This past week I was delighted to receive an e-mail from a middle school member who wanted to know why we always are talking about giving at the church. She would rather hear the Word of God than about giving.
My first thought was how great it was for a middle schooler to be e-mailing the pastor, asking for more focus on God's Word. Bravo.
But then I dissected the e-mail a bit more. "Always." Are we really "always" talking about giving? Right now we are in October with our emphasis on stewardship but we intentionally backed off talking about giving from January into well into the summer. In fact, I received e-mails at that time wondering why we weren't talking more about the Masters Plan!
I can't win, can I?
So we really don't "always" talk about giving but let me add this. When we do, we are still focusing on the Word of God. In fact, there are 2350 verses in scripture dealing with money, possessions and giving. That's more than prayer or faith or grace. Jesus spoke about money and possessions more than any other single subject. Why? Because money has the greatest potential of stealing our heart away from God as our ultimate concern. It can quickly become that idol that we worship and trust.
Talking about giving has less to do with fund raising and more to do with discipleship. It's about living out what is printed on our coins--"In God We Trust." I need to give. It redirects my heart to focus on God. It teaches me obedience to God's word. But most importantly, it reveals a grateful heart for all that God has first given me.
We don't always talk about giving, but this week we certainly will because we are asking you to bring your pledge cards to church and place it on the altar in trust, in obedience and in thanksgiving.
After all, it is the Word of God!
Peace,
Pastor Scott
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Remembering Wilma
Last Thursday we had a memorial service for one of the matriarchs of the church--Wilma Hennig. Alert, faithful, gracious and engaging until the last couple of months of her 96 years, Wilma was a favorite of mine.
When it came time to select a biblical text for her funeral, instead of choosing Psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepherd) or John 14 (I go to prepare a place for you), Wilma selected the confessional Psalm 51.
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to you steadfast love;. . .blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin."
With this text, Wilma reminds each of us that there are no accomplishments or good deeds or memberships or service projects you can point to to earn God's grace. We must only point to the cross. We are all equal before the throne of God--fallen, sinful creature in need of God's forgiveness. At the core of her faith was Jesus who came to die that she would live forever.
The Psalm continues. . ."Create in me a clean heart, O God, and restore a right spirit within me." That he most graciously did for Wilma. . .and for all like her who come to him with a humble heart.
"For all the saints who from their labors rest, all who before the world confess, thy name, O Jesus, be forever blesed. Hallejah! Hallejah!"
When it came time to select a biblical text for her funeral, instead of choosing Psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepherd) or John 14 (I go to prepare a place for you), Wilma selected the confessional Psalm 51.
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to you steadfast love;. . .blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin."
With this text, Wilma reminds each of us that there are no accomplishments or good deeds or memberships or service projects you can point to to earn God's grace. We must only point to the cross. We are all equal before the throne of God--fallen, sinful creature in need of God's forgiveness. At the core of her faith was Jesus who came to die that she would live forever.
The Psalm continues. . ."Create in me a clean heart, O God, and restore a right spirit within me." That he most graciously did for Wilma. . .and for all like her who come to him with a humble heart.
"For all the saints who from their labors rest, all who before the world confess, thy name, O Jesus, be forever blesed. Hallejah! Hallejah!"
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
A Faith Crisis
Recently, I've been having some conversations with people regarding their giving. These are people who have made appointments with me to talk about having to decrease their giving not because of job loss or disagreement with the direction of the church or added expenses. These are retired folks whose retirement investments have tanked and the just don't have the reserves they once did.
What struck me about these conversations is that they needed to tell me. While most (younger) people would just cut back on their giving to the church in tight times without much of a thought, these families were undergoing a faith crisis. For their entire lives, the church has been central to their family. They have grown up generously giving to the church and supporting its mission. Their giving was not out of guilt or obligation. It was a deep expression of their faith. And now, no longer in a position to give at that same level, they are experiencing a faith crisis.
And so we talk. I thank them for their years of generous commitment. I acknowledge how difficult it is for them not to give at the same level. And to whatever extent I can, I absolve them of any guilt that they are experiencing.
When the meeting ends and they leave, I thought, "Wow. I don't think that the me-centered, younger, entitled generation could wrap their brain around having that kind of conversation with their pastor. Furthermore, I bet that they have no idea the deep sacrifice, long commitment and genuine faith of that older generation that provided this church for them to enjoy."
Do you?
What struck me about these conversations is that they needed to tell me. While most (younger) people would just cut back on their giving to the church in tight times without much of a thought, these families were undergoing a faith crisis. For their entire lives, the church has been central to their family. They have grown up generously giving to the church and supporting its mission. Their giving was not out of guilt or obligation. It was a deep expression of their faith. And now, no longer in a position to give at that same level, they are experiencing a faith crisis.
And so we talk. I thank them for their years of generous commitment. I acknowledge how difficult it is for them not to give at the same level. And to whatever extent I can, I absolve them of any guilt that they are experiencing.
When the meeting ends and they leave, I thought, "Wow. I don't think that the me-centered, younger, entitled generation could wrap their brain around having that kind of conversation with their pastor. Furthermore, I bet that they have no idea the deep sacrifice, long commitment and genuine faith of that older generation that provided this church for them to enjoy."
Do you?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
From Fear to Faith
As I looked at the October lessons for our sermon series, "Connect the Dots," I noticed a pattern. See if you can see the same. . .
Ishmael is abandoned in the desert and must trust God to protect him.
Isaac is placed on the sacrificial altar and Abraham must trust God to provide.
Jacob wrestles with some strange creature at the riverbank all night long and must trust God that he will prevail.
Joseph is thrown into a pit and sold into slavery and must trust God to survive.
See the pattern? They all find themselves in a place of real (not imaginary) fear. And yet, for them to overcome, they must move from fear to faith.
There are plenty of things in the news that cause real fear--war, terrorism, job loss, the economy. Such fear paralyzes our actions, discourages our attempts, and shatters our hope. Many live in that state of constant fear. But as believers, we move from fear to faith, trusting that God is still in charge and has a plan for our wellbeing.
On October 24, I will ask each of you to bring forth your commitment card for the work of the church in 2011. For some, this will be an anxious and fearful time to put down on paper what you plan to give even in these uncertain times. But I'm asking you to follow the lead of the biblical witness. I'm asking you to look at these heroes of the past. I'm asking you to move from fear to faith in a God who has already overcome the world.
Fearlessly Yours,
Pastor Scott
Ishmael is abandoned in the desert and must trust God to protect him.
Isaac is placed on the sacrificial altar and Abraham must trust God to provide.
Jacob wrestles with some strange creature at the riverbank all night long and must trust God that he will prevail.
Joseph is thrown into a pit and sold into slavery and must trust God to survive.
See the pattern? They all find themselves in a place of real (not imaginary) fear. And yet, for them to overcome, they must move from fear to faith.
There are plenty of things in the news that cause real fear--war, terrorism, job loss, the economy. Such fear paralyzes our actions, discourages our attempts, and shatters our hope. Many live in that state of constant fear. But as believers, we move from fear to faith, trusting that God is still in charge and has a plan for our wellbeing.
On October 24, I will ask each of you to bring forth your commitment card for the work of the church in 2011. For some, this will be an anxious and fearful time to put down on paper what you plan to give even in these uncertain times. But I'm asking you to follow the lead of the biblical witness. I'm asking you to look at these heroes of the past. I'm asking you to move from fear to faith in a God who has already overcome the world.
Fearlessly Yours,
Pastor Scott
Monday, September 20, 2010
To Don't List
The Leadership Team of the church met this past week with a member of the church who is a consultant for many large corporations in town. What a valuable resource! He helped us clarify vision and expectations and job descriptions. But the best thing he helped us work on was our "To Don't List."
We all have "To Do" lists. But what about those things that are consuming a mass amount of time but having little impact? What about those things that are good things but just don't fit what we should be doing as a church? What about those things that we want to do, but just not yet?
So, we developed a "To Don't List." It helps clarify our vision, make better use of our time, produce a greater impact and prevents burn out.
I've got my "To Don't List." Is it time you start creating your own?
Peace,
Pastor Scott
We all have "To Do" lists. But what about those things that are consuming a mass amount of time but having little impact? What about those things that are good things but just don't fit what we should be doing as a church? What about those things that we want to do, but just not yet?
So, we developed a "To Don't List." It helps clarify our vision, make better use of our time, produce a greater impact and prevents burn out.
I've got my "To Don't List." Is it time you start creating your own?
Peace,
Pastor Scott
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Shuffling Papers
Typically, shuffling papers is not a good thing.
We shuffle papers on our desk absentmindedly. The beaucracy of the DMV shuffles papers in triplicate through red tape.
However, on Sunday morning for the first time that I can remember, I heard shuffling papers. It wasn't fumbling through the hymnal or playing with the bulletin, there was a distinct shuffling of papers, of pages, from the Bible during the sermon.
Did you hear it?
Pens were in hand, Bibles were in laps, notes were taken, and pages were shuffled as we worked our way through the story of Noah's ark. It was a beautiful sound!
Stay with it. We've got only 43 more weeks to go. Bring your Bibles to church, go to the pastor's class that fills in the details, read the Taking it Home and talk to your children about their Sunday School lesson, too. They are learning about the same stories.
Oh, yeah, and shuffle those papers!
Peace,
Pastor Scott
We shuffle papers on our desk absentmindedly. The beaucracy of the DMV shuffles papers in triplicate through red tape.
However, on Sunday morning for the first time that I can remember, I heard shuffling papers. It wasn't fumbling through the hymnal or playing with the bulletin, there was a distinct shuffling of papers, of pages, from the Bible during the sermon.
Did you hear it?
Pens were in hand, Bibles were in laps, notes were taken, and pages were shuffled as we worked our way through the story of Noah's ark. It was a beautiful sound!
Stay with it. We've got only 43 more weeks to go. Bring your Bibles to church, go to the pastor's class that fills in the details, read the Taking it Home and talk to your children about their Sunday School lesson, too. They are learning about the same stories.
Oh, yeah, and shuffle those papers!
Peace,
Pastor Scott
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Love and War
Why does she always floss her teeth that way. It drives me nuts! Why does he never think to close the dresser drawer? It drives me crazy!
Last night at Wednesdays Together during our marriage course, "Love and War," we took a lighthearted look at those little things about our spouse that drives us bonkers. However, rather than spending the evening nitpicking on those little annoyances, we looked at them from another angle.
First, these were the little things that we overlooked when we were young and in love. In fact, they may have been the very things that we found alluring. After all, opposites attract.
Second, over time, those pesky personality traits annoyed us and we thought it was our job to change our spouse. I will teach her the proper way to floss. I will nag him long enough so he remembers to close the drawers. That's my job! To fix him/her!
Third, we hit a major breakthrough in our relationships when we no longer see our job as the fixer. Instead, we look to our spouse as God way of transforming us. When we move from annoyance to tolerance to acceptance of those strange quirks in our spouse, then we become open to the Spirit's work of transformation of our heart.
Who has God put into your life with strange habits that bug you? Got someone in mind? Now ask yourself, "What is God trying to transform about me through this relationship?"
You might be surprised that you are the one who needs "fixing!"
Last night at Wednesdays Together during our marriage course, "Love and War," we took a lighthearted look at those little things about our spouse that drives us bonkers. However, rather than spending the evening nitpicking on those little annoyances, we looked at them from another angle.
First, these were the little things that we overlooked when we were young and in love. In fact, they may have been the very things that we found alluring. After all, opposites attract.
Second, over time, those pesky personality traits annoyed us and we thought it was our job to change our spouse. I will teach her the proper way to floss. I will nag him long enough so he remembers to close the drawers. That's my job! To fix him/her!
Third, we hit a major breakthrough in our relationships when we no longer see our job as the fixer. Instead, we look to our spouse as God way of transforming us. When we move from annoyance to tolerance to acceptance of those strange quirks in our spouse, then we become open to the Spirit's work of transformation of our heart.
Who has God put into your life with strange habits that bug you? Got someone in mind? Now ask yourself, "What is God trying to transform about me through this relationship?"
You might be surprised that you are the one who needs "fixing!"
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