Come and Be Found

Note: this post is the Sermon which I preached this morning at Hoover First United Methodist Church.  It is not EXACTLY what I said, but this is the manuscript with which I started.    I also have a note following the sermon to clarify one point that I was trying to make.  Would love to have comments!


Mark 1:14-20      

14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God,15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”16As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen.17And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”18And immediately they left their nets and followed him.19As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets.20Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
       

　

This week, I had a friend who posted a picture on face book that really struck me. He had taken a picture of a framed saying that hangs on the wall of his favorite “watering hole.”

The saying is a quote from JR Moehringer. Moehringer is writer in New York and after googling him, I think that this quote is from his memoir.

I want to read you part of this quote
“We went there for everything we needed. We went there when thirsty, of course, and when hungry, and when dead tired. We went there when happy, to celebrate, and when sad, to sulk. We went there after weddings and funerals, for something to settle our nerves, and always for a shot of courage just before. We went there when we didn’t know what we needed, hoping someone might tell us. We went there when we were looking for love, ….. or trouble, or for someone who had gone missing, because sooner or later everyone turned up there. Most of all we went there when we needed to be found.” 
What struck me about this when I read it was that I wanted this to be how people feel about coming to church!

“we went there for everything we needed…. Most of all we went there when we needed to be found.”

In trying to figure out where Moehringer had written this, I read some excerpts from his memoir, The Tender Bar.  And in it he writes,
“Everyone has a holy place, a refuge, where their heart is purer, their mind clearer, where they feel closer to God or love or truth or whatever it is they happen to worship. For better or worse my holy place was Steve’s bar.”
What is YOUR holy place? But, more importantly,
WHY is it holy to you?
Is it a place where you feel refuge?
Where your heart is purer and your mind is clearer?

Is it a place where you feel closer to God?

So, WHAT in the world does how this man feels about a bar have to do with the call of the first disciples?

Why in the world am I sharing this with you this morning?

Well, it has stuck in my brain ever since I read it.
especially the part about
Going to a certain place because you needed to be found.

Isn't that what the church SHOULD be?

The place where we go to find our truest, best selves…

The place where we are found by others…

And then, I think…. What if???

What if other people KNEW that this was the place to come to be found…

Just like my friend really identified with this quote because this bar where it hangs is a special place to him---

The image that keeps going through my mind is “Cheers”-- that old TV show..

Which had as it’s theme song….. Those words that I bet you call could even sing…

Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you got
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot
Wouldn’t you like to get away
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name…
And they’re always glad you came
You wanna be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same
 You wanna be where everybody knows your name…
So, what do these bar stories have to do with the Gospel??
Why in the world have a started a sermon with this?

Because the passage of Scripture that we read this morning is about Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John…. Leaving everyone and everything in order to follow Jesus…
They must have been so compelled by what Jesus had to share with them, that they were willing to give up all that they had to follow him.

Now, Mark doesn’t give us much detail. We really don’t know if this is the first time that they had met Jesus, or if they had been listening to his message of repent and believe in the Gospel and this is just the first time that they are invited to join him.

But, not only do they follow him, Jesus says that they are called to draw OTHERS to him as well…that’s where these bar stories come to mind…

What compels US to come to church???
Why is that YOU are here today?
Is it because this is a place where everyone knows your name?
And they are always glad you came?
Is this a place where you find your truest and best self?
Is it a place where you come to find courage? (maybe not the liquid kind as the quote suggests)
But is it a place where you come when you don’t know what you need, but hope you will find it?
Is this the place where you come to be found?

Shouldn’t the church be ALL of those places for us?

A place to come for courage and encouragement,
A place to find what we need
And a place to be found

So… WHY do people think they will find that in a bar??
Not at church?

What is the message that we have to share that might be compelling enough today?

This scripture from Mark talks about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and he begins with these words,  “repent and believe”

Too often what we here in those words is condemnation--

YOU ARE A SINNER…

But really what those words are about is GRACE!!!

They are a word of grace.
And that is the message that we are called to share…

Believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ
That GOD loves EACH One of us!
That God loves EVERY person..
WE are called to share this message of grace--
share with others

BUT, before we can witness to our faith to others…

We have to be able to share what it is that makes us want to follow Christ.
So, what is so compelling about the message of Jesus that we come here every week to worship?
What is it that draws YOU to Christ-- what is it that makes you want to follow him?

Not many of us are called like Simon Peter and Andrew, like James and John…
Not many of us are asked to give up everything to follow,
There were only 12 disciples and they were the leaders…
But Jesus had many more followers--

So, for all those who followed Jesus there was a decision point-
A point at which they decided that he was the messiah
The anointed one
The one who had come to announce the kingdom of God.

But, Jesus didn’t call ANY of his followers just so that they could be self-satisfied with themselves and their OWN personal devotion…

Jesus came so that ALL might be found….

So that ALL might come to repent and believe.

As followers of Christ, WE are asked to share this message

A message that is compelling enough that we come to church each week to worship a God who lives and reigns.. Who loves and cares for each one of us.

When I read that quote I was deeply sad that for some people the place where they are “found” is a bar…

Surely, the message here is one that is more grace filled…

Come and follow!

Come and be found!


Further Note:  One of the things that I think I "threw in" was that I understand that people feel a sense of "community" at other places and that this is what they are craving.  On a personal note, I have nothing against bars per se.  I just wish more people saw the church as a place where they will be welcomed and find community.

Hoover FirstUnited Methodist Church
Reaching out to all people, inviting them to experience the love of Jesus.
"As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord. Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit.” (Eph 2:20-22)

Come Home to Hoover First for Christmas!

Sometimes home is not really the physical place where we grew up, but instead, home may relate to a mental or emotional state of refuge or comfort. So, I invite you to come home to this “household of faith”-- a spiritual home where you can find many of the qualities we associate with home.

Many of us have fond memories of home during the holidays-- or least how we would like to remember our home as a warm and comforting place when we were growing up. Home stirs up images of home-cooked meals and extended family gathered lovingly around a table. For others of us, our real-life family didn't match up to this idealized image, but rather, home is what we created for our own children. And finally, for some of us, the search goes on to find a place to belong and to feel “at home.”-- to find that refuge and comfort for which we long.

So, I invite you during this holiday time, to come home for Christmas. Come Home to the joy of a simple Christmas--taking refuge from the commercialization and materialism of the Holidays. Come Home for the Holy Days of the holiday season!  Join us for Christmas Eve Service of Candlight and Communion at 4 p.m., December 24th.  Christmas Day Worship Breakfast is at 9 a.m. and Service is at 10 am.  Everyone is invited to bring a special toy or "childhood object" to share!

Come Home to Hoover First to celebrate the birth of the Christ child. The one who comes to each one of us anew each Christmas. It is through Christ that we can find our spiritual home with God. Come home to Christ.

In the Joy of the Season!

1934 Patton Chapel Road Hoover, AL 35226

www.hooverfirstumc.org

Remembering Ellen

I don't remember the first time that I met Ellen Kepley. Surely, it was within my first few weeks of becoming the secretary at Orange United Methodist Church, but it isn't stuck in my memory. At that time, Ellen was still working at UNC, so she wasn't able to devote as much time as she wanted to the church. She would say all the time, "I can't wait until I can retire and spend my time here!"

That was 1989. The only full-time staff member was Rene Bideaux, the pastor. I had graduated from seminary, but needed a job for a year. The church hired me as secretary, but allowed me to do all that i wanted-- including lead in worship on Sundays and teach 2 year old Sunday school!

My strongest memory of that year of Ellen was actually when I left! She took me to lunch at the Carolina Inn and gave me a beautiful poreclain tape dispenser. What I remember about this is that Ellen was so gracious to me. It also formed my image of her as a "Southern Lady."

But, it was when I returned to Orange UMC two years later as Minister of Visitation, that I came to know Ellen as friend and second mother. From Ellen, I learned the art of hospitality. She taught me a lot about cooking and gardens. I learned about the history of Homestead Road and Orange Church.

Ellen told the story of how her father hauled the logs that built "The Hut." She also said that when she was growing up and Homestead Road was a dirst road, her father could tell you'd been down the road by the tracks in it! What change she saw on that road, in her beloved Chapel Hill, and in her church!

In many ways, Ellen embodied the spirit of Orange Church. I have no doubt that almost any member who joined that church after 1990 will say that she was at the door, greeting them-- standing next to the pastor. During the years when Rene was pastor, visitors often mistook her for his wife! But, often on Sunday afternoons or evenings, Ellen would go home and call everyone who had visited the church. When she would "report" to the staff about these calls, we were always amazed by what she had learned about the visitors!

Ellen had a true gift for making people feel comfortable and welcome. She understood what it meant to people to find a place to "belong" and she wanted Orange Church to be a place where everyone could find a welcoming community and a spiritual home.

When we adopted Jessie, Ellen hosted the church's "baby" shower for us. What was so wonderful about that event is that she hosted it with Velna, her brother's wife, and two "newer" members, Julie Pickett and Debbie Bettis. Ellen was a life-long member of Orange Church, but she always knew that meant that she had responsibility for making "new" members feel welcome.

I was blessed to have Ellen as a second "mother" when my own mother died of cancer. Ellen knew that I needed someone and she reached out to me. For a time, I met her every morning at 6 a.m. to walk. She could have done that anytime with several of her friends, but I appreciated the special care that she so willingly gave me by giving me that time with her.

I had just learned of Ellen's illness a few weeks ago. I had wanted to call and talk with her, but all I could think of to say was "I love you." It seemed like too little to express all that she had given me at a time in my life when I needed so much. I am so grateful that God let me be a part of Ellen's life for a time. I am grateful that Ellen embodied God's love so beautifully in so many ways. Ellen blessed me, but what is more true than anything is that Ellen blessed so very many lives with her smile, her welcoming hand, a plate of food, and most of all her loving heart!

Walk off the Pot Lucks 5 K and Lake Walk

Several months ago, I started a second blog focused on health and wellness issues-- particularly as it relates to Clergy!

The title of this post is a link a post I just published over on wHoly Life about an event that will take place at the Gathering of the Orders for the North Alabama Conference.

I hope that you will visit this link and read more about the event.

If you are clergy, COME AND RUN

If you laity, support your pastor!

Urban Gardening Feeds The Hungry

No sooner did I post the last post about churches & food, than I saw a tweet from Sustainble Traditions : www.sustainabletraditions.com/2011/3/community-gardens-churches-find-their-local-mission


Which included this great video!

Food and Church

A few months ago, curious to see what would land in my inbox, I set up google alert for the words "church" and "food." Hoping to find churches that were doing innovative programming around food and faith, cull through the links that come in the daily email.



Each day, there are anywhere from 15-30 links to news articles, websites and even blog entries. The one thing that all the links have is that they lead to postings that have both the word church and food in them.



Rarely have I received a link to anything that mentions a church educating members about food policy and/or sustainability! Instead, in my very unscientific analysis, the vast majority of articles are about the what churches are doing to meet the food needs of their communities-- usually in the forms of food pantries, soup kitchens, or food give aways. And then, of course, there are the numerous links that merely are mentioning church events in which food will be served!



Some points to ponder....

1. Are churches doing programming related to food "issues"? but just not publicizing it-- so it doesn't make it into the web postings?


2. Are the needs so great in so many of our communities that more and more churches are reaching out with aid in the form of food?


3. Is it just that this community outreach/charity work is much more "reportable"? Articles about churches offering food aid are more interesting to the general public?

So these are just my beginning questions...

Are you drinking the food industry kool aid?

Saw this video today and this is SO funny!

Saying Grace: a beginning point

In our family, every meal begins in the same manner. As we gather at the table, hands are joined and grace is said. The words are always the same-- a prayer that was taught to my mother when she was a child and that she taught her children.

“For food, for health, for loving care,
For friends and blessings everywhere,
Dear [God]*, we thank you. Amen.”

Saying Grace is a beginning point for inviting God’s presence in our eating. We say “thank you” for the food which we are about to consume. For many of us, saying a prayer at the beginning of a meal may be the only time that our faith “mindfully” intersects with our eating. Beyond those grace-saying moments, do we think about how our faith connects to the actual food that we put in our mouths?

The answers are as individual and multi-layered as each person who wrestles with questions of faith. How do our religious beliefs influence how that food comes to be on our plates? The answers involve issues of how we eat, what we eat, and with whom we eat.

More and more I am convinced that there are fundamental issues of faith involved in how food comes to our table, but for many us, convenience and price trump values. For example, it is cheap and easy to run through the drive-thru and pick up a burger. Yet, how many of us have thought about what that choice might mean for our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. I heard someone suggest recently that the meat in such a burger might have come from animals raised in a foreign country where persons are dying from hunger-related causes because all the prime farmland is used for meat which is then exported. I haven‘t verified whether this is a “real“ problem or not, but the issue for me is that I don’t whether or not this is a true story.

And so, as one of my New Year‘s Resolutions I plan to spend more time exploring the layers of this question in my own life: How does my faith intersect with my eating? I welcome your thoughts and comments.


**My mother taught us to say “Father,” but in the interest of non-sexist language, I have taught my own daughter to use the word “God.”

the best meal in a long time

A few weeks ago, Ron and I had dinner at Urban Standard. I follow them on twitter and I had gotten a "tweet" earlier in the day stating that they would be serving dinner. We decided to check it out. Having only been to Urban Standard early in the morning and coffee and breakfast, I wasn't sure what to expect for dinner; Ron had never been there.

Looking at the menu, I immediately knew that the meal would be different than anything I'd had in a while. There were only four choices for dinner: pork shoulder, potato dumplings, mahi, or venison.

After a starter of butternut squash soup, I ordered the potato dumplings, with root veggies and kale. When that first bite of kale hit my taste buds, I realized that I hadn't had REAL food in a long time! Kale is most certainly NOT my favorite vegetable! I'm not a big fan of leafy greens and eat them more because they are healthy than because I actually like them! But, I really, really LIKED how that kale tasted--along with everything else that I put in my mouth. If it wouldn't have been highly impolite, I might have even tried to lick the plate!

After the meal, we had the pleasure to speak with the owner. He told us that Urban Standard gets some of there produce from Jones Valley Urban Farm. Coincidentally I had visited JVUF during the Food Summit recently where I saw rows and rows of kale growing. I wouldn't be surprised if I had seen the very kale that I ate that night!

Help Society of St. Andrew get $250,000 from Pepsi!

Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) is in the running for a grant of $250,000 from the Pepsi Refresh everything project!!

YOU can help us win by going to their website and voting!!

www.refresheverything.com/endhungerusa


This Money will provide MILLIONS of servings of food to those who are hungry! Our organization can provide a serving a food for about $.02 !!! so this is a HUGE thing for us!

I know it is a pain because you have to register and then log in every day.. but it's their way of collecting demographics and "insuring" that it is fair! not computer bots voting!

So.... PLEASE help us to get this money!!

you can vote every day for the month of September--with every email address that you have! (you just have to register each email addresss!)

if you need a daily reminder to vote, you can sign up for that at the society of St. Andrew website (right under the pepsi widget on the homepage) just enter your email address and you will get a daily reminder from us to go and vote!! www.endhunger.org

thanks!!

the light going out?

Today at church, I sat in the balcony.. Jess and I were the only ones up there along with the "sound guy." It is a different experience from up there.. but my favorite moment of the service today was watching one of the acolytes carry out the "Light of Christ."

The little girl had lit her taper and was carrying it out.. but in typical child-scientific experimentation style... she was moving down the aisle quickly and watching the flame.. just as it was about to go out, she would slow down so that it could "relight" itself.

As I watched her do this, it dawned on me that this is often how the light of Christ is in our own lives.... We move so quickly that that flame is sometimes hard to see and/or feel.. we don't wait and watch for Christ working in our life. And then, we slow down and actually watch and wait and the flame is rekindled--not because we have relit it, but we have welcomed the Spirit to work in our lives again...

back to the blog?

Thinking that I have been away from this too long.. need to get back in the habit of blogging again.. I thought I had just taken last summer off.. now I'm realizing that I took the whole winter off! it's spring already!!

So... hoping that I will get back into the habit soon... we'll see.. facebook still seems to soak up my time so often....

My Facebook Addiction

OK... so I have now heard it from almost every member of my family. I have an addiction to Facebook....

I'm not ready yet to say that it is a bad addiction... Ok... so maybe when I get caught up in playing Farmville or Bejeweled Bitz and ignore the housework--that's not a good thing. I still haven't figured out why I like Farmville, so maybe it is an addiction and not a good one... But, aside from the applications, here is my defense....

Facebook has helped me to "integrate" my life. I have lived many places, NJ, Georgia, Ohio, NC and now Alabama (11 cities in all). Facebook has reconnected me to all of those places and times in my life. There is no one in my life (aside from God, of course) who has been with me in all those places and known all those people. There is no one here in Alabama who knows about my life as a child in New Jersey and to many here, NJ is like a foreign country! But, through Facebook, I have found my best friend from 6th Grade! I found friends from those odd Jr. High years in Georgia. And so wonderfully satisfying it has been to reconnect with kids that were in my first church and now are all grown up!

I have reconnected with friends who were very important to me at various stages in my life and actually had an impact on who I am today. I had lost touch with many of these folks. In some ways, it was as if they were still whatever age they had been when I last talked with them-frozen in time..... but with Facebook, I am able to see what they have made of their lives.

So, maybe this all seems so "in the past" -- but one of my strengths is "context" (for those of you that understand that).... I like to put everything in context--by understanding the past, I can understand the present and how I got here...

but what about the "now" of Facebook...

here it is:

for me, it's keeping up with all the happenings in TOO many people's lives... it is a window into what is going on in people's lives.. I really do read the newsfeed--I go and look at people's profiles when I have thought about them and wonder what is happening in their life. I look at their pictures and rejoice in their family celebrations! I would never have time to call all these people and chat or write letters or emails! But through Facebook, I keep in touch with their daily lives!

Most importantly it keeps me in touch with those who are most dear to me, but very far away. I know more about my brother's family and see more of my niece. Since they have joined facebook in the last few months, I know more about happenings in their lives than what I had known in the last three years that they have been in France!

It helps me build and strengthen relationships with people who, like me, are introverts. I have several people in my life that I see regularly--not every day, but maybe every few weeks.. But, in those encounters, I don't always see or hear what's going on in their daily lives. Facebook allows that sharing to take place...

Also, it has strengthened my relationships with colleagues. People that I know "vaguely" through work have become REAL people to me... not just a name on an appointment list. They are people who post articles and links, that express opinions and I have come to know them more fully because of Facebook.

So, perhaps I spend more hours than I should on Facebook. Perhaps it is not the best if I neglect the people who are in the room with me in order to chat, message or read about other people. But, Facebook has become one way for me to connect my life to others in fun ways, but also it has helped me to deepen my relationships with those who are close to me, but far away. It's a mixed bag--just like all of life!

Prayer for Today

As S. Mary Magdalen broke her vase of spices, the heart empties itself utterly of all attachment to transitory things, it is left open wide for God alone. (from Meditations of a Hermit by Charles De Foucauld)


Break open my heart
open it wide to your mercy,
love and grace.

Come into my heart
and reign over it
that in that place might be your home.

O God, open wide my soul,
that I may empty myself to You
and be filled with the
Holy Spirit.

Servant Prayer

Holy God,

Help me this day to rely on Your Grace
because I cannot rely on my own goodness.

May I be a conduit for Your Grace
May I reflect Your Love and Mercy
May people see through me to You.

Make me humble and help me to serve.

Guide my mouth, not for my own glory
but so that others might be drawn closer to you.

May I not esteem myself better than anyone else,
but humbly be as one who is servant of all.

O God, May I truly be Your servant this day.

Amen.

Prayer for the day

O God, may I meet this day in the strength of Your Spirit
that in whatever circumstances I find myself
I will show forth Your Love and Grace
That I may be tranquil when all around me is chaos,
That I may be gentle with all those I meet,
and that I may rely on Your strength to overcome
whatever obstacles impede me.
In the name of the One who is the Prince of Peace,
Christ Jesus. Amen.

Observations on the Grand Canyon Trip

These are my thoughts that I shared at our "No Talent Show" near the end of our trip. I began with just some general thoughts, but then tried to put them into Chiasistic Alliteration. I didn't do this very well, but it was fun trying..... some of these might not make sense unless you have been on the trip.....

• Never start a water fight with a boat that is upwind of you.
• There are only 2 ravens in the entire Grand Canyon and their names are Raul and Esperonzia
• People from Alaska are not cold like the land from which they come, but are actually very warm.
• No matter how old siblings get, they still pick on each other
• When you run a rapid at night, you will forever be remembered as "numb nuts"!

• You can rock the boat, but don't run the boat into a rock
• You can pee in the baler, but don't bale the pee
• You can break wind in the unit, but don't sleep downwind of it.
• You can bare your rear end, but you'll have to bear with everyone else's!
• If you sleep on a rock, you won't sleep like a rock!

• Once you run the River, the River runs in you!

Took the summer off

So... i sort of took the summer off... didn't really intend to, but just sort of how it worked out for me... I hope to get back here some and start to post things again on a regular basis... i am going to post a few pictures from the Grand Canyone aand I think that I will post my "no talent show" piece--a bit of reflections on the trip.... meant to be entertaining, but I will let you decide....

prayer for the day

Grant me this day
a loving attitude
and a gentle tongue.

Make me slow to anger
and slow to speak.

Grant me patience
and acceptance.

Make me to be your hands
and your feet
Your heart.