Throughout the season of Advent, we have been encouraged to be ready for the coming of our Lord. This morning's Gospel reading reminds us that it isn't just his coming for which we need to prepare, but also for his delay.
You know the story (Matthew 25:1-13) of the ten maidens who took their lamps and went to wait for the bridegroom. When the bridegroom is delayed, five had brought a supply of oil for their lamps; five had not. Those unprepared for the wait went to buy more oil, and while they were gone the bridegroom arrived.
There are times in our lives when Christ comes to us. There are also times when our request for His presence seems to go unanswered. In those instances, we are called upon not simply to be ready for his arrival, but ready for his delay.
When I speak of what I think to be one of the advantages of being a 54 year old campus pastor as opposed to a 30 year old campus pastor (yes - I have been at this for 24 years) I speak of the long-term view of life which I am able to share. Delays seem unending when we are in the midst of one. They seem much shorter when looked back upon with many years in between. The injuries and set-backs are real; and they are traumatic to us as we live through them. But they will pass and there will be opportunities for learning lessons.
We need not only be ready for the coming our Lord; we need to anticipate and brace ourselves for those times when He seems to be delayed. This is the message of Matthew 25.
Pastor Chris
PS. The semester ends tomorrow. This will be my last offering till classes resume on January 11. God bless your Christmas and may you have opportunity to share the gifts of God's precious Word and promise.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Devotion - Wednesday, December 14
Perhaps is it our Advent theme which is causing me to notice scriptural references to hunger, but I am finding them everywhere these days.
UniLu has adopted a theme of hunger for our Advent mid-week meals and worship services. Our spring LSM Retreat will also address issues of hunger.
This morning, I was reading from Matthew 24. As Jesus is giving his final instructions to the disciples he says: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?"
Perhaps it is this week's busyness associated with exam meals which remind me of the comfort being fed brings. But I can see how much it changes lives and attitudes when the wise and faithful servants set the food before those in need of nourishment.
In our culture we have become so immune to hunger that we fail to notice those for whom hunger is a daily reality. Yes, this is true - not just in the far reaches of the world but also in our own backyards. One of the speakers on last year's Spring Break Trip reminded us that 26% of SC residents had a hunger related incident in 2009.
Jesus tells us to feed the hungry. The scriptures are full of references to do so. Why then are there still so many hungry people in the world?
UniLu has adopted a theme of hunger for our Advent mid-week meals and worship services. Our spring LSM Retreat will also address issues of hunger.
This morning, I was reading from Matthew 24. As Jesus is giving his final instructions to the disciples he says: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?"
Perhaps it is this week's busyness associated with exam meals which remind me of the comfort being fed brings. But I can see how much it changes lives and attitudes when the wise and faithful servants set the food before those in need of nourishment.
In our culture we have become so immune to hunger that we fail to notice those for whom hunger is a daily reality. Yes, this is true - not just in the far reaches of the world but also in our own backyards. One of the speakers on last year's Spring Break Trip reminded us that 26% of SC residents had a hunger related incident in 2009.
Jesus tells us to feed the hungry. The scriptures are full of references to do so. Why then are there still so many hungry people in the world?
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Devotion - Tuesday, December 13
I typically don't cut and paste these morning offerings, but I read this this morning, and it seemed to be a good reply to questions often asked me about prayer. Realizing how we struggle with prayer, I thought this piece worth sharing.
"To pray is nothing more involved than to let Jesus into our needs. To pray is to give Jesus permission to employ His powers in the alleviation of our distress. To pray is to let Jesus glorify His name in the midst of our needs.
"The results of prayer are, therefore, not dependent upon the powers of the one who prays. His intense will, her fervent emotions, or his clear comprehension of what he is praying for are not the reasons why his prayers will be heard and answered. Nay, God be praised, the results of prayer are not dependent upon these things!
"To pray is nothing more involved than to open the door, giving Jesus access to our needs and permitting Him to exercise His own power in dealing with them.
"He who gave us the privilege of prayer knows us very well. He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
"That is why He designed prayer in such a way that the most impotent can make use of it. For to pray is to open the door to Jesus. And that requires no strength. It is only a question of our wills. Will we give Jesus access to our needs? That is the one great and fundamental question in connection with prayer."
Ole Hallesby, Prayer
"To pray is nothing more involved than to let Jesus into our needs. To pray is to give Jesus permission to employ His powers in the alleviation of our distress. To pray is to let Jesus glorify His name in the midst of our needs.
"The results of prayer are, therefore, not dependent upon the powers of the one who prays. His intense will, her fervent emotions, or his clear comprehension of what he is praying for are not the reasons why his prayers will be heard and answered. Nay, God be praised, the results of prayer are not dependent upon these things!
"To pray is nothing more involved than to open the door, giving Jesus access to our needs and permitting Him to exercise His own power in dealing with them.
"He who gave us the privilege of prayer knows us very well. He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
"That is why He designed prayer in such a way that the most impotent can make use of it. For to pray is to open the door to Jesus. And that requires no strength. It is only a question of our wills. Will we give Jesus access to our needs? That is the one great and fundamental question in connection with prayer."
Ole Hallesby, Prayer
Monday, December 12, 2011
Devotion - Monday, December 12
I am never sure whether to call attention to finals week, or provide a distraction. TriCounty students have finished up their exams, but the exam period for Clemson begins today. These days are tiring, trying, and have the potential to up us in a really bad mood.
No one likes to be "tested." We might realize that it is the way in which we best discover our ability to synthesize information. We may come to understand that exams are a celebration of all that we have to know. But there is a nervousness about putting forth our best effort only to have someone evaluate whether this is good enough.
The lectionary of readings I follow has me reading through the opening chapters of Revelation. In the third chapter we read the notes to the seven churches. In these, the author speaks words of evaluation. In most, there are things to be commended and things which need attention. Some of the notes are stern; some might be considered harsh. But the overall effect is to realize that in each of our lives there are some things we do well and some things which could use improvement. We stand firmly on the traits we do well, in order to address those which need to be strengthened.
Perhaps it helps to remember that you are not in school merely to pass courses or do well on exams. You are here to prepare for what comes next. It might be difficult to see the correlation between this particular final exam and your contribution to making the world a better place, but there is one. Your desire to serve God and to aid others by means of a productive career is the future which follows your successful completion of these courses.
God be with you during this week; and God strengthen you.
No one likes to be "tested." We might realize that it is the way in which we best discover our ability to synthesize information. We may come to understand that exams are a celebration of all that we have to know. But there is a nervousness about putting forth our best effort only to have someone evaluate whether this is good enough.
The lectionary of readings I follow has me reading through the opening chapters of Revelation. In the third chapter we read the notes to the seven churches. In these, the author speaks words of evaluation. In most, there are things to be commended and things which need attention. Some of the notes are stern; some might be considered harsh. But the overall effect is to realize that in each of our lives there are some things we do well and some things which could use improvement. We stand firmly on the traits we do well, in order to address those which need to be strengthened.
Perhaps it helps to remember that you are not in school merely to pass courses or do well on exams. You are here to prepare for what comes next. It might be difficult to see the correlation between this particular final exam and your contribution to making the world a better place, but there is one. Your desire to serve God and to aid others by means of a productive career is the future which follows your successful completion of these courses.
God be with you during this week; and God strengthen you.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sermon - Advent 3 - December 11, 2011
Advent 3B.11
John 1:6-8, 19-28
Making Way for What Will Follow
Who wakes up in the morning and says, “I want to be the one who makes it possible for the one who follows me to do great things?” “I want to be the one that everyone overlooks in order to get to the person who is next in line?” Judi, do you want to be the teacher known as the one who made your pupils appreciate the teacher they will have next? Dr. Gauderer, do you want to be the surgeon who sets the stage for that surgeon who saves the life of the patient?
I don’t want to be the campus pastor who makes it possible for the next campus pastor to make Christ known across the Clemson campus.
It is not a role we seek. It is not a way of seeing ourselves which attracts a whole host of adherents. And yet, this is the role of John the Baptist. His job, from beginning to end, was to call attention to the one who would follow him. John does it well. So well that the whole world comes to know of the one whom he precedes. But any mention of John, in the generations which followed, was due solely to his unwavering dedication to do nothing other than become lost in the amazing events which were unfolding after him.
They come to John, to ask him, “Are you the One we have been looking for?” “NO!” He assures them. “Then are you a prophet?” They were wanting some sort of category or classification for him so they will know what to do with him and with his words. But John could not be placed is a pre-determined box. What he was preparing them for was unlike anything that had ever happened before.
But he is trying. He knows his place. And he is doing what it is that he came to do – preparing them for what is going to come next.
Trained by a world which insists that we distinguish ourselves from the competitors, we are unlikely to wake up in the morning hoping to become the one who proceeds the one who does great things. But there are few roles more important than taking an active role in preparing for the work Christ is about to do.
There are two events in today’s worship which fall into the realm of “important because of what is coming next”. Two opportunities for us to struggle, just a bit, with the awkward discomfort of knowing that even on our best days we are little more than a launching pad. Two opportunities for us to realize, hopefully in a huge way, that unless there is a successful launch little of what follows will meet our hopes and God’s expectations.
Let’s start with the baptism. Baptism is the place where all of us begin our journey. The baptismal waters “wash away our sins.” We must remember Luther’s instructions in the Small Catechism that it is not the water alone which does this but the water combined with the Word of God. There is nothing holy about the water in that font, there is something extraordinary about the about the event which surrounds the pouring of that water over the head of baby Lily. Baptism is the starting point of a life of understanding that regardless of what we might do or not do; regardless what we think or don’t think; and even setting aside what we believe or don’t believe; God has made a commitment to us. God desires a response; God’s love requires a response; but that is what it is – our response to what it is that God has done for us. Anything different is modern-day expression of the ancient heresy of synergism.
The sacrament of Holy Baptism is a sacred gift to the Church and to God’s people. But it is not some magic act, performed by some secret society. It is the beginning of a life-long commitment to making real the love of Christ and the gifts of God’s grace. It is the event which prepares us; it is the launching pad; to what we hope, to what we pray and commit to making real in the life of the one(s) who are baptized.
And then there is today’s Farewell and Godspeed. Whenever asked about the work of Lutheran Campus Ministry-Clemson, I turn the question toward those who have received alumni from this ministry. I remind folks that the true measure is what happened here is what happens after graduation. It can be gratifying to have young adults who look back fondly at their years in Clemson and speak of coming for Wednesday night meals or participating in one of the retreats. But what we are looking to accomplish is something a bit long term – will those who pass through LCM-C remain Disciples of Christ in their new homes? As wonderful as these experiences we share might be, they only truly serve their purpose when they leave one with the unquenchable desire to find a community of followers in your new home. These experiences are the start to an event or a series of events in your interaction with Christ.
No one sets out to be the one who make ready for what is coming next; but preparing the way is an important task, it is an essential task. When done correctly, it makes all the difference. Unless it is done we are likely to lack an understanding of the significance of what is coming next.
This morning we share in to such experiences. When you go home this afternoon you can evaluate your individual opportunity for a third. This third opportunity is one under your control and within your ability. I encourage you to evaluate how much of what you are doing in these next fifteen days is being done as an end in itself and how much is happening in order to prepare for something else. Are your planned Christmas events an end in themselves or do that set the stage for the re-entry of Jesus into your life? Is the emphasis on what you have been able to accomplish (getting family together, keeping them together, setting aside the tendency is to bicker and fight, finding just the right gift for under the tree,) is the emphasis on what you have been able to accomplish – or – is it on what God is accomplishing?
Well planned celebrations of the season will earn us the accolades of family and friends; but that which is eternal is only encountered in those events which serve to point us to the One of whom angels sing.
May your Christmas be merry and bright, and may all your celebrations serve the purpose of making ready the entry of Christ into your life and into the world which you inhabit.
Amen.
John 1:6-8, 19-28
Making Way for What Will Follow
Who wakes up in the morning and says, “I want to be the one who makes it possible for the one who follows me to do great things?” “I want to be the one that everyone overlooks in order to get to the person who is next in line?” Judi, do you want to be the teacher known as the one who made your pupils appreciate the teacher they will have next? Dr. Gauderer, do you want to be the surgeon who sets the stage for that surgeon who saves the life of the patient?
I don’t want to be the campus pastor who makes it possible for the next campus pastor to make Christ known across the Clemson campus.
It is not a role we seek. It is not a way of seeing ourselves which attracts a whole host of adherents. And yet, this is the role of John the Baptist. His job, from beginning to end, was to call attention to the one who would follow him. John does it well. So well that the whole world comes to know of the one whom he precedes. But any mention of John, in the generations which followed, was due solely to his unwavering dedication to do nothing other than become lost in the amazing events which were unfolding after him.
They come to John, to ask him, “Are you the One we have been looking for?” “NO!” He assures them. “Then are you a prophet?” They were wanting some sort of category or classification for him so they will know what to do with him and with his words. But John could not be placed is a pre-determined box. What he was preparing them for was unlike anything that had ever happened before.
But he is trying. He knows his place. And he is doing what it is that he came to do – preparing them for what is going to come next.
Trained by a world which insists that we distinguish ourselves from the competitors, we are unlikely to wake up in the morning hoping to become the one who proceeds the one who does great things. But there are few roles more important than taking an active role in preparing for the work Christ is about to do.
There are two events in today’s worship which fall into the realm of “important because of what is coming next”. Two opportunities for us to struggle, just a bit, with the awkward discomfort of knowing that even on our best days we are little more than a launching pad. Two opportunities for us to realize, hopefully in a huge way, that unless there is a successful launch little of what follows will meet our hopes and God’s expectations.
Let’s start with the baptism. Baptism is the place where all of us begin our journey. The baptismal waters “wash away our sins.” We must remember Luther’s instructions in the Small Catechism that it is not the water alone which does this but the water combined with the Word of God. There is nothing holy about the water in that font, there is something extraordinary about the about the event which surrounds the pouring of that water over the head of baby Lily. Baptism is the starting point of a life of understanding that regardless of what we might do or not do; regardless what we think or don’t think; and even setting aside what we believe or don’t believe; God has made a commitment to us. God desires a response; God’s love requires a response; but that is what it is – our response to what it is that God has done for us. Anything different is modern-day expression of the ancient heresy of synergism.
The sacrament of Holy Baptism is a sacred gift to the Church and to God’s people. But it is not some magic act, performed by some secret society. It is the beginning of a life-long commitment to making real the love of Christ and the gifts of God’s grace. It is the event which prepares us; it is the launching pad; to what we hope, to what we pray and commit to making real in the life of the one(s) who are baptized.
And then there is today’s Farewell and Godspeed. Whenever asked about the work of Lutheran Campus Ministry-Clemson, I turn the question toward those who have received alumni from this ministry. I remind folks that the true measure is what happened here is what happens after graduation. It can be gratifying to have young adults who look back fondly at their years in Clemson and speak of coming for Wednesday night meals or participating in one of the retreats. But what we are looking to accomplish is something a bit long term – will those who pass through LCM-C remain Disciples of Christ in their new homes? As wonderful as these experiences we share might be, they only truly serve their purpose when they leave one with the unquenchable desire to find a community of followers in your new home. These experiences are the start to an event or a series of events in your interaction with Christ.
No one sets out to be the one who make ready for what is coming next; but preparing the way is an important task, it is an essential task. When done correctly, it makes all the difference. Unless it is done we are likely to lack an understanding of the significance of what is coming next.
This morning we share in to such experiences. When you go home this afternoon you can evaluate your individual opportunity for a third. This third opportunity is one under your control and within your ability. I encourage you to evaluate how much of what you are doing in these next fifteen days is being done as an end in itself and how much is happening in order to prepare for something else. Are your planned Christmas events an end in themselves or do that set the stage for the re-entry of Jesus into your life? Is the emphasis on what you have been able to accomplish (getting family together, keeping them together, setting aside the tendency is to bicker and fight, finding just the right gift for under the tree,) is the emphasis on what you have been able to accomplish – or – is it on what God is accomplishing?
Well planned celebrations of the season will earn us the accolades of family and friends; but that which is eternal is only encountered in those events which serve to point us to the One of whom angels sing.
May your Christmas be merry and bright, and may all your celebrations serve the purpose of making ready the entry of Christ into your life and into the world which you inhabit.
Amen.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Devotion - Thursday, December 8
Jesus spends a lot of time arguing against the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a group of folks within Judaism who felt that the laws of Moses were not being emphasized or upheld. They were zealous in their attempts to identify every single law and see to it that they (and their neighbors) lived according to these laws.
Jesus tells them that they are placing the emphasis in the wrong place.
They had developed some rather strange teachings. In Matthew 23:13-26 Jesus speaks of some of these. He says, "'Woe to you, blind guides, who say, "If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath." You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold of the temple that has made the gold sacred?'"
Or course, it is easy to see the errors of others - what is more difficult is seeing the mislaid intentions in our own practices, or beliefs.
Later in this same section, Jesus makes a comment which perhaps can guide us. He says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for your tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others."
Following Jesus means continually looking at my footprints and repeatedly asking whether I am where I ought to be. It means being open to hearing that I have strayed and it means accepting correction when it is offered. Following Jesus involves continual motion, moving toward the kingdom and moving in response to those whom Jesus came to set free.
Jesus tells them that they are placing the emphasis in the wrong place.
They had developed some rather strange teachings. In Matthew 23:13-26 Jesus speaks of some of these. He says, "'Woe to you, blind guides, who say, "If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath." You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold of the temple that has made the gold sacred?'"
Or course, it is easy to see the errors of others - what is more difficult is seeing the mislaid intentions in our own practices, or beliefs.
Later in this same section, Jesus makes a comment which perhaps can guide us. He says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for your tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others."
Following Jesus means continually looking at my footprints and repeatedly asking whether I am where I ought to be. It means being open to hearing that I have strayed and it means accepting correction when it is offered. Following Jesus involves continual motion, moving toward the kingdom and moving in response to those whom Jesus came to set free.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Devotion - Wednesday, December 7
Our Advent there of "Hunger" receives a new twist with today's appointed Old Testament reading. In Amos 8 we read, "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine upon the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it."
Interesting that the prophet does not say that the famine is NO word from God but rather a famine of "hearing" the words of the Lord. God does not cease to speak; the people do not hear.
They dash about but they cannot find the words of God. They fail to remember that the words of God are written on their hearts.
We live in a world which at times seems to. E experiencing such a famine. We search for that which is close at hand but unnoticed or appreciated. We experience a famine of hearing Gods word. This famine is sometimes noticed by us; it is painfully felt by the world-by a world in which indifference and self-satisfying behaviors allows children to go hungry and sisters to have no shelter.
May God save us from the horrible famine which ravages us of our spiritual food and strengthens us for the work of God's Kingdom.
Interesting that the prophet does not say that the famine is NO word from God but rather a famine of "hearing" the words of the Lord. God does not cease to speak; the people do not hear.
They dash about but they cannot find the words of God. They fail to remember that the words of God are written on their hearts.
We live in a world which at times seems to. E experiencing such a famine. We search for that which is close at hand but unnoticed or appreciated. We experience a famine of hearing Gods word. This famine is sometimes noticed by us; it is painfully felt by the world-by a world in which indifference and self-satisfying behaviors allows children to go hungry and sisters to have no shelter.
May God save us from the horrible famine which ravages us of our spiritual food and strengthens us for the work of God's Kingdom.
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