The One Present

When I walk across the farm, I do not see them, but I do see signs that they have been here.  The most dominant part of this land is the old wood farm house which was built in the early years of the 20th century.  For over a hundred years now it has either been a framework for living, or a storehouse of the stories of those who did the living.  In the house meals were cooked, weary bodies rested, children were conceived, and hopes and dreams were given birth.  The people who walked this land before me are long gone, but signs abound all around which speak of their presence.  Sometimes it seems that more than just memories linger in the air.     

And while I do not see Him, I know He has been present with all those who have been here before me and that even now His Spirit continues to make Himself known in all the things which touch my life.  There has not been a day that I have worked and walked this land that Holy Presence has not been present alongside.   In the beginning that presence seemed invisible, but the more I saw of the things which speak of His presence, the more I began to realize I was not alone.   

This unfolding and growing awareness of Holy Presence has brought changes in the way God is understood and experienced.  It has made the spiritual discipline of prayer into something which is shaped not by a schedule, but by the awareness that the Holy One is as present as the creation around me.  And while I am unable to see what and Who is and always has been invisible, every now and again I find myself taking a second look as one who expects to see what is surely present and visible.  

A Personal Word

This morning a friend from a church where I served as pastor sent a message telling me that his ninety-two year old father read these JourneyNotes.  I am often surprised how these notes go to the unexpected places and am encouraged each time I receive such a message.  When I started writing JourneyNotes, I was serving a church and I knew that most of the people who read them were members of my congregation.  Retirement changed all this.    

I remember the ten different congregations that I have served over the 43 years of ministry and still names and faces linger in my memory.  As I write each blog posting, I know some of the people who read them, but there are so many who read whom I will never know.  I wish there was some way I could see those faces and know those names for each one is a part of an invisible congregation who bless me by taking the time to share in the ministry offered through JourneyNotes.    

This brings me to a request.  What I would like to ask is for you to let me know where you live and who you are.  It will not be like seeing a face, but it will enable me to know something about the people who sit in the pews of JourneyNotes.  At the end of each blog post there is a place marked "comment."  I would like to ask you to click on the word and leave a note telling me where you live and in ten words or less something about yourself.  Hearing from you will bring great blessing to me and I want to express appreciation for the encouragement you give to me through reading these notes.  I pray they will be used by our Father God for blessing in your spiritual life.  

Hearing in the Silence

If someone had asked Moses before the burning bush episode if God had ever spoken to him, he would have surely said, "No!"   It is not the kind of thing most people claim.  Actually, it not the kind of thing most people believe is possible.  If we should say that we have heard God speaking to us, we would discover that folks start raising their eyebrows and easing out of the conversation.  Even among believers it is not something which is regarded as normal and healthy.  The burning bush story is an intriguing story.    

When it unfolded Moses was a fugitive with a wanted poster hanging in the post office back in Egypt.  After killing the Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, Moses fled to the wilderness where he became a part of a shepherd family, married, and settled into routine family life. It does not seem likely that Moses was looking for God, or expecting to hear His voice when he found himself out in the region around Horeb, which was know as the mountain of God.  (Exodus 3:1)   But, he did.  He encountered an angel and then heard the voice of God calling out to him, saying, "Moses, Moses."  (Exodus 3:4)     

As we make an effort to unwrap the story, it is obvious that Moses was spending a lot of time with himself.  A shepherd has time to spend with himself.  And out there in the wilderness tending sheep, life had no doubt become something that was simplified.  He surely was more in touch with himself and the creation than he was when he was caught up in the Egyptian culture.   The burning bush moment did not come on the first day in the wilderness, but only after its silence and solitude had time to take hold of his life.  We should expect to hear the voice of God in our own circumstances, but it may take some changes in the way we live before we find that are ears are becoming tuned into the Voice of the Invisible but Ever Present One.  

A First Lesson About God

One of the first things learned about God is that He is neither silent nor hidden.  Anyone who lives with the idea that God does not really reveal Himself, or speak to be heard is someone who simply ignores the witness of the Scripture.  In the beginning we are told by the Word that the Lord God walked "in the garden at the time of the evening breeze..."  and that He "called to the man, and said to him,"Where are you?' "  (Genesis 3:8-9)  In the beginning He was neither silent nor hidden and those who shared life in the garden lived expecting Him to be present with them.      

Somewhere along the way the church became too sophisticated to embrace the idea of a God who speaks and reveals Himself to His people.  Perhaps, the first step was acknowledging that He did do both at one time to certain people for certain purposes, but the time for such is now past.  Only those fundamentalists who live on the theological fringes would dare speak of such happening and when they do, they are dismissed by the mainstream church crowd.    

What is more likely is not the possibility that God has changed His mode of operation, but the likelihood that we have lost the expectation required to pay attention to the revelation of divine realities.  The fact that we do not see or hear does not force God to lurk silently out there invisible to all of creation.  As He has been since before the time we know as the beginning, so shall He remain after the time we know as the end.

Not Silent and Hidden

 God is not a God who remains silent and stays hidden.  To say He is silent and hidden denies His nature.  His nature is seen throughout the Word as He speaks words which guide and stir the characters of the pages to action.  His nature is as one who speaks and is seen is further revealed in the person of the Son who walked the landscape of Judea and whose life fills the pages of the gospel.  To say He is silent and hidden simply is a denial of a record which is not deniable, but divinely inspired so that we might know something of the One who created us and who continues to breathe life into us.     

And, it is also true that the Creation speaks as well of this God who has chosen not to be silent and remain hidden.  The Word He speaks from Creation may be more difficult for us to see and affirm, but it is, nonetheless, real.  Where as, we have been taught since birth and baptism to experience God through the Scripture, the church has remained too silent about His Voice and Presence in the Creation.  Perhaps, the failure speaks of a desire to protect the institutional needs of the church.  Despite this silence, the Voice and Presence of God is as evident in the Creation as the rising sun in the morning and enlightening moon and stars of the night.    

What has always been lacking is something in us.  This ever present and always speaking God only needs our attention to be heard and seen.  Of course, there are moments of holy breakthrough when nothing is required but divine action, but it seems that revelation most naturally occurs as we grow eyes and ears that enable us to see what seems to be invisible and inaudible, but in reality, is neither.  What seems to be beyond our ability to see and hear is clearly visible for those who learn to listen and watch with constant expectation.  No moment is beyond the reach of God.  He is in every moment He gives to us.  And everyone of us who chooses to listen and look will hear and see.  

Resisting is Submission

When James called believers to resist the devil, he also said that the result of such an action would cause Satan to flee.  In other words, one of the ways to get the devil and his influence out of our lives is to resist him, to push against what evil would tempt us to do, and to live according to a prior and binding act of submission to God.  "Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."  (James 4:7-8)  The plan of James is simple.  It simply entails choosing not to put ourselves in a position where the evil one can have any influence over us.    

It is true that books have  been written with page after page about spiritual warfare, or the discipline of dealing with this antagonistic and destructive one who exists to destroy and thwart the plan of God.  But, the simple truth is that the devil is best handled not by not doing negative things, but in seeking the positive choice which is a part of submitting our entire life to God.  

Most of us do a fairly good job of submitting parts of our life to God, but the process of total submission is another issue for us.  How far away we are from total submission is best seen when we review our actions in the unguarded moments of our life, the moments when no one is watching, and when we simply act without pausing to think about our actions.  Resisting and submission go hand in hand when it comes to dealing with the undermining power of the evil one in our lives.   

Evening Praise

As I was taking the golf cart to its overnight home, I saw those four long necks waving through the hay field.  Two pairs of Canadian Geese have been using the hay field as an exercise pen for their eight or ten young geese.  The young ones are almost too small to see in the knee deep grass and waddle to get where they are going instead of flying.  It was obvious these older geese knew the ropes of parenthood.  Instead of flying and leaving the young ones when I approached, they started walking fast to lead them out of danger.     

This evening they all headed down the road toward the nearby pond.  As I watched them go, I noticed a young goose circling around in the grass as it had lost its way.  I drove over with the golf cart and gave it encouragement to head down the hill behind the others.  Away it went.  Waddling so much it seemed to cover up both ruts of the two lane road leading down to the safety of the pond.  I watched until it reached the edge of the pond and the moma goose sent a scolding cry across the water.     

I am grateful for the blessing of living these years so immersed in the creation.  Each day is like living midst a great baptismal flood that connects me to the creation and the Creator.  I am grateful for the walking awareness of my connection to both creation and Creator.  As I turned to head away from the geese, I heard myself singing a chorus, "All creatures great and small, the Lord God made them all.  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"   Evening praise.  Join in singing the chorus as you read so the music becomes not a solo, but a kind of choral offering to our Creator God.  

Resisting the Devil

While some do not take the devil seriously, the Word of God affirms again and again that he is an adversary of anyone who seeks to submit their lives to God.  The Apostle James speaks of this spiritual reality as he wrote, "Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."  (James 4:7)  Of course, this is not the only place where the power of evil is set forth in an adversarial role.  Even a casual reading of the story of Jesus points to the way he attacked Jesus at different times.   

One of the strongest warnings found in the Scripture was made by the Apostle Paul when he wrote, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His power.  Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil  For our struggle is...against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places  Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day...."  (Ephesians 6:10-13)  What is described is not some ordinary battle, but one where the soul is at risk.    

It is important for us to resist the evil one whenever he makes himself known.  Denying his presence in the world does us no good.  It is a fool's game with disastrous consequences.  Satan always seeks to undermine what God is seeking to do in our lives.  Our living is diminished as well as the Kingdom's work when we succumb to him instead of resisting him.  His presence is easy to discern.  Whenever we seek our own agenda instead of the agenda of God, the devil is not only present, but smiling.

The Undermining Power

I often think about my high school English teacher as I read with appreciation the way sentences are held together.  Some writers are truly wordsmiths.  They are artist at their work as surely as a painter finds expression through design and color.  James 4:7-8 are two verses of Scripture which have captivated my attention in the last few days.  It says, "Submit yourselves to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God , and He will draw near to you."   These words express a spiritual truth which is held together by the use of contrast.      

One of the opposites is found in the contrast between the words, "Submit"  and "Resist."  Even as we are to submit to God, we are to resist the devil.  Of course, this creates a huge problem for those who deny the existence of the evil one.  Those who deny the existence of God are certainly in a smaller number than those who deny the existence of the devil.  It is, therefore, hard for many to take this word about resisting the devil seriously since at the core of their belief system there is denial of his existence.   

Of course, explaining the power of evil away means cutting out important sections of the gospel.  To take seriously the life and spiritual struggles of Jesus means that we accept the fact that His primary battle was not with the Jewish or Roman authorities, but with the power of Satan.  From beginning to end, the gospel speaks of Satan seeking to undermine the ministry of Jesus.  Any believer who ignores the reality of the devil's desire to undermine personal faith in God walks a perilous road.  

Then and Now

Things about our spiritual journey are often seen differently in the beginning than they do after we have been walking the road for a spell.  Reading "Submit yourselves therefore to God..."  (James 4:7) through the eyes of a new believer is easy to understand.  There is no mystery to it.   As a new believer we know exactly what it means to submit ourselves to God.  It is only after walking the road for more than a short way that we begin to figure there might be more to it than is revealed at the first read.     

When we first hear the call of God, we hear it in the context of what we think God wants us to do.  What we think is the starting point instead of searching for what God wants.  The first real Biblical model for submitting ourselves to God is the call of Abram.  In the first verse of Genesis 12 we hear the Lord speaking to the ancient patriarch, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.   Abram's call to submit to God carried with it no specific destination and no particulars about the life which would unfold on the journey.     

Instead of a call to specifics, it was a call to whatever and wherever.  It was a call which centered not around what Abram thought God wanted him to do, but one which centered around whatever it was that God wanted to do in and through him.  What some might say is a play of words is much more.  Submitting ourselves to God means that God's bidding takes precedence over any of our plans, any of our expectations, and any of our desires.  All that matters is what God wants to do in and through our life.  

An Unpopular Word

When the Apostle James wrote, "Submit yourselves therefore to God..."  (James 4:7), he could not have imagined that he was using a word which would become so unpopular.  When was the last time anyone of us heard someone else speak of "submitting."  Of course, it is a common practice, but no one speaks of the action described by the verb.  We do it as we submit ourselves to the laws of the highway, as we work to accomplish the purpose of our employer, and as we live inside the marriage relationship.   

Submission requires a voluntary action of putting ourselves under the authority of another.  Making our will secondary to the will of another does not fit well inside our individualistic world view.  When the Scripture speaks of submitting ourselves to God, it has to do with voluntarily putting the whatever of the divine will ahead of our own personal desires for ourselves.    

It may be something that our religious tradition calls us to embrace and it may be something we regard ourselves as doing, but usually there is a wide gap between submitting ourselves to God and our insistence on being in charge of our life.  Whenever we find ourselves dealing with sin in our life, we find ourselves facing a situation where His will was not as important as our will.  Sin is about choosing not to submit our life to God in a particular set of circumstances and we will do anything to avoid seeing ourselves in that mirror. 

Three Words

A morning reading took me to a place I had no expectations of going.  In the midst of the rather light reading there appeared a Scripture reference which kept calling me back long after the page was turned.  The Word came from James 4:7 which said, "Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."    It is always interesting how a piece of Scripture can take hold in such a way that it cannot be laid down, but continues to command attention.    

One of the things which struck me about the passage is the presence of three very strong action images.  The first is contained within the word, "Submit."  The second is found in the word, "Resist," and the final action image is more than just a verb as it says,  "Draw near."  All three of these words calls us to act.  It speaks of action on our part.   We are not spectators in this faith journey and neither are we simply sojourners upon which God acts.  Instead, we are participants.     

And we are not just participants, but willing and responsible participants.  What God desires to do in and through us is not done apart from our openness for Him to act and our desire for Him to be at work in our hearts.  The openness and the desire which enables Him to bless us is like an open door which can only be opened by each one of us.  As we act, we express our desire for Him to bless and touch our lives with His grace and mercy.  And, He does.

Broken Sea Shells

Over the years I have been a collector.   A first hobby was a collection of postmarks cut from envelopes and postcards.   An like any boy of my generation, I accumulated a large collection of baseball careds.  Though these were my most notable efforts at collecting, I have at different times collected comic books, Hardy Boy stories, postcards, old pre-1900 religious books, an assortment of things which can only be described as junk, and seashells picked up on random trips to the beach.    

While the sea shell collection never became very large, it had a prominent place on top of a file cabinet in several different offices used over the years.  A few managed to make it to the shore intact, but most of them were battered, broken, and showing signs of more than just one day of being pulled one way and then another by the moving water.  Over the years I came to appreciate the broken ones more than the ones which acclaimed themselves to be near perfect.    Perhaps, it is because sea shells found on beach walks are like most of us.   

Few of us make it very far without showing signs of being battered and broken by things swirling around us.  We may cause some of the things which beat us up, but there are also so many things out there over which we have no control.  There have been many times when I have felt like the broken seashell looks.  I am grateful there is a loving Father who is always out there on the prowl ready to pick me up, hold me in His hands, and in doing so, speak a word about the value of one broken down by the stuff  of life.    

On the Edge

For many people the place where ocean and shore and horizon blend into one expanding expanse of eternity has an attraction which is compelling.  Some folks race into the surf to feel the wild surge of an unseen power.  Others seem content to stand knee deep in the constantly moving water, to take in deep breaths of salty blowing breezes, and to contemplate all that is unfolding around them.  The ancient spiritual mystics who lived connected to the Creation called it a "thin place" where the visible and the invisible flowed together.     

Those who swim in neck deep water and those who walk on the edge of the shore have different perspectives, but both find themselves in touch with what is both magic and mystery.  On the edge where surf disappears on the shore,  the water pulls us toward the expanding eternity that is out yonder even as  the sand grabs tenaciously to express the earth's holding power.   Being pulled two ways at the same time is a common phenomena experienced by anyone where ocean, shore, and horizon are joined.       

What is learned from the thin place is a reality constantly being experienced in every setting of life.  Always we find ourselves drawn toward the eternity God has created for us.  There is a longing for Him and all that He has for us that permeates our very soul.  And, at the same time, there is this strong pull to stay rooted in the midst of all that we know in the present moment.  We are pulled to hold ourselves where we are even as we are pulled toward heaven's shores.  While it might seem confusing and strange, there is something of God's design for us in the tension created by being drawn toward staying and moving toward home.  

Rarified Air

Gone from here,

    not just anywhere, 

      gone there, 

        streets of gold, 

holy rarified air.  

The land of thin air, 

    see through air, 

      invisible no more,

        all things holy

now clearly seen. 

Ahead of us they go, 

   no longer seen, 

     they now see, 

       through the thinness

watching and praying.

A place with them, 

    being made ready, 

      for you and for me, 

        midst the clouds,

together once again.  

      

The father and the Son

The boy saw it first, 

    not clearly, but dimly,

      looking daily, 

        knowing it to be true,

impossible for it not to be.

While many had gone, 

     only one counted, 

       a father now there, 

         gone far too soon,

still gone, not to return.

A life time of looking, 

    the boy changed, 

      became a man,

        an old, old man, 

stronger hope than before.

Sooner, not later, 

    the young boy

     and the old man, 

       will walk behind, 

the father and the Son.

The Open Gate

Ten thousand years ago, 

    maybe ten million, 

      perhaps even more,

        the gate was opened, 

to swing wide for evermore.

Sinners paused to behold, 

    the marvel of grace, 

      and unexpected mercy,

        pausing for a moment,

then racing lest it close.

 

No need to hurry and run, 

    grace all sufficient, 

      keeps the hinges open,

        inside they look, 

for folks like you and me.

  

Ah, such a glorious gate, 

     just inside He waits, 

      along with the angels,

        and clapping saints, 

to shout "Welcome Home!"

The Land Beyond

 The land beyond, 

     across the River,

       journey's end,

        closer now

than long, long ago.

The land beyond, 

    mostly invisible, 

      now and again, 

        breaks in here, 

still dimly seen.

The land beyond, 

     sinners and saints,

       hard to tell, 

        who is who, 

grace so abounds.

The land beyond, 

    called heaven, 

      or eternity, 

       even paradise,

the soul says, "Home."

     

  

     

Across the Shore

 Across the shore, 

     the other shore, 

       beyond the River,

         there is a gate

that opens to home.

The way to the River,

     the narrow road, 

       less traveled, 

         still worn,

by feet of the saints.

A long journey,

    a life time ago,

      the first steps, 

        slow, steady,

the final ones ahead.

On the other side, 

    comes the glory,

     fresh holy air, 

       a bursting love,

the Pioneer waiting.

The Crossing

 Walking in the River,

      not just any river, 

        but the River, 

          touching both banks,

One on earth, one in glory.

First in ankle deep water,

    now bouncing up and down, 

      one foot, then another,

        neck deep and more,

Breathing air and water.

Behind, too far away, 

   ahead, still distant, 

      out here somewhere,

        in the deep middle,

Hoping not to go under.

Midst the dark water, 

    the dense swirling mist,

      a Hand appears, 

       reaching, taking, 

Toward the distant shore.

On the edge of the other side, 

   the light of glory shines, 

     the Face of the Hand,

       now ever present

And, the Voice says, "Home."

One Day

 One day

    not so long from now

      singing and dancing

        will come to pass

and mourning will be no more.

One day, 

    glory will be forever

       full of holy presence

         radiant and joyful

and the darkness will be gone.

One day, 

    walking through the river

       reaching the other side

         falling down on eager knees

and looking up into the Face.

One day, 

     heaven will be as here

        always and ever

           the land of eternal sun

and one day is now forever.  

Coming Glory

Glory comes like fire, 

   like the morning sun, 

     fresh, full, unfolding,

       coming from unseen,

breaking and bursting.

What no one sees,

     now all around us,

        as heavy wet dew,   

           baptizing bare feet,

changing, making new.

When glory opens eyes,

     closed and stilled,

       by the final sleep,

         all beyond the veil

shines and shimmers.

Glory fully come,

    being face to face,

      beholding the Son,

        seeing again the saints,

singing and shouting,

Standing Not Alone

When the Apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy, "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice..."  (II Timothy 1:5), he spoke of an influence common to all who walk the road of faith in Jesus Christ.  Each one of us who professes faith in Christ does so because someone before us has lived the faith, walked the talk, and prayed for us.  Perhaps, it was not the strong family connection which blessed Timothy, but someone out there and behind us who stood in the gap in our behalf.    

We may be blessed to know the identity of those folks, but then again, it is possible that they did so from shadows too deep for us to see them.  Yet, the truth remains that we are the result of someone's faithfulness, someone's love for Christ, and someone's prayers.  As a father I remember the first time I held our daughters and I remember, too, the first prayer I prayed as I prayed that they would grow to adulthood knowing what it meant to love Jesus.    

There is nothing unique about such a moment for many a parent has held their child and offered prayers for the life ahead of them.  And, even as I know I am a person of faith because of the prayers of family, so do I also know that I am who I am because of people who volunteered to lead Sunday School and youth groups, people outside the church who cared enough for me and others to serve as silent mentors, and countless others who were watched and never knew that their lives were being noted as one worthy of emulation.  We are all on this walk together and to look closely is to see those who have enabled us as well as those we have enabled.   

The Encouraging Word

The one who speaks words of encouragement is the giver of blessings.  Each one of us who has ever heard such a word from some friend, or even from some unexpected source, knows this to be true.  When the Apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy, he proved himself to be one who spoke words of encouragement as he said, ""I am reminded of your sincere faith...."  (II Timothy 1:5)  It was such a simple one, one that required little effort, but also one which no doubt put a lift in the young man's step and a spark in his spirit.    

There are folks all around us who could use such a word in these days.  Life is hard even when it is moving on Easy Street.  And the truth is that no matter how well life is going, no one minds hearing some encouraging word that has forward propelling power.  It is not always possible to pick up on someone's need for such a word so the best thing we can do is to live as one who has an encouraging spirit.    

When the encouragement comes forth in a spontaneous manner, it is going to be received as a genuine word that is not seeking to impress, but to help another along the way.  There are so many face-to-face moments afforded us to offer this act of kindness, but there are also moments for sending a note which can be held in the hand for a spell and then even longer in the heart.  As we are blessed by the encouraging words of others, so are others blessed by the ones spoken from our heart.  

Our Spiritual Legacy

I grew up in a tradition of wearing a red flower on Mother's Day if your Mother was living and a white one if she was no longer present on this earth.  Tomorrow will be my second year in the white flower group.  Growing up it seems like our parents will always be with us, but, of course, we know such is not true.  My father died when I was seven years old which left a indelible mark on my spirit and my mother lived long enough to see her son reach seventy years of age.     

Not everyone is blessed with good parents.  To have such a blessing is a blessing beyond measure.  It was my mother who was the parent of strong faith.  My father came to be a believer, but it was only in the last year of his life.  On the other hand, my mother taught me to pray, taught me to be thankful, and showed me in numerous ways what it meant to serve others.  She made sure the church was an important part of my life and even when I came home from college announcing that I would be taking a Sunday off, she would have none of it.    

Godly parents are blessings.  When we pause to reflect, we realize how much our faith is built on theirs.  The Apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy, "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you."  (II Timothy 1:5)   As we remember with gratitude this blessing, may we also pray that such a spiritual legacy continues in us.   

The Small Church

It is hard to see one small country church, or small town church in a rural area close its doors.  It is something which sociologists can explain as they talk about the migration of people from the rural to the urban and the movement of the young away from the farm to the office.  With each departure the small country church finds itself diminished by one more until there are hardly any "one more's" left to depart.  And somewhere in that long line of departures which often spreads over decades, the last worshiping group leaves for another place.     

I recently heard about the closing of the Methodist Church out in the country which nurtured my mother's faith and provided a resting place for my father.  It brought sadness to me.  I, too, was nurtured by that same congregation of people whose names I have long ago forgotten.  Though the names are gone, the memory of the fellowship they offered and the faith they shared is buried deep in my own spiritual life.  These small churches may close,  but their witness lives on and on far beyond what seems possible.    

 And while I ended up serving some larger Methodist churches during my ministry, I am grateful for those small churches where I preached in the earlier days.  The people were long suffering, patient, kind, and loving.  They gave a greenhorn preacher more than he deserved and far more than he realized he was receiving in the moment.  Those small churches out in the middle of nowhere make for good memories, but more important the investment of those folks in my life had a profound effect for which I have always been grateful.   

Testimony Meetings

The church culture which nurtured me as a boy seems like something which belonged to another world.  Certainly, it belonged to another era.  A common occurrence, particularly on Sunday night when worship was filled with gospel hymns from "The Cokesbury Hymnal," was a testimony service when the sermon was replaced by one person after another standing up in a spontaneous fashion to give a personal testimony.    

It was always a lively time when heads were constantly turning and the young had an opportunity to hear a word from the older members of the congregation.  Of course, not everyone stood to speak, but as Sunday arrived and another Sunday came even some of the younger ones would dare to stand and offer a word about a beginning faith in Jesus.  It was a version of today's participatory worship which was sometimes filled with the ordinary, but often a touch of the Spirit's power broke in among us.   

As a pastor I often looked to the past and called forth the opportunity for the gathered people of God to share their faith with one another.  Many greeted such a moment with stony silence while others gathered up their courage and offered a word or two about the way God was being experienced in their lives.  Not all the things we remember from the church's past merit repeating.  Some of what is done in one way at one time is often done in another at another time.  Sharing how God is at work in our hearts is one thing which could still bring power into the presence of God's gathered people.      

One Stone

When it came time to fight Goliath, the young shepherd boy named David laid aside the offered King's armor.  It was not something he needed.   The the Scripture says, "...(David)  chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in his pouch: his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine."  (I Samuel 17:40)   It was four more stones than he would need for the first one brought the giant to the ground.    

The only mistake David seemed to have made was thinking that he might need more than one stone.  What actually happened was the Lord provided more than was needed.  Maybe the extra four stones gave David a measure of confidence, but all he would actually need was one.  When the time came David did not even look in his bag and search for the perfect stone to throw; instead, he simply reached in and sent it flying toward the forehead of the giant.   

As we read the story and remember the stories of our own life, we are caused to remember that God always has a way of providing for us in times of difficulty and danger.  And more importantly, He over provides.  He blesses us with more than we actually need to overcome whatever giant is standing in front of us.  It has happened over and over again and it is something we can count on to happen the next time we run into something which seems greater than what we can handle.  

Old Stuff

As I read some of the spiritual writers who lived and served Christ in other centuries, I am amazed at the contemporary nature of their thinking and writing.  In some cases it seems that they might be writing for our time, but a closer look reveals that their reading audience has long departed this earth for the heavenly home.  I was reminded of this recently as I was reading some of the sermons of Charles Spurgeon and, of course, my daily read from Oswald Chambers.      

These writers and a host of others who stand alongside of them in the history of the church have written things which have stood the test of time.  When what we read from another century is written with such relevance and continues to garner such popularity, it stands to reason that there is something within the words worth the time it takes to read.  But, alas, so many turn their back on anything that was written before yesterday.     

Perhaps, it is a different style of writing, or even a different use of the English language which turns some folks away from older writings, but more likely it is the attitude that nothing so old could be of any value.  The truth is that the measure of any writing is the way it stands the test of time.  If something is still being read and valued by many who walk the road of faith, it may be that there is something there which will do more than tickle our ears.  It may be that if given a chance, it will stir our soul.  

The Grand Glory

As the sun draws down deep 

     into the distant horizon, 

I know

     it is I who has moved, 

       not the shining light

         of glory now gone.

What is now gone

      is there but not here,

I know

      it is the ever changing constant,   

         the fire that burns,

            but is not consumed.

With the darkness now here, 

    it is gone but present.

I know

    the grand glory remains

       here and there

         and everywhere.  

     

The Bigger Part

When Charles Spurgeon, the great 19th century English preacher known as the "Prince of Preaching"  was converted, it was at a church he did not intend to attend, but one to which he went because of a snowstorm.  The weather was so bad not even the preacher showed up, so "At last, a very thin-looking man, a shoemaker, or tailor or something of that sort, went up to the pulpit to preach.  Now, is is well that preachers should be instructed, but this man was really stupid.  He was obliged to stick to his text for the simple reason he had little else to say....'Look to Me and be saved...'  Isaiah 45:22)   ("The Essential Works of Charles Spurgeon)     

At the end of the ten minute sermon, Spurgeon found himself standing in the presence of Christ in a life changing way.   Every preacher has preached too many sermons which belong in the "Never Preach Again" file.  My own file got fairly big before I stepped away from the pulpit, but one of the things learned over the years is that even bad, ill prepared sermons can be transformed into something which accomplishes the unexpected work of the Spirit.  Like any preacher, I have memories of people responding to sermons which never seemed to come together.     

There is nothing which takes the place of praying over a sermon.  There is no substitution for faithful work.  And what should never surprise any preacher is that what seems to be the best sermons fall flat while the sermons which seemed to be only a measure better than terrible touch the heart of some unexpected soul.  The preacher is an important part of the sermon process, but the Holy Spirit always has the bigger part.