Dr. Michael Chistensen, National Director of Communities of Shalom at Drew University, reports on his blog that representatives of 11 religious groups and denominations have held daily vigils at the United Methodist Building near the Capitol for three weeks, praying for a moral resolution to the debt ceiling crisis. Finally, yesterday, they felt lead to take more drastic action—praying at the U.S. CapitOl and got arrested for not dispersing when warned to stop what they were doing.
According to a news release from the Nathional Council of Churches: “The religious leaders sang "Spirit of the Living God" and "We shall overcome" as they knelt and prayed in the Capitol rotunda. Capitol Hill police asked them to clear the rotunda but the religious leaders continued praying.
Recent events have catalyzed an eighteen-month public policy campaign led by faith leaders representing the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths to promote a message of the common good in the current economic debate. Members of the campaign are calling for Congress and the Administration to exempt programs from budget cuts that assist the most at-risk families and children in the U.S. and abroad.
One of those arrested was Jim Winkler, the General Secretary of Church and Society—a peace with justice agency of the United Methodist Church. Jim has been a prophetic leader on social issues for a number of years.
Another faith leader arrested yesterday is Bob Edgar, President of Common Cause--an organization that advocates for the poor and holds power accountable. Common Cause was one of the prime organizers of yesterday's prayerful protest.
Dr. Christensen shares that inspired by a prophetic vision of the beloved community of peace and justice for all, motivated by a common spiritual conviction that God has called on all citizens to protect the vulnerable and promote human dignity, many of us believe that the budget crisis should be resolved morally and prayerfully, and not just pragmatically and politically.
I urge all persons to pray for our nation and our elected leaders in this critical time in history.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Food for Thought
“Congress is paralyzed by toxic partisan politics while people suffer. Our elected officials are protecting corporations and wealthy individuals while shredding the safety net for millions of the most vulnerable people in our nation and abroad. Our faith won't allow us to passively watch this travesty unfold.” --Rev. Michael Livingston, past president of the National Council of the Churches of Christ (USA), arrested yesterday praying and protesting at the US Capital.
Monday, July 25, 2011
An Extreme Makeover
(This is an abridged version of the sermon preached on 7/24/11 at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore)
"If any person is in Christ Jesus, he/she is a new creation…" (2 Cor. 5:17)
This is the age of the extreme makeover. The images are clear – we’ve all seen them - where those who may be deemed to be physically unattractive, by society’s standards of beauty, are taken away, only to re-emerge a few short weeks later looking as though they are not the same person.
Yes, this is the age of Botox, lypo-suction, tummy tucks, tanning salons and face lifts. And we now see that the extreme makeover has been expanded to include the makeover of homes that may have at a time seemed to be virtually uninhabitable, and cars that may have appeared to be on their way to the junk heap. And thus we witness the burgeoning popularity of television networks like Home and Garden Television (HGTV) and television shows like “America’s Extreme Home Makeover” and “The Biggest Loser.”
This indeed is the age of the extreme makeover. Perhaps this fascination with makeovers speaks to our need to experience that which appears to move us toward the illusion of perfection. Perhaps it speaks to the vast materiality and exteriority of our culture, where the focus has been placed more upon style than substance – more upon outer appearance than inner depth. Whatever it is, the makeover has overtaken us.
And what we discover is that these makeovers that seem to be so extreme are not actually extreme at all. Regardless of how gifted the makeup artist, or how expensive the makeup, or how radical the diet plan, the makeovers that the world offers will eventually wear away. They will not last. Indeed, over time the makeover will disappear, and the old appearances will return.
Throughout the course of human history, it has been the case that we have needed to be made over by God. The nature of human sinfulness and brokenness in our world helps us to see our need to be made over. If sin is the condition of our separation from God, then there is a need for us to be renewed – made over - in the Lord.
• We recall that this was the case with David, who in his fallenness, prayed to God to “create (him) a clean heart, and renew in (him) a right spirit.” David was praying for a makeover.
• We remember St. Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, who prayed to God regarding our state of separation from the Lord, “Lord you have created us for yourself, and our souls are restless until they find their rest in you.” Augustine was praying about our need for a makeover.
• And the song-writer offered an affirmation of faith and praise to God when he declared: “Lord I know I’ve been changed, the angels in heaven done signed my name.” He was declaring that a makeover had occurred in his life.
And here in our text in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian Church, we are reminded of the new life - the makeover - that becomes a reality when we are in Christ. Paul says that “if any person is in Christ Jesus, she or he is a new creation…old things have passed away, and behold all things have become new.”
It appears that Christians in Corinth were dealing with a need to be made over. They had come to know about Christ, but it seems that many of them may not have known Christ.
You see there is a difference in knowing about someone, and knowing someone. I can know about you without really knowing you. It takes a personal encounter for me to really know you, and for you to really know me. Many Corinthians knew about Jesus, but they didn’t know Jesus.
How do we know? We know because their lives had not really changed. Although many in Corinth were now in the church, the church was not in all of them. Many of their behaviors and their attitudes, and the way many of them treated one another had not really changed. Although they knew about Christ, they really didn’t know Christ.
And so, Paul wanted to remind the Christians at Corinth that just knowing Christ was not enough. Paul wanted to encourage them, and let them know that they needed to be in Christ. They needed not only to know about Christ, but they also needed to be in Christ. They needed not only to be a Christian, but they needed to be in Christ. They needed not only to sing in the choir, serve as an usher, be on the board, but they needed to be in Christ.
They needed an extreme makeover. It’s good to know that God, in Christ, offers us a makeover that is really extreme. The makeover that the Lord offers us will last a lifetime. The very purpose of God sending Christ into the world was for the redemption, transformation, renewal and regeneration of humanity.
Indeed, God sent his son into the world to redeem us. In the gospel of John, we find words that speak to this redemption, “For God so loved the world, God sent his only son so that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) We recall that it was Paul in the Book of Romans who said, “We’ve been bought with a price.”
In other words, through his suffering and death on the cross – Christ has bought our freedom from sin and spiritual death. He’s paid the price for us.
Paul said, “If any person is in Christ Jesus, she/he is a new creation…”
Paul was talking about an extreme makeover, but unlike the makeovers we see on television this makeover is one will last for an eternity!
"If any person is in Christ Jesus, he/she is a new creation…" (2 Cor. 5:17)
This is the age of the extreme makeover. The images are clear – we’ve all seen them - where those who may be deemed to be physically unattractive, by society’s standards of beauty, are taken away, only to re-emerge a few short weeks later looking as though they are not the same person.
Yes, this is the age of Botox, lypo-suction, tummy tucks, tanning salons and face lifts. And we now see that the extreme makeover has been expanded to include the makeover of homes that may have at a time seemed to be virtually uninhabitable, and cars that may have appeared to be on their way to the junk heap. And thus we witness the burgeoning popularity of television networks like Home and Garden Television (HGTV) and television shows like “America’s Extreme Home Makeover” and “The Biggest Loser.”
This indeed is the age of the extreme makeover. Perhaps this fascination with makeovers speaks to our need to experience that which appears to move us toward the illusion of perfection. Perhaps it speaks to the vast materiality and exteriority of our culture, where the focus has been placed more upon style than substance – more upon outer appearance than inner depth. Whatever it is, the makeover has overtaken us.
And what we discover is that these makeovers that seem to be so extreme are not actually extreme at all. Regardless of how gifted the makeup artist, or how expensive the makeup, or how radical the diet plan, the makeovers that the world offers will eventually wear away. They will not last. Indeed, over time the makeover will disappear, and the old appearances will return.
Throughout the course of human history, it has been the case that we have needed to be made over by God. The nature of human sinfulness and brokenness in our world helps us to see our need to be made over. If sin is the condition of our separation from God, then there is a need for us to be renewed – made over - in the Lord.
• We recall that this was the case with David, who in his fallenness, prayed to God to “create (him) a clean heart, and renew in (him) a right spirit.” David was praying for a makeover.
• We remember St. Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, who prayed to God regarding our state of separation from the Lord, “Lord you have created us for yourself, and our souls are restless until they find their rest in you.” Augustine was praying about our need for a makeover.
• And the song-writer offered an affirmation of faith and praise to God when he declared: “Lord I know I’ve been changed, the angels in heaven done signed my name.” He was declaring that a makeover had occurred in his life.
And here in our text in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian Church, we are reminded of the new life - the makeover - that becomes a reality when we are in Christ. Paul says that “if any person is in Christ Jesus, she or he is a new creation…old things have passed away, and behold all things have become new.”
It appears that Christians in Corinth were dealing with a need to be made over. They had come to know about Christ, but it seems that many of them may not have known Christ.
You see there is a difference in knowing about someone, and knowing someone. I can know about you without really knowing you. It takes a personal encounter for me to really know you, and for you to really know me. Many Corinthians knew about Jesus, but they didn’t know Jesus.
How do we know? We know because their lives had not really changed. Although many in Corinth were now in the church, the church was not in all of them. Many of their behaviors and their attitudes, and the way many of them treated one another had not really changed. Although they knew about Christ, they really didn’t know Christ.
And so, Paul wanted to remind the Christians at Corinth that just knowing Christ was not enough. Paul wanted to encourage them, and let them know that they needed to be in Christ. They needed not only to know about Christ, but they also needed to be in Christ. They needed not only to be a Christian, but they needed to be in Christ. They needed not only to sing in the choir, serve as an usher, be on the board, but they needed to be in Christ.
They needed an extreme makeover. It’s good to know that God, in Christ, offers us a makeover that is really extreme. The makeover that the Lord offers us will last a lifetime. The very purpose of God sending Christ into the world was for the redemption, transformation, renewal and regeneration of humanity.
Indeed, God sent his son into the world to redeem us. In the gospel of John, we find words that speak to this redemption, “For God so loved the world, God sent his only son so that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) We recall that it was Paul in the Book of Romans who said, “We’ve been bought with a price.”
In other words, through his suffering and death on the cross – Christ has bought our freedom from sin and spiritual death. He’s paid the price for us.
Paul said, “If any person is in Christ Jesus, she/he is a new creation…”
Paul was talking about an extreme makeover, but unlike the makeovers we see on television this makeover is one will last for an eternity!
Monday, July 18, 2011
A Praise Break
(This is an abridged version of the sermon preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 7/17/11).
“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed." (Acts 16:25-26)
All of us will face the midnight hours of life. The existential “Midnight” is what the poet, John of the Cross referred to as the “Dark Night of the Soul.” The midnight hour is the time and place when trouble comes into our lives, the time and place of darkness, the time and place of confusion, the time and place of wondering and questioning, as to “why” things are the way they are in our lives.
All of us will face the midnight hours of life. In the midnight, we learn of the inevitability of adversity and pain. Indeed trouble will come into our lives, sometimes like mighty winds – spiritual tsunamis, tornados and hurricanes - blowing to knock us down, and to destroy us. And it is our attitude in the midst of troubles and trials that will make the difference between victory and defeat. How we look at troubles and trials, how we respond to storms, how we face the midnight hours, and deal with them, makes the difference in how we come out.
• We remember David, who experienced a midnight hour, and declared, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
• We remember Job in the midst of his midnight hour who declared, “Though he slay me, yet will I praise (the Lord).”
• We recall that Jeremiah, declared in the midst of his despair, “God’s mercies are new every morning… great is the Lord’s faithfulness.”
In Acts chapter 16 we find that Paul and Silas were facing a similar midnight hour. They had been placed in maximum-security prison. They had been put in a Philippian jail for trying to lift up Jesus. There were several other prisoners with Paul and Silas. We can imagine that many of them had also been beaten, and were in great pain. For some reason all of the prisoners were awake, and it was midnight.
As they lay awake, Paul and Silas began to do something unusual. They began to pray and sing praises to God. You see, Paul and Silas were able to put the suffering they endured into perspective, because they realized that their suffering was for a purpose. These two apostles realized that they had been placed in this Philippian prison for a reason.
• We remember that it was Paul who had written while in prison that, “if any person suffers as a Christian, let that person not be ashamed.”
• It was Paul who would remind the Roman Church that “the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us.”
• And later Paul would write in the same 8th chapter of Romans, “For we know that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord, and are called according to God’s purpose."
No, Paul and Silas were not ashamed or afraid to lift up the Lord even in prison. They had made up their minds to praise the Lord even in the midst of their adversity.
In reflecting on the predicament of Paul and Silas, we recall Dr. Martin Luther King and others who were put in jail in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. They were imprisoned for their struggle for voting rights and civil rights. It was in the Birmingham Jail that Dr. King wrote one of his most eloquent letters – the Letter from Birmingham Jail- encouraging persons - particularly Christians - to stand up for righteousness and justice.
It was Dr. King who would write that “the true measure of a person is not how one acts in times of comfort and convenience, but how one acts in times of challenge and controversy.”
Paul and Silas found themselves locked in a Philippian jail for the sake of their faith. But they decided not to sit there complaining and crying. They decided not to wallow in sorrow and lament as to why God would allow them to be placed in this terrible situation. The Bible says that in the midst of their midnight hour, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing praises to God.
And it’s good to know that as they praised the Lord, God responded to their praise. The Bible says,
“and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison shook. And immediately all the doors to the prison were opened, and every prisoner’s bonds and shackles were loosed.”
Paul and Silas took a Praise Break! In their story, we find help and encouragement for our journey of faith. We find strength for our times of testing. We find hope for our times of pain. We find promise for the times when the storms of life threaten to consume us and sweep us away.
Indeed, the various dungeons and imprisoned places of life have a way of weighing us down and keeping us from praising God. The dungeons of war and violence, capital punishment, widespread malnutrition caused by poverty, and high unemployment rates can weigh us down. The dungeons of educational achievement gaps and high drop-out rates among many of our young can weigh us down. But we must never let our circumstances keep us from praying and singing praises to God.
In the midst of struggles, it’s good to take a praise break!
As Paul and Silas sat in prison, waiting on their breakthrough maybe they sang something like we are apt to sing from time-to-time:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine,
O what a foretaste of glory divine.
Heir of salvation,
Purchased of God…
This is our story, this is our song
Praising our savior, all the day long!
“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed." (Acts 16:25-26)
All of us will face the midnight hours of life. The existential “Midnight” is what the poet, John of the Cross referred to as the “Dark Night of the Soul.” The midnight hour is the time and place when trouble comes into our lives, the time and place of darkness, the time and place of confusion, the time and place of wondering and questioning, as to “why” things are the way they are in our lives.
All of us will face the midnight hours of life. In the midnight, we learn of the inevitability of adversity and pain. Indeed trouble will come into our lives, sometimes like mighty winds – spiritual tsunamis, tornados and hurricanes - blowing to knock us down, and to destroy us. And it is our attitude in the midst of troubles and trials that will make the difference between victory and defeat. How we look at troubles and trials, how we respond to storms, how we face the midnight hours, and deal with them, makes the difference in how we come out.
• We remember David, who experienced a midnight hour, and declared, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
• We remember Job in the midst of his midnight hour who declared, “Though he slay me, yet will I praise (the Lord).”
• We recall that Jeremiah, declared in the midst of his despair, “God’s mercies are new every morning… great is the Lord’s faithfulness.”
In Acts chapter 16 we find that Paul and Silas were facing a similar midnight hour. They had been placed in maximum-security prison. They had been put in a Philippian jail for trying to lift up Jesus. There were several other prisoners with Paul and Silas. We can imagine that many of them had also been beaten, and were in great pain. For some reason all of the prisoners were awake, and it was midnight.
As they lay awake, Paul and Silas began to do something unusual. They began to pray and sing praises to God. You see, Paul and Silas were able to put the suffering they endured into perspective, because they realized that their suffering was for a purpose. These two apostles realized that they had been placed in this Philippian prison for a reason.
• We remember that it was Paul who had written while in prison that, “if any person suffers as a Christian, let that person not be ashamed.”
• It was Paul who would remind the Roman Church that “the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us.”
• And later Paul would write in the same 8th chapter of Romans, “For we know that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord, and are called according to God’s purpose."
No, Paul and Silas were not ashamed or afraid to lift up the Lord even in prison. They had made up their minds to praise the Lord even in the midst of their adversity.
In reflecting on the predicament of Paul and Silas, we recall Dr. Martin Luther King and others who were put in jail in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. They were imprisoned for their struggle for voting rights and civil rights. It was in the Birmingham Jail that Dr. King wrote one of his most eloquent letters – the Letter from Birmingham Jail- encouraging persons - particularly Christians - to stand up for righteousness and justice.
It was Dr. King who would write that “the true measure of a person is not how one acts in times of comfort and convenience, but how one acts in times of challenge and controversy.”
Paul and Silas found themselves locked in a Philippian jail for the sake of their faith. But they decided not to sit there complaining and crying. They decided not to wallow in sorrow and lament as to why God would allow them to be placed in this terrible situation. The Bible says that in the midst of their midnight hour, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing praises to God.
And it’s good to know that as they praised the Lord, God responded to their praise. The Bible says,
“and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison shook. And immediately all the doors to the prison were opened, and every prisoner’s bonds and shackles were loosed.”
Paul and Silas took a Praise Break! In their story, we find help and encouragement for our journey of faith. We find strength for our times of testing. We find hope for our times of pain. We find promise for the times when the storms of life threaten to consume us and sweep us away.
Indeed, the various dungeons and imprisoned places of life have a way of weighing us down and keeping us from praising God. The dungeons of war and violence, capital punishment, widespread malnutrition caused by poverty, and high unemployment rates can weigh us down. The dungeons of educational achievement gaps and high drop-out rates among many of our young can weigh us down. But we must never let our circumstances keep us from praying and singing praises to God.
In the midst of struggles, it’s good to take a praise break!
As Paul and Silas sat in prison, waiting on their breakthrough maybe they sang something like we are apt to sing from time-to-time:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine,
O what a foretaste of glory divine.
Heir of salvation,
Purchased of God…
This is our story, this is our song
Praising our savior, all the day long!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
When the Church Prays
(This is an abridged version of the sermon I preached at Epworth Chapel UMC, Baltimore on 7/10/11)
"While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him." (Acts 12:5)
The most powerful weapon of the church is prayer. Prayer has the capacity to change things, and to change people. Prayer can break down barriers and heal relationships. Prayer can heal bodies and open the doors where God can make ways out of no way.
God desires that the church be about the business of prayer.
• That’s why the Lord said, “If my people who are called by my name would humble themselves and pray, I will hear from them, and heal the land.”
• That’s why Paul encouraged people of faith to, “Pray without ceasing.”
• That’s why Jesus reminded us that “the fervent prayers of the righteous (the church) availed much.”
We are called to be about the business of prayer - praying for ourselves, for our families, for our children, for our communities, for our church, for the person sitting next to us on Sunday, for our nation.
Indeed, God is calling the church to prayer today - for our sisters and brothers around the world, for the church universal, for the disinherited and dispossessed, for the abused and alienated, and for those who may not yet know God.
The truth is that prayer is the most powerful weapon that we have at our disposal to make a difference the world. That’s why we are reminded that there is no weapon that is formed against us that will prosper. The weapon of prayer – the tool of prayer - is more powerful than the weapons of hatred, and destruction, and negativity that are so incumbent in our world – and even in many of our churches today.
The scripture reminds us of what happens when the church prays. In the book of Acts, we find that Peter was in jail. King Harod, also known as Agrippa II, had Peter locked up because Peter had been going about doing the work of the Lord. People’s lives were being changed by the power of God as Peter went about preaching the word of God, and healing people in the name of Jesus.
King Harod had Peter locked up, and Harod wanted to be certain that Peter wouldn’t escape, so Harod had four soldiers guarding Peter at all times. The guards put chains on Peter’s wrists, and each of the chains was locked to a guard. Outside the jail cell stood two more guards.
The church, God’s people knew that Peter was locked in jail. And so while Peter was imprisoned, the people of God gathered at a house and they started to pray. That night, while Peter was sleeping, and the people were praying, an angel showed up and stood next to him. The angel tapped Peter, woke him up and said, “Get up quickly!” And suddenly, the chains fell off of Peter’s hands, and he was set free!
In 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from a prison in South Africa after having been incarcerated for over 26 years. While in prison, Mandela and others were subjected to humiliation and brutality at the hands of their white, pro-Apartheid captors. But something within Mandela allowed him not to strike back with the same violence of those who imprisoned him.
What was it that helped Mandela hold his peace amidst the adversity that he faced in jail? Maybe it was that Mandela knew that people on the outside were praying for him. Maybe Mandela knew that pastors and people of faith like Bishop Desmond Tutu were praying for him. Maybe he knew that there were people in churches even across the world – even here in America - who were praying that Apartheid, with all of its atrocities and oppressive features would be stamped out.
Maybe Mandela knew that truth stamped to the ground and crushed will always rise again. Maybe he knew that through the power of prayer, God would intervene on his behalf, and one day set him free. Maybe Mandela knew that God answers prayer, and that the Lord might not always come when we want him, but he’s always on time.
And so the power that was extant and alive in Mandela and others, was portrayed in a popular movie from a few years ago that took its title from short Victorian a poem entitled “Invictus” where English poet William Ernest Henley wrote:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul...
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Invictus is the Latin word of unconquerable, and William Henley here is speaking to the unconquerable nature of the soul. We know that we are only unconquerable in and through the power of God.
And so, what happens when the church prays? First, when the church prays, we realize that we must focus not on our own power, but on the power of God – who is omnipotent. The earliest followers of Christ of Peter’s day knew that they couldn’t overcome King Harod and his army by themselves, but they knew that with God all things are possible.
Second, when the church prays, we become more united. Prayer unites the church. Prayer helps us to see God at work through the body of Christ. Prayer helps us to unite even in the midst of our differences. In the case of the Acts church, they were praying together and were on the same accord, and that’s when the Lord showed up and set Peter free.
Third, when we pray we realize that God will change the things that need to be changed in our lives and the lives of others. And we know that through prayer that God is changing us so that we can deal with all of the things of this world with the power of God working within us.
The good news is that God answers the prayers of God’s people.
We pray because we know that God is a prayer answering God, and that the Lord is with us in every situation. We're not alone!
The song-writer put it best:
"I’ve seen the lightning flashing, and heard the thunder rolling.
I’ve felt sins breakers dashing, trying to conquer my soul.
I heard the voice of my savior, he bidst me still to fight on.
He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.
Never alone, no never alone,
He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone."
"While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him." (Acts 12:5)
The most powerful weapon of the church is prayer. Prayer has the capacity to change things, and to change people. Prayer can break down barriers and heal relationships. Prayer can heal bodies and open the doors where God can make ways out of no way.
God desires that the church be about the business of prayer.
• That’s why the Lord said, “If my people who are called by my name would humble themselves and pray, I will hear from them, and heal the land.”
• That’s why Paul encouraged people of faith to, “Pray without ceasing.”
• That’s why Jesus reminded us that “the fervent prayers of the righteous (the church) availed much.”
We are called to be about the business of prayer - praying for ourselves, for our families, for our children, for our communities, for our church, for the person sitting next to us on Sunday, for our nation.
Indeed, God is calling the church to prayer today - for our sisters and brothers around the world, for the church universal, for the disinherited and dispossessed, for the abused and alienated, and for those who may not yet know God.
The truth is that prayer is the most powerful weapon that we have at our disposal to make a difference the world. That’s why we are reminded that there is no weapon that is formed against us that will prosper. The weapon of prayer – the tool of prayer - is more powerful than the weapons of hatred, and destruction, and negativity that are so incumbent in our world – and even in many of our churches today.
The scripture reminds us of what happens when the church prays. In the book of Acts, we find that Peter was in jail. King Harod, also known as Agrippa II, had Peter locked up because Peter had been going about doing the work of the Lord. People’s lives were being changed by the power of God as Peter went about preaching the word of God, and healing people in the name of Jesus.
King Harod had Peter locked up, and Harod wanted to be certain that Peter wouldn’t escape, so Harod had four soldiers guarding Peter at all times. The guards put chains on Peter’s wrists, and each of the chains was locked to a guard. Outside the jail cell stood two more guards.
The church, God’s people knew that Peter was locked in jail. And so while Peter was imprisoned, the people of God gathered at a house and they started to pray. That night, while Peter was sleeping, and the people were praying, an angel showed up and stood next to him. The angel tapped Peter, woke him up and said, “Get up quickly!” And suddenly, the chains fell off of Peter’s hands, and he was set free!
In 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from a prison in South Africa after having been incarcerated for over 26 years. While in prison, Mandela and others were subjected to humiliation and brutality at the hands of their white, pro-Apartheid captors. But something within Mandela allowed him not to strike back with the same violence of those who imprisoned him.
What was it that helped Mandela hold his peace amidst the adversity that he faced in jail? Maybe it was that Mandela knew that people on the outside were praying for him. Maybe Mandela knew that pastors and people of faith like Bishop Desmond Tutu were praying for him. Maybe he knew that there were people in churches even across the world – even here in America - who were praying that Apartheid, with all of its atrocities and oppressive features would be stamped out.
Maybe Mandela knew that truth stamped to the ground and crushed will always rise again. Maybe he knew that through the power of prayer, God would intervene on his behalf, and one day set him free. Maybe Mandela knew that God answers prayer, and that the Lord might not always come when we want him, but he’s always on time.
And so the power that was extant and alive in Mandela and others, was portrayed in a popular movie from a few years ago that took its title from short Victorian a poem entitled “Invictus” where English poet William Ernest Henley wrote:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul...
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Invictus is the Latin word of unconquerable, and William Henley here is speaking to the unconquerable nature of the soul. We know that we are only unconquerable in and through the power of God.
And so, what happens when the church prays? First, when the church prays, we realize that we must focus not on our own power, but on the power of God – who is omnipotent. The earliest followers of Christ of Peter’s day knew that they couldn’t overcome King Harod and his army by themselves, but they knew that with God all things are possible.
Second, when the church prays, we become more united. Prayer unites the church. Prayer helps us to see God at work through the body of Christ. Prayer helps us to unite even in the midst of our differences. In the case of the Acts church, they were praying together and were on the same accord, and that’s when the Lord showed up and set Peter free.
Third, when we pray we realize that God will change the things that need to be changed in our lives and the lives of others. And we know that through prayer that God is changing us so that we can deal with all of the things of this world with the power of God working within us.
The good news is that God answers the prayers of God’s people.
We pray because we know that God is a prayer answering God, and that the Lord is with us in every situation. We're not alone!
The song-writer put it best:
"I’ve seen the lightning flashing, and heard the thunder rolling.
I’ve felt sins breakers dashing, trying to conquer my soul.
I heard the voice of my savior, he bidst me still to fight on.
He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.
Never alone, no never alone,
He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone."
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
We Can!
(This is an abridged version of a sermon preached at Epworth Chapel UMC, Baltimore, MD on July 3, 2011)
"I can do all things through him who strengthens me…" (Philippians 4:13)
A reflection on the work of God throughout history indicates that God has remained active and evident in creating all that is the world today. God is a God not only of being, but of doing. In the beginning of time God was busy doing - creating the heavens and the earth, creating the moon and the stars, creating the sea and all living things. It is clear that God has been busy over the course of history doing that which is necessary to get us to this place in time.
This should give all of us hope and promise for the living of these days and for the future. For if God has been so active and busy in creation in the past, it begs us to believe that the same God will work on our behalf in the days that are ahead of us in order that we might accomplish the things that God has set before us.
The fact of the matter is that when God created us, God created us fearfully and wonderfully with the expectation that each of us could and would accomplish extraordinary things in this life. Each of us is more brilliant and beautiful than we tend to think. We are more creative and caring than we know. We are far more gifted and gracious that we realize.
We are more powerful and prophetic, more insightful and intuitive, more capable and courageous, more helpful and hopeful that we realize.
This is the essence of what Paul was affirming here in writing to the church at Philippi. Paul said, “I can do all things through him - Christ - who strengthens me.”
Paul here makes this bold declaration within the context of his own background and experience. Paul was Jewish – and a part of the sect of the Pharisees. He was also a Roman citizen. And he was one who had become a follower of Christ as the Lord had touched him and turned his life around. Now as Paul writes, he finds himself locked in a Philippian jail – imprisoned for his efforts in bringing persons to belief in Christ.
Through all that Paul had gone through, he knew that he had not arrived at the place where he was in life alone. He declares that I’ve had much and I’ve had little – I’ve had good days and bad days, but through it all – Paul knew that there were those in the community of faith who were praying for him and working on his behalf. Paul says, “I can do all things through him – Christ – who strengthens me.”
What Paul really knew is that his affirmation of faith here was really not just about what he could do alone in Christ, but what he could do within the context of the community of faith. What Paul was really saying is that I can, because we can!
We should be encouraged today, to know that we can. We can reach out to the impoverished, both locally and around the world. We can feed the hungry, house the homeless, comfort victims of disaster, soothe the sick, walk along-side the lonely and the sorrowful, visit those in prison, and minister to even more children. We can!
And so how can we? First, the fact of the matter is that we can because we are stronger together than we are as individuals. That’s the nature of the church - the body of Christ. It is like the difference between a single chord rope and a triple chord rope. The single chord can be very easily broken with a relatively light amount of force. While the triple chord is woven – knit together and designed in a way that in order to break the triple chord rope you need more than three times the force that it would take to break the ropes if we sought to break them individually.
African theologian, John Mbiti, put the communal nature and power of our faith and life into perspective when he said, “I am because we are, and because we are, therefore I am.”
An African proverb says that “a finger can’t pick up a grain – it takes all the fingers of the hand.”
We can, because we are better, stronger, and more powerful together than we are as individuals.
And ultimately, we can, because God can!
• We can because God walks with us and talks with us.
• We can, because greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world.
• We can, because with God all things are possible.
• We can because God can do anything but fail!
We can because we are in this together, and because God is in it with us!
"I can do all things through him who strengthens me…" (Philippians 4:13)
A reflection on the work of God throughout history indicates that God has remained active and evident in creating all that is the world today. God is a God not only of being, but of doing. In the beginning of time God was busy doing - creating the heavens and the earth, creating the moon and the stars, creating the sea and all living things. It is clear that God has been busy over the course of history doing that which is necessary to get us to this place in time.
This should give all of us hope and promise for the living of these days and for the future. For if God has been so active and busy in creation in the past, it begs us to believe that the same God will work on our behalf in the days that are ahead of us in order that we might accomplish the things that God has set before us.
The fact of the matter is that when God created us, God created us fearfully and wonderfully with the expectation that each of us could and would accomplish extraordinary things in this life. Each of us is more brilliant and beautiful than we tend to think. We are more creative and caring than we know. We are far more gifted and gracious that we realize.
We are more powerful and prophetic, more insightful and intuitive, more capable and courageous, more helpful and hopeful that we realize.
This is the essence of what Paul was affirming here in writing to the church at Philippi. Paul said, “I can do all things through him - Christ - who strengthens me.”
Paul here makes this bold declaration within the context of his own background and experience. Paul was Jewish – and a part of the sect of the Pharisees. He was also a Roman citizen. And he was one who had become a follower of Christ as the Lord had touched him and turned his life around. Now as Paul writes, he finds himself locked in a Philippian jail – imprisoned for his efforts in bringing persons to belief in Christ.
Through all that Paul had gone through, he knew that he had not arrived at the place where he was in life alone. He declares that I’ve had much and I’ve had little – I’ve had good days and bad days, but through it all – Paul knew that there were those in the community of faith who were praying for him and working on his behalf. Paul says, “I can do all things through him – Christ – who strengthens me.”
What Paul really knew is that his affirmation of faith here was really not just about what he could do alone in Christ, but what he could do within the context of the community of faith. What Paul was really saying is that I can, because we can!
We should be encouraged today, to know that we can. We can reach out to the impoverished, both locally and around the world. We can feed the hungry, house the homeless, comfort victims of disaster, soothe the sick, walk along-side the lonely and the sorrowful, visit those in prison, and minister to even more children. We can!
And so how can we? First, the fact of the matter is that we can because we are stronger together than we are as individuals. That’s the nature of the church - the body of Christ. It is like the difference between a single chord rope and a triple chord rope. The single chord can be very easily broken with a relatively light amount of force. While the triple chord is woven – knit together and designed in a way that in order to break the triple chord rope you need more than three times the force that it would take to break the ropes if we sought to break them individually.
African theologian, John Mbiti, put the communal nature and power of our faith and life into perspective when he said, “I am because we are, and because we are, therefore I am.”
An African proverb says that “a finger can’t pick up a grain – it takes all the fingers of the hand.”
We can, because we are better, stronger, and more powerful together than we are as individuals.
And ultimately, we can, because God can!
• We can because God walks with us and talks with us.
• We can, because greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world.
• We can, because with God all things are possible.
• We can because God can do anything but fail!
We can because we are in this together, and because God is in it with us!
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