The Travesty of the cross;  at least this is what Lee Strobel calls it is the main focus of all Christians.  Why did Jesus die on the cross?  Why do 2 billion Christians celebrate it as a symbol of God’s love and people even beyond the Christian sphere often mark it as a special symbol of hope and blessings.  I think the cross tells us two things.  First it reminds us of God’s love,  For God so loved the world.  This is the easy one, it is not hard to understand that God loves us enough to die for us.  But the real travesty is it proclaims that  God is a “Holy” God, a God who is so righteous, perfect, awesome, and without sin, that the demands of  his Holiness and Grace called for the death of His only sinless son to provide atonement,  the forgiveness of sins.  The cross tells me how Holy God is and that the greatest travesty is not that piece of wood, but my own sin.  It tells me who I am and calls me to my knees to ask and receive this Amazing grace God offers in such a complete, unquestionable, and unarguable way,  “while we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly” the Bible states.

Sin

I am fascinated by people they call hoarders.  They often have homes full of junk, paper, trash, and even rotting food and are unwilling to get rid of it.  It becomes especially perplexing when folks come into to help, point out the problem, give them some wise counseling, and even volunteer to clean up their home throwing away the often stinking refuse, and they still resist the help.  Jesus gave His life on the cross certainly to show us how much he loved us, but even more he did it to forgive us our sins, enter our world where we hoard sin and its guilt and its effects,we are way too often defined by these piles of what we have done to ourselves, to others, and what has been done to us.  The standard of the clean up, the forgiveness of sin, is the cross.  We can be set free for the asking.  “Grace greater than all our sin”, and the standard of God on a cross is sufficient to clean up the little messes our lives can easily become.  Matthew 26:28″ This is the blood of the covenant, which is to be shed on the behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins!”

24 Hours that Changed the World

This Wednesday, February 17th, is Ash Wednesday, the first Day of Lent, the season that leads up to Easter.  For the next 6 weeks we will be looking at the last 24 hours of Jesus life, the few hours that led to and included the crucifixion.  What about those hours, something as egregious as a crucified Jesus, changed the world, led to 2 billion people claiming the Christian faith.  He was betrayed, doubted, and denied.  Yet somehow, those moments on the cross draw us to Him.  Can someone love us this much?  Is there more to this than just a cruel death?  If I have rejected these claims, should I reconsider them?  If I have embraced the claims of the cross, how should I respond?  Why, and how did a piece of wood stuck in the ground on an insignificant hill outside Jerusalem 2000 years ago change the world, and can it still change me?

Mission Trip to Rwanda Africa

I will be heading out on a Mission Trip to Rwanda this year, July 7th 10 17th.  We will be going with ZOE ministries, a group led by Greg Jinks, we have had a long term relationship with.  A few years ago I went to Zimbabwe with this exciting United Methodist Mission Organization.  While there we will connect with the Giving Hope Empowerment program which we support as well as be a part of the dedication of an entire Secondary School a family in our Church helped make happen.  The core focus of the Giving Hope program is to empower orphans and child led families to become self sufficient and the purpose of the school is to create teachers who can educate the people of Rwanda, both nation changing ministries.  Prayer, faith, and walking with Christ will undergird the whole trip as we connect our very real faith with very real needs as Jesus has taught us.  Pray for us as we get ready and pray and see if God is leading you into something as wonderful as this.  Teresa Sherwood, our mission director is also going, as will many others including a United Methodist Church in Florida that has partnered with us and ZOE ministries to “Make Disciples of Jesus Christ who will love God, love others, and serve the World!”  If you are thinking about going or would like more information then email Teresa at teresas@firstmethodistmansfield, or email me at miker@firstmethodistmansfield.org.  For me my trip to Africa 3 years ago was life changing, and I pray that journey impacted the lives of others as well.

Monday is a holiday celebrating the life, work, and mission of Martin Luther King Jr.  I worry sometimes that this celebration is considered a time only for African Americans.  And yet Reverend King is a most American of Heroes who simply fought for justice, equality, and the rights of those who had few rights, very much the same thing that was fought for in the American Revolution and America has fought for around the world.  Within the culture he stood for those who could not stand for themselves and died for that stance.  America would not be what it is without George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King.  When America moved toward the rights of the individual in 1776  a race of people was left behind, one of the travesties in American history set in a history of so many other great and wonderful ideas and ideals.  Reverend King stood not only for those people who were in bondage, but for those who did not realize that they too were outside the sphere of what American stands for.  When we find ourselves realizing that Martin Luther King Jr is a hero for all Americans, then the dream of this Baptist Preacher will have been realized.  I hope you find time ,whatever your own personal story, to celebrate this most American of Holidays.

2010

           I am writing this as we all prepare for a new year, 2010.  I am hoping Navy beats Missouri though at this point the jury is still out.  We hear a great deal about new year’s resolutions;  some believe in them, some don’t.   But believing in positive change is a core belief for followers of  Jesus Christ.  In my life as a believer in Christ, and many years as a Pastor, I have discovered, personally, 4 things that keep my life in place, on track, and open a door to a positive future, even in those days I might find myself in a difficult season.  What are these 4 things; Prayer, Bible study and reflection, giving, and worshiping with a Church family.  There are many other things as well, but everything else rises from these four corners of how I live out my faith.  My marraige, family, ministry, hobbies, service, everything is balanced in a healthy way when I balance these 4 corners of my basic commitment as a Christian.

I have discovered, typically, that when people get in trouble, ususally one or more of these basic disciplines of following Christ has been neglected and opened the door for that trouble.  We don’t pray and therefore let our relationship with God slip,  we don’t study the Bible and find we are more shaped by a selfcentered culture than a Christ centered Bible, we don’t give and our priorities all get out of whack, we let Church attendance slip and no longer find ourselves accountable to the loving voice of pastors, Christian friends, and Church family.

In the new year, pray every day (try the psalms and the Lord’s prayer), study and reflect on the Bible (Join us in the new GPS at the beginning of lent),  give (Tithe or begin to step up to the tithe) join me in Church this weekend and every weekend and see  (Our new message series  “IT”  what is IT?).

Navy just scored!

a God blessed and Happy new year

Christmas Eve Family

This is my family, complete with our son in law just home for Iraq, a rare occurrence when all 13 of us are together.  We are excited about their surprising us for our Sunday 35th anniversary and are equally happy they will be with us at one of our Christmas Eve Candlelight services.  I hope you will join us as well as we mark the Birth of Jesus Christ with Carols, candlelight, the reading of the Christmas story, and the sharing of an important Christmas message, “Simple Christmas”.  We know the  December season is what is should be when January is better because of it.  I sometimes worry we box up the great Christmas news in the attic on January 1st like we box up our Christmas decorations.  Few things end as quickly and completely as a secular Christmas; and few things create a more wonderful new beginning than the Sacred Christmas.  “Born for you this day in the city of  David is a Savior, Christ the Lord!”.

35 years

This photo was taken of Rhonda and I while in Israel in February, right on the Sea of Galilee.  This Sunday, December 20th, we will have been married for 35 years.  I would like to give you a special invitation(This is a secret, please don’t tell Rhonda).  After the 11:00 service there will be a reception on the 20th celebrating our Anniversary that everyone is invited to, (again, Rhonda, so far is unaware). I would love to have you come and share this with us.  Almost 32 years of our life have been shared while I have been a pastor and I will say she has made the most sacrifices.  We were married at Glad Tidings Tabernacle when I was 21 and she was 18 and on her Christmas break from her senior year in High School (I don’t recommend it for your kids).  We met in Church, have shared faith, love, and family, have 3 great children and 6 beautiful grandchildren.   Celebration will be the theme.

A Simple Christmas

The little sad Christmas tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas is an image many of us love.  Some years ago we did this as a drama in worship.  This little tree has an amazing punch line;  after the disaster of charlie brown and his friends trying to create a Christmas program and most walking off in a huff.  Little Linius stands by this tree with a spotlight on him and just reads the Christmas Story.  “born for you in the city of David is a Savior, who is Christ the lord….you will find him wrapped in swaddling cloths and lieing in a manger!?  The simple reading of the story is guaranteed to bring tears to the eyes of the most hardened listener.  Why?  Because this simple story is one we desperately want to know and be a part of.  We want to kneel with the shepherds.  I hope we all get to do that this year;  whether we are surprised like the shepherds when the moment comes, or we have anticipated it for years and can’t believe it finally happened like the experience of the Wise Men.  I hope you have a Simple Christmas this year.

When we think of thanksgiving often Turkey  and dressing comes to mind, unless one is from new England when the word is stuffing, or in the Hispanic community when Tamales might take the place of turkey.  But the real root of Thanksgiving is more than what we have for dinner on Thursday (and I am very grateful that most of our family will be here Thursday and we have a 24 LB turkey in the freezer on hold).  When the pilgrims celebrated that first thanksgiving it was serious business.  More than half those early settlers in New England did not survive the Atlantic crossing on The Mayflower.  Then at that first winter another half, give or take, died of disease, cold, and starvation.  In their attempt to build the city of God in the new world the sacrifices were immeasurable.  It was a miracle than this handful of men and women and children could gather around a full table, enjoy a great meal, and mark (despite the hardships)  their thanksgiving to almighty God;  give thanks for what God had set before them, instead of as human nature often demands, list their sacrifices and hardship of the previous year.  They did not see the founding of this new colony as being built upon their own sacrifices or fortitude, but upon the providence of a faithful God,  they took no credit for their nerve and steadfastness, instead they gave the credit to a merciful God. Thanksgiving is about a providential, merciful God who loves us and we follow.  When we remember God’s faithfulness, trust God fully, and then respond with absolute thanksgiving, we have a more clear picture of the relationship between humankind and the creator.    Thanksgiving is about that relationship!  (I hope we all have great family and friendship times this next week, and in those times find moments to give thanks to a providential and merciful God)

Next Page »