Easter or any Story; You Cannot Include Everything

   What a great weekend of worship, as we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I would be remiss to attempt to call out every person who had a hand in making the morning, literally from before the sun rose in the sky, so wonderful. I can say that the music was great in every service including the brass quartet who tooted their horns, the cooks and bakers who brought for the early pilgrims put delicious on display, the volunteers who teach and greet every Sunday are so faithful, and the faces who filled pews and rows were beautiful.
   I am pretty sure I heard one person walk away proclaiming that this weekend's Easter miracle surely must have been that the preacher let us out early in all three services! I am often asked, can you tell any story quickly? But, jokes aside, how do you tell the Easter story briefly?
   Let me ask it another way; how long does it take to tell your own story? Could you tell it in ten minutes? If it were made into a movie, how long would it take? I've shared before that I've served for the past eight years on the Board of Ordained Ministry for the South Georgia Conference. Persons seeking to be ordained as UMC pastors come before the group twice over the course of a number of years. I went before them in 2003 and 2006. Candidates record a sermon, submit dozens of pages of answers to wide-ranging questions of theology, and go through a variety of background checks and testing, totaling around 80-100 pages of paperwork. Would you believ
e one of the most challenging items for candidates to complete is the five-page autobiographical statement? People struggle with what to include and what to leave out. Some would ask, how am I supposed to capture everything in five pages? Of course, the answer is that you cannot include everything; you have to choose. Whether it is a five-page limit, or simply the attention span of your audience, people soon realize that a good story is crafted and shaped.
   I am excited to consider how Jesus explained the story of Easter in the days after the tomb was found empty. The sermon series is titled History 24:27, taking its cue from Luke 24:27 where it says Jesus shared with two disciples heading out of Jerusalem to Emmaus. We can also learn something every week about our own stories.
   Grace and peace, Scott
 

Christmas and Easter

But when the fulfillment of the time came, God sent his Son, born through a woman, and born under the Law. 

- Galatians 4:4

   The early church did not believe that the circumstances of Jesus' entrance into the world were by chance, or some random event. Paul captures this perfectly when he writes that God was operating in the fullness of time.
   I think one of the greatest contributions that the church has offered to the world - right alongside covered-dish suppers, Easter egg hunts, and the perfection of a baby dressed in white being baptized as God and all the congregation looks on - are the seasons of Advent and Lent. They each offer a period of time in which to prepare for the great thing to come. Advent reminds us that we are in need of a savior: the child born at Christmas. Lent reminds us of our mortality, our sin, our utter helplessness: right up to the point that Jesus conquers all of this out of his amazing grace and unconditional love.
   I love Christmas and Easter people, because we worship a Christmas and Easter God. We worship a God whose timing is always perfect - even when we are not. We worship a God whose plans are always magnificent - even we fail to follow through with them all. We worship a God whose forgiveness is unmatched - and for that I am most grateful.
   The morning that we have waited, prayed for, and read toward is arriving. May Easter come with our hearts filled with the hope that Jesus provides. Grace and peace, Scott

Play and Have Fun - A Serious Suggestion of Jesus

   Children are many things: filled with energy, quick to trust, in a perpetual state of wonder always asking why. I would add to this list playful; children are playful at their core. So, it is worth noting that Jesus points us to children as the models for those who will enter paradise.

“I assure you that if you don’t turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven." - Jesus in Matthew 18:2

I am reading A Failure of Nerve, the book that Edwin Friedman was working on at his untimely death in 1996. He was an ordained Jewish Rabbi, family therapist, and leadership consultant, whose earlier book, Generation to Generation, is an all-time best for leaders and pastors. The book I am reading now is phenomenal, as it predicted so much of the decline of civility in politics, in families, and in the public sphere. Based on his years of experience and wisdom, he offers the causes for the chronic anxiety that families and our world are struggling with. In the middle of the first point on reactivity he says, "What also contributes to this loss of perspective is the disappearance of playfulness, an attribute that originally evolved with mammals and which is an ingredient in both intimacy and the ability to maintain distance" (p. 63). Fascinating, but surely this is true. We act badly, in part, because we have lost the ability to turn off seriousness. People don't play enough. We no longer value fun.
   What a brilliant word for Bonaire Church as this weekend approaches. We are offering two opportunities to simply have fun. On Friday evening, we will listen, sing and eat for no other purpose than to enjoy life. On Sunday afternoon, we will gaze upon children running here and there in pursuit of candy-filled eggs. Jesus says he came that we might have life abundantly; I think he believes that involves more than paychecks, deadlines, to-do lists, and earthly pursuits.
   Grace and peace, Scott

Don't Stop Grace (or Peace) or Love from Flowing

   Sitting down for lunch with some friends at the most hospitable and welcoming restaurant around (Seriously, they greet every person who walks in with, "Welcome to Moe's!"), I pulled the straw out of its plastic wrapper only to find a problem: one end was not open.
   How many times have people told you that "one out of two ain't bad." How many times has someone mentioned that a .500 batting average would put you in the Hall of Fame as the greatest baseball player, ever? However, the truth is that with drinking straws you have to have both ends working. I think the same applies to grace in the life of Christians. Jesus said,

On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, "All who are thirsty should come to me! All who believe in me should drink! As the scriptures said concerning me, Rivers of living water will flow out from within him." Jesus said this concerning the Spirit.
- John 7:37-39

In the Scriptures, living waters referred to water that was moving. Jesus is offering a gift that is flowing, moving, and not stagnant. Jesus is offering the very Spirit of Heaven that is available to every person seeking God. But, is this grace simply to stop at us? Is it flowing from Jesus to us only to then back up there, as if we were some sort of dam or obstacle? I think not.
   For me, one of the most powerful moments of all the Scriptures comes in Genesis 12, when God offers Abram the chance at a new life through the Covenant. Abram had done nothing to deserve it, yet God is offering something new that will extend to every nation in the world. God says, "I will bless those who bless you, those who curse you I will curse; all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you." But, imagine if Abram clamped the other end of his life. God's blessings are intended to flow to us and then through us. We are heirs of this Covenant, made new in Jesus.
   They will know we are Christians by our love...only if we don't stop it from flowing through us. To be a Christian means allowing grace to flow in and through us. Grace and peace, Scott

An Prickly Epiphany from Above

   It happened just the other day. A reminder from God literally fell out of the sky. I had been working in the front yard, picking up pine cones, and enjoying Blue skies and mild temperatures. I think I had already taken two wheelbarrows full back to the pile to later be burned, and was particularly proud of the progress I was making. I slowed down for a moment to send a text message on my phone when all of the sudden something caught my eye as it passes by: a pine cone fell into the very ground that I had already cleaned up. The message could not have been any clearer had this foreign object fallen directly onto my head like the apple upon Newtons!
   When Christians observe the Season of Lent, we are preparing themselves for the celebration of the resurrection at Easter. Specifically, by fasting and self-denial and living lives of moderation, we have more energy to devote to God's purposes and a better vision toward the service and well-being of others. We are also able to root out the sins that have fallen upon the landscape of our lives and assist the Holy Spirit in the removal of those actions, thoughts, and pitfalls that lead us away from God's best desires for us.
   The single pine cone reminded me of the truth that we all know. Listen,

It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

May we spend these days diligently removing, with prayers and patience, the very things that have turned us away from our best selves. May we be encouraged that we travel this journey alongside of brothers and sisters in our church and surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have gone on before us. May we not lose hope. Easter is coming; sin has been defeated. 

   Grace and peace, Scott

A Simple, Holy, Beauty

   Some of the flowers in the yard of our neighbors, Bonnie and Herb, have bloomed this week, sending a bright and yellow explosion of color as far as the eye can see them. They are beautiful in their simplicity. For this boy raised in the South, they also seem a little early. None of us can blame them, though, as this has been quite an extra-ordinary winter?
   Flowers in full bloom are, in their own way, singing a song of praise to the One who planted them and caused them to grow. The Scriptures, on a couple of occasions, make it clear that God has an agenda about God's own praise and glory and if humans are not going to live into the agenda God can cause the natural world around us to pitch in. Consider these:

• In Luke 19, when some of the Pharisees from the crowd wanted Jesus to reprimand his followers about singing Jesus praise and said, “Teacher, scold your disciples! Tell them to stop!” he answered, “I tell you, if they were silent, the stones would shout.”
• Psalm 19 says, "Heaven is declaring God’s glory; the sky is proclaiming his handiwork. One day gushes the news to the next, and one night informs another what needs to be known. Of course, there’s no speech, no words - their voices can’t be heard - but their sound extends throughout the world; their words reach the ends of the earth.

If God has placed within nature the very substance needed to sing praise, how much more should we, considering that we are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26)?
   I think the purpose of the Season of Lent is to clear our minds and focus our hearts in order that we might return to a life of living out the praise of God. I love this prayer in my devotional book for this week that asks "that some beauty of holiness may appear in us." May the God who brings forth beauty in the simplest ways, also bring forth a simple, holy beauty from our lives, as well.
   Grace and peace, Scott

The Myth of Close and Threatening

   Molly, our 9 year old Maltese ninja-dog, and I were out for a walk the other day. She was curiously sniffing everything we happened upon as we strolled along the sidewalks of Old Perry Road, near our home. I was listening to an audiobook when suddenly the sound of the author speaking into my ears was overcome by another sound, loud and seemingly all around me. I took the earbuds out and realized that it was the Norfolk Southern train, over a half of a mile from where we were walking. It happened later on, as we were headed back toward the house. Both times I was struck by how my ears (and my mind) were not able to determine how close the sound was because of the other sounds and distractions going on around me. It sounded as though the horn of the train was close and all around me.
   Many of you are thinking, "This is exactly why it is not safe to walk, ride, or drive with earbuds in Scott." You are correct. For our part, Molly and I were walking on the sidewalk about very careful when crossing streets.
   The experience of having my brain convince me that an object was much closer than I knew could be true, gave me pause. What other experiences have I had where I was too distracted to be able to appreciate the distance or possible threat posed by something else? As I think about it I realize that it happens all the time. Distracted by the one thing I really want to happen, I lose the ability to appreciate all of the other good things that are happening and in the process miss out on the beauty of nature, of other people, and of God's grace at work. I also realize these same dynamics - distracted by one thing and then overwhelmed by another thing that I incorrectly perceive as close and threatening - have led me to speak poorly of others, to react in anger, to not appreciate someone else's contribution, and to otherwise act like an idiot.
   The truth is, most of the things that we perceive as threatening are not that close and not that much of a threat; our minds and our hearts have been tricked by other distractions. Could it be that the devil does not always have to try hart to tempt us or ensnare us? Could it be that we walk right into bad actions or hasty reactions simply because we are too distracted and not able to appreciate the safe distance something or someone else is from us?
   The Season of Lent calls to remove some of the distractions in order to hear more clearly the call of God. I cannot think of a time in all of Christian history in which the intentional choice to put down distractions is needed more than this age of constant technological connection and the endless stream of noise, news, and nagging distractions. We need the grace offered in the moments we turn off the distractions and tune into the Word of God through prayer, meditation, and reading the Scriptures. I invite you to continue journeying with me toward Easter.
   Grace and peace, Scott

Numbers and Progress on our Capital Campaign

   The Internal Revenue Service has established the end of January as a time of documenting where the money is: companies are issuing W-2s and 1099s to those persons who worked for them and churches and non-profits are sending out charitable giving statements for people to use as they prepare for itemizing their deductions. In the world of corporate income (or loss), the first week of February is one of the weeks that many of the largest companies report on their previous fiscal calendar. With this season of reporting and transparency for the good (more on that later) I would like to share some numbers.
   This month marks the three year anniversary of the first worship services held in the new building that houses our main sanctuary, our offices, our music and children's ministry areas, and many of our Sunday School classrooms. It is both functional and beautiful. Bonaire Church started a Capital Campaign in October 2012 to pay down the principal on the $2 million mortgage on our new facility. While the three-year Campaign officially ended in October 2015, we are still receiving donations. We welcome them, if you feel led to continue to pay down the cost of living into this new building. To use the language of an election year, "This is Scott and I approve that message!" The loan was a 10-year agreement that included monthly payments of $11,200, which are now also included in our approved ministry budget for 2016. That means we are paying down the debt every month, in small ways, with money our church has already committed through the Estimate of Giving Cards on Consecration Sunday. Of course, the large payments received from our Capital Campaign over the past three years made the biggest different, as principal payments are much more efficient at reducing our mortgage balance. As of 12/31/2015, the numbers associated are:

Now, look closely at that last row. The bank confirmed last week that if we only made our minimum monthly payment for the remaining seven years, we will owe $917,000. That number seems really large (because it is). But, join me in thinking through it. First, we have an awesome building to show for it. Second, we will make more than the minimum payment over time because of how generous our people are. Third, we have some key assets that can be used toward paying this down if/when our leadership wants to; namely, a cash reserve earmarked for the building and property nearby that is not currently being used. So, this is a big number but we have some big options, as well. 
   As I said before, we still welcome Capital Campaign donations and apply them to our mortgage principal. If you have any questions about this, contact our treasurer John Teague or seek out Charles Lee, Finance Committee Chairperson, or anyone on that team. 
   For me, all of this is good news. God is with us. Our history is grand. Our people are generous. Our hope is in Jesus. Grace and peace, Scott