Not real news... it's a Lark... (get it now?)
Had to post this...
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Frank Harrison, a lifelong Lutheran, began attending a charismatic church last month and now has his family worried.
"He’s scaring the wits out of us," says his mother. "All this praying he’s doing and the crazy talk about healing and spiritual warfare. He’s de-stabilizing the family."
Frank says he decided to change churches when he sat through an entire Lutheran service one Saturday evening before realizing it was a funeral service.
Out of curiosity he went to the liveliest charismatic church in town "to see the other extreme," he says. He loved it and now he greets people with "Praise the Lord!" and a big hug. He’s at church three times a week.
But his relatives became concerned when he invited them to an all-night Prayer-athon, participated in a Jericho March around the city and tried to lay hands on and heal several people at a recent family picnic. The family met recently to discuss Frank’s "disturbing religious fervor" and to plan an intervention.
"One day he was normal Frank, my fishing buddy, and then, bam, he was in this nutso church, speaking in tongues, fasting all the time and reading his Bible," says a cousin. "It's unnatural."
The family intends to tell Frank they are gathering for prayer, so they know he’ll come, and then they will spring their true purpose on him. They have hired an intervention expert for the occasion.
"We want the old Frank back," says his mother. "It feels good to be rescuing him."
The line where he sat through the whole service without realizing it was a funeral made me laugh out loud... (and then cry a little) and then right back to laughing. People! .. A little effort in the Liturgy please. This is only funny because it's true (and I'm back to crying...)
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Today's Sermon
Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5
21:10 And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.
21:22 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
21:23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
21:24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
21:25 Its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there.
21:26 People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
21:27 But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
22:2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
22:3 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him;
22:4 they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
22:5 And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
John 14:23-29
14:23 Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
14:24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.
14:25 "I have said these things to you while I am still with you.
14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.
14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
14:28 You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.
14:29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.
Let’s look at the Revelation text again. John gives us a wonderful vision. He writes; I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations.
I don’t know about you but -
I wanna live there!
A place where God so present and available and tangible that there is no temple - no need for a church - no need for a set worship time - Just bang - God - Right there - all the time - tangible.
I wanna live there!
A place where the brilliance of God is so bright that there is no need for a sun, or a moon. Everything is so clear… so right there.
I wanna live there!
The doors are unlocked - there is no fear of terrorism, there is no fear of thieves, there is no fear of death or murder or all the things that drive us to lock our doors - to hide from each other - a place of perfect trust.
I wanna live there.
But one thing… nothing unclean will enter it.
Nobody who does or even thinks the wrong thing. Nobody who isn’t perfect.
It’s a perfect place - and only perfect people can be there. The rest of us would just mess it up.
I have a sense that I don’t qualify. There was a moment when I was 18 where I was perfect and everything made sense - but the more I live in the world, the more I learn about myself and God - the more I realize that I’m a sinner - I’m not not nice to others sometimes - I’m not nice to myself sometimes. - I speak without thinking and cause harm - as I grow and learn about God and my own sinfullness I’m always surprised just how much more learning there is to do.
I separate myself from God and other people by what I do and with what I do not do. I suspect that I don’t qualify for this vision that John is putting forward.
But lets borrow John’s eyes for a second.
Will make our own revelation right here this morning. The Revelation of Sean - Chapter 1:
“I saw the holy city, the new (Rosthern/Hague) coming down out of Heaven.” There was better road access and the streets never flooded.
This would be a place where there is no more:
-Hurting each other with our words.
-No more lack of money for farmers or anyone.
-No need to leave and move to the city as you age.
- No more political parties and ideologies slinging mud back and forth.
-No need to judge each other for how we’re living - or what we’re doing.
- No death - No taxes - No sermons with morality lessons.
This new (Hague/Rosthern) would be a place where:
- Everyone would talk to everyone regardless of race, colour, religious heritage.
- There are no more churches - just one common meeting space where we gather --- and the light and love of God that would be so tangible and all around us would be lived out. We would all preach the gospel to each other without using words.
- We would see that each of us is a marvelous creation of God - full of gifts and blessings.
- We would understand the deep love that we have for each other - and express it fully without all the misunderstandings and mistakes - past and present - getting in the way.
- This would be a place where all sons and daughters could understand just how much their mothers love them. And mothers would be honored on Mothers day with more that commerciallized cards and nice sentiments - the true connection and love and bond of family could be lived and felt fully.
Oh I tell you, wanna live Here!
But there is one problem… This perfect vision could only be populated by perfect people.
I get the sense that we don’t quite measure up to this perfect standard that this vision is calling for… This would be a perfect place, and only perfect people could be here. We don’t have to think to hard to find places where we aren’t so nice sometimes - Where we use words to hurt others - Where we have been hurt by others - We separate ourselves from God and each other by what we do and with what we do not do.
…
Jesus words in 14:23 convict us further, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.:
It would be very dangerous to stop reading here. Because right now there are about 40 wars happening people trying to establish different people’s opinions of what a perfect world would be.
And it is here that we would be tempted to rise up and create a perfect church - perfect society - make rules and laws that ensure that people are nice - sterilize all human interactions to the point where we are not allowed to offend one another - to pull into ourselves as a small group - select who will be in our holy ‘in group’ and exclude and drive away those who don’t conform. History is full of such attempts. It is the way of the Kingdom of this world. Peace through rules. Peace through enforced silence, Peace through fear. If we have enough money and power, we can shock and awe the world into a submissive peace.
From small Communities with restrictive orders, to whole religious traditions that try to control their members to the point where no one measures and hypocrisy is the message that is expressed so much louder than love, to the Great Empires of Jesus day and ours. This the Kingdom of this world at work.
In Jesus day, When the Roman Emperor would roll into town, there was always a great celebration - debts were going to be forgiven - gifts given - order was going to be firmly established - criminals and all who didn’t conform would be punished or killed or sent away - and an eery, silent, peace would hang in the air. Stern horrific order is established. This Peace of Rome was the uncomfortable peace of a funeral.
So we must not stop here and think that we can come up with this utopia all by ourselves. This is not the peace that surpasses all understanding that is in Christ Jesus.
Jesus promises us a Spirit - sent by the Father - who dwells with us and reminds us of all that Jesus has said. This Spirit that Broods over all of creation like a mother hen broods over her nest. Like all Mothers, the Spirit has love hopes and dreams and gifts to give. Working inside the church with us, and most shockingly, outside of the church without us. The creator of the whole universe is not content with a partial salvation of creation. Can a mother forget her children? God has a deep longing to be intimately connected to all creation.
So when the Kingdom of Earth says “Cast that person away - they aren’t worth it.
The Spirit reminds us that Jesus draws water from the well and gives it to outcast woman.
When the Kingdom of Earth says “Never again talk to that person who hates you.”
The Spirit reminds us that Jesus says return love for hate.
When the Kingdom of earth says “You are not worth it. You are shameful. You are broken. You don’t measure up. You should just leave.
The Spirit reminds us that Jesus says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”
God is always working the Kingdom of Heaven around us - Arch Bishop Oscar Romero wrote that
This is what we are about: We plant the seeds that will one day grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We are always invited to participate in the unfolding Kingdom of God - to participate in the forgiveness of self and others - to participate in the sharing of the gifts that God has given to us - to participate in not just life, but life abundantly in relation with our creator - we are never outside of the Kingdoms reach - The call of Jesus then and the call of Jesus today is to live! The Kingdom of God springing up all around us. Rise and let us be on our way.
AMEN
21:10 And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.
21:22 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
21:23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
21:24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
21:25 Its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there.
21:26 People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
21:27 But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
22:2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
22:3 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him;
22:4 they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
22:5 And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
John 14:23-29
14:23 Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
14:24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.
14:25 "I have said these things to you while I am still with you.
14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.
14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
14:28 You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.
14:29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.
Let’s look at the Revelation text again. John gives us a wonderful vision. He writes; I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations.
I don’t know about you but -
I wanna live there!
A place where God so present and available and tangible that there is no temple - no need for a church - no need for a set worship time - Just bang - God - Right there - all the time - tangible.
I wanna live there!
A place where the brilliance of God is so bright that there is no need for a sun, or a moon. Everything is so clear… so right there.
I wanna live there!
The doors are unlocked - there is no fear of terrorism, there is no fear of thieves, there is no fear of death or murder or all the things that drive us to lock our doors - to hide from each other - a place of perfect trust.
I wanna live there.
But one thing… nothing unclean will enter it.
Nobody who does or even thinks the wrong thing. Nobody who isn’t perfect.
It’s a perfect place - and only perfect people can be there. The rest of us would just mess it up.
I have a sense that I don’t qualify. There was a moment when I was 18 where I was perfect and everything made sense - but the more I live in the world, the more I learn about myself and God - the more I realize that I’m a sinner - I’m not not nice to others sometimes - I’m not nice to myself sometimes. - I speak without thinking and cause harm - as I grow and learn about God and my own sinfullness I’m always surprised just how much more learning there is to do.
I separate myself from God and other people by what I do and with what I do not do. I suspect that I don’t qualify for this vision that John is putting forward.
But lets borrow John’s eyes for a second.
Will make our own revelation right here this morning. The Revelation of Sean - Chapter 1:
“I saw the holy city, the new (Rosthern/Hague) coming down out of Heaven.” There was better road access and the streets never flooded.
This would be a place where there is no more:
-Hurting each other with our words.
-No more lack of money for farmers or anyone.
-No need to leave and move to the city as you age.
- No more political parties and ideologies slinging mud back and forth.
-No need to judge each other for how we’re living - or what we’re doing.
- No death - No taxes - No sermons with morality lessons.
This new (Hague/Rosthern) would be a place where:
- Everyone would talk to everyone regardless of race, colour, religious heritage.
- There are no more churches - just one common meeting space where we gather --- and the light and love of God that would be so tangible and all around us would be lived out. We would all preach the gospel to each other without using words.
- We would see that each of us is a marvelous creation of God - full of gifts and blessings.
- We would understand the deep love that we have for each other - and express it fully without all the misunderstandings and mistakes - past and present - getting in the way.
- This would be a place where all sons and daughters could understand just how much their mothers love them. And mothers would be honored on Mothers day with more that commerciallized cards and nice sentiments - the true connection and love and bond of family could be lived and felt fully.
Oh I tell you, wanna live Here!
But there is one problem… This perfect vision could only be populated by perfect people.
I get the sense that we don’t quite measure up to this perfect standard that this vision is calling for… This would be a perfect place, and only perfect people could be here. We don’t have to think to hard to find places where we aren’t so nice sometimes - Where we use words to hurt others - Where we have been hurt by others - We separate ourselves from God and each other by what we do and with what we do not do.
…
Jesus words in 14:23 convict us further, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.:
It would be very dangerous to stop reading here. Because right now there are about 40 wars happening people trying to establish different people’s opinions of what a perfect world would be.
And it is here that we would be tempted to rise up and create a perfect church - perfect society - make rules and laws that ensure that people are nice - sterilize all human interactions to the point where we are not allowed to offend one another - to pull into ourselves as a small group - select who will be in our holy ‘in group’ and exclude and drive away those who don’t conform. History is full of such attempts. It is the way of the Kingdom of this world. Peace through rules. Peace through enforced silence, Peace through fear. If we have enough money and power, we can shock and awe the world into a submissive peace.
From small Communities with restrictive orders, to whole religious traditions that try to control their members to the point where no one measures and hypocrisy is the message that is expressed so much louder than love, to the Great Empires of Jesus day and ours. This the Kingdom of this world at work.
In Jesus day, When the Roman Emperor would roll into town, there was always a great celebration - debts were going to be forgiven - gifts given - order was going to be firmly established - criminals and all who didn’t conform would be punished or killed or sent away - and an eery, silent, peace would hang in the air. Stern horrific order is established. This Peace of Rome was the uncomfortable peace of a funeral.
So we must not stop here and think that we can come up with this utopia all by ourselves. This is not the peace that surpasses all understanding that is in Christ Jesus.
Jesus promises us a Spirit - sent by the Father - who dwells with us and reminds us of all that Jesus has said. This Spirit that Broods over all of creation like a mother hen broods over her nest. Like all Mothers, the Spirit has love hopes and dreams and gifts to give. Working inside the church with us, and most shockingly, outside of the church without us. The creator of the whole universe is not content with a partial salvation of creation. Can a mother forget her children? God has a deep longing to be intimately connected to all creation.
So when the Kingdom of Earth says “Cast that person away - they aren’t worth it.
The Spirit reminds us that Jesus draws water from the well and gives it to outcast woman.
When the Kingdom of Earth says “Never again talk to that person who hates you.”
The Spirit reminds us that Jesus says return love for hate.
When the Kingdom of earth says “You are not worth it. You are shameful. You are broken. You don’t measure up. You should just leave.
The Spirit reminds us that Jesus says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”
God is always working the Kingdom of Heaven around us - Arch Bishop Oscar Romero wrote that
This is what we are about: We plant the seeds that will one day grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We are always invited to participate in the unfolding Kingdom of God - to participate in the forgiveness of self and others - to participate in the sharing of the gifts that God has given to us - to participate in not just life, but life abundantly in relation with our creator - we are never outside of the Kingdoms reach - The call of Jesus then and the call of Jesus today is to live! The Kingdom of God springing up all around us. Rise and let us be on our way.
AMEN
Saturday, May 12, 2007
How long should a sermon be?
Length of a Sermon
How long should a good sermon be? It should be like a woman's skirt, long enough to cover the essentials and short enough to keep you interested!
How long should a good sermon be? It should be like a woman's skirt, long enough to cover the essentials and short enough to keep you interested!
A poem that helped inspire be for my sermon this week.
Sometimes I think that it would be better to simply take some of the best writtings we can find and present that as the sermon for any given day but... nice to keep it fresh. I liked this one...
Prophets of a Future Not Our Own
—Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of El Salvador (1917-1980)
It helps now and then to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a small fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about: We plant the seeds that will one day grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it well. It may be incomplete but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own. AMEN.
I for one love an Arch Bishop that has the balls to stand up to the world and be a true prophetic voice of the church.
Prophets of a Future Not Our Own
—Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of El Salvador (1917-1980)
It helps now and then to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a small fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about: We plant the seeds that will one day grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it well. It may be incomplete but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own. AMEN.
I for one love an Arch Bishop that has the balls to stand up to the world and be a true prophetic voice of the church.
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