Amen Corner

Vacation Bible School

Preparations for this year's VBS are in full swing. You'll find registration forms in the lobby. VBS starts June 23rd and runs from 9 a.m. until noon. If you would like more information about VBS or if you can help with the preparation or during VBS week, please contact Jill Lowell. We need a few craft supplies donated: - 2 liter bottles - Large (20 oz) soup/veggie cans - Empty plastic bottles - Small bottles of acrylic paint (any color and used is great!) A box is in the Welcome Center for drop off.

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New Perspective

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So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view... (2 Cor. 5:16) A while back we took the kids to Nauticus to look around and to see the USS Wisconsin. At the time, Nauticus was featuring an exhibit on mapmaking. I was especially intrigued by an ancient map called the T and O map. The T and O map (see picture) is a representation of the world as described by a 7th Century bishop named Isidore of Seville. The map gets its name from the basic layout of the map. It is essentially an O representing the known world divided by a T representing the seas and rivers that divide Europe and Africa from Asia. I find a couple of things very interesting about this map. First, you'll notice that the center is Jerusalem (i.e. The Holy Land), which is not surprising when you remember that it's based on the descriptions of a Catholic Bishop. Second, on this map, north is not up; east is up (and north is to the left, west points downward, etc.). By the way, this may be where we get the idea of "orienting ourselves". Orient is another way of referring to the East. What I love about this map is that it forces me to look at the world in a different way, or (I can't help it) reorient myself. It's just widely accepted now that North is always up and south is always down, etc. So it's strange to think that there's another way of looking at things. (If you really want a head trip, go Google "Reversed Map.") Today's scripture is one that forces us to readjust our perspective when it comes to other people. Paul says that Jesus has changed the way that he looks at people: the value he places on them, the potential he sees in them. All of that is changed by his relationship with Jesus. As Jesus followers we are called to look at others with his perspective. We'll talk more about it today.

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The Shack

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In a message a while back I mentioned a book that I was reading entitled The Shack. I first heard of this book at the Wineskins website. They were describing it as the little book that could. It was first published on a shoestring budget by Windblown Media. They spent less than $200 on advertising. The rest has been word of mouth. Boy, have they gotten their money’s worth. I called around to some of the local Christian bookstores to see if anyone had a copy, thinking that would be the best place to look. Then on a lark I called Barnes & Noble at MacArthur Center. At the time it was their #2 seller. Charlotte K. informed me that, last week, it was number one. So this book has really caught on. After reading it, I can see why. The Shack is a faith statement dressed up as a novel. And the faith that it articulates is inspiring and moving. The basic plot is as follows: Mackenzie (Mack) Philips’ youngest daughter is abducted and assumed murdered. In the midst of his anguish, Mack receives a mysterious note, supposedly from God, inviting him back to the supposed scene of the murder, a shack in the woods. He makes the difficult decision to return only to find that the shack has been transformed by the presence of God. Mack spends a weekend with God, Jesus and the Spirit. They serve him, they teach him, they change him. There is some critiquing to be done. The book is better as theology than as literature. The English Major in me was not always happy with the writing. And some will find the images he employs for God to be disturbing as well. That’s all I’ll say about that for now. I’m hoping that some of you will read it and send me an email or comment here on the blog. And let me be clear—I heartily recommend it. (I like that word. I don’t do enough things heartily.) It’s a quick read. It’s very moving and thoughtful. I feel sure it will challenge the way you think about God. It also bears some uncanny resemblances to our own Eric Harrell’s play, An Inch of Rope. Those of you who saw the play will not have any trouble seeing what I’m talking about. I think Eric’s play takes a daring step that Young’s book either misses or avoids. But I don’t want to say too much until some of you have read it. It would make excellent summer reading. Why not take it to the beach with you? I’m sure your kids don’t need you to watch them. There are plenty of highlighted sections I could share with you. Here are a couple on the concepts of trust and control. At one point, God says this:
“The real underlying flaw in your life, Mackenzie is that you don’t think that I am good. If you knew I was good and that everything—the means, the ends, and all the processes of individual lives—is all covered by my goodness, then while you might not always understand what I am doing, you would trust me, but you don’t.”
Then later Jesus and Mack have this conversation:
“Mack, do you realize that your imagination of the future, which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind, rarely, if ever, pictures me there with you?” Again Mack stopped and thought. It was true. He spent a lot of time fretting and worrying about the future, and in his imaginations it was usually pretty gloomy and depressing, if not outright horrible. And Jesus was also correct in saying that in Mack’s imaginations of the future, God was always absent. “Why do I do that?” asked Mack. “It is your desperate attempt to get some control over something you can’t. It is impossible for you to take power over the future because it isn’t even real, nor will it ever be real. You try and play God, imagining the evil that you fear becoming reality, and then you try and make plans and contingencies to avoid what you fear.”
So there you go. Let me know if anyone out there decides to read it.

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Extreme Makeover

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"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."
1 John 3:2 It's always interesting to me when it happens. And, since I've spent most of my life living in the suburbs, it has happened quite a number of times. Maybe an old building will sit on the corner of an intersection, unnoticed and uninhabited. Then one day it will just be gone. Or maybe a plot of land that was, just yesterday, part of a cow pasture is now a tilled-up square lot. As you drive by, you are startled by the jarring change to something that you have known for years. Then the construction vehicles show up: excavators and bulldozers, scrapers and dump trucks, cranes and cement trucks. Every day the lot is a flurry of activity. Hills are flattened or created. Holes are drilled. PVC piping shoots upward from the dirt like reeds in a pond. Little orange flags begin to mark out the dimensions of whatever is coming. And that's the question that's on everyone's mind. As we drive by we all say to ourselves or the person in the car with us, "I wonder what they're putting in right there." And our passenger will just shrug and make that universal "I don't know" grunt. Meanwhile, progress continues. What everyone's waiting for is a sign. We're waiting for one of those big signs with three, four, or maybe five words. The first two words are always the same: "COMING SOON..." Finally we get to know what all of the hubbub is about. It is revealed to us what business is taking shape right before our eyes. Hopefully, it's not just another Walgreens. Hopefully, it's something I'll like. But the exciting part is waiting to see what it's going to be. (Reading this, it strikes me that we're hurting for entertainment out there in the suburbs.) Today, I want to suggest that everyone has a sign. Not the kind of sign that that redneck comedian is always talking about, but a different one. A sign that says "coming soon..." Which is just another way of saying that we're all works in progress. We're all changing from what we are now to something else. The apostle Paul says we are all "new creations." And we can put the same question to ourselves as the one that ask about those corner lots under construction: "What do you think is going in there?" What is coming soon? That's the question for all of us today. What are we becoming? What kind of building are we being made into? God wants to turn you and me into a building that brings glory to him-one that saves our lives in the process. We'll get a better idea of that from scripture this morning.

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Love Your Neighbor

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"The question of bread for myself is a material question, but the question of bread for my neighbor is a spiritual question" --Nikolai Bordyaev "It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one's neighbor" --Eric Hoffer There is a legendary story told about Catherine Booth--wife of Salvation Army founder William Booth and preacher in her own right. While on a speaking tour of the States she drew enormous crowds of people coming from every level of American Society. It's said that, after a particular engagement, she was received in the home of a local aristocrat. At one point Mrs. Booth's hostess remarked to her, "My dear Mrs. Booth, that meeting was dreadful." "What do you mean, Dearie?" asked Mrs. Booth. "Oh, when you were speaking, I was looking at those people opposite to me. Their faces were so terrible, many of them. I don't think I shall sleep tonight!" "Why, dearie, don't you know them?" Mrs. Booth asked; and the hostess replied, "Certainly not!" "Well, that is interesting," Mrs. Booth said. "I did not bring them with me from London; they are your neighbors!" This particular woman wasn't much different from the rich man in Jesus' parable about the Rich Man and Lazarus. She was able to live her life oblivious to the suffering of those around her. So she was shocked when she came to a place that she couldn't look away. She was confronted by the plight of her neighbors. Jesus' call to love our neighbors is unmerciful and unrelenting, because he does the same thing with it that he does with all of his other instructions. He refuses to limit in some way that will make it easier on us. He says, "Don't just avoid committing murder; don't hate others." He says, "Don't just avoid revenge, love your enemies." He does the same thing with our definition of neighbors. According to Jesus, our neighbor is basically anyone we see who is in need. Neighbor is not a matter of proximity or status or shared values. Our neighbor can be anyone, and we are called to love them. It's the second greatest command. I can't help but wonder if it's not the hardest one, though. We'll take a closer look at loving our neighbor today. Glad you're here.

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Called Up

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Our tradition doesn't talk a whole lot about being "called" to ministry. Other traditions seem to use this language more prominently. I've heard questions like: "When did you receive your call to the ministry?" I'm still not sure what they mean. Should I have a "call" story? Was I supposed to get a memo or an invitation or some kind of acceptance letter from God? Am I supposed to have one of those stories like in the Bible? There are some pretty famous call stories in the Bible of course. Abraham is living in the land of Ur before Yahweh calls him to leave the gods of his ancestors with the promise that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Moses is looking after his father-in-law's sheep in the land of Midian when the angel of the Lord appears to him in a bush that is burning but doesn't burn up. Samuel is just a boy living as a temple-servant when he keeps hearing God's voice in the middle of the night. David the smallest of all the sons of Jesse is summoned from the fields only after Samuel asks if Jesse doesn't have any other sons whom God could possibly choose to be King of Israel. Then there are the call stories of all the prophets where, over and over again, scripture tells us that "The word of the LORD came to _______." And in turn each prophet was commissioned to take that word to the people. An angel appears to Zechariah in the temple and tells him that his wife will soon bear a son (we call him John the Baptist) who will turn the hearts of the people back to God. Shortly afterward an angel appears to the young girl, Mary, and tells her that the son she will bear will have a Kingdom without end. When I look at all those stories (and that's not even close to all of the ones in scripture), I can understand why people have this expectation of a call to ministry. And yet I have no such story. I'm not aware of any burning bushes or visits from angels in the middle of the night or hearing the voice of God. Of course, knowing me, I could have just missed it. Right as I drove by the burning bush, I was probably messing with the car stereo. And God would have had to scream pretty loud to be heard over the sound of my snoring (just ask my poor wife). But that doesn't mean I've completely given up on this idea of being called to ministry. If anything I feel it more strongly now than ever before. I just feel that my call has been more generic in nature. It's the kind of call that Paul speaks of numerous times in his writings. I have been called to be a child of God. I have been called for his purposes. I have been called to serve the Lord. Only this call has happened numerous times and all along the way. I'm kind of glad for that. Instead of one giant invitation I have benefited from a consistent flow of gentle reminders that I am called God's child and I am called to serve others. This morning we're going to be talking about how God calls all of us to serve. We're going to be looking on as Jesus invites his disciples to come and follow him. We'll be listening for that invitation in our lives as well. I believe that, whoever you are, Jesus is calling you to follow him. I hope you can hear that Gospel/Good News this morning.

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Follow the Leader

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Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29). Anyone with multiple kids knows that it's not unusual for a second or third child to do something earlier than their older sibling did. It's not always the case, but it does occur. One of the reasons this happens is probably because younger siblings have a shorter learning curve. They can usually learn how to do something by watching. I've noticed it in our two boys. Micah (2) is attempting things that Asher (6) didn't try until much later. Micah seems to be more adventurous. Case in point: One day recently Micah started calling out to me from the boys' room. I walked in to find Micah perched like a gargoyle on the top bunk of his and Asher's bed. As soon as he saw me, Micah started barking out orders, "You move that chair over here." At this point, a smarter person might have anticipated what chain of events was being set in motion. I didn't. Instead, I asked Micah why as I slid the overstuffed red chair toward the bed. Micah didn't bother to tell me. Instead, as soon as the chair was in range, he simply turned and let himself go into a free fall. I yelped. Micah went into a midair seated position, and executed a flawless landing in the chair. Later that day I was telling Rachel about it. She wasn't surprised by Micah's acrobatics. Apparently, he's been watching his older brother, who, instead of just falling, flings himself off the top bunk like a flying squirrel and lands with a "thunk" in one of the chairs half way across the room. I think it's safe to say that Asher never would have tried that at age two. I also won't be surprised if Micah is our first trip to the ER. Who knows what Ruthie will be trying by the time she's two. All of our lives, we will learn by watching. If you explain something to me, I might eventually get it. But I'll learn much more quickly if I watch you do it. And that right there is what it means to be a disciple. A disciple is someone who learns by watching. We see it in those who follow Jesus throughout his 3 year ministry. They learn by watching him, and then they try it themselves. That's why Jesus' primary call to His followers has less to do with belief and more to do with following. (See that verse on the top of this article.) This morning we're going to start learning from Jesus. We're going to be changed by watching him and, hopefully by learning to act as he acts. We're going to learn what it means to "love God" by watching Jesus' relationship with "the Father." I hope that you learn something today. I hope that it helps you go a little deeper in your relationship with a God who loves you very much.

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Happy Mother's Day

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Later on, we'll be talking about how Jesus changes lives, but I had to stop and remember the importance of today. If you haven't done so already, call your mother! I recently rediscovered a poem by one-time U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins entitled "The Lanyard". The narrator of the poem remembers making a lanyard for his mother while at summer camp. Here is an excerpt: ...I had never seen anyone use a lanyard or wear one, if that's what you did with them, but that did not keep me from crossing strand over strand again and again until I had made a boxy red and white lanyard for my mother. She gave me life and milk from her breasts, and I gave her a lanyard. She nursed me in many a sick room, lifted spoons of medicine to my lips, laid cold face-cloths on my forehead, and then led me out into the airy light and taught me to walk and swim, and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard. Here are thousands of meals, she said, and here is clothing and a good education. And here is your lanyard, I replied, which I made with a little help from a counselor. Here is a breathing body and a beating heart, strong legs, bones and teeth, and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered, and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp... I love this poem, because it's such a fitting picture of the way things work. I love the contrast between the gifts of the mother and this one cheap, useless piece of plastic. Our mothers give so much. And nothing we give in return can measure up to the mountains of blessings they pour out onto us. So today, on Mother's Day, I hope you have been given something. I'm sure that whatever it is you were given in no way measures up to what you have given out. But I hope that it still reminds you just how important you moms are. May God bless you as you bless us.

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Aliens In America

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It's a sad time of year for me. Sure, the weather is getting warmer. Summer is just around the corner. Soon we will be going to the beach, Busch Gardens, Camp Idlewild (Woohoo!) and Tides games. And sure, the days have gotten longer, which means we can play outside with the kids after dinner. Everything is lush with color. When the wind blows, the leaves give off a green whisper instead of a brown crackle. So why do I have this vague sense that something is missing? What's with this creeping sensation that something's not quite right? It's as if I should be looking for something that I've lost but I'm not even sure what it is. And then I see the calendar and I remember. Football season is sooo far away. It ended back in February. But back then I could tell myself that there was the NFL draft to look forward to. That happened last weekend. College football is done with spring practice, and the scrimmages are over. We have now entered the football doldrums. I can now look forward to three more months of pigskinless weekends. And that's if I include the NFL preseason. We're actually four months away from "real" games. Oh well. I look at this way-at least I don't have to worry about missing SportsCenter. I mean, there aren't any other sports being played right now, right? (Can you tell I'm a little biased?) Ok. Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. I'm not as bad as I used to be. I think Rachel would tell you I watch a lot less football than I did before (back me up here, honey). And when my teams lose, it doesn't ruin my day like it used to. This mania can all be explained by my Southern upbringing. In SEC country, football (particularly college football) just plain crosses the line into idolatry. I have actually heard of large numbers of people who didn't go to a close family member's wedding because it took place on the Saturday of the Auburn/Alabama game. You have to see it to believe it. People so identify with their particular team, it's all they can think about. They live for their team. The success of their life is determined by the success of their team. It is a classic example of groupthink in action. During football season people stop being individuals and start being fans. I'm sure there are some fascinating Psychological studies that could be done on the power of identifying with a sports team. This morning, we're going to continue looking at how Jesus changes lives. And we're going to be looking at how Jesus calls for pretty dramatic allegiance, as well. Jesus calls on us to pledge allegiance to the Kingdom of Heaven. Paul says that, in Jesus, there are no Jews or Greeks, no males or females (Galatians 3:28). I would say there are no Vols or Gators, no Titans or Ravens. And where I'm from that's saying a lot. What about you? What affiliations do you think are really important? Which ones are important to your identity? Are they sports related, political, or maybe even religious? Whatever they are, Jesus will call you to a different kind of allegiance. The Good News is that we're invited to identify with an infinitely greater arena.

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Carrier, Politics, and Screwtape

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I was on a roll and then I quit posting. Why don’t we get this thing going again with some miscellaneous items? Did anyone else watch Carrier? I gave you a heads up about it last month. If you missed it you can watch a lot of clips at the website. A film crew embedded on the USS Nimitz for a full deployment. I have been enthralled. I’d love to hear from those of you who can speak with experience. How fair of a representation is it? I find it convincing, but what do I know? I love that you get a glimpse of all the different types of people who live on this floating city. It really shows how different people experience Navy life differently. Seems like so much depends on where you’re coming from and what your attitude is. So did you watch it? Maybe you’re thinking to yourself, “Why would I want to watch what I do at work?” Rachel feels that way about watching medical shows. I’ve never seen a reality show based on a minister’s life. Because, well, how fun could it be to watch a minister write a sermon? Not exactly a ratings bonanza. Anyhow, let me hear from you if you’ve been watching. Also, for all of you current issues/politics folks, I just listened to an episode of Speaking of Faith that features a discussion between three very different evangelical leaders about faith and politics. How should we as Christians engage in the political arena? Chuck Colson, Greg Boyd and Shane Claiborne have their disagreements (one is a pacifist, another worked in the Nixon administration), but they manage to have a very considerate and thoughtful discussion. Give it a listen. You can download the podcast, listen to, or watch their discussion at the Speaking of Faith website. I’ll probably talk more about it at a later date. And I’m probably going to share one of Shane Claiborne’s anecdotes from the discussion on Sunday morning. Finally, I just rediscovered this quote from C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. You’ll recall it’s a fictional (of course) correspondence between an older managing demon and his apprentice/nephew demon about how to best tempt a man to stray. Here he is talking about how useful it is to tempt humans to spend a lot of time worrying about the future or the past and very little time living in the present:
He (God) does not want men to give the Future their hearts, to place their treasure in it. We do. His ideal is a man who, having worked all day for the good of posterity…washes his mind of the whole subject, commits the issue to Heaven and returns at once to the patience or gratitude determined by the moment that is passing over him. But we want a man hagridden by the Future—haunted by visions of an imminent heaven or hell upon earth—ready to break the Enemy’s (God’s) commands in the Present if by so doing we make him think he can attain the one or avert the other.
May God give us this day our daily bread. And may we see what a blessing it is.

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