Vol 2 No 27 - Confirmation

On Sunday morning, Pharr Chapel will be celebrating one of the most vital moments of a congregation's life during the year. This Sunday, we will be witnesses to three young people who will be professing their faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ on Confirmation Sunday. It has been mine and Erin's privilege and honor to be with these three outstanding future leaders of God's church over the past four months. Through our Sunday afternoon discussions and a Saturday trip to Confirmation Day with the Bishop, we have enjoyed seeing them discover more about the triune God, the church, and themselves as we have journeyed through the Bible, church history, and their own faith story through their families.

I remember my own Confirmation Sunday. April 24, 1988. The sights, the sounds, the smells - I can remember it all. As the pastor put his hands upon me and prayed for me, it became very obvious the presence of the Holy Spirit in that time. Although I did not know it at the time, it was a major milestone in my life and did play a very important role in my future as a pastor. The people of the church helped make me realize it was a big day - for it was a packed house and the people (many of whom I still have the honor of being in touch with) who supported me and my classmates played a far bigger role than I realized at the time in not only telling me about the love of Christ, but modeling it to us.

My challenge for you as the people of Pharr Chapel United Methodist Church is to make sure that we do everything we can to help make this Sunday, June 3, 2007, a very memorable day for the three young people who will be making this historic decision to profess their faith in Jesus Christ. Make every effort to be in attendance this Sunday as we not only participate with them in this part of their faith journey but also are reminded of the time when we acknowledged Christ as Lord in our lives.

See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 2 No 26 - The Spirit of...

Pentecost Sunday. One of those days in the Christian year that we know just enough about to be dangerous. I have a hunch that if you asked your average 'church person' about Pentecost, you would be able to find out that Pentecost was the time in which Christ sent the Holy Spirit down upon the church and that a bunch of people who spoke in many different tongues could hear one another in their native language. However, I wonder if we leave our understanding of Pentecost at this level how much we are missing for what this means to us today. I wonder if we as a people have allowed Pentecost to become a celebration of a historical event rather than understanding that the gift of the Holy Spirit that Christ gave to the church is still relevant for us today.

So, rather than sitting here and speculating about this whole Pentecost thing, I am going to ask you as you prepare to come to worship this week to ponder who the Holy Spirit is and what role the Holy Spirit plays in your faith, your life, and your involvement in our congregation. As you ponder this, I want to frame your thoughts in one way - start by assuming that the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. During worship this Sunday, you will be asked again about this. During worship the past couple of weeks, we have begun to look at what it is that God is calling us to be as a congregation, and, through the eyes of our interpretation of Scripture, seen that who we are now is not necessarily who we have been or will become. I firmly believe that the celebration of Pentecost Sunday will help us to see that God is not only a God of the past but also actively at work here and now. You look at where God has brought our congregation just in the past twelve months and you see that the Holy Spirit's activity in the church is not limited to the second chapter of Acts.

You are getting this e-mail a day later than normal because I am at a conference in Fayetteville, AR, of young UM clergy from the eight states of our jurisdiction. Admittedly, I was a little skeptical about coming here because I firmly believe that one of the great weaknesses of our denomination is that we have fractured and split ourselves into too many special-interest groups - racial, gender, clergy/laity, large/small church, worship styles - and I have a great fear that by having a gathering of young clergy to discuss the issues of the church and to make proposals and recommendations could wind up as yet another group wanting to have their agenda drive the church. While I do sense some of that amongst some here, I know that God has led me here to be a part of a discussion. A discussion not of the church, but of what it is that God is wanting to do with the church. This is a discussion that we must not lose sight of, and a discussion in which we must engage.

The question is not, "What can we do to get more people to Pharr Chapel?". The question we face is, "Who is it that God is calling us to be?". Going into this celebration of Pentecost Sunday, we are faced not with the question of what systems and programs to come up with in order to get what we want, but the reality that the Holy Spirit is a gift given to us by God to lead us to God's will for our lives.

Be sure to join us in worship on this Pentecost Sunday as we remember what God did on that glorious day and anticipate what God will do through the Holy Spirit now and in the future. (Also, don't forget that each of you has a gift purchased especially for you waiting as we gather for worship Sunday morning.)

See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 2 No 25 - Where Were We?

To be bluntly honest, there are some Sundays that I wake up and do not want to get out of bed, much less go to church. It's not that I do not like my job or being with you all - there are just some Sundays that I would rather lay in bed and watch TV, or read a book, or one of a hundred other things that can occupy one's time on Sunday morning. (Can any of you relate????) However, at these moments I have to take a good, hard look at things and remember that Sunday morning, like every morning, is not about what I want, but it is about what God is calling me to do with the day that has been so graciously given to me. More often than not, it is on those days that I find God's presence in a way that I had not expected.

Then there are Sundays that I anticipate many weeks or months ahead of time. Sundays like Christ the King Sunday, Trinity Sunday, the Sunday between Christmas and Epiphany - those are days I get very excited about the idea of being in worship (which is absolutely ridiculous when you thing about it, for we should always be excited about the opportunity to gather with the saints for worship). This Sunday is one of those times when I cannot wait, for we will be observing Heritage Sunday this week. As I mentioned in the newsletter, we will be looking at the church's true heritage. Remember, we cannot properly move on to the future unless we also remember from where we came.

See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 2 No 24 - Mother's Day Reflections

Normally, your Mid-Week Message is composed on Wednesday mornings, but while sitting here watching television with Erin this evening, I saw the most ridiculous commercial that got us talking about worship this Sunday. One of the seemingly endless jewelry store ads shown during this week every year, it reminded viewers that "You only have one day to celebrate mom - so make it special." How utterly stupid and absolutely contrary to not only good sense and manners, but also to the Christian faith that we profess to live under. This mindset, however, is one of the reasons why this Sunday, Mother's Day, is one of the most dangerous for pastors and also one of the most misunderstood days in the life of the church.

I will never forget the first Mother's Day that I had in my first post-seminary appointment. We were in the midst of the Easter season, and I preached from the lectionary texts for the day. It was about two o'clock that afternoon when my phone rang, and the matriarch of the congregation was on the phone asking me why I did not preach about mothers on Mother's Day. Who did I think I was? After all, "People go to church on Mother's Day with mom expecting a sermon on motherhood, moms, and how great it all is." Her tone indicated that there was no way I could give an answer that would satisfy her, but she did get me thinking.

How should we communicate to people that the church is to be a place of worship - worship of God, not anyone else (even mom)?

How should we communicate that if you have to wait until Mother's Day to let mom know how much she means to you then you don't have much of a relationship with mom to begin with?

How should we communicate that when the church makes a big deal about the oldest mother and the youngest mother that chances are very good that there are women sitting in the pews who are inwardly weeping (if they show up at all on this day) because they know that they will never be a mother, never have a chance at the award for oldest, youngest, or most prolific mother?

How do we communicate that while Mother's Day is the day on which the most phone calls are made that there are women in our midst who will not get that phone call from a beloved child this year because they had to endure every mother's nightmare of outliving their child?

How do we communicate that there are many mothers and children who have no relationship at all and all that this day does is bring pain and sorrow for pain that in some cases goes back decades?

How do we communicate this message to those for whom for whom Mother's Day is hard because they will not be able to call mom this year since mom has passed away?

This Sunday, as is the case every Sunday, we will gather to worship God. We will gather to give thanks for everything that God has done, is doing, and will do. Mother's Day will be recognized - but in the context of a God who is much bigger than anything we can imagine. Let us remember that Sunday, like every day, is not about any one or anything but the triune God.

Planning to make a big deal about mom on Mother's Day? Why wait. Call mom now. Write mom now. Send flowers now. Don't wait to be prompted by Madison Avenue. Planning to hide from the world on Mother's Day because of the pain of the day? Know that I am in prayer for you now.

Either way, join us for worship this Sunday as we explore again the God who not only provides the great things in life, but also is big enough to get us through the most difficult times in life.

See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 2 No 23 - Who's Agenda?

Yesterday was one of those great days that pastors get to have every so often in their careers. As you may remember, last fall at charge conference you formed a long-range planning committee and charged them with the task of coming up with a plan of action for our congregation to undertake within the next few years. During the formation of this group, you agreed to the condition that no area was off-limits - the entire body that is Pharr Chapel (organization, facilities, real estate, finances, worship) was to be looked over and this committee is to discern what it is that God is Pharr Chapel to look like. Over the past four months, we have been doing a detailed review of all aspects of our congregation's life, quantifying, as best as you can in situations like this, what are Pharr Chapel's strengths and weaknesses.

Last night, at our meeting, we started a discussion about what to do with this data. As we talked, it started to become a little clearer about what areas God is calling us to address and enhance (and this is not just about looking at weaknesses, but also about playing to our strengths). During all the white-boarding that went on, I was grabbed by something one of the members said: "The important thing is that we be intentional about being the best Pharr Chapel United Methodist Church that we can given what God has given us." This was a truly holy moment for me, in that it not only was practical, wise advice for a church on the move, but also very well-grounded biblically and theologically. One of the hardest things for any of us to do, whether it be in our personal lives, our family lives, our professional lives, or the life of the church, is to realize that what is important is not what I want, but what is best for the larger purpose. When we as a congregation start focusing on what it is God is calling us to be, rather than on what is it that we want to do or what it is that the church down the street is doing, THEN we are starting to put ourselves in a position to truly see where it is God wants to take us. After all, isn't the point of life not for us to go do things, but to allow God to lead us down the paths He has chosen for us?

We will be celebrating Youth Sunday this week. A quick word to the wise: If you want to catch a glimpse of where it is God is leading the church (the universal church), come be a part of this very special Sunday in which our youth lead us in worship. Note that I said lead us in worship, for this is not a place for us to come watch the youth worship. This is a place for us to allow ourselves to be led by the next generation to worship the God who spans ALL generations.

See you Sunday!
Lamar