Practice Precedes Progress

 "The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers.  A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything.  They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them.  Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity.  They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved." Acts 2:42-47

In a seminar I attended years ago, Dr. Stanley Ott told a story. He had gone for a walk with his son.  Being  drawn to a  large puddle off the path, his son quickly ran to it. “It’s moving!” the boy exclaimed.  As they looked, the pond was filled with thousands of tiny tadpoles.  His son asked if they could take some home, and Stanley agreed.  They scooped up several dozen in a clear plastic container and kept them in a place that they could watch them change into frogs.  They kept the water fresh and fed them fish food every day, but nothing happened.  After a few weeks, they returned to the puddle to see how the other tadpoles were doing.  Much to Stanley’s surprise, the puddle was empty. That’s when he noticed hundreds of tiny frogs hopping nearby.

He asked a scientist friend why his tadpoles didn’t change into frogs.  The answer? “It matters what you feed them, Stanley.  Not everything they eat will make them grow.”

 If we want to be disciples, it matters what we feed our spirits.  Would we expect to eat only ice cream and doughnuts 6 ½ days a week and eat vegetables once a week and be healthy? Of course not.  Neither should we expect to fill our minds and hearts with all sorts of junk during the week and have Sunday morning make everything alright. 

  The early believers spent their time doing specific things.  They learned about Jesus from the apostles. Christian fellowship,  praying together, and having communion occurred whenever they met.  They demonstrated sacrificial giving, worship every day, shared joy and praise, and extended hospitality to others within their homes. (Acts 2:42-47)

They were growing in grace through the practice of spiritual disciplines. We do not become disciples overnight, but it takes time for our lives to more closely reflect Jesus. Practice precedes progress.

Miss Mary Lou Couch taught me piano for about 6 years through instruction and by example.  Mostly, she taught me through making me practice.   Thirty years ago, I promised Mary Lou and my mom that if I quit taking lessons, that I would continue to play and learn. I grew in my ability to play by spending time sitting at a bench. Practice preceded progress.

  We, too, are instruments that have been created to play a song for others that reflects the love and grace of God.  But not all of us are pianists;so, what can we do?  God offers us many different ways to grow as disciples, but we have to take the time to work on them – to practice – to allow the Holy Spirit to shape us over time.

Being a disciple doesn’t happen by magic, it happens as we live the faith we believe.  We cannot just dress up, attend worship, and grow. We have to allow Jesus to change us daily to be like him.  

I received a beautiful, antique harmonica that is prominently displayed in my office.  You might think that I am quite a gifted player if you see me hold it.  I have not, however, taken the time to practice. Holding a harmonica does not make me a player. Sitting in church does not make us disciples. 

 I am not saying that what we do makes us Christian.  No, only knowing Christ makes us Christian.  Think of being a Christian like being married.  Once we say vows, we are married. Once we profess our faith, we are claimed by Christ.  Whether that relationship is a good one depends on the effort we give to growing in that relationship.  Works do not save us.  However, spiritual disciplines do draw us close to the heart of God.

 If we are faithful to practice, God will grow us in grace.  Practice precedes progress.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

            I know what you may be thinking, “James is having a little trouble with the timing of his blog.  He must have thought we would get it before December 25^th.”

            Actually, I have done this on purpose; there is no mistake.  I realize that Christmas music disappears from the radio on December 26. Christmas trees are mostly bare, and only a few gatherings to celebrate the season remain.  By New Year’s Day, people will have turned off their lights and packed away the Christmas decorations with only the pounds we have gained to serve as a reminder of our celebration of Emmanuel, God with us. However…if you are reading this post on or before January 5^th, let me once again say, “Merry Christmas.”

            We spend four weeks in faithful preparation for the coming of baby Jesus through the season of Advent – a fact that our commercially driven society has been quick to embrace.  The other part of this celebration that we tend to neglect is the season of Christmas.  Yes, much like the seasons of Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost, Christmas day marks the beginning of the season of Christmas. Christmas is traditionally a season of 12 days between Christmas Day and Epiphany set by the 567 Council of Tours held in France. In Germany, Belgium and Holland the twelve days began on December 25 and running through January 5^th. In England, December 26^th marked the first day of (after) Christmas. (Haidle)

            We even have a Christmas song that celebrates each of these days and the gifts that we have received from “our True Love.” Throughout this season we celebrate the many gifts of grace that God has given us. Helen Haidle’s book The Real 12 Days of Christmas (Gold ‘n’ Honey Books, ©1997) gives us an example of some of the meaning behind the song.

            When you see Christmas songs in the bulletins for New Year’s Eve or see the church decorated through Epiphany Sunday, realize that we are not just clinging to a season long past.  We have joined with 1500 years of tradition as we rejoice in the fullness of God’s gift in Jesus Christ. So, Merry Christmas!

Grace and Peace,

Getting Ready for Christmas

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

Mark 1:1-3, NRSV

Are you ready for Christmas? This early in December, most people would say, “No!” Have you spent some time getting ready for Christmas? Well now, that’s a different story.  We have decorated our church at Main Street UMC and have already had our Holiday Market on Main.  After December 3, we will have decorated our sanctuary with our beautiful and moving Hanging of the Greens service.  Many of us have decorated our homes (or at least begun the process) with Christmas trees, stockings, and lights galore. Maybe we have started to turn on Christmas music in our cars and homes or purchased Christmas presents in anticipation of the numerous gatherings. And yet, if we have done all of these things, it is possible that we have still not done anything to get ready for Christmas.  
Fortunately, the church year offers us an opportunity to get ready – a season called Advent. The church calendar begins with a four week time of preparation as we get ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas.  Advent derives from the Latin “ad-venire" which means "to come to."  This season gives us opportunity to hear the voice of John the Baptist as he cries to “prepare the way of the Lord.”
John does not ask for people to begin baking fruit cake or to make a wish list for Santa. He “[proclaims] a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4, NRSV) In order to prepare the way for Jesus, we do not need to focus on anything that has to do with decorations or appearances.  Instead, we are reminded that to get ready for the coming of our Savior is to turn away from those parts of our lives that are not Christ-centered and to receive the forgiveness that only the grace of God in Jesus Christ provides.
During this Advent season, may we not only prepare our homes, but may we also prepare our hearts for the coming of our Prince of Peace. Only then will we be truly ready for Christmas.
Grace and Peace,

The Opposite of Love

        This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.  We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous.  So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

        If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.  Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

        We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

        Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.  Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.  Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

        Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.  And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

        And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.  Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. --1 John 3:11-24

            In the wake the dead and wounded at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, I cannot understand how we have arrived  where we are in the United States. My heart aches and reels as I think of the senseless act of violence that occurred during this time of worship where most of the congregation present was shot and many have now joined the church triumphant.  I know that this is not my most eloquent blog.  I am trying to find expression to a deep pain I feel for so many today.

            In a way, the many recent attacks should not surprise us.  In the 1 John, the Bible teaches that there is evil present in the world.  We have seen its manifestation since the time of Cain and Abel. Evil and hatred cannot stand those who seek to be faithful.  Even Jesus told his disciples that they would be hated and persecuted for his name’s sake.

            As hard as all of this is to comprehend, I am taken aback by something that is far more dangerous, much more malignant, that I am beginning to see and hear. It is the opposite of love being shared throughout our nation in response to this violence.

            No, I am not talking about hatred. I am not talking about anger or malice. It is apathy – just not caring.  In 1 John 3, the Bible asks, “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?” How can we have love and show no compassion?  How can we see the evil and violence and not respond with outrage?

            We have become a culture so inundated with mass attacks and murders that we seem to be losing our ability to deal with them.  We turn off our emotions.  We do not allow the news to “get to us.”  We get myopic in our vision and can only see the narrowest tunnel directly in front of us.  It’s not that we approve of what has happened; we just do not react much, if any, at all.  

            We go on with our lives pretending that everything is just as it was before. But, things are not the same. The world continues to change.  Evil continues to find its expression through countless actions big and small throughout our nation.  The Church needs to decide how we will respond in the face of such active and present evil.

            One of the greatest moments of condemnation for the early church comes in the Book of Revelation.  In a series of letters to 7 churches, Jesus gives words of encouragement and warning to those being persecuted – except to the church in Laodicea. Instead of encouragement, they receive only anger as Jesus says, ““I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (NLT, Revelation 3:15-16) 

            The word for ‘spit’ as it appears in the Greek is really closer to ‘vomit.’  They are not hot, but neither are they cold.  It is a 'lukewarmness' that is more than unpleasant. Jesus tells the church in Laodicea that their apathy makes him sick at his stomach, makes him want to throw up. Of all the faults and flaws that the early church could have, apathy is the one that gets the strongest reaction.

            We are called to love.  Love moves us to compassion.  Love moves us to mercy.  Love drives us to cry out for justice. Love leads us to sacrifice for the sake of another.  In the midst of the barrage of violence in and through our culture, love demands a response.

            I do not have an answer to the problem of evil in our society. However, I do know that apathy will only create the environment needed for it to grow.  It is time for the Church to once more be known – not by our buildings, our programs, or our scandals.  It is time for the Church of Jesus Christ to be known by our love.  We must cry out as individuals, as congregations, and as denominations calling evil by name, wrapping victims in arms of love, and helping potential perpetrators find the redemptive love of Christ.

            Our world needs the Church to be known for our radical love. May God have mercy on us and give us strength as we seek to love today.

Grace and Peace,

Not a Spectator Sport

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[e] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 

--1 Corinthians 12:12-17

As fall approaches, the days begin to shorten, the mornings begin to cool, and people everywhere seem to be infected with a most curious disease called football.  Football, especially college football,  is like a religion in many places around the US. 

Rising before the sun, scores of faithful fans begin the trek across the state to spend all day tailgating in preparation for the big game. The crowds roar and are filled with a passionate frenzy that hits a crescendo if their team wins following a close contest. Many pastors have longed for people to “get ready for worship the same way they get ready for games.”

I don’t.

Football, by nature, is a spectator sport.  We show up to watch the players on the field.  We listen to the commentary.  We might even get a bite to eat.  When we return to our cars, we leave the game behind.  Win or lose, the contest is over, and it is time to get on with our lives.

I don’t want Christians to approach worship as they do football because following Jesus is not a spectator sport.

God has called us by name, claimed us in the waters of baptism, and empowered us through the Holy Spirit.  Each one of us has a role to fill; each one of us has a ministry for which God has prepared us.  Only as the whole church, the entire Body of Christ, answers the call of God can we fulfill God’s mission as intended.  No person is insignificant. Not a single person is unimportant.  We all have a place in this journey of faith. For in the life of a disciple, we can never be content to simply sit and watch. We are all part of the team, part of the Body of Christ, sent out for mission and ministry every day of our lives.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor James 

Power of Stories

            Everyone enjoys a good story. We have whole industries that revolve around the ability of an author to create a compelling series of events that can enrapt an audience and captivate the imagination.

            If you want to see another person’s eyes light up, ask them to tell one of their stories.  You may have heard it before (perhaps a dozen times), but the twinkle and delight is real.  When I was younger, I used to spend countless hours in the car riding through the countryside with my Granny.  Inevitably, she would persuade one of her friends, or just a person who needed to get out of the house, a ride with us.  We would “go to gallivant.” That meant that it  was a roaming trip down one road and back another to a destination that had not yet been determined.  One day we took my piano teacher, Miss Mary Lou Couch, to gallivant.  On the way, Granny asked if Mary Lou would like something to drink. The affirmative response led to Granny wheeling into the first Seven Eleven.  With Mary Lou waiting in the car, Granny bought the largest Big Gulp that she could find. Mary Lou was delighted! She laughed and rolled and recounted the story over and over until the day that she died.

            We all have our stories, and I have enjoyed learning a few of those here at Main Street.  I still delight in seeing the twinkle appear in people’s eyes when they begin a personal or family favorite.

            Let us also remember that each of us is called to tell another story – an old, old story. The story of a love that would not be kept away by sin. The story of a love that conquered death on our behalf. Let us grow comfortable with the old, old story of Jesus and his love.  In this way, when people ask where we find our hope, when they ask for the source of our joy, we can say, with a twinkle in our eyes, “Sit down for a minute, and let me tell you a story.”

Grace and Peace,

Pastor James

Faithful to Complete It - Pickens Ministerial Association message April 4, 2017

³ I thank my God every time I remember you, ⁴ constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, ⁵ because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷ It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart,^[d] for all of you share in God’s grace^[e] with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight ¹⁰ to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, ¹¹ having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

 Philippians 1:3-11, NRSV

          I was asked if I would share my closing message preached today at the Pickens Ministerial Association Lenten Luncheon. I have added a few pictures to help illustrate this brief message.  May it be a blessing to you.

          You may have heard through the last few weeks that Ashley and I will be moving at the end of June.  In the United Methodist system, a bishop appoints pastors to churches, and our bishop is sending the two of us to the Greenwood area.  Ashley will be the pastor of two churches, much as Pastor Kevin has been the pastor at two Seventh-day Adventist churches (Pickens and Anderson.)  I will be pastoring a different congregation a short distance away from her.

          With this reality in mind, I recognize that today will be the last opportunity to speak with many of you. We have made our home in Pickens County for the last 13 years, and we will miss you.  I especially appreciate the other pastors and churches of our ministerial association. You have always accepted me just as I am and made me feel a valued part of the Pickens Community.  I ask that you offer the same hospitality to my successor, Rev. David Taylor, who will be with you starting in July.

          Because of the time…the season we are in…I wanted to share from Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  Traditionally, scholars believe that he wrote this letter while in prison in Rome – knowing that he would never be free again – knowing that he would never see this church that meant so much to him any longer.  I understand his sorrow mixed with hope…

          I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.  (Philippians 1:3-5, NRSV)When you share days in mission and ministry together – it’s easy to share in the fond memories of the days we have had…joy and thanksgiving flow easily.

          I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart for all of you share in God’s grace with me.(Philippians 1:6-7, NRSV)

          Was the work of the Philippians finished?  Had Paul accomplished everything he had hoped in the community of Philippi?  No – God had begun the work…but it was not complete.

          I don’t know about you, but when I work, I often make a mess.  I start with a clean table, all of my tools carefully put where they belong, my thoughts organized, and a picture of where I am headed.  But, how does that expression go…”If you’re going to make an omelet….you have to break a few eggs.

          For example, I have a project here. I started with bunches of strings of what some would call Mardi Gras beads.  They were perfectly fine…that is, until I cut them.  

 I utterly destroyed this whole batch of necklaces. To anyone who looked at things at this point, it looks like a mess. It appears that all of my time has been wasted in an effort that led nowhere.

          “God who began a good work in you,” says Paul, “will be faithful to complete it.” God isn’t finished with us yet.  We are a work in progress.  How do I know this? because we all share in God’s grace together.  God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, uses seasons like Lent to take us and shape us. God uses seasons of change and even the grief that we share to form us and mold us.

  As you can see, the apparent mess is beginning to change. God who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. 

          I am not naïve enough to think that God’s work in Pickens began when I moved here.  How absurd would that be?  God has been at work in Pickens for 150 years – as long as Pickens has been here. Nor do I believe that a single season of Lent will have every one of us suddenly living every day exactly like Jesus.  This season changes us, but we recognize that God’s work is not finished. If we trust that God, the ultimate artist in the world, has begun a work, we believe that God will be faithful to complete it.

          Even when we do not at first recognize the creativity in the process, God works all things for good who believe in him. 

          I believe that God who began a good work in Pickens will be faithful to complete it.  We will miss each other.  We will think of each other with love and fondness. We will lift one another up in prayer.

          We will not lose our hope.  God’s hand continues to work and build and grow.  I know that as we are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that God will produce something beautiful in our midst – even if at times it seems like things are a mess.

          I leave you with these words from Paul, as they become my prayer for you:

         

 “this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11, NRSV)

Grace and Peace,