Devotion - Tuesday, April 30

I had two conversations last evening in which "church" was the topic.  Not "Church", with a capital "C" so much as "church" with a small "c".  Though it is impossible to talk about the latter without reference to the former, the parts of last evening's conversations which stayed with me through this morning's prayers was how do we locate and become part of a local church.

I have not changed "churches" for 20 years.  I am about to forget what other churches are like - what drives them, how they feel.  And I know that my experience of church is unique in so many ways.

In far too many churches, the average age is pretty high.  It is in  few that would would find such a large number of young adults.  

Most churches can easily identify a visitor.  We seldom pass a Sunday when a student or two are unfamiliar to us.

All of this, I am continually reminded, makes finding a church difficult for you when you leave Clemson.  

Some of you are leaving - graduating.  Others of you are leaving for the summer - some to return home, others heading to internships or such.  I want to remind you that it isn't similarities in age or interest which make a community meaningful; it is a common commitment to something larger than ourselves.  And we all need fellow travelers around us to aid us in our pursuit of those larger ends.

Think of how helpful it is, during this week of exams and stress, to be surrounded by persons (themselves stressing, perhaps) but none-the-less willing to comfort and console you.  The weeks of your summer may not be as immediately stressful, but they are no less needful of having a community where we can be reminded of God's presence and God's goodness.

Do not take a summer vacation from church.  Make plans and make a commitment to identify a community and stick with it.  Discover how becoming connected to a group of folks causes the differences between them and us to fade.  Soon, we cease to notice differences in age, in status.

We need to be part of a church; not merely a member of the Church.

Devotion - Monday, April 29

There were Congregational Committees at the church last night, looking for a place to meet.  It wasn't an easy task, all the rooms downstairs were full of laptops and pizza boxes, students studying and making use of whiteboards to sketch out math or chemical compounds.

I know that Exam Week is a bear, and there should be no delight taken in any aspect of it - but I love the feel of the place this time of year.  And I am struck by the use of the building as an over-sized study carol.  

The devotional guide I follow has me reading from one of the books which may not be in your version of the Bible.  It is Wisdom of Solomon.  This is one of the books considered scripture by the Roman Catholic Church, but not by most Protestants.  

In this book (which reads very much like the more widely accepted book of Proverbs), the virtue of wisdom is  lifted up.  We are encouraged to see the wisdom of God.

There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge.  Knowledge is knowing "stuff;" wisdom means understanding the connection between things.  What your professors hope is that you not only understand the material covered in class but you come to see the use of this information.  They want you to become wise.

Which brings us back to why I am so excited to see you at the church, with your books and your notes and your desire to learn.  I think the physical location of your study may help you as you seek to not only learn the subject matter at hand but come to understand that your education is also a calling.  You are obtaining useful knowledge so that you might be in a better position to do God's work in the world.  You are moving toward wisdom.

I will pray for you this week.  I will be there to support you this week.  And I hope my words will encourage you to see the larger picture and the greater ends toward which all this is drawing you.

Sermon - Easter 5 - Year C

John 13:31-35                                                              

Love – As I have Loved You

          I did manage, last Friday/Saturday, to get up to North Carolina see my sister.  I didn’t comment on it during last Sunday’s sermon, because (believe it or not) I had prepared that sermon before heading north.  I don’t usually plan that far ahead, but my sister got me thinking about it.  She had called me Wednesday or Thursday and asked “What do you want to eat when you are here?”  She went on to say “I don’t want to waste any time trying to decide that when you arrive.  I want to have it all ready so we can just sit and talk.” 

For those of you who don’t know, my sister is in the firm grip of pancreatic cancer.   This was a week for chemo, so right now she is feeling a bit puny.  But all-in-all she is doing quite well.  There is no way to reverse the invasion of cancerous cells; the best we can hope for is that smacking a few of them up side the head might slow their further advancement.  She is okay; and so are the rest of us.  There are greater fears in her life (and in mine) than death.  And one of those fears is that we might waste time – precious time.  Carolyn is once more reminding me that the only good use of time is doing that which is helpful or pleasing or consistent with the hope and the promise which sustains us.  Sustains us in the midst of battles with cancer; sustains us in each and every day of our lives.  You either walk in the way of Jesus, in Jesus’ words, and in his call to discipleship, or you are wasting time.  You are falling away from the hope and the promise which has the ability to sustain.

My sister is second only to my grandfather in providing the roots and foundation of my faith and my faith practice.  

In the case of my grandfather, it wasn’t “saintly living” that impressed me – far from it.  But from him I gained an appreciation for what it means to be “called,” to be asked by a community to do a task which needs to be done.   

From my sister I have learned and continue to learn that the prime expression of Christian faith is to do what Jesus said to do.   This does not mean that she lacks a firm grasp on the teachings and the truths and the confessions of the faith.  But as a self-described “Martha” (i.e. the one who fixes the meals and fusses that Mary sits on her behinds while there is all this work to be done); as a self-described “Martha”, Carolyn has instilled in me that it isn’t what we say about Jesus that matters.  What matters is our listening to his voice and following where he says we are to go.   

Last Sunday’s gospel encouraged us to think of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  We were encouraged to learn to recognize his voice and follow it.  This Sunday that voice tells us tells us what it is that he would have us to do. 

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” 

I invite you to open your bibles and check to make sure that the claims I am about to make are indeed true.  I want you to look for instances in the Gospels in which Jesus gives his followers instructions.  Search for the word “command” or for  “commandment.” 

You will find the word twice in John - and only in John.  There is no commandment from Jesus in Matthew, or Mark or Luke.  Twice in John we have Jesus’ clear instructions on what he wants his followers to do.  I just re-read John 13:34 for you.   The other follows closely, actually in the same overall section. John 15:12 reads:  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” 

You can say all you what about what you think persons have to “believe” in order to be considered followers of Jesus, but when Jesus says what he “commands” there is only this one thing.

It is not easy to love as Jesus loves.  It is no simple matter to love one another in the way that Jesus loved those with whom he spent every waking moment for the previous three years of his ministry.  It is difficult; some would even say next to impossible. 

If you still have your bibles out, look at the surrounding paragraphs to today’s Gospel lesson.  What comes before?  Starting with the opening verses of the 13^th chapter, you have the washing of the disciples’ feet.  This is the context for Jesus saying, “Love as I have loved.”  These verses were read in our midst a mere five weeks ago.  They are the Maundy Thursday text.  When Jesus says “Love as I have loved you,” it is in the immediate aftermath of his having washed the feet of those whom he has invited to be his disciples. 

After today I am going to be gone for a few weeks, so I am going to be a bit bold in issuing a challenge.  I think it would be a great idea if we were to start our next round of committee meetings by washing each other’s feet.   

In fact, I might ask the students going on the beach trip to try this. We have had a year in which sub-sets of the group have stood in the way of us from being the unified whole that we all desire.  We (and by that I guess I really mean “I”) have had to make some strong comments to persons and while offered as a way of building trust and honesty they have not had the desired effect.

My suggestion to the congregational committees is that you consider doing the same.  We have had far too many raised voices at recent meetings.  I would suggest that foot-washing be the first order of business at the next Congregational Council meeting.  These congregational leaders could set an example for the remaining committees.  And I do wonder how the discussions would be different if we were to include foot-washing at the next meeting of the Committee appointed to discuss possible additions to this worship space. 

After the foot-washing in John 13, something else happens before you get to Jesus’ issuing his commandment.  There is this discussion of Judas and what Judas is about to do.  That is the event referred to in the opening of John 13:31, “When he had gone out….”  Judas, the one who would betray Jesus, has had his feet washed by Jesus, but he doesn’t stick around to hear Jesus’ commandment to love one another as he has loved us.  Betrayal stand between Jesus’ act of humility and Jesus instructions as to what this ought to mean. 

But this is only the first in an emerging pattern.  What to make a guess as to what comes immediately after Jesus gives his command?  Starting in verse 36 we read the exchange between Peter and Jesus in which Peter insists he will follow Jesus wherever it is that he will go.  Peter says, “Lord… I will lay down my life for you!”  To which Jesus responds, “Peter you won’t make it through the next twelve hours.”  “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”

Jesus simple commandment – Love one another as I have loved you;  Jesus’ only commandment – love one another;  is surrounded by two acts of betrayal by two of the most prominent characters in all of Christian scripture. 

Maybe John is going ahead and telling us – you won’t be able to do it.  Maybe the Gospel writer already understood that this was too much to ask.  Maybe the whole glorious experiment in which God sets aside the heavens in order to come and dwell with us crashes around the seemingly undeniable reality that we had rather be convinced or our own “right thinking” than be able to take off our fancy clothes, discard our impressive titles, forget the assurance of our logical arguments and get down on the floor to wash a few feet. 

In John 13 there are two stories of how impossible it will be to follow Jesus.  Judas and Peter both make it clear that obeying Jesus’ command is going to be a real challenge.

In John 13 there is only one instance in which the command of Jesus is followed.

If we leave it up to popular vote – we see which will be chosen.

If we like playing the odds – there is no doubt which is more probable.

But if we want to follow Jesus ….

Amen.

Devotion - Thursday, April 25

I continue to read from Luke 6, Jesus' Sermon on the plane.  He speaks of the wise builder, who before he starts the house sets a firm foundation.

Construction is another of those life skills which our culture has relegated to a few trained professionals.  Most of us have never built a house; have never constructed a foundation.

In the Clemson area, buildings and codes require a foundation that is at least 8 inches deep.  In the past decade or so, we have found a contractor with a backhoe who digs these for our Habitat houses.  But there was a time when i would go out with a group of students and hand them all shovels.  in the Clemson area, there is a lot of hard, packed, red clay.  Digging an 8 inch foundation is hard work.

But without such a foundation, the house is at risk.

Jesus' would like for us all to have strong houses, but the analogy is used to speak of our lives.  What is the foundation we are preparing for our lives?  For our daily living?  For our interactions in the world?

Some are prepared to "go with the flow," or "see what comes."  But we can ill afford to do this until a solid foundation is prepared.  We must pay attention to that foundation.  It is the base upon which all else is built.

Devotion - Wednesday, April 24

Luke's Gospel has Jesus preaching the same sermon as Matthew, but in Luke it isn't a sermon on a mount, it is a sermon on the plain.  This is one of the things I like about Luke (not that I dislike Matthew, I simply find Luke to be a bit more appealing.)  In Luke, the movement of God toward us is more apparent.  Jesus does not ascend to some lofty place from which he can look down on us; Jesus comes to the level plain, where we already are and where he shows God's desire to be among us.

In Luke's sermon (I read today Luke 6:27-38) Jesus speaks of love for those who do not love us.  "What credit is it" if we love those who love us.  "Even sinners love those who love them."  "Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return."

Maybe it would be less of a challenge if Jesus didn't come to where I live.  Maybe, if he stayed aloft, he wouldn't see my tendency to only love in return.  Perhaps he has seen me too clearly and understands my motivations.

When Jesus enters our world and our lives it results in things being changed.  It leads to a reversal of the way we do things.  It demands that we love as Jesus loved; not as the world tells us we are to love.

This doesn't mean we become a doormat for others to walk over.  In fact, sometimes our love is shown most clearly when we stand up for what is right and true and appropriate.  Loving as Jesus loves means we remove all ambiguity and we set aside all deception.

Jesus comes to us. This is the story of scripture.  And when he gets here, he see how we live and he tells us how living differently might make our lives and the lives of all those around us so much richer.

Devotion - Tuesday, April 23

In Colossians 1, Paul speaks of the "hope of the gospel."  It says it is "what you heard."  He says it "has been preached to every creature under heaven."

There are at least two ways to think of this "hope of the gospel" which we have heard.  We may fixate on the "gospel," as the content of the message and the instructions about Jesus/God.  Or, we might hear Paul offering us "hope," the hope which is the good news that Jesus came to make known.

Somewhere in the late 1800's there began to be a divide in the family of God.  Some wanted to shield themselves against the new sciences and recent discoveries.  In order to do so, they began to insist on adherence to content and form.  The "good news" became more of an incredible story, too good to be believe, difficult to accept, but which must be embraced if one is to be considered a child of God.  

Here, in the opening years of the 21st century, we are beginning to see the dark side of such an approach.  The community which bears the name of Jesus lacks his basic attitude of "all are welcome."  We have ceased to speak of the great lengths to which God will go in order to affirm that we are loved and cared for.  More and more are reclaiming the "hope" which Jesus has for us and the "hope" which calls us forth into a harmonious way of life.  

The good news is this hope, made manifest among us and entrusted to those who have the faith to proclaim this hope - even against all the false voices which seek to take our hope away.

Devotion - Monday, April 22

In Luke 6, Jesus has a confrontation with the Pharisees.  They are upset that he and his disciples do not respect the rules regarding work on the Sabbath.  What they get upset about seems silly to most modern-day believers.

As they walk through a grain field  they pluck grains of wheat, rub them in their hands (essentially doing manually what a mill would do in bulk), and eating the grain.  It was not lawful to "work" on the Sabbath;  the disciples were not abiding by this commandment.

Let us try to side-step the particulars of the offense these particular actions caused and look at the general issue of how differently persons interpret what it is that God requires.  Some issues may have been addressed in the Jesus stories, but most are not.  And among God's people there continue to be arguments and disagreements as to what compliance means.

The things we consider essential will seem "logical" and "universally accepted."  While the expectations of another may seem "petty".  A whole different set of obligations may emerge from those who do not consider themselves Christians, but observe and discern from afar what Christianity is all about.  

In the Luke 6 story, Jesus is wanting to teach the Pharisees something about the Sabbath.  So, he clarifies the ways in which their understanding of what is expected could be adjusted.  In other places, he would say to those giving offense that while there is nothing inherently "wrong" with our actions, we need to change for the sake of those who may be adversely influenced by our actions.  Sometimes it doesn't matter if we are "right;" what matters is that we are giving offense and thus creating harm in the life of another.

Read Luke 6 and consider for yourself the actions of your day.  Are they done both with an eye to God; and an eye to how they are affecting those who see God in us?

Sermon - Easter 4 - Year C

4th Sunday of Easter - Year C                                                                                                   

John 10:22-30                                                    

Learing to Listen for the Shepherd

 

 



      I am not a shepherd, and I have never tended sheep.  So I really don’t know how, over time, a shepherd feels toward the sheep.  I don’t know how Jesus feels about the sheep (or potential sheep) with whom he interacts in today’s Gospel lesson.

I do know that sheep are not the smartest of domesticated animals.  They have hardly any ability to look out for themselves.  Unless they are led to green pastures, they will starve.  Unless they are shown still waters, they will perish.  When they get lost, they lie down and wait for the shepherd to come find them.  I wonder whether, over time, a shepherd grows to be exasperated by this.  I wonder if it is possible, over the long haul, to remain understanding and patient with a flock whose needs are so great. 

I think we uniquely positioned to understand both sides of the relationship between sheep and shepherds.  It is a bit like our experience, here in Clemson, at University Lutheran.  They don’t baa or need to have their fleece trimmed each season, but the University students are sort of like sheep.  They are perpetually young; doing the things that young adults do; this flock making the same mistakes as the flocks which came before.  Our church property suffers from the leftovers of weekends gone wild; and yet the congregation understands and realizes how essential it is for us to remain in the heart of town.  It is tempting, to loose patience.  But, so far we haven’t, and let us pray that we never do.  For, while the wanderings of 20 year olds seem endless, they remind the rest of us that unless there is a shepherd’s voice we all have the potential to become lost. 

Jesus is in Jerusalem, he is in the temple, when some of those who teeter on the edge of being lost ask him why he won’t tell them plainly whether he is Messiah.  Jesus’ response seems, at first, to express frustration.  His reply is that he has already told them, but that they won’t believe.   He seems to scold them for their inability to hear.  But the tone changes very quickly and his words become an invitation to leave behind the helplessness which dominates the lives of all sheep.  He reminds them they don’t have to be able to do all things; they only need to be able to do one thing.  They don’t have to know it all; they only need to know the sound of the shepherd’s voice. 

“My sheep hear my voice.  I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” 

This may not be the best advice, as you approach your final week of classes and begin final exams.  Nevertheless, it is the advice I will give you this morning – forget everything else and concentrate on learning to recognize and follow that voice. 

I realized, in preparing for this morning, how confusing it is that “sheep” is the same whether one speaks in the singular or plural.  That is confusing, but it helps to make one of the points toward which I am driving.  A sheep, an individual sheep, becomes one with the rest of the flock of sheep.  It is only when the sheep is in trouble (like being lost) that it is off on its own.  The rest of the time, it is one sheep among all the other sheep. 

This is a concept which runs afoul of most of what our culture values.  We celebrate the rugged individual; we are congratulated for standing out from the rest; we go to the Career Center in order to learn how to distinguish ourselves from others.  No wonder the Sunday morning message attracts so few.  We stay in bed not because of a desire for more sleep, but out of the deep seated realization that everything we have worked toward during the week is being challenged every time we join in the collective chorus which proclaims:  “Our Father.” 

But, it is in the flock, among the other sheep, that one learns to recognize the voice of the shepherd.  It is in the flock, among the other sheep, that one develops trust and the ability to follow the shepherd’s instructions.  I used to say that it is really hard to do this on your own.  Of late, I have started saying that it is practically impossible. 

We have started an LCM Alumni Fan Page.  I won’t say that it has expanded our outreach to alums, but it has provided a forum for interaction with those who not so long ago were sitting here among us on Sunday mornings.  All too often they share how difficult it has been for them to find a congregational home when they depart.  While every congregation says it seeks to include young adults, few have small group events for such folks - particularly those who are not in a life-long relationship or having babies.  Falling away from regular attendance at Sunday worship is an easy thing to have happen.  It may only be later, when one finds oneself a bit lost, that they realize what falling away has really cost them.  On their own, it is tough to feel the care and compassion of the shepherd’s voice. 

This illustration is applicable whether you are 20-something or 50-something.  A lone sheep is a lost sheep.   

In the flock, the sheep who have learned the shepherd’s voice, are not always aware of the impact their ability to recognize and follow has on the newer members.  I don’t think the Mama sheep tell their offspring, “Hear that voice?  That is the one you want to follow.”   The youngens pick up on this, as they observe the mother following.  It is in following that one generation passes on to the next the ability to believe and to trust.  So, it isn’t what you say or even what you teach which matters most – it is what you do. 

What we do – what we need to do – is be very intentional in listening to that voice, and we need to be more forthcoming in allowing others to see how that voice directs our lives.

It is another wonderful coincidence of the lectionary that Easter 4 falls so close to the end of our academic year.  While they may have the outward appearance of confidence and bravado, the young adults among us realize they are still a ways away from being all grown up.  At last weekend’s Leadership Retreat, the number one answer to “What is the purpose of LCM,” and “What do you value most about LCM” was “A church home away from home.”  What young adults need - what many young adults are willing to acknowledge they need - is the continued presence and support of those who have gone before.  We have said it before but it bears repeating:  the advantage is to a parish-based campus ministry is the opportunity for college students to participate in a community where there are eighty year olds, as well as eighteen year olds.  The stages of faith formation are greatly aided by seeing and interacting with those who have had decades to learn to listen to the shepherd’s voice.   

I do not want to over-simplify what went wrong in the lives of those two young men who this week ended up in gun fights on the streets of Boston.  But there may be a marker in that the older brother seems to have had few solid relationships on this side of the ocean.  He had been married, but I haven’t heard anything about in-laws.  His uncles and sister seem to be doing all they can to distance themselves from him.  The father who is supportive did not return to the US with him.  Where are the shepherds in that young man’s life?  Somewhere along the way, it seems he started getting lost.  And perhaps his voice began to be misunderstood by his younger brother as the voice to be listened to and trusted. 

It very important that sheep demonstrate their attention to the voice of the shepherd and allow the younger sheep to learn by example why it is important to follow. 

We are like sheep.  Together, in the community of faith, we have been lead to the green pastures.  Together, our souls have been revived.  Together, it is possible for us to dwell in the house of the Lord, forever. 

Amen.

Devotion - Thursday, April 18

I am reading from the book of Daniel these days.  Most of us know of Daniel in the Lion's Den, but little else about the book.  It is the book to which many of the images of The Revelation to St. John are parallels.  It is also the timing in Daniel which gave rise to millenniumism (better known among us as Rapture theology).

Daniel is able to discern God's will and to speak God's word.  He does this for King Nebuchadnezzar; he also assists in helping Belshazzar reading the "handwriting on the wall".  (Did you know that phrase is from the bible?  Read Daniel 5.)

Belshazzar's sin was to bring all the holy vessels from the storerooms and use them for a drunken party.  He and his guests then praise the gods of gold and silver and bronze and wood - with the very chalices designed to give honor to God.

We read this story and we wonder "How can they be so stupid as to worship 'gods of gold and silver'?"  We know that there are no "gods of gold."  The learning from this section of scripture is not to find ways to heap insults on the graves of those who have gone before; rather it is to assist us in recognizing our own false gods.

I will pray each day for "useful knowledge;" but I will not pretend that information and knowledge is supreme.

I will seek meaningful relationships; but I will not place pleasing those around me with doing that which is pleasing to God.

I watch my retirement fund carefully; but I pray that I will never seek financial advantage over doing the tasks God has set before me.

The handwriting is on the wall for all those who place in the role of "god" that which is incapable of bearing the weight.  I am not trying to say that God will strike them down this very day (which was Belshazzar's fate - which may actually be better than what happened to Nebuchadnezzar).  But the lives of such persons becomes unbalanced and out of sync with God.  Living such a life may be pleasing in the moment, but it lacks the depth and hope of a life linked to God's grace and goodness.

Are there false gods in your life?  How might you reduce their influence? 

Devotion - Wednesday, April 17

In Luke 4, Jesus heals the mother of Simon Peter.  He causes quite a stir and all of the local folks begin to bring to him those who are sick or have a disease.  Luke tells us that Jesus doesn't stay.  He departs, saying, "I must preach the good  news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose."

If you were asked to reconstruct the content of what Jesus preached, what would you include?  Maybe you should think about that for a few minutes before you read on........

...... Most often, instructions about morality is what gets repeated in Jesus' name.  We envision Jesus saying, "Don't steal!" or "No drinking!" or "Ignore your sensuality."  Morality is too often the end all of what Jesus leaves with us.

In this passage, Jesus says he must preach the good news of the kingdom of God.  And we need to be asked whether he is sharing that good news that we can be a part of that kingdom if we behave appropriately (which is the message morality sermons would have us hear) or if he might be saying that the good news is God's establishment of a kingdom which welcomes us?  

The kingdom of God is the flesh and blood relationship which unites us with God and with the incarnation of God among us.  The kingdom of God is that invitation to live together in harmony and peace and justice.  The kingdom of God would prevent us from ever using violence against another, thinking that our actions will merit some other-worldly-reward.  The kingdom of God instructs us that injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.

I grow weary of those who reduce the coming of Jesus into the world as another reinforcement of the message of the Pharisees.  Jesus came to preach the good news of the kingdom of God - not to try to prevent us from saying four-letter words.  When we live in that kingdom, we are transformed and we behave in a way that shows respect and honor and appreciation for all of God's creation.  Morality grows out of our involvement in the kingdom; it does not determine our admittance.

Devotion - Tuesday, April 16

I want to be very careful in what I say this morning - realizing that your habit of reading my offerings means this exchange may have become one of the "familiar" things to which I referred yesterday.  For that I am grateful; and thankful that God has allowed us to form such a relationship.

The bombings yesterday in Boston will continue to be the prime topic of conversation; the bomber's desired effect realized when we ratchet up the rhetoric of hate and revenge and destruction.  I pray that will not happen; at least that it will not happen in your life and in your conversations.

My trip to Washington, D.C. last week was to commend a friend into God's hands; it was to comfort his wife and children.  But she is the one who gave me all the gifts.  Shortly after arriving, she organized us all for an outing to see the cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin.  Among the blossoms is the Memorial I have been longing to see - the one dedicated to the Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.  I am thinking of King this morning.

Among King's writings is a book titled "The Strength to Love."  In it, he points out that it is easy to love those who love us.  It is a common thing to love those who speak well of us and honor us.  The challenge for God's children is to love those whose fear and prior injuries have left them bitter and angry.  The call, for those who follow Jesus, is to break the cycle of hatred and retaliation.

After the September 11 attacks, while so many were looking around and asking "Who did this?"  Jimmy Carter told his Sunday Church School class to seek an answer to the question, "Why did they do this?"  

We do not show our strength by being more destructive in our response; we show the strength of God by being loving enough to acknowledge the kernel of truth in the critique of our enemy.  It is not an admission of guilt.  It is a willingness to continue to love and care for the one who has become wounded and injured and driven by their weakness to a senseless act of hatred.

Amid all the clamor today, be a voice of calm and a speaker for God.  Remember that the most often repeated phrase of the Resurrected Jesus as "Do not be afraid."  Fear drives us to do all sorts of horrible things.  And the followers of Jesus put an end to horrible things, not continue their destructive path.

Devotion - Monday, April 15

The Leadership Retreat participants packed up early yesterday morning and joined the folks at Wittenberg Lutheran for the 8:30 am service.  This is the home congregation for one of our students; it was wonderful to see the reaction of the pastor and members to "Hannah's friends."  It reminded me how difficult it is for home congregations to image what church-life is like for all of you while you are in Clemson.  Joining home congregations also allows us to be reminded of what church-life is like for you, when you are away from us.

The Pastor's comments on John 21 were to speak of Peter's decision to "go fishing" as a return to that which was familiar.  Jesus had been taken from them; they had experienced the empty tomb; there were reports of some of their number having seen the resurrected Jesus.  So much going on;  what they needed was to return to something that made them feel comfortable and safe and at ease.

The Friday night discussions at the Leadership Retreat spoke of the same desire.  When we identified the purpose for LCM-Clemson, what came out on top was "having a church home."  What stood out was the desire to have a place and a group of people who would be for us that familiar, comfortable, and supportive experience.

Let us hope LCM will be that for all of us.

But something only becomes familiar by repeated association.  So our stated hope and purpose is impossible unless we are present enough for it to become "familiar."  A comforting blanket becomes that over time, as it becomes worn.

It is also more difficult for others to immediately feel at ease with that which is another's "comfort zone."  Like a favorite pair of shoes, it starts to fit us so well that it becomes unwelcoming to another's foot.

Being at home and at ease and comfortable is certainly a worthy end to seek.  And so long as we continually seek to make the sojourner comfortable, we reflect the best of what it means to be God's community.  We need such places in our lives; and we need to establish such places for the sake of those who are feeling lost and adrift.

Devotion - Thursday, April 11

My trip out of town is to assist a family in placing husband/father/friend into God's eternal care.  It is an opportunity that I appreciate, even though it means I have missed (and will miss) some of our student events this week.

 

This sort of thing is one of the reasons why I am such a proponent of parish-based campus ministry.  Just as a parish is made stronger by the questions and the excitement of disciples in their early adult years, so also are the students made stronger by the realities of illness and death.  Our faith sustains us through all such times, or it doesn't sustain us at all.

 

The  college years are enough of a ghetto without church life becoming another experience of the same.  To see how faith becomes active throughout careers and life's events is an important part (in my eyes) to developing the relationship with God which Jesus hopes.

 

I am grateful for the chance to be with the Hegg family for these days.  I miss all of you, but believe that our time together will be stronger because of this unavoidable reminder of God's presence in our lives through ALL things.

Devotion - Wednesday, April 10

We concluded our study of I & II Samuel this week.  When the group asked to study these books, I was a bit doubtful.  But it proved to be a great experience, and one from which we learned much.

These books of the Old Testament expose us to the establishment of the Davidic Kingdom.  David is not Israel's first king; nor is he the one under whom Israel reaches its peak.  But to David the promise is given that God will establish a never-ending dynasty.

We are too easily lulled into thinking that God's faithfulness is tempered by our own.  We are too quick to fear that our lack of being consistent means that God won't be - either.  But this is not the story of the Bible.  God makes promises and holds to them.

In I & II Samuel we are allowed to see David as a real person.  He has his good points; he does some things which are clearly not pleasing to God.  But, regardless of how David acts, God is faithful and never does God withhold his promise.

The same God promises us to love us and accept us and claim us.  Nothing - nothing - can temper that or call it into question.

Devotion - Tuesday, April 9

There are 40 days between Easter and Ascension.  40 days between the time that Jesus is resurrected from the dead and he is taken up into heaven.

There aren't that many stories from these 40 days.  The one we read for this past Sunday occurred no more than a week and a half after Easter morning.  Stretch it out as far as you can, and you still have 30 days during which Jesus is resurrected but not ascended.  And few instances of what he was doing during that time.

I want to suggest that what he was doing that time was reinforcing the importance of being "in the world."  Being "in the world" is very important.

First, let's not forget that the whole Jesus event is a demonstration that God would set aside the heavens in order to make His home with us.  We are Christian not because of philosophical school of thought or some sign in the heavens.  Rather because we see in Jesus the incarnation of God.

In today's reading from John 17, verse 19 says, "As you did send me into the world, so I now send them."  Jesus' disciples are to be in the world, in the same way that Jesus was in the world.

I realize that I reinforce your being "in the church" more than your being "in the world."  I am more likely to form a relationship with you if you are at worship or the Wednesday meals.  That is unfortunate.  From the witness of scripture, we should be strengthened in our common bond when we are out in the world - when we are doing God's will among those whom God came to speak the Good News.

If I fail to acknowledge, please remind me.  If we all fail to encourage, then expose our limitations.  Our time together should buffer us from the harshness of the world, but it should not take us out of the world.  It should move us to the places and opportunities where God's Word can speak healing and wholeness and restoration to a world in which there is too much hurt and hardship and isolation.

Jesus spent 40 days reminding us that his Resurrection was not a quick pass into heaven; it was an opportunity to come to the earth and affirm the care and love God has for all those whom God has made.