1. I am competitive by nature, to a fault. I love winning, but I think I hate losing more than I love winning.
2. Make me think, and challenge me.
3. I am passionate about my faith in Jesus Christ.
4. I love my family with my whole heart--each one lights up my world in a completely different way. Heather challenges me and teaches me; Patricia is me all over, and the first person related by blood to me I ever saw; Rebekkah is fierce with love and life.
5. I am a sports nut--just about any sport, except soccer, but especially baseball.
6. I am the master of completely useless trivia, like phone numbers and baseball statistics. I mean really, what difference does it make in the world that George Foster in 1977 hit .320 with 52 hrs and 149 rbi, except to Mr. Foster?
7. GW Troubadours--jet lag in Luxembourg Gardens, Paris; singing at St. Sulpice; friends for life.
8. My bachelors degree is in political science--and yes, it really does help me be a better pastor.
9. My first full time job was as a proofreader at a DC law firm.
10. Theater and music were really my first loves. I'm a much better musician than an actor. What memories of the Sycamore Jr. High Theater where musicals happened, not to mention wheat paste and set construction and the Sundays of doom when production week began!
11. My knothole baseball nickname was Ozzie.
12. I loved childhood summer vacations to Salisbury, MA and Seabrook, NH.
13. I love roller coasters. Ask me sometime about Patricia's first time riding the Beast!
14. The most rewarding part about being a pastor is sharing life with people I love as my life's work.
15. I was adopted into my family.
16. When I was a small child, I would spin vinyl records in my hands and sing the songs.
17. I am a dog person, not a cat person. Growing up, we had 2 German Shepherds and a Golden Retriever.
18. My best friend from college and I were from high schools 40 miles apart in Ohio, and we went to school 500 miles away from home.
19. Damn proud! Need I say more?
20. Guinness.
21. Chinese Food. Spicy.
22. Conservative in thought, liberal in application.
23. Ideas have consequences. Choose carefully. Learn from history.
24. Indiana Jones is my hero, but Monty Python makes me laugh
25. Following Jesus is a great quest. Hold on for the ride!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Regional Lenten Devotion
I was asked to write a devotion for March 19th using the text John 8:21-32.
“The truth will set you free”
It is amazing that a passage that is so antagonistic is also the holder of one of the most beautiful concepts in all of the scriptures. But then again, maybe it should not surprise us at all. For ideas have consequences and our allegiances matter, especially our allegiance to God and the One whom God has sent—Jesus.
Consider the whole passage, and the ways that Jesus attacks the religious authorities. How would we respond to this kind of exchange today? Jesus seems pretty intolerant—he condemns his opponents by telling them that they will die in their sins. He tells them and us that he always does what pleases his Father, and that they, and we, will know who he is and where he came from after he has been put to death. Then he turns to those who believe, and to them he says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
It’s a clear message. If we hold to Jesus’ teaching, we will really be Jesus’ disciples. What teaching is that? Well, there are a couple of central teaching points in John’s gospel, one a faith statement and one an action statement. The faith statement? We must believe in Jesus as “the light of the world,” who lives in union with “the Father who sent me.” For John, this is the foundation of our faith, the belief that Jesus is the “One and Only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” and the one sent by God “so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Our confession of faith sounds a great deal like this—“We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and we accept him as our Lord and Savior.” What is the action statement? To love one another as God (and Jesus) has loved us. Love, not a feeling, or an emotion, or a sentiment, but love, a verb. A verb that means serving one another before we serve ourselves. A verb that shows the world the character of God’s love for us in Jesus. A verb that sacrifices, that feeds, that nurtures, that gives for the sake of others. Love the active and powerful force that saves the world in the name of Jesus.
So—let us both believe and love, and so participate in the reign of God which Jesus ushers into existence, through the cross and through the empty tomb.
Then we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free. Thank you, Jesus.
“The truth will set you free”
It is amazing that a passage that is so antagonistic is also the holder of one of the most beautiful concepts in all of the scriptures. But then again, maybe it should not surprise us at all. For ideas have consequences and our allegiances matter, especially our allegiance to God and the One whom God has sent—Jesus.
Consider the whole passage, and the ways that Jesus attacks the religious authorities. How would we respond to this kind of exchange today? Jesus seems pretty intolerant—he condemns his opponents by telling them that they will die in their sins. He tells them and us that he always does what pleases his Father, and that they, and we, will know who he is and where he came from after he has been put to death. Then he turns to those who believe, and to them he says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
It’s a clear message. If we hold to Jesus’ teaching, we will really be Jesus’ disciples. What teaching is that? Well, there are a couple of central teaching points in John’s gospel, one a faith statement and one an action statement. The faith statement? We must believe in Jesus as “the light of the world,” who lives in union with “the Father who sent me.” For John, this is the foundation of our faith, the belief that Jesus is the “One and Only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” and the one sent by God “so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Our confession of faith sounds a great deal like this—“We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and we accept him as our Lord and Savior.” What is the action statement? To love one another as God (and Jesus) has loved us. Love, not a feeling, or an emotion, or a sentiment, but love, a verb. A verb that means serving one another before we serve ourselves. A verb that shows the world the character of God’s love for us in Jesus. A verb that sacrifices, that feeds, that nurtures, that gives for the sake of others. Love the active and powerful force that saves the world in the name of Jesus.
So—let us both believe and love, and so participate in the reign of God which Jesus ushers into existence, through the cross and through the empty tomb.
Then we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free. Thank you, Jesus.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
“Any message that threatens our autonomy is automatically rejected no matter what it is.” (“A Slice of Infinity,” Ravi Zacharias, No. 1855, January 15, 2009)
A completely disturbing, but chillingly accurate, portrayal of 2009 American culture, even (especially?!) in the established church, Dr. Zacharias is responding to the themes of an old book by Carl Henry, a hero of the non-fundamentalist but still evangelical church, called The Christian Mindset in a Secular Society. These ideas aren’t new, of course, if you’ve read or heard committed Christians through the last couple of generations.
It even seems to me that if I had to name the single most destructive force for the “mainline” established church over the last 75 years, and especially these last 35 years of decline and now seemingly imminent death, that force would be summed up by this very point. We have baptized personal freedoms, rights and liberties and then cried “bigot” at anyone who dared to challenge us and call our living what it is: license. As a church, we have reflected the culture, which is actually proud to declare itself, in the words of a local radio station, “physically spent and morally bankrupt.” And still, there is just enough truth in the accusations of bigotry to make real conversations about how we ought to live as God’s people almost impossible.
So what’s my point? Well, really, my point is that seeking to live under God’s authority, holding the scriptures to be our ultimate authority (yes, even more than “experience”), forces me to conclude that God is more interested in who I am becoming than in who I used to be, and that my personal drives and desires are not meant to be the final word, in my behavior, my life, or my faith (Paul the apostle had something applicable to say about this in the Bible, I think, in 1 Corinthians 6, among other places). It does not help to resort to accusations like heresy or bigotry (depending on one’s point of view). The final word is meant to be life in Christ, placing our bodies and our drives and desires under the control of the Holy Spirit, and growing up into our rightful place as brothers and sisters in Christ’s body.
God looks at the life of the church, which seems to have been taken over by the politicians, and weeps. What God longs for is our transformation into the likeness of Christ—the challenging life that bears fruit for God’s kingdom. So—let’s all read Galatians 5 again, and place our conduct and our living on the path that bears the fruit of the Spirit, not the acts of the sinful nature. What’s the difference? Well, I close by looking at the lists again: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
May God bless and guide each of us as we share life together by the power of the same Holy Spirit.
Michael
A completely disturbing, but chillingly accurate, portrayal of 2009 American culture, even (especially?!) in the established church, Dr. Zacharias is responding to the themes of an old book by Carl Henry, a hero of the non-fundamentalist but still evangelical church, called The Christian Mindset in a Secular Society. These ideas aren’t new, of course, if you’ve read or heard committed Christians through the last couple of generations.
It even seems to me that if I had to name the single most destructive force for the “mainline” established church over the last 75 years, and especially these last 35 years of decline and now seemingly imminent death, that force would be summed up by this very point. We have baptized personal freedoms, rights and liberties and then cried “bigot” at anyone who dared to challenge us and call our living what it is: license. As a church, we have reflected the culture, which is actually proud to declare itself, in the words of a local radio station, “physically spent and morally bankrupt.” And still, there is just enough truth in the accusations of bigotry to make real conversations about how we ought to live as God’s people almost impossible.
So what’s my point? Well, really, my point is that seeking to live under God’s authority, holding the scriptures to be our ultimate authority (yes, even more than “experience”), forces me to conclude that God is more interested in who I am becoming than in who I used to be, and that my personal drives and desires are not meant to be the final word, in my behavior, my life, or my faith (Paul the apostle had something applicable to say about this in the Bible, I think, in 1 Corinthians 6, among other places). It does not help to resort to accusations like heresy or bigotry (depending on one’s point of view). The final word is meant to be life in Christ, placing our bodies and our drives and desires under the control of the Holy Spirit, and growing up into our rightful place as brothers and sisters in Christ’s body.
God looks at the life of the church, which seems to have been taken over by the politicians, and weeps. What God longs for is our transformation into the likeness of Christ—the challenging life that bears fruit for God’s kingdom. So—let’s all read Galatians 5 again, and place our conduct and our living on the path that bears the fruit of the Spirit, not the acts of the sinful nature. What’s the difference? Well, I close by looking at the lists again: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
May God bless and guide each of us as we share life together by the power of the same Holy Spirit.
Michael
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Glory, glory, hallelujah, our God is marching on.”
On Monday, our nation remembers the birth and the life of the only ordained pastor to have a national holiday in his honor. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has had built around him such a legend, such a force in American history, that many people, even those who remember clearly his life and his activism, forget that his ministry, his service, his ideas were not only visionary and faithful to God’s hope for our country, but were also opposed strongly, many times with violence, by people who wanted to preserve a way of life marked by white supremacy.
One such time when the activism of Dr. King and those who walked beside him faced the violent determination of others to silence their message happened in March, 1965. On Sunday, March 7th, Dr. King and many others began a march in the town of Selma, intending to travel to Montgomery, the state capital, 50 miles away, as part of a demonstration for voting rights for African-Americans in Alabama. After they crossed the Edmund Pettis Bridge, the marchers were attacked by heavily armed state troopers and deputies, many mounted on horseback, all in the presence of photographers and video cameras. As the nation reacted to the images of the violence and the marchers waited for a court to enforce their right to march, President Johnson addressed the nation on TV: “There is no issue of States Rights or National Rights. There is only the struggle for Human Rights. . . . We have already waited a hundred years or more, and the time for waiting is gone.” On March 17th, the court ruled in the marchers’ favor, and the March to Montgomery began again on March 21st. On March 25th, Dr. King spoke at the State Capitol in Montgomery and gave a stirring, if now often forgotten, speech.
He said, “I know you are asking today, "How long will it take?" Somebody’s asking, "How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?" Somebody’s asking, "When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men?" Somebody’s asking, "When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the nocturnal bosom of this lonely night, plucked from weary souls with chains of fear and the manacles of death? How long will justice be crucified, and truth bear it?" I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because "truth crushed to earth will rise again." How long? Not long, because "no lie can live forever." How long? Not long, because "you shall reap what you sow." How long? Not long: Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne, Yet that scaffold sways the future, And, behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, Keeping watch above his own. How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. How long? Not long, because:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on. He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat. O, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant my feet! Our God is marching on. Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.”
As a direct result of these events, the U.S. Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, guaranteeing the right to vote and effectively ending Jim Crow voting laws in the South. As the nation observes Martin Luther King day, may our response be gratitude for all those who have led us toward greater understanding and appreciation that we are all created equal and are called to live together in peace with both justice and mercy at the center of our shared life together.
In Christ, Michael
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
