Easter – Acts 10:34-43; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; John 20:1-18 April 4, 2010     A few years ago we had a garage sale in anticipation of moving my mother into town. We had an old garden plow made from scrap pieces of angle iron by Norval who lived the next house down the road. He had given it to my dad. It was a neat plow because Norval customized it to fit the stature of his body. The long steel handles were set at just the right angle so that he could exert the maximum strength from of his short stocky body when pushing it along.

Norval always had a great garden. He loved his onions, peppers, beans, tomatoes and was generous to share with others. He had a good heart.

Yet, in life he had problems that he was never able to conquer. Alcohol destroyed his first marriage and also his health. He was an early heart patient of Dr. DeBakey in Texas and was among the first to have coronary bypass surgery. His only consolation at the end of his life was the love of his second wife and what he had helped Doctors learn about this new medical procedure. The knowledge gained from his case has no doubt helped many others enjoy longer lives as a result....

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Palm/Passion Sunday: Luke 19:28-40; Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 22:14-23:56

March 28, 2010

    Jesus enters Jerusalem like so many others that week to celebrate the annual festival of Passover. Because Passover is a celebration of freedom from slavery and oppression, Roman rulers would have sent additional troops to monitor the city during this time in order to prevent any public demonstrations from getting out of hand. The Pharisees, for example, who ask Jesus to calm down the excitement of his disciples, are probably afraid that such a public display might cause Roman soldiers to react with force. This was a week filled with both joyous celebration, but also fear and danger.

    It was customary in those days to pay homage to a king by having a processional. Everyone would join in the celebration by throwing their cloaks on the ground. The king would ride his horse on this carpet as he passed by the people shouting and cheering along the processional route. In Luke's...

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Lent 5: Isaiah43:16-21; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8

March 21, 2010

Signs of spring

    As the weather has begun to warm over recent days and the grass turn green again, I know farmers, are now "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead." They are looking ahead to a new season that hopefully will be a bit more normal than the last couple have been.

    It is transition time for many high school and college seniors too as they prepare to leave the past behind and move on to the next phase in their lives – more schooling for some, searching for a job for others, maybe marriage. This is always an anxious time of preparing to let go of what is familiar and predictable in anticipation of something new.

    Tiger Woods announced this week that he is coming back to golf and will play in the Masters tournament at the end of April. Based on what we have learned in recent months, there is probably no one more eager than Woods to "forget what lies behind"...

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Lent 4: Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

March 14, 2010

    Sibling rivalries and jealousies are very common. We could all tell our tale of what it was like to be a younger or the youngest child growing up as well as the oldest. If you are the oldest did you ever feel that your younger brothers or sisters got away with things more than you ever did, that your parents were more lenient toward them than you. You had to be the better example for them to follow. How many still think that? And if you are a younger or the youngest child did you grow up in the shadow of an older sibling(s)? How did you feel about that? Any resentment?

    Those who heard Jesus tell a story about a father with two sons would have been reminded not only of their own sibling rivalries, but also the stories in their family tree on the same theme. There are several in the Old Testament. The children of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel. There is the family of Isaac and his two sons, Esau and...

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Lent 3: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9

March 7, 2010

    Well, watch out for the Cubs this season. Geovany Soto the Cub catcher may be back after a terrible year in 2009. His stats were half of what they were when he was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2008. But last year he was like the fig tree in the parable of Jesus. He didn't bear much fruit. Someone must have sprinkled some manure around his thinking in the off season (figuratively of course) because when he checked into spring training a week or so ago, he was 40 pounds lighter than last year.

    By losing weight Soto has empowered himself to be a better player in 2010 and that should help make the Cubs a better team. Of course, (with the Cubs being the Cubs) this is no guarantee, but if Soto does have a great year, then this may not be good news for us Cardinal fans.

    Though this is a secular example Soto's weight loss fits the literal definition of "repentance" which means "to turn around" and go...

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Lent 2: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35

February 28, 2010

    One year on vacation Jean and I drove along country roads out west following the route of the Oregon Trail. Like the pioneers we traveled slowly each day stopping frequently to read signs and study locations. Also like the pioneers did not have air conditioning.

    One stop in Wyoming was at Independence Rock which is just that a huge rock surrounded by sage brush and barrenness. The rock got its name because settlers had to reach here by July 4th in order to get over the mountains before winter. Another stop was the Continental Divide in Wyoming. This is also a barren place with only a dirt path to lead you to the spot where two stone markers have been placed.

    The desolation surrounding both these places is a reminder even now of the hardships and sacrifices the pioneers faced. They had to fend for themselves for food, for water, medicines and depend on what God provided. They...

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Lent 1: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

February 21, 2010

You don't have to go far to be reminded of how strong and dangerous temptations can be today. Just pick up the newspaper and read.

"MAN CRASHES PLANE INTO IRS BUILDING IN TEXAS!! UPSET OVER TAXES!!

"UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR SHOOTS 3 COLLEAGUES TO DEATH AFTER SHE IS DENIED TENURE."

No one likes taxes, but it doesn't make sense to kill yourself about it as well as others who are innocent bystanders. And no one has absolute job security either. Many lose jobs when the factory closes, the economy goes into recession, or when they get sick and are unable to work. But the vast majority don't start killing about it.

These are extreme examples, but the roots of these desperate acts go back to small beginnings, perhaps to a general unhappiness about life nurtured over a long period of time. They go back to thinking that the value of your life is what you earn and what you achieve. How many sleepless nights are...

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Joel 2:1-2; 12-17; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Feb. 17, 2010

 

Lent – A time of self-examination, penitence, new life

    Lent is a season of 40 days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on the Saturday before Easter.

    Why is Lent 40 days? The number 40 occurs several times in key events recorded in scripture. Some these are:

It rained 40 days and nights during the flood recorded in Genesis when Noah and company were saved on the arch. (Ge 7) Moses was on Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments for 40 days. (Ex 24) The spies appointed by Moses spent 40 days investigating the land of Canaan to understand if they were strong enough to conquer the inhabitants there. (Nu 13) Israel wandered in the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years between their escape from bondage in Egypt and crossing the Jordan River into Canaan. The prophet Elijah fled from his persecutors to Mt. Horeb for 40 days and nights....

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

February 14, 2010

    The name of the mountain is unknown where the appearance of Jesus was transfigured one day and Moses and Elijah appeared with him. But it was a very radical and revolutionary change that begins to take shape on that mountaintop. Moses and Elijah were predecessors who helped prepare the way for Jesus, but now he supercedes them. It's not that they were wrong, but that their glory was partial and imperfect while the glory revealed through Jesus of Nazareth is complete and perfect. "This is my son, my chosen," the voice from above says, " Listen to him!"

    Sherman UMC has been "listening to Jesus" ever since it organized itself as a new church 158 years ago in 1852. It was born in the days when Lincoln was riding through here on horseback. During its history many pastors and members have come and gone. It has sent sons and daughters off to war several times, weathered through multiple recessions, a great depression, narrowly missed another one and physically changed its location twice from its original site. Through all the ups and downs, joys and sorrows SUMC has gained wisdom and strength to make new disciples by "listening to Jesus."...

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Epiphany 4: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30

January 31, 2010

It's lonely to feel like an outsider. As a child I attended the church my grandparents attended. My mom and dad were married in the same church. But despite this I never felt at home there. I attended school in a different district than most of the kids at church. They never knew me very well, nor did I know them. I always felt like a stranger intruding on someone else's party, shunned and on occasion made fun of. The fellowship there was like a clique and I didn't belong. I never really enjoyed the church in which I grew up.

Any church can feel like this. The atmosphere between people who know each other well can feel very warm and friendly. But to visitors it may feel like a clique where some are in and some are not. Groups within a nation can become like this. If you are not of the right religion or race or economic status, then you're not as important. You're looked upon as an outsider. You don't really belong. Religions can...

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