Are Christians Kind?

This is one area where I think that the Christian Church messes up so often.  If others are supposed to know Christians by their love, what are they supposed to think when we're insulting each other (and worse)?

Who is the person in your life you should be kinder to?  Even those people we disagree with?  (No names, please.)

Don't Be a Donkey

Following is a sermon I delivered on August 18, 2013 at Pocatello First United Methodist Church.

Psalm 32

All year long, I've been participating in a Bible verse memorization project. It involves memorizing two verses of the Bible a month … theoretically. I say theoretically because I am terrible at memorizing things. I can barely remember my phone number, and then half the time, I transpose two of the numbers.

So instead, for my Bible verse, I write it on an index card and place it on my desk at home. I meditate on it for a couple of weeks. And believe me, the concepts sink in, even if I can’t recite it back. However, back in July, I came across a verse that I don’t ever think I’ll forget, and I hope to have it firmly planted in your mind before you leave here today. A version of it appears as a part of our Scripture passage for today.

Psalm 32: 8-9 reads, “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Do not be like an unruly horse or mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle.”

That is from the New Revised Standard translation. Of course, all of this was originally recorded in Hebrew, and if most of us are going to read it today, we need an English translation, of which there are many! I personally own six or seven, and online, I can access at least 20. I love the way the New Century Bible sums up this Scripture passage, “Don’t be a donkey!”

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Serving Promises Unseen

Following is a sermon that I delivered on August 12, 2012 at Pocatello First United Methodist Church.

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

How many of you have been watching the Olympics?  Okay … I admit.  I get really excited when the United States does well, but what I find fascinating is how much I support the other athletes too.  Take a Bulgarian gymnast, Yourdan Youchev, 39 years old and at his sixth Olympics!  Who could help but root for the man, regardless of how he finished.  There was a diver who never expected to make the semi-finals. He was just happy to be there, thrilled to be a part of something bigger than himself, and the Olympics are filled with these stories.  Then, we, as we watch them from thousands of miles away, also become a part of this world wide experience.

In a way, this was what the audience of the book of Hebrews felt.  They were a part of a world changing movement, but … it wasn’t going as expected.  When Jesus ascended into heaven, they thought that he was going to return very soon. Paul in his earliest letters discourages people to marry because he thinks that the time would be so short (1 Cor 7:25-31).  But, there was a problem. The first generation of Christians were dying, and Jesus hadn’t returned yet. The author of Hebrews reminds them that our time is not God’s time.  He talks about their ancestors and how they were patient and had faith that God would fulfill his promises.

The word “faith” plays a prominent role in today’s Scripture passage. “By faith, Abraham obeyed … By faith, he lived … By faith, Sarah received …”

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Families Called to Hope

Following is a sermon that I delivered on May 13, 2012 at Pocatello First United Methodist Church.

John 15:9-17

How many of you read the newspaper today?  Watched the morning news?  Looked at headlines online? It seems that we are inundated with bad news.  The world looks hopeless. Every day there is a new crisis. A new reason to panic.

Was it always like this? Is there really more bad news than there used to be, or are we victims of a 24 news cycle, where everything is an emergency … but it will wait until the top of the hour or until after “a few words from our sponsor.”

If there is good news, it usually gets tagged onto the end, almost as an afterthought.  And yet, there are terrible things that are going on in our world every day: Financial markets just reported a 2b dollar loss at J.P. Morgan. Who can tell what will happen in Greece? Or Spain?  But that’s only money right?  What about war?  There are new reports of increasing violence in the Middle East. Unfortunately, there’s nothing surprising about that.  But, just a few weeks ago, there was a rocket test in North Korea. The good news is that it was unsuccessful, but does anyone think that they’re quitting?

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