"Building Stronger Relationships: True Friendship"

            This is the second installment in my sermon series on “Building Stronger Relationships.”  As noted last week, I want to focus on the following questions in this series:

Ø  What kinds of relationships does God intend for us to have and maintain?

Ø  What kind of relationship-partner does God call us to be?

Ø  How can we be faithful to God in the manner that we live out our relationships?

Whereas last weekend we began the series by exploring family relationships, this Sunday, September 7th, I want to concentrate on the relationship between friends.  In his book, Nicomachean Ethics, the Greek philosopher Aristotle explores the concept of friendship in great depth.  In his analysis, Aristotle identifies three different categories of friendship:

1.      Friendship based on utility.  These friendships arise because both persons get something out of the relationship.  For instance, two business owners may cultivate a friendship because they depend upon one another’s business in order to be successful in their own business.  Their friendship may include things such as occasional social activities together, remembering one another’s birthdays and anniversaries, and small gifts or cards at Christmas time.  Yet, the grounding for their friendship is utility—what they get out of the relationship.  For instance, if one business person decides to retire, then the friendship would dissolve.

2.      Friendship based on pleasure.  In these cases, friendships arise because the two persons derive joy and pleasure from one another’s company, based upon each other’s looks or wit or some other quality.  For example, we might say to ourselves, “I must invite X to my Halloween party because she always tells funny stories and we will all enjoy ourselves, if she comes.” 

3.      True Friendships.  For Aristotle, there was a decided superficial quality to the first two types of friendship, which led him to propose a third type of friendship that we might call, “true friends.”  True friendships contain the first two types of friendships.  In other words, true friends are mutually beneficial to one another and they bring each other joy and pleasure, as well.  Yet at the same time, there is a deeper, more enduring dimension to true friendships.  For Aristotle, true friends bring out the best qualities in one another and they help one another to be good persons and to develop a virtuous character.

Even though Aristotle lived at a different time and in a completely different social context, I have always appreciated his analysis of friendship.  True friends are more than flatterers.  They are honest and sometimes they tell us what we need to hear—even though it’s not what we want to hear.  True friends are also loyal.  That is, they remain faithful to our relationship, regardless of how badly things are going for us.  For Aristotle, there is a complementarity in true friendship, where each friend makes the other one a better person.

           One of the best examples of true friends is the story of David and Jonathan in the Bible.  Their story occurs in 1 Samuel.  Jonathan is from royalty; he is the son of King Saul, who was the first king of Israel.  By contrast, David comes from a much humbler family background.  Yet, David proves to be a great warrior.  We first meet David in 1 Samuel 17, when he saves the day for the Israelite Army by defeating the Philistine giant, Goliath, in hand-to-hand combat.  After the Israelites rout the Philistines, David joins the army.  Over time, he rises to the rank of General in the army.  During this same time, David and Jonathan develop a deep friendship, which would meet Aristotle’s criteria for a true friendship. 

           Jonathan’s father, King Saul, has a love-hate relationship with David.  On the one hand, Saul really appreciates David’s fighting ability and his leadership skills.  With David as their leader, the Israelite Army becomes very successful, winning battle after battle.  On the other hand, Saul feels threatened by David’s success.  During the victory celebration after one battle, for example, the women sing: 

“Saul has killed his thousands,

And David his ten thousands.” (1 Samuel 18: 7)

           Over time, I believe that Saul becomes mentally ill.  His mentally illness manifests itself in sudden outbursts of extreme violence.  By 1 Samuel 20, David has begun to fear for his life, and he shares his fears with his friend, Jonathan.  At first, Jonathan is skeptical of David’s concern, but eventually Jonathan begins to wonder.  The two friends decide to check out David’s concern with a sort of experiment.  David decides not to attend a major festival, which  he would normally be expected to attend.  If King Saul notices his absence and questions where David is, then Jonathan is to explain David’s absence as the result of a family commitment. 

           At the festival, King Saul does notice David’s absence and he asks where David is.  When King Saul hears Jonathan’s explanation of David’s absence, he becomes extremely angry.  At the same time, King Saul sees through his son, Jonathan, and perceives that Jonathan and David are colluding together.  This causes King Saul to also become angry with his own son.  He tells Jonathan, “For as long as the son of Jesse [David] lives upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established.  Now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” (2 Samuel 20:31)

           In his heart, Jonathan realizes there is some truth to his father’s words.  If he lives, David will ultimately become king instead of Jonathan.  Yet, Jonathan and David are true friends.  So, instead of betraying David, Jonathan actually helps him to flee from King Saul’s wrath—even though the act of saving his friend means that ultimately Jonathan will never become king himself. 

           As noted above, the story of Jonathan and David is a perfect example of true friendship as understood by Aristotle.  The two friends are fiercely loyal to one another; they are honest with one another; and they make each other better persons.  But, the relationship between Jonathan and David has one other quality, as well.  The two friends are willing to make sacrifices for one another—even to the point of being willing to sacrifice their lives or, in the case of Jonathan, a willingness to sacrifice the opportunity to be king.  Going beyond Aristotle, I would argue that sacrifice can be an important element of true friendship—provided that the willingness to sacrifice is mutual and for a higher good.

 

Come, join us this Sunday, September 7th, at Meriden United Methodist Church, as we explore further the qualities that help us to be true friends.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

Family Relationships: Acceptance & Forgiveness

This Sunday, I’m beginning a seven-week sermon series on “Building Stronger Relationships.”  In this series, I want to ask questions, such as the following:

Ø  What kinds of relationships does God intend for us to have and maintain?

Ø  What kind of relationship-partner does God call us to be?

Ø  How can we be faithful to God in the way that we live out our relationships?

We begin this series by looking at relationships within the family.  Usually, when we hear “family relationships,” we think about the relationship between parents-and-young children, or the relationship between parents.  These are definitely important family relationships.  However, I would like to point out there are other important family relationships as well.  Consider, as illustrations, the relationship between grandparents-and-grandchildren, the relationship between parents-and-grown children, or the relationship between adult siblings.

            In order to broaden our scope in thinking about family relationships, I’ve decided to base my message on the biblical story of two adult brothers in the book of Genesis:  Jacob and Esau.  The story of Esau and Jacob is one of betrayal and estrangement, before they reconcile and accept one another. 

            The betrayal occurs when the two brothers were young men and Isaac, their father, was old with failing eyesight.  Rebekah, the boys’ mother, initiates an underhanded scheme.  Through this scheme Jacob purposely deceives Isaac and gains a special blessing which bestows all of Isaac’s accumulated property and power upon Jacob—even though Isaac had intended to give this special blessing to Esau.  When Esau discovers that Jacob has betrayed him, he becomes so enraged that he threatens to kill his brother.  Fearing for his life, Jacob moves to another country, far away from Esau’s wrath.

            Years go by.  The two brothers live separately, but each prospers in their setting and each become rich, affluent men.  Although Jacob stole Esau’s blessing, each brother is blessed by God.  Eventually, Jacob decides to move his family and all of his possessions back to his homeland.  My biblical text for the proclamation is Genesis 33: 1-17, which is the story of Jacob and Esau’s reconciliation.  As he approaches his homeland, Jacob sends a sizable peace offering to his estranged brother, Esau.  This peace offering includes much livestock, including goats, cattle, camels, and donkeys.  Meanwhile, Esau goes out to meet Jacob with 400 men.

            After years of estrangement, the two brothers are reconciled when they see each other again.  Esau, the brother who was betrayed, runs to Jacob and embraces him, weeping with joy.  At first Esau refuses Jacob’s gifts of livestock, but eventually he accepts them when Jacob explains that they are gifts of thanksgiving for their reconciliation as brothers.  Jacob also explains that God has richly blessed him in his life, poignantly saying:  “No, please; if I find favor with you, then accept my present from my hand; for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God—since you have received me with such favor.” (Genesis 33:10)  Ultimately, the two brothers decide to settle in different regions, but the important point is that they have accepted each other for who they are.

            When we think about family relationships and the three questions I delineated above, it seems to me that the story of Esau and Jacob underscore the importance of two vital commitments.  First, in any family web of relationships, there is likely to be relationship-partners who find themselves in conflict, if not actual estrangement.  When that happens, God calls upon us to forgive and reconcile. 

Secondly, members of our family sometimes will be different from us, with different ideas, different opinions, and different commitments.  Rather than trying to re-shape these family members into our own expectations, we must learn to accept them for who they are—not whom we would like for them to be.

 

Come, join us this Sunday, August 31st, at Meriden United Methodist Church.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

 

“The Most Important Thing You May Ever Do”

            What is the most important thing that you will ever do in your life?  Think about it.  Is the most important thing success and accomplishment in the work that you do?  Is the most important thing making money?  Or, is it how well you love and take care of your family?  Is the most important thing excelling in a game or hobby?   Is the most important thing having time for leisure or travel?  What is the most important thing that you will ever do in life?

             This week, I want to suggest that one of the most important things we can do in life is to invite another person to church and help them establish a meaningful spiritual life with Christ.  Think about it. 

Imagine that you knew someone who did not have a deep, spiritual life.  Perhaps this person was struggling with a job loss or an addictive, compulsive behavior or a divorce or the death of a loved one and that individual would be really helped by the support of a church.  Or, perhaps that person was not struggling at all; instead, they were gliding through life, doing well.  Yet, even though things were going well, this individual lacked spiritual depth in the enjoyment of their life.  Think about much this person could benefit by renewing the deep, spiritual dimension of their life through a relationship with Christ in a community of faith.  Think about it.

As Jesus’ disciples, we know how deeply and profoundly our lives can be transformed through our spiritual relationship with Christ.  When we encounter huge challenges in life or deep disappointments or tragic losses, we are sustained by our spiritual relationship with Christ.  Alternatively, when we experience important accomplishments or great joys, these satisfactions are enriched through our spirituality.  Our ability to flourish through good times and bad is enhanced and blessed through our relationship with Christ and our church.

If our Christian faith brings joy and flourishing to our lives, shouldn’t we be interested in sharing that faith with others?  Jesus seemed to think this was extremely important.  In fact, his last earthly instructions to the disciples were simply to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations… .” (Matthew 28:19a)  Inviting others to establish a deeper spiritual relationship with Christ is at the very core of what it means to be a Christian.  It is integral to discipleship.  Some call this process of invitation, evangelism.

Unfortunately, evangelism has acquired a reputation among many American Christians.  When many of us hear the word, “evangelism,” we get tense and nervous.  We think about being asked to go house-to-house, knocking on doors and essentially making “cold calls” in which we encourage complete strangers to attend our church.  Or, we think about handing out pamphlets to complete strangers, giving our “testimony” and asking strangers if they “know Jesus”.  Yuck!  For most of us, the very thought makes us very uncomfortable.  As a result, “evangelism” is just an awful concept and task, which we don’t want any part of.

Still, Jesus calls upon us to share the good news; he calls upon us to evangelize.  As a result, my message this weekend (August 24th) is about “evangelism”.  In this message, I am going to propose a biblical evangelism.  That is, the type of evangelism which we see unfolding when Jesus calls together his twelve disciples.  My message is based upon the scripture, John 1: 40-51.

In this passage of scripture, the future disciple, Andrew, hears Jesus speaking and becomes convinced that Jesus is, indeed, the long-awaited Messiah.  So, Andrew tells his brother, Peter, who also becomes a disciple.  Continuing the story, we learn that Andrew and Peter’s neighbor, Philip, becomes a disciple.  Philip tells Nathanael, who is a friend, that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Messiah.  At first, Nathanael is skeptical.  He asks, “‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’”  Rather than arguing with Nathanael, Philip simply invites him, saying, “‘Come and see.’”  Later, when Nathanael sees and talks with Jesus, he also becomes a disciple.

In the scriptures, evangelism does not involve going house-to-house or handing out pamphlets on a street corner.  For the most part, sharing the gospel in the scriptures does not involve talking with strangers at all.  No.  Instead, evangelism is simply inviting those persons whom we know already—family members, friends, neighbors, classmates, colleagues from work, and others—to simply “come and see.” 

In our social networks, each of us knows persons who do not have a church home, where they can feel welcomed, secure, and supported.  Some of these persons are struggling with life’s challenges and disappointments, while others are gliding through life.  It doesn’t matter.  Everyone can have a happier, more flourishing life through developing further the spiritual dimension of our lives.  Isn’t that what we want for our family, our friends, our neighbors, and everyone else who is important to us?

 

Come, join us this Sunday, August 24th, at Meriden United Methodist Church.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

"Who Are Our Neighbors?"

            What is it about human nature that is always inducing us to draw distinctions and make boundaries between different persons?  Why is it that we feel compelled to create categories that divide people into separate groups?  We are always dividing persons into “us versus them” categories.  For instance, there is “Jayhawks vs. Wildcats;” Democrats vs. Republicans; the unchurched vs the churched; whites vs blacks; Christians vs. Muslims; conservatives vs. liberals; patriots vs. “un-Americans;” natives vs illegals; “men are from Mars” vs “women are from Venus;” etc. 

It seems as though an inherent characteristic of what it means to be human is this insatiable drive to separate and categorize.  This weekend (August 10th) in my message, we will be exploring a scripture passage that focuses on this innate human drive.  The passage begins with Jesus explaining that the requirements of faithfulness to God can be summed up in loving “‘…the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10: 27). 

 Jesus’ summary raises a boundary question:  “‘…who is my neighbor?’”  That is, where do we draw our lines?  How do we categorize?  How do we divide neighbor versus not-my-neighbor?  Jesus responds to this boundary question with a parable—the famous parable of the “Good Samaritan” (Luke 10: 29-37).

Now, at this juncture, I should note that I consider the parable of the Good Samaritan to be one of the most dangerous passages of scripture within the entire Bible.  It’s dangerous because it is so familiar, and it is so familiar because the parable itself is so powerful.  Everyone—both Christian and non-Christian alike—know the basic gist of the Good Samaritan parable.  The story is so powerful that it has become a common image in popular culture.  There are Good Samaritan hospitals, Good Samaritan businesses, Good Samaritan RV camping sites and even a Good Samaritan ointment. 

The story of the Good Samaritan is so ubiquitous in our culture that sometimes when we hear the parable we don’t pay attention.  That’s a problem because when we don’t pay attention, we may not fully grasp this parable in its full depth. 

Jesus uses this parable to answer that boundary question.  It turns out that for Jesus, our neighbor is not determined by geographical proximity or cultural similarity or religious rightness.  Instead, the boundary question is determined simply by need.  Our neighbor is simply the person or group who need our help.  It could be the neighbor across the street who has been diagnosed with cancer; or the kid in our local school whose family can’t afford school supplies; or the town across the state which is recovering from a flood; or it could be the subsistence farmer half a world away who is struggling to feed and educate his children.  For Jesus, need establishes the neighbor relationship.

Sadly, we live in a world where there is profound and massive need.  In a sense, we have many, many “neighbors” as understood by Jesus.  The very scope of neighbors in need can seem overwhelming.  It is tempting for us to throw up our hands and give up.  Since we cannot meet everyone’s needs and fix everyone’s problems, it is tempting to not even try to help.  But, that would be a misunderstanding of the parable and what Jesus calls us to do. 

In the parable, the Samaritan does not completely heal the beaten and injured man.  Instead, he bandages his wounds and offers first aid.  Then, he gets the man to an inn where he can receive further assistance.  Jesus calls upon us to do what we can to help, even if we cannot completely fix every problem.

In the Church, we sometimes use the word Mission to refer to the Good Samaritan’s ministry of love and service.  Come, join us this Sunday, August 10th, at Meriden United Methodist Church, as we explore how God may be calling us to Mission, understood as a ministry of love and service.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

 

(Note:  Next Sunday, we will welcome Pastor Bob Sutton to preach at Meriden UMC.  Consequently, I will not be posting a blog.  Watch for my next post the following week of August 18th.)

“The Man Carrying a Jar of Water”

          This Sunday (August 3rd), my community of faith will celebrate “The Lord’s Supper” (or “Eucharist”) as we do on the first weekend of every month, as well as during other special worship services throughout the year. 

But, why do we celebrate this "ritual" every month?

            The Lord’s Supper is described in all three of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew 26: 26-29, Mark 14: 22-25, and Luke 22: 13-20) as well as in Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians (11: 23-26).  In my message this Sunday, I will use Mark’s account to explore why we celebrate the Eucharist each month.

            All of these scriptural passages describe Jesus as instituting The Lord’s Supper (or Eucharist) as part of his celebration of the Jewish Festival of Passover with the disciples.  Mark begins his story with the disciples asking Jesus, “‘Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’” (Mark 16: 12).

            Jesus responds by sending two (unidentified) disciples into Jerusalem and telling them to look for a man “carrying a jar of water.”  Now, in the Jerusalem of Jesus’ time, the sight of a man carrying a jar of water would have been very startling because carrying water was usually a task fulfilled by a woman within each household.  At any rate, the disciples are to follow this man back to his house. 

 

              At the house, they are to ask the head of the household, “‘The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’”  Jesus reassures the two disciples that the house owner will then show them an Upper Room, which will be ready for them to make the Passover meal preparations. 

            In order to fully understand The Lord’s Supper, it is important to remember that the Jewish Passover celebrates the Israelites escape from bondage and slavery in Egypt.  The Passover celebration was a very important and meaningful religious observance for Jesus and all of his followers, who were all devout Jews.  The Passover consists of special foods and a liturgy which is followed during the meal.  According to historians, the celebration of the Passover in Jesus’ time would have taken a form similar to this:

A.    Preliminary Course  A word of declaration, with a preliminary dish (an appetizer) consisting of greens, bitter herbs, and a sauce of fruit puree.  The first cup of wine is shared.

B.     Passover Liturgy.  Here the story of the first Passover and the Israelites escape from slavery and bondage in Egypt is shared, beginning with these words:  “A wandering Aramean was my father…”  The second cup of wine is shared.

C.     Main Meal.  Grace is spoken over unleavened bread, and then a meal is shared.  The meal consists of the Passover lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, with fruit puree.  The third cup of wine is shared.

D.    Conclusion:  A fourth cup of wine is shared.

In Mark, when the two disciples go into Jerusalem, sure enough, they find a man walking through the street, carrying a jar of water.  They follow the man and find this Upper Room, just as Jesus had predicted.  There, they prepare the Passover meal.  At the time for the meal, Jesus and his disciples gather together in the Upper Room.

During the Passover meal, Jesus takes a loaf of bread, blesses it and gives it to his disciples, saying:  “‘Take; this is my body.’”  Then, he takes a cup of wine; after blessing the wine, he offers it to his disciples, telling them:  “‘This is my blood of the [new] covenant, which is poured out for many.’” 

In The United Methodist Church we recognize The Lord’s Supper and Baptism as sacraments.  Both sacraments are established in the Bible and we are encouraged to practice them as part of our spiritual lives.  A sacrament is an outward, visible, and physical sign of an inward and spiritual gift or assistance from God. 

When we celebrate The Lord’s Supper, I frequently feel especially close to Jesus.  Usually, a warm glow fills my heart and soul, as though Jesus is embracing me in his loving arms.  I become strongly reassured that I am not alone in this dark, mysterious universe. Instead, I am always warmly embraced by the love of Jesus for me personally and I am convinced of Paul’s claim in Romans that nothing, not even death itself, can ever “separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (see Romans 8)  I sometimes feel Jesus’ presence as though he is right there beside me as we celebrate The Lord’s Supper. 

This is why we celebrate The Lord’s Supper:  it allows us to be healed from all that separates us from the love of God and to re-connect with the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives.  The Lord’s Supper should not be a ritual that we periodically go through.  Instead, it is a spiritual—sometimes mystical—connection with the love and presence of Jesus which is already present in our lives, even if we sometimes turn away from it and disavow this source of flourishing and of life, itself. 

But, there is more.

The Lord’s Supper is also that spiritual moment which points us to the future and reminds us of our ultimate destiny; that moment when Jesus will keep his promise to the original disciples as well as all of his followers.  As recorded in Mark, Jesus says:  “‘Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’” (Mark 14: 25) 

 

The Lord’s Supper never ends.  Instead, it always points the way forward to the “eschaton,” the time when Jesus will come again; when God will transform us and everything else into a New Creation; and when God’s Reign will be fully established.  At that time, Jesus will join us and all of his disciples at a heavenly banquet and celebration.

 

Come, join us this Sunday, as we explore and celebrate The Lord’s Supper.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

“When God’s Justice Is Difficult to Accept”

            Quite frankly, I struggle with our scripture for this Sunday (July 27).  The scripture is Matthew 20: 1-16, which tells Jesus’ parable of “The Workers in the Vineyard”. 

            This parable is about the owner of a vineyard, who goes out early in the morning and hires workers for the day.  The owner and laborers agree upon compensation of one denarius for the day.  This was the usual daily wage rate at Jesus’ time, although this wage was barely enough to maintain a family at a subsistence level.  Several hours later—around 9 o’clock—the owner sees some other laborers idly sitting around the village marketplace.  When he discovers that no one offered to employ these workers, the vineyard owner hires them for the day and sends them out to his vineyard to join with those already working.  To this second group of workers, starting a few hours after the first group, the owner promises to pay:  “What is right.”

            As the parable continues, the vineyard owner goes out and hires additional workers at 12 noon, again at 3 pm, and finally some even at 5 pm.  When evening comes, the laborers gather up to receive their pay.  The owner first calls up those who didn’t begin working until 5 in the afternoon.  Each member of this group receives 1 denarius—the equivalent of a full day’s pay.  Seeing how much the 5 o’clock group has been paid, the workers who have been in the vineyard since sunrise assume that they will be paid significantly more than the usual day wage of 1 denarius.

            One by one, the vineyard owner calls up each group and each man gets the same compensation, 1 denarius, regardless of how long they worked in the field.  The first group, who have been laboring in the hot sun all day long, assumes that they will be paid more than the standard of 1 denarius per day.  Even though the customary wage rate is 1 denarius per day, the first group assumes that they will be paid more because they have labored all day long and the owner is already giving 1 denarius to those who worked for just one hour.

            When the first group complains to the owner, he reminds them that they had eagerly agreed to work all day in the vineyard for 1 denarius.  Then, he says:  “‘Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last [group] the same as I give to you.  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?  Or are you envious because I am generous?’” 

            Now, here’s where I struggle with this passage:  I agree with the first group of workers who labored all day under the hot sun.  Even though the customary wage-rate is 1 denarius, it seems unfair that the early bird workers get paid the same amount as latter groups of workers who did not work for nearly as long.  This violates the fundamental principle of justice as fairness which states that we should always treat equals, equally.  For instance, we do not believe it is fair to pay a man a higher salary than a woman, just because he happens to be male.  There should be equal pay for equal work, but in the parable the level of work is not equal.  So, it is not just or fair that those who worked 12 hours in the vineyard get the same wage as those who worked for only 1 hour.

            Biblical scholars suggest that Jesus probably told this parable as a means for explaining and justifying his willingness to accept tax collectors, prostitutes, and others who were outsiders in the Jewish culture at the time.  So, the point of Jesus’ parable was not to offer commentary on economic justice, as important as that topic is.  Rather, Jesus intends for us to hear his parable a pointing to a greater and deeper spiritual truth. 

            The key to interpreting this parable lies in the way Jesus concludes his telling of the story.  Jesus concludes by observing:  “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”  Writing in The New Interpreter’s Bible, C. Eugene Boring observes, “The ‘first’ and ‘last’ in Matthew’s view both refer to insiders [in the Church], to Christians who have worked long and faithfully, and latecomers who have not.”[i]  In the parable, our relationship with God is based upon God’s generous, overflowing grace.  Our relationship is not based upon longevity or how hard we have labored to help build God’s Kingdom here on Earth.

            For many Christians, this is a difficult message to hear.  In my case, I was born and nurtured in the Church.  I have been a Christian all of my life—and an ordained pastor for over 30 years.  I clearly see myself as an “early bird” worker in the vineyard.  It’s just human nature to believe that I am entitled to some status and special treatment because “I have earned it.”  Yet, that’s not the way God thinks.  God’s grace extends to everyone and all of us are specially loved by God.  We do not earn God’s grace and love so much as we simply receive it.

            This is a difficult truth for me to accept, as well as many others, who have been a faithful part of a certain congregation for a long time.  Slowly, subtly, we drift from seeing it as “Jesus’ church” to thinking of it as “our church.”  We find our niche and become very comfortable. 

In vital, growing congregations, this can create unique challenges and difficulties.  As new persons become members of our community of faith, they bring new perspectives and new ways of doing things.  In short, they have new ideas.  Sometimes, we may need to step aside from positions of responsibility and power in order to make room for these newcomers who have new ideas.  We catch ourselves saying, “But, we’ve never done it like that before.” 

Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard is intended for those of us who have been long-standing “pillars” of our congregations.  This parable reminds us that the church does not belong to us, but rather to God.  It tells us that sometimes the most faithful response is to try something new and different or to step aside from a position which we have served in forever.

            As someone who would be one of the first laborers in the vineyard, this is a difficult parable to accept.  In my struggles, I have found “The Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition” to be a source of solace and perspective:

“I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Thou art mine, and I am thine.  So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven.  Amen.[ii]

 

           Come, join us this Sunday, July 27^th.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

---

[i] C. Eugene Boring, “Matthew,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 8.  (Nashville:  Abingdon Press, 2002), Accessed on CD_ROM.

 

[ii] The United Methodist Hymnal, (Nashville:  Abingdon Press, 1989), No. 607.

"Bravery of the Flawed"

         As we celebrate American Independence this weekend, our summer worship series shifts its attention to the Christian value of bravery.  Bravery is frequently portrayed as a core characteristic of American patriotism.  At the same time, it should also be included as an essential Christian virtue.  Afterall, it takes great bravery to become a martyr for one’s faith as many Christians have done from the persecution of the early Church by the Romans down through the ages until the present time.

            Over the past few weeks, we have been using popular, cartoon feature films by Disney to explore core Christian values in a series we have called, “Films, Fun, & Faith.”  To explore the Christian value of bravery, we are examining the film, Planes, this weekend.  Planes tells the story of “Dusty Crophopper,” a plane designed for agricultural crop dusting.  However, Dusty is not content being “only” a crop dusting aircraft.  Rather, he aspires to be a racing plane and to compete in the upcoming “Wings Across the Globe” air race.

            Unfortunately, Dusty suffers from a fear of heights.  So, the film, Planes, revolves around the story of Dusty overcoming his fear of heights in order to win the prestigious “Wings Across the Globe” air race.  Although well done, Planes follows a standard plot line in which bravery is depicted through a relatively young protagonist overcoming a particular fear or challenge in order to obtain a highly valued goal.  Although I recognize the validity of conceiving bravery in this way, I would like to explore a different understanding of bravery this weekend. 

I call this alternative understanding the bravery of the flawed.  To develop our thinking about bravery of the flawed, we will not focus on the character Dusty, but rather his mentor, “Skipper.”  Skipper is a broken down Navy war plane.  Although he has not flown for decades, Skipper enjoys regaling any listeners he can find with stories of his battle exploits during World War II.  Yet, at the same time, Skipper is hiding a deep, dark secret.  During the air race around the world, Dusty inadvertently discovers Skipper’s secret.

            Skipper’s dark secret is that he actually only flew one mission during the war.  Disobeying orders from his commander, Skipper led a whole squadron of trainees into an ambush by the Japanese Navy, resulting in the deaths of every single trainee, with only Skipper escaping.  In a poignant moment in the film, Skipper confesses to Dusty and then apologizes for misleading him.

            Skipper’s role in Planes does not end with his confession to Dusty.  Later in the film, Skipper must summon the bravery in order rescue Dusty from an attack by three competitor planes in the air race, who are literally trying to destroy the small crop-duster.  Once rescued from the attacking competitors, Dusty is able to overcome his fear of heights and win the race.

              I believe that there are some striking similarities between the story of Skipper in Planes and the story of Samson in the Bible.  (See the Book of Judges 13-16.)  At this point in its history, Israel is led individuals called “Judges.”  These Judges provided religious, civil, and military leadership as Israel developed as a nation-state.  From before his birth, God sets aside Samson as a Judge to lead Israel.  God blesses Samson with special gifts to lead his people, including an incredible physical strength. 

Unfortunately, Samson is unfaithful to God and the people of Israel whom he has been called to lead.  Ultimately, Samson is betrayed by his wife, who shaved his head and thus negated his superhuman strength.  Thus weakened, Samson was easily captured by the Philistines who were enemies of Israel.  The Philistines, then, gouged out Samson’s eyes and humiliated him by forcing him to perform for them during their religious festival.

At this festival, Samson prays that God will return his strength one last time.  With his strength renewed, Samson bravely collapses the pillars holding up the roof of the Philistine temple.  When the roof collapses it kills thousands of Philistines, as well as Samson himself.

Just as Skipper in the fictional film, Planes, so also Samson is a tragically flawed historical figure.  Samson has been given extraordinary gifts by God and called by God to the special roles as Judge.  Samson fritters away his gifts and is unfaithful towards God and the people of Israel.  In a moment of truth, Just as the fictional plane, Skipper, so also Samson must confess his shortcomings and repent from his sins, before finding the courage to perform the role which he was created to fulfill.

Although bravery is usually depicted as the story of Dusty the crop-duster, for most of us our reality is more akin to Skipper and to Samson.  Just like these two characters, so also we are flawed persons.  We have weaknesses; we have regrets; we have not always done as much with our talents and opportunities as we should have.  In theological terms, we are sinners.  Yet, despite our flawed characters, God offers us forgiveness, healing, and a second chance to be brave in the things that really matter.  This is the bravery of the flawed, and God calls us to develop this virtue of a “flawed bravery.”

 

Come, join us this Sunday, July 6th, as we explore what it means to be brave.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings.  We will also watch and discuss the film, Planes on Sunday afternoon, beginning at 5 pm. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.