You

We begin a new sermon series on May 12 entitled You. “You” is one of those words that applies to all of us; we’re all “You!” to someone. “You” can be a word that makes us feel a little uncomfortable. Far too often it has an accusatory feel to it as in, “You shouldn’t have done that,” or “You need to … .” The word “you,” however, can also play a significant role in conveying some of the most wonderful messages: “You look marvelous!”, “You really know what you are doing,” and “I love you.” In the end, regardless of how we might feel about the word, there is always you, and you matter. In particular, you matter hugely to God, and as evidence God provides ample teaching about you and your life (my life too!).
Our sermon series will come to us out of Romans 12 – 15. In the first 11 chapters, Paul is heavy with theology—great, amazing, life changing theology. Some have even referred to these chapters as The Gospel according to Paul. When he comes to chapter 12, he turns our attention to the application of the theology, or in other words what life looks like in light of the truth of Christ. Teaching becomes ethics and application, and our relationships become the center of attention.
We will kick off the series this Sunday—Mother’s Day—by examining the first two verses of Romans 12. That’s right—just two verses! The text might be small, but the message is colossal. Given what God has done for us, Paul exhorts us to live abundantly for Christ. It’s a life that chooses not to conform to the world’s shifting standards, but instead embraces the changes God works in our lives through the renewing of our minds. The verses get to the very core of the most important relationship available to all humans: our relationship with God.
On May 19, our attention turns inward as Paul focuses his words on how each person relates to him/herself. It’s you-on-you time. For some of us, this might sound like too much navel gazing. Yet how we choose to see ourselves and who we choose to be impacts not only our personal sense of identity but how we eventually interact with others around us. May 19 is also Graduation Sunday at Dundee Presbyterian.
Memorial Day weekend comes next, at which time we’ll take on Romans 12:9-21. It’s only natural that after we’ve looked up (toward God) and looked within (inside ourselves) that we begin to look outward toward our relationships with others. The truth of Jesus, according to Paul, is to have social consequences, and in this text he describes what these consequences look like. The next three Sundays will cover You and the Government, You and Time, and You and the Church, respectively. In other words, Paul fully believed that our relationship with Jesus changes all of our other relationships.
So why share all this information with you now? It just might be that God will have someone cross your path or enter into a particular conversation with you for which one of our upcoming Sundays will be just the thing to go deeper in understanding and in friendship. All we have to do is keep our eyes and ears open, and when the occasion seems appropriate simply say, “We’re talking about that very subject at our church next Sunday. Why don’t I pick you up, and we can go together.”

Why So Evangelical?

If you ever wish to polarize a conversation, use the word evangelical. At the start of the 21st century, few other words raise as much emotion. A case for similar status can be made for racially derogatory words, the phrase assault rifle, and socialism. Controversial words achieve their status, it would appear, by connoting divergent ideas to diverging populations or by denoting a singular perspective that is cherished by some and detested by others. Every now and then these two streams form a confluence, and interpretations and definitions turbulently and often chaotically intermingle, resulting in an über divisive term. Evangelical is one of these words.
Perceptions on evangelical can range from religious zealotry to political conservatism and from anti-intellectualism to divine inspiration. Politicians have pandered to and protested against “Evangelicals.” Sub groups within the “Evangelical” world have coopted the term for exclusive self-referral, effectively branding all “Evangelicals” and evangelicals in the public’s eye with their particular beliefs and behaviors.
The word evangelical comes from the Koine Greek euangelion, or “good news.” Centuries before the time of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming of the “good news” (Isaiah 52:7).  It’s what Jesus came preaching (Matthew 4:23), and what he told his disciples to share with others (Matthew 10:7).  The Apostle Paul understood euangelion to be the power of salvation (Romans 1:16). Peter equated euangelion to the “word of the Lord” (1 Peter 1:25). It’s impossible to know Jesus in the Bible without identifying him directly with “good news” or “evangelical.” Whatever else the word evangelical might mean currently in our culture, its foundation is in the person, message, and mission of Jesus the Christ.
The sister word to evangelical is the verbal form evangelize. For the most part, it’s the Christian version of the word proselytize. In a time when tolerance has moved from a buzz word to a cherished value, there is a general dislike and at times an all-consuming hatred of efforts to move folks from one set of beliefs to another—even if the evangelizer is convinced that he or she brings only good news. So if followers of Christ, by definition, are all about the good news of Jesus and Jesus has commanded them to evangelize (Matthew 5:13-16; 28:19; Acts 1:8), their evangelical character automatically puts them in conflict with the broader culture.
The core motivation of our “Year of Inviting” is much greater than simply wanting to have more people in our Sunday services. The “Year of Inviting” is evangelical; it prioritizes the good news of Jesus and sharing that good news through invitations to join us in worship, or fellowship, or friendship. This evangelical effort is not focused on politics or zealotry or conservatism. It’s focused on Jesus, Jesus’ love, and people who could use more of Jesus and Jesus’ love in their lives. Some may choose to see our efforts as polarizing. Many took that position in Jesus’ day too. The gospel (another English word for euangelion) of Jesus Christ, however, will not be deterred. Its destiny has always been for victory and its nature has always been full of grace and hope and joy. May people experience the same qualities in each of our invitations.

Being the Church

6:23 AM Alarm goes off. I lean over and hit the snooze button.
6:30 AM Alarm goes off again. This time I turn it off, get up, and take my shower.
7:00 AM After waking up my wife and four kids to start them on their Sunday morning routine, I sit down to read a chapter from the Gospel of Matthew and to talk with God about the day.
7:10 AM My quiet time is interrupted by unholy shouts emanating from the bathroom my daughters share. I investigate and discover the issue to be who has priority for mirror time. I smile, give them both a hug, tell them they’re already beautiful, and remain long enough for them to figure out a way to share the mirror.
8:01 AM After breakfast, my eldest son and I do the dishes together.
8:25 AM I inform everyone that we need to be in the car in five minutes in order to be on time.
8:30 AM With only my youngest son standing at my side by the door, I make the rounds to collect everyone else.
8:35 AM We’re on our way to church. We should still be able to make it for the opening song.
8:42 AM I look over at my wife and by the expression on her face, she could really use a latte. We swing into one of her preferred java holes, and she gets the message: I cherish her.
8:51 AM We’re nearly to church when we pass a car pulled over to the side of the road with a flat tire. I offer up a short but sincere prayer for them. My daughters, however, shout in unison, “Dad, stop!” It seems that their Sunday school class covered the Good Samaritan story last week. I circle the block and pull up behind the wounded car.
9:20 AM After struggling with some stubborn lug nuts, the tire is finally changed. By this time, my wife has gotten to know the driver of the other vehicle quite well. She’s a single mom with three kids under the age of seven. They were on their way to the grocery store to get food for breakfast. The lady’s three kids are skilled in communicating how hungry they feel.
9:31 AM Both our families are now sitting together at the local waffle shop. It was my daughters’ idea—seems she really listened to her Sunday school teacher. I check my watch; there is no way we’re going to make it in time for the sermon.
10:12 AM As I pay the waiter, one of my sons says to his flat tire counterpart, “You guys should come to church with us.” I look at my wife and smile. With her gentle encouragements, the other mom agrees. Thankfully our church has more than one service. The next service, however, doesn’t start for another 38 minutes.
10:23 AM Arrive at local park to let the kids pass the time. While I goof off with the kids, my wife and the single mom share what looks to be a meaningful conversation.
11:17 AM I glance down the row in which the ten of us are seated, and I thank God. A couple times during the morning I thought we were going to miss church. In hindsight, with the help of my wife and kids, we were never at risk of missing church. We were the church.
12:22 AM With the service over and the children and me satisfied with our complimentary cookies, we exchange phone numbers with our new friends and commitment to attend church service together next Sunday. I make my own commitment to learn from my kids and to be the church all week long.

20 Ways to Invite Someone into Easter

“Hey, you want to come to Easter services with me?”

“Please, please, please, please, please, please come to Easter services with me.”

“You want some Easter ham? Come hear our pastor.”

“When I snap my fingers you will awake and agree to come to Easter worship with me.”

“If you’ve never sat in an old, wooden pew, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

“If you’re hungering for a little transcendence, I know just the place to go.”

“Come check it out … if the tomb is empty it means an early spring.”

“You’re not going to want to miss this … the ushers are going to do the Harlem Shake.”

“It’s a great Sunday to blend into the crowd.”

“Help me get my pastor off my back—come to church with me.”

“You’re welcome to bring all your questions and doubts. I do.”

“Easter—it’s church on steroids.”

“You can bring your chocolate Easter bunny.”

“The music will stir your soul.”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you look good in pastels?”

“I promise there will be none of that plastic Easter basket grass.”

“If the pastor starts to go too long, I know where all the exits are.”

“Easter changes the world and my life every day. Check it out for yourself.”

“I’ve reserved us a pew for four by a window.”

“I would really enjoy the opportunity to spend Easter morning with you.”

And a Fifth Grader Shall Lead Them

We’ve designated 2013 to be The Year of Inviting. More than just a moniker by which to refer to the 12 months that are squeezed between 2012 and 2014, The Year of Inviting is serving as a season of strengthening one another in the responsibility, privilege, and art of extending invitations to friends, strangers, and enemies alike. The Christian hymn provides the explanation for why we’ve adopted this emphasis: “and they will know we are Christians by our love.”
Being inviting and extending invitations, however, can be hard and at times uncomfortable work. We might have to look at our own demeanors, question our mannerisms, open our circles, and accommodate differences. When people actually accept our open offers of hospitality, they will undoubtedly mess with the things that make life comfortable for us. Guests in our homes might track mud on our carpets, visitors to our church might sit in our seats, new friends might want more of our time. The Year of Inviting could be quite costly indeed.
These potential costs, however, didn’t stop Emalie Wightman. On January 27th, this Dundee fifth grader stood at the front of our huge sanctuary. She looked out on our congregation at both worship services and told us about a need that existed in our community. She shared about the work of the Stephen Center among people who are homeless, especially homeless families. And then she did it. Eleven year old Emalie Wightman invited us to join her in making a difference. She gave us the opportunity to be about something that would not only bless others but would bless us too.
Emalie put the invitation to us with these words, “I hope people of all ages of the church will be a missionary with me and support the Stephen Center.” That’s all it really took. She looked us in the eyes, described a wonderful opportunity, and then said the words, “with me.” This is a powerful pairing of words in the English language. Sure, she could have said, “You people ought to do this,” or she could have said nothing at all. Instead, she invited us to join her for something wonderful.
The pessimists and wet rags among us might focus on the fact that not everyone who heard Emalie’s invitation chose to participate. It’s quite possible that more people chose not to join in the endeavor than those that did, but that’s not the point. Invitations have a long history of being rejected. Jesus invited a young, wealthy man to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and then come be with Jesus, but the wealthy man apparently chose to reject Jesus’ generous offer. If our invitations to join in God’s good-life are rejected, we’re in good company!
The point to be considered—and celebrate—is that many people jumped at the chance to participate with Emalie. Her invitation, which she also shared at her school, resulted in donations of 1149 diapers and 343 rolls of toilet paper, 40 MAT bus passes and 23 tubes of toothpaste, and six blankets and 152 bottles of shampoo. Her goal was 1000 items, but because of her invitation she surpassed 2000 items. Emalie’s offer turned what for most of us would have been just another trip to the grocery store into a shared adventure to make a difference in the name of Christ.
One could argue that Emalie’s a natural at extending invitations. She had such poise and confidence and organizational skill, but that’s not the point. The Year of Invitation is all about each of us opening our lives to others. In this regard, we’re all experts. You know your life better than just about anyone else. Whether you might be inviting someone into a deeper conversation, or to come with you to church and brunch, or to join with you on an adventurous project, it will be you inviting others to join you in things that matter to you. It’s what Emalie did, and I for one am thankful for her invitation.