Category Archives: Preaching

Pie in the Sky?

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I like pie

I remember an Andraé Crouch song from my childhood, titled “If Heaven was Never Promised to Me.”  You can hear the song here.  Crouch makes the point that our faith in Jesus offers so much in this life that we don’t need to focus on the “afterlife” or heaven to see the value in our faith.  To know that I am “good enough” as I am, to experience God’s joy, love and forgiveness, to have a purpose in living and to share in the fellowship of God’s people, these all bring value and meaning today as I live on this earth.  I can experience vibrant life in Jesus now.  Heaven is simply the desert.

 This focus on the presence has been the primary focus of my pastoral preaching and teaching, except in one key area: funerals.  Prior to my coming to Resurrection, I did a rough calculations of how many funerals or memorial services I had preached at St. Andrew’s.  It was over 500.  And each one was the opportunity to preach God’s promise of eternal life beyond this life.  

My funerals always have a celebration of the deceased’s life, but the celebration truly hinged on the promise that Jesus had prepared a place for her (John 14: 3) where she is now fully alive and free.  Though the sermon would touch on the deceased and her life, my primary message was always for the family and friends gathered. I invited them to trust Jesus and his promises as they grieve the death.  God’s promise of a new heaven and the new earth (Rev. 21) is for all who trust in Jesus.  Funerals give us an eternal perspective.

Preaching about the future glories of heaven is often described as “pie-in-the-sky” preaching, because it places all the rewards in heaven while we suffer though hardship here on earth.  But M. Scott Peck is right, “life is difficult.”   We all experience hardship, pain, and injustice here on earth.  The promise of God’s new heaven and new earth is that God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4)   Gehard Forde once responded to the “pie-in-the-sky” charge by saying, “What’s the matter?  Don’t you like pie?”   I do.

How does the promise of heaven impact your faith?

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while spinning

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is Dr. Martin Luther King day and when I woke up, I was not sure how to honor it.  I had planned to go into the church for scheduled meetings, but unsure if the holiday would truly register for me.  Prior to coming into the office, I went to the YMCA to do a group cycling class.  I expected a large crowd due to the holiday, however there were only three of us, including the instructor Sara.  

As she started the class, she told us that she had selected all the music, centered on MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech.   Some of the songs had only a vague reference to it, but others, like U2’s Pride, were a direct reference to Dr. King’s life of service.   Then, as we neared the end of the workout, she played for us a portion of the speech.   The three of us kept spinning as we listened again to the familiar cadence of Dr. King’s preaching.   One sentence stood out,  “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”  That hope still resonates for me.

What also struck me during this workout was how simple a testimony this instructor gave by her selection of songs and  the speech.  In a simple, caring way she integrated her witness to Dr. King into her daily life as an instructor.  I was impressed and thanked her for that simple act of honor.   I don’t think I cycled any better than usual because of that act, but my heart was a bit lighter and joyful.   The C in YMCA stood out.

Have you found ways to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr?

Finding Jesus in Jamaica

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Working Together to Meet Jesus

I am still thinking about the magi’s journey to Bethlehem to see baby Jesus. Preaching on a text sometimes hammers it deep into one’s psyche.   What strikes me is the investment the magi made.  They gave not only the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but also the time and energy for the trip itself.   They entered a foreign culture to pay homage to an infant king who was not immediately their own. 

I see so many connections in this story to the value of short-term mission trips, especially to different cultures.   As one who has lead over a dozen mission trips to Jamaica, I see the investment and hopes that people make when they go on a “vacation with a purpose.”   A key element of that preparation is to recognize that they go to discover Jesus in that place, more than to bring Jesus to that place.   The Christian service or actions that the missionaries perform are important, but the relationships, conversations, and participation with the people of that new culture are what become holy and blessed.

Too often I can become fixated on the physical accomplishments of a trip.  When I have worked with Habitat for Humanity it brings me satisfaction that we have constructed a safe, secure, simple structure for a family in need.   And when a team runs out of building materials or out of time, I feel frustrated and disappointed.  

Still the bigger accomplishment in any trip is the network of relationships that develop in the community.  Worship, meals, conversations and play are just as significant as the work done on the house; we often meet Jesus, hidden in the smile of a child or in the song of an impromptu choir.  Those encounters with Jesus change and enlighten us, if we give them “homage.”    Time for reflection and prayer have been a key element in my mission journeys because they help us bring Jesus home after the trip.

I look forward to leading mission trips in the future.  I sense that Jesus is waiting.

Have you ever encountered Jesus in a different culture than your own?

Heroes

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Joyful Preacher

Last Labor day I flew down to Arkansas to load a U-Haul truck with furniture and files from my father-in-law’s home.  James McCrary died a few years ago and it had taken time to sift through all his things.  Several of the files I brought back contained his sermons from nearly forty years of preaching.  My wife has now been reading through her father’s sermons, discovering some real gems worth keeping and sharing them with me.

The Rev. James P.  McCrary remains one of my heroes.

He was a great father-in-law as well as a dedicated Presbyterian minister who loved to tell old, corny jokes.  He had the gentlest of spirits and loved to converse with anyone.  Though he never ran a race, he appreciated my desire to run marathons and encouraged me whenever he had the chance.  I remember one Thanksgiving when he was visiting us and he insisted on helping me rake the leaves in my backyard.   He said that he wanted to work up a good appetite for the meal and what better way than to rake.

Also he gave me the greatest advice that any father-in-law could give prior to the wedding.  He told my wife and me, “you can walk down the aisle on your wedding day, fall flat on your face and still pick yourself up and have a great marriage.”   Fortunately, I didn’t fall on my wedding day and neither did my wife, since Jim walked her down the aisle, then turned around and preformed the wedding.

He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age 73, and though he lived for ten years with the disease, he continued to have a gentle, loving spirit.  I can’t help but think that Jesus greeted him, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Do you have heroes who have shaped you?

Entering the Story

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Children's Christmas Program

Sunday afternoon was Resurrection Children’s Christmas program.  In spite of the snow and cold, families made the trek to our “Bethlehem Marketplace” and then participated in the retelling of the Christmas story.  Children were dressed as angels, shepherds, stars, sheep, wise men as well as Mary and Joseph.  The stable of Bethlehem was filled with life.

Families have been attending Christmas programs for generations. I remember being a wiseman as a child (some might joke that it was my one-time experience); I hope someday to see my future grandchildren being shepherds or sheep. Christmas programs allow all of us to enter into the story of Christ’s birth and to experience the wonder and surprise within it.   Too often we treat the stories of the Bible as abstract history lessons that are dusty and dull.   To act out the story helps it come alive and fresh, filled with truth, hope and love.

 Haddon Robinson, a noted evangelical preacher, did many of his sermons as a first person narrative.  He said recently, “You can take that story from the point of view of one of the characters and tell it. You don’t have to be a great actor. It’s amazing how interesting it is for people to hear somebody who as a character relives that story. In our day it can make a great impact.” http://www.preaching.com/resources/articles/11565763/page-4/

This Christmas eve I will be retelling the Christmas story in a first person narrative.  It will be my first at Resurrection, but I rejoice that the children have prepared the way.