Yesterday’s sermon text from Luke 14 was one of those in which Jesus wasn’t smiling.  In fact, one gets the distinct impression that Jesus was more than a little perturbed as he reacted to the posing and posturing of the religious leaders of his day.  Jesus went out of his way to make the point that their behavior wouldn’t cut it for those who wanted to be his disciples.

Jesus spoke of his followers carrying his cross and selling all of our possessions.  One point I made in my sermon was that God knows more than we ever will, and God knows what is best, so we are completely at God’s mercy – and that’s what we get when we seek to follow Jesus.  We try, but inevitably we will fall short in our faithfulness.  Fortunately, we have the power of the Risen Christ to keep us in range of God’s love.

Sermons on commitment and faithfulness can seem harsh and demanding, likely turn-offs for some people who limp into church following the stresses and challenges of the prior week, but the lessons come up in the text, so we try to share the message.

I came across a story shared by William Willamon about people who were up for a challenge: 

“Do you know Teach America? Teach America is an organization which recruits this nation’s best college and university students to go to teach in the most impossible teaching situations in our country. This recruiter from Teach America looked out on a crowd of Duke students. She began by saying, ‘I don’t really know why I am here to night. I can tell just by looking at you that you are probably uninterested in what I have to say. This is one of the best universities in America. You are all successful. That is why you are here, to become an even greater success on Madison Avenue, or Wall Street, or in Law School. And here I stand, trying to recruit some people for the most difficult job you will ever have in your life. I’m out looking for people who want to go into a burned out classroom in Watts and teach Biology. I’m looking for somebody to go into a little one-room school house in West Virginia and teach kids from six years to thirteen years old how to read. We had three teachers killed last year in their classrooms! And I can tell, just by looking at you, that none of you want to throw away your lives on anything like that. On the other hand, if by chance there is somebody here who may be interested, I’ve got these brochures and I am going to leave them down here and will be glad to speak to anybody who is interested. The meeting is over.’

With that, all of the students jumped up, rushed into the aisles, rushed down to the front, starting fighting over her pamphlets, just dying to apply for Teach America.

That night I learned: People are hungry to give their lives to something more important than themselves. It is a fact of life, not only that everything costs us something, but that, in our better moments, we are even eager to pay the cost.”

Jesus looks for our better moments.

Each year, as the anniversary of the September 11th attacks comes around, I recall not only that terrible day, but I also remember another tragedy that occurred that week.  It was the untimely death of Barbara Silverman, my co-worker for my first four years at William Penn House. 

Barbara arrived at William Penn House two months before I did, having just graduated from Earlham School of Religion, and thinking she would spend a year as an intern.  Shortly after her arrival, the Director fired the House Manager, a staff revolt ensued, and several more people ended up leaving, including the Director.  The staff I inherited when I was hired as Director consisted of Barbara, another recently arrived intern, and the custodian. 

Barbara became Acting House Manager, and I was fortunate to keep her around in that role for a few more years.  She eventually entered a program at the University of Pennsylvania to prepare for institutional chaplaincy.

Following her continued education after she left WPH, Barbara found her niche.  She became the House Manager at the Ronald McDonald House in Washington.  So, she was back in town. 

I spoke to Barbara and saw her from time to time as we kept in loose contact over the intervening years, and I truly felt she was fulfilled in her roles as head resident, counselor, chaplain, manager and everything else she did for the young patients and their families who spent time at the Ronald McDonald House. 

At the end of the week preceding the September 11 attacks I received word that Barbara was in the hospital.  She had a severe reaction to a prescription medicine and was experiencing kidney failure. 

I checked on her at the hospital just about every day.  Her condition quickly worsened.  As the news of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon filled the television screen in her hospital room, she seemed barely aware of what was happening.          

Each day brought new complications and narrowing hope for recovery.  Her elderly father was in town standing by, as were her brother and family.  I spent time with all of them apart from the hospital.  It was a very intense week, and finally the day we dreaded arrived.  Barbara died.     

I hurried to the place where her family was staying.  When Barbara’s father, a tiny, fragile man with a variety of health issues of his own, finally came into the lobby, he slowly walked over to me, sat down, and simply said, “Today we have fresh evidence that life isn’t fair.” 

As summer wraps up and the cycle of activities spins back toward school, work, and other regular endeavors, we’re still in the midst of the longest portion, or season, of the church year.  

Following Pentecost, which occurs 7 weeks after Easter Sunday, the ensuing church season is known as “Ordinary Time.”  On some calendars, however, each Sunday is designated as being the “(whatever number) Sunday after Pentecost.”  There are 26 such Sundays in the year, fully half of all Sundays. 

The reason for mentioning this is that clearly there is an emphasis on the memory of Pentecost.  Each Sunday is listed with a reference to the world-changing events that are described in the New Testament, in chapter 2 of Acts.  As promised by Jesus, the Holy Spirit showed up, inspiring and empowering the disciples, and getting the attention of others present in Jerusalem that day.  Three thousand people became believers, and the church was off and running.   

Sometimes in churches we get bogged down in details, organizational matters, and interpersonal struggles.  We allow culture to intrude on worship.  Often, we look and behave as a collection of individuals more than as a community of faith.  Core values such as the practice of spiritual disciplines become less of a priority than counting our dollars. 

But, we’re followers of Jesus.  We’re Pentecost People!  God enables us to recognize the times when we take our eyes off of Jesus.  God empowers us to adjust our course.  The example of the earliest of Christians, whose story is reported and preserved for us in the pages of a book we all own, even in multiple copies and translations, shouts to us of the new possibilities bound up in the Holy Spirit. 

A popular feature on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is a bit called “Jaywalking.”   Cameras are taken to a shopping mall, a busy street corner, or an amusement park, and people are asked questions about subjects that seemingly are common knowledge.  Naturally, the funniest responses are shown on the air, such as when college history majors don’t know basic facts about U.S. history, or when otherwise seemingly intelligent people are oblivious to current events.   Hopefully, most of the people Jay interviews correctly answer his questions, but we’ll never know for sure.

At one Disciples’ General Assembly, a film clip of “Jaywalking” was shown to the entire gathering.  In that particular case, Jay asked basic questions about the Bible – and the answers were predictably silly and embarrassing.  Of course, we Biblically literate Disciples were tremendously amused by the lack of familiarity with scripture shown in the clip.  It’s probably a good thing Jay and his crew, with their microphones and cameras, weren’t circulating among our group asking similar questions.

Over the years, I have encountered people who knew their Bibles backwards and forwards, but seemed lacking in grace, forgiveness and love.  Conversely, I have known some faithful, generous souls who probably would have looked foolish under Jay Leno’s questioning.  Still, it seems there is room among Christians for basic Bible familiarity and awareness.

Quick – list the Ten Commandments, in order.  Where do they appear in the Bible?  What are the names of the four Gospels?  Which ones are known as “synoptic?”  Who observed the burning bush?   When Jesus was asked which of the commandments was most important, how did he respond?  Name five Old Testament prophets.  What was the significance of Ruth?  Who succeeded Moses as the leader of the Chosen People?  Why did Jonah refuse to go to Ninevah?  What happened to him following his refusal to go?  What happened on the Day of Pentecost, and what did it signify?  What is the Great Commission?  Who first discovered the empty tomb of Jesus?

So, how did you do?  If you need help with some of the questions, there is a good source in which to find the answers. 

I think you know what that is.

We’re on the verge of welcoming two puppies into our household.  They are Pembroke Welsh Corgis, and when we bring them home, they will be eight weeks old.  Both females, their names will be Jacki and Jas, named for two flowers found in our area, jacaranda and jasmine.

It has been a while since we had puppies, so we’re trying to think of all that is necessary to prepare for their arrival, and to make plans for their needs.  In some ways, it would be nice to skip over some of the realities of puppyhood, but I guess it’s all part of the experience of responsible pet ownership.

Years ago, as we were moving to a new town and church – and into a parsonage owned by the congregation – we had Cleo, a three year-old dog; Gabe, who was a couple of months past his first birthday; and Matt was on the way.

Several months after we arrived, I discovered there was some discussion among at least a few of the church folks regarding our bringing a dog to live in their house.  A busybody Disciples pastor from a church just across the state line somehow got wind of this and submitted the case to the “advice” column in The Disciple, then the official journal of our denomination.

The busybody pastor framed the question as if he were a participant in the original discussion, noting that the incoming pastor was a young man with a pregnant wife and a toddler, as well as the dog.  He wondered whether a church should be concerned with such a “picayune” matter, perhaps the only time that word ever appeared in The Disciple.   The writers of the column responded by remarking they were glad the church allowed the “young pastor” to keep his child, since children typically did more damage to parsonages than did pets. 

Indeed.  Dogs, after all, don’t know how to use crayons.

On the DisciplesWorld website there is an article about a light bulb that has been burning almost non-stop for close to 100 years.  The best guess is the bulb was placed into a socket and the switch flipped on around 1914.   It was an outside porch light, left on day and night, at a home in Norfolk, Virginia.  When the family sold the house some 30 years later, they told the new owners about the light bulb and its longevity.  So, the incoming occupants left the light on.

Over the following quarter-century, the light was switched off only once, during World War II, when an air marshal told the family it could not remain on that night.  In 1967, the house again was sold, and a family member took the light, installed it in a hallway lamp, switched it on, and let it burn.  For 40 years.

Earlier this year, the bulb was passed along to another family member, who is keeping it on in his house.

I thought that was a remarkable story, and when I read about the 2007 International Day of Prayer for Peace on September 21, sponsored by the World Council of Churches, well, a light bulb appeared over my head.

The way our faith is handed down across generations is like the image of a light bulb that keeps burning hour after hour, year after year, decade after decade.   People, events, trends, and so much else, come and go, but the shining presence of faith in God through Jesus Christ remains.  With it, hope remains, as do new possibilities for life.

The 2007 International Day of Prayer for Peace is a by-product of the constant light of that faith.  Maybe every day could be used as a Day of Prayer for Peace.

God knows the world needs it, and maybe the light would make visible a path to the peace God desires for us.

In her book, Unbinding the Gospel:  Real Life Evangelism, Martha Grace Reese makes an assertion I absolutely believe.  She states, “The spirit of God seems to be doing something in the mainline churches.” (p. 35)  My observation is that more and more churches are becoming part of a growing movement toward transformation. Within that movement is an increasing focus on spirituality and the practice of spiritual disciplines.  In other words, people are waking up to the truth that the presence of God is essential to their lives and their churches.  People and, by extension, churches need to get to know God more fully, and many are trying.

Regular worship, study of the scriptures, prayer, service, and faithful stewardship of our wealth are among important spiritual disciplines.  Reese mentions hospitality in her discussion.

She points out how the United Church of Christ spent a lot of time developing an approach to hospitality and evangelism known as “God Is Still Speaking.”  Relevant training was provided throughout the church, and television ads were produced in line with the theme.  Many of you know by now that some television stations chose not to air the ads, citing their “controversial” nature.  The controversy was that the ads asserted that all people are welcomed into the UCC.  News reports of the rejection of the ads likely generated more buzz than the ads themselves might have produced. 

Meanwhile, James Dobson, head of Focus on the Family Ministries, had some spare time and came out with a public condemnation of the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants.  Why? You’ll have to ask him.  Anyway, the UCC cleverly used this bit of news in press photos and online presentations, depicting SpongeBob talking it over with the General Minister and President of the UCC, Dr. John Thomas, who unequivocally let SpongeBob know there was room for him among the UCC’s.

Martha Grace Reese quotes a UCC pastor who told her that for weeks, tens of thousands of hits were recorded on the church locator section of the UCC website. 

The pastor declared, “I think this situation is so off the wall only God could be arranging it!” (p. 36)

In a Washington Post article about cell phone contracts, and the anger and frustration people feel about them, there is mention of a unique approach to getting out of a contract.  Corey Taylor, “irate” over the $175 termination fee, “faked his own death.”  He made up a phony death certificate, which he had someone fax to the company, assuming the company would cancel a contract with a dead person.

It didn’t work. "In the end, I forked over the money," Taylor said. "But I bet I sent a definite message about how much people hate being strapped to a cell phone that doesn't work."  Don’t be so sure.

People enter into contracts and commitments all the time.  There is a service or product they desire, and they are willing to pay for it, and sometimes even to accept terms that put them at a disadvantage or risk.  We want whatever it is, so we accept the terms.

Interestingly, there are church folks that become very indignant if they are asked to commit to making a financial contribution to the church.  They “don’t want to be tied down” to a specific amount.  What if they can’t pay it, they ask?  Huh, what then??

By and large churches soften the commitment by calling it an “estimate of giving.” “What might you give this year?  We don’t want you to feel pressured to do so, but, if you were to happen to give some money to the church so we can actually pay our bills and plan for ministry in the name of Jesus, roughly speaking, what amount could it potentially be?  Not that we’re going to hold you to it, or anything.  We really wouldn’t expect you to make a commitment, you know.”

Someone shared a church newsletter containing an article by the pastor who described a situation in which a church not only asked for a financial pledge commitment, but also asked the members to commit to how many Sundays they would attend worship.  Imagine that!  Asking people actually to take seriously the spiritual discipline of worshiping God!  Even when there are so many other things to do on Sunday mornings!

The pastor mentioned a Sunday when there was a heavy snowfall the night before, and his low expectations for worship attendance.  An elderly woman slowly and carefully made her way to the church despite the poor conditions.  The pastor said, “Good morning, Mrs. XYZ.  I didn’t expect to see you here today.”  She replied, “It wasn’t easy to get here, but I made a commitment to attend worship.  So, here I am, keeping my promise.”

Why is it so difficult to commit to the faithfulness of our time, abilities and wealth in our relationship with God, who blesses us and promises to bless us even more, when we are willing, even eager, to strike deals with people who stack the deck in their own favor and are often reluctant to keep their end of the bargain?

Every now and then I learn of a young person who acts out of a concern, and it grows into a larger effort involving many more people.  For instance, I remember a young girl in Maryland who noticed homeless people on the route her family took between their home and church.  She made sandwiches to share with some of them, and before long a growing army of people regularly got together to cover the area with food and drinks.  During the Live Earth event a month or two ago there were reports of young people finding ways to address environmental issues in their communities and beyond.

Today I read about a boy named Cole Hodges, who at the age of five, wanted to help someone.  His friend’s little sister received a cancer diagnosis and Cole asked his mother if he could “donate his birthday.”  His idea was to collect money rather than presents for his birthday and then contribute the money to help pay for the girl’s treatments.  He rounded up $121 for the cause.  Remember, Cole was five years old.

This is an annual effort by Cole, celebrating his birthday by helping others.  Among the causes he has supported are tsunami relief and an agency providing services to homeless individuals.  Cole and his mother established a nonprofit organization to encourage others also to “Donate Your Birthday,” and their website gives guidance, suggestions and help in this effort.

Tony Campolo, in an interview about wealth, materialism, and our consumer culture, spoke of young people and their developing attitudes and expectations.  He said, “We ought to challenge kids to do something significant with their money for the kingdom of God.  As it is, they give very little and then want accolades for doing it.”  That keeps the focus on those who gave from their excess rather than encouraging a giving spirit among young people.

Efforts like “Donate Your Birthday” can have a snowballing effect when the focus is on helping others.

On his website Cole, describing one of his various projects, leads by example:  “Right now, and for the rest of my life, I’m going to grow my hair 10 inches and donate it to Locks for Love.  Many people think I’m a girl and I may look weird, but I don’t care if it will help other people have a better life.  Think of what you could do.  Kids have more power and can do more things than you think.  You just have to be willing.”

I’m not crazy about texts such as the section from Hebrews 12 assigned by the Revised Common Lectionary for yesterday’s worship.  Images like the ones included there can be distracting, I think.  The writer mentions blazing fire, darkness, gloom, tempest, trumpet, and a “voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them.” 

Some people get hung-up on end-of-the-world images, perhaps because they are frightened by them, and want to somehow try and out-guess God about what is to come.  We can forget that right now.   We simply have to acknowledge that God is God, we are not, and God is in control. I’m willing to live on those terms.

One of the reasons I don’t relish the question, “What do you do for a living?” is that when I respond I am a pastor of a church the other person feels the need to “check-out” the validity of my church.  One time, I was asked in this situation, “Does your church preach prophesy?”

Even though I knew what she meant, I answered, “Yes.”

We don’t take the apocalyptic imagery of the scriptures and find that, “Voila,” it all applies to and predicts world events in our times.  Imagine that, the prophets were looking ahead to US, to OUR lives, to the days in which WE live. It’s great being the center of everything, isn’t it?

Frankly, I don’t know how some of the “prophecy” preachers stay in business.  Jack Van Impe, for instance, has been on television for a long, long time showing how a verse here and a verse there actually explain today’s world events and headlines.  If the selected verses explained the events of thirty years ago, as he incisively pointed out on his TV show back then, how can they also be doing the same today? 

Maybe it simply has taken that long to cover all the verses, and he was doing them in order.

Hebrews 12 tells us yes, God shakes the foundations of the earth.  Things change, God is present and active in human life.  But some things are not shaken, and to me that’s what is important for people of faith to remember.

God is in control.  God loves all of us.  God makes all things new.  How, why, and when I leave up to God. Whatever God chooses to do can only be good. 

I learned all of that from the prophets, and try to convey it to my congregation.