"Take a Memo: Jude"

I gave a sermon on the book of Jude as part of the "Take a Memo" series at our Sunrise campus on 5/2. Here are some of my thoughts and notes.

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"Take a Memo: Jude"

Jude is writing his letter to a group of Christians who are dealing with leaders who are not only teaching the wrong things but are also really bad leaders. These are men who chase after their own desires and fail to care for the people they lead (vs. 10, 12, 16). I think it is important for us to remember that while we may not consider ourselves to be false teachers, if we fail to see Jude's point of submitting to the authority of the Holy Spirit over our own authority, we have done a disservice to ourselves and this letter.

Jude goes on to use strong imagery (vs. 12-13) in describing people like this (which, if we're honest, is us some of the time)...

-Clouds without rain are people who are all show but no substance.
-Trees that don't produce fruit are once dead because fruit trees that don't produce fruit are pointless and "twice dead" because they end up getting cut down and thrown in the fire.
-Dirty waves that are loud, obnoxious and fickle. Notice Jude's reference to Isaiah 57:20.
-Wandering stars that provide no direction and no light.

I noticed 3 things Jude is telling us in vs. 20-21 to do in order to avoid being tricked by people like this or becoming one ourselves...
1. Build a firm foundation of faith. (1 Cor. 3:9-17; Eph. 2:20-22)
2. Pray in the Holy Spirit. Remember that the Spirit intercedes on our behalf (Rom. 8:26-27; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 6:18) and will help us come to know Christ better (John 14:26; 15:9-10, 26).
3. Trust in God's promises. Remember it is not "ifs" but the "whens" (2 Pet. 3:11-12, 14).

Our Life Together 2010: Called & Calling

I had the chance to attend the first of the two day Our Life Together clergy gathering for pastors in the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. This is the second year I've had the opportunity to attend so my experience and opinion is limited but I wanted to share two things I noticed:

1) I found myself worshiping more than I did last year throughout the morning session with a great dialogue message from two fellow Indiana clergy. I did not have the chance to see Andrew Peterson in concert but I did get the chance to hear Lisa McClendon do her thing, which sort of reminded me of Lauryn Hill. I also had the chance to hear Tyrone Gordon speak for the first time and found myself energized by his words. Special thanks to @PastorChrisR, Lisa Schubert and the rest of the planning team for a thoughtful retreat.

2) The other thing that was hard to miss, at least to me, was the number of clergy in attendance. I believe I heard registration for the clergy retreat last year was around 600 participants. I don't know what the registration numbers were for this year but it was much less. What I find to be telling is that of the 1000+ clergy (an educated guess on my part) in our conference, less than 40% decided to come. What does this say about our "connectional" system? Clergy schedules? Clergy health? Maybe it says nothing, or maybe....

Let Freedom Ring...(for me)

As Americans we love our freedom. The freedom to do what we want, say what we want, live where we want, act how we want...as well as to tell others what they should do or say, where they can live or how they should act.

Sometimes I wonder if the Church is much different.

As Christians we love to hear about, talk about and be reminded of the freedom we have in Christ...when I'm the one being set free. When it comes to the idea that Christ gave everyone else access to that same type of freedom, well, I'm just not sure how I feel about that. We want to tell others what to think, believe, how to vote, etc. if they are going to be truly "free" in Christ.

Is confined freedom still freedom?

Please don't misunderstand me. I am speaking only of the freedom that is found in and through the person of Jesus Christ and is to be lived out in his body called the Church. It is within this context and community that I wonder if we give others the freedom to be free in Christ. Paul's words in I Corinthians 13:12 remind me that we don't quite have this freedom thing figured out...yet. I hope my freedom isn't keeping someone else from being free.

Control Freak

Are you? Do you find yourself needing to be in control and having a hard time when you're not? How do you handle things that are beyond your control?

During my run this morning a song by Modest Mouse came up on shuffle that talks about God being a control freak. This got me thinking a little bit...do you think He is? What does the relationship between faith and control look like for you? I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

"Making the Resurrection Personal"

This is the outline from this morning's (4/18) sermon I preached at our Castleton campus. Comments and questions are welcome.

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"Making the Resurrection Personal"
John 21:15-22

These are a couple ways in which I see Jesus making his Resurrection extremely personal in this passage for Peter (and really, for you and me as well).

1. Jesus covers over the past.
-Past rejections (John 18:15-18, 25-27)
-What Christ bore on the cross was not only Peter’s rejection of him, but yours and mine as well

-We call this forgiveness


2. Jesus reestablishes the relationship.
-Jesus uses the word agape 2x, phileo 1x. Peter responds with phileo 3x
-Jesus does this because we’re reminded of what Peter said a few weeks before this breakfast on the shore (Mark 14:29-31)

-We call this redemption, the idea that Christ has “put off” our guilt and shame
-Is it possible that Peter needed to be reminded of the weight of redemption?
-Humility precedes redemption in that we must be humble to recognize our need to be redeemed


3. Jesus renews the call.
-With 2 simple words, “Follow Me”, Jesus restores Peter
-This is God telling us that he hasn’t changed his mind

-Purpose with action…notice that Jesus follows Peter's responses with action words: "feed", "take care of"
-Sheep are the perfect analogy for us because sheep are dumb, and we do dumb things all the time
-Our response to loving Christ means we need shepherds and other sheep to keep us from doing dumb things

-Response brings connection
-The Resurrection is Christ letting you know that he wants to use you, yes, even you…

Facebook Purgatory

Be honest, if you use Facebook, you have certainly left things in what is called "Facebook Purgatory". The page where an invite to a certain event shows up, a friend request or suggestion you don't know what to do with, or that page suggestion that ends up sitting there for days, weeks and beyond. That is "Facebook Purgatory".

You know when you get that suggestion or request and aren't sure what to do with it, you don't want to say 'No' because that seems mean and yet you're not really willing to say 'Yes'. You tell yourself you'll come back to it tomorrow thinking that maybe something will have changed and your response will become much clearer. Next thing you know this suggestion or request has been sitting there for weeks with no response, just waiting.

So I'm curious, do you keep a "Facebook Purgatory"? How long do you typically leave requests, suggestions, invites, etc. hang in limbo?

P.S. - Feel free to add me...if you dare.

Julian Casablancas Album & Show Reviews

Julian Casablancas first solo project entitled "Phrazes For The Young" has been out for some time now but I've just recently taken the time to check it out. Knowing that Casablancas is the front man for The Strokes and the little I know about them left me without any expectations as I sat down to listen to his debut.

I must say, overall I was pleasantly surprised. For some reason I had this preconceived notion that his sound would be overly punk with an unfortunate vocal quality but again I must say, I was glad to be wrong. The first track, and possibly my favorite on the album, Out Of The Blue, comes with vocals that are strong and experienced. The entire album is a collection of eclectic sounds ranging from rock, pop, synth, 80's (30 Minute Boyfriend), and even a little bluesy (4 Chords Of The Apocalypse). I think you will have a hard time not moving to a couple of the tracks on this album, especially 11th Dimension, another album favorite. Despite the album only having 8 tracks on it, I would certainly encourage you to check it out.

Now, on to the 'Rock for Riley VI' show at The Vogue that I had the chance to see last night with Julian Casablancas as the headliner...

I always enjoy seeing shows at The Vogue. I think it's one of the more solid smaller venues in Indianapolis. My concert-going-companion @bhsmith1 and I got there in plenty of time to see the opener, Funeral Party, play their 35min set. Not an awful opening set, got the crowd moving a little bit and some of the best musicians I have seen. I found their lead vocals to be a little unfortunate and difficult to listen to for 2 main reasons: 1) I couldn't understand what he was saying and 2) he screamed much more than he sang.

Next...the first half of the worst part of the entire show...the set change took an HOUR! I do not hold the 'Rock for Riley' people responsible for this but instead think for a venue this size with artists of this "size" an HOUR is UNACCEPTABLE! Actually, I am not sure an HOUR set change is ever acceptable, regardless of who you are.

Casablancas finally took the stage and the crowd immediately responded. There was energy and movement all over the place. By this time the crowd had filled out and was ready to go. He put together a solid set, playing I believe, his entire debut album but that is where the second half of the worst part of the entire show comes in...his set was actually shorter than the HOUR set change. That is not cool. We sit through 2 hours of an opening band and set change and get 45mins of the headliner? Quite a disappointment minus the fact that over $76k was raised for Riley Children's Hospital. So, save yourself the $20 to see him live and spend $4.99 at Amazon to buy the album and use the other $15 to grab something to eat (unless of course it's for a good cause).

Crucified Faith

Over the past three days the world has remembered the most significant events to take place in the history of mankind. The crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of a man named Jesus, who was called the Christ. And of these four events, the Resurrection is far and away the most important and significant. Without it, Jesus was nothing more than a madman martyred for a moral cause. Paul even says in 1 Corinthians that if we only have hope in Christ for this life, we are to be pitied more than anyone else (1 Cor. 15:19). But you see, this is not the case. The Resurrection of Jesus brings power to faith.

I wonder how many of us have left our faith hanging on the cross? Life has thrown us some sort of obstacle or struggle that has caused us to forget about our faith. We have suffered a hurt or loss that has shaken us to the core, leaving us feeling as though we have experienced our own personal crucifixion. We walk around feeling abandoned and defeated with a faith that has been battered and bruised, as though it were nailed to a tree.

Christ took our struggles, our hurt, our loss, our sense of abandonment and defeat and had them nailed to the cross that day in His flesh. This was done so that those things might die and faith might live, because the One who has saved us is alive and well. The power of the Resurrection is a result of the Cross but Christ is not hanging there any more. Your faith does not have to either.

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!"
~Luke 24:5-6

"Dinner Guests" - Holy Thursday Sermon

While I have a recent post by the same name and use some of the same content, I took my message for our Holy Thursday service (4/1) and expanded it. Please feel free to share any comments or questions from my outline.

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"Dinner Guests"
John 13:1-30

Observations from text...
-Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot had already betrayed him and was still willing to get down on his knees and wash his feet (vs. 2).

-Jesus is willing to celebrate the intimacy of the Passover Meal with his betrayer.

-Notice that Judas Iscariot leaves after receiving the bread, Jesus never tells him or makes him leave. Judas leaves on his own.

-I think this might be significant for us in three ways: the Invitation to come to dinner, who’s going to be there and what do we bring.

Invitation
-You and I have received an invitation to an intimate meal that we know as Communion.

-Christ has invited us to be his dinner guest and has the authority to do so because he is the one true sacrament of God, he is God coming to us, speaking to us, allowing us to touch and feel him.

-We must recognize that we have no right to be invited but we are able to go because Christ goes with us and he is at home there.

-The Table is the real presence of God as encounter, which is possible because Christ is already there interceding on our behalf (Rom. 8:34).

-The invitation is open

Guest List
-If we're honest, we like to know who's going to be there before we accept an invitation.

-We must keep in mind that the image of God is more of a “we” than a “me”.

-Christ is bread for the world not just us...or people like us or people we like or who are nice to us…remember Judas?

-The only reason you and I can forgive our neighbors or enemies is because Jesus died for them, just as he did for you and me. And because of this, everyone is on the guest list.

What To Bring
-Don’t worry about bringing anything but yourself, come as you are but don’t expect to leave the same. God loves you exactly where you are but loves you too much to leave you there.

-See, sometimes we think we have to “get right” before we can come to the Table or begin a relationship with God but that’s all wrong because we’ll never “get right” enough on our own.

-Christ is already there, in the presence of God, interceding on our behalf, remember?

-He makes you worthy because he is the host that invites you in.

-If you believe Jesus’ words that he is the bread of life, then there is nothing wrong with coming to the Table asking to be fed.

-How will you respond to Christ's invitation to be his dinner guest?

"Hometown Stranger"

My review of Nightjar's debut album "Hometown Stranger" is long overdue. Thanks to @drchess for giving me the chance to checkout their new album. Having had the chance to listen through the album a couple times, I've found myself liking it a little more each time. The album has an 80's rock/folk/Americana feel to it that keeps you intrigued with edgy lead vocals and smooth background harmonies.

My favorite track on "Hometown Stranger" was solidified by the horn section on 'Sweet Brandywine'.

I missed the CD release show that took place at Radio Radio on 3/27 but from what I have read, it was a great show. I'm looking forward to the chance to see them live. Their two upcoming shows are on 4/5 at Butler University for a Haiti Relief Benefit and on 5/5 again at Radio Radio, maybe I'll see you there.

Wisdom

We all want to be around people we think are wise because we hope some of their wisdom will rub off on us, and maybe it does? Wisdom can take many forms but typically it comes to life in one these three ways:

1) thought: gaining of knowledge
2) discussion: teaching, encouraging and accountability (sometimes that means knowing when to be silent, Job 13:5)
3) action: the way we conduct ourselves in everyday life (if we are truly wise, we'll prove it by the way we act, Matthew 11:19)

A few other thoughts...
-We read a lot about the wisdom of King Solomon (I Kings 3; 10:23-25) and how great it was and yet, Jesus is greater still (Matthew 12:42).

-Jesus is Wisdom (Matthew 11:2-19).

-Wisdom beckons us to follow (Matthew 11:25-30).

Thoughts for Lent Part 4

As the journey continues...

Prayer
O God our Father, renew our spirits and draw our hearts to thyself, that our work may not be to us a burden but a delight, and give us such love to thee as may sweeten our obedience. Help us that we may serve thee with the cheerfulness and gladness of children, delighting ourselves in thee and rejoicing in all that is to the honor of thy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~From The Book of Worship

Scripture
-Psalm 32 (how are you handling the weight of sin in your life? don't miss that confession & forgiveness can lighten the burden of guilt.)

-Colossians 3:1-17 (what is your source of life?)
-Romans 8:31-39 (find hope in the fact that Jesus is in the presence of God interceding on our behalf.)
-Philippians 3:8-14 (are you allowing Christ to take hold of your life?)

Thoughts

An act of pure faith is the death of what we love most so it may be offered to the loved one because only love is stronger than death...

At the ultimate moment of trial, when we try to pierce the invisible, with the sharpened spear of every possibility we can find, we realize that the three theological virtues - faith, hope, and charity - are really only one, and they have such a power of penetration that they could disrupt the entire universe.

~From The God Who Comes by Carlo Carretto

Ways to Follow and Connect

I know it has been a few days since my last post, for that I apologize. I am currently taking an Inductive Bible Study class through the Gospel of Matthew that is eating up a decent chunk of my time. I always have delusions of grandeur that I will post more often, which is still my goal but it has suffered lately. There are a couple ways that will make it easier for you to follow what's happening here:

• You can subscribe to the RSS feed of posts and comments (which you can find to the left or click here) and get updates automatically of new content
  
• You can follow through NetworkedBlogs on Facebook
• You can follow through Google Friend Connect
• We can be friends on Facebook or Twitter
• If you want to get "old school" you can email me: matt.lipan@gmail.com
  
• If you are a blogger, you can share comments so I might connect with your blog

I hope to be posting more often and to be connecting with you soon. Thanks to all of you that take some time to check out A Journeyman's Catalog!

"Remarkable"

I preached this morning (3/14/10) at our Sunrise Campus a sermon from Mark 9:2-8 on the Transfiguration (the text and title had already been chosen). Here's my outline.

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"Remarkable"

Thoughts on the Transfiguration...Mark 9:2-8
-God reveals a little more of His glory through Jesus by turning the lights up.

-Jesus did not change in substance, it wasn't as if He became more divine. His divinity had been present, just on a dimmer.

-Moses and Elijah show up representing the Law and the Prophets. Notice that they came to talk with Jesus, to learn from Him which further shows that the Law and Prophets find their fulfillment in Christ.

-Have you ever experienced those moments of awkward silence when you know someone should say something but no one really knows what to say? This is somewhat similar to how Peter, James and John felt except that they were freaked out after having seen Jesus transfigured before their eyes.

-Peter's suggestion of building "shelters" for Jesus, Moses and Elijah is not unlike something we would read in the Old Testament. We read of Noah, Abram, Jacob, etc. building "altars" to mark significant places where God was encountered as ways to honor and remember. Peter didn't know what to say so he went with this.

-Notice the connection to Jesus' baptism when He hears a voice from heaven saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." And on top of the mountain the voice says, "This is my son, whom I love. Listen to him!" The first time the voice was for Jesus only, the second time it was for those who were present.

-Might the Transfiguration be the point at which that world and our world come closest?

A Seed of Faith...Matthew 17:9, 14-20
-Jesus tells His disciples if they only had faith the size of a mustard seed they could move mountains right after He had just come down from the Transfiguration.

-It's not faith alone that moves the mountain, it is faith in the God who is bigger than the mountain!

-We need to view our mountains (disappointments, struggles, failures) in the light of God's glory revealed in Christ on that mountain.

-Not only does God desire to carry our burdens, He is strong enough to do so (I Peter 5:6-7).

Thoughts for Lent Part 3

Hoping that your journey to the Cross and empty tomb is proving to be meaningful for you. Here are a couple resources and thoughts you may find interesting along the way.

Prayer
Lord God, you who are the source of all truth, wisdom, justice, and love, lead me through this time of worship and throughout this day of service to you. Help me constantly to rest my life upon the eternal foundations of your love and presence. Save me from haste and confusion, from wrongful desire, and the net of evil. Through the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, enlighten, instruct, and guide me all the day long. In the name of Jesus. Amen

Scripture
-Hebrews 2:1-18 (how often we forget that we have a savior who can relate to us, even to the point of sharing in our sufferings. how might your sufferings be bringing about perfection in your faith?)
-Psalm 103:1-13 (what might your life look like without Christ in it? what might your life look like with Christ in it?)
-Isaiah 55 (are you spending your time, energy, and resources on the things that really matter?)

Thoughts

The question, you see, is not to prepare but to live in a state of ongoing preparedness so that, when someone who is drowning in the world comes into your world, you are ready to reach out and help. It may be at four o'clock, six o'clock, or nine o'clock. One time you call it preaching, the next time teaching, then counseling, or later administration. But let them be part of your life in God--that's ministering.

~From "Time Enough to Minister" by Henri J. M. Nouwen in Leadership (1982)

In fact, if you want to find out how proud you are, the easiest way is to ask yourself, "How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me, or shove their oar in, or patronize me, or show off?" The point is that each person's pride is in competition with everyone else's pride. It is because I wanted to be the big noise at the party that I am so annoyed at someone else being the big noise. Two of a trade never agree. Now what you want to get clear is that Pride is essentially competitive--is competitive by its very nature--while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.

~From The Joyful Christian by C.S. Lewis

Other Resources
-"2 Stories": A daily devotional from Asbury Theological Seminary

Gospel of Mark: Chapters 2-4

Week two of our study through Mark's Gospel took place last night. It's tough to cover three chapters in an hour's time so I highlighted a few passages that jumped out to me as I spent time preparing. There was plenty of great discussion and even a question or two that came up, one of which surrounded a tricky passage I'll try to address. As always, feel free to share your questions and comments.

Chapter 2
Vs 1-12 - The phrase "your sins are forgiven" and the connection to the paralytic's healing implies a relationship between sin and sickness, which was not an uncommon Jewish thought though this is not Mark's intent in sharing this story. Rather, Mark is again showing that Jesus is the strong Son of God who not only has the power to heal but the power to forgive sins. Which seems to fit well with the phrase Jesus uses to describe himself as the "Son of Man", which in later Judaism was used for a superhuman being that comes on the clouds of heaven. Another way in which Jesus' authority is conveyed.

Vs 13-17 - Being reminded that Mark had Gentiles in mind when writing his Gospel, the word "sat" in Greek is literally "reclined" which describes a familiar eating style for the Gentiles. In this passage we read that Jesus was sharing a meal with sinners and the Pharisees take issue with this. Isn't this us in the church sometimes? We fail to see that this story is describing Jesus' willingness to interact with us, the "sick" and "sinner", by judging others based on who they hang out with or call their friends. Jesus said that it is the sick who need a doctor which makes me think the Church should look more like a hospital than a country club.

Chapter 3
Vs 31-35 - It can be easy to read different passages in the Gospels where Jesus interacts with his family or talks about family in general (Matthew 10:37-38) and get a little defensive or upset. Sometimes it seems that Jesus doesn't care very much about family, especially when we read passages like this which make it seem as though he is ignoring his mother and brothers. This is certainly not what Jesus is saying and reading it that way may mean we are reading it too literally. I think the point that Jesus is trying to make instead is that the idea of family is much broader than a physical relationship, it is spiritual. Not only this but the very best way to love your family and neighbors is to love God first.

Chapter 4
Vs 1-20 - A parable that many of us have read or heard before. The challenge for us is to think about how we are making our "soil" better. In what ways are we preparing our souls to receive the seeds that God wants to plant in order that they might grow and bear fruit "thirty and sixty and a hundredfold"?

Vs 26-29 - I particularly like vs 27 because the farmer doesn't always know how the seed grows, it just does. So often as Christians we "plant seeds" and either a) don't even know it or b) see someone's faith grow but we're not quite sure how it got there in the first place. Maybe the main reason I like this short parable is because it emphasizes the partnership with the Holy Spirit. I sometimes forget that the Holy Spirit is at work in people's lives and fall into the trap of thinking it's all up to me, when it's clearly not! And thank God that it doesn't depend on just you and me.

A Tricky Passage
Vs 4:10-12 - At first glance this passage seems to convey a sense of exclusiveness and even a level of unfairness to those on the outside. First, I think it is helpful to look at Matthew's account of this story (Matthew 13:10-17) for a more in-depth reading of the prophecy from Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9-10). Second, I think it's important to keep in mind that Jesus wanted to make the Truth easier to understand, not more confusing (Mark 4:21-25), hence the reason that he taught using parables. Third, I think often we want to read a tone of judgment into this passage. While there is a judgment that is being described, it should be noted that it is a judgment that one brings upon himself or herself through unbelief and even outright rejection of Christ's message. This is what Isaiah's prophecy speaks of and what Paul mentions in Romans 16:25-26. Lastly, we cannot miss the faith factor in all of this. What I mean by this is that the Gospel message, especially for early Gentile Christians, began with a faith relationship because without that as the foundation, the whole message would be foolishness. Paul also talks a lot about this in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:18-3:1). So, there's an attempt at it at least....

The Avett Brothers

Until a few months ago I had never heard of The Avett Brothers but thanks to a good friend (@bhsmith1) I was introduced to their music. Not only have I become a fan of their tunes but I had the chance to see their show this past Sunday night (2/28) at the Murat Centre Egyptian Room in downtown Indianapolis.

Decent venue but honestly, the show these guys put on made the venue irrelevant. Not only was the opening act one of the best openers I have seen, The Low Anthem, but the show overall was solid. The mix was perfect, the guys were energized and the set list was everything I was hoping it might be. A total of 21 songs with each song full of passion and energy that left me wanting more.

Their style of bluegrass mixed with folky rock combined with vocal harmonies that only brothers can provide was powerful. You could feel the vulnerability and passion in their lyrics, hear it in their voices and see it on their faces. It was a beautiful reminder to me of God's ability to use music to connect with a person, even the "secular" kind. I like to think that God is able to use good music as well as "Christian" music. I walked away from that show wishing it wasn't over and feeling like I had just experienced church. I look forward to seeing them again, hopefully sooner as opposed to later.

Thoughts for Lent Part 2

A few thoughts that I pray will encourage and challenge you on your Lenten journey. As always, feel free to share.

Prayer
Lord of life and love, help us to worship thee in the holiness of beauty, that some beauty of holiness may appear in us. Quiet our souls in thy presence with the stillness of a wise trust. Lift us above dark moods, and the shadow of sin, that we may find thy will for our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~From The Book of Worship

Scripture
-Psalm 42 (what does your heart thirst for? do you seek God to quench that thirst?)
-John 6:22-40 (when people look at your life, do they see bread of life or bread that is stale?)
-James 1:2-18 (are you finding joy in the development of perseverance? what if, we used the sufferings we faced as ways to connect with others? what message might that send about the Gospel?)

Thoughts

There is no Christian who is not in the same case as the disciples. Every Christian ought to say to the Savior as humbly as they: 'Lord teach us to pray.' Ah! If we were only convinced of our ignorance and of our need of a Teacher like Jesus Christ! If we would only approach him with confidence, asking him to teach us himself and desiring to be taught by his grace how to converse with God! How soon we should be skilled in it and how many of its secrets we should discover! Do not let us say that we know how to pray the prayer they learned from him. We may know the words, but without grace we cannot understand the meaning and we cannot ask or receive what it expresses.

~From How to Pray by Jean-Nicholas Grou

Don't Miss Out

If you are a Christian, in exactly 34 days you will have an opportunity that you really don't want to miss out on. It's as if every year the calendar lays in our laps the chance to tell someone about the Easter story. I know for many of us sharing our faith is not something that comes easily but I mean...at what other point in the year is the story laid out so simply for us to share with others? Don't get me wrong, Christmas is important (and certainly one of my favorite times of year) but we have to fight with credit cards, presents and consumerism to share our part of the story. Not as much with Easter.

My challenge for you is to begin preparing now in order to take advantage of the opportunity that will present itself in just a few short weeks. Ask God for opportunities to share the Easter Story and not to miss them when they come. If you've been looking for an "excuse" to invite someone to church, Easter just might be it.

Gospel of Mark: Chapter 1

I am co-teaching a class through the Gospel of Mark with another pastor (Rodney Frieden) on staff with me at Castleton UMC over the next 5 weeks. We are taking turns teaching through Mark with me kicking things off last night with chapter 1. Here is a summary of my notes and thoughts from last night...

Chapter 1
Vs 1 - Mark's gospel message conveys that Jesus is not solely the Jewish Messiah but that he is also the strong Son of God who is able to deliver us from the bondage of sin and claim victory over death.

Vs 2-3 - It was not uncommon to hear of kings who would send slaves/workers ahead of their chariots to smooth out the rough places to make it easier for them to pass through. John the Baptist serves this same sort of purpose for the ministry of Jesus, who is the King of kings.

Vs 6 - "camel's hair" could be camel skin or a fabric woven of camel's hair, which is more likely because it was much cheaper. 2 Kings 1:8 shows that Elijah's garments fit a similar description to that of John's.

Vs 7 - The word "powerful" or "mightier" was typically used for great supernatural beings (cf Rev. 10:1; 18:8, 21).

Vs 10 - Mark uses "immediately" 41x in his gospel, not always to note some sort of speedy action but to help us understand the sequence of events and how they unfolded. In regards to Jesus' baptism, I've often wondered if everyone else heard the "voice" and saw the "dove" and am thinking that they didn't. The reason I say this is based on John the Baptist, the one who would have heard or seen anything if there was something to see, does not know if Jesus is the Messiah a while after his baptism (Matthew 11:2-6; Luke 7:18-23).

Vs 11 - Paul had a similar experience on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9).

Vs 15 - "repentance" is not a major theme of Mark's gospel as he targeted a primarily Gentile audience, rather he focuses on salvation through Christ as God's rescuing act redeeming lost and helpless mankind from slavery to sin. Remember, Mark highlights Jesus' strength as the strong Son of God.

Vs 16-20 - Mark is emphasizing the quickness of their responses.

Vs 22 - "authority" literally means in the Greek "out from himself" which would mean that Jesus' authority came from himself because he IS authority. He Is the expert.

Vs 30 - Being a disciple of Jesus does not mean you ignore your normal, day to day life. We know that Simon Peter had a wife and he still followed Jesus, as well as many others (1 Cor. 9:5). Our discipleship is lived out in our normal lives, in our roles as spouses, bosses, parents, children, neighbors, employees, teachers, students, etc. To disconnect discipleship from your everyday life is to fail as a disciple.

Vs 40 - Mark wanted to emphasize who Jesus was and what he did, he doesn't spend as much time emphasizing his teachings. Jesus had the power and authority to heal and Mark makes that clear from the very beginning. The Gospel of Matthew spends considerably more time on Jesus' teachings than does Mark. This does not mean Mark didn't value his teachings but rather goes about his gospel in a different, more condensed way.

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