STER - On the Wesleyan Quadrilateral

Third Sunday after the Epiphany
from James 1

• Life is like a journey. Cliché, sure, but life demands examination, and life is big enough that we sometimes have to compare it to other things to understand it better, get a taste of it. One time Jesus sent disciples out with nothing but the clothes on their backs. At the end of the gospel of Mark, instructs them to go on ahead to Galilee, where Jesus goes before them. End of Matthew, instructs to go, make disciples, baptize, teach, and he will be with us. Last week we repeated God will not abandon, well it bears repeating today, as God equips and empowers us for the journey of life.

• So on the journey of life what are some of the tools we have?

• Scripture. (hold up my Bible, which is pocket sized so I can take it with me... covered with duct tape... filled with notes... The best color for a bible is read) Scripture. First and foremost. Our primary resource. The witness of God’s redemptive love come to fulfillment in JC. The Bible is the Church’s book for use in the community of prayer and faith. It is a living thing (wonderful words of life) and while its parts can and must be studied it is to be studied as a whole. (human teeth)

The Bible is testimony to what God has done, and invitation to interact, to respond. It is God-inspired and useful for teaching and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16).

In the Bible we find our identity, we find purpose and meaning. We find all things necessary for salvation in scripture, and there is no ingredient for salvation that is not found therein.

• What’s another tool in here? I have a flashlight to help me examine scripture, to shed light on, to illuminate. The way I interpret scripture is informed by the way those who have gone before me have interpreted scripture – I don’t have to start from scratch, but I can build on my spiritual parents, stand on their shoulders. We call this tradition. What my forefathers and mothers taught, what teachers and theologians have wrestled with for generations, even what the earliest generations of Christians believed, these things are the tradition that shed light on scripture (which is primary. Scripture, illumined by tradition).

• There’s another tool in here for the journey, a pair of boots. You know the bit about if a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one to hear it does it make a sound? If living scripture is left on a coffee table does it live? As scripture is illumined by tradition, in the journey of life scripture is vivified in experience, trying it out, stretching it, hitting the road. Look at that passage from James – we are to be not only hearers but doers; the foundation of faith in action is scripture put into practice in your personal experience.

• And you gotta ask if it all makes sense, if it fits (in this backpack), if it’s reasonable. God gave us brains not just to tell our hearts to pump and our feet to move but to examine and evaluate events in our lives. We use reason to look at situations, to look at tradition and experience, to look at scripture and its teachings.

• These four things – Scripture (first), illuminated by tradition, vivified in personal experience, confirmed by reason – form what’s known as the Wesleyan quadrilateral (from the teachings of John Wesley), and are tools that we have to examine and evaluate everything we come across on the journey. Armed with these tools (and the Holy Spirit, can I get an amen) we’re equipped to address things in our lives like death, life, growth, grief, change.

• Something happen? What’s scripture say about it? What have other believers throughout history taught about it? Can I live with it? Does it make sense?

Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason. Scripture [however] is primary, revealing the Word of God 'so far as it is necessary for our salvation.'

Wesley saw the Quadrilateral not merely as prescriptive of how one should form their theology, but also as descriptive of how almost anyone does form theology.

Prayer that God’s word would be living in us as we live and grow in faith and action. Every Day.

Get Ready

Second Sunday after the Epiphany
1 Samuel 3:1-20


• "Lord willing and the creek don’t rise," I will retire in 25-30 years. I don’t know what church I’ll be in, don’t know where in country I’ll live. I'll be closer to goal of 50^th wedding anniversary, and I trust serving God in some capacity. Specifics, I don’t know.

Repeat after me: In the face of the unknown, trust in God.

• Reading a book about the 21^st century (George Friedman's The Next 100 Years), and it points out how pretty much you can count on things being completely different even over a 20 year time span. 1900 Europe had ruled the world for 400 years but in two 20 year periods fractured and baby nation USA rocketed to unprecedented global power....

Though no specific predictions some general things predictable
and the more you plan for possible futures the better off you’ll be,
and one thing’s for sure: things aren’t going to stay the same.

• I wonder, what will CUMC look like in 20 years? Hymnals, multimedia, #of services, #of pastors, #of buildings… what will CUMC look like in 20 years, and how will we prepare for and weather change?

Repeat after me:  Get ready: God may speak in unanticipated ways.

(also trust in God)

• Samuel story: God speaks through an unanticipated prophet.

- S’s mom barren, she prayed for a son to dedicate to God, God heard & they both delivered.
- S is serving under priest Eli, but doesn’t know the Lord (apparently Eli hasn’t been much of a teacher), and we’re told The word of the Lord was rare, and visions not widely known. (…)
- But God makes a way, God does not abandon his people. (repeat) God speaks to S.

 (Eli, btw, shows some maturity in directing boy to respond to the Lord,

and when he hears of deserved punishment, does not whine but accepts & praises).


• Repeated: trust in God, God may speak in unanticipated ways, God does not abandon…

• Related to today's message... some things from the Bishop's midwinter retreat.

- There was a drama, a woman dreams diversity in heaven (it isn’t just people like us)

- There was a video of a woman priest wheelchairbound with cerebral palsy, and her theology of incarnation

- There was the testimony of a Korean pastor sent to anglo church (one parishioner cried twice: when he was appointed there, and then when he was appointed somewhere else)


How would any of these pastors be received?

• Next week I'll talk about evaluating change (hint: REST), but leave you with this:

          God will speak to people who will listen to God and honor God

          & God will be found, even in the midst of change. God is reliable.

• Hymn 534 Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

This Is What You've Been Trained For

First Sunday after the Epiphany
Baptism of the Lord Sunday

Mark 1:4-11 and Acts 19:1-7

We've had our Christmas celebrations, we had our New Year’s covenant renewal…

now what, what’s next?

• Top Gun (1986) (synopsis) after graduation from flight battle school the graduating class hears this speech: The SS Layton has become disabled and has wandered into foreign territory.

A rescue operation will soon begin. Your mission is to give it air support.
There are MiGs in the area. If you witness a hostile act, return fire.
They carry the Exocet anti-ship missile. They can fire it from miles away.
This is the real thing.   This is what you've been trained for.     Make us proud.

They get a baptism by fire, as it were.

• Today's two scripture readings have to do with that: “This is what you’ve been trained for”

We have John the Baptist saying People get ready, order your lives, straighten up and fly right, and if you’re moved by ME just you wait…

We have Jesus submitting to John’s baptism, why? To fully identify with those he came to save and to show us if you would follow me THIS is where you start.

We have Paul taking the pulse of a community and finding them not fully equipped…

• These things are all connected to the question of purpose.

Jesus knew his purpose (do the will of him who sent him, to seek & save the lost, that we might have life abundant).

Paul knew his purpose (reach many for Christ, proclaim forgiveness in Jesus’ name).

John the Baptist knew his purpose (ready the way for Christ).

• A New Year’s resolution or at least hope of mine is that the worshiping congregation would not memorize but OWN our purpose, our mission, and demonstrate that ownership by practice.

          Our mission is to reach out to all persons with the love of Christ, and to make growing and living disciples of Jesus Christ.

• This is what you’ve been trained for…

What leaps out there for me is the action of reach out…

• reach out in healing…. Alongside compassionate presence.

• reach out in addressing poverty… circles
• reach out in being involved in ministries of reconciliation (prisoners, victims, addicts)
• those are just a few… be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ beyond these walls, using gifts in service.

• We are empowered by God (not left without power, as Paul discovered in Ephesus)… blessed to be blessing.

Making Room in Your Heart

A pediatrician was examining a little girl. Peering into her ears with his otoscope, he asked, "Is Miss Piggy in your ears?"

The girl frowned and shook her head no.

Peering into her mouth, he asked, "Is Kermit the Frog in your throat?"

The girl frowned and shook her head no.

Listening to her heart with with his stethoscope, he asked, "Is Barney in your heart?"

The girl responded, "No, Barney is on my underwear. JESUS is in my heart!"


Suppose you get a DVD or a video game or a book as a Christmas gift. If it's something you wanted, you'll make time to use your gift.  We make time for what's important to us.

And yet how many of us got a book or video game or DVD for Christmas last year that we've essentially forgotten about?  Not all gifts have lasting value.


Jesus is a gift with eternally lasting value.
Knowing Jesus is important.
Take time to know Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

God Does a New Thing

Fourth Sunday of Advent

From Isaiah 43, Luke 2

• Talking with another pastor this week, what is favorite holiday, what’s best about slash passion for being pastor, also the sometimes challenge of taking a familiar story and telling it again...

• But there is something to be said about the familiar... potential assurance in dark times. I think that’s what God was teaching in the years wandering in the wilderness: trust in me. I make food and water appear for you, you have but to collect it and be satisfied. Give me thanks. When you wander from me I will raise up for you a faithful one to bring you back. Trust in me, have faith in me, listen to what I say.

• The people of Isaiah’s time knew trouble, knew sorrow, knew desperation. And God spoke into their situation and said Trust in me, have faith in me, I am redeeming you, I love you, I am for you.

And I’m doing a new thing. I will walk among you, live among you, live IN you, restore you renew you redeem you. There will be no desert in your life in which I cannot produce fruit, there will be no darkness in your life in which I cannot shine, no wilderness path you must walk without me.

         

Into your desert: I come, bringing water.

Into your unending suffering: I come, bringing respite

Into your darkness: I come, bringing light. 

Into your unchanging oppression: I come, bringing justice

Into your brokenness: I come, making new.

I am Emmanuel, God-is-with-us.

Prayer: Come Lord Jesus. Help us see you. Help us to make room in our hearts for thee.

• Children’s Program: The Case of the Reluctant Innkeeper

Inoculation, Enthusiasm, Incarnation

Third Sunday of Advent

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

• Tis the season of giving. When I turned 16 I received the gift of this guitar. I’m not very good, but my friends saw something in my enthusiasm and planted the idea that I could be good. Enthusiastic about guitar.

• I’m not particularly enthusiastic about getting flu shot, but I get em every year.

Flu shot, they actually inject you with weak or dead strain of the flu, and your body reacts against it, then if you come in contact with the real thing, your body is ready.

Inoculation against virus. Injected into and utilized by living body.

The verb to inoculate is from Latin inoculare, which meant "to graft or implant" (as a plant part is grafted onto another plant); Over 2,000 years old, modern practice in 18^th C. led to eradication of polio and the wide-spread control of many diseases, saving many lives.

• In a way, inoculation and enthusiasm are synonyms.

• Enthusiasm: God is in us, in our world. We recognize its advent (it happens) at Christmas. The incarnation is God’s life-saving inoculation of the world

• Incarnation: Jesus comes into living world and gives power.

Prayer that God would be born in us, change and save our lives, and that in our enthusiasm for God, others would know God.

• Reading of Luke 2 by Deb with musical accents by Josie, Art, Dylan, Brandon

Prepare the Lord's Way

Second Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 40:1-11 and Mark 1:1-8

• season of political positioning & campaigning... season of making wish lists... look at me! glad to live in democracy where we can vote, but get sick of a year of campaigns.

Can you imagine if Jesus had a campaign to be savior? What platform would he run on?

Some of his talking points come from one of his campaign managers, the prophet Isaiah...

Here is the Lord God, coming with strength, with a triumphant arm, bringing his reward with him and his payment before him. (sounds good!)

Like a shepherd he will tend the flock, he will gather lambs in his arms and lift them onto his lap. He will gently guide the nursing ewes. (tough and tender! Nice touch)

• But his head campaign manager was John the Baptist, who, frankly, dressed funny and ate funny and I don’t know about you, makes me think of the street preacher that you cross the street to avoid.

And yet...

The people flocked into the wilderness to see John the Baptist. There was something attractive about him that compelled people to leave their comfort zones and enter the wilderness, leave their comfort zones and confess their sins, leave their comfort zones and receive baptism, turn their lives around.

John the Baptist was announcing a parade in which God was coming (Isaiah 40:3-5) and saying if you wanted to be part of this parade, you had to let go of certain things so your hands would be free to carry a flag or a banner in God’s parade.

Gotta let go of pride, let go of LookAtMe.

Gotta let go of the illusion that you can somehow earn God’s favor

And not only gotta let go of past failures but the notion that past failures are greater than God’s ability to redeem. (my sin is too great)

• John preached repentance of sins accompanied by baptism by water – a symbolic shedding of the old way of life, cleansing of the associated guilt, and emergence of re-ordered life.

And people wanted what John had to offer. They wanted to get right.

And John the Baptist was quick to tell people you’ve only just begun – there’s a One coming after me, HE’S the one to live for, HE’S the one will change your life.

And John the Baptist’s desire in life was to become more and more like HIM, to the diminishment of himself, which happens through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

• From the onset of the journey of faith the Holy Spirit is present in our lives. The Spirit comes to convict us of our need, to make us aware of our sin, to reveal to us the beauty of the Savior, to give us new birth, to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, to empower us for service in the kingdom and in the church, and the like.

The Spirit ever moves us one step further in God’s parade.

• So, as you prepare for Christmas, be humble and repentant, and open yourself to the Holy Spirit’s indwelling in you, and ever point to God.

• Hymn 163 As With Gladness Men of Old