exposed to horrible, mind-numbing statistics. Statistics that remind us that there are 39.5 million people living with AIDS and that 2.9 million people have died of AIDS related illnesses this year. We have heard that there have been 4.3 million new infections this year. But beyond that, we remember the faces that those statistics represent. Those numbers, and the faces we remember, can cause us to feel the heaviness that all too often engulfs the world. Tonight, we might be caught in the darkness that shrouds our planet.
But the good in this is, for tonight, at least, we are together! And our togetherness should give us hope. Because it is in our togetherness that we remember our dead, we mourn our friends, and we miss our family. But we don’t grieve alone, because tonight we are together. This is a good thing because God never wants us to be alone.
I want to get local with you for just a moment. This church has not always been a place that was about compassion, and dignity and respect for all. This church had a bit of a reputation for exuding judgment when it should have been exuding love, compassion, and working for justice. But now, it is doing those good things, as are many churches across the world.
In churches and in religious communities across the world where just ten to fifteen years ago HIV/AIDS was a horrible stigma for anyone to have, many of those same communities are now working to be in solidarity with those who have AIDS and to be in community with them. The church is working on treating everyone with dignity and respect.
As the sun rose in Washington D.C. this morning there was a live feed on CNN from Foundry UMC in Washington D.C. where their prayer vigil for World AIDS Day was beginning. As the sun passes from the east to the middle of our country, we have had events, prayers, and remembrance here at this church. As the sun continues its journey to the west, churches and religious communities from Texas to New Mexico, to Arizona, to Nevada, to California, and to Hawaii are having services to mark World AIDS Day and to remember those who have left us. Truly, the church and religious traditions of all kinds from all over the world are raising their voices to the heavens this day: this should give us hope as well!
But, if you are at all like me, you find yourself asking the question, now what? Some of you have been in this struggle since the beginning, over twenty-five years ago, and some of us are here for the first time.
All I can tell you is this: what we are doing tonight makes a difference and we need to continue this work. We must continue to lift our voices with our friends from around the world. Certainly we do this in remembrance of those who we have lost, but we also raise our voices to say that HIV/AIDS is the greatest pandemic humanity has ever faced. We raise our voices to remind the world that it is not o.k. to compartmentalize AIDS as just a “health” issue for “those people” because it is truly a “human” issue! We raise our voices to say that AIDS, along with global poverty, are the defining issues of our generation. We must remind the world that the global AIDS pandemic will not and cannot be solved without solving global poverty. It is a tragedy of the first order that thousands of children, women and men will die today because the world refuses to give them medicine! Together we have to remind the world that it cannot ignore these issues!
Let us remind the world, not only with our voices, but also with our hearts, with our minds, with our hands and our feet as we leave this place. Let us show the world what it means to love unconditionally and to work for justice. Let us shine light into a world that is all too often filled with darkness.
We need to continue to open people’s eyes, so that they may truly see the cost of this horrible disease. The world needs to be reminded constantly that we are about to lose a generation of people in Africa, that AIDS is a very real pandemic in the United States and around the world. Not only do we need to educate, to teach, and to prevent this terrible disease but we must also remind the world of the intrinsic goodness of God’s creation.
We must remember that, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, that God, who is good, created us, all of us, that God has formed us, and that God loves us and redeems us. When we pass through the waters, when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with us. God has made you, and you are precious in God’s sight. Let us take this word into the world to love our friends and those who would oppose us. Let us shine light into the world, because God is with us!
Let all of God’s children say: Amen!

A World AIDS Day Service

2009-12-02T09:57:00.002-06:00

It is truly a lovely morning in Texas! It snowed today!!!! December 2! It's hard to imagine. Sam, our youngest son got to experience snow for the first time in his life! Glorious!
Since yesterday was World AIDS Day, I meant to post this liturgy and homily from w World AIDS Day service I led three years ago but yesterday was a full day of ministry so I'm just now getting to it. I wonder, how much progress have we seen in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the last three years?

WORLD AIDS DAY 2006
December 1st, 2006
7:00 p.m.

GATHERING

Prelude Psalm Prelude (Psalm 40:1-3) Craig Phillips Dr. David Heller, organist
I waited patiently upon the Lord;
he stooped to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the desolate pit,
out of the mire and clay;
he set my feet upon a high cliff
and he made my footing sure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God;
many shall see, and stand in awe,
and put their trust in the Lord.

Invocation of the Spirit Come Holy Spirit Thornburg/Potts
Come, Holy Spirit,
come, Holy Spirit;
break the chains our fears create;
teach us love and stifle hate;
help us rest, but not escape.
Come, Holy Spirit.

Soloist verses by Alison Boone
On a road in the wilderness Phillip saw the eunuch
who was searching for the wisdom of God,
and Phillip offered him understanding, good news and acceptance,
acceptance as a child of God.

To the house of the Roman guard
Peter went with a vision full of animals reptiles and birds,
and God said “Peter, don’t call anything unclean that I have made,
for I have made all things clean.”

To the outcast and alien seeking God’s communion,
God says, “I respect no distinctions or walls,
and I will gather up all who seek me into my holy mountain,
for all shall be welcome there.”

*Call to Worship
The One: Gracious God, tonight, we have gathered from across this city, from many
places, and for many reasons. We gather to remember:
The Many: May we never forget those who have been lost to us because of
HIV/AIDS, God, we commend our brothers and sisters to you.
The One: Loving God, we gather because of love:
The Many: Show us a glimpse of your love, O God, so that we can be empowered to
love one another.
The One: Eternal God, we are here to worship and to ask for justice!
The Many: Yahweh, you are our Creator, and we worship you! You desire your
creation to be made whole: send forth your justice to our hurting world.
The One: Source of all Light, we are here for hope!
The Many: Send us your light, Lord, for we live in an all too often dark world.
All: God, may we worship you tonight and always by being fully human, by
becoming what you would have us to be, and by loving you and our neighbors with the fullness of our being.
--Rev. Joe Stobaugh

*Hymn Be Tender with the Ones You Know Thornburg/Hawn
Solo: Be tender with the ones you know
who hold their sadness deep inside;
be reconciled for any meanness,
insult, ridicule, or pride.

All: Say and do the things that strengthen;
be the carriers of grace.
Let us be the ones
in whom our neighbors see God’s face.

Welcome & Introductions: Rev. Karen Vannoy & Rev. John Flowers

SONGS OF LOVE AND JUSTICE
Siyahamba
Freedom is Coming

WORDS OF LOVE AND JUSTICE

Homily: Dr. C. Michael Hawn

Sung Refrain:
Say and do the things that strengthen;
be the carriers of grace.
Let us be the ones
in whom our neighbors see God’s face

A Time of Meditation
“The Peace may be exchanged” from Rubrics Dan Locklair Dr. David Heller, organist

Homily: Michelle Durham, Director of BEATAIDS

Sung Refrain:
Say and do the things that strengthen;
be the carriers of grace.
Let us be the ones
in whom our neighbors see God’s face

Musical Presentation: Bridge Over Troubled Waters arr. Kirby Shaw
The Alamo City Men’s Chorale; under the direction of Jennifer Whatley

Homily: “Now What?” Rev. Joe Stobaugh

I Have Called You, You Are Mine Sanctuary Choir
Text: Isaiah 43:1-7; Music: Lana Cartlidge Potts

Benediction Evan Jones

Lighting of the Candles

Come, Holy Spirit & Be Tender with the Ones You Know © John Thornburg, All rights reserved. OneLicense.net #A-712713

Worship Leaders:
The Rev. Karen Vannoy, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Rev. Dr. John Flowers, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Rev Dr. C. Michael Hawn, Perkins School of Theology
Dr. David Heller, Trinity University
Lana Cartlidge Potts, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Sanctuary Choir of Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Alamo City Men’s Chorale
Michelle Durham, BEATAIDS
Evan Jones, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Rev. Joseph Stobaugh, Travis Park United Methodist Church

A Beautiful Advent Poem by MaryAnn Jindra

2009-11-29T15:24:00.003-06:00

This morning the Chancel Choir at Argyle UMC sang a beautiful Advent anthem with a text by MaryAnn Jindra with music by Libby Larson. It was lovely! Below you will find the poem which is a lovely reminder for us all during this season.

Lord, before this fleeting season is upon us,
let me remember to walk slowly.

Lord, bless my heart with Love and with quiet.
Give my heart a leaning to hear carols.

Grace our family with contentment,
and the peace that comes only from You.

Lord, help us to do less this busy season;
go less; stay closer to home; kneel more.

May our hearts be Your heart.
May we simply, peacefully, celebrate You.

A new ministry opportunity?

2009-11-27T15:40:00.002-06:00

I'm thinking this just might be the new ministry for me! One of our AUMC members, Greg Bristow, has started a motorcycle ministry! I so wish I could participate. Unfortunately, there are a two key items that will keep me from being a part of this new ministry:

1. I don't have a motorcycle license.
2. Perhaps even more importantly, I don't have a motorcycle.

I suppose that, for the time being, I'll just have to support this ministry from afar!

What a cool ministry!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T08:50:00.003-06:00

Ahhh...the last two days have been wonderful! Sarah, the kids and I, have been hanging with our family. We spent Wednesday with my family and Thursday with Sarah's. It's been an incredible blessing to just HANG! I hope you have had a relaxing week as well!

The Justice Revival!

2009-11-09T16:51:00.001-06:00

Hello friends!

I am so excited about attending the upcoming Justice Revival this week in Dallas! The event is free, begins tomorrow and will be incredible! Zan Holmes, Jim Wallis, Fred Hammond, Jack Velasquez, Salvador, and Israel Houghton! Check out the website:

http://justicerevival.org/

I hope to see you there!

Pictures from the All Saints' Services at Argyle UMC and Flower Mound UMC

2009-11-05T22:31:00.004-06:00

A Quote from Shane Claiborne

2009-11-05T22:26:00.001-06:00

Here's a great quote from Shane Claiborne on prayer: "Prayer is not so much about convincing God to do what we want God to do as it is about convincing ourselves to do what God wants us to do."

Truth!

All Saints' at AUMC

2009-10-30T16:37:00.002-05:00

Hello! I hope all is well in your corner of the world. I've been away from the blog for a while because I've been preparing for a series of incredible All Saints' Services this weekend at Argyle UMC and Flower Mound UMC. At the 11:15 service this week (and at 3:00 at Flower Mound UMC) the combined choirs of AUMC and FMUMC will be leading an All Saints' Service based around Gabriel Faure's Requiem. I can't wait for this worship experience to happen! In addition to the 40-45 voices in the choir we will also have a chamber orchestra and two new liturgical pieces (a bell tree and a processional cross) that have been commissioned for this service. It's going to be incredible! Pictures to come.
In the interim, have fun tomorrow and enjoy your extra hour of sleep Saturday night!
BTW, the picture is of Gabriel Faure.

A few pictures from the U2 concert

2009-10-15T17:00:00.004-05:00

The Claw went green during "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" in tribute to the people of Iran fighting for democracy.

77,000 people singing their hears out!

Our original seats with the HORRIBLE acoustics. I can't imagine going to another concert at Cowboys Stadium unless I'm somehow able to sell a kidney to sit on the floor.

Sarah, with The Claw in the background.

A Quick Review of the U2 Concert!

2009-10-15T16:53:00.003-05:00

Sarah and I had the great fortune on Monday night to attend the U2 concert at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. While I've been a huge fan of U2 for quite a while this was my first time to experience them in concert.

U2 didn't disappoint, in fact, they were incredible!

Cowboys Stadium, did disappoint.

The acoustics where we sat were horrendous. The opening act, Muse, was completely unintelligible. I was looking forward to hearing them but the acoustics were so bad that they sounded awful. I'm sure their performance was tremendous but there's no way I could have known!

During Muse's last song I found a place for us to stand in the end zone party pass area, where the acoustics were 1000 times better! Thankfully, we were able to stand there for the rest of the show.

U2 was, simply amazing! The Claw and adjoining screen were mind blowing and the performance was top-notch. U2's set list was as follows:

Breathe
Get on Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Stuck In A Moment
No Line on the Horizon
Elevation
Until The End of the World
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy - Remix
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On
One
Where The Streets Have No Name

Ultraviolet
With or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Simply incredible! One day I hope to be able to see them live again! (Hopefully in an arena!)

An Open Letter to the President from Brian McLaren

2009-10-15T16:12:00.004-05:00

I have great respect for both Brian McLaren and our President, Barack Obama. I must say that I am disturbed by the talk of major escalation of our forces in Afghanistan. I think this open letter from McLaren to President Obama is important. I hope you will take a moment to check it out! http://tiny.cc/7ESIV

A Good Reminder!

2009-10-13T12:29:00.003-05:00

I found this image on the Rev. Mike Baughman's Blog www.methomergentlab.worpress.com and it made me laugh! I will post on last night's U2 concert soon!

A Poem by Thom M. Sherman that Gets to the Heart of the Matter

2009-10-12T10:24:00.002-05:00

I am so excited! Today I am headed to the U2 concert at the new Cowboys Stadium. I have never had the opportunity to see them live before but I'm told it's like going to church! This morning I received a copy of this poem from a devotional email series that I receive from The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts. I think the timing is appropriate.

where you sit

we leave our box seats
at the symphony or ball park,
and pray you won’t catch our eye
as we pass you
sitting with the homeless;

we wait for a few minutes
at the doctor’s office
to get a $10 shot
so we won’t catch the flu,
while half a world away
you sit for a week
hoping medicine
which will cost you a year’s wages
finds its way to your village;

we sit in our home theaters,
watching the latest “reality”
on our plasma screens,
while you sit in the darkness,
rocking your child asleep,
as she cries from the ache
of an empty stomach.

Lord Jesus;
When
(like James and John)
we want to be at your side in glory:
remind us where you sit.

Amen

©2006 Thom M. Sherman
www.prayersfortoday.blogspot.com

A Poem by Thom M. Sherman that Gets to the Heart of the Matter

2009-10-12T10:24:00.000-05:00

where you sit

we leave our box seats
at the symphony or ball park,
and pray you won’t catch our eye
as we pass you
sitting with the homeless;

we wait for a few minutes
at the doctor’s office
to get a $10 shot
so we won’t catch the flu,
while half a world away
you sit for a week
hoping medicine
which will cost you a year’s wages
finds its way to your village;

we sit in our home theaters,
watching the latest “reality”
on our plasma screens,
while you sit in the darkness,
rocking your child asleep,
as she cries from the ache
of an empty stomach.

Lord Jesus;
When
(like James and John)
we want to be at your side in glory:
remind us where you sit.

Amen

©2006 Thom M. Sherman
www.prayersfortoday.blogspot.com

A Beautiful Prayer for Church Musicians by Thomas Troeger

2009-10-03T15:15:00.002-05:00

A great friend of mind and a tremendous musician, Carrie Chavarria, recently posted this beautiful prayer by Thomas Troeger on her facebook page. Thank you, Carrie, for sending out this incredible prayer!

A Prayer by Rev. Dr. Thomas Troeger

Source of all that is good and true and beautiful,
to whom whales and birds and crickets sing,
keep constant in your musicians
the conviction that your Spirit works through them
to reach a vast and carried hosts of souls
who gather in church
for hope, assureance, grace, beauty,
for some sign of your care,
for solace from grief and loss,
for strength to stand for justice,
for a glimpse of wonder and mystery,
for response to a need so hidden that it is known to you alone.

Assure your musicians that the rehearsals they lead,
the anthems they conduct,
the hymns they play,
the psalms they accompany,
the service music they offer,
the solos they sing,
the instrumental works they perform,
the programs they organize,
the words of encouragement they give
are again and again
the vessel of your Spirit
for healing the bruised, the lost, the broken
and for setting free the holy aspirations of the human heart.

And since the souls that are saved
be the secret ministries of music
often find it too self-revealing,
too frightening,
to offer their thanks in person,
may their unarticulated gratitude
be gathered by the wind of your Spirit
and be borne to the hearts of your musicans
as a gift to renew their faith
so that they may continue to be instruments
of proclamation and pastoral care
as they lead your people
in singing your everlasting praose
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A Quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.

2009-10-03T15:04:00.002-05:00

A while back I read Stephen Mansfield's "The Faith of Barack Obama." I was struck by two sections of the book that I will post about, first here, and then in a secondary post. The first element that caught my attention was a quote from Martin Luther King. The quote is as follows:

"The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority. If the church does not participate actively in the struggle for peace and for economic and racial justice, it will forfeit the loyalty of millions and cause men everywhere to say that it has atrophied its will. But if the church will free itself from the shackles of a deadening status quo, and, recovering its great historic mission, will speak and act fearlessly and insistently in terms of justice and peace, it will enkindle the imagination of mankind and fire the souls of men, imbuing them with a glowing and ardent love for truth, justice, and peace."

Wow! I wonder how many of us are so blinded by our culture to realize that, in the vast majority of local churches, the church has forfeited its role as the conscience of the state?

Two excellent recent reads

2009-09-29T16:19:00.003-05:00

I just finished two wonderful books that I would highly recommend to you: " A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller and a great little book "Sabbath" by Dan Allender.

Donald Miller's book has afforded me the opportunity to literally cry tears of joy. I can't encourage you enough to read this book!

The second book, "Sabbath," is part of The Ancient Practices Series and has been instrumental to the continual molding of my theology of the most neglected item from the Ten Commandments: the observance of the Sabbath.

In this book I read about a wonderful spiritual discipline that I have incorporated into my life recently.

I have begun the practice on the Sabbath (since I work on Sunday's I try to celebrate the Sabbath on Friday's) and the practice is this: I am going to find a quiet place, which is no mean feat in our house, and journal for a bit all of the things I am thankful for so that I can continue to become a person who is grateful to God for all that God has done.

I'm finding that this discipline helps me to lead a life that is filled with more gratitude and grace. I wonder if it might do so for you as well?

Sermon manuscript from a service honoring the ministry of Rev. John Baldwin

2009-08-17T08:36:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago I had the great pleasure of preaching at a service at Custer Road UMC, my home church. This service marked the beginning of youth week for the the student ministries as well as marking and honoring the ministry of Rev. John Baldwin, who is beginning ministry in a new field these days, after 20 years of youth ministry at Custer Road. It was a rare privilege to preach this service! My good friend and colleague, Rev. Dana Coker, presided at the table. Dana and I grew up together at CRUMC and have since both entered into ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church. What a night! Thank you to Rev. Mike Baughman for putting it all together!

And They Went
Genesis 12:1-4

Begin w/Drum Groove (Joe, then Sarah and Matt Hammer)

“I want you to go back in time with me….to a time before this magnificent organ was here in this place, to a time before the swine flu, to a time before Jon and Kate had eight, to a time before the proliferation of the cell phone, before facebook, twitter, or even email, there was a man, a tool…of God, an instrument of the Lord’s, a servant of God. That man’s name is Baldwin, John Baldwin. But we’ll get to him later. Come back with me, farther in time, to a time before trains, planes, and automobiles, to a time before printing presses, before personal hygiene, before the Romans….their was a man, a tool of God, an instrument of the Lord’s, a servant of God and his name was Abram.”

Hear now the key story to the book of Genesis, the key piece to the first five books of the Bible, and one of the most important stories for us today as followers of Christ.

Read Genesis 12:1-4
The Word of God, for the people of God…thanks be to God.
You know this is a pretty popular verse in preaching circles! Often, however preachers stop preaching on this text after verse three, the blessing part.

But I don’t know about you, I find the fourth verse to be incredibly intriguing…

So Abram went as the Lord had told him. Abram heard from God and he went.

You know, if we listen, I think we hear from God all the time but after we calculate the costs of following, of going where we are called, as God tells us, we often, decide its much too costly, much to dangerous and we stay right where we are.

But Abram, however, gave up his security, and he went.

Consider this:

God called Abram, promised him, blessed him, saying that Abram and his descendants would bless all creation. It is important to understand what blessing means in this context, for here the word has cosmic implications. It means well-being in all aspects of life. The common good, if you will. All of the families of earth will have what they need to live, not just survive but thrive. It means that all will be blessed by the descendants of Abram.

God is promising Abram that his descendants would bless all of God’s people throughout time. It’s a big promise and a promise that Abram had to know would never see fulfilled in his lifetime…

And so Abram had a choice to make: follow God, go into the unknown, and claim God’s promises, or, he could stay where he was and stick with what he knew.

Knowing that he had a choice in the matter, Abram still chose to give up nearly everything to go and to follow God! He gave up his economic security (which is a word for us to consider in our present circumstance), his religious security (which we who worship in this beautiful place tonight without fear for our lives would do well to consider), and his social network, his social security and he went.

Abram faced this incredible dilemma when God spoke to him, as John Wesley put it, “could Abram trust God farther than he could see him?”

Could Abram have faith, could he act his faith, so that he could be a blessing to all of the peoples of God? Did Abram trust God enough to put his story into God’s story, even though he knew that he would never see the fulfillment of God’s promises of blessing to the world in his lifetime?

Could Abram do it? God had to wonder. Could he give up so much to follow? We know the answer is yes, and Abram went as the Lord told him.

What an incredible example for us of what it looks to be people of faith.

To be a tool of God, to be a servant, an instrument of God, we have to be a little bit like Abram. To be a tool of God, you have to be willing to trust more than what you can see. But, that trust is not a passive thing; rather, it is an active thing, a living thing, a vibrant way of life. You also have to work, you have to claim God’s promises by living into them and out of them, and you have to live in a way that embodies the values of the Kingdom of God as set forth by Jesus!

(pause)

To be a tool in God’s hands is to become part of something greater than ourselves. If we offer ourselves to God, we become a part of something grander than our youth group, something greater than our schools, something richer and more profound than our businesses or even our country.

For to become a willing tool of God we become agents of God’s Kingdom on earth!

And becoming an agent of God is highest calling. It requires faith, trust, community and hope, for we will not, we cannot see the end result, the final fulfillment of God’s dream in our lifetime.

But be assured…as tools of God, as tools the size of mustard seeds in the hands of God we will see the signs of Yahweh’s reign in our lives. For when we are about God’s work, when we put our story into God’s story by aligning our priorities with God’s priorities, we will see God’s Kingdom come in our lives and the world around us.

Abram was called; God blessed him, so that he would be a blessing! And, he went! And by going, he, and Lot, and Sari and the rest established a pattern for God’s people: We are called and loved by God, blessed by God and sent out by God into the world to bless others! That is part, for us, of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

They went and others followed.

Remember Moses, the one who had difficulty speaking. The one who, with God’s help, challenged and beat the most powerful man and empire in his time. And he went!

Remember David, just a small boy, who, with God’s help liberated his people from a fierce oppressor! And he went!

Remember Jesus himself, who though fully God was also fully human. He chose to speak words of love and liberation, even as he was being executed. And he went!

Remember Stephen, who acted and spoke in the love of God, even though it became the death of him. And he went!

Remember Francis of Assisi, who gave up his life of privilege to rebuild God’s church. And he went!

Remember Margaret Fell, who, while in prison in 1667 wrote Women’s Speaking Justified, citing the Bible in defense of the then crazy idea that women might have something to say of value in church. And she went!

Remember John Wesley, who though he greatly preferred the comfort of preaching in the sanctuary, chose to preach in the coalmines, thus ignited an explosion of faith in the British Isles that led to the creation of the church you worship in today! And he went!

Remember Martin Luther King, Jr., who though only 26 years old, at the urging of his colleagues decided to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Despite frequent threats and attempts against his life and the life of his family he proclaimed liberation, struggled for peace and justice. And he went!

Remember Mother Teresa, who, after her death, we learned that she had profound doubts about the very existence of God, but in spite of her doubts she chose to serve the poorest of the poor in India and thus blessed not only the poor but blessed the world by inspiring it. And she went!

Remember Shane Claiborne, our modern-day Mother Teresa, who by the way he leads his life inspires many of us to further radical love and action in the world in the name of Jesus. And he went!

And this brings us to another one of God’s faithful and precious servants, a tool of God, an instrument of the Lord. Remember our brother John Baldwin, who followed God’s call to this place, where he has been in ministry to thousands of God’s children for twenty years.

God called John to a pilgrimage life of blessing others, and John went.

We all have our own stories and memories of how John has blessed each one of us.

My initial memory of being blessed by John comes from 1990. It was the fall of my seventh grade year and the time had come for the fall retreat. Now, one of my main challenges in life, as Tim Morrison has confirmed for me on numerous occasions, is that I think too much. I had managed the week before the retreat to convince myself that there were many compelling reasons why I shouldn’t go on this retreat: I wouldn’t know very many people, I would be lonely, there was important school work to be done, I needed to practice, etc.

I had worked myself up to the point where I declared on Friday afternoon to my family that I wouldn’t be joining the other youth on Friday night. I kind of got emotional about it! I’m not saying there was a flood of tears but certainly there was moistures involved!

My mother, in her infinite grace and loving wisdom, headed up to church as people were gathering and she told John that I had decided not to come.

I will never forget the power of what happened next. I was home, feeling pretty sorry for myself and the phone rang. I picked up the phone, trying to hold back the tears from affecting my voice and said, “hello?” The voice on the other end of the phone was John’s and he said that he heard I had decided not to come to the retreat that weekend and that he was sorry to hear that because he was looking forward to getting to know me. He also said that there was still room and still time and if I changed my mind I was welcome to come. He treated me like a full person, and not a child.

Friends, to this day, I remain thankful for that phone call, and thankful that God urged me to say yes and I went.

And the retreat was AMAZING! I met lots of new friends, had a wonderful time, we went to the old Texas Stadium, I fell off the top bunk of a bunk-bed, and, I can say this because she’s not here, I even kissed a girl for the first time! (Which was reason enough to go!) It was awesome! And the retreat was good too.

God was so active through John that night! Had the Spirit not prompted John, had John not said yes to the Spirit, had he not picked up the phone and called me, I don’t know that I would be standing up here, 19 years later as an ordained in full-connection United Methodist Minister, preaching!

God called John, God blessed John so that John could be a blessing to others. And, as we all know, he is.

And God has called John to a new ministry, and because John is a man of faith, a man who trusts God’s promises, he has responded to God’s new call in his life.

So it should be for us. God is calling to each and every one of us, out of love. God is blessing each and every one of us so that we will bless every family on earth. God is calling us to love the common good! May we be inspired by John’s willingness to go where God calls him!

For those of you who are former students of John’s here by yourselves, or with your spouse or even your children, for their parents and the staff of this magnificent church, and for John’s colleagues who are here tonight, be inspired by John’s example and may the fire of faith and action that live in your hearts, may it be rekindled and renewed and strengthened by the example of the saints who have gone before us and by the very breath of the Holy Spirit!

For the students who are attending youth week, wow, this is an important week for you! As I look out over this congregation, I see friends who I made on youth week, and on tours, and retreats, who still encourage me and love me today. Undoubtedly, many of you will make friendships this week that will be with you for the rest of your lives.

But just as importantly (begin to move) perhaps more importantly, you will see God at work this week, if you choose to look for it. May you be open to hearing God’s call in your life. Make no mistake; God is calling you to a life of faith, of love, of action, of blessing for all of God’s creation. May you catch glimpses of God’s work in your life and in the lives of those around you this week. And may you have the courage to go, to put yourselves in the line of endless splendor, to claim who God has made you to be: a blessing to all of God’s creation.

In the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

Sermon from August 2 (Wall-E)

2009-08-11T12:48:00.003-05:00

Yup, it's been a month since I last posted. During that time I've stepped foot in all of the time zones in the continental U.S., preached to over 1500 folks, took the kids to Disney World, and helped to produce the worship for the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts 2009 National Convocation. What a summer!

Below you will find the manuscript of the sermon I preached at AUMC on August 2 during our AUMC At the Movies sermon series. I hope you will find it stimulating! Of course, I deviated from the manuscript quite a bit!

Tomorrow I will post the manuscript for a sermon I preached this past Sunday night at Custer Road UMC in Plano, Texas.

Script for Our End is Our Beginning

Voice 1 (Recording of): Tammie Nuoci
Media
Djembe ensemble

Media: House lights and stage lights fade to black—Eno’s Under Stars begins

Live djembe groove begins

Media: Moving images of creation, transitioning from rural to urban scenes

Voice: Now it’s time for a story. Many of us in this place know the beginning of this story, but, many of us, perhaps, don’t really know its end.

The story begins like this…

In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. And God called the creation not only good, but very good! From the smallest particles that constitute every thing, to the largest interstellar event, God called all that God had made very good!

Media: Begin Wall-E clip at around the 1-minute mark (without sound)

Voice: And then, as you know, because of our own selfishness, humanity messed things up. And we messed things up pretty badly. The earth, a key part of God’s very good creation, began to change in ways that God had not intended. Life cycles and ecosystems began to fall out of balance. The kingdom of death began to expand, separating creation from its fullest life. It all began to change.

(dramatic pause, djembe crescendos to a loud stop!)

It was in a time like this that the prophet Ezekiel was led to a vision.

Media: All Light’s Full

Joe reads The Valley of the Dry Bones passage, Under Stars continues…when the passage about the bones coming together begins the drums make lots of random noise and stop at the end of that section. When the breath part begins a rain stick slowly plays to a crescendo to simulate breath.

Can these bones live?
It is a question that has been with us for thousands of years, from Ezekiel’s time, to the time of the Israelites when Christ was alive, to folks imprisoned, oppressed, and enslaved throughout all time.

Can these bones live?

Can you and I, imprisoned as we might be by our addictions, by personal choices, by circumstance, by regret and disappointment, can we live again. Not just survive but LIVE!

This question, "can these bones live" is posed by the film Wall-E about the Earth. Can these bones live again?

Can the earth live without proper care, without love and stewardship from those who have been given dominion of her?

In the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 2 we find that God created humanity to till the earth, to be it’s steward. But over the course of thousands of years, we have traded, myself included, the amazing responsibility of being stewards of God’s good creation for things that are all together lesser than the gift we’ve been entrusted.

Friends, the science on climate change is firm: the earth is warming because of the emissions from burnt fossil fuels. Every other possible reason for the warming of the earth has been examined thoroughly by the global scientific community, including our own U.S. National Academy of Science (a non-partisan group of the nations top scientists that has over 200 Nobel Prize winners at the moment that is highly respected by folks on all places of the ideological spectrum) and found to be untenable. The best minds in the world say we’ve got problem on our hand in climate change.

Friends, this is real. The debate about whether climate change is fact or fiction is closed. But the debate about where we go from here is just beginning. As followers of the way of Christ we must have an important voice in this debate.

It would be easy for us to relegate our responsibility to other people, to the scientists and engineers, to the activists, to the politicians. It would be easy for us to ignore the groaning of creation itself and to believe that our primary goal as Christians is to be about “spiritual matters” to the exclusion of all else. To choose to follow that road would be to disregard the Bible in a massive, massive way.

Did you know that there are over 3,000 verses in the Bible that talk about how we are to care for the poor? There are over 1,000 verses in the Bible that deal with creation. There are 530 verses about love, and 490 verses about heaven. It is clear where God’s priorities are!

Can these bones live?

The apostle Paul speaks of this in Romans 8:19 when he says (read Romans 8:18-23)

Do you see it? God’s salvation is for humanity yes, but it is also for the entire cosmos! As N.T. Wright has said, “The whole creation—sun, moon, sea, sky, birds, animals, plants—is longing for the time when God’s people will be revealed as God’s glorious human agents, set in authority over the world. And if one dare say it like this, as God sent Jesus to rescue the human race, so God will send Jesus’ younger siblings (you and me) in the power of the Spirit, to rescue the whole created order, to bring that justice and peace for which the whole creation yearns.”
That’s bold claim! Given our track record, why would God trust us?
But why would Paul say something like this? He said this because Paul knew of God’s ultimate will: God’s dream’s for Creation will ultimately be fulfilled. What God began in the garden in Eden will be transformed and perfected in the New Jerusalem.

In the end of the Bible, we see glimpses of God’s ultimate dream for the fulfillment of his creation.

Read Rev. 21:1-5

Friends, God’s ultimate will is to dwell with us, in the new creation here on THIS earth, just as God dwelt with Adam and Eve in the garden!
Our final resting place will be back on this earth, where God has not made all new things, but rather, has made all things new. God will choose’s to dwell with us in this place, as newly resurrected beings.

Can these bones live? God gives a resounding, absolute YES!

So what we do on Earth and to Earth matters. How we conduct ourselves as stewards of God’s creation matters.

If this earth is to be our final resting place, if all of God’s dreams are pinned upon the reclamation and transformation of God’s creation through the life, death, resurrection and sending forth of Jesus Christ, and his people, we need to get on board with what God is doing in our midst!

We must align our priorities with God’s priorities; we must put our story into God’s story, and not the other way around.

God desperately wants us, God’s creation is groaning for us, to reclaim and to live out our original roles as stewards, as tillers of God’s creation.

And so even though the science of climate change is less than comforting and, perhaps, your personal situation might look bleak right now, we must remember that:

GOD IS IN THE TRANSFORMATION BUSINESS

And we are called to participate with God in transformation!!!!

When we participate in what God is doing in the world around us, partner with God in the transformation of this creation we ourselves are transformed!!! We do this by aligning our priorities with God’s priorities, just like we heard last week.

We can be transformed into the people God has made us to be! We can be made new! Regardless of what we are coming out of, God can transform us! And God will transform and renew his creation.

So are you ready? Are you ready to partner with God? Are you ready to put your story into God’s story? Are you ready to reclaim one of the roles you were made for? Are you ready to serve in ministry with the poor? Are you ready to become a better steward of all that God has created? Are you ready to cease doing that which separates you from God, and to be made new? Are you ready for your ending to become your beginning?

Sometimes our ends and our beginnings are magnificent! And sometimes they are culmination of small steps. One of the spiritual practices that we are going to embrace as a church is the wasting of extra bulletins. (Walk back to the church and encourage people to participate in the new recycling project by giving money for the program.)

Friends, let’s us give up the things that lead to death, and embrace that which leads to life! As you come to God’s table, be fed by Jesus, be welcomed and loved by him. And, if you are called, which you most surely are, put your story into God’s story and be ready to be transformed!

I am back!

2009-07-12T07:17:00.002-05:00

I can finally let go of some guilt with the writing of this brief post.
These last four weeks have been crazy-full! Four weeks ago we had vbs,
three weeks ago I was so blessed to serve as a choral clinician at the Texas
Conference Choir Camp, and last week I have been preparing to be out of the church
for two weeks and for the 2009 Fellowship Convocation.

But now, the family and I are in Orlando, preparing for five days of amazing worship
and then a few days of vacation.

If you are on Twitter I will be twittering the conference at #FUMMWA

well, it's off to the character breakfast! grace and peace!

An Article for the Church Newsletter...about Sabbath

2009-06-24T15:34:00.001-05:00

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

I hope this edition of our newsletter finds you well. I am continually amazed how fast time flies: how can we possibly find ourselves in July? Clearly, we must relish every moment of our lives and not let the things that need to be done remain undone! However, we must also find time to rest in God, to savor the beauty of the Creator’s work amongst us, and to enjoy being human. The balance between work and rest, between struggle and Sabbath, is a place of equilibrium that we, as Americans, tend to wrestle with more than other cultures. Our fight with the demon of busyness is often brought to the fore during the summer months: the mercury rises, causing us to want to slow down, the days are longer, providing more opportunity to be together in our neighborhoods, and yet, between our time at work, privacy fences, and the smart phones that surround many of us (I do love my new iPhone!) it is so easy for us to miss what God is doing around us, to forget to rest and to renew, and Sabbath, that we wither in the heat of life.

The Sabbath is vital to who God has made us to be and to become. If we truly believe that if we cease our work for one day a week, than the world will stop functioning without us, than we have made ourselves and our busyness into an idol. Yahweh is pretty clear about his feelings regarding idols. Our God dreams for us to be whole, fully integrated and balanced creatures. How can we become what God dreams for us if we never stop to listen for God? How can we find the peace that Christ promises us if we don’t trust God enough to rest, as he commands us to do?

You know, the Holy Spirit will move where she will. I am mostly greatful for that! My intent for this column was something entirely different, content-wise, than what it has become! If you are feeling out-of-balance these days, perhaps God’s calling you to reexamine your life in light of the Sabbath. There are at least two moral/theological documents that most of us produce: our budgets and our calendars. Take some time this summer, examine both of these documents and see if they really reflect what you believe, who you are, and, more importantly, who God is calling you to become! If these documents disappoint you: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Friends, time flies. Our time is, quite possibly, the most important gift we have, though, if we are to be honest, we ought to admit that it really isn’t ours to begin with. Before our very eyes, the seasons of our lives move forward and we find ourselves joined into the “endless line of splendor” as Wesley says. What will you do with this and the remaining seasons of your life?

Perhaps this summer would be a good time for a little Sabbath and reflection upon what God is calling you to become? Equally as important, the Sabbath is a day that reflects what the coming Reign of God will look like in its fullness. How would your life look if you lived in the reality of the coming Kingdom of God, a place where lions and lambs lay down together, where everyone has enough, where there is no more war, or hunger, or violence and abuse? How can you participate in what God is doing in this regard? How would living into this reality change who you are and how you live and treat others?

Our Jewish sisters greet one another with a beautiful phrase when the weekly observance of Sabbath begins: Shabbat Shalom. This beautiful, God-kissed phrase translates into English as Sabbath harmony, or Sabbath peace. My prayer for you this summer is for Shabbat Shalom! Have a blessed July, friends! I look forward to seeing you soon!

Grace and peace,

Rev. Joe Stobaugh

An easy opportunity to help two families in need!

2009-06-19T17:47:00.002-05:00

Hello friends!

I hope all is well! Yesterday I had the chance to chat with a friend of mine who works for a Christian social service agency. During the course of our conversation, she told me about two families that she is currently working with and some of their needs. God has provided us with a great opportunity to help two families who need a little bit of assistance!

These families, led by two single mothers, together have nine children. The mothers, who are identical twins, are both making the transition from shelters in Dallas to their own homes. The children did not live with them in the shelters but are now thrilled to be with their mothers! Both moms have full-time jobs (that have no benefits) and have not asked for assistance. Friends, they have very little in the way of basic items for their homes, and by little, I mean that they have a roof over their heads and two blow-up beds. They have nothing, no pillows, sheets, towels, cups, silverware, tables, chairs., etc.

So, any kind of household items imaginable are needed! They don't have to be new. They can be items that you have multiple copies of, or that you need to clean out of your home. The children, several of whom are straight-a students, don't have any books or toys. Below you will find a list of items these families need. If you can help, please contact me and I will come and get these materials or arrange for someone to pick them up from you and deliver them to the agency in Dallas.

Friends, God has blessed us richly so that we can bless others!!! Now is the time to return to God what is God's, to love your neigbhor as yourself! Please let me know how you can help!

Items needed:
KITCHEN
Plates
Silverware
Glasses
Pots & pans
Dish towels
Pot holders
Kitchen utensils
2 non-electric can openers
Big bowls
Food storage containers
Small kitchen table and chairs
or children's picnic table
Beginners cookbooks
2 dishpans

BATHROOM
Towels
Wash cloths
Bath mats
Shower curtains

BEDROOM
Sheets-any size
Pillow cases-regular size
Pillows-regular size
Blankets-any size
Small Chest of Drawers
Plastic Bins to Store Clothes

MISC.
Laundry bags or baskets
2 brooms
2 mops
Sponges
Cleaning supplies
Laundry detergent
Band-aids
Toys for kids 20 months-8 yrs old
Balls to play with outside

FOOD
Any canned or boxed foods.

BIBLES
Adult- easy to read, big print
Childrens' Bibles

CAR SEATS
4 regular carseats
5 booster seats

NASA is headed back to the moon

2009-06-18T21:21:00.004-05:00

I came across this article tonight from cnn.com:
http://tinyurl.com/l5wfr6
NASA is headed back to the moon! I'm excited to see any news coming out of NASA at all these days, none-the-less exploratory trips to the moon! Any thoughts?

Monday Morning at Annual Conference

2009-06-08T09:57:00.002-05:00

At this moment I am sitting in the opening session of 2009 North Texas Annual Conference gathering in the Plano Center, in Plano, Texas. I am growing to love Annual Conference! Even with all of our challenges as United Methodist's, we can do amazing things! A report was just given regarding the status of Africa University (in Zimbabwe): what God is doing there is INCREDIBLE!!! Our conference set a goal two years ago of raising a million dollars to build a student health facility on campus. While the original goal was set to be completed in one year (it took us two years to complete the goal) the building will be opened in July! We just heard that this facility, once completed, will be the largest and most comprehensive health facility in the country of Zimbabwe! This is, of course, a wonderful and sad thing!
THe wonderful piece however, is that the North Texas Conference was able to do this! What a testament to connectionalism! We can do so much more together than we could individually!
God is good and faithful!

A Quote from Mother Teresa

2009-06-03T09:40:00.001-05:00

A big thanks to my colleague in ministry, Todd Mead, for sending me this quote:
"I am but a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world."
--Mother Teresa

Practicing Resurrection

2009-05-27T07:15:00.002-05:00

Due to a variety of circumstances, this little column never made it into our church's newsletter. There is a great line in here from the poet Wendell Berry that I would encourage us all to live by!

Grace Notes

Greetings!

Grace and peace to you in the name of our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ! I hope this column finds you well, living as a resurrection people. Currently, we are in the middle of the Great Fifty Days, the time from Easter Sunday that leads up to Pentecost Sunday, which falls this year on May 31st. During this time you will notice in worship that the music, liturgy, images, etc. are celebratory, because these Great Fifty Days are the biggest celebration days of the church year.

The last Sunday of May this year is Pentecost Sunday, where we will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit as well as the birthday of the church. Please don’t miss this important Sunday! In between that, we will observe Mother’s Day on May 10th, and the Ascension of Christ on May 24th.

The observation of these days and the telling of these stories are vital to God’s work in shaping us into who God wants us to be. Attendance to the means of grace (including taking Holy Communion, being a people of prayer, searching the scripture, and attending corporate worship) is, frankly, mandatory to growing in our walk with God. I hope you will be able to join us every Sunday in May!

As we are in the middle of the Great Fifty Days I have been thinking about a phrase from one of my favorite poets, the great Wendell Berry. The phrase is this: “practice resurrection.” How are you practicing resurrection these days? Where do you see new life in your midst? What are you doing to renew and restore and rebuild relationships in your life? What practices are you engaged in that bring you life?

Whatever it is, I hope that you are finding new life during this season of resurrection! I look forward to worshiping with you this month and growing with you into the Body of Christ that God has called us to be!

In Christ,

Rev. Joe Stobaugh

A Prayer for this weekend!

2009-05-24T10:21:00.002-05:00

Two years ago from yesterday I had the great privelage of serving as "Minister of the Day" for the Texas House of Representatives. As I am reflecting upon their work during this season I thought I would check back in and see if I am still onboard with what I wrote back then. Turns out, I mostly am, but with a few years of hindsight I would change a few things. As I'm in-between services this morning I thought I'd post the last half of the speech with the prayer for this weekend. May God bless you as you seek to bless others through love and service!

Representatives of the people of Texas you have been called! You are called to work for the common good. You are called to help make the great state of Texas a blessing of a state that seeks to bless all of its inhabitants. This blessing looks like healthcare that is available to all, regardless of their economic background. This blessing looks like a healthy and sustainable environment where humanity works in partnership with the earth and not as its adversary. This blessing looks like quality education for every child in this state, regardless of where they live. This blessing looks like affordable higher education for all who desire it, not just for the wealthy and middle class. This blessing looks like the eradication of extreme poverty and of the HIV/AIDS virus. These things, brothers and sisters are for the first time in human history actual possibilities within not only my very young lifetime but yours as well! You have the possibility to change the world in ways the rest of human history has never known! Imagine the world that you can leave for our children, for my sixteen month old daughter Eleanor Grace, imagine what that world could look like. May she never know the trials and struggles that so many in this generation have known. So much of this is up to you.
Please remember this day and always the words of the prophet Micah: “God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
As you go about your important work today, know that these words can serve to guide you. Know that as you finish this busy season that the people of Texas have great hope for you, we are praying for you to be wise, to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly.

Let us pray:
Eternally gracious and loving God, we come before you this morning seeking your presence in this place and striving to do the work that you have called us to do. Lord, as this body struggles with issues that affect all of us, we ask that you send your Spirit to be run amongst this House so that it’s inhabitants would be ever seeking to work for justice for all, towards dignity and respect for all of your Creation, from the smallest insects to the beasts of the fields, from the shallowest ponds to the deepest seas, from the plains to the mountaintops, guide these servants in taking care of your Creation. Yahweh, bring the concerns of your littlest ones to this body. Bring the dreams and hopes and visions of all who reside in this great state to the attention of these women and men. Inspire the hearts of all who legislate in this place to realize that we indeed are responsible for one another: we are our brother’s keeper. Open our eyes to the greatness of this responsibility. As we search for security in this world, teach us the important truth that the fastest way to security is to have justice for all peoples. God, you called these your children to a great work: grant them your wisdom as they deliberate so that your Spirit of unconditional love and justice for all of your people might be made a greater reality, for it is we who are your hands and feet in this world. Be with these people today, God; give them an extra dose of your grace, your love, and your unrelenting passion for justice.
Let all of God’s children say: Amen.

For Direction

2009-05-21T10:39:00.001-05:00

Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings,
with your most gracious favor,
and further us with your continual help,
that in all our works,
begun, continued, and ended in you,
we may glorify your holy name,
and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Another rainy Monday!

2009-05-11T08:47:00.002-05:00

It's raining, again! To be honest, I love it! We just purchased a rain barrel for our house so I'm hopeful that I can get it working in time to take advantage of this recent round of weather.
A few pieces of news, one good, two terrible:

1. It has just been announced that Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist is going to be freed tomorrow!

2. Over the weekend it appears that 125-130 civilians were killed in the western Farah province in Afghanistan during a battle with the Taliban that involved U.S. air strikes. No knows yet who is responsible for this large loss of civilian life: all the parties involve blame the other parties.

3. In Sri Lanka at least 378 civilian died from artillery shelling, over 100 of the dead are children.

As it turns out, you don't have to live by the sword to die by it, you just have to be around people who wield them.

Tuesday's Endorsements

2009-05-05T17:26:00.002-05:00

Several issues ago, Esquire magazine came out with a great issues of things that they endorse and it got me to thinking, what would I list as things I endorse. One has to be careful with these things!

Here are the things I'm endorsing today:

1. Haircuts for men at actual barbershops. I went to one yesterday for the first time since I've been out of college and it was great! The hot lather shave piece is completely worth the price! (The haircut was pretty strong as well.)

2. Speaking of Esquire, I endorse the book "The Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs, who is an editor-at-large for Esquire. If you haven't read this book yet, stop reading this post, go to Amazon, and order a copy for yourself and one for a friend.

3. The movie "Slumdog Millionaire." I saw it last night for the first time and it is truly amazing! Difficult, challenging, uplifting, and overall incredible.

So, if you are looking for something to do tonight, first of all, tivo Jamie Cullum's appearance on "Dancing with the Stars" (I can't believe I just wrote that) then, hit the redbox or blockbuster or netflix, check out "Slumdog Millionaire" and then get to reading!

Random thoughts for a Stormy Monday

2009-04-27T08:18:00.003-05:00

So, I came into work early today to prepare for a worship meeting but between the rain, a window in my office, hot espresso and the daily office, I just have to stop down for give thanks for a refreshed soul. God has been incredibly faithful to me, especially during the times I have not deserved God's faith, love and grace. God has always, always been faithful and good to me. I have no words to express my thanks (hence, my thankfulness for the daily office today).

My gratefulness this morning has something to do with death. Of late, I feel like the powers and principalities are making a bigger push these days. (Perhaps that suggests that we are on the brink of something amazingly wonderful!) I have been struck by the fact that, until the latter half of the 20th century, the average human life ended somewhere in the the late twenties or early thirties. Now, the average world-wide life expectancy is 70 (except for most of Africa, which is much lower).

While I certainly wonder if I have accomplished much of value during my life, I am more and more thankful for the chance to have been alive this long, coupled with thoughts of what to do (and what to value) in the remaining years of my life. (May there be many!)

More and more I believe that loving and serving people, in as many ways as possible, is what we are really called to do with our lives. I want to do more than just pay lip-service to this for the rest of my life!

When we give ourselves away for others we gain our lives. When we love others we inch towards becoming what God dreams for us to become!

Well, I had better get to worship planning, that meeting is in two hours and I've only got sketches of where to go in my mind.
Perhaps the Holy Spirit will see fit to join me this morning as I prepare?

May you have a wonderful, God-drenched day!

Another thought-provoking editorial from Bono

2009-04-20T11:32:00.002-05:00

Check out Bono's recent op-ed piece for the New York Times:
http://tinyurl.com/da3vh3

Leonard Pitts

2009-04-14T11:14:00.002-05:00

I remember reading this editorial the day after it came out (in the Dallas Morning News, no less!) and it rang so true, I thought I had to post it. Granted, it's almost a month after the original publishing date but it's a great and important read nonetheless!
Pitts: What drives people from God

Leonard Pitts Jr., THE MIAMI HERALD

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

We are losing our religion.
That, with apologies to R.E.M., is the startling conclusion of the American Religious Identification Survey, conducted by researchers at Trinity College of Hartford, Conn. The poll of more than 54,000 American adults found a sharp erosion in the number of people claiming religious affiliation.
A few highlights: The number of people who call themselves Christian is 76 percent, down 10 percentage points since 1990.
Thirty percent of married couples did not have a religious ceremony.
Better than one in four Americans do not expect a religious funeral.
It is important to reiterate that we are talking about overall percentages. In raw numbers, there are actually about 22 million "more" Christians now than in 1990.
Still, the trend is clear, particularly as illustrated in one telling statistic: In 1990, 8.2 percent (about 14 million) of us said "none" when asked to specify their religion. Last year, 15 percent (34 million) did.
Some have suggested our loss of faith is due to increased diversity, mobility and immigration. I'm sure there's something to that, but I tend to think the most important cause is simpler: religion has become an ugly thing.
People of faith usually respond to that ugliness — by which I mean a seemingly endless cycle of scandal, controversy, hypocrisy, violence and TV preachers saying idiot things — in one of two ways. Either they defend it (making them part of the problem) or they regard it as a series of isolated, albeit unfortunate, episodes. But irreligious people do neither.
And people of faith should ask themselves: What is the cumulative effect upon outside observers of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker living like lords on the largesse of the poor, multiplied by Jimmy Swaggart's pornography addiction, plus Eric Rudolph bombing Olympians and gays in the name of God, plus Muslims hijacking airplanes in the name of God, multiplied by the church that kicked out some members because they voted Democrat, divided by people caterwauling on courthouse steps as a rock bearing the Ten Commandments was removed, multiplied by the square root of Catholic priests preying on little boys while the church looked on and did nothing, multiplied by Muslims rioting over cartoons, plus the ongoing demonization of gay men and lesbians, divided by all those "traditional values" coalitions and "family values" councils that try to bully public schools into becoming worship houses, with morning prayers and science lessons from the book of Genesis? Then subtract selflessness, service, sacrifice, holiness and hope.
Do the math, and I bet you'll draw the same conclusion the researchers did.
Who can be surprised if the sheer absurdity, fundamentalist cruelty and ungodly hypocrisy that have characterized so much "religion" in the last 30 years have driven people away? If all I knew of God was what I had seen in the headlines, I would not be eager to make His acquaintance. I am thankful I know more.
Including that God and religion are not synonymous. God is, for the faithful at least, the sovereign creator of all creation. Religion is what men and women put in place, ostensibly to worship and serve Him. Too often, though, religion worships and serves that which has nothing to do with Him, worships money and serves politics, worships charisma and serves ego, worships intolerance and serves self.
The ARIS survey should serve as a wakeup call to organized religion. It continues in this manner at the risk of irrelevance. I am reminded of a line from the movie "Oh God," with George Burns as the deity and John Denver as the grocery store manager reluctantly recruited to spread The Word.
"I don't even go to church," says the manager.
And God says, "Neither do I."
lpitts@miamiherald.com

Catching Up

2009-04-14T11:12:00.003-05:00

Today is my first day back in the office after Easter and I am so behind!!! Between moving to the new church, Holy Week and Easter, I am feeling the crunch now to catch up! So, as I see things of interest I will post but it could be a few days before too many more posts come!
God bless you and Happy Easter!!

Christ is risen!

2009-04-12T22:10:00.002-05:00

Christ is risen! I hope you had a wonderful, amazing Easter! I know that we did in Argyle! May God dwell with you richly in the coming days!

A Beautiful Service and a New Tool!

2009-04-10T00:16:00.002-05:00

We had a beautiful service tonight at Argyle UMC for Maundy Thursday. I will be posting more about the service later. We employed a variety of media and it the worship experience was well received!
I am so excited to welcome a creative tool to the proverbial shed: a new MacBook Pro! I do love it so! I remain deeply committed to my PowerBook G4 (first loves, you know!) but her best days are long behind her. I just got my new MacBook today. Of course, I know it's just a tool but wow, I love it so! I am so excited to see what creative endeavors we will attempt together. All right, that's a bit too much! It's time for me to call it a night, as a big day awaits tomorrow in Good Friday. May God continue to dwell with you richly during this week.

First Sunday in the New Church!

2009-04-07T13:00:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's been a crazy long time since I last posted but I've been doing real work as of late! We had our first Sunday in the new church on April 5th, on Palm Sunday no less! The above picture is of our 11:15 traditional service.
Once Holy Week has passed I will get back in the habit of posting!

First Choral Rehearsal in the New Building

2009-03-18T23:28:00.001-05:00

Well, we just had the first choral rehearsal in the new building and it was wonderful! The choir worked through lots of heat and noise and still made some lovely music. Being in a new acoustical space is proving to be very beneficial to me as it forces me to hear things I haven't heard (or chosen to ignore) for a while. For example, in the new acoustic, improving our diction is not optional! The new space will really require us to bring our diction up a notch, which will be a great thing! I am excited to see what more the space will reveal over time!

I am also excited to be heading out on a road trip tomorrow to see my amazing sister Chelsea and her incredible husband James in Austin. I will be mircobloging on twitter for most of the trip.

I hope all is well in your world! If you can, join us in Argyle on April 5th for our first Sunday in the new church!

The Prayer of St. Patrick

2009-03-17T09:14:00.001-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Below you will find a prayer that is commonly attributed to St. Patrick. The prayer is beautiful and filled with images of Christ's sufficiency for our lives. Have a blessed day!

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Swiftness of wind,

Depth of the sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's hand to guard me.

Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today
Against wounding:

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,

Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,

Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in me.

I arise today
Through the mighty strength

Of the Lord of Creation.

--Prayer of St. Patrick

A Quick Run Down of the Last Few Weeks

2009-03-10T17:28:00.002-05:00

As usual, I am not terribly faithful in my blogging habits. To be honest, I am a much better Twitterer!

These are exciting times for me in ministry for several reasons:

1. We are preparing to move AUMC to a new campus! The building looks great and is so close to being ready to be moved into I
can just taste it!

2. I feel like we have a lot of "ministry momentum" and that is always a precious commodity to be valued!

3. The FUMMWA Convocation Worship that I am chairing is starting to look very good!

4. I've got a summer gig coming up as the middle school choral clinician for the Texas Conference Choir Camp, which will be a
blast!

5. I just got back from ACDA and it was amazing!

Personally I am feeling exceedingly blessed today because it is Sarah and my eighth anniversary! I don't know how she's made it this long with me but I am incredibly thankful!

Well, time to finish preparing for my next handbell rehearsal!

I hope all is well in your life!

Ash Wednesday Homily

2009-02-25T21:07:00.002-06:00

I had the pleasure of preaching tonight at AUMC's Ash Wednesday Service. Below is the outline of the homily. I hope your Ash Wednesday was God-haunted!

Ash Wednesday Homily
February 25th, 2009

Three thoughts about death. Depending upon your sense of humor, you might find some of them funny!

1. Ryan’s story: On the Florida/Georgia Border a farmer has painted a large sing that hangs next to the interstate that says: “Welcome to Florida! State mortality rate: 100%”
2. Your sign on the dorm room door in college that I now recant as bad theology: “Don’t take these things too seriously, no one gets out of here alive anyway.”
3. “Memento Mori”: a Roman way of reminding the greats that they are only human.

I. Death

Just like the Ancient Romans, we remember our own mortality tonight.

No matter how good you are at what you do, love, good shape you are in: you will die.

It is an inevitable part of life. We are mortal, we do not live forever.

God made us from dust, breathed the breath of life into us and it is to dust that we will return. We are truly humble creatures in this respect.

That is why you will have the option of dust placed on your forehead tonight.

From dust you came and from dust you will return.

II. Sin

We also remember tonight and during this season of Lent that we are sinful people, that we are broken.

We don’t like to recognize, nonetheless talk about our sin, because it’s embarrassing, hurtful, perhaps humiliating.

But recognize it we must. Because this is what sin does:

Sin dis-integrates our life with God.

In the very beginning of the Bible we see the perfect picture of what life with God is like: God made us to partners with God in tending to God’s creation, to be helpers, stewards, caretakers.

But our sin causes us to push ourselves away from God.

It is important to note that God NEVER leaves us because of our sin! God’s grace is always radically present in us in the form of previent grace.

You see, God has dreams for God’s creation; God has hopes and plans for you, and for the world. But when we sin, we take what God has planned for us and we remove ourselves from it.

We dis-integrate our lives. God calls to be a part of what God is doing in the world, to live a fully open and integrated life that partners with God. When we sin, we push ourselves away from God.

And so, we must acknowledge our sin because our sin is devastating us. Whether our sins are personal or corporate or both, they are keeping us from being fully apart of what God is doing, right here and right now in the world!

III. Metanoia

That is why we God heard through the prophet Joel calling the people of Israel to return to God.

One of the most important words in the New Testament is from the Greek language and the word is Metanoia.
We often translate that in English to the word “repent.” But metanoia means more than just repentance: it means a fundamental change of mind, a reorientation, and a transformation of outlook and of life.

We are called tonight to metanoia: to leave behind the roads that lead us to a dis-integrated life with God and to choose new life, and new paths and new ways of being.

We must recognize our sin, the things that keep us from living fully in God’s plan for our lives and then we must turn away from them and lead lives that integrate our story with God’s story.

During this season of Lent we have the opportunity to try to lay the things that hold us down, that keep us from being truly free to love God and our neighbor, to the side, and to embrace life-giving and freeing practice.

That’s why some people things up for Lent. The spiritual discipline is that you give up something that is not good for you in order to spend time with God and embrace practices that lead to life.

Our worship tonight is not supposed to be fun, but rather solemn. And that can be a tough thing for us. But, it is necessary to truly walk with Christ on a day-to-day basis. For if we don’t acknowledge our mortality and our sin, and our need to turn to new life then the grace that we claim to receive is cheap grace.

We want to move right to Easter but new birth requires death. It requires it. In order for us to take the joy of Easter seriously, we have to take the rest of the story seriously as well.

IV. The Cross

Tonight we will impose ash on your foreheads, if you wish. But we won’t impose in just any old way.

We will make the sign of the cross on you. Because death and sin isn’t all there is!

There is so much more, because our hope as followers of Christ is that, Jesus, through his life, death, resurrection sending forth and ascension has defeated death, sin, and the powers and principalities!

God wins! God is in the business of making all things new! God’s ultimate plans for God’s creation, including you and me, cannot be ultimately defeated!

And, so, even in recognizing our own mortality, our sin, and our need to be reintegrating our lives into God’s Life, we proclaim that God loves us and that God is making all things new!

So during this season of Lent, remember that you are a mortal being. Remember that we are called to live justly and righteously, and that our faith should impact how we life on everyday basis.

Won’t you turn from the things that hold you down and embrace the way to life and freedom in Christ?

God has made you for wonderful good things. God has plans for you, God has ministry for you to do. Because God loves you, God loves you so much that He doesn’t want leave you the way you are. But rather wants you to become what God made you to be: fully human, fully alive, fully free, and fully integrated into a life with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

In the name of the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sustainer, may it be so. Amen.

Going to see Branford tonight!

2009-02-20T15:59:00.002-06:00

Tonight, Branford Marsalis is playing with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and I am headed there to check it out! Branford Marsalis is one of the leading saxophonists of our generation. I have loved and admired his playing for years. He can play in seemingly every style, from classical (tonight he is playing, among other things, the Glazanouv Saxophone Concerto, which is one of my favorite works for saxophone) to straight-ahead jazz, to funk, to rock with Sting! That's the kind of musician I aspire to be! The concerto that he is playing tonight is lovely! I had the opportunity to learn it and play it in undergrad. Rare is the time when a saxophonist can attend the symphony and have played the concerto is on the bill!

The Most Recent Soul Cafe

2009-02-09T22:34:00.002-06:00

Two days in a row! Watch out! This posting thing could become a habit!

Three Sunday's ago we held another Soul Cafe worship experience at Argyle UMC. This time around the choir led the congregation in a choral evensong. My lecture notes are below. If you'd like to see the ordo, leave a comment and I'll send it to you!

Soul Café
A Choral Evensong
January 25th, 2009

I. Prayer and Worship
• “(worship is) the glorification of God and the sanctification of humanity.”
--Pope Pius X, 1903
• “setting forth of God’s honor or glory and to the reducing of the people to a most perfect and Godly living.”
--Archbishop Thomas Cranmer

II. Two Traditions of Corporate Worship
a. Lord’s Day Services (from the earliest days of the Jesus movement we find examples of Christians meeting on Sundays. We see Paul in both Acts and 1st Corinthians participating in and encouraging services on Sunday.)
b. Benedict’s Daily Office (also used in a modified form for personal devotion time and is a complement to the Sunday service)

III. St. Benedict and the Daily Office
St. Benedict’s Daily Office
(circa early 500’s—Vatican II)
• Vespers-end of the workday
• Compline—before sleep
• Nocturnes (Vigils, Matins)—middle of the night (midnight and three a.m., respectively)
• Lauds—sunrise
• Prime—early morning
• Terce—mid-morning
• Sext—noon
• None—mid-afternoon
• In the Benedictin model, the entire Psalter was read once a week. Post-Vatican II is was read once a month

IV. The Liturgy of the Hours
• Morning and Evening Prayer are primary!
• In addition to its use in monasticism and in certain denominational services, the Liturgy of the Hours is often used as a private devotional time now.

V. Thoughts and Practices from John and Charles Wesley
• As Anglican Priests, John and Charles Wesley were very familiar (and both practiced) morning and evening prayer, as Thomas Cranmer had combined matins, lauds and prime in Matins as well as putting vespers and compline into Evensong in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer.
• John Wesley believed that daily prayer was such an important spiritual discipline that in 1733 he complied his “A Collection of Forms of Prayer for Every Day of the Week.”
• This text has been updated to modern English by David A. deSilva and is available at Cokesbury.

VI. How do we organize our daily prayer life?

• The daily office?
• The Psalms?
• The Upper Room? (founded at Travis Park UMC)
• One hour a day as well as writing down our confession?
• John Wesley’s and the Church of England’s indications?
• The Didache (and early Church manual, circa 100, that contains orders of worship and instructions by baptism, communion, and the Christian lifestyle) tells us to pray the Lord’s Prayer Three times a day.

VII. Tonight’s Worship Experience

VIII. Song Practice

IX. Web resource
• The daily office online: www.apostleschurch.org/spirituality_daily.php
• Daily Lectionary www.pcusa.org/lectionary/

A few random thoughts for a this Sunday

2009-02-08T08:31:00.002-06:00

This is a strange sensation for me! I am more prepared than usual on a Sunday morning and am finding myself with 15 minutes of free time before worship begins! Crazy! So, a few quick thoughts before I head out to visit with folks (which I should be doing instead of blogging right now).

1. I've somehow managed to spill hot coffee into my left eye this morning (don't ask), which, while painful, has washed the irritant that was previously lodged in my eye, out!

2. Tonight I get to go to a John Bell BIG SING, which is one of the greatest things in the entire world! If you ever get a chance to participate in one, don't miss it!

3. Radiohead, B.B. King, John Mayer, Coldplay, U2, etc. all performing at the Grammy's tonight! Thank goodness for dvr!

4. I read in the paper yesterday that the number of suicides in the U.S. Military eclipsed the number of those killed in combat in January. There is so much to be said about this, from the actual task of being a soldier to the lack of appropriate transition procedures to pastoral care for veterans, the list goes on and on. Terrible.

5. Even in the midst of darkness, God is faithful.

Have a blessed Sunday!

The blog is not dead!

2009-02-03T21:39:00.002-06:00

Yeah, I've been neglecting the blog. Sorry about that! The last few weeks have been crazy! I've been to Buda, Texas, where I had the privilege of working with the Buda UMC Praise Band and catching up with the amazing Paul Harper and Teresa Wellborn, leading a Soul Cafe, working at the church, of course, checking out Dmin opportunities and attending Ministers Week at Perkins. Minsters Week this year is excellent! Karen Ward, Doug Pagitt, Tom Sine, Elaine Heath and Mark Stamm are a few of the amazing speakers that we've heard so far: tomorrow is the last day. I feel right at home!
Some of today's content is really challenging me to re-think the idea of "programming." More and more I am becoming convinced that I need to build the worship, music, and the arts ministries at Argyle through organic means. I will hopefully write more about that later!
I am also going to re-ignite our liturgy guild. The time has come!
I hope life is treating you well, if any one still reads this blog! Have a great few days!
Joe

Last Sunday's Sermon

2009-01-21T11:04:00.002-06:00

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to preach as my poor senior pastor got a bad case of the flu on Saturday night. The phone rang at 6:30 Sunday morning and so I had to scramble! The manuscript below is what I preached from on Sunday. I figured the John text was an acceptable bridge piece coming out of Epiphany as we head towards Lent.
Well, back to my new U2 station on Pandora.com
Have a great day!

Melody and Countermelody: John 1:1-18

Let us pray: Gracious God, Lord of all Creation and author of all good things, open our hearts, our ears, and our minds to your Word this morning. I ask that your Spirit might run amongst your people, that we might be able to see your love for us in new ways and so that we might be about taking your Light into a dark world, as we leave this church a changed people. God, may the words of my mouth and the mediations of my heart be pleasing to you. If they be your words, let them be long remembered, if they are not, please let them be quickly forgotten. Let all of God’s children say: Amen!
This morning I want to share with you the most famous of all Christian poems, the prologue to the Gospel of John. Normally, I would ask you to open your Bibles and read along with me but our passage for this morning was originally a hymn! It’s meant to be sung first and read second. So I pray that you will open your ears, your hearts, and your minds to hear what God has to say to you this morning, because, make no mistake about it, God has a word in this passage of Scripture for you!
Read John 1:1-18
I love those words, don’t you? Parts of the passage are really stunning poetry. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Beautiful, hopeful words. These words are poetic and confessional, but more than that, they draw me, and I hope you, into mystery, awe, contemplation, and worship. The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not overcome it.
The great preacher and author, Fredrick Buechner, along with many Johannine scholars (that is, those who study The Gospel of John for a living) have pointed out that, in essence, there are two voices speaking in this passage. I hope you’ll forgive the musician in me but to put it in musical terms; there is a melody and a counter-melody here. One voice speaks with beautiful poetry, singing for us lines of stunning theological beauty, while the other voices tends to interrupt that poetry with commentary. This morning we are going to look at these two voices and what they might be singing to us today.
At the very beginning of the Gospel, the voice of the poet is asking his community to sing some amazing claims! John the Evangelist, the one for whom the Gospel of John is named, is telling us who Jesus is and asking us to sing it! He asks us to affirm with our voices that the Word, before the universe was formed, was with God. More than that, he asks us to proclaim that Jesus is the incarnation of God and that not one thing came into being without the Word! He asks us to sing that Jesus brought not only light into the world in his human form but that he also brought true life, eternal life, with him, for all of the people of the world. Jesus is God’s Word! John is telling us something about Jesus that is very significant: Jesus is more than just a good guy, more than just an excellent moralist, more than just a person who was born, lived his beliefs to the fullest and was killed because of them, Jesus is the incarnation of God! Jesus is Lord, Jesus is King! Without the Word none of us comes into being, according to John. I find this to be beautiful, amazing, and, in my darker hours, a hard thing to sing! But sing them I do, because I believe them and I have experienced it. Have you?
In the original Greek, the term used for the Word is Logos. The poetic voice from John claims that Jesus was the Logos. In Greek thought, the Logos was the divine principle of reason that gives order to the universe and links the human mind to the mind of God. So this claim, that Jesus was the Logos, would be an incredible, almost incomprehensible statement in the fluid Hellenistic worldview of the time. Many of you may struggle to believe this as well.
For many of us, this is where wrestling with faith, tradition, Scripture, and reason come in. I can tell you that I believe this because I have had a great many experiences in my life where I have known God is a personal, vibrant way. I grew up in and have studied the traditions of the church, that is the incarnated body of Christ, that show me that, throughout the course of human history, I am not alone in my experience of God. The Scriptures tell me many stories of God and of what God is like. I reason that all of this together has allowed me to accept and proclaim what John is asking of us here.
The amazing piece of all of this is that God chose to condescend, that is to say God chose to take on human form so that God could be in relationship with us, so that God could love us in a more complete way, and so that God could show us how to live so that the Reign of God could come about on earth. Jesus is the bringer of LIFE, something more than just life. He is our shining example of God, because he is God. Jesus shows us what God is like, what God is about, how God loves us, and what God desires for us and of us. Can you imagine it? Have you experienced the state of knowing that God loves you so much, that God would take human form out of love for you and for God’s creation?
Because God desires us to be in relationship with God, and to be reconciled with our Creator, God became human so that God could reveal Godself fully to us. It is amazing, isn’t it?
The second voice jumps in next, the voice of one who seeks to clarify. Here, in verse 6, we hear a voice that is far less poetic and much more practical. This voice tells us that John the Baptist came “as a witness to testify to the light.” Clearly, there must have been some controversy in the latter part of the first century between those who followed John and those who followed Jesus. The controversy must have been such that John the Evangelist needed to address who was who and what was what. The author is telling us that John the Baptist was not the light, that Jesus was and is the light, and there should be no mistaking the two!
Certainly, in our lives we experience similar challenges, don’t we? There are so many good things in life to believe in, so many wonderful places to put our faith, our trust, our lives, and the lives of others. The most immediate example I can think of for me is The ONE Campaign. I’ve even got my ONE Campaign wristband on. I contribute to their work and try to participate however I can. They are advocates for what I believe are the two biggest challenges facing humanity today: extreme global poverty and HIV/AIDS. The ONE Campaign is trying to unite Americans with one voice against global poverty and AIDS with the hope of eradicating both in our lifetimes. The campaign brings together people from across barriers that are usually insurmountable. Both George Clooney and Pat Robertson are members, if you can believe that! The General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church is on-board with The ONE Campaign. I love not only what they are doing but also how they are doing it, and it would be easy for me to pour my life, my faith, and my resources into it, because it is a good thing!
The ONE Campaign is not, however, the greatest thing. It is merely good. It is an organization that is trying to improve life for the least of these and to spread a little light into the world. Jesus, on the other hand, the Logos, the Word of God, is the greatest! Jesus is not just trying to spread the light, Jesus is the LIGHT!!!!
I have to be honest with you, on my best days; I do what I do because I love Jesus. I live in this Christian Community because I love Jesus. My wife Sarah and I give money to the church because we love Jesus and the Scripture that Jesus commands us loved to do that. I know many of you get up on Sunday mornings and head to church for that exact reason. I know many of you go on mission trips, or teach Sunday School, or sing in the choir because you love Jesus. I know many of you do what you do out of love for Jesus.
On my worst days, however, I try to do the right things for the wrong reasons. On my worst days I try to do the right things out of a sense of duty, or out of a sense of, “it’s just the right thing to do.” As followers of Christ we are called to be a transforming and reconciling force in our world. So here’s the problem with acting with the wrong motivation: people are not transformed when you do something because it’s just the right thing to do. People are transformed because of an encounter with the living God! People are transformed because of the experience of the love of God given to them through others, so intentions matter! It’s important to do the right things for the right reasons! We must be vigilant and prayerful for it is easy to lose the Logos in the everyday things of the world.
In verse twelve the poetic voice jumps back in here with the pronouncement that to all who receive Jesus, to all who believe in his name, than they are granted the power to become children of God, who are born of God. In essence, all who believe in Jesus Christ are given the gift of eternal life. This eternal life, though, doesn’t begin when you die, it begins now, in this life! It is the difference between life and LIFE!!!!
The passage concludes with our melody and countermelody bouncing off of one another. The poetic voice tells us that the Word became flesh and lived among us and that we have seen the glory of God’s only Son, full of grace and truth while the pragmatic voice reminds us that the Word is Jesus and not John. The poetic voice ends by telling us that, from Jesus, we have received grace upon grace. The earthy voice reminds us that the law came through Moses while grace and truth came through Jesus Christ and that no one has seen God but that it is through Jesus that God is fully revealed.
John gives us the basic essence of Jesus’ life and mission on earth in these 18 verses. Do you see what this mission is predicated upon? All of this, all that we have remembered in the Advent and Christmas Seasons, and what we will remember in Lent and Holy Week and finally Easter, as we trace the life of Jesus Christ, all of this came about because of love!
Only love would make a deity do this! Only the desire to be in relationship with us would make a deity come to earth! Instead of wiping us out and starting over (something God had been known to do in the past) God chose to sacrifice, to come to us, to love us, to teach us a better way to live, and to begin to reclaim God’s creation through Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, and through us, one person, one system, one creature at a time. Jesus, God, did all of this out of love!!!!
Can you fathom that kind of love, that you would give up everything for a relationship?
I pray that we all can recognize the light, that we can be with the light, and that we will not let the darkness overcome us! With Jesus, we can fight back the darkness!
Many of you have lived through darkness, you’ve walked through the shadow of the valley of death, and many of you have dwelled in that valley for years. But Jesus, Jesus has been there to! Jesus cannot be overcome by the darkness, for Jesus is the light of the world! The Light of the Universe cannot be overcome by darkness!!!!!!! See the light, love the light, work with the light, and do not let the darkness overcome you!!!!!
I have prayers for you and I pray for you! I pray that you will look for the light in your life and in the lives of others. I pray that you will merge your life with the LIFE that only Jesus can offer you. I pray that you, with the help of God, will fight back the darkness in your light and that together, you and I can fight the darkness in this world and seek to spread the light of Christ to a world that desperately needs to see the light of Jesus made visible in us! Friends, we have light to offer the world! We have grace to extend to God’s creation. It is our responsibility to do this! Moreover, it is our honor and pleasure to send grace and love out into the world. People of Argyle United Methodist Church, children of God, please don’t hide your light under a bushel basket this year! Let us join together to bring more light, more peace, and more of God’s grace to the world! Let us be the hands and feet of Christ, restored and redeemed and ever seeking to be partners in helping bring about the Reign of God in the world!
Let all of God’s children say, Amen!

What a weekend!

2009-01-19T21:53:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it's been almost a week since I last posted, oh wait, yes I can! Seriously, you would think as a musician I would be much more disciplined!

I intended to post several times over the weekend about some of the worship things I've been doing but the last few weekends were so full that I decided to spend more time with the family.

Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of leading two contemplative worship experiences at the Perkins School of Youth Ministry. I lead a Taize service that lasted a little less than an hour and then set-up our worship environment with prayer stations for a forty minute session. I've been told it was well-received but I look forward to getting the evaluation sheets back. Following those experiences we had a very informal "mini-lecture" about the afternoon's worship (I took a mystagogical approach, for those of you keeping score at home) and then we closed with communion, celebrated wonderfully by the Rev. Marti Soper.

One of the most interesting moments for me in that entire experience involved the music during the prayer stations. I got to be a dj! I created two different loops for the event and then interspersed them with the music of Aaron Parks, Brad Mehldau, and, when nearly everyone had left, I mixed in some Lauridsen and Branford Marsalis. What a blast! I look forward to our April Soul Cafe at AUMC when we will offer an alt worship experience.

At 6:30 a.m., Sunday morning, I got a call from my senior pastor saying that he had the flu, so I had the opportunity to preach four times yesterday, in addition to being a music minister, and also mixed in a children's choir rehearsal, some acolyte training, a brief praise band rehearsal, and I had the chance to play in the modern service!

Today I've had the great fortune to work on this weekend's worship, both the Sunday morning experience and the evening's Soul Cafe, where we will be offering a Choral Evensong led by our adult choir.

Tomorrow, is, well, of course, the inauguration! I also will be playing at the Denton Wesley Foundation's weekly worship service and giving a brief devotion.

What a great week!

I hope all is well in your world!

Until then, may we breathe peace and life into the world!

Seeds DO sprout

2009-01-13T08:27:00.002-06:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the annual Dallas Chapter of the Choristers Guild Mid-Winter Conference and the greater pleasure of hearing Sid Davis, the minister of music at St. Luke's UMC in Houston, talk about youth choir. Much of what he said resonated with me but I have been pondering on this particular thought quite a bit: seeds do sprout.

In my experience, it's true. Seeds DO sprout.

As I keep in touch with folks from my previous churches I see seeds sprouting quite a bit! We all have those moments, don't we? We look back in our lives and see that some of the seeds we have sowed have sprouted.

My preoccupation of late has been with the seeds that will sprout that we will never see. As I currently serve in a growing church that is just starting to build an entire new campus and is in a thriving and growing area, as much as any area can grow in our current economy. I am aware that, if God deems it, we are in the process of building a church that could possibly be a light in this community for hundreds of years to come. I wonder, what seeds are we sowing now, what will they eventually become, and, more importantly, are they good seeds?

As of late a few of the works of van Gogh have been at work on me even more than usual. As I reflect on his life (especially when contrasting his works "The Sower" and "Wheat Field with Crows") I am so struck by the power of the idea that seeds DO sprout. We often won't be able to see the end result, however.

It is important to hold on and to trust in God's good grace.

Epiphany Sermon

2009-01-05T23:10:00.002-06:00

I had a wonderful opportunity to preach three times this Sunday at Argyle UMC! It was a blast! I preached on the Wedding at Cana and Epiphany. In the early church Epiphany was the second most celebrated feast day (after Easter, of course) and the Wedding at Cana was one of the most frequently read stories in worship on Epiphany. Below you will find my outline for this past Sunday's sermon. Following the sermon we had an offertory and then we celebrated Holy Communion. I set-up two stations of votive candles with tapers and invited the congregation to light a candle of thanksgiving for where God's glory had broken into their lives in 2008.

Epiphany Sunday 2009
The Wedding at Cana
John 2:1-12

I. Explain Epiphany
• Christmas Decorations are still up and it’s January!
• Epiphany Sunday: the Last Sunday of the Christmas Cycle and the first Sunday of the Epiphany season
• In the early church this was the second most important feast day (the first being Easter)
• It’s important to not skip Epiphany because during the Epiphany, we celebrate more than just the birth of a baby.
• We celebrate the fact that the light of God, Jesus Christ, has made God’s love and God’s gift of salvation available to everyone and to all nations! No one, for any reason, is excluded from the opportunity to experience God’s incredible love and amazing grace.
• The early church loved, during the celebrations of Epiphany, to read in worship the story of the Wedding at Cana because in the story Jesus revealed his glory in the Gospel of John for the first time, his inaugural act, as it were!
• I’d like to share that story with you this morning. Before you hear this story, let us pray:

II. Read the Story
• What an incredibly rich story!
• We find Jesus and his disciples, along with his mother out at a big community event: a wedding!
• Jesus decides, after telling his mom he wouldn’t, for some reason unknown to us, decides to manifest his glory through making wine.
• And the wine: wow! We are not talking about two bottles of wine off the lowest shelf here! I did the math and, assuming 30 gallons, Jesus’ created 151.4 bottles of the best wine, that’s 12.5 cases in our time.
• The amount and quality of the wine is significant because, in the words of Gail O’Day, “in a culture of scarcity it represents the shattering of the boundaries of the conventional world, and the disciples become willing to entertain the possibility that this boundary breaking marks the inbreaking of God!”
• This miracle of turning water into wine, and into incredible wine in great abundance at that, shows us how deep and wide the grace of God is!
• And it also foreshadows for us how the world will be transformed though God’s amazing love and grace through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus!
• The miracle reveals God’s glory!

• It is also fascinating that, outside of the disciples, the only people who see the miracle and understand it for what it is are the servants, not the wedding party, not the host, but the servants.
• It reminds me of the Nativity Story: the first people to see the baby Jesus were the shepherds and not the wise men.
• Throughout the Bible, God chooses to be revealed in the most unexpected people and places. God most often chooses to reveal God’s glory to those on the margins of our societies.
• I wonder, if God continually chooses to be revealed on the margins of society, where would we be most likely to encounter the living God today?
• This question is worth considering, for it has significant implications.

III. Irenaeus
• But before you do that, I’d like to introduce you to a hero of our faith: Irenaeus.
• A pretty important guy: he was theologian/bishop that was born somewhere in the second century (between 115-142) in what is now Turkey, he was the second Bishop of Lyons France, and his teacher, Polycarp, was a student of John the Evangelist (the beloved Disciple), which means, Irenaeus was two generations removed from Jesus.
• Irenaeus is also important because he was one of the earliest champion’s of including what we now call the canonical Gospels in the Bible (which had not yet been formed in the way we have it now)
• “The glory of God is a human being fully alive!” Write it down in your notes.
• This is something to think about on this Epiphany Sunday, as we celebrate God’s glory being revealed through Jesus Christ, and then, through us!

IV. Becoming “fully alive”
• As followers of Christ, we are called to be fully alive, fully human, in order that we might become vessel’s for Christ’s glory to be made more and more manifest in us.
• So what does it look like, to be fully alive?
• Obviously, because God made us as beautiful and diverse creatures, we all look different when we are fully alive.
• But, I think we can see three areas that come of out the story of the Wedding at Cana that can point us in the right direction to becoming more fully alive.

1. Community (we are not meant to be alone)
• We are made for community! God does not want us to be alone
• It is not possible for us to become who God made us to be by ourselves. We have to do it together.
• There is an important concept that comes from Africa that can teach us in this matter.
• Ubuntu it is not really a translatable concept in English but it basically means, “I am because you are.”
• In other words: a person is a person through other persons (identity through community) the only way I can be all I am made to be is if you can be all you can be. If you are not fully you, than I cannot fully be me.
• We see this concept at work throughout Jesus’ entire ministry.
• Jesus calls each of us to work for the dignity and humanity of all people
• We must fight against the things that dehumanize others. We must fight against extreme poverty, torture, abuse, terror, and pandemics.
• In essence, by applying ubuntu to our lives we seek to follow the words of Jesus’ inaugural act of ministry in the gospel of Luke, where Jesus stood in the temple and preached the following words: Luke 4:18-19
• We are more fully alive when we are in community and when we are serving others.
o How can you be more engaged in this community in 2009? Join the choir, get in a Bible study, work with the children, go with the youth to the Martin Luther King Center in Denton. Get involved!

• Where is God calling you to serve this year? Maybe it’s working with AIDS Service of North Texas, or Spirit Horse, perhaps it’s working at Argyle food bank, maybe you are being called to advocate for peace and justice with your elected officials.
• How is God calling you to embrace your life by serving others?

2. Faith
• We see in the Gospel story that the disciples “believed.” The root for the word “believe” in Greek in this passage is pisteuo (pist yoo’ o) which means, “to place confidence in.”
• The disciples were placing their confidence in Jesus. These men, with the exception of John, the beloved disciple, would go on to eventually give their lives for Jesus, the one in whom they had placed confidence and trust.
• When we place our trust in something larger than ourselves it dictates how we live, and how we act.
• What are you placing your confidence in this year?
• In many respects that’s challenging question!
• How can we become more fully alive by contemplating what we place our confidence in?

3. Creative Practices (these give life)
• We need to embrace practices that give us life.
• For each of us these practices are different!
• Jesus made wine because it was necessary but also because wine can be a symbol of the celebration of life! Psalm 104 tells us that God gave us wine to gladden the human heart.
• Life-giving practices for some of us include cooking for others, or baking, or making music, some of you probably quilt; I think of our awesome banner team that is making beautiful new banners for our new sanctuary that will point us towards God.
• For some of us life-giving practices include working on your short game, or writing poetry.
• What do you do in your life on a weekly basis that is creative and enriches your life?
• The very first thing we learn about God in the Bible is that God is creative. We are made in God’s image and therefore we are inherently creative beings.
• I challenge you to find something in your life that you can do on a weekly basis to help you become more fully alive, because, the glory of God is a human being fully alive!

Community, Faith that leads to Action, and Creative Practices are just a few of the things that help us become all that God has made us to be.

These things help us to claim the rich abundance that God has provided for us in the midst of times that are filled with talk of scarcity.

One of the practices that we have as a faith community is that of Holy Communion. As we celebrate it, we experience community, for we do it together! We experience faith, in that we put our trust in Jesus. And even if we can’t, we can still come up and receive God’s grace and our neighbor can proclaim our trust for us until we can claim for ourselves. And, we experience creativity in the music being played, the juice that was made for this meal, the liturgy, and the bread that was baked for this moment, we taste, we touch, we smell, we hear and we experience creativity.

Friends, we are called to celebrate a God who has intervened on our behalf! We are called to celebrate a God who continues to show light in the darkness. A God who has saved all that he created and a God who desires each and every one of us!

During the offertory time I would invite you to consider where God’s light has shown in your life this previous year. And, if you feel so moved, I would invite you to take a taper, and light a candle of thanksgiving to God for how God has been at work in your life.

Sisters and brothers, we are blessed: though we are broken, God will make us whole. Though the world can be filled with darkness, God’s light cannot be overcome. Though we may struggle with one another, God has given us the ministry and the power to be reconciled. God love us! Friends, God is good: all the time, all the time, God is good. Amen!

One other awesome Christmas Album!!!

2008-12-30T08:50:00.002-06:00

I am a firm believer in celebrating the Christmas season to it's fullest, so if you roll by my neighborhood at night, I'll probably be the only guy with the Christmas lights going on January 6th! So, in that spirit, here's one more Christmas album recommendation. I don't know how this one escaped me: Bela Fleck and the Flecktones "Jingle All the Way." The album has plenty of excellent banjo, saxophone, bass, and drums, as you might imagine. But one of the real treats for me is hearing a Tuvan throat singer performing "Jingle Bells." I mean...wow!!!! Check out the "Jingle Bells (Reprise)" on iTunes and the Flecktones arrangement of the "Christmas Oratorio" by Bach. Incredible!

Christmas, Blogging Failures, and other thoughts

2008-12-30T08:37:00.002-06:00

Christmas with a three year old is pure, unbridled joy! I saw pure joy on Christmas Day this year (Christmas Day is also my daughter's birthday and she turned three this year). Watching Ellie interact with all of the Christmas traditions that we are blending in our house was simply wonderful. Pure, pure joy!

Sorry about being so behind on posting during the Christmas season, it was very full this year with our worship services being at the high school! (On the whole, they went very well, btw.)

I am preaching this week on Epiphany and will be preaching on the Wedding at Cana. In the earliest church lectionaries the Wedding at Cana was one of the gospel readings for Epiphany. The Eastern Church has retained this reading while the Western Church has not. My contrarian nature rears it's ugly head again! :)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours!!!