Dear Kaylee

Dear Kaylee,

Your baptism on Sunday is a big deal.

One of the ways you know that is that I took off a week away from my own responsibilities as pastor of my church to be with you on your special day. I wish I was able to come to all of your plays and programs and special things, but we live too far away to get to everything.

But your baptism is so important. Your Aunt Lisa and I didn't want to miss it.

You see, I have been writing a blog about how church people can find ways for the things that we learn and talk about in church to become a part of our lives. I call it "Beyond the Benediction." I know, it's a cool title. But it's something that we church people have a lot of trouble with.

Apparently, you went forward in church a few weeks ago and accepted Jesus Christ as your savior. That is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make in your life. One of the only decisions that will ever come close in importance will be choosing someone to marry.

But I want you to remember that accepting Jesus Christ as your savior is only part of the picture. Each day when you get out of bed and go about the tasks of your day, you have a new choice every day as to whether or not you will follow Jesus and let him be the lord of your life on that day. You go to a Baptist church and I am the pastor of a Methodist church. We have different understandings of baptism and some different understandings about salvation, but I know we would all agree that the world will be a better place and your relationship with God will mean more to you if you will decide each day to follow Jesus.

Baptism is one of those things that is done in just a moment. From now on, you can say you are a baptized person. You can never "undo" a baptism. But, whether or not you choose to live like a baptized person will be up to you every day. Some days, living like a follower of Jesus might not be so hard. Other days, it may go against everything you want to do. Some days and years it might just seem like following Jesus is easy. And then one day, you might find that following Jesus is the hardest choice in some situation. You might even come upon a circumstance where following Jesus makes decades of your life more difficult than you ever imagined. We are living in a world that is changing so fast. Even though our country here in the United States has been a "friendly" place for Christians in the past, it seems it is becoming less so. But if we take an honest look at history, genuinely following Jesus has not ever really made many folks popular with the world.

So, I count it a great privilege that I was there to witness your baptism. But, as a blogger who is writing words about benedictions, I couldn't help but notice how appropriate the prayer was that closed the worship service in which you were baptized. The gentleman prayed that you and the other three who were baptized would grow in your faith and follow Jesus throughout your life.

In short, he was praying that your baptism would last beyond the benediction. I pray the same thing for you. I look forward to all the ways I will get to watch you grow in stature and learning. But I am especially looking forward to all the ways you will grow more and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ. One day, I pray you will look back and realize that what was begun at your baptism will be finished in the remainder of your life. The Bible tells us that the one who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. I am excited about seeing that happen!

So, Kaylee, your Uncle Tony and Aunt Lisa are proud of you and the commitment you have made. You have our prayers and the love and support of a wonderful congregation there at First Baptist Church in Norman Park, Georgia (some of those people were my school teachers and friends growing up!). You have a wonderful mother and father and godly grandparents who are showing you what it looks like to serve God.

So each day, remember that you are a baptized child of God. Remember the blessings of salvation that have been opened up to your life. Live each day for Jesus.

You'll NEVER regret it.

The Call to Preach

Yesterday, I told my church that we are all preachers.

Wow. If it were only that easy.

One of the key points of my sermon was that we protestants are living quite a quandary when it comes to one of our historic protestant doctrines:

We believe in the priesthood of all believers,

but we practice the priesthood of the preacher.

The scripture lesson for the day was one of our beloved Easter texts. Luke shares that Jesus has appeared to his disciples. They think he is a ghost, but he eats some fish, offers to let them see and touch his hands, feet, and side, and thereby proves he is a living being with flesh and blood. He reminds them of his own prophecy of his death and resurrection. Then he says to them repentance and forgiveness are to be proclaimed, first to Jerusalem and then to the ends of the earth. (Luke 24:36-48)

One of the ways the church has skewed from God's purest intent is the investment of the ministry of proclamation in the hands of the professional clergy. Now, speaking as a clergy person, it might seem I am shooting my own livelihood in the proverbial foot. If I am, so be it. But as a leader in the church, part of my job is to equip the saints for every good work - not to do it for them. This is where we have gone astray.

The tumultuous times of the protestant reformation were brought about not only by developments within the church itself, but also by developments in the culture at large. Many historians have noted the very invention of the printing press and the emerging ability to replicate the Bible in mass quantities made a reformation of some kind an inevitability. The very ownership and reading of the Bible had been the purveyance of the church elite. However, as the printed text of the bible became the physical property of more and more people, the power structure of the church shifted significantly as laity began to know more of the bible for themselves. People couldn't get enough.

Fast forward through history to today. I would argue that, in some ways, we are in a bit of a reverse trend. The advance and growth of the internet has proliferated so much information into our lives that we are overwhelmed with content. A typical visit to any "Christian" bookstore shows a nauseating array of "study bibles" for almost any topic, genre, or demographic imaginable (check out this frightening iteration). Delving into the content of an old, ancient book and finding a way to even discern the the message of that book is difficult enough, not to mention the challenge of relating that message to today's people. It's a tall order and one the modern church is still trying to find a way to fill.

And so, in response, much of the church has handed the ministry of the proclamation of the word back to the preacher. Only now, it is an act of exasperation on the part of the laity rather than one of control on the part of the clergy. But we still find ourselves with the same problem. We have many in the church who are only marginally involved in service or ministry with our communities. The acts of proclaiming repentance and forgiveness to the ends of the earth are most often the work of clergy and "professional" missionaries.

We live in a world that wants to make everything easy. The picture above is the now infamous "easy button" that was made popular by the Staples office supplies company. Amazon.com recently created the "Dash" (much like the easy button) that would be proliferated throughout our home so that we could order more laundry detergent, toilet paper, or Ritz crackers by the simple push of a button. I suppose now the convenience of going to your phone or computer to place your order is now simply too much to bear. It must be easier.

Unfortunately, there is nothing easy about finding a way to connect the apostolic message of repentance and forgiveness of sins offered by Jesus Christ to our current culture. If anything, it might be more difficult than ever to convince a people who want to press a button and order more fabric softener to do the hard work of building relationships with our neighbors and friends so that we might be able to share our faith. The longer I do this work, the more I realize that authentic relationships is the only way that survives the test of time and the advent of changing cultures. Getting to know people, listening to their greatest needs and concerns, and loving them through whatever challenges they have authenticates the preaching ministry of the whole body of Christ. When we offer repentance and forgiveness, we are believable.

It's not easy. But it is possible.

We are all called to preach. And so we must.

A Cake Makes it Through

I thought today that nothing in the service might make it beyond the benediction.

I was wrong.

Today was a difficult and emotional Sunday for me and for the Alma and Elizabeth Chapel United Methodist churches. Even though we United Methodists know that pastors will come and go, the coming and going is difficult. I have served these churches in this community here in Bacon County in South Georgia for the last five years. Today brought news of a pastoral transition that will take me to serve a congregation in Columbus, Georgia and a yet to be known pastor to move here to serve in Alma.

I knew going into the service that I didn't want to begin with this news. Throwing it in during the announcements would cast a mournful tone over the worship. Following some of the advice of others and my own best instincts, I made the decision to make this announcement right after the closing hymn and before the benediction.

I preached today about dealing with doubt. My message was focused on accepting doubt as part of our faith and how doubt can actually prove helpful in growing us in our discipleship journey. One of the points I made was that in actually living out our faith in the face of our doubts, we can often dispel our own doubt and the doubts of those around us, thereby authenticating the integrity of the church in word and deed. I suggested that, given the events of the past week, we ought to all find some way to show some love to our local police and sheriff department. I made a rather whimsical comment that these folks ought to have a freshly baked cake in their headquarters this week from the church so they will not doubt the goodness of God in a scary world. Law enforcement officers see the very worst of what our community has to offer daily. It's no surprise these folks have very little trust in anyone.

Imagine my surprise tonight when one of my most faithful parishioners told me at evening worship that I had inspired her and that this afternoon she had baked a cake to take to a law enforcement agency headquarters! Even in the aftermath of such an emotional announcement that I would be leaving the church, something from the sermon made it beyond the benediction!

This is exactly what I was hoping for as I began to write this blog. Sometimes, we just don't notice what's going on unless we are looking for it. Perhaps that's the heart of the "doubting Thomas" message anyway. On the very first Easter day, Thomas was probably more of a "pouting Thomas" than a "doubting Thomas". His disappointment in Jesus and all his friends overwhelmed him and he removed himself from the community. It was only after all the disciples begged him to come back and told him they had seen the risen Lord that he agreed to at least show back up for their next Sunday meeting. Lo and behold, Jesus appeared among them and he met Thomas's doubting with evidence for belief.

The disciples didn't give up on Thomas. Jesus's message to them made it beyond the benediction of their first meeting in the upper room with their risen Lord and back to Thomas. The first inactive church member was restored not because Jesus went after him personally, but because people who were excited for their risen Lord persisted.

Imagine what might happen today if the excitement of our risen Savior could make it beyond the benediction of our Sunday services.

Well, a cake made it through today. I have hope.

Beyond the Benediction

It all begins when it ends.

Well, at least that's how it seems to be when it comes to worship and life.

As a pastor, I work very hard each week to fill the worship service in my congregation with many things. I follow some of the historic patterns that are given to me by tradition. Sometimes I do some of my own things. Some Sundays stand out among others. Others stand in the background, but have nourished and shaped spiritual journeys nonetheless.

But almost every Sunday worship experience is bookended by a couple of significant moments. First there is the call to worship. It may be preceded by some announcements or not. It may be spoken and it might be musical. It could even be silent. But each worship service calls us to a moment in time at which we decide to move from the routine of our daily lives into an experience together with our brothers and sisters in Christ that we call worship. During that time we will sing, pray, share, preach, and dine together. We will participate in the things that have sustained the church for centuries.

And then, at the end of this experience together, there is a benediction. I am not sure I have ever been to a worship service of any style in which there wasn't a benediction. It may be a prayer by the pastor or a lay person. It might be words spoken directly to the congregation. It might be a musical number. But there is a point at which we know the worship time has ended and we are to leave. We will get up from our chair or pew and walk out of the room in which we have gathered to worship and we will leave.

It all begins when it ends.

A hymn in our United Methodist Hymnal with words by Omer Westendorf phrases it like this:

Sent forth by God's blessing, our true faith confessing,

the people of God from this dwelling take leave.

The service is ended, O now be extended

the fruits of our worship in all who believe.

The seed of the teaching, receptive souls reaching,

shall blossom in action for God and for all.

God's grace did invite us, and love shall unite us

to work for God's kingdom and answer the call.

Just this past Sunday, we celebrated Easter. It was my eleventh Easter as a pastor, but my 39th in this life. As the pastor, I had just preached yet another Easter Sunday sermon. My benediction was simple.

Jesus Christ is alive! Now go and live like it!

 

That is what I hope to do over the course of the years on this blog. I want to "connect the dots" between what we do in worship with what we do in living. I want to understand better how to turn learning into living. I want to understand how to get the good news of Jesus Christ BEYOND THE BENEDICTION and into the daily lives of Christians who will in turn get the good news of Jesus to their neighbors.

 

The church is often hounded with accusations of irrelevance. Christians believe the lie that our faith is "private" and is to be exercised within the safe bounds of the church building. This is not the faith that was handed down to us by the apostles. This is not the faith of an evangelistic people whose final mission from our master was to make disciples of the whole world.

 

So, I hope you'll join me on my way of learning, exploring, and discovering ways to get the Christian faith beyond the benediction and into daily living. God knows we need it.