I know you’ve heard these discussions at church…might have been here at Shiloh…or the church you used to go to. I know I’ve been guilty of leading them. And they go like this: if we only had [insert something we don’t have] then we could do [insert a new ministry/activity] and then we would be [insert growing more/reaching more/raising more]. It’s the way we think as humans about the future: have leads to do leads to be. But a few weeks ago I was at a meeting with a fellow pastor who shared that this mindset actually has the whole process backwards. We need to flip our thinking and instead approach our ministry at Shiloh by realizing that first we become, then we do and finally, we have.

First, we become the church that is always looking to serve those outside our walls—-we acknowledge that we exist not to serve ourselves, but to serve those we don’t see on Sunday. We become the church that stretches to do more out of a sense of abundance knowing that God honors abundant service. We become more and more the followers of the One who never built a building, and then we do what that One did. We look for the hungry, we seek the suffering, we love the children. We find a way to do knowing that resources follow when we are in the midst of God’s desire for our neighborhood. And then, after we become and after we do, we will find that we will have what we wanted in the first place. We will have a vibrant church that matters to more than those who are with us every Sunday. We will have a church that would be missed if it suddenly disappeared by more than those who are with us every Sunday. We will have a church that is fully alive because it is fully connected to the One who is the source of all abundance.

 

Pastor Susan

Justin Martyr, one of the early church leaders, wrote that in the century after Jesus’ death, people in Galilee would still point out plows and yokes they farmed with that Jesus had made. After all, Jesus had at least 15 years to make yokes of wood before He fashioned one with his life and death. Ever since I read Justin’s account I’ve been in love with the image of Jesus’ plows being passed down in Galilean families. Some knew who made what they owned, but probably not all. Yet all had received a tangible and useful tool made by the One through whom all was made.

We can be tempted to think this yoke Jesus calls us to take on is an impractical, other-worldly, not suitable for prime time set off beliefs and behaviors. But I believe that in just the same way Jesus knew how to make a wooden yoke, He also knew how to fashion a spiritual yoke for us. Even for us 2000 years later.

We end this summer having spent our time pondering the breadth and depth of what the body of Christ believes about the major tenets of our faith: creation, atonement, repentance, social and political life, the end times. Now it’s time this fall to spend four weeks looking at the concrete aspects of our lives and see how the yoke of Jesus fits. We are all called to make significant, possible life-changing decisions, usually on too short notice, and with what feels like little specific guidance. Using Andy Stanley’s book “Your Move: four questions to ask when you don’t know what to do”, we will take a practical look at steps we can take to assist us in making the best decisions.

It has been said that people do not decide their future; they decide their habits and their habits decide their future. Join us for the next four Sundays in both small group Sunday School time beginning at 10am and then at worship. The coffee is good, the baked goods fresh and the Spirit present. Come even if ‘Sunday School is not for me” and even if the idea of changing your habits is less than thrilling. It might change your future.

Pastor Susan

Hello. My name is Clark.” (The people gathered in the room respond, “Hi, Clark.”)

“I am a…” (Group says, “You can say it. It’s okay.”)

“I’m a…criticism avoider.” (Applause all around.)

“It started when I was a kid…” (”Come on now. Tell it.”)

“…and my mom would praise me for everything. She’d say, ‘Can you say Momma?’ I’d say it, and she would gush about what a smart kid I was.” (”We know, man. We know.”)

I would take the trash out when she asked, and she’d make a big deal over that too.”(”We feel your pain, man.”)

“And those good grades in school…” (”Oh, tell me about it. You’re not alone.”)

“So with me thinking I had to be the perfect kid and all that…” (”Yes, you can do it. C’mon. Pour it out, man.”)

“…I learned not to say anything that would result in…” (”Just say the word. It’s not that hard.”)

“…that would result in…criticism.” (More applause.)

“Then, when I expressed my opinion in class, and a couple of the older kids taunted me…” (”Let it out, man.”)

“…I decided I would just go along to get along, even if it meant not telling the truth about what I believe or how I feel.” (Lots of applause and cheers.)

The group leader rises, pats the CAA rookie on the back, and says to the group, “And now, let’s all repeat the CAA Six Steps.” (They rise to their feet, taking off their caps.)

Step one, I will admit that I’m not perfect.”

“Step two, I will accept the fact that conflict will always exist.”

“Step three, I will not avoid conflict, but rather will speak truth, even when others disagree.”

“Step four, I will blend truth with tact and timing, so as not to blow others away.”

“Step five, I will seek courage from other truth tellers.”

“Step six, when I slip and fall back into criticism avoidance, I will attend another CAA meeting and admit my mistake, take responsibility for my own actions, and gain strength to go out there and tell the truth, boldly and with compassion.”

The group leader places his hand over his heart and says, “And now the CAA prayer.”

“God, grant me the courage to speak the truth, the love to speak it compassionately, and the wisdom to know when to keep my mouth shut and when to open it.”

A CAA veteran walks over to the rookie and says, “Hey, you wanna head back to my place, where my wife can show you photo albums from our last 36 summer vacations?”

“Uh,” the rookie stammers, “you know, I really appreciate it, but I’ll take a rain check. The last time I looked at someone else’s photo albums I fell asleep on their couch and didn’t get home until 4 a.m. Boy, was my wife ticked!”

The rest of the group bursts into applause. “That was a test. The photo album thing? That was the initiation question. You passed with flying colors. Welcome aboard.”

It’s been hot for so long that I don’t remember whining about how cold it was earlier this spring.  It’s been hot so long that I don’t care if the Japanese    beetles eat my flowers.  It’s been hot so long that I’ve fallen   back in love with  watermelon, patios at 10 at night and sprinklers.  And we’ve only just reached the official Dog Days of Summer.  Remember that phrase?  The Old Farmer’s Almanac  says they run for 40 days from July 3rd to August 11th.  Named by the ancient Romans after Sirius, the Dog Star, whose brightness coincided with this period, it is a time “when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies”  OK, we’re not all hysterical and frenzied, but we may be dragging a bit, both in body and soul.

These days remind me why the psalmist  wrote that the “LORD is your shade at your right hand.”  I need the cooling refreshment of God’s Word when worries and grief leave me, well, frenzied.  Perhaps you too have days where your worries mix with the heat and leave you thirsty for more than a cold drink.  Now is not the time to forget to gather together in fellowship and worship with those who care for you at Shiloh.  Now is not the time to forget to nourish your soul with the words of the psalmist who reminds us that with the Lord “the sun shall not strike you by day” (Ps 121).  Now is not the time to shut ourselves up inside our air-conditioned cocoons waiting for easier days.  Now is, instead, the time to refresh ourselves by gathering, praising and still serving our Lord.  Just be sure to bring the cold water.

Pastor Susan

Leonard Sweet tells the story of overhearing a student complaining to another about her new appointment from the bishop as unsuited to her gifts, only to hear the other student say, “You know, the world’s a    better place because Michelangelo didn’t say, ‘I don’t do ceilings.’ “   Sweet went on to say that if you and I are going to be faithful to the ministry God is calling us to, then we had better understand that, too.

 Think about how the world is a better place…

•   because a German monk named Martin Luther didn’t say, “I don’t do doors.”
•   because a cleric   named John Wesley didn’t say, “I don’t do preaching in fields.”
•   because Moses didn’t say, “I don’t do Pharaohs or mass migrations.”
•   because Noah didn’t say, “I don’t do arks and animals.”
•   because Rahab didn’t say, “I don’t do enemy spies.”
•   because Ruth didn’t say, “I don’t do mothers-in-law.”
•   because Samuel didn’t say, “I don’t do mornings.”
•   because David didn’t say, “I don’t do giants.”
•   because Peter didn’t say, “I don’t do Gentiles.”
•   because John didn’t say, “I don’t do deserts.”
•   because Mary didn’t say, “I don’t do virgin births.”
•   because Paul didn’t say, “I don’t do correspondence.”
•   because Mary Magdalene didn’t say, “I don’t do feet.”
•   because Jesus didn’t say, “I don’t do crosses.”

 Lent begins on Ash Wednesday February 17th. 

Ask yourself how our church and community, our world, would be different if you and I give up the words, “I don’t do …” for Lent. 

Trite as the saying may be, it’s still true. If you don’t care where you’re going, any road will do. But how often do we truly not care where we end up? Even when we say we don’t care who picks the movie or the restaurant, just let someone suggest something and you’ll suddenly find you did care. The New Year presents all of us at Shiloh with the time to consider where it is we want to end up this year. End up individually. End up as a congregation. End up as part of the community around us. The New Year presents us with a time to decide what it is we actually care about. Then having figured out what that is, it is up to us as followers of Jesus Christ to try and discern how God would have us behave.

We begin this January building upon the momentum of our Advent and Christmas. Administrative Council will be meeting in retreat in mid-January for a training time on strengths-based leadership and communication. The entire church is invited to save Sunday evening, January 31st for a potluck dinner State of the Church gathering in which we will share our thoughts on Shiloh’s mission and ministry for 2010. Our Youth Group will continue its activities through Breath of Life, weekly gatherings and a weekend outing to the Winter Blitz 2010 at the Kentucky Convention Center. This yearly gathering of the youth of the Kentucky Conference is a loud, lively inspiring time of faith-sharing from some of the country’s leading youth speakers and musicians. Our Tuesday night small group resumes with “Bo’s Café”, a story of one man’s encounters with grace at an amazing café, published by the people who brought The Shack to publication. Our Sunday School class for adults will also begin a new study in January, “I Can’t See God Because I’m in the Way” in which we explore the possibility that God’s abundant life is present for us if we just change our spiritual perspective. Our women’s small groups on Sunday morning and Friday lunch continue meeting and will be selecting new materials later in the month.

The one thing we all know we care about is that Shiloh’s sense of family, where we know each person by name, continues to be central to our mission and ministry. Be sure to know that you will be missed if you are not with us in worship, in fellowship, in study and in ministry this January.
Pastor Susan