In Spirit and Truth

For twenty-seven years, Afton Travis has served each of us at Faith. For twenty-seven years she has given her time, her talents, and truly, her very self to us. And we are all blessed by her presence. By now you have no doubt read the first page, and seen that after twenty-seven years, and after a great deal of thought, many prayers, and I’m sure a fair bit of deliberation, Afton has decided to retire. I am extremely grateful for her! She has been an incredible blessing to me, and to us all. When I think of Afton’s twenty-seven years at Faith, I am reminded of the scene in the classic movie The Fiddler on the Roof, where the main character asks his wife if she loves him. She responds with a list of the ways she has served him, and a list of her commitment to him over a period of twenty-five years, and asks, “If that’s not love what is?” I love this picture, and see it displayed through Afton’s life. For twenty-seven years she has been there to help us worship through accompany

advent - n. The coming or arrival,  especially one which is awaited. Advent - n The four Sundays leading up to Christmas. The coming of Jesus at the Incarnation. The second coming of Jesus. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language & Collins English Dictionary There is a phrase that I have come to love and identify with. It's a phrase I first heard in seminary, but have since heard in several other places. It's a phrase that speaks of our place in the story of God’s salvation, the status of the Kingdom of God and the condition of our faith. They are "already and not yet." For many, the season of Advent has been relegated to "the season we sing Christmas carols" or perhaps a season of preparation for Christmas. While these actions occur during Advent, they are not the primary purpose of the season. It is my belief that the primary purpose of Advent is to wait for God. Our culture doesn't like to wait for anything. The idea of delayed

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better. ~André Gide The season of Advent, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, is a time that we join with Christian tradition and focus on the Story of God’s salvation. This year’s theme for Advent is "Rescue from Chaos." During these four weeks: we remember how our spiritual ancestors waited with Hope for salvation from God; we remember God’s Love for us shown in Jesus Christ; we remember with Joy our own salvation through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection; and we remember that we too are waiting for the final redemption of the world, by which God’s reign of Peace will be established. If you are a poet, painter, sculptor or other artist, meditate on the above themes, and let your thoughts flow out into your preferred art medium.

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" —Matthew 6:27 It is difficult to watch the news these days. Disease, war, and economic famine dominate the headlines. It is easy for us to become overwhelmed and worried about the future. Every commercial on TV reminds us that Christmas is right around the corner. But when we think of Christmas, we may think of the presents left to buy, and the money that isn’t there. How quickly that season of joy can turn to despair. Though Wal-Mart and Target may have forgotten about it, we do still have a holiday before Christmas. It is one that, I believe, is essential in our Christian life—Thanksgiving. Even in what may seem like our darkest days, we still have much to be thankful for. The whole of Christian worship is encompassed by God’s own worth and holiness, and our thankfulness. This holiday season, let us follow the words of Paul in Philippians 4:6, where he instructed us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in e

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." —Revelation 4:8b,11 Lately, I have been struck by the differences between earthly worship and heavenly worship. For those of us who live on this side of the vale, we have to stir ourselves up in worship. We coax our hearts out to worship by reciting what God has done or is doing for us. This was true all throughout the psalms, and it is true for us today. "He set my feet upon a rock." "He forgives all my sin and heals all my diseases." Those, however, who sit in the very presence of God, who witness, and perhaps understand, the fullness of the Trinity, worship God primarily for who He is. The only time I have found heavenly worship focusing on an action is concerning the cross. "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain." Ra

There is a feeling I get when I hold my daughter in my arms. It is as though I can physically feel my own affection for her. Something in my chest reaches out beyond my own skeletal frame and binds itself to her. It is a warm and satisfying feeling. I am overwhelmed with love for her. This unquenchable love is just a taste of what our good Father God feels for us. It was because of that love he sent Jesus to die for us. Similarly, when I come home from work, before I even enter the house, my son hears the garage door opening and runs through the house to the back door shouting “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” When I enter, he is there happy to be in my presence. I receive and return that affection. I believe that our Father God longs for our times of corporate worship to be filled with that kind of affection. We previously defined worship as "ascribing worth" to someone or something. Let's tweak that traditional definition just a little. One of the best definitions of worship I’ve

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, 'Abba! Father!' it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God." —Romans 8:14-16 Do you remember the invincible days of youth? There was courage (and energy) to climb trees, run headlong down steep hills, and hang upside-down from the monkey bars. We weren’t afraid of the bumps and bruises, perhaps because we couldn’t see their inevitability. For the most part, we were carefree. Reality, however, sank in at some point. Now that we are paying the bills we worry about where our next meal is coming from. When we were kids, we just showed up to the table, but now we may spend hours or days wondering where it will all come from. According to the passage above, and many others in scripture, God is not looking for slaves, but rather he is looking for Chil

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, 'Abba! Father!' it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God." —Romans 8:14-16 We have heard that God desires relationship with us. I have found that it can be a little overwhelming to ponder what it means to be "in relationship" with the God of the universe. After all, God has many different titles and roles in which he could be operating. He is the Lord of Hosts (a military term), he is the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, he is the Lord of Lords, he is Abba Father, he is the Lord our provider, the question is, who is God when God wants to be close to me? I often feel like the four children in C.S. Lewis’ classic tale The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, as they were told of the Great King of that realm, Aslan the lion. One of th

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;'" —Revelation 12:10, 11a Perhaps it is the abundance of unbelievable stories we absorb through movies and other media, but our culture, in many ways, has lost the art of story-telling. Perhaps it is yet another symptom of our "specialist" emphasis. (e.g. If you have a problem with your ears, you go to an E.N.T.; if you need a story you go to an author or movie producer.) Whatever the reason, as a culture we have devalued our individual stories. Several years ago, my parents took a missions trip to Papua New Guinea. One of the things that made an impression on them during their visit was the storytelling culture. Any given person could re

Ekklesia is a new Sunday Evening service focused on intentional community. Here at Faith, we do community well. Through small groups like Sunday School classes, Knitters, Choir, UMW and UMM, we care for one another like a family. Here at Faith, we care for one another, work together in mission, pray for and with one another, as well as worship together. In so many ways, this church family really operates as a family. As we began talking about starting the evening service, we asked the question, what does our surrounding community need? What does South Tulsa really long for? We thought of facebook and twitter, myspace, linkedin, and a number of other social networking sites. We also thought of garage door openers that allow us to get into our homes without human contact. We see in our culture a desire to be connected, but in general a difficulty in actually doing so. The thing that the culture longs for, our life habits and technology actually prevent us from achieving. Even those who

"My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." —John 10:27 Last week, we spoke about the place God's voice takes in our lives. It is a topic that has stuck with me all week, perhaps more than any previous article topic. As I reflected on last week’s homework, Examine the voices in your day, both the voices of people, and of habits (e.g. How loud is the voice of your computer or TV compared to the voice of God?). Examine and set priorities based on your desire for the Shepherd’s voice in your life, the question that embedded itself in my mind was, "Where is your pasture?" It's such a simple question, yet it is heavy with connotation. The first question it raises is one of shepherds. Who or what am I letting shepherd me? Is it the TV Guide? Is it the Blogosphere or Facebook? Is it my favorite author? When I have a moment of free time, whose is the first voice I seek to help me fill it? I find myself, too often, following a different shepherd. To cl

"He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." —John 10:3b-5 There are those people who call us — our parents, spouse, children, friends — whose voices we instantly recognize. I answered the phone this past week and heard a familiar "hey friend," on the other end. It was the voice of one of my best friends. I recognized her voice, because I have heard that voice countless times over the last 13 years. That phone conversation started me thinking about the voices we recognize, and are comfortable with. There are those voices, like the voice of my friend, that you may go months without hearing, but are somehow able to instantly reconnect. There are the voices, like the voice of my parents, that you hear a couple of times a week. Then there are

"Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm." —Psalm 47:6-7 I have some fairly lofty ideas. At 6:00 p.m. On the evening of December 20th, I want to see the choir loft full! I want to see 50 people between the ages of 13 and 113, who are willing to offer their voices in praise to God at Christmas. I understand that the thought of singing in a choir can be a little intimidating. After all, you get all dressed up and sit with a large group of people, maybe next to someone that you don’t know, and then you have to sing. But allow me to give you a different perspective. Every Sunday, you are a choir from my perspective. I look out and see a large group of people, all dressed up, sitting next to people they may not know and singing. The only difference is location! Some think that since they can’t read music, they can’t be in choir. I’d say, if they can’t read music, they’ll be in good c

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." —John 13:34-35 My son Israel looks just like his mother (I tell people, it's ok, because I was partial to her looks to begin with). Israel got my eyelashes, and I'm pretty sure that's it. In fact, I saw a t-shirt a couple of years ago that I've been tempted to buy for him because of its message: "I look like my mom, but I act like my dad." I eagerly anticipated Naomi's arrival, wondering if maybe this time my image would be reflected in her little face. No such luck. Naomi got my fingers, and not much else. She looks just like her brother. You can tell that those two are siblings. They could be twins if they were a little closer in age. I have this mental image of God in a maternity ward. Looking over his children, trying to see if any look li

"So, brothers and sisters, what should you do? When you meet together, one person has a song, and another has a teaching. Another has a new truth from God. Another speaks in a different language, and another person interprets that language. The purpose of all these things should be to help the church grow strong." —1 Cor. 14:26 (New Century Version) In the sermon this week, Brad talked about Soren Kierkegaard’s belief that Christians were treating church too much like the theatre. Then Brad said something in conclusion. We have to remember that God is the audience. Each week we gather together, and join our voices as a choir to sing hymns and praise songs to God. It is God, and not ourselves for whom we sing. The Praise Team and Chancel Choir practice each week to facilitate your song to God. In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he encouraged the congregation to do all things in their gathering for the edification of the body, to help the church grow strong. One o

"But he took her by the hand and said, 'My child, get up!' Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat." —Luke 8:54-55 We have talked in this article about attributing worth to God in worship. We have spoken of the importance of our recognizing how much God is worth. Today I want to address the importance of recognizing how much you are worth to God. Ask anyone who has attended Sunday School for any length of time, and they will tell you that "Jesus died on the cross for our sins." While this is ultimately correct, the grammar can be a little misleading. Jesus died on the cross so that we might have relationship with God. It is difficult to address how Jesus accomplished our salvation. The theological theories about how Jesus' death on the cross atoned for our sin fill many volumes of many books. But while it may be difficult to address how Jesus did it, it is infinitely more simple to explain why. Li

A certain ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.'" He replied, "I have kept all these since my youth." When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" —Luke 18:18-24 I identify with the rich young ruler. Though by local standards I’m not rich, I’m quickly losing young, and frankly I don’t rule over anyone; but if I am not intentional about my attitudes, m

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." —Psalm 150:6 Most of us, I would guess, may sometimes feel a little uncomfortable singing in church. Maybe the song is unfamiliar, maybe we are distracted by how good, or not-so-good the person behind us is. Maybe we're worried the person in front of us may be distracted by our voice. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, wrote out "directions for singing" in an early hymnal, to help the early Methodists get past the uncomfortable awkwardness of corporate singing. His words to them may be of use to us. I. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please. II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can. III. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a single degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross

"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.'" —Exodus 34:6-7a Rewind 31 chapters. Moses stands hesitantly before a bush that is burning but not consumed by the flames, full of excuses for not following the call of God. Moses, trying to wrap his mind around this experience, asks for the voice's name. Perhaps he was just curious, but more likely is that he was seeking authority. If one knew a god's name, you could call on that god and in essence command it. God answered, I AM. I exist. It was all that Moses needed at that moment, though not what he wanted. I Am... It seems as though there should be more to that statement. As if God was not finished with his answer to Moses or to us. I Am… God cannot be defined by any other single statement, but throughout scripture he uses that

"See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. —Malachi 3:1 Thursday morning, after eight months of patiently waiting (and one month of not so patiently waiting), Kristin called to me from the other room to tell me that labor had begun. Five hours later, I was holding my baby girl. Thankfully, everything had been prepared, and we were ready. After all the longing, praying and waiting, suddenly she was here. It seems so much easier to wait on a baby than to wait for God. We long for God to come and right the wrongs, to heal the wounds, release the captives, and bind up the broken hearted. We long for the tangible proof and expression of our faith. At communion we all declare "the mystery of the gospel" that "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again," but it is hard to live o

"So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift." —Matthew 5:23-24 Talking about forgiveness is uncomfortable when we are addressing those who have wounded us. How much more so when we look to those occasions in which it is we who were the offenders. It is the plank in our own eye, keeping us from accurately dealing with the speck in our offender’s. (Matthew 7:3) When looking at ourselves and our own shortfalls, it is important to make sure our mirror is accurate. There are so many fun-house mirrors that will keep us from dealing accurately with our own sins. Some mirrors inflate our own righteousness, and some inflate our guilt. In either circumstance, forgiveness and freedom will be kept at bay. In some mirrors we cannot see our faults. We have justified our every action and d

"For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." —Psalm 18:1-3 Our God is a God of many names: The Rose of Sharon, Lily of the Valley, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Comforter, Our Provider, Our Healer, Lord of Hosts, and the list goes on. Some names describe God’s majesty, others his beauty, others address the character of God, and still others describe the way God acts on our behalf. Of all the names I have heard for God, there is one that resonates deeply in my soul each time I hear it — "Refuge." The Lord is my refuge! I know all about refuge from growing up in the panhandle of Texas. When the sky turned green we would all head for the shelter to wait out the stor

" Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.' " —Matthew 18:21-22 We've spent the last two weeks talking about Forgiveness. We established that forgiveness is a choice, for we know that God is not a tyrant commanding the impossible; and we defined Forgiveness as "releasing my right to be angry and/or bitter toward a person for the wrong they committed and releasing the outcome to God." We have addressed what forgiveness looks like in response to an offence, but what happens when the wound in question is not as a result of an event, but rather of a behavior. What happens when you can’t even count the number of times you have been wronged? The Rabbinical teaching of the day stated that forgiving someone three times was sufficient. Peter knew of Jesus tendency to require more than the other Ra

"This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:9-15 Jesus, it seems, was pretty serious about our forgiving those who wrong us. He put some pretty strong conditions on forgiving, tying our own forgiveness to how we forgive. We have established that God is not a tyrant, and as such will never ask us to do something that is not in our capacity to do. Unlike Pharaoh in the Old Testament, requiring more bricks, but providing less material, God will always provide for the task he calls us to. Through the grace of our Lord, Jesus Ch

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." - Mark 11:25 Last week we spoke about the "one" choice. If you missed it, go dig through the archives to the left of the screen. After we've made the choice to obey, every other choice is either made for us, or put into proper perspective. Since we’ve made the choice to obey, let us look at the second most difficult choice we will ever make—the choice to forgive. Before we go any further, though, I would like to revisit the idea of forgiveness. Our culture has relegated forgiveness to an emotional response. We are told that it is only when we have "cooled down" enough, or when the pain has subsided that we can forgive. This picture of forgiveness is nothing but a lie. If we could not forgive until such time as we "felt ready" then God would be a tyrant for commanding us to do something we were incapable of

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life." Deuteronomy 30:19-20a We are faced with a daily onslaught of choices—from the trivial choices of restaurant or brand of food at the supermarket, to choices of actions that hold our marriages, jobs, families, and lives in balance. There are life-choices, somewhere in between, that consume so much energy just in the choosing, that we may or may not have the energy to implement the action once we choose it (if we ever actually decide.) In our passage of scripture this past Sunday, we heard that we shouldn’t be anxious about anything, but in all things with prayers, supplications, and with thanksgiving we should make our requests known to God (Philippians 4). How do we reconcile the anxiety

"Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God." -Exodus 23:19a From time management gurus, to accountants, to my own mother—the phrase "First things First" is a favorite. It seems simplistic and trite at first glance. Obviously, you have to put on your socks before your shoes. First things have to go first. But as simple as the phrase seems, it is often exceedingly difficult to implement in our lives. I don’t know about you, but I have a list of books a mile long that are waiting to be read. I have a list of home improvements that I’d like to make. I have a list of lists that I need to complete. And with all these lists, it seems they never get any shorter. It seems that the longer I look at the long list, the longer I can put things off. In order to make any progress, I have to forget the lists, and focus on one line. I, personally, can only do one thing at a time. I have to take one thing at a time, and put first things first. I

"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." - Psalm 86:11 For all his flaws, King David understood the heart of God. I think that if I had written this psalm, it would have read, "Tell me your plan, O Lord, and I will get there any way I can; give me the all the details so the future won’t be such a frightening prospect." But David knew that if he had the whole picture, he would likely miss the point. And just what is the point? We follow God, not to get somewhere, but to be something. God, I think, is much more interested in journey than in the destination. God is more concerned with who we are, than with where we are. Often times we get caught up with what task or to which position God may be leading us — should we stay with this job, or move to another — when God is trying to lead us into a certain character quality or attitude, and he may be able to use either physical location to achieve his

"Though [God] slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face." - Job 13:15 Job knew something of which we are often ignorant. The most important things in our lives depend on our choices. We often degrade love, forgiveness, and worship to simple emotional responses. But if these things were merely emotional, then they would be very fickle responses indeed. We would only love those who loved us in return. We would only forgive those who groveled enough to satiate our anger, and we would only worship a God who continually brought us good things. If these were based solely on our emotions, it would also make God something of a tyrant! God has commanded us to love one another, to forgive one another, and to worship the Lord, our God, and serve him only! If we could not choose to do these, but could only love, forgive, and worship as an emotional response, then God would have commanded something of us that we could not give. But, I believe that Job was

"The zeal for Your house will consume me" John 2:17 In this age of Wal-mart, we all know what it means to consume. We know that the reason Wal-mart exists is because when we buy things, we use them. When we use things, we lose them. When we lose things, we need more things! And we know that when something is consumed, it is used up, and is no longer useful. Isn't that the point of consuming? But what if something could be consumed, and yet retain its properties? What if something could be assimi-lated and yet retain autonomy? When God consumes something, it continues to be useful after consumption! In John 4:13-14 Jesus talks about consuming living water and never thirsting again; in Exodus 3:2, fire engulfs the bush, and yet the bush doesn't burn up; and in Acts 2, the Spirit of God envelopes the disci-ples and they become more useful than ever. But why does it matter? How does this effect us? Simply this, the Spirit of God wants to consume us. God is never satisfie

Almost three years ago, shortly after my wedding, I lost half of my closet. Those of you who are married know how lucky I am to have more than a fourth of it. One day I walked into my closet, and realized that I could no longer find anything. It had all moved. I learned that "off-season" clothes go under the bed in a specialized zippered bag. I learned that I didn't really need the space that I had grown accustomed to. All of my necessities could actually fit in a much smaller space. And honestly, it was quite easy for me to relinquish control of that closet (and many other areas of the house.) It was easy, because I was delighted with what was occupying the space. It was easy because the space vacated by my "winter overflow" is now occupied with dresses, skirts, and blouses. Every time I look in the closet, I am reminded that I am loved. The space that I gave away is nothing in comparison to what I gained. As we enter the sanctuary each Sunday morning, we are i

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." —Matthew 6:19-21 These days the word treasure isn't bandied about very often. Perhaps you've seen your treasure eaten away by the moths in the financial systems. Perhaps a Bernie Madoff or two broke in and stole it. Whatever the case may be, treasure seems in rare supply. However, there are important lessons to be gleaned from this scripture, especially in these times when we can't afford for our treasure to be corrupted or stolen. Someone once told me that their philosophy of investing was to invest in companies that interested them. If they shopped at Krispy Kreme, then they would buy stock in Krispy Kreme. If they shopped at Wal-Mart, they would invest in Wal-Mar

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. —Gal 6:2 For You are the body of Christ and individually members of it. —1Cor 12:27 For those of you who may not know me very well yet, I'm not normally big on sports metaphors. The main reason for this, is that I would have to understand a sport before I could turn it into a metaphor for life. So in most cases, you're all safe. (That isn't a baseball metaphor either.) However, things lined up very well today, and a sports metaphor was born in my heart. Over the last several weeks, Brad has taken us through the Apostle's Creed, and reminded us of the relevance of this ancient statement of Faith. This week the series concluded with "I believe in the Church." We heard how the Church consists not of a building, but of a people. We heard how we all are the body of Christ, and how, as saints (those called out and set apart) we are to be in communion with one another. We heard all this, and then we went o

Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" —John 20:27-28 Thomas get's a bad rap! Year after year, we go around calling him Doubting Thomas, like school children on the playground trying to get under his skin. I'm sure he didn't expect that his one moment of grief would define him. The truth is, Thomas only asked for what the other disciple's received. After the Resurrection, Jesus came into the midst of ten of the disciples and he showed them his wounds, spoke peace over them and commissioned them to the work of the kingdom. When the ten disciples saw this, they were "glad." I think to myself, surely that is an understatement, but that is what the text says—"the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord." When Thomas returned from where he had been, the disciple's excitedly to

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. —Psalm 57:7-11 Even for all of King David’s mistakes, he was called "a man after God’s own heart." I think we catch a glimpse of that heart in this Psalm. David had been anointed as the next king of Israel, and the current king wasn't so thrilled about that. King Saul was out for blood, and would stop at nothing! David was a fugitive living on the run. At the time this was penned, he was spending his days hiding in a cave. If anyone had reason to be depressed, it was David. It seemed as though none of his dreams would ever be fulfilled. Everywhere he turned there were those who sought hi

"Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, 'Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?' Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus." - John 18:10-12 Earlier this same evening, Peter declared to Jesus in the presence of the other disciples, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you." And Peter meant it. He loved Jesus in a way that we, who are removed by time, cannot know in this life. He loved this Jesus enough to walk away from His "responsible life" of fishing. He walked hundreds of miles with Jesus; listening to him, hearing the warmth and peace in His voice. Jesus was his treasured one. Jesus was his hope, his promise, and his joy. Peter would die before he ever willingly gave Jesus up. And who could blame him. We all have passions

Matthew 21:1-11 News traveled fast. It was nearing the Passover, the religious feast where the Israelites celebrated their freedom from the oppression of foreign governments. A festival that no doubt irked their Roman governors. The city, already buzzing with preparations, was set ablaze by the rumors. Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee, was coming toward the city — and he was riding the foal of a donkey. To this oppressed people, any passage of scripture that promised freedom would be high on their list to memorize; and Zechariah 9 would have been toward the top. Here at the festival of freedom they would be free. Waving palm branches, and covering the streets with this symbol of victory, they cried out the traditional benediction to the feast of Tabernacles...a prayer for the coming of Messiah, "Hoshiah Na" (Please bring salvation! or I beg you, save now!). Hosanna, to the son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the Highest. Their

Life is busy. We all have places to go and people to see. It easy to get caught up in the doldrums and monotony of life, but to do so we miss out on a hundred joys that each moment has to offer. There are any number of inspirational phrases that encourage us to live in the moment — "stop and smell the roses", "Carpe Deum." — Somehow we know that it is in these infinitesimal moments and not the in the grandeur of our plans, that we will find joy. I have heard it said that the present is where time intersects with eternity. The past cannot be changed, and the future cannot be known. It is only in the present that we can make a difference. It is only right now that I can have the relationship with God that I desire. Yesterday cannot be changed, tomorrow cannot be known. It is only today that I can live for God. Only now, in this moment. But moment leads on to moment. Task leads on to task. We are easily overcome by the urgency of the generally insignificant. And all th

It's a word that is firmly entrenched in our religious vocabulary. It has found its way into our songs, our scriptures, our sermons, and for some, our daily lives. Despite its long-standing presence, it seems that few know what it means. Some believe that it is a synonym of "Amen" as a response to a good sermon — merely a word to convey strong agreement with someone. But the truth is far more fascinating and relevant to our life. Hallelujah is a derivative of one of the seven Hebrew words that we translate as praise. "Praise" is a rather tame translation of the word. Hallelujah directly translated means "to be clamorously foolish." These days, with that definition, it almost seems more at home at a sporting event or concert than in church. When were you last clamorously foolish at church? In church, we generally relegate clamorously foolish to the student ministries. We'll let the children and youth handle that for us. But Hallelujah is a word for

I had the great opportunity this past week to attend the ACDA (American Choral Director's Association) National Conference in Oklahoma City. While there I was privileged to hear several world-class choirs, and learn from several world renowned conductors. As I tried to take everything in, a curious thought entered my mind. A good choir serves as a picture of how the church is to behave. There are several groups who have different gifts. Each group uses their gift in a way that compliments the others. They all pay attention to the director, to make sure they are in step with each other. They listen to each other, making sure that they don’t drown out the sound of the others. And even when their notes and words are different, they communicate a consistent message. Here at Faith we are a good choir! But even the best choirs have to be vigilant in maintaining their balance. Missions listens to Evangelism. Evangelism listens to UMW. UMW listens to Student Ministries, and together throu