One Thing I Know

 

We are an information overloaded society. We are constantly bombarded with news, events, stories, and opinions. Occasionally, there are even some real facts in all that info. We are hungry for knowledge, to know what really happened, what was really said, and then we are told why that is important and should matter to us and how we should feel about it. 

Information and knowledge is important. Francis Bacon wrote that "knowledge is power", meaning that a knowledgeable well-informed people would be able to make good, just, and right decisions. I agree with that completely. One of my favorite quotes about knowledge is from Maya Angelou, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."

The problem is of course, we simply don't know what we don't know. Perhaps that in itself really isn't the problem, maybe the real issue is when we speak of things we don't know enough about as if we do, and then pass this off as truth. 

In the 8th chapter of John, Jesus heals a man who was blind from birth. This was one of Jesus' many Sabbath healings that got him in hot water with the Pharisees and Jewish leaders because, according to their religious knowledge, Jesus broke a commandment because He could have healed on one of the other 6 days. This type of over zealous religiosity might sound strange to us today, but it was a very big deal in Jesus' day. There were rules that were understood, and to be a good person of faith you had to follow the rules. 
Jesus did not come to do away with all those regulations, but rather to offer himself as the fulfillment of them. But, sometimes people got stuck where they were and with what they knew. And sometimes, so do people today. 

The man that Jesus healed didn't have all the answers about why he was healed and who healed him, but rather he offered these simple, but profound words, to the religious leaders who thought they had all the knowledge,

"One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see" (John 8:25b)

He didn't have all the answers, but he did know one thing, and that one thing is what Jesus had done for him personally. John Newton, an 18th century slave trader turned clergy person certainly knew that for himself as well when he penned one of the most beloved hymns of Christendom which included these words: 

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see"

Newton's life was changed by God's grace and forgiveness. But also his heart and mind were changed as well, which resulted in changed actions. He knew better, so he was seeking to do better. 
But 100 years later the Methodist Church split in 1844 over the issue if a Bishop could own slaves inherited through marriage, resulting in the Methodist Episcopal Church North (which opposed slavery), and the Methodist Episcopal Church South (who understood slavery as their as their God-given right). 
It is hard for me imagine today how this happened. But when I look at the world around us, it's not so distant of an event. And in 1877 the Methodist Church reunited and offered a solid and long standing opposition to any form of slavery, discrimination, hate, or abuse of humanity. Some people even changed their mind on slavery, because God had changed their heart. They didn't have all the answers, they just got to a place where they knew better, so they tried to do better. 
I am not saying racism does not still exist in the UMC, it does. As it does in all parts of our society, but recognizing this, admitting the sin of this, and then seeking to do better, is how we move forward. 

And that man that Jesus healed, well he was run out of the Temple (verse 34), a modern day equivalent of excommunication, or being kicked out of the Church. Again, hard to imagine isn't it? That the place that should be the most open to all created rules on who was in and who was out. 

I love talking theology with other people. I love it because it engages and stimulates my mind, and I love it  because I always learn something if I am open enough to listen. And sometimes, I even change my mind. 
The book I am reading right now was written by a retired Duke professor and his son, entitled "The Widening of God's Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Narrative". (https://www.amazon.com/Widening-Gods-Mercy-Sexuality-Biblical/dp/0300273428)
The father, Richard Hayes, was most notable for his 1996 book, "The Moral Vision of the New Testament". From 1996 to 2023 his mind had been changed on some topics, even ones which he had previously taught on, wrote about, and held as core Christian principles. His mind had been changed because his heart had been changed and so his actions changed as well. 
I believe I am enjoying the book so much because I can relate, God has changed my heart, my mind, and my actions about several things as well in my life. And knowing better, I am seeking to do better now. 


Even though the healed blind man was run out of the Temple, when he encountered Jesus again he simply said "Lord, I believe". And then he worshipped Jesus (John 8:38)
We don't have all the answers here at Gate City United Methodist Church, but we do know one thing, and that is what Christ has done for us. And that is what we have to share with a world so desperately needing the hope and light that Jesus offers, and that which He has called us to be bearers of.
And sometimes, we even have to change our mind when God changes our heart because, like the man in John chapter 8, one thing we do know-

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
Through many dangers, toils, and snares
We have already come
'Twas grace that brought us safe thus far
And grace will lead us home
When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun
Than when we've first begun
(https://hymnary.org/text/amazing_grace_how_sweet_the_sound)

Grace & Peace, 
Michael

Milestones

 As human beings we love to celebrate milestones, anniversaries, important dates, and days to remember. That's why in our culture we have birthday parties, anniversary gifts, and graduation presents. These are big events that happen in our lives that we want, or that we need, to remember. 

We celebrate our national independendace, take a break on Labor Day, and remember on Memorial Day. 
These are important to who we are. 
Of course there are important days in the life of the Church as well, most of the ones mentioned in the Bible we don't celebrate as holidays or high holy days such as the Feast of tabernacles, or Purim. Pentecost has taken on a much different meaning thanks to our Acts 2 understanding. 
Other events that highlight important aspects of our faith we do celebrate, such as Christmas and Easter, even though the Bible never mentions these as days we have to commemorate. We do so because they mark important events that we want to remember. 

This Friday is that kind of day for me, an important day I mark on my calendar because I want to remember. It was July 21, 2007 when I had a heart attack. And it was that day I accepted a call that I believe God placed on my life to submit to pastoral ministry and preach the word and lead churches in our denomination. 
I had said no to that call for a long time, even though I had researched it, I made my spreadhsheet with the pros and cons of it, and I had numerous conversations with others about it. In my heart I knew that God was calling to pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church, but I fought it for a long time. 

And then I had a heart attack. All of the important things I had been focused on with my career stopped. All the things I had planned to do with my family were put on hold. 
I remember lying on the gurney in the ER at Johnson City Medical Center with all the frenzy going on around me, and for the first time in my 35 years of living I thought, "This might be it. I could really die here today."

Apparently on my way to the OR I told Heather I was "going to do this Methodist preacher thing", and she said something like, "OK, just don't die."
And I didn't. But that day is marked on my calendar for me as a reminder. I believe that God called us into this life. I and I believe that God has brought us to this time for a speicifc reason and a purpose. And I belive that God led me into the United Methodsit Church for a reason back in 1994 in Chuckey, Tennessee. 

And so this Friday I will celebrate this day, and I will remmeber this day. I will celebrate by having brunch with a wonderful church couple, and then date night with my wife. And I will remember because I give thanks to God that I am even here. I give thanks to God that he spared me. I give thanks to God that he allowed me a chance to say "yes" to his Will, even though I had been saying no so many times before. 
I don't remember the date of my salvation, when I first said "yes" to Jesus, but I believe that I need to do that every single day, it's not a one and done. I don't know what day I was baptized on, even though I remmeber some of the events of it. 

But, July 21 is a memorable day for me. It is a reminder that every day, no every breath is a gift, and it makes me think about how I am using each one of these precious gifts. Let's make the most of each breath today. 

We all have opinions, but do we need to share all of them?

 I saw this picture last week and wanted to share a thought with you today. In case you don't know, Chris sang the national anthem before the Super Bowl. I think he did a great job.

Then I saw this picture inviting the social media world to give thier opinion: Loved it with a heart. Or not great with a crying face.

There were almost 10000 reactions and comments on this post.

And it made me wonder why. Why do we have to pick a side on everything? Why do we have to give our opinion on everything? Chris is a great musician who did a good job. I don't even know any of his songs because I don't listen to much country music, but I just wanna say, "Great job Chris, and thank you".

And the same to Rhianna for the halftime show, "Great job Rhianna, and thank you. And congrats!"

The world wants us to pick a side on everything. Social media thrives on that.

But we don't have to. If you didn't like the anthem or the half time show that's OK. Aren't you so thankful that you have such a blessed and privileged life that commenting on one man's rendition of our anthem is something you could do if you wanted to? 

I know this is  just all my opinion, maybe you have a passionate response you need to share on social media about the Super Bowl song or half time show. Just ask yourself, is it kind? Is it necessary? Is t true? Is it helpful?

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. - 1 Corinthians 1:10

Waiting in Hope

 "We wait in hope for the Lord, he is our help and our shield" - Psalm 33:20

I have shared with you that waiting is one of my spiritual growth opportunity areas.  So when I read this Psalm this week as part of our Read Together 2023, it struck me once again about my personal waiting. I read that the everage American spends about 5 years of thier lives waiting (in lines, in queues, at stop lights, etc). WOW! No wonder sometimes we get a little impatient, waiting is taking up so much of our time!

And add to that the other things in life that we are waiting on. The next paycheck, retirement, the weekend, that Amazon package, things to change, the prognosis, General Conference...and the list goes on and on. 

And yet we were created to be a people of waiting. When I list all the things in life that I am waiting to happen, or things that I have been waiting on, they all pale in comparison to what we are really waiting on...Jesus to return!

And so let's bring that waiting (called the "parousia"-- which means "second coming") to Pssalm 33:20.

We wait "in hope" for the Lord.

With all the things that we have to wait on in life, what might be more important is what we are waiting in. IN Hope. The word hope in the Bible means a confident expectation, a hope that is certain and for sure. So the Psalmist says his waiting is in this confident expectation of the Lord. That might change how we wait, if the focus can shift to what we are waiting in...in hope. 

I know that you are probably waiting on something today, but regardless of what that is, let's take taoday and wait in hope for the Lord, and then today IN that hope, even as we are waiting. 

And then, "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you" (Psalm 33:22). Amen.

On the original ending of Mark

 Today we finished reading the gospel of Mark. I'm glad that we started with Mark instead of Matthew this year because even though Matthew is the first book of the New Testament listed, most scholars believe that Mark was the first gospel written. 

And it's the shortest. On that note, the ending of Mark is fascinating to me. Your Bible probably says something like this after chapter 16 verse 8:

"The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnessess do not have Mark 16:9-20".

Biblical scholars say that the oldest manuscripts we have of Mark end at verse 8, and the addition of what we have as verses 9-20 were probably added in the 2nd century, about 200 years later. Now of course I believe that these verses were all inspired by the Holy Spirit and intended to give us a clearer picture of Jesus resurrection, ascension, and mission for the Church, but today I was just pondering the original (oldest) ending of the Gospel of Mark.

"Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They saiud nothing to anyone, because they were afraid" (Mark 16:8)

Trembling, bewildered, silent, and fearful. This is how Mark ends the story of Jesus resurrection. Those aren't words we ususally use on Easter Sunday when we preach about this!

And yet, those were the feelings of the first followers of Jesus. And in historical context, those feelings made sense. 

But here is what I was thinking today, these women knew that Jesus was risen and they stilll felt this way. They knew where Jesus would be (Galilee), but they still felt this way. 

And to be honest, sometimes I do too. 

And yet in  spite of the feelings I have in my circumstances, Christ is still risen, and Christ has gone on ahead of me and is waiting for me. 

When you have those feelings, and I think we all will, remember that even though the oldest manuscripts of Mark ended there, there is more to the story, there is more to do. Even feeling bewildered or fearful we are still called to "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" (Mark 16:15). 

Maybe you think your story has ended in a certain place, maybe like in verse 8 with bewilderment, fear, and trembling. But God has more to write about your story than that. Just because that's the way the story has ended for others in your family, does not mean that is the way it has to end for you. 

So, to use the Bible verse I asked our youth to memorize at Resurrection, let me end with these words from Jesus, "Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid, believe in God, believe also in me." (John 14:1)

Amen. 

Odin and Er

 

Many of us are on our 2nd consecutive (at least!) time of reading through the Bible in a year as part of our Bishop's Read Together initiative for 2023.

I hope that as you read,  some things in Gods Word are clearer to you, but I also hope that some things still make you stop and give pause.

Genesis has some of the greatest stories in the Old Testsment, and some of the hardest to understand as well.

In today's reading for example, let's think about how God kills people, because after all, that is the wording in our Bibles.

Genesis 38:7 "But Er, Judahs firstborn, was wicked in the Lord's sight, so the Lord put him to death."

That's all we know about Er, just that he was wicked. He was married to a woman named Tamar, who his father had arranged for him.  What was the degrading wickedness of Er that brought about his death? What did he do that was so awful that God killed  him? I wish I knew so that I had a heads up on what would make God that angry! But, all we have is this. He was wicked.

The next 2 verses recount Judah telling Odin, Er's brother, to sleep with Tamar so that she would get pregnant.

And while this sounds incredibly strange to our ears, this actually came from Deuteronomy 25:5-10.

5 If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. 6 The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. 7 However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.” 8 Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,” 9 his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.” 10 That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.

The mandate was to ensure the propagation of the tribal name. Family was everything. And the family name was to die for. Humiliation would have come from a brother who did not fulfill the familial requirements. 

But Odin did not want to do this since the child would still be considered his brothers child by the family, so "he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the Lord's sight, so the Lord put him to death also".

2 brothers killed by God in 4 verses.  One for an unidentified wickedness, the other for not sleeping with his dead brothers widow. 

What do we do with these? I think most people skip over them, knowing that at some point the love of of God will return in another story, and we move past all this divine killing. But I think this is tragic to do, for Er and Odin, and for us. 

One thing I try to hold onto as I read hard passages like this is to view them through the lens of Jesus.  God has never changed,  God is love. Even in relation to Er and Odin. If you read one verse and it doesn't seem to fit with who God is and the nature and character of God, then don't force that verse into God, rather look a little harder for what we might learn about ourselves for a verse that says something like, The Lord killed him. 

I have said before that i take the Bible too seriously to take every word literally. I love the Bible in as much as it points me to the love of God. I love the Bible as it shows me my sin and how I can recieve forgiveness in Jesus name. I love the Bible as it shows me how to live with and love my neighbor through Jesus's teachings and actions. I spend time every day reading, studying, and praying through these sacred texts as they illuminate God's will for my life.

I believe wholeheartedly that the writer(s) of Genesis believed that Odin was struck down by God for not getting Tamar pregnant (which by the way led Tamar to pose as a town prostitute and seduce her father in law to sleeping with her, which apparently he did and never even realized it was her...and she became pregnant with twins!).

Perhaps Odin died, and the logical thought at the time was that this must have been because of what he didn't do. After all, that story would have definitely gotten around the family table by now! Life and death were viewed as direct results of God's hand and His will. If a person was born it was because God planned it, and if a person died it was because God took them. We don't see life and death quite that black and white anymore, do we? 

I think of all the funerals I have presided over, especially where an untimely or unexpected death had occurred. I never said the person died because they had sinned.  I never said that this loved one died because the Lord put them to death. And I never said that the Lord took them, or that the Lord needed them more than we did.

I never said those things because I simply don't believe them in relation to the God I know and love and am trying to follow in my day to day life. We live in a broken world. There is sin. There is disease. There are genetic health issues that are passed on to children, from fathers to sons. And people die. Just like my brother Chuck and my sister Charlene. Just like my mom and my father in law. Just like Odin and Er.

There is wickedness in the world. But there is also righteousness. There is pain in the world, but there is also hope.

And so I believe that God so loved the world long before He sent His only begotten Son (John 3), that God so loved the world before God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1), that God loved what He would create even before He created (John 1). And so I believe there was love for Odin and Er. Where are these 2 men today? Are they in the eternal presence of God or are they eternally separated from God? Only God knows, but I trust in His grace goodness, after all, that's all that has helped me make it this far in my life.

So keep reading,  keep studying, keep asking questions,  and keep close to the Lord of creation, the Lord of Scripture, and the Lord of your life. In Jesus name. 

At that time...

 I love reading the read through the Bible plans. There are so many, and some have worked better for me than others, but, to sound cliche, every time I do this I find something that hits me in a new way. 

Like today:

"At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord"- Genesis 4:26b

It's only 1/2 of a verse, but said a lot to me today. And part of what I heard this morning was taking the Scriptures in context. This half a verse sounds great, it sounds like something that would be on a t-shirt or coffee cup. I mean, it would make a great new year's hashtag, #callonthenameoftheLord

It sounds, well, hopefull. In fact I have heard that this is a revival verse. That prior to this, as Adam and Eve, and Cain all had recorded conversations with the Lord in Scripture, those were personal, and this verse was communal. This verse was pointing to the fact that a new way of worshipping the Lord was emerging, people calling on the name of the Lord in a new way for the first time. What a great new year verse!

But, then there is the sticky little issue of context. 

This sentence ends what our Bibles list as chapter 4. Chapter 4 is a hard chapter, it contains the first murder in human history, a brother kills a brother over jealousy and pride. Then that brother, Cain, is ostracized from the community, sent out alone with his family. And as that family grows there is another murderer listed in the geneology, Lamech, who is the first man recorded as having 2 wives, and Lamech killed a man for wounding man. 

Chapter 5 is a geneological insert into the story to get us to the birth of Noah, in whose lifetime humaninty had hit degrading lows, and a masive flood would almost bring the creation of the human race to extiction. 

"At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord". 

Hebraic commentators say that the verb "began" in that verse actually means "began to profane". 

At that time human beings began to profane the name of the Lord. That makes more sense, I think. This is not a verse speaking of revival, this is a verse hinting at how self centered mankind had become, turning away from God, profaning even the holy name of the Lord. Which will soon bring us to the flood. 

Now, I do understand some of these stories in the beginning of Genesis (particularly chapters 1-11) to be more instructive than historical. This is not a biology book or a history book. These are sacred stories set down to instruct us and reflect to us an image of ourselves, and more importantly an image of God. 

And yet I wonder if we are not called to redeem that verse. If "at that time" mankind began to profane the name of the Lord, perhaps now "is the time" that mankind began to "revere" the name of the Lord. I know that when we watch the news things can seem pretty bleak in the world, in fact sometimes I think that mankind has hit all new kinds of lows right now, but then, when I look for it, I see so much good. 

There is sin in the world, there is evil in the word, there is darkness in the world. And yet there is also grace in the world, there is love in the world, and there is light in the world. 

The Gospel of John, like Genesis, speaks to God's creation. And John says that "In him (Jesus) was life, and that life (zoe) was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not (can not, will not) overcome it" (John 1:5)

Later John says "the true light (Jesus) that gives light to every man was coming into the world" (1:9), and Jesus said that "You (plural, all of y'all who love and follow Jesus) are the light of the world...let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14a, 16b)

Yes, at this time, humanity revered the name of the Lord. That gives me hope, that in that revering that we are also doing. Doing what Jesus said for us to do: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visist the sick and imprisoned, take care of each other! And the doing will reflect the light, and that light stems from love, loving the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself. 

Yes. At this time....