What does it mean to Witness?

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
December 20th 2009
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“What Does it Mean to Witness?”
Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:39-55

A few weeks ago I had coffee with a college professor. I was curious about life on campus and what sorts of things were going on with the students. What I wanted to know was about the social conscious of the next generation. From her perspective the news was not encouraging. It was not bleak but for most of her students the idea of trying to make a difference in the world is just not on their agenda. Many of them live at time where civil rights are under assault and the image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is sold to the highest corporate bidder. On top of this the pace of the latest news creates a thirty second attention span, if not less. But let us not blame the children they have simply embraced the world we have created. It is a deeply depressing tale. In fact, it is a story of despair. A world where the most we can hope for is enough money to carve out our personal piece of the pie.
My thoughts on this conversation led me to the conclusion that all of us, not only our youth, are suffering from want of a good story. I believe we all live our lives by some story and the stories which we seek to carry us along cannot bear the weight of the world. What I said was that they, and we, need better stories. We need to know stories that do not neatly solve the world problems at the end of the hour drama. We need to know stories that a lifetime in the service of others matters. We need to know stories that remind us we are part of stories bigger than ourselves and even bigger than our lifetimes. The good news is that we know those stories.
It was in the dark of night that a young woman received a strange visitor. An angel spoke to hear and claimed that God chose her to be the mother of God. If Mary did not know the stories of those who had gone before her, she would not have been able to say yes. Mary knew that she was not the first woman to be chosen by God. Mary knew that God had promised Sarah would be the mother of many generations even after she was passed the age of having children. Mary also knew the story of Shiprah and Puah who trusted God enough to defy Pharaoh and ensured that Moses would be born to set his people free. Mary also knew the story of Hannah who upon hearing that she would give birth to the prophet Samuel prayed this prayer generations before:
My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in my God. There is no Holy One like the LORD… The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.
Because Mary knew these stories she was able to say, “yes,” when the time came.
But even knowing the story was not enough. Mary knew that she could not go alone. And she sought out her cousin who not only knew the stories but who had her own story to tell. Elizabeth was barren and now she was going to give birth to John. So Mary knew that she and Elizabeth would have a lot to talk about. Not only in being pregnant but in the way they had been connected to the deeper stories of their faith. If this was the end of the story, these stories might simply be interesting yet have little impact for us. But the witness of Elizabeth and Mary is an invitation to all who hear. Mary and Elizabeth both give a witness to what God has done, through them and for others.
Why is there witness so powerful? The times in which they lived were desperate times. It was a difficult world with powerful stories. The story of the Roman occupation had captured the imaginations of the religious and political leadership and despair gripped the population. And into this mess God speaks to and through an unlikely pair, just like God always does. But if they didn’t know that story would they have said yes? Could they have said yes? What if they had not been nurtured in the stories of the faith? Would they have bought into the despair? Those are questions we thankfully do not have to answer because they were faithful witnesses.
There seems to be a great deal of trouble with Christmas these days. It seems that some folks believe there is a war against Christmas and that our responsibility is to fight back. Others are find themselves so exhausted with the holiday celebrations that there is not time to enjoy it or let alone reflect on its’ importance. But into this mess I would like to suggest there are other alternatives, other options. Our calling is not to be warriors but witnesses. And in order to be witnesses we need to know the stories.
Sounds simple right? But the hard part is not simply memorizing the stories but making the stories a part of our lives. We all live our lives based on some story. What is the story which is driving your life these days? Do we know these stories? Are we passing them on? What is the story which drives your daily life? Are you living in despair? What is sustaining you? Can I get a witness?
We are not called to be Mary or to be Elizabeth. Most of us will not be asked to do the miraculous. But we need to be ready. To do this faithfully we need to make their stories our stories. It truly is the antidote to despair. When the wars increase, when hunger abounds we will not be ground to inaction or overwhelmed by it all because we KNOW! We know that this is not the way it is supposed to be or even has to be. We know that woman have the power to change the world, that God came in the form of a baby. And our witness is to give witness to these life giving stories… “and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” These stories are not just for kids but are saving lives right now. Can I get a witness? Amen.

What does it mean to Rejoice?

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
December 12th 2009
Second Sunday in Advent
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“What Does it Mean to Rejoice?”
Zephaniah 3:14-20; Luke 3:7-18

I love it when international events change the direction of a sermon. Hopefully you will too. This week President Obama received his Nobel peace prize. If you did not listen to the speech I do commend it to you. The speech is thoughtful and insightful into the current ideology behind the administration’s approach to national security and war. The Obama Doctrine, as it is not being called, is a refreshingly thoughtful approach to war, though still a justification for war.
In the speech the President mentions Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. on two occasions. While giving credit to both, the President makes it clear that non-violence is something that might have worked for those heroic figures, but not intended for the most powerful nation in the world. While he may be right, the President clearly forgot that Gandhi brought the most powerful nation the world had ever known to its’ knees without ever firing a shot. Fortunately President Obama does point to their work as an ideal that should guide our journey. But Christians can never be reconciled to the belief that the way to true peace comes through violence.
Challenging the President in this way has been dismissed as foolish and naive, not taking into account the real existence of evil in the world. Into those objections the prophet Zehpiniah has something to say. He tells the story of a world where violence and war too had become the accepted way of life. Our passage from the prophet comes after considerable chronicling of a world far more violent than ours. The officials of the state are like lions, judges are like wolves, and the people of faith have lost faith and cast their lots with those in power. Even the leaders of the faith community reminded silent when the powerful seek to paint wars of greed with a brush of justice. Into that time, God says: “I will deal with all your oppressors.” And God says, I will save the lame, gather the outcast, and change shame into praise. The prophet becomes good company for those dismisses as fools.
John the Baptist was another such fool. He too lived in times where violence and greed were the order of the day. John too was not afraid to mention when the Emperors of his day had no clothes. “You brood of vipers!” John challenges the people of faith who have become too comfortable with the current arrangements. But talk like this was niave and foolish. After all, Rome had brought peace to the known world. There would not have been world stability if it were not for the Roman legions. So John is a fool. He may know the scriptures but he does not understand how the real world works. If he did, John would have done a better job of giving thanks for the Roman stability and figured out a way to get comfortable with it.
However, despite John’s appearance of niave idealism, he is actually quite practical. The crowds who have come to hear John’s words are hungry for more than mere escape. They want a plan. Ok, they say, we know all this bible stuff but how are we supposed to live this out? “What should we do?” They understand the depths of evil and sin in the world; otherwise they would not have been baptized. What they want to know is really this: Is there anything that we can do now, or shall we wait till after death for something to change? In other words, short of the second coming shall violence always have the last word?
John is quick to respond with simple and concrete action. If we ever feel like there is just too much wrong in the world and become paralyzed to inaction, this passage is the antidote to despair and belief there is nothing we can do. He begins with clothing. “If you have two coats share one.” It may seem simple but don’t we all have clothing in our closets we do not need or wear? How many of us are thinking we need more? If we share what we have it creates a spirit of charity and might help us cut down on spending more than we really have to spend. But it goes beyond a coat. John says, to a culture built on gaining as much as you can for yourself, sharing is the way of faith.
John then turns to those who are participating in the machine of the Empire. Notice that he does not say, leave the evil system and run for the hills. Instead, he tells the tax collectors and soldiers not to participate in the unjust workings of the system. Only take what you need and make sure not to extort or take advantage of people. These are not words of an idealist. These are not the words intended for life after death. These are words of active non-violence, and non-participation in a system which thrives on greed wrapped in pious justification. At the end of the day John is teaching creative undermining of the machine by the faithful people who were hungry for the word of God.
Ok so that is all well and good, but isn’t the title of the sermon about rejoicing? What has any of this got to do with rejoicing? The good news, the rejoicing is that there is an antidote to despair and anxiety which is concrete. We can make a difference. We can share what we have. We can refuse to take advantage of other people. We can tell the story that non-violence and non-participation in violence is not a luxury for the dreamers. The world is violent and evil exists and we do not have to give in to the despair or belief there is nothing we can do. And if you need a reminder go home today and tear open your closet and find something to share. Go to your pantry and find something to share… something, anything.
So is this my answer to war? Do I believe that war will come to an end? No I do not but that does not mean we can give up and give into the despair wrapped in the guise of practical politics. But here is what I suggest we do. Whenever you feel the despair overwhelm remember the words of John and rejoice because we are never left to our despair. It may seem simple and naive but earth shattering change has come when people finally recognize that there is another way possible. So who is with me? Who is ready to start sharing? Who knows, we might just change the world. Amen.

What does it mean to prepare?

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
December 6th 2009
Second Sunday in Advent
Communion Meditation
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“What Does it Mean to Prepare?”
Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 3:1-6

This advent season I have made the commitment not to complain about some things. I am not going to complain about the Christmas music in August or the decorations that show up before Halloween. I am not going to complain about the crowds or the added stress of the season. I have decided that complaining about those things serves no worthy purpose. Instead, I have decided to finally admit that there is a tension between the Christmas celebration and Christianity.
Coming to grips with this reality allows me to be set free from the need to complain. But do not hear this confession as a statement that I have joined the Culture War complainers. I do not fear that Christmas has been stolen by the PC police that seek to turn the birth of Jesus into a culturally bland “holiday.” In fact, if there is something we should worry about regarding this holiday of our faith is how often we participate uncritically in the consumer orgy called Christmas. The truth is that whether Christians call it holiday or Christmas we haven’t noticed that the celebration of God’s incarnation has turned into the worship of the marketplace. So, instead of semantic fights I believe our energy is best spent looking for positive, life-giving ways to prepare for the holiday that we call Christmas.
Leaving our worry of what is going on in the culture is actually biblically sound. After all, “the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” And this happened in the midst of a world preoccupied with many other things. It happened, “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas…” It happened in the midst of a culture that was actually openly hostile to the faith. Despite this, God speaks. Without anyone’s help, God speaks. To people living in Empire hear the word of God. It should come as a comfort to know that no matter whether it is real or imagined that the War on Christmas is doomed. So there really is nothing to worry about. That allows us to focus on being prepared.
Preparing for Christmas is usually marked by decorating, Christmas cards, cookies, parties, presents, and of course Chex Mix. For Christians, preparing for Christmas may include those things but real preparation is the season of Advent. Advent is not Christmas but the time before when we try to grasp what it means to wait on God. After encountering the risen Jesus, the first Christians searched the scriptures with the hope understanding. The passages from Malachi and Isaiah, quoted in Luke, show what they understood about Jesus and the meaning of Christmas.
Who can endure the day of God’s arrival? Now that sounds like a joyful Christmas song. What about the radical social rearrangement being praised in the passage from Isaiah? The language of valleys and mountains is not about creative landscaping but a metaphor for the leveling of all society that comes by the hand of God. If this is what the first Christians understood about the birth of Jesus than it appears that Jesus birth really isn’t a religious seal of approval of a consumer holiday. So what are we supposed to do with this? What does it mean to prepare given this reality?
Over the past few years I have made it a habit to re-read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I am finding the Dickensian world rather contemporary these days and his works surprisingly helpful for understanding what is going on around us. Reading that powerful work, I am in awe of the poor family of Tiny Tim who can celebrate Christmas and the inability of Mr. Scrooge to enjoy a moment with his vast wealth. It is not until Mr. Scrooge shares himself and joins with others that he finds joy. It is a biblical vision of the mountains being brought low and the valleys being filled. And, at the end of that book where Dickens shows us what Isaiah means when he writes: “All flesh shall see the salvation of God together.”
The salvation of God will be seen by all, but it will not come as long as the mountains and the valleys of our societies exist. For the salvation of God, there is no advanced showing, box seats, or backstage passes. The front row folks and the nosebleed seat folks are going to be side-by-side. And for some that does not actually sound like good news. So, being prepared is about coming to grips with this reality of our faith.
John called people out to the wilderness for a Baptism of Repentance. It was about getting ready. The word of God came to John and he knew the people would need to be ready. Repentance for John meant turning from the ways of the current arrangements. Going out to the Jordan symbolized the journey from the slavery of Egypt through the Red Sea. Repentance was a turning from the ways of Egypt, the ways of Babylon, the ways of Rome, the ways of Empire. But this repentance did not end there. Once they had turned from the empire ways, John sends them back to the heart of empire practice. Going out to the wilderness meant coming face to face with how comfortable they had become with the current arrangements. Going to the wilderness to be baptized was intended to be a time of clarity. With this new found vision, they could return and live more faithfully in a culture which had the appearance of faithfulness but was not.
Being prepared is about going to the wilderness with others and getting in touch with our need for repentance. Being prepared is about coming to grips with how comfortable we have become with the current state of affairs. To prepare for Christmas we need to disengage from the consumer frenzy enough so that we can recognize there is something more. But to do so faithfully we must do this without becoming bitter, angry, cynical, arrogant or condescending. This is not an easy task and requires a great deal of humility.
Advent is a season of preparation marked by texts that can seem a bit unnerving. But know that it is a season also marked by joy. We can have joy in the journey because we know the end of the story. We know that Christmas is not the end of our story but just the beginning. We know that Christ will come again, and that is why we wait and why we prepare. We are being called to live this new reality and even embrace the disconnect we feel between our faith and the consumer holiday going on around us. By embracing this reality, I believe that we will no longer find ourselves disoriented with Christmas songs in August or Christmas sales in October. If we prepare, if we know the story and live the story, there will be no need to complain. We can even smile at this things and remember that we know another story, a story that leads us to joy and not angry cynicism. So let us prepare the way, with joy and thanksgiving. Amen? Amen!

What Does it Meant to Wait?

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 29th 2009
Marsha Jones
“What Does it Mean to Wait?”
1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

The theme for this first week of Advent is “what does it mean to wait.” What does it mean to set our life, thoughts, activities aside and wait? And for whom do we wait and why do we wait, how long do we wait? Does it make a difference who we wait with or who we leave behind? Does God care how we wait? Really can we wait at all?
The theme and these questions, at first, seemed to have nothing to do with the scripture that I selected, yet I knew the revelation from this text was worth waiting for so I waited. And as I waited I thought. I thought about the scripture and what these words meant to me. I thought about this being my first sermon, the first week of Advent, and the first earnest prayer in awhile for the blessing of having only 10 congregants and 10 crickets in the pews for my first sermon. I thought about how all I ever asked was that God create in me the biggest heart for volunteering - certainly not this preaching and pastoring thing. I thought about what it was like when I got “the call” from God and then had to wait for four years for God to open Westminster’s doors to me. I thought about what it was like to wait in the storms of life, changing and challenging me, waiting seemingly alone. Then I reread the scripture and I thought “wait a minute” that’s exactly what the Thessalonians were doing. Paul had come and erected a church in Thessalonica – they got their call. And then they waited amid their afflictions and waited while in need of more faith and they waited for Paul’s return.
If this new life in Christ was not turning out as rosy as the cults down the street then why were they still waiting? If they were in such need of strength and restoration then why wait? Then I had my “ah-ha” moment, the words seemed to have leaped from the page. They waited out of love and faith. They waited not only for Paul’s return, but they waited on the promise of Jesus’ return. Timothy brought the good news of their faith and love in their wait. And when Paul received the news of their love and faith, and in their eagerness to see Paul he had new life. That love did something for Paul and the others. Now I wondered how could I exegete this? What word study was in order, what commentary would best help me tell their tale? Then slowly it came to me that this was not a moment for an exegete but an invitation to remember what love meant. If love and faith sustained them then there was something in that kind of love and faith I needed to explore.
What examples did I have to help us grapple with this thing called love? I turned to the standard love lines of 1 Corinthians 13. I chose the NIV version because of the poetic rhythm it lends to Paul’s definition of love:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...And now these remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (V 4-8, 13)
So what does love look like and feel like today in this place, in our times of affliction, in our hope for a better tomorrow? What does a patient, kind, humble love look like when our streets are filling up with the blood and souls of our children? Does love speak to communities still divided over race, religion, culture, stereotypes, money, status, quotas, the haves versus the have-nots? When we endure afflictions where then do we find the strength to no longer keep a record of that wrong? Where is love when we learn that our protectors have become abusers, perverters, killers and thieves to those they were meant to defend? Does love have an answer for the children that life has seemed to fail as they fall through cracks that someone else created? Where is love hiding when the rude, ruthless, angry people seem to take over and reign with closed, iron fists? What does love have to do with those of us who are barely surviving, slowly dying with no end in sight?
It is difficult to preach love while facing these hard issues of life, as some are too painful and private to name. Some afflictions are too hurtful to acknowledge out loud. So what turns my eyes up from the despair and affliction? It is the faith and hope of Christ. Not the by and by type of hope that speaks of suffering all the daylong in hope of seeing Christ on the other side. Not this pie in the sky love that offers only rainbows and butterflies once the dirt has hit the casket tops. No, no! I am talking about that real good love that God presses past our tears in the laughter of our neighbors, in the sounds of happy hums on the morning bus ride, in the breeze filled with fresh air and autumn scents.
In the gospel of John, Jesus asked Peter one question three times “Do you love me”, and each time Peter said “yes”; remember Peter also denied Jesus three times. I have been taught over the years that this line of questioning was the method Jesus chose in order to restore Peter back into community and also to elevate him to shepherd/pastor. I could hear Jesus’ tone rising with each time he asked Peter if he loved him. And Jesus’ charge was for Peter to feed his lambs, shepherd his sheep and then feed his sheep. Commentaries and study notes (yes the scholar in me rears her head) tells me that feeding and shepherding are acts of teaching, growing, caring and loving the ignorant defenseless sheep, and the innocent lambs. As a shepherd you teach people to enjoy each other the way they learn to enjoy God and community. There acts of love were mirrors to their relationship with God. And as a community of believers we to re- enforce these acts of love with acts of love of our own. As the body of Christ we support the movement of our pastors, elders, and ministry leaders because no one tends the sheep and lamb alone in Jesus’ model of love.
So what I hear is if you love me then you should love my people. If you love me then you should provide justice along with the Word of God to your neighbors. If you love me then it should not be hard to mirror the sacrificial act of giving to others without counting the cost each time. If you love me then you can go out into the world and tell the Good News of my return and of my steadfast love. If you love me you will wait!
Jesus was in the restoration business not demolition. And so Paul too could continue in his struggles because of the witness of the Thessalonians in their ability to show forth love while they waited. Oh how this brought peace and reassurance to my crazy confusion over my moments of affliction and faithlessness. Why did I continue to wait like the Thessalonians, and Paul and his crew? It was and is because of my faith and love in God, in community, in my hope for tomorrow.
Despite what I had experienced there was the good news coming from Westminster that my waiting was not in vain. There came that shower of smiles and hugs and nods and words of affirming love that told my soul to hold on because this is just the beginning. My advent was here! The story of Thessalonica was not so distant anymore. Because of the hope and love of Christ in me I still dream dreams! I still hope in tomorrow! I still run with my arms and heart wide open! In the midst of my afflictions I find joy and love in the knowledge that Westminster stands in prayer and preparation as I answer my call. The spirit of Thessalonica rests in my bones as I waited anxiously for you to come see about me, to return and enter into my afflicted city gates to bring me good news. I can now be established blameless and holy before our God. I say to you Westminster that if you love me, then feed God’s people. If you love me, then open your hearts to God’s Good News and share. If you love me then remember that because of God’s love we can live in faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.

Healing Hospitality

WESTMINSTE R PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 8th 2009
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Healing Hospitality”
Genesis 18:1-5; Mark 2:1-12

It really is almost a throw-away line. “… it was reported that he was at home.” There is something powerful about being at home. At home is where we often take off our personas and masks and begin to get honest. Most of Jesus’ ministry happens in the house. If he was not “on the way” or “on the road” or “in Jerusalem,” Jesus teaches and preaches in houses. So Jesus is at home and so many people have come over to hear him teach and be in his presence there is no more room for anyone. The crowd has swelled outside the doors.
At the margins of the crowd are four people who simply must see Jesus. But they could not. The crowd in front of them would not move. Realistically they should have given up. You cannot get in by the front door or the window so the only course of action is to be prudent and find a better time. If they had chosen this course of action I am pretty sure we would not know anything about these four friends, even if they eventually found healing for their friend. These four friends were on a mission to bring healing to a friend. They would not remain prudent or proper. They got up on the roof of Jesus’ house and tore off the roof. They put the healing of their friend over the risk of destroying private property, the private property of the Son of God no less. I suppose when you know someone in need this risk seems small in comparison.
When it comes to sharing our faith with other people there are two kinds of barriers which stand in the way. They are internal barriers and external barriers. First, internal, or personal, barriers are the barriers inside our heads. Even the words, “sharing our faith” come with all sorts of baggage. We do not share what is most important in our lives because we worry about how or what we might say. Or we worry about risking a friendship. What happens if I invite my neighbor to church and then they say no? What if I make my friend feel awkward? What if someone thinks I’m pressuring them? What if I come across as judgmental? What if . . . ? So most of the time, we don't talk to our friends, unchurched or formerly churched, about our faith. On top of the “what if’s” we may even begin to feel a little guilty about not doing it. And guilt is not a positive motivator. These inner barriers can keep us from ever mentioning faith to our friends who may just be hungry for a caring faith community.
Jeff was going through a difficult time in his life. He had been laid off from work just before his wife was diagnosed with cancer. The financial and spiritual struggles were nearly debilitating. Fortunately, Jeff and his wife had some dear friends. Two couples that they had known for some time were with them throughout. They came by to see them regularly and brought over meals occasionally. When the Jeff's wife died, they were there to comfort him. These were good friends. After some time had passed, Jeff began to consider returning to church. He hadn't gone to church anywhere since he was a teenager. But there was something about church that sort of kept bugging him. He decided to try the church in his neighborhood first. When he walked into the sanctuary, there were his friends! Both couples had been going to that church for years. They had also been friends with Jeff for years. But they had never talked about their faith, even through his ordeals. It just hadn't come up. They were shocked and very glad, to see each other there.
The research behind the Unbinding your Heart study shows that these internal barriers that keep us from talking about our faith never fully go away. Even people who eventually get really good at evangelism still have resistance to sharing their faith. And this is why we need a new definition for evangelism. Instead of trying to emulate a theology with which we do not agree we really ought to think about it this way. Sharing something you enjoy with someone you like. That can be evangelism. For the four in today's gospel story, it was a matter of sharing something they thought might help with someone in need. That can be evangelism too. Sharing something you need with someone else who needs it . . . Sharing something that makes you smile with someone who could use a smile . . . Sharing something that gives you peace with someone in chaos . . . Sharing something you enjoy with someone you like - That’s evangelism.
Somehow, the four friends in this story had the courage to bring this man in need to Jesus. Somehow, they had overcome whatever internal barriers there might have been in their heads. But then, they faced another barrier entirely. Remember, there are two kinds of barriers that might keep us from sharing our faith with other people. Internal barriers in our own minds might be overcome. But still, external barriers must be dismantled. When the four people got there with the man on the stretcher, the physical entrance was crowded. People were not letting them by. I wonder how long they tried to push their way through before they decided to try another way.
External barriers can be very daunting. If you have ever gone church shopping do you remember how vulnerable you felt the first time you visited a church? Or going to some other organization for the first time? There is a story about a man who went to a neighborhood association meeting. He didn't see anyone there he knew, so he just sat in the back during the meeting. When it was over, he signed up on one of the volunteer lists they had posted. He really wanted to help out with organizing a neighborhood clean-up day. That's where he put his name and his phone number down. But no one ever called him. It was not a major slight, of course. But afterwards he wondered, "I sure hope people don't feel like this when they come to my church." (Big Pause)
"They could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowds," verse 4 says. We need to ask ourselves and the Holy Spirit this very searching question: Are there any barriers that are keeping people from getting to Jesus in our church? This may seem like a strange question. After all, we do not have the crowds that surrounded Jesus in his house. But the truth is that no matter how many people there are our church can feel crowded. Just because spaces are empty doesn't mean that they are truly open.
I want to invite you to participate in a mental imaging exercise. In your mind's eye, join me in a virtual tour of our church. First, think about the corner, where we park, the gardens, our parking. Where do guests park? Do they know where to come in? Do they have to "dig through the roof" so to speak, like the paralyzed man's friends did? When they get to the entrance and come inside, are they greeted immediately? Are there signs to show them where the restrooms are? Or, when a new parent comes with a baby, do they find a sparkling clean nursery with two ready attendants or changing stations in the bathrooms? When a guest comes into worship, do they find ample room in the back pews, yes the back pews… really!
We don’t know for sure whether or not this house described in Mark’s gospel was Jesus' house. But where is Jesus’ house? Chapter three of Ephesians says we are the very dwelling place of God, with Jesus Christ himself as our cornerstone. This is Jesus' house. Since that is so, let me ask: “As we took our mental tour through the church building, were there any barriers to Jesus' house?” Was there or is there anything that would keep people from coming in and finding Jesus here? Anything that says “Keep out!” instead of “Please, come in!”?
In your bulletin you will find the pink prayer sheets. Please, take a moment now to write down an area of our church that needs Jesus' touch. Or an area that needs our touch! Where do we need to be more ready for guests? If you are new to our church, particularly if today is your first time here, we especially invite you to do this! Your insight is the most valuable we can receive. What has welcomed you? Or not welcomed you? Please, help us do better. Where is there an external barrier to Jesus’ house? Take a moment right now to write it down. Then at the conclusion of the worship service please place them in the prayer wall. Whatever the barriers are, internal or external, let us commit to prayer and reflection on how we can rip off the roof to bring others to the healing and welcome we have found in this community of Jesus’ followers. Amen? Amen.

The Converted Community

WESTMINSTE R PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 1st 2009
Communion Meditation/ All Saints Day
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“The Converted Community”
Acts 2:14, 32-39; Micah 6:6-8

How could Peter be so arrogant? How can he talk like this after all he did? Peter was always so loud and obnoxious. He was always acting like the super disciple until Jesus got arrested. When things went badly Peter ran away just like the rest of the disciples. So what is Peter doing on Pentecost acting so boldly?
In that first Pentecost it is easy to get lost in the loud noise of the Spirit and the many languages being spoken that we miss something much deeper. And today we are going to go deeper and talk about the important relationships which are revealed on that day. We are going to focus on at three relationships that must be healthy for our church to be all God wants us to be. The three relationships are 1) Relationship with God, 2) Relationships between Church Members, and 3) Relationships with People outside the Church.
Before we begin with the relationships I want to start with saying something about God. Yes, I know this is always a dangerous exercise but we are going to risk it this morning. In the heart of God is a willing vulnerability. God was willing to become human and as a result was put at real risk. The final result of this gift was the crucifixion.
Despite this risk, God did not hold back. God is willing to risk and share with us from the deep places. It is an honesty which challenges our belief in control. It breaks down our pretence and our belief that we have it all together. It calls into question our reliance upon the masks and personas we have crafted to keep us from ever being at risk with other people. And the honest truth is that we too often put on these masks with God.
As a community who follows the crucified One, we are called to put down the masks that cover the broken places in our lives. We are invited to find healing in the broken places. This ought to be the place where we can risk sharing and seeking healing for those places but that is risky. However, before I suggest we try and do just that we have to do something else. Before we can begin to think of getting honest with one another, before we can admit our broken places to one another, we have to get honest with God.
That sort of honesty with God requires some internal honesty. It means we have to unearth the stuff we work so hard to cover up. The stuff we cover by our attempts at over-competence and control. It means we have to learn to risk the well ordered world we work so hard to maintain. The truth is that until we come face to face with the brokenness in our lives and put it before God we have not moved into a mature relationship with God. Until we open up those places to God we are really just playing with the religious life. I am not suggesting that we turn church into a therapy session I am saying that we need to at least get honest in our prayer. Jesus says we ought to go into a closet and shut the door when we pray. I believe that is because there are things we need to say to God that no one else needs to hear.
In the Micah passage I naturally gravitate to the calls for peace and justice. However there is a lot more going on. In the passage, God is speaking to a community of faith that knew how to do worship well. They knew the right words and the proper order. The music was well done and the service was decent and in order. But the inner life of the people and the community was in shambles. How can I say that? Well if you find injustice in society it exists because the interior life of the people is disordered. It is because the “trinity of relationships” is out of order. If our relationship with God is out of order our relationship with each other and our neighbors will be also. The followers of Jesus know well that God requires justice but figuring out who is clean and unclean is where we spend most of our energy. We know that God requires kindness but the certainty of orthodoxy makes kindness a frivolity. We know that God requires us to walk humbly but proving we know more than everyone else is just way more satisfying. There will be no peace and justice without peace and justice in all our relationships.
Before the resurrection Peter was as certain about life as a radio talk show host. He was so sure and so clear and knew the mind of God. But then something happened and his world collapsed. His version of the Messiah got crucified on the cross. His certainly was burned in the fire that warmed those who mocked the weak messiah. It all came crumbling down. But the good news was this was not the end of the story. It was only the beginning. His calling as a disciple really began when he was faced with the reality of a resurrected savior who did not demand perfection but honesty.
It is for this reason that Peter could stand in front of the gathered community and speak with honestly and authenticity. Not as a super disciple but as an honest one. When he arises to speak not one of the other disciples challenge him because they know he is speaking truth from the broken places in his life. Until he and the community were able to get honest with the broken places healing and authenticity could not be found. And until that happens all our relationships with God and one another will always be less than they could be.
How can Peter stand? He could stand because he is living out his forgiveness. He is bearing the fruit of a spiritual reality. This is what a person freed by God’s love looks like: Standing boldly, Proclaiming freely, Sharing generously The love of God.
Peter is experiencing a whole new, fresh start given to him by God. He is living out a moment of forgiveness.
Literally, the last words that the author Luke has Peter say in Luke 23 are, "I do not know who Jesus is." But the words Peter says now are: "Let me tell you who Jesus is!" Peter's relationship with God has been renewed. He is living in bold joy due to the forgiveness he's received. Only if our relationship with God is renewed like this everyday will we be able to stand up and speak up when we hear confusion in someone's life.
At Pentecost, something remarkable happened in Peter’s relationship with God. Second, something remarkable happened in Peter's relationship with people outside the circle of believers. Peter is moved to his core by these people who don't know that God has sent Jesus for them. Verse 40 says Peter "pleaded with them." When you've received forgiveness like Peter, when you've gotten that kind of relief, you want to share it. This won't be the last time Peter is compelled to share the gospel. In a couple of chapters, he gets in real trouble by taking the news of Jesus to a non-Jew!
This Pentecost day catapults Peter into deep compassion for all God’s people. Something remarkable is happening to Peter's relationships with his fellow disciples. When Peter does stand, notice Peter does not stand alone. They stand together. The other disciples know that Peter has a big mouth that gets him into trouble. They know that Peter promised Jesus more than he could deliver. They know that Peter bragged about how faithful he would be and then failed. But they also know their own sins against Jesus. They could have just pointed the finger at Peter. They could have said, "Here he goes again, talking the big talk." But they didn't. In humility, they got up to support him by standing alongside him.
They are a vibrant picture of forgiven people forgiving each other. They are tangible evidence of the reality of the mercy of God. They are the most believable witness to the grace of Jesus Christ. Together, they are a community of the redeemed. All of the aspects of the Trinity of Relationships are essential for us to grow us a church. We need real and vibrant relationships with God, with people outside the church, and with each other.
But right now I want to ask you about our relationships with each other. Are we real with each other? Are we forgiving each other? Are we standing with each other, as Peter and the disciples stood together? I wonder what those outside of the community see when they look at this community of believers, when they look at our church? Do they see a community of redemption, a place where people are genuinely merciful to and supportive of one another?
In your bulletin is a drawing of the "Trinity of Relationships." Please consider prayerfully which of these three essential relationships needs your attention this week. Let’s take a moment right now. This is just between you and God. Let me strongly encourage you to especially consider the relationships you have with other church members. Is there is something that is not right in your relationship with someone here? Be real with God and with yourself about the need for reconciliation. Take a deep, gentle breath. Exhale slowly. Close your eyes. Simply ask God, “Where do you want to work in my relationships?” Just listen for a moment. Ask God for help to make things right again. [Pause for one minute] Has God put someone on your heart in our church? This is one way we could begin anew in a relationship that needs a fresh start.
One of my colleagues pastors a church that has been growing a lot. They had been adding several members a month but that suddenly stopped. Visitors came but they wouldn't join. The pastor finally asked a visitor to tell him what was keeping them from becoming a part of the church. They confessed, "We like the church, but . . . it's cold!" And they were right. The church members talked about being a friendly church, but the crossed arms said otherwise. Visitors didn't have to know all the details. They could sense people were tense. They could tell members were angry with each other. They could feel that forgiveness was being withheld. Members' energy was not going to new people because members were wrapped up in the conflict of the church.
The pastor realized his own lack of forgiveness was contributing to the big chill. He and another leader in the church had a conflict that was causing ill feelings. It was one of those heads-butting, arms-crossed tensions. The pastor mustered his courage, prayed, and called on the man he was at odds with. The pastor did his part in resolving the issue. In the following weeks, 2 people joined the church, and 4 more the next week. The visitors who had complained about the coldness of the church were two of the new members. When the pastor asked why they joined, they said, "It felt right all of a sudden."
When we stand in God's love, when we stand together, and when we stand for people who need to know Jesus Christ, it's Pentecost all over again. It IS right all of a sudden. It is all that is required, and everything that is needed, for the Spirit to work through us.
At this table where the bread is broken we are reminded that reconciliation with God came not through our perfection but through the broken places of the world. As we gather at this table let us be reminded of those relationships that are in need of healing. If God has put someone on our heart then may this table be the place where healing and reconciliation will begin. May God who overcame death, overcome the places which seem irrevocably broken in our lives and in our community. Amen? Amen!

Catalytic Conversations

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
October 25th 2009

Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Catalytic Conversations”
John 4:7-10, 16-29

As some of you may have heard we are making changes to the churches website. We are not intending to change the website address but I did come across a unique name of another churches address: www.transformedlives.com. It is a site for a church that is growing and baptizing more and more adults into the faith. At every meeting they only address one priority. At staff meetings, session meetings, committee meetings and any other kind of meeting the one question is: tell me one life that has been changed this week because of our ministry. They believe the main message of the gospel is that Jesus Christ changes lives. It's what they are all about and they are willing to place everything else in their ministry under that priority. And clearly it works for them.
Transformed and changed lives are at the heart of Jesus’ ministry. The woman at the well is a prime example. She was a woman at the margins of the community. The fact she came to the well hottest time of day, when no one else was around lets us know something is not right. Why was she there alone? Did it have something to do with the multiple marriages? Was she dealing with grief or shame, or what? We do not know for sure. But we do know that she was alone that day at a time when she could have gotten water without running into anyone. But on this day she ran into someone who would change hear life.
Jesus was waiting by the well she arrived. And when she got there Jesus spoke to her. Not just a simple "hello" as he passed by. This conversation between Jesus and the woman was the longest of any of Jesus’ conversations recorded in the gospels. And the longest recorded conversation begins because Jesus just asked for a drink of water. But that simple request broke down barriers that had existed for centuries.
These few words between a Jewish man and a Samaritan woman violated social and religious rules about interactions between men and women and ethnic groups. But once the barriers were down, the floodwaters of conversation flowed. Jesus and the woman talked. They talked about spiritual thirst. They discussed her marriages. They talked politics and religion. (All things I was taught that we do not discuss in polite society.) By the time the conversation ended the woman was so moved by their conversation, she ran off. She went to tell her whole village about Jesus. She even left her water jug! She forgot her original purpose in coming to the well. She left with a new purpose. Jesus changed her life. This woman once isolated herself from others. Now she went searching for people. She wanted to tell the world about what Jesus had done for her.
What had Jesus done for her? In other gospel stories, Jesus transformed many lives. He healed diseases. He gave people sight. He raised the dead. He called the powerful to account. But here at the well all he did was talk to a woman. But because of this conversation cultural barriers were brought down. In that conversation, both Jesus and the woman revealed something about themselves to each other. The cultural script which dictated interracial interactions were blown apart. In this, somehow, the woman was deeply transformed. "He knows everything about me!" she exclaimed to her neighbors. A conversation changed a life.
The story goes that a self-proclaimed liberal church held a class on World Religions. Their goal was to study the major religions of the world and compare them to Christianity. Someone in the class had a co-worker who was a Muslim man. She asked if the class would like her co-worker to come when they talked about Islam. Everyone enthusiastically agreed. They thought it would be very helpful to have a firsthand expression of that faith. One class member summed up the class' feelings by saying, "Please invite him. Tell him we don't want to convert him; we want to learn from him." Kamal, the Muslim man, did come to the class. He spoke for a while about his faith.
Then class members asked him questions. Soon, he was asking class members questions about faith. They hadn't planned on that! By the time class was over, they had discussed many things. They talked about traditional Muslim dress. They talked about arranged marriages. They talked about why Christians pray "in Jesus' name." They talked about how Kamal felt when people treated him with suspicion. No one seemed to want the time to end. Then a class member said, "Could we have a prayer together?" They all agreed. The class circled, held hands, and prayed. When the prayer was finished, Kamal had tears in his eyes. He told the class: "I have never felt God's love this strongly before. I cannot wait to tell my friends about this. We didn't know there were Christians like you." It was just conversation. But it changed his life. It changed the lives of everyone in that classroom. Just conversation! God's power can make genuine conversation into a life-changing experience.
In the book we are reading together, Unbinding your Heart, the author's research shows what brings people to church and what makes them stay. What do you think brings people to church for the first time? Great sermons, good ads, beautiful buildings? Nope. It's you. Almost 60% of people who join a church came because someone invited them. 60 percent! People come to church because someone asks them to come. And what makes them come back? What makes them want to come again? Surely it's the pastor's fabulous sermons or the music program
or the updated children's room. No. It's you. The number one reason people say they return to a church is because they received a warm welcome from the people there. Those others things are important, but they are not the main thing. The main thing is whether or not someone said hello to them, or remembered their children’s names, or went out of their way to get them a bulletin. New people have a fine tuned sense of authenticity and can tell if the congregation actually cares about them and doesn’t simply see them as potential new members.
Marta came to church because a couple she knew invited her. After knowing hear for a year they finally moved beyond superficial interaction and asked her about her family. She told the couple that she had moved here to escape an abusive husband. She was raising her two boys on her own. Her own parents had died years ago. On impulse, the couple invited her to their church. At first, she demurred. She said she didn't have the proper clothes. "Oh, come casual!" the couple said, "We do! We’ll meet you at church about 10:30. Then we’ll take you and your boys to lunch afterwards."
The following Sunday Marta did come to church and she had her boys in tow. The couple left their normal seats and joined her on the back row. The sermon that Sunday was on the woman at the well. Marta sat at attention through the whole service. The couple that had invited her kept her boys busy with crayons and bulletin airplanes. Marta was entranced. When the sermon was over, she turned to the couple and said, "That story was for me. That woman at the well is me! I have been so alone!" As people greeted Marta warmly after the service, she beamed at the attention. Afterward, she commented to the couple who had invited her, "This is like a family!"
I am convinced that we all know someone like Marta. We know people who need Jesus and this church in their lives. We all know someone who needs a changed life. But I am not going to ask you to invite them though. No, instead I want to pray, for now. Yes, pray for two minutes right now for God to bring to mind a person in your life who needs you to be in conversation with them. (Prayer for two minutes) This conversation may just be the thing that changes someone's life in unexpected and healing ways.
After Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman, he preached to his disciples. He said to them, "Look around you! People are so ready for the gospel! All you have to do is bring them in." Look around you. Who are you going to talk to and even invite to church next Sunday? Will you go and pick them up? Take them to lunch afterwards? Introduce them to a group of friends? This week, talk to someone you’ve never talked to before. Or, talk to someone you chat with all the time, but this time don’t be afraid to talk about your faith. You could start a conversation that will change someone’s life. Amen? Amen!

The Prayer Plunge

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
October 18th 2009

Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“The Prayer Plunge”
I Kings 19:11-13; Luke 5:1-10

Can you imagine a day when Westminster will host a youth lock-in where twenty high school students would willingly participate? Can you imagine that those youth claim Westminster as their church? When that does happen it would be something to celebrate. On Friday night this occurred. What are we supposed to make of this? On Monday night I asked the session where they saw the Spirit at work in the life of the church. And two members pointed out that they had noticed more young people around, and actually excited about being here as a sign of the Spirit at work. We have just gotten our six week study underway and I amazed at the stories I have heard about the surprising things going on in the life of the church. If you have not joined a small group, there is still room for you.
In the first week we have looked at the struggles we often have with the word evangelism. We have also wrestled with the question of what difference being a Christian has made in our lives. This morning we are going to look at what makes faith sharing effective. Since we are good at and like being effective this may come as welcome news.
Westminster is a church where people know how to work hard. In fact, we are masters at hard work! We know how to have church dinners, organize committee meetings, raise money for the latest UCM project, how to organize for CROP walks (which is next week by the way!) And when we have give our best to the church we drag ourselves home, exhausted! And we do it again the next day, and the next day, and the next day! In fact, we have even seen some of our hardest workers finally go away because they are burned out. But this is not a story unique to Westminster. Church people are determined, committed, hard workers for the Lord. One thing we can claim with certainty is that mainline churches are not shrinking because they are lazy!
Five years ago I met with a long term member who said to me. “I have been here a long time. We have tried everything. Nothing has worked. If we couldn’t figure out how to grow the church before you got here what makes you think you can?” I do not remember my response but I do remember how it tapped into my need to prove nay-sayers wrong. But in light of this week’s passage I can almost hear Peter saying these exact words to Jesus. Now do not here me wrong, I am not putting myself in the shoes of Jesus. After all when I got home after that meeting I prayed pretty much the same words that had been directed to me only hours before. No, what I hear now is the same feeling Peter must have had. We have been working at this all night and nothing has happened. And now you want us to do what? "We’ve already been fishing. We didn’t catch anything! But if you say so . . ." So they pulled up the anchor and headed back out to the deep water, this time with Jesus as a fishing partner.
Moving into the deep waters is scary even if we are trying to keep company with Jesus.
We are working hard at doing a lot of good things. But are we doing the God-things? Are we experiencing the peace and trust God intends for us, or are we just tensing up and kicking too hard? How’s our fishing going so far? Jesus wants these disciples to join him in his work for God. He’ll soon invite them to become “fishers of people.” But before he signs them up for employment with God, it seems that he wants to be sure they “get” something. He wants them to know that if they’re going to be effective in this new work, they will have to follow his guidance. They will have to have him along.
When Luke wrote this story down, it was for a church that was working very hard to pass the gospel on to the next generation. Maybe, in just a few decades after Jesus’ physical presence, the church had started getting tired with all the work they were doing. Maybe their efforts weren’t producing like they once did. Luke gives them, and us, this story to remind us. Hard work alone doesn’t cut it. Only going to the deep waters with Jesus will be effective. Only trusting Christ’s guidance will produce real results for the church.
Prayer is one way to go into the deep waters with Jesus. Prayer is the most effective way I know to hear and heed Christ’s guidance. Now, it’s not that we don’t pray as a church. But I suspect we work a lot more than we pray. We pray before our church meetings. But how many times do we meet to pray? How many times has the session spent all of its meeting time praying? What could God do through us if we spent half of our meeting times in prayer? What wouldn’t get done if we prayed more? What could God get done through us if we prayed more?
In the book we're reading together, Martha Grace Reese tells about a church that tried prayer as the meetings rather than just before meetings. Three high-energy, go-getter women were the new evangelism committee for Benton Street Church. They were fired up to do great things for God that year. They brought in Reese as a consultant to get some direction about what they could do first. A calling campaign? A bring-a-friend Sunday? Maybe direct mail marketing? No, the consultant said. Not that. Not yet. She told them to pray for three months before they did a thing!!!
The evangelism committee at Benton Street was looking for activity, for hard work, for something to do! But instead, Reese told them to stand still and pray. Stand still for three months!!! Prayer is a different kind of hard work, of course. Most of us don't know how to do it, at least not for very- long. But this evangelism committee learned. They prayed together for one hour every week. At board meeting, when it was their turn to report, they would say, "We're still praying. She’s making us do it. We’re just praying." People giggled. Then board members started giving them prayer requests. After three months of "doing nothing but praying," interest in evangelism had skyrocketed. By the end of the year, 65 people were helping with evangelism. New visitors came in droves. Twice as many people were baptized as the year before, twice as many babies were dedicated.
"When they had done what Jesus commanded, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break!" Apparently, going back into the deep waters with Jesus makes a difference. Prayer expresses our willingness to do what Jesus wants us to do. Prayer prepares us to be effective in whatever work we do for Jesus. Prayer helps make room for the Holy Spirit in our lives. So let's try it. Some of you already have prayer as a part of your daily life. Many of us do not. But we can all grow in prayer. And so can our church. For the next month, let's pray as a church like we’ve never prayed before.
Will you pray with us for this next month? You are already using the "40 Days of
Prayer" guide. If not, start! We have a copy for you right outside the sanctuary. We're going to pray right here, so we can get started. Yes, right here in the middle of a sermon. Let’s put our money where our mouths are. Let’s pray, not just talk about thinking about maybe drifting towards praying . . . sometime pretty soon. Let us do it right now. Grab one of the pink prayer request forms. I want you to hold it while you pray. I’m going to explain this first, then we’ll all pray together.
Hold your prayer request form. First we’ll sit quietly and breathe slowly. Then, ask God whom to pray for. This is important because many of us have our own agendas when we pray. This time, ask God for whom to pray. As soon as God gives you a person or a situation, imagine them shrunk down so they’ll fit into your hands, right in the middle of your prayer request form. Hold whomever God puts into your hands and pray for them. I’ll say Amen at the end. All right? Any questions? Everyone got it? Okay, gently breathe and let's start. [Pause for two minutes.] Amen.
How was that? Thank you for your willingness. What an amazing church to try something out of the ordinary like that! Now write the initials of the person you were led to pray for on the prayer request form. After worship place this on the prayer wall. Maybe you’ll want to add some other notes, or update this one, next week, and the week after. What’s most important is that you keep praying for whomever, or whatever, God has asked you to pray.
You know, a lot of us know we should be praying more but we don't. We think we don't have the time. We think there are other important things that must be done. We want to be responsible and get the "to do " list done before we take the luxury of prayer. Today, I'm giving you permission. Let’s be less responsible to the world and more responsive to God. I don't mind if all the Stuff doesn’t get done during this month. Things can slide a little as long as you're spending time praying instead. You heard me. The church's grass may not get mowed. As long as you're praying instead, for one month, that is okay by me! Let’s agree among ourselves. We are going to make prayer our priority for four more weeks. Then we’ll see what God has done with us . . . and through us. I believe God will start doing some amazing things with us during this time.
I don't know what it will be . . .Maybe new visitors . . .maybe a new unity . . . maybe old wounds healed. Most likely it will be something we never imagined. I believe making room for prayer always brings new blessing. But here’s the catch: If we're anything like the human disciples, we may not be ready! Like them, our response to whatever great thing God does will be, "We're not worthy!" After Simon sees what success Jesus has given him, he falls to his knees. He says to Jesus, "Go away, Lord! I don't deserve this!" If we go deep with Jesus, we might find ourselves in deep water! We may have the same reaction. We might feel ourselves resisting the blessings God wants to bring us. We might want to bury our heads and ask God to go away.
Maybe we're not sure God should do something in our lives. We don't feel worthy for God to use us. Maybe we’re afraid of the change in our lives if God did do something in us. How’s your future mapped out? Peter went from fisherman to traveling preacher. Maybe some of us don’t really believe God can do anything new. Let’s face it. Staying on the familiar treadmill is a lot less scary than going deep with Jesus. But Jesus says to Simon, "Fear not. From now on, we'll be catching people for God." Then these hard working fishermen parked their boats and their fish and their nets right there on the shore. They left their work and followed him. In this next month, let’s leave our work and pray like we’ve never prayed before. Let’s go back into the deep waters with Jesus. Amen? Amen!

The Problem with Paul

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
October 11th 2009

Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“The Problem with Paul”
Isaiah 61:1-5a; Acts 9:1-19

As a child I was always fascinated with people who had dramatic conversion stories. Those folks who were not Christian and had come back from the brink of death or situations my young mind could not even imagine seemed like superheroes of the faith. And in the back of my mind I secretly hoped that I would have a dramatic story to tell one day. But no matter what would happen in my life, I could never deny that I had grown up in the church. No matter where I might travel or where I might go, I knew and was shaped by the body of Christ.
But this was not Paul’s story. Paul was not shaped by the body of Christ. Paul had a dramatic "before and after" testimony of how Jesus Christ has made a difference in his life. In fact, Paul hated Jesus and his followers. Paul did everything in his power to persecute the followers of Jesus. But after Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, everything changed.
But in truth, Paul was not changed until Ananias put his hands on Paul’s eyes. It was the laying on of hands, by this slightly reluctant follower of Jesus that opened a whole new world opened for Paul. For the first time, Paul could see a whole world of people who needed the gospel. Paul’s new faith in Jesus sent his life in a brand new direction. Instead of being an enemy of Jesus, he was an envoy for Jesus. He traveled the world telling crowds of people about the gospel. He wrote most of our New Testament. Paul was someone who had no problem explaining what a difference it made in his life to be a Christian.
For those of us who grew up in the church that may not be as clear. After all, asking us what difference being a Christian makes in our lives is like asking us what it means to breath air. It is just not something we give much thought. Christian faith is that natural to us. Trying to talk about it can be difficult especially without a definitive before and after. Most of us cannot remember the first time we knew that God loved us. We cannot recall the first time we heard about Jesus. We have always known about baby Jesus in the manger. It is hard to articulate what we've always been, what we've always known.
Not all of us, but many, who have grown up in church can feel somewhat inferior to people like Paul who have a dramatic testimony to tell. For some we might actually feel a bit superior; because after all that conversion stuff sounds a bit weird. But either way we still have a hard time sharing what our faith means to us. The problem with Paul is that those who have come after his dramatic conversion believe people like him are the only ones who have a “real” testimony. We think that testimony, or telling people about our faith must have something to do with: “I was lost, but now I’m found.” Since we don’t have a powerful before and after story, we act as if we do not have a faith story at all.
As a result, we say nothing about our faith. Pastors are not exempt. In Unbinding your Heart, Martha Grace Reese writes about a group of pastors she took on a retreat. She asked these pastors what difference being a Christian made to them. She says it was extremely, painfully quiet for a l-o-n-g time. Just silence for a very l-o-n-g time. Finally, one pastor said, hesitantly, "Because it makes me a better person ???" -Surely there’s more we can say than that! But putting words to our faith is hard for many of us.
I would like you use your imagination with me. Imagine that you do not go to church on Sundays, not even at Christmas and Easter. Imagine that you do not know any hymns or Christian songs. Imagine that you do not know any Scripture. You don’t know even the simplest Bible stories. Imagine that you are not sure if God hears you when you pray, or what words you should use to pray. Imagine that you do not know whom to call to pray for you. Imagine that you don't know how God feels towards you. What if you didn’t have a church family? What if you didn’t even know that God exists?
Imagine.
Now let me ask you, what does being a Christian mean to you? Lawrence Lewis agreed to tell you his answer to that question.
What a powerful story of how our lives are shaped, and saved through the faithful community of believers. We all need to step back and ask ourselves the question what difference Jesus makes in our lives. And we can give a witness that God is saving people, everyday, for a whole lot more than just life after death.
There are a lot of people living in various kinds of hell right here on earth. When Paul, who was known as Saul lost his eyesight he sat in total darkness for three days. He is so upset that he could not eat or drink. He had to be wondering what sort of punishment God had in store for him because he had rejected Jesus and his followers. At the very same time, Jesus was working on a guy a reluctant evangelist named Ananias. Ananias was right to be worried. Being sent to Saul was no easy task. After all, Saul had been a part of the killing of the first Christian martyr. Christians were running scared because "Saul was breathing threats against them." Saul was an unlikely candidate for evangelism.
So were the prostitutes that loitered on the corner of First Church in Florida. Most people in the congregation were upper-middle class, African-Americans who had been in church all their lives. They were not happy that the neighborhood was changing. They were really not happy about the prostitution that was creeping into their parking lot. They grumbled over the cigarette butts by the sanctuary steps. They worried about the "bad P.R." the church was getting. The last thing anyone was thinking about was that the women hanging out on the corners were candidates for evangelism. Candidates for jail, yes, but not candidates for evangelism! Not in their beloved church!
But one day, a faithful church member, a retired school teacher, left choir practice on a Wednesday. She saw one of the prostitutes, leaning against a lamppost singing. And of all things it was right by the member’s parked car. She felt pushed by the Spirit (she couldn’t find other words for it) to go talk to this woman in the pink leather hot pants. “Hi. My name is Mary. I was just singing with my choir in there. You have a beautiful voice.”
“Yeah, I love singin’,” the young woman mumbled. “I’m Sheena.” “Sheena, you ought to be singing for the Lord, you want to come to sing with me in my choir?” That sweet church member almost fainted as she heard the words come out of her mouth! But Sheena finally said yes.
She showed up on the corner the next Wednesday before choir practice. Mary took her in. Sheena did have a beautiful voice. With the encouragement of the church, with tutoring from Mary, her dear new, retired school teacher friend, Sheena got her GED. She went to college! She finished medical school. Now, that former prostitute runs a medical clinic. Out of her church.
What motivated Mary to talk to Sheena? What possessed her to go into that prostitute's personal hell and walk her out? Maybe it was what motivated Ananias to go talk to Saul. We know nothing about Ananias’ conversion to Christianity. It was likely that he had a pretty ordinary existence up to this point. Maybe, like us, he didn’t have a dramatic story to tell about his faith. At least, not until now! The Lord Jesus appears to Ananias in a vision and tells him to go visit Saul. This is a powerful moment of truth for Ananias. Will he go talk to Paul? You can almost hear him say: “Can’t you choose someone else?” Look at the ninth chapter of Acts, the 15th verse. Why does Ananias go talk to Paul about Jesus? First, Jesus told him to go. Obedience to Christ is a major motivation. Yet, I hate to admit it, I sometimes need more than that. Just because I know I should do something doesn’t mean I will. Look at the 15th verse again. Jesus gives Ananias another motivation. Something besides “because I said so.” Jesus says, "Saul is an instrument I have chosen." Jesus had plans for Saul. Jesus needed Saul for the ministry of God. And Jesus needed Ananias to reach Saul. Ananias gets to be a part of what God is doing in the world. He is a key player in God’s plan to get the gospel out.

He gets to be the domino that tips another person into God’s love. He gets to be the hands of God that heal someone’s pain. He gets to be the light that shines on Saul’s dim path. He gets to do something for God that only he can do. He gets to be a part of God’s redemption of the world. Now, that’s some motivation! Not guilt . . . Not, “because I should” . . . Not, “because it makes me a better person ???” Not some begrudging obedience . . . Just a sheer, passionate desire to be a part of what God wants to do in the world.
Ananias had the opportunity to make a difference in the world by going where God sent him. Verse 17 tells us, "So Ananias went." The Paul Problem has an Ananias Answer. No extraordinary story needed. All you need is an ordinary willingness to see what God can do through you. Who knows what lives you may touch and change? Who knows, your simple willingness to be a follower of Jesus may bring some small portion of hell on earth for another person to an end. The Saul’s in our lives await our response. Amen.

Include Everyone?

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
September 27th 2009

Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Include Everyone?”
Psalm 124; Mark 9:38-50

Jesus teaches the disciples that faithfulness means moving beyond ourselves. He does this in very clear ways when he says that betrayal, suffering and resurrection is the way he himself will go. The disciples don’t or simply cannot imagine that Jesus is serious. After all they have seen his power and have participated in that power. So the only logical conclusion that the disciples can make is that Jesus does not really mean it. If that is the case the responsible thing to do is to figure out who is going to take over? The obvious choice to follow Jesus in leadership is the one who is most powerful and charismatic. So the preparation for the exchange of power begins. There is just one small problem. Jesus knows this is what they are thinking so he must try another way of teaching.
It is a simple message: “Greatness is achieved through service.” Everyone can be great because everyone can serve. It is from the previous passage of Jesus showing the disciples a child where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Drum Major speech finds is roots. Jesus says that anyone who welcomes one like the powerless child welcomes him. This is the mark of faithful discipleship. Being faithful means serving and welcoming the powerless. But this is a lesson that is too often lost on the disciples of all ages.
Jesus has just said that the way of faithfulness is the extension of hospitality to all people. Following that lesson we have John coming to Jesus with disturbing news in our passage this morning. It appears that some imposters causing trouble. “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” This is such a great interchange. John has found someone who has been touched by the ministry of Jesus. That person has been so moved that he too is healing and preaching the good news. But John, and the other disciples, have stopped him from sharing the gospel because he does not follow them. He does not do things the way they have always been done and in the church that cannot be faithful. This is at center of John’s concern. He did not care that the person was doing ministry John was mad that the man was not following him and his way.
John, and the other disciples are still caught up by the idea that they have been called to be leaders. They are looking for followers instead of focusing on the ministry of hospitality and welcome. Unfortunately, this is not a new pattern. Jesus says he will be leaving and the disciples look to dominate one another. Jesus says welcome the powerless and the disciples make sure that this ministry of reconciliation is properly ordered under their leadership. But before we spend too much time beating up on the disciples I think it is important to see their mistakes as natural pitfalls for anyone who seeks to follow Jesus.
At the heart of this passage is the central message of the gospel. Anyone who seeks to follow Jesus is called to welcome and serve others. Despite news to the contrary it is not right doctrine or dress or style of worship. It really is as simple as welcome and serve, all the rest appears to be details. But Jesus seems to know too well that the details will become our focus. That is why this passage serves as an important warning. When Jesus says I will be betrayed, killed and rise again, the followers of Jesus are busy comparing worship attendance and denominational prowess and access to political leaders. When Jesus says welcome all those who are hungry to follow me and serve in my name, the church in all ages gets tied in knots about whether or not it is natural for some people to serve in leadership roles. You can respond to God’s call, we say, as long as you follow us. This is not to say we cannot and should not set up expectations for leadership. However, when that criteria mimics the exclusionary impulses of the culture, the church should not be so quick to accept it as ordained by God. Instead we should be asking: Who are the powerless in our society? Who are those that receive no welcome or are invisible in society? These are precisely the people to who Christians are called to love and extend hospitality. And anyone involved in this ministry of welcome in Jesus name should never be forbidden from leadership. It really is that simple.
Ok, you say all this talk of inclusion does not seem to fit with the passages on hell. What gives? Shall we ignore them as a remnant of an unenlightened past? Well I do think you all know me better than that. We cannot ignore them but we also cannot take them at face value either. We must tread carefully. During Jesus earthly ministry and when the Gospel was finally penned there was revolutionary fervor in the air. Into these times Jesus speaks a message of inclusion and welcome. However, there was a need for faithfulness to the community as a matter of survival. So this is what is at the heart of the calls for bodily dismemberment.
In a revolutionary era when one member of the community could not or would not remain faithful the response was to kill them. So within these words from Jesus is a call to maintain the faithfulness of the community without finally killing them. We also know that when people were excluded from the worshiping community, they were not shunned. Instead, they become one who was deserving of ministry. In other words, it may become necessary to keep someone who embezzles funds away from the finance committee but we do not exclude them from the ministry of hospitality. This is what these apparent exclusionary passages are all about.
The need to define who we are is often based on the childlike framework of who we are not. This is not a bad impulse until we use those childlike behaviors to define the boundaries of God’s love. Whatever the reason, power, control, or simple bigotry, we cannot fall into this trap. Where do we find ourselves acting in ways that seek to grow our power, at work, here at church, or in our families? Where do we find ourselves seeking to control others in the same way? Where do we find ourselves trapped by the messages of our age that say white folks and black folks cannot live together? The message is not: If they agree with us, and follow us, and do what we say, they are for us. Instead, it is into these places that Jesus says: “Do not forbid them. Anyone who is not against us is for us!” Amen.

A Lesson in Humility

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
September 20th 2009

Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“A Lesson in Humility”
Psalm 1; Mark 9:30-37

It always happens while they are on the way. The best teaching moments seem to come while the disciples move with Jesus from place to place. And the best educators know to take advantage of every opportunity. Apparently, being on the road was not the best environment for the disciples to hear that Jesus was going to suffer, die, and rise again. I am not sure there is ever a good time to hear this sort of news. After all, the disciples do not grasp what Jesus is saying until after the resurrection. Unable to grasp Jesus’ teaching the disciples do what the followers of Jesus always do when they are anxious or do not understand something. They decide to start a fight about something completely unrelated to the issue at hand.
Jesus understands this inclination but since the road seems to be less than an ideal setting for teaching he waits till they are in a house. “What were you arguing about?” It was an argument about who was the greatest. It was a competition, which is something we know well. It is the life-blood of our society. Competition is how we know our value. And it is this inclination that Jesus seeks to challenge.
Knowing the answer to his question, Jesus uses a visual image. Notice that he does not say: “Friends, you are all gifted in your own special way. You should appreciate the diversity of gifts.” He does not turn to the disciples and say: “Andrew, you are good with one-on-one relationships, or Matthew, you are good with numbers and money, or to James and John, no one has more enthusiasm and zeal than you two, and Judas you, well Judas we should talk later.” Jesus seems less than interested in the particular gifts of each disciple, at least on this day.
“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” If the disciples wanted a blunt answer to the question of greatness they just got it. Being on the road with Jesus, seeing the miracles and catching a glimpse of the way God intended things has actually clouded their vision. Instead of grasping the role of serving the disciples had tasted power and privilege and wanted more. After all, if they even remotely understood that Jesus wouldn’t be around forever someone was going to have to take over. The trappings of privilege are strong, even on the road with Jesus.
Last February Emma came home and told us about the most amazing story. She wondered if we knew that in the old days that dark skinned people had to sit in the back of the bus. She went on to tell us about Rosa Parks and how light skinned people got to sit at the front of the bus. But what will always stick with me is what she shared about another student. After hearing this story another boy in her class said he thought that sounded like a good idea. When we asked Emma why she thought he would like it she said: “He only said that because he is a light skinned person and not thinking about other people.” Out of the mouth of kindergarteners came wisdom that basically boils things down to their essence. This very honest kindergarten “light-skinned” boy understood what privilege was all about. And focusing on the privilege he lost sight of what his privilege might mean for other people.
The lesson Jesus teaches about humility is not that we all ought to walk around being self-effacing. Unfortunately, for far too long, followers of Jesus take this as what it means to be humble. So, if Jesus is not teaching us to be doormats, what is he saying? First we have to recognize that he is speaking to the male disciples who are still captured by the belief that leadership is about establishing dominance. So Jesus says if you want to be great, serve others. And to bring this point home he takes a child and says they, not someone else, must welcome children.
It is important to know on this point that children were not seen in the same light as we do today. Childhood was not about innocence or trusting everything that is told to you. In fact, you really just need to spend time with toddlers to figure that one out. Instead, children in the ancient world had no real value. So the disciples are being taught to welcome and offer hospitality to those who society sees as having no value.
Christine Pohl in her book on hospitality called: Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition, she gets at the essence of this passage. To offer hospitality means to give of our whole selves. She writes: “To give someone else our full attention means that we view the person as a human being rather than as an embodied need or interruption.” That is not something that comes easy for everyone. But it will never come as long as the disciples are busy trying to figure out who is in charge and who is the greatest. When we take the focus off of ourselves, the limitations or gifts and skills we might have, we can learn like the disciples in every age that following Jesus can be as simple as offering the gift of our presence and full attention to anyone who crosses our path. It really is that simple.
Standing on the platform waiting for the Marta train I could see interacting with various people. He was asking for spare change. He was hunched over and looked beat down by years on the street. Secretly I hoped that the train would arrive before he got to me. But the train did not come. However, when he came close I realized I had met this man before. Before I could call him by name he had already launched into his story of need. When I called him by name he looked at me, really looked at me and remembered my name as well. In that moment we both broke from the script where he I saw him as homeless guy asking for change and he saw me as a human atm. We caught up with each other and the time we had spent in the homeless ministry. And when the train came I did offer to give him the money I had in my pocket and he said no thanks, I’m good. And he walked away a little taller and I walked away realizing that while he did have real financial needs that being treated as a human being, a beloved child of God is something that we all need and are called to offer to all people. Amen? Amen.

Baptism Barrier

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
September 13th 2009

Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Baptism Barrier”

Have you ever thought of yourself as an evangelist? You know, an evangelist. Someone like Philip in today's Scripture reading. And evangelist is someone who shares the gospel with people who don’t know about Jesus. Have you thought of yourself as someone who tells others about Jesus?
I am guess that if I set out a sign-up sheet to recruit evangelist it would be a fairly short list. Very few of us even like the word evangelism. It seems to either make us feel guilty because we're not doing it, or turn us off because there's no way we would ever want to do it. A very large study has just been done on evangelism in churches like ours. The conclusive finding was that the vast majority of people would rather go get a root canal than talk about, much less DO, evangelism. For the last forty years, most churches have been in decline. It seems we’ve developed a real -threatening aversion to evangelism! Right now, at this very minute, you may want to put your fingers in your ears and sing “la, la, la.” Anything to drown out the “E” word!
Why do so many of us have such a visceral reaction to evangelism? There are all kinds of reasons why not much evangelism is happening in most congregations. I'll give you some of my own reasons. I don't want to be anything close to the stereotype that comes to my mind when I think of an "evangelist."
Nor do I want to offend people by pressuring them with rhetoric about where they'll spend eternity. Besides that, I wonder sometimes what business I have telling people what they ought to be doing or believing. I have enough trouble in my own life doing and believing what I should. I'd rather just do the best I can, being the best Christian I can be, and hope that is a good enough witness to others.
After all, St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” I do fine talking faith language with you here at church. But when I’m with people who aren’t churchgoers, words fail. I flounder. I hope words aren’t necessary.
But what happens when we meet someone who obviously needs to hear some words about God’s love? Someone like the Ethiopian eunuch. He is an African man with an important job that came at a high price. Most likely, he had been castrated at some point in his life so that he could serve the queen of Ethiopia. That why he's called a "eunuch." He was unable to be married or have children. Religious law kept him from participating in worship services. Yet, somehow, he had heard of God and wanted to know more about God. What do you do when you don't think of yourself as an evangelist but you come across someone like this man?
Someone who bears deep wounds inflicted by the world . . .
Someone who is not welcomed by traditional religion . . .
Someone who looks successful but feels empty . . .
Someone who is searching for God, searching for something besides what she has . . .
Someone who needs to hear about God’s love. Someone like Rick.
Rick was a successful businessman. He visited a church in the “Bible belt.” He came because he saw an ad they had placed on TV. The minister of the church had been opposed to putting ads for a church on television. "Only fundamentalist mega-churches do that," he'd said. "It costs too much anyway. We should be using that money for caring for the poor. Besides," he'd said, "What kind of people pick their church from ads on television?"
But the church did it anyway. They got dozens of visitors who had never before been to any church in their lives. One of them was Rick. Rick brought his 8-year-old son, Andy, to church one Sunday. The children's Sunday school happened to be studying Esther that day, and Andy was part of the class. Monday morning the minister got a call from Rick. "My son is so excited about this story he heard at church," he said. "He said the story is from the 'book of Esther.' Can you tell me where I can get a copy of that book? I want to read it to him at home. Can I buy it at Barnes and Noble or somewhere?'" Rick, a college graduate and successful businessman, had never owned a Bible. He had no idea that Esther is a book in the Bible.
I wonder if it surprised you that someone could grow up in this country and not know that Esther is a book in the Bible? This is increasingly true. In 1910 only 3% of Americans were growing up with no faith training, but in the 1980s 14.5% were growing up with no faith training. And the number of people coming to adulthood in the U.S. with no faith training at all continues to increase. In our own community many of our neighbors have no religious identity. They are not Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, or Christian. They are not connected religiously at all.
"What is to prevent me from being baptized?" the Ethiopian man asked. That’s a good question. For people like Rick, the obstacle to being baptized, to becoming a Christian, is simply that no one has ever told them about God. Let me say that again. No one has ever told them about God. Friends, I wonder if we are preventing people from hearing about God. Are we keeping people from hearing about God’s love? Are we constructing barriers between the gospel and the people who desperately need to hear it? Is our fear of being like a stereotype a barrier?
Is our lack of confidence in ourselves a barrier? Is our desire to give people their "space" about religion a barrier?
Could it be that for many people like Rick, we are actually preventing them from knowing more about God? Are we keeping people from becoming followers of Jesus? That may seem unfair but what I mean is that we have all been touched by the ministry of Westminster. We value the unique character, no not characters, of this community. Many of us have come to deeper faith because of this place. And the truth is that there are others who are deeply hungry for welcoming message that God welcomes all people which we proclaim.
If we knew that there was someone who was thirsty for a drink of water, none of us would walk by. We would each gladly share what we have to make things better for someone else. We would not keep it to ourselves if someone needed it! But this is exactly what the church does when we do not share the welcome we have found in Jesus with those in need. We sit with the waters of baptism in our hands. Meanwhile, neighbors around us are desperately thirsty to know that God loves them through Jesus Christ. This is what it is all about.
Maybe that is easier said than done. It certainly seems that Philip had it easier than we do. After all, the Spirit of God seemingly transported him to the Ethiopian man's side and compelled him to share the gospel! It seems like all Philip did was show up and God did the rest. If we were to be evangelists, what would that look like for us? To be truly authentic it would not be an invitation to become someone we are not or share a message of which we do not believe. How would the Spirit work with us? Where would the Spirit of God send us? Who would be on our pathway?
Friends, I invite you to come on a spiritual adventure with me. What would it look like for us to be authentic evangelists? This is what we'll be exploring together as a church for 6 weeks, starting October 11th . You are invited to pray, to study, to question, and to think about how God might be sending us out to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a church, we will be reading the short book, Unbinding Your Heart. It came out of the study I mentioned earlier. Today in your bulletin there are sign-up sheets for the small groups that are forming now. We will use these groups for prayer and discussion. You will be spiritually encouraged and intellectually stimulated in these groups. Together, we will be inviting God to show us what it would look like for us to become evangelists. What would it be like for us to share God’s love in our own unique way?
There is a story about a family who shared with a pastor about one of the most the memorable Christmases they ever had. It was the last Christmas they spent at their grandparents' house. The grandfather had Parkinson's disease. Soon, they would move to an assisted living center. It had been their family's tradition to gather around the Christmas tree and listen to the granddad read the Christmas story from Luke. This year, when Granddad tried to read, he could barely move his Parkinson’s-locked jaws. He just couldn’t manage to speak the words aloud. The family sat there and watched him struggle. No one seemed to know what to do. Should they say something? Would it hurt his pride if someone helped him? No one did anything for what seemed to be a very long time. But Emily, the 6-year-old granddaughter, had just learned to read. She knew exactly what to do. She quietly tiptoed over to his chair and plopped herself beside him. Then, taking his finger into her hand, she helped him point to each word, saying them out loud with him as they read along together:
“Unto you is born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
"Do you know what you're reading?" Philip asked the Ethiopian eunuch. The man nearly begged, "How can I unless someone guides me?" So Phillip went and sat beside him. Who will God lead you to sit beside? Amen!