Throughout my ministry I have been regularly confronted by a fearful response to any discussion of the Holy Spirit. Somehow, it seems, people are afraid that inviting the Holy Spirit into our hearts or into our worship, will mean that we are inviting weird behavior, extreme reactions, and embarrassing expressions of belief. These people seem to think that encouraging the Holy Spirit will lead to speaking in tongues in church or snake handling in the pews. Puh-lease!
The Holy Spirit is not something to be feared. That is one of the reasons why the church has moved away from such archaic language like “holy ghost”. The Spirit is not a ghost. It is not ghastly and it is not intended to frighten us. The Holy Spirit can never make someone do something that they are uncomfortable doing. We cannot get “possessed” by the Holy Spirit and ‘forced’ to do something weird or strange or awful.
The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God in our lives. When we invite the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts we are energized both to love God even more, and energized to love our neighbors even more. With the Holy Spirit, we gain insight into the mind and heart of God. We gain uncanny wisdom, clear understanding of the ways of God, and courage to do the things we want to do, but have been afraid to do in the past.
The Holy Spirit is like the accelerator on your car. When we give our lives to Christ, and invite Christ to be our Lord and Savior, it is as if we started the car. We are still sitting in the driveway or parking lot, but we are not moving. We can play the radio, turn on the lights, and regulate the temperature. But we are not moving which is what cars were invented to do. Without the Holy Spirit we are only idling in our faith. But with the Holy Spirit, we are put into gear. The more we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the more we can accelerate. When empowered by a deepening relationship with God, we are able to do more, go faster, and accomplish more for the sake of God’s kingdom.
Throughout the Bible, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples meant that their testimony and their ministry had more power and more impact upon the people to whom they were preaching. Healing is a good thing. That’s a result of the Holy Spirit’s power. Discernment is a good thing. Knowing with clarity the difference between right and wrong is critical to living lives that avoid the potholes of life, and whose witness demonstrates the things we can accomplish when God is present with us.
On the day of Pentecost, as we read the story in Acts 2, the fearful, hesitant, and dim-witted disciples become transformed into bold and courageous proclaimers of the gospel, willing to stand up in an open marketplace to declare that Jesus died on the cross for us, was raised from the dead on Easter, and his Spirit is distributed to those who believe. Throughout the rest of the Book of Acts we see demonstrations of wisdom, insight, power, healing, amazing preaching, and transformed lives. On Saturday, May 30, those in the Alpha Course will learn much more about the importance and value of the Holy Spirit. On Sunday, May 31 we will celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit when we worship.
I pray for each of you that you will be open to what the Holy Spirit can do to bless and strengthen your life. Please do not be afraid, and do not resist. If God loves you completely, he would not give us a gift that would harm us.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Easter Brings Hope
The most profound thing about our Christian faith which is best expressed as an Easter faith, is that we all can have hope for whatever may be dead in our lives because of the resurrection of Jesus.
Imagine the disciples thinking that the mission of sharing and expanding the kingdom of heaven was done, ruined, over. They were sad and depressed, like a bunch of out of work fishermen.
Then all of a sudden, on Easter morning, the joy of victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat. Jesus was raised. Wow! If a guy who was beaten to within an inch of his life, and then was crucified can now be alive again, then any tragedy, any dilemma and any disappointment can be overcome. After all, if God can raise Jesus from the dead, then resurrecting our problem back to hope is a piece of cake.
It doesn't matter if you've lost a job, lost your marriage, or feel that anything else in your life is dead, God can transform it into something new and hopeful. It may not look like what you expected, but once you realize what God is trying to give you, you are overwhelmed with joy and happiness.
What is broken in your life? What seems dead and impossible in your life? Tell me about it. I can assure you that God is with you in the midst of the dark days and troubled times, and that if you give your life to Christ, God will find a way to resurrect your life to new heights of splendor, happiness and fulfillment.
Blog back, let me know what's going on in your life. Thanks.
Imagine the disciples thinking that the mission of sharing and expanding the kingdom of heaven was done, ruined, over. They were sad and depressed, like a bunch of out of work fishermen.
Then all of a sudden, on Easter morning, the joy of victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat. Jesus was raised. Wow! If a guy who was beaten to within an inch of his life, and then was crucified can now be alive again, then any tragedy, any dilemma and any disappointment can be overcome. After all, if God can raise Jesus from the dead, then resurrecting our problem back to hope is a piece of cake.
It doesn't matter if you've lost a job, lost your marriage, or feel that anything else in your life is dead, God can transform it into something new and hopeful. It may not look like what you expected, but once you realize what God is trying to give you, you are overwhelmed with joy and happiness.
What is broken in your life? What seems dead and impossible in your life? Tell me about it. I can assure you that God is with you in the midst of the dark days and troubled times, and that if you give your life to Christ, God will find a way to resurrect your life to new heights of splendor, happiness and fulfillment.
Blog back, let me know what's going on in your life. Thanks.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Giving Up or Taking On - The Discipline is the Same
For most of my ministry, in fact since I was a kid, my family members and I have had the practice of “giving something up for Lent.” My choices of things to give up have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous, from incidental practices to giving up addictions.
One year I gave up drinking Cokes. That was a tough year. One year I gave up chocolate - yeah, cold turkey! One year Dawn and I both gave up pizza. Can you imaging going 40 days without your regular Friday night dinner? One year I gave up coffee, and that was hard. And once, in a stroke of true bravery, I gave up all caffeine. The most difficult 40 days of my life.
One year, I gave up 10 pounds! That was intentional, a planned effort to eat less and work out — some.
But there have also been a few years when I added something instead — and it wasn’t food! I added the spiritual discipline of praying on my knees in the sanctuary every single day of Lent.
Whether you have the habit of giving something up for Lent, or taking on some additional spiritual discipline, the purpose and the practice is the same. It is to give us the opportunity to work on, to practice and to show to ourselves that we are capable of becoming more spiritual, more self-disciplined than we thought we actually could be.
Lent traditionally has been a season of fasting. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism. Fasts, in the strictest sense, are periods of not eating regular food. You maintain taking in water and juices and other liquids to keep yourself hydrated, like Gatorade, but you refrain from eating solid food. On some fasts, you can have only natural foods such as fruits and nuts, things you could pick and eat, but no prepared, cooked or processed foods.
The monks of the Middle Ages really took fasting to a whole new level. That is when fasting during Lent became a widely practiced discipline. And as a tidbit of trivia, you typically end a fast in the morning after the last day of your fast. So the first meal after the fast, the meal that would “break” the fast became known to this day as breakfast.
Some people think fasting, or giving things up for Lent sounds too “Catholic”. Some have never heard of giving things up for Lent. Some have no idea what Lent is.
I was talking to Michael Raymond, the owner of Raymond Funeral Services on Ash Wednesday, and he had a big black smudge on his forehead. He had gone to 8 o’clock mass and had the ashes placed on his forehead. He remarked how sad it is “how few people have any sense that this day is Ash Wednesday or why we do this.”
Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and runs for six and a half weeks to Holy Saturday. Lent and our fasts are broken on Easter, when the tomb is broken open and Jesus is raised.
Lent is a time to consider the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross, how he suffered and how much he loves us, that he would willingly die in our place. We give things up, or “sacrifice” things we like during Lent, to remind us of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.
I want to encourage you to make Lent special in some particular way. Whether you give up certain foods, like meat on Fridays, or ice cream, or whether you give up activities like television or Wii;, or whether you take on a new prayer or Bible reading practice during these 40 days, I hope you will take seriously the need to reflect upon all that Jesus has done for you personally. Be grateful for his sacrifice, and then see what you might do during Lent to help you remember the importance of this season, spiritually. I pray you will grow in your faith, and grow in your appreciation for the sacrifice Jesus made for you, during this Lenten season. +
One year I gave up drinking Cokes. That was a tough year. One year I gave up chocolate - yeah, cold turkey! One year Dawn and I both gave up pizza. Can you imaging going 40 days without your regular Friday night dinner? One year I gave up coffee, and that was hard. And once, in a stroke of true bravery, I gave up all caffeine. The most difficult 40 days of my life.
One year, I gave up 10 pounds! That was intentional, a planned effort to eat less and work out — some.
But there have also been a few years when I added something instead — and it wasn’t food! I added the spiritual discipline of praying on my knees in the sanctuary every single day of Lent.
Whether you have the habit of giving something up for Lent, or taking on some additional spiritual discipline, the purpose and the practice is the same. It is to give us the opportunity to work on, to practice and to show to ourselves that we are capable of becoming more spiritual, more self-disciplined than we thought we actually could be.
Lent traditionally has been a season of fasting. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism. Fasts, in the strictest sense, are periods of not eating regular food. You maintain taking in water and juices and other liquids to keep yourself hydrated, like Gatorade, but you refrain from eating solid food. On some fasts, you can have only natural foods such as fruits and nuts, things you could pick and eat, but no prepared, cooked or processed foods.
The monks of the Middle Ages really took fasting to a whole new level. That is when fasting during Lent became a widely practiced discipline. And as a tidbit of trivia, you typically end a fast in the morning after the last day of your fast. So the first meal after the fast, the meal that would “break” the fast became known to this day as breakfast.
Some people think fasting, or giving things up for Lent sounds too “Catholic”. Some have never heard of giving things up for Lent. Some have no idea what Lent is.
I was talking to Michael Raymond, the owner of Raymond Funeral Services on Ash Wednesday, and he had a big black smudge on his forehead. He had gone to 8 o’clock mass and had the ashes placed on his forehead. He remarked how sad it is “how few people have any sense that this day is Ash Wednesday or why we do this.”
Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and runs for six and a half weeks to Holy Saturday. Lent and our fasts are broken on Easter, when the tomb is broken open and Jesus is raised.
Lent is a time to consider the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross, how he suffered and how much he loves us, that he would willingly die in our place. We give things up, or “sacrifice” things we like during Lent, to remind us of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.
I want to encourage you to make Lent special in some particular way. Whether you give up certain foods, like meat on Fridays, or ice cream, or whether you give up activities like television or Wii;, or whether you take on a new prayer or Bible reading practice during these 40 days, I hope you will take seriously the need to reflect upon all that Jesus has done for you personally. Be grateful for his sacrifice, and then see what you might do during Lent to help you remember the importance of this season, spiritually. I pray you will grow in your faith, and grow in your appreciation for the sacrifice Jesus made for you, during this Lenten season. +
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A New Day
Dear Friends,
This is a new day. You woke up this morning, and this day possesses such a great deal of potential for you, for your life, and for your future. Each day should be greeted with joy and thanksgiving. Each day should be viewed as a day to explore and see all the wonderful things God has done and is doing in your life. This is a day to renew your relationship with God by talking to him. Prayer doesn't have to be formal and stiff, regimented or formulaic. Prayer, in my view, has its best form as conversation. You may feel like God doesn't "talk back", but I know that he does, just not audibly in your ears. Sometimes God talks back in the words of others, in the random thoughts that jump into your head, or in the pages of scripture that you read following your prayers. But I find that I am talking to God, mostly casually, throughout the day. We have a friendly and comfortable relationship, in which God reminds me of his presence with me frequently throughout the day, and I respond by giving thanks, or lifting up someone who needs prayer, or asking God for guidance in the decsions I have to make.
This is a new year. Forget New Years resolutions. Well, in fact, most of us already have. But it is a new year, a chance to do some things differently, and it doesn't have to start right on the first of January. Any time this year, we can begin new patterns, start new habits, break old "bad" habits, or just decide to do more good things than we have in the past. Volunteer more. Read more. Worship more. Give more. A new year is a gift from God. It is a cycle of fresh starts that is at the core of Holy Communion. We get a chance to start over, to do better, to realize our potential, to deepen our faith.
This is a new day in politics as well. Though I love rhetoric, I am old enough to be skeptical enough that I will take a watch and see attitude. BUT, if our new President can be true to his ideals and to his word, then we hopefully will be witnesses to a sea-change in politics as usual. I pray for bi-partisanship. I pray for the end of bickering across the aisle. I pray that congress and the Senate will work as one to help the President solve the problems we face in our nation. I do know this: I will be praying for our new President. I will pray for him everyday. And just as many in my congregation pray for me and for my leadership everyday, I will pray for him and for his leadership. I will pray, because I see it at work in my life, and in the blessings God is showering upon our church. So keep praying for me and pray for President Obama as well. Pray because it works. Pray because it brings hope. And pray because it is one the best things we can do to help our country, and ultimately to help ourselves. I pray that God will bless President Obama with the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the courage of Elijah, the compassion of Jesus and the tenacity and conviction of Paul.
This is a new day. You woke up this morning, and this day possesses such a great deal of potential for you, for your life, and for your future. Each day should be greeted with joy and thanksgiving. Each day should be viewed as a day to explore and see all the wonderful things God has done and is doing in your life. This is a day to renew your relationship with God by talking to him. Prayer doesn't have to be formal and stiff, regimented or formulaic. Prayer, in my view, has its best form as conversation. You may feel like God doesn't "talk back", but I know that he does, just not audibly in your ears. Sometimes God talks back in the words of others, in the random thoughts that jump into your head, or in the pages of scripture that you read following your prayers. But I find that I am talking to God, mostly casually, throughout the day. We have a friendly and comfortable relationship, in which God reminds me of his presence with me frequently throughout the day, and I respond by giving thanks, or lifting up someone who needs prayer, or asking God for guidance in the decsions I have to make.
This is a new year. Forget New Years resolutions. Well, in fact, most of us already have. But it is a new year, a chance to do some things differently, and it doesn't have to start right on the first of January. Any time this year, we can begin new patterns, start new habits, break old "bad" habits, or just decide to do more good things than we have in the past. Volunteer more. Read more. Worship more. Give more. A new year is a gift from God. It is a cycle of fresh starts that is at the core of Holy Communion. We get a chance to start over, to do better, to realize our potential, to deepen our faith.
This is a new day in politics as well. Though I love rhetoric, I am old enough to be skeptical enough that I will take a watch and see attitude. BUT, if our new President can be true to his ideals and to his word, then we hopefully will be witnesses to a sea-change in politics as usual. I pray for bi-partisanship. I pray for the end of bickering across the aisle. I pray that congress and the Senate will work as one to help the President solve the problems we face in our nation. I do know this: I will be praying for our new President. I will pray for him everyday. And just as many in my congregation pray for me and for my leadership everyday, I will pray for him and for his leadership. I will pray, because I see it at work in my life, and in the blessings God is showering upon our church. So keep praying for me and pray for President Obama as well. Pray because it works. Pray because it brings hope. And pray because it is one the best things we can do to help our country, and ultimately to help ourselves. I pray that God will bless President Obama with the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the courage of Elijah, the compassion of Jesus and the tenacity and conviction of Paul.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Preparations for Christmas
Decorating for Christmas is both an exciting and exhausting process. Dawn and I have about 20 huge plastic tote buckets that need to be hauled up to the living level so Dawn can begin to sort out where she wants to put it all. It's exciting that Christmas is coming soon, and the house looks all festive at this time of year. Anticipating the parties and dinners and gatherings of family and friends is full of joy. The work that's required to get ready however, is often overwhelming. This can make Christmas a difficult season for some of us, especially if we are going through a tough time personally. The loss of a loved one can really spoil our mood. The first Christmas without a parent or spouse or child can be really hard. For some loneliness gets the best of them. Being young and having no one to share Christmas with can be especially challenging. And in this economy, the loss of a job is not only blow to one's self-esteem, it very often so negatively affects a family's own economy that it can have devastating effects.
That is why when we prepare for Christmas it is best to set aside our thoughts of our current situations and worries and turn to the true and original meaning of Christmas: God loves you! God loves us all so much, that he sent (gave up) his only Son to live among us and show us by his words and deeds how much God cares about us. No matter our circumstances, negative or positive, God is with us, God love us, and God wants the very best for us.
Because of Christmas, we all have hope. Because of Christmas we can face every circumstance as a hopeful situation where God can act in our lives and demonstrate his love and his power on our behalf.
I pray that as you prepare for Christmas this year, you will pause to reflect on God's goodness to you in the past, and use that as evidence that God will continue to act in your life and will help you come to know even more fully, how very much God does love you.
Merry Christmas!
Bruce
That is why when we prepare for Christmas it is best to set aside our thoughts of our current situations and worries and turn to the true and original meaning of Christmas: God loves you! God loves us all so much, that he sent (gave up) his only Son to live among us and show us by his words and deeds how much God cares about us. No matter our circumstances, negative or positive, God is with us, God love us, and God wants the very best for us.
Because of Christmas, we all have hope. Because of Christmas we can face every circumstance as a hopeful situation where God can act in our lives and demonstrate his love and his power on our behalf.
I pray that as you prepare for Christmas this year, you will pause to reflect on God's goodness to you in the past, and use that as evidence that God will continue to act in your life and will help you come to know even more fully, how very much God does love you.
Merry Christmas!
Bruce
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thanksgiving for Many Things
Friends and Readers,
As I write this, we are three days from Thanksgiving. I will be driving all day to my brother's home and staying two short days there before driving all day home.
But I have much for which to be grateful. Thanksgiving is a perfect time for each of us to review and consider all the wonderful blessings in life that we do enjoy and which have come to us by God's generous hand.
It is easy to start with family: spouse, children, siblings, parents, grandchildren, the good in-laws that we like, grandparents, nieces, nephews and on and on. We should thank God when we get good ones, and work harder to get along with the lesser ones. And we should strive to be a good _____________ (whatever it is we are) to the rest of our world.
It is easy to thank God for home, and food, employment when we have it, and the many creature comforts that we enjoy: nice cars, big screen TVs, computers, cell phones, TiVo, NetFlix and more. We can even thank God for ovens that work, microwaves, automatic coffeepots, crockpots, and gas grilles.
We can also easily thank God for friends, buddies, the people we love to hang out with, and the caring folks at church who share our faith.
Your list and my list may vary greatly, but that we have lots to be grateful for is a constant for all of us.
I hope you will not only thank God for the many blessings and people in your life, but that you will actually tell the people in your life how grateful you are to God that they are a part of your life, and tell them how much you appreciate and treasure them. It will add a whole new dimension to the concept of Thanksgiving around the table with the people most important to you.
Have a blessed and enjoyable Thanksgiving!
Bruce
As I write this, we are three days from Thanksgiving. I will be driving all day to my brother's home and staying two short days there before driving all day home.
But I have much for which to be grateful. Thanksgiving is a perfect time for each of us to review and consider all the wonderful blessings in life that we do enjoy and which have come to us by God's generous hand.
It is easy to start with family: spouse, children, siblings, parents, grandchildren, the good in-laws that we like, grandparents, nieces, nephews and on and on. We should thank God when we get good ones, and work harder to get along with the lesser ones. And we should strive to be a good _____________ (whatever it is we are) to the rest of our world.
It is easy to thank God for home, and food, employment when we have it, and the many creature comforts that we enjoy: nice cars, big screen TVs, computers, cell phones, TiVo, NetFlix and more. We can even thank God for ovens that work, microwaves, automatic coffeepots, crockpots, and gas grilles.
We can also easily thank God for friends, buddies, the people we love to hang out with, and the caring folks at church who share our faith.
Your list and my list may vary greatly, but that we have lots to be grateful for is a constant for all of us.
I hope you will not only thank God for the many blessings and people in your life, but that you will actually tell the people in your life how grateful you are to God that they are a part of your life, and tell them how much you appreciate and treasure them. It will add a whole new dimension to the concept of Thanksgiving around the table with the people most important to you.
Have a blessed and enjoyable Thanksgiving!
Bruce
Friday, November 7, 2008
A Time to Heal ... Our Nation
The election is over, the results are in and we have a President-elect, Senator Barack Obama.
He may have been your choice, or he may not have been your choice; but he has been elected in a fair and democratic process to become our country's next President.
I invite all of us to spend five minutes in prayer this week for unity in our nation and for God to touch the heart and prick the conscience of the President-elect, all of Congress, and other elected officials, to lead our nation in a moral and just fashion, with compassion and wisdom.
We were once proud to be called "One nation under God" and we can be again – remember what the Lord says in the Bible: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." -- 2 Chronicles 7:14
Please find five minutes sometime this week, during your lunch or this evening for a time of dedicated prayer. Let us pray for a healing of our land and for an opportunity for us to witness to our faith as a unifying force. And may God receive the glory. Thank you and my God bless our nation.
He may have been your choice, or he may not have been your choice; but he has been elected in a fair and democratic process to become our country's next President.
I invite all of us to spend five minutes in prayer this week for unity in our nation and for God to touch the heart and prick the conscience of the President-elect, all of Congress, and other elected officials, to lead our nation in a moral and just fashion, with compassion and wisdom.
We were once proud to be called "One nation under God" and we can be again – remember what the Lord says in the Bible: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." -- 2 Chronicles 7:14
Please find five minutes sometime this week, during your lunch or this evening for a time of dedicated prayer. Let us pray for a healing of our land and for an opportunity for us to witness to our faith as a unifying force. And may God receive the glory. Thank you and my God bless our nation.
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