I was driving in this crazy traffic that seems to fill our streets these days. As I was waiting at one of those extra long stop lights I was getting antsy and frustrated because I needed to get to my next destination. It was a nice day and most drivers had their windows down. I noticed the man next to me started to whistle. His whistling came through loud and clear and instead of annoying me it began to relax me.
I began to let him share his excitement and energy with me. He had no clue the peace that his whistling brought me, but I began to remember how important it is to live in the present. I was busy trying to rush to the next place. If I hadn’t stopped to listen to him whistle I would have missed the moment that brought me peace. I don’t know about you but I often spend so much time preparing and running for the future I forget to live in the now.
This Lent let’s not rush to the cross and the resurrection as we look forward to Easter. Let us embrace this day and what the Lenten story has to share with us in our lives now.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
We are Stardust!
Have you ever wondered, Why me God? Why is my life so good? Why do bad things seem to follow me around? Why did you put breath in me? What is the meaning of life? In a universe so vast how can God hear my prayer?
William Burger in Perfect Planet, Clever Species: How Unique Are We? writes,
We are stardust! All of the living things on this earth are a product of the elements Burger describes. When things that were very different from one another, things that had different characteristics, different goals, and different properties came together, something new and beautiful was brought into being. Various materials along with energy and a “liquid medium,” went into our origins, and they might very well not have seemed to “belong” together. But look at the product!
Look at yourself! There are times you may not feel like you fit into this world as you seek for meaning and purpose. But, even science shows us how connected we are to all of creation and to one another. You are a beautiful, unexplainable, gift of God’s! Is there something more we’re searching for?
William Burger in Perfect Planet, Clever Species: How Unique Are We? writes,
…it is only in an “older” universe that complex life forms can come into being. Based on the analysis of minute grains found associated with meteorites, Armand Delsemme suggests that our solar system was enriched by “at least four different stars. A star rich in carbon. A star rich in oxygen, a star rich in magnesium and silicon, and a star rich in iron.” Clearly, our glorious star was generously endowed with the materials needed to build living things. Together with a liquid medium such as water, complex life-forms built largely by the common and versatile carbon atom also require a variety of heavy elements to act as the energy centers of their most critical enzymes… Humankind is the product of that history; hydrogen, the original stuff of the universe, makes up about 8 percent of our body weight – all the rest of us is stardust.
We are stardust! All of the living things on this earth are a product of the elements Burger describes. When things that were very different from one another, things that had different characteristics, different goals, and different properties came together, something new and beautiful was brought into being. Various materials along with energy and a “liquid medium,” went into our origins, and they might very well not have seemed to “belong” together. But look at the product!
Look at yourself! There are times you may not feel like you fit into this world as you seek for meaning and purpose. But, even science shows us how connected we are to all of creation and to one another. You are a beautiful, unexplainable, gift of God’s! Is there something more we’re searching for?
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Church is Messy!
When I was a child I loved to get my hands in the soil of the earth. I was always digging for worms, making mud-pies, and trying to dig all the way to China. The older I get it seems I’m less likely to get my hands dirty. This past week we were weeding a parishioner’s yard and before I could eat lunch I had to wash my hands. It actually required a couple of times with the soap and water before most of the dirt was removed and it was finally acceptable to eat. When I was a child I would not have thought twice about picking up a sandwich with the newly mud-pied hands. I might have even tried to eat the mud-pie.
I fear that age teaches us the reality that life is out of our control and so we counteract by controlling the few things we can. In the midst of this we lose our playfulness. We try to clean things up. I believe that this phenomenon seeps into the church. Who has the best youth program? Who has the best attendance at worship? Who has the most money? Who has the best choir? Who has the most contemporary worship? We want things to be so controlled and perfect that we lose the passion behind what it means to gather in the name of our Creator. God knows life is messy. God sent his only Son into this messy world so we would know the power of God’s love. Maybe the question we ought to ask is, “Is the church getting messy?” “Is the church playing in the gift of creation?”
This playfulness is where God’s passion seeps into our lives. It is what draws people into the faith. Maybe as people of faith we need to stop washing our hands to be a perfect church and start digging for those considered the worms of the community. Start digging for those who need to know of God’s love. Start digging for those who are trying to get above ground. After all, God rose from the grave to dig us out of sin so we are free to play in love and grace.
I fear that age teaches us the reality that life is out of our control and so we counteract by controlling the few things we can. In the midst of this we lose our playfulness. We try to clean things up. I believe that this phenomenon seeps into the church. Who has the best youth program? Who has the best attendance at worship? Who has the most money? Who has the best choir? Who has the most contemporary worship? We want things to be so controlled and perfect that we lose the passion behind what it means to gather in the name of our Creator. God knows life is messy. God sent his only Son into this messy world so we would know the power of God’s love. Maybe the question we ought to ask is, “Is the church getting messy?” “Is the church playing in the gift of creation?”
This playfulness is where God’s passion seeps into our lives. It is what draws people into the faith. Maybe as people of faith we need to stop washing our hands to be a perfect church and start digging for those considered the worms of the community. Start digging for those who need to know of God’s love. Start digging for those who are trying to get above ground. After all, God rose from the grave to dig us out of sin so we are free to play in love and grace.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Are you a worrier too?
By Sarah Teichmann
I always struggled with the Matthew 6:25-27 passage about worry. It feels that from the age of three on I was a worrier. I would worry about my family, worry about my safety, and worry about the world around me. I would like to say that with age and maturity my inclination to worry has subsided, but in truth it has not. Often maturity and responsibility are paired with their stomach turning mate of worry.
In the midst of news about economic troubles and uncertainties and the seemingly unending bombardment of bad news—there is a solid sense of worry. It is quite normal to worry. It is also important to remember that during these times of worry we are not alone—God is with us. Yes we worry, but it is not the end result. We are called to turn our worry over to God who knows our hearts, our minds, and our worries. When I feel worry creeping from the dark shadows and clouding hope, I find myself turning to Psalm 139.
God knows us through and through—knows our strengths and weaknesses, our worries and triumphs. In all that we think, all that we feel, and how we act—God is there. When life’s worries grow we may find comfort in a God who hems us in, who is with us, and who comforts us.
I pray that this day may be filled with hope and light in your life. God is with us and loves us.
‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? Matthew 6:25-27
I always struggled with the Matthew 6:25-27 passage about worry. It feels that from the age of three on I was a worrier. I would worry about my family, worry about my safety, and worry about the world around me. I would like to say that with age and maturity my inclination to worry has subsided, but in truth it has not. Often maturity and responsibility are paired with their stomach turning mate of worry.
In the midst of news about economic troubles and uncertainties and the seemingly unending bombardment of bad news—there is a solid sense of worry. It is quite normal to worry. It is also important to remember that during these times of worry we are not alone—God is with us. Yes we worry, but it is not the end result. We are called to turn our worry over to God who knows our hearts, our minds, and our worries. When I feel worry creeping from the dark shadows and clouding hope, I find myself turning to Psalm 139.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:1-5.
God knows us through and through—knows our strengths and weaknesses, our worries and triumphs. In all that we think, all that we feel, and how we act—God is there. When life’s worries grow we may find comfort in a God who hems us in, who is with us, and who comforts us.
I pray that this day may be filled with hope and light in your life. God is with us and loves us.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Are we teaching prophet or profit?
During Sunday School one morning we were on the session of the man born blind. The children were sharing a drama of the story of Jesus spitting in the mud – putting the mud on the man’s eyes – and the man born blind going to the pool and washing his eyes and then he is able to see. Then at the end of the story the man born blind calls Jesus a Prophet.
As I was watching and listening to the kids acting out the drama. I realized that one of the teachers was helping a child with the word “prophet.” I thought to myself I wonder if these children know what the word prophet means. So I asked, “Does anyone know what a prophet is?” One child quickly responded, “Yes, a profit is the money you have earned.” All of the teachers in the room began to look one another with a new understanding. Yep, that child is correct. A profit is the returns, proceeds, or revenue of money. However we are not talking about P-R-O-F-I-T we are talking about P-R-O-P-H-E-T! Then one of the teachers began to explain, “A prophet is a messenger of God.” A prophet is someone who has been called to share the Word of God with the world.
In today's world we often think of the prophets of old: Moses, Abraham, Jonah, Isaiah, John the Baptist...
God's Word is still spreading throughout the world today so let us not only teach our children about profits, but also about the message of the prophets.
As I was watching and listening to the kids acting out the drama. I realized that one of the teachers was helping a child with the word “prophet.” I thought to myself I wonder if these children know what the word prophet means. So I asked, “Does anyone know what a prophet is?” One child quickly responded, “Yes, a profit is the money you have earned.” All of the teachers in the room began to look one another with a new understanding. Yep, that child is correct. A profit is the returns, proceeds, or revenue of money. However we are not talking about P-R-O-F-I-T we are talking about P-R-O-P-H-E-T! Then one of the teachers began to explain, “A prophet is a messenger of God.” A prophet is someone who has been called to share the Word of God with the world.
In today's world we often think of the prophets of old: Moses, Abraham, Jonah, Isaiah, John the Baptist...
God's Word is still spreading throughout the world today so let us not only teach our children about profits, but also about the message of the prophets.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Spiritual but not Religious
A question I have been struggling with lately is, "How do we (as a church) reach out to those who are spiritual but not religious?" In one of my curious moments I logged onto facebook and typed that question on my status. I'm used to getting 2-3 responses on a status I post but was overwhelmed when I quickly received 14 responses.
Three of the people who responded are fellow leaders in the church who also struggle with that question. The rest were from those who label themselves, "spiritual but not religious." Their responses varied with how they experience God. Some wanted to gather together with a beer and go fishing while others thought it would be great to burn some incense while feeling the rhythm of a drum circle.
As a Christian community it is clear to me that this is an important question. One friend even said maybe the question is, "How do we outreach in an American post-secular society?" One where people see the church as an establishment full of hypocrisy and are turned off by the religion-in-your-face attitude.
Even Jesus saw problems with "the establishment". He walked into the temple and turned over tables (Mk. 11:15). Jesus calls out the people in the temple by saying, "'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers" (Mk. 11:17).
Yet, we also learn that the temple is important in scriptures. Jesus as a child is found sitting on the steps of the temple learning from the teachers, listening and asking them questions (Lk. 2:46). Later, Jesus teaches in the temple.
Sure the church is full of hypocrisy; we are human and like to make things about us and not God. Yet, the church is a living, breathing entity of people who long to be closer to their creator and who want to support, love, and encourage one another in their spirituality. So, how do we as Christians begin to change the assumptions in this world about the church?
Three of the people who responded are fellow leaders in the church who also struggle with that question. The rest were from those who label themselves, "spiritual but not religious." Their responses varied with how they experience God. Some wanted to gather together with a beer and go fishing while others thought it would be great to burn some incense while feeling the rhythm of a drum circle.
As a Christian community it is clear to me that this is an important question. One friend even said maybe the question is, "How do we outreach in an American post-secular society?" One where people see the church as an establishment full of hypocrisy and are turned off by the religion-in-your-face attitude.
Even Jesus saw problems with "the establishment". He walked into the temple and turned over tables (Mk. 11:15). Jesus calls out the people in the temple by saying, "'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers" (Mk. 11:17).
Yet, we also learn that the temple is important in scriptures. Jesus as a child is found sitting on the steps of the temple learning from the teachers, listening and asking them questions (Lk. 2:46). Later, Jesus teaches in the temple.
Sure the church is full of hypocrisy; we are human and like to make things about us and not God. Yet, the church is a living, breathing entity of people who long to be closer to their creator and who want to support, love, and encourage one another in their spirituality. So, how do we as Christians begin to change the assumptions in this world about the church?
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
"We're on a mission from God"
By Sarah Teichmann
The other day I was thinking about some of the adventure movies that I really love. I would have to list Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter as being high on this list. Aside from their cinematographic value, I really love the message of these movies. A hero (Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, Harry Potter, etc.) is faced with a dilemma that seems larger than life. They are called upon in some fashion to go on a mission, to face all odds, and to rise to the occasion. (This is usually the part when a fantastic soundtrack by John Williams pipes in.)
Another movie that has a great soundtrack and where the heroes are faced with a dilemma and called into action is… Blues Brothers. That’s right the 1980 movie that tells the story of two brothers- Jake and Elwood and how they’re on a “mission from God.” They are charged with the mission to raise money for an orphanage, and they know that they can’t fail because they’re on a mission… from God.
I find myself somewhat envious of Jake and Elwood, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, Frodo Baggins and his crew of Hobbits, and Harry Potter and his friends. Their mission is quite clear—and they always seem equipped for the challenge—ready to rise to the occasion and see that good is done.
Hmmm…. mission.
Perhaps my mission is as clear as Luke, Frodo and Harry’s calls to action. Perhaps we’re just like Jake and Elwood in that we’re on a mission from God. Sure, our specific mission and calling may not come to us with all the blockbuster bells and whistles of the movies, but we are truly called to use our talents and gifts for God’s glory. I may not be able to aptly swing a lightsaber, ride a broom, battle orks, or have the rhythm of the Blues Brothers… but God has given me gifts nonetheless! And God has given you gifts as well.
We’re on a mission from God. How is God calling you today—and what new adventures in mission are in store for you tomorrow?
The other day I was thinking about some of the adventure movies that I really love. I would have to list Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter as being high on this list. Aside from their cinematographic value, I really love the message of these movies. A hero (Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, Harry Potter, etc.) is faced with a dilemma that seems larger than life. They are called upon in some fashion to go on a mission, to face all odds, and to rise to the occasion. (This is usually the part when a fantastic soundtrack by John Williams pipes in.)
Another movie that has a great soundtrack and where the heroes are faced with a dilemma and called into action is… Blues Brothers. That’s right the 1980 movie that tells the story of two brothers- Jake and Elwood and how they’re on a “mission from God.” They are charged with the mission to raise money for an orphanage, and they know that they can’t fail because they’re on a mission… from God.
I find myself somewhat envious of Jake and Elwood, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, Frodo Baggins and his crew of Hobbits, and Harry Potter and his friends. Their mission is quite clear—and they always seem equipped for the challenge—ready to rise to the occasion and see that good is done.
Hmmm…. mission.
Perhaps my mission is as clear as Luke, Frodo and Harry’s calls to action. Perhaps we’re just like Jake and Elwood in that we’re on a mission from God. Sure, our specific mission and calling may not come to us with all the blockbuster bells and whistles of the movies, but we are truly called to use our talents and gifts for God’s glory. I may not be able to aptly swing a lightsaber, ride a broom, battle orks, or have the rhythm of the Blues Brothers… but God has given me gifts nonetheless! And God has given you gifts as well.
We’re on a mission from God. How is God calling you today—and what new adventures in mission are in store for you tomorrow?
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