Lenetn Dialog Sermon

Direction: To be spoken slowly, with pauses, deliberately
I am old
30 years doing this
Saying pretty much the same thing
Stop fighting
Work together
Do the mission
Don’t be distracted by worldly things
Human things
Keep your eye on the prize
Repent
Change
I hear God saying it
Again
And again
In his word
Showing it in his Living Word,
His son,
Our Lord, Jesus
Reader: A reading from St. Paul’s 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians ((5:20b-6:10 (Message Version))
God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing.
We are Christ's representatives.
God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences.
To enter into God's work of making things right between them.
We speak for Christ now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.
How, you ask?
In Christ.
God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.
We are companions in this work
We beg you, please don't squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us.
God reminds us; I heard your call in the nick of time;
The day you needed me, I was there to help.
Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped.
Don't put it off;
Don't frustrate God's work by showing up late,
Or throwing a question mark over everything we're doing.
Our work as God's servants gets validated—or not—in the details.
People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . .
in hard times, tough times, bad times;
When we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed;
Working hard, working late, working without eating;
With pure hearts, clear heads, steady hands;
In gentleness, holiness, and honest love;
When we are telling the truth, and when God's showing his power;
When we're doing our best setting things right;
When we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honored;
True to our word, though distrusted;
Ignored by the world, but recognized by God;
Terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead;
Beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die;
Immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy;
Living on handouts, yet enriching many;
Having nothing, having it all.
The Word of the Lord
Person in the crowd: Thanks be to God
Yes
Yes, Thanks be to God
For, the word of God
The Gospel, the good news
A sharp two edged sword that cuts bone and marrow
How can something that is supposed to be good news be painful, offensive?
The Pharisees tore their clothes at Jesus words
What did Jesus say?
Repent
Change
Person in the crowd: Who me?
You?
Yes, you and you
And us, together
Person in the crowd: all of us, together?
Yes, together, the church
I think God is calling the church to repent
Person in the crowd: That’s Crazy, the church is God’s people, we are the ambassador’s of Christ
Yes, that’s right, we are
I think God is sad and the devil is laughing
Person in the crowd: New words in our prayers
While people are dying in Africa because of war, famine and genocide
The church may be praying new words
But the church is silent
Person in the crowd: The church doesn’t get involved in politics
It’s not politics, it’s justice,
Justice, you know
What Jesus called righteousness
Person in the crowd: Do not bring us to the test, it’s “deliver us from evil”, always has been, always will
Those new words again, silencing us
First we battle,
Then we split
No time for mission when we are busy fighting
God must be sad, the devil must be laughing
Person in the crowd: Contemporary music, drums, rock and roll in the church
Another fight
While litter fills our streets, most of it recyclable
Landfills filled to overflowing, carcinogens leaching into our soil
Dancing and singing in the sanctuary but inactivity in the world
No time for mission when we are fighting
Person in the crowd: Recycling just isn’t cost effective, do you have any idea what it would cost
St. Paul also said, “The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom”
Anyway, weren’t we created to be tillers and caretakers of the Earth?
The Earth
God’s first and good gift to us
Person in the crowd: Justice, caring for creation, peace, those are big jobs, those are God size jobs
I thought he worked through us
Person in the crowd: My church is small, I’m old too
Maybe together, like the universal church
The creed says that “one holy catholic and apostolic church”
Say, can we work together?
There is great strength in numbers
Sticking together is powerful
Person in the crowd: What do you believe about baptism?
That’s doctrine
Person in the crowd: Is the bread the body of Christ, really, or just a remembrance?
What about mission
Person in the crowd: Sexuality, women ministers, video screens, guitars, coffee in the sanctuary?
Feeding, clothing, visiting, forgiving, teaching, healing
Person in the crowd: How can we work together when we don’t agree?
It must make God sad and the devil happy
You know, hearing that we choose to be separate
Hey, where have I heard that before?
He heals on the Sabbath,
Person 2: But people were being healed
His disciple’s pick grain on the Sabbath,
Person 2: But people were being fed
He eats with sinners and tax collectors
Person 2: But there was fellowship, teaching, forgiveness
He allows himself to be touched, by a woman
Person 2: But all were included
Surely God was happy then, and the devil was sad
Person in the crowd: Doctrines are what keep us holy, pure
Jesus said mission is what makes us whole
We are his children
We were created for his mission
Person in the crowd: Children, where are our children, our young people
I don’t know, not here
I guess they just don’t like a good fight
I wonder if they would like mission?
I am old
30 years
Doing this
Saying pretty much the same thing
Change
Jesus gave us a mission
Repent
Person in the crowd: Who me?
Yes, you
And you
And me
And us
Person in the crowd: All of us
Yes, all of us
I think God is calling the church to repent

Proud of the Bulls

Even though the State of New York University of Buffalo Bulls lost the bowl game I am pretty proud of my Alma mater.

I did not know that in 1958 the team and school refused their first and only bid for a bowl game because the segregated south would not let their black players to play. Personally that a national championship in my book.

Then being one of only six colleges in Division one football to have a black head coach, again ground breaking. And what a head coach, coming from Nebraska where he learned under Tom Osborne, he has taken the Bulls from worst to first in three years.

I can remember playing football on the lawn in front of UB as a child. Once in a while a Bulls player would join us. That was a thrill for us. We looked up to them. Went to games in the field off Bailey Ave. Good days.

Just wanted to say the Bulls lost a game but I am very proud to be a Bull. Go Blue and White.

Test you knowledge of geography

This was sent to me by a friend and is fun and addictive. Even if you know your geography pretty well you will find this a challenge. Good luck.

Obama's Choice

I understand his desire to bring people together and include people with differing views in his cabinet and circle of advisers but I am really disappointed by his choice of Rick Warren to say the invocation at his inauguration. Rick Warren is a leader of a church which does some wonderful ministry world wide but continues to preach and teach a message of exclusion rather than inclusion. I think that Obama missed an opportunity to give voice to those of us on the Christian left who understand Christ's teachings as a message of inclusive and believe that God is calling all people to himself.

There would have been so many other wonderful choices like the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church Katharine Schori or one of the leaders of the United Church of Christ like The Rev. M. Linda Jaramillo the executive minister of the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries, which is responsible for the church's work on human rights and social, racial and economic justice just to name two.

Bad choice Mr. Obama.

Another stolen quiz.

I took the following quiz and came out as a "Healthy Reinventing Money Manager". It said that 0 percent of the 882 other people who took this test were like me? Perhaps it says that to all those who take the quiz. You know, "We are all like snowflakes so buy the book." It takes about 1 minute to take the quiz.

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a Healthy Reinventing Money Manager

Is Jesus the Reason for the Season?

Put Christ back in Christmas.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

These are common phrases we hear often at this time of the year. The truth is Jesus was probably never the reason for the season. In fact, what we now call Christmas probably started as the pagan festival of winter solstice (and the god Saturn) which culminated on December 25th with the celebration of the annual rebirth of the sun god. People celebrated the festival with gift-giving, feasts, singing, parading and immoral activities lead by the priests of Saturn who decorated the temples with evergreen boughs. Later, in the first century, the day was usurped by the early church and given a Christianized meaning, becoming the celebration of the birth of the Son of God. By this action the church hoped to draw the faithful away from pagan celebrations, immoral activities and, what was to Christians, the sacrilegious activities of the main stream society of the times.

Just 150 years ago most protestant churches would have been dark on Christmas. Following in the footsteps of our puritan forebears, who tried to have Christmas banned in England and the Americas.


In 1687, Puritan Pastor Increase Mather said "The generality of Christmas-keepers observe that festival after such a manner as is highly dishonorable to the name of Christ. How few are there comparatively that spend those holidays (as they are called) after an holy manner. But they are consumed in Compotations, in Interludes, in playing at Cards, in Revellings, in excess of Wine, in mad Mirth ...". For a short time celebrating Christmas was actually banned in the Massachusetts colony.

As our society becomes more pagan in its actions and beliefs, December 25th is simply returning to its roots, updated and Americanized to become a season of buying, selling, excess and not unlike the Roman solstice celebration gift-giving, feasts, singing, parading and immoral activities.

Christmas is named for Christ-mass. A reference to the mass of the Nativity of our Lord celebrated at theologically catholic churches. However, it can be loosely understood as the liturgy of Christ. Liturgy is what we do to worship God. In this light, Christmas is worship, it is what we do to worship the Lord.

So what should a Christian to do? Celebrate Christ by worshiping him with temperance. Be moderate in your celebration, keep it holy. Be righteous in your celebration. Participate in something that will bring justice, peace and mercy into the world. Be wise in your celebration. Don’t go into debt, don’t squander your time, talents and treasure in an attempt to be momentarily happy, instead go for the joy that comes from God. Have the courage to be different and celebrate differently than society. Hope and work for things eternal. Have faith in Christ. He is more than a reason for a season; He is your Lord and the answer for a sin sick world. Love God heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. Finally, remember, Christmas is a season; Christianity is a way of life. Do these things every day.

I now understand Phil

I was watching Phil Helmuth during the World Series of Poker. Several times, when he lost a hand, he launched into these tirades against the other player. He would most often call them idiots for the way they played, for staying in a hand and betting a poor hand. You idiot he would yell. After all he is called the "poker brat" with good reason.

The last couple weeks I have been playing poker on line. Play money not real. Last night I started out with 2700 chips. Over the course of many hands I lost most of them on three hands in particular. The first I was holding three Jacks at the turn and bet a large amount and was called. On the river my opponent made a flush. On the second I was holding the nut flush in hearts. Again I bet and was called. On the river my opponent made a full house. On the last I was holding pocket 10's. My opponent raised big pre-flop I called thinking at worst I was in a horse race (50/50 chance of winning) The flop was 3, 6, 10. The turn a 9. The river a 5. The only hand that could have beat me was four, deuce. I bet and was called. My opponent was holding 4-2. I found myself yelling at the computer, "You idiot, how could you have bet that pre-flop and then stayed with just a gut shot straight draw? You idiot." I now understand Phil.