N: Naming God~King

Matthew 2 is certainly a passage I have read before. I've probably at some point in 30 something years of Christmas pageants recited Matthew 2. But as God's word often will, I was stopped this year in my reading at a phrase I hadn't really examined before. It was verse 3: "When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;...". I knew that King Herod reacted in evil ways following the announcement of Jesus' birth. Somehow, I had missed Matthew's commentary about his motivation. He was afraid. And he passed his anxiety along to the people who served him. What about Jesus' birth announcement provoked such fear in Herod? Surely it was the title that the Magi gave the new baby: King of the Jews. After all, that title currently belonged to Herod. And Herod wasn't the kind of guy who was going to share his title, or his throne. Herod wasn't in the temple regularly fasting and praying alongside Simeon and Anna, "awaiting the consolation of Israel." He was consoling Israel just fine, thank you, without God's interference. But surely Herod was aware of the prophecy? I don't know...I supposed skeptics and unbelievers abound in every generation. Somehow, I think in that moment Herod became a true believer. There was a King in Israel, and it just occured to him that Herod wasn't his name.

Jesus is King. What does that mean? Is it still true? If it is true, so what? How many "kings" on earth right now have real power? Author and priest N.T. Wright says that if Jesus is King, it means that Herod is not. And that's what frightened Herod. Thing is, it didn't have to. It could have been a relief. If Herod had seen his role as shepherding Israel until the day that God restored the throne of David for all eternity, then joy would have been his reaction, not fear. God's kingship only threatens those who have power to maintain. But for those who would bend to the name of Jesus, they find all the power they need in His kingdom.

Herod quickly figured out what all humanity eventually discovers: "God also highly exalted [Jesus] and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)

W: A Wise Journey

Matthew 2 tells the story of the wise men, magi who travel from a far off place to find the "one born king of the Jews." Their guide is a new star in the sky. Their encouragement is from a neuroitc King. The object of their worship is Jesus. The story is very familiar, particularly in western culture. They have been sung about, their story re-inacted in plays, and they have more than once been the object of someone's sermon. And why not...they occupy the imagination of Matthew the Gospel writer and consume one of his chapters. Of course, what Matthew offers about these sojourners doesn't nearly satisfy our imagination, so much more has been imagined by them. Did you know the following elements of the story are from folklore and not the Bible: there were 3 wise men, from the Orient, they arrived at the manger on the night of Jesus birth, they rode camels, and their names were Melchior, Caspar, and Balthesar. In spite of the details we have added to their story, there is still much we can glean from the truth of what Scripture offers. We've all seen the billboards and Christmas cards that express the sentiment "wise men still seek him." How true it is! We are wise to seek the Savior in each and every circumstance of life. Of course, we are more likely to recognize God's presence when our attitude of seeking is one of worship. When we seek God with a sense of awe and gratitude, we quickly find ourselves in a posture of worship. From that position, we resonate with the haunting hymn, "what can I give him, poor as I am...I'll give him my heart." When we seek God with a sense of expectancy, then we are more likely to recognize his activity. After all, the name he declares of himself this season is Emmanuel, God with us. The sense of adventure with which these magi seek the Savior is what really captures my imagination, though. Just think! These travelers are...seasoned. I mean, you don't achieve the status they have achieved in the first half of life. And with the titles and means they obviously possess, what good is it to go seek more adventure. But what if they hadn't? What if they had decided life was good enough, full enough? They might have died satisfied...but their likenesses would certainly not decorate all of our mantles this season. Their greatest adventure was this adventure. What about you? What is your greatest adventure? Until we cross with Jesus into the Promised Land, I suspect we all have a great adventure ahead of us. Our best days are in front of us, not behind us! So let's go together, seeking, praising, expecting God. Somehow, I won't be surprised when God surprises us all.

A Series of Events

So this is my first gig preaching EVERY Sunday. Somehow in 15 years of ministry I have gotten out of that responsibility. Oh, believe me! I had responsibilities every week, but preaching to the congregation wasn't necessarily one of them. Now it is. Secretly, I am very excited.
I want to preach in a series format. That is, I really want to build one sermon upon the other. I know they each have to stand alone, because it is a rare saint that can come to church every week ...not to mention the sinners! But I want to go somewhere, create forward momentum, and give people something to look forward to next week.
Like I mentioned last week, I have inherited a service called Compass. I have been praying for this worship service for months now. And I have been asking God to give me a vision for this congregation. I kept imagining the face of the compass...the arrow, the letters N E S W, the other designs. What is the message?
I tried to think of verses that spoke of the directions on the compass, like Isaiah 43:5-7 (Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth--everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.") or like Psalm 103:11-12 (For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he fremoves our transgressions from us."). I imagined the inner workings of the compass that always directs the arrow to true north as being a metaphor for God's word in our lives. The letters, N E S W, could they represent more than just the directions on the compass? Rearranged, they are the word NEWS, which is the subject of my preaching...good news, gospel. So could I preach the "good NEWS" in a series that pointed the congregation in a forward direction? Now I had traction!
And...if I begin at W and work my way around clockwise...
W: Where are we going? Set the scene, name the characters, ask the what, when, where questions that locate the story in time and history. God really did this! God really is whom He claims to be!
N: Naming God. Every scripture somehow points us back to God. It is our true North. Even the scriptures that are about the sinfullness of man point back to the holiness of God. So, could I spend one of every 4 weeks simply identifying who God is in the passage?
E: Examining Ourselves. And if every scripture points to the holiness of God, then we become accutely aware of our brokeness. Which human trait is being identified in this passage, and more importantly, do I identify with the brokeness seen here?
S: Staying the Course. How do we begin to align who we are with who God is? How do we get closer to God, grow to be more like Jesus, become transformed?
So, my map is to get from point A to point B by following the W, N, E, S direction. One passage seen 4 ways: what happened, who is God, who are we, how do we become who God is directing us to be? We'll see where it takes us!

A New Journey

Moving is a way of life for Methodist preachers, at least that's what I've been told. "Like the military," I hear people say. This is my 6th church and 8th home in 15 years of marriage/ministry. You would think I am better at packing; I am not. Upon arriving at a new appointment or station of ministry, I have learned that there are some things you simply inherit. Time may (or may not) come for you to change those things, but for now they are yours by virtue of the fact that you have arrived. At each move, we have inherited a few books, a few pieces of cast off furniture or decor, and a host of friends, relationships, stories, and life lessons. We are richer, for sure.
One of the things I have just inherited is a wonderful congregation of worshipers who call themselves Compass. I won't tell their story; maybe they will be brave enough to post it on here. But it is my inheritance this season. I receive it from other pastors who have journeyed this way and who have followed their path to other places. So now I join in with band of travellers who are finding direction in God's word. I love to travel! Compass meets on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. in the Christian Life Center at Trinity United Methodist Church in Gulfport. Worship and preaching are the main focus, with only a minimum of liturgy. The worship style is what some would refer to as "contemporary." Overhead screens display the lyrics to praise music written in the last 2 decades versus hymnbooks containing verses and scores penned over the last 2 centuries. The worship is led by a couple of vocalists, some guitars, drums, and keyboards instead of a choir director and organ. It's a style.
My job is to preach. I went to school a pretty long time in order to get this job, but I've known for longer that preaching is what I am supposed to do. I just was wired to preach. Bishop Clay Lee says that preaching isn't just expounding on theology. Preaching says, "I'm human just like you're human and that's okay because God's plan for salvation is for humans." Preaching theologically is bringing God to humans and vice versa, and so it is a humble thing. Bishop Lee also says that the purpose of preaching is to help people understand what they believe about God. We need to acknowledge that we don't have a complete understanding of God, but that doesn't prevent us from a relationship with God. As a matter of fact, it is that relationship with the Spirit of God that gives us courage to understand God in a more authentic way. Lastly, Bishop Lee says that whatever we preach, we are to preach faith. We preachers are to lay it on the line and tell our congregations that they can lay it on the line too; bet your life that God is exactly whom God says He is as He is revealed in Jesus Christ. We preach with integrity when it is God's reputation that we stake our word on. So as a preacher, my job is to deliver a message with humility, authenticity, and integrity. My job is to reveal God to the listener as He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ by challenging all of us to draw closer, even in our human-ness, to putting our whole trust in God. Pretty simple job description, huh?
At least I am confident there will always be a need for preachers.