Words of Welcome

    Mark 9:30-37 Muhammad Ali famously claimed he was the greatest. He said, “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.” Now, Ali was a showman and that was part of his act. Politicians have been known to say something similar. You might hear them claim that only they can fix what’s wrong with our society. If you vote for someone else, the world might come to an end. Apparently, this messaging works because politicians keep making the claims, and people keep voting for them.  While people keep claiming greatness, I’m not sure God is impressed with these claims. Consider for a moment this word from the Wisdom of Solomon: “For the Lord of all will not stand in awe of anyone or show deference to greatness, because he himself made both small and great, and he takes thought for all alike.” ( Wisdom of Solomon 6:7 ). This morning we once again hear Jesus define his messianic calling in terms of his suffering and death, followed by his resurrection. His disciple...

James 3:1-12 You’ve probably heard it said that “Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” It’s the kind of thing people say to bullies, but whether we’ve been the victim or the perpetrator, I think we all know that names do hurt. The pain of words might be different from the pain caused by sticks and stones, but the damage is real. So we probably should be careful with what we say.  James understood this truth. In the very first chapter of his letter, James wrote that “if anyone appears to be ‘religious’ but cannot control his tongue, he deceives himself and we may be sure that his religion is useless” ( Jms. 1:26 JB Phillips). James writes this message about the power of the tongue right before he gives his definition of religion that is “pure and undefiled before God.” James takes up the subject of the tongue once again in chapter 3, where he suggests that the tongue is like a forest fire set by Hell itself. That does sound dangerous! James dire...

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 It seems strangely appropriate to hear an apocalyptic reading from scripture at the close of a week featuring rising COVID cases and a bitterly contested Presidential election. Are these signs that Jesus is about to return and take us home? If so, are you ready?    In last Sunday’s reading from 1 Thessalonians 2, we heard Paul commend the Thessalonians for embracing his message as a word from God ( 1 Thess. 2:9-13) . Now, Paul addresses the matter of Jesus’ return in glory and the fate of those who had already died. This reading draws on Jewish apocalyptic imagery that envisioned the replacement of the old, broken, world order with God’s new creation. This is the message Paul had preached in Thessalonika.  The only difference is that he envisioned Jesus being the agent of this dramatic break in human history. The Thessalonians were looking forward to this new day, but they were worried about the fate of those who had died before all of this too...

Fishing on the Williamson River, Oregon James 5:7-10 It’s been a while since I was in the pulpit, so I might be a bit rusty. Therefore, please be patient with me! Not only am I asking you to be patient with my reentry, but also with the topic of the day. Talking about patience as a virtue in the middle of the busiest season of the year, might not seem the wisest thing to do. But here we are. We have this word from James who asks us to be patient until the coming of the Lord. We hear this word when the world around us is rushing about getting ready for the holidays. There are gifts to purchase, meals to plan, and parties to attend. Some of us have family members needing to be picked up at the airport. That’s one of my tasks for tomorrow since Brett is flying to Metro Airport a few hours before I have to be back for the Council meeting. Some of you might be getting ready to head out of town to visit family or friends. In the midst of all this rushing about, James the ...

Luke 7:1-10 What is faith? Is it assent to a set of beliefs? Or, is it putting your trust in someone else? We don’t recite The Apostles Creed very often, but it’s a standard Christian confession of faith. It begins with the words: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.” It goes on from there to speak more fully of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, as well as his ascension and his partnership with the Father in judging the world. There’s also a brief mention of the Holy Spirit and then statements about the holy, catholic church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. While we Disciples may have set aside the creeds in the name of unity, this creed does raise the question: what do I believe and why? Is belief the same as faith?  As we approach the reading from Luke, the question is twofold: What did the Roman Centurion know and believe, and why was Jesus amazed at h...

Healing Hands James 5:13-20 Today is World Communion Sunday. While we may gather at the Table every Sunday, this particular Sunday reminds us that we part of a global fellowship of Christians. Our fellowship crosses ethnic and national boundaries, and with the rise of a nationalistic spirit across the globe, this is an important fact to remember. This morning we’re bringing to a close a series of sermons exploring the Letter of James, the Lord’s Brother. Although this was the designated reading for last Sunday, I wasn’t here to share it with you. I did preach on this text at Congregational Church of Birmingham, but I’m preaching on it this morning so we can bring this series of sermons to a proper conclusion. While this isn’t the designated text for today, I do believe it’s a fitting text for World Communion Sunday. That’s because it speaks of healing prayer, and our world is crying out for healing.  In the very first chapter of the letter, James speaks of a f...

James 3:13-4:3; 7-8a In times past, we Disciples often spoke of being part of “ The Restoration Movement .” This label has come down to us from Alexander Campbell who wanted to “restore the ancient order of things.” He wanted to restore the church practices of the first century because he believed that things were purer back then. You might call that nostalgia for the past. That’s not surprising, because there’s a human tendency to think that life was better back then than it is now. That’s why we still watch reruns of  Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best, and if you spend any time on Facebook, you’ll discover that, at least among my peers, the 1970s was a golden age. They weren’t for me, but I get it! Church people can indulge in nostalgia as well. It’s easy to look back to the 1950s, when the churches were full and influential, and think that was a golden age for the church. Of course, women would have to step down from being elders and only men would get to pr...

Delta Fire - Noah Berger, AP James 3:1-12 Growing up, my mother drilled into me that it was unbecoming of a young man to use “swear words.” I seem to have learned the lesson well. While these words have become commonplace in our culture, they’re not part of my vocabulary. Thanks Mom!  As Brett and I drove across the country, this very topic came up. It seems that we had conveyed a similar message to him. That doesn’t mean any of us are perfect in the way we speak. I might not use “swear words,” but I have said things that are inappropriate and perhaps destructive. So, I too am a sinner!   On that note we return to the Letter of James, which tells us: “If anyone appears to be ‘religious’ but cannot control his tongue, he deceives himself and we may be sure that his religion is useless” ( Jms. 1:26 JB Phillips ). James made that comment as he tried to define religion that is “pure and undefiled before God.” Besides controlling or bridling the tongue, he added ...

James 2:1-10, 14-17 Every once in a while I get asked about the rainbow flag that flies next to our sign. I think most people know what it means, but what they want to know is what it means to us as a congregation. This is the way I answer. I just say that the flag is a sign that  everyone is welcome here and fully included. This includes our sisters and brothers who happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Not everyone is pleased with my answer, of course, but many others see this flag as a sign that we are a people of love and grace and mercy. I thought about these questions as I pondered our reading from James 2. It opens with the question: “do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?” When James wrote this, he was thinking about the divide between rich and poor. But I think we can expand the question a bit.

James 1:17-27 What better time to begin a series of sermons based on the Letter of James than Labor Day Weekend? The reason why I say this is that James is best known for declaring that “faith without works is dead,” and Labor Day is all about honoring those who work.  In case don’t know James, let me introduce you to him, because we’re going to spend time with his letter over the next six weeks. I have to begin with a caveat. You see, like many books of the Bible, we don’t know for sure the identity of the letter’s author. Here’s what we know for sure. In verse 1 of chapter 1, James introduces himself to us as “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” So who is this James, who serves God and Jesus? After all, there are several people in the New Testament named James. There is James the brother of John, and James the Son of Alphaeus, along with a few others. The person who most likely fits the story is James, the Brother of Jesus, or at least someone who...

Luke 18:35-43 When we get sick, we may ask for prayers, but we probably will also go to the doctor. That’s probably a smart move. But, according to the letter of James, if you’re sick you “should call for the elders and have them pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and any one who has committed sins will be forgiven” ( James 5:14-15 ). The Gospels tell us that Jesus was a healer. Morton Kelsey has pointed out that the gospel writers devote 20% of their accounts to Jesus’ healing ministry. When Jesus came to town it’s quite likely that he healed someone. That might make him a healing evangelist like Aimee Semple McPherson.

Mark 12:38-44 I know that you’re all glad that the election season is over.  Whether your candidates won or lost, if you’re like me, you’re enjoying watching TV a whole lot more than a week ago.  None of those annoying political ads are blaring at you. Your email inbox has gotten a bit lighter as well. But, here’s a bit of warning – once you give to a candidate or a party, you’re marked for life, and you can expect to get many emails asking for money.  All of this constant fund-raising can be a bit annoying, but it’s part of the game.  And, while, politicians will tell you that they welcome contributions of every size, they would rather you give the maximum amount than the minimum.  Not only that, but if you have a Super-PAC, there is no maximum, so give as much and as often as you can.  Since we were inundated with TV ads from Super-PACS, you know that a lot of really big givers gave a lot of money to these efforts to influence our votes.   S...