This is the year ...

I know the older I get the thought that another year has passed blows my mind. Tomorrow is 2010. This was the year that the Lord had made. And 2010 will be the year that the Lord will indeed make one day at a time.

Christmas

Wow! It was grand to see the increase in attendance this past Christmas Eve ... double what it was the year before.

May God give us the grace necessary to empower our words and deeds to lift the human hearts and lives to God's presence.

a Christmas Eve prayer for each of us ...

As I think of those who have lost lived ones or faced various difficult moments such as job loss, facing cancer, or serving our nation in war, to my attention came this prayer in this morning's liturgy:

God our Father, great builder of the heavenly Jerusalem,

you know the number of the stars and call each of them by name.

Heal hearts that are broken,

gather together those who have been scattered,

and enrich us all from the plenitude of your eternal wisdom.

Turn to us, LORD, make haste to help your people ...

Wow! tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Again, you are invited to be our guest. Christmas Eve services at 3:00 PM and 11:00 PM.

Blessings ...

I want to thank those who 'remodeled' our commons area. My early morning devotional time there this morning was full of song, readings, and praise. Thanks be to God at work through God's people.

Prayers

Prayers for you during this season when we can too easily get too busy to slow down and take time to listen to God.

May you surprisingly discover such a time. By the grace of God, I was given a pause for coffee and reading.

Blessings ...

Reflections on 2009

The ‘support, guidance, and training to the lay membership’ that I have seen at AUMC in 2009 has continued to revolve around two areas:

(1) the general mission of the Church which, in our own words is ‘to make disciples of Jesus Christ’; and,

(2) our God-given Vision for Arlington UMC which is ‘Changing your world by loving your neighbor.’

For now, this process is in the establishment of our visionpaths whose overall objective is to set all our goals and actions of all our work areas and committees based upon our vision.

Here are some of the observed effects of “changing your world by loving your neighbor” as of December 15, 2009:

· An average of 32 persons per week have been fed through our food closet which is a lay-led effort of local churches and businesses;

o Those assisted are also invited to be a part of our community of faith by being told of our worship hour and meal times;

· And, as necessary, people are eating free at both our Wednesday night supper and Sunday morning breakfast;

o The Wednesday night supper (6:00 PM) has intentionally moved to a more inviting scene for our guests by moving from an educational series that builds off of each other to a stand-alone Christ/guest-centered midweek worship time at the table using resources such as “Evening Prayer” or “Night Prayer” in the United Methodist Book of Worship or The Liturgy of the Hours;

§ And a separate educational time for children and youth has been established by our children/youth director;

o The Sunday Morning Breakfast (8:30 AM), presently known as “The Gathering”, begins with a meal, and after about 25 minutes, is led into singing, prayers, readings and testimony. Honestly, we don’t know yet if this will become more like ‘worship’ or ‘Sunday School’; or a mixture of both. In the last month the average attendance at this event is 30. This is becoming another means of God's grace reaching the community through the gifts of members and non-members.

· In 2009, by the grace of God, a child has entered as a baptized member, and twelve persons have united with AUMC. Of the twelve, eight have come as ‘professing members’ making decisions to unite with a local church, the body of Christ, for the first time.

· Organizations outside AUMC continue to receive our financial and/or volunteer support such as 61^st Ave UMC; Habitat for Humanity; Room in the Inn; and Community Care Fellowship; and,

· We are coordinating the work of our Child Development Center with the work of bringing people to Jesus Christ.

Thanks goes to God and the people of God for doing the impossible.

Wow!

Wow!

This week I am just grateful to God for his work through the laity of AUMC.

More to come ...

looking forward ...

"The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall be living in curds and honey by the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good"
Isaiah 7.14b-15

the psalm-prayer ...

The psalm-prayer for this morning after the reading of Psalm 65 began with this phrase:

"Lord God, hope of all the earth ..."

Indeed, such is true: God is the hope of all the earth. God is hope for the end of war; hope for the feeding of the hungry by providing humanity the means to do so; hope of people putting down their own lives of control to servanthood of the good of all.

And my prayer continued: "Pour out your Spirit on us so that our lives may bear fruit abundantly. To you, O God, our praise is due ..."

Amen ... so be it.

Let all ...

Let all who thirst come; let all who desire it, drink from the life-giving water (Revelation 22:17).

The life-giving water is Jesus, the Son of God. All one must do is ask that Jesus quench one's thirst.

Further reflections

The vision of AUMC, "Changing your world by loving your neighbor", for me has a ring to it that is for real and motivating.

The "for real" part refers to the "loving your neighbor" for this can refer to loving one neighbor in the name of Jesus Christ. That love can be expressed in varied ways of friendship from listening to eating together to being empathetic. Such are things already occurring.

The "motivating" part is in "changing the world". Such includes changing the world one person at a time as well as changing the world through our apportionment ministries. Honestly, AUMC has overall been resistant to this second portion of loving the world but there are signs that this resistance to doing so may be weakening. A couple of months ago our Church Council voted to commit a tithe of our 2010 weekly offerings to pay apportionments. Such will be a beginning of doing so. And such is a part of changing the world.

And, of course, "Changing your world by loving your neighbor" is walking down the road of life with Jesus who 'loved his neighbor as himself'.

just a bit of journaling ...

The first 2.5 years at Arlington UMC have been years in which we have done two basic things.

The first was to write the mission of the universal church after reading both Acts and section IV of the UM Discipline on the mission and ministry of the Universal Church. Our wording of it is "to make, or followers, disciples of Jesus Christ".

The second was to write what we believe God's vision of Arlington UMC is after researching both local church and community demographics, community leader interviews, congregational questionnaires and interviews with persons who have joined or left AUMC in the last five years. From that came our vision:

"Change your world by loving your neighbor",

A couple of weeks ago the chairs of our various leadership groups met together to rejoice ways our vision is coming to life and to begin the further process of setting goals and activities based upon our vision. This was a little bit more of changing our world by loving our neighbor.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.

One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.

Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
Do not hide your face from me.

Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
If my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.

Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

May it be so ...

This morning I was reading from Psalm 33. One short line jumped out of the psalter and grasped me. It was this:

"May your love be upon us, O LORD, as we place all our hope in you"

Such is always true.

Holiness ...

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. (Romans 12:14-16)

preparing the soil, preparing the soul

"When a farmer prepares to till the soil he must put on clothing and use tools that are suitable. So Christ, our heavenly king, came to till the soil of (hu)mankind devastated by sin. He assumed a body and, using the cross as his plowshare, cultivated the barren soul of (hu)man(s). He removed the thorns and thistles which are evil spirits and pulled up the weeds of sin. Into the fire he cast the straw of wickedness. And when he had plowed the soul with the wood of the cross, he planted in it a most lovely garden of the Spirit, that could produce for its Lord and God the sweetest and most peasant fruit of every kind."

--Saint Macarius, bishop

(The Liturgy of the Hours, IV. p. 596).

The day begins ...

"I implore you to love with me and, by believing, to run with me; let us long for our heavenly country, let us sigh for our heavenly home, let us truly feel that here we are strangers. What then shall we see? Let the gospel tell us: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God ... When we part from one another, let us not depart from him"

(from 'a treatise on John by St. Augustine, bishop' in The Liturgy of the Hours: IV, 593)

The Liturgy of the Hours

I have to use differing means of grace (ways that God gets his grace to me) and there are times when such needs to change. In 2003 I was given a gift that I used a couple of years for the spiritual disciplines of study, prayer, and meditation. The title of this work is The Liturgy of the Hours that is a 4-volume means by which you use up to six times a day. The source is our Roman Catholic and Episcopal brothers and sisters.

A part of the Monday mornings readings from The Liturgy ... came from 1 Peter 1:1-11, part of a sermon by Pope Leo the Great speaking of justice and judgment as coming from the "wisdom and instruction and piety from the Lord", and the following prayer was suggested and prayed:

LORD, increase our eagerness to do your will

and help us to know the saving power of your love.

Grant this through our LORD Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever. Amen.

The days of this week have had a good start. Such does make a significant difference.

Lord God, who provides ...

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25).

Lord God, who provides. Use us as a means of grace to provide for those who will not have a meal on Thanksgiving. In that sense, we will rid them of their worry by you using us to provide. Amen.

what is important ...

But he (Jesus) answered, ‘It is written,
“One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’

Matthew 4:4

These words are the reply of Jesus to the Tempter who tempts him to turn stones into bread during his time of fasting and prayer. As Jesus does regularly, he pulls from the teaching of God. In this place he is referring to Deuteronomy 8:3 where Israel's leader, Moses, is reminding them of how God continually looked after them by giving them food during their journey to Israel.

Jesus realizes theses things: (1) God will provide; and (2) what is important for the moment. And the importance for that time that Jesus had alone was fasting and prayer.

May you realize, may we realize, what is important today.

through weakness ...

Scripture: "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness ... I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 11:30; 12:9b-10).

Observation: Paul, as virtually always, keeps his focus upon the death and resurrection of Jesus. Here, because Paul sees God's use of the execution of Jesus to the benefit of all the human family, he sees his own personal weaknesses as ways through which God may work (means of grace).

Application: See your own weaknesses as a means of God's grace. How can God use your weaknesses today as ways to reach others for Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Lord God, who raised your Son: Praise to you! Honoring that you used your Son's execution to save the world, please aid me to adjust my works this day that your goodness of love will be seen even in my weaknesses. Give me the insight to do so as praise to you. Glory and Honor me to you. Amen.

Yield: How can your weaknesses be used as means of God's grace today?

You are invited to be our guest at

Arlington United Methodist Church

1360 Murfreesboro Road

Nashville, TN 37217

(615) 361-4896

Community free breakfast and praise: 8:30 AM

Worship: 10 AM

between Briley Parkway and the airport runway that goes across Murfreesboro Road

arlingtonum.org

If it had not been ...

"If it had not been ..." "If I had not been ... " "If you had not been ..."

Such a phrase catches my attention. It speaks of a central event that occured that had it not occured ...

So the psalmist reflects on either one or a number of events of the past.

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say—
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side ...

(Psalm 124:1-2)

As always, these words say that victories, whether excessively small or exceedingly great come from the LORD.

If it had not been ...

1 Corinthians 9:6-15

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written,

‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures for ever.’

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Life ...

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God.

Not that we are competent of ourselves

to claim anything as coming from us;

our competence is from God,

who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant,

not of letter but of spirit;

for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

(2 Corinthians 3:4-6)

Yes, we do proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ by word and by good deeds, but it is God who ultimately changes hearts. And that God-given heart-change equips a person to love God, neighbor, enemy and self. It gives a person the capability to trust God.

No purpose thwarted ...

As I said, Job does not receive a direct answer from the LORD about the reasons for his suffering. In life so many times there is nor reasoning for such. All Job discovers is to not blame the LORD for tragedy and evil. And at that he says to the LORD,

‘I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
“Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?”
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
“Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you declare to me.”
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.
(Job 42:2-6).

Even in suffering no purpose of God can be thwarted.

worth the reading ...

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. ¹¹Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe (1 Corinthians 15:10-11).

In 1 Corinthians 15-16 Paul speaks specifically of the Jesus-resurrection while pointing to what opportunities are presented to us because of the resurrection of Jesus. Two chapters worth the reading.

Shall?

And then, after the LORD reminds Job how much he cares for all creation (Job 38-39), the LORD said to Job:

‘Shall a fault-finder contend with the Almighty?
Anyone who argues with God must respond.’

(Job 40:2)

At this point, Job who has been challenging the LORD to battle, is challenged by the LORD to the same as the LORD says

‘Gird up your loins like a man;
I will question you, and you declare to me.
Will you even put me in the wrong?
Will you condemn me that you may be justified?
Have you an arm like God,
and can you thunder with a voice like his?

‘Deck yourself with majesty and dignity;
clothe yourself with glory and splendour.
Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
and look on all who are proud, and abase them.
Look on all who are proud, and bring them low;
tread down the wicked where they stand.
Hide them all in the dust together;
bind their faces in the world below.
Then I will also acknowledge to you
that your own right hand can give you victory.

‘Shall a fault-finder contend with the Almighty?^*

The LORD of questions begins to answer Job ...

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? (Job 38:1-7)

Some theologians, such as Paul Tillich, stated that the best we can do is to ask the right questions. I suppose they were observing God's answer to the suffering that only begins in chapter 38.

You are invited to be our guest at Arlington United Methodist Church.

1360 Murfreesboro Road

(between Briley Parkway and the airport runway bridge)

arlingtonum.org

(615) 361-4806

Vision: Change the world by loving your neighbor.

a message to the Jobs

No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Yes, Job, such is true. But sometimes it doesn't seem so true.

At least there ...

As I am overhearing Elihu speaking to the suffering Job there are moments when I hear Elihu as correct such as his advice to the suffering in Job 37:24-29.

Remember to extol his (God's) work,
of which mortals have sung.
All people have looked on it;
everyone watches it from far away.
Surely God is great, and we do not know him;
the number of his years is unsearchable.
For he draws up the drops of water;
he distills his mist in rain,
which the skies pour down
and drop upon mortals abundantly.
Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his pavilion?

Or Job 35:8 reasonably speaks to me: "Your wickedness affects others like you, and your righteousness, other human beings" (Job 35:8).

Yes, we are always to be of praise to God if for nothing else than just giving us today. And our behavior does have affect upon others. At least there Elihu is accurate.

Enough said

For Job has said, “I am innocent,
and God has taken away my right;
in spite of being right I am counted a liar;
my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.”
(Job 34:5-6)

Elihu is continuing to speak. It is so easy to reflect on another person's trouble(s) and to say that they caused all of their troubles. Such are examples of human judgment.

Without telling too much of the book (so that others will read it) in The Shack the author tells the story of man, Mack, whose daughter was murdered. At one point in the story God gives him the opportunity to judge not only his daughter's murderer but all human beings. At that moment he responds that he cannot do so. And then he begins to identify more with God as presented in The Shack who allows humans to bring judgment upon themselves.

With that in mind it would have been better if all of Job's friends and acquaintances would have judged only themselves.

enough said ...

God aches for you ...

Here Job's judge, who is an inexperienced 'youngen', speaks again when he should have been a silent observer:

‘God indeed does all these things,
twice, three times, with mortals,
to bring back their souls from the Pit,
so that they may see the light of life.
Pay heed, Job, listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
(Job 33:29-31)

Let's, for a moment, take it that "God indeed does all these things". If that is true God could be called

• Earthquake God;
• Hurricane God;
• Tornado God;
• War God;
• Disease God;
• Cancer God;
• Death God.

Does God indeed do all these things? My answer is "No! Absolutely not!"

They are caused by a world damaged by humanity that the loving God gave the freedom to substantially screw things up. And that we have done.

So Job, don't blame God. God is indeed love -- a love that cannot be measured. And as a loving parent aches with the aches of her or his child, so God aches for you.

There you go ...

Well, here comes another human judge judging with only human insight. As this person whose name is Elihu, a youngster at that, judges Job all he sees is all Job's tragedy is Job's own fault.

'There you go' (a phrase I often use).

The young one that must speak says,

I must speak, so that I may find relief;
I must open my lips and answer.
I will not show partiality to any person
or use flattery towards anyone.
For I do not know how to flatter—
or my Maker would soon put an end to me!

(Job 32:20-22)

The youngster's name is Elihu. He sees Job as a self-righteous person, and Job's other friends as incompetent judges.

'There you go'. If the youth only know as much as they think they do. Again, the source of real wisdom is God alone for all ages.

Perhaps the young Elihu of this world needs to listen to the apostle Paul who wrote:

"All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbour’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads" (Galatians 6:4-5).

OK ...

Because God has loosed my bowstring and humbled me,
they have cast off restraint in my presence.
Did I not weep for those whose day was hard?
Was not my soul grieved for the poor?
But when I looked for good, evil came;
and when I waited for light, darkness came.

(Job 30:11, 26-5-26)

Job, I am tempted to say to you, "OK, life is tough. Get over it!"

Why can't life be like it was when _____________ ?

In Job 28-29 that is the question Job is asking. He is recalling his healthy/wealthy past and wondering why on earth he lost it all.

He looks for the days "when I was in my prime ..." (Job 29:4a) and when "the friendship of God was in my tent ..." (4b). He looks at when in response to him the 'young men saw me and withdrew'; 'the aged rose up and stood'; 'the nobles refrained from talking'; 'the voices of princes were hushed' ... 'because I delivered the poor who cried, and the orphan who had no helper'.

In asking why everything went wrong while Job is seeking to do everything right he does a couple of things. Job still acknowledges that God is the source of wisdom and knows the way to it (28:20-28). And Job at least seeks to remain in a healthy fear of God. The fear of God in Scripture is not being scared to death of God. Rather, it is just respecting, and most of all, loving God. True love continues to love those we are upset with (such as God). And Job writes with this in mind ...

"Truly the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom;

and to depart from evil is understanding"

(Job 28:28)

Ahhh, here understanding doesn't have to be comprehending it all as much as it is just seeking to depart from evil ... which is ultimately seeking to follow after God. For me, that makes tragedy 'understanding' a bit easier.

If God is then ...

Why do people always need explanations of all that occurs?

Job and all his friends are those who do want a solid explanation for all of life's events.

But does there really have to be an explanation of all that comes our way?

As God lives, who has taken away my right,
and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
as long as my breath is in me
and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak falsehood,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.
Far be it from me to say that you are right;
until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
I hold fast my righteousness, and will not let it go;
my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.

(Job 27:2-6)

Job, what else can be said? Is God really the cause of all? If God is the cause of all events then there is no love in God.

Then ...

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered Job trying to explain the reasons he was suffering ...

‘Dominion and fear are with God;
he makes peace in his high heaven.
Is there any number to his armies?
Upon whom does his light not arise?
How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?
If even the moon is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his sight,
how much less a mortal, who is a maggot,
and a human being, who is a worm!’

(Job 25)

There are bits of truth for me in Bildad's words. Yes, God does rule. God does make peace. God's presence or light shines forth over all creation. And although a mortal may well be "sinless" none is like God who has always been and always will be. And with Bildad I agree that the best we humans can do is reflect the goodness of God.

But Bildad, for me, misses some truths as well. First God rules, but it is in the end of creation that God's rule will truly come forth so Job's suffering as all suffering will only end then. And God does indeed make peace but he gives humans the option to rebel and kill peace. God's presence shines over all creation but we humans can shade our experiences by distractions from what God's light of goodness shows us. We can give a grand struggle against evil but our insight is never as clear as God's insight.

Tomorrow, we will explore Job's answer to Bildad.

This morning's reading ...

This morning's reading was Job 23-24.

In these two chapters he answers his accusers admitting that he is indeed very bitter over all the wrong things that happened to him. He groans so much he wants to have a down right fight with God. He sees that challenging God scene as him being his own lawyer before God arguing for his innocence. He is daring enough to claim that God would give in to him.

The talking words of Job that stick out to me are,

My foot has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured in my bosom the words of his mouth.
But he stands alone and who can dissuade him?
What he desires, that he does.
For he will complete what he appoints for me;
and many such things are in his mind.
Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
If only I could vanish in darkness,
and thick darkness would cover my face!

(Job 23:11-17)

Although they cause trouble for Job, "What he (the LORD) desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me; and many such things are in his mind" (v. 13b-14). These words terrify Job, personally for me they give me hope. For in my mind and heart God desires only good. If only Job knew that, but he will learn ...

All Saints Day: Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and for evermore.

‘Agree with God, and be at peace;
in this way good will come to you.
Receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored,
if you remove unrighteousness from your tents,
if you treat gold like dust,
and gold of Ophir like the stones of the torrent-bed...

(Job 22:21-24)

You know these words (that were spoken by Job's friend, Eliphaz the Temanite) sound so reasonable and good. Doesn't agreeing with God sound good. But again with all of Scripture it is good to read all around the verses that catch your attention the way these three caught mine.

When I read around these verses I saw that once again Job's friend(s) were telling the sinless Job: 'You were of no use to God because you did not do what was right and that is the reason for all the evil that has come on you (vv. 1-11); you are not to challenge God (vv. 12-20); and you must be worshiping idols! (vv. 25-30).

My message to Job: "Right now don't agree with the god that your friends are presenting. For the true God is a God of love that does not cause evil, that does not desire it to occur, but who when all evil that is in one way or another caused by the human family does happen do receive the instruction from God's mouth. The world calls God's mouth "common sense". Overall, the Church of all denominations has called this "prevenient grace" -- the mercy of God that prevenes over all creation by giving the human family common sense, or a consciousness of what is good.

OK, Lord, when evil comes again, I will listen for your voice. That I say ... that I pray. May you do so as well.

Halloween

Halloween, like quite a few other worldly holidays, was claimed by the Church. Originally, Halloween was somewhat more like what you see nowadays as costumed children go seeking gifts for in ancient times people would dress up to scare away evil spirits on that day.

The Church took this day and turned it into a time to remember the faithful that had died in since the last Halloween. The date of Halloween (also known as "All Saints" or "All Hallows" Day) became November 1.

On All Saints Day in the Arlington United Methodist Church will be remembering our members who have died since last All Saints Sunday.

And we will also be naming those who have joined during this time.

You are invited to be our guest.

Arlington United Methodist Church

1360 Murfreesboro Road

(between Briley Parkway and the airport runway that goes over Murfreesboro Road)

john@arlingtonum.org

Sitting with Job ...

It's Friday. A Friday for Job. In Job 21 he is taking time to reflect over the events of his life and unfortunately at this point he sees a lot of crap. So he is asking his observers these questions:

• "As for me, is my complaint addressed to mortals?" (v. 4a);
• "Why should I not be impatient?" (v. 4b);
• "Why do the wicked live on, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?" (v. 7);

And on reflecting on the rich people who are evil, he writes:

• They say to God, 'Leave us alone. We do not desire to know your ways. What is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?' Is not their prosperity indeed their own achievement? The plans of the wicked are repugnant to me ... How often does calamity come upon them? ... How often are they like straw before the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away?" (vv. 15-16, 17b, 18).

Job is asking: "Why? Why? Why?" If only he was dealing with an easier question such as, "What might I do for the good of humanity even in my own unjust situation?"

Personally, I have never found a good answer to that "why" question. Hey, Job, stop asking 'why'. Just know in your tragedy that the goodness of God is hanging around. God may, or may not be, in your friends or acquaintances that are hanging around.

Wait. Sit back, take a deep breath, and wait.

Job here speaks again ...

Job here speaks again. Personally, I believe that these words have both anger and hope within them. In a proverbial perspective, such is life. The same angering circumstance can always have a bit of hope. So Job says,

‘O that my words were written down!
O that they were inscribed in a book!
O that with an iron pen and with lead
they were engraved on a rock for ever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that at the last he will stand upon the earth;
and after my skin has been thus destroyed,
then in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see on my side,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
If you say, “How we will persecute him!”
and, “The root of the matter is found in him”;
be afraid of the sword,
for wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
so that you may know there is a judgement.’
(Job 19:23-29)

God is curious God. He hears prayers of anger. So if you are angry with God, please express it openly to God. God can indeed handle it well.

Where?

Another friend, or I would like to think acquaintance, of Job seeks to reason out Job's suffering as if there are any legitimate reasons for suffering. The friend/acquaintance was 'Bildad the Shuhite'. To the suffering Job he says,

'Surely such are the dwellings of the ungodly,
such is the place of those who do not know God.’

(Job 18:21)

Implication of course is that Job must be an ungodly man. Such is an easy explanation for suffering like lung cancer coming to a smoker. But what of the cancers, etc, that come because of no logical explanation? Or what of the sinless suffering Job?

John asks, "Job, where are we going in all this mess?"

Ready to give up?

In chapter seventeen of Job he prays for relief. He has been through more than many of us put together and there is no relief in sight. And so he prays ...

If I look for Sheol as my house,
if I spread my couch in darkness,
if I say to the Pit, “You are my father”,
and to the worm, “My mother”, or “My sister”,
where then is my hope?
Who will see my hope?
Will it go down to the bars of Sheol?
Shall we descend together into the dust?’

(Job 17.13-16)

Job's spirit is broken. Full of frustration, grief, anger, and physical pain he is ready to give up but soon he will find that God was with him and if nothing else God kept giving Job endurance.

Suffering and evil ...

Hear me through. It is so tempting to believe in an all-controlling God ... a God who causes it all. But it is too troubling for me to believe in such a God.

Two Christian leaders of the WW II era wrestled with the reasons for evil. One was Leslie D. Weatherhead, a British preacher who lived in Britain, and the other was Jurgen Moltmann, who as a child witnessed homes and civilian lives destroyed in the allied fire bombings of Germany. Later Moltmann would become a significant Christian theologian.

Weatherhead's response was to write sermons during the war that wrestled with evil that would later be published in a book that still sells quite well: The Will of God. In it he makes clear that all tragedies are caused by the human family. And God's will, in my own brief Weatherhead summary, is to give us what it takes to walk through suffering that will, in the end, have victory with God.

Moltmann's response to human-caused suffering has been to write dozens of works about a suffering God who aches over the human family. And, again in my own words, Moltmann's belief is that somehow through the suffering Jesus, the suffering God, healing comes. And it is our responsibility to see that the message and actions of God's healing grace spread across the earth.

Unfortunately, the suffering Job had not yet experienced the healing grace of God. And, again unfortunately, he blames God for all that is evil. Such is clear in his words:

God gives me up to the ungodly,
and casts me into the hands of the wicked.
I was at ease, and he broke me in two;
he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces;
he set me up as his target;
his archers surround me.
He slashes open my kidneys, and shows no mercy;
he pours out my gall on the ground.

(Job 16:11-13)

Continuing our walk with Job...

Fear of God ...

Fear of God--it is so misinterpreted, not translated well. The biblical 'fear of God' is a respect of God that encourages us to not only receive the love that God has for us, but also to share it with friend, enemy, and self.

Now, one of the friends of Job (who had faced tragedy) says to him in light of the fact that he had faced tragedy and was angry with God because of it:

But you are doing away with the fear of God,
and hindering meditation before God.
For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
your own lips testify against you.

(Job 15:1-3)

For Job, this was a false accusation for in spite of all the tragedy that came upon him he was still at love with God. But his love included an anger with God over all that had occurred in his life.

Again, anger is OK, as long as the expressive acts remain in love.

Arlington UMC (arlingtonum.org)

Free Sunday Breakfast (8:30 AM)

Sunday Worship; 10:00 AM

1360 Murfreesboro Road

(615) 315-8662

between Briley Parkway and the airport runway overpass

Hang in there ...

Have you ever seen people who were down right fussy?

Some are fussy when they are awakening, others are fussy when hungry, or when tired. Others are fussy when they have seen a rough day at work. Job was definitely fussy, but he had good reasons. Indeed, he is willing to have a boxing match with him on one side and God on the other. It is OK to be angry with God. There are numerous Scripture lessons that demonstrate this. Among them are Job 13. What follows are verses one through three and fifteen:

‘Look, my eye has seen all this,
my ear has heard and understood it.
What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
But I would speak to the Almighty,

and I desire to argue my case with God ...
See, he will kill me; I have no hope;
but I will defend my ways to his face.

Can you imagine Job shaking his fist in God's face? I can. And if you need to I dare you to do so as well. God loves even those angry with God.

Hang in there. Let us sit with Job for while longer.

Enduring ...

In Job 11 and 12, he is having a conversation with a man named, Zophar, who says:

"If you direct your heart rightly, you will stretch out your hands toward him" (11:13).

Zophar is implying to the suffering Job that evidently he is not stretching his hands out to God and the result is Job's continued ailments. Isn't that what we hear all the time? That is we would do the right things, have the right attitude, have the right emotions, the correct thoughts that everything will be OK? If that is really true, then what do you say to the parents of a seven year old who was kidnapped and murdered in Florida? OK, Zophar, what do you say about that?!

Job admits to Zophar,

"With God are wisdom and strength, he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, no one can rebuild; if he shuts someone in, no one can open up. If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. With him are strength and wisdom..." (12:13-16a).

Job admits this, but still his suffering does not make sense to him. I am sure Job is asking his neighbors, "So why, on earth or in heaven, does it make any sense to you?"

We humans want to explain everything. At times that is good when discoveries are made that heals and brings good. But there are moments when it is not time for explanations but for just enduring. And, for now, all Job is getting is a bit, a bit, of endurance.

Why?

"Why?" It is a question that keeps on coming up. My first thoughts on it go back to the days when young children are asking it as in,

Grandchild: "Pop, why does the sun come up every day?"
Pop: "Because the earth turns."
Grandchild: "Why?'
Pop: "Because God made it that way."
Grandchild: "Why?"

And on and on the question continues all through life for deeper and deeper reasons. Such Job does of God after all the tragedies hit him: "Why, God, why?"

‘Why did you bring me forth from the womb?
Would that I had died before any eye had seen me,
and were as though I had not been,
carried from the womb to the grave.
Are not the days of my life few?
Let me alone, that I may find a little comfort
before I go, never to return,
to the land of gloom and deep darkness,
the land of gloom and chaos,
where light is like darkness.’

(Job 10:18-22)

Job does not yet give a clear answer to Job's "Why?" But I will hang around with Job and listen.

... with no justifiable reasoning?

Job, chapters 6 & 7, record Job's reply to Eliphaz's interpretation of Job's suffering as predominantly being the 'discipline of the Almighty'. After Eliphaz's 'attempt to comfort' Job if such was possible at that moment, Job's reply is summarized in these words:

‘Teach me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have gone wrong.
How forceful are honest words!
But your reproof, what does it reprove?

(Job 6.24-25)

Job, who is described in that book as sinless, sees no reasoning behind his suffering so he will continually challenge those in conversation with him who attempt to 'justify' his suffering. The story of Job will continue.

Does unjust suffering just happen with no justifiable reasoning? That is a big question. But for now I will just ask it as I continue to read Job.

Waiting for the right moment ...

Eliphaz is a long-winded dude. He keeps on talking. In chapter 5 he does make a good argument. He invites the suffering Job to seek after God who "saves the needy". He even tells Job that happiness can come even in tough times. That is true!

‘How happy is the one whom God reproves;
therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
For he wounds, but he binds up;
he strikes, but his hands heal.
He will deliver you from six troubles;
in seven no harm shall touch you.

(Job 5:17-19)

But was Job ready to hear this? Was he at the point after losing his family and property to hear such a witness as what Eliphaz gave? These are key questions for those who are seeking to give witness of God.

Job will give an answers to this question whose answer should have been obvious to Eliphaz in chapters 6-7.

Timing ...

A friend of Job, Eliphaz, has taken a while to observe and then he speaks as he observes the suffering Job:

"If one ventures a word with you, will you be offended?

But who can keep from speaking?" (Job 4:2).

From my perspective the first question is the most important one. If one is to be heard adult to adult the one who desires to speak must be certain that the other is ready to hear. An imaginary scene I have of this is a supervisor who is working with a staff-person and says a phrase like, "Let me know when you are ready to listen".

For me, the second question of Eliphaz should have not been asked until the first one was answered. Oh well, he was an overly anxious advisor who wanted to come up with quick answers to the difficult problems of Job around the question, "Why did all this tragedy occur to me?"

Who can keep from speaking? In reality, the one who waits to be heard best.

Sitting with Job

Job is a book of the bible that, from my point of view, particulary applies to the people who ask the troubling question: "Why?"

In it a rich man, Job, loses his family, possessions, wife, and health. So he asks, "Why?" I have decided to sit with Job for a while.

They (Job's friends) sat with him on the ground

for seven days and seven nights,

and no one spoke a word to him,

for they saw that his suffering was very great

(Job 2:13).

Sometimes like the friends of Job in this scene all I can do is just to be there with a friend and sit for a while. Such just may be the only friendship gift available called "presence".

Psalm 148

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!

Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.
He established them for ever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!

Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!

a short prayer

"Remember me, O my God, for good"

(Nehemiah 13:31b)

It's 'bumfuzziling' that God can do such for all the created each moment. Wow!

by faith ...

This morning's reading included Acts 3. The Spirit of God has fallen upon the believing community whose lives now focused on serving Jesus Christ by proclaiming his good news of the kingdom of God. And now the church is doing the work of Jesus which is to proclaim the kingdom, or rule, of God; and to live under God's rule by teaching the love of God through their actions, by proclaiming the good news of Jesus; and by healing individuals and communities.

And then a couple of Christians are entering the place of worship and as they do so a lame man asks for financial help. They reply by saying, 'We don't have cash on us', but stand up and walk! And that he does. When they are questioned, 'How on earth did you heal that man?' a part of their response is,

And by faith in his (Jesus') name,

his name itself has made this man strong,

whom you see and know;

and the faith that is through Jesus

has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

Acts 3:16

It is amazing what trusting Jesus can give us humans the power to do for the good of God.

A couple ...

A couple of passages grabbed a hold of me this morning. They are from Acts 2, a biblical chapter that tells of the birth of the Church.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability ... So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:4, 41-42).

God the Spirit gives us what it takes to give testimony for and of God. The Spirit helps us to bridge communication gaps. The Spirit changes lives -- gives the ability, the translation, for understanding, realization, guilt, desire for change, repentance, faith, and devotion. The Spirit empowers the breaking of bread and prayers.

Come on now!

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your hands to the holy place,
and bless the Lord.

May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.

Psalm 134

Come on now! Go to church! Hear about Jesus and experience changing the world by loving your neighbor and you just might find what you have been looking for!

Arlingon UMC

1360 Mrufreesboro Road

(between Briley Parkway and the airport runway bridge across Murfreesboro Road)

Breakfast at 8:30 AM

Worship at 10:00 AM

Cool ...

He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses that the Lord the God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him. (Ezra 7:6b)

For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel. (Ezra 7:10)

Pretty cool dude.

This evening

This evening I am preparing to be one of the leaders in an Emmaus Walk. Emmaus is a great story of two disciples walking with Jesus down the road to a village named Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). It is a an honor to be asked to lead in this journey. The Emmaus Walk experience is a three day experience that begins on Thursday night and ends on Sunday night. During this time people will walk on a journey of exploration about the love of God. It is a grand experience even to be a part of it again. If you have never been, and want to hear more let's get together. I will even buy you a cup of coffee.

As I was preparing for the Emmaus Walk to begin this night I was reading Psalm 131. I like the imagery of that Psalm. We know that it was one of the song of ascents sung either as you approached a place of worship or as a way to begin worship once you were there.

This is the way it goes ...

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvellous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time on and for evermore.

And so tonight as the Emmaus Walk begins such is my personal prayer.

Blessings...

This morning ...

This morning I was reading from Ezra. He wrote at a time when the people of Israel had once again gone through national disaster. They had been defeated by the Babylonian army who was using new tactics of battle.

And they had also destroyed the central place of the Jewish worship of God ... the Temple where animal, fruit, vegetable, oil and whatever else was sacrificed to God as a visible reminder to love God.

Their rich had been hauled away in slavery to Babylon. And then decades later Persia that had conquered Babylon allowed the Israelites to return home. OK, they have returned, and the Temple had been replaced with a new one that was not as 'glorious'. And even at that scene, Ezra (their religious leader) said:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of our ancestors,

who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king to

glorify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem,

and who extended to me steadfast love before the king and his counsellors,

and before all the king’s mighty officers.

I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was upon me,

and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

(Ezra 7:27-28)

See

"Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours"

(Luke 15:31b)

Jesus tells a parable of a loving father in Luke 15:11-32. There are three main characters: a loving father; an "I'll run away from home and find myself" younger son, and an "I'll earn your love" elder brother.

I confess that I relate better to the elder brother. The one who just keeps on trying to earn the free gift already given.

I invite you to also read the story and see to whom you relate best.

OK

Then the master said to the slave,
“Go out into the roads and lanes,
and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.
Luke 14:23

First thought ...

The first thought on my mind this morning when I thought of "gift" was a growing up memory. I was about eleven years old and it was Christmas morning. I came down the steps from my bedroom and from the steps I came down quietly because it was so early. And under the tree was a model of the USS Constitution, about a 15-inch hull sailing battleship to assemble.

I recalled that morning as I read ...

Those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord...

(Zechariah 6:15a)

You are invited to be our guest at our 10:00 AM worship hour.

Arlington United Methodist Church

1360 Murfreesboro Road

(between Briley Parkway and runway that goes over Murfreesboro Road)

Nashville, TN 37217

(615) 361-4896

john@arlingtonum.org

Silence

Silence ... such has been a spiritual means to allow God to have conversation with people for eternity. It is so hard to do in today's world. In the city there is the sound of traffic, airplanes, helicopters, radios, televisions, ringing phones, conversations, and on and on ...

Silence.

What I will often do to is sit on the porch of Panera Bread before it opens, or I will sit alone on our patio, or I will arrive at the office early and turn off the phone for a while.

Silence.

At least annually, I will take a week away to read our lectionary lessons together with entire books of the Bible and plan sermons for the coming liturgical year.

Silence.

I would encourage you as well to find a silent time alone to read, reflect and ponder. I love that word ... p o n d e r ...

Be silent, all people, before the Lord;

for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

(Zechariah 2:13)

the finger of God ...

One of Michelangelo's great paintings is of God creating humans. In the painting God is reaching our to touch the finger of a human body to give that person life. God, in the painting, looks like a grandpa figure with white hair and beard as he reaches toward the human. Brentwood UMC has a sculpture of the scene with just the hand of God and the hand of humanity seeking to touch each other.

I thought of those scenes when I read these words of Jesus:

"But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons,

then the kingdom of God has come to you" (Luke 11:20)

Preparing ...

As I am preparing to preach from Hebrews, I am reading the commentary from Interpretation on that book. Of Hebrews 1:1-4, that author writes:

• Hebrews is an evocative text that calls for the courage of living out the love-centered, God-centered life even in the midst of persecution;
• It is a communal text where a community, not just a gathering of individuals, listens to hear God;
• It is a dialogical text where all, including the preacher are in dialogue listening for God in their midst.

Such has gotten me to listen to Hebrews more attentively.

someone has testified somewhere!

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains^* all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. But someone has testified somewhere,

‘What are human beings that you are mindful of them,
or mortals, that you care for them?
You have made them for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned them with glory and honor,
subjecting all things under their feet.’

Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,

‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

Let me hear ...

His name is Leander Keck known as "Lee". He is a professor of New Testament at Yale. Before he left Emory to go there I took his class that was "Christology in the New Testament" in which he presented the "pictures of the New Testament writings taken of Jesus from different angles". He was one of those lecturers that could get away with reading his lectures with face down quite a lot, and yet could end with standing ovations. There are just a few that can get away with that. We were anxious to hear what he had to say.

Such a memory came to mond when I read the words of a much more awaited speaker ...

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.

Psalm 85:8

Doorkeeper

The word "doorkeeper" brings a lot of images to my mind for when I think of doorkeeper I picture a greeter at the door of a business that opens it for those entering. But my mind also remembers a door we replaced in one of the parsonages in which we lived. I took the time to sand it, seal it, and place varnish used by wooden ships upon it. Or I think of the doors in my house that are all painted and the time it took to take the doors down for repair, painting and rehanging. Doorkeeper--one who keeps prepared the entrance into a building or a room.

The psalter reading for today has the word "doorkeeper" in it.

"For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

then live in the tents of wickedness."
Psalm 84:10

Luke 1:78b

How do I sleep?

"By the tender mercy of God..."

How do I awaken?

"By the tender mercy of God..."

How do I begin?

"By the tender mercy of God".

How do I have insight?

"By the tender mercy of God..."

How do I plan?

"By the tender mercy of God..."

How do I work?

"By the tender mercy of God..."

How do I have hope?

"By the tender mercy of God..."

How do I make calls?

"By the tender mercy of God..."

How do I hang in there?

"By the tender mercy of God..."

How do I sit back?

"By the tender mercy of God..."

How do I rest?

"By the tender mercy of God..."

john@arlingtonum.org

Arlington United Methodist Church

1360 Murfreesboro Road

Nashville, TN

(between Brily Parkway & airport runway)

Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM

A happy fear!

Happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways.

(Psalm 128:1)

Psalm 128 is a psalm of praise that simply gives God all the credit for what is good about life. Those areas such as fruit of labor, family, prosperity, and peace (or wholeness/completeness).

For me, fearing the LORD, is a happy and fulfilling fear. It is more such a respect for the LORD that whatever we sense that the LORD wants us to do will get done. The LORD is to be like a financial advisor who teaches us where to invest our time and resources.

That pushes me to ask, "Of my life, where would God encourage me to invest most?"

Just a moment of praise ...

The Lord is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.

(Psalm 145:13b-16)

Just my imagination ...

Now, for those who may not know, Easter is the season when it is remembered that God Almighty raised his Son, Jesus, from the dead. With that in mind ...

There is one Easter Sunday Scripture text where I imagine it being preached in a cemetery for an Easter sunrise service. The cemetery I picture is one surrounded by woods so the pre-sunrise moments are even darker. And as the Sunrise service is about to begin the preacher comes out of the woods wearing a white robe, and then the preacher shouts out in the center of the cemetery with hands and arms outstretched into a cross position (shaped like a "T"):

"Mortal, can these bones live?"

(Ezekiel 37:3a)

Easter says, "They sure can because God raised his only Son, Jesus, from the dead. Such is the crazy hope that Christians have ... if God can raise his Son from the dead then there is hope for even us, even all, even me."

Struggling toward Christian perfection

I will admit that it is critical for leaders to feed themselves. But the feeding I am talking about is not necessarily the meals we eat as much as it is to feed yourselves with reality. For the one person even leaders can change is only themselves. All the leadership works agree here. At most what we can change is our approach to those we lead. Such calls for listening and communicating well in an excessive manner. The easier it can become the more it is done. I admittedly am always in an eternal struggle to discover better ways of leading. I guess it is that United Methodist journeying toward Christian perfection drive (to always be moving toward better loving God, neighbor, enemy and self). So this verse will, more than likely, always grab me ...

Thus says the Lord God: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? (Ezekiel 34:2)

Tennessee Conference Review: TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW September 18, 2009

Tennessee Conference Review: TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW September 18, 2009

King Neb

Daniel's story speaks to me for his is a Scriptural book that is definitely centered on the time of Israel's military defeat and, even more, being conquered by the Babylonian (or any other) empire. It tells various stories of how the people of God during that time were tempted to vacate their devotion to following the God of love, justice and truth when conquering nations demanded that their human rulers be worshiped. And king-worship was demanded by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar as well. (Afterwards here, he will be called 'King Neb').

Some of God's people, such as Daniel, kept their focus on being God-centered even in challenging moments. Daniel even goes so far as telling 'King Neb',

'You are going to lose your ever-loving mind if you keep on asking other people to worship you'. And this comes true in the beginning Daniel 4, and by the end 'King Neb' has gained his mind back by admitting that only God is God!

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,

praise and extol and honour the King of heaven,
for all his works are truth,
and his ways are justice;
and he is able to bring low
those who walk in pride.

Daniel 4:37

How the Mighty Fall and Why Some Companies Never Give In

The title for today is another book by Jim Collins. After writing works such as Good to Great and co-authoring Built to Last about companies that excelled in this new book he explores why some of the greats fell apart. Like Good to Great in which he expressed stages of success, in How ... he explores stages of failure.

Now as a pastor who has been predominantly appointed to churches in the downfall mode I can identify with How the Mighty Fall. It is not just a book whose author bows his head and weeps, but also a work that may well make one better attentive to the reasons for fall and the stages reversing trends up toward greatness once again.

Remembering 9-11

When it occurred the choir director and I were on the way to a worship workshop in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. Just as we had crossed into Carolina his phone rang. It was his wife calling him to let him know what had just occurred ... the first plane had crashed into the tower. After his conversation, we immediately turned on the radio to a station reporting the news. We listened and commented all the way to our destination.

Together, we made a choice not to immediately return home but to stay for our 2-3 day workshop on worship. We phoned home and the doors of the church would be opened for prayer and when we returned the worship was shaped around facing the tragedy. Even in the midst of tragedy we are still called to focus upon God, neighbor, enemy, and self. For us, those two days focused upon God and our plans in God's called upon response to the tragedy.

My prayer ...

Daniel said:

‘Blessed be the name of God from age to age,
for wisdom and power are his.
²¹He changes times and seasons,
deposes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding.
²²He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and light dwells with him.
²³To you, O God of my ancestors,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and power,
and have now revealed to me what we asked of you,
for you have revealed to us what the king ordered.’
(Daniel 2)

My prayer for today.

Bow

"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15b).

LORD, this morning I bow my life before you.

Mystery ...

"...the mystery of God will be fulfilled..."

(Revelation 10:7b)

Mystery.

The LORD is cool ...

"The word of the LORD came to me ..."

(Ezekiel 22:1 , 17, 23; 23:1).

Such really blows my mind that the word of the LORD comes to people at all. Have you ever really thought about that that the LORD who can fully exist in joy without us still hangs out with us as if his "soul" depended upon it? Such is unbelievable yet as true as "north is the opposite direction of south"!

The word of the LORD came to me like a letter in the mail. The word of the LORD came to me from a blogger site. The word of the LORD came to me from facebook. The word of the LORD came to me from Scripture. The word of the LORD came to me in a community worship experience. The word of the LORD came to me in God the Son, Jesus. The word of the LORD came to me in my 'natural conscience' empowered by God the Spirit.

The LORD is cool.

Focus of worship ...

What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone.’ (Ezekiel 20:32).

Oh, the temptation to be like everybody else. Yet, the best realize their God-given strengths and human weaknesses and focus upon ways to use them well.

Use of strengths such as being an excellent listener, a loving servant, giving witness, and having insight, etc. And use of weaknesses such as loss of family; struggling with disease; and having a healthy way of dealing with the negatives of life.

And most of all just realizing that you don't have to be like everybody else because God has made you uniquely who you are.

the owner and giver of salvation ...

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’

And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God ... (Revelation 7:9-11).

From my experience, work toward praising God first thing in the morning for such shapes your entire day. Short liners of prayers while awakening such as "I love you , Jesus"; "This is the day that You have made"; or simply, "Good morning, Jesus" can begin the day well.

To be like who?

Ahhh, I am still under that pressure to be like _________ (you fill in the blank). There is so much pressure to deny how God has made each of us unique with the strengths and weaknesses that are curious to each of us. But then the world says, 'you should do', 'you should be', you should ... should ... should ... should ...

Deeper than all the human 'shoulds' is who and whose we are. We are creatures and we belong to God. Keeping in mind to whom I belong is an aid to me in decisions. So my thoughts drifted this morning as I read:

"What is in your mind shall never happen--the thought, 'Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone'" (Ezekiel 20:32).

If there is any applicable "let us be like" for me, it would be, "let us strive, struggle, focus on being like Jesus who gave himself over to loving God, neighbor, enemy, and self".

a response

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’

And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God...
(Revelations 7:9-11)

makes me smile and take a deep breath ...

Be pleased, O God ...

"Be pleased, O God ..."
Psalm 70:1a

That thought is enough to consider for today.

THE SHACK

OPEN DISCUSSION GROUPS TO BEGIN DISCUSSION OF

THE SHACK

on Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 7:30 pm

FREE SUPPER PROVIDED AT 5:45 pm.

(The Shack is a fictional work that wrestles with tragedy in the world. It tells the story of a father, 'Mack', whose daughter was murdered and is given the opportunity to talk it over with God in the shack where his daughter was murdered.)

Books will be available ...

For any questions call (615) 361-4896

Amen!

"And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’

And the elders fell down and worshipped."

Revelation 5:14

'Amen', we say it so much yet I confess it was only a few years ago that I learned what it means to end a prayer with this word. The word 'Amen' has a Hebrew language beginning in the Old Testament, and it simply means "so be it". That word was taken into the New Testament (Greek language) and into multiple modern languages.

The root Hebrew word for 'Amen' can also be translated as 'to be firm, confirmed, reliable, have faith', and simply 'to believe'.

So for me when the four living creatures say "Amen!" before God they are noting that God is firm, confirmed, and reliable. So in God they have faith and in God they believe.

Wow! The meaning of one word so often said.

So the day begins ...

I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
Ezekiel 11:19-20

My first thoughts about being given a heart have been my friends that have had heart transplants. Before the transplant their life was no doubt in an ending process while afterward their life had a new beginning. These are the particular words in Ezekiel that make me think along that line: 'one heart', 'new spirit', 'removal of the heart of stone', and 'give them a heart of flesh'.

Such is indeed a new life and this is what Ezekiel speaks of. In his perspective a new life pulls toward oneness with God, is given breath (spirit) by God, removes the stone-heart that resists God ... that worships idols (some of which were made of stone), and gives them a heart full of life.

LORD God, giver of new hearts: Renew our national and international leaders; the Universal Church; our bishops, cabinets, denominational and local church leaders. Do such that our leaders together may encourage us to visibly make your vision a reality. Keep us in tune with your vision expressed by Your Son and empowered by Your Spirit: 'Love God, neighbor, enemy, and self.' Please make us instruments of your grace. All praise be to you who does the impossible! Amen.

Holy, holy, holy,

the Lord God the Almighty,

who was and is and is to come"

(Revelation 4:8b)

Worship is this morning at 10:00 AM

You are invited to be our guest as you seek to center upon God.

Arlington UMC

1360 Murfreesboro Road

between Briley Parkway and Donelson Pike

knocking

Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me (Revelation 3:20).

Reminds me of the book, The Shack.

You are invitedto be our guest at

Arlingon UMC
1360 Murfreesboro Road
Nashville, Tennessee 37217

arlingtonum.org

Worship begins at 10:00 AM.

Bouncing Scripture verses off of each other ...

But when I (the LORD) speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God’; let those who will hear, hear; and let those who refuse to hear, refuse; for they are a rebellious house (Ezekiel 3:27);

and ...

Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent ... Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God (Revelation 2:5, 7).

Note: In Revelation the "lampstands" were symbolic of churches (Rev. 1:20).