April 23rd

A Call for Unity

Psalm 133
Acts 4:32-35




Tune in, turn on, drop out. Remember those words? You might if you are a child of the 60’s. This phrase came from Timothy Leary, Harvard professor, hippie guru, and psychedelic pied piper.

In response to his message, hundreds of young people left colleges, families, conventional lifestyles, and formed intentional communities called “communes.” These young people pooled money, labor, and dreams to purchase land and old farms in various areas of the United States in a movement known as the “Back to the Land” movement.

These were the people some of our parents warned us about. Maybe some of us WERE those people our parents warned us about. The hair was long, the clothes were loud, the music was even louder, feet were sandaled, and phrases like “Peace”, and “Make love, not war” were the mantras of the time.

Parents and other “Establishment” types were not impressed. If we think back far enough, some of us with much more conservative church backgrounds can even remember our pastors railing against these young people from the pulpit. Men with long hair! Women without bras! It was Sodom and Gomorrah! It was the end of civilization as we knew it! Surely the Second Coming was at hand!

Now there were some things about the modern commune movement that weren’t especially healthy. Unfortunately, some of the young people caught up in this movement interpreted the “turn on” and “drop out” portions of Timothy Leary’s call to change in negative ways, as they turned to drug abuse and promiscuity to escape their unhappiness with their own lives as well as “The Establishment.”

But that wasn’t the founding idea behind the movement. The modern commune movement was a psychedelic investigation set in tie-dyed idealism and bell-bottomed open mindedness. It was not based in the button-down, uptight refinement of the Establishment. No, the basis of this movement was actually found in the Bible itself!

Think about it! The church as a commune! MCC of Corpus Christi as a commune! Break out the love beads and tie-dye!

OK. So maybe we aren’t exactly ready to live together at 1315 Craig Street yet—unless, of course, Corpus Christi is hit with a hurricane. Then we may not have a choice. Pray hard that doesn’t happen.

But back to the original Back to the Land movement. If we think about it, in many ways Jesus Christ would have fit right in with the Commune Movement of the 60’s and 70’s. Some of you may remember the sermon I preached sometime ago titled “The Jesus Look.” One of those looks I mentioned was a bearded Jesus.

Can you picture it? Jesus, longhaired and bearded, sandaled and drinking wine with all those “outcast types.” Jesus Christ, who preached love and compassion with fire and passion in His eyes. Jesus Christ, who preached against The Establishment and for The People.

Jesus called, and people followed. Twelve men became his closest associates—the apostles. The death of Christ was just a momentary downturn in The Jesus Movement, but the Resurrection got things back on track.

But what kept the momentum of this community founded by Jesus Christ not only going, but growing as well?

First, the apostles tuned in. They tuned in to the message of Jesus Christ. Did they get the message the first time around? No. They didn’t even get it the second, third, or fourth times around, either. But they followed Jesus anyway, and eventually when they DID get Jesus’ message of love, grace, compassion, and obedience to God, they didn’t keep it to themselves, they shared this great news with as many people as they could!

For example, today’s reading in Acts follows a big victory in the ministry of Peter and John. They had been thrown in jail for healing a lame man and preaching the Gospel. Because they had tuned in to the message of Jesus Christ, they were turned on by the power of the Holy Spirit, which enabled them to perform this miracle. The Holy Spirit also enabled them to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the Council of Rulers and Elders in Jerusalem. Even though the Council released Peter and John, they warned them not to spread this message to others.

After their release, Peter and John found other believers and shared their experience with them. The believers united in prayer for their leaders and their community, and as a result of their prayers, scripture says “the building shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they preached God’s message with boldness.”

Notice it started with the leaders. Today, as the leaders of the church listen to AND FOLLOW God’s directions for their lives—as they tune in—they are turned on to the power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives and great things begin to happen in the communities they serve as they faithfully proclaim God’s Word. And let me tell you something, folks. The powers of darkness do not like it when good things start to happen in a community of faith. Just look at the persecution faced by the apostles!

But notice it doesn’t stop with the leaders. The believers could see the apostles’ message was real through the deeds the Holy Spirit was performing through them, and how the unbelievers on the Council really could not deny the reality of these miraculous deeds. As the believers tuned in to the words AND works of the Holy Spirit through apostles, they too, were turned on by the power of the Holy Spirit and proclaimed God’s message with boldness.

What does this mean for today’s believers? It means we are to pray for our leaders, open our minds to the messages God gives them, and open our hearts to the power of the Holy Spirit. As we do that, then we too are empowered to share the message of God’s love with as many people as we can.

What happened when the first leaders and believers tuned in and turned on? What made their community so attractive to others?

First, it was a unified movement. “All the believers were of one heart and soul…” This phrase suggests that the level of unity among believers was deep and genuine, penetrating to their innermost being. What this means folks, is that they trusted each other. For where there is no trust, there is no real relationship—only superficial words. And do you know what? Superficial words will not stand when times get tough. And any relationship, organization, or community of faith built on such a foundation will eventually fall. Not every church in the first century exhibited this degree of unity, although it was—and still is-- the goal.

Please take note here. The scripture did not say everyone agreed on everything all the time. In fact, conflict—IF it is handled well—can actually be helpful as a source of further growth and maturity. This scripture is referring to spiritual unity. Loyalty, trust, commitment, and love for God and God’s Word are essential if the church is to survive.

Next, they shared their possessions. The early church was able to give and share as a result of the unity brought about by being open the power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. Notice a couple of things about this sharing. It was voluntary; and it didn’t involve all private property, but only as much as needed. How do we know that? Because verse 34 tells us “there was no poverty among them.” Using today’s terms, call it an “equal distribution of wealth.”

How does the example of the early church work for us today? We share, as we are able in practical ways that help one another. We have an advantage over the early church, too. We have the means and technology to not only help those in this place, but also those far outside our walls as well.

Maybe it means bringing a few cans of food to our food pantry. Maybe it means helping with the Easter Basket Drive as so many wonderful people did. See, as with the early church, it wasn’t any ONE person doing spectacular things, it was the Holy Spirit working through MANY people that caused this once radical movement to not only survive, but to thrive as well.

OK. So we’ve got tuning in and turning on. What about dropping out? Did the first Christians drop out of society? Not at all. Remember I mentioned earlier that as a result of their prayers they spoke the message of God boldly. They shared not only their possessions with one another, they shared the good news with as many people as they could, both inside and outside of their walls. They dropped out to a life lived for self alone, and began living for God and as a result, living for others as well.
Tuning in, turning on, and dropping out radically and forever changed their lives.

People noticed that kind of change, too. Not only did they notice it, many wanted to be part of it.

Guess what? They still do. Do you know what, folks? People want to be part of something that is life-affirming and positive. If they wanted drama, they would stay home, curl up on the couch, eat bon-bons, and watch soap operas! At least that way, they wouldn’t have to worry about anyone asking them for any kind of commitment!

Picture it—a worshipping community who, through tuning in to the message of Jesus Christ through prayer, study of the Bible, and listening to the Word of God faithfully proclaimed has a solid focus on their internal identity as a church community.

Picture it--because a church community turned on by the power of the Holy Spirit moving in, through, and among them. While not uniform, they are unified. Dropping out of lives lived for self alone, they show genuine love and concern for those inside and outside of their community in life practical ways. God’s grace is upon them all as they boldly proclaim God’s life changing love for all people through not only their words, but through the examples of their lives as well.

The possibilities are endless.

Tune in to the life saving message of Jesus Christ.

Turn on to the healing power of the Holy Spirit.

Drop IN to the possibility of eternal life with God.

I come to you in love, and I speak to you in peace.

God bless you, and amen.

April 16th

Stone Rollers

Acts 10:34-43
Mark 16:1-8



Many of you here today know that our daughter Kimberly, her partner, Dana, and our 4 year-old grandson, Preston, were here visiting just a week or so ago. We were on the go every day, from Progresso to San Antonio, 3 different beach trips, the aquarium, and the list goes on.

Then there was the home entertainment. We have never watched so many cartoons in our lives! We can even quote lines from the Wallace and Grommit movie! Of course, that shouldn’t be too surprising since we watched it three times! We did not watch any significant amount of adult television until Saturday morning after our family had headed back to Georgia. But, several hours of sleep later, Richard and I agreed that we really did have a lot of fun with our family.

Preston was particularly entertaining—as only four year-olds can be. During the commercial breaks of one of our cartoon marathons, he was pointing out to his Grandpa Richard everything he wanted for his upcoming birthday in August. And when I say, “everything,” I do mean “everything.” At one point, Grandpa Richard looked at Preston, smiled and said, “You just want everything, don’t you?” Preston’s confused look seemed to say, “Well, yeah. Duh! What? Is there a problem with that?”

Later, however, during one of our very brief CNN commercial breaks, Richard was mentioning how he liked some of the various products that were being advertised. Preston promptly said, “Grandpa Richard, you just want everything, don’t you?” All I can say is, “Touche’!”

Ahhh, to be a child again! To want everything, to have most everything handed to us, and to have no real responsibilities at all! Sounds great, huh? Of course, the time eventually comes in our lives when we learn that all those wonderful gifts—while given freely in love—also have a certain amount of responsibility that comes with them. And that is when life can get very interesting!

Responsibility. That is the topic I would like to address this beautiful Easter morning. Now I know what some of you are thinking. “Responsibility? What happened to the resurrection? Isn’t that why we’re here today? Well, that and to share some good ‘ol church food!

Well, Jesus Christ is risen; and that is the wonderful news that we are celebrating. Jesus Christ came, lived, died, and rose again so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. As Christians, we believe that Jesus died for the sins of the entire world. Jesus gave his life freely and in an amazing spirit of love for humanity—all of us, everyone, no exceptions! Furthermore, Christianity teaches that salvation is a free gift of God’s grace through our faith in Jesus Christ.

Abundant life! Everlasting life! Eternal salvation! We want it all, and through Jesus Christ we can have these things! This isn’t just good news; this is great news! Amen? These gifts are given to us freely in love. We can do nothing to earn them. But as free as these gifts are, from our reading in Mark today, we learn that there just may be some responsibility associated with these gifts, as well. Let’s take a closer look.

We begin with Mary Magadalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bringing spices to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. Along the way they are wondering who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb. They are looking for a way to get inside the tomb—a safe place, a place sealed away from the rest of the world. See, they thought that this place was the only place they would find Jesus.

Sounds a lot like us sometimes, doesn’t it? By that comment, I mean we sometimes treat the church like it is the only place we can find Jesus—you know, a safe place, a place sealed away from the rest of the world. We come, we worship, and we leave. But Jesus? Jesus stays right here.

Or so we think.

Can you imagine the fear of the women when they arrived at the tomb? First, the stone was already rolled away! Could there be grave robbers inside? Dare they venture into the tomb itself? I can see them oh-so-carefully peeking into the tomb. Nope! No grave robbers; but who is this guy in the white outfit? And most importantly—where is Jesus? Somebody has stolen our Jesus!

Seeing their fear, the young man basically says, “Don’t panic. You’re looking for Jesus. Yep! He was here. But check it out! He’s long gone. Don’t worry, though; I know where he is. Go tell his disciples—yes, even Peter—tell them all that Jesus is on his way to Galilee, and he will see you there. Remember? Just like he told you before.”

You know, I think we Christians sometimes come to church with our own variety of “spices”—that is, our own versions of what we think it will take to preserve our version of Jesus Christ in ways that make us feel comfortable and secure, locked away from the rest of the world. But then lo and behold, we get there, and our version of Jesus is gone! We start to panic! Somebody has stolen our Jesus! Not only that; then somebody in a white outfit has the nerve to tell us something like, “For goodness sake, get out of the tomb! Jesus is on his way to Galilee and said he would see you there!”

And do you know where “Galilee” is, folks? “Galilee” is right outside of these four walls! Jesus Christ did not suffer, die, and rise again so we could sit safe and locked away from the rest of the world! Jesus Christ suffered, died, and rose again so we could leave this place of safety and security and head to Galilee.

Now I want to be clear here. I’m not saying the church is useless. We come here to worship God, and we receive the gifts of God’s strength, grace, and peace through the Holy Spirit. We come here to hear a message of hope! We come here to hear the message that Jesus Christ is risen indeed! But then we are to take those gifts and that message of hope with us and head to our own “Galilees!” We are to take those gifts and become “Stone Rollers.”

And just what do Stone Rollers do? Stone Rollers go out, and we put our backs into helping others roll away the stones of their lives that keep them locked in dark, deadly tombs. Tombs like addiction, depression, loneliness, poverty, oppression, and abuse. We help roll the stones away that keep people locked in tombs of spiritual darkness that tell them that God cannot possibly love them!

Sure, these stones are heavy; but there are a lot of creative ways to move them, too. All we need are Spirit-filled people who are willing to stand up, speak up, and put their backs into rolling these stones away! And let me tell you something, I purposely added that part about putting our backs into it, because talk by itself is cheap. If we truly desire positive change, we have to be that change!

Scary? You bet it is! That’s at least part of the reason the women in today’s passage ran. The message of the guy in the white outfit completely freaked them out! The same thing happens to us sometimes, too. We hear a message that just completely blows us out of the water. That message may offend us; that message may inspire us; that message may even make good sense to us. But often, like the women in today’s passage, rather than take action, we are frightened into silence.

But I am here today to tell you that we have nothing—absolutely nothing—to fear! How do I know that? Because we have a God that goes before us! When the children of Israel left Egypt, God went ahead of them as a pillar of fire by night and smoke by day. When the Israelites were struggling to establish a foothold in the land of Canaan, the Ark of the Covenant—God’s presence in their midst—went ahead of them.

And today, we celebrate the greatest go-ahead ever—Jesus Christ, God’s presence incarnate, willingly goes ahead of us into the future, through suffering, death, and beyond. And if God will go ahead of us—even into suffering and death—then how much more will God go ahead of us to wherever life may take us; be it medical treatments, recovery, a new career, a new city, or a new relationship?

So, hear the great news today! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! And because Jesus gone has gone before us, we too, can leave this place today without fear, meet him in our own “Galilees,” and start rolling some stones!

Christ has died.

Christ has risen.

Christ is waiting in Galilee.

Let’s join Him there. Amen?

God bless you and amen.

April 9th

The Jesus Look

Philippians 2:5-11
John 12:12-16



A couple of weeks ago I opened the sermon by mentioning a song from the 80’s—“Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places.” Well, today we are back in the 80’s with yet another song. The song? “You’ve Got The Look,” by Prince and Sheena Easton. Remember some of the lyrics? “You’ve got the look, you must’ve took, a whole hour just to make up your face!” They must have been talking about Boy George from the group Culture Club.

Ahhh, the 80’s! The decade that gave us Madonna singing “Like a Virgin,” while rolling around on the stage at the Grammy Awards. Boy George singing “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” while taking the art of gender bending to a whole new level. And let’s not forget all those homophobic rock n rollers that had bigger hair and wore more makeup than many drag queens I know!

And a lot of folks—some of us here included—wanted those looks, too! Women and men brushed, teased, sprayed or Geri-curled their hair into all kinds of shapes and forms. Some of us painted our eyes and dyed our hair almost every color of the rainbow, too! And for what? Just so we could sweat it all off on the dance floor on the weekends!

And as much fun as those looks were, today we are talking about a totally different kind of look—the Jesus Look. So, what exactly is the Jesus Look? Well, let’s see if we can’t find a few of the accessories necessary to get this look from our scripture readings today.

Today is Palm Sunday. It is the day we normally celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. We have upbeat music, people are wearing palm crosses, and we can see the victory of the resurrection just ahead.

Frankly, we aren’t much different than many of those people who lined the streets of Jerusalem on the day of Jesus’ arrival. They, too, celebrated Jesus as their Sovereign shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!” And when they shouted “Hosanna!” they were actually shouting, “Save us, we beg of you!” See, many of these people had seen that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. If Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead, surely the oppressive Roman government was no match for Him! They had finally found their Savior!

The Jesus Look this crowd wanted was a political conquering hero, someone who would restore the ancient greatness of Israel. They got a conquering hero all right—just not the kind they expected—or wanted, for that matter. During the course of the following week when they finally began to understand the “Jesus look” just a bit better, the once adoring crowds decided they did not like what they saw, and the cries of “Hosanna!” became “Crucify Him!”

Even the disciples weren’t much ahead of the crowds when it came to understanding the true likeness of Jesus. Verse 16 of today’s reading in John tells us that even those closest to Jesus—His very own hand picked 12—“didn’t understand these things at first.”

Ah, but WE’VE got it all down pat don’t we?

Well, not really. I think if we were all honest here, we would admit there are times in our lives when we are no better than the crowds that week so long ago in Jerusalem. We come to church in search of something new—a new look, if you will. We come shouting, “Life stinks! Nothing makes sense anymore! Save us, we beg of you!” And when we get our first taste of the Jesus Look, chances are we really like the joy, peace, and sense of victory we can feel.

But then, like those very same crowds, when we learn that there is a whole lot more to the Jesus Look than celebration, we may begin to reject Jesus. Why do we do that? Well, sometimes we reject Jesus because He doesn’t always fulfill our deepest hopes and aspirations for security in this world in the ways that we think He should fulfill them. We reject Jesus when He does not preserve for us our own little worlds that we hold so dear—when He overturns the tables of self-comfort in our lives in radical ways, much like He overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple.

But if there is more to the Jesus Look than simply celebration, what are some of the other accessories that make up the Jesus Look?

Well, humble service is a big part of the “Jesus Look,” and it’s not a pretty look sometimes, either. In John 13, scripture tells us Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. This act of humble service is in stark contrast to the disciples, who had argued over the seating arrangements in heaven on more than one occasion. Picture this: At the Last Supper, only days after Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, the disciples were still arguing over whom among them was the greatest! They had just eaten the bread and shared the cup, and a fight breaks out! Talk about not getting the concept!

Now I want to make something very clear about the huge role humility plays in the “Jesus Look.” Healthy humility is not a self-degrading attitude, OK? As Pastor Rick Warren says, “Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, it is thinking of ourselves less.” Let me repeat that: “Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, it is thinking of ourselves less.” And there’s a big difference in those two statements too, folks.


When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, ate with sinners, touched the unclean, and paid special attention to the poor and the oppressed of society, he did not stop being the Word Incarnate. Jesus didn’t lose any of his divinity. But at every turn and detail in Jesus’ life, he revealed an utterly different kind of power. I think author David Prior makes a great point when he says, “While it has been traditional to see Jesus’ self-humbling as God some way hiding or suspending for a time God’s divinity…what if God in Jesus’ actions was actually revealing God’s true divinity?”

The divine power of Almighty God revealed through humble service---now there’s a radical concept! And if that is the case, our notions of power and the proper use of it must be radically revised, as well. Amen?

In our Philippians passage today we find yet another clue to the Jesus Look. Although Jesus was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God as a thing to be grasped. In other words, Jesus was secure in His identity. See, Jesus was secure enough in who He was that crossing lines of gender, race, and economic status did not threaten His ego.

The religious authorities of Jesus’ time certainly didn’t get this point, as they did all they could to keep their distance from the “common folks,” while all the while touting their so-called religious superiority. And I’ve already mentioned earlier how Jesus’ own disciples were not immune to a little “power trippin’” of their own.

What about us? Are we secure enough in our identities as beloved children of God to serve Christ by serving others in ways others—or maybe even we ourselves sometimes---may see as beneath our station in life? Or do we tend to use the age old (and very lame) explanation, “That’s not my gift” to excuse ourselves from the “less glamorous” forms of service?

The Jesus Look is obedient. Philippians tells us that Jesus was obedient, obedient even to death on a cross. Now probably most of us here have not felt the call to die for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our lives have not been threatened for expressing our beliefs. But there are a lot of ways to die, too. We are also called to die to those things that keep us from fulfilling the mission that God has for each of our lives—things like a false sense of pride, power, and privilege.

The Jesus Look is a focused look. Jesus knew His mission, and Jesus stuck to it. Jesus didn’t always like it—he sweat drops of blood during his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane—but Jesus completed his mission in excruciating style when He said, “It is finished.”

“It is finished!” This was not a death sentence, by the way. It was –and still is—a life sentence. Because Jesus was secure in His own identity, He was able to focus on his mission of welcoming compassion, humble service, and sacrificial love. Inner security, a positive focus, welcoming compassion, humble service, and sacrificial love. That, my sisters and brothers, is the Jesus Look.

I have a question for you. Are you searching for a new look today? Have all the outer changes you’ve made not lived up to your expectations of them? Why not try an inner change? Why not try the Jesus Look? The good news today is, “The Jesus Look” is available to all who desire it. All we have to do is ask.

The Jesus Look. It may not always be pretty or easy to maintain. But no matter how hard we dance, or how much we sweat—no matter what life throws at us—the Jesus Look will never leave us looking like the 1980’s version of a tearful, makeup streaked Tammy Faye Bakker after a passionate plea for money on the PTL network.

The Jesus Look—the look for life; both for this life and the life to come.

God bless you and amen.

April 2nd

Change or Die

Jeremiah 31:31-34
John 12:12-16




Here’s a joke for you: “How many church members does it take to change a light bulb?” Answer: “Change?!?! What do you mean, change?!? Heresy! Burn the heretic!”

You may chuckle at this little joke; but you might be surprised at just how hard change really is for us. For example, imagine your doctor tells you that you are going to die within the month. BUT, if you significantly change your lifestyle right now and for the next month and beyond, you’ll live a long and happy life. In other words, change or die.

Could you do it? Could you make such a radical and immediate change if it meant your life was at stake? Probably not. As a matter of fact, studies show that odds are 9 to 1 that we wouldn’t change. Think about it. How many of us have sat in the doctor’s office and been told that we really should avoid the buffet lines, and that cheesecake does not count as a serving of dairy? Or that just because Jesus turned water into wine doesn’t mean that it is the only thing we should be drinking with our meals? Or better yet, that walking from the refrigerator to the couch to the bathroom to the bed does not count as a cardio workout?

So, we get the message and push back from the table, find out that drinking water isn’t so bad after all, and discover the joys of walking in our neighborhoods, or along the beach or bay. But then it isn’t long before the weather, work schedules, aches and pains, and those tempting church potlucks dampen our enthusiasm, and we are back to square one. No real change. No real chance at a healthy life.

This inability to change seems to have been part of the human condition throughout history, too. For example, the children of Israel prayed to be released from bondage in Egypt, and through Moses and Aaron, God answered their prayers. Then, once they learned that this new found freedom included a lot of change, they started complaining and wanted to go back to Egypt. You see, they may have been in bondage in Egypt, but at least they knew what they were dealing with there! All the unknowns that came with their freedom were too much for the Israelites to bear.

Then the Israelites asked for directions. They asked Moses to speak to God for them. God provided Moses with the 10 Commandments—clearly written rules for change--which the Israelites proceeded to constantly violate. See, even though God had called them separate themselves from the practices of the pagan groups around them, the Israelites simply could not do it—even when God threatened them with exile, destruction, and death!
Now some of us may think, “Well, that’s them—not me. If I were threatened with death, I would pay attention. Maybe so; but consider this. Studies show that within 2 years, 90% of heart bypass surgery patients do not significantly alter their behaviors—even though they know that they will die sooner than later if they don’t make some much-needed changes in their lives.

But change isn’t the perceived enemy only when it comes to health care issues. Oh, no! Corporations spend billions of dollars a year on consultants and programs to promote change. But more often than not, these corporations implement either short-term change, or the changes suggested are flatly rejected. And what happens? Most of these businesses end up dying.

And don’t even get me started on churches…

So, if not even impending, exile, destruction, and death can make us change, are we doomed? Well, not really. There are those people, corporations, and—believe it or not—even churches that can make healthy, lasting changes in their lives. While there is absolutely no doubt that change is tough, change is possible. So, what is the secret to healthy, lasting change?

Maybe the secret lies in how we address the very issue of change. Let’s look at the children of Israel again. In the beginning, change was all about rules and the structure. They were informed. They knew the rules. They knew the consequences of breaking those rules. And the rules and structure weren’t so bad and useless, either. But none of that stuff actually touched them inside.

I can almost imagine God sitting back and thinking, “OK. They asked for deliverance and I provided it. They asked for leaders and direction. I provided both. They asked for protection. I provided it. They break the rules, I allow them to experience the consequences of their decisions. Obviously, the message is not getting through. It is time for me to initiate a change—a radical change—a change that is nothing like humanity has ever experienced before. Maybe what humanity needs is a fresh start—just no flood this time, or fire and brimstone like I used for Sodom and Gommorah. Here’s what I’ll do. Instead of working from the outside in, I will work from the inside out!”

The change process God started here was nothing short of amazing. While not completely tossing out the law and structure, God was initiating a move from commandments to conversation, from rules to relationship. So, if we pay attention, there are a few things we can learn about real, lasting change from this passage in Jeremiah.

First, God is open to change! God even initiates change! God tried one approach with the Israelites, and when that wasn’t bringing about the desired changes, God started shaking things up. Kind of makes you wonder, doesn’t it? I mean, if God seems to be OK with change, what is our problem?

Second, real change comes from the inside, not the outside. Don’t misunderstand me here. Rules and structure are not always bad things. After all , we do need some guidelines, folks. For example, we need to know as much as we can about the condition of our health so we can make informed choices about treatment options. But, unless the desire to become healthier comes from deep inside of us, any positive changes we make will be short-lived at best.

And we definitely need some structure when it comes to living together as a community of faith. You think changing government economic policy is serious? Just try changing the order of worship in a church! I have heard of more than one pastor that has been encouraged to explore an alternative calling for his or her life for changing the order of worship.

And speaking of the order of worship, did you notice anything different about ours’ today? Now if you’re a new visitor, you probably didn’t notice anything too far out there. But if you are a regular, you have probably noticed that nobody robed today, and that the Prayer Minister, TC, and I did not process. And guess what? The roof didn’t fall in! We’re still having church!

I made this change for today to make a deeper point. As you know, we are in the beginning stages of a revisioning process. But we are approaching this process a little differently than what is considered “normal.” We still have rules and structure. And believe it or not, there is somewhat of a plan. But we are starting the move from rules to relationship, from commandments to conversation. In other words, this process is different, and that means change. And change can be frightening sometimes, can’t it?

You see, this process isn’t about changing our denominational affiliation. And this process isn’t about changing all our programming. The purpose of this process is not to give the Board and myself yet another “to do” list. This process is about changing US—the community of faith known as MCC of Corpus Christi—from the inside out. Sure, we can change worship. I can dress like I am dressed today in a collar and jacket, and we can even have Christian rap music. After all, who wouldn’t love to see Brother Don in a “do rag” and some major bling?

We can change our programming as much as we want. But do you know what? Unless those changes come from an inward sense of holy urgency that is then directed outside of these four walls, unless those changes are born of God’s direction and leading, all we are really doing is rearranging the furniture, so to speak. And while rearranging the furniture isn’t necessarily always a bad idea, such changes never last.

But let’s get even more personal. Let’s talk about our individual spiritual lives. Like the children of Israel, we may know the rules. Hey! We can even quote scripture! We may have even been exposed to loving, open, and affirming church environments. But for some reason, it just doesn’t seem to be making that much of a difference in our lives. We realize that something needs to change. Unfortunately, we tend to look on the outside rather than inside.

The point here is pretty simple, folks. We can quote the Bible from front to back. We can have perfect church attendance. We can serve on as many boards and councils as our time allows. But do you know what? All that effort will not result in positive change. That change has to come from inside of us.

And where do we find the strength to make such radical changes in our lives—both individually, and as communities of faith? This kind of strength does not come from fear of punishment; for change born of fear is not true and lasting change at all. True and lasting inward change is a change born of love. It is a change born of God. We find that kind of strength to change in the new covenant mentioned in Jeremiah today. We find that inner strength that comes from God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We find that strength to change as Christ comes and dwells in our very hearts. All we have to do is ask. For as Philippians 4:13 tells us, it is through Christ that we can do all things.

Even, I dare say, find the strength to change.

God bless you and amen.