Community In Crisis

Do you remember 9-11?

         How eerie it was when there were no planes in the sky

Or the floods that hit Northwest Indiana

         The chaos that ensued

Well, it has been an interesting week here at Meridian Street UMC.

While we watched the COVID 19 virus spreading, I am not sure that many of us anticipated that it would spread like it has not only throughout the world, but also here in the United States and Indianapolis.

And to be honest, I don't think that we have any idea just how widespread this virus is at this point.  And how easy --- just a few missteps and rationalizations --- can help create a bigger crisis.

I was shocked to hear on the radio as I drove in that the Pope had canceled all Holy Week and Easter Services at the Vatican

Wednesday evening, I was frantically texting with my daughter, who was in Helsinki at the time, but planning on going to Spain in the morning.  She had planned to stay until the end of the month, visiting with friends and the family that she had been the nanny for.  President Trump had just finished his address and in it he said unequivocally that all flights from Europe, except the UK were being ended at midnight on Friday.

I was in full fledged panic mode --- trying to convince her to skip Spain, and head straight to London and get home as soon as possible.  Her family in Spain told her that they were concerned that Spain was about to be overwhelmed like Italy had been.  (That news did not reassure me!)  Which sadly has proven to be true according to news reports last night.

Fortunately, she was able to catch a flight Thursday morning to London and arrived back in Chicago late Thursday night.

All the while she was never once asked where she had been or if she had been around sick people --- or had her temperature taken. . .

I applaud the NBA for quickly postponing their games

         They really became leaders in helping to start containing this

And then --- I just found out --- on Thursday, prior to their ACC tournament game with North Carolina State University --- Vincent Price, President of Duke University and Mike White the athletic director announced that Duke would not compete in the NCAA tournament.  That action, along with the University of Kansas making a similar decision, forced the hand of the NCAA to cancel the entire March Madness tournament.

As far as holidays go, I like Christmas --- but I LOVE March Madness --- but I believe they made the right choice

I applaud Mayor Hogsett for pretty much forcing the schools to shut down.  Sometimes it takes a push from above to get the required action.

And I applaud Governor Holcomb for calling for no gatherings above 250 people

And while I applaud all those actions --- I have struggled all week with what to do.

On Thursday, I got a phone call from our Conference Superintendent letting me know that St Luke's was going to announce later that day that they were shutting down.  I respect that decision, knowing that they have well over 250 at their services.

But I still struggled.

I went back and forth. 

Listening to Fresh Air on Thursday just added to my angst

My intention this morning was to continue our series on the Path of Discipleship and focus on our need for community.  And while I needed to toss out all that I had planned on preaching --- I believe the need for community is greater today than ever before.

Listen to these words that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth --- a church that was struggling with many issues

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 (CEB)

Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many. We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink. Certainly the body isn’t one part but many. If the foot says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not a hand,” does that mean it’s not part of the body? If the ear says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not an eye,” does that mean it’s not part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, what would happen to the hearing? And if the whole body were an ear, what would happen to the sense of smell? But as it is, God has placed each one of the parts in the body just like he wanted. If all were one and the same body part, what would happen to the body? But as it is, there are many parts but one body. So the eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you,” or in turn, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” Instead, the parts of the body that people think are the weakest are the most necessary. The parts of the body that we think are less honorable are the ones we honor the most. The private parts of our body that aren’t presentable are the ones that are given the most dignity. The parts of our body that are presentable don’t need this. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the part with less honor so that there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it. You are the body of Christ and parts of each other. In the church, God has appointed first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, the ability to help others, leadership skills, different kinds of tongues. All aren’t apostles, are they? All aren’t prophets, are they? All aren’t teachers, are they? All don’t perform miracles, do they? All don’t have gifts of healing, do they? All don’t speak in different tongues, do they? All don’t interpret, do they? Use your ambition to try to get the greater gifts. And I’m going to show you an even better way.

The question we need to ponder is WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST?

That is a much bigger and more important question that what does it mean to be a member of Meridian Street or even the United Methodist Church.

How are we --- as MEMBERS of the body to respond during this season?

Henri Nouwen once said:

Christian community is the place where we keep the flame of hope alive among us and take it seriously so that it can grow and become stronger in us.

How do we help each other grow stronger? --- how do we bring hope to those who are vulnerable and afraid of this disease?

Like many of you, I have been praying for those who have been infected by the coronavirus.  But, I have also been praying for those who are most at risk of being infected by it.  To be honest, there is another group that I need to add to my prayers --- those who are afraid.

Sometimes they are the same people -- but not always.

The crazy run on toilet paper is case in point

Fear can be crippling and cause us to react in unhealthy and sometimes destructive ways.

But God invited us to remember that we are part of a bigger body --- the body of Christ, and as such we trust that God will provide us the strength and wisdom to get through this crisis.

To do that we need to work together!

My biggest hesitation in keeping the church open is the FEAR that some might feel that they should come --- even when the really shouldn't.  Guilt and obligation are still big things in our lives.

I don't want to make anyone feel obligated or that they are letting the rest of the choir or bible study or whatever --- down to attend something when they should really shouldn't.

I also am afraid that those of us who are not in the high risk groups (although I am on the very edge) might get complacent about the risks of this virus and unbeknownst pass the virus on.

So I am washing my hands like crazy --- and I hope you are too

         I am also carrying around hand sanitizer and using it

We need to make sure, that we protect those who are a part of the body that are vulnerable.

So don't be surprised if we stop a lot of the activities that normally go on here.

We will find creative ways to do meetings and studies --- so that things can move forward

But while we may not gather for meetings or other things --- we need to make sure that we are reaching out to those in our community who are not able to get out --- who are vulnerable to disease.

Monday we are going to put together a list of everyone who we know of that is in the vulnerable group

Those of you who are healthy and able to get out -- what if over the next few weeks, you committed to contact (by phone) no more than 10 of these people

                  pray with them

                  see if they have any needs

                  be the body of Christ with them

While we may not be able to stop this virus --- we can use it to strengthen the body of Christ     

Bob Barr shared with me a few weeks ago a devotional site that I have really come to appreciate because it is grounded in Jesus and the requirement that we love each other and seek to overcome social injustice.

The site is The Jesuit Post (look it up, it is worth it)

Yesterday, the editor Father Billy Crichley-Menor wrote:

Our faith can guide our response to the vulnerable, including those who are sick, those who are at risk, and those who are afraid. And with this pandemic can come difficult and yet very fruitful reflections.

The emergency has left me praying about a tension I often feel between surrender and control. Where is the line between surrendering to circumstances as they play out, recognizing we are ultimately not in control of things, and doing everything we can to create a healthy and safe life for ourselves and others, both physically, emotionally, and spiritually? This is a tension that of course transcends coronavirus.

While I have no reason to think the precautions being taken are overboard and have every desire to comply with them and hope others do as well, they lead to questions about our identity as a people who believe we are in control of our own lives, schedules, and even destinies. Frankly, it is probably good that the NBA suspended the season, that academic lectures and programs are being canceled all over the world, and that even primary elections are being postponed. We are all probably in need of reminders that these things can be canceled.

I don't recall a time in my life when circumstances have infringed so dramatically on our common life. That probably says more about my privileged American life than it does about coronavirus. Nevertheless, it seems that we have an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be responsible in taking some control over living healthy and holy lives while at the same time surrendering to the fact that ultimately we are not in control.

Do you remember how Paul ends this section of letter?  He said: "I’m going to show you an even better way"

I think you all know what that way is --- LOVE

Love never fails --- so let us be the body of Christ --- loving each other, loving our neighbors, and loving those we don't even know --- because Love is the answer!

And it is the glue that builds the body of Christ

Without love --- there is no community

A Disciple Worships

John 4:21-24 (The Message)

“Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.

“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”

Every day I take time for a couple of devotions and a Bible in a year program.

I am doing a program that is a little different than the one that is sent each week in the weekly email.  The one I am doing has you read about 3 or 4 chapters of a book each week and then a shorter second reading (usually from the Wisdom literature of the Bible)

So while I started in Genesis, the second book I read was the Gospel according to Mark.

I just finished Leviticus earlier this week

          (You should all either be impressed or wonder if I am just crazy)

But what struck me about Leviticus are all the rules about how the community is to live and worship together.

And at the center of all those rules is one thing --- YAHWEH and everything --- from how to live --- to how to dress --- direct us toward how we are to worship God.

Everything related to God really revolves and has its beginning in how we worship

As we talk about a Discipleship Path --- the starting point for many people is showing up to a worship service

          We come because we are interested or intrigued by this idea of God

The truth is, probably at this point we have yet to really encounter God, or have just begun that relationship

So we come to church with the idea that worship is there to FEED ME

          Worship is to provide my needs and scratch my itches

It is as if --- worship is just a component or box in our life

It almost is an experience unto itself that takes place one hour a week and its sole purpose is to take care of ME

George Barna, who created a Christian market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, and the intersection of faith and culture says:

Most adults will contend that a Christian has a responsibility to worship God. However, when asked to define what worship means, two out of three are unable to offer an appropriate definition or description of worship.

Among adults who regularly attend church services, one-half admit that they haven’t experienced God’s presence at any time during the past year. Remember, this is not among the Easter-and-Christmas-only church attenders, but among people who attended an average of more than two dozen worship services last year.

For most Americans worship is to satisfy or please them, not to honor or please God. Amazingly, few worship-service regulars argue that worship is something they do primarily for God; a substantially larger percentage of attenders claim that attending worship services is something that they do for personal benefit and pleasure.

Those are challenging and damning words for all of us.

It’s not bad to start there --- we just don’t want to stay there

And the idea that worship is about ME is certainly not the biblical understand of the purpose or function of our worship of God

Worship has morphed and changed since the days of Moses

          We don't bring animals to sacrifice to appease an angry God

Just the other day, during our Ash Wednesday service we read from Psalm 51 where we are reminded of the sacrifice that God is seeking

(Psalm 51:15-17  NRSV)

O Lord, open my lips,

    and my mouth will declare your praise.

For you have no delight in sacrifice;

    if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Or as Paul reminds us in his letter to the Church at Rome

(Romans 12:1-2   MSG)

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

In the Hebrew Bible, the word used for worship (Shachah) literally means to bow down --- to fall down flat --- to show humility before God.

God is constantly telling us throughout the Torah, where God spends enormous amounts of energy explaining what worship is to be like --- God is constantly reminding us that God is to be at the center of worship

That central core statement of Judaism, the Shema maybe says it best:

Hear O’ Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

More than anything else --- those few words define what our worship is to be like

          CENTERED on God

And Jesus reminded us of the same thing when he told us what was central to our faith

Every part of our being --- every part of our life is to be focused on putting God first

And the struggle for many of us --- is what gets in the way of our worship

It's a beautiful day outside --- and I imagine many of us are wanting me to get on with it so we can get out and enjoy the day --- and forgetting why we are here

As we grow in our discipleship --- we see worship as less and less for ME (getting me fed) and more and more as an opportunity to learn about God

As we continue to grow, we look forward to the opportunities to be challenged in our faith and recognize that it is through worship that our life is actually shaped.

Finally comes the realization that worship is not only necessary but essential to my life --- and I begin to realize that I am called to worship God in totality of life and in every place and space of life. 

No one articulates this as well as Richard Rohr in his book The Universal Christ, in which he helps us to see God in everything

But until we get there, we need to keep focusing on what worship is all about ---

          The CREATOR --- not the Created

As Dr. Robert Webber has said:

. . .worship stands at the center of the church’s life and mission. It’s the summit toward which the church moves and the source from which all of its ministries flow. It’s the most important action the church is about. Worship informs the church’s teaching, gives shape to its evangelistic mission to the world, and compels the church toward social action. Worship is the context in which the true fellowship of Christ’s body is realized and where those who participate can find real healing. The single most important thing the church can do is worship. A vibrant worship life will glorify God, edify the faithful, and engage the seeker.

I love what Henri Nouwen said earlier this week in his daily devotion

Everything we know about Jesus indicates that he was concerned with only one thing: to do the will of his Father. Nothing in the Gospels is as impressive as Jesus’ single-minded obedience to his Father. From his first recorded words in the Temple, “Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?” (Luke 2:49), to his last words on the cross, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46), Jesus’ only concern was to do the will of his Father. He says, “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing” (John 5:19). . . .

Jesus is the obedient one. The center of his life is this obedient relationship with the Father. This may be hard for us to understand because the word obedience has so many negative connotations in our society. It makes us think of authority figures who impose their wills against our desires. It makes us remember unhappy childhood events or hard tasks performed under threats of punishment. But none of this applies to Jesus’ obedience. His obedience means a total, fearless listening to his loving Father. Between the Father and the Son there is only love.

I really struggled with how we should have this CONVERSATION today --- when it was first suggested to be at the end (or really a part) of the worship service --- I balked.

          I wasn’t sure it belonged

And then I was reading the Torah --- and if there is any message in it is that all of life is God’s

God demands justice in how we live

Moses would call the people and remind them of what God expected as a part of worship

And it is clear that without justice --- our worship is hollow

As is in front of us every time we enter the Welcome Center

Micah 6:8   (NRSV)

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;

    and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

    and to walk humbly with your God?

The Way of A Disciple

Matthew 4:18-22   (NRSV)

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.  

For the last two months, Mary and I have been sharing with you the words of Jesus that are found in the Sermon on the Mount, particularly in the section known as the beatitudes.

These are not easy words --- I get that.

Not only are they not easy --- they sometimes make no sense.

          Blessed are the poor

          Blessed are those who mourn

          Blessed are the meek

          Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

          Blessed are the merciful

          Blessed are the pure in heart

          Blessed are the peacemakers

          Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake

          Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you

I mean, come on, who yearns for those things . . .

I know there is a disconnect between Jesus words, and my life . . .

          And have I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out WHY?

          And then it hit me

                   Like a ton of bricks

I was listening to a pod cast and in it was said something that I have known but just had not put into perspective very well

Mark Galli, the former editor of Christianity Today (a very conservative evangelical publication started by Billy Graham) was talking about why he wrote an editorial during the impeachment hearings calling for the removal of President Trump.  If you have not read his piece, I highly recommend it.

But what struck me, was not the discussion about the impeachment, but rather what he said compelled him to write the article.

Galli made the comment that most evangelical Christians "think" with their emotions and most progressive --- I believe he would use the term liberal --- Christians think with their heads but have lost the emotional edge to their faith --- he would suggest that we need to think both emotionally and with our intellect

And I think that is why the Beatitudes are so tough for us --- intellectually they make absolutely no sense --- they call to us not at an intellectual level --- but rather Jesus is speaking from a heart level.

Think about it --- how do you study the bible?

          Most of us study it intellectually

                   We wrestle with the text in our brain

When we participate in mission projects, how do we go about the task?

          Exactly like it is a TASK to be conquered

The problem is, following Jesus is NOT an intellectual enterprise --- it requires way more than just examining it

          It requires ACTION

                   action with passion

Last fall, the staff began working on what for a lack of better language we are calling a discipleship path

          If one wants to follow the way of Jesus --- just how does one do that?

Mary last Sunday talked about the markers that one finds on the Camino de Santiago in Spain

          Trail signs that point you along the way

          What we are trying to identify is --- what are the markers on the way of Jesus?

Now, let me be careful to say --- following Jesus isn't about checking off steps

          Let’s not fall back into that . . .

                    It is all about the journey

And the journey with Jesus is ANYTHING but linear

          It loops and jumps --- backwards, forwards, sideways

                   But the goal is to be constantly moving WITH Jesus

During Lent, Mary and I will share with you what we as a staff have come to believe are the characteristics of a disciple.

·         A Disciple Worships

·         A Disciple belongs to a Community

·         A Disciple commits to spiritual practices

·         A Disciple is Generous and Serves

·         A Disciple seeks to be Christ-like

What i love about these descriptions is that they really are not static objectives.

You can't just show up on a Sunday morning and say: Yep, I can check off that box

They require more --- and it is in the nuances, that one finds Jesus

I can come to church --- and not encounter Jesus

I can join a house group --- and not encounter Jesus

I can meditate, or fast and still not encounter Jesus

I can share my time and resources --- and still not encounter Jesus

It is not the DOING that makes us a disciple --- it is all about the relationship and the reason WHY we are doing what we do

One statistic that I have always found fascinating is the amount of time that people spend in actual conversation with their spouse

According to the UK, Office for National Statistics --- Couples, on average, spend about two to two and a half hours a day together, including weekends

That sounds pretty good --- until you dig a little deeper.

They report that this time is largely spent watching television (one-third of all the time spent together), eating (30 minutes) and doing housework together (24 minutes).

And how often is there actual conversation?

          Quality conversation?

Many marriage counselors have compared marriage to a garden. 

I find this to be an interesting analogy. 

If you know much about gardening you know that the “natural” state of a garden (meaning the state it exists in without the intentional input of energy) is death

What is the “natural” state of a marriage --- divorce. 

          Without the intentional input of energy, marriage dies.

I have also heard the analogy that marriage is similar to drifting downstream together

but that would imply that the natural state of marriage is to go where it needs to go

          but that isn’t the case, as anyone who is married knows.

Most marriages that end in divorce often seem to just drift into divorce.

According to other research --- most married couples spend only 5 minutes a day in actual conversation with their spouse

          5 minutes!

What kind of garden is that going to produce?

I ask all that because it seems to me, this is also indicative of our relationship with God.

How much time do you spend in intentional relationship with God?

Can you honestly answer that question?

          And is that time that you spend with God --- quality time

Just because you are here --- it does not mean that you are actually spending time with God

And when --- IF --- you read the bible --- do you read it for intellectual understanding --- or so that you can be in a relationship with God?

          How do I know the difference? . . .

Do you ask yourself as you read each passage: What is this scripture asking of me?

Is the time that you spend with Jesus --- is it enough to allow that relationship to really grow?

Jesus comes along and in our text today says: (Matthew 4:18f The Message)

Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.

The question we have to ask ourselves isn't just will we follow --- intellectually. 

But will we take the time and energy necessary to really fall in love with God

As you come to the table this morning, I invite you to lay aside all your pre-conceived notions about what this is

And instead see it as an opportunity to re-connect with Jesus --- maybe even for the first time

To begin a journey of grace

          To begin to move beyond intellectual knowing of Jesus ---

                   To falling in love with him and his invitation for us today