Afterlife on Facebook

A dear friend of mine died suddenly in early January. Strangely - or perhaps not in this strange and modern world - his facebook friends continue to post things on his page. It has transformed from a recollection of his life through his own eyes into a recollection of his life through our eyes. Nobody sends him, "Join my fan page" messages now, or "help me win at Mafai Wars." That's all useless in memoriam.

They say stuff that matters.

"I miss you every day."

"You were my number one."

"Wishing you were here to talk to. You always listened to me."

"Thank you for loving me."

I could pontificate about the finality of death, quote John Mayer with "say what you need to say", and encourage you to tell everyone you love them. But that's not what his Facebook obituary is prompting in me. Rather, I'm seeing how much that we pursue is superfluous, how much of life is distraction from what matters most.

I'm at peace with my friend's death. I was a good friend and pastor to him, best I could be, in fact. I have zero regrets about our relationship. He and I were at peace with one another and our friendship was an exercise of mutual edification. When I was with him I liked me, and I think he liked himself when he was with me.

Oh, I miss him, don't get me wrong. But today I'm taking an inventory of my relationships and asking myself if I've pursued peace with all whom I should, and if I've built up others in every way I can. The list is long, the time is short, where am I to start? And how to proceed? I am, after all, subject to the ideas in Tenneyson's ode to his dead friend,

So runs my dream, but what am I?

An infant crying in the night

An infant crying for the light

And with no language but a cry.

Proper Pursuits

In the pop country song I Run to You, the band Lady Antebellum asks, "I run my life, or is it running me?" The line underscores the reality of our lives: we chase the wrong things and end up sucked into a drowning current that dumps us into a cesspool of mediocrity, where we sit in the shallow water wondering, "Is this all there is to life?"

Caught up in the pursuit of happiness, we run amok lacking a full awareness of what "happiness" really means, how to attain it, or what we'd even do with it if we caught that elusive tiger by the tail. What are we to do?

The apostle Paul led a revolution from Judaism to Christianity, but with the transition came tremendous debate over things that distracted the early church from focusing on the freedom found in Jesus. Paul's answer? Pursue peace and mutual edification.

For Paul, the answer to the problematic pursuits of life was to define things, not in terms of self, but in terms of relatedness to God and to neighbor. Peace within oneself is forged by making peace with others and God. Personal growth is fueled by edifying others, not by self-help courses or get rich quick schemes. When our singular focus is making our own lives better & freer, the only tiger we catch is the one who growls, "not enough, let's get more."

If you're in the Metro DC area this weekend, I invite you to join us on Sunday as we consider chasing the right things. Proper Pursuits is the name of the sermon, and we'll talk about how to let go of the tiger's tail and not get eaten alive. Worship begins at 10:30 and Bible study is at 9:15.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Gary

What's Your Story Worth? Thoughts on Acts 5.27-42

“Hey Dad, tell us about the time you got hit by a car and it knocked your shoes off. Or about the time you sucked the peanut down your windpipe and lived to tell about it. Or about the time grandpa tied two cats together by the tail and hung them over the clothesline.”

Yes, those are all true stories about various members of my family.

But more than being simple family lore, these tales shape identity. My children come to know others and themselves by hearing about the fits and foibles of their ancestors. Durable stories forge our perceptions, they hold our past, and they shape our future. Stories create realities.

Peter and the apostles of the early church surely learned this. They told the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection and it was creating such a buzz in the temple that they were summoned before the council. They got “shushed.”

“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” the high priest said.

“We must obey God rather than any human authority,” was the retort.

They were so compelled by the story that the apostles had to tell it, there was no containing it. Even after being flogged and told to stop, they kept on boldly telling the story of Jesus’ work on the cross and his victory over death. The story was worth telling no matter the consequences. What else but the power of Christ could compel them?

Church, we can reclaim the power of the story we carry within us, transform the story from latency to potency! Join us for worship this Sunday and be encouraged that we, too, must tell the story of Jesus no matter the consequences. We'll start worship at 10:30 a.m., and I hope you'll consider attending a Bible study this week at 9:15 a.m.

Tell me the old, old story,
Pastor Gary

Jesus Sightings

Countless people claim to have seen an apparition of the face of Jesus. Sometimes the image of Jesus appears on a wall of the church. Or on a tortilla. Or in their grilled cheese sandwich. One family reports having a Jesus in the shape of a Cheetoh, another man saw the image of Jesus in his chest x-ray. Talk about having Jesus in your heart!

I'm not questioning the piety of these folk, but clearly, there is something wrong here. Most of the "Jesus sightings" we hear about are nothing more than attention seekers seizing their proverbial five minutes of fame. Or the money. Take Mario Rubio, who found the image of Jesus in her burrito in 1977 and immediately quit her job, choosing to work at the "Shrine of the Tortilla" that she constructed in her backyard for tourists.

Even the gullible raise a wary right eyebrow at these stories. But is it possible to see Jesus? And if so, how? Where do we start looking? Is the search more like searching for lost car keys or the needle in a haystack?

The Bible give us a hopeful answer with the story of two men along the road who experienced a "Jesus sighting" after the resurrection. Cleopas and his friend find Jesus revealed to them in some very ordinary ways, ways that offer hope for a "Jesus sighting" to those of us who never get to see Jesus in our soup bowl or grilled cheese sandwich.

We'll talk about seeing Jesus in the ordinary living of life during worship on Sunday. If you're in the Washington, DC metro area, join us at First Baptist Gaithersburg at 10:30, maybe you'll have a Jesus sighting of your own!

Keeping an open eye,
Pastor Gary

Quaker Gun Slinger

In the old, old West, a devout Quaker cowboy had been needled and harassed until he could stand it no longer. Speaking up to his tormentors, he announced: "Sir, I do not believe in violence and I would not harm thee for anything in the world. But my compassion for all men compels me to warn thee that thee are standing in the place where I am about to shoot."

Is God a Lab Rat?

This article is written by Larry Hudson, a member of my church and a physicist at the National Institute for Standards in Technology. If you've ever been interested in a rational explanation of the problems inherent in the Intelligent Design theory, this piece may be for you.

Jesus Sighed Deeply

Every kid who made it through Sunday School knows John 11.35 , "Jesus wept." It's the shortest verse in the Bible, and a favorite for ease of memorization.

It's brief, but rife with emotion. Jesus is mourning the death of his friend Lazarus. The Bible points to a wide range of emotions in Jesus, including anger and rage, joy and sadness, hunger and loneliness. In Mark 8 we read this lengthier verse that describes a pain in Jesus equal to his grief over Lazarus:

He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."

Take another look. He "sighed deeply." His sigh teems with disappointment and frustration with the Pharisees. They'd asked for a sign of his power, but Jesus refused to reduced to a religious puppet or plaything. Mark makes it plain that Jesus is interested in healing people in dire straits. In miracle feedings that nourish his followers. In explaining the kingdom through parables. But he doesn't want his buttons pushed by some power hungry religious officials who only want to cage him, or worse yet, manipulate his power for their gain.

And so he warns his disciples to watch out for the "yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod." The statement confused the disciples, they thought he was still talking about bread, and not the destructive things that burrow in to inhibit true belief. Jesus refused to be a genie for the Pharisees, but we are equally dense and get "fleeced by the yeast" of life each time we try to force God's hand.

"Fleeced by the Yeast" is the title of the message this Sunday, and we'll discuss how Christians of good faith can avoid the plight of the Pharisees. If you're in the suburban DC area this weekend, join us at 10:30a.m. for worship at FBC Gaithersburg. We'll observe communion this week and all believers are welcome.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Gary

Reclaiming Joy - Easter

In W B Yeats' play Calvary, Jesus talks briefly as he is dying; once with Lazarus, once with Judas, and once with the Roman soldiers. All are intriguing conversations, but Lazarus holds in common with Jesus something few of us are yet to experience: the resurrection. Thus, the conversation is surprising for the reader. Jesus expects that Lazarus won't be among those mocking him on the cross, but Lazarus surprises him. "I had been dead and I was lying still in an old comfortable mountain cavern when you came climbing in there ... and dragged me to the light."

Yeats' fictional Lazarus is unhappy about his life. He wanted the solitude of death because being brought back to life was an unhappy experience for him. Yeats suggests that Lazarus had not enjoyed life enough for a repeat showing. It's hardly the good word we expect from a guy who got a second chance!

It begs a question for those willing to contemplate such Easter issues: would you, upon your death, want to be resurrected to your current life?

Live While You're Alive

You see, Easter is something powerful, way outstripping eggs and bunnies. It thins out the veil between life and death, inviting the faithfully curious to peer through to the other side. And, having peered through the veil, we must return to living our life, much like Lazarus who was called back to the living of life. As you ponder the resurrection this weekend, consider death. But also consider this life, for I am convinced that the resurrection gives you power for today, in addition to the sweet by and by.

We'll think more about this on Easter Sunday in a sermon from 1 Corinthians 15.12-26 called Live While You're Alive. If you're in the DC metro area this weekend, you're invited for the festivities of Easter beginning at 10:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church Gaithersburg.

I just wanna live while I'm alive,
Pastor Gary