Elm Street Pastor's Posts

Being Church--First thoughts

2009-09-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

There's currently a lot of conversation in the blogosphere about what it means to be church. This week at Elm Street, we have been engaging in some live conversation about being church together, and about being church into the future.

Earlier today, as I checked my email, I received links to the following blog posts by Dan Dick. After some time reflecting on them, I want to offer them to you.

The first post should sound fairly familiar to anyone who has been a part of our conversations at Elm Street--Church Without Churches. Much as we have done this week, Dan Dick opens a thought experiment about what might happen if tomorrow, every United Methodist congregation found itself without a building. Dan informs his readers that "Approximately 60% of our current membership defines church as attending worship on Sunday morning. “Going to church” describes the fundamental experience for the majority of United Methodists — especially inactives."

How do you primarily define "church?" Is it more about "Going to..." or "Being..." church for you? I'd encourage you to read Dan's blog post and spend some more time thinking about these questions--his insights are powerful and insightful!

The second post I recieved hit home as well. In Irresponsibly Unresponsive, Dan asks us to answer the question "What responsibility does the individual have for her or his own spiritual growth and development?" In it, Dan talks about people who leave United Methodist congregations and their stated reasons, while raising questions about our personal responsibility for Christian discipleship and development. One of my favorite parts of this post is the following:

The majority of people attend church hoping to receive something, but very few express any responsibility to bring anything to worship. (In fact, the question was confusing to many people. We asked two questions: “How do you prepare yourself for worship?” and “What are your regular practices to grow spiritually?” In both cases, “what do you mean?” and “Nothing/None” are the top answers.)

I'd really love for you all to check out Dan's post--I don't want to give too much away, but I can't resist offering the following thoughts for you:

One interesting reaction from 4-out-of-every-5 people who left the church was a sense of indignation, and often outrage, that “the church” would expect anything from them. Various people expressed resentment that they were instructed to pray, read the Bible, regularly attend church, give money, give time, or support congregational projects. The overwhelming opinion is that all these things should be up to the individual.

Again, these thoughts make me want to ask, how do you primarily define "church?" Is it more about "Going to..." or "Being..." church for you?

I'm currently in the midst of a sermon series on "Being Church" that will continue until Christ the King Sunday (the last one before Advent). For those of you who will not hear those live, but who would like to know more, you can listen to the Elm Street UMC Podcasts here.

His Eye Is On the Sparrow

2008-08-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note from the School of Congregational Development in Orlando... As the jazz band plays His Eye Is On the Sparrow, along with a smooth vocal, I'm reminded of the passion we need to find for Jesus in our worship--and the willingness to worship WELL.

Thoughts on Worship this Easter Season

2008-03-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking hard about worship as we have entered this Easter season. I spend a lot of time thinking about worship for each Sunday we are together, but I've been thinking a bit more out-of-the-box, or beyond-the-bulletin lately. What does it mean to be worshippers of the Risen Christ? How do we worship as Christians in a 21st centuray world? What does our United Methodist heritage and the Christian tradition have to tell us about worship, praise, prayer, and Christian community as we gather to celebrate Jesus' Resurrection?

These are heavy questions! I don't have all the answers for our context today, but I do know that what we think is "proper worship," or "the way things have always been," aren't quite so set in stone. I do know that if we have met the risen Jesus, our lives shouldn't be like they used to be. I also know that to worship him means we need to be open to the presence of Christ in our lives, and in our church, and that if the Lord is present, we cannot be in complete control. A traditional way to open worship in Black Methodism is to sing "The Lord is in His Holy Temple, Let all the Earth Keep Silence Before Him." I want to propose, if we think of our lives and our places of worship as The Lord's Holy Temple, and if we believe the Lord is in the house with us, we might find ourselves keeping silence like our brothers and sisters at Green Memorial AME-Zion on Munjoy Hill, where the silence quickly moves to singing, dancing, shouting and praise!

I love old hymns, and I believe that many of the old ways still have power to lead worship well today, but I'm convinced that to be authentic worshippers of the Risen Christ in the 21st century, we need to find ways of communicating the Gospel that are indigenous to the communities around us. For some, that might mean praise music, for others Southern Gospel, for yet others, traditional hymns might work. Whatever music, method, and means we use to communicate with our communities, our worship needs to be truly Spirit-filled. Again, if we really believe the Lord is in the house, if we let the Spirit take the lead, we cannot expect to remain in complete control!

Our United Methodist history has a great deal to teach us about the variety of forms authentic worship can take. Methodists have never worshipped in only one way, and many of those ways might look strange to us today. John and Charles Wesley were high-church Anglicans: They were deeply Sacramental and by all accounts comfortable with formality, vestments, and the kinds of reverence and propriety demanded by 18th century Anglican worship. The Wesley's were also more concerned with helping the people of their society meet Jesus than with preserving worship the way they understand it, and when they found preaching in parish churches a challenge, took to other locations, lining songs without instruments, praying in the Spirit in the moment, and calling for people to give their lives to Christ right where they were. In prayer meetings and some of the early Methodist chapels, some folks found themselves so overcome by the Holy Spirit that they shouted, wept, cried out for God's mercy, fell to their knees and faces, and even shouted with joy, all with little respect for proper order and deference! When the Lord is in His Holy Temple, when the Lord is in the house, there's no telling what might happen!

Over our history, Methodists have sometimes followed John Wesley's admonition to Constant Communion, celebrating at least every Sunday, and often have followed formal orders of worship, with scheduled prayer, singing and silence; we have also followed the Wesley's example, chartering Camp Meetings, Revivals, and other kinds of services, where prayers flow unscheduled, preaching often becomes empassioned, and singing and shouting both in joy and conviction cannot easily be controlled; today, United Methodists worship in more languages and styles than ever before, but at our best, we are always open to the Lord's leadership as we worship together.

I point out our diverse heritage and current practices to suggest that there isn't one right way to worship, but I do want to make two points: there is one thing that all right worship has in common, and there is one thing which we should never let happen to worship. The one thing all right worship has in common is an openness to the work and power of the Holy Spirit, making what we do passionate, exciting, electric, and live! Like all living things, Spirit-driven worship is at least a little unpredictable and open to adapting to its immediate circumstances. The one thing that we should never let happen to our worship is to let it become a dead, dry activity that we try to do without the power of the Holy Spirit. If we are to worship the Living God who made Heaven and Earth, who in Christ lived, died, and rose for us, then we cannot do it without the Holy Spirit, the presence of God with us!

Yes, worship of the Risen Christ is a risky business--but the Church of Jesus Christ is called to take risks in his name, including in our worship! So if the Spirit moves you this Easter season, shout "AMEN!" or "HALLELUJAH!" like those Methodists of old! Raise your hands in the air, in praise or prayer! If the time is right, shout and praise the Lord in the Sanctuary! Dance, shout, jump, and have JOY in the Holy Spirit, like King David and all God's holy people across time!

The Lord IS in His Holy Temple, Let All the Earth Keep Silence Before Him, and Let the Church of Christ praise as the Spirit leads us!

Lent--A Time to Remember to Follow Jesus

2008-02-17T10:52:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that it is already the Second Sunday in Lent! Easter comes extraordinarily early this year, and we've begun preparing already with our 40 days of preparation. (If you're having trouble with the math, we count 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Maundy Thursday--but Sunday's don't count, each Sunday is a little Easter).

This coming Thursday, we will meet for a regular Church Council meeting, and I hope (and plan) to have a new Leadership Team for us to vote on by that time. God is good to us, has given us a variety of gifts, and we are embracing some changes in the way we organize church life here at Elm Street so we can better fulfill God's call to walk with Jesus in mission and ministry in our wider community.

That's the key, each Lent we have the opportunity to think about whether we're really walking with Jesus--and as on Ash Wednesday we hear the call to "Repent, and Believe the Gospel" (or the version I like even better "Turn Away from Sin, and Be Faithful to the Gospel"), we can take this time to refocus our walk with Jesus Christ, and focus on the things that really matter!

I hope to see many of you on Thursday, and pray that God will keep you safe and carry you through even the most challenging of times!

The Day after Charge Conference

2007-10-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, several members of Elm Street UMC participated in our joint Charge Conference with Buxton UMC here in South Portland. We shared food, elected officers for the church for the year to come, and spent time in worship and learning together.

Our District Superintendents led us in worship in the Taize tradition--including chant, times of silence, and a significant time of prayer. While this style of worship was new to many, it seemed to resonate with at least a few in the crowd.

Afterward, Mike and Jan shared with us a time of learning: "Giving is NOT a 4 letter-word!" Ask around--it was funny, biblical, honest, open, and addresses many of the concerns about giving that I've heard at Elm Street and in other places.

I hope that everyone who had the opportunity to hear from Mike and Jan on this subject benefitted by it, and I hope all of you who listened to what they had to say will share what you learned with other folks in the congregation. We need to remember that tithing and giving to the church is our priveledged way to give thanks for what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.

We are not a large church, but Elm Street is blessed to have so many hard workers for a church this size. We are blessed to have people committed to our web ministries, people willing to work so hard to run our suppers, and people who have a heart to improve worship, to pray for one another, and to visit one another when in need.

Today, at the end of worship, I encouraged everyone present to join me for prayer, to help guide us as we move into the future God has for us. Tuesday at 6:30am, we will begin an intentional season of prayer for God's guidance at Elm Street UMC. Some of you might find it hard to get to Elm Street at that hour, but even if you cannot be with us in body, will you join us in spirit, and pray with us, calling on the Lord to guide us? I hope to see many of you Tuesday -- and I hope that the rest of you will set aside 30 minutes either Tuesday at 6:30am, or sometime Tuesday to seek God's guidance for Elm Street UMC.

I continue to keep all of you in prayer, and hope you are keeping one another in prayer as well, as we continue in ministry together.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor David

Back from Leave

2007-09-12T04:37:00.000-07:00

Well,

I'm back from Paternity Leave, and glad to be getting back into a routine with the folks at Elm Street and Buxton! We're now just weeks away from the revival at Beechridge Speedway, October 6, 2007! Noon to 6:00pm we'll be having a wonderful day of fun, fellowship, prayer, praise and evangelism down at the track!

For all of you folks, the Mass Choir from our churches, the Messengers of Hope, Salinity, Beyond Blue, and of course, Bishop Weaver should make the day more than worth your time!

See you at the track!

Multiplication: God’s Amazing Method for Church Growth!

2007-03-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Joshua 5:9-12 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Luke 5:1-11

Kate and David Nicol
Fourth Sunday of Lent: Year C

“…from now on you will fish for people,” Jesus said, “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” What Jesus did that day along the shores of Lake Gennesaret has a great deal to teach us about church growth. Yes, I said Church Growth this time—We’re on to another Natural Church Development sermon, but today, we’re tackling Multiplication: God’s Amazing Method for Church Growth.

Much of NCD is about Church Health, but this growth force is about Church Growth—healthy church growth, but church growth nonetheless. Harnessing the power of All-By-Itself-Growth in Multiplication isn’t always easy…but usually, that’s because we fail to understand what God is calling us to do! So what is God calling us to do? God is calling us to multiply rather than add; God is calling us to accept the natural life cycle of things when necessary; God is calling us to remember that the true fruit of an apple tree is not an apple, but another apple tree! Multiplication works within nature, much like it ought to operate in the Church. Trees, like any other plants, produce fruit not for the sake of fruit, but to carry the seeds of more trees. In nature, that is what multiplication looks like.

What is God’s form of growth? How does multiplication work in the life of the church? The first thing we need to recognize is that our standards aren’t the same as what we learned in school. When it comes to mathematics, the opposite of multiplication is division—but when we think about the natural processes at work in the church and the plant and animal world, the opposite of multiplication is addition—in fact, division is often a key part of multiplication!

We aren’t called to add to our numbers, but instead, to reproduce ourselves—disciples making disciples, leaders making leaders, and churches making churches… This concept is radically different from the way we think things ought to operate. In most committee meetings, or discussions about Church life we talk about adding to our numbers. But we never really talk about multiplication. Instead, we want to see what we have enlarged, with no end in sight. We worry about where to find another committee member to do some of the work. We obsess over finding a couple more pledgers to make up the gap in our budget. We don’t usually think about making more of ourselves, more disciples, more Christians, who will continuously make more disciples, so that these petty, addition problems won’t really be problems…In essence, it’s all about reproduction. That’s what the early church was like. Jesus called the disciples, who themselves called disciples, and whose disciples even called disciples! In 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Paul reminds the Corinthian church about their real purpose—the ministry of reconciliation, “We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” And so we too “…implore…on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

Multiplication today should still look like it did in the early Church. Just like the disciples at Pentecost, and the believers in Corinth, we too have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation. As Disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to be ambassadors to a hurting, broken world, offering them new and full life in Christ!

If we are to produce more life for the Kingdom of God, we need to understand the kind of fruit we are called to produce—and this is probably the place where we get it wrong as good church folks most often. The true fruit of an apple tree is not an apple, but another apple tree. So it follows, the true fruit of a leader isn’t a follower, but a leader; the true fruit of a disciple isn’t a seeker, but a disciple; the true fruit of an evangelist isn’t converts, but more evangelists; the true fruit of a small group isn’t more active and committed Christians, but more small groups that can help active and committed Christians reproduce themselves! It also follows, in what might be the most difficult leap NCD will ask any of us to make, that the true fruit of a church isn’t believers, but churches!

Multiplication sounds like a “happy” growth force… But, just as in the natural world, death is a natural part of the process for churches. There is a natural limit to everything, from plant life, to human life, to Church life. What we often fail to see is that when we have been faithful, when we have multiplied our numbers by making more disciples and starting more Churches, it is not about keeping the doors of one single Church open, it is about whether or not we can continue to advance the Kingdom of God where we are. Now that does not mean it is time to close the doors here. It does mean that God has called us to do something other than what we are doing. God is calling us to apply the growth forces in order to produce all-by-itself-growth. We are not just being called to produce more Church people here. We are being called to produce more life for the Kingdom.

“…From now on you will fish for people…” What Jesus did that day along the shores of Lake Gennesaret has a great deal to teach us about church growth. As disciples our job is never done. As disciples, we are called to make disciples who make disciples, so that we don’t fish to add to our project, our ministry, our small group or even our church—we fish to contribute to the growth of God’s Kingdom! God promised us new life in Christ, new life for us that we can share with others! To advance the Kingdom of God we must let go of what we want, and how we want it, and trust that God fulfills promises. God promised that if we shared the love of Christ, we would be transformed and would transform the world around us! Disciples make disciples, and churches plant churches, and leaders make leaders! We are called to fish for people, to be ambassadors for Christ, releasing the power of Multiplication by reproducing ourselves through the ministry of reconciliation. This is the call of all Christians, to make more of ourselves, for the sake of Christ, whose Body we are!

Sustainability: Roses and Kumquat

2007-03-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 Philippians 3:17-4:1

(This sermon was a joint effort by Kate Nicol at Clark Memorial UMC, and David Nicol at Buxton and Elm Street UMCs)

There’s a significant difference between Roses and Kumquat. Roses are sweet smelling, and kumquats are a small, oval citrus from East Asia. While both roses and kumquats are often edible, and both have thorny stems, there is a major difference—Roses are flowers, beautiful, but not self-reproducing as such; kumquats are seed-bearing fruit.

Most folks cultivate rose-bushes for their beautiful flowers, but most folks cultivate kumquat bushes for the fruit. Roses are beautiful, but require constant maintenance and outside energy to maintain; kumquats are often cultivated like other citrus, but within each and every kumquat are seeds…seeds that can, and given the right environment, will grow, producing more kumquats!

Fruit produces seeds, and seeds produce fruit in a continually self-reproducing cycle. If we are to unleash the power of all by itself growth we need to produce sustainable ministries. Sustainable ministries are ministries that produce fruit not flowers. Flowers like the Roses need outside care, but once they die there is nothing left. Fruit contains the source of its own reproduction the seeds. When we look at the ministries of our Church we must ask ourselves: Does this ministry produce Kumquats or Roses, Fruit or Flowers? If all a ministry produces are flowers it’s time to change what we’re doing, or abandon it all together, because that ministry is life draining, and not life sustaining.

When we develop ministries, we need to be sure they produce fruit, not just flowers. According to Natural Church Development theory, we need to do three main things to assess whether our ministries are bearing fruit. First, we need to check every fruit for seeds. Second, we need to use every opportunity to train others. Third, leaders need to remember not to solve people’s problems, but to help people solve their problems on their own… All of these are vital to sustainable ministry!

Christian Schwarz, the theological mind behind Natural Church Development has this to say about checking fruit for seeds: “The less you follow the natural dynamics [of Natural Church Development], the greater the likelihood that the ‘fruit’ that you produce won’t have any bearing on the maintenance of your ministry. You might produce wonderful flowers, but when they begin to wilt you will be unable to find seeds in them.”1 In Churches we to often spend time pushing to sustain ministries that are life draining. Sometimes this happens because we are stuck in a rut and we cannot find our way out. Talking about doing something new is scary, it might not produce the results we have come to expect. This type of thinking most often occurs around fundraisers. We would rather go with the tried and true, rather than seek out new ways to create life sustaining ministries that produce all by itself growth, rather then life draining, but institutional maintaining ministries that provide more comfort then anything else.

Along with checking every fruit for seeds, we need to become adept at using every opportunity to train others. When the church is healthy, and functioning as it should, disciples beget disciples, teachers beget leaders, financial whizzes beget financial whizzes, leaders beget leaders, and so on. Training leaders by inviting people into leadership seems almost radical, especially when we take a close look at how we operate as a church. Only those who are willing to sacrifice life and limb, and the possibility of being expected to do everything are brave enough to volunteer, and only those who do it as it has always been done are really let into the inner power structure. But that is not the way God intended us to operate!

It is no wonder that few of us are as bold as the Apostle Paul to encourage others to follow our example! But, that is what God calls us to do. We are called to set an example in by how we live within the church, and in our personal lives. Our citizenship is in heaven. It is not of this world, let alone this country. If we have come to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the world’s redeemer, our lives are to be examples of what God can do when we cease resisting His love and grace. When this happens we become better disciple-makers. We make disciples by living as disciples, and we make leaders within the church by inviting people into leadership, asking them to share leadership with us, and so producing fruit that contains the seeds that will make for more fruit!

Paul also gives us an example of how “not to solve other people’s problems.” Paul could easily have given the church in Philippi detailed instructions on how to live as Christians. Instead, he did something radical. In Philippians 3:17, Paul writes, “Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your yes on those who live as we do.” Paul set up a system that was both sustainable and natural! Disciple-making didn’t happen by sending people to a disciple training course, but in everyday life. Leader-making didn’t happen by sending folks to seminary or lay-speaking classes (as good as those things are), but by earning how to follow the example of other leaders!

We, in this place, are called to follow the example of Christ, and the example of those Christians who have gone before us, just as Paul called the church in Philippi to do! We are called to live lives so transformed by the Spirit that others want to know what makes the difference in our lives. We are called to empower others to join us in our ministries, showing them how to be teachers, trustees, shut-in visitors, peacemakers, caretakers, nursery workers, leaders…disciples of Jesus Christ! We are called to bear fruit that contains seeds that will produce more fruit! We are called to be kumquats and not roses, and to produce fruit with seeds, and not just flowers that wither! Will the kumquats please stand up?

1 Christian Schwarz, Color Your World with Natural Church Development: Experiencing all that God has designed you to be (St. Charles, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 2005), 98.

Energy Transformation: God’s Aikido

2007-02-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Luke 4:1-14

(This sermon was a joint effort by Kate Nicol at Clark Memorial UMC, and David Nicol at Buxton and Elm Street UMCs)

I first heard about Aikido, which is a Japanese martial art, when I was a freshman in High School. This peculiar form of fighting seemed oddly “non-violent” and intrigued me. The practitioner of Aikido never aggressively punches, kicks, or attacks, but rather re-directs an assailant’s energy. In this way, a master of Aikido can both find safety from harm and use the violent energy against an assailant. Today, we return to our series on Natural Church Development, tackling the issue of Energy Transformation. Energy Transformation, as a growth force, is God’s Aikido…

Now you might find yourself needing a refresher on what was already covered, because it has been a few weeks since we talked about NCD, symbiosis, and interdependence. Natural Church Development is a system developed to assess the overall health of a congregation. When the six growth forces of NCD are applied a Church becomes healthier, and “all by itself” growth occurs. We have already covered two growth forces, symbiosis and interdependence. Simply put, symbiosis is a mutually beneficial relationship between two different organisms. And Interdependence looks at the big picture—asking how do different things affect one another. Today we will tackle a third growth force: Energy Transformation—turning hostile energy into holy energy, by consistently asking the question “How can we best use this situation to advance God’s Kingdom?” “How can we best use this situation to advance God’s Kingdom?” is a remarkably simple question. If we are living holy transformed lives, we should be asking this question of everything we do. Too often, we allow the energy in our surrounding environment to impact us in such a way that we are unaware how what we say and do impacts the advance of God’s Kingdom. In some sense, it is the furthest thing from our mind! The truth is, this concept of Energy Transformation can be applied throughout our lives, not just in the Church. Imagine how different things could be if we all applied the principle of Energy Transformation to the everyday experience of waiting in line. By transforming hostile or negative energy into opportunities to build the Kingdom of God, no moment is wasted, we are no longer infuriated by the experience, and instead of wasted time we find an opportunity to share our joy, peace, patience, and the good news of the Gospel with those around us in line!

As we enter the season of Lent, we read in Luke’s Gospel how the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for forty days where he was temped by the devil. What greater example of negative or opposing energy in his environment could we imagine than the work of the Great Adversary tempting and testing Jesus?

Jesus shows us how this Growth Force should work in his responses to the Devil. Instead of opposing the Devil directly, Jesus redirected his questions, taking attacks and turning them into opportunities to show us how to live Holy lives. When tempted to turn stones to bread, Jesus responds that bread alone isn’t enough to sustain life. When tempted with power, authority and splendor, in exchange for putting something other than God first, Jesus responds that only God is deserving of worship and service. When tempted with the opportunity to prove God’s power and love for him, by leaping from the pinnacle of the Temple, Jesus responds, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test!” Hostile energy was transformed into Holy energy…the devil left him…and “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside!”

If we are to unleash the power of all by itself growth, and utilize the principle of energy transformation, we must stop fighting the opposing forces for the advance of God’s Kingdom. It is a waste of energy! In the church, we can be weighed down so easily by conflicts over how to use money, how to worship God best, or what kind of leadership we need in different parts of church life. When we do this we are allowing the adversary to take hold of the Church, so that we cannot be the Body of Christ—God’s hand and feet of love—at work in the world! Instead, we need to turn the negative energy into Holy energy. We need to turn the fighting among us into a conversation—bringing all of our passions to bear to solve the problems underneath our disagreements! We need to turn the problems that bog us down in the world around us, into opportunities for ministry! When we can get beyond the problems in the Church we truly become the Body of Christ at work in the world.

The needs of non-Christians should drive what we do and can drive what we do in ministry to the world. Even if those needs are not spiritually based, the energy behind those needs should be used to propel us into action! Meeting people at their needs is the most powerful form of evangelism. It offers God’s love in a tangible and practical way, and when we focus on others needs and not on Church growth we unleash “All-by-itself Growth!” If we faithfully act as God has called us to act, not fighting negative energy, but transforming it into holy energy, God’s overwhelming love will use that, and growth will occur ALL BY ITSELF!

Jesus modeled energy transformation in the wilderness…and Luke tells us that “…when the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Jesus until an opportune time.” God’s greatest act of energy transformation was yet to come but continues to empower us to this day. When the devil tempted broken humanity to cast all its anger and wrath against Jesus, God turned negative energy into Holy energy! God’s abundant grace took the sin of the world, inflicted on God-come-in-the-flesh, and instead of returning wrath, turned it into the greatest gift of love imaginable! By the power of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, God took the power of sin and death and transformed them into the promise of new and everlasting life in Christ! We have great Good News to share, thanks to God’s Aikido at Calvary…

“Two Mountains”: Sermon 2/18/2007

2007-02-19T08:43:00.001-08:00

Pastor David Nicol

Exodus 34:29-35 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Luke 9:28-36

There are actually three mountains in our stories today, but two in the Gospel. Did you catch them? If not, that’s fine, Peter missed the second one too. We will come back to that, but the third mountain—Sinai—helps us understand the rest of the story. You see, if Peter had understood the story of Moses and Mount Sinai better, he might not have said what he did, because Jesus could no more stay on the mountain of the Transfiguration than Moses could stay on Mount Sinai.

Moses went to the mountaintop to talk to God, and on the mountaintop he received the law, the Torah. In itself, Moses encounter with God was powerful and transformational—so powerful that it literally transfigured him—transformed his appearance from that of an ordinary person, to that of a radiant, glowing being. Now, I’ve heard folks say “you’re glowing,” when someone has a reason to express great joy. And yes, joy transfigures us, but nothing like Moses. The Exodus account tells us that Moses face shone with light, so much so that he put on a veil, so that as the glory of God lessened, the people would not see it and lose faith. As he continued to receive the Torah from God, he was continually transfigured, but Moses transfiguration was temporary—it faded with time—and it only served a purpose when it helped him communicate God’s message to God’s people. The people could not receive the law unless Moses left the mountaintop.

Just as Moses continually returned to the top of the mountain, Jesus visited mountaintops to pray over and over again, sometimes with a large group of people, sometimes with the twelve, and sometimes with his closest disciples. Today’s story falls in the last category. Jesus visited the mountaintop with Peter, John and James to pray, and on the mountaintop, Jesus met with Moses and Elijah—who represent the law and the prophets. Luke tells us that they talked about what Jesus would do in Jerusalem, and that in the context of Jesus meeting with the law and the prophets, the disciples saw his glory. Moses face shone when he met with God, but compared to Jesus, that was only limited splendor. On the mountain of the Transfiguration, Jesus shone – and not just his skin, but his clothing as well, which became a dazzling white. In the Transfiguration, Jesus glory was revealed—the glory of his divinity shone through his humanity.

Even so, Peter missed the point. In Luke’s Gospel (and in the others as well), this shouldn’t surprise us—Peter misses the point all time. Some have said that in Luke, Peter only takes his foot out of his mouth long enough to insert the other. Peter’s response to the Transfiguration fits that pattern perfectly. Barely awake, Peter almost gets it right, and shouts “It’s good we are here!” If only he’d had the sense to stop there…but he didn’t. In the next breath, Peter succeeds in missing the point. “It’s good we are here! We should build three tents here on the mountain! One for you Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah!”

As Luke tells us, Peter didn’t really know what he was saying, because while seeing Jesus with Moses and Elijah was good, they could not stay on the mountain. Jesus, Moses and Elijah knew they couldn’t stay; they were speaking of the other mountain already. But Peter needed help to understand. A cloud surrounded them, and a voice from the cloud said “This is my beloved Son, listen to him!”

Alone, the Transfiguration was good: good for Jesus, good for Peter, John and James to see, and even good for us to hear—but it only becomes truly good because Jesus came down from the mountain. Moses and Elijah knew that! We could easily miss the point, just like Peter, if we fail to see this story in light of two mountains. As Paul told the Corinthians, we are being transfigured so that the glory of God in Christ might shine through us. And unlike Moses, the light that shines from us should not be veiled. The light faded from Moses, but in us it increases as we are made Holy, and drawn closer to Jesus, day by day! That transfiguration, that transformation, is only possible because Jesus came down from the mountain.

On Wednesday we begin the Lenten discipline—preparing for the holiest three days of the Christian year. During these forty days, we strive to see each other as we really are, and to resume those disciplines of discipleship we have let lapse during the last year, because when Lent ends, we reach the story of the other mountain. Our transfiguration depends on the other mountain, not on the mountain of Transfiguration. Our transformation depends not on Jesus transfiguration, but on his crucifixion. Today, we remember that Jesus revealed his glory in the Old Creation. At the other end of Lent we will remember that the mountain of Calvary leads to Easter, the Resurrection of Our Lord and the New Creation!

There is no mistake that the Transfiguration leads us into Lent, just as it leads us away from Epiphany. We are not called to go to the mountaintop and see Jesus with Moses and Elijah. We are not called to be Transfiguration people. We are called to be Easter people! It is still good to encounter God on the tops of mountains, but in light of Calvary, we can see what Peter could not, that staying on top of the mountain—even if it’s good for today—is not nearly enough! Because of Calvary, we have been empowered to be the Body of Christ to the world. Because of Calvary, we are called to serve as instruments of peace, mercy, healing and transformation—just as Jesus’ example taught us to do.

So let’s take up our Lenten disciplines in light of both mountains—knowing that Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. That fulfillment came from Calvary, the second mountain, not from the first. Like Jesus, we glow, we are transfigured, because that fulfillment came not in a glowing face or radiant clothes, but in a broken body, stripped, bloody, and without outward dignity. For us, both resurrection and transfiguration leads through the cross. New life leads through the cross. As we fast, as we pray, as we commit to search scripture, offer faith to others, and love others in new ways this Lent, let’s remember whose body we are, and into whose image we are being formed. The Christian life is about following even to Calvary, not to the mountaintop high… Are you willing to follow today?

Interdependence: The Connected Body: Sermon 1/28/2007

2007-01-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

Pastor David Nicol

Nehemiah 8:1-3 5-6 8-10 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ…” Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:12. When we see one Christian working alone, we see part of what the Body of Christ is, but we don’t see the BIG PICTURE. Interdependence is a big-picture matter.

According to Natural Church Development, Interdependence is a key growth force to keep in mind. Interdependence is the principle that describes how seemingly dissimilar and distinct things have significant impact with one another. While it might be difficult to see the relationship between water cooler conversation at work and our Christian faith, or a side-conversation during worship time and whether the visitors sitting behind you will be back next week, what happens in one part of life, or one part of the ministry of the church can have a significant effect on other parts. When we think about interdependence in the life of the church, we need to remember the following three issues: We need to be skeptical about short-term success and seeming miracle solutions; we need to become aware of possible side-effects of our actions; and we need to keep the whole picture in mind—in terms of the NCD process, that means keeping the whole NCD package in mind, not just focusing on one component of the system and hoping that will lead to improved church health.

Now, we can agree we all want a healthy church, though we may not agree what a healthy church looks like. But, the research done by the Institute for Natural Church Development has discovered that there are six growth forces (including interdependence). When we unleash these six growth forces, we unleash the power of “All-By-Itself” growth.

As Christians we have been given different gifts, all of which have a place in the ministry of the body of Christ. As Paul says, each of us is a part of the body of Christ—Alone, we each only have a few gifts; together, we have been given all the gifts needed to be the body of Christ and to reach the world with God’s love. The key is recognizing that we cannot do it alone, that we need one another and one anther’s gifts to grow a healthy church filled with healthy Christians.

No church is perfectly healthy, and at least in this congregation, we all want to see a few more members, a few more givers, a few more workers, and a few more people committed to Jesus Christ. But the risk for those of us who want to see increased numbers is the promise of a miracle cure. God performs miracles, but God also works through the institutions that exist in spite of the institutions’ shortcomings. We need a real solution to the issues we face. Interdependence reminds us to be skeptical of short-term success. Health tends to come more slowly than we’d like, and short-term successes may come at the expense of the overall health of the body of Christ. Just like using steroids might offer a shortcut to rigorous strength-training, but can disease the human body, so too quick success can come at the expense of the long-term health of the church which is Christ’s body. Just as steroids are a poor solution for the long-term well-being of athletes, as a Church we do not need the latest fad or newest Church growth gimmick. We need a healthy Church, a sustainable Church, that has become Christ’s hands and feet at work in the world.

Healthy athletes are aware of the side-effects of their choices, so are healthy congregations. We need to develop an awareness of how our actions might effect other ministries and other parts of the congregation. As the Body of Christ we too often think the pastor is the most important part. As Paul reminds us, no part of the body is unnecessary. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable…the parts that are unpresentable we treat with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment.” None of us is indispensable, but the relationships we assume must be significant are not always the one’s we should be considering. Instead of running a United Methodist Church in the typical way—with too few people, too many committees, and overburdened ministries—if we remember the significance of interdependence, we will focus on the relationships between our structure and our ministries, and the relationships between our ministries and our people, and work to prevent negative results of conflict, burnout and limited resources.

As we grow in health and numbers, things will change. No matter what, with growth comes change, and side effects come with that change. Everything we do in Church affects some other aspect of Church life. We need to be aware that there are no quick fixes, and sometimes what we do produces unexpected results. We need to be aware of these “side-effects” in every area of ministry. IF the Church budget shows a reduced amount of money available for custodial supplies, will the way we clean the church change? IF we start a ministry that actually reaches new people, and they enter the sanctuary for the first time, how do we tell them were things are located and what is expected of them? Whatever we do, we need to keep the BIG PICTURE in mind because “Just as a body, though one, has many parts…so it is with Christ!”

Our ministries need to be intentionally interdependent! To unleash the power of “all by itself growth,” we must ask ourselves how our ministries and other activities connect and affect one another. “All by itself growth” can only happen when we operate the way God intends, by getting out of God’s way, and allowing God to work through us in God’s way. “Now you are the Body of Christ, and individually members of it,” Paul writes. So, rejoice with those who rejoice, suffer with those who suffer, discover your gifts for the building of God’s Kingdom—All our gifts are equally important, and equally necessary for the Body of Christ to be healthy enough to reach the least, lonely and lost souls in the world around us! In Christ, we have all we need if we live holy, faithful lives! Thanks be to God!

Symbiosis: Cooperating for the Common Good: Sermon 1/21/2007

2007-01-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

Pastor David Nicol

Isaiah 62: 1-5 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11

I’m not going to preach on the Wedding at Cana text today—I want to preach a sermon on Jesus’ first miracle, but I’ve committed to preach a sermon series, between now and Easter, on the Growth Forces, or Life Giving Principles assumed to be at work in the process of Natural Church Development, so I’ll be focusing on Symbiosis, Cooperating, especially in light of 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.

Some of you might be asking the question—what is Natural Church Development? Natural Church Development, or NCD, is a process of assessing church health, and responding to the places where the church is less healthy than it should be. The Institute for Natural Church Development has undertaken substantial research and seen significant success in improving the health of churches that faithfully participate in the NCD process. As of 2006, the Institute has surveyed over 45,000 congregations in 70 countries worldwide, including over 23,000 in the United States. I’d be glad to help folks find more information about NCD, but its too much for one sermon or even one sermon series. So, over six sermons, I’ll be talking about one of the most significant insights in NCD—that when we understand God’s natural Growth Forces, which work in nature as well as the church, we can work to apply these Growth Forces to ministry in the Church.

What you do need to know, is that when we apply God’s natural Growth Forces to the life of the Church, in combination with the 8 Quality Characteristics of Healthy Churches, we can release God’s “All By Itself Growth” in our congregations. In nature we see “All By Itself Growth” most easily in plants—in scripture, we see this in two key verses: Jesus’ parable of the Growing Seed in Mark 4:26-28 where Jesus “…said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head” and 1 Corinthians 3:6 where Paul says “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” The Good News here is that the Church grows as if all by itself, because as Paul realized, it is God who makes it grow!

For this to happen, we need to learn to plant, water, fertilize, weed, graft, and get out of the way when necessary, which often times is a hard to do. What usually occurs in churches is that various committees, individuals, or ministry groups decide on the best way of doing things without consulting other groups within the Church. When we do this, our ministries do not exist in a symbiotic relationship. They are unable to live as different entities in mutually beneficial relationships. As we think about ministries in the local church, we need to recognize that each ministry within the life of any church is unique. But we also need to ask the question of all our ministries, are they living in a symbiotic relationship with the rest of the life of the Church?

As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12, God gives all believers gifts for the building of the Kingdom. Though not all Christians receive the same measure of all gifts, if you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit has equipped you with spiritual gifts for the building of God’s Kingdom. There are many gifts, including those Paul lists, but all gifts come from the Holy Spirit, and are gifts for ministry. Not all believers receive equal measure of wisdom or knowledge, or gifts of healing, or miraculous powers, or prophecy, or discernment of spirits, or speaking in tongues, or interpretation of tongues, or gifts of administration, evangelism, preaching, teaching, or the ability to operate electronic equipment or cook beans—but all believers have been given faith in sufficient measure to seek God and God’s plan for our lives!

As we look at our God-given gifts, we need to ask ourselves, what is my place in God’s plan for this congregation? How can I use my gifts for ministry? Sometimes we need help discovering what those gifts are, and God provides a way to let us know, but just like getting out of the way of Church growth, we must get our fallen, sinful selves out of God’s way, letting the Holy Spirit work through us and use us to strengthen the Body of Christ and further the cause of the Kingdom of God in the world around us. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:7 “…to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

The Holy Spirit has given us the gifts and talents necessary to reach the lost, the lonely, the least—all those who need to know that God loves them and wants to help them find a new and transformed life in Christ. If this congregation is going to be healthy, living according to God’s natural Growth Forces, we must start by examining the ministry programs we have, and what we have asked people to do. We must determine whether or not our life together is symbiotic or chaotic. By thinking about how our programs, ministries, and personal spiritual life can be more symbiotic with other people and ministries in this congregation, we can begin to unleash the forces of “all by itself growth.”

Are you ready to get out of God’s way? Are you ready to unleash the power of God in this place? Then begin by asking God to work within you to show you your spiritual gifts. Next, find where God is calling you to serve, and make sure your ministry works in a symbiotic relationship with other ministries, so that this congregation can become Christ’s hands and feet at work in this community.

Made Manifest--Holy Mystery: Sermon 1/7/2007 (Epiphany Sunday)

2007-01-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

Pastor David Nicol

Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12

Why Myrrh? Why Myrrh? Isaiah talks about Gold and Incense, but the Magi brought Myrrh… Generally, an epiphany is a sudden realization—If you remember the Peter Pan sequel “Hook” from a few years ago, the character Smee exclaims “I’ve just had an apostrophe!” with a stunned look on his face, and Hook responds, “you mean an epiphany…” In the Church, an epiphany—a sudden realization, is a moment where God’s Transcendence and Immanence become clear together: when we suddenly realize, yes, Jesus is human like the rest of us, but he’s also so much more than that! This week, in this context, I had an epiphany about the myrrh.

In the Eastern Church, the Feast of the Epiphany predated Christmas, and even today, Epiphany is far more significant in those traditions than Christmas. Over the next three weeks we will hear the three most significant Epiphany stories of the ancient Church: The 3 Magi (which we just heard), the Baptism of Jesus, and the Wedding at Cana. Each is an in-breaking of God into human experience – a moment where Jesus’ Divinity is revealed: Each is a moment where the people around Jesus realize his divinity—where the Holy Mystery of Jesus is made manifest to those around him.

That’s enough of a history lesson, I think—I asked the question, why myrrh at first—and I think honestly, the myrrh, and the cross, are the key to understanding the Magi. Most of us probably wouldn’t give a baby gold, frankincense or myrrh, but myrrh is especially odd—we might give money or savings bonds, which are our modern equivalent of gold. Some of us might give Bibles, religious items, or similar things, which are sort of like giving incense, but most of us probably wouldn’t pre-pay for a funeral for a newborn… myrrh was the ancient Jewish mixture used for embalming bodies. The Magi brought myrrh…

I know we often think about Christmas on its own—and we’re probably tempted to do the same for Epiphany, Baptism of the Lord, or the story of the Wedding at Cana—these are basically happy stories—but none of these stories means much of anything without Good Friday and Easter.

The Magi got it. They brought myrrh… Matthew makes sure not to leave out the item Isaiah does. Isaiah signals that the coming Messiah would be a King and High Priest, but the Magi go one step farther—myrrh admits that Messiah Jesus’ death would play a significant role in his ministry to the world!

Paul makes a similar theological point in Ephesians 2. Jews and Gentiles would be reconciled to one another and God “in his flesh” and “in one body …reconcil[ing] both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” Jesus offers us peace, with one another, with the world, and with God. Through the Cross-, Jesus has offered new life to the world.

We as Christians have been given the responsibility of sharing this gift of peace to the world around us. God came to be with us in the holy mystery that is the incarnation. God continues to come among us in the Holy Mystery that is Holy Communion. God offers grace to us, demonstrating overwhelming, unconditional love by giving his life for us on the Cross. Because Jesus was far more than just a baby, because Jesus was God come in the Flesh, his death and resurrection are far more than just the death and miraculous resurrection of any average person. God loves us so much, and wants to overcome our separation from God and one another, that Jesus Christ died, suffering separation from the Father and the Holy Spirit so that we might be in full and right relationship with God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit! As the Body of Christ, we have been called to stand as a temple to the Lord, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

The apostolic faith of the Church refuses to allow differences among Christians based on who we used to be, recognizing that the only important distinction for us to make is between those of us who have been called to live new and holy lives, serving as Christ’s Body at work in the world, and those we are called to serve and to invite to join us in Christ’s body. The prophetic message is that we are to turn upside down our usual social understandings—empowering the powerless, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and bringing down the powerful. Christ Jesus’ message goes even farther—God loves us enough to die for us—so we should love one another and our neighbors as we love ourselves!

The Magi came bringing gifts—not because they were told how much the Church budget would be, or because they knew that with gold and incense Jesus could make sure the light bill got paid, or even to pay for staff and food at the local soup kitchen in Bethlehem. No, the Magi brought gifts as an act of praise and thanksgiving for God’s willingness to come among us as a human being. The Magi gave of their wealth, but also sacrificed months of their lives in arduous travel to encounter the King of kings, the Great High Priest, and the Lamb of God born in Bethlehem.

The Magi refocused their lives because they realized the Messiah was coming. The Messiah has come—We need to refocus our lives as well. The Magi brought myrrh to help prepare the Lamb of God for burial—to show the significance of God’s willingness to come among us and die for us, so we might be at one with God. As Christians, we need to be willing to confess that God was made manifest in the person of Jesus Christ—that God became one of us, so that we might become more like God through God’s death and resurrection. We need to be willing to embrace the healing power of the cross, not shying away from the birth, death or resurrection of God in Jesus Christ because we don’t understand it. We need to learn to accept mystery, embrace God’s gift to us, and respond in praise and thanksgiving, as holy and living sacrifices in union with Christ’s offering for us. The Magi brought myrrh—thanks be to God that God loved us enough to use their offering of praise and thanksgiving. Amen.

“…do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…”: Sermon 12/31/2006

2006-12-31T08:47:00.000-08:00

Pastor David Nicol

1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Colossians 3:12-17 Luke 2:41-52

I want to ask you a question that I think we all need to ask ourselves from time to time—how much of your life is really committed to Jesus? How much of who you are and what you do grows out of your relationship with God-Come-in-The-Flesh? Have you so met God in Jesus Christ, that all you are and all you have is committed to the service of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Would someone know to look for you, with Jesus, in “your Father’s house?” To what degree are you committed to “…do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…?”

As we all know, we have come to the end of another calendar year, to a time when many Methodist Christians are planning for Watch Night Services tonight. Watch Night was originally a monthly meeting in early Methodism—a time for confession of sin and reaffirmation of the covenant between Christians and God—held on the night of the full moon at Midnight. Since then, Watch Night has often been an annual celebration, held on New Year’s Eve, focused on Covenant Reaffirmation—a renewal of our covenant with God. I’ve been to a few Watch Night Services, and I’ve always found them inspiring—full of singing, praying and a call to renewed discipleship, they’re kind of like Ash Wednesday, only broader, and meant for a year.

As Americans, we have a broader tradition that parallels covenant renewal at this time of year. Many of you are probably thinking about New Year’s resolutions already…some of you may be planning to break them a few more times before Midnight tonight… Resolutions can be a wonderful thing. Our popular cultural wisdom tells us that we have “a New Year, and so a fresh start.” That’s probably a very good thing for many of us. I’ve heard people make resolutions to quit smoking, join a gym, actually start an exercise routine, find a new job, eat healthier, lose 50 pounds, give up Twinkies, and spend more quality time with their families. I’m sure many of you have heard these resolutions as well—some of us may have even made some of them in the course of our lives.

Many of us have probably found that New Year’s Resolutions work better when we have someone to hold us accountable for what we’ve committed ourselves to do. Watch Night Covenant Renewal worked best in this way as well—Methodist Christians were organized in to small groups, called “classes…” which sound educational but come from a Latin word meaning a small gathering or group. Each class met together regularly (often more than once a week) for prayer, and to ask one another “how is it with your soul?” a basic question for assessing how well each member was doing maintaining their covenant with God and living a Christian life. I’ve been healthiest in my walk with God when I’ve been a part of intentional or accidental small groups who have held me accountable for my spiritual well-being—I’m sure some of you can testify to the same thing.

I’m not going to pull punches today—if you haven’t noticed already, this is a “give it all to Jesus sermon…” If we really want to be followers of Jesus, this is a whole-life commitment. Just as you could expect to find Jesus in the Temple or in prayer when he wasn’t about “his Father’s business,” we as Christians should be found in prayer, praise, or service at all times, in our work, play, and family life, not just in our intentional time with God.

The Apostle Paul, in Colossians 3:13 urges Christians to “Bear with each other and forgive one another…” and in 3:16 to “…teach and admonish one another…” in the Body of Christ. Christian life requires a whole-hearted commitment, and cannot be entered into alone. Our covenant is first and foremost between God and ourselves—we are called into new and right relationship with God through Jesus Christ—but we live out our covenant with God in relationship with one another.

Even though it’s a little earlier in the day than Watch night would typically be, we’re going to pray together A Covenant Prayer. I want to encourage you to take our invitation to renewed Christian Living very seriously—as we pray, give it all to Jesus, and commit yourself, in the words of Paul, that “…whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the mane of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Living according to God’s covenant with us isn’t always easy, but I think it is vital! We who bear the name of Christ need to live like him—and to commit ourselves to follow him no matter what.

So let me ask you again—how much of your life is really committed to Jesus? How much of who you are and what you do grows out of your relationship with Him? Have you so met God in Jesus Christ, that all you are and all you have is committed to the service of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Would someone know to look for you, with Jesus, in “your Father’s house?” To what degree are you committed to “…do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…?”

“The Faith of Mary—The Faith of Christians”: 12/24/2006

2006-12-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

Pastor David Nicol

Micah 5:2-5a Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-45

Over the last few decades, Protestant Christians have begun to rediscover the Virgin Mary. That’s odd, really, since she’s fairly easy to find—right there at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel, throughout the Gospels actually, and again in the creeds. Somehow, we lost her when we still said the creeds, and when many Protestants have been saying the creeds less often; we’ve found her again!

I think finding Mary, blessed, faithful Mary, is a good thing for Christians. I’m not suggesting Protestants try to imitate Roman Catholic devotion to Mary—we don’t think about the Communion of Saints that way—but when we lost Mary, sometime during the Reformation, we also lost the examples of many of the saints who had gone before. We didn’t abandon the principle of imitating the saints; we just tended to focus it on the most saintly members of our congregations. That’s not a bad thing to do—in fact, learning how to live like a Christian is far easier when we have an example to follow—but in our drive to reform the Church, we’ve lost sight of some powerful examples in the Bible. These we need to regain, because the example of the lives of faith of Biblical saints helps us understand what to look for in good examples of faith in our own communities: while we still might have some work to do, I think rediscovering Mary, blessed, faithful Mary, is a good thing for Christians who want to know what the faith of Christians should look like.

When Christians have faith in the transforming power of God, through a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ, it doesn’t matter who we are, how much money we earn, what education we have, or where we come from. When we believe that the Lord will fulfill his promises to us, we can do amazing things! God doesn’t measure using worldly standards—God measures based on faith, usually choosing to work through the least-likely people, in the least-likely places, because faithfulness does not come just to those people who expect to have it, and is often found in greater measure in those people who don’t expect to have it!

Luke tells us that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice, the baby in her womb leapt for joy, and filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth praised God and prophesied about both Mary and Jesus! Finally, Elizabeth explained why Mary was blessed—“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Elizabeth cried out!

As Elizabeth said, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary was blessed; but Mary was blessed not just because she would become the mother of Jesus Christ, God-Made-Flesh, but because “…she…believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her.” Mary believed, and so she was blessed! Mary, the unwed, teenage mother… the least of the least… someone whose life was forfeit according to the Law for suspicion of adultery, someone who if she lived would spend a life on the edge of society, without the guarantee of economic security, without any worldly guarantees at all…Mary, blessed, faithful, holy Mary believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her and so she conceived by the Holy Spirit and carried the Son of God!

While the genealogies in Matthew and Luke both tell us that Jesus came from the family of King David, a royal lineage, he didn’t come from the most-likely branch! Kings are born in capitol cities, in royal palaces, laid on beds of silk, and cared for by great physicians. Even in the Ancient world that would have been the case. It certainly was the case for the children of King Herod in Jerusalem, in the royal palace, surrounded by comfort and all the best that wealth and power could buy.

But the Messiah wasn’t born in a palace, or even in the Great City, Jerusalem. No, Jesus was born to an unwed mother, in Bethlehem, a town on the outskirts of the great city, in a stable, laid in a feed trough, surrounded not by doctors and nursemaids, but by shepherds—solitary nomadic shepherds, the poorest of the poor who lived much of their lives alone, out in the fields, caring for their sheep.

Jesus was born, so that by his life of righteousness, his death on the cross, and his resurrection and ascension, he could reconcile us to God. As Christians, as Disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to spread the Good News of what God has done for us and make more disciples. If as Christians we have faith like Mary, faith that ‘…believes that the Lord will fulfill his promises to us,’ then it doesn’t matter who we are, how much money we earn, what education we have, or where we live, with God, we can do amazing things! Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem, and if we have faith, then the power of God might begin to spread this Christmas, reaching people who have never had a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. If we in this church have faith, here in Buxton, a small town, in the shadow of Portland, the great city, then God can use us to begin to reach a lost, lonely, hurting world that needs to know the true meaning of Christmas! Jesus was born in Bethlehem to change the world. Because Mary had faith, God used her, the most unlikely of people, to fulfill his purpose in the most unlikely of places. If we have faith like Mary, we, the most unlikely of people in the most unlikely of places might be used by God to bring the Good News not just to our families and friends, not just to Buxton and Hollis and Standish and Cornish, but also to Gorham and Portland! If we have faith, then the revival that shares the true meaning of Christmas, that offers a new and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ can start here, and spread throughout the county, the State, all of New England, or even beyond!

God uses the most unlikely of people with faith! You can have that transforming relationship today, it’s never too early or too late! If we as a Church have faith, trust in God, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, the Lord will fulfill his promises to us—and anything can happen!

“Living Like the Messiah is Coming”: 12/17/2006

2006-12-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

Pastor David Nicol

Zephaniah 3:14-20 Isaiah 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18

“‘His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’ And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.” Well—today’s text doesn’t have much brimstone, but Luke did seem to say that the Good News has at least something to do with FIRE! It may have been awhile since any of us heard a sermon that called us to flee from the wrath to come, but if I read this passage from Luke’s Gospel right, that’s a message that, while maybe not the whole of the Christian faith, does demand some of our attention from time to time.

I’ve heard a number of sermons that basically equated believing in Jesus to getting a “get out of Hell free card,” and that’s not where I’m going today—the fact of the matter is, Wesleyan Christians believe faith, Christian living, and “fleeing from the wrath to come” is something far more complicated than that. But for most of our history, Methodists have not shied away from preaching a message much like John the Baptists message in Luke 3. You see—John the Baptist’s message is a very full one, connecting faith and repentance with holy living. John asked his audience the question “who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” because he KNEW that the Messiah was at hand—today, I want to ask you the following questions, “are you ready to flee from the wrath to come?” and “are you living you life like the Messiah is coming?

For Methodists, these questions shouldn’t be new. “The General Rules of the United Societies” governed the first Methodist Societies in both Britain and America. According to these rules drawn up by John Wesley:

“There is only one condition previously required of those who desire admission into these societies: "a desire to flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their sins." But wherever this is really fixed in the soul it will be shown by its fruits.”

Early Methodism wasn’t for the weak of heart! In a very real way, Methodists were Advent people—our focus was on the desire to flee the wrath to come, to be saved from our sins, and to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Today, it can be hard to imagine that Methodist Christians were once so serious about their faith as to be considered quite odd. It’s easy for us to blend-in to the world around us. Some of you might remember the days when more of the General Rules applied to how Methodists were expected to live—mostly the first section of rules about “doing no harm”—but over the course of our history we have let other standards determine how we are to act and live in the world. I sometimes still here folks complain about “The taking of the name of God in vain” and “The profaning the day of the Lord,” especially at the beginning of youth Football or Little League season, but many of the harder standards get little attention, and I’m not just talking about the Don’t Do List.

You see, both John the Baptist’s hearers, and the early Methodists were looking for a way to flee from the wrath to come, and both had ready excuses to avoid living out their faith in the radical ways they were being called to live. Early Methodists, by and large, were baptized Christians and so members of established churches. The Church of England officially called Christians to live transformed lives, but in a country where everyone was Christian, and many failed to live like it, the Methodist message of radical repentance and intentional Holy Living was far from ordinary! In the same way, John the Baptist’s hearers could have claimed to be descendents of Abraham, but John rebuked them, reminding them that God could find other descendents for Abraham, even by raising them out of the desert stones!

John’s message was truly radical—he called Jews to convert to Judaism![1] So too today, we as baptized Christians are being called to convert to Christianity! John’s message wasn’t really new—it was what being Jewish was always supposed to be. So too, being an early Methodist wasn’t really new—Methodist Holy Living was just living the way Christians always should have been living. Being born a descendent of Abraham wasn’t enough in the days of John the Baptist, and being born, baptized, and even raised in the Church wasn’t enough in the days of John Wesley. The same is true today. Faith cannot be inherited, it must be claimed anew by each member of each new generation. Faith can be caught, taught, and even sought, but a life-transforming, repentance yielding, fruit bearing relationship with God through Jesus Christ cannot be inherited!

We might begin life close to people of faith or far from them, but our original ties to the Church are fragile and must be claimed by us if we are to bear fruit worthy of repentance! John the Baptist warned his hearers, “the ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” So, are we ready to flee from the wrath to come? Are we today, in this place, living like the Messiah is coming? Are we concerned enough for the souls of those around us to call them into a new, right relationship with God?

John the Baptist’s hearers wanted to know what to do, and he told them “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same…” and to those with power over others John commanded “…don’t extort, don’t accuse people falsely, and be content with your pay.” Live like the Messiah is Coming!

Today, as Christmas is almost upon us, we too need to live like the Messiah is Coming! If you have more than enough, share with others! If you know of a need, meet that need! Don’t lay up treasure on earth, but in heaven, avoid drunkenness, live frugally, share generously, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit prisoners, study scripture, pray, join in public worship, and tell your friends and neighbors how great the Love of God is! Live like the Messiah is Coming! Do you wish to flee from the wrath to come and be saved from sin? Now is the time! It’s never too early or too late!

[1] Inspired by a sermon on this passage by the Rev. Dr. Carl P. Daw, Tuesday Eucharist BUSTH, 12/12/2006.

“The Materialism of Salvation”: Sermon 12/10/2006

2006-12-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

Pastor David Nicol

Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 1:68-79 Philippians 1:3-11 Luke 3:1-6

Somewhere in a science-fiction future, where the machines have overtaken earth, a prophecy arises of a savior who will come and set right the world that seems so entirely broken. Reality is not what it seems—the machines use humans as biochemical batteries; having reduced their once-masters to a power-source, the machines have transformed earth from a home for animals and plants into a semi-toxic, forbidding terrain of metal and rock with an atmosphere filled with electrical storms. In this clearly fallen world, Morpheus has risen as a dreamer among the small group of humans free from machine domination, who await the day foretold in prophecy—the days of “the one who is to come.” In the world of The Matrix, nothing is what it seems.[1]

The Matrix stands as a powerful postmodern legend—telling of the dangers of human innovation, the risks of over dependence on technology, and speaking to our human need for our lives to be meaningful. In this story, Morpheus plays the role John the Baptist plays in several of today’s texts —he is the one who both foretells the coming of the one foretold, and who prepares the way for him. But Morpheus isn’t John, and Neo isn’t Jesus. Like many of the legendary accounts that have inspired people across human cultures, The Matrix takes place in an indefinite time, in an indefinite place. The truth of a legend doesn’t depend on its happening in a clearly defined time and place—in fact, most legends seem to gain from their lack of specific ties.

In the ancient religious landscape, gods were sometimes seen in relationship to particular locations, but for someone wishing to spread the worship of a particular god, this connection carried with it a distinct disadvantage. If Athena was the goddess of Athens, and Horus a god in Egypt, too much particularity would have made them little better than the water-sprites many ancient people believed inhabited their springs and brooks. Fortunately for the cause of Athena, Horus, and a host of other ancient deities, their worshippers found little historically specific, or particularly localized in the worship of these gods and goddesses. The historical rooted-ness of these stories didn’t seem to impact their truth.

But for Christians, particular times, particular places, particular people, and a very material, earthy reality impacts our faith in a profound and dramatic way, even before Jesus enters the scene. The prophet Malachi spoke of the day when “…the Lord whom you see will suddenly come to his temple.” Unlike Athena, who was goddess of wisdom in many temples, but at least in myth, isolated to Mount Olympus, the LORD of hosts is to be worshiped in a particular place, and will come to his temple on a particular day, but is God of heaven and earth, in the Temple, in Jerusalem, and in the whole of the created universe. Unlike Athena, the LORD of hosts is everywhere at once, and yet tied to a particular place, a particular people, and a particular history, because God chose to reach out to people through the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So it was “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” While these names and places might seem as foreign to us as Morpheus and Neo, or as far from historical markers as the myths about Greek or Egyptian gods, to the first readers of Luke’s Gospel this list was as much a distinctive historical marker as it would be for us to describe an event that took place “In the fourth year of President George Bush, when Paul Martin was Prime Minister of Canada, and Tony Blair was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Vicente Fox was President of Mexico, during the pontificate of John Paul II…”

John the Baptist not only preached a message to the people that required a timely response, but also did so at a particular time in a particular place. Unlike most other growing religions in the time of Jesus, the faith proclaimed by John the Baptist, faith in the God of Israel, was grounded in a historically experienced, documented, and rooted relationship between God who created the Heavens and the Earth and God’s chosen people. Christians affirm, with John the Baptist, but contrary to much worldly wisdom, that “…all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” It is for this reason that Paul writes to the Philippians: “And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that come through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” Unlike the supposedly higher forms of religious thinking found among intellectuals, ours is a very earthy faith. Unlike the so-called gods of the world, our God sent prophets at particular times, in particular places, to call us to repent of our sins; of the ways we mistreat one another, of the ways we abuse God’s creation, of the ways we fail to love one another. The One true God called John, son of Zechariah, out of the wilderness at a particular time to proclaim a baptism of repentance and forgiveness of sins to very real people, in need of God’s very real grace.

Today, in 21st century North America, we still need to hear the message that God has come in the flesh and that God will come again, ready to judge how we have lived in relationship to one another and all of creation. John preached a baptism of repentance because the people of Judea were not living holy lives. Paul prayed that the Philippians would live holy lives, “…so that in the day of Christ [they] may be pure and blameless.” If Jesus returned today to judge how we have managed living out our faith, would he judge you faithful? As Malachi asks “…who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and a fuller’s soap…” Are we ready now, in this life, to let God purify us so that we might be holy, so that we might offer our lives to God as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us? Are we willing to stand on Christ’s merits, and embrace God come in the flesh, accepting the materialism of our salvation, recognizing the scandal of God-in-history and the powerfully life-affirming way God has chosen to come to us?

As we come nearer to Christmas, which form of materialism will we choose—will you choose the materialism of the world around us, which tells us that we need to save for our futures, spend on our loved ones, provide for our needs, and leave religion and “spirituality” where it belongs—away from our decisions about everyday life? Or, will you choose the materialism of the Incarnation, that shows God’s great love for us in God’s coming as a baby, living like us, dying for us, and rising so that we can see we too shall rise? This materialism carries with it far more risk—Jesus calls us to give over control of our purse-strings, our creature comforts, and our security. Jesus calls us to keep only what we need and give what we don’t to care for those who cannot care for themselves. Perhaps Jesus is calling you to spend less and give more, to sell all you have and give to the poor, or to downsize and revitalize your spiritual life by discovering the real value of the material world… I don’t know where Jesus is leading you today—but as we come toward Christmas, John’s question is worth repeating anew—which materialism will you choose?

[1] Inspiration for this citation from http://www.textweek.com/movies/john_the_baptist.htm

Seeing Advent Anew: Sermon 12/3/2006

2006-12-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

Pastor David Nicol

Jeremiah 33:14-16 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36

Wednesday morning at the Buxton Bible Study, I asked the question, “so why do we celebrate Advent?” I think it’s a good question, and if you haven’t heard the plug yet, I’m offering a 4-session Advent study that I think gets to the meaning of Christmas, and should help us understand the two natures of Advent. The easy one to discern for most of us is the preparation for our remembrance of Christ’s coming in Bethlehem. Christmas, sometimes called the Feast of the Nativity or the Feast of the Incarnation celebrates Christ’s becoming human, becoming one of us, because for Christ to be crucified for our sins, he first needed to be born in much the same way all of us were born. The second nature of Advent, which dominates our Scripture readings for most of the four weeks, focuses on Christ’s Second Advent—Christ’s Second Coming. It is in this context that we read today’s scripture lessons.

Jeremiah speaks of the coming of the Day of the Lord, when the Branch sprung from David will rule and all things will be set right. Here we have a vision of what will be when Christ HAS COME in Final Victory, and all things HAVE BEEN set right. This is a brief window of hope wedged into the notoriously dark prophesies of Jeremiah. Jeremiah provided the first jeremiads, but even he was given hope from God. This is the coming Day of the Lord, when all things will be set right, and the Kingdom of God will come.

It can be easy to write-off prophesies that speak of an eventual “Day of the Lord,” that seem to lead to an otherworldly future as irrelevant to our everyday lives, but that’s not what either Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, or what Jesus said in today’s Gospel lesson. Paul, in his first letter to the Thessalonians wrote about the Day of the Lord, but focused on our lives now. “…May he [Jesus] strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones…” Paul wrote. Paul’s exhortation to the church in Thessalonica in 1 Thessalonians 3:13, remains relevant for us today. The purpose of the coming Day of the Lord, of Christ’s second Advent as Judge, is to set the world right—and that includes us. Paul prayed for the Thessalonians that they might be blameless and holy in the presence of God on that day, because how we live now has great bearing on what will happen to us when Christ comes again. Paul doesn’t bother with details about what the signs of Christ’s coming will be, knowing that our human tendency will be to put off holiness of heart and life until we fear the time is at hand—instead, Paul sets prophecies about Last Things in the proper context: as motivation for Holy Living NOW. Because Jesus is coming, we want to be among the Holy Ones, the Saints…because Jesus is coming, we need to think not only of our own comfort and the pleasures we might offer to our families and friends, but we should consider Advent a reminder to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, heal the sick, and raise those in spiritual death, or who are physically near death due to homelessness or addictions that have ravaged their bodies, minds and souls and kept them from full life to new life in Christ and in Christ’s Body, the Church.

Essentially, Jesus’ message about his own coming, when all “…will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory…” speaks to the same message. If we are not careful, it is easy for us to become fixated on the details of Jesus’ prophecy. When will the time come? What is the meaning of the fig tree? What did Jesus mean when he said: “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken…?”

The truth is, none of this is so simple… Commentators vary in their interpretation of Luke 32-33 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” What is the precise meaning of “these things,” and who is included in “this generation?” Does “this generation” refer to Israel, the wicked, humanity, or the generation witnessing the end signs? All of these proposals have been offered by numerous scholars, and all could be correct—but the fact of the matter is, whether Katrina is a sign that the Kingdom of God is near, or whether war in Lebanon is a sign that the Kingdom of God is near, or whether unexpected tornadoes, or violent Nor’easters, or tsunamis or earthquakes, or mudslides, or devastating blizzards, or bird flu, or AIDS, or flooding are signs that the Kingdom of God is near, if we are living as Jesus tells us to live, it doesn’t matter!

Regardless of when Jesus might be coming, we are called to be careful not to waste our time or our resources, to avoid drunkenness, not to become overburdened by unnecessary anxieties focused not on God’s Kingdom but on gaining prestige in this life, because if we let this world determine how we should live, if we let the pleasures and enticements of this world determine how we should live, then Jesus warns us that “…that day will close on us suddenly like a trap.”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, our calling is not an easy one! We are not called to be merely good people, good citizens, and good neighbors, but to be Saints, a Holy people set apart for a Holy God, serving faithfully as Christ’s hands and feet until he comes again! On this first Sunday of Advent, on this first Lord’s Day of a new Christian year, we await not only the celebration of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem long ago, but also Christ’s return in final victory! For some time now, the secular world has been tantalizing us with pre-Christmas sales, trying to draw our attention from our Lord and coming King, to the pleasures of this life. I don’t want to preach against the joy of giving gifts to family and friends—I will do that too, and I’ll enjoy the time together, the feasting, and even the giving and receiving of gifts. What I fear can happen, if we do not stay alert, is that we can easily lose focus on loving our neighbors, not just our families; we can easily lose focus on feeding the hungry, not just our children; we can easily lose focus on clothing the naked, not just those we see in our homes on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

Despite what the young children in our midst might believe, the hardest thing this Advent is not likely waiting for Christmas morning, but probably keeping our hearts, minds, and lives holy, as we await the coming of Christ, and offer ourselves as a Holy and Living Sacrifice in union with Christ’s offering for us until he comes again. So, let us be ‘always on watch and pray…that we may be able to stand before the Son of Man.’ It is our task to proclaim the mystery of faith this Advent: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again…”

First Post

2006-08-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

I hope to use this space to communicate with the world about what's happening at Elm Street United Methodist Church. Right now, we're looking forward to a great kickoff to Sunday School in September, and we're grateful to Grace UMC in Lynn, Massachusetts for their generosity to us, giving us several useful items for use in worship, including a processional cross and a music stand.

Check in soon for more thoughts from the pastor on the state of Elm Street UMC!