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

Reclaiming the Joy of Faith through Sabbath Keeping

My Sabbath Story

My grandfather wouldn't go fishing on Sundays. "You might pull up the devil," he'd say.

Sunday was for worship, rest, and visiting, but certainly not for work and even some kinds of recreation. And even though I've never pulled up the devil on a Sunday fishing trip, his old fashioned ways held a certain rhythm that I'd like to duplicate in the living of these days. What used to seem boring and antiquated has deep spiritual meaning for me as our family struggles against the culture of doing to take Sunday for being.

Exodus 20 teaches us that God labored and rested and that we should do the same. Sabbath is a gift and keeping Sabbath bears much fruit in our lives. What can Sabbath do for you? Find out this weekend by considering this challenge:

1. Have a Saturday night meal with your family. No TV, no cell phones, no iPods, and no video games.

2. Go to bed early and pray that your night of rest will be good. Commit your sleep and dreams over to God. Offer up the next day as one of rest while trusting God to watch over the things you won't be doing on your Sabbath. Set your clocks forward one hour on Saturday night at bedtime this week!

3. Rise early and share breakfast with your family or a good friend.

4. Attend worship in the morning.

5. Plan for a nap, games with your children or grandchildren, intimate time with your spouse, or a relaxing activity in the afternoon. Resist the urge to work, check email, or answer the phone.

6. End the 24 hour Sabbath as you began - with family.

I'd love to hear how you keep Sabbath. Share with me via email, or post here. And if you're in the Metro DC area this weekend, I invite you to include First Baptist Church Gaithersburg as your place of worship on Sunday morning. You'll find fellow pilgrims who are weary and wounded, ready to experience the life changing grace of Jesus. And if you fall asleep while I offer the sermon, that's ok, too. It just means you needed the rest and I'm glad to help you get it.

Shabbat Shalom,

Pastor Gary

Reclaiming the Joy of Faith through Celebration

The Father of the Bride movies gave us George Banks, played by Steve Martin, someone with whom this dad can surely identify. He's this forlornly happy husband and father, who invites us to laugh at the pain and joy of family. His own foibles are funny as well as instructive.

In the second movie "Franck" and his decorating partner "Howard" tease George for being a kill joy with the utterly quotable line, "Every party has a pooper that's why we invited you...party pooper George BAAAANKS." It's a great line that also describes how much of the world views Christians.

Party poopers.

But where did this dullard reputation come from and why do we reinforce it? Granted, there is a time to be somber and sincere. Our reverence for God is necessary. But somewhere along the way we lost sight of the fact that Christianity really is Good News, in fact it's Great News! The love of God, the joy of freedom from sin, and the future party that's awaiting us in the Kingdom to come? All reasons to celebrate. Maybe we've lost our zeal.

Consider how King David danced wildly before the Ark. He got chastised by his wife because he danced "commando" (Read 2 Samuel 6). Or take a close read of Zephaniah 3 and discover how God will "rejoice" over us as His children. Or see that Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding feast so that the celebration could continue. Or try to count all the stories Jesus told about feasts in the kingdom of heaven. Or listen to the words of Jesus' critics who thought it slander to accuse him of being a drunkard and a glutton - they knew he liked to celebrate. I like to imagine there was one heck of a celebration in heaven and on earth on that first Easter, too.

To reclaim the joy of faith, we need to learn how to throw a good party that celebrates all that's good in life, all that's from God. Jesus died for your sin and you have a place in eternity with him. Who wouldn't want to celebrate that?

If you're in the Metro DC area this weekend, won't you join us as we redefine the word "party?" We worship at 10:30, and Bible Study is at 9:15. For those who'd like learn more about our ministry partner the American Baptist Convention, come meet Ray Schooler in the fellowship hall at 10am. He'll also be bringing greetings in worship, and meeting with anyone interested in mission work immediately after worship.

Ready to celebrate,
Pastor Gary

Reclaiming the Joy of Faith - Simplicity

Do you ever feel burned out on religion? Does your spirit thirst for God's spirit? The Lenten sermon series Reclaiming Joy speaks to the human need to jump off the fast track and into the full life.

In the book of Second Kings and Second Chronicles, we learn about King Josiah, who led a reformation of Israel. During a renovation of the temple, workers found the "Book of the Law." They presented the book to Josiah, who after reading it, realized how far from God the people had come. He led a season of repentance and led the nation back to obedience of God's laws and the practice of their faith and worship.

Over the Sundays of Lent we'll think like Josiah as we seek to nourish our faith. We'll deal with different spiritual habits that we can renew. Each of these can lead us to deeper joy in life, and especially in our relationship to God. There are many spiritual habits we could study, but we're going to add each of the following, one week at a time:

• Simplicity
• Celebration
• Sabbath Keeping
• Silence
• Solitude
• Humility

Every member of FBC is going to be invited and challenged to take part in a special shared project at the end of Lent. If you make the commitment to listen to the New Testament on CD for 28 minutes a day for 40 days, you'll get a free CD of the New Testament from our friends at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The 40 day period will begin on Easter Sunday and is the challenge that will come out of ourReclaiming Joy series. Please begin praying that 100% of our church family will make this commitment! Watch for more news about this during March.

Hello, my friend, hello. It's good to see you.

I've not been posting much material the past year. There are several reasons.

One of them is that I've taken a new pastorate, and it's been a tough year of transition. My family is trailing behind me, waiting for the oldest sister to finish high school. It has been bearable, but the "back and forth" has exacted a toll on my creativity and desire to be extroverted via this blog. Sometimes you just have to turn inward for a while to conserve and preserve yourself for the most essential tasks of life: family, faith, and work.

Another reason is that I've been focusing more time on preparing better sermons, writing for doctoral research, and writing curriculum for spiritual formation. Those venues have tapped a different voice from within me, but have made a recluse of my blogging brain. I imagine that's also an inward turn. Some would say my preaching was just fine - I would argue that it still has a long, long way to go.

But I suppose the biggest reason is that I've not been blogging is that I had little to say. The cup has been dry, but not for the reason you might think. You see, I'm turning 40 this year and I've been reflecting on what I've written and said in the past. Much of that older material is uttered by a less mature voice than what is at work in me now. I've been reading widely and learning that I have a lot still to learn about the craft of writing and preaching. I'm starting to see how good writing goes beyond elegant ordering of well-chosen words. Good writing must come from within a person who knows themselves well and I am only just now beginning to know myself. And only in glimpses can I even see me!

Further, good writing stems from full living. If a writer has explored his life fully, it's time to go live some more. That's the feeling I got when I read David Sedaris' last book, When You are Engulfed in Flames. I wanted to tell David, "Go live some more before you write another one."

So I'm slowing down on my writing, letting things more substantive and mature emerge. That will inevitably mean less output, but hopefully of higher quality. In the mean time, thanks for continuing to read here. I thank you for the visits to my page and I hope you'll keep checking back.

U2 or the Beatles?

If you don’t know who the Beatles or U2 are, you might be above a certain age that I wouldn’t dare name. That’s OK, you only need to know that they’re both wildly successful rock bands.

The bands had extremely different styles for song writing. With the Beatles the songs were written by one individual and then taught to the band. Usually it was John Lennon or Paul McCartney. With U2, every member of the band collaborated to create the “sound” for the song. Both bands were critically and commercially successful.

Some churches are like the Beatles, some are like U2 in this regard. Some churches are run from the top down – pastor and deacons/elders make the decisions and the church goes forward. Some churches are more collaborative in decisions and direction. Both models work for different reasons in different places.

Paul is addressing a troubled church in his letter to the Corinthians. In the second half of chapter 12 Paul reminds the church of their unity in Christ, despite the differences that exist among them. And whether they’re going to be top-down or collegial, they’re going to have to work together.

The same is true for churches today. We have no choice but to pull in the same direction with all our talents and passions. The work is too important, and the unity of the church is too valuable. The means that we Christians need to belong – really belong – to our churches. How? ·

- By fully investing in our church, not simply attending it. ·
- Acting as co-creators of community, not just consumers. ·
- Embracing our diversity, not disparaging our differences.

If you're in the Metro DC area this weekend I hope you'll join me at First Baptist Church Gaithersburg for worship at 10:30. If not, I hope you'll attend the church of your choosing and invest yourself anew. You need your church and your church needs you!

All you need is love where the streets have no name,

Pastor Gary

Through Fire & Water

I remember my baptism, but only in snippets. I remember the bright red hair and glowing face of the woman who was baptized before me. I remember the square-edged voice of the preacher who buried me and pulled me out. I remember that the water was warm and the light was soft. And I remember that family was there, and we went out for ice cream. Those images are priceless and peaceful to me.

Remembering baptism is important because it is a singular time of calm in the sea of life, a rough and tumble tide. John the Baptist warned the people, "I baptize you with water...He [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." What John shouted in the wilderness of Bible times is still true in the city life of modern times. The life of following Jesus will involve some trial, some hard work, and some suffering. If I had my "druthers," I'd be content to take my salvation and go merrily along my way without hardship. Seems God has other plans, other things to teach us in the shaping of our character into the image of Christ.

The good news is that we do not go it alone. We have the fellowship of the saints, the support of friends, and above all, we have God who does not leave us alone. Isaiah 43.2 promises,

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you."

Join us on Sunday to remember your baptism and to reestablish contact with the God who wants to go with you through the water and fire of life. We gather at 10:30 for worship and 9:15 for Bible study!

Reaching for my asbestos life jacket,

Pastor Gary

Long Story, Short is a weekly column I write to get you thinking about church on Sunday. If you're in the Washington, D.C. Metro area on Sundays, I invite you to join us at First Baptist Church, Gaithersburg. You can catch back issues of this column and other original pieces on my blog at www.tothelees.blogspot.com.

Nice Poem

Not feeling very inspired to blog lately, I've been writing a lot for work and for school. However, this poem spoke to me today:

"On Swimming" by Adam Zagajewski

The rivers of this country are sweet
as a troubadour's song.
the heavy sun wanders westward
on yellow circus wagons.
Little village churches
hold a fabrid of silenc so fin
and old that even a breath
could tear it.
I love to swim in the sea, which keeps
talking to itself
in the monotone of a vagabond
who no longer recalls
exactly how long he's been on the road.
Swimming is like prayer:
palms join and part,
join and part,
almost without end.

Long Story, Short - October 2, 2009

A cow by any other name...

A USA Today report verifies what wise dairy farmers have said for years: a cow will give more milk if she’s called by name. If the farmer knows the cow and interacts with the cow, she is more productive - to tune of about 68 more gallons of milk per year. These are the findings of Catherine Douglas of Newcastle University in England.

Perhaps that statistic can aid us in our reading of Hebrews 2.11, “...Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters...” You’ll want to read the whole of chapter 2 to see if you agree, but I’m thinking that Jesus calls us brothers and sisters in order that we might know our place as children of God.

And perhaps be more productive as disciples of Jesus.

Admittedly, thinking of ourselves as God’s cows is not all that flattering. But how far off from being the sheep in the “Good Shepherd’s” pasture is this image? How far off would it be to think that God wants us to have productive, meaningful lives?

If you’re in the DC metro area this weekend, why not join the herd for worship this Sunday at First Baptist Church, Gaithersburg? Who knows, you might find the experience very mooooooooving. Worship starts at 10:30 and we’ll observe communion, baptism, and a parent-child dedication! You might even want to audition for a Chick-fil-A commercial afterward!

Udderly excited,
Pastor Gary

Dirty Preacher

This is a photo from "Mud Ball 2009." It's an event our church puts on that basically involves a mud pit for volley ball and a long slide down a hill into a pond.

This is one event that lives up to the hype.

Is the Mission a Success?

I found this little gem of a question in a preaching journal I read called Homiletics. What do you think?


The Book of Heroic Failures contains a story about a 1978 strike of British firefighters, when the army filled the gap. One afternoon, the replacement firefighters got a call to rescue a cat caught high in a tree. The soldiers rushed to the scene, put up a ladder, brought down the cat and gave it back to the owner. The woman was so grateful that she invited them in for tea, an invitation they accepted. After a wonderful time, they said goodbye, got in the truck and backed away — over the cat.

Which prompts the question, “Could that rescue mission really be considered a success?”

—Adapted from George Sanchez, “How to succeed God’s way,” Discipleship Journal (Sept./Oct. 1983).

Selling the House Before the Roof is On

Alexis de Tocqueville was researching the American prison system on behalf of the French in the mid 1800's when he wrote of American culture, "An American will build a house in which to pass his old age and sell it before the roof is on; he will plant a garden and rent it just as the trees are coming into bearing … he will take up a profession and leave it, settle in one place and soon go off elsewhere."

Is it simply part of the American experience to wanderlust? Is he highlighting a kind of stupidity that is still inherent to us? Not every American was or is like his generalization, but is there a common trait amongst us that contributed to our current economic plight? Are we selling the house before the roof is on it when our system seeks an ever expanding economy and encourages the frivolous and extravagant use of credit?

I'm jus wondering.

The Senility Prayer

Ran across this today, thought you aged ones might enjoy this. You know who you are!

Dear Lord,
Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
The good fortune to run into the ones I do, and
The eyesight to tell the difference.
Amen.

Forever Begging for Just One More Day

May you and I live this day so fully as to find needless the prayer uttered at the end of this amazing poem. Thanks, Billy Collins, for continuing to amaze us.


Statues in the Park

I thought of you today
when I stopped before an equestrian statue
in the middle of a public square,

you who had once instructed me
in the code of these noble poses.

A horse rearing up with two legs raised,
you told me, meant the rider had died in battle.

If only one leg was lifted,
the man had elsewhere succumbed to his wounds;

and if four legs were touching the ground,
as they were in this case--
bronze hooves affixed to a stone base--
it meant that the man on the horse,

this one staring intently
over the closed movie theater across the street,
had died of a cause other than war.

In the shadow of the statue,
I wondered about the others
who had simply walked through life
without a horse, a saddle, or a sword--
pedestrians who could no longer
place on foot in front of the other.

I pictured statues of the sickly
recumbent on their cold stone bed,
the suicides toeing the marble edge,

statues of accident victims covering their eyes,
the murdered covering their wounds,
the drowned silently treading the air.

And there was I,
up on a rosy-gray block of granite
near a cluster of shade trees in the local park,
my name and dates pressed into a plaque,

down on my knees, eyes lifted,
praying to the passing clouds,
forever begging for just one more day.

-Billy Collins

I couldn't resist

Props for this joke to the source editors at Homiletics. You guys are some of my favs:

A fellow has a parrot who swears like an old salt. The bird is a pistol. He can swear for five minutes straight without repeating himself. Trouble is, the guy who owns him is a quiet, conservative type, and the bird’s foul mouth is driving him nuts.One day, it just gets to be too much. The guy grabs the bird by the throat, shakes him really hard and yells, “QUIT IT!”

But this just makes the bird mad, and he swears more than ever. Then the guy gets angry and says, “Okay for you” and locks the bird in a kitchen cabinet. This really aggravates the bird, who claws and scratches. When the guy finally lets him out, the bird cuts loose with a stream of vulgarities that would make a sailor blush.

At that point, the guy is so mad that he throws the bird into the freezer. For the first few seconds, there is a terrible din. The bird kicks and claws and thrashes. Then it suddenly gets very quiet.

At first the guy just waits, but then he starts to think that the bird may be hurt. After a couple of minutes of silence, he’s so worried that he opens up the freezer door.

The bird meekly climbs onto the man’s outstretched arm and says, “Awfully sorry about the trouble I gave you. I’ll do my best to improve my vocabulary from now on.”

The man is astounded and amazed at the transformation that has come over the parrot. Then the parrot says, “By the way, what did the chicken do?”

Rough Verse

Draft of a first verse of a poem I'm working on.  My Maryland friends may recognize the "blue train" as the MARC - speeding by, of course.

I’d love to settle into that restless breeze, 

Tagging along behind that blue train to the land 

Where no one owns a cell phone, nor needs one, 

A place where ringing things have no squeeze on me.

McDiet

It only takes one 10 p.m. McDonald’s commercial to stoke my appetite.  Even with a great dinner just over my shoulder I’m dreaming of a milkshake in my left hand and hot fries in my right.  If I’m strong I’ll settle for some of that cardboard stuff known as “Fat Free Popcorn.” Hey, we all crave the wrong things occasionally.

 

In a world of Little Debbie cakes, fast food on every corner, and grocery stores gaudy with too many choices, we are a culture addicted to food that is bad for us.  We are some serious snackers in the spiritual sense, too, having too often settled for a fast-food religion rather than the life sustaining gourmet feast that is really ours.  Jesus challenges us in John 6.26 with a word to the throngs following him around after the feeding of the 5,000, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” 

 

The message of the munchies is that we’ve settled – once again – for something less than God’s best for us.  We’ve chosen ritual over relationship, sappy over substantial, and flashy over the real nourishment of Christianity.  Many a modern minister has used the worship table to dish up stones for bread, but Christians have endorsed it, gobbling down the byte-sized pabulum that passes for preaching like Scooby-Doo and Shaggy tearing into a foot long hero.  Long story short, we need to look for a little more substance in our relationship to God.

 

That’s what we’ll be discussing this Sunday as we look at John 6.24-35.  The sermon is called McDiet and I hope you’ll come hungry. 

 

(p)Reaching for a crispy fry,

Pastor Gary

 

Long Story, Short is an email I send to get you thinking about church on Sunday.  You can read similar things at my blog, Life to the Lees.  This week’s sermon is part 2 of 5 in the series Hunger.  Upcoming titles and texts are: 

 

July 19 – Tastes Great               John 6.35; 41-51

July 26 – Stuffed                        John 6.60-69

August 2 – True Bread              John 6.51-58

 

John 6:24-35

²⁴So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ ²⁶Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ ²⁸Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ ²⁹Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ ³⁰So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? ³¹Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ ³²Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³For the bread of God is that which^* comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ ³⁴They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

35 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Kobe and Phil and Leadership

Watching the ESPN docu-drama tonight, I heard Kobe Bryant give a great insight on leadership of winning teams.  He said, roughly, that Phil Jackson, Lakers' coach, doesn't draw up plays for the team.  "He draws up sequences, he gives us options to follow based on what we see happening on the floor at the moment."

Makes me think of Paul's instruction for pastors to equip the saints.