A Fresh Look at Christmas…Through the Eyes of Mary

Happy Advent, everyone! The new church year has begun with another wonderful Advent season. In the spirit of new beginnings, I have started my ministry at Crestwood Christian Church in Lexington, KY. What an awesome congregation! I am blessed abundantly to be called to serve there. I pray this week – and this Advent – are full of wonderful presents of joy for you!

SCRIPTURE – Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

SERMON

“A Fresh Look at Christmas through the Eyes of Mary”
Luke 1:26-38
Nov. 29, 2009

Expectation. Anticipation. Waiting. Do you know what it’s like to wait? I have a feeling you do. We’ve all been in a state of expectation these last few months, haven’t we? One of the dictionary definitions of “expectation” is “realization in advance.” I love the paradox there. How can you realize something before it has happened? When we expect something, we live as if we know the blessings of what is to come, even though they aren’t here yet. Like the great Hebrews definition of faith as “being certain of what we cannot see.” Realization in advance.

Well, I’m glad to say that which we have expected has now been realized. Our ministry together has finally started, and now we can begin the work that God has called us to do. It’s no coincidence that my first Sunday in the pulpit is also the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Christmas year. Not only is this the perfect time for beginnings, but I also thought I’d start when things are quiet and there’s not a lot going on. December is a slow month at Crestwood, right?

I believe Christmas is the perfect time for new things because I believe it is the time of year when we’re most susceptible to falling into a rut and going through the motions. Sometimes Christmas can be so chaotic and nerve-wracking that we just want to put our heads down and lock-step our way forward, so that by the time Dec. 25 arrives the only joy you feel is that it’s finally over.

But the danger in putting our heads down is that we miss what is going on around us. As we move into another season of anticipation, we are confronted once again with the startling, amazing story of Jesus’ birth. I know it’s a story we’ve heard many, many times before. Can there be anything new here? But this year I’d like to encourage us to hear it as if for the first time, to experience all the waiting and worry and wonder as if we were there, right alongside Mary and Joseph and the shepherds and the wisemen.

Today, we start with Mary. What would it be like to experience the Christmas story through her eyes? Before we can begin to answer that question, we have to acknowledge that the Mary we know in today’s world is a far cry from the Mary of scripture. We know her as The Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Catholic tradition and influence in our culture has helped solidify Mary’s place in our religious vernacular, a place so lofty that the Pope once warned his flock against elevating Mary to a status higher than her son.

And yet, Mary still has a central place in global Christianity. It is estimated that 2 billion Hail Marys are said every day. Here in the U.S., there is a hotline you can call to get updated information on Mary, Mary sightings and Mary’s messages. It’s 1-800-345-MARY. It’s true, I called it. I was put on hold, so while I waited I said a few Hail Mary’s. Mary’s popularity is like that of a rock star. She was Madonna before Madonna was Madonna.

So we can make too much of Mary, but we can also make too little of her. She is one of the central characters of the gospel story. She was there at Jesus’ birth and his death and his life in between. She no doubt played an incredibly influential role in his upbringing and education. But because of the Catholic focus or the controversy over the virgin birth, we sometimes shy away from Mary. So let’s no overemphasize or underemphasize her; let’s take her at face value, just as scripture presents her this morning.

It’s interesting to contrast Mary as a figure of power and authority with the Mary pictured in our text today. She hardly comes across as a person worthy of a statue: a poor, young, teenage girl engaged to a local carpenter, one of the nameless, faceless many. Growing up, she would have been taught a rigid code of standards and values. The model of womanhood held up by her society called for a woman to be the wife of a God-fearing Jewish man, the mother of his children, and the maker of a loving and law-abiding home for their family. That was dictated to her as her goal in life, and as far as she knew that’s what lay ahead for her.

Until the angel Gabriel appears and announces that God has other plans. We know something is up when Gabriel speaks to her directly; in Jewish tradition, women in general, and especially young unmarried girls, were never directly greeted. The angel tells Mary that she will give birth to a son, and she is to name him Jesus. And her son will become a king and his kingdom will never end.

Gabriel makes it sound so simple, but the implications of this announcement for Mary are staggering. First, she was young, poor, and female, all characteristics that people of her day would say made her utterly unusable by God. Second, her pregnancy would mean all kinds of trouble. She has to explain this to her fiancé, and what are the chances he’s going to believe her? “You’re what? An angel said what? The Holy Spirit did what?” She’ll have to face her community as unwed and pregnant, setting her up for merciless ridicule and ostracizing. And, because of this apparent and appalling transgression, she could, by law, be stoned to death. Mary’s whole future is drastically rearranged by this announcement.

“How can this be?” Mary asked, and that is all she asked, which is a miracle itself, because I would have had a lot of questions: What’s going to happen? Will Joseph stick around? Will my parents still love me? Will my friends stand by me or will I get dragged into town and stoned to death? Will the pregnancy go all right? Will the labor be hard? Will there be someone to help me when my time comes? Will I know what to do? Why me? Christmas for Mary meant anxious questions with few answers.

So Mary, the most unlikely of God-bearers, is chosen. God could have chosen a queen or a princess or an aristocratic heiress, but God doesn’t. God chooses a poor peasant girl who brings nothing to the situation but her availability and her willingness to serve. Mary is one of the lowest of the low, and yet she has found favor with God, and through God’s power and God’s choosing she will be exalted.

“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Mary’s answer to the angel represents a bold statement of faith with a level of commitment and obedience not matched anywhere else in the Bible. Her “yes” was the crucial turning point in God’s salvation plan. Her faith made possible God’s entry into history, the Word becoming flesh. She had every reason to say “no”: not the right time, not the right place, not the right partner, not the right family planning, not the right future direction. And yet, instead of weighing the pros and cons, instead of counting the costs, she simply says yes.

That doesn’t mean she wasn’t scared, that her voice didn’t tremble as she gave her answer. Who among us is not as fearful as Mary when God demands our attention in a way we cannot ignore? The missionary en route to a foreign country, the student stepping through the school doors for the first time, the congregation member leading their first meeting or holding the communion trays for the first time all know the fear that goes with saying “yes” to God’s call.

But like Mary, we can lay claim to the truth of this scripture: If you have been called by God, then you have been favored by God. Mary is, in every sense of the word, expecting. She is not only expecting biologically; she is expecting theologically. She is expecting in her womb and in her soul. Pastor David Shirey says she is “running her fingers through the prospect of promises fulfilled.” The prospect of promises fulfilled. She is realizing in advance what God is going to do.

To be expecting is one of the blessings of Advent. As we await Christ’s coming, we are all expecting, just like Mary. And our role in this narrative being told is in some ways just as important. Listen to these words from medieval mystic Meister Eckhart: “We are all meant to be mothers of God. What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son takes place each year but does not take place within myself? And what good is it to me that Mary is full of grace if I am not full of grace? What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to his son if I do not also give birth to him in my time and culture?”

So let us hail Mary this morning for what she has done. And then, let’s us take our place alongside her as God-bearers in this world, ones who have been called and favored by God. I know that can be scary. I know that can raise a lot of questions. You know, this Christian thing would be a lot easier if it came with step-by-step instruction. But it doesn’t. Instead it comes with a promise and a call. God has a plan to use each one of us to make God’s love known here on earth. He comes to each of us this Christmas and says, “Jesus Christ is inside you. Will you give birth to his love in your life? Will you share him with others? Will you share him with the world?”

“May it be to me as you have said” – if that could be our response to the coming of Christ this Christmas, then his birth would not merely be remembered but truly received. The birth of Christ this year means that God again has favored us and wants to use us to make the kingdom real here on earth. God wants to use us! That’s more than just a Christmas wish; it’s what we should be expecting.

Hospital-tality

Because we are a multi-staff church, the ministers share in the pastoral care duties. My days at the hospital are Mondays and Wednesdays. I made my rounds this morning to Central Baptist and the UK Medical Center, then was called back to the hospital this afternoon to be with the family of a man who is nearing the end of his life.

I’m new here, so I don’t know a whole lot of people and I had yet to meet this man and his wife (except for a very brief greeting during my audition weekend). I was a bit hesitant to try and provide pastoral care during such a traumatic time for a family I didn’t know, but that is one of the wonderful things about ministry. You just never know where God is going to call you to serve and you often feel ill-equipped to answer the call. Of course, if we always felt fully qualified to serve in ministry, there would be no room for God to work.

In the midst of this family’s very difficult time, I experienced God’s presence in very powerful ways. The family was very gracious and welcoming to me. In some ways I feel like I was the one being cared for, which may have been therapeutic for them. I heard some wonderful stories about the family, the church and the history of the Lexington area. There were tears, laughter and a lot of hand-holding. And God was there, in the midst of us, whispering “all will be well” in each of our ears.

I’m praying for this family tonight. They will be eating their Thanksgiving meal in the hospital cafeteria, which is an experience no one should have to endure. I am thankful to them for their strength, their vulnerability and their faith. I have a feeling there are many, many families like this at Crestwood, and I am feeling blessed once again to be serving here.

The Calm Before…

Tomorrow is my last official day being unemployed. On Monday I start my new job as senior pastor of Crestwood Christian Church in Lexington, Ky. As with most pastoral searches, this has been a lengthy one. I first heard from the chair of the search committee in February of this year, so that means the process took nine months from first contact to first day on the job. That’s a lot of time to have the future thrown up in the air and your emotions on edge. I’m glad it is coming to an end.

It’s actually been an enjoyable journey, despite all the emotions. The church here in Lexington has been incredibly hospitable and understanding, and my previous church in Lincolnshire, Ill., was supportive and gracious. In both places, I believe my family and I had the honor of experiencing church as it was meant to be. That doesn’t mean there weren’t moments of humanness, but I hope that God was honored through the process.

We’re done with our goodbyes in Illinois, which were tearful and heartbreaking and so, so sacred to me. I cried the hardest when saying goodbye to my friend and mentor, but I cried often when thinking about leaving such a wonderful group of people. I’m blessed t count many of them as friends.

And now, let the hellos begin! Crestwood is about triple the size of Lincolnshire, so I have a lot more names to learn. I’m sure I’ll call someone “Bill” instead of “Bob” or “Mary” instead of “Martha.” I just hope I don’t look at Bill and call him “Martha!” The memory function of my brain will be in overdrive the next few weeks. I wish there wasn’t so much junk up there wasting valuable space (do you remember the name of the guy who hosted “The Match Game?” Gene Rayburn).

There’s a lot of excitement that goes along with starting at a new church. I feel an incredible sense of anticipation and expectancy, which is only appropriate as we enter the season of Advent. I believe something new and exciting is about to be born, both within my spirit and within Crestwood Christian Church. I give thanks to God for such wonderful blessings and I eagerly await the arrival of what God is going to do.

My last sermon at CCC – Praying Goodbye

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful send-off today. It was Spirit-filled and such a celebration. God be with you til we meet again!

Praying Goodbye
Phil. 1:3-11
Oct. 25, 2009

I want to tell you about July 3, 2001. It was a Tuesday and it was my third day on the job as associate minister at Community Christian Church. I had been ordained about two months before and was so new to the ministry I still had tags on me and that fresh new minister smell. I had survived my first Sunday in the pulpit without getting booed out of the sanctuary, so I thought I was off to a pretty good start. I was ready for anything!

Except for the phone call I was about to receive. Nelson Irving, the senior pastor, was out of the office, probably playing pool at Ken Fisher’s house, so after only three days on the job, I was left in charge. Big mistake. The phone rings, and I answer it in my most professional minister voice: “Community Christian Church, this is Kory.” The voice on the other end was almost hysterical. Apparently, this lady’s teenage son was creating all kinds of havoc in their household and she was at the end of her rope. She ranted and raved for about ten straight minutes, spewing forth this stream of frustration and angst that was melting the phone in my hands. When she finally paused to take a breath, she says in the most exasperated tone, “So…what should I do?”

Umm. They didn’t train me for this in seminary. I never took a class on handling irate parishioners. So I summoned up my most pastoral voice and said, as I was taught to say in my Introduction to Pastoral Counseling class, “Well, that’s a tough situation. I really feel for you. I wish I had an easy answer you, but I don’t.” Then I smiled, and said to myself, “Ooo, good empathizing! That’s just the soothing balm this lady needs. This ministry stuff is easy!” And there was a pause on the other end of the line for about three seconds, then I heard this intake of breath and a voice almost scream, “Well, that’s just not good enough!”

You can imagine how I felt at that moment. Here I had invested four years of time, money and effort into earning a Master of Divinity degree, sacrificed time with my wife and little daughter, slogged out systematic theology papers, moved to Illinois, and after three days on the job I was already a failure. How ironic that Jesus rose on the third day and I was crucified on it. “That’s just not good enough!”

Well, eight years later, I’m happy to say that parishioner and I have a wonderful relationship, and while I didn’t fix her teenage son, I hope I provided some sort of comfort to her and her family along the way. In fact, I had lunch with her recently and we laughed about that first phone call. I tell that story because as I reflect on my time here, I realize that ever since that day I’ve been doing my best to be “good enough” as your minister. I have been my own hardest critic and toughest boss, trying to live up to my calling as a Christian minister and servant of a congregation, and live up to my own expectations to be “good enough.”

And I’ve failed. I haven’t been good enough. Now, you may want to disagree with me and I appreciate that sentiment, or you may want to agree with me, in which case I appreciate you remaining quiet. But the truth of the matter is that, when I look at who I was called to be, I wasn’t good enough. In fact, none of us are. No matter how exemplary our lives, no matter how selfless or generous or compassionate we are, we can never measure up to the standards that are set for us. At some point, whether it is three days or three years or thirty years, we will fall short.

But through our faith in Christ, that all changes. Through our belief in Jesus as our savior, we go from being “not good enough” to being “good enough.” We may not always live up to this description, but the forgiveness and mercy we are offered at the Communion Table is one of the ways God looks at us and says, “You are good enough.”

I want to say to you that you are good enough, as individuals and as a congregation. We’ve had our ups and downs together, our successes and our failures, our times of great faith and times of great doubt, but in the end, I can say with confidence that you are good enough. Not because of anything you have done, but because of what I’ve seen God do through you.

And I can say that because I’ve heard your story. Over these past eight years, I’ve had the honor of listening to your story and being a part of it. I’ve been invited into your homes, I’ve sat across lunch tables with you, I’ve talked with you on the phone, and I’ve exchanged emails with you. And all the while, I’ve been listening to your story.

But it goes deeper than just casual conversations, doesn’t it? We’ve sat together in the hospital waiting room or the funeral parlor. We’ve sat in my office and cried and laughed and worried and prayed. We’ve talked together in Friendship Hall after worship or in the parking lot after a meeting. We’ve worked side by side on mission trips. We’ve witnessed weddings and baby dedications. I’ve had the honor of hearing your story.

And what an amazing story it is! It’s a story of hope, of perseverance, of answered prayer, of faith in the midst of unanswered prayer, of living out what we believe by helping others. I’ve heard you tell it during our Thanksgiving service, or on Lay Sunday, or during the sharing of joys and concerns before our prayer. Your story is inspiring and moving and an incredible testimony to the work of God in this world.

So I want to encourage you today to keep telling that story. Author Diana Butler Bass says, “We become ourselves as well tell our stories.” You will continue to become whatever God is calling you to be as you put words to how you experience God in your life. You don’t have to tell it eloquently or dramatically or use big words like “penultimate” and “soteriology” (although if you do it makes it even better). Just tell your story.

You see those doors? There will be people coming through those doors who don’t know your story, including your next minister. And they need to hear it, because not only is it your story, not only is it this church’s story, it’s God’s story. And when you articulate it, when you speak it out loud, when you give voice to it, you become who God created you to be. You have an awesome story and I have been honored to be a part of it these last eight years. And I when I tell my story, you will have a special place in it.

And now, this chapter comes to an end. I have had several people say, “I’m not going to say ‘goodbye’ because that just sounds so final.” Yes, it does and yes, it is. But not when you consider what it really means. The word “goodbye” is a contracted form of the phrase, “God be with ye.” To say “goodbye” is to entrust someone to God’s care once they are no longer in your presence.
Other languages pick up on this. In Spanish, the word for God is “Dios,” so their parting word, “Adios,” literally means, “to God.”
Same with the French word “Adieu.” To God. And the German “auf Wiedersehen” literally means…actually, I don’t know what that means. But you get the idea.

In the Christian vocabulary, there’s a word that carries with it some of the same meanings. It’s a word we use a lot when we pray: Amen. Amen means “right on” or “let it be so” or, as they say where I’m going in Kentucky, “Yup!” It’s the exclamation point at the end of sentence that affirms the truth of what’s been said and commends it to God.

You probably have never noticed that I don’t end my sermons with an “amen” as a lot of pastors do. My preaching professor in seminary encouraged us to not do this, because he believes the sermon should only be the beginning of the conversation, not the end of it. “Don’t put a period where God wants to put a comma.” In other words, ending a sermon with “amen” is like saying, “And that’s all there is to say about that.” I don’t believe that’s true, so I have never said “amen” at the end of a sermon.

But this sermon is a little different, because in some ways it IS the end of the conversation, at the least one between you and me. We are putting the punctuation on the end of the sentence at the end of the paragraph at the end of the chapter, a chapter that I humbly pray was “good enough.” It feels like there’s still so much more to be done and so much we have left undone, but we’ll just have to turn that over to God and trust that the dialogue will be picked up by your next conversation partner. I can’t wait to hear what stories are written in your future. And until that happens, I am able to say with confidence, trust, faith and so much love, goodbye and amen.

My last newsletter column

“I have to say right up front, before I say anything else, how excited Leigh, Sydney and I are about becoming a part of your family. Whatever emotions I share from this point on in this column are completely dwarfed by the sheer joy we feel about coming to CCC.” – From the June 2001 newsletter

It’s hard for me to believe it’s been over eight years since I wrote those words. At the time I was a newly ordained minister (I still had that new seminary graduate smell!) preparing for his first job in the “real world” of congregational ministry. I was dealing with a new medical diagnosis and moving to a new city and state.

And you welcomed me without hesitation. To say “with open arms” would not only be a cliché but wouldn’t do justice to the hospitality you showed to my family and me. As we settled into this area, you all became not only our friends but our loved ones. Now it is eight years later, and we are preparing to leave the most loving and caring church we have known. It doesn’t even seem real that CCC will no longer be part of our lives. While we know there is a wonderful congregation awaiting our arrival, they will never be able to take the place of CCC in our hearts.

Thankfully, our leaving is not “goodbye” so much as “talk to you later.” Through the wonders of technology, I look forward to keeping in touch with you through email or on Facebook (and maybe even with actual mailed letters!). I love this congregation very much and will follow with much interest your future path. I want nothing more than God’s best for you all.

After all we have been through together, it is sad for me to think I will not be part of that future. But I believe God has someone perfect in mind to lead this congregation forward. I believe I have done what God called me to CCC to do. Now it is someone else’s turn to experience the warmth, hospitality and support this congregation has to offer.

An important shift will take place on Oct. 26. I will no longer be your pastor. I will not be able to offer you counsel or guidance. I won’t be coming to congregational gatherings. And you will no longer have to sit through my sermons (please hold your applause!). But, if it is your wish, I hope that we can continue to be friends. When my family and I have found a place to live in Lexington, I will be sure to pass along that information. In the meantime, I encourage you to use my personal email (wilkory@gmail.com) if you’d like to contact me.

Thank you, Community Christian Church. Thank you for your love and support. Thank you for your feedback and guidance. Thank you for your patience, your forgiveness and your companionship. I pray that these last eight years have been a blessing for you. If we have disagreed, I pray that I have not been a stumbling block for you. If I have, I ask your forgiveness. Please know that I will always remember this church fondly. After all, this is where I started my ministry. But it’s been more than that; this is where I came face-to-face with the image of God in each of you. Thank you.

This Week’s Sermon – Called to Share God’s Love

 Hi everyone! This sermon ends my series on the mission statement of Community Christian Church. I was a lot of fun to explore some of the questions behind what we’re called to do. Have a blessed week!

SCRIPTURE
James 2:14-18 – What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

Mark 10:42-45 – Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

SERMON
Sermon Series – “Call to be…”
Sermon #4 – “Share God’s love…”
October 4, 2009

You may have heard of some of the great theologians of our time: Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Frederick Buechner. But you may not know the great theologian Sylvester McMonkey McBean. In case you don’t know, McBean is a character in the Dr. Seuss story about the Sneetches. McBean shows up with his Star-On Machine, which will turn plain-bellied sneetches into star-bellied sneetches, thus upping their status in the sneetch community. You walked in to the machine, got your star, and then walked out a new person. Ta-da!

McBean may be a little opportunistic, but you could spin that by calling him an “agent of transformation”. It’s not unlike what the church is called to do: bring them in, transform them, then ship them out. Today, we finish our sermon series looking at our mission statement by exploring the meaning behind the last line: “We are called to share God’s love for us through compassionate service to others.” This imperative completes the McBean cycle. We bring them in by welcoming people into a loving and caring church family, we transform them by equipping them with a Christ-centered faith that works in real life, and then we ship them out to share God’s love through compassionate service. Ta-da!

When the Sneetches left the Star-On Machine, they did so with stars on their bellies and noses in the air. But we are called to leave this church very differently, with our eyes open and our hands ready to work. In other words, we are called to go from this place with a purpose, to take what we’ve learned and experienced and share it. This is not a side-effect of being in church; it is the primary purpose for it.

But why? Couldn’t our mission statement be complete without this last line? I know many people who believe the church exists to take care of them. Maybe you feel this way. The church is here so that when I need something or somebody, I have a place to go, like a spiritual ATM that serves up prayers and potlucks. Jesus said he came not to be served but to serve, but I wonder if at times the church doesn’t get that a little backward.

That doesn’t mean we should just ignore each other’s needs. We are a community, a loving and caring church family, and that means we take care of each other. But if our definition of the church ends there, then we have bought into the myth that the church is just one more service organization. Our mission statement, if we follow the thinking all the way through, implies that we welcome and equip so that we can share God’s love with each other and beyond the walls of the church.

The question, “Why do we serve?” is built on the understanding that we DO serve. The role of service in living out our faith is a given in our mission statement and it’s a given in the Bible, as well. James is the best example of this. “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” Living out our faith through our actions is not optional. We are called to share God’s love.

But I believe we often times get caught up in serving for the wrong reasons. One author I read recently addressed this by talking about altruistic egoism. Altruistic egoism is the belief that by helping others, we can make ourselves feel better. And there is an element of truth to that. I do feel better about myself when I help someone else. But if that’s my main motivation, I’m engaging in self-service. If I’m serving someone else in order to check something off my mental feel-good list or to pad my spiritual resume, I’m actually doing a disservice.

Let me explain that with an analogy. I’ve learned the deep theological truth that road construction stinks, but I have come to love the concept of open-road toll plazas. If you have the neat little I-Pass attached to your windshield, you can zoom right through toll plazas without even slowing down, allowing the government to take your money as painlessly as possible. But if for some reason you don’t have an I-Pass or you are like a certain minister and leave it at home, when you come to a toll plaza you have to take that little exit and go through the booths, while all the people with I-Passes are zooming by and pointing their fingers at you and laughing.

I wonder if sometimes we don’t look at serving others as detours in our lives. We’d much rather keep zooming ahead on our own path, but because we know it’s the “Christian” thing to do, we take that little exit from our full-speed schedules and help someone else out, all the while thinking consciously or subconsciously, “I can’t wait until I can get back to doing what I want to do.” When we do that, the person we are serving is no longer a person in our eyes; they are simply a means to an end, a by-product in our desire to “do the right thing.”

So maybe we serve others because of altruistic egoism, because it makes us feel better. Or maybe we serve because it reflects well on us to do so. That doesn’t mean we serve to get fame or publicity but it is human nature to want to be appreciated for our efforts. After all, how can our lives make a difference if no one sees us making a difference? But so much of what God calls us to do will not result in a happy ending. We simply will not always benefit from serving someone else. That meal at the soup kitchen may not change a person’s life; that dollar in the beggar’s cup isn’t going to rescue her from poverty. Why make the effort if we’re not going to see a return on our investment? Let’s face it: serving others has very little upside.

So if we don’t get results and we don’t get recognition and we don’t get to pad our spiritual resume, why serve? “We are called to share God’s love for us through compassionate service to others.” We serve, our mission statement says, as a response to God’s love for us. Through Jesus Christ, God poured out love on us in the most extravagant, lavish way. It’s like trying to pour the ocean into a coffee mug or put a tree in a sandwich bag. When you have that much love given to you, you can’t help but let it overflow in your life, and one of the ways we do that is to turn that love into action through our service to others. And we do this out of compassion. The word “compassion” literally means “to suffer with.” To have pity on someone is to look down on them from a position of power. To have compassion for someone is to look at them as equals, from a position of solidarity and kindness.

What informs and undergirds that service and what keeps it from becoming self-service or acts of altruistic egoism, is our relationship with God. Author Eric Sandras says that many of us are lured into being busy for God, while sacrificing true relationship with Him. A week full of service opportunities will never take the place of an hour spent with God. It is that hour, that time, that relationship that helps us understand the depth and magnitude of God’s love for us and why we do everything else we do. It is our time spent with God that inspires our desire to have compassion, to suffer with our fellow humans.

I heard the story of a woman who went to Africa on a mission trip to work with people with AIDS. When she got there she looked around and saw this overwhelming sickness and poverty and hunger and she said, “I just wanted to scream at God. And then I realized God was screaming at me.” When we spend time listening to God, we can more clearly hear the call to compassionately serve others.

Having that understanding of God’s love for us as a foundation for our serving allows us to serve authentically, even when we don’t serve perfectly. On one of our Habitat workdays a few years ago, I was put in charge of placing stakes in the ground so we could rope off some newly cemented driveways. Obviously, those in charge were able to pick up on my incredible stake-placing gifts. So I set about my task with much diligence, placing the stakes at just the right depth and distance from each other. I mean, it was a work of art! Of course, what didn’t realize was that the crew had already poured the concrete for the driveway next door, so that I was leaving footprints in the wet concrete while I was doing my stake-placing for the neighboring driveway. Strangely enough, I haven’t been invited back to place more stakes.

God does not call us to serve perfectly; God only calls us to serve. Our service doesn’t have to be perfect for God to bless it. If God only used perfect people, nothing would ever get done at this church. We’re all a bunch of misfits. We all have weaknesses. We all have faults. We all have failures. But guess what? God still loves us and still wants to use us. God doesn’t use perfect people; God only uses faithful people who are committed to sharing God’s love with others.

Ultimately, when we choose to serve, when we choose to share God’s love, we are doing what God has called us to do. Author David Goetz puts it this way: “Finding our purpose comes not from the results of service but the act of obedience. No matter what the call…inner freedom comes as I pursue truth, justice, and righteousness without needing to be seen as right or needing to see the results I want.” In other words we serve because we have been served, and are called to do the same.

We welcome people in. We equip them. And then we send them out, not with stars on their bellies, but with compassion in their hearts. As this church moves into a time of transition, living out this mission statement becomes even more important for this congregation. You don’t stop being the church just because a minister leaves. You are still, and always will be, Community Christian Church. Welcome. Equip. Share. That is your mission.

This week’s sermon – Called to Equip People…

 Hi everyone! This week’s sermon takes a closer look at the second line of our mission statement: “We are called to equip people with a Christ-centered faith that works in real life.” Have a blessed week!

SCRIPTURE

2 Timothy 3:10-17 – You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Ephesians 4:1-13 - As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: ”When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

SERMON

Sermon Series – “Call to be…”
Sermon #3 – “Equip people…”
September 27, 2009

“The Lord never gives you more than you can handle.” You know that old Christian cliché. I don’t particularly like that saying. First of all, it implies that whatever bad things come our way, the Lord decided to give them to us. “Let’s see, Kory looks bored, let’s give him a sore throat and a flat tire.” Secondly, there are times in life when it DOES feel like we can’t handle all that’s on our plates. And when those times happen, it’s hard to find solace in these kinds of trite Christian sayings.

For some folks, right now is one of those times when it may feel like there’s more going on than we can handle. I’ve heard from a lot of people in the last few weeks who are anxious about this time of transition in the church. When faced with change and an unknown future, it may feel like God is absent and our burdens our too heavy. Is this one of those times when we DO have more than we can handle?

Just because the cliché may be overused doesn’t mean there’s not some truth in it. The second part of our mission statement says, “We are called to equip people with a Christ-centered faith that works in real life.” For me, the key to that phrase is “works in real life,” because what good is our faith if we only use it on Sunday morning? When real life happens in the form of change or crises or a series of flat tire frustrations, what role should our faith play in helping us cope?

In this sermon I’m not going to spend much time on the “how-to” part of this statement about equipping. There are a lot of very good, very different ways we can help equip people in their faith. Some of those we have done here at CCC, but in hindsight I wish we had done more in this area. The fact that we didn’t is solely my responsibility. But you will have continued opportunities to equip yourselves and others with the tools of faith.

The question to ask is not “How? but “Why?” Why should we be equipped? Can’t we just take it as it comes, roll with the punches, go with the flow? No. We can try, but at some point a wave of crisis is going to crash over us and we will find ourselves submerged in frustration and anxiety. When we’re at that point – and many of us have been there – we know that we need more than just our gumption and sunny dispositions to make it through. We need faith in something greater than ourselves, because that is what gives us hope in the face of trials.

So, we must equip ourselves with the tools God has made available to us. Some of those things are fairly obvious: the Bible, prayer, a community of faith. But I believe our equipping goes deeper than that. We can also equip ourselves with a worldview and understanding that fundamentally shapes how we see and make sense of the capriciousness and cruelty of life.

When I worked at the Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper, in order to be productive I had to learn the lingo of the newsroom. I had to understand galleys and typeset and proofs and agate before I could do my job. Once I learned what those things were and how to use them, I was ready to contribute.

Similarly, as we grow in faith we have to equip ourselves with a vocabulary that helps us make sense of the world and what happens in life. Words like “grace,” “forgiveness,” “love,” “peace,” “hope,” “trust” inform and deepen our faith, but if we don’t equip ourselves with an understanding of their Christian meanings, we lose the effect of their power.

Let’s take “hope” for example. Apart from a faith perspective, “hope” means wishing that something will turn out for the best. “I hope I win the lottery” or “I hope there are still some cookies left during Coffee Hour.” But from a Christian perspective, “hope” is grounded in the goodness and the dependability of God’s word. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we have been given reason to hope for the future. We don’t hope that everything will be all right, because we all know too well that everything is not always all right. But we do know that no matter what happens, God is with us. So we have hope.

One of the ways we equip ourselves to handle real life is we learn the language of faith and what it means for us. But we can’t do that by studying it in a book. For example, I can tell you that a transmission is a compact, enclosed unit of gears that facilitates the transference of force to create torque and speed in an automobile, but that doesn’t mean I understand how a transmission works. The way we equip ourselves is through experience. I learn how things work by putting myself in situations to see them in action. We learn the language of faith but seeing grace, love, forgiveness, hope, trust in action.

One of the places we can do that is on Sunday morning. Hopefully when we gather, when we pray, when we sing, when we hear God’s word, when we take communion, we are seeing how these words are lived out in the community of faith. But that can’t be the only place we equip ourselves. To put the entire burden of responsibility for our spiritual formation on a 15-minute sermon or a once-a-week service is cheating ourselves out of the fullness of a vibrant faith. It would be like trying to gain an intimate understanding of the news by only reading the headlines on the front page. There’s so much more we are offered by God, and so much more potential within us to tap into.

Remember the show “McGyver”? Each week, Richard Dean Anderson and his totally rad mullet would rescue people from precarious situations through his ingenious handyman abilities. For example, he would pick a lock with a soggy waffle or craft a nuclear bomb out of a roll of duct tape and some toenail clippings. McGyver could do a lot with a little.

At times, Christians function like the anti-McGyver. They do a little with a lot. God has equipped us with amazing gifts and talents. Paul tells us in Ephesians that people were gifted to be apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers. That list could go on and on. But notice Paul doesn’t say, “And then there are those folks who weren’t gifted at all. Too bad for them.” Every one of us has been equipped! God has given us what we need to live out a life of faith in the midst of difficult or trying circumstances.

Notice Paul’s reasoning for why God gave people these gifts. If we were to ask Paul, “Why should we equip people with a Christ-centered faith that works in real life?” he would say, “to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Our gifts are not to be hidden or used for ourselves, but are to be used in service to other people.

This is how I know that this church is going to be OK, just as I believe that my family and I will be OK as we move into a time of transition. I know the future is unknown, I know that can be anxious or scary, but God has prepared us. God has given us the tools we need to deal with whatever life brings. We are called to hone those skills, to develop those gifts, so that when the time comes we can put them to use in service to the body of Christ.

In our denomination’s tradition, we place a strong emphasis on what is called “the priesthood of all believers.” That means that work of God isn’t restricted to just the ordained clergy. We believe that everyone is a part of the priesthood, that everyone has gifts to use in service to God. In other words, everyone is a minister. Everyone has something to contribute. When I look at this church, I see an amazing group of ministers working hard to do God’s will. CCC is blessed with amazing lay leadership on the Board, an incredible search committee, a wonderful group of Sunday school teachers, a tremendous choir. Everyone has something to contribute. Even you. Especially you. God has equipped you.

There once was a boy who went to hear a famous speaker. The boy didn’t know if there was a meal included in the event, so he took a lunch with him in case he got hungry. While at this function, the speaker’s assistants realized that no one was in charge of getting refreshments for this large audience. One of the assistants saw this boy’s lunchbox, so he asked the boy if he could borrow it. The assistant took the lunch – just a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread – to the speaker, who say a prayer and miraculously multiplied that simple meal into a feast big enough to feed every person present, with doggie baskets left over.

Do you know that boy’s name? Me either. But not only did his simple act feed 5,000 people, his story has been instrumental in bring millions of people to faith. There’s no such thing as an insignificant ministry. We all have a gift to share. We all have been equipped to help build up the body of Christ.

On June 29th, as I was studying the book of I Timothy, I wrote this in my sabbatical blog: “Paul talks about Timothy’s calling here as if it’s an ongoing process. Timothy wasn’t called once and for all. Instead, each day he is called to fight the good fight, to keep the commands without spot or blame. A calling is a perpetual thing. We are not called just to do something; we are called to be something, and that takes a lifetime to get right.”

My prayer for this church, now and in the future, is that you will continue striving to answer God’s call. It takes a lifetime to get it right, and there are going to be missteps along the way. But the past doesn’t have to dictate the future. I know this church has faced difficult transitions before. I know the changes you face may concern you. But you are the body of Christ. You are God’s people. God has given you these amazing gifts – hope, trust, love, forgiveness and your own individual talents – and commissioned you to put them to use, to speak the language, to redefine challenges as opportunities. Never let the realities of life overshadow the fact that you have been equipped by God, and because of that, you can indeed handle anything. As scripture says, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”

This Week’s Sermon – “Welcome people…”

 Hi everyone! For this week’s sermon, we spend time exploring the first line of our mission statement: “We are called to welcome people into a loving and caring church family.” Have a great week!

SCRIPTURE

Gen. 18:1-8 – The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs [b] of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread.”
Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

Hebrews 13:1-3 – Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
 

SERMON

Sermon Series: “Called to Be”
Sermon #2 – “Welcome people into a loving and caring church family…”
September 20, 2009

I think I struck a nerve. The example I used in last week’s sermon has elicited quite a response. To recap, while talking about how we are called to be community, I told the true story of a couple who visited this church for several months and then left because they felt like they never connected with anyone beyond the Sunday morning experience. I then asked the question, “Are we building an authentic, biblical community here at CCC?”

I have been amazed at the amount and the intensity of the reactions to that story. A few people have said, “Thank you for naming that because I have felt the same way.” Other people were angry or offended because they felt I was criticizing the congregation in a very public way for not being more welcoming. So let me clarify, because that’s a good lead-in to today’s sermon. I did not mean to sound as if I was criticizing our church. If anything, the story was as much a reflection on my leadership as it was a comment on this congregation. While I wasn’t criticizing, I was being critical, by which I mean stepping back and asking questions that will foster dialogue and conversation, like an exercise in critical thinking. Judgment from the number of conversations I’ve had this week about that story, I succeeded.

That conversation continues today was we look at the first line in our mission statement: “We are called to welcome people into a loving and caring church family.” I spent the first month of my sabbatical studying this line more closely. I read several books about welcoming and hospitality, visited four other churches to see how they did hospitality, attended a church conference on making a good first impression, and carried on running email conversations with eight of my pastor colleagues on how they do welcoming in their church. And, boy, did I learn a lot! Much of my sabbatical final document is dedicated to this idea of how a church can be more welcoming and hospitable.

But before a church can address the “how” of welcoming, they first have to understand the “why.” In other words, why do we want to welcome people in a loving and caring church family? What is our motivation? What’s our hoped-for outcome or our “bottom line,” if you will? If we strive to be welcoming but don’t know the reasons why, there’s nothing that separates us from a welcoming non-Christian organization.

We all have had good and bad experiences with hospitality. One of my favorite fast food restaurants is Chick-fila, which sadly they don’t have up in this area. Not only is the food good, but the service is outstanding. I noticed once that if you say “Thank you” to a Chick-fila employee, they will respond with “It’s my pleasure.” Every Chick-fila employee in every Chick-fila across America. I once tested this by saying “Thank you” as much as I could to the person serving me. I did it so many times that I’m not sure it was truly that person’s pleasure to serve me, but she never stopped saying it. Of course, Chick-fila employees are not hospitable to me because they want to be my friend or think I’m a super-cool guy; they want me to spend more money at Chick-fila. And it works! But a church is not in the business of making money. So what is our motivation for hospitality?

One of the books I read made a great point about what shouldn’t be our motivation for hospitality. The author wrote, “Christian hospitality is not the same thing as making people feel comfortable so they will join the church. Hospitality is not for the purpose of meeting institutional goals – more members, bigger budget, more potential committee chairs.” While I don’t disagree that we need to grow the church, based on this perspective I don’t believe our motivation should be more butts in the pews or more bucks in the budget.

Instead, we should find our motivation in the same place we find all our motivations – the word of God as given to us in scripture. The author of Hebrews draws upon the wonderful story of Abraham and Sarah welcoming the three guests when he writes, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” We are called to welcome each person as if we were welcome a messenger of God, much as Abraham did when the three strangers show up at his tent flap. A welcoming congregation eagerly awaits the knock at the door, the visit from the guest, because they know it’s an opportunity to herald the arrival of God in the guise of a stranger.

One of the things I learned on my sabbatical was that this church has spoiled me. I believe one of the things we do very well is to welcome people when they visit, so I have come to think that’s how all churches do it. So I was shocked when I visited one church in June and felt the opposite of what this church offers. Not only did I not feel welcomed, I almost felt unwanted. The message my experience sent to me was a painful one: I don’t matter.

And yet that’s contrary to scripture, isn’t it? We are told over and over again in scripture that we matter to God. Jeremiah tells us that before we were formed in the womb, God knew us. Jesus tells us in Matthew that even the hairs on our head are counted by God. That’s a higher number for some of us than for others. And John writes in his first letter, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” Children of God! Regardless of what the world tells us, we matter because God loves us.

So if that’s the message we hear from the pulpit, is that congruent with the message guests get during other parts of their visit? One of the reasons I like going to Chick-fila is because I feel like I matter to them. And I believe people come to church because they want to know that they matter to God. Does a guest’s experience leading up to the sermon communicate that fact? Do guests feel like they matter in the parking lot, in the narthex, as they read the bulletin, as they are greeted by the congregation? If they perceive a different message, like I did during my church visit, they are much less open to hearing that they matter to God when it’s preached in the sermon.

In my email conversations with my pastor friends, one of things I asked them to do was to complete this sentence: “The one program/ministry/action at my church that is absolutely essential to visitors feeling welcomed and wanting to return is _________________.” And do you know what almost every single one of them said? It wasn’t their colorful brochures or brightly lit sanctuary or the greeting time during worship. They said it was the welcoming attitude of the congregation. It was the congregation’s commitment to making sure each person who visited felt like they mattered.

Thankfully, this is a responsibility we all can share and participate in. You don’t have to be ordained, know how to crunch numbers or run a smooth meeting to be hospitable. All you have to do is see the other person through the eyes of God, as a child who is looking for something, something that could change their lives and give them hope. What if we treated every guest as if our interaction with them could make the difference in their visit?

And what if we saw each guest as someone who could potentially change us? As you think about the wonderful people we have in this church, realize that at one time or another, every one of them was a first-time visitor. Every one of them! About two years ago a young couple visited our church for the first time. They felt welcomed, so they decided to come again. And again. And then one day the man said, “I’d like to do my student ministry work here.” And so Michael Swartzentruber and his fiancé Rebecca Hampu joined our church. How would this church be different if they didn’t feel welcomed here and decided not to come back? The next person who visits us may be a messenger from God, sent here to have a tremendous impact on CCC, and we are called to make sure they feel like they matter. Yes, our church has something to offer guests, but I believe guests have something to offer us, as well.

Ultimately what we do when we choose to be hospitable to a guest is we give up some of what we have to share with them. We are making space in our church for someone else. We are making room in our hearts, room in our schedules, room in our budget, much like Sarah and Abraham made room at their table and the innkeeper made room in the stable for Mary and Joseph. Spiritual writer Henri Nouwen puts it this way: “Hospitality is the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer then a space where change can take place.” We don’t do the changing – that’s in Christ’s job description. But by our efforts, we create the welcoming environment for that change to happen.

As you know, Leigh and I are trying to sell our house. That’s not a lot of fun right now. To try and entice potential buyers, Leigh bakes a bunch of chocolate chip cookies right before a showing so that the house smells like freshly baked cookies as people walk through. We need a lot more people to come see the house right now because we’re out of cookies! My hope is that when people visit this church for the first time, they experience the spiritual equivalent of chocolate chip cookies. I pray they see several smiling faces, hear a bunch of hearty “hellos”, shake the hands of many greeters, taste the goodness of our coffee fellowship treats and experience what true hospitality feels like. In short, I pray they find what they are looking for and that God blesses us by using us to help them find it.

I am so thankful to be part of a church that is so welcoming. In fact, I had one couple that visited tell me they weren’t going to come back because we were too welcoming. Believe me, that’s a great problem to have! But that doesn’t mean we should get comfortable and assume this isn’t an area where we can grow. Because I believe God is going to continue to send people through those doors and we have to be ready, because you never know when we may be entertaining angels. “We are called to welcome people into a loving and caring church family.”

This Week’s Sermon – We Are Called to Be…

Hi everyone! This week I’m starting a four-week series on our church’s mission statement. Yesterday I took a look at the role of mission in our lives. The next three Sundays I’ll be preaching on the themes of Welcoming, Equipping and Sharing, based on what I learned on my sabbatical. Have a blessed week!

SCRIPTURE – Matthew 9:35-10:1
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

SERMON
Sermon Series: “Called to Be”
Sermon #1 – “We are called to be…”
September 13, 2009

I had the honor this past weekend at co-officiating the wedding of a former youth group member of mine named Will. Will’s dad was my teaching pastor when I was in seminary and Will and his sister Betsy were in my youth group. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But you don’t look old enough to have a former youth group member getting married!” Thank you for that, that’s very sweet of you, but it’s true. So last Sunday evening, in blistering sun of Cave Creek, AZ, I stood next to my mentor and colleague David Shirey as we performed the wedding ceremony for Will Shirey and Kassie Vaughn.

Part of what made the weekend so special for me was the chance to hear the stories that go along with such a blessed event. I learned about how Will and Kassie met for the first time at another wedding. I got to know their families and hear their recollections of the bride and groom. I heard the story of Coolwater Christian Church, where David pastors, a former new church start that still meets in a school cafeteria. I heard the stories of church members like Marilyn, who lives on a horse ranch and Ginny, a mentally disabled lady who helps set up for worship each Sunday. Every person I met had a story.

In addition, new stories were created last weekend, like at the Saturday BBQ, when Will’s groomsmen stripped down to their Speedos and threw Will in the pool. Unfortunately, there ARE pictures to prove it happened. Then there’s the story of family and friends gathered from 14 different states to celebrate this occasion. And the story about David looking at his son Will, who just yesterday was a little guy running around the church causing trouble, and saying, “I now pronounce you man and wife.” Our lives are filled with such wonderful, sad, joyous stories.

We are people with stories and as Christians, we are called to place our particular story in the grand telling of The Story. Each of our stories, each of our lives is a thread in the tapestry of God’s narrative. And as we weave them together, as we take our individual stories and combine them with each other, we live out who we are called to be, the followers of Jesus Christ, whom Hebrews calls the “author” of our faith, the Writer of our stories.

But we are more than our stories, aren’t we? We are more than our individual tales. Our world wants us to think that the individual is the pinnacle of existence, that we should seek first, not the kingdom of God, but to embellish our personal plotlines. But the Bible tells a different story. The Bible tells a tale of God creating Adam and saying, “It’s not good for you to be alone,” and then creating a companion for Adam. And from that point forward, the Bible tells the story of God’s people coming together and trying (albeit it very imperfectly) to be the community God has called them to be.

Ever since Adam and Eve, we’ve been trying to be God’s community. In fact, that’s why churches have things like mission statements. A mission statement helps keep our purpose front and center. It’s like a magnifying glass, focusing us in on who we are called to be and what we are called to do. Our denomination has one: “To be and share the good news of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving and serving from our doorsteps ‘to the ends of the earth’.” Our region has a mission statement: “Growing Disciples congregations for healthy, vital ministry.” And as I’m sure you know, this church has a mission statement, crafted several years ago by the Long Range Planning Committee: “We are called to welcome people into a loving and caring church family, equip people with a Christ-centered faith that works in real life and share God’s love for us through compassionate service to others. We are called to be Community. Christian. Church.”

Now I know what you may be thinking. “Blah blah blah. Mission statement, Schmission statement. Those things are just a bunch of words.” And you’d be right. Because the power of a mission statement is not found in its words, but in the organization’s passion to live it out. For a church specifically, the power of a mission statement comes from hearing it as the place where our story connects with God’s story, the place where we partner with God to make God’s kingdom real here on earth. Mission is finding out what God is doing in the world and doing it with God.

Of course, we won’t do that perfectly, but that doesn’t stop us from trying. And I believe our mission statement accounts for that fact by simultaneously addressing the past and the future. “We are called…to be.” At some point in the past, we were called. Individually, we were called to acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We were called to be submerged in the baptismal waters or to stand in front of a congregation and say, “Yes, I believe.” As a church, we were called to come together as a community to worship God and live out our faith. We each have different skills, different passions, different stories, but one thing we share in common: We have been called. As Jesus says in our scripture today, “Ask the Lord to send workers out into his harvest field.” When we answered the call, we said, “Here we are, Lord.”

“We have been called to be…” To be what? That’s the fun part of faith, isn’t it? To spend our lives figuring out exactly who God has called us to be. Personally, I’m still learning and being surprised by the things to which God has called me to do, and even more surprised by the person whom God has called me to be. I’ve learned that a calling is less about what you do and more about who you are. You could say that our mission in life is to continually discover who God is calling us to be.

But if we choose, we don’t have to look to the future. We can be content in the present or, even more dangerously, stay rooted in the past. I don’t care who God is calling me to be; I’m pretty comfortable right here. I was watching an old show recently about the Holy Trinity: Moe, Larry and Curly. Larry runs up to Moe and says frantically,” Moe! Moe! I can’t see!” And Moe, says, “What’s wrong?” And Larry responds, “I got my eyes closed.” Sometimes life would be a lot less complicated if we could just keep our eyes closed. Who needs a mission statement then?
But Christians are people who look forward into the future and find out that God is out there ahead of them. It is our life-long mission to follow where God is leading. If we ignore our calling, our mission has been compromised. If we only look for God in the past, our mission has been compromised. If we refuse to look out ahead of us, to see God beckoning us forward into the future, our mission has been compromised. “We are called to be.”

When the Long Range Planning Committee put together CCC’s mission statement, they came up with three statements about who God is calling us to be, and I’ll be looking at each statement more closely in the coming weeks. But they did something else, something bold and audacious and downright crazy: They had the courage to paint a picture of who they believed God was calling us to be. “We are called to be Community. Christian. Church.” Now, you may think, “Where did they come up with such a creative, inventive line? I never would have thought to put those three words together!” But I believe there’s a lot of wisdom packed into that sentence, and this congregation could spend the rest of its life trying figure out what that actually means. As I reflect back on our eight years together, I believe we’re off to a good start.

We are called to be community, to embody what it means to be in relationship with each other. We are not simply a gathering of like-minded persons. Our belief in Jesus Christ transcends our individualism. We are not you and you and you and you. We are “us” and that has implications for how we live out our faith and our lives.

There was a couple a few years ago who visited CCC regularly for several months, were consistent in their attendance and active in the church. Then one day the husband called me and said, “We want to let you know we’ve not coming to CCC anymore.” Part of the reason had to do with differing theologies (obviously he wasn’t a fan of the Three Stooges), but another part was eye-opening. He said that in their several months of attendance, not one person had asked them out to lunch or over for dinner. While the church was welcoming and hospitable, he said the sense of community ended there. There was no connection at the soul level. So one of the questions CCC can continue to ask is, “Are we building an authentic, biblical community here?” To do so takes a lot of time, and sometimes we don’t have a lot of time to give. But we are called to be community.

We are also called to be Christian. Seems like a no-brainer, right? “I’m here, aren’t I? How much more Christian can I get than this?” But sitting in church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a forest makes you a tree. Living out the call to be Christian means letting the words of scripture and the teachings of Christ soak into us, taking root and bearing fruit. It means living our lives as if we were Christians first and everything else second. It means letting every decision we make and every statement we utter be pleasing in God’s sight. Think we can do that perfectly? And yet, that’s who we are called to be.

Finally, we are called to be the church. That means we are called to stand in the gap for those who can’t stand for themselves. We are called to be the beacon of hope in a hopeless world. We are called to be the ones who speak a word of truth in the face of lies and deception. As the church, we are called to connection with other believers and congregations locally and globally, to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world as they seek to combat the evil forces of oppression, hunger and poverty around them. Are we doing that? Are we only focused on taking care of ourselves or are we being the church in this world?

As your pastor these last eight years, I have tried to help us fulfill this mission. I haven’t done it perfectly, and sometimes I haven’t done it very well, but I sure have enjoyed writing this chapter of CCC’s story with you. I pray that when this story is told in the future, it will tell of a group of faithful people who learned how to come together in a more loving and caring ways so that they could be equipped to go out share God’s love. I believe we have worked together to continue becoming who God has called us to be, and for that I am forever humbled and thankful. We are called to be Community. Christian. Church. Thanks be to God.

Anatomy of a Move

I can’t begin to tell you the range of emotions my family and I have experienced over the past year. This process of considering a call to another church has been everything from exhilarating to heart-wrenching. I want to share with you the events that led to my accepting a call to serve in Lexington, Ky.

I was contact by a church last October that was looking for a senior pastor and had been given my name. This was the first time since I’ve been at CCC that this has happened. My first response was “not interested.” But the church persisted, so I agreed to interview.

I heard from that church in January that they had hired someone else. While we didn’t receive a call to that church, the process of interviewing caused Leigh and me to step back and look at our life situation. Was God nudging us to consider our next chapter in ministry? Would this be a good time in our lives to move? We had lived here for eight years, the church was in a very healthy place, and the girls would be going to new schools in the fall. While we didn’t feel like we had to move, we decided that we were open to the idea if the right situation presented itself.

So we put our papers out (our denomination’s equivalent of circulating your resume) in late January. The advantage of doing so in our denomination is that you can be very specific about where this happens. Because of our desire to be closer to our families, we chose to circulate our papers in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. We never heard from Ohio; we heard there were no openings in Tennessee; and the two churches we heard from in Indiana didn’t fit what we were looking for. That left Kentucky. If there was nothing there, we were more than happy to stay in Illinois and continue serving our wonderful church family here.

On February 25, I received an email from Wayne Shaver, the search committee chair at Crestwood Christian Church in Lexington. That was followed by a phone interview with the committee in March and a visit to Lexington in April. The more I talked with the church, the more I realized that this would be a good fit and a natural next step for me in my ministry.

But apart from the church, Leigh and I felt this would be a good move for us for several other reasons:
• It would put us within about an hour or so of both our families (including our aging parents).
• We would be able to live within 5-10 minutes of the church.
• Because of the more moderate climate, Leigh would be able to do her photography year-round.

When we took those factors into consideration, along with the potential of the church, we felt that God was at work and we were being called to serve in Lexington. We made a family visit on July 18-19 and I preached my “audition sermon.” The church voted unanimously the following Sunday, July 26th, to call me as their senior pastor.

During this past year, I have struggled greatly with the tension I was feeling between loving and serving this church and feeling called to serve another church. I have never experienced this before and found it a profoundly difficult experience. I’m still coming to terms with the fact that we are actually going to be leaving CCC. I think I have tried to conveniently block out that fact until now.

Until my last day on Oct. 25, I am committed to working for you and serving with you as this church focuses on the future. One of the reasons I feel comfortable leaving now is that CCC is very healthy and poised to move forward. This congregation will be a very attractive one for potential candidates, and I believe God will bless you with just the right person to help you grow into the future.

Like me, I’m sure you may have experienced a range of emotions as you learned of my news. I want to make sure you have an opportunity to share with me whatever you would like – anger, sadness, joy, etc. Even if you are hesitant to express those feelings to me, I assure you I want to hear them. My door is open and I am going to focus my remaining two months on ending my time with you in a healthy way, so let’s find a time to talk. I will save my goodbyes for the October newsletter; I’m not ready to say them quite yet! For now I will simply say what a privilege it is to be your pastor.

OUR JOURNEY TOGETHER

As I’ve looked back over our past eight years together, I’ve been amazed at the ways God has used us to further the work of this church. I thought I would try to capture some of those accomplishments. This is not a list of what I have done; it is a list of what we have done, or what God has done through us. I’m sure I’m forgetting some things, but this gives you an idea of the blessings of the past eight years.

Some things that have happened since July 2001:

WORSHIP
• Creation of the choir scholarships for the “Northwestern boys”
• A sanctuary renovation (Stained glass, new carpet, reconfiguration of chancel area)
• Enhancements in our worship service (use of a liturgist, new Chalice hymnals)
• Increase in l00ay-lead worship services (Youth Sunday, Lay Sunday, Hymn Sings)

OUTREACH
• Seven mission trips, include two to New Orleans
• Budgeted support of two overseas missionaries
• Participation in Habit for Humanity workdays

CHURCH AND COMMUNITY LIFE
• Of the 123 families in the directory, 55 have come to CCC during this time
• Complete Constitution revision, which included the creation of Ministries Council
• Community-focused events like the Easter Egg Hunt and Trick or Trunk
• Creation of the church website and the Weekly Word email
• Completion and implementation of the Long Range Plan
• Participation in Lincolnshire 4th of July parade
• Start of the Memorial Woods project
• Creation of the TNT (Twenties and Thirties) Young Adult Group

SPIRITUAL LIFE
• Increased emphasis on the prayers of the church (Prayer Banner, Lenten Prayer Program, Prayer Cards, etc.)
• 16 weddings, 9 funerals, and (since 2005) 26 baptisms/confirmations
• Creation of Stephen Ministry Program
• Creation of the Elders Shepherding Program

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
• Creation of the Youth Leadership Team and new youth group (Alive! for 5th and 6th graders)
• Tuesday morning Bible studies (we’ll start studying our 15th biblical book – Hebrews – this fall)
• Implementation of the Workshop Rotation Model for Sunday School
• Building of the Youth Room Wall (still in progress!)