Book Review - Inspired by Rachel Held Evans

In 2012, we were moving from Washington DC to Washington State and we had a 5-day, 2-vehicle journey before us. I had several books on my reading list and decided to join Audible.com and download them for easy listening for the journey. One of the books I bought was Rachel's first book, originally titled "Evolving in Monkey Town" and renamed "Faith Unraveled" in it's revised printing a few years later. It was her faith story - growing up in Cleveland, TN, home of the famous trial about evolution in the 1920's, she was raised in a conservative Christian tradition and has the Bible battle trophies to prove her biblical knowledge. But eventually, she had questions, ones that her church repeatedly told her to stop asking. And as her faith assumptions unraveled, she expanded her understanding of the biblical story and what it means to be a Christian... she became an Episcopalian.

Since then she has written three other books - "A Year of Biblical Womanhood," which looks at the role of women in the Bible and religion, and "Searching for Sunday," about her journey to find a new faith community and richly framed through the lens of the sacraments.

Her fourth book is being released next week, June 12, 2018. It is "Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again," In early May, I happened to see a post on her Facebook page asking for people to read advanced copies and write honest reviews. I jumped at the change and entered my name. Within a day, I had been selected and forwarded a digital copy of the book.

I've taken over a month to read it, even though I could have finished it in a couple of days. I downloaded a new PDF program that allowed me to highlight, underline and write in the margins. After 2 chapters, I ordered my own paper copy, so that I can transfer my current notes and make more. And I convinced the women's ministry in my current location to choose this as one of our offerings for the Fall semester.

I have many words to describe it:
Relatable
Conversational
Well-researched and scholarly
Storytelling at its best within the Grand Story

In a new twist, Rachel breaks the biblical text into different kinds of stories - Origin, Deliverance, War, Wisdom, Resistance, Gospel, Fish, & Church... they are the kinds of delineations that I had not thought of before, but they work. As someone who usually studies to teach or preach, it gave me a fresh look at the ways that God has interacted with people, from the beginning to the end, from Genesis to Revelation.

Each of the chapters is prefaced with a signature story - The Temple, The Well, The Wall, The Debate, The Beast, The Water, The Sea, The Letter. Some of the tellings seem ancient - some very modern. Each one drives home the understanding that the Bibles stories are also our stories. It was a great reminder of the Bible as the God's story, kept alive not just through the transcribed and printed word, but before that, as our oral tradition and the personal history of those who came before us. Like sharing dinner with family, these stories are told over and over because they tell us something true about who God is and who we are created to be.

For some, it will provide an "ah-ha" experience. For others, it will challenge many of the assumptions brought to reading and studying the Bible. For me, as a seminary-trained, 25-year ordained United Methodist clergyperson, it's exactly the kind of book that can spark essential conversations about how to read the Bible and where we fit into the grand story it tells.

For many, this may be the first foray into historical, contextual and literary biblical criticism. The variety of scholars, preachers, and teachers contributing to this work is really wonderful, and the Footnote appendix provides a great starter library for anyone who wants to explore these topics further. Even my wishlist got a lot longer!

The chapters War Stories and Resistance Stories effected me significantly. Some may feel that a few of the examples are quite contemporary to the current religious and political climate in the United States. But I think they will age well, and translate across international borders. For me, they are the testimony of someone who struggles and wrestles with the Word ti live an authentic Christian life in the midst of difficult times. I think it's also significant that Rachel had two children as bookends to the beginning and end of this book-birthing process. A lot of the work she asks us to do feels like labor - hard and intense, but totally worth it in the end.

In a nutshell, I loved it. I'll read it over and over, mark the pages with highlighting and underlines, and pull out little post-it note tabs to mark my favorite passages, for personal consumption and in preparation for teaching and preaching. I look forward to reading it with a group, because I think our varied stories will enhance even more our understanding of what Rachel is trying to teach us. And I'll recommend it to many. It's a great read for all - for those who know and love the Scriptures but want to engage in a new way, and for anyone who isn't sure what the big deal is all about.

I feel so blessed to have been a part of this launching process, and am so grateful for my Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

My recommendation: 5 stars... Go buy the book!

#InspiredBook

Peace, Deb

Sermon - Jesus - Troublemaker-in-Chief (Pentecost 2B)

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B                         June 3, 2018

Mark 2:23‑3:6,  1 Samuel 3:1-20                   Panzer Liturgical Service, Stuttgart, DE

Doing What Needs to Be Done or

Jesus – Troublemaker in Chief

So, one Sabbath day, Jesus and his disciples are walking through a field of wheat. Theirs is a semi-nomadic life, receiving shelter and food offered by followers and friends. Hungry, they pulled a few wheat stalks and placed the head of a stalk between their palms, rolled it back and forth until the casing and chaff fall off, leaving seven or eight wheat berries, which they chewed like gum until they dissolved in their mouths.

The Pharisees who witnessed this blatant disregard of the Law were irate: You must observe the Sabbath – that’s the law. As far as they were concerned, this disregard placed the security of the nation in jeopardy. But Jesus wasn’t finished offending them. Later that same day, he cures the withered hand of a man in the synagogue. When Jesus confronts the Pharisees about whether it is better to do good or harm on the Sabbath, they are silent. After all, a rule is a rule is a rule, and this rule defines them. “We are people who keep the sabbath... we are people who play by the rules.”

The problem comes when the rules take on a life of their own… when following the rules becomes more important than the spirit of the rules, which define what it means to love God and neighbor. The Jewish people have a long history. They have been slaves, they have been wanderers, ruled by wise kings, then conquered, killed and taken into exile, slaves again. And now, during Jesus’ life, they are back in their homeland, but not in control of their own existence.

Living under Roman occupation was like being in exile, but home – a kind of house arrest. The Pharisees knew that they were no match against the Roman army. They tried to straddle a line between the rules of the Roman authorities and the rules of their religion. Surely, their only hope was the power and protection of God. They could not afford to get on God's bad side. Strict adherence to the Law seemed to be the only way. Seeing his actions, this day, it was clear that Jesus represented a real threat to their leadership and to the status quo.

Jesus answered their concern with a question, "Don't you remember when David and his men were fleeing the wrath of King Saul, and coming upon the priests who tended the tent and ark of the covenant, asked them to share the ritual bread, reserved only for the priests, with his tried and hungry men?"

There is more to Jesus' response than, "Rules are meant to be broken." The response tests the Pharisees’ priorities. Jesus reaches back into the history of Israel to set up an important parallel. David and Jesus both represent the ways of a loving, caring, compassionate God, a God of justice and a God of mercy. Their ways are higher than the ways of Law or Temple than the ways of kings and emperors. If people are hungry ‑ they must be fed, Sabbath or not. If people are diseased or disable ‑ ­they must be healed, Sabbath or not. If people are oppressed ‑ they must be liberated, Caesar or not.

How many times do we look to the rules as the thing that will save us? Have you ever been in a church committee meeting and heard one of these phrases: "We've always done it this way," or "we've never done it that way before." Jesus knew that the most important thing was to take care of people. The Law had provisions for this. It allowed hungry people to pick that grain and eat it as long as they didn't carry any of it with them. It allowed for someone's life to be saved, even on the Sabbath. Jesus just understood the concept of being "saved" in a little different light.

How many times do we hold to a position, not just because we want to follow the letter of the law, but because we are afraid of the unknown? Jesus isn’t asking people to abandon the Law willy-nilly. But he does want us to be present in the moment and meet the needs of people.

Jesus is challenging the values and priorities of the Pharisees. He knows that their eagerness in following the Law was not in the service of God's people, not in compassionate response to the hungry, the sick, the oppressed, or the imprisoned, not for holiness but rather, as a strategy to keep the Jewish people in line, and Caesar and his forces ‑­military and economic ‑‑ in check. Jesus favors neither the ways of Caesar, not the ways of the Pharisees. He carefully avoids being drawn into that struggle. Instead, he seeks to demonstrate that the reign of God is near.

I love today’s reading from 1 Samuel. Children often hear God’s voice calling them, but as adults, we are quick to misunderstand what they are hearing. It took several times for Eli to realize that the voice that Samuel was hearing was God’s voice. And it was a hard word… it caused a hardship to Eli, but even he realized this word was necessary for Israel to get back on the right track… sometimes the word of the Lord makes our ears tingle…

I served as an associate pastor at a Methodist Church in Oklahoma. I wasn’t really looking for work, but the church hired me and the bishop appointed me, all before I could say, “No, thank you.” My first year there, some members realized that kids needed school supplies, so they started a drive to collect for kids and schools and really got a lot of interest generated to help out. Then we started a gift drive for Christmas – DHS funding had been cut and in less than 5 days we raised $15,000, shopped for gifts and provided wrapping for the parents, who were able to choose gifts for their kids, not just take what was given to them. Project Noel was born.

The next February, our church council meeting was infiltrated or inundated (their words, not mine) by members of our church youth group. They told stories of their friends who sometimes did not have a warm meal between when they ate free lunch at school on Friday to when they had free breakfast on Monday morning. The community had a back-pack ministry, where non-perishable foods were sent home on Friday to help kids have something to eat over the weekend, but most of those kids didn’t get a hot meal in between.

The youth had this idea that our congregation could host a monthly meal and invite all of these backpack families to come and share in a free, hot meal together. And they wanted to go all out… table linens, real plates and silverware, decorations, music, and people would sit at the table and talk to them, not for the purpose of recruiting them for church, but just to build friendships and let them know they were important. The Council said, “No.” Liability, return on investment, never done it before… the reasons were legend.

So, the next month they showed up again. And again in April. And then we realized they weren’t going away. So, in conjunction with our school supply drive that August, we planned a spaghetti dinner, and we looked out after a couple of hours and every table was full and people of different races and socioeconomic groups, speaking English and Spanish, were having a great time together. Within a year, other churches had picked up on the idea and eventually there was someplace to get a free, hot meal every Saturday, year-round. And it started with a group of youth who heard the voice of God and would not take no for an answer.

The ultimate affirmation came one day when I was shopping at Walmart in my Project Noel t-shirt and the cashier asked, “Do you go to that church?” “I do, have you heard about us?” She replied, “Oh, yes, we know all about you-you're the church that loves people.”

We have to get past the idea that strong faith journeys are all about doing the big thing. Grand gestures are wonderful and following rules and guidelines make for orderly organized institutions, but underneath it all, individual followers of Jesus, young and old alike, are called to do the small thing in a spirit of love every day. This week alone I saw some of those acts of kindness, videos of an 8-year old boy who got his mom to stop so he could help a lady with a walker safely get up some terraced sidewalk steps and a class of kindergarteners who great each other individually with a handshake or hug and a wish for a good day of learning. It’s this kind of thing that gives me great hope for our church and our world.

There is a lot of hurt around us these days – so much that it is easy to be paralyzed – struck with an inability to figure out what needs we can attend to. Some people don’t want church to be political, but the needs of the world have a political dimension, and sometimes the most effective solutions can be best addressed by speaking in a political forum. Jesus did just that. It makes us uncomfortable, but it’s something we have to deal with.

The Son of Man, a biblical figure often associated with the coming of the reign of God, is Lord, even of the Sabbath. He reminds us that the Sabbath was made for us, to help us focus on what’s important, not to keep us in line or protect the institutions of the world. Our real duty – our challenge – is to love people and meet their needs. Jesus grieves when we allow our hearts to be hardened and when we worry more about protecting the status quo than we do meeting the needs we see around us. We are never too young or too old to be a force for good in the world. What does that look like for you? I don’t know, but I do think you’ll recognize the opportunity when you see it. Train your brain and your heart … do good, not harm.

This is our call: Feed the hungry. Heal the sick. Visit the lonely. Liberate the oppressed. Do it whenever there is a need because you may not get another chance. The reign of God is very near. We are called to do what needs to be done. And we have a great role model… Jesus – Troublemaker in Chief.

Amen.

Peace, Deb

No direct quotes this week, but influenced by listening to Pulpit Fiction Podcast (Robb McCoy and Eric Fistler [https://www.pulpitfiction.com/notes/proper4b]) and reading Preach This Week (Matt Skinner, [http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3667]).

Sermon: It's the Church's Birthday - There Will Be Cake! (Pentecost Sunday B)

Pentecost Day B ‑‑ May 20, 2018    Panzer Liturgical Service, Stuttgart, Germany

Acts 2:1‑21, John 15:26‑27; 6:4b‑15, Romans 8:12‑17       Confirmation Sunday

If you line them up, the Christian feast day of the Pentecost would be considered the third most important holy day of the church year, after Easter and Christmas. It is built on the foundations of a Jewish commemoration which celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai and the end of the Spring harvest season. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann says, “Pentecost is the moment when gestation ceases and birthing occurs. Thus, it is both an end and a beginning, the leaving behind of that which is past, the launching forth into that which is only now beginning to be. Pentecost, therefore, is not a time of completion. It is moving forward into new dimensions of being, whose basic forms are clear, but whose fulfillment has yet to be realized.”[i]

That year, Jerusalem was flooded with Jews who had come in from every corner of the world to celebrate this important festival. On a day to day basis, Jerusalem probably had a split personality – part Jewish capital and part Roman colony. But at festival time, Jerusalem became more like the city of its former glory. One of the important things to know is that those who heard Peter’s sermon were not there to hear about Jesus or in anticipation of the Holy Spirit coming. For them, Pentecost was already a thing. They were there to celebrate what they already believed about God. It was seven weeks – 50 days – after Passover, which coincidentally is also 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Pentecost reminded Jews of power that the Torah – the Law – had to give them. It fixed their identity as a holy nation and priestly people. But on this day, Pentecost is transformed by the Holy Spirit to breathe life in the Jesus’ people – the Church, uniting them in Christ. To all, the festival expressed the inclusivity of God, and how identities are formed and shaped by God if we allow it.

For many days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the disciples and other followers kept a low profile. They waited, maybe in fear or uncertainty. They waited to see what would come next. And then the wind and the fire descended. Those gathered were driven in the streets, and Spirit-led, Peter preached a sermon which converted many right on the spot, the first of many revivals to come. Three thousand converted in one day. Soon afterward, these new followers were sharing a community lifestyle, caring for those who had the most need.

In some ways, we are like those waiting disciples. We know who Jesus is, but we’re waiting around to see what comes next. But I think that to celebrate Pentecost most authentically, we have to blow our covers and come out of the shadows. It’s one thing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and even to grieve the death of Jesus and celebrate his resurrection. But Pentecost requires something more than pondering or thinking about Jesus. Pentecost demands that we affirm our baptisms, whether we remember them or not, and publicly proclaim Jesus as Lord. This means living out the gospel in everything we do, taking the words of Jesus seriously when he reminded us that the whole gospel message is wrapped up in the promise to love God and our neighbor in all we do.[ii]

This has been the main focus in our Confirmation classes. Faith in Christ is not just knowing about Jesus, it is knowing and trusting Jesus. It is not just about belief, it is about talking the talk and walking the walk. And the Christian journey is not accomplished alone, but in community, with those who will learn and struggle and serve, side by side.

An alternate Old Testament lesson for this Sunday comes from Ezekiel 37 in the story of the valley of the dry bones. In Ezekiel’s dream, the LORD takes Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones and asked him, “Can these bones live?” Like Ezekiel, we answer “No.” But God proves him wrong, and the bones come together as skeletons, soon covered with muscle and flesh and skin. But it wasn’t until God’s breath came like a rushing wind from the four corners of the earth that these bones became alive… a living, breathing army of the LORD.

That is the Pentecost story… God breathes into us eternal life, just like God breathed life into the figure made out of the earth in the Creation story. The wind and fire of Pentecost are not just symbolic of the presence of God in this new Church, but they filled them with life. After that day, no one was the same. Instead of hiding in an upper room waiting to figure out what would happen next, they were propelled by the Spirit to go into the word and proclaim a message that by its very nature could get them killed… that Jesus is Lord, not Caesar, and that the key to a meaningful and fulfilling life is love, not power or wealth or tradition.[iii]

Living in the shadow of Pentecost means that we can’t just sit around and talk about being Jesus followers. We have to do something. And we have to do it together. In our last class, we talked about how life in Christ, being a Christian, is not something that can be easily, and I argue accomplished well if we are not in relationship with other people. Dating myself, I remembered the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks. Do you remember it? Hanks character was a FedEx employee who was stranded alone on an island after the jet he was riding in had a catastrophic failure, crashing into the ocean. He washed ashore with assorted packages, and for some time believed that it was only a matter of time before he would be rescued. But days, months and years passed, and while he was able to make a shelter and find food and water (with great difficulty), it eventually seemed that his real demise would come through loneliness. It was only upon finding a volleyball, which he named Wilson, and conversing with it that he was able to experience community, thus keeping hope alive.

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus speaks to his disciples of his imminent death and their yet unrecognized concerns over what will happen when he’s gone. And here, Jesus promises them an Advocate and Comforter, to be their guide, their interpreter, the fuel of their passion and their courage to speak the truth about justice and righteousness in love. This same Spirit calls us into community.

In our Acts lesson, all of these people have gathered speaking different languages. As Peter spoke, they all understood his message in their own tongues, magnifying the miraculous nature of this encounter. Unity was the word of the day – perhaps the for the first time since the Tower of Babel was raised and the people were scattered to speak different languages and live separate lives. Community has been restored. And with the Spirit propelling them forward, they will become us.

There are many ways to talk about growing in faith. For traditions that baptize infants, confirmation is part of that spiritual journey. Please remember this:

1)    It is not graduation. This is the beginning of a new chapter of faith for these young people. If my Confirmation friends have learned or heard anything helpful, we may not know it until later. Together we have learned about grace, about the sacraments, about spiritual disciples, about the Bible, and about our life together. Our lessons have sowed seeds which will germinate and field a harvest – tomorrow and in the years to come. 

2)    Confirmation is not just about freedom – it is also about responsibility. We spent a lot of time talking about seeing the world through the lens of faith. Where do we see the gospel story being lived out? Where are we being called into that story? Who will be the people that will support us in our mission to be followers of Jesus? What are the tools we need to take that journey together? What kinds of behaviors are expected of us as we see to be the hands and feet and voices of Christ in the world? Those are difficult and life-long questions… ones I hope none of us ever stops asking. 

For many people, the Christian faith is defined by the language of having a personal relationship with Christ. “Are you saved?” ‘Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” “Are you sure if you died tonight that you’d go to heaven?” These are the questions that peppered my youth and young adulthood. I knew Christ. I don’t ever remember not knowing him. I knew that God loved me, just because I’m me. I experienced Jesus in my family life and in church. Family lore relates my displeasure as a 6-year-old at not being allowed to take communion up front with my dad. My mom, the church organist, says she heard me quite clearly yelling as my dad ushered me out of church, “I’m supposed to be at that table… I’m baptized.”

After his retirement, investment fund creator John Templeton wrote several religion/philosophy books on how to incorporate faith into everyday life. In addition to our church lives, each of us has a personal ministry reflected in how we react to our life situations and to the people we encounter every day. If I had one piece of advice to share with our confirmands today, it could come in this 3-step formula.

1)    Recognize those you encounter as friend, not foe. Take time to establish a bond, even if it’s just making eye contact and sharing a smile. If you can, take time to chat and listen to what people are sharing about their own lives. 

2)    Encourage those who need a kind word, who appear to be having a rough day, who need to be uplifted. Think about how good it feels when someone lifts you up and do likewise. And 

3)    Praise those who are doing something/anything of value. Let people know they are making a difference. A sincere thank you goes a long way in changing their attitudes and yours.[iv]

In short, Maya Angelou is right… “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” 

I think that Pentecost is a most spectacular day to share in the culmination of our confirmation studies. As we celebrate the end of this Confirmation preparation journey, these young people who were baptized as infants or young children have come to make a public profession of faith, taking responsibility for the promises that were made on their behalf. It is not so much a completion of baptism as it is a celebration of the enduring and eternal influence that baptism has over our lives. In baptism, God is the primary actor. And our response is to reaffirm the promises that God has made to us, and the promises that our parents, churches, and eventually we make to God and one another. That can happened at many significant times in our lives… I’ve lost count for myself, but treasure every opportunity to say, “Yes, God, I’m here, send me.”

Because we are not a local church, nor do we represent a single denomination, we are not having an official confirmation, although I believe them to be prepared. But we are asking these young people to stand before you and God to proclaim their intention to live a life worthy of the calling of Jesus.

Peace, Deb

Congratulaions to our 11 Confirmands and best wishes for a fruitful discipleship journey ahead!

---

[i] Walter Brueggemann, Texts for Preaching, Year B, p. 347

[ii] Robb McCoy and Eric Pfister, Pulpit Fiction, Pentecost B, May 20, 2018, www.pulpitfiction.us

[iii] John Holbert, We Rattling Bones, May 15, 2015, http://www.patheos.com/progressive-christian/2015/05/we-rattling-bones-john-c-holbert-05-15-2015.aspx?p=2

[iv] Tom Rapsas, People Will Remember How You Make Them Feel, May 16, 2018, Wake Up Call: Insights and Musing to Stir Your Soul, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wakeupcall/2018/05/people-will-remember-how-you-made-them-feel/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Best+of+Patheos&utm_content=57

Workshop: How to Give a Devotion or Testimony in 5 minutes or less

In February 2018, I gave a workshop for the Stuttgart PWOC on how to give a devotion. People were sharing good things, but often they were too long, or it was too hard to get someone to say yes. So when asked, I said yes, and put together this presentation, which took up about 40 minutes, including "question and answer" time. I have amplified my notes and slides to recreate what we experienced that day. I hope you find it helpful. 
=========================================================
A couple of years ago, I went home to visit my parents and my dad asked me to make him a good German supper. “What’s your pleasure?” I asked. “Bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potato salad,” he replied. “I can do that,” I replied and off I went to gather the required ingredients. I went to a local German deli and picked up some homemade sausages, dug into the cabinet for a can of sauerkraut I had sent for Christmas, and boiled up some new potatoes to make the recipe taught to me by my German neighbor. When I put the dishes on the table, my dad looked at the bowl of potato salad and asked, “What’s that?” “German potato salad,” I replied. “That’s not potato salad! Where’s the mayonnaise and eggs and bacon?”” He said. “Well, don’t tell my friend, Sandra, who spent a lot of time making sure I got this just right.” When we finished eating, I asked him how it was. His reply – “It was good, just not what I was expecting.”

All of this is to say that the content of this workshop is mine alone, curated over the last 35 years of giving devotions, testimonies and sermons, warts and all. It may not be what you're expecting, but I hope you enjoy it just the same.

PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) offers women in the military community a place to grow in faith in Jesus Christ and in faith with one another. Bible study is a large part of that journey. Program days and retreats are also an important party of our PWOC experience and we are very thankful for those who plan for these occasional opportunities for learning and fellowship. Outside of those events and our weekly bible studies, our morning fellowship devotions are a very personal way that the gospel message gets transmitted among us. We are always happy for those who are willing to share. 

Think about these questions:
How many of you have been asked to give a devotion at PWOC or some other event? How many of you have said yes? 
What convinced you to say yes? What keeps you from agreeing to take on this challenge? 

Please don't feel alone if you don't know how to start planning to give a devotion… I often feel that way. Also, don't feel bad if you did it and felt like it went off the rails somewhere along the way. It happens to all of us, even those of us who have done it for a long time. 

I’m willing to guess that these are the questions that you all have when beginning the process of preparing a devotion: Do I pick my scripture first and then share a personal experience to go with it? Or do I think of something I want to share about my life and then choose a scripture to fit the story? That is usually where most people start. But I'm going to ask you think about this process in a new way. And that will begin with some definitions – my definitions of devotion, testimony, and sermon.

A Devotion is a story that describes an experience of the presence of God or gives a model of discipleship or faith journeys. The key goal is Inspiration. In a devotion, we are often asking people to see how God is experienced in the world.

A Testimony is a story that tells of your personal experience of God, with the additional purpose of converting marginal Christians or unbelievers and encouraging those who already believe. 

Lastly, a Sermon is a manner of examining scripture to impart biblical knowledge and/or inform Christian Discipleship. It is usually given in a worship setting, complete with scripture readings, hymns and other elements. This is a much more intricate and in-depth process and not the expected length or scope for a devotion or testimony. 

Here are some things to remember as you prepare for to give a devotion or testimony.
• We have very short attention spans – usually about 5 minutes unless we are prepared to concentrate longer. One typewritten page is usually more than 5 minutes
• Devotion time is like a warm up to the day – opening ourselves to the Holy Spirit as we prepare for class and the community that we share there.
• Preparing for something short is harder than preparing something long

• Think about stories you’ve heard or seen, something you’ve read, someone you know and tell the part of the story that inspires you.
• Think about the scriptures you know best - Stories Jesus told, stories about Jesus or lessons from characters in the bible.

• The best devotions come when we pay attention to what’s going on around us and see God present in all the experiences of our lives, not just the overtly religious ones
• It helps to think of your faith story in snapshots or video clips
• Ask yourself these questions: How do I see God working in my life? What changes did or will I make because of this encounter with God? How am I encourage to stay the course and keep the faith?

• Choose scriptures wisely - Make sure they mean what you think they mean. It’s better to choose a few scriptures that you study well, instead of making a scripture fit inappropriately. 
• Stay away from platitudes. They often do more harm than good.

• AND It is also perfectly acceptable to read a prepared devotion that was meaningful to you if you prefer not to share something that you write yourself.

I’ve been doing this a long time, so I’m pretty accomplished at the 5-minute devotion, which some people in my family call, “the blessing.” I like to think it’s not because I’m super holy, because I am not! But I do try to be intentional about seeing God and Jesus and examples of the Kingdom of God in the things I read, the shows and movies I watch and the places I go. 

Here's an example of a devotion, using the criteria previously discussed:

Nathan Chen, Olympic skater, had a disappointing short program in the 2018 Winter Olympic games. He was the favorite of many commentators, and when he fell in the short program, lots of people were heard saying that he didn't live up to his hype as the most balanced male skater for both athleticism and elegance. His preliminary skate was so flawed that he barely made the finals of the men’s competition, which placed him at a significant disadvantage in the finals, making him one of the first skaters of the night. And in that brief 5 minutes, he skated one of the most beautiful programs eve, landing 6 quadruple jumps, a new Olympic record, and the 3rd highest score for a long program in competition history. Her finished 5th overall, but in the end he said that he had to go out there and give it everything he had, for his teammate and the love of skating, and because that's everything he had been training for.

And as i was watching this story unfold, i got this glimpse of how this is like a life of faith. We want to live perfectly, but we make so many mistakes along the way. Instead of giving up, we are called to get back up and start fresh every day. In Paul's letter to the Hebrews, he wrote:

So then let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne. Hebrews 12:1-2 CEB

So, if you fall, get up. And give it all you’ve got. There is joy ahead of you, if you will only keep running toward it. Amen.

Discussion: I often see the God-life in the things I see on TV or in the movies. I don’t think that something has to be explicitly religious or Christian to have great spiritual value. This kind of discernment comes with practice. Religious people are quick to say that the media industry has worked hard to keep religion out of what we see and hear. But I don’t find that to be true. Some of my favorite books/movies/plays with strong religious themes are Wonder, Les Misérables and The Greatest Showman, recently released on DVD. I could do a whole season of devotions from just those three works. God, faith and discipleship literally drip from the words on the page and the songs. If you begin to look, I think you’ll be surprised at the places where God shows up, even when you least expect it. These insights are a great way to remind people of how God is all around.

Here is an example of my testimony (I have many different permutations of this, filed by decade!):

I’ve been a Christian my whole life – I don’t remember a time not knowing who Jesus is and why I need him in my life. And I was raised as a High-Church United Methodist, so the idea of preparing a testimony was really foreign to me until I got to college, where I met a lot of people who asked me the question, “Are you saved?”, which was also a new concept. At first that question really turned me off, but gradually I came to appreciate the opportunity to share how I met Jesus at every step along the way. There were lots of times when I didn’t think I needed God, or that he had taken a break from me. But eventually I realized that he doesn’t do that, ever, and preparing multiple short testimonies has helped me break my crazy, complicated story into manageable pieces. 

The story of my call to ministry is interesting to me and travels a very winding road. But now in my late 50’s I realize that I’d rather talk about the ways that God is still working through me. And as I prepared for PCS season 11 times and my husband’s retirement from the AF last year, I realized that my signature story is in the parable of the Sower (Mark 4:3-9) 

I went into the ministry confident that I would pastor churches in SC and follow a traditional model, like most of my friends. But 11 PCS’s, pastoring 4 congregations in 4 different states, and volunteering in 3 chapels and 5 local churches later, I realize that while I may not see the harvest in most of the places I serve, my call is to be a faithful sower, sharing the good news about Jesus, and modeling a life a faith wherever I go. 

When I was in SC recently, I went to a retreat planned and executed by a woman who was a 7th grader in my first pastorate. As a 7th grader, she did this cool thing at a worship service… she interpreted 1 Cor 13 in personal language, saying, “When I a child, I did childish things, but now I am a woman” … I knew that she got it. And it was something that has bound us together for over 25 years. As the weekend retreat was winding down, I realized that her vision had touched 50 people in a way they would never forget. And as we closed, she gave kudos to her team and then said, but none of this would have been possible without Pastor Deb, who keeps telling me that God will use me if I will just let him. Humbled and blubbering, I realized that while I don’t really remember saying that to her, the ways that I talked and preached and lived over the years made an impression that lasted and inspired, long after I was gone. 

My prayer every day is this: Lord, give me the courage to live faithfully every day, sowing the seeds of your love and grace in all that I say and all that I do.  Amen

Discussion: I find that one of the ways that I am prepared to share devotions and testimonies is that I write them down. For instance, I know that a 5-minute devotion will take up one, single-spaced, typed page. To begin, I write topics in a journal, then fill those pages with quotations, memories and scriptures. Eventually, they will make their way into to a devotion, testimony, or sermon. For me, the process of producing this kind of utterance often starts long before I am even asked to speak. It has become a part of my spiritual discipline and serves me well along the way. 

There is much to learn and much to share. I encourage you to begin the journey of preparing in advance for a word of faith and hope. I promise it will be time well spent.

Peace, Deb

© Deb Luther Teagan, Feb 2018, Stuttgart, Germany

Sermon: Love for God = Love for All

Easter 6B                                                  Panzer Liturgical Service, Stuttgart, Germany

Acts 10:34–48, 1 John 5:1–8, John 15:9–17                                                May 6, 2018

We live in The Between Times – the times between Jesus initial ministry and his coming again in glory. We use the lessons that he taught to prepare to be ready for his return. In the early Church, Christians believed that they would live to see that day, so the early New Testament writings are filled with encouragement and warnings to hold on just a little bit longer… Jesus was coming back soon! But Jesus didn’t come back soon. Almost 2000 years have passed since his death and resurrection… 2000 years of individuals and organized groups of Christians trying to figure out how to keep his teachings alive, relevant and faithfully lived.

And in those 2000 years, a lot has changed. Christian Theology – the study of God, Jesus and the living of faith – has evolved, and in that time, we have gone from being a universal Church with a single focus of caring for one another to multiple denominations, too numerous to even count. In the military chapel community, we specialize in downplaying our denominational affiliations, if we even have them.  Especially overseas, we realize that our unity comes not in emphasizing our differences, but in celebrating our common ground.

For many, church is just a place, not a way of life. But a life of faith is more than just a Sunday’s work. A life of faith is a life of discipleship, of daily making the choice to follow Christ and to serve him and the world in all we do.

Jesus spent his ministry teaching important lessons. Following Jesus wasn’t about memorizing scripture or learning the progression of theological thought. Life with Christ was imitating the actions of Christ. It meant welcoming people that others rejected. It meant learning to see good in what the world judged as bad. It meant being willing to put the needs of others ahead of your own needs, even if in meant leaving your own life behind.

When I read the passages for today, I realized there were some things I especially wanted to make sure we all realize.

*WE ARE CHOSEN

In school, it’s natural to pick sides. We tend to hang out with people who are like us, who share our interests, people we like spending time with. But it’s easy for the groups that we hang out with to become exclusive, and for us to cut off others in order to keep feeling like the friendships we have are special. Eventually, we can think about friendship in terms of how it makes us feel, not how it influences the way we behave.

Jesus taught us something different about friendship. Jesus chose people to be with him from all different walks of life. He didn’t expect them to biblical scholars or teachers. He invited everyone who heard him teach to just follow him. He asked them to watch the way he honored God and treated others and to do the same themselves. In today’s lesson from John 15, we hear Jesus telling his disciples and others gathered the days before his death that friendship with him is one of the most important gifts ever given. This friendship is defined by more than just feeling good about being a part of the Jesus crowd. Friendship with Jesus means acting and living a certain way.

‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus’ commandment is a tall order because it goes against our nature to sacrifice ourselves for others. Many of us have had some pretty good role models in that area as a part of the military community, but it’s also true that we don’t know what that will look like for us until we are confronted with the possibility. Following Jesus is a full-time, lifetime commitment. And it is hard work, but fortunately, we are not in this alone.

Remember this: Jesus chose you. He chooses you today. He will choose you tomorrow. And he asks that we respond to his calling … that we say yes to living a life of faith and trading mere happiness for joy… for completeness… for being a friend to him and friends to one another.

WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE

In the reading from 1 John, the writer reminds us that this whole life of faith is about love. It’s about loving God. It’s about loving one another. It’s about obedience in a way that is not a burden, but life-giving and life-changing. It’s easy to think about what kind of life Jesus has called us to live and to think that we are giving up something in the process.  But in reality, whatever we give up makes more room for God, more room for loving him, more room for serving him.

Last week, the Gospel lesson talked about how we have to abide in God’s love. Now “abide” is not a word we use a lot these days, so I looked up the definition. The one I found most helpful was “to remain, continue or stay.” It’s easy to walk away from the faith. People turn their backs on church and on Jesus because of disappointment and anger and sadness. Some days it’s hard to stay, especially when we get distracted from the main thing Jesus taught. The world threatens to pull us in many directions, but when we hold fast to Christ, we have the possibility of living lives more amazing than we ever imagined.

Is this easy? No, it is not. In fact, it’s not something we can do by our own power alone. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we put into practice the most important lessons that Jesus taught his disciples. And in those moments, the world is transformed into the one that God created for us.

One of my favorite newsletters comes from Acts of Faith religion section of The Washington Post. It’s called Inspired Life and they always have stories of what it means to live by faith. In March, they told a story of a man who usually shovels the walks of the elderly folks in his neighborhood. But with 3 feet of new snow, he knew that he could not get the job done alone. So, he tweeted out the time and location where he would be on Saturday morning and asked 10 people to show up to help. 120 people were waiting when he got there, so they shoveled out the whole neighborhood, and then went out to lunch. 60 of them turned up the next day to find more people in need of a cleaned off walk or shoveled out cars.[*]

Last week, on a bridge overnight in northern Detroit, police said a man looked down at the midnight traffic on Interstate 696 and considered the fall, twenty feet down, as far as anyone could tell. The police came, blocked off traffic, and negotiators started talking to the man. He was deciding to jump or not to jump. But a little while later, a semi-trailer drove slowly past the barricade and pulled up directly beneath the man. A second rig join, then another and another, until there were 13 trucks, covering both sides of the 10-lane highway – a metal safety net to break the man’s fall should he decide to let go.

It took about four hours, but the end of the standoff, the man who had once thought no one cared, had two police escorting him off the bridge and into a hospital. Police cleared out of the highway, and the 13 rigs and their drivers also went on their way.[i] These drivers didn’t know the man. And the time spent waiting for this crisis to be resolved undoubtedly kept them from getting to their next checkpoint or deliver on time. But there was a universal feeling among them that if they could do anything to keep this man safe, that was the most important thing. When one of the truckers was asked about the help they gave, he replied that they were determined to see that he got out of there anyway but down… that was not happening on their watch.

For the youth and adults of the Appalachia Service Project in Kentucky and Salkehatchie Summer Service in South Carolina, it means confronting poverty in ways that once seemed foreign. Repairing homes and rebuilding lives are only a part of what those ministries are about. These camps put faith into action. Youth and adult volunteers head into rural, low-income towns to work in difficult conditions, allowing themselves to be the voice, hands and feet of Christ. In addition to the building projects, they also make bonds with families of different backgrounds from their own, learn about teamwork, and make lifelong friendships. How many of us are willing to go into a setting we are totally unplugged from our routines, strip of familiar roles and expectations? Let me tell you from experience, that is often what growing in faith often requires.

James Shaw Jr came out of a Waffle House bathroom to his worst nightmare. An armed gunman was reloading his rifle after opening fire in the restaurant. He came up from behind the man, wrestled the gun away and threw it behind the counter. Four people died, but many others were saved. And in the two weeks following, Mr. Shaw has raised almost $200,000 for the families of those killed and injured. He refuses to think of himself as a hero. He could have hidden in the bathroom until it was all over. But that wasn’t good enough. Saving his own life meant saving the lives of everyone around him. His daughter was counting on him.[ii]

The love to which God’s calls us is a love that is seen, lived out every day in the lives moms and dads and kids and friends who don’t live their faith in secret, but for everyone to see.  Christian love is a love that is inclusive. It includes all people; even people that others may shun.  The reading from Acts makes it perfectly clear – the Holy Spirit will come to all who will receive it and we are to love one another as sisters and brothers in faith.  Godly love bears fruit in our lives – the fruits of the spirit are not money and power. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.[iii]

Jesus talks about friendship in a way that requires action. It’s not enough to say that we are friends with each other or with him – we have to show it in the things we say and do. This is almost always hard work, and sometimes it feels like the messiness of the church is not the best example of what to be a friend of Christ.[iv] But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to live out Jesus’ friendship anyway, in church and in the world, abiding in Christ and living his love in every way we can.

Peace, Deb 

---

[*] Allison Klein, "A Chicago Man Asked for 10 Volunteers," The Washington Post, February 12, 2018.

[i] Avi Selk, “A man nearly jumped off an overpass. 13 truckers made a safety net,” The Washington Post, April 24, 2018.

[ii] Amy Helf, Waffle House Hero, Honored By Lawmakers, Raises Thousands For Victims' Families, NPR,org, April 26, 2018. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/26/606004053/waffle-house-hero-honored-by-lawmakers-raises-thousands-for-victims-families

[iii] Steve Scott, “A Lasting Legacy of Love,” Holy Cross Lutheran Church and School website, http://holycrosslutheran.net/sermons/a-lasting-legacy-of-love-john-15-9-17/

[iv] Melissa Bane Sevier, “Friended,” Contemplative Viewfinder, May 5, 2015, https://melissabanesevier.wordpress.com/2015/05/05/friended/

Sermon: Resurrection = Freedom (Easter sunrise 2018)

This morning I had the opportunity to preach at the Easter Sunrise service at my mom's church. I left her house at 6:30am when the sky was still dark and the full moon was still high in the clear night sky. As I drove, the sky began to lighten, and when I pulled into the cemetery by the church, it was still too dark to see the notes I had written out to follow. Gradually cars and people began to gather at the mausoleum. As we started at 7:00 am, more than 50 people had gathered, and there was enough light for us to read our bulletins (we are United Methodists, after all) and see each others' faces.  

Easter Sunrise – April 1, 2018                                                  St Paul UMC, Spartanburg, SC

One of my favorite Easter quotes is this one from Barbara Brown Taylor… “Whether it’s a baby in the womb or Jesus in the tomb, new life starts in the dark.”

We last worshiped together on Thursday night, as we celebrated Jesus’ last meal and then followed on his journey to the cross and his death. And then we waited. We waited because we know that there was something more to come.

But the followers of Jesus didn’t know. They waited through the Sabbath, all night Friday, and all of Saturday. Some of them waited because they didn’t know what else to do. Others waited because they knew what Sunday morning required of them. The women were ready to prepare the body of Jesus for his final burial, delayed by the lateness of his death.

What unfolds is totally unexpected… I’m sure Mary’s mind must have been racing, like arriving home to find your front door open when you are pretty sure that you locked it as you left. I can feel the surge of adrenalin, the fear that must have engulfed her in that garden, finding that empty tomb. 

In every gospel account, Mary and the women preached the first sermon – “He is risen” – and in every account, the men went to the tomb to verify their story. He was not there, on that they agreed, but it was not until Jesus appeared among the assembled disciples that they, too, were able to say, “He is risen, he is risen, indeed!”

As we gather in this place of where people come to grieve and to honor their dead, we are reminded that Jesus’ resurrection changed everything. Last Sunday, John reminded us that for those who follow Jesus, death is not the end of our story. And while we cannot see Jesus in person, alive for ourselves, we must recognize the responsibilities that come with being disciples of the Living Christ.

On this Easter day, we must remember that we are the mirrors of Christ’s love in the world. We are his hands and feet and voice to those who fear both life and death. It should not just be our responsibility, but our joy to share the message of Easter:

*That violence does not win…*That everyone is equal and affirmed in the eyes of God…*That Jesus included everyone in his kingdom…*That grace alone is the Gospel message.

I think about all the people that Jesus welcomed to his table and into his sphere … women, Gentiles, common folks, the sick, the lame, all those that the Law insisted must be left out. But Jesus said, “No, let them all come to me.”

I think about the violence that was perpetrated against Jesus. He could have just decided to abandon his followers as they fell asleep in the garden, not going through the trial and the pain and torture of death. Or after his death, he could have gone up into heaven and never come back to reassure them. But Jesus said, “I am here, and I have work for you.”

I think about how the Jews thought the Messiah would come to establish their former glory… a King riding on a white horse and wielding a sword. They wanted their world to be small, retaking power for themselves. But Jesus came to redefine what the Kingdom is all about, so he said, “Go into the world and make disciples of all people, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

I think about how we still believe that entry into the Kingdom should be hard… that there are rules and beliefs and tests that must be passed. But Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient… love God and neighbor in all you do.”

Jesus’ resurrection messages are incredibly freeing and insanely hard, all at the same time. Easter reminds us what Christ repeatedly taught and proclaimed: 

*We are beloved children of God. *We are created in the image of God with life breathed into us at creation. *Our life in Christ is about recognizing our sacred worth, which inspires us to grow closer to him, reassured by the promises of his grace.

Salkehatchie Summer Service is celebrating 40 years this summer. It has been life-changing for thousands of youth, adult counselors and recipient families, including me. I grew up in the church and can’t remember ever not believing in Jesus. But working with Salkehatchie as an adult volunteer was the thing that made the Easter story real to me.

We set out each year to repair and rebuild houses, but by the end of the week, lives had been reborn, often more for the workers than for the families we worked with. Think about it – how much faith in God do you have to have to let a bunch of teenagers and part-time carpenters come into and work on your house for a week?

Missions are one piece of the puzzle, but I was reminded of this story from Tony Campolo, which digs a little deeper into what it means to be an Easter people. On a trip to Hawaii, he found himself wide awake at 3am, so he went to the coffee shop near the hotel for coffee and a donut. At a table nearby, a small group of ladies of the evening was wrapping up their night, and he overheard one of the women say that the next day was her birthday and that she had never felt that was a day to celebrate. When they left, Tony asked the owner if it would be OK to throw Agnes a party the next night. A little crazy, perhaps, but the owner agreed. so Tony got the cake, the balloons, and streamers and decorated the place upright. 

At 3:30am, when the ladies streamed in, everyone in the place yelled, "Surprise" and "Happy Birthday, Agnes!" at the top of their lungs. Agnes was shocked and blew out the candles on her cake, tears streaming down her face. "No one's ever thrown a party for me before," she said, "I'm going to take this cake to show my kids." And she picked up the cake and ran out the door.

Shocked, the guests, looked around to see what would happen next. Tony said, "Let's have a prayer." And he prayed for Agnes and her kids and for her salvation.  Afterward, the owner's wife passed out pie, and the owner came over to Tony and said, "You never told me you were a preacher. What kind of church do you go to?" Without missing a beat, Tony responded, "I belong to a church that throws parties for prostitutes in the middle of the night." The cafe owner came right back. "No, you don't. Because if that church existed, I'd be a member of it."

The resurrection requires us to be those kinds of people... who love people in ways the world thinks are crazy. This is the work of Easter. It's hard work, but necessary for people on both side of the ministry. So I send you forth with this reminder. We are called to believe and this message: “God loves you. Period. No ifs, and or buts.” 

And consider this parting thought: The resurrection God’s ultimate April Fool’s joke: Death has no power over us anymore.

Peace, Deb

The sun peeked through the trees just as we were finishing the service. A new day had begun...