It's Complicated

It's Complicated

It’s Complicated: Family as a Means of Grace - Part 3
May 18, 2025
John 14:1-4, Romans 12:9-18

My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you?      

John 14:1-7

Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good.  Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other.

Romans 12:9-10

_______________

In our Father’s house, there are many rooms — and together, we are learning how to live as one.

I grew up with a very different understanding of this passage. I was taught the King James Version, which says there are many “mansions.” I never thought to ask how multiple mansions could exist inside one house, but the image I held was highly individualistic and luxurious. Then I went to seminary and studied under Old Testament scholar and archaeologist Dr. Sandra Richter, who introduced us to the ancient 4-room pillared houses of ancient Israel known as the bet’ab — the “Father’s house.” This, it turns out, is the term Jesus uses when describing the place he is preparing.

The bet’ab was not a mansion, nor was it a space of private luxury. It included shared family living spaces, a combined reception room and kitchen, and small  sleeping areas often located on the upper level. In Israel’s patriarchal culture, the oldest living male was the head of the household, which included his sons, their wives, extended relatives, and sometimes servants. Much of the living and cooking took place outdoors, with rooms arranged around a central courtyard. Resources were shared, and everyone contributed to the needs of the household and wider community.

So what does this have to do with Jesus and his promise of heaven?

I’m glad you asked.

For Jesus, salvation is not some escapist dream of heavenly mansions and golden streets. It’s about a communal sense of belonging. In Christ, we are adopted into God's family, and we are given a place in the bet’ab — God’s household. 

But belonging to a household carries responsibilities. Children — biological or adopted — are expected to participate fully in the life of the family. Yes, they receive the blessings and love that come with being part of the family, knowing all their needs will be met. But they are also expected to contribute, to discover and use their gifts for the good of the entire household.

Family life, of course, is complicated. We don’t always get along, and sometimes those closest to us bear the brunt of our worst days. Siblings, in particular, can be highly competitive.

Life teaches us what it means to be part of a family — the human family, God’s family. As Paul writes to the Romans: “Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other.”

May this be our greatest competition in life: to outdo one another in showing honor and love. In a world that often rewards pride, power, or personal gain, what if we became known for something else entirely — a radical, joyful commitment to building each other up? That’s the kind of family Christ invites us to be.

Christmas at John's

Christmas at John’s

December 22, 2024
John 1:1-5, 14

In the beginning was the Word
    and the Word was with God
    and the Word was God.
The Word was with God in the beginning.
Everything came into being through the Word,
    and without the Word
    nothing came into being.
What came into being
    through the Word was life,
    and the life was the light for all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light…

 John 1:1-5

_______________

Of the four gospel writers, John appears to be the poet and artist of the group.  Christmas at his house is no doubt filled with the most creative décor and an elaborate feast.  Technically, like Mark, John doesn’t tell the story of Jesus’ birth at all.  Unlike Mark, however, the beginning of the good news for John is not in Jesus’ active ministry, or in his birth like Luke, or even in his ancestral line like Matthew.  No, the beginning of the good news for John is the beginning of all creation.

The Word was with God and the Word was God and everything that came into being came through the Word… and now John tells us that this very word through which all things were made, has put on flesh and dwells among us. 

In 2010, I tried to wrap my head around what this cosmic truth must have felt like for Mary, and what it means for us as we gaze at the baby in the manger.  Below is the first verse and chorus of the song that came to me:

Here I am, face to face with a faceless God
Gazing deep into the eyes of the all-seeing one

 How can i hold you when I'm wrapped in your arms?
How can i feed the bread of life?
How can this baby have known me in the womb?
How can the angel's words be true?

All of my life, I've tried so hard to believe
In a God so high above, I wondered could you hear me
But now you're here, wrapped in my flesh and bone
And I'm still tryin' O Lord, so hard to believe

For John, it’s not enough that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah or even the Savior of the World.  Jesus is the fullness of the Word that spoke light into the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.  Jesus embodies the Word of Life that spoke all of creation into existence.   John takes seriously the words of the Psalmist who writes, “The heavens declare the majesty of God and the skies proclaim the work of God’s hands” (Psalm 19:1). 

Poetry and art exist to express something deeper than what ordinary words can say.  It is the language of the soul.  John portrays Jesus as the language of God’s heart and soul.  The words of the prophets and the angels were not enough for the people to stay in love with God.  Now it’s time for God to speak directly.  But God doesn’t speak in the language of laws or declarations or doctrinal standards. 

No, God speaks the language of love wrapped in flesh… the pinnacle of God’s creation, humanity itself, now showing us what God’s love really means… a love beyond words, a love beyond actions, a love that gives God’s whole self fully for the sake of the world.

 Listen to full sermon here 

Caught Between Truths

Caught Between Truths

November 3, 2024
John 18:33-19:16, Psalm 2

Jesus replied, “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight so that I wouldn’t have been arrested by the Jewish leaders. My kingdom isn’t from here.”

“So you are a king?” Pilate said.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth. Whoever accepts the truth listens to my voice.”

“What is truth?” Pilate asked…

… From that moment on, Pilate wanted to release Jesus.

John 18:36-38, 19:12

_______________

Jesus is clear that his kingdom is not of this world and that his primary purpose is to “testify to the truth.”  Pilate responds with the question that has haunted us all for over 2,000 years… “What is truth?”

Here in the 21st century, we are still sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for Jesus’ answer, as though the conversation somehow got cut short.  And in the meantime, we have had more than enough “truth-sayers” trying to fill in the blanks with their own answers to this seemingly impossible question.  As a result, we now live in a culture where truth is so drowned out by lies that we can hardly tell the difference.  When lies are told often enough, they don’t necessarily become facts, but they do create a certain kind of truth that shapes reality.  When enough people believe a lie and act on it, it’s veracity no longer matters.  Real people get hurt, and most often it is the innocent and marginalized that are harmed the most. 

Just a few weeks ago a gunman was arrested in North Carolina over threats of potential harm intended against FEMA workers.  Lies and conspiracies about the government relief organization have run rampant in the aftermath of two disastrous hurricanes and the fact that they are not true doesn’t change the real harm they are causing to relief workers and storm victims in desperate need of help.  Sadly, this is only one of many examples where the truth or lack of truth has become irrelevant and caused great harm to entire groups of people throughout our nation during the current election cycle.

The same reality was true for Jesus.  It didn’t really matter whether he was a king or not, or what kind of kingdom he proclaimed.  It didn’t matter if he actually deserved to die.  For Pilate, and far too often for us, there was a voice far louder than truth.  It was the voice of fear.  The lynch-mob that yelled the loudest got to decide what truth was.  Jesus is guilty… Crucify him!

And in the end, truth surrendered to the fear of the people and quite literally died at the hands of both the mob and the state. 

Jesus says that if his Kingdom were of this world, he would respond with violence as the world does, but instead he chooses not to fight because his Kingdom is not of this world.  How tragic then that his followers across the centuries continue to fight.  We continue to stir up people’s fear with lies and conspiracies for the sake of political power, wealth and security. 

Perhaps the mobs of fearmongers understand Jesus’s truth better than it seems.  The truth of God’s kingdom will not give them the earthly power they desire.  It will call them to surrender and to lay down their lives for the sake of love, even the love of their enemies. 

“What is truth” indeed, that it would call us to sacrifice so much?

Not Alone

Not Alone

September 29, 2024
John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:7-17

“I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other.  This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.”

 John 13:34-35

_______________

A story is told of a pastor who trudged through the snow to a rustic log cabin where a parishioner lived.  It had been several months since this hermit of a man had stepped foot in the church, though church members often saw him around town.  The man welcomed the pastor in, offered him a hot cup of coffee and they sat down together in the warm glow of a crackling fire. 

Following their brief but cordial greeting, silence settled over the space.  Not an awkward silence, mind you, rather a holy silence, filled with the whispers of the Holy Spirit to both pastor and parishioner alike.  After a while the pastor reached out and, with a set of wrought iron tongs, he pulled a burning ember out of the fire and placed it carefully on the stone hearth.  The light from the tiny wood chip faded and smoke began to rise.  In no time, this little isolated fire had gone out.

The pastor then carefully placed the smoldering ember back into the fire and in an instant, it glowed brighter than before. 

As he stood up to leave, the parishioner finally broke the silence.  “Thanks for the sermon, preacher.  I’ll see you on Sunday.”

Just like the man hidden away in the warmth of his secluded cabin, there comes a point when our isolated embers will burn out.  We are indeed the church scattered as we live out our faith in our everyday, individual lives, and we must be the church gathered, remaining in the Holy Fire of God’s love  expressed through the love of one another in community. 

If God is love, then relationships are the necessary channel through which that love is expressed and known. As those who seek to follow Christ’s example, we cannot pick and choose who we will love based on preference, affection, similar interests, or agreement of opinions.  We must love as Christ loved us.  We must be vulnerable, serve one another, and open our hearts to the stranger. 

John O’Donohue invites us to bless the space that exists between us so that the walls of division may have no place to stand, and that love will bind all of creation together in the heart of God. 

As a popular benediction from the United Methodist Hymnal declares,

Go now in peace to serve God and your neighbor in all that you do. Bear witness to the love of God in this world, so that those to whom love is a stranger will find in you generous friends.

__________

Consider a time when you felt the most lonely or isolated, when you felt like a stranger.  How did you experience God in that season of your life?

What does “community” mean to you?  Where do you most experience authentic community in your life?  Where do you truly belong?

Entwined

Entwined
July 14, 2024
John 15:1-17

As the Father loved me, I too have loved you. Remain in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.  I have said these things to you so that my joy will be in you and your joy will be complete.  This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you.  No one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends. 

 John 15:9-13 (CEB)

_______________

Jesus’ teaching on the vine and the branches is fairly commonplace in the church, and in many ways, the
lesson seems obvious.  A branch that is not connected to the vine will die.  In the same way, we must remain connected to Christ or we will die in a spiritual sense.  Simple as that… or is it?

The problem is that too often we interpret this like we interpret far to many passages of scripture, through the lens of modern American individualism.  So long as “I” remain connected to Jesus, “I” will be ok.  But what if the “you” is plural?  What if it’s not just about each individual and their own private, personal relationship with God, but more about our collective connection to the vine.  After all, Jesus says “you are the branches”, not “the branch” or even “a branch.”  “You” is all of us. 

The thing about a vine is that it is impossible to tell where one branch stops and another begins.  They are entwined together as they grow out of the central vine.  Yes, each branch must be individually connected to the vine, but it is equally true that branches are inextricable from one another and if one is broken or diseased, it must be cut off in order not to hinder the growth of the other healthy branches.  In other words, each branch depends on the health of the others.  We depend on each other.  Christianity can never just be about “me and Jesus.”  The health of our connection to the vine impacts the health of every other branch as theirs impacts our own spiritual healthy.  We are always strong together than we are apart.  A vine with one lone branch can never be healthy or fruitful.  We need every one.

Part of this means that we do not come to church for ourselves.  We do not come to hear a good message, sing our favorite hymns, and go home feeling better about ourselves.  No, we come for one another.  We come not to be served, but to serve.  We come not just to receive, but to give.  We come because we belong to one another, we are part of one another, and we cannot simply choose to disconnect from our fellow branches without also cutting ourselves off from the vine. 

It seems easy to love God, or to love Christ, but other people are not always so lovable.  As Episcopal Priest Sheila McJilton puts it, other people “demand too much of us.  They disagree with us.  They don’t act the way we think they should act.”  Yet, to stay connected with Jesus is also to stay connected with them.  To abide in Christ is also to abide in community with others who may not be very easy to abide with.  Being a Christian is not about what we get out of it.  It is about being part of something bigger than ourselves, committing ourselves to the good of one another, whether we feel like it or not.  “As branches, we connect to Christ until we encircle each other in intricate, interwoven relationships.  In Christ, we grow in love."   

The Wild Goose

The Wild Goose
The Way of the Wild Goose - Part 1
May 19, 2024
Acts 2:1-4, John 3:4-8

Nicodemus asked, “How is it possible for an adult to be born? It’s impossible to enter the mother’s womb for a second time and be born, isn’t it?”

Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom.  Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don’t be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’  God’s Spirit blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

John 3:4-8

_______________

Enemy of Apathy

 by John Bell

She sits like a bird, brooding on the waters,
Hovering on the chaos of the world’s first day;

She sighs and she sings, mothering creation,
Waiting to give birth to all the Word will say.

She wings over earth, resting where she wishes,
Lighting close at hand or soaring through the skies;

She nests in the womb, welcoming each wonder,
Nourishing potential hidden to our eyes.

She dances in fire, startling her spectators,
Waking tongues of ecstasy where dumbness reigned;

 She weans and inspires all whose hearts are open,
Nor can she be captured, silenced or restrained.

For she is the Spirit, one with God in essence,
Gifted by the Saviour in eternal love;

She is the key opening the scriptures,
Enemy of apathy and heavenly dove.

From the Iona Community, Wild Goose Publications

The images, symbols, or metaphors for the Holy Spirit are many, (fire, wind, water, breath, dove, etc.) but none can fully capture the mystery that is God’s very presence in us and among us.  For Celtic Christians, the Wild Goose became the dominant image for the wild and untamable wind that blows wherever it wishes.  “You hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes” (John 3:8). 

Over the next several weeks we will journey with the Celtic Saints of ancient Ireland and explore what the Wild Goose image has to teach us about the nature of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  In  particular we will look at the presence, the call, the bond and the persistence of the Holy Spirit.  In the end, my prayer is that each of us will deepen our  relationship the Holy Spirit and become more aware of the Spirit’s work and presence in our lives. 

Take a few moments with the poem above and reflect on what images of the Holy Spirit resonate most with you and why? 

Miracles in Our Midst

Miracles in Our Midst

Back to School Sunday

Sunday, August 6, 2023
John 6:1-15

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said,  “A youth here has five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that for a crowd like this?”

John 6:8-9 

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

We often think of Jesus performing miracles and we often wonder why we don’t see miracles more often in our lives today.  Some claim that miracles ceased after the days of the apostles.  Others deny that miracles ever really happened at all and attempt to come up with other explanations for such supernatural stories.  Still others say that miracles happen all the time, if you only have enough faith.  This last thought has led to significant pain and spiritual harm to those who, like Job, appear to do everything right and still do not experience healing or wholeness in this life. 

There is one thing about Jesus’ miracles, however, that we tend to overlook.  Many of Jesus’ miracles depended on the involvement of others.  So many of the people Jesus healed were brought to Jesus by their friends, some with great difficulty and sacrifice like the paralytic lowered through the roof of a house.  Many were required to do something to complete the miracle, such as the lepers who were told to go and present themselves before the priests or the blind man who had to wash in the pool of Siloam.  Before Jesus turned the water into wine, Mary told those around him to do whatever he said.  Then he instructed them to fill six stone jars with water.  How many of these miracles, I wonder, would not have taken place without the cooperation of others?

That brings us to today’s miracle, the feeding of the 5,000.  When the disciples come to Jesus saying there is not enough food, they suggest sending everyone home.  Jesus likely knew that many of those gathered already suffered under poverty and may not have had a meal to go home to.  Even if they did, he was not about to send people away when they came to him hungry for something more.  So Jesus responds, “You give them something to eat.”

At this point the disciples begin to sound like a typical church council.  “We don’t have enough,” they say.  “It would be far too expensive.  It would take more than half a year’s salary to buy this much food and even if we had that kind of money, there is no place around here to buy it.  It’s impossible.”

Jesus simply tells them to give what little they have and see what happens.  And of course we know the rest of the story.  Their 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish turned into 12 full baskets of leftovers after everyone had their fill.  We focus so much on the miracle that we again miss that it required the disciples to give what they had and to step out in faith.

But John adds one beautiful little detail the other gospel writers appear to overlook.  In his telling, it was not the disciples who had the loaves and fish, it was a young boy, a child.  This boy is the one who is willing to give his measly little lunch if it can help someone else.  He doesn’t apologize for not having enough.  He doesn’t think his gift is too small.  He simply gives what he has with no clue what good, if any, it will accomplish.  Is this what Jesus means when he says we must have the faith of a child? 

Perhaps miracles are indeed still happening all around us, but if we want to see them, maybe we better stop worrying and complaining and simply start doing what Jesus says.

#BeUMC - Experiencing God

Experiencing God

#BeUMC - Part 6

Sunday, July 30, 2023
John 9:1-41, Psalm 34:8

Therefore, they called a second time for the man who had been born blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know this man is a sinner.”

The man answered, “I don’t know whether he’s a sinner. Here’s what I do know: I was blind and now I see.”

John 9:24-25

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

God's command to “pray without ceasing” is founded on the necessity we have of his grace to preserve the life of God in the soul, which can no more subsist one moment without it, than the body can without air. Whether we think of; or speak to, God, whether we act or suffer for him, all is prayer, when we have no other object than his love, and the desire of pleasing him. All that a Christian does, even in eating and sleeping, is prayer, when it is done in simplicity, according to the order of God, without either adding to or diminishing from it by his own choice… In souls filled with love, the desire to please God is a con1nual prayer…

 - John Wesley, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (Q 38, ¶ 5)

We are a committed people. (Acts 2:42)

We live into our commitment to God by being committed to one another. The very first Christians, whose stories the book of Acts shares with us, serve as an example to us still today. In this handful of verses we read about their commitments to learning together, meeting together, eating together, and praying together. They took care of one another, opened their homes, and “demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone.”

We are a Jesus—Seeking people. (Matt 7:7-8)

Our seeking of Jesus does not end the first time we meet him. It is a life-long pursuit. Every day we seek to follow Jesus more closely than we did the day before. We do this through Times of worship and devotion, as well as acts of compassion and justice.

We are a Spirit—Filled people.  (Luke 4:16-19, John 20:21-23)

Some of us may have preconceptions of what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It might be good to share them with your group, or write them down in a journal. The Bible, however, offers examples of a variety of ways God’s people can be filled with the Spirit.

We are a praying people. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-21)

Visitors to John Wesley’s home in London can enter a small room off of his bedroom where he spent an hour in prayer each morning. Wesley’s prayer practice strengthened him throughout his ministry. As those who seek God throughout each day, we are a praying people of God.

We are a grace—filled people. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Grace is an important concept for United Methodists. John Wesley emphasized our dependence on grace in all aspects of life—from before we are aware of God’s presence in our lives, through our initial decision to follow Jesus and to our moment of death and entrance into heaven. Every step of the way is by the grace of God.

- excerpts from #BeUMC Study Guide