The Billy Sunday Pulpit

Do you know who Billy Sunday was?  Billy Sunday was a Civil War orphan from Iowa, born in Story County, who played professional baseball for eight seasons from 1883-1890.  Sunday’s first five seasons were with the Chicago White Stockings, which, ironically, would later become the Chicago Cubs, (The new American League team in Chicago would later adopt the same name.) So, Billy Sunday was a Cub, just another reason to like him!  Best known for his base running, Sunday had 243 career stolen bases.

Billy Sunday became a Christian while still playing for Chicago and would later be traded to Pittsburgh and eventually to Philadelphia.  In 1891, he turned down the renewal of his contract with Philadelphia to enter full-time ministry with the YMCA back in Chicago. Billy Sunday would go on to become one of the most popular evangelists and revival preachers of his time, the Billy Graham of his day, holding meetings all over the country.  Billy was an old-fashioned, fire-and-brimstone, pulpit-pounding preacher. (And, speaking of Billy Graham, Billy Graham was converted in a revival meeting when Mordecai Ham was preaching. Mordecai Ham was converted under the preaching of none other than Billy Sunday.)

But what does that have to do with our church?  I’m glad you asked. In 1907 and 1908, and again in 1910 and 1911, Billy Sunday preached revivals in downtown Muscatine at the old lumberyard.  A total of 74 meetings were held with over 180,000 total people in attendance.

In our church we have a pulpit that was used by Billy Sunday for at least one of those revivals.  To think that we have in our church a pulpit that one of the greatest preachers in American history stood behind, and perhaps even stood on, as he was often know to do, gives me, and I hope you as well, a great deal of pride.  The Billy Sunday pulpit can be seen in the old entrance hall just north of the tower doors. (Thanks to Jim Van Winkle for taking to photograph.)

A Big, Beautiful, and Busy Church

During my first week here at Wesley Audrey, our Office Manager, gave me the great idea of writing series of newsletter articles talking about what I have learned as a newcomer here at the church with the hope that you all might discover something you did not know as well.  I hope that we can all learn something new together.
The first things that I noticed here at Wesley is that, at least as United Methodist Churches in Iowa go, we are a big, beautiful, and busy church.
Our church is big.  To be honest, I am still trying to figure out my way around the building, and I am sure that there are places that I have not yet discovered.  Much like the city of Muscatine itself, which I have found can also be challenging to navigate, our church has many ups and downs and a few dead ends, but the main routes seem to form one big circle.  So, as in our faith journey, if we stay on the right path, we will eventually end up where God wants us.
Our church is beautiful.  From the landscaping, to the architecture, to the stained glass windows, to the floors, to the decorations and artwork, to the newly remodeled sanctuary, and especially the people who call it home, our church is beautiful!  Now all we need is the new organ.  In fact, Greg Wall, our Chair of Trustees just finished giving me one of the many tours I hope to have with him.  He told me about the stained glass and showed me the Billy Sunday pulpit.  (I will  have to write a whole other article about that.)
Our church is busy.  We have many many ministries going on inside and outside of the building.  Having been a pastor of smaller churches, I have to say that I have gotten used to being alone in the church.  Not here.  In addition to our wonderful staff and lay volunteers and leaders who are always around doing  their thing, we have many other people using the building.  For example, we have piano lessons throughout the day.  I know that because my office shares a wall with the music room!
In closing, I would like to say how happy I am to be here and to say thank you for the words and tokens of welcome we  have received.  I hope you will join me in learning more about our big, beautiful, and busy church.

What’s Going on in the UMC? – Article 5: What’s Next?

      This is the last of a series of articles dealing with the debate over human sexuality, specifically the ordination of homosexual persons and the celebration of same-sex weddings, within the United Methodist Church.  As I have said before, I have chosen to set aside the debate about the rightness or wrongness of the issues themselves in favor of focusing on how, or even if, we can continue to be one denomination that does not agree on these practices.

To review, General Conference 2016 asked the Council of Bishops to appoint a Commission on a Way Forward to make recommendations to be presented to a special General Conference which has since been scheduled for February 23-26, 2019 in St. Louis.  So far, the Commission has recommended three different “models.”  The first model would be to retain the current restrictions on homosexual ordination and same-sex marriage.  The second model, now called the one church model, would remove the restrictions and allow individual annual conferences to make decisions about homosexual ordination and individual local churches and clergy make decisions about performing same-sex weddings.  The third model, now called the multi-branch model, provides for the division of the church into three branches, traditionalist, centrist, and progressive, which would each be able to make its own decision about homosexual ordination and same-sex marriage.  I described these models in more detail, and outlined their pros and cons, in previous articles.

At their November meeting, the Council of Bishops offered feedback and requested more work and discussion by the Bishops, by the Commission on a Way Forward, and throughout the Church, around the last two models.  The Commission on a Way Forward is expected to make a final report to the Council of Bishops at their meeting April 29-May 4.  The Council of Bishops will then finalize a proposal to be voted on at a special General Conference in St. Louis.  That proposal will be announced sometime in July.  The proposal will be able to be debated and amended by the delegates at the special General Conference.  As of now, the Church is waiting for word for the Judicial Council, the Church’s “Supreme Court” if other proposals will be allowed to be submitted to the special General Conference.  If the special General Conference does not pass any new proposal the rules will remain as they are and the restrictions on homosexual ordination and same-sex marriage will remain in place.  The next regular General Conference is scheduled for spring of 2020 in Minneapolis.

As I said before, this is my last article in this series.  I encourage all of you, no matter your position on these issues, to continue to stick together and to pray for our Church and our leaders.

What’s Going on in the UMC? – Article 4: The “Sides”

We are continuing our discussion of the debate over human sexuality within the United Methodist Church.  (Please refer back to the first article to be reminded of the ground rules for our discussion.)  In previous articles, we have outlined the history of the debate, which dates back to 1972, and we have seen that the Commission on a Way Forward has offered to the Council of Bishops three models to help them decide what recommendation they will make to a special General Conference at the end of February 2019 in St. Louis.

The three models, briefly, were: 1. Maintain the current position of the church and increase accountability for those who violate Discipline. 2. Remove restrictive language regarding ordination and marriage and allow individual annual conferences to make decisions about ordination, and individual pastors and churches to make decisions about marriage.  This is also called the one church model.  A similar approach has been suggested in the past and was known as the “local option.” 3. Divide the UMC into two, or more, branches, each with the ability to set their own policies regarding human sexuality. 

Since the last article, the Council of Bishops has met and has taken the first model off of the table, leaving the other two as possibilities for being brought forward to the special General Conference.  It should be remembered that the bishops have not yet finished their work and that it is the General Conference delegates who are the ones who must vote on this, and they may reject whatever plan the bishops bring forward.

This time, I wanted to familiarize you with the various sides, or positions of this debate and some of the groups within the church which represent them.  The best description I have seen for the various positions is offered by Tom Berlin who credits Tom Lambrecht.  His blog about this can be found at http://revtomberlin.com/church-vitality/#sthash.kSsETug3.dpbs.  He talks about four groups.  First, there are progressive non-compatibilists who believe that LBGTQ+ persons should be fully affirmed and included in the church.  For them, this is something that God’s love and justice calls them to work for and they will accept nothing less.  One of the groups that represent this position is the Reconciling Ministries Network. (https://rmnetwork.org/)  Second, there are progressive compatibilists who believe in the inclusion of LBGTQ+ persons, but who understand and respect the position of those who do not, and they are not willing to spilt the church over this issue.  The third group are the traditional non-compatibilists, who are similar to the progressive compatibilists, except that they are in favor of the traditional view of sexual morals.  These two compatibilists groups have come to be known as centrists and some have organized themselves into a group known as Uniting Methodists. (http://unitingmethodists.com/)  This group has come out in favor of the one church model mentioned above.  Finally, the forth group are traditionalist non-comparatist.  These are people who wish to uphold the traditional view of sexuality and resist any change in that standard as being unfaithful to the Bible.  This group is represented by, among other organizations, the Wesleyan Covenant Association. (https://wesleyancovenant.org/)  In the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association and the treasurer of the Iowa chapter.

This article is already running a little long, but before I close, I want to invite you to continue to interact with me and with this series of articles, in person and online.  Also, I would like to invite you to participate in the following opportunities.

·       The book study of A Firm Foundation which deals with this issue among others in the United Methodist Church.  We will meet on Tuesdays at 1:00pm at Montour beginning April 3^rd and on Sundays at 6:00pm at Tama beginning April 8^th.  You can get a book from me for $14.

·       Join Bishop Laurie when she comes to our District for a presentation and discussion on the Way Forward on April 22^nd 2:30-5:00pm at First UMC in Cedar Falls.  If you would like to go, let me know and we can organize car pools.

In closing, as I am sure many of you have heard by now, I have been appointed to Wesley UMC in Muscatine and my family and I will be moving sometime in the last half of June.  I would expect that the pastor who is coming here will be announced in the next few weeks.  This move comes as a surprise to us and, while we look forward to the new opportunity, we are very sad to leave and will deeply miss all of you.  I ask that you keep my family and me, the new pastor, whoever that may be, and both these churches and Wesley UMC in your prayers during this time of transition.

“What’s Going on in the UMC? – Article 3: The Three Models”

           We continue our discussion of the debate about human sexuality in the United Methodist Church.  In my first article, I set three ground rules for myself in writing these articles and for all of us in discussing them.  Please refer back to those.  Last time I outlined some of the history of the debate.  Today, I want to pick up where I left off in discussing the work of the Commission on a Way Forward. 

This commission of 32 people from all over the world and representing both sides of the debate was formed by the Council of Bishops in order to offer possible solutions to the debate to be presented by the Council of Bishops to a special called General Conference, which has been set for February of 2019 in St. Louis. It will be up to the Council of Bishops, with the input of the Commission on a Way Forward, to decide what will be placed before the special General Conference for a vote.

The Commission has presented three possible models to the Council of Bishops…

1.     Affirm the current Book of Discipline (which forbids same-sex marriages and the ordination of self-avowed, practicing homosexuals) and place a high value on accountability.

Obviously, this is the solution that is most desired by traditionalists and least desired by progressives.  (I prefer the terms traditional and progressive to conservative and liberal due the secular political baggage of the latter.  I will discuss these groups, along with centrists, and the organizations which represent them in the next article.)

Accountability has been a major concern for traditionalists because many pastors continue to perform same-sex marriages and homosexual persons continue to be ordained and serve as clergy, including Bishop Karen Oliveto in the Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain Conference.

2.     Remove the restrictive language, (from the Discipline) thus allowing for same-sex marriage and homosexual ordination, while protecting the rights of those whose conscience will not allow them to perform same-gender weddings or ordain LBGTQ persons.

This may seem like a compromise to some, and it is touted by centrists, but I have seen objections from both traditionalists and progressives.  Many traditionalists cannot see themselves as continuing to be part of a Church that does not uphold their key value of biblical morality.  Likewise, many progressives see the Church that results from this compromise as segregated and in violation of their key value of inclusivity, which they also see as a biblical value.

Also, I have heard both traditionalist and progressive clergy raise concerns about being pressured, one way or another depending on where they serve, by their local churches or conferences.  

3.     Create separate branches of the Church which are grounded in a unified core of shared doctrine and services, including a shared Council of Bishops.

This would allow traditionalists and progressives, and perhaps centrists, to each have their own branch of the Church with their own local churches and conferences and would still allow the branches to share ministries such as United Methodist Committee on Relief, United Methodist Publishing House, our colleges, university, seminaries, hospitals, and other institutions, and our pension and benefits system.

In my opinion, this may be the best option, but it will need to be done very carefully and very well.

Depending on your position, one of these options may seem clearly the right way to go.   However, that does not make it easy.  Adopting any one of these options may cause large numbers of people to leave the Church and still may not end the debate.  I would ask that we all be in prayer for the Council of Bishops, the Commission on a Way Forward, which continues to work, and the upcoming Special General Conference.

What’s Going on in the UMC? – Article 2: The History of the Sexuality Debate”

This series of articles is meant to update you on the current status of the debate within the United Methodist Church over human sexuality, specifically, the ordination of homosexual persons and the performing of same-sex marriages.  In my last article, I set three ground rules for myself in writing these articles and for all of us in discussing them: First, let us be upfront about our own position and do our best to understand the positions of others and to represent them fairly.  There are people we love on both sides.  Second, let us stop trying to convince each other that we are right, and they are wrong.  Instead, let us focus on the future of the church.  Third, let us confine this discussion to the United Methodist Church, and not discuss the issue as it relates to the rest of society.  I always welcome discussion on my blog at https://pastorbrianoliver.blogspot.com/, or you can always call, write, or just talk to me in person.

Today, I want to briefly trace the history of the human sexuality debate within the United Methodist Church.  At General Conference in 1972, in response to growing questions about homosexuality in the church and in society, a statement was added to the Book of Discipline which prohibited “self-avowed, practicing homosexuals” from becoming members of the clergy (304.3).  Later, a paragraph stating, “Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches (341.6) was added.  One should not think that these things used to be allowed and then were forbidden, rather General Conference saw itself as clarifying what the Church had always believed in the face of new questions.

The Book of Discipline is the global rule book for the United Methodist Church and can only be changed by General Conference, the official rule-making body which meets every four years with delegates from all over the world.  You may from time to time hear that the Iowa Annual Conference, or another United Methodist group, has voted one thing or another.  Those votes and statements have no authority whatsoever, only General Conference can make those changes.

The church has continued to debate this issue ever since.  At every General Conference, petitions have been brought forward to remove these restrictions and, amid emotional debate and demonstration, those petitions have failed to pass.  This debate continues to divide our Church and disrupt our ministry.

Fast forward to General Conference 2016.  Facing yet another set of petitions to change the rules that promised to be hotly debated and yet again defeated, delegates called upon the bishops to form a “Commission on a Way Forward” to develop a plan to bring this decades-long debate to an end.  The Commission has met, and continues to meet, and has published some models for the Church to consider.  We will look at those models, and where we go from there, next time.

“What’s Going on in the UMC? – Article 1: Introduction”

During 2018, or at least a portion of it, since I do not know how many articles this series will be, I would like to take the opportunity to inform all of you about what has been going on in the United Methodist Church regarding our ongoing debate about this issue of human sexuality.  In a nutshell, the debate centers around whether the UMC should change its rules and allow homosexual persons to serve as pastors and allow same-sex marriages.  However, as we will see in the coming months, there are a lot of moving parts to the debate.  This first article will give just a very brief introduction of the series and set some ground rules for future discussion.

First, let us be upfront about our own positions, and try to understand and fairly represent the positions of others, even if we do not agree with them.  For my part, I believe that the current position of the UMC regarding sexuality should not be changed. There are people I love in these churches, and in the UMC, who are on the other side of this debate, which is what makes this discussion so difficult.  I understand and respect the position of those who do not agree with me.  I believe that their position is driven by a desire for love and justice and I continue to love them as brothers and sisters in Christ even if my understanding of the authority and meaning of the Bible differs from theirs.

Second, I would suggest that rather than continue to try to convince each other that we are right and that they are wrong, now the time has come for us to talk about if and how we can continue to work and worship with each other as United Methodists and Christians while each following our own convictions.  Therefore, other than the preceding paragraph, I will not be making, or entertaining, any statements or debates about the rightness or the wrongness of the issue itself.  Such things will only keep us from the more important conversation of how we move forward and would distract me from presenting to you the current information in the most unbiased way I can.

Third, this discussion is about the United Methodist Church, not about any other group or society as a whole.  We will leave aside any debate about this issue in the larger political, legal, or social arenas.  For the record, I fully support the full civil rights of LBGT+ persons in the secular world, that falls under loving our neighbors.  In the church, we love each other and hold one anther accountable to the Christian life; outside the church, we just love.

If you can agree to be held accountable to these rules, and to hold me accountable to them, then I invite you to read on and become part of this conversation with me in the coming months.  The easiest way to engage is through the comment section of my blog at https://pastorbrianoliver.blogspot.com/.  However, you can always call, write, or just talk to me in person.

Over the course of the coming months, I will be sharing information and opinions from various sources and I will try to be as fair as I can.   Next time, I will outline some of the history of this debate to help us understand how we got where we are. 

Spiritual Disciplines #12: Celebration

We have come to the end of the year and to the end of our study of Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline with the last discipline, the discipline of celebration.  The topic of celebration is appropriate this time of year as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. 

Celebration is a result of the joy we receive in obedience and the practice of the other disciplines.  Celebration is also a discipline in itself because we do not always feel like celebrating.

As most of us gather with family and friends to celebrate, we know that there are many who will find it hard to celebrate this year because of loved ones lost, loved ones absent or estranged, sickness, financial problems or any of a myriad of other personal and family issues.  Add to all of those the difficult political times in which we find ourselves.  To these people I would like to say that if your celebrations this year must be in a lower key, we understand.  Do what you have to do. 

However, I would also like to say that the spiritual discipline of celebration, especially the celebration of Christmas, is not about us, our family, or our circumstances, it’s about Jesus and the new hope that he brings to us and to the world in the midst of our circumstances.  Jesus birth itself was in the context of poverty, political oppression, and violent tragedy.  Jesus birth brings light to a world of darkness, hope to a world of despair, joy to a world of sorrow, peace to a world in conflict, and love to a world of hate.  All of that is cause for celebration regardless of our personal circumstances.  As I said before, your celebration may be in a lower key this year, and that might be a good idea for all of us in this sometimes crazy season, but celebrate we must. 

I wish you all a Blessed and Merry Christmas.

Spiritual Disciplines #11: Guidance

How do I know God’s will for my life?  That is the age-old question.  That is also the question which Richard Foster attempts to answer in the chapter entitled “Guidance” in his book, Celebration of Discipline.

          Guidance often begins with an impression or prompting in our spirit.  Sometimes it may be something we are inclined to and would enjoy doing, sometimes it is not.  In either case, we just “feel” like it is something we should do.  Sometimes it is a small thing like putting our pocket change in a Salvation Army kettle, taking the time to stop and help someone who has dropped their shopping, or a sudden thought to write or call someone with a word of encouragement; other times it is a big thing like starting a new ministry in your church or even being called into “professional” ministry.

          Unless it is a small spur-of-the-moment act of kindness, it is a good idea to meditate and pray about a prompting, to engage the mind in thinking, as well as the heart in feeling about it.  If it is of God, it will only get stronger.  It is also necessary to make sure to align the prompting with Scripture.  An old saying goes, “God’s will never contradicts God’s Word.”  I always put it this way: God is NOT calling you to rob the bank and give the money to the church!

          Foster includes guidance among the corporate disciplines in his book because guidance should always include a corporate element.  For any major spiritual decision, after we have consulted God’s Word, and thought and prayed about it, we check our calling with those we can trust to help us with discernment from our family and our church community.

          Not all promptings require a full-blown guidance process and not all the things God calls us to even require promptings.  It is always God’s will that we participate in church, family, and community.  It is always God’s will that we work hard at whatever we do and that we be kind, compassionate, and generous.  We do not have to wait for guidance to do those things.

          We need to do more in our church to be the kind of community that can offer spiritual guidance to one another.  I leave you with a couple of quotes I saw online recently, I do not know where they originally came from, “God’s will is what we would want if we knew what we wanted,” and, “God’s will is what you would want if you knew what God knows.”  

Spiritual Disciplines #10: Worship

            When most of us think of worship we think of music, or prayer, or sermons.  We might also think of a group of people gathered at a certain time and place for an event, or we may think of a worship service that is either traditional or contemporary, formal or informal, liturgical or non-liturgical.  All of those things are elements of worship, but worship itself is something bigger.

            The word worship comes from an old English word which means to ascribe worth to something.  To worship something or someone is to engage in a series of actions and attitudes that show that thing’s or that person’s worth.  In old English, one worshiped the king by bowing in his presence.  It was understood that to worship the king meant something different, lower, than worshiping God.

            Of course, in modern English we use the word worship only in reference to God.  God, and God alone, is the sole object and audience of our worship.  Worship is never about our personal preferences in music or style, but rather only about what is pleasing to God.  The good news is that God is pleased with many kinds of worship.

            I would like to offer you another definition of worship: Worship is what the soul does when it is aware of the presences of God.  We know that God is always present with us, but we are not always aware of God’s presence.  The things we do in worship singing, praying, preaching, are some ways that we can become aware of God’s presence.  These are what Richard Foster, in his book The Celebration of Discipline, calls “avenues to worship.”  These things are not worship itself, but they lead us to worship.  We all have different things that help us become aware of God’s presence and this is where different styles of worship and music come in.  We should all be willing to experience different worship and music from time to time.

            We should all gather for public worship whenever we can, we need each other.  However, each of us needs to worship each day, throughout the day, by becoming aware of God’s presence and doing those things that help make us aware and keep us aware of his presence.

            I would like to leave you this month with some of the lyrics of the Michael W, Smith song “The Heart of Worship.”

When the music fades

All is stripped away

And I simply come

Longing just to bring

Something that's of worth

That will bless your heart

I'll bring you more than a song

For a song in itself

Is not what you have required

You search much deeper within

Through the way things appear

You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship

And it's all about you,

It's all about you, Jesus

I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it

When it's all about you,

It's all about you, Jesus

Spiritual Disciplines #9: Confession

          We now turn to the first of what Richard Foster, in his book, Celebration of Discipline, calls the corporate disciplines: the discipline of confession.

          Most of us have an idea of what confession is.  Confession is simply, after thorough self-examination, admitting our sin, as it says in the fifth step of twelve step programs, “to ourselves, to God, and to another human being.”  As hard as it is to confess our sins to ourselves and to God, confessing to another person is a downright terrifying idea for most of us.  We Protestants have been taught to be suspicious of the Roman Catholic idea of confessing our sins to a priest.  However, history has been teaching us that we Protestants may have thrown many babies out with the bathwater during the Reformation and that there is much wisdom in some of the practices we have rejected out of hand, even if some adjustments need to be made.

          It is true that many of our day-to-day sins can be dealt with “just between us and God,” but there may come a time when we need someone with whom to share our struggle and who can offer us assurance of God’s forgiveness.  That is why confession is both a private and a corporate discipline.  The Bible promises that if we confess our sins God will forgive us (1 John 1:9). The Bible encourages us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another (James 5:16). The Bible gives us the authority to assure one another of God’s forgiveness (John 20:23).  While I am always ready to help anyone with this, the person to whom you confess need not be a pastor, any mature Christian can offer this. 

A couple pieces of advice in case you should be chosen by another to hear a confession.  Frist, listen, you are not there to trade stories or to share your experiences.  Second, take the sin seriously.  Third, you must not be shocked by the sin, nor should you act as if it is not a big deal.  Fourth, offer assurance of God’s grace and forgiveness.  Fifth, and most importantly, keep your conversation confidential.  The only exception to this would be if you are concerned about someone’s safety.  If that is the case, ask them to go with you to the pastor, or other appropriate authority.  If they will not go with you, tell them that you are going anyway and do so immediately.

As I said, this may be uncomfortable territory for most of us, but it is what it takes for us to truly be the church for one another and for our community. 

Pastor Brian.

Spiritual Disciplines #8: Service

          In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster uses the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet from John 13:1-17 as the ultimate illustration of the spiritual discipline of service.  The context that Foster gives for this story is the ongoing discussion among the disciples, recorded in many places in the gospels, about which of them is the greatest and which of them is the least.

          The act of foot washing was not just a ritual or cultural thing in Jesus’ time; in a desert climate where everybody wore sandals, if any shoes at all, it was a practical necessity.  As an act of basic hospitality, a host would provide a servant, the lowest servant in the house, maybe even a child, to wash the feet of the guests as they arrived.  At the very least, the host would have a basin available for the guest to wash their own feet.

          Neither servant nor basin was present as Jesus and the disciples gathered in the upper room that night, and none of the disciples, who were all still trying after three years to figure out their pecking order, was about to volunteer.  Of course, if Jesus had asked one of them to wash feet, I am sure that one would have said, “My privilege, Lord,” while simultaneously thinking two very different things in his heart, “Why does Jesus always make me do all the dirty work?” and, “Ha-ha, guys look who Jesus picked!”  (Foster will go on in the chapter to talk about the difference between selfish and selfless service.)

          Then Jesus himself, who “knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God (John 10:3),” got up and performed the service needed. (All true godly service comes from a secure knowledge of who we are in Christ.  Insecure people may try to get attention by service, but they can never truly serve.) 

Peter’s head almost explodes!  Peter is unable to accept service.  Sometimes, it takes as much humility, or more, to allow other people the opportunity to serve as it does to serve.  In a way, allowing others to serve us may itself be a form of service.  If service is a spiritual discipline that each of us needs to practice in order to grow in faith, then how will any of us grow if we do not allow ourselves to be served sometimes?

          Jesus message is simple: my followers serve others.  In serving others we build the spiritual virtue of humility.  We serve not because people need to be served, and certainly not because they deserve it, but because we need to serve.  We do not serve primarily to “help people” or to “make the world a better place,” and certainly not to make ourselves, or our church, feel good or look good.  We serve because service glorifies God and makes us better disciples.  The fact that people are helped and the world is made better are blessings that God adds to our service.  So, go and find a person or a place to serve today.  Start small, but get started.      

Spiritual Disciplines #7: Submission

Submission is not a popular word.  For many of us, the word submission conjures up imagines of abuses of power, past and present, in government, in workplaces, in families, and even in churches.  In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster is quick to say that when authority is being destructive, when it is hurting people, submission is not required and, in fact, resistance might be necessary.

All of that, however, does not relieve us from the responsibility of practicing the spiritual discipline of submission.  Often, I have found that the people to whom I am being called to submit are not evil, they are simply mistaken, or not even mistaken, they are just not doing things the way I would do them.  One of the hardest things, I think, for young people to learn is that their boss may not be as smart as they are, yet they must do as they say.  If it is not an issue of moral compromise, we must submit to proper authority.  When it is an issue of moral compromise, we must “obey God rather than people,” (Acts 5:29) and be ready to face the consequences.

Foster says that the great benefit of submission is that it relieves us from the burden of having to be in charge all the time.  It is simply letting another have their way and not insisting that we get our own way all the time.

Foster also says that Christian submission is founded in Christian freedom.  The Christian voluntarily submits to authority, God’s authority and human authority, following the example of Jesus Christ who “became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8)  

It is through this lens that we can understand commands in the New Testament like “slaves obey your masters” (Ephesians 6:5 and others) which is given “for the sake of the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:23)  Clearly, Jesus was not in favor of slavery, but his message to slaves was, “You are free, and now because you are free, submit for the sake of the gospel.”  If the infant church in the first century Roman Empire would have gone around telling slaves not to obey their masters, it would have hindered the spread of the gospel and it would not have ended well for the slaves. 

Of course, these verses should never have been used to condone slavery as such, but we can transfer this idea of submission into our modern working world.  Christians should be the best and most obedient citizens and employees for the sake of the gospel, except when asked to make a moral compromise.  The better citizens and employees we are, the more attractive the gospel is and the more God receives the glory.  By the way, I employee the same logic as above to understand the New Testament passages about the status and role of women.  “Wives submit to your husbands” (Ephesians 5:22) meant something different in the first century than it does in the twenty-first century.

Our first submission is to God and God’s Word.  Then we are called to submit to our families, our church, our employers, and to our government at various levels.  When we submit for the sake of Jesus Christ, we become more Christ-like and we draw others to Christ.

Spiritual Disciplines #6: Solitude/Silence

           In Psalm 46:10 God says, “Be still and know that I am God,” but we live in a world in which stillness is simply not tolerated. If we have even a moment of unoccupied time out comes the smart phone or in go the earbuds.  I am as guilty of this as anybody.

However, if we take Psalm 46:10 literally, we might conclude that the only way to know God is to be still.  If we feel the need to constantly entertain (distract) ourselves, we will not be able to know God at a deep level.  The reason for this is that, while God can and does often speak to us through other people and various forms of media, God connects to us most deeply in our inner thought life when we take time to turn our thoughts toward him.

Of course, Psalm 46:10 is also true if we turn it around.  We are able to be still when we know that God is God, that God is in control, that God can and will take care of us.  We can be still when we trust that God can run the universe without our help.  Psalm 46:10 invites us to be still in order to know God better and, because we know God, to be still.

As I have said, stillness, silence, and solitude does not come easy for most of us.  For this reason, in Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster recommends that we begin by taking advantage of the “little solitudes” of daily life.  Perhaps the next time we have to make a long drive by ourselves, we might for some of the time, leave the radio off and allow God to speak to us in our thoughts.  To get started just take five minutes to be quiet and still and think about Psalm 46:10.  Soon enough you may find that you can pass longer periods of time alone with God.

Spiritual Disciplines #4: Study

           As we continue our series on the spiritual disciplines from Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline, we come to the last of what Foster calls the “inward disciplines.”  This time we are looking at the discipline of study.

Of course, our first subject of study, as Christians, is the Bible, and we should all know by now that we do not read the Bible simply for information, and most of us are likely very dutiful at reading the Bible devotionally, such as reading The Daily Bread or Upper Room or a devotional guide.  Reading the Bible devotionally is a vital part of the Christian life.  This kind of reading could be called reading for inspiration.  The goal of practicing the discipline of study, or any of the spiritual disciplines, is not information, nor even inspiration, but transformation.

When reading the Bible, or any text, we need to read to understand to apply.  The questions to ask ourselves while reading are: What does it say? What does it mean? What does it mean to me?  Far too often when we read Scripture we want to skip ahead to the last question, in fact in group Bible studies we often ask each other, “What does this verse say to you.?”  To really study the Bible, we need to first, take in the actual words that are printed on the page as they are.  Next, we need to try to determine what the Holy Spirit through the biblical authors was trying to communicate to the original audience and to the Church throughout time.  This is what the passage means.  Finally, firmly rooted in the words of the text and in God’s intended meaning, we can begin to discern how to apply the text to our lives.  Foster says, that for some people and in some situations these steps may require three separate readings, but with practice, all three can often be done simultaneously.

Foster says that while the Bible is the primary focus of our study, we should also study other religious and literary writings, other people, nature, and, most importantly, ourselves.  As Methodists, we often say that our reading of Scripture is informed by reason, our own best thinking and that of others in our community, tradition, the best of the thinking of the historical church, and experience, our own spiritual experiences and those of others.

The real breakthrough in my understanding of the Bible, and to be sure there are still parts of it that I do not fully grasp, came not as the result of college or seminary, although those certainly helped.  No, the real breakthrough came when I changed from reading the Bible for information or inspiration to reading the Bible for transformation.  Many people try to read the Bible and make it fit their lives and their opinions.  They look to the Bible to find justification for what they want and how they want to live.  When I read the Bible, I am trying to find out how God wants me to live and to become who he wants me to be.  I seek to wrap my life around the Bible, rather than to wrap the Bible around my life.  When you do that, I promise you from experience, the Holy Spirit will help you understand and your life will be changed.

Spiritual Disciplines #3: Fasting

Fasting is voluntarily abstaining from food for a specific period of time for spiritual purposes.  Closely related to fasting is the practice of abstinence, which is the abstaining from certain foods for a period of time.  The idea of fasting and abstinence is all about discipline and self-denial, learning how to say “no” to oneself, and focusing on God.  Fasting is always accompanied by prayer.

In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster writes, “In a culture where the landscape is dotted with shrines to the Golden Arches and an assortment of Pizza Temples, fasting seems out of place, out of step with the times.”  For this reason, the ancient practice of fasting may be more important in our time than ever before.  It is important to note that while fasting may have some physical health benefits, it is primarily a spiritual exercise.

Before I describe how one might fast it is necessary to note that fasting is not for everyone.  For some with certain health conditions skipping even one meal may not be advised.  However, one can still abstain from certain foods at particular times, for example, giving up chocolate during Lent.  This is also sometimes called a partial fast.

Fasting is simply the skipping of one or more meals.  The “rules’ for your fast are between you and God, unless you are part of a group that agreed to a group fast.  Some choose to allow themselves juice during their fast, others do not.  Some choose to fast a whole day or more.  Some choose a “daylight” fast which, during the winter months at least, would allow for breakfast and dinner at normal times.  A daylight fast is practiced by Muslims during the month of Ramadan.  Because Ramadan is a lunar month it sometimes occurs during summer which, in our part of the world, can make this fast very difficult.  There is also a practice known as “skip-a-meal” in which people skip one meal a week which, in addition to the spiritual benefits of fasting, makes them more aware of world hunger and then donate the money they would have spent on the meal to a hunger program.  Anyway, like I said, the “rules” are up to you or the people with whom you are fasting.

I have to confess, I am kind of a weakling when it comes to this.  My fast is lunch one day a week, usually Tuesdays.  So, I would like to invite you, especially with Lent approaching to join me in fasting at least one meal a week, or abstaining from a certain food for at least one day a week.  In fact, let’s make it a “skip-a-meal” and donate the money to our Food Pantry.  Let us fast and pray (and give) together and see what God will do in us and in our churches. 

Spiritual Disciplines #2: Prayer

This month we continue our discussion about spiritual disciplines, following Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline, with a discussion on the discipline of prayer.

Prayer is talking to God.  I have often called prayer a wish properly addressed.  What do I mean by that?  If we sent a letter, or an email, but did not put on it the correct address, it would not arrive at its destination.  Too often we express our wishes, our hopes, our dreams, and our fears, to ourselves, to others, or even just to the air around us.  Too often even what we call our prayers are merely addressed “to whom it may concern,’ rather than being addressed directly to God.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Anxiety, worry, is the direct opposite of prayer.  Or, as I said before, prayer is worry properly addressed.  Imagine how much, and how deeply, you would pray if you took every worry, every wish, every hope, every fear and addressed it to God in prayer rather than simply talking to yourself, or others, about it.  Imagine if every time you said, “Oh my God,” or “Thank God,” it really was a prayer and not just an expression.

One of the greatest difficulties many people have with prayer is knowing what to say.  Of course, sometimes we don’t have to say anything.  Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through groaning too deep for words.”  And, while there is a danger of falling into overly formal and repetitive prayer, (Matthew 6:7) many people find it useful to use some kind of pattern or outline for their prayer time.  Many of you may have heard me talk about the ACTS model or “The four things to say to God every day.”

·         Adoration – “I love you.” – We praise God and tell him we love him.

·         Confession – “I’m sorry.” – We confess our sins and ask for forgiveness.

·         Thanksgiving – “Thank you.” – We thank God for all that we have.  “Count your blessings.”

·         Supplication – “Please…” – We ask God for the things we need, for ourselves, and others.

I believe that prayer changes things, but the first thing that prayer changes is the one who prays. Foster said, “In prayer, real prayer, we begin to think God’s thoughts after him.”  I have found, over and over again, that when I really pray about something, especially in the area of inter-personal relationships, that while I am praying, my perspective begins to change and I am able to see things more clearly and positively.  Having said that, I can also tell you about many times that God has come through for me and my family and our churches in real concrete ways in direct answer to prayer.

But what if the answer is “no?”  Sometimes God says, “no.”  There is simply no other way to put it.  That is God’s right as God.  We pray for the healing of a loved one, but instead God takes them to heaven.  (Not really much to complain about there, if we really think about it.)  We pray for the new job, but God seems to want us right where we are.  All we can do is trust that what God wants for us, in the long run, is better than what we want for ourselves in the moment.  Garth Brooks sang, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”  I would only correct that by saying that God answers every prayer but sometimes the answer is “no.”

I leave you with the prayer of St. John Chrysostom and early church father from the 4^th Century: “Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.” 

Spiritual Disciplines #1: Meditation

As we begin a new year we often begin with a “New Year’s Resolution” and often these can involve something to do with our spiritual life.  For instance, we often begin a new year with a resolution to read our Bible and pray every day.  But as we all know these resolutions often fall by the wayside before January is even over.  In order to help us keep our resolutions I will be writing on spiritual disciplines for 2017.

As an outline for this series I will be using Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline.  I would encourage you all to obtain a copy, they are available through Amazon.  Foster, conveniently, writes about twelve disciplines, so we will be able to talk about one each month in 2017.  There are four inward disciplines: meditation, prayer, fasting, and study; four outward disciplines: simplicity, solitude, submission, and service; and, four corporate disciplines: confession, worship, guidance, and celebration.

Foster begins his book with the discipline of meditation but goes to great lengths to distinguish Christian mediation from meditation in eastern religions, for while those traditions encourages one to meditate in order to find answers from within oneself, Christian meditation, however, is looking outward to God and God’s Word to find answers.

Meditation simply means to think deeply.  In our case, we are thinking deeply about God and God’s Word.  It is important to remember that the object of our meditation is God as he has revealed himself in Scripture, not our own thoughts about God.  If prayer, which we will talk about next month, is talking to God, then meditation could be seen as listening for God’s answer; listening for that still small voice. (1 Kings 19:12)

While it is possible to meditate anytime and anywhere, for the beginner, Foster recommends finding a particular time of day, even just a few minutes, in a quiet comfortable location and a comfortable posture, no need to sit cross-legged on the floor.  Choose perhaps a small verse, or even single word, of Scripture upon which to meditate. For instance, one might choose Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.”  One could reflect on what it means to be still, what it means to know God and to let God be God.  One could try to understand what God might be using the verse to try to say to me in my present situation.  Other things upon which to meditate would be words of hymns and songs, or attributes of God, such as goodness or holiness.

We have started off our series on spiritual disciplines with one of the most difficult to practice, but we may as well start with the hard stuff when we are the most motivated.  I am by no means an expert on many of these disciplines, especially meditation, so I would encourage you to acquire a copy of Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline from Amazon, or another bookseller, and join me throughout 2017 in building up our spiritual health together. 

2016 Holiness Series #7: Two Kinds of Holiness

This is the last article in our series on holiness, so I would like to finish up by talking about the two different, and equally important, forms that holiness can take: Personal Holiness and Social Holiness.

These two kinds of holiness are based on the Great Commandment, or the Great Commandments, since Jesus said there were two of them: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Personal holiness, also called by Wesley “works of piety,” is about loving God.  Personal holiness can be divided into two parts.  First, it is about practicing the spiritual disciplines like prayer, worship, and Bible Study.  We could summarize this with the word “piety.”  Second, it is about living in obedience to the moral demands of the Bible which includes, but is certainly not limited to, sexual purity, honesty, and healthy habits.  We could summarize this with the word “purity.”  (In the early days of Methodism Methodist were not allowed to drink alcohol and one had to sign a pledge of total abstinence in order to join a Methodist church.  Later, only clergy had to.  Now, unfortunately in my opinion, we do not seem to care about that anymore.  However, Methodists are still encouraged to practice moderation.)

Social holiness, called “works of mercy” by Wesley, is about loving our neighbor.  Like personal holiness, it is made up of two parts.  First, it is about giving money, resources, time, and effort to help those in need, like in Matthew 25, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, caring for the sick, visiting those in prison, the list could go on and on.  We could summarize this with the word “compassion.”  Second, it is about using our vote and our voice to advocate in society for what we believe is right.  We could summarize this with the word “justice.”  (We have to be careful with this last one, because it is very easy for the church to get tangled up in worldly politics and for one part of the church to start taking sides against another.)

Often all these parts work together.  Take for example the Temperance Movement which led to the Prohibition of alcohol in the 1920’s.  Methodists were a huge part of that movement.  The reason Methodists participated in that movement (justice) is because they believed that drinking alcohol was morally wrong (purity) and that it often caused poverty, sickness, and crime (compassion).  So, out of concern for purity and compassion, they used their votes and voices, to advocate for the justice issue of Prohibition.

Both types of holiness, and all four areas, are necessary to the Christian life and are necessary in the church if we are to accomplish the mission God has given us.  So, let us be holy people.  Let us practice personal and social holiness.  Let us all be people of piety, purity, compassion, and justice.

2016 Holiness Series #6: How to Get Holiness

By now you might be saying, “OK, Pastor Brian, how do I get holiness?”  Here’s some advice…

·         The first step is admitting that holiness is necessary.

We need to understand that a relationship with a holy God requires holiness on our part.  The Bible says that without holiness no one will see God. (Hebrews 12:14)

Also, in the midst of an evil world, we need to realize that simply “believing in God” or “going to church” is never going to change our lives or change the world.

·         The second step is admitting that holiness is possible.

God calls us to be holy and promises to make us holy.  If holiness is not possible, God would not do that.  God does not command us to do what he will not make possible for us.

·         The third step is to devote yourself to being holy and seeking holiness.

o   Sanctification (being made holy), like Salvation, is a gift of God by grace received through faith.

Sanctification is not something we do; it is something God does in us when we surrender ourselves to God in prayer.

Sanctification begins the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  At that moment, we are forgiven of our past sins and, in a sense, we are already holy.  Remember from the first article, holy means set apart for God; that is what happens when we get saved.  If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are already holy, we just don’t always act like it.

o   Sanctification begins in the heart.

Many people get hung up on the way to holiness by focusing on their outward behavior, things we shouldn’t do or words we shouldn’t say.  Holiness, however, begins in the heart.  We can have a pure heart, “our heart can be in the right place,” even if our words and actions don’t always come out perfect.  Over time, however, if our heart is right, our words and actions will follow.

o   Sanctification is both a crisis and a process.

As I said before, sanctification begins at salvation, but it grows over time.  Sometimes we have a big spiritual experience and we take a big step in holiness, other times we grow in holiness by little steps every day.

o   Sanctification is about what we do as much as what we don’t do.

Sometimes we think of holiness as a list of things not to do.  However, it is actually more about what we DO.  The spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer, Bible reading, giving and serving in the church and the community, are what helps us to grow in holiness.

I do not claim to be holy, at least not yet, but I am on my way.  I have never been to Dallas, but I can look at the map and tell you how to get there.  I just happen to be the guy holding the map of God’s Word.  I hope you will join me on a journey to holier and healthier and happier living.