Reckless In Love

Good Morning, Loved Ones,

We follow up yesterday's daily lectionary Gospel passage with today's.

John 12:20-26 (The Message)

A Grain of Wheat Must Die

^20-21There were some Greeks in town who had come up to worship at the Feast. They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee: "Sir, we want to see Jesus. Can you help us?"

^22-23Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip together told Jesus. Jesus answered, "Time's up. The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

^24-25"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal.

²⁶"If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.

Today I give thanks that Jesus' hour, his time, has come. I give thanks that he has shown us that conflict is necessary and can bring new life. Jesus demonstrates that new life only comes when we go through conflict and not around it. When we hold onto our old ways of living, our old ways of relating, the result is only more of the same old crap (sorry, but that was the best word I could use!). But when we walk head long into the lion's den with our arms open and let go of our fear we have the opportunity to change and be changed. Fear of death, fear of embarrassment, fear of confrontation, fear of conflict, fear of the future and whatever it may bring causes us to hold on to our dear little lives. Jesus shows us that this is no way to live. Jesus' challenge to us is not unlike this tough question from Mary Oliver: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" You life is precious and can be lived in a wildly faithful and satisfying way. That way is a way that recklessly follows the love and life of Jesus, not ignoring our fears, but walking through them hand in hand with the Lord of Life. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord Jesus, for showing us the hour has come, the time is now to be reckless in love, to follow you and to be ready to serve at a moment's notice.

One of the Psalms for the day is 146.

Psalm 146 (The Message)

Psalm 146

^1-2 Hallelujah! O my soul, praise God!
All my life long I'll praise God,
singing songs to my God as long as I live.

^3-9 Don't put your life in the hands of experts
who know nothing of life, of salvation life.
Mere humans don't have what it takes;
when they die, their projects die with them.
Instead, get help from the God of Jacob,
put your hope in God and know real blessing!
God made sky and soil,
sea and all the fish in it.
He always does what he says—
he defends the wronged,
he feeds the hungry.
God frees prisoners—
he gives sight to the blind,
he lifts up the fallen.
God loves good people, protects strangers,
takes the side of orphans and widows,
but makes short work of the wicked.

¹⁰ God's in charge—always.
Zion's God is God for good!
Hallelujah!



The Peace of Christ be with you all this Holy Week,

Pastor Rick
http://gimmecinco.blogspot.com

Don't forget this week's schedule:
Potluck/Seder/Communion - Thursday - 6:30 pm (please bring a side dish to share)
Stations of the Cross - Good Friday - Noon - Washington Park on the north side of Crown Center (Sponsored by Holy Family Catholic Worker House)
Deacons and Elders meeting - Saturday - 3:30 pm (Please be in prayer and fasting for this meeting)
Sunrise Service - Sunday - Begins at 6:30 at Huron Park behind the downtown KCK library (Bring a chair)
Easter Breakfast - 8 am after the sunrise service (Cooked by the men of the church)
Sunday School - 9:45 am
Easter Sunday service - 11 am (No lunch after worship)

Confounded by Jesus

Good morning, Loved Ones,

Your Gimme Cinco this week is going to be a little different. For Holy Week I plan to reflect with gratitude upon the daily lectionary readings Monday through Friday. Each of the five days will be a thanksgiving meditation related to the daily readings. Feel free to respond daily, on the traditional Hump Day Wednesday, or as you are able throughout the week.

The Gospel passage for the day includes John's version of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.

^{St. John 12:12-19 (The Message)
12-15}The next day the huge crowd that had arrived for the Feast heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem. They broke off palm branches and went out to meet him. And they cheered:

Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in God's name!

Yes! The King of Israel!
Jesus got a young donkey and rode it, just as the Scripture has it:
No fear, Daughter Zion:
See how your king comes,
riding a donkey's colt.

¹⁶The disciples didn't notice the fulfillment of many Scriptures at the time, but after Jesus was glorified, they remembered that what was written about him matched what was done to him.

^17-19The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, was there giving eyewitness accounts. It was because they had spread the word of this latest God-sign that the crowd swelled to a welcoming parade. The Pharisees took one look and threw up their hands: "It's out of control. The world's in a stampede after him."

I give thanks today that the coming of Jesus confounds the religious establishment. I consider myself part of this confounded group. Like any other institution, the church and other religious organizations put a premium on control. We want to control the crowds that show up. We want to be gatekeepers and control who gets in and who gets out. We are oftentimes willing to sacrifice spontaneity and freedom of the Spirit at the altar of decency and order. The religious establishment of Jesus' day seemed to have that feeling about Jesus and his followers. Jesus was a threat to the established religious order. The world was in a stampede after him. We learn what this means when the passage following this one brings Greeks seeking to meet Jesus. The Pharisees weren't happy that the walls they had carefully built to keep out the unclean were being torn down by a Peasant on a donkey. I give thanks that, somehow, faithful people throughout the ages have been able to stay open to the dis-ordering of the Spirit. Many "good," mainline Christians might show up at Grandview Park and say "It's out of control." The world is indeed in a stampede after the Good News of Jesus. We get a taste of that every Sunday morning at GP. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord, for opening our doors and coming in to be with us. Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

The evening Psalm for today is one of my favorites. So, I close with Psalm 121.

Psalm 121

A Pilgrim Song

^1-2 I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.
^3-4 He won't let you stumble,
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel's
Guardian will never doze or sleep.
^5-6 God's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.
^7-8 God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.

The Peace of Christ be with you all this Holy Week,

Pastor Rick

Don't forget this week's schedule:
Potluck/Seder/Communion - Thursday - 6:30 pm (please bring a side dish to share)
Stations of the Cross - Good Friday - Noon - Washington Park on the north side of Crown Center (Sponsored by Holy Family Catholic Worker House)
Deacons and Elders meeting - Saturday - 3:30 pm (Please be in prayer and fasting for this meeting)
Sunrise Service - Sunday - Begins at 6:30 at Huron Park behind the downtown KCK library (Bring a chair)
Easter Breakfast - 8 am after the sunrise service (Cooked by the men of the church)
Sunday School - 9:45 am
Easter Sunday service - 11 am (No lunch after worship)

Two Minutes a Day

Good Morning, Loved Ones,

A bit more evidence that writing about your life has benefits. From the Christian Century, April 7, 2009:

"Researchers have known there are health benefits from journaling, whether the writing is about good experiences or traumatic ones. Researchers at the University of Missouri concluded that it doesn't take much writing to matter: they saw results after only two minutes of writing for two days. (British Journal of Health, October 30, 2007)"

The Psalmists and the biblical writers must have experienced this benefit. They were not afraid to write about the whole of life, good, bad and everything in between. Isaiah writes about the Suffering Servant and, although he was writing about the coming One, clearly he writes as one who has experienced suffering.

Isaiah 50:4-9 (The Message)

^4-9The Master, God, has given me
a well-taught tongue,
So I know how to encourage tired people.
He wakes me up in the morning,
Wakes me up, opens my ears
to listen as one ready to take orders.
The Master, God, opened my ears,
and I didn't go back to sleep,
didn't pull the covers back over my head.
I followed orders,
stood there and took it while they beat me,
held steady while they pulled out my beard,
Didn't dodge their insults,
faced them as they spit in my face.
And the Master, God, stays right there and helps me,
so I'm not disgraced.
Therefore I set my face like flint,
confident that I'll never regret this.
My champion is right here.
Let's take our stand together!
Who dares bring suit against me?
Let him try!
Look! the Master, God, is right here.
Who would dare call me guilty?
Look! My accusers are a clothes bin of threadbare
socks and shirts, fodder for moths!

1) I give thanks for the challenges of ministry, the disappointments, the misunderstandings, the conflicts, the frustrations, the lack of financial resources, the opposition to the Good News. It is in the midst of these challenges that God's love and presence is made real and we are given sustenance in the wilderness of doubt.

2) I give thanks for sustaining moments I was able to share with Luke and Sam over the last two weeks during their spring breaks; moments of work, play and relaxation as well as sharing musical moments in the company of the faithful.

3) I give thanks for the chance to help in the office remodel at iSmile KCK. The tiring work of painting was frustrating at times, but it is a pleasure to be able able to look at a painted room and see a job completed.

4) I give thanks for our confirmation class and the sharing of leadership with Jennifer. Each week 10-15 young people are learning about "The Big Picture" of God's love.

5) I give thanks for all those I know who intentionally seek to make the reality of God present with questions, prayers, music, art and sharing their lives. (That's all of you, when you respond to Gimme Cinco!)

My Holy Week discipline for next week will be daily Gimme Cincos, Monday-Friday. Feel free to respond as often as you like. Don't forget that just two minutes a day makes a difference!

Don't pull the covers back over your head! Get out there and make the reality of God present.

Pastor Rick

Unbutton My Lips

Good morning, Loved Ones,

As we draw closer and closer to Holy Week we become ever more aware of the brokenness of our world and our own hearts. We see and hear messages of hatred, war, misunderstandings and greed daily, if we are masochistic enough to watch the news. And yet, if we are honest, we see the same brokenness, the same hatred, misunderstandings and greed in our very own hearts. The folks at Alcoholics Anonymous know that certain things need to be done regularly to get and keep our lives on track. One is to confess to God and one another. David, in Psalm 51, gives us a great example.

Psalm 51:7-15 (The Message)

Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,
scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don't look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don't throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I'll let loose with your praise.


Part of the confessional principle of AA is to take a fearless personal inventory of our lives. We are to be willing to look at our lives with a critical and honest eye and take note of the ways in which we have wronged others. Then we are to seek reconciliation. It is more than dificult to let loose with God's praise when our lives are crippled with the doubt and confusion of unexamined behaviors and attitudes.

1) I give thanks that today I have heard about God's forgiving love and I am free to start again.

2) I give thanks today that God hasn't thrown me out with the trash and that I am not allowed to throw others out with the trash, however they have offended me.

3) I give thanks that today I have the opportunity to help mend relationships in my life and in others' lives.

4) I give thanks today that the work of reconciliation is an urgent one, one that cannot be put off until tomorrow.

5) I give thanks that, God willing, tomorrow will come with new opportunities to forgive and be forgiven.


It's time to unbutton our lips and let loose.

Gimme cinco.

Pastor Rick

Total Reliance

Good morning, Loved Ones,

Deep in the heart of the Lenten season we may be inclined to think highly of our fasting, the increased frequency and fervency of our prayers, the piety of our worship and offerings. But Paul, in the passage from Ephesians for this Sunday, reminds us of our dependence, our total reliance on God's grace.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (The Message)

^7-10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

With all the time in this world and the next to give thanks, let's get started.

1) Thanks be to God for spring break and time to clean house and toss out the old and useless and make room for the good and the useful and for time to spend with our families.

2) Thanks be to God for elders and deacons who are faithful to their call and promise and who met the challenge of a 24 hour fast in preparation for the joint board meeting last weekend.

3) Thanks be to God for the new opportunities being brought our way; visiting summer mission teams, expanded outreach through our community lunch, healthy cooking classes and GED.

4) Thanks be to God for the Holy Spirit which moves and enables us to restore relationships which have been broken.

5) Thanks be to God for each brand new day that continues to come our way.


Don't forget that God does the making and the saving. Let's trust God with what God has created and give thanks for the saving.

Pastor Rick

On Your Feet Again

Good morning, Loved Ones,

Let's go straight to the scripture this morning. This is one of the morning Psalms from the daily lectionary.

Psalm 147:7-11 (The Message)

¹ Hallelujah! It's a good thing to sing praise to our God;
praise is beautiful, praise is fitting.
^2-6 God's the one who rebuilds Jerusalem,
who regathers Israel's scattered exiles.
He heals the heartbroken
and bandages their wounds.
He counts the stars
and assigns each a name.
Our Lord is great, with limitless strength;
we'll never comprehend what he knows and does.
God puts the fallen on their feet again
and pushes the wicked into the ditch.

^7-11 Sing to God a thanksgiving hymn,
play music on your instruments to God,
Who fills the sky with clouds,
preparing rain for the earth,
Then turning the mountains green with grass,
feeding both cattle and crows.
He's not impressed with horsepower;
the size of our muscles means little to him.
Those who fear God get God's attention;
they can depend on his strength.

Perhaps you feel as scattered as an exile today. Or maybe you have a broken heart that needs bandaged. Be confident that God will put you on your feet again. Rains bring a refreshed earth. Give thanks even in the cloudy and stormy times and depend on God's strength.

My Gimme Cinco for today:

1) I give thanks to God today for reconnecting me with some long lost friends who remind me of youthful days and have helped me to remember that age is a state of mind ---- no matter what my knees say.

2) I give thanks to God for elders and deacons who are preparing for another important meeting Saturday by praying and fasting. I give thanks for the spiritual renewal that is happening among our leadership which is coupled with intentional outreach efforts. (Rise up and reach out, GP!)

3) I give thanks for the simple gift of 12 Good News Bibles from the folks at 1st Presbyterian Church. They will be put to good use in the youth room.

4) I give thanks to God for a communicant's/confirmation class of 12 eager, intelligent, beautiful, gifted, energetic, awesome young people who are ready to learn about and express their faith. (Pray for the 12 more who could also come and participate!)

5) I give thanks to God for Juanito who continues to spend his days off here at the church making great progress on our new bathrooms. He is saving us a ton of money and time. Juan's dedication to Jesus and Jesus' work here at GP is a thing of beauty.


God has put you on your feet again today. So, what is your thanksgiving hymn for today? Put your fingers to the keyboard and write us five gratitude verses.

We're all eager to sing with you!

Pastor Rick

The Real You

Good Morning Loved Ones,

Spring seems to be just around the corner and perhaps, today, you are as hungry for rebirth and warmth as I am. Daily we hear about the sorry state of our economy and the world. Daily there are realities we face in our lives that can cause us to doubt that we are heading in the right direction, toward spring, toward God's newness, God's Kingdom.

When Jesus told the disciples where he was going (the cross) and that they should follow him, Peter grabbed him and said, "No!" Then Jesus said to the disciples and the crowds,

"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels." (Mark 8:34-38, The Message)

We are called to offer thanks in all circumstances and trust that Jesus is leading us to rebirth.

1) I give thanks for conflict and challenging conversations. It is only through facing problems directly and having frank discussions that we can move forward to resolutions. For those who are willing to speak up and confront, I give thanks.

2) I give thanks for moments of clarity, moments of hope, moments of joy in days that get weighed down by confusion and uncertainty. For music that touches my heart, for writers that challenge my understandings, for scripture that puts me in contact with the Holy and even for late-night comedians who can shake a chuckle out of a weary day, I give thanks.

3) I give thanks that even when I am uncertain about the direction I am heading, I am certain that God has surrounded me with people, brothers and sisters in Christ, whom I can trust and depend on and to whom I belong.

4) I give thanks that my family loves me even in my ugly moments.

5) I give thanks that we are led by Jesus who not only takes us to the cross but also to the empty tomb. I give thanks that the way of the cross is not an easy way, but one that challenges me to find the "real me," the child of a loving God whose way is self-giving. I give thanks that my "help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

Well, there you have it. Gratitude is not always bright and cheerful. Maybe yours' is today, maybe it isn't. Don't forget Paul's words to the Thessalonians, "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:13)

Grace and peace,
Pastor Rick