the SIGNIFICANCE of insignificance

I use this blog each week to help get the juices flowing for sermon writing, to drop off whatever load I’m carrying, or to try to share something that struck me.  I’ve found that writing can be very cathartic and actually very energy-giving.

I need energy.  I’ve been home by myself for the last two days and haven’t seen Ben (my son) in nearly a week.  I’m drained.  Erin and I had the opportunity to get away to Saint Simons Island last week, which was very restful and much-needed.  Now Erin’s in Lawrenceville, meeting with friends and helping out the church there to figure out some of the stuff she’s been doing for the last 5 years.

Have I mentioned that I don’t do well when I’m alone?  I miss my family - even as much as Ben wakes me up in the middle of the night.  It’s a drain on me to be in the office alone and even much more to go home alone.  

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining.  Just sharing.  There is something to being in constant fellowship with others.  After all, isn’t it Jesus who said, “Where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them”?  Being alone isn’t healthy for anyone.  I’m reminded of a story told by a preacher from my childhood:

There was an Irishman who lived in the countryside by himself and only left home to go to market.  Not once in several years did he darken the doorway of the local church.  The new rector assigned there took it upon himself to visit this man to discuss his solitude. 

The meeting didn’t start well.  The Irishman had become quite a grouch and obviously didn’t want the visit.  “Why should I bother to come to church?  I can just as easily worship God here, in the peace and quiet of my home.”  The rector was quick on his feet - he went to the fireplace (one of those big ones with the stone hearth) and with the poker, took a single log and rolled it out onto the hearth.  After a couple of seconds, the single log was no longer burning.  “Sir,” said the rector, “Christ established his church, not for him, but for us.  Just like this log, we cannot continue to hold the flame of faith on our own.”  He rolled the log back into the fire, “but together, we worship, and together, we kindle the fire in each other.”

 I’ve often pondered the Matthew 18 verse that I quoted before.  Why would Jesus only show when there are multiple people gathered?  Does he not have time for small crowds?  Does he not care for the single person?

This is what I’ve come to on Jesus words:  We, as Christians, have an incarnational theology - meaning, we believe not only in the incarnation of God as Jesus Christ, but also that each of us represents the incarnation of God.  Incarnation  is a word that we often have  trouble with, but it means literally to “take on flesh”.  If we are each Christ incarnate, or  “in the flesh”, then where do we see Christ most in the world?  IN EACH OTHER!

Jesus told his disciples that he is there when two or more are gathered because he is always there, but we are unable to see Christ in ourselves.  The question that we then have to ask, “Is anybody seeing Christ in me?”  I fell in love with my wife because I could see Christ in her.  Even in the insignificant moments, we are a reflection of Christ to the world.

______________________________________ 

Still waiting to hear from iTunes to see if they’re going to add my sermons to the directory.  I’ll keep you posted. 

My, we’re getting fancy here at Mt. Bethel.  I’ve just uploaded the first of many sermons to come.  You can check them out at www.sermoncloud.com/mt-bethel-umc and hopefully they’ll be on iTunes soon, so you can download them as a podcast. 

 I started with August 19th’s sermon because the recording quality on the first several since my move here was bad.  I’m not particularly excited about this sermon, but there will be more to come. 

I’ve got a Pastoral Record Ledger that sits on my desk in my office and this morning I wrote in the scripture and topic for my 8th sermon at Mt. Bethel.  Hard to believe I’ve already been here for 7 1/2 weeks.  It’s been eye opening for me.  Here’s a few things I’ve learned…

• Pastoring a church is one of the most rewarding and most demanding things I’ve ever done.  I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired and been this happy about being tired.  I’m trying really hard to remember my sabbath, but I have to admit that it’s hard.  A retired pastor once told me that the most difficult thing about being in ministry is knowing that at the end of the day, your list has only gotten longer and you know you’ll never get everything done.  What words of wisdom!
• I miss being part of a staff.  What support you have when you can bug the person in the office next to you when you’re unsure about something.  Not having a good friend two doors down is something I miss.  More incentive to grow Mt. Bethel while I’m here.  Not only will God be able to do more, but I might just get some company here in the office.
• My wife is amazing!  Erin has shown great courage in our move.  She hasn’t had to move too many times in her life, not like me.  In fact, her parents still live in the same house they did 30+ years ago.  Erin has sacrificed alot so that I can be in ministry.  And on top of that…she’s an amazing mother!  Ben is lucky to have her at home and to be able to learn from her.  She has an amazing touch with children that she doesn’t even realize.
• Give people freedom to dream.  I came to Mt. Bethel and saw the opportunity in the community right away for God to do some wonderful things.  The people here have tried some things to draw new people in, but they were ideas from other churches.  My biggest effort right now is getting people to dream - to think up new ways to do ministry - to put them into conversation with each other - and to empower them not only to dream bigger, but to pursue those dreams.  I firmly believe that if we are pursuing the Kingdom of God, that God will be faithful and make sure that we have all that we need.   Too often we put limits on what we can do in ministry based on how much is put into the collection plate on Sunday or how many volunteers we think we’ve got.
• There’s no excuse for old-fashioned hard work.  I can’t count the number of pastors, serving and retired, that told me before moving that if I visit frequently and preach well for the first 6 weeks of my new appointment, I’ll be successful.  I’ve begun to resent those remarks.  Sure there’s some wisdom about first impressions in that statement, but it’s also an acknowledgement that we only have to work hard for the first 6 weeks of a 6-year appointment.  Does this honor God?  I’m not saying that all pastors do this (even though some do), but I didn’t enter ministry because it’s about me.  I’m in ministry because God has called me to a life of service and to putting the spotlight on him.  My advice to new pastors - when you go to a new appointment, give it all you’ve got and remember who you’re serving.  If visiting frequently and preaching well is going to give a false impression of who you are then do us all a favor - DON’T BOTHER!

I’ve learned a lot more than just this, but these are some of the big ones. 

 _________________

I preached my first stewardship sermon at Mt. Bethel this past Sunday.  It was harder than I thought.  I wanted badly to stand up and tell people to pay more attention to the financial numbers in the bulletin, but I realize that is not what stewardship is about.  Our generous giving it supposed to be a symptom of a healthy faith.  When we put our trust in Christ, we can’t help but to give it all away.  God really worked on me through this message.

 How have you been SIGNIFICANTLY generous lately?

Over the last week, we’ve seen two different expressions of faith in the sports world that have struck me.  Last night, when Barry Bonds hit number 756, he stopped at home plate and pointed up to the sky to give credit to God.  It’s always good to see athletes give credit to God when they reach a goal, hit a homerun, score a touchdown, or win a game.  It’s become common for superstars to use their achievements to express their faith.

 I was struck last weekend by a very different expression of faith by a sports hero.  Michael Irvin, wide reciever for the Dallas Cowboys, expressed his faith in his induction to the NFL Hall of Fame.  I don’t usually watch the induction ceremony, but for some reason I did this year.  Am I glad I did!

 Now, I’ve not been the biggest fan of Michael Irvin, as many others would agree.  He’s been seen as an arrogant, cocky, jerk who was a screw-up off the field.  I saw a different side of Michael on Saturday though.  He began his speech, not with simply saying he’d like to give thanks to God, but by actually praying before the gathered crowd.  His whole speech was one of the most humble I have ever heard.  He talked about his faith and how it has pulled him through life.  He shared about his conversations with God - about why he had to go through so many peaks and valleys.  He told his listeners about his own “threshing floor” where he goes to confess to God and to work out his salvation “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). 

For many athletes, a gesture on a football field, baseball diamond, hockey rink, basketball court, or golf course is a simple task that may or may not say a lot about a person.  In fact, I struggle with crediting God with your touchdown or homerun.  If God chose you to succeed, it was at the expense of the other team or other competitors.  Last night when Barry hit #756, what was God doing for the pitcher, Mike Bacsik?  I just don’t see God doing that. 

The same holds true with those who believe in a “prosperity theology.”  Yes, God does bless us when we are faithful, but not with material wealth.  Many preachers today would have you beleive that their faithfulness is what allows them to own multi-million dollar homes and multiple expensive cars.  What about those who aren’t propering materially?  Are they any less faithful?

 This Sunday, I’m preaching on building bigger barns.  Jesus tells a story in Luke 12 about a man who prospers as a farmer and builds for himself bigger barns to store his grain.  Was it the man’s faith that allowed his crop to grow?  I doubt it.  If it was, his faith didn’t show in his response afterward.  He didn’t make offerings to God.  He didn’t offer to feed the poor around him.

 The prosperity of some often comes at the expense of others.  A truer expression of faith comes in our response to prosperity.  Will we be like the athlete who simply points to the sky after an achievement and leaves it as that?  Or will be we like the Michael Irvins of the world who give credit to God for every time they fall down, screw up, and get back up?  Will we be the man who builds the bigger barns, or will we do everything we can to give it away?  Even in our insignificant gifts, God works mightily.  How much more will God do when we respond significantly?

What have you done today to be significant for the Kingdom of God?

The church I’m serving is quite something. I have walked into a situation that most churches have never experienced…

I’m excited about what God has in store for Mt. Bethel. We covet your prayers!

 How have you been SIGNIFICANT for the Kingdom this week?

I’m officially a blogger. I’m open to conversations about faith and also to responses to my own writing. For now, I pray that God would bless your day and use you in ways that you have never imagined.