May 28th

Left Behind

Acts 1:1-11



I was raised in a religious tradition that is big on the rapture—the second coming of Jesus Christ. I remember sermon after sermon about the events leading up to the second coming, as well as the truly scary cosmic shakeup that involved things like stars falling from the sky and the moon turning into blood. The worst thing that could possibly happen to a person was to witness these events, to see others being literally taken up into the heavens to meet Jesus, while your feet were still firmly planted on the ground. In other words, the worst possible fate for a person was to be left behind.

Now I had been listening to these teachings since I was about 6 years old, and there were times when they plagued my dreams. Sometimes I was on the guest list for the Rapture; sometimes I wasn’t. I specifically remember one incident when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I walked out into our front yard one beautiful evening in western Kentucky, looked up into the sky, and there it was—a huge, beautiful bright reddish-orange harvest moon! Of course, in my young mind, the moon was turning to blood—and my feet were still firmly planted on the ground. Not a good sign!

I rushed back into the house and took a quick inventory. My Dad was sitting in the living room watching T.V. Of course, since my Dad smoked, drank, and went to church only once a year on Easter, I wasn’t surprised that he was still around. Then I saw my older sister. Now she played the piano at church, was baptized, and had spoken in tongues! But, maybe she had backslidden and not told anybody.

But then I saw my Mom and thought there was no way God would leave Mom behind. I looked outside again and didn’t see a lot of folks rising up in the sky, either. So I began to think maybe there was a little more to this story than I was being told. Looking back now, it seems that maybe I was right.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the fear of being left behind has completely disappeared from our minds. A few years ago, a couple of men by the names of LaHaye and Jenkins began writing a series of books about the second coming, the events that follow the second coming, as well as the final battle between good and evil. Most people know these books as the “Left Behind” series. These books are like the “DaVinci Code” in that they combine some truth, some speculation, and a lot of imagination that make for some very interesting reading. They are, however, on the totally opposite end of the theological spectrum.

A big part of the message of the “Left Behind” series seems to be that in the end, there is no worse fate than being left behind. But, while I am definitely no expert on this series, it seems that there was still a lot of work left to do in the world for folks who were left behind after the rapture. Could it be that sometimes being left behind is actually part of God’s plan somehow?

Well, it certainly seems that way from our passage in Acts today. In today’s reading, we see the resurrected Jesus speaking to the apostles about the kingdom of God, and instructing them to wait for the promise of God’s Holy Spirit in Jerusalem. The power of the Holy Spirit would then give them the strength to be witnesses to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. As Jesus said this to them, scripture tells us that Jesus was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. There they were, mouths hanging open, looking up into the sky, feet still firmly planted on the ground.

The apostles, you see, were left behind.

Now can you imagine how the apostles must have felt? Think about it. They had left everything to follow Jesus for the past 3 years. Then, just when things seem to be taking off, Jesus is crucified. Now what? But then, Jesus is resurrected from the dead! This has to be it! Now, Jesus will establish God’s kingdom on earth. That has to be the meaning of these teachings for the past 40 days!
So, they ask the question, “Is this it? Is now the time?” Jesus basically tells them that God’s timing is none of their business, to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of God’s Holy Spirit, then be witnesses to Jesus’ life and teachings to the end of the earth. And then Jesus leaves—just like that! Then, to add insult to injury, two guys in white robes show up and say, “What are you looking at? Jesus is gone.”

So Jesus is gone, and here we are—left behind. Now what?

Well, according to verse 8 of today’s reading, if we call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to be witnesses to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Well, that’s easy enough. We just grab our industrial sized Bibles, go out and start whacking people over their heads with them, right? We just tell folks if they don’t straighten up and fly right, they won’t be flying at all in the end. I call this method of witnessing, “Fly or Fry” witnessing.

This method of witnessing can be quite effective, too. We can scare people into behaving as we think they should behave by threatening them with eternal damnation. Hey! It certainly kept me in line for many years. The problem with this method, however, is that it tends to develop what I call “Bystander Christians.” These are the folks who stand around gazing into Heaven trying to figure out exactly when Jesus is coming back, while doing their best to make sure all those sinners out there don’t contaminate them somehow. In the meantime, God’s good creation—the creation that God told us to take care of-- is going to Hell all around us.

I think what we forget sometimes is that while there is an eternal dominion of God that will be realized one day, Jesus also told the disciples that the kingdom of God was within them. Think about it. Jesus spent a lot of his time teaching the disciples how to live in the present—how to love, heal, and change the lives of those around them through the power of his Spirit. What that means for us is becoming co-creators with the Holy Spirit in the here and now, witnessing to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ by loving, healing, and changing the lives of others around us through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. But where do we start?

Well, I mentioned being “co-creators” with the Holy Spirit. We tend to be most creative when we are passionate about a project or issue. For instance, people who are passionate about cooking are always finding new way and creative ways to take simplest food and make it mouthwatering. If you have ever tasted Don Schifke’s chicken and dumplings, then you know what I mean. Passionate artists can take materials many of us would toss in the garbage, and create works of art that are both beautiful and amazing! If any of you here know Bob Yates, then you know exactly what I am talking about.

So, take a look at the community around you. What is your passion? Does your heart break when you hear stories of child abuse? Then volunteer at CASA, and become an advocate for children. Do you see people sweltering in the Corpus Christi heat with no homes to shelter them? Then volunteer at Metro Ministries, the Salvation Army, or the Good Samaritan, where people are sheltered every day. Is feeding the hungry your passion? Then volunteer at our Food Pantry here at MCC of Corpus Christi!

Is HIV/AIDS your passion? Maybe you have heard that funding for HIV/AIDS services is being reduced—and trust me, it is. Or, maybe you have already heard that Corpus Christi’s South Texas Interfaith Council is closing at the end of June. Then maybe the Congregational Care Team of MCC of Corpus Christi can step up to fill at least part of the void sure to be left by the closing of this wonderful agency. And guess what? You can be part of that team!

You see, through the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, we already have the vision of what God’s kingdom on earth should look like. It is a dominion of peace, equality, and love. It is a place where resources are shared. It is a place where all people are valued, and none are left behind to needlessly suffer. It is a place where God is worshipped, communities are built, and hope is offered to all people. It is a place where, by their words and the example of their lives, people motivate faith, create unity, communicate the good news, challenge injustice, and celebrate God’s unconditional love!

Folks, do you have any idea what we have here? We may not be a huge group; but we have some strong backs, sharp minds, and a whole lot of love to share! Through Jesus Christ’s saving work in our lives, we have a message of hope! We have a message that can save lives! The challenge for us is, how are we going to focus our God-given gifts and resources to share that message with a community that so desperately needs to hear it—so that no one is needlessly left behind?

I challenge us today to put on those thinking caps. Then let’s sit down and talk.

God bless you, and amen.

May 21st

Change: It Can Do a Body Good

1 John 5:1-6
Acts 10:44-48



Most of you know that before I accepted God’s call to ordained ministry in 1999, I was an accounting professional with Chemical Waste Management, CWM-AETS, AETS, CWM-WMI, and Onyx Environmental Services. Sounds like a lot of job hoping doesn’t it? Well, believe it or not, it was the same company! Yep! In my seven years with this company, I survived 5 name changes and about 11 or so supervisors.

But it gets even better than that. I moved 5 times in those 7 years, as well. First, I moved from Dallas to Houston to accept the position. Then, a year and a half later, the Houston office was scheduled to close; so my position and I packed our bags and moved to Bensalem, PA, just outside of Philadelphia. Then, a year and a half after that move, the Bensalem office was scheduled to close. I was given the choice of moving to Pensacola, FL, Atlanta, GA, or Houston, TX. Since I still had plenty of friends in Houston, and my church—Resurrection MCC was there, I chose Houston.

However, on my way to Houston, I was asked to work in the Atlanta office for a month or so because that office was short-staffed. So, since I had never spent much time in Atlanta, I figured, “Why not?” Then, the Friday before I was supposed to be heading to Houston, another Atlanta staffer submitted his resignation! Soooo, I was asked to please move to Atlanta instead of Houston. I found an apartment in Atlanta and re-routed my furniture from a truck headed for Houston to a truck headed for Atlanta in what had to be at least close to record time!

Then, after a year and a half in Atlanta, the powers-that-be decided there was not enough work in the Atlanta office to keep me busy. So, the move to Houston was back on. However, by this time, I had met Richard, and I wasn’t so sure about moving again. But after a lot of discussion, we both decided it would probably be the best thing to do at the time. So, I headed to Houston via Pensacola, where I had another project to finish.

But, after only 6 weeks, I decided that I had had enough. The job in Houston wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be, my college education had been put on hold for the umpteenth time for this move, and most of all, I missed Richard. So, I worked out a deal with my boss in Houston, and headed back to Atlanta. In 2000, I left the accounting profession to attend seminary, was ordained as MCC clergy in November 2001, accepted the call to Corpus Christi in December 2001, and moved here in January 2002. So, after all that moving, we ended up back in Texas, after all! So, you could say that I am a bit familiar with the concept of change.

As I look back on those days, I found that with each move I experienced pretty much the same emotions: disbelief (“You have got to be kidding! Another move?); fear (“Is this really the right move to make?”); and finally, acceptance (“Yep, I guess this is how things were supposed to happen, after all.”). Now these emotions came at different stages, and expressed themselves in different ways—not all of which were healthy, either. But the most important things I learned from all those moves was: (1) change happens, so get used to it; and (2) how we handle change can make the difference between growing and learning and never reaching our God-given potential.

These observations are a big part of our lesson from the 10th chapter of Acts today. Just prior to our reading, Peter has seen a vision from God. In this vision, God is letting down a sheet from heaven, filled with animals. God commands Peter to “Rise, kill, and eat.” Well, Peter was hungry; but the problem was that the animals in the sheet were considered unclean by Jewish dietary laws. So, Peter basically responds, “You’re kidding, right? I have never eaten anything that is unclean or profane!” It takes three times, but Peter eventually gets the message from God that it is God who makes the determination between what—and who—is clean and unclean.

It just so happens that very soon after this experience, Peter is called to the home of Cornelius, a Roman centurion who was very supportive of the Jesus Movement. Nice guy; but there was just one problem: he was unclean by Peter’s standards. So if Peter went into the home of Cornelius, he risked becoming unclean himself. But, since he had seen this vision from God, Peter decided to risk it. So, we have Peter’s initial disbelief, and probably fear as well as he risked becoming unclean to witness to Cornelius. I can almost hear Peter now. “OK, God. Are you sure about this? Was that a vision, or was I just dillusional from hunger?”

But as Peter spoke with Cornelius, the Holy Spirit moved, and the whole house who heard the word were filled with the Holy Spirit! Peter’s eventual openness to change, and his willingness to take risks—despite his fears—resulted in the potential for extraordinary growth in the earliest church, as the good news of Jesus Christ was beginning to be shared with all people! Even those people once thought to be unclean!

We can all learn a lot from the example of Peter, folks. First, notice who initiated the change: God. In our lives, God may initiate change in a number of ways. God may speak to us through friends, pastors, family members, and—as much as it scares me to say this—even some televangelists! It is also possible for God to use certain events to point to our need to consider making some needed changes in our lives.

And like Peter, we don’t always get the message the first time around. It may take two, three, or several messages in various forms for us to finally be able to take that first shaky step of faith toward change. And as hard as that first step might be, as long as we remain faithful to what we feel is God’s desire for our lives, we will get stronger with each additional step we take. Sure, we’re gonna fall from time to time on this road to change. But just remember this: when we fall, a saint is just a sinner who fell down—and got back up.

Change involves taking risks beyond those initial first steps, too. Change means trying new and different things, while remaining true to our core values. That’s a critical point, folks, so I’ll repeat it. Change means trying new and different things, while remaining true to our core values. If change for you means dedicating yourself to climbing the corporate ladder, there are several ways of doing that. But those promotions don’t mean a thing if you mistreat and step on people to effect that change. If change for you means obtaining a college degree, that’s wonderful! But that degree won’t mean a thing in the long run if you get it through cheating.

This point is especially important for our communities of faith. Sometimes, in an effort to increase our market share of available souls, we make wholesale changes in order to create “brand loyalty.” On one end of the spectrum these changes may involve requiring a congregational vote to move the organ in order to protect our beloved tradition from those heretics who want to bring in electric keyboards and drums. On the other end of the spectrum these changes may involve removing any Christian symbolism from the sanctuary, having nothing but a rock band for music, and requiring the preacher to dye his hair to look more like the target audience. Of course in our case, that would require the preacher having enough hair to actually dye!

And in the end, both of these churches have missed the point. That point? Changed lives! You see, change is essential for any church that preaches Christ. But not change for the sake of change alone. Change born of God means keeping one eye on improving of how we do things, and the other on our purpose: to bring people into a closer relationship with God through Jesus Christ by motivating faith, creating unity, communicating the good news, challenging injustice, and celebrating God’s unconditional love.

How will we know when the changes we are making are the right changes? God will affirm those changes in one way or another. In our passage from Acts, the Holy Spirit filled all who heard Peter preach the word. In our personal lives, God may not always bless us with enormous wealth; but God will eventually bless us with a sense of peace and satisfaction that is better than all the goods that money can buy.

And in our communities of faith? We may not all grow to mega church status. But if we are faithful to making the changes that we feel God is calling us to make, lives will be changed for the better and to the glory of Almighty God. And isn’t that the point of Christianity, anyway?

So, let’s start listening for God folks. Let’s take that first step toward fulfilling God’s potential for our lives. Then, let’s start looking for God to do new and wonderful things in our individual lives, as well as in our communities of faith. And as strange and impossible as some of those changes may seem, remember this: all things are possible with God.

Even change in the church.

God bless you and amen.

May 14th

The Love Child of Jesus

1 John 4:7-12
John 15:1-8



So, how many people here today have read the book, “The Da Vinci Code?” What do you think? Exciting? Disturbing? Blasphemous? All the above? To be sure, this book has generated no small amount of controversy. Folks have killed a few trees writing responses to this book with titles such as “Da Vinci Decoded,” “The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code,” “Secrets of the Code,” “Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code,” “Breaking the Da Vinci Code,” “Exploring the Da Vinci Code,” and “Cracking Da Vinci’s Code.” Churches are all over the Da Vinci Code, as well. There is even one church in Corpus that is advertising a series on the Da Vinci Code entitled, “The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?”

One of the funniest—and saddest--responses to this book came from my own sister—God bless her heart. I was visiting her sometime ago, and during that visit, we watched a short news story about the Da Vinci Code. I asked my sister what she thought about the book, and full of righteous indignation she replied, “It’s blasphemous!” “Really? I replied. “What parts?” Then came the priceless reply, “Oh, I’ve never read it. I’ve heard enough about it to just know that it is!” I won’t tell you where the conversation went from there.

But, regardless of what you think about the book, hang on! The movie version of “The Da Vinci Code” is due out this Friday, May 19th. Briefly, the story is centered around a murder and religious symbology expert, Robert Langdon. Langdon becomes tangled up in a murder investigation of a historian at the Louvre in Paris, because the murdered historian left behind clues in the form of a cryptic code that leads to several more codes and puzzles. As it turns out, this trail of clues leads all the way back to the life and times of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, Langdon winds up being a suspect in the murder case and must run from the law. So, while on the run, he searches for both the real killer and the ancient secret the historian was trying to protect. The story line includes a very close inspection of Da Vinci’s painting, “The Last Supper.” Now in the painting, at the right hand of Jesus, there is a clean-shaven, feminine-looking figure who everyone has always assumed was the youthful disciple, John. But the book---and movie—present another possibility. Could it be that the person in the painting is actually Mary Magdalene, the follower of Jesus who would also be the first person to see the risen Christ? And where is the Holy Grail—the cup thought to be used at the Last Supper? It is missing from the painting.

All this speculation leads to the big secret that the doomed historian was trying so hard to protect. That secret? Jesus was not the celibate, single man that most Christians assume he was. No. Jesus and Mary Magadalene had a child, beginning a bloodline that continues to this day! And the Holy Grail was not the cup Jesus used at the Last Supper. Mary Magdalene was the Holy Grail—the vessel that carried the child of Jesus! OK. So that little bit of information is probably enough to ruffle a few feathers. Is there a possible explanation for these assertions?

Well, actually there is. Feminine portrayals of men were pretty common in Da Vinci’s time period. So it is entirely plausible that the figure next to Jesus in Da Vinci’s painting is indeed John. And the missing cup? Da Vinci based his painting on the gospel of John, and John’s story of the Last Supper doesn’t include a cup. So, it follows that there would be no cup in Da Vinci’s painting.

So, is everyone breathing just a little easier, now? I think one of the best reviews I read about the “Da Vinci Code” puts it all in perspective by pointing out that what author Dan Brown has done is take some historical truth, mix it some speculation, and a lot of imagination. The result is a faced-paced, fascinating best seller that you will find in the fiction—repeat fiction—section of your favorite bookstores.

But some of you may be shocked to hear that Jesus did have a love child. That’s right! In fact, Jesus had many love children. For example, Don Holder is a love child of Jesus! Jean-Marie Clark and Linda Hull are love children of Jesus! Tom Thrower is a love child of Jesus! Each one of us here is a love child of Jesus Christ! For you see, to be connected to Jesus Christ has nothing to do with the question of Jesus’ celibacy—or lack thereof. Our connection with Jesus Christ relates to our being healthy, productive branches on the Jesus Vine. So, what does it mean to be a healthy, productive branch of the Jesus Vine?

Well, before I get into that subject, please note that I said our connection with Jesus Christ relates to our being a healthy, productive branch on the Jesus Vine. I don’t think I have to tell anyone here that there is a lot of production going on in the world today. The question is, “How much of that production is actually healthy?”

Take governments, for instance. Governments pass legislation that financially benefits the wealthiest members of society, while reducing funding for HIV/AIDS and other types of social services. The most powerful nations on the planet are reluctant to take a firm stand on the genocide occurring in parts of Africa, but they are more than willing to invest billions of dollars in a pre-emptive war in an oil rich country like Iraq.

And where is the church in all this social upheaval? Well, we have our own “production issues,” folks. Many churches today seem to be more interested in fighting over trivial, political matters, and attracting the “right” type of people who will keep the structure financially profitable and culturally cool, while the homeless and hungry are literally sleeping on their doorsteps!

OK. So if these are examples of unhealthy production, what do we need to be healthy, productive branches on the Jesus Vine? Well, everything I am about to say can probably fit under one umbrella, and that umbrella is called an attitude check, folks.

First, it is important for us to realize that, as Christians, the source of our strength and growth is Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ who keeps us from being destroyed by the storms of life. Jesus Christ is the One who offers us “living water” when we are spiritually dry. We are nourished by the teachings of Jesus Christ when we wander away into dangerous territory. It is Jesus that forgives us when we sin, and it is Jesus who breathes new life into us when we feel spiritually dead. It is this rootedness in Jesus that allows us to be productive. For without this source of nourishment, we become broken, dried out, fallen, and spiritually dead. So, tell me, who is the source of our spiritual strength and growth?

Once we realize the source of our strength, it is important for us to stay connected to that source of strength, because as our passage tells us this morning, apart from Christ we can do nothing. We stay connected through real fellowship—not just social hour but real fellowship—in a Christ-centered community of faith that is focused on serving God, building community, and offering hope to all who enter its doors. We stay connected through study of the Scriptures, honest and open dialogue with one another, and through serving Christ by serving others!

Staying connected means keeping together. While we all need time alone for rest, reflection, rejuvenation, and prayer, for the most part, Christianity is a community-based faith. Sure, there may be some folks whose spiritual gifts cause them to stand out from time to time in the community, and yes, we are all gifted in different ways. But, that diversity of gifts is to be used for the benefit of the whole community, to promote unity and health. In other words, our gifts are meant to promote service to others, not servitude to our egos.

And the really great news here is anybody can serve. Quoting Martin Luther King: “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Once we tap into the Source of our strength, get connected and stay connected with a healthy community of faith, chances are we will eventually start producing some fabulous spiritual fruit! And once we start producing that fruit, we are called to continue producing that fruit until the day when we transition from this life to the next and hear the words, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” And as impossible as this challenge may seem sometimes, remember that it is through Jesus Christ—the True Vine—that we can do all things.

So, get connected and stay connected to Jesus Christ. Get connected and stay connected to a healthy community of faith. Get productive and remain productive. Focus on fruitfulness, and graceful, loving service. Call it “The Christ Code.”

And unlike the Da Vinci Code, there is nothing fictional about it. Amen?

God bless you and amen.

May 7th

Thinking INSIDE the Box

1 John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18



It seems like these days everyone is talking about getting out of the box. Corporations are willing to pay enormous salaries to executives who think outside of the box. When it comes to our relationships, many so-called “experts” encourage us to explore new ways to “spice things up,” to take our relationships outside of the boxed in mentality of the traditional relationship models we have attempted to follow all our lives.

Many church folks talk a lot about thinking outside the box, as well. For example, the story is told of an elderly priest who had a meeting with a new, younger priest in his church to discuss some changes the younger priest had made in the life of the church. The elderly priest said, “It was a good idea to replace the first four rows of pews with plush bucket theater seats. It worked like a charm. The front of the church always fills first now.”

The young priest nodded, and the old priest continued, “And you told me a little more beat to the music would bring young people back to the church, so I supported you when you brought in that rock ’n’ roll gospel choir. We are packed to the balcony!!”

“Thank you, Father,” answered the young priest. “I am pleased that you are open to the new ideas of youth.”

“However,” said the elderly priest, “I’m afraid you’ve gone too far with the drive-thru confessional.” “But, Father,” protested the young priest, “my confessions and the donations have nearly doubled since I began that!”

“I know, son, but that flashing neon sign, Toot ’n’ Tell or Go To Hell, just can’t stay on the church roof!”

Now, that is thinking outside of the box! Amen?

But is it possible to get too far outside of the box? Remember the Coca-Cola experiment of years ago when they came out with a different formula for the legendary soft drink? What happened? The new product fell flat on its face! Then there was the “Clear Pepsi” experiment. Who were they trying to be? 7-Up?

What about churches? Well, we now have churches with specialty coffee shops and cafes in their buildings. We have Christian news stations that attempt to broadcast a portion of the daily news complete with the Christian perspective; because you know there is only one true Christian perspective. Of course, if you drive long enough and listen long enough, that perspective tends to change from Texas to Louisiana to Mississippi to Alabama to Georgia.

Now, is thinking outside of the box and trying new things necessarily a bad thing? No! Not at all! God is the author of diversity! But, while it is OK to get out of the box, it is not OK to lose the box altogether. I like to think of the box as our healthy core competencies—our healthy core values—what we do well. And when we stray too far from those foundational values, our relationships on all levels become as flat as the “New Coke.”

Maybe it is time for all of us to remember both who and Whose we are. Maybe it is time for us to take the time to find out what Jesus wants us to do, and do it well. Maybe it is time for us to get back into the “Christ Box.” So, what is this thing that Jesus wants us to do, and do well?

Our reading in 1st John today makes it very clear that our core value should be love—nothing more, and nothing less. Just before our reading for today in 1st John, we are told that this is the message we have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. But we find in our reading today that this isn’t just a love we talk about; this is a love that results in concrete actions, as well. Scripture further defines this type of love using the example of the self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ for all people, then states we should do the same thing! No wonder people want to get out of the Christ box! Apparently, this box can be quite hazardous to our health!

But we may not be talking about literally losing our physical lives here, folks. Clarence Jordan captured the practical nature of this type of love in his Cotton Patch version of 1st John 3:18: “My little ones, let’s not talk about love. Let’s not sing about love. Let’s put love into action and make it real.” Making love real. Putting love into action. Keeping love real. These are the challenges of this passage from 1st John.

Make no mistake about it, this kind of love is hard work. For some of us, this kind of love means being willing to not only talk to our families about our sexual orientations, but also to listen to their viewpoints, and to provide them with accurate information regarding issues surrounding our lives. We are not called to change their minds or hearts—only God can do that—but we are called to be vessels of God’s grace and love.

If we are in a committed relationship with another person, this kind of love means learning to sit down and talk to one another about the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful things in our relationships. This kind of love may mean getting professional help, or enlisting the ear of a clergy person. This kind of love means being vulnerable to sharing our deepest joys and fears with the people closest to us, the people we call “partners,” “lovers,” “wives,” or “husbands”—you know, those people we say we love.

Love in action means not only shaking our heads at stories of hunger, homelessness, disease, and oppression of all types that we see on television or read about in our newspapers. Love in action means not only writing a check to help out—although financial gifts are always needed and welcomed. Love in action means more than turning the television channels from these painful stories to more pleasant programming. Love in action means turning the television off, putting the paper down, getting up, and getting involved as we are able!

And what about love in action in our communities of faith? Love in action in both our denominations and our local churches means going beyond drawing lines between “progressive” and “charismatic,” “liberal” and “conservative.” Love in action in our churches means learning to talk about our differences with one another, rather than forming comfortable support groups that talk about one another. Love in action in our churches means getting beyond concentrating our efforts on partisan politics, and concentrating those efforts on the business of serving God by serving others!

Practicing love God’s way is tough sometimes. Maybe that is why so many people want to get out of the “Christ Box.” Loving God’s way means change and often compromise is involved, as well. Unfortunately, we humans tend to prefer crushing our opponents so we don’t have to change. But crushing our opponents is not what Jesus taught. Jesus challenges us by saying, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Parent in Heaven.” So, if we are going to think inside the Christ Box, we are going to have to learn to practice love in action. We are going to have to learn to make love real, and we are going to have to learn to keep love real.

There is something else we should know about this love in action, as well. Sometimes this love means saying, “No.” We are called to do the hard work of loving our families, partners, and friends. But sometimes, people do not respond to our attempts to establish healthy, loving, mutually respectful relationships. So, while we are called to say “Yes” to healthy forms of love, we are also called to say “No” to all forms of toxic, abusive behavior in all our relationships—both in our personal lives and in the lives of our communities of faith.

Mercy! This love in action thing is certainly a tall order, isn’t it? If you’re anything like me, you are probably wondering if it is even possible for us to really practice this kind of love at all. Well, the good news is that, in fact, it actually is possible for us to practice this kind of love. But this kind of love does not come from implementing the latest new worship format, opening a coffee shop just off the sanctuary, or installing a drive-thru confessional.

This kind of love is a love that comes from Almighty God. This kind of love is a love that was made manifest in Jesus Christ. This kind of love is a love that is available to us today in the form of the Holy Spirit living in us, working through us, and reaching out to others from us. And as I have said so many times before, all we have to do to receive this gift of God’s Holy Spirit is simply and sincerely ask God for it.

Then, once we start getting a handle on the basics of real love, maybe we can look at installing that drive-thru confessional—complete with gourmet coffee to go!

God bless you and amen.

April 30th

We Are Family

1 John 3:1-7
Acts 3:12-19



Sometime ago Richard and I were invited to a party at the home of some friends of ours’. As part of the entertainment, we all watched a video of a benefit show that was done to raise money for The Passage, the AIDS hospice that was operating in Corpus Christi at that time.

The illusions were both spectacular and funny. We saw Judy Garland and the Sweet Transvestite, Franknfuter from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. We saw The Village People! Of course, women portrayed the Village People—go figure, right?

But later in the show, a group of “sisters” performed “We are Family”—the disco anthem for marginalized people of all types. Remember some of the words? “We are fa-mi-ly! I’ve got all my sisters with me!” After looking very closely at some of those “sisters,” though, I was tempted to request a DNA test. For you see, as much as I love my biological sister, she has never looked as glamorous as some of the “sisters” performing at this particular benefit.

But , whether we were disco queens—and I know some of us were—or political activists, this song spoke to many people as an anthem of unity. For some people the song reaffirmed that regardless of what others thought of them—regardless of what even their biological families thought of them—that they were part of a
larger fellowship.

What we don’t realize, however, is that we truly are a lot closer than we think.

For example, did you know that the research of Yale statistician Joseph Chang, reveals that the most recent common ancestor of every European today was someone who lived in Europe long ago, and through that person every European has a connection with Charles the Great!

That’s wonderful news for Europeans, but what about Americans? It seems we are royalty, too—whether we are of predominantly African, Native American, or Caucasian ancestry. Chang makes this claim based on the long history of intermarriage in the New World. So, through this complex web of relationships, we can all somehow be traced back to Charles the Great.

But the story gets even more detailed than that. The hypothesis now is that the most common ancestor of all six billion people on earth today probably lived just a couple of thousand years ago. This means through this single person we can trace our family ties back to Confucius, Nefertiti and just about any other historical figure who ever lived.

So, not only are we family—apparently we are REALLY close, too.

And since we are all family, it shouldn’t surprise us too much when an argument breaks out in the ranks. That is the context for our reading in First John today. The community to which this letter was written has experienced division and disagreement. There was a group of people who doubted the humanity of Jesus Christ, and they did not tolerate anyone who held different views. The disagreement reached the point to where this group apparently left the community of believers.

Family splits are tough on everyone—whether the family is a biological family, a family of choice, or a church family. There is always a certain amount of hurt and confusion. It is in the midst of this conflict and unstable circumstances that the writer of 1 John seeks to unite this particular community around the central belief in Jesus Christ, fully human and fully divine, as well as Christ’s instruction for to love one another. It is in today’s passage of scripture that he gives us some of the shared characteristics of the family of God. Call it our “spiritual DNA,” if you will.

Let’s start with the good news: We all have the same Parent! The first verse of our reading today says we are children of God. Not only that, the second verse says we are God’s children NOW.

Remember that old saying, “You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your relatives” (although maybe some of us wish we could)? Well, that is certainly the case here. In fact, we did not choose God, but God chose us! Ephesians 1:5 tells us that God “destined us for adoption as God’s children through Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of God’s will…” So to begin with, we have got some spectacular DNA! Amen?

But good DNA isn’t quite enough. In other words, we can’t rely just on good family genes to get us through life. I think most of us here have either read about or seen examples of people who have tried to make a living off of “the family name.” Chances are they have many of the same genetic markers for success that other members of their family share. However, because they choose not to develop these talents, many times their lives result in terrible sadness and emptiness.

The same concept applies to our spiritual lives as well. Becoming a member of the family of God is just the first step. You see, one DNA marker of children of God is that we are growing, developing, and maturing. Verse two in our 1 John reading today says, “what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when Christ is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Christ as He is.” Scripture tells us that God has gifted each of us through the power of the Holy Spirit with different abilities for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ known as the church. In other words, we’ve got the spiritual genetic markers from our Parent, God. But, it is up to US to grow, develop, and mature into the people God has called us to be as members of the family. So, how do we do that?

Growing in the image of Christ means finding new ways to share the good news of God’s love, serving God by serving others, growing in our knowledge of God’s Word through study, growing in relationship with one another through fellowship, and magnifying and praising God our Creator through sincere worship.

Growth also involves change, and change means trying new things sometimes. As part of the church of the living God we may try new things from time to time; but the church of Jesus Christ itself is not an experiment. We are here to stay. That’s our destiny. That’s our DNA. And we must evolve, grow, develop, and mature to fulfill that destiny.

A final characteristic of a child of God mentioned in today’s reading is a commitment to purity and righteousness. This is where our scripture reading for today gets pretty strange, too. Verses four through seven address sin and righteousness in some very direct terms. The author of 1st John challenges us to purify ourselves because God is pure. He also tells in that those who abide in God do not sin. Finally he tells us that everyone who does right is righteous, just as God is righteous.

Sinless and righteous like God? Yeah, right!

Confusing, isn’t it? Earlier in this book, the author states that the Christian is not without sin. Scripture also tells us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” So, what is going on here?

Maybe a different translation will help us sort this issue out. The New International Version of the Bible translates this verse “no one who lives in God keeps on sinning. So, using this translation, this verse may make more sense to us. After all, the Bible tells us that “anyone who is in Christ is a new creature; the old things are passed away; behold new things have come.” If we have truly confessed Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, it will show in the outward expressions of our lives.

While some of the language surrounding the issue of sin may be somewhat confusing, what IS clear is this: we are called to strive AWAY from sin and towards righteousness because God our Parent is sinless and righteous. What this means for us is living lives that reflect God’s love.

Living lives that reflect God’s love means learning to live with, love, and doing our best to work with other members of this family we call “human”---Christian and non-Christian, all races, all genders, all sexual orientations, all people period. For those of us who call ourselves “Christian”, living lives that reflect God’s love means living lives centered in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Does this call to righteousness and purity require perfection from us? No, we will never be perfect in this life. Remember this: the Christian life is a journey, not a destination. Hear again the words of 1st John 3:2: “What we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: When Christ is revealed, we will be like Christ, for we will see Christ as He is…” You see, if we are truly growing, maturing, and developing as children of God, the final destination for us is eternal life with God. And it doesn’t get much better than that, now does it?

So, hear the good news today: We ARE family! We ARE children of the Most High God! My prayer for each of us here today is that we allow the Holy Spirit to move in us in such a mighty way that the world can look at us and see the “family resemblance.”

God bless you and amen.