Presents Presents, and Presence

 

Presents Presents, and Presence

 

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

A variety of gifts but one Spirit 

12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be ignorant.

12:2 You know that when you were gentiles, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak.

12:3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.

12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit,

12:5 and there are varieties of services but the same Lord,

12:6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.

12:7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

12:8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,

12:9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

12:10 to another the working of power deeds, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

12:11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

“Gifts” of the Spirit have messed up the church for millennia. I don’t think that was God’s intent. The gifts of the Holy Spirit that Paul addresses several times in his writings, and here in today’s passage from First Corinthians, are meant for “the common good.” Why, then, have they often so divided us? The whole Charismatic/Pentecostal side of the church revel in the “sign” gifts such as speaking in tongues and healing, while less “spirited” branches of the church crave wisdom, knowledge, faith, and discernment of Spirits, all of which seem to have more practical applications than “ecstatic” tongues and Oral Roberts-like “laying on of hands.” 

 

As one who passed through the “Charismatic” movement while having my young-adult “Aldersgate” renewal experience, I am sympathetic to those who venerate and practice the “sign” gifts. I suppose I should explain the Aldersgate reference, first. I grew up in a vital, large United Methodist Church that was blessed with a series of solid clergy leaders, courtesy of the itinerant system practiced by our denomination. And while I was an every week church attender with my family, and even an officer in the youth group while in high school, my Christian faith was pretty pedestrian. I certainly believed in God, and thanks to sitting under good preaching and the witness of faithful lay leaders, I understood the salvific work of Jesus Christ, the importance of his teachings for the world, and his “membership” as part of the godhead. In the denominational church, the role of the Holy Spirit was mostly that of a loving Mom—supportive, soothing, guiding, and protecting. There were no supernatural manifestations of the Spirit’s presence, other than a warm, inner feeling if an anthem was exceptional and “struck a chord” in our psyche, or a particularly poignant sermon hit home. Then, I went off to college to study journalism.

 

One night, while gloating in my college dorm room that my life was unfolding just as I wanted it to, and feeling pretty good about myself, I had a very personal encounter with the Living God. I can’t explain it, really, except to say that I had a “conversation” with God, who seemed to be saying that I was at an important juncture in my life, and that I had been making plans with little consultation with my Creator. This experience, which for me is best understood as my own personal “Aldersgate” moment, set me on a new plane of faith in Christ, one that I am still exploring and growing into, even as a retired pastor at age 70. For Wesley, his experience at a Bible study with a group in a house on London’s Aldersgate Street changed the direction of his life and gave birth to Methodism. For me, my “Aldersgate” experience led me to a sojourn through the “Jesus revolution” happening in the early 1970s, the Charismatic movement paralleling it, and eventually to discern a call into ordained ministry, several years later.

 

During this journey, I fellowshipped with a group of Christians in my home town who were involved with the Charismatic renewal movement, and most especially what we now call the “sign” gifts. At prayer meetings, Bible studies, and even worship services with these folks, it was not unusual to hear some of them “speaking in tongues,” and from time to time, one person might speak out loud in this ecstatic, “heavenly tongue,” followed by another who had the spiritual gift of “interpretation of tongues.” As a late-teen young adult, this was all quite stimulating, as well as quite a fuel for my curiosity. It seemed like a very personal “sideling up” to God, and led many of us normally carnal teenagers into a much deeper relationship WITH God, focused on Jesus. Unfortunately, this fascination with the charismatic gifts also led to disputes over what gifts were still “operative” in the Body of Christ, and which ones should be eschewed or abandoned, due to their schismatic tendencies. This experience has led me to accept the legitimacy of the “sign” gifts, and not to disparage them, when they are properly employed, but to also understand that they may be optional in their incorporation in one’s spiritual practice. As a mainline pastor, I chose to not promote the “sign” gifts, but instead focused on the many other manifestations of the Holy Spirit that truly “built up” or edified the church, such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, and healing.

 

This brings me to what I believe to be the core of this message on the gifts of the Spirit the apostle profiles here. God presents these PRESENTS, as a means of being PRESENT to the church and to its Christ followers, in order to empower their witness and promote the work of the gospel. The goal is not to glorify the gifts themselves, or the people to whom they are gifted. Spiritual gifts are tools, not trophies, or jewelry to be worn as a sign of the intensity of one’s faith. Again, as Paul writes, they are for the COMMON good. With this in mind, maybe a redefining of these gifts, what they “do,” and their application for Christians and the church in 2024 may be in order. Obviously, I’m not God, so this preacher can’t actually “re-order” these gifts, but since each of us IS given much freedom by God as to how and when to “use” them, I am free to make a few suggestions. Here we go.

 

The gift of “knowledge” I have observed is active when laity or clergy manifest a far above normal ability to assimilate, analyze, and act on complicated information or circumstances. Whether planning strategically for a church’s (or a denomination’s) ministry, or addressing the kinds of crises they—or their communities—may face, the Holy Spirit may impart this gift to focus, coordinate, and combine the thoughts of otherwise widely differing persons and their experience fields. This imparted “knowledge” leads to effective collaboration, and builds a community spirit of cooperation, all to advance the cause of the gospel. 

 

“Wisdom” is a gift that may be learned over time, as most of us on the far side of 39 know. However, the Holy Spirit may also offer this gift of knowing HOW to apply knowledge to problems or opportunities, and to make wise decisions, to those without those years of experience. I have seen this gift working in teenagers who otherwise might manifest the typical foibles of the teen years, which get in the way of such “wise” choices. Believe me, when a teenager comes up with a brilliant idea far beyond their years or expertise, the whole room knows the Spirit is afoot! Or when anyone in a meeting called to deal with a presenting issue leans forward and says, “Here’s what I think we should do,” before sharing a game-changer of a strategy, the same applies. Not that people can’t have their own, smart ideas, but there is a witness in the room that more is happening than is humanly possible—it’s the gift of wisdom at work. 

 

The same can be said of such gifts as “working of power deeds,” which may be akin to a supernatural/intellectual “adrenalin boost.” When a team of teenagers and its semi-skilled adult leaders accomplish a Habitat for Humanity blitz-build of an entire house in a week, you had better believe the Holy Spirit had a “power boost” in the mix. The “gift” of faith may be a similar, sudden “turbocharging” of a person’s or a group’s trust in God that gets them through a crisis or leads them to accomplish an audacious goal. The gift of faith may also be viewed as a faith that arises when someone is mired in deep doubt, lifting them out of their spiritual despair. I’ve seen this “gift” granted to a person in the midst of crippling grief or in the face of a life-threatening diagnosis. 

 

While “sign gift” folk see prophecy as God speaking a message directly to humans, I suggest that it is more often granted as a clear, sober view of current reality, which in turn leads to an effective plan or a solution to a difficult problem. A “prophetic” view is the ability to see things from God’s angle, which probably can’t happen, apart from the Spirit’s agency. This accurate, love-centered “picture” is most helpful in the work of social justice. It counters the WAY too often “image” of reality built upon our human self-centeredness.

 

While not wanting to insult my Pentecostal friends by saying anything negative about the gift of “speaking in tongues” or “interpretation of tongues,” I will say that these ARE gifts that the Apostle Paul warns about how they are used. While he admits to speaking in tongues “more than any of you,” and saying it can be a positive gift, he does say that they may not be understood by “unbelievers,” and can be divisive in a public worship service. I see this gift as mostly something other than the “prayer language” or “messages from God” that Pentecostals may employ. In my experience, I have seen these gifts played out most effectively in the mission field where languages other than English are used. People with these gifts have shown an unusual propensity for learning and employing languages other than their native tongue. Colleagues I’ve been on international mission trips with have demonstrated a unique ability to quickly learn and use the languages of the people among whom they are serving, including the occasional very unusual tribal languages of native peoples. While those of us without these spiritual gifts CAN learn other languages, it requires great labor and much practice to do so, and rarely becomes as “natural” to us as it does to those so gifted. When Paul talks of “seeking the better gifts,” this latter understanding of speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues is what he may have been talking about, as it serves a greater purpose in the ministry of the Gospel message.

 

If you were to ask me which of these gifts stands out the most, I would say “discernment of spirits.” Again, while we all may “learn” to separate legitimate or genuine truth from deception, for example, people with the gift of discernment of spirits have what I would describe as a supernatural ability to detect deception or evil motives at work, and likewise may also discern when GOD is acting or leading, versus merely human agency. The former is an extremely valuable gift to have available in the Body of Christ, for the church—or any fellowship of well-meaning Christian people, for that matter—is too often “ripe” for being exploited by persons seeking to capitalize on our “good intentions” and desire to “love our neighbor.” Interestingly, in several of the churches I served, it was the custodian who manifested this gift! Many times a person would stop by the office with a sob story for the pastor, hoping to use my sympathy/empathy as a path to tapping the “Pastor’s Fund” for aid, and Gary, Dave, or Bob would pull me aside and say something like “Be careful there; something doesn’t ring true about that guy.” I learned to take these “discerned” warnings seriously, and upon a little further conversation with the “client,” found the holes in their story, or caught them in an outright lie about their actual circumstances. I tried not to “judge” these individuals, but these experiences caused me to enter into a pact with my ministerial colleagues in these communities that we would reach out to each other when encountering a person seeking monetary aid. So often when we compared notes, we found these persons to be taking undue advantage of our “assistance.” Again, discerning individuals had the “gift” of being able to detect the error or deception afoot. These same, discerning persons would also often be the ones affirming that they “felt the Spirit’s presence” during the worship service, or “knew” that God was touching a certain person in some way. Discernment of Spirits is an easy gift to recognize. It is the opposite of “paranoia” or skepticism, instead manifesting itself as a kind of “spider sense” in the gifted individual. I would definitely put this one on Paul’s list of “greater gifts”!

 

Two important things stand out in our understanding of this passage about Spiritual gifts: they are “activated by the Holy Spirit,” as the author says; and they manifest the presence of God in the midst of God’s people. As I stated earlier, the spiritual gifts are given for the “edification (building up) of the Body of Christ,” and to be used as tools for ministry and mission. They are NOT jewelry or medals “worn” as a sign of heightened or superior spirituality. As the title of the sermon says, they are PRESENTED by God as PRESENTS to the Body, and they demonstrate God’s PRESENCE in our midst! It just doesn’t get better than that! Oh, and lest I forget, I urge each of you to SEEK these gifts of the Spirit. Don’t shy away from them, as they are essential for accomplishing any church’s vision and carrying out the ministry to which God has called us. Amen!

 

For the Birds...

 

For the Birds

 

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

The baptism of Jesus 

 

3:15 As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,

 

3:16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

 

3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

 

3:21 Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,

 

3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

 

 

I’ve learned a lot from birds. We have a backyard full of them, especially when I feed them with the hundreds of pounds of black oil sunflower seeds I buy at the Mars, PA Agway store. In the Winter, like we are experiencing now, they come in droves. We also provide them with water, via a large “bird wash” that is heated so it doesn’t freeze. Here are a few of the observations of these winged guests:

 

·      Blue Jays are mean birds, usually chasing other birds away from the feeder, a behavior I really don’t understand, given that they tend to land, grab a seed or two, and fly off to a nearby tree to crack the shell and eat the seed. Why do they feel they have to arrange for exclusive access to the feeder when this is how they feed? If they were people, they might remind me of those folk who take forever ordering their food in the drive-in lines at fast-food places, then take more time checking through their order at the pick-up window, while others wait behind them. Unlike the drive-up folk, though, at least the Jays are pretty, and they put on an exciting show at the bird wash, even though they do manage to splash much of the water out onto the ground during their “performance.”

 

·      I can see why Cardinals are most folks’ favorite Winter birds. The male of the species is beautiful, with its bright red feathers that stand out so nicely against the newly fallen snow. The males seem to stand guard in the low branches of nearby trees while the females get their fill of seed, before taking their turn at the feeder. And then while the males perch at the feeder, they seem to intentionally “kick out” seed from the feeder to the ground birds below, only pausing to eat every few cycles. Again, they seem to be watching over the ground birds as they eat. They appear to be courteous and caring members of the bird community, and while accompanying their paired female at the bird wash, they hold back until the female has drunk her fill and leaves before drinking, themselves. 

 

·      In the Winter, I supply the cages on the side of our Audubon feeder with suet cakes, having read that birds need the extra fat during the cold months. While the other birds do occasionally visit the suet stations, they are mostly monopolized by the two or three species of woodpeckers that we see. Mostly we see the Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, and boy, do they hit the suet hard, especially when it’s really cold. I guess if your standard modus operandi involves rapidly smacking your beak on a tree to bore a hole to lure food into, you might need to rethink that process when the temperature falls into the teens, so a convenient suet cake is your “drive-in” option. I rarely see the woodpeckers at the seed perches, but neither are they territorial at the suet cakes if other birds decide to take a hit. And they don’t give ground if a Blue Jay tries to shew them from it, either. They seem to know their place at the feeder, and respect the other birds.

 

·      We see numerous other little finches and wrens at the feeder, many of which prefer to glean the ground feed kicked out by the Cardinals. The little Purple and House Finches will actually cue up along the deck railing for their turn in line at the bird wash, too. They are both polite and skittish, rapidly flitting away if I glance at them through the window. The finches seem to be the “cleanest” of the backyard birds, frequently taking long and vigorous baths in the bird wash. 

 

·      I confess that my favorite of the backyard birds are the Mourning Doves. These chubby rascals visit in small flocks, may be seen perching to feed, from time to time, but preferring to peck through the ground feed. While leaving the other birds alone, they DO manifest a bit of territorial mastery with each other, especially while feeding immediately under the feeder. They are fun to watch when they perch to feed, as their balance isn’t all that great, and they kind of teeter. The same is true when they perch along the edge of the bird wash, which they will often do for minutes at a time. They are not at all bashful about it, and will literally stare back at me when I am watching them at the bird wash from the window. This time of year, they seem to be rather portly, but not being an ornithologist, I’m guessing this could be extra fluffy feathers? I like to watch them take off, too, as they are a bit like a C-130 cargo plane trying to get its big carcass in the air, and they make a funny little noise when they take flight. It sounds a bit like the “whoop, whoop, whoop” that Curly of the Three Stooges used to employ. I imagine the “MDs,” as I call them for short, to have personalities much like Curly’s, as they don’t seem exceptionally bright. However, when they sing their song, I just stop what I’m doing and listen, as it is quite profound. It’s somber, haunting tone is obviously why they are called “Mourning Doves.” I find their song peaceful and soothing. While the MDs appear slow and sluggish, I have never seen one of our neighborhood’s roaming cats get even close to nailing one, as they always seem to get airborne just in the nick of time. 

 

Birds have a prominent place in our biblical record of the Judeo-Christian faith, too. Jesus referenced birds when he said in Matthew, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” He also said that “Not a sparrow falls from the sky without the Father’s consent.” At the least, Jesus was a birdwatcher! However, the “starring bird” of the Bible is most certainly the dove, which is mentioned over 50 times. The dove is a symbol of both peace and reconciliation in these references. Remember that after the flood, Noah sends out a dove, and when it brings an olive branch back in its beak, he knew the flood was ending? The dove with the olive branch has become a symbol of peace. Doves were also sacrifices offered in the temple, including by Mary and Joseph when they presented Jesus. 

 

Today’s text from the Revised Common Lectionary is the “Baptism of the Lord” text, and it is a dove that comes down from heaven as a “bodily form” representing the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus. As mysterious as doves are—especially my little friends the Mourning Doves--the Holy Spirit does them one better, doesn’t she? 

 

[It has been my practice to use the feminine pronoun when talking about the Holy Spirit, as a means of inclusion in the Godhead. The New Testament word for Holy Spirit—pneuma—is feminine, and in the Godhead, we have the “Father,” the “Son,” and why not the “feminine” presence of God in the Holy Spirit? I have always felt this made good sense, given that the Holy Spirit is a PERSON of the Godhead, not an “it,” or just some “force” emanating from God, and if a person, why NOT understand the Holy Spirit as feminine in nature given that WE are made in God’s image, and “male” and “female” are at the ends of the sexuality continuum. God embodies the entire spectrum, which includes female, so I tend to refer to the Holy Spirit as “she.” And YES, it gets me into trouble with the conservatives, but I stand by it.]

 

In Jesus’ time, the idea of the Holy Spirit was hard to define. God was certainly viewed by the ancients as a “spiritual being,” and God’s “Spirit” was a thing, but being strict monotheists, the Jews would not have seen the Spirit as anything but some “extension” or manifestation of the one God. In actuality, Christians and our belief in the Holy Trinity ALSO believe in ONE God, but manifest in three “persons,” a construct which drives the monotheists crazy. Christians do not believe in three Gods, but we do postulate God as manifesting Godself as a “community” or a “family,” in three “persons.” It is considered heresy to “de-personify” the Holy Spirit into some benevolent force or “power” sent forth by God, as stated earlier. The “bodily” reference of the dove in the Luke text is quite important, in this regard, but a dove? Why a dove? In the context of the event of Jesus’ baptism, the dove—a symbol of peace and reconciliation—descending from heaven an alighting on Jesus makes perfect sense, as Jesus, himself, will BE the Prince of Peace, and the means of reconciliation for all of humankind. Doves descend gently, they don’t divebomb, as is often depicted on stained-glass windows, and their soothing sounds remind us that God loves us, redeems us, heals us, and wants peace to be a reality, “alighting” on the human community. 

 

Of course, there is another element of the dove, as I related in my earlier description of the Mourning Doves in my backyard—they are patently unpredictable. How great is THAT as a symbolic element of the Holy Spirit? I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been able to predict regularly and accurately the way which the “wind” of the Holy Spirit is blowing, and when it DOES become clear, then I have to make the choice to FOLLOW that “wind” in the direction she chooses, even when I’m not fully passionate about it. God’s Spirit has her own agenda—God’s agenda—and it does not always align with MY agenda! Just when I think I’ve got God figured out, the dove of the Holy Spirit does that “Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!” thing and flies off in a different direction. If I close my eyes and put myself in a prayerful, “listening” attitude, though, I may hear that comforting, soothing song of the Spirit.

 

Unpredictable? The Celtic Christians have long seen the Wild Goose as the symbolic “bird” of the Holy Spirit, for precisely this reason. As they say, the Wild Goose pops up when you least expect it, it does what IT wants to do, and you simply can’t tame it. In the Celtic Christian tradition, this makes much more sense as a an analog for the Holy Spirit, who likewise is not “tamable” and is working GOD’S agenda, not ours. And those things can get NASTY with you, if you don’t pay attention!

 

I guess the general idea of some type of “bird” reference for God’s Holy Spirit works for me, having spent so much time watching the “community” of birds in my backyard, as they seem to work things out, just like we need to be able to do in the Christian church, if we are to accomplish the mission of the Gospel. And while the Holy Spirit was sent by God to “alight” on us and on the church, she was also meant to fly and sing, and these are two things the church must do, both to praise God and to SERVE God. Like I learn from birds, so we may learn from our charismatic or Pentecostal siblings who spend much time “tuning in” to the Holy Spirit and yielding to her leading. The work of the Holy Spirit is not just “for the birds,” nor is it to be ignored by the modern Christian who wants to be a “tuned in” disciple and servant leader. In this regard, the church needs more Cardinals to guard and feed the community, and Mourning Doves to offer the soothing song. And that haunting song serves to remind us that it was a death that launched our redemption, but the “Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!” of taking flight that reminds us that a resurrection empowers us and gives us hope! Maybe THAT’S what the church needs—more “Whoop!” Amen!

Your Lavish Riches

Your Lavish Riches

 

Ephesians 1:3-14

The will of God made known in Christ 

1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

1:4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

1:5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,

1:6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

1:8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight

1:9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,

1:10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

1:11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,

1:12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

1:13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;

1:14 this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

 

Beginning the New Year with grace sure sounds like a good idea. We human beings seem to have a problem with generating our own grace, so let’s talk about God’s grace, for the purpose of this first 2025 sermon. Biblically, we tend to define GOD’S grace as “God’s unmerited favor.” Like any definition or explanation of the Holy Trinity, this definition falls far short of all that God’s grace—extended to the creation and especially humankind—actually is. We know that God has shown grace to God’s people since the proverbial Garden of Eden, or we all wouldn’t be here, at least as we and Hollywood tend to understand Deity. In fact, maybe THIS is our problem in defining grace—we’ve got GOD all wrong. What if God IS grace, even as the Bible says God IS love? What if the very existence of God IS as a being who, from the earliest thoughts of the creation to Earth’s final whimper, is a giant “Pez dispenser” of grace? 

 

This would be the thought of a process theologian. The “grandaddy of them all” passed away late last year—the United Methodist scholar, John Cobb. Process Theology sees God AS a dispenser of grace, with the goal of reconciling all of creation AND the human community into a concrescent, loving community. While some have criticized Process Theology as “non-Christian” because it purportedly has a “weak Christology,” I would submit that for the Process thinker, Christ is the ultimate “concrescent” being—fully encompassing both God AND humanity. And as such, Christ introduces into the human community the possibility of total unity with God AND each other. In Christ, the grace-giving God offers what Karl Barth said was the great “YES” to the world, making possible humanity’s full reconciliation and redemption. Without the Christ event, God historically had to just keep “luring” humanity toward blessedness by laying down bits of saving grace like breadcrumbs before a hungry animal. After the Incarnation and the totality of the Christ Event, humanity is now “enlightened” to see the flow of God’s grace and to live in such a way as to stay within that “flow.” Our journey’s path is not perfectly straight, due to our fits, foibles, and imperfections, but it IS “moving on to perfection,” as Mr. Wesley might put it.

 

Speaking of Mr. Wesley, he was partly famous for being a preacher of grace, and for attempting to shine a light on God’s grace in such a way as to help us understand how it applies to our lives. He saw God’s grace taking three forms:

 

PREVENIENT grace, or that which “goes before.” Prevenient grace was that which guided a “pre-cognitive” human being Godward. United Methodists put a lot of weight behind prevenient grace, believing it is particularly the agent of Christian baptism, and most especially of infant baptism. 

 

JUSTIFYING grace, or the “grace of salvation.” Justifying grace is that which offers the “all-ee, all-ee IN free” to humanity through the Christ Event. It is a “yes” grace, announcing to the world GOD’S “yes,” and then eliciting a “yes” response from the person recognizing and receiving this “saving” grace. 

 

SANCTIFYING grace, or the “on to perfection” grace. Sanctifying grace is that which guides us to “live out” what we believe, as Christians, and to work toward becoming the person WE want to be and which GOD wants us to be. (Incidentally, as a Process Theology thinker, I would suggest that most of Process Theology operates in the realm of this sanctifying grace.)

 

The most controversial of the Wesleyan “graces” would have to be JUSTIFYING grace. Conservative “Methodists” pretty much ascribe to the “Four Spiritual Laws” idea of popular evangelicalism. It goes something like this: we are sinners, needing God’s pardon, or we’re eternal toast; in Christ’s shedding of blood and death on the cross, human sin is “atoned for”; if we say the Sinner’s Prayer and confess Christ as lord, this “blood is applied,” and we are forgiven by God; and then God has a “wonderful plan for our life.” The hope of all evangelicals is that THEIR process leads to a dramatic transformation of the sinful life, and living happily ever after. The problem with it is that rarely is this the actual human reality. I have met too many Christians who deeply struggle with the fact that their lives are NOT going the way this evangelical thought-line teaches it SHOULD, and they feel so shamed by it. Oh, there ARE the occasional, miraculously-transformed lives, but this is not the experience of so many, who are chastised for “not following the program,” and made to own the blame of their faith malaise. Where’s the grace in that? The other problem with this evangelical model is that it is not Wesleyan.

 

Wesley certainly advocated a disciplined life for his followers, but it was launched and fully empowered by GOD’S grace, and in its striving for perfection, advocated for “acts of mercy,” or the “good works” of the faithful. In helping to bring about human social justice and helping those victimized by the social stratifications of the monied interests, we became co-creators of a more beloved, “concrescent” community, moving ourselves AND the human community toward God’s “perfection.” Wesley understood—and taught—that this “perfection” had nothing to do with “law” and everything to do with grace and love. God was pleased when God’s people were fed, clothed, sheltered, and embraced, NOT just by individual Christians keeping a list of rules which are often mislabeled as “God’s law.” The purpose of God’s “law” was to bring about the concrescent, beloved community, in the first place, NOT just to appease Deity. We sure get that all backwards. Mr. Wesley did not, but WAY too many folk who consider themselves Wesleyan do. 

 

While we’re at it, let me suggest two other “elements” of grace to add to John Wesley’s Prevenient, Justifying, and Sanctifying:

 

INDIVIDUAL grace, or the grace YOU need. It is clear from the life of Jesus that God does NOT see us as just a bunch of smelly sheep needing a random shepherd. Jesus cast himself as the GOOD shepherd who “knows his sheep’s voice.” Each person has value to God, and God offers grace that each of us needs. Clearly, MY needs may be VERY different than YOUR needs. Jesus Christ is not a “one size fits all” Savior! If it is true that “every hair (or follicle) on our head is numbered,” then God sees us for who we are and understands what we need to thrive at any one moment. (Here we are in the Process Theology model again, aren’t we?) 

 

CORPORATE grace, or the grace that empowers concrescent, beloved community, and that is essential to its ongoing unfolding in the “real” world, and to its survival. Corporate grace is the grace of the church, or the “Body of Christ,” and it is the grace wielded by the Holy Spirit as she weaves us together and guides our pathways toward God’s goal of a SINGLE pathway toward reconciliation and “concrescence” with Godself and each other.

 

I’m tempted to suggest yet another form of grace: the grace of patience, as we certainly struggle with each other’s current sitz im leben, which “must be wrong,” for it differs from MINE, and we all know I must be right!(?) We surely need this kind of grace to survive our political “civil war,” don’t we? I don’t really think God has a “grace” of patience, but since it IS listed among the “fruit of the Spirit,” the wider means of God’s grace can apply.

 

I called this message “Your Lavish Riches,” because I DO believe that this precisely describes God’s GRACE, offered to us “without price,” other than the price of belief and practice. The Ephesians text makes it clear that God has “lavished” this gift of grace upon us. “Lavished” is an incredible verb! A God who “lavishes” is a God who profoundly loves, not judges. A lavishing God is one who loves all that God has created. A lavishing God grieves when one of God’s “little ones” stumbles. A lavishing God wants the best for us, but ALSO for YOU. 

 

As I write this message about God’s grace, as the author describes in the Ephesians passage, and how God “lavishes” it upon us all, the words of one of my favorite hymns from “The Faith We Sing” goes through my head, which maybe summarizes this discussion of grace:

1.I was there to hear your borning cry, I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized to see your life unfold. 

I was there when you were but a child, with a faith to suit you well;
in a blaze of light you wandered off to find where demons dwell. 

2.When you heard the wonder of the Word I was there to cheer you on;
you were raised to praise the living Lord, to whom you now belong. 

If you find someone to share your time and you join your hearts as one,
I’ll be there to make your verses rhyme from dusk till rising sun. 

3.In the middle ages of your life, not too old, no longer young,
I’ll be there to guide you through the night, complete what I’ve begun.
When the evening gently closes in and you shut your weary eyes,
I’ll be there as I have always been, with just one more surprise.

I was there to hear your borning cry, I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized to see your life unfold. 

Friends, God’s grace IS “unfolding” us, and it is indeed being lavished upon us! May 2025 be a year in which we come to understand just how RICH we are! Amen.

  

Holiday Inn

 

Holiday Inn

 

Luke 2:1-20

2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

² (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

³ And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

⁵ To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

⁶ And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

¹⁶ And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

¹⁷ And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

¹⁸ And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

[Since we’re away this coming Sunday, I’m sharing my Christmas Eve message with yinz via my blog as this week’s retirement sermon. Enjoy!]

 

Yes, the text is the same one I use every year on Christmas Eve, and yes, it’s from the “Authorized Version,” or as it is more popularly known, the King James Version. Why? Let’s just say that Charlie Brown (actually Linus) and tradition win the day. The shepherds being “sore afraid” when the angel of the Lord appears to give them the skinny on what was going on in Bethlehem also carries weight with me. While the “experts” tell us that “sore” just means “very” in King James lingo, I see much more in it. All kinds of things in life make us “sore afraid,” don’t they? That call from the doctor’s office that says, “We got your tests back; you’d better come in,” or the middle-aged Mom of two pre-teens who gets the word that her recent “discomfort” is caused by an unexpected pregnancy. These have every reason to be “sore afraid.” Or word that your pension may be in jeopardy, due to some bad investment management—“sore afraid.” When I was a young teen, and on delivering newspapers in the early dawn hours, and suddenly saw a large dog running my direction, snarling and baring its considerable teeth, BELIEVE ME, I was, in that moment, SORE AFRAID. “Sore afraid” is a fear borne of a sudden threat, the full nature of which one doesn’t yet know, AND has no idea how to face it. The “sore” is that hurtful emptiness that occurs in the “pit” of the stomach, and is amplified by the body’s being suddenly caught between the “fight” or “flight” responses. The “sore” is a kind of paralysis that begins and even lingers between the ears of the one who is afraid. In the case of the shepherds, being “sore afraid” is a group activity. Have you ever faced an angel of the Lord? Neither have I, but even imagining being out in a cold, dark field surrounded by nothing but bleating sheep and a small group of your peers, and to have an angel appear, illuminated by “the glory of the Lord” would probably rob me of my consciousness, at least for a few minutes. “Sore afraid” is one of those fear moments when the blood rushes from your flesh and you turn as white as a turnip. I’m guessing that even the sheep went quiet. I know I’m kind of beating this horse a bit hard, but I’m trying to make the point of the power of the ancient translation of this transformative birth narrative by pointing out how no other rendering adequately captures a phrase like “sore afraid.” 

 

And it’s not the only one: a “decree went out from Caesar Augustus”; Joseph was of the “house and lineage of David”; Mary was “great with child” and “the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.” This wonderful version just keeps casting Christmas images and warms our hearts, especially when the shepherds “make haste” (book it) and “found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe, lying in a manger.” Can’t you just hear Linus reciting this passage, explaining to the disillusioned Charlie Brown what Christmas is REALLY all about? I’m guessing that most of us would have been unimpressed, had Linus quoted a modern translation that states everything in the current vernacular. Have you read what the Heavenly Host says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” in a contemporary translation? The Contemporary English Version translates Luke 2:14 as: “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.” Bor-ing! For me, the King James narrative of this story just grabs me where I’m “sore.” The poetic nature of it soothes, reassures, and paints a picture that has deep, placid colors, quiet, “hushing” sounds, and adoring, young couple witnessing the world’s greatest miracle. The shepherds represent the world. The whole world. The REAL world. None of them was Elon Musk or even Warren Buffet. Neither were they soldiers bearing arms “to protect the child.” They were sheep herders who slept under the stars, had no coffee breaks, and no “day offs.” So it is with most of the people who live on planet earth, and so God invites THEM to the birth of his son. Jeff Bezos wasn’t invited, even with his promise of two-day delivery. Mary had beat that, anyway.

 

Scholars have spent countless lifetimes trying to get to the bottom of what actually transpired that night, both theologically and historically. I know that is their job, but frankly, the human race has decided already how it came down. Luke’s story as told by the King James interpreters is how it works for us. It delivers and aesthetic and a promise of “peace on earth, goodwill toward men” that no collection of facts or hypotheses can top. We shouldn’t really CARE what actually happened, as life is story, and this is our story—the CHRISTMAS story. It speaks to us, and continues to transform us. I’ve argued for years that anything we DO to celebrate Christmas that even nibbles at the edges of “peace on earth, goodwill toward men” is authentic and should not be discouraged. Even if it includes over-shopping, over-eating, and having a bit extra of the “Communion” wine. When people get together in the name of Christ’s birth and love one another, it’s a genuine Christmas, regardless of the trappings. When armies declare a ceasefire on December 25, and those who HAVE, give to those who DON’T, it’s truly honoring the “Heavenly Host.” And when this time of the year we offer a little extra care and affection to our animals, it is certainly a flashback to that first Christmas, because, after all, they were the first witnesses to the miracle, beyond Joseph and Mary. 

 

And speaking of hosts…I have a painful memory of my childhood, and like the manger scene, it is juxtaposed against a great blessing. As kids, my brothers and I LOVED to go on vacation. We were a lower-middle-class family with professional parents who, due to the nature of their jobs, were on and off in terms of regular employment, or at least jobs that paid consistently well. Hence, when our Summer vacation time rolled around, resources were often limited. Yet, our parents NEVER let that get in the way of us getting in the car and heading out. Our folks would often just choose a destination and away we’d go. Of course, this was before the “online” world, or even updated paper travel guides, unless you belonged to “Triple A,” which our budget didn’t allow. So, we’d be bearing down on a busy, Summer destination like Atlantic City, Geneva on the Lake, or Niagara Falls, with no hotel reservations or any idea about where we’d take our meals, other than the “snacks” mom would pack in a small cooler. Often, we’d drive for hours and hours, and night was rapidly approaching. We kids were tired, and the painful Sterling ritual of multiple stops at budget motels to see if they had a vacancy. However, since we were now in popular venues, there wasn’t any “room at the inn.” Sometimes we’d not find a motel that we could afford until close to midnight, and we would all be exhausted. I remember one particular trip when we had already stopped at probably 10 or 12 hotels that had “no room,” and we happened upon a glistening, new, hotel chain that called itself “Holiday Inn.” Their giant, neon marque announced “VACANCY,” and it had a pool! As we pulled in, my brothers and I could see that this place was definitely a cut or two above our usual places. “Holiday Inn” seemed to be saying, “You’re WELCOME here! Come on in!” Of course, dad emerged a few minutes later to report, “They want $40 a night! I’m not paying THAT!” And on we drove. In those late night hours, I came to sympathize with Joseph, Mary, and the babe, although there were some nights I would have gladly bunked in a manger. We boys LOVED vacation, but those night terrors? Of them we were “sore afraid.”

 

What that experience did for me is that my family NEVER went anywhere without reservations! To this day, even when Ms. Dara and I head out for a “random” trip, we STILL pick a direction and reserve a motel room. Our version of the Holiday Inn—which has also gone the way of the Dodo bird, now just “Holiday Inn Express”—is the Hampton Inn. We find kind hospitality, a good bed, and a “free” breakfast there, and with reliable consistency. In terms of spiritual metaphors, my childhood “no room at the inn” experience has also regularly caused me to examine, as a spiritual practice, whether I am granting Jesus “room at the inn” in my life. This has nothing to do with my “salvation,” but everything to do with my “sanctification,” or “living into” what I profess to believe. The hotel “fire drill” of my youth also compels me to be a part of efforts to “welcome the stranger” and “love my neighbor.” Dara and I just recently gave a major gift (for us, anyway) toward helping a political refugee family find a new home in America. There will be room at the inn for them, thanks to the gifts and efforts of a number of concerned Christian disciples. Holiday Inn, indeed!

 

I don’t know about you, but I think we all could use some heart-warming hospitality and “peace on earth” and “goodwill” this year? We’ve just come through an election cycle that has many of us questioning whether our nation will be a “Holiday Inn” to the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” or one that says “GET OFF MY LAWN!” to those looking for room at the inn. People are still dying in the West Bank and in Ukraine. The nation’s wealth continues to migrate upward toward the “one percent of the one percent,” and billionaires have the ear of the incoming President. “Peace on earth” is a no-brainer—we all would like to see the killing end—all killing, including in our schools. But if we have more than three synapses firing, we know that there will never BE peace without justice, meaning until at least persons’ survival is made possible by some level of equity. And THAT won’t happen until humanity “invests” in the challenge of the Heavenly Host: “GOODWILL toward men!” Maybe this Christmas will be a new beginning? Might the angel of the Lord make a curtain call to remind us of who we are and WHOSE we are? This year, may the hearts of American people who claim Christ as Lord be a ”Holiday Inn” for the poor travelers on that endless search for an affordable vacancy. May we, like sweet, young Mary, “keep these things and ponder them in our hearts…” And then, with courage and commitment, act on them in the New Year. Merry Christmas, Dear Ones!

THAT One

 

THAT One

 

Micah 5:2-5a

From Bethlehem comes a ruler 

 

5:2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

 

5:3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.

 

5:4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth,

 

5:5 and he shall be the one of peace.

 

 

I have a lot of “favorite” movies, but one of them is “Finding Forrester,” starring Sean Connery and then newcomer, Rob Brown. Connery plays a J.D. Salinger-styled novelist who writes the “great American novel” (“Avalon Landing”) and then retreats to his agoraphobia, rarely—if ever—leaving his New York apartment. He takes an interest in a young, African American high school student he sees playing basketball out his apartment window, and who has an extraordinary writing ability, himself. The two become friends and “writing buddies,” while the student, Jamal Wallace, winds up playing basketball on a scholarship to a prestigious private school, where he also excels at writing. His writing teacher, played by F. Murray Abraham, doesn’t believe the writing he is turning in is actually Jamal’s, as he is prejudicial against those on athletic scholarships, if not racially so, as well. In the climactic scene in the film, William Forrester bravely ventures forth from his seclusion to visit the classroom and read an essay Jamal Wallace has written, of which his teacher believes he plagiarized from the great author. As Forrester enters the classroom to the shocked surprise of all, not to mention Abraham’s character, he introduces himself, and then points to his own portrait on a wall filled with paintings of famous authors, and says, “I’m THAT one.” 

 

These kinds of dramatic identifications ALWAYS make for good “theater.” In Ronnie Howard’s HBO series about the history of America’s Apollo moon program—“From the Earth to the Moon”—there is a wonderful scene when astronaut personnel director Deke Slayton gathers a group of potential Apollo astronauts into a conference room and announces, “Gentlemen, the man who will be the first to walk on the moon walked through that door today; the men who will make the first moon landing are sitting right here.” The awed silence in the scene I’m sure well mirrors the actual, historical moment it portrays, as those astronauts must have looked around the room at each other and wondered who “those men” were. 

 

Have you ever been singled out for an assignment, a task, a position, or an honor of some sort that was so special it sort of became a life-changing moment? Or at least a moment that signaled that some significant others had endorsed your gifts and/or your abilities by elevating you in this way? In that moment, you became “THAT one!” 

 

Have you ever been selected for a special job, or singled out for a prestigious honor? Don’t feel bad if you’ve never had such a dramatic moment—most of us haven’t—but at least think of a time when someone you DID love or respect “chose you” for their attention. Frankly, when Ms. Dara acquiesced to becoming “Mrs. Jeff Sterling” was the highest such honor I’VE ever received! Although God’s calling me to enter the Christian ministry was a close second (Sorry God…). Do you remember how unique it made you feel? AND, in many cases, it sent us charting a new course for our lives, and resetting our priorities for how we spent our time. 

 

I did have one other such honor when I was asked if I would be willing to be nominated to lead our Conference’s Board of Ordained Ministry. I had served on the board for eight years, under the leadership of two different pastors who were exceptional, inspirational leaders, and when I was approached about being the vice-chairperson, I suggested that I’d rather see a woman in that role. (Our Board of Ordained Ministry, or “BOOM” as it is known, was mostly a throwback to the time when only men were chosen for such roles.) I was told by the nominating committee that they had chosen a woman as the nominee for the chairpersonship, and I was therefore OK with taking the second seat. Not long thereafter, I was again approached and told that after an initial “yes,” due to family circumstances, the chair nominee had pulled her nomination. After being told that our bishop had given me the nod, at this point, I said yes to the lead role, but only if several new women clergy could be added to our board, AND if one of them would become the vice-chair. This all was agreed to, and is what transpired over the following weeks. Hence, I followed in the footsteps of a colleague who was a “giant” in the role as BOOM chair, and was felt exceedingly affirmed by the thought that my bishop and my peers felt that I could do the job. If THAT doesn’t keep you running to God for guidance, wisdom, and “knowledge,” I don’t know what would! I believe that when it comes to any service we are called to in the Kingdom of God, if we ever start to feel WE have “the right stuff” to do the job WITHOUT constantly asking God for help, we’ve most likely crossed the Rubicon into major failure territory. None of us is immune to “grabbing at the reigns,” but when we decide we should drive is when we lose our way. Becoming “THAT one” at any point by being chosen to perform an important calling doesn’t ever mean we have equaled or surpassed the lordship of THAT ONE! 

 

Today’s text is prophetic writing from the minor prophet, Micah. (And remember, “minor prophet” only means they didn’t write as much as did the “major prophets” like Isaiah or Jeremiah; it isn’t a score of the importance of what they wrote!) In this case, Christians see this as a “foretelling” of the emergence of a messianic figure that sure sounds like the Jesus we know. He shall be “the one of peace,” or in more movie drama, “THAT one!” And his responsibilities will be monumental.

 

The ”one of peace” will redeem Israel and “the rest of his kindred.” I know, my Old Testament scholar friends will flag me for “over-Christianizing” the text by interpreting “the rest of his kindred” to mean the rest of humanity and not just the scattered tribes of Micah’s day, but so be it. We ARE living in the post-resurrection era, and we DO now know that Christ came to redeem humanity, not just Israel, so what we now know tends to fog my rearview mirror a bit. It was a big assignment, even for the Son of God, who still must respect the freedom of will that God gave human beings. How it must pain God when God witnesses that such an outpouring of grace and love is somehow either not perceived by some of us, or not deemed “adequate” by others. But as “THAT one” of peace, Christ continues to call us toward Godself, and to “find” this redeeming offer that still stands. 

 

The other roles that THAT one of peace assumed include “feeding his flock,” which is a metaphor for everything from teaching to healing to serving as our “life GPS.” The “Good Shepherd” not only does not abandon the “flock,” but he even goes looking for the single, lost “sheep.” The text says that we shall “live secure” thanks to this “one of peace” and what he will do for us. There is the same danger with making this “living secure” the centerpiece of our faith as there is with believing we can “drive” without God’s continual attention and input, via prayer and our spiritual disciplines, though. Once we feel “secured” by our faith in Christ, the temptation is to enjoy the “shade” offered by Christ and fail to listen for our assignment as a servant in this endeavor. All Christians are gifted and called to servant ministry of some kind. When we keep saying “no” to opportunities to serve, often “hiding” under the excuse that we’re “not good enough” or “don’t have the right gifts,” we grieve the Holy Spirit who can fix both shortcomings very easily. Many years ago I was told something by a wise pastor that I will never forget: “God wants your AVAILABILITY even more than your ABILITY.” If God can raise up stones to offer praise, God can certainly work through my paralyzing fears or “comfortable” laziness. 

 

We light the final Advent candle this weekend, and it is the candle of PEACE—THAT one! On Tuesday night, we will gather to celebrate the birth of God’s ultimate THAT one, the “one of peace” who came to rescue us all, and to call us into service in building God’s Beloved Community. No matter how dark things me be around us, there is a light that never ceases to burn brightly, and it is Jesus Christ, the Lord. His peace WILL prevail, and the Realm of God WILL come, with us or in spite of us. May we proudly light this candle of peace, and may it be a beacon shining through and around our lives to the world that THAT one of Peace has come! Amen!