Brad's Blog

Moving Forward

brad@brookhavenchristian.org — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:45:00 GMT

Greetings on this beautiful morning,

The last couple of months have been exciting times at BCC, and the excitement continues into the Fall. In July the Executive Team and Elders, along with Rev. Jennifer and I, spent time in “cluster” meetings of the church seeking to gather information and feedback about where we are and where we need to be going. It is an exercise that should take place every few years, if only to make sure we are on track to be what God would have us be here at the corner of Peachtree and Lanier. There are other good reasons, too. This congregation has changed in the last few years: young marrieds are now starting families, young families are now seeing their kids off to college, empty nesters have become retirees, and that doesn’t even take into account the many new members that have joined us. In short, this was the time to take stock.

For those of you who participated in those meetings, I know you share my excitement at the enthusiasm and the passion that people bring to their church life. We all need certain things from the church, and we all know that certain things are expected from us, too. The ideas were wonderful, the feedback invaluable, and currently, the Elders and Executive Team are hard at work putting some structure to that feedback in order to present the results – along with their recommendations for renewed priorities for the coming year – at our Official Board Meeting on Sunday September 26, following worship.

But some of the things we heard were already in the works, or have already been acted upon. For instance:

We heard that people wanted a prayer group during the week. Starting Wednesday September 8th from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. that group will have a first meeting in the Parlor. Rev. Carol Miller has agreed to facilitate this new startup, and the plan is to meet each Wednesday from 6:30 – 7:15 in the evening. The first meeting will be an organizational and planning meeting to sort out exactly what it is people want from such a group and how that can be best facilitated. If you have an interest, please come next Wednesday and participate.
We heard that several people wanted increased emphasis on adult Christian Education, fellowship, community service/outreach and children’s music. An event that was already in the works fits into these desires nicely. The Fall “Super Sunday” Program begins Sunday evening September 12th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will run 7 weeks ending on October 24th. We will gather for dinner at 5:30, and then at 6:00 split up into different groups for different purposes.

o “Parent to Parent” is a wonderful video/discussion series that we have used before to help parents share with one another, learn some new parenting techniques and simply move toward being the best parents they can be. If you are looking for support or ideas, this is the place for you.

o “Missions and the Church” will be aimed at studying the scriptures that speak to the church’s role in missional work both locally and globally, as well as visiting local ministries that BCC supports to learn more about their needs and how we can help. At the current time, we know we will be visiting The Interfaith Outreach Home and The Suthers Center and are working on one and possibly two more ministries to visit. In addition, we will be doing some brainstorming about how BCC can become more directly involved with community service in our area, and beyond --- such as the possibility of a multi-generational mission project/trip in the future? Come and add your voice to the conversation.

o “Adult Chat and Chill” will be a time for folks to simply talk about what’s on their mind, to share with others and simply be together.

o Children from pre-school through Tweens/Youth will gather with our minister of music, Rev. Beth Parlier, to learn about music and to learn some songs to be presented during Children and Youth Sunday as well as at other services during the year. This program is designed to have all the kids working together for part of the hour and a half time period, and time for different age groups to break out to work on specific age-appropriate exercises and activities. If you child likes to make a joyful noise, sign them up!

So, you can see that there is something for everyone on Super Sundays, so if you are planning on coming, please contact Ruth Luckett at ruth@brookhavenchristian.org or 404-237-3030. Let her know how many will be coming (including kids ages) and where they will be participating. You may also drop a signup sheet in the offering plate this Sunday. Please do it by this Sunday,September 5, so proper plans can be made.

This is only the beginning to responding to the desires and needs expressed in our cluster meetings. Some things will be able to be undertaken relatively quickly, some will take more time. But the movement toward strengthening our church, our witness and our friends and members will be continual and positive. Stay tuned!

For an updated prayer list and list of upcoming events, please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org

For your prayer list:
Please keep Trae Hurst in your prayers as he undergoes hip replacement surgery tomorrow (Friday September 3rd) at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Please continue to keep Cynthia and Darrell Freeman in your prayers. Cynthia continues to work toward healing, but she and Darrell both miss being here with us and send their greetings to each and everyone of the friends and members of BCC.

On September 8th, Kathryn Sabol will be in Piedmont Hospital as doctors induce labor for the delivery of the Sabol’s first child. Please keep Kathryn, Steve and the doctors in your prayers. Also, one way the church can help out Steve and Kathryn is to gather food and deliver it to the Sabols when they bring Baby Sabol home. If you are interested in making a meal for them, please contact Carol Miller at cmmille@emory.edu (and yes, there is not “r” at the end of the name) and she will coordinate things. If you can make something to be frozen, we can gather those meals here at the church and deliver them all at once.

A Celebration - our nephew, Daniel and his wife Rachel welcomed their first child, Sophira Amor Kittle, on Tuesday August 31. My sister and brother in law are in Seattle getting to know their first grandchild and everyone is doing well.

Upcoming Events
Please make sure you sign up for the Super Sundays activities by this weekend! It will help us plan and prepare! Thanks!

This Sunday we will gather together once again in order to celebrate the Lord’s Day together and I hope you will be able to join us. We will begin a sermon series called “Lessons From the King” looking at practical life lessons learned from studying the life of King David. The first in this series is called “Learning to be Worthy” and the scriptures are 2 Samuel 5: 1-5 and Psalm 37. Come ready to think about how you can put away your doubt and worry in order to serve God well. Hope you have a great rest of the week!

Be peaceful,
Brad

God's Love Never Quits

brad@brookhavenchristian.org — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:27:00 GMT

Greetings!

This week started with an afternoon of celebration with the International Christian Church as they installed their new pastor, Sokhom L. Chau. Any day I get to spend with my Cambodian friends is a good day, but this day was up near the top. With Sokhom’s installation, the church has taken another great step forward on their faith journey. New members have joined; their property looks better than ever; and the smiles on their faces tell the whole story: they are reveling in the blessings of God. But more than that, they are working hard to share those blessings with as many people as possible.

After the worship service, Phan Rhattanak and Phaly Huy sat with Charles Kinney and me and talked about what BCC had done for them. They talked of being inspired by the stewardship letter that went out a few years ago declaring, “Are We Crazy?” Phan said it made the folks of the ICC sit up and say, “Hey, we are crazy too!” Because of that letter, he said, they stepped out in faith and began looking for church property for their ministry. They prayed and saved and looked at property and finally found their present site in Sugar Hill. In that new home, they are thriving. And as much as we miss them, we celebrate right along side them.

It is amazing to be among such thankful, gracious people. But try as I might, it doesn’t seem to sink in to them that we have just as much, if not more, to thank them for as they have to thank us for! Whenever I say that to Sokhom or Phan or Phaly or any of the members, they simply shake their head and I don’t know if they really get how much they have meant to us. The day we all met for the first time, Bill Travis, who knew them well, pulled me aside and said “We need to do whatever we can to help these folks. They are the finest people I have ever known.” And he was absolutely right.

Their story of perseverance and faith through loss and suffering is one that overwhelms me. Uprooted, stripped of all possessions, family members “disappeared”. Yet they kept on going. Brought to a new country, unsure of what to do or where they were going. Yet they kept on going. They embraced a new faith; found comfort in Jesus Christ and became evangelists of the best kind: the kind that doesn’t just talk about their faith, but lives it out every minute of every day. They have faced challenges in this country: cultural, economic, physical. Yet they keep on going, knowing that as long as they have breath, they will proclaim their blessings. Where does that come from, I wonder? How can I be half the witness they are?

All week long I have been thinking about how to be like them. How can I press forward, no matter what I face, and still come up smiling and living out the reality of the good news of Jesus Christ? And yesterday morning, when I opened up my devotional reading, here is what I found from the Message Bible Psalm 118: “Thank God because God is good, because God’s love never quits. Tell the world, Israel, “God’s love never quits.” And you, clan of Aaron, tell the world, “God’s love never quits.” And you who fear God, join in: “God’s love never quits.” Suddenly it dawned on me, that’s what the folks at the ICC understand: God’s love never quits! They know from experience that the world can be a terrifying place. They know how inhumane humans can be to other humans. They know what it is to be without. And yet, here they are today, prospering in their new church home, confident that the main reason they are where they are is that “God’s love never quits!”

Everyone’s life is different, everyone’s challenges are different. I have had challenges in my life, but never have I felt the challenge of simply finding a way to survive. I have not known the hardship that many others have known. And maybe that’s why I need to be reminded of the truth of this lesson. Maybe living through the worst the world has to offer makes one feel the best God has to offer all the more. I don’t know, but I do know that since yesterday morning, I have been trying to look at things just a little differently. I have been reminding myself to do a better job of looking at the world as my Cambodian friends see it: as endless confirmation of God’s presence and God’s love. And the fact is, when I do that, I am reminded once again that God’s gracious presence is everywhere I look: I see it in the developmentally challenged bagboy who helps the elderly lady with her groceries. I see it in the children playing loudly on the playground. I hear it in the laughter of a friend, sharing a funny story. I see it in the smiling face of the man who comes to the church door seeking a cool place to sit while he waits on the bus. I see it in his eyes as he tells me he is going to his doctor for his 6 month post-cancer checkup, confident that he is still cancer free. I feel it in his handshake as he heads out, telling me to “be blessed.”

Too often, I take the blessings of my life too much for granted. And that, I think, is the key: staying aware, keeping our eyes open, making sure we don’t miss the obvious marks of this awesome truth: “God’s love never quits.” For that reminder, I thank my friends at the ICC, the finest people I have ever known.

For an updated prayer list and list of upcoming events, please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org

For your prayer list:
Mary Malek’s mother, Victoria Jackson, in rehab in Rome, GA.

Ethel Cheponis’ sister, Carol Rukowski, undergoing surgery.

Carlos Smith, friend of Carolyn Flemming, dealing with cancer and it’s treatment

Upcoming Events
Mark your calendars for “Super Sundays” beginning Sunday September 12th and running through Sunday October 24th. We will gather at 5:30 for dinner and the programs will run from 6:00 to 7:30. Rev. Beth Parlier will provide a music program for kids pre-school and up where they will be learning generally about music and specifically songs to be shared with the congregation during our upcoming Children and Youth Sunday. For adults, there will be an excellent parenting class called “Parent to Parent”, a class on Missions and Outreach where we will do some Bible study on our role as the church in carrying out our mission imperative, where we will do some brainstorming of how to strengthen our commitment to community service and actually get out to visit local organizations to learn about what they do and how we can help. There will also be a “Chat and Chill” group for those who just would like to unwind and discuss topics of interest to them Please let us know if you will be able to attend so we can make the proper arrangements for food and materials. See the flier in church this Sunday, fill it out and drop it in the offering basket, or call Ruth Luckett at 404-237-3030 and let her know.

I hope you will be able to join us in worship this Sunday as we celebrate the Lords Day once again with “Praise on Peachtree”, our alternative worship experience in the fellowship hall. This week’s theme is “Prayer”. Have a great rest of the week.

Be peaceful,
Brad

Sunday August 22, 2010 "Must We Suffer?" Romans 8:12-24

brad@brookhavenchristian.org — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:11:00 GMT

Suffering is all around us. Each of us know what it means to suffer. Each of us has witnessed the pain of loved ones dealing with disease or heartbreak or misfortune. And each of us has probably wondered: must we suffer?

In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul addressed the issue of suffering, at least in passing.

As we hear the scripture, let’s put ourselves in the position of the congregation in Rome. We have gathered to worship and are told that there is a letter to be shared, a letter from a missionary in the field. The letter is from Paul, a missionary known to us, even if we have never met him.

Close your eyes and listen to Paul’s words. Remember, if you were in the church in Rome, you would most likely hear once and once only, so listen carefully. I have asked XXX to read part of Paul’s letter to us.

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? (Romans 8:12-24)

So, what did you hear? What is Paul trying to say? He’s talking about suffering, but are there any words of comfort? Essentially he says: “If you live according to the flesh, you will suffer…you will die. But give your whole self to the guidance of the spirit, and you will live.

There’s nothing to fear. In fact, we all suffer, and our suffering is to God’s glory and in solidarity with Jesus Christ!”

“But really,” Paul seems to say, “this suffering we undergo is not even worth considering, when you realize what glory awaits us! Sure, we struggle and suffer but big deal: God is with us.”

If you are a Christian in the church in Rome, having never met Paul, what might your reaction be? I might say to myself, “What does he know of my suffering? How can he dismiss it so casually by saying something better awaits us? It’s not that I don’t believe that, but hey, what about now? I’m hurting now! The Romans persecute us! The Hebrew leadership shuns us! Tell me how I can cope with this suffering.”

Paul is certainly right on one point: We suffer. Why? Is it part of being a Christian? If so, is there a way to at least relieve the suffering?

These are questions that have been raised for centuries. In Psalm 90, a Psalm attributed to Moses, the writer acknowledges that suffering is normal, and asks God to bless God’s people with the following line: “Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.”

Think about what is being said here: “if you are going to make us suffer God, please give us at least an equal number of days when we do not suffer.”

In the gospel according to Luke in the 13th chapter, Jesus makes it clear that suffering happens, and the fact is the good right along with the bad will suffer. He is speaking to a crowd of people and he alludes to 18 people killed by a tower that collapsed and asks, “Do you think they deserved it? Were they punished?” His answer is that they were not punished, they did not deserve it.

This leads us right back to the question that has perplexed humanity for ages: Why must we suffer? And in our suffering, we are led to other questions: What does my suffering mean? Am I being punished?

Many, many writers have addressed this issue over the centuries. My survey of the literature shows me that most writers come to the same conclusion concerning a very important question: “Must we suffer? Is it inevitable?” Well, the answer seems to be yes, it is inevitable. One of the most persuasive arguments came from Howard Thurman in his book “Disciplines of the Spirit.” Thurman makes a very persuasive case that suffering is inevitable largely because of one God given gift: free will.

Free will means we can make the wrong choice just as readily as the right choice. And when people make the wrong choice, there are consequences. But it goes even beyond that. The fact is that sometimes we suffer even though we have done nothing. We are innocent, yet still we are hurt.

Here’s how Thurman explains that: it’s not always that our individual choices have consequences for us. Sometimes, our choice has consequences for someone else. The driver who gets behind the wheel of a car when drunk may survive a crash…but what of the innocent victim of that same drunk driver?

Another more global example: decisions made years ago to build our cities and to industrialize the world – decisions made in good conscience - have changed our world, both in intended and uninteded ways. Because of the rise of the factory system, we saw prosperity that is unparalleled in human history. But we have also saw the rise of industrial pollution and congestion in our cities. Pollution carries with it the spectre of diseases that were almost unheard of 150 years ago. Congestion carries with it problems that come with overcrowding: more pollution because of more automobiles; issues of crime and noise and increasing conflict. It’s not that industrialization was a bad idea: not at all. But there are unintended consequences, nonetheless.

This is not a very comforting conclusion, is it? Oh, there is some comfort in the idea that God is not causing our suffering and pain. But only to the degree that we, as innocent victims, realize we are not alone. The idea of seeming random disaster, disease, hardship and pain that is not our fault is comforting only to the degree that we realize that we have not been singled out for punishment.

This is the paradox of life in God’s world: joy and pain each exist because God loved us enough to allow us the freedom to choose. Beauty and ugliness are both possible outcomes of human decisions. Suffering and peace co-exist side by side.

If suffering is inevitable, the nature of our question changes: is there any way to help alleviate the suffering that we will endure?

In 1996, Cardinal Joseph Bernadin of the Archdiocese of Chicago, died after a long and sometimes controversial career in the Roman Catholic Church. But it was in his final illness that Cardinal Bernadin became a living example of grace in the midst of suffering. Cardinal Bernadin was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a year before his death, and in that year, did more to illustrate the Apostle Paul’s lesson on suffering than anyone I have ever seen.

Cardinal Bernadin first faced his illness with the same reaction that so many of us would have: grief, fear, anger. He was human after all, and this was not good news. But he also knew that he was not alone. He spoke and wrote of the presence of the Holy Spirit during his illness. The same Holy Spirit that guided him in his church duties, that same Holy Spirit that strengthened him in times of conflict, also gave him guidance during his illness. Bernardin lived out Paul’s idea that he was a child of God, led by the Spirit of God. He knew that God’s Spirit had led him to serve well for many years and that this same Spirit was still with him. He demonstrated that the Holy Spirit did not come to guide so that we might be led to a place of fear, but rather to a place where all God’s promises could be trusted.

Bernardin wrote of all of this and admitted that his suffering was real and unwelcome, but in the end, the only way it could be dealt with was to rely on God’s strength and on the hope of all of God’s promises.

But in the midst of our pain, how do we find that strength? How do we make that connection? How do we get past our own feelings of despair to feel the strength of God’s presence?

Bernadin’s answer to those questions was to begin with prayer. You pray for two things, he said. First, you pray for strength of character, so that you can deal with the adversity. You invite God in, admitting you are powerless to deal with with your pain alone.

Harold Kushner, in his book “When Bad Things Happen
To Good People” posited almost precisely the same thing when he wrote: “When we try to deal with suffering, we find out that we are not strong. We are weak; we get tired, we get angry, overwhelmed. We begin to wonder how we will make it through…But when we reach the limits of our own strength and courage, something unexpected happens. We find reinforcement from a force outside ourselves. And in the knowledge that we are not alone, that God is on our side, we manage to go on.”

Cardinal Bernardin said that there is a second thing we should pray for in the midst of our suffering, and it is closely related to the first. He says we should pray for connection with other people. Howard Thurman posits that there is something very personal and private about suffering…but he says, there is also a fellowship of suffering, a community of sufferers. And in that community, we find strength. That community is called the church. And that community is our greatest resource in facing the pain and suffering of difficult times.

I recall a time when I was not sure I could get up in the morning. Not just one morning, but every morning – for literally months. Profound loss can make one feel so alone and confused as to be quite literally debilitating, as I was finding out. The suffering I felt affected every aspect of my life. It was emotional, spiritual, even physical. Loss can do that to you. The pain was as real as anything I have endured. I found it difficult to pray. I found it difficult to trust God. How could I? God had abandoned me, of that I was sure.

But, one day, a friend made it clear that she understood. She had been through something similar. You see, she was part of what Thurman called “the fellowship of suffering”, which I came to understand was all of humanity.

She introduced me to a “community of sufferers” otherwise known as the church. And as part of that fellowship, surrounded by that loving community, I came to understand that the words of Paul were true: the pain I was feeling was part of being alive. And it was nothing compared to the joy and comfort I found by being part of something bigger than myself.

There are still days when I can feel the pain of what I suffered through. It became a part of me. It became a part of my life. But one day I remember saying something that I bet each and every one of you have said at some point: “How do people without a faith community get through times like these?”

Ahhh, there it is: an answer. Yes, suffering is inevitable. But we have a place to go to help relieve our suffering. And that place is this place: the community of faith known as the church.

In this place, we are allowed to be authentically ourselves. In this place we can sit and cry and the response will not be that people will move away from us…no just the opposite. The response will be that people will move toward us, reaching out to embrace us in our pain. In this place, we recognize that we are not in this thing alone. In this place we gather at this table, not only in touch with each other, but with all those who have gathered around tables like this in places like this for time in memoriam. In this place we raise our voices in prayer not because God listens better when we speak as one, but because we are strengthened when we share together. In this place, we share our suffering, just as we share our celebrations. In this place, we are comforted, not because the cause of our suffering goes away, but because the healing balm of community soothes our weary souls. In this place, we feel the presence of God, and we feel it through each other. In this place, we find that we have the strength to go on.

There is no way around it: suffering is inevitable. We cannot remove it completely from our lives. It is part of the human condition.

We can, however, deal with it. And it starts right here. Because in this gathering, we find friendship and comfort and love and strength, and above all else: hope. For as the apostle Paul said, it is through hope that we were saved.

Planning Ahead

brad@brookhavenchristian.org — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:54:00 GMT

Greetings!

As we move steadily toward Fall, activities in the church start to gear up. On September 12th, we will begin our “Super Sunday” program that will run for 6 Sunday evenings. On September 24th and 25th, the Garden Club will hold their Fall “Yard Sale” (which is highlighted by some very nice furniture donated to the club specifically for this sale). On October 10th the pumpkins will arrive…and on and on.

To kick off the Fall, beginning this Sunday, August 22nd, we are undertaking a new endeavor for Adult Christian Education. Each week, in addition to the “Lectionary Class” and the Senior Adult Class, we will offer a “Special Topics” class in the newly renovated classroom (in the old church office – ask on Sunday and someone will get you there!). The classes will all meet from 9:45 to 10:30 and are designed to address one of the streams of thought that came from our recent cluster meetings. That is, a desire for spiritual development through increased study opportunities. We also wanted to get the schedule set for the whole year so that those who volunteer for other classes on Sunday morning can coordinate their schedules in order to serve AND to enhance their own spiritual growth. To assist any of you who are in that situation, a grid is attached to this message that outlines the special topics classes, as well as places where you might volunteer to serve. Take a look, and if there are time periods you would like to volunteer to teach or assist with another class, put your name in those boxes and turn the grid into the church. We will be in touch to coordinate.

Here is the lineup for Special Topics for the coming program year, along with dates and teachers:

August 22 – October 3 (7 weeks)
“Your Bible: The Study Begins”
Taught by Brad Miller

October 10 – November 14 (6 weeks)
“Talking Faith”
Taught by Jennifer Heinz and Brandy Mazloum

November 21 – December 12 (4 weeks)
“An Advent Study”
Taught by Carol Miller

January 2 – January 30 (5 weeks)
“The Gospels”
Taught by Jennifer Heinz and Laurie Hazen

February 6 – March 6 (5 weeks)
“The Book of Deuteronomy”
Taught by Carol Miller

March 13 – April 17 (6 weeks)
“Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism”
Taught by Jennifer Heinz and Brad Miller

May 1 – May 29 (5 weeks)
“A Time to Laugh: Laughter in the Bible”
Taught by Carol Miller

June 5 – June 26 (4 weeks)
Faith and Politics
Taught by Brad Miller

So, plan for the classes you would like to attend, and then look at the attached grid and see when you might want to volunteer to help out with other CE classes. Drop the sheet off Sunday and we’ll be in touch to make final arrangements about volunteer staffing. Our goal is to allow our adult volunteers a chance to coordinate their time so that they can help out and also participate in those classes that most interest them. If you have any questions, or have any topics of interest for midweek studies, Sunday studies, etc., please do not hesitate to let me know.

For an updated prayer list and list of upcoming events, please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org

For your prayer lists:

Please keep Jim Knuckles’ family in your prayers as they adjust to life without Jim.

Please keep Marcia Butler in your prayers as she continues to undergo tests.

Please keep our Cambodian brothers and sisters of the ICC in your prayers as they install their new pastor, Sokhom Chau this Sunday. All are invited to attend the installation. Lunch will be held at 1:30 and the service will follow. Please let me know by tomorrow if you are planning on going so we can get them a good count.

Upcoming events

Don’t forget about the upcoming Yard Sale sponsored by the BCC Garden Club. The sale will be held on September 24th and 25th but your help is also needed following church on September 19th. Bring a change of clothes to church, and then, if each of us who are able can bring up a load of yard sale items from the downtown storage area, we can have it all moved upstairs in nothing flat. Remember, many hands make light work! And if we each pitch in, it will be light work indeed!

I hope you can join us this Sunday as once again we worship the Lord’s Day together. The sermon is the third in the series, “Questions for God.” This Sunday’s sermon is titled “Must We Suffer?” and the scripture reference is Romans 8: 12-24. Have a great rest of the week!

Be peaceful,
Brad

Sunday August 15, 2010 "Why Did You Change, God?" Malachi 3:5-7a and John 14: 15-21

brad@brookhavenchristian.org — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:40:00 GMT

It’s funny where sermons can lead you.

And I’m not talking only about where they might lead people who hear them, I’m also talking about where the sermons sometimes lead the preacher.

It’s a little hard to explain, but this sermon series entitled “Questions for God” has led me to places I wouldn’t have expected. And that is a good thing. The fact is, this series has led to a reaffirmation of why I do what I do, why I believe what I do, and why I want so badly to share that with others. It isn’t that I have necessarily learned something dramatically new, but I have become reacquainted with some important truths, and I can’t tell you how much that excites me.

This week, maybe more than ever.

I think that there are about four different kinds of sermons. I tend to think that some sermons are primarily to inform; they are teaching sermons. Some sermons are intended to provoke someone to action. Some sermons are aimed at comforting and some are designed to inspire.

When I first began preparing for today’s sermon I had in my mind that it was primarily a teaching sermon, and these can be a little tricky. They can sometimes come off as a more of a lecture than I would like. But, I thought it was an important topic, so I forged on. As I continued my study in preparation for this sermon, I was quickly caught up in the fact that there was much more to this topic than just information: I began to feel a profound sense of comfort and awe at what I discovered.

A few months ago, when I asked people to submit their questions that they would like to ask God when they are standing in God’s presence, several came in around the same general theme: “Why did you change, God?” The question is aimed at the apparent difference between God of the Old Testament and God of the New Testament.

There is no doubt that a lot of contemporary Christians seem to believe that the God of the Old Testament was a God of wrath, mean-spirited and quick to anger, while the God of the New Testament is a God of love, patience and compassion. But when we truly take a good look at the whole Bible, it becomes clear that both “ideas” of God exist in both testament. In both testaments, a God of judgment and love is front and center in everything that is done. In fact, it becomes even clearer that judgment and love are two sides of the same coin, two attributes of the same God.

So where does this notion of a changing God come from? I think it comes first from the way we use the Bible. That is, how many of us have really read the whole Bible, cover to cover? What is more likely is that we study the Bible in pieces, seeking out and learning about different themes and lessons as we go. In my mind, it would be like reading only the love sonnets from Romeo and Juliet, but not reading the whole play. Or hearing only selected songs from a musical like Les Miserable, but not actually sitting through the whole presentation. The love sonnets in Romeo and Juliet are beautiful in and of themselves, but they become even more powerful and moving when understood in the context of the entire play. There are absolutely beautiful songs in Les Miserable, but they would not hold such power over me if I had never seen the entire production. We understand in context. Out of context, we only have part of the picture. In fact, out of context, we might actually miss the point entirely.

Let me give you an example: I have asked Jennifer to read part of our first scripture this morning, from the 3rd chapter of Malachi:

“I will draw near you for judgment, and I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me,” says the Lord of Hosts.”

What’s going on here? Well, on the surface of it, it sounds like God is angry. Who do you think God is angry at? Well, God is speaking to God’s chosen people, and God is letting them know in no uncertain terms that judgement will be quick for those who do not follow God’s commands. And that can’t be good.

This is the kind of reading of scripture that gets us to say, “Whoa…that God of the Old Testament was a little testy! Anger and retribution are the hallmarks of THAT God.

Let’s try another one: from the book of Jeremiah –
From the 15th Chapter:

“When the people say, ‘where shall we go?’, you Jeremiah shall say to them, ‘thus says the Lord’:
Those destined for pestilence, to pestilence, and those destined for the sword, to the sword; those destined for famine, to famine, and those destined for captivity, to captivity.

I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers says the Lord: the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the air and the wild animals of the earth to devour and destroy. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what King Mannaseh, son of Hezekiah of Judah did in Jerusalem.”

Wow. This is an angry God. But again, why? Because God’s people have not followed God’s commands.

Okay, just one more: ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites…you serpents, you offspring of vipers how will you escape the offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna? Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city; that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Brachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the alter. Most assuredly, I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.” (Matthew 23:29ff)

Now, that’s an angry God. Who knows where that is found in the Bible? In Matthew. Wait, but that’s the new testament, the home of the kind and gentle God. And who is speaking? Why, Jesus.

Are you starting to see my point? When we see only judgment and wrath in the Old Testament and only love and kindness in the New Testament, we are not getting an accurate picture.

But that inaccurate picture goes even deeper.

Let’s go back to the Malachi scripture: we heard the God of judgment tell the people of Israel that God’s swift retribution is about to be felt. But then, we read this line: “For I the Lord, do not change; therefore you O children of Jacob have not perished. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you.”

Yes, you have sinned, badly. But return to me, and I will return to you.

In Jeremiah, after condemning the people of Judah to all types of nasty ends, listen to what comes later in the 15th chapter: “Therefore, thus says the Lord:’ if you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me…for I am with you, to save and deliver you,’ says the Lord.”

And of course, Jesus’ entire ministry pointed to this same message: repent and be saved. In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes clear that even if we have trouble, God will provide an advocate, a Holy Spirit, to help see us through.

‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’ (John 14: 15-21)

There are not two different God’s. There are not two different messages. There is one God with one consistent message: a call to obedience and a promise of grace. But there is no denying that while the message is the same, at times it does seem like God is a little more aggressive, a little more strident in the Old Testament. I think that comes from three different things: first, these two volumes were written in two different languages, and two different cultures, a thousand years apart. So, some it may have been stylistic differences that lead us to view the two testaments differently.

Second, the Hebrew culture is very much a culture of community. God’s relationship to the Hebrew people was a relationship with the entire community. To this day, our Jewish brothers and sisters connect with God in the collective, not as individuals. Indeed, the idea that they could have a “personal relationship” with God is a very foreign concept.

So, when things neede to be corrected, the entire community, the entire people would be held accountable for judgment. It was the way they organized all the aspects of their lives and so God would deal with them in the same way: as a community.

By the time Jesus came on the scene, the culture was different. While there was still a community orientation, there was also an increasing Roman influence, even those it was a fledgling influence at best. This influence led to more individualism, and so the message that came through Jesus was aimed at this increasingly individualized culture. Yes, the community was still important, but now the people were open to a personal relationship with God, no matter what the powers that be might dictate in the larger culture.

Finally, I think that we may see these differences because at different times we need to be talked to differently. As a professor, one of the best lessons I learned early on was that not every student learned the same, and so if I committed myself to various methods, styles of presentation and testing, I would have a much better chance of getting through to all the students and therefore, they would all have a much better chance of succeeding, which of course, was the goal.

When it comes to living my life as God would have me live, sometimes I need to be hit over the head, hard and often, before I will truly get it. Sometimes I need to be cajoled. Sometimes I need to simply feel the loving embrace of God’s presence to be reminded what I need to do.

So, sometimes, I need the straightforward stern talk of the God of the Old Testament to get my attention. Sometimes I need the gentle words of Jesus message to get my attention. They are the same God telling me the same thing: Follow me, and things will be okay.

That is the teaching part of the sermon. It seeks to answer the question in front of us. But as I studied and read and pulled together the information that helps answer the question, I began to feel a sense of awe and comfort that I had not expected when I started.

I was awed by all that God has done, is doing, and is capable of doing. Think about it: this book we call the Bible continues to speak to us across the ages, some 5000 years after it’s first chapters were written. In its pages are revealed God’s mighty works and God’s presence with people of all times and all places. The stories, the poems, the history, the rules for living…all of it inspired, and all of it still living today! And then, I look around at God’s work in the world and I see that we are being called, just as our Hebrew ancestors were called, to be witnesses to God’s presence and love in the world. We are part of this story! We have a role to play! How awesome is that! The story that began when God broke into human existence continues today through you and me!

I also found a great sense of comfort in the reminders of the constancy of God. As I got further and further into this, once again I saw the truth of the fact that God is never changing, God is always present, God loves us and wants us to prosper. The God of creation, the God who breathed the breath of life into this world we know, the God whose power and might is completely and totally unfathomable also cares about us! You and me! Like a parent watching children grow, God sometimes have to be a little stern and direct with us. Sometimes God is more subtle. But always, ALWAYS, God loves us! And that is the most comforting thing I can imagine.

Earlier I talked about the 4 things sermons can do: teach, comfort, inspire and provoke to action.

I can only speak for myself, but I learned a lot in preparing for this sermon. I am comforted by the unchanging, immutable presence of God. I am inspired by God’s inclusion of you and me as instruments of God’s message and will. So there’s only one thing left: action.

When I sit back and realize that God loves me, that God desires only the best for me, and that God has work for me to do, it becomes clear to me that I am blessed. And part of that blessing is to share my relationship with God with whoever I come in contact with.

It means that I must put aside the petty problems that I am faced with and accept that without God I am nothing.

It means that I must lift my gaze up off the ground and look forward, always seeking to do God’s will in all I do.

It means that I must stop worrying about stumbling blocks in my way, and focus on the clear path that God has laid out before me.

It means that I must step outside my comfort zone and reach out to all who need God’s presence in their lives.

It means that I must let go of the self-centeredness of human life and focus on the true center of life, our almighty, holy and loving God.

It’s funny how sermons hit people. Almost every week someone will talk to me about how they have been thinking about the point I made about such and such last Sunday. And I think to myself, “Did I say that?”

For every sermon, there may be 50 different interpretations and 50 different “take aways”…and that’s the beauty of the whole process. These things hit each of us differently, where we each needs to be hit.

But here’s my takeaway from this sermon: God never changes…and we need to shout that from the rooftops!

Will you join me? There’s no time like the present.

Let us pray: O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, thank you for your constant love and presence. Thank you for the reminders of your holy scriptures that help us to understand who we are and where we come from. Thank you for the blessings of journeying together, each of us seeking your way and your will. And thank you for the gift of Jesus Christ, and for the advocacy of your holy spirit, guiding us to become the people you would have us be. It is in your holy name we pray. Amen.

A New Start

brad@brookhavenchristian.org — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:21:00 GMT

Greetings!

As I was driving to work this morning, I passed about 50 kids waiting for school busses along my way and I was reminded that for alot of the kids in the Atlanta area, this week is the first week back in school. One friends kids in Decatur actually started last week, on August 2nd. It seems early to me, but it must really seem early to the kids! In fact, I don’t think it matters if you start on August 2nd or October 2nd: it’s still going to be early for the kids!

But still, I remember going back to school with a sense of excitement, a sense of a new beginning, and if it was a year where you changed schools, you actually had a chance to “reinvent” yourself among people who had never met you before. Sometimes that is what I miss most after spending so much of my life involved with higher education. Because the fact is, that new beginning and new excitement was just as present in my 13 years as a college faculty member as it was when I was in elementary school! There is something reenergizing, something renewing about the start of a new school year.

It is something that we could all use from time to time: a chance to start again. And that fact is, we have that opportunity whenever we want it.

There have been times in my life when I felt “stuck.” Stuck because of circumstances that I could control; stuck because of circumstances beyond my control. But stuck, nonetheless. When I have found myself in those situations, I have hoped and prayed for a new start, only to discover that I can start again whenever I wish. Oh, this does not mean that I can disregard my responsibilities or not deal with very real issues in front of me. What it does mean is that I can change the way I think, change my attitude and invite God in to help me move forward. And that last part is the key. Too often we believe we can push through things on our own. A lot of our self worth is wrapped up in being able to handle what life throws at us. Not only do we not HAVE to face up to these things alone, it is my belief that we SHOULDN”T face these things alone. God created us to be in relationship. With God, and with each other. When we finally remember that God is with us, that God has promised to see us through, we will understand that we need to go to God in prayer and simply ask for help. ”Give us this day, our daily bread” is a good place to start. Then, we can face anything with a sense of renewal, ready to start again.

We cannot hide from our responsibilities or the problems that confront us. But we can move forward knowing that we are loved by God. When we face up to what is causing us to be “stuck” with that realization, we can begin again, This is not pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by theology: it is the reality of being God’s children, created and loved by God. Too often we deal with God only on Sunday morning when in fact, if we would start every day thanking God for a new beginning, if we would face every challenge we meet, every meeting we attend, every decision we must make by acknowledging to ourselves that we are not alone and God is with us, we will see that the new start we seek is real and present. Every time we ask for it.

For an updated prayer list list of upcoming events, please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org

For your prayer list:

Please keep the family of Jim Knuckles in your prayers as they deal with his loss. There will be visitation at Patterson Oglethorpe (right next door to the church) on Friday August 13th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The funeral will be Saturday August 14th at 11:00 a.m.

Please keep Marcia Butler in your prayers as she undergoes tests.

Please keep Trae Hurst in your prayers as he deals with health concerns and prepares for hip replacement surgery.

Upcoming Events

This is a big Sunday for our children and the Christian Education ministry. Immediately following worship, we will gather for our 3rd Sunday Fellowship Pot Luck Luncheon. So bring a dish or two to share and join us for lunch. During the fellowship lunch this week, we will recognize those children who are being “promoted” to the next level, and say thank you to the teachers who help make our children’s Sunday School so vital and effective. Please make every effort to join us as we celebrate together.

A couple of things to put on your calendar: The beginning of our Super Sunday programs on Sunday evening beginning September 12 and the Garden Club Yard Sale on September 24 and 25.

I hope you can join us in worship this Sunday as we once again celebrate the Lord’s Day together. This week’s sermon will be the second in our three part series: “Questions for God” and the title is “Why Did You Change, God?” The scriptures are Malachi 3:5-8a and John 14:15-21. Have a great rest of the week.

Be peaceful,

Brad

Sunday August 8, 2010 "How Am I Doing?" Micah 6:8 and Luke 6:27-31

brad@brookhavenchristian.org — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:12:00 GMT

So, envision this: you are standing before God, having left this earthly life. How many of us wouldn’t want to know “How did I do?” It gets at the essence of our relationship with God: “Have I lived up to what you wanted, God? Was my worship, my praise, my life, pleasing to you?”

The first time I can remember thinking about this was about 14 years ago when, as part of my seminary education, I served as a chaplain at the Edgewood, a residence for folks who are homeless and HIV-positive. There I met a man named Johnny, about 30 years old, a gentle, quiet man who had a great talent for drawing. In fact, there is a pen and ink drawing by Johnny displayed in my office to this day. Johnny was at peace with his situation, and was what I would consider to be a fine, Christian man.

But Johnny had not always been that way. As we got to know each other, Johnny slowly shared his story with me. Born of a solid family, he veered away in his teens and early twenties, becoming involved with crime and drugs. The two fed off each other, the need for drugs and the need to steal to support his habit. He was, as he put it, a talented thief and a professional junkie.

One day, he realized that this was simply no way to live, and fell on his knees and asked for forgiveness from God. He turned his life around with the help of friends who helped him “take the cure” in a remote cabin in North Georgia. For an agonizing period, he was able to detoxify his system, and emerged, clean and ready to start again. He found some work, he was making real progress. And then came the diagnosis – he was HIV-positive. Soon, it turned into full blown AIDS.

When he talked about how that made him feel, he would laugh and say, “well, there are consequences to actions.” From the outside, it broke my heart that this man who had finally gotten it right had been handed this horrifying death sentence. But Johnny kept on going, never complaining, as his family and friends abandoned him. He kept the smile on his face and the bounce in his step and turned his attention to his art.

In Grady Hospital, on a gray day, it was clear that Johnny’s journey on earth was about to end. I sat with him as he talked about so many things. And then, he turned to me with tears in his eyes and said, “I did so many horrible things. I hurt so many people. I’ve tried to become a good person, But, did I do enough?”

And he wanted an answer, and he wanted it from me.

That was the day that I really started to think about how we live our lives and what a difference it makes. I started to think about my own yardstick for living my life.

If I asked the question, “How Am I Doing?” I need to have something to measure against.

The first thing I think of are the people who have been my role models through the years. For me, they have been my parents, a few teachers, some professional mentors. For the short time I knew him, Bill Travis was someone I knew was doing it right and someone I wanted to be like. But what is it about those people that made me think that if I lived up to their standards I would be doing things right?

What about you? Are there any people in your life who you use as yardsticks? Who are they? What do they have that you desire to have, too?

As I think about it, they are all people of faith. They are not perfect, but they seem to try their hardest to get things right. They are positive people. They are helpful people. They are people that would give you the shirt off their back, if they needed to. I want to be like them, but how did they get to be that way?

Well, let’s go back to the first thing I said about them: they were people of faith. As people of faith, they had to get guidance from somewhere? Where might that be? Well, probably our Holy Scriptures.

What about you? Are there scriptures that you can point to that help illuminate how you are to act?

What about the 10 Commandments? They’re found in Exodus…and I’ve asked Mike McLaughlin to read a paraphrase of those commandments.

1. You shall have no other Gods but me.
2. You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
4. You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy.
5. Respect your father and mother.
6. You must not kill.
7. You must not commit adultery.
8. You must not steal.
9. You must not give false evidence against your neighbour.
10. You must not be envious of your neighbour's goods. You shall not be envious of his house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Are these good guides? Of course they are, but do we really need to be told not to kill? To steal? To lie? As much as I think these are good guides, it strikes me that I know people who can follow these commandments but still are not people that I necessarily look up to.
Are there other texts?

Maybe when God spoke to our Hebrew ancestors there are formulas for us to follow: Go told Noah to build. God told Abraham to go where directed. God told Moses to lead. God told the many prophets to speak God’s truth.

It strikes me that these are all good things to do: build God’s kingdom, go to God’s people, lead God’s people, speak God’s truth. But here’s the problem: God spoke to them directly and lately, I haven’t heard any voices. If only God would simply whisper in our ears, this issue would be pretty well taken care of!

There is another Old Testament scripture that speaks volumes to me about how we are to follow God. It is Micah 6:6-8 and it gets directly at this question of how we are to best honor God with our lives. I have asked Ruth Dunker to read this scripture.

‘With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with tens of thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

I think we might be on to something here: justice, love, kindness, humility before God. These in fact, sum up the people I look up to. And it is something a little easier for me to understand because it requires an action on my part. DO justice, LOVE kindness, WALK humbly. It strikes me that this means there is more to “getting things right” than simply believing. Belief is where our faith begins, but action is required to make our faith grow.

Jesus spoke to this very directly. The 6th chapter of Luke includes what we know alternately as the “Sermon on the Plain” or the “Sermon on the Mount” to a gathering of people wishing to be healed. Beginning with the 27th verse, I have asked Terry Evans to read the words of Jesus.

‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

There it is again, that attention to action. Love, do, bless, pray, give…do to others as you would have them do to you.

But there is more. Beginning with verse 37, hear the words of Jesus:

‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’

Don’t judge…don’t condemn…give. It dawns on me that these are all good rules to follow, and included is a word that may be the most important of all: forgive.

As I go through the Bible seeking guidance as to how I should act, I am struck by how many times forgiveness is offered, by God, by Jesus. And here Jesus speaks of how to live and he says “Forgive as you have been forgiven…”

If we were perfect, we would not be wondering if we were living up to God’s requirements for us. If we were perfect, we would not need forgiveness. If we were perfect, we would be God. But we are not perfect, and God knows that. Add to that fact that God gives us free will and the ability to choose and it becomes abundantly clear that forgiveness is a necessary part of following God. Both in our forgiving, and in our being forgiven.

How then are we to live? By doing, loving, giving, praying, seeking justice, loving kindness, walking humbly, and knowing that when we do things that are not perfect, we have a chance to be forgiven, and to begin again. That is, I think God asks us to do, to love, to give, to pray, to work for justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly, to follow, to lead, to act…as best we can. And when our best is not good enough, we can go to God and confess our shortcomings and know that God will hear us. As long as we truly seek God’s way, and truly do our best.

As I sat with Johnny at Grady Hospital, trying to respond to his question, I heard my father’s voice saying what he said with every report card or grade report or every ball game I every played: “Did you do your best?”, he would ask. And if the answer was yes, then he was satisfied. If the answer was no, he wanted to know why not. And no matter what I said, there was no good answer to not doing my best.

Johnny asked me: “Did I do enough?” and I repeated my father’s words to him: “Did you do your best?” He thought about it and mouthed the word “Yes.” And the words came out of my mouth, as heartfelt as anything I have ever said: “You did good.”
He closed his eyes, sighed a big sigh, and fell asleep. Within the hour, Johnny was gone.

How are we doing? We must look to the people we emulate. We must look to the scriptures. Do as they do. Follow their instructions. Know that as long as we seek God, God will always be there. We must do our best to love, to spread kindness, to follow, to listen, to act, to lead, to walk humbly, to pray, to give, to do for others as we would have them do for us…and we must do it all in God’s name, to God’s glory and for God’s people. And when we do all that, I believe God’s answer to our question will be clear: “You did good.”

Amen and Amen.
Let us pray: Lord, we love you and want to do our best to honor you and glorify you name. Guide us, lead us, instruct us so that might be successful in serving you all our days. Amen.

Connections

brad@brookhavenchristian.org — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:06:00 GMT

Greetings on this steamy day,

Today I was reminded of the importance of the connections in our lives. Too often, we don’t really think about how many ways we have been touched, and how many ways we are able to touch others. But today I was reminded again that among the greatest blessings we experience are the connections we have with so many people.

Today I spoke with an old friend. Someone who I haven’t talked to in a long time – maybe 3 years. Within minutes we got past the catching up part and it became clear that my call was well timed because he needed to talk. And while all I did was listened, our connection was a help. To both of us.

Today I had lunch with a friend that I see about 5 or 6 times a year. We were in the midst of a pleasant lunch when it dawned on me that I had something nagging at me that she was in a position to help with, because of her profession. And so I asked her professional opinion about something and, as I suspected, she was very helpful. The connection was, again, a help. To both of us.

Today I sat with Jim Knuckles as he dozed and woke up and dozed some more at the Peachtree Christian Hospice. I was thinking back to the time we first met: I gave him a ride to Epworth by the Sea on St. Simon’s Island for the Georgia Disciples Regional Assembly. Our acquaintance was renewed as he participated in Senior activities at Peachtree Christian when I was the Associate Pastor there. And then again when I arrived at BCC in November of 2001. We have sat together many times. We have sat together in funeral services for his grandchildren, and his son. We have prayed many prayers together. Once today, he opened his eyes, looked at me, smiled and asked how my vacation was. Then he took my hand and fell back asleep. Our connection was helpful. To both of us.

Today I met a young man who is struggling to make it. A skilled tradesman by training, he is doing anything and everything to get by. When we talked and I tried to figure out how I might be of help, it became clear that he had no one to lean on, no connections to serve him. As his story unfolded I was deeply saddened by that fact. No one to turn to. No one to seek comfort from. No one to ask advice. No one to reach out and hold his hand. And I have no earthly idea how he keeps going. But he came here, and I did what I could to help him find what he needed. But as he was leaving, I realized that my day was filled with connections that all came from one place: the church, and so, as I usually do, I invited him to come and worship with us. And I pray that he will. Because the church gave me my old friend that I talked with today: he and I were in seminary together. The church gave me my lunch friend. The church gave me Jim Knuckles. And the church is who I ultimately lean on when I need the strength of connection to see me through.

Today I made two pledges to myself: first, to never take for granted the people with whom I am connected. And second, to redouble my efforts to invite people to be part of this home we call the church. The place where connection – with Jesus Christ, with God, with other fellow travelers – is what it’s all about.

For an updated prayer list and list of upcoming events, please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org

For your prayer list:

Please keep Jim Knuckles in your prayers. He is currently at the Peachtree Christian Hospice in Duluth.

Please keep all those teachers, administrators, bus drivers, crossing guards, and oh yeah, students, who are returning to school in your prayers.

Please keep Betty Clark, aunt of Miki and Blake Morgan in your prayers. She is battling cancer and has entered hospice care.

Upcoming events – there’s a lot, so read carefully!

This Saturday at 5:00, two grandchildren of Worke Ejersa will be dedicated in our sanctuary. Following the dedication service, Worke invites you to a reception/dinner in the fellowship hall. Come celebrate the joy of new life!

This Sunday there will be a baby shower for Kathryn Sabol in the fellowship hall immediately following worship. All the ladies of the church are invited to join in the celebration. Contact Debbie Kinney at debbie@brookhavenchristian.org if you have questions.

The Suthers Center, a joint ministry of the Brookhaven Christian Ministries, is ready to open phase one of their operation on August 13th. Prior to that time, they need help with sorting, etc., in readiness for the opening of the thrift store. If you can help, just go to The Suthers Center for Christian Outreach at 3550 Broad St. in Chamblee from 10-5 any day except Sunday. To volunteer after the 13th, please contact the center at sutherscenter@gmail.com

Sunday August 15th is promotion Sunday, as well as the Fellowship Pot Luck Lunch. Bring a dish or two, and celebrate the teachers and students of Christian Education!

Sunday August 22nd marks the beginning of a new Special Topics Sunday school class for adults. The first special topic is “Your Bible: The Study Begins” a 7 week study looking at the history of the Bible, it’s contents, it’s transmission through the years and it’s place in our daily walk. Watch for more details.

In organizing our video library we have discovered we are missing several videos, including a couple of Philip Yancey studies and our “Parent to Parent” series. If you have borrowed them, please let us know. Thanks!

Mark your calendar for two important events and watch for more information: September 24 and 25: Fall Garden Club Yard Sale and October 10: The Pumpkins Arrive!

I hope to see you in worship this Sunday as we once again celebrate the Lord’s Day together. This week we begin a three part series called “Questions for God” based on questions that you submitted to me. This week’s sermon is titled “How Am I Doing?” and the scriptures are Micah 6:8 and Luke 6: 27-31. Before you come to worship this Sunday, I would ask you to think about the following question: “When it comes to trying to be the best you can be in God’s sight, what “yardstick” do you use to measure just how well you are doing?” Have a great rest of the week!

Be peaceful,
Brad

Home

brad@brookhavenchristian.org — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:12:00 GMT

Greetings on this hot and going to get hotter day,

I have been thinking about home a lot lately. Not just the place I call “home” but the whole idea of what “home” really is. It probably started about two weeks ago when I was talking to my sister about plans for our annual family reunion at our cottage in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at the end of July. 16 of the 18 members of the family will be there, the only 2 missing will be our nephew Daniel and his wife Rachel, who are expecting their first baby in September and so can’t travel from Seattle. It is always great when we can all get together, and getting together at Munuscong makes it all the better, because that is one of the places that I definitely think of as “home.” Summers growing up my parents ran a church camp that had once been a fishing and hunting resort owned by my Great Uncle and built by my grandfather. From the 1920’s on, it has been a special place for my family. Today, no less than 8 cottages on the river belong to family members, and come summer, it is our communal gathering place.

The other reason I started thinking about home was watching a video (re-watching really, I’ve probably seen it 10 times between the movie theatre and home video). The video is called “Standing in the Shadow of Motown” and is a documentary shining a light on the group of musicians that comprised the house band for Motown Records in the 1960’s. They called themselves “The Funk Brothers” and they played on hit records by the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder (when he was “Little Stevie Wonder”), The Contours, The Jackson Five, Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell and on and on and on. Even though they played on more #1 records than Elvis, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined, no one knew their names. They were never given recognition or even had their names listed on the album covers. (By the way, this is one movie I would recommend to any music lover.)

While it is an amazing story, and is so moving to see the surviving members reunite for a wonderful concert in Detroit, it is the fact that it’s in Detroit that got me thinking about home. The video showed footage of the Detroit that I grew up in: the auto factories, Belle Isle, Tiger Stadium, downtown. And it made me just the slightest bit homesick. As I watched I couldn’t help think about my hometowns current problems: 20+% unemployment, bankrupt car companies, political scandals of the past mayoral administration, deteriorating housing stock. The city has lost more than half it’s population since I grew up and the Funk Brothers were tearin’ things up. But, even with all that, it is still home, and always will be.

The third thing that has gotten me thinking about home is the cluster meetings we have been conducting to get a handle on who we are, where we are, and where we want to go as a church. In all the groups, at least a couple of times, the same word was used to describe the community of faith that is Brookhaven Christian Church: home. We have heard people talk about this home being the place that provides the soft landing in the midst of crisis. We have heard people talking about being comfortable to come and just be in this church home. We have heard people talk about growing together in this home. We have heard how the church home can be a saving grace when we find ourselves far away from family and our other homes.

That is when it hit me: home is not necessarily about a place. It is about the people. It is about the people who love us and are there for us. Memories of home are sometimes about specific places, but they are always rooted firmly in the people who were there with us. Our place in the U.P. of Michigan is beautiful, but would not be nearly as special without the people who I have shared it with over my lifetime. Detroit has never claimed to be anything except what it is: a factory town that struggles mightily when economic times are tough. But when I think of Detroit, it is the people with whom I shared my hometown that make it an important place. Neighbors, church friends, relatives…they are ones that make Detroit home. And so it is with the church. We are proud (and rightly so) of this beautiful facility. But when it comes to what makes this place home it is the people we sit with in the pews, the people who lend their talents to the choir, the people who lovingly teach the children, the people who pray for us when we are unable to pray for ourselves, the people we enjoy spending time with, the people we share with in Bible study and other groups, the people who are in fact, the church.

When I first moved to Boston in 1985, I was one of two new faculty members in the Political Science department. They gave the two of us offices next to each other and we became good friends. Phyllis had grown up in New York City but had come to Boston for college, grad school and work. She had been in Boston about 12 or 13 years when we met. We were talking one day about where we came from and she was curious to remember what it felt like to be in a brand new city. “Do me a favor, would you?” she asked. “Let me know when you start to think of Boston as home.” I told her I would, and several months later, as I had become immersed in work and new friends and exploring the city and becoming closer to a number of people, I suddenly realized, “This is home.” And the reason it felt that way? The people who surrounded me.

I am happy to be going home this weekend. Carol and I will be gone until we return on Monday August 2nd, and we are looking forward to it with great anticipation. But make no mistake, when it is time to return, it will be to come home. And for that, I give thanks.

For an updated prayer list and list of upcoming activities, please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org

For your prayer list:
Judy Mowrey’s uncle, Kenny Davison, passed away yesterday morning after a long bout with cancer. Please keep Judy’s aunt, Emily Davison, and the whole extended family in your prayers.

Please keep the Spaeth family in your prayers, also. Emma, a four year old relative of Judy Mowrey, has been on our prayer list for some time as she continues treatment for leukemia. In addition, her younger brother has been diagnosed with severe speech problems that will require special therapy. Please keep the whole family, parents Phillip and Mariah, children Emma and Henry in your prayers.

Please keep Jim Knuckles in your prayers as he struggles with health issues

Traveling mercies for Carol and me as we travel north.

Announcements:
Don’t forget: a very brief congregational meeting will be held immediately after worship this Sunday, July 25. The purpose of the meeting is to ratify the board recommendation for filling the unexpired term of an elder and the board secretary.

Are you interested in a new initiative of our Evangelism ministry that simply requires you to be your friendly self? Then come to a meeting following worship on Sunday August 1st to discuss and plan our new “Welcoming Committee”. For more information, talk to Melissa Rodgers.

Our friends the Gideons do wonderful work placing Bibles around the world. For years they have worked to place Bibles n prisons, on college campuses, and as we have all seen, in hotel rooms. If you would like to honor a friend, memorialize a loved one, or simply let someone know you are thinking of them, the Gideons have made this easier than ever. On one of the tables in the main hallway you will find a rack of memorial, recognition and thinking of you cards placed by the Gideons. Inside, you can let someone know that you were thinking of them by donating a Bible. Included in the card is an addressed envelope for you to make your contribution. What better way to honor someone then with the spreading of God’s Word?

I hope you will be in worship this Sunday to once again celebrate the Lord’s Day together. Rev. Jennifer Heinz will preach and her sermon will be titled “Praying for Change” and the scripture passages are Luke 11:1-13 and Colossians 2:6-15. Have a great rest of the week…

There will be no Midweek Missive next Wednesday because one of the really nice features about our Michigan home is that there is no internet or cell phone access! While I am gone, if there are pastoral emergencies, please contact the church office, your Elder, Chair of the Elders Dan Womack, a member of the executive team or Rev. Jennifer Heinz and they will know how to contact me.

Be peaceful,

Brad

SUnday July 18, 2010 "Choose the Better Part" Luke 10: 38-42

brad@brookhavenchristian.org — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:30:00 GMT

My mother was a doer. All 4 foot 11 inches of her was a human dynamo.

She could be a whirling dervish of activity. Even when she sat down to watch TV or listen to music she was always “doing.” She was a knitter and always had a project going – an afghan, a sweater, a scarf – to be given as a present for someone. One of my most enduring memories is of my mother sitting in her easy chair, knitting needles a blur, yarn being fed from her big knitting bag that sat on the floor beside her. And all the while, she would be watching TV or carrying on a conversation. She just needed to be doing something.

My mother was also a planner. She was, in a very real sense, the glue that held our extended family together. She loved to host parties – at Christmas, at birthdays, for special occasions such bridal showers and baby showers – she had a knack for knowing how to plan and carry off a good party.

From a young age, I loved having all the people over for the parties, but dreaded the build up to the event. My mother would have made a fine troop commander in a time of war – she knew what she wanted done and planned meticulously to make sure everything came off as smoothly as possible. It meant a lot of preparation, and we were all called on to participate.

When I was a little older, maybe 16 or so, I got a little fed up with all the work to be done, work that I thought could just as easily have been spread out during the party. Why did we have to have the dessert utensils and plates all ready to go when we wouldn’t get to dessert until two hours into the party? Why did we have to have the extra garbage bags easily accessible when they wouldn’t start to get filled until well after people arrived? And just why was it that I had to fill up two of those big old coffee urns an hour before anyone arrived if we weren’t even going to plug them in until 15 minutes before the meal was served?

Well, one day, I expressed my questions to my mother. Thinking back, I probably didn’t graciously ask, “why we do things this way?” It was probably a bit more whiny and perturbed, sort of like, “What’s the big deal? Can’t we do this later?” I do remember my mother looked at me as if I had two heads, slowly shook her head and, using one of her favorite phrases when contemplating how her youngest son could have possibly survived to this point in life, said, “Sometimes I don’t think you have the sense that God gave a rabbit.” Which I think was kind of a cheap shot at rabbits.

Be that as it may, she carefully explained, “Because the point of the party is to have fun, be with our guests, visit with folks we haven’t seen for a while. We may be throwing the party, but I don’t want to miss it.”

I may have been a little slow on the uptake, but I did have to admit, that it made a lot of sense.

As my mother got older, she spent more down time, largely due to a back problem that finally led to major surgery. Oh, she could still marshal the forces, but now she was forced to do more of the sitting and relaxing that would have caused her great problems at a younger age. But, one day, sitting in the sun outside our cottage on the St. Mary’s River, she confided in me that at first it was hard to slow down, but on days like the one we shared that day, she understood that there is great satisfaction is sitting and reflecting, simply listening to the sounds of the world all around.
I was reminded that day that there was a lot to be learned from simply listening. The excited shouts of a fisherman hauling in a fish on the pier down the way. The laughter of the children splashing at the water’s edge. The calls of the seagulls, slowly floating on the breeze as they leisurely glided by.

Doing and listening. Those were two of the things my mother taught me. And it dawns on me now that you really can’t do one without the other.

I can’t think of a better time to have heard the scripture lesson we heard Jennifer read this morning. It is a well known story. It is a story about hospitality. It is a story about busyness. It is a story about recognizing the importance of taking time to be in the moment at hand. It is a story about doing and listening.

For most of my life when I have heard the story of Mary and Martha preached, it has been to condemn Martha’s busyness. But I think that is to miss a big part of the point.

In this vignette, Jesus is on his final journey to Jerusalem. He has stopped at his friend Martha’s house where he was welcomed by Martha and her sister Mary.

Jesus was not a stranger to these two women who welcomed him, in fact we have every reason to believe that they were friends of long standing. Their behavior makes this clear. They both recognized that Jesus was special. Mary’s manner of addressing him alludes to that. They both want to be hospitable, yet they choose different ways to do that.

Martha spends her time preparing and fussing and cooking and making sure things are just right. Mary, on the other hand, sits with Jesus, sits at his feet actually, and spends quality time with him.

As I mentioned, most of the time I have heard Martha judged harshly in this story. She was too busy with worries and distractions. She wanted everything to be just perfect when they didn’t need to be. She was concerned with appearances, yet forgot to actually find time to be with their honored guest. Critics of Martha reference her one spoken line and point out that in that sentence, it’s all about her… my…me…myself. She’s too concerned with unimportant things, her critics say. She should have paid more attention to Jesus.

I feel it necessary to come to the defense of Martha. Jesus was invited into her home, and custom said that if you welcomed someone in, you really welcomed them. Food, drink, a place to stay. And those things needed to be prepared, and besides, if Mary had helped, Martha might have had some time to sit at Jesus’ feet, too!

I can see all the Martha’s of the congregation nodding their heads in agreement.

So, maybe this is just an example of poor communication. If Martha had been as good as my mother at planning parties, she would have had time to sit with her guest, too. But she didn’t say anything until she exploded, asking for Jesus to take her side.

Jesus, of course, does nothing of the sort. He calls Martha on her slavish attention to the things that worry and distract her, when really, she need not worry at all. She has missed great conversation and that was really all that was important right then.

But Martha was doing important work. It’s not that there was anything inherently wrong with wanting to present her best for her guest Jesus. It’s just that in working to welcome him, she forgot the purpose of why she was doing what she was doing. And that was to simply spend time with her friend, and listen. Mary seemed to understand this and maybe, just maybe, she knew that things were adequately prepared and now it was time to simply sit with Jesus, stop doing and begin listening.

I think there is a really important lesson for us in this passage. And that lesson is extremely timely in this day and age.

We are busy people. We are so hyper-connected as to be almost pathological in our inability to stop, sit and listen. We are bombarded by too many things, too many requests for our time, too many worries and distractions for our own good. And it is critical for us to stop our doing so that we can get to a place and listen for God’s voice, in whatever shape and form it may take.

When we extend the Mary and Martha story to our own individual lives, the realist in all of us understands that there is a time for doing. But when we focus so much on the activity, the work, the doing, and forget why we are doing it, then we run the risk of becoming overwhelmed, burned out. We need time in prayer and reflection. Time by ourselves when we blot out the rest of the world and just sit with our thoughts, our communication with God, with our Bible. Time with a group of friends where we study scripture and seek to feed ourselves on God’s word. Time in God’s sanctuary where we worship and pray together, honoring God and recharging our batteries. Time when we step away from our necessary Martha role and step into our just as necessary Mary role.

As the beautiful song we heard this morning says, “Lay down your burden, I will carry you” we can paraphrase Amy Grants words and say, put aside your busyness, your worries, your distractions…I am here for you.” But first, we must stop and listen.

I want to make sure you hear me loud and clear, because this story speaks to our very health as individuals, and if we extend it out, the health of Christ’s church. When we become so wrapped up in the doing that we forget WHY we are doing, we cease to find joy in the doing. When we no longer find joy in the doing, the doing becomes drudgery. And when the doing becomes drudgery, we run the risk of overload and burnout, which carries a high cost, both emotionally and physically. And when that cost is extracted, it becomes more and more difficult to find our joy, to find our purpose.

And nowhere is that truer than in our work for the church. We are all called to serve, but when we serve because we are supposed to, because it is expected of us, we lose sight of why we are serving in the first place and we run the risk of being joyless and unwilling servants. But when we serve because it excites us, because we are fed, because we want to, we are the definition of joyful and willing servants, and God’s purposes are truly served. Don’t get me wrong, the church needs doers, but we need to be sure that what we choose to do is what sustains us, because that is what will sustain the church.

Through the all too real story of Martha and Mary, I think Jesus is telling us that it is critical that we allow ourselves to step back and recharge, in both our personal live and in our church lives. It is imperative that we find time to meditate and pray, immersing ourselves in quiet time. It is so important that we find time to gather with fellow travelers to get in touch with our Holy Scriptures and to contemplate and celebrate all the wonderful gifts that God has given us; to share ideas and questions so that our doing might be carried out with God’s will and God’s purpose at the center. It is life sustaining to be together in worship; worship that honors God and helps us gain perspective on all we have been given, and prepares us to once again move into the world around us.

We must carve out time when we take a break from the busyness of our lives and sit at the feet of Jesus and simply listen. When we do that, we will be ready to do again, for the right reasons, with joy and purpose.

Listening and doing. My mother was right, as she usually was. We need them both. Both are part and parcel of choosing the better part that Jesus spoke about. After all, I can hear her saying, “you don’t want to miss the party, do you?”

Let us pray: Loving and sustaining God, We are immersed in a busy world, trying our best to make our way. We want to do for you and for your people, too. Help us discern your voice in the midst of the noise of our surroundings. Give us the strength to simply stop and listen and give thanks. It is in the name of Jesus that we ask it all. Amen.