Peace

I've spent a week, now, trying to figure-out how to use this blog to process my reaction to the bombing at the Boston Marathon. So far I haven't had much luck making sense out of non-sense.

As a citizen, I find myself angry,and worried that this might be the "new normal."

As a parent I grieve with those whose children have been killed or maimed. And I wonder how I would respond if it were my child whose face was plastered on CNN.

As a Christian, I am trying to forgive, but it is not easy.

So I find myself praying for peace.  In Philippians 4 we find familiar, challenging words:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding <Conrad paraphrase: doesn't make sense given the circumstances>, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Maybe together we can pray the prayer attributed to Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me so love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Pastoral Privilege

My Sunday morning routine is, well, pretty routine. Getting the coffee started, checking thermostats in classrooms, distributing class rolls and setting-out bulletins- mostly making sure we're ready to go when the first people arrive. I've been doing this in some form or fashion for almost thirty years- like I said, it's a routine- in a variety of settings.

As we meet at Lockhart I also make it a habit to check-in on our sound and graphics volunteers. These folks  are in place by 8 a.m. on Sunday morning to make arrangements for the technical aspects of our worship. The Lockhart facility has saved us from the regimen of moving furniture every week (been there, done that!) but our media support team must set-up for each service. I admire and appreciate their commitment, skill, and spirit. Too often we only notice their efforts... when something goes wrong!

Many Sundays I am able to enjoy a cup of coffee as our musicians warm-up and review plans for worship leadership. During the service I am in "on" mode and can't really enjoy these aspects of worship. Overhearing the rehearsal and preparation of instrumentalists, vocalists, and other worship leaders is a valued opportunity to "sit back and soak it in."

Last Sunday I enjoyed a special treat.  As our ensemble was preparing to run through their song, Bonna Lenyszyn came in with six-month old Joseph. She didn't blink when I asked if I could hold him! We settled in to hear the music- Joseph, smiling,cooing, and drooling; me- remembering what it was like when our kids could rest on my shoulder. And then, I could "feel" a smile as Christine Braun toddled our way.  Christine, almost two, is Byron and Caroline's daughter, and comes in to "help" Grandmama Serena Verner on her Sunday mornings to work with worship graphics. Christine cuddled next to me and entertained Joseph with smiles, tickles, and giggles.

I like my Sunday morning routine: enjoying the sharing of service, the gift of music, and the smiles of little ones.  It is indeed a privilege to be called "pastor."

Christus Paradox

Sometimes sermon preparation is a lot like hunting for Easter eggs- you never know where you will find the prize! Last week's study helped me find a gift that is still "working on me." We read it as the call to worship and I referenced it in my sermon but these words by Sylvia Dunstan (1955-1993) are worth a careful encounter. Read it silently. Read it again quietly. Read it a third time worshipfully.

You, Lord, are both Lamb and Shepherd.
You, Lord, are both prince and slave.
You, peacemaker and swordbringer.
Of the way you took and gave,
You, the everlasting instant;
You whom we both scorn and crave.

Clothed in light upon the mountain,
Stripped of might upon the cross,
Shining in eternal glory,
beggar'd by a soldier's toss,
You, the everlasting instant,
You who are both gift and cost.

You, who walk each day beside us,
Sit in power at God's side.
You, who preach a way that's narrow,
have a love that reaches wide.
You, the everlasting instant;
You who are our pilgrim guide.

Worthy is our earthly Jesus!
Worthy is our cosmic Christ!
Worthy your defeat and victory.
Worthy still your peace and strife.
You, the everlasting instant;
You who are our death and life.

Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia- you who are our death and our life.

The Waiting Game

We've all prayed  something like this: "OK God, this is what's up, this is what I need. Now, what's taking so long?" We like it when God's approval of our plans comes quickly. Waiting makes us uncomfortable... and the longer we wait the more "squirmy" we become.

We are tempted to interpret a delayed answer as a "no." Sometimes this may be the case. But oftentimes our waiting is the time that God is working.

While we are waiting, God may be at work in the life of someone else. This person may be a part of the answer... or may be encouraged by our response.

While we are waiting, God may be at work in our lives. Sometimes God has work to do in us before God can work for us.

John Waller sings it beautifully:
I am waiting, I am waiting on You, Lord.
And I am thankful, I an waiting on You, Lord.
Though it is painful, but patiently, I will wait.

I am waiting, I am waiting on You, Lord.
And I am peaceful, I am waiting on You, Lord.
Though it's not easy, but faithfully, I will wait.

I will serve You while I'm waiting.
I will worship while I'm waiting.

The psalmist says, "Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)

And as you are waiting, remember: God is working!

24th Anniversary Thoughts

Last Sunday we celebrated the twenty-fourth anniversary of the first public worship service of what we would come to know as "Towne View Baptist Church." As with most anniversaries we took time to remember:

• "Hall of Fame" leaders like Monroe Swilley (pastor/baptist leader), Bob Franklin (director of missions), and Bob Eubanks (layman/baptist benefactor)
• generous, supportive churches like First Baptist Church of Marietta and First Baptist Church of Rome
• those who provided leadership and direction through successive moves from the motel to the shopping center to the school, to the trailers, to the building, and now to Lockhart
• God, who above all, has been faithful through all the twists and turns of the journey

In my sermon I sought to make the case that along the way:

• we have been a mission church- the result of another's mission
• we have been a mission-minded church- giving our money so that others could be missionaries
• we have been a mission-supporting church- encouraging and sending members to "do" missions as an expression of their Christian faith
• we now face the challenge of being a "missional church-" creating an environment where members see themselves as missionaries in their communities of work and leisure and where as a church we see all that we do as a part of God's mission for us.

Anniversaries are a time to look back (where have we been?) with gratitude and look forward (where do we go from here?) with hope.