"There's a goblin at my window,
pastor is [often] reduced to the level of the soother of anxieties brought on by the dilemmas of affluence, rather than the caller of persons to salvation. My colleague Stanley Hauerwas has accused the contemporary pastor of being little more than 'a quivering mass of availability [emphasis mine].' Practicing what I call 'promiscuous ministry' - ministry with no internal, critical judgment about what care is worth giving - we become victims of a culture of insatiable need. We live in a capitalist, consumptive culture where there is no purpose to our society other than 'meeting our needs'. The culture gives us the maximum amount of room and encouragement to 'meet our needs' without appearing to pass judgment on which needs are worth meeting… In this vast supermarket of desire, we pastors must do more than simply 'meet people’s needs.' The church is also about giving people the critical means of assessing which needs give our lives meaning, about giving us needs we would not have had if we had not met Jesus."
birthday is in a few weeks; I'll be 37. I don't really ever ask for much for my birthday...breakfast in bed and some time with my wife and children is great. I'm a pretty simple guy.
Amazingly, the Patriots may have this season not only the best team in football, and their best team yet, but quite possibly the most dominant team of the Super Bowl era. They are unbelievably good.
be witnessing the two best current coaches in the NFL. Like their quarterbacks, Bill Belichick and Tony Dungy will end up being enshrined in Canton. They could not be more different, at least in terms of their public personas.
on the other hand, seems to be one of the nicest men ever involved in sports. A real family man who loves the Lord and clearly puts his men ahead of plays or rings, he seems to be a remarkable human being, the kind of man you'd want to raise your children should something tragic occur in your own life. In his coaching career, this former Steeler has turned two perpetually losing franchises into winning teams - Tampa and Indianapolis - and, like his QB, finally has a Super Bowl ring to confirm his excellence and his success. Like Belichick, he is respected. But, whereas Belichick is feared, Dungy is beloved.
It's even better to spend that time with friends. This weekend, I will officiate at the wedding of Melissa Costolo and Bill Ferris at Hopwood UM Church. Melissa is the daughter of Randy and Carmella Costolo (pictured). Randy is a pastor in our Conference currently serving the Hopwood & Brownfield Charge. Randy and I served together as a pastoral team in Dawson, and have remained friends and brothers in Christ. Robyn is a bridesmaid in the wedding (and looks stunning in her dress); the Costolos are family.
hard to believe in 2007, but there once was in the United States a tremendous amount of racist energy directed at people of Scottish and, especially, Irish descent. Today, it seems that these British subcultures are so much a part of the fabric of America that we may not remember what it was like for those first poor immigrant farmers who came to a new world after severe famine (in the case of the Irish) or after being cleared off their land for political and racial reasons (in the case of my own Scottish ancestors). Those of us more historically minded might recall the "Nativist" movement of the 19th century and political drives such as the so-called "Know Nothing" Party. Racism remains an ugly aspect of our society, a grave sin which permeates so much of Church and culture; it has been so for many, many years.
final reason Christians shoudl celebrate Halloween may be, from a ministry perspective, the most important. Children in most American communities will be trick-or-treating on or near Halloween. This is a wonderful time for the young, as they dress up in fantastic outfits, walk throughout the community, and gather candy. What memories I have of Halloween nights past!
offers a great opportunity to practice our calling to incarnational ministry...to truly be a part of our community. An act as simple as smilingly handing out candy to children can demonstrate the awesome love of God in exceedingly powerful ways. This can be prevenient grace in action. The Christians who offer safe candy to children are doing a wonderful thing, for we all need to be conscious of safety on Halloween night, as on every other night of the year.
He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
teaches us that Jesus has already triumphed over the "powers and authorities" of evil, having "disarmed" them by the power of the Cross. In other words, the evil, demonic powers of the world - call them sin, Satan, Beelzebub, Death, demons, disease, hate, war, country music, etc. - are defeated enemies who simply have not yet admitted defeat, and are trying to take out as many of us as possible before they are completely stripped of power. But, ultimately, these evil powers are subservient to the first theological point established here...the Lordship of Christ. They have no power over Jesus.
experienced the New Birth, we are now alive in Christ and forgiven, no longer bound by "the written code with its regulations". Essentially, this means that the evil powers and authorities of this world are not our lords. They have no power over Jesus; they have no power, therefore, over those who are one with Christ."See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ...And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross...Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day."St. Paul
writes that we are not to heed human tradition which flies in the face of the theological truths already established about our Faith...namely the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the defeat of the evil powers of the world, and our participation in Jesus' victory.
apostle goes on to write that, on the Cross, Jesus so humiliated the powers and authorities of this world that he "made a public spectacle of them". Were it not for the horrors of Good Friday, one can almost picture the Heavenly Host openly laughing at the demonic hordes, who believed they had triumphed but had actually suffered the greatest defeat in history. Jesus embarrassed the evil powers, he humiliated them, he made a public spectacle of them. What a great truth!
are saying to the satanic minions of the underworld, "There is nothing you can do to me; Jesus has won the victory! I openly mock you, as my Lord did, and, like him, I make a public spectacle of you!" Viewed as an opportunity and not a hurdle, it's a wonder that more evangelical Christians don't dress up on Halloween.
if on Halloween one chooses to celebrate Jesus' Lordship and his victory over evil, the complaints of detractors should not be a concern. Likewise, if someone is struggling with issues surrounding Halloween, whether it is questioning the Lordship of Christ, doubting the completeness of his victory, or because of racism, those who have chosen to celebrate should not actively attack those who have chosen to abstain. Prayer is a far more appropriate and effective response.
Once a month, it's "Jefferson UMC Night" at Chick-fil-a in Pleasant Hills, and, roughly put, 15% of their profit from 4 PM - 8 PM goes to our church. We use it to help pay our Mission Share. Last night, I was permitted to don the cow outfit, work the room, and even stand on PA Rt. 51, waving at cars and encouraging them to stop by; my picture is on the right.
It wasn't meant to be a discussion, a dialogue, or a valid attempt to convince; Lindsey was out to frighten people.
Eventually, this holiday, marked on or near the start of winter, was celebrated with wonderful feasts, the exchanging of gifts, lovely music, and the lighting of candles.
As a form of protection, some folks dressed as creatures of the night (a practice known as "guising"); children were sometimes given sweets and treats to keep them calm.
study, conducted by the American Bar Association, also noted that minorities comprise a significantly higher proportion of death row inmates.
began with some awesome worship at JUMC. We had an excellent turnout, especially considering that a good many of our folks were out of town for various events; we also had a good many visitors. The Spirit was present and doing what he does, and it was wonderful to be a part of it! We focused on Psalm 137 before celebrating the Eucharist, and the power was evident! Hard to leave without being on fire!
some JUMC folks gathered with other disciples from the area at South Park for the resurrected South Hills CROP Walk. Thanks to the faithful leadership of servants like Kathy Clark and John Shaver, the event was tremendous! I'm not sure yet of the final numbers, but there were a lot of walkers of all ages, a good amount of money was raised for those living in poverty in our region and throughout the world, and a great tradition was, I believe, reborn in southern Allegheny County. Robyn and I brought the kids, which meant that we lagged near the rear of the walk...Elliot had to take two steps for every one of ours...but we all made it and we were very proud of the kids. While we walked, the Steelers trounced the Seahawks a few miles away at Heinz Field. God is good!
me, the highlights of our District Evening with the Bishop a few days ago were sharing in the Lord's Supper and the singing of the opening hymn, "The Church's One Foundation". This great hymn, #545 in our hymnal, has one of the finest texts in the history of hymnody. Written by 19th century Anglican clergyman Samuel Stone, the hymn is rich in doctrine and proclamation. It's meat...vital, sustaining spiritual protein, as opposed to sugars or carbs, which have a place but ultimately don't sustain as well. Partnered to a majestic tune by Charles Wesley's grandson, this hymn is one of the Church's all-time "greatest hits".
the rivers of Babylon there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps. For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!'
