Living Wisely

Sermon:  August 16, 2015


Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

--Ephesians 5:15-20

The other day my husband got to witness quite a sight. He was driving down a dirt road and came upon 8-10 ducklings without their mother. Not wanting to hurt them, he slowed down and watched as they ran for safety. There was an embankment, and eventually most of them were just trying their hardest to get out of the road. But the one in the front kept running
           
Todd continued to go slowly and watched that little duck as he ran. He was just flapping his wings and running his little heart out. And pretty soon, his feet were no longer touching the ground. As Todd watched, the little duck was making his first flight. Now, he was only a few inches off the ground. If he had reached down with his foot, he could’ve touched the ground. But he was flying! 

Todd continued to stay behind the little duck as he flew down the road, and when he came to his turn he was surprised to see that the little duckling also made the turn. So, Todd continued to follow the little guy as he flew close to the ground. At this point, he was far away from the other ducklings and Todd started realizing that the duck probably did not know how to land. He certainly didn’t think it would be a very pretty sight. And they came upon a little valley.

 Todd could see the road ahead dipping down and he watched to see what the little bird would do. Well, the bird kept on his same route! Within a few seconds, he went from flying just inches off the ground to being about 20 feet up in the air. Finally, the bird banked to the right and Todd lost sight of him. But he could see a small body of water off in that direction with ducks in it. He hoped the little guy landed safely…and he probably did.

But for a while there, he was living in quite a tension, wasn’t he? Fear of the big vehicle that had come upon him that turned to terror as he realized that he was no longer touching the ground, and then exhilaration at being airborne!

Well, life is like that. As we experience life, we are often living within a tension. Think of the fear and pain and joy of the birth of baby. Remember the anxiety of your first days at school or a new job and the joy and fulfillment that came with new friends and experiences. We can’t avoid the tensions in life. There will be ups and downs…and sometimes they will happen at the same time.

Paul’s words to the young church in today’s scripture reading create a tension. The first segment is cautionary while the second segment is full of gratitude.

Paul admonishes us to live wisely. He says to “make the most of every opportunity” and cautions us that “the days are evil”. Have you heard the Proverb (16:27) that says “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop…?” When an opportunity to do God’s will, to offer assistance, to be kind comes before us, we need to jump in with both feet.

My mom came to visit me this week. While eating lunch one day at a restaurant in town, one of the families of this congregation was seated nearby and I was able to introduce them to my mother. As mom and I visited, I was telling her about all of the activities and responsibilities that the mother of this family takes on. I was remarking that she was so busy yet always had time for the church and always wore a smile. My mother’s response was, “If you want something done, ask someone who’s busy.”

I’ve thought about that often over the last several days. Busy people are people who make the most of every opportunity. Busy people live in tension…the stress and physical (as well as emotional) demands that are required with a new challenge but also the joy, fulfillment, satisfaction that come with completing it.

Paul cautions us to not be foolish but understand what God’s will is. This takes discernment…and it takes time. Discernment is critical because there is a whole spiritual work out there that we cannot see. And not every spirit is of God. Know that God will never lead you to do something that goes against the scriptures. It is important that you read and know God’s word so that you are not led astray.

Discernment is a process. Sometimes it comes easily, but at other times it takes years for one to discern God’s will. This is often the case with those called to ministry. I began discerning my call in 2010…although I know that God was calling me long before that. It took time for me to see how God would talk to me and lead me in the direction He wanted me to go.

Trusting in your ability to discern God’s will is scary. We don’t want to mess it up…and we certainly don’t want to take it lightly. Pray that God will lead you in the direction you need to go and that you will be able to discern how and when to accomplish that tasks that God has set before you.

Be warned. Just because God asks you to do it does not mean it will be easy. There will be challenges. There will be frustrations. There may even be danger. But if it’s God’s will, it will be important and it will be part of God’s grand plan—which we may or may not understand.

We are also cautioned by Paul to not led anything affect our ability to discern. The example he points out is drunkenness. When we are impaired, we are foolish. When we are impaired, we are not able to discern anything. In Jesus culture, wine was served at most meals. It was storable and did not need preservation. There is a difference between having a glass of wine with a meal and getting drunk. 

Drunkenness leads to debauchery. The word debauchery is the translation of the Greek word “asotia” (as-o-tee’-ah). It means “what can’t be saved.” It is defined in Strong’s Concordance as “wastefulness due to excessive behavior and the dire consequences it brings.” Drunkenness is excessive. Drunkenness brings dire consequences.

And today, there are lots of choices out there for someone who wants to be impaired other than drinking to excess. Know that this is NEVER God’s will for your life. Anything that impairs your ability to think clearly should be avoided. Do not be foolish.

This is where Paul switches from caution to gratitude and creates this tension that we live in. He says to be filled with the spirit! We should speak to one another with Psalms, Hymns, and songs from the Spirit.

I’m a firm believer that the psalms were inspired by God…after all, they are included in the scriptures. I believe that our hymns are inspired by God. Charles Wesley, John Wesley’s brother, wrote many of the songs that are included in the United Methodist Hymnal. They are full of theology. And I believe that there are modern and current songwriters who are inspired by God to write songs and lyrics that align with scripture and stir our spirits.

The things that we fill our heads with are the things that stick with us…that we ponder. Sometimes I’ll go a day (or days) with a song in my head. Years ago, that song would’ve been trash without a good message. Honestly, some of the songs I used to listen to were disgusting, demeaning, and encouraged bad behavior. (Think ‘80s hair bands.)

The words that you fill your head with are the words you ponder. This week I had a beautiful song stuck in my head. It was a current praise song…beautiful and pleasing to God. I would find myself thinking about the lyrics…even singing it out loud on occasion. I kept thinking, “I need to look up this song and listen to it.” It had been a long time since I had heard it. But I was grateful for it. I’m certain that this song affected my mood and my interactions with others. I know that it affected my thoughts.

What music are you filling your head with? Are the lyrics positive? And I will take this a step further…what are you reading? What are you watching on TV? What are you giving your brain to ponder? It’s important. Way more important than I used to believe.

It makes me think of another verse that Paul wrote. This comes from his letter to the people of Philippi in Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Read those things, listen to those things, watch those things…think about those things. 

Finally, Paul tells us to always give thanks to our Father for everything. Live with a grateful heart. It doesn’t matter what your circumstances, you have things to be grateful for…every single day.

Right now the women’s Bible Study on Sunday nights is focused on the book “One Thousand Gifts”. It’s the story of one woman’s journey to live a life of thankfulness. It reminds us of each of the little things that we take for granted each and every day that instead we should cherish with a grateful heart…the air we breathe, the friends we see, the homes we get to clean, the community we share. Throughout your day start noticing these things. You don’t have to write them down, but give God thanks for them.

Make it a habit to live in communion with Him so that you can offer your thanks and praise throughout the day, every day. Prayer isn’t reserved for bedtime or mealtime. It can be a constant conversation.

We live in a tension…a time of great evil but also great goodness. We try to reconcile the two as Christians, but we can’t. With such a loving God, how can there be such terrible things in the world as war, hunger, and disease. It’s a tension that we must live in.

“If ANYTHING is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”

Amen.

Grace-Filled Words

Sermon:  August 9, 2015

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

--Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Paul continues to talk to the young church in the passage of scripture that we just heard. In today’s message, I will specifically focus on how Paul instructs us to use our words.

He tells us to put off all falsehood and speak the truth to one another. Don’t sugarcoat the message. Don’t bend the truth to make it more appealing. We must be willing and able to speak honestly to one another about the facts. Because if the facts indicate there is a problem, we must work together to deal with it.

Now, I don’t believe that worship is the time or place to deal with specific problems within our church. We have other venues to discuss together when there are issues. We have 6 teams that meet regularly within our church. This is where the issues should be discussed and plans should be made to address them. In these team meeting we must always agree to speak to the truth in love.

We have the Seed team that meets this Wednesday at 8:00. This team focuses on financial issues. We have the Grow team that meets this Wednesday. This team focuses on Christian Education and growing all members into mature disciples. And we have the Bloom team. This team focuses on reaching out into the community.

Besides those three main teams, we also have the Trustees who make decisions on how to best take care of our facilities. We have the Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Team that facilitates discussions between the church body and the pastor or other staff members. And we have the Administrative Council which is made up of the chairs from each the other teams to bring all of the information into one meeting so that everyone is informed and aware of all of the goings on in the church.

In the Methodist Church, all church decisions should come out of these meetings. No individuals, including the pastor, should be making critical decisions alone. As a team, we discuss and debate and decide our future together…as we speak the truth in love.

It’s a system. And it’s a good system…as long as members serve on the teams, attending their team meetings, and the chairs attend the administrative council meeting. Very soon we will begin asking people to serve on these teams for the next several years. Be prayerfully considering which team is a good fit for you. You don’t have to wait for a call, let me or someone else know how you would like to serve.

Next, Paul tells us that we should not speak or act in anger. He actually summarizes Psalm 4:4 which states, “Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.” You might be so angry that you are shaking…but do not speak or act on this anger. Instead, before you go to sleep but as you are lying down in a resting position at night…search your heart. Pray on it. Be silent and listen to God. Do not go to sleep still angry.

Paul tells us that there should not be unwholesome talk. That includes a whole slew of “unwholesomeness”!

Bitterness. Have you spent time with someone who is bitter about something from their past? It’s something they can’t let go of…that keeps them from trusting, that keeps them from moving forward. Sometimes this bitterness leads to passive aggressive behavior…where we wear the pretense of community but say or do things with a smile that we know hurt someone else. Bitterness has no place in the church. If something is making you bitter, pray about it, talk to me about it, talk to someone about it…but do not let that bitterness continue to fester within you.

Rage. We talked about the fact that we should not speak or act in anger…but rage is an evil cousin to anger. Paul tells us that it’s okay to be angry. After all, Jesus got angry. Remember him overturning tables when he saw the moneychangers in the temple? But rage is a different animal. It is defined as “violent, uncontrollable anger.” If we have let our anger turn into rage, we no longer have control of it…even if we don’t act on it. Rage can be an internal thing, an anger that takes over our mind and keep us from thinking logically.

Arguing. We, as the body of Christ, will not always agree. But we can disagree without being disrespectful to one another. In fact, we must. As Christians we need to be able to listen respectfully to all sides of a disagreement. Wesley gave us a tool to help us with this task, it’s called the Wesleyan quadrilateral.

On all issues, our overarching guidelines are the scriptures. But when the scriptures are unclear on an issue we are to equally consider reason, tradition, and experience. Because we reason differently and we’ve all had different experiences…we will not always agree. But we should make every effort to try and understand why people take different stances on issues, and we need to respect those differences even when our stance is different.

Slander. This is a symptom of lingering anger and bitterness. But it can also be a symptom of jealousy and pride. And sometimes I think it is just a cry for help of someone who seeks attention. It is the spreading of lies about another. But I’m going to include gossip in this category also…after all, when we hear and repeat gossip, we typically do not know if there is any truth to it or not. Slander and gossip have absolutely no place in the church…whether the topic is something or someone internal to the church or external to the church. It should not be tolerated.

And then Paul moves away from those words that we shouldn’t say and moves on to words we should use…grace-filled words.

Words of kindness. Kindness requires that focus on the positive aspects of a situation. We can be angry but still be kind. We can disagree, but still be kind. We can speak the truth, but still be kind. Kindness is a fruit of the spirit. If we are growing in God’s grace, we will notice that kindness comes more and more naturally to us.

Words of compassion. Compassion is concern for the suffering or misfortune of others. So words of compassion are words that articulate this concern. And we can be compassionate even when we can’t be empathetic. Sometimes we just don’t understand what someone is going through, we can’t relate. In those times that we don’t have empathy, we need to be sympathetic.

Often compassion leads us to action. We see someone suffering…even if we don’t understand that suffering, and we are led to do something to ease the suffering. Sometimes speaking those words of compassion are all we can offer…and enough. And sometimes there is much more we can do.

Words of forgiveness. When we refuse to forgive, we are held captive by anger and bitterness. Forgiveness is the key to free a person of bitterness. These words need to be spoken and internalized. 

Is there someone that you need to forgive? Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily mean reconciliation. Sometimes we struggle with forgiveness because the hurt was so grievous…such as in abuse. You can forgive without inviting someone back into your life. In fact, sometimes the safest thing for you and your family is not reconciliation. But you need to forgive. You need to be set free of your prison of anger and bitterness.

And within the church, forgiveness is critical to the cohesiveness of the body. We will hurt each other occasionally. We will step on each other’s toes sometimes. We must be willing to ask for forgiveness, we must be willing to offer forgiveness, and we must be willing to accept forgiveness.

And finally, Paul tells us that we need to walk in the way of love. We need to walk in the way of God. After all, the bible tells us that God is love. How can we call ourselves Christians if we are not walking in the way of love? This is our default. When in doubt, ask yourself, “What is the loving thing to say? What is the loving thing to do?”

I want to share a video with you by a contemporary singer about this very topic. 

Words have power. They have the power to build up and they have the power to tear down. What will you speak? Won’t you speak life?

Amen.

Building Up the Church

Sermon:  August 2, 2015

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 took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” 

(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.)  So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his 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. 

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

--Ephesians 4:1-15

Paul tells us to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” What does he mean by this? Well, think about our callings. Some of you are teachers…you live a life valuing education, having a heart for young people, constantly learning and growing. Some of you are in the medical field…you live a life valuing health and human life and being able to empathize with those who are suffering. Some of you are in law enforcement…you live a life obeying the law and valuing justice. We live our callings in life.  And just as we live into our callings in this way, we should also live into our callings as Christians.

First Paul tells us that we should be humble. This isn’t the only or the first time that we are cautioned to live life with humility in scripture. It mentioned many, many times. One of the Psalms tell us that “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” I once heard a pastor put it this way…either live humbly or God will teach you humility. It’s not a pleasant lesson to learn the hard way.

So what does it mean to be humble? It is an absence of pride…another often mentioned trait in the Bible. It’s a trait that God abhors. Yet, it is culturally acceptable, even encouraged, to live a life full of pride today. We must be careful. We must remember that our accomplishments, our finances, our gifts, our children are all gifts from God. Live humbly.

Paul tells us to be gentle. Gentleness. It’s one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s a special gift that we receive as Christians. It’s one of the ways we know that we are growing in grace. What does it mean to be gentle? Be careful with your words, actions, and temperament.

Be patient. This is another of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. As we continue to grow as Christians we grow in this fruit. Again, it’s a gift. When you see your patience growing, know that you are growing in God’s grace. Paul says that this patience helps us to “bear with one another in love.” Bear with one another. Empathize with each other. Suffer together. But also…tolerate each other. Sometimes it takes a situation that we must suffer together for us to empathize with one another.

Paul says that we should be bound together through the bond of peace. We need to strive to live peaceably with one another. And why is it important that we live out our Christian calling in this way…because God has also called us to unity. He reminds us that there is one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

But God doesn’t expect us to do this on our own. He gave us the apostles…those early followers of Christ to show us the way. He gave us the prophets who have declared boldly the words that God has given them since back in Old Testament times. He gives us evangelists…those who bring people to Christ through the good news of salvation. We have received the gift of the pastors…a shepherd, one who cares for his (or her) flock. And finally, He gives us the teachers…those who teach us the scriptures, the doctrine, the theology and correct our misconceptions. These are gifts from God to lead us to maturity.

And God does expect us to mature as Christians. This isn’t the only time that Paul compares young, immature Christians to infants. But in these few verses he describes perfectly how those who are young in their faith, those who have not yet immersed themselves in God’s Word, those who have not yet fully understood and accepted the Truth…are tossed back and forth by “waves”. Tossed back and forth by our own ideas and the ideas of others. Blown around by every wind of teaching…the teachings of Buddha, Mohammed, Joseph Smith, for goodness sake…Oprah!

And immature Christians are also blown around by the cunning and craftiness of scheming people…those who purposefully make up lies and seek to get others to follow them. Did you know that L. Ron Hubbard is famously quoted for stating that the easiest way to make a million dollars would be to start his own religion. Which he did. And Scientology was born.

Young Christians, those who are seeking answers and yet not mature in their faith, are vulnerable to teachings that promise answers. We must build them up. We must be one. So how can we a unified body of Christ, a unified church, that builds itself up in love?

We must be a learning, growing church. And when I say growing, I mean growing in faith, growing in grace, and growing in service. The other kind of growth, the growth of numbers, will come on its own as those on the outside see the changes in us…individually and corporately. We need to search ourselves and discover how God has made each of us individually to be part of this one body…the body of the church.

What Spiritual gifts have you been given?
What has God given you a Heart for?
What are your Abilities?
What in your Personality type?
What life Experiences have you had that could gift you to help others?
What is your SHAPE? 

God expects you, as a member of his body, to use your SHAPE to serve Him. He equips us! And sometimes He doesn’t equip us until we’ve taken those first steps into our calling. Did you know that Moses was not a good speaker? Some theologians believe he may have stuttered. Yet, when God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he equipped him with the voice, words, and power to do so. Did you know that Paul was a Christian persecutor? He killed Christians…for a living! And yet Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and God equipped him to lead many, many others to Jesus. In fact, Paul wrote a large portion of our New Testament…including Ephesians.

And God has equipped you also to serve in some way. “But I don’t have time,” you might think. “My life is too busy to serve God right now.” Let me guarantee you something. There may be many things that you do not have time for right now in your life, but glorifying God is not one of them. You were MADE to glorify God.

So, how can you be part of this one body of Christ? Let me give you some ideas on how you can use your SHAPE.’

You can come to worship. Christian fellowship is an important component of following Christ. We have multiple opportunities for you to worship each week—Saturday night we worship together in a casual atmosphere using contemporary music. Sunday morning at 8:00, we offer another opportunity to worship with contemporary music. Folks, it’s important that you understand that any music that glorifies God is appropriate in church. The old hymns were once contemporary songs, too, you know. They are not scripture, they are not sacred texts, but they are beautiful and often full of theology. Both kinds of music have their own beauty. Embrace them both to the glory of God.

You can come to a small group. Small groups are different than worship…and just as important. In small groups we get to know each other and share our lives in a more significant way. Small groups can have different purposes…maybe they meet to study together, maybe they meet to taken on mission projects together, maybe they create things together (such as a quilting group) for the annual Mission Festival, maybe they meet to just be accountable to one another in their Christian walk. Small groups can meet on Sunday mornings for “Sunday School” but they don’t have to meet at that time. For example, we have a women’s group that is starting this evening at 7:00. Please come! 

Maybe you feel called to lead a small group. We need leaders or teams of leaders to begin to build these within our church. Study groups can often use video series to provoke thinking while a leader is just needed to get the discussion going. This is how our “Not a Fan” study will be conducted in August and September. The Great Plains conference has lots of materials that we can borrow…for free!

I know of a small group in another community that gets together to find ways to meet the needs of their community. They have fundraisers for school supplies, special equipment needed in the church, the local food pantry, or other needs that of which they become aware. That’s all they do. Meet, talk about local needs, discuss ways to help meet those needs, develop a plan, and implement it. Margaret Mead is famously quoted as stating, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

What about teaching Sunday School to young people? We need subs. In fact, Michele Boy really needs to have a second adult in the room with her in order to meet the Safe Sanctuaries requirements. Would you be that person to come and assist her? Would you be willing fill in when needed? We have the curriculum? We have the resources? We only need you.

We need Greeters…people to welcome our members and visitors into the church before worship. All it takes it the willingness to smile, shake a hand, and hand them a bulletin. We also now have Visitor Brochures to help new people understand and follow the service.

We need Liturgists. These people need to be willing to stand up give our current announcements then read the scripture for the morning. All ages are welcome. I’ll send you the verses early enough that you can read them and practice.

Do you like to bake? Each month we need a loaf of bread to use in Holy Communion. Baked goods are also wonderful to take to shut-ins and first time visitors.

Young people, are you willing to serve as an Acolyte? Are you over 13 and interested in helping in the nursery? Are you a good reader, you could be a liturgist. 

Maybe you play a musical instrument! We would love to have special music numbers so that you can use your gift to praise God.  Maybe you’re retired but interested in serving as a secretary one morning a week. Maybe you enjoy technology and would like to video our messages and upload them to YouTube for us. Maybe you would be willing and able to learn to run the computer and the sound. Maybe it is the time in your life where your contribution is prayer…committed, thoughtful, frequent prayer for your church and all of those who make it up.

There are so many opportunities to be actively involved in this body of Christ that we call First United Church of Syracuse.

I realize that there are those out there who don’t want the church to interfere with their lives. That’s not how it works. And just as Paul says, I am speaking this truth to you in love. Listen to Paul’s words once more:

“…speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Prayerfully consider how you can be a supporting ligament in this body…there are many different ligaments to choose from. Together we will create and sustain a mature body that grows and builds itself up in love. Amen.