“Pointed Toward the Sun”

Luke 21:25-36
November 29, 2009

Heads up.
Stand tall.
Pay attention.
These are the three points of my sermon today.
Shall we call it a message and head toward lunch?

This is the first Sunday of the Advent season.
The Advent season is a time of waiting and hoping.
It’s the first Sunday of the church year.
And what does the scripture describe this beginning Sunday?
The End.
The End, which in reality is a new beginning.

Have I got you totally confused yet?
Well, don’t be.
It’s very simple.
Heads up!
Stand tall!
Pay attention!

In this scripture today, Jesus wants us to be ready.
The world is a tumultuous place.
Tomorrow is always a question mark.
But when faced with the question of tomorrow Jesus says . . .
Heads up.
Stand tall.
Pay attention.

Apocalyptic movies are big these days.
2012, The Road, The Mist, The Happening, I Am Legend, Zombie Movies abound.
This passage from Luke’s gospel would be a great start for a screenplay.
“It will seem like all hell has broken loose sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.” (Luke 21:2-5-26, The Message)

For 2000 years people have believed this was their story.
Wars, rumors of wars, plagues, hurricanes, financial meltdowns . . .
All lead us to believe that this must be it . . .
. . . the beginning of the end.

When Luke wrote this gospel the temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed.
It seemed the beginning of the end.
When Rome was sacked it seemed like the beginning of the end.
When the Black Death hit Europe it seemed like the beginning of the end.
When the planes hit the twin towers it seemed like the beginning of the end.

When these things happens, Jesus says . . .
Heads up!
Stand tall!
Pay attention!

Keep your heads up!
Don’t stop looking up just because bad things are happening.
Don’t start walking around with your head down, fearful that the next axe will fall on you (even though it might).
Be optimistic because you have reason to be optimistic.
Why?
You can be optimistic in all circumstances because you know the end of the story is the beginning of the story.
Keep your head up.

Stand tall.
Stand tall in the face of trouble and persecution.
Don’t let the intimidation and fear that comes with bad events stop you from doing what is right.
Stand up for justice, for peace, for reconciliation and hope when others are acting out of fear and retribution.
Stand tall.

Pay attention.
Don’t get caught napping.
Don’t let your faith get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. (The Message)
Keep your eyes open to what needs to be done while others are at Macys.
Pay attention.

Little apocalypses can happen in our lives day to day.
The wind can get knocked out of our lives so quickly.
We can't say what will happen tomorrow.
At any moment our world could come crashing down around us.
Yes, the world get s turned upside down for someone every single day—
. . . the death of a child or parent or spouse,
. . . a divorce
. . . a pink slip,
. . . a few little words from a doctor,
. . . a visit from Immigration Customs Enforcement.
The time will come when things like this will happen to you and to me.
How will we respond?

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life in prison.
He spent that time in prison because he was committed to justice, hope & reconciliation.
During the worst years of South Africa’s reign of apartheid evil, Mandela was in prison.
He endured and came out of prison to lead the country toward reconciliation.
These are his words:
“I have found that one can bear the unbearable if one can keep spirits strong even when the body is being tested. Strong convictions are the secret of surviving deprivation. Your spirit can be full even when your stomach is empty. I always knew that some day I would once again feel the grass under my feet and walk in the sunshine as a free man. I am fundamentally an optimist. Part of being an optimist is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward.”

Jesus tells us that in the end is the beginning.
In fact, Jesus’ death was the beginning.
As we point ourselves toward celebrating his birth, let’s not forget the real beginning.
The birth of a tiny Baby is the beginning of the end.
And the End is the beginning of God’s Kingdom without end.

So, no matter what happens tomorrow ‘keep your head pointed toward the sun.’

Heads up!
Stand tall!
Pay attention!

The Joy of Human Love

Good morning, Loved Ones,

Today is the one year anniversary of our Gimme Cinco discipline. Over 3700 expressions of gratitude have been shared among us in 52 weeks. We started out with 25 friends on our list and now have 74. Today we welcome eight new thankful people. Bienvenidos a Christy, Chrysanne, Jeanine, Jeanette, Deanna, K.R., Vicki and Ron. All are friends from communities across Kansas.

As you prepare to celebrate with family and friends this week consider this 'familiar' verse:

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

Today I give thanks for . . .

. . . this community of gratitude and hope, for the shared thankfulness that has lifted me up week after week for the last year, for the stories we have shared of grace and challenge.

. . . my old buddy, Bob, who has reached out and created an opportunity for us have some fun together and reconnect.

. . . the Public Square community of friends who together are bringing new life to small towns and communities.

. . . the youth of Grandview Park Church and their leader, Randy, who continue to amaze and inspire, for their special thanksgiving dinner and gathering last night that brought together a wide variety of friends.

. . . Sam who returns today at 1:45 pm, for Luke who is out of school and has more time to battle me on FIFA 2010.

. . . Los Tiburones U17 soccer team -- a group of young men who help keep me young.

. . . an unexpected call this morning from a friend testifying to the power of prayer, community and the joy of human love.

OK, so I overshot the goal by two. Gimme Cinco or Gimme Siete or Gimme Doce. Just give me some "gentle thoughts and mild." Let's share our gratitude.

Gimme Cinco and hit reply to all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor Rick
http://gimmecinco.blogspot.com/

Intimate, Open and Bold

Hebrews 10:19-25
November 15, 2009

Shots fired on Tuesday night . . .
In front of the church . . .
By a member of the church . . .
By one of our own . . .
By someone whom we love . . .
By someone in whom we have invested much time and hope . . .
Makes you want to scream . . .
Makes you want to get on your knees and punch the ground . . .

Shootings at 18th & Central . . .
Healthcare bills that don’t even consider 12 million people . . .
Fears being spread through people of faith that the economy will collapse . . .
Darkness and clouds and winter sets in and the light of the sun slants away from us . . .

Sometimes it seems that evil is having its way with us.
And we are tempted to lose hope . . .
We are tempted to throw in the towel . . .
Sometimes we are tempted to forget . . .
To forget all that we have shared together . . .
To forget all that God has taught us . . .

But the author of Hebrews wants us to remember.
We are called to remember . . .
To remember that we are part of a new way of living . . .
We are invited to live in an intimate relationship with the God of all creation.
Remember that Jesus has made it possible for us to draw near to God.
We can walk right up to God, right up to the Holy Place . . .

Because of Jesus.

Not because we are good . . .
Not because we do all the right things . . .
Not because we are anywhere close to perfect . . .
Only because Jesus has opened the door for us . . .

Jesus makes it possible for us to come to God and cry out and know that we have been heard.
Know that this Holy Parent will see us through the worst of times.

Because of Jesus we can be intimate with the God of all creation.
Because of Jesus we can be open with the God of all creation.
Because of Jesus we can even be bold with the God of all creation.

Intimacy – Its something sadly lacking in our world today.
Oftentimes our culture equates intimacy with sexuality.
But intimacy is the relationship a mother has with a child.
Intimacy is a husband and wife freely talking with each other about their fears, hopes and dreams.
Intimacy is brothers and sisters in Christ working elbow to elbow in the kitchen in service.
Intimacy is friendship, true friendship that hopes all things, believes all things and endures all
things.
This is the kind of relationship we have been invited to with God.
Intimacy with the God of the Universe . . .
Amazing!

Openness is a part of that intimate relationship.
When you have intimacy with a friend you are free to be open.
When you are angry, you can complain.
When you are sad, you can weep.
When you are joyful, you can sing.
And God sings, weeps and complains right along with you.
Just like your best friend.
Just like a loving spouse.
Just like good mother.

Intimate.
Open.
And bold.

We can be bold with God.
Because we are intimate and open we don’t have to be afraid to ask.
We can be bold with new ideas, with new activities, with living new life in the face of despair and
death.

And so, the writer of Hebrews says, because we have this intimate, open and bold relationship
with God through Jesus . . .
Because we know God like a best friend, like a loving spouse, like a good mother . . .
We can always move forward no matter what the circumstances.
We “keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going.” (The Message)

But Hebrews reminds us that it’s not just about you and your relationship with God.
The writer goes on to say that the confidence we get from our relationship with God, makes us
cheerleaders for one another.
We are to be inventive, provocative, bold in our love for each other.
And we are to cheer each other on to do good works.

The love we have for one another and the good works we do come from our intimate, open and
bold relationship with God, not the other way around.
We are not invited to the Holy Place because of our love and good works.
Our love and good works become real because Jesus has opened the door for us.

So, while the shots are fired . . .
While the economy crashes . . .
While our politicians ignore those in need . . .
While the darkness of winter sets in . . .
We dance.
We celebrate Karina, a young woman who has an intimate, open and bold relationship with God.
We share what we have and eat wonderful feasts together.
We do not neglect to come together.
For quinceneras . . .
For birthday parties . . .
For dinners . . .
For coffee . . .
For Bible study . . .
For prayer . . .
For worship . . .
For worship . . .
For worship . . .

Why?

Because of Jesus.

He is our best friend.
He is our loving spouse.
He is our good parent.

Be intimate.
Be open.
Be bold.

No matter what happens.

God is with you.

Each Hour

Good morning, Loved Ones,

As the Thanksgiving holiday rapidly approaches, perhaps our Gimme Cinco discipline will gather strength. Today a hymn verse:

For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

I give thanks for Karina's beautiful 'hour' on Saturday. For a celebration in which all could share. A quincenera full of solid worship, great food and joyful dance.

I give thanks for Richard who enacted our "Intimate, Open and Bold" message Sunday by raising his hand in the middle of the sermon and asking a question that was on his mind. What an incredible blessing to have young people engaged in worship!

I give thanks for Jennifer who remembers a great 'hour' she had at the Presbyterian Youth Triennium 12 years ago and has encouraged many of our youth to be a part of next Summer's gathering of 7000 youth.

I give thanks for Public Square Communities, Pastor Terry's ministry to small towns and communities. Thousands of people's lives are being changed and the 'hour' for their yearly gathering is this Thursday and Friday in Hutchison, KS.

I give thanks that Lou Dobbs 'hour' on CNN has come to close. No matter where he goes or what he does in the future, at least he won't have the CNN banner to give him credence. Thank God that one bully's voice has been silenced, if only for a few 'minutes.'

The big Day is approaching. Has the Gimme Cinco discipline given you any new insights into gratitude? What 'hours' are you thankful for?

Pastor Rick
http://gimmecinco.blogspot.com/

Not a Mouse

Good morning, Loved Ones,

Today I am awake to the many challenges we face as a church, as a community, as the people of God in this world. Let's not gloss over the challenges as we thank God even for the challenges.

Psalm 36:5-12 (The Message)

^5-6 God's love is meteoric,
his loyalty astronomic,
His purpose titanic,
his verdicts oceanic.
Yet in his largeness
nothing gets lost;
Not a man, not a mouse,
slips through the cracks.
^7-9 How exquisite your love, O God!
How eager we are to run under your wings,
To eat our fill at the banquet you spread
as you fill our tankards with Eden spring water.
You're a fountain of cascading light,
and you open our eyes to light.
^10-12 Keep on loving your friends;
do your work in welcoming hearts.
Don't let the bullies kick me around,
the moral midgets slap me down.
Send the upstarts sprawling
flat on their faces in the mud.

I am thankful today that we have not slipped through the cracks and that bullies ultimately lose. A gun was fired in front of the church last night and no one was physically hurt. The emotional trauma and scars are there, but, thank God, no blood was spilled. Let us pray for the shooter who is one of our own.

I am thankful today that Pastor Alfonso and Randy and Greg were there last night when the trauma occurred and that they comforted the young man who was terribly shaken. Let us pray for this young man.

I am thankful today that the church's response to threats and bullies is, first of all, to care for the shaken, troubled and injured, and, secondly, to work for reconciliation and peace.

I am thankful for IJAM, the 40 congregations who are working for positive, humane and merciful immigration reform and working against the "bullies and moral midgets" who attack us and slander our brothers and sisters. O for a mud pit large enough to hold them all.

I am thankful today for a warm bowl of oatmeal loaded with brown sugar and an early morning bike ride around the lake with a friend. (I give thanks especially for the brown sugar.)

God's love is exquisite. Tell me about it! Gimme cinco.

Pastor Rick
http://gimmecinco.blogspot.com/

I'll Sing It!

Good Morning, Loved Ones,

November has arrived! This is the designated month for gratitude here in the US. Fortunately, you are among the faithful who practice it year-round. We have completed the first 11 months of Gimme Cinco. Over 3500 expressions of gratitude have been shared among us. The psalmist tells us that this is no time to quit sharing our gratitude.

Psalm 89 (The Message)

^1-4 Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it! I'm forever telling everyone how faithful you are.
I'll never quit telling the story of your love—
how you built the cosmos
and guaranteed everything in it.
Your love has always been our lives' foundation,
your fidelity has been the roof over our world.


I sing to the birthdays of so many up and coming saints celebrated in the last couple of weeks. Pastor Tom, Pastor Alfonso, Pastor Terry, Lisa Take, Greg Take, DeDe Behrens . . . and many others who never quit telling the story of God's love. "Ba-ba-da-ba-ba-ba - Happy Birthday to you! Cha-Cha-Cha!"

I sing to the youth, their leader, Randy, and to all those who contributed to make the Lock-in a "great success!" "It's the song of the redeemed rising from the Grandview Park basement! It's all God's children singing, Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! He reigns!"

I sing to the adult Sunday school class that faithfully meets every Sunday at 9:45 under Pastor Tom's leadership. It's clear that God's love is the foundation of their world. "What more can He say than to you He hath said—To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?"

I sing to the children who celebrated a 'harvest party' Saturday night because Gely and Erandeni made it happen. "Little ones to Him belong. We are weak, but He is strong."

I sing to the glorious beauty of these fall days and the waning warmth of the sun as it goes to spread it's glory on the southern hemisphere. "For the beauty of the earth, For the glory of the skies, For the love which from our birth Over and around us lies, Lord of all, to thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise."

What will make you sing out today? Don't keep it to yourself. Let's hear it.

Pastor Rick
http://gimmecinco.blogspot.com/

Divine Hospitality

Isaiah 25:6-9
November 1, 2009

If I say “Thank you” you say, “You’re welcome.”
In Spanish it’s different, isn’t it?
If I say “Muchas gracias” you say, “de nada.”
Which literally means what in English? . . . “It’s nothing.”
But in English we say, “You’re welcome.”
Which in Spanish literally means “Tu eres bienvenido.”
Those are two quite different responses to thank you.
Oh, it’s nothing! In Spanish
You are welcome! In English
I think that us English speakers don’t really think about what we are saying when we say “You are welcome.”
Welcome is the hospitality word.
When we say, “welcome” we are saying, “come on in. What’s mine is yours. Make yourself at home!”

Maybe subconsciously that’s why fewer people say “you’re welcome” these days.
When I say “thank you” to people these days I hear “no problem” or “sure” in response more often than I hear “you’re welcome.”
It’s amazing that our response to ”Thank you” is supposed to be, “Take it. Take what ever you need. You are welcome to it.”

You know who says, “You are welcome” and really means it, though?
When we say, “Thank you for this day, Lord!” He says . . .
“You’re welcome! And there’s more where that came from!”
When we say, “Thank you for this food, Lord.” He says . . .
“You’re welcome! And there’s more where that came from!”
When we say, “Thank you for life, Lord!” He says . . .
“You’re welcome! And there’s more where that came from!”

God is the one who really knows what “You are welcome!” means.

The book of Isaiah tells us about this divine hospitality.
The church father Ambrose told Augustine that Isaiah wasn’t merely a prophet. He said that Isaiah is the first apostle and evangelist.
The passage we read today is the 1st apostle and evangelist at his best.
What an incredible vision!

Isaiah tells us that God is going to set a lavish banquet for . . . whom?
For the Jews only?
For the Christians only?
For the Muslims only?
For English speakers only?
No. No. No and no.

Isaiah tells us that God is getting ready to welcome all people to the Table.
God is setting the Table with filet mignon and KC strips.
There’ll even be soy burgers so that everyone feels welcome.
And it doesn’t matter if you prefer a bold cabernet or sparkling grape juice.
Whatever it is, God will have the Table full enough to meet everyone’s needs.
Everyone. All. Todos son bienvenidos.
That’s what God is up to, the divine “You are welcome.”

But Isaiah tells us that as God is welcoming us to the Table, God is also eating.
What is God eating?
God is swallowing up death.
God is making a meal of all those things in life that limit us.
God is swallowing up all those things that diminish our well-being.
God is swallowing up all those things that try to take away our community.

Death here is more than just when the breath leaves our bodies.
The death that God is chewing up and spitting out is the death that produces individualism . . .
Death that produces greed . . .
Death that produces poverty . . .
Death that produces warfare . . .
Death that produces racism . . .

God is like a great sea monster gobbling up all these sharks and jellyfish we produce and he doesn’t even say thank you.
He doesn’t have to because God says what?
“You’re welcome.”
God welcomes us to the Table at the same time he is gobbling up all the things that threaten us.
Oh, yes, God can indeed multi-task!

God in Jesus does the hard work for us.
The positive and the negative.
He sets the table and welcomes us.
While at the same time eliminating threats to his generosity.
When we come to this Table, all we can really say is . . .
“Thank you!”
Thank you for welcoming us, God, all of us!
Thank you for defeating all of those things that prevent us from welcoming others.
At this Table, God is teaching us to say, “You are welcome!” and mean it.

Now because we live in an individualistic society and culture, I’m supposed to say what this means for you and your individual salvation.
Well you get to live forever, right?
You get your mansion on the hill and an Escalade with a Quik Trip in your garage.
You see, we have traded the real sweetness of the good news for getting mine in the sweet by and by.

Isaiah’s vision of what God is about, Isaiah’s vision of God’s salvation has very little to do with my wants and desires.
What God is about, according to Isaiah and Jesus and Paul and Peter and John and Mary and Martha and Miriam and Ruth and Naomi is a community, a community called God’s Kingdom.

It is a place where the tears will be wiped away.
It is a place where a table is set for all people.
It’s a place that Jesus said we can experience now.
It’s a place so close that at times we can actually experience it.

Like yesterday morning.

Yesterday morning the kitchen downstairs was buzzing with people who got up early and came to set the Table for our youth after their lock-in.
I was burning the bacon.
Greg and Javier were screwing up the pancakes.
Telma and Carmen were fixing perfect eggs and trying to fix the bacon and the pancakes.
Lisa, who had spent all night on her birthday with the youth, was entertaining us with her ebullient personality.
And all the while the youth were stumbling into the kitchen, wiping sleep from their eyes and saying, “What are you burning, Pastor Rick?”

Yesterday morning I saw Isaiah’s vision.
I smelled it.
I tasted it.
And all I can say is, “Thank you, Lord. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord!”
And all God ever says back to me is . . .
“You’re welcome.”
“You are welcome . . .
What’s mine is yours . . .
There’s more where that came from . . .
Make yourself at home . . .
Mi casa es su casa . . .
You’re welcome!”