Sermon for 5-30-10 "Speak the Truth, Even if Your Voice Shakes"

Sermon for 5/30/10: Favorite Passages Summer Worship Series

Luke 6:17-36 (NRSV)
"Speak the Truth, Even if Your Voice Shakes."

As part of Craig's Sabbatical, two weeks ago we attended the Festival of Homiletics in Nashville, Tennessee for 5 days.  I'm sure many of you have questions--starting with "What is a Festival of Huh?"  Homiletics is the art of preaching, and this was 5 PACKED days of worship, preaching, lectures, and concerts with preaching at the core.  It was a chance to spend a week with 1500+ preachers from varying denominations around the world.  The best way I can describe it was like Camp at Laurel Ridge with 1500 of your closest strangers-turned-friends.  It was exhausting and exhilarating, all at the same time.  It was a chance for us to hear people speak that we read, and to study, laugh, and celebrate "This Odd and Wondrous Calling", as Rev. Lillian Daniels calls it, that is Preaching.[1]  She was one of many I enjoyed hearing!

On our first evening, we experienced opening worship and a sermon by Bishop Vashti McKenzie, the first female bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.  Between worship and her sermon, I have told many that the conference was worth attending just for Monday night, and everything else was icing on the cake.  I was inspired, uplifted, exhilarated, and kicked-in-the hind-quarters, so to speak.  And as I've thought about it, isn't that what worship is supposed to be about--Giving God our praise and glory, while being inspired for mission and ministry, and allowing God to slap us upside the head when we need it. That's not the fun part for sure, but I know I need it every once in a while for God to get my attention and help me to see the way I am living and understanding God's call is not QUITE the way God intends.

During Bishop McKenzie's sermon, an image was projected on the screen behind her of a house, looking run down with white vinyl siding, and on it was spray-painted the words, "Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes." [2] It reminded me of the images of the homes after Katrina that had messages on the sides of them, either from the residents trying to get help, or the search crews confirming the house had been checked.  "Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes."  That image has stuck with me because I believe it drills down into a part of us as humans that rings tough but true.  Speak the truth, our truth, God's truth, and don't let a little crack or waver or shake in our voice stop us... Moses and the prophets lived this. John the Baptizer lived this. 

And we see this morning in our Gospel lesson from Luke that Jesus lived this too.  This well-known and favorite passage from Luke is often referred to as the Sermon on the Plain.  Jesus goes down off the mountain and stood on level ground to preach to the disciples as the crowd that gathered around listened on.  It's more famous counterpart, the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew, with the longer list of Beatitudes we will look at next week. But for this week, someone requested this passage, so let's take a look, even if our voice shakes.

This sermon occurs soon after Jesus calls the first disciples and begins his ministry.  The themes laid out in this sermon continue throughout the Gospel and serve as a summary for much of the teaching Jesus does through parables and stories that will come later in Luke.  He is sharing with his new disciples what the Kingdom of God looks like to help empower them for the mission and ministry to which he has just called them.  Perhaps we are overhearing Jesus' Discipleship Boot Camp, if you will.

Sometimes I find it helpful to take a passage that is so familiar that I don't often read it with the same power that it once had because of the familiarity.  Let's take a moment to listen to another translation, from The Message, and see what we hear.  Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.

Luke 6:27-36 [3]"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

 "Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.

 "I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind."

Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.

I hear these words and imagine the disciples gathered around their teacher on this meadow on the outskirts of town.  Maybe the wind is blowing and the grass of the field gently sways as they listen.  Maybe the crowd has been following them from down the mountain, or maybe they trickle in as they get word the great teacher is in the area.  Sick, lame, scaly, bleeding, mentally ill, poor, homeless--the text tells us the crowd came seeking healing from whatever ailed them. (vs. 18-19)  It was probably a large gathering of the folks no one wanted to be around, which is why they came in the first place--seeking healing from their brokenness to be restored to their communities.

Perhaps then it happens...the disciples are listening intently, and Jesus' voice shakes -- maybe from the strain of a less than adequate sound system for such a large space -- or maybe from the difficulty of the words he is speaking.  But his voice quivers just a bit, and the next thing they hear is, "Love your enemies."  No, maybe we heard him wrong.  Surely he wouldn't ask us to do that.  We have given up everything to follow him and already have made some enemies by following this teacher.  Surely he wouldn't ask us to LOVE them.  So, they keep listening. "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you."  We've gotten abuse already, and we've only been disciples for a few weeks.  Ignore our abuse, maybe.  But pray for them.  Come on' Jesus.  Get real.  And then, and "Oh. There it is again..." Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return." 

I imagine one disciple leans over to the next and whispers, "Do you think he really means that "love your enemies, pray for those who abuse you stuff"?  He's said it twice now.  The first time I though it couldn't be true, but then he said it again.  Could God really want us to be kind and merciful--even to those who can't stand us and who we can't stand either?"

As I've thought about these commands from Jesus' this week, I've wondered... is it easier for us to love our enemies, or as we hear later in Luke in the parable of the Good Samaritan, to love our neighbors? And, is it easier for us to identify our enemies or neighbors? Our society—our world-- is so polarized these days... pick any topic, any issue, any side of any debate--and the enemy stands out clearly--perhaps too easily--but our neighbors can be harder to identify.    The lawyer that questions Jesus in Luke 10 asks, "And who is my neighbor?" for which Jesus then tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan, which was an oxymoron in that culture--Samaritans could never be good--they were the enemy, the despised, the polar opposites in that culture.  We see in Luke's Gospel Jesus was reminding us to love both our enemies and neighbors, because perhaps they are one and the same.

 I saw a powerful, must-see movie this week about the power of love and speaking the truth, even if your voice shake, and it reminded me of Jesus' message here to his disciples-in-training.  It was about a person for whom most of us are familiar, but it was a story I was not aware of prior to the movie.  Nelson Mandela was released from Prison in South Africa on Feb. 11, 1990 after being held nearly 27 years for his work to end apartheid.[3] He took office as South Africa's first democratic president in May 1994, a few days after apartheid officially ended and free elections were held.

The movie “Invictus” describes Mandela's first year in office as he worked to bring together the white Dutch Afrikaans and black native South Africans together into one country, which he called the Rainbow Nation.  As Mandela begins attempts at unification, reconciliation, and forgiveness, he sought out help from the captain of the Springboks National Rugby team, François Pineaar.  The 1995 Rugby World Cup was to be held the following year with South Africa playing host to the world, and he made a "human calculation" that Rugby, the sport of the white Afrikaans, the sport the blacks hated, would be something that could unite a nation.  The movie shows this progression.  In one scene, the team visits Robben Prison.  Afterward, the captain remarks, "I was thinking about how you spend 30 years [sic] in a tiny cell and come out ready to forgive the people who put you there." [5]

In my opinion the most powerful scene comes when Mandela intervenes in a National Sports Council Meeting, just after the black council voted to eliminate the Springboks entirely including team colors green and gold, because of the people's hatred of their enemy--the Afrikaans.  Mandela says, "Our enemy is no longer the Afrikaans... they are our fellow South Africans.  Our partners in democracy... and they treasure Springbok rugby.  If we take that away, we loose them.  We ARE what they feared we would be.  We HAVE TO be better than that.  We have to SURPRISE them with compassion, with restrain, and generosity... I know, all the things they denied us.  But this is no time to celebrate petty revenge.  This is the time to build our nation using every single brick available to us, even if that brick comes wrapped in green and gold.  You elected me your leader.  Now let me lead you.  Who is with me?" [6]

Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.

Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)

Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.

"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst." (Luke 6:27, Msg)

Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.

"Love your enemies and you have NO enemies." [7]

Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.

Amen.

[1] Lillian Daniels and Martin Copenhaver, This Odd and Wondrous Calling (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 2009).
[2]mulattodiaries.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/1803/  [See post from Monday, Feb. 17th for Opening Worship and the Bishop's sermon on Exodus and Moses entitled "Speaking Truth to Power."

[3] Luke 6:27-36, The Message translation by Eugene Peterson

[4] http://www.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/memory/views/biography/

[5] Invictus, Matt Damon as François Pineaar. Produced and Directed by Clint Eastwood, 2009. Video Clip: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi300483609/

[6] Invictus.  Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela. Produced and Directed by Clint Eastwood, 2009. Video Clip: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi300483609/

[7] Sea Raven, “On the Plain Part 2: Enemies” posted 2/3/2010 at http://www.gaiarising.org/2010/02/on-plain-part-2-enemies.html. Emphasis mine.

Festival of Homiletics: Thursda Photos

Here are some images from Thursday's 3 worship services. 




This is Susan Phillips preparing for the opening worship in the morning.  One of the vendors who had liturgical art available for sale lent the Festival various pieces from her collection that were handmade.  The Communion Table and Pulpit here are covered in hand colored silks.  They were beautiful and it was nice having the banners and art change each day and sometimes for each worship gathering.

Opening worship on Thursday morning was to be led by John Bell from Scotland (he's a member of Iona and priest in the Church of Scotland... more on John Bell in later posts).  But since the ash over Great Britain kept him from arriving before the Festival began, Susan was asked to step in and lead worship on very short notice.  She involved friends in planning our worship for the morning, and it went very well!  Nice job, Susan! (Note: I love the stole she is wearing and the fact she's wearing it with street clothes instead of over a robe--very cool indeed!)

Another image from worship... Susan was helping teach us a new song here.  I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn lots of new, wonderful songs throughout the week from all the different worship leaders!

This is an image from the second worship of the morning.  Claudio Carvalhaes was our worship leader and Lillian Daniels is sitting in the choir area since she was preaching for this worship.

This is Ashley Cleveland, a musician from Nashville who was with us for worship and concerts during the week.  Her pink guitar made me smile.

(It reminded me of Abby's guitar at RMC from a few weeks ago---way to play guitar in worship, Abby!  I was really proud of you and your willingness to share your gifts of music on Moravian Music Sunday.  I took this photo to show you another lady with a pink guitar playing music for God's glory.  Maybe she'll be a role model for you one day!)

This is a photo from the balcony into the lower section of the sanctuary during worship.  I thought it might help give a perspective on the large number of people in attendance during the Festival!

Festival of Homiletics: Thursday Morning Worship with Lillian Daniels

Lillian Daniels Sermon for Worship on Thursday Morning 5/20/10

"We and They"

 Matthew 7:1-5

Top 5 List:

1. What would our world look like if we followed Jesus' words and lived in generosity instead of judgment?  This passage from Matthew doesn't provide a scolding as much as it is a perspective for a better life.

2. As pastors, how do we refer to our congregations?  Do we use "we" or "they"? "We" is language of community, where as "they" is language of church consultants and the idea that the patient needs fixing by the pastor.   Move from "they" to "we" language.

3. Pastors--in interacting with our congregations, do we:

            *diagnose vs. belong?

            *critique vs. love?

            *consult from a distance vs. lead?

4. Sin = growing edges, areas of improvement

5. The festive banquet in heaven won't be perfect, but it will be a generous, reconciling banquet.  The Holy Spirit of hospitality is generous. (And "the other duck" will be served!)

Festival of Homiletics: Thursday Morning Worship with Bishop Curry

Bishop Michael Curry Sermon for worship Thursday Morning 5/20/10 "There is Another Way"

[Bishop Curry is Episcopal Bishop for the Diocese of NC.  He lives in Raleigh.]

Zechariah 9:9-10; John 19

Top 5 List:

1.  Jesus came to show us another way to live... the old way has never worked never will.  God sent us creation, prophets, yet we didn't get it.

2. It is one thing to be part of the human race--we are all part of this, so it doesn't take much for that to happen.  It's something completely different to be part of the human family--this is God's desire.  The human race is our starting point and Jesus is our way to the destination of human family of God.

3. Jesus' planning for Palm Sunday was planned--it wasn't an accident that he arrived into Jerusalem on a donkey instead of a war horse like Pilate rode on the other side of town at the same time.  Passover reminds us of freedom, liberation, and God's domain which was counter to Pilate's Pax Romana. 

4. Bishop Curry's father told him "Treat every girl like you want your sister to be treated." This applies to the whole human race--it helps us become the human family.

5.Clint Eastwood's recent films have all tackled difficult subjects.  His latest--Invictus-- is about the struggle to become the human family. "We are more than creatures of biology.  We are the human family and there is beauty in that."

Festival of Homiletics: Views of Wednesday

Wednesday I was able to spend a good portion of time walking around downtown Nashville.  The weather was beautiful, and it was nice to see the Capitol building.


I also passed by the other churches that were involved in the Festival of Homiletics.  It ended up that all the events I attended were at First Baptist, so I didn't get to see inside these churches.  But they are all within a short walk of one another, so it made for a nice loop to walk from First Baptist when I headed back to the hotel in the afternoon. 

This is Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal) in downtown Nashville. 

This is First Baptist's steeple from the top of the hill on 7th street.  Nashville's downtown is very hilly, and First Baptist is basically at the crest of the hill. 

Therefore the recent flooding didn't affect the buildings we were using.  The river flooded into 2nd street and our Hotel was on 4th Street.  We saw very little evidence of damage, because we were on the high end of downtown.  We hear stories from the locals about how high the water had come and how quickly the river rose.  They had something like 15-17 inches in two days time, and our shuttle driver said it was the hardest continual rain he had ever seen.






From the Red Doors you might guess this is First Lutheran Church (or you are really observant and see the name carved above the door).  It was right across the block from First Baptist. 















These are the front steps and front door for First Presbyterian Church.  It and McKendree United Methodist were on Church Street. They were about a block up from my hotel.  Both front facades are neo-classical in design.  I forgot to take a photo of the UMC building. 













Inside First Baptist they had all types of art in the hallways.  This was a painting that was near the offices where I sat to check email one day.  It's of a Post-Resurrection picnic.  I love the basket with bread, the chalice cup, and an apple (or pomegranate) that appear on the picnic table.  It's clear that it is Christ by the stigmata (nail hole) on his hand.  Though he's painted a little to racially white to be a Middle Eastern Jew (I'll stay off this soapbox for now), I do like the mystery of the image.  It is as if the viewer is being invited to dine at the table with Christ.  Christ bids us come to the table and feast...

Festival of Homiletics: Wednesday Afternoon: Lauren Winner's Sermon

Lauren Winner's Sermon, 5/19/10 

1 Corinthians 13:1-13, "Corinthian Cross-Stitch"

Top 5 List: (my comments and processing of Lauren's Sermon...)

1. We see this passage from First Corinthians everywhere--on bags, pens, notepads, cross-stitch patterns, etc.  We have domesticated it to the point it is meaningless.  Yet, if we undomesticate it and reread it again with new eyes, we will find one of the most powerful passages in all of Scripture.

2. Paul spends the beginning of First Corinthians leading up to this passage trying to explain that it doesn't mater which teacher you follow to get in on the Gospel, but what is important is that Love patterned after Jesus' Love is the key to entering the Gospel.

3. One way to enter into the power of this passage and undomesticate it is to read it in other places besides weddings.  Read it in Court Rooms, Jails, among the Homeless or Mentally Ill.  She heard it read last on Maundy Thursday this year as some protesters gathered outside a Immigration Detainee Deportation Office in Cary, NC.  Jesus' love looks very different, and much more like the Gospels and Paul's writing, when it is read as our neighbors are being deported to a "home" they do not know or understand.

4.  Paul is trying to help people experience transformation to be people who are capable of Love like Jesus' taught.

5. Take a moment to reread 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and replace the word love every time it appears with the name Jesus.  It's amazing how well it works and also how powerful it becomes.

Festival of Homiletics: Wednesday Morning: Craig Barnes' Sermon

Craig Barnes' Sermon, 5/19/10  

"Preaching To The Rabble"

Numbers 11:1-6

Top 5 6 List:

1. Moses had many folks journeying with him during the Exodus... Craig Barnes describes the Rabblers as "They are on the journey but they don't believe in the journey."  They complain about the food and accommodations.  They long for the good ol' days back in Egypt, where at least they had food and shelter. 

2. For Pastors, Rabblers are frustrating, but they serve an important part of the congregation because they help keep us listening to God and for God and keep us in constant contact with God through prayer. =)

3. "Manna means 'What is it?' in Hebrew.  For 40 years in the desert, God nurtured the people with a question."  God was teaching them to ask the tough questions of our faith that keep us attuned to where God is at work in our world... "O God, what is it that you are doing?"

4. This same question of manna, "What is it?" nurtures us today as well.  We are to ask it each morning just as the Isrealites harvested it each day.  What is it that God is up to today?

5. Often the Rabblers on the journey of faith ask, "If only?" questions.  Be careful with these questions because when God answers them, we have to then like the answer.

6. "If only?" Questions focus us on either the future or past.  "What is it?" focuses us on the present, which is where we are to live. Present-Tense-Ministry is our call as ministers, but also all people of faith.  We cannot get people to the promised land, because that is God and God alone's job, but we can witness to what God is doing along the journey and encourage people in the daily searching for "What is it God that we are to do today?"

Festival of Homiletics: Tuesday Afternoon: Thomas Long's Sermon

Top 5 List from Thomas Long's Sermon on Tuesday Afternoon:

Sermon 5/18/10 "Leaning Forward and Letting Go"

(Luke 2:25-38--Simeon and Anna encountering the baby Jesus)

1. Both Simeon and Anna are the elders in their community who were promised the opportunity to see the Messiah after his birth.  

2. Luke deals with the oldest generations and the youngest generations, and all ages in between.  But the elders disappear after chapter 2 and a new generation is ushered in with Christ's birth.  "They turn the Gospel over to a bunch of 20 year olds."

3. Tom used to think the hardest thing was to stand up for the faith, but now believes the harder task is to lean into the Gospel and let go--Elders lean into their faith and let the younger generations lead.  We have to believe, and we do believe, that our God is a God who owns the future.

4. BUT we often don't live as though God owns the future.  Trusting that God is big enough to already be present in the future is tough, but necessary. 

5. Leaders who are the elder leaders now need to have the trust and faith to allow younger generations to have a chance to lead.  The elders had their days, and they share their wisdom, but empowering the younger generations to listen for God and lean into that is a mark of true, helpful, positive leadership. (Moravian Provincial Leaders, especially those involved in the Synod Restructuring Process and upcoming Synod--I loving ask you to PLEASE TAKE NOTE!)

Festival of Homiletics: Views of Tuesday

Here are a few images from Tuesday...





I love the stained glass windows inside First Baptist Church.  They are very artistic and beautiful.  The windows along the balcony depict biblical stores, though they were hard to identify because they were so artsy--it's a difficult balance between telling the story and being artistic and expressive sometimes.  I do believe there is a big place in the church and in worship for arts, and for me just the colors themselves were powerful reminders of God's creative power and the colors of creation all around us. 

One of the blessings I have found over the past 2 years of Ministry is the Young Clergy Women Project.  Though a friend of a friend of a friend... I have come to know some really awesome people!  I was excited to get to meet Laura and Maria during the Festival.  We had dinner Tuesday night in Nashville, though I had never met them before, through the power of the web we are friends, sisters in ministry, and supports for one another (between Alabama, Sweden, and NC, no less!)  Thanks again, ladies, for such a great dinner and conversation!  I hope to see you all at conferences and festivals in the near future!

Festival of Homiletics: Susan Sparks and "Putting the Ha in Hallelujah"

So a lawyer, a comedian, and a Baptist minister walk into a bar--wait, this is not what you think.  The Rev. Susan Sparks is lawyer--turned stand-up comedian--turned American Baptist Pastor who grew up in Charlotte, NC and now preaches at Madison Ave. Baptist Church in Manhattan.  I attended her workshop yesterday after lunch here at the Festival of Homiletics.  As often happens when you start running your mouth, I ended up making the newspaper through an interview with one of the local reporters who happened to show up. 

Here's the article link:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100520/NEWS06/5200349/1001/NEWS

Here is a view from the workshop yesterday.  (I'm standing against the far wall in a lime green shirt)  It's her list (With the examples mostly edited out) of her 10 Commandments of Using Comedy in Church. 

http://www.tennessean.com/section/videoNetwork#/News/The+Ten+Commandments+of+using+comedy+in+church/47366661001/47454972001/86702098001

Now from the video and photos you will notice the room was packed.  There were media all over the place (5-6 up front at least). Given we haven't seen media any where else during the conference, this was a lot.  I am not sure if it is a good thing or a sad comment about the church in our society that the media chose this event to attend.  Susan is excellent at what she does, and she was very funny.  I also learned a lot! 

But of all the speakers we've heard, all the potentially-controversial things that have been said/preached/or sung, the media chose Humor as the thing to cover.  I happen to be a fan of Jim Wallis (Sojourner's Magazine Editor-in-Chief), and he spoke on Tuesday afternoon.  Yet, he is much more potentially-controversial than humor?!?  Really?!?!  Susan was covered by both TV and newspapers instead.  I don't get it.

[NOTE: Though after taking time to read all 32+ comments related to the article--ok, so I guess there are some folks here who don't have a sense of humor, and take themselves very seriously--well, that was Susan's point in many ways--we can laugh at ourselves, and should laugh at ourselves--it keeps us humble and promotes healing and reconciliation--I believe there might even be a sermon in that somewhere, lol.  Thanks for giving her more material for that next sermon, cause Sunday's comin'!]

[NOTE: Also, a few notes to the comments--if you're going to quote Scripture, at least spell the Book Names correctly--Isaih is close, but keep trying.]

[NOTE: As to a women being in a Southern Baptist Convention Church Pulpit... well, no Susan wasn't there yesterday afternoon during the workshop... but she was the worship leader this afternoon, and did a mighty fine job if I do say so myself.  

I have to say how gracious and hospitable First Baptist Church has been-they have been so wonderful to us!  But if you have issue with Susan in the Pulpit, she's in good company here... We've also had lead worship and or preach from the Sanctuary's main pulpit during the conference: Rev. Susan Phillips, Bishop Dr. Vashti McKenzie, Rev. Dr. Anna Carter Florence; Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad, Rev. Dr. Gail Archer, Naomi Tutu (Bishop Desmond's daughter), (Almost Rev.) Dr. Lauren Winner, Rev. Dr. Lillian Daniels, Dr. Amy Jill Levine, Rev. Dr. Safiyah Fosua, Rev. Dr. Magaret Aymer, and Rev. Dr. Grace Imanthiu --I count 13 women in leadership this week inside First Baptist Church in Nashville behind the pulpit, delivering the word of God with power and might!  And I give thanks to God for my sisters speaking God's word that inspires me, confronts me, confounds me, and kicks me in the butt! 

I also give thanks to my brothers in ministry who have shared with us this week from behind the pulpit in worship and preaching leadership, cause God's word must be spoken by many, and they also did a fabulous job:  Rev. Dr. Thomas Long, Jim Wallis, Rev. Peter Graves, Rev. Dr. Craig Barnes, Matthew Flemming, Rev. Dr. John McClure, Rev. John Bell, Bishop Dr. Michael Curry, Rev. Dr. Claudio Carvalhaes, Rev. Dr. Chelphus LaRue, Rev. Dr. Anthony Bailey, and Bishop Dr. Will Willimon--I count 13 men in leadership this week too... perhaps the Spirit is having fun with this, or I can't count well... I don't know which!]

[NOTE: PS--This isn't even a complete list of folks--these are just the ones I count that were in the First Baptist Church--folks were in the other churches as well!]

The people outside the church, and probably many within the church, take issue with the intersection of humor and faith.  There are many days in ministry where I have 2 choices--to laugh or to cry. (Though I can assure you, especially during my Clinical Pastoral Education as a Hospital Chaplain, the tears flew freely and often) I most often choose to laugh.  Plus then I will have great stories to tell later in my ministry--can you believe ____ that just happened to me?  I mean, the day I found a bucket of 4 month old slaw in the fridge at church in October after the BBQ from last June... REALLY?  I choose to laugh, because crying over slaw just didn't seem right.  But in all seriousness... God is big enough to handle our humor.  And God has a sense of humor--Susan is great at pointing that out, and I hope to learn lots from her.  

Festival of Homiletics: Images of Tuesday

Here are a few images I captured on Tuesday at First Baptist Church here in Nashville.  Enjoy!

[The Front of the First Baptist Church Sanctuary]

[A Close-up of the Fountain Altar from Monday night's worship.  It has a pitcher, bowl, candles, ferns, fabric, and rocks included in the design.  Susan Phillips and her husband worked on this for the Festival.]

 

[The Balcony and beautiful stained glass windows.]

Festival of Homiletics: Tuesday Morning Sermon: Anna Carter Florence on Matthew 15:21-28

Top 5 8 List from Anna Carter Florence's Sermon on Tuesday Morning:

1. Even after the bulletin is run off, it's ok to change both the Sermon Title and Scripture Preaching Text.  Sometimes the Spirit moves in unexpected, unplanned, and uncalled for ways--And That's OK!  (If a professor of preaching at a preaching conference can do it, so can I!)

2. "We don't need to be Jesus' bodyguards.  We are called to be poets instead, because Poetic Language stops us in our tracks and causes us to take a 2nd look at life." ~Dr. ACF

3. The woman in a discussion with Jesus (Matthew 15:21-28) could have left the room or hung her head.  Instead she chose to break open the image and word of "dog" (a cultural, racial slur in 1st Century Palestine) and look at it again in a new light.  Thus we need to do the same.  "In the beginning there is always a word... give us a new word."

4. "When breaking the bread for communion, we should tear the bread with abandon, so more crumbs fly off to make sure everyone gets a piece." ~Dr. ACF or Mary Oliver, I can't remember now.

5. Mary Oliver says, "The Bread of Life and Cup of Astonishment."  When have you eaten Life and been astonished lately?

6. Mary Oliver believes a poem is a confession of faith.  It has a purpose other than itself

7. Anna Carter Florence really likes Mary Oliver and her "Poetry Handbook" (especially a great quote on page 122, but I don't have it so I can't find the quote right now!). Since preaching should be more like poetry, I probably should have paid more attention in my many English classes years ago.  Oops. [See # 4, 5, 6]

8. U2 wrote a great song about this passage.  "Crumbs From Your Table".  Check it out on their album "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb"! (Song lyrics are poems after all.)

Festival of Homiletics: Monday Evening Lecture: Anna Carter Florence on Mark 5's Preaching Superheros

Instead of typing all my notes and including them here, I thought it would be more fun, (And more helpful as I continue to process this material and conference), if I created a Top 5 list for each of the sermons and lectures I've heard and post them here instead.  If you have questions or comments on any of these, please post in the comments section.  I'll do my best to explain them and thicken these stories and comments the best I can.

Top 5 List from Anna Carter Florence's Lecture on Monday evening:

1. Accepting commonly accepted Biblical Theories is easy.  There are tons of books supporting them.  Digging deeply on my own and uncovering the text for what it says is much harder.

2. Pastors often don't ask ALL the questions of the text--partly because we don't see them due to our training, and partly because they might get us into hot water with someone in power.  Ask them anyways and keep our eyes open when exploring the Canon.

3. God demands the truth, and nothing but the WHOLE truth, so keep digging into the text despite the threats for yourself (self-preservation) or others in power (The Bible is culturally, politically, and socially subversive, so watch out!). 

4. Reading around the margins of a text makes for much more interesting reading.

5. I wish Mattel or Hasboro would create and market Anna's 3 Superhero Action Figures of Homiletics (Preaching): Mark 5's Demoniac (Complete with graveyard and chains), Hemorrhaging Woman (Complete with Jesus' cloak or a "Red Tent"), and 12 year old walking resurrection girl (Complete with bed and burial clothes).  I'm sure they would be big sellers! (They would go great on the shelf in my office along side my bobblehead "Buddy Christ.")

Festival of Homiletics: Monday- Notes from Bishop McKenzie's Sermon

Festival of Homiletics, Nashville, TN 

Notes from Monday evening's worship gathering

5/17/10

[NOTE: These are my notes from the Monday evening sermon by Bishop McKenzie.  They are incomplete, not transcribed exactly except where I have attempted to quote her direct phrases as indicated by quote marks, and are things that jumped out at me.  I don't pretend that these will make complete sense out of context, but I wanted to capture them for me and share them with you.  Grammar, syntax, flow, connecting transitions--Trying to convert them back into written form is difficult at best.  My best advice is to take any opportunity you might possibly have to hear Bishop McKenzie preach!]

Bishop McKenzie's Sermon - "Speaking Truth to Power" (Exodus 4:10-17, specifically verse 12)

(Photo Slide on the Wall--"Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes." written in spray paint on the side of the wall of a house.)

Scripture from Exodus 4:

¹⁰But Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” ¹¹Then the Lord said to him, “Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹²Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.” ¹³But he said, “O my Lord, please send someone else.” ¹⁴Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “What of your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know that he can speak fluently; even now he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you his heart will be glad. ¹⁵You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. ¹⁶He indeed shall speak for you to the people; he shall serve as a mouth for you, and you shall serve as God for him. ¹⁷Take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”(Exodus 4:10-17, NRSV)

Exodus teaches over and over that God hears and responds. The pattern runs throughout the book again and again.  But it just might not be in the ways we want or expect.

We are living in an "and" world.  A world of extremes that are held together by "and".  Poverty and excess.  Hunger and obesity.  Republican and Democrat. The New York Times and Fox News.  Our times are difficult ones.  Times that leave us with the need to hear a good word from the Lord.  And the need to share truth--God's Truth-- with the powers that be.

Moses was unsure of himself and he felt ill-equipped for what God was calling him to do through the burning bush.  He tries to discuss this with God, and God/ I am Who I Am/ I will be who I will be/ I have been who I have been.  But that doesn't get him off the hook.  God sends him on his way and "all he got was Aaron and a stick."  And he was supposed to speak to Pharaoh... and God even told him that Pharaoh wouldn't even listen.  What an assignment!

When are you called to speak truth to power?  When you are, you do not have the words... "These are God's words and God shapes our preaching agenda. " Society's status quo message equals comfort, where as the Truth that God calls us to speak is not the status quo and is not comfort for our society and culture. 

Therefore, "Maybe we ought to preach revolutionary sermons....  If you preach Jesus-kind of sermons, The New York Times is going to write editorials about you, the Washington Post will put you on the cover, and Fox News will cover you for a whole month."

Speaking truth to power means God will take you where you need to go, not where you want to Go!  It means we will need to face our fears of success or failure, because it is not about you; it's about God.  It means we will not be blessed (with creature comforts, nice cars, well-to-do homes, etc) but will be a blessing to all.  Being a blessing to others means demonstrating the love of God in the unloving places in our world. 

Truth in power preaching means holy ground/take off your shoes preaching.  When we are asked, "Is there a word from the Lord?  We should come running--Yes!  There is!

Festival of Homiletics: Monday evening Worship--"What Is That?" Video

During Worship on Monday evening, the following video was shown during our time for prayer.  It was the "Assurance of Pardon."  It is a powerful 5:30 video that is worth checking out.  The link on YouTube is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNK6h1dfy2o

Have you ever experienced this kind of love and forgiveness?  Have you ever had a "What Is That?" Moment?  

Festival of Homiletics: Nashville, TN (Day 1-Monday)

I begin by giving thanks to the Lilly Foundation for Craig's Sabbatical Grant for providing the funding for both of us to attend this Festival!  After just the first evening, I can already say this has been worth the trip... and for those of you who know how much I LOVE to FLY (insert sarcastic laugh here), that truly is saying a lot!  I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store!

This morning Craig and I headed to RDU to fly to Nashville, TN for the Goodpreacher.com sponsored Festival of Homiletics.  This is a National (and Canadians, the only other country I've seen so far) preaching conference for pastors, and there are over 2000 people here from all over the country representing many, many denominations.  After arriving and getting checked into the hotel, Craig and I walked over to First Baptist Church, the main location for the week.  We are also being hosted by the other downtown churches (First Lutheran, McKendree United Methodist, Christ Church Cathedral--Episcopal, and Downtown Presbyterian), and the various workshops and concerts are being held in these different venues.  Everything is a short walk from our hotel.   

[The view of the skyscrapers near our hotel, and the CMT TV headquarters]

[The famous Ryman Auditorium, the old home of the Grand Ole Opry, and also current home of it since the flooding.  It's on our street just down from the hotel.]

After checking in to the Festival, grabbing BBQ dinner at Jack's BBQ on Broadway Ave, we headed to the opening worship for the evening.  WOW!  Susan Phillips lead us in liturgy, prayer, assurance of pardon, and confession of faith.  We also enjoyed wonderful music by both Ashley Cleveland and Beth Nielsen Chapman.  And the 75+ member First Baptist Church Choir and very small brass band (7 members-great musicians, but not the 50+ folks from RMC that I'm used to) led us in worship. Susan had many great ways to enliven worship and make it more experiencial and multi-sensory.  I can already tell she's a kindred-soul and someone who I look forward to learning lots more from!

[This is the sanctuary view from the back row.  It's huge!]

[The altar up front--it's "living water" with plants and a fountain and water running down through it when Susan took a pitcher and poured it while reading Isaiah 12.  It was really powerful and really awesome!]

Then it was time for one of the highlights of the evening.  Bishop Vashti McKenzie from the African Methodist Episcopal Church was the guest preacher for the opening worship service this evening. She spoke about Moses' call from God to speak the truth with power in her sermon "Speaking Truth to Power" based on Exodus 4:10-17, specifically focusing on verse 12.

[Here is Bishop McKenzie preaching.  She was so dynamic and brought the Word of God with truth and power!  See my next blog posting for notes from this sermon!]

[It's hard to see in this photo, but the spray-painted sign on the side of the house says, "Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes." It was the photo on the screen during the Bishop's sermon and fit so well with Moses' conversation with the Great "I Am Who I Am" and call from God.]

After worship we heard a brief concert by Jazz Sax protogee Grace Kelly.  She was excellent.

 [Grace can be seen in this photo in the purple dress near the left edge.] 

The last order of the agenda for the evening was a lecture by Dr. Anna Carter Florence, a professor of preaching from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA.  She talked about Mark 5 and the 3 Superheros for the Preacher found in this chapter of the Gospel.

NOTE: I took lots of notes to include here from both speakers tonight, but bedtime is here, so I will post them tomorrow!

Thanks for reading along.  Goodnight from Nashville!  I'm looking forward to tomorrow!

The American Cancer Society - Relay For Life of Brier Creek/RTP

This Summer Raleigh Moravian Church has teams in both the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at Meredith College on June 12 and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life at Leesville Road High School on June 18th.  Information and details can be found here:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10SA?sid=1003&type=fr_informational&pg=informational&fr_id=25994

I've joined the team for the Relay for Life.  I invite you to support our team by going to their website and giving a donation to the Raleigh Moravian Church team.
The American Cancer Society - Relay For Life of Brier Creek/RTP:

Cancer affects so many folks, and one way we can help is by supporting the American Cancer Society and Cancer Research.  You are also invited to sponsor a Luminary in honor or memory of someone... or If you are a SURVIVOR, they have a special dinner and Survivor's Lap.  We hope you will come out to Join US, Cheer for US, and Support US as Team RMC walks the track!  Consider donating today!

Breaking Bread Together: Sermon for 5/2/10 (Favorite Things Summer Series)

"Breaking Bread Together"

Sermon for May 2, 2010 (Easter 5C)

Favorite Things Summer Series

Luke 24:13-35 (Easter 3A); Hebrews 13:1-2

Today we begin an adventure... a quest... a journey. It's a journey of grace... a journey together, and a journey that God takes with us. Thankfully, we are not alone. Thankfully, God has blessed us with many gifts and now we get a different opportunity in the life of this congregation to let these gifts shine. As many of us are aware, Craig began his sabbatical yesterday afternoon once we finished with the Synod Delegate training in Kernersville. He is now on an adventure of rest and renewal thanks to the Lilly Endowment. This much-deserved break will be a time for him to step away from the daily duties and stresses of ministry to renew his energy and strength for the next phase of his journey. We hold he and Anna in prayer during this exciting time in their lives. And we look forward to their return in September.

With this sabbatical in mind, we are on a journey. I like the image of a journey. We know where we are headed, and we remain open to what God has in store. The Lilly Grant for Craig's Sabbatical doesn't leave us out as well. It provides money for various opportunities for the whole congregation as we also seek renewal and refreshment this summer. Though we have been planning for almost a year for this summer, we can never know exactly what is in store. I say that with excitement, not fear--you never know where Christ might appear during the journey. I have been in conversation with many of you who share this excitement and sense of adventure.

If you remember back to January and February, I invited you to vote for your Favorite Scripture Passages, Favorite Hymns, and Favorite Anthems. I was very energized to receive your votes and collect this information. I also assure you that this information was not in vain. We will engage at least 8 of the texts this summer and many of the musical choices as well. I hope we will have fun and enjoy the experience, as I have had a great time planning and exploring these texts already. Today's text is the first in our series. Now I must confess, this is my favorite passage. We start with it today, not only because it is my favorite, but also because I see it as a foundational story for the summer. One of the things the grant provides is the opportunity for us to explore our story as a church. If you met someone on the street and they asked you about your church family, what stories make the list of favorite stories about Raleigh Moravian? Why are these stories your favorites? What do they say about who we are as a community? This past week Craig and I met with Kelli Walker-Jones and Dick Hester. They will be with us in August for worship and a workshop that will delve into our story, and we will continue to explore it in October around our Congregational Anniversary. We left the meeting so excited about the upcoming conversation. I personally can't wait to hear what stories you all share about this congregation. I invite you all to begin thinking about your story and Raleigh Moravian's Story. We each have foundational stories about our faith and church, and sharing these can be transformational for everyone as we both share with one another and hear from one another.

As we begin these conversations, I thought it might be interesting for me to share a piece of my own journey and story, and my hopes and dreams with you all this morning. That's where we connect in with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. During the three years I lived in Pennsylvania, this story took on deeper and deeper meaning for me. For my first two years, I served as student pastor at Emmaus Moravian Church. Emmaus is a community southwest of Bethlehem, and was one of the original Moravian Settlement communities in the 1700s. During my third year in Pennsylvania, Steve and I married at [CAN ANY ONE GUESS?] Emmaus Moravian Church.
             Our first year of marriage we lived in Emmaus, while I commuted to Bethlehem for classes. For my commute between Emmaus and Bethlehem, I drove Emmaus Avenue. Needless to say, over three years time I drove up and down this road A LOT. Emmaus Avenue, for me, became a part of my spiritual journey, as I often spent time thinking and praying as I drove back and forth. Does anyone know the title of my blog? "Living on Emmaus Ave." I often imagine myself as the unnamed disciples on the road to Emmaus walking along with the stranger who turns out to be Christ. You can begin to see why this story took on special meaning for me.

Have you ever had an experience like the disciples on the evening of Easter? Have you ever found yourself in an unfamiliar situation when someone comes out of nowhere to walk along side and maybe even offer support or help? As I have spent more and more time with this story over the years, a memory from college serves for me as a time when I was either entertained by an angel or the Lord himself--I shall never know.

I spent a semester in College studying abroad in Heidelberg, Germany. For spring break that semester, four friends and I decided to visit Amsterdam for a few days. We were there over a Sunday, and I knew there were a couple of a Moravian churches in town. I wanted to worship with one while I had the opportunity. My friends had never heard of Moravians, but they were willing to join me in this adventure. [1]  I tried calling the pastor and got minimal directions from his wife who spoke some English. But our phone conversation got disconnected, and I wasn't able to get back in touch with her. We got up early on Sunday and took off to find the streetcar that the pastor's wife said to take. When we got on, there was one other lady on the car. Somehow she overheard us talking about attending the Moravian Church that morning. She spoke some English, and asked us where we were headed? We quickly realized we were all going to the same place. She ended up taking us with her all the way to the front door of the church. It was WAY back in a neighborhood, many twists and turns off the main street where we exited the streetcar. [2] I can assure you, without a shadow of a doubt that with our incomplete directions and no knowledge of the area, there is NO WAY we would have found the church without her. She introduced us to someone else in the congregation who had visited Winston-Salem. We started talking to the lady about Winston-Salem, and soon it was time for worship.

After worship we were swept away by our new friend to the Fellowship Hall for an elaborate feast for their fellowship time as they offered us gracious hospitality. Throughout the day we all enjoyed it immensely. But there was still the question about our friend that led us to worship. Before we left, I wanted to thank her for bringing us to church. BUT--We never saw our streetcar friend again that morning. When we arrived, she disappeared as if she vanished into the crowd. Angel or Christ, I don't know which, but I can tell you for sure that she was from God.

Who have you encountered on a journey that helped you or encouraged you when you needed it most? What strangers have you met that taught you something about Christ that you needed to learn? Who have you shared a meal with that revealed God to you in a new way? The story of the disciples in Emmaus presents us with the invitation to walk with strangers and friends we find along our path. We are invited to eat together, talk together, and share our lives with one another.

If you think about the Gospel of Luke as a whole, Jesus was often eating--he was either on his way to a meal, eating a meal, or just coming from a meal. [3] Food was especially important to his ministry. Table Fellowship represents the kingdom of God. This story from Emmaus is no different. It is often seen as a Eucharistic meal--a meal that has many of the same characteristics of the Lord's Supper or Communion that Jesus instituted with his disciples just before his death. [4] It does carry many similarities, especially when Christ, the recipient of hospitality by the disciples, becomes the host who "took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it" to the disciples (Luke 24:30). But it is also just an ordinary meal. This could be any meal you eat around your dinner table. [5] It could be a meal that you share with family in a restaurant, or the cup of coffee enjoyed with a friend at the corner cafe.

Whenever we share our Moravian table blessing, we remind ourselves that Christ is invited to dine with us. "Come Lord Jesus, our Guest to be..." "Be present at our table, Lord..." We intentionally invite Christ to the table and offer hospitality to everyone gathered there. [6] If you think about it, this is radical. Come Lord Jesus, our guest to be. Come Christ, break bread together with us. Eat along side us as we share this meal. Maybe the person sitting at the table with you is a stranger or a friend... maybe they don't look like Christ. But if you look deeper, do you see Christ in them? Does the conversation and meal reveal Christ to you in a new way or encourage you in your faith journey? Is the stranger among us actually sent from God? Have we entertained an angel and didn't even know it?

I have a friend that taught me a new blessing that I really like. She takes a piece of bread, holds it up for the table, and says, "Christ often took bread, gave thanks, and shared it with his disciples. We take this bread, give thanks, and share it in Christ's name. In doing so we invite Christ to dine with us. Amen." Then she tears pieces of the bread apart and everyone at the table gets a small morsel that we eat at the same time. [7] It's serves as a powerful reminder that through taking the bread, giving thanks, and sharing it with one another, the ordinary meal becomes something extra-ordinary. [8] We welcome Christ through the breaking of bread together, and we honor the strangers and friends we find in our midst.

This summer we will be welcoming many different people in worship with us. We have friends coming to share worship from Winston-Salem, Laurel Ridge, and from within our own community. I am sure we will have many guests and visitors joining us in worship as well. We will also have numerous fellowship opportunities outside of worship--movie nights, lunches at church and dinner at the ballpark. We will walk together to raise support for cancer research. We will welcome strangers and friends into the community. And we might, just maybe, welcome Christ here with us as well. Can you recognize him? Can you see the love of Christ in everyone you meet? Whether we break bread together, share BBQ together, or walk the track with one another, may we treat each person with the same radical hospitality that Christ offered to the disciples and to the strangers he met. This summer I hope and pray that we all remain open to look for Christ in our midst both here in worship, and in our daily lives. Come Lord Jesus, this summer and always, be our guest. Let us break bread together and see Christ in our midst. Amen.

[1] http://ebga.nl/

[2] http://ebga.nl/contact.html

[3] R. Alan Culpepper, “Table Fellowship” in Luke: Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 26.

[4] R. Alan Culpepper, Luke: Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 480, 481.

[5] William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, Rev. Ed., The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadephia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975) 295.

[6] Fred B. Craddock, Luke, Interpretation Series (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1990) 286.

[7] Thanks, Tracy!
[8] William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, Rev. Ed., The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadephia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975) 295.