Vol 6 No 21 - A Good Easter

"Are you having a good Easter?"  Yeah, I know.  "Easter's come and gone, hasn't it preacher?  That was Sunday.  And, by the way, I did have a good Easter, thank you for asking."

Well...um...yeah.  About that...

We are having a good Easter.  By definition, there is no such thing as a bad Easter, for Easter is all about hope.  Easter is about hope because it is about resurrection.  Easter is about resurrection because Christ showed that death does not necessarily have the final say.  We are having a good Easter because we are people of the resurrection who know that our HOPE is found in the promise of tomorrow.

We are having a good Easter because the resurrection is not about a day, or a singular event.  The resurrection is about giving life, eternal life, starting now.  We are having a good Easter because through Christ's resurrection we are called to participate in the Kingdom of God NOW; it's not something we make a decision for then bide our time until we quit respirating and THEN enter into God's Kingdom.

We are having such a good Easter we remember that we gather for worship every Sunday morning partly in remembrance that it was on the first day of the week that Christ arose from the grave.

It was great to see so many of you in worship here, and in the church universal for Easter; my hope and prayer is that you continue to make worship at Easter a vital point in your life.  To that end, see you Sunday, here or with the church wherever you may be located.  When we worship together no matter the week or the specific emphasis of that Sunday, we are gathering as Easter people, reminded once again of the miraculous joy of the resurrection.

Grace and Peace,

Lamar

Vol 6 No 20 - No Shortcuts

A dear friend of mine told today of the most memorable Easter sermon he ever heard.  It consisted of five words: "He is Risen.  Alleluia.  Amen."  Then the preacher sat down.

Notice I did not say it was the best, merely the most memorable.

Why was it memorable?  It got to the core of the day's message - He is Risen.

As much as I am anxious to get to our celebration of Easter Sunday, as much as I am ready to proclaim the message, "He is Risen," we have a journey to continue before we get there.  A journey that we began on the first Sunday of Advent, when we first started to anticipate the coming of the Messiah.  A journey that we continued as we welcomed the Christ child into the world.  A journey that led us through the Christmas season and into they joy of Epiphany, when the world acknowledged through the wise men the reality of Christ's authority.  A journey that went through celebrating the transfiguration of Christ, where God identified Christ as his Son, the beloved, with whom he was well pleased.  A journey that brought us through the penitence of Ash Wednesday and the prayerful introspection and reflection of the Lenten season of sacrifice and self-denial.  A journey that we continued as we sang Hosanna! in observance of the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday.

This is journey that will lead us into the Upper Room, where Christ tells us to break the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of him, exhibiting the essential Christian nature of humility and service through his loving hospitality of the disciples that evening.

This is a journey that will bring us to Christ's final hours, where through the excruciating and tortuous actions of his arrest, conviction, and execution the power of evil was defeated once and for all.

This is a journey that will take us to the empty tomb, where we proclaim the simple message: "He is Risen.  Alleluia.  Amen."

And prepare for the next part of the journey.

Grace and Peace,

Lamar

P.S.  While part of the journey has already been completed, it's not too late to bring others along, or yourself if you haven't been riding with us up to this point.  Remember, Easter Sunday makes no sense without Holy Thursday and Good Friday to provide context.

Vol 6 No 19 - Not Too Late!

Going into the last Lenten Luncheon of this season today, I have been reminded of those commercials that say something along the lines of, "It's NEVER too late to start planning now for your retirement.  Call us today!"

I bring you good news!  It is not too late to start planning for Easter.  It is not too late to start being prepared by God's grace for the joy of the resurrection.  Yes, it's true.  Even if you have put it all off until now.  That is one of the great things about the community of faith - we are about helping one another prepare for the greatest high holy days of the Christian year.  The first thing to remember, in fact, when trying to prepare for ANY day, is that you are not alone; we have been given the gift of the church precisely because we cannot do it alone.

From Wednesday activities to the joy of Palm Sunday worship and fellowship to the great feast that is Holy Thursday to the poignant and necessary remembrance on Good Friday, we have ample opportunity to be prepared for the joy of Easter.

Wherever you are, remember that Easter's coming.  Allow yourself to truly appreciate the joy of that great day by joining in the journey.  

This is what Lent is all about.  This is what the church is all about.  This is why we have been called together as the community of faith.  To prepare and to be prepared to recall once again Christ's saving work and participate fully in thought, word, and deed.

Grace and Peace,

Lamar

NOTE: For a full list of the activities referenced above, visit http://bit.ly/gNt5Rg

Vol 6 No 18 - Don't Forget

I looked up, and it was Wednesday again; time to write the Mid-Week Message.  How did I miss it?

There is not a one of us who has not gotten so caught up in life that certain things that mean so much to us seem to pop up out of nowhere because we have allowed ourselves to be completely distracted.

Fact of the matter is this is one of the great joys of the Lenten season.  We, the church, take the Great Three Days that conclude on Easter so seriously that we intentionally work for 40 days to prepare for them.  In many ways, this is at the core of Lent - the faithful ordering their lives in such a way that we cannot be surprised by the arrival of Easter Sunday.

How many times have you looked up at the calendar and said, "How did this get here so fast?  I haven't had time to get ready for it?"

May we be people who so order our lives that we are not surprised by the arrival of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, but eagerly and hopefully await their arrival.

See you Sunday (and Wednesday)!

Lamar

Vol 6 No 17 - Roll Tape

It would be much easier, I'm sure.  It might also be much more painful.  In either case, I think it would lead to a far more honest observation of the Lenten season (or for that matter, living the Christian life, period.)  Which is why I think most all of us would run for the hills if this ever happened to us.

I am, of course, talking about having yourself videoed in your natural environment.

This past week, as part of an exercise I'm doing to work with one of my colleagues on preaching, I videoed the reading of the scripture and the sermon.  An old standby of any preaching 101 class, I have to admit it was very challenging to play back that video several times over the past couple of days preparing for my meeting with my colleague today.  Watching this video, I saw some things I need to change, cringed at some things I wish I had worded differently, got some ideas for different things to do.  But it wasn't all bad - looking back at stuff from 5-10 years ago, I see a lot of which I am quite pleased.  The hardest part of all this was simply pressing play the first time.  It will be interesting to see what kind of feedback my colleague offers.

What if we had our lives videoed and could go back to review that which we have done?  What if we had to take these videos and show them to others in an environment where they could offer commentary and critique?  How would it affect your behavior to know that your every move and every word was being recorded for your own review and that of others?  Or, would it?

What if we had the opportunity to compare the tapes of today to the product from 5-10 years ago?  Would someone, including you, looking at these tapes see progress?

See, this is what Lent is all about.  During this season, we are to engage in self-examination and introspection.  We are to take time to 'look at the tape' and see things upon which to improve.

As Christians, we are to be about looking at one another's video, encouraging each other to good works, engaging in accountability for those areas in which we come up short, and to realize that God is consistently seeking to move us forward, whether we can see it or not.

Here's the thing - this can only happen as it should when we allow ourselves to be engaged fully in the life of the congregation.  It is, in essence, what being a member of the church is all about.

Roll tape.

See you Sunday (and Wednesday)!

Lamar

Vol 6 No 16 - Being a Blessing

So, to follow up with the text from worship last week (Genesis 12:1-4a), have you been a blessing this week?  Through your daily interactions with the world in which you live - home, work, community - have you taken that which God has so graciously given you and been a blessing to others?

Over 120 of you were a blessing to me and to each other this past Sunday as you joined together as the community of faith in worship.  My hope and prayer is that you also experienced God's grace and love through this sacred time we were given by God.

As a word of encouragement, let me say that in addition to leaving this place and striving to be a blessing to others beyond the walls of this church, be sure to also remember your opportunity to be a blessing to your fellow saints in the church.  

• Today at noon, we will gather to break bread and feed on the Gospel lesson over lunch, sharing together this truly sacred time of Lenten observance.

• Later today, we will gather to lift up all those God has placed on our hearts to place on our prayer list, and share in the sacred meal of the Lord's Supper.

• The youth of our church will gather after our prayer & communion service to engage in their Lenten Bible Study while our choir will prepare for our upcoming worship services as well as continue their work on the Good Friday service.

• Tomorrow, you will have the opportunity to join with our friends from Trinity Episcopal as we continue the exploration of our shared faith expressed in our common affirmation of faith, the Nicene Creed.

Be honest - how many of you feel that you either do not have the time or the interest to participate in any of our activities other than Sunday morning worship, and that only if we cannot find something else to use our time?

Be honest - how many times do we focus on what we can get out of or put into something to measure whether or not we are going to participate?

On this sacred Wednesday morning, let me encourage you to remember the calling first given to Abram to be a blessing.  I know you have a lot going on and may not think you need much more than Sunday mornings; allow me to remind you that by your very presence and your participation you have the opportunity to be a blessing to others.

Journeying through Lent, be intentional about seeking out how to be a blessing to others.  Take what God has given you and share it through your ministry of presence.

For, wherever you are, in our area or far away, the fact is God's people have been called together to be the church, and you, through the very fact you have been given life, have a blessing to provide simply by showing up.

And I pray that as we are together I may be a blessing to you.

See you Sunday (and Wednesday)!

Lamar

Vol 6 No 15 - The Lenten Tongue

By now, I hope and pray you have gotten into the Lenten Spirit.  Through prayer, fasting, and self-examination, this is truly a season to allow God to work deeper within us, showing us how much more the Divine glory can shine through us.  

This morning, our youth had a great breakfast highlighted by a lesson on the power of the tongue.  As we studied this morning, scripture is quite clear about how the actions of our tongue control us far more than we realize.

I encourage you to use this holy season of Lent as an opportunity to examine the state of your tongue.  What is it that you are doing through the words that you say and how you say them?  Are you using them to uplift one another, encouraging one another to good deeds, and strengthening one another's faith?  Are you using your words to be God's light and love in the world?  Can someone, by hearing you speak to them, hear the Good News of Christ?

When you speak, do you speak on your own, or do you seek to speak by the power of the Holy Spirit, spreading God's saving grace?

See you Sunday (and Wednesday)!

Lamar