The Greatest

Isn't it strange that the passage of scripture most often read at weddings was originally written to bring people to an acknowledgment of sin, confession and repentance? The "love chapter" was not written for self improvement but self exposure! When we recognize how far we are from the ideal of true love we need to turn to God in confession and repentance. We can freely confess our sins because of our understanding of God's love for us as seen in the cross of Christ. We need have NO FEAR in freely and openly acknowledging our shortcomings. By doing so we die to ourselves so that through Christ's resurrection from the dead we might have his life in us. The cross is the greatest demonstration of God's love for us. As we come to understand God's love more and more we are changed to be like him. As John wrote, "We love because he first loved us."

Prayer Retreat

Since David preached this past Sunday I am going to devote my blog to last week's retreat. I asked the teenagers to visit this site and they wanted me to talk about our Sunday class. So, I'll say a few words about that first. Two weeks ago I began teaching the High School class using Phillip Yancy's video series, "The Jesus I Never Knew." We are looking at Jesus afresh seeking to understand who he really is and breaking out of traditional images and childhood impressions.

Now about my retreat. This year I devoted myself to trying four different types or styles of praying:
Contemplative - This is simply sitting still and focusing on what is happening around me using all of my senses and being aware of God's creation and presence. It is prayer without words or prayer from the heart rather than the mind. Of course sometimes words do come as expressions of marvel at what one is experiencing, but mostly there is silence. This was my basic form of prayer during my time away. I would practice this prayer while sitting or walking. It was helpful to be in a secluded spot.
Jesus Prayer - I practiced this one afternoon while lying on my cot. I repeated the words, "Jesus, Son of God, Savior." As I repeated this phrase it became a part of my breathing. The words were offered to God and he opened my mind to images of others who used these words when addressing the Lord.
Praying Through My Life - I began with my grandparents who passed the Faith on to my parents and traveled with God through my life. Much of this prayer was spent in thanksgiving and reflection on the many people God has brought into my life at the very time I needed them. I also acknowledged how often God has shown me his mercy and forgiveness when I have sinned and fallen short of his righteousness.
Intercessory - This has become a foundational part of my retreats. I prayed through the church directory and lifted each individual before the Lord. I also prayed through the 110 or so requests that the church had given me.

In the future I want to help others in developing their prayer lives using the things I have especially learned during my annual prayer retreats. One specific plan for 2008 is to schedule four one-day prayer retreats for the Clear Lake Church.

The Gifts

How easy it is to get focused on spiritual gifts and lose sight of the whole point and purpose behind the gifts! My suggestion for those who feel uncertain what their gifts might be is found in Paul's words, "Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church" (1 Cor. 14:12). Look for ways to serve others. Your areas of giftedness might be where:
1) It feels like a good fit. Even if it is hard, it brings you a sense of joy and satisfaction.
2) Others tell you it's a good fit. If you're the only one who thinks you're gifted in a certain area you're probably not.
3) It is providing a needed service.
The point, however, is not to get perfectly fitted into your perfect gift! The point is to serve in ways that build others up.

Thinking about Paul's "spiritual anatomy" class: I think this is some of the funnest stuff the Apostle ever wrote. Imagine individual body parts getting their feelings hurt, experiencing insecurities, and talking about it! I'm so thankful that my personal body parts all exist for the good of the whole. Oh, that we in the body of Christ could do the same.

The Supper

It is much easier to discuss forms and techniques than to practice love. The essence of the Lord's Supper has little to do with many of the conversations (or arguments) that have surrounded it for centuries (frequency, form, who can serve trays, exact contents inside the trays, etc.). Rather, the essence is found in what the elements represent and what the implications are in terms of our life together as the body of Christ. Liz brought to my mind some of the "hidden meaning" of the video clip we saw from the movie "Places in the Heart." As the trays were passed everyone was represented: rich, poor, homeless, widows, different races, both genders, the disadvantaged, the privileged, the under privileged, adults, and children. All were there. All were eating the bread and drinking the cup. For one moment in time they all stood on level ground at the foot of the cross. "Peace of Christ" they whispered to themselves and each other. Oh, how much well all need the peace of Christ in our lives. Our spiritual need is the first great uniter. Our common redemption in Christ is the second and greater uniter of the church. May we live out the implications of such unity.

The Collection

As one who has had a difficult time preaching on giving I was unusually excited to preach this specific message. During the past year I have been so impressed with our elders and other leaders. The recurring theme has been: discerning where God is leading, obeying his direction, and trusting him to provide what we need to do his work. The way God usually provides is through his people. As we grow in our faith we also grow in our giving. Part of the fruit of the spirit is "self-discipline". As we mature in self-discipline we refuse to let money control our lives by living on less than we make. This enables us to give generously and often. Although the lesson today certainly had application for everyone I was specifically targeting those who do not have a consistent, planned approach for their church contribution. I am especially interested in our children and teenagers who are perhaps earning their first paychecks. Now is the time to develop the habit of giving that will be one significant part of laying up treasures in heaven instead of on earth.

The Issue

As I visited with people immediately after the sermon today there were a couple of common themes. Some wanted to talk about their relatives that have left the Church of Christ because of the church's inflexibility. Some of these reflections went back many decades. Others wanted to talk about how the culture has dramatically and rapidly changed in regards to the role of women. However, the church does not reflect that change. A few days ago I turned 48. When I was younger the culture was in transition but there were still cultural norms restricting women from fully participating in a number of areas. Remember on Petticoat Junction when a woman doctor came to town? The men were aghast! No way in this world would they let a woman treat them. (If you're younger than me I don't want any comments like, "What's a Petticoat Junction?".) Women could be nurses, secretaries, or teachers. Other than that, they should be homemakers. How quickly our culture changed. My children (all in their 20's now) see the world I grew up in as a strange place in regards to restrictions women faced. Today the only place in the U.S. that still restricts women is the church. How weird is that to our contemporary culture?

The Warning

The sermon today left me feeling kind of depressed. It's not really the type of message I enjoy presenting but felt that the text left me little choice. It is interesting that Paul doesn't just set everybody straight at the beginning of the discussion on "meat offered to idols" (8:1) by simply stating in a few bullets:

• Stop going to the idol temples
• Your are free to eat idol meat sold in the market unless someone makes a reference to it being sacrificed to idols

I get the feeling that for Paul it was more important that they learn to love one another and take care of each other than it was for them to get all their moral I's dotted and T's crossed. In other words, he was not trying to form a society that was simply "moral" but one that was Christ like.

Someone did tell me I should work on my illustrations. If I45 runs from Houston to Galveston, and the illustration for avoiding temptation is to take the exits provided, then .... does that mean Galveston is Hell? I'll leave that for you to decide.