A Little Help Here

^“One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”

John 5:5-7

 

Jesus, why do you ask if he wants to be well, the guy clearly has been seeking healing for 38 years!!!  Even more shocking is the answer Jesus gets.  If Jesus asked me this question, the answer would be simple, “Yes please.”  Instead Jesus is given excuses for why it has not already happened.

 

It’s easy to look down on the man for not just saying, yes to Jesus, but are we much different?  In any 12 step program, the first step is reaching an awareness of your need for change or healing.  “Hi my name is Tony, and I’m an alcoholic.”  Once you have an awareness of your need for change, the remaining steps involve your action and involvement.  Jesus question perhaps is less about the man’s desire to be healed, but instead are you ready and willing to be healed?

 

You want to be healed financially; to get out of debt, to put some money away, Jesus says do you want to be healed?  Walk away from finding joy in a shopping bag, or happiness in the latest gadget.

 

You want healing in your relationship with your kids; Jesus says do you want to be healed?  Taking on an extra project at work or agreeing to more travel may not help you find what you are looking for.  Joining another club, or working more from home and likely not going to lead you to the place of healing you are seeking either.

 

You want healing in a broken relationship; Jesus says do you want to be healed?  Holding a grudge, or starting rumors about the other person are not going to lead you down the path to healing.

 

Do you want to be healed?  Jesus reminds us that he is the great physician, able to heal both the body and the soul.  Jesus reminds us in scripture, “I am…” I am what you need, I am the great physician.  Are you open to the great physician?  Or are you filled with excuses?  Or just not listening for His work all around you?

 

Pastor Bill

 

Discussion Questions

1. What is one place that you want Jesus’ healing in your life?
2. What might healing look like?

Less is More

A number of people have approached me with statements like, if only I had….then…;  if only I made more money, I would go on a mission trip; if only I got that promotion, then I could make a greater influence for God at my job;  if only I had more time I would go volunteer at a soup kitchen.  What if there are times where the greatest barrier is having too much?  We have so much money that we begin to trust our money more than God.  Having too much influence, and we begin to think it is by our own strength and power that change can occur.  Having too much time that we begin to believe we can do more because of our own time management skills, and our generous use of time.  We can forget that God is our source of all things, and it is by his strength, his empowerment, his wisdom that we can do anything.

 

In the book of Judges a man named Gideon was preparing the Israelites for a battle against a group called the Midianites.  As Gideon woke up to prepare for battle God said to him “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ (Judges 7:2)  What a ridiculous concept; you have too many men in war, is that possible?  Look at why God believes Gideon has too many men, for the reason that they might think their own strength won the battle, not God.  So God takes the army of 32,000 men and trims it to 300.  Then God looks at the 300 and again if they carried weapons into battle they might think it is by their own strength they won, so God instructs them to bring only clay jars and torches.  The Midianites panic, attack one another, and run for the hills.  That day no one would ever think the strength of the Israelites led to victory, only God could have won that battle.

 

Sometimes we need less for God to work best through us.  Sometimes we need a reminder from 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  God’s power is made perfect in our imperfection, in our weakness.  Having less in your life may be a place that God is looking to do more through you.  God may be removing something from your life that you place your trust in more than God, be it money, technology, programs, power, friendship, or material possessions.  Do we only see road blocks, or can see God’s hand at work even in unlikely circumstances in our lives?

 

Pastor Bill

 

Discussion Questions

 

1. What do you see as a road block in front of you?
2. What do you place your trust in?

Extreme Makeover: Heart Edition

One show that I used to love to watch was “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” each Sunday.  In the show, a family who had been through challenges and trials was chosen to have their old home demolished and a brand new home built by famous designers, and custom fit for the needs of their family.  It was heartwarming to see their lives changed by this single event, and in each episode people would say, “I never will be the same again.”  It was an immensely popular show because people loved to see lives changed forever.

 

Jesus was approached one day by a man seeking an extreme makeover: heart edition.

He came to Jesus wondering what he should do to change his life.  ”In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (John 3:3, NIV)  This perplexed the man because he thought, I was already born, I came from my mother’s womb, how could I do that again, I am much bigger now.  But Jesus was suggesting something different.  Jesus call for rebirth was for the man’s heart and soul.  To follow Jesus meant a commitment to change and transformation, a commitment for God to mold and stretch him into a new person.

 

In the song, “From the Inside Out” the lyrics talk about this transformation,

 

My heart and my soul, I give You control

Consume me from the inside out Lord

 

When this man approached Jesus, the offer was open, if you want to see your life transformed, God can do it.  That transformation is a two way street, you have to be open to God working inside of you.  I would guess that most believers would say, yes I am to God to transform me.  What if it meant for God to work in your life, involved giving up control?  What if God wanted to change how you spend your time and money?  Are you willing to let God in and allow God to transform you from the inside to the outside?  Or would you rather just a little transformation, just a little change?  Jesus tries to keep it simple, if you want to see your life transformed, if you want to experience God, you have to be changed so deeply it is as if you heart and soul are completely new.

 

Jesus says it simply, do you want me to transform all of you in your heart and soul, or would you rather just keep going it alone?  Jesus says all you have to do is ask, and the Holy Spirit can change you forever, but there is no half way change; it is either extreme makeover or no makeover.  Are you ready for an extreme makeover that changes your life and allows you to experience and see God in ways you never though imaginable?  Or would you rather just watch extreme makeovers take place in others?

 

Pastor Bill

 

Discussion Questions

1. Has God done an extreme makeover in your life?  What was it like?  If not, are you open to God?
2. What is one place that you struggle to give up control to God?
3. What could be different if God did an extreme makeover in your or a close friend?

 

Easter Leftovers

The day has finally arrived.  As a Flavin kid Christmas was a big deal.  Decorations, presents, family gatherings and games were just a few reasons Christmas was a big day in our house.  It was hard to sleep the night before because we were so excited for the long-awaited day.  Then Christmas finally came and after a whirlwind of a day, we found ourselves in bed, tired and emotionally spent.  Our adrenaline was finally allowing our heart rate to return to normal, and we wondered to ourselves, now what?

Jesus’ followers knew this feeling well.  They scattered after Good Friday, fearful for their lives and wondering, what do they do now?  Their leader died.  So they went and hid.  I am sure they wondered now what?  They spent the last three years following Jesus around and learning from Him, but now He was not here to follow around so what is next for them? 

As a pastor, I feel the same way about Easter.  For weeks churches talk about Easter and its importance.  On Easter Sunday many churches and Christians bring their A-game, the best clothes, food, music, decorations, and more.  What happens when we wake up the day after Easter?  For many of us, everything goes back to normal, as if Easter never happened.  Churches put away all the fanfare not to be used again till Christmas; people put away their special clothes until next Easter.  It begs the question, what did Easter really change?  If Jesus really conquered sin and death and paid the price for our brokenness, then why does our world not look any different?

Mahatma Gandhi put it well when he said “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  If we believe that on Easter Jesus changed something, that Easter makes a difference in our lives, then perhaps the change begins with everything we do.  Maybe the day after Easter change begins with how we treat those around us, the way we handle challenges at work and home.  In Scripture Jesus makes it clear to his followers, his departure, doesn’t mean the work is done, but instead, it is just beginning.

 

Pastor Bill 

Discussion Questions

1. What does Easter mean to you?
2. How will you be the change you want to see?
3. How could you encourage other in this?

Bird’s Eye View

A few years back I had the chance to take a pastor friend of mine to visit Chicago for his first time.  Did I mention my friend is from the African country of Uganda?  Understand that in Uganda the tallest building was 20 stories tall.  So you can imagine his reaction as we walked down the Chicago lakefront and onto Michigan Avenue.  His eyes went wide, his jaw dropped.  I felt like I was walking around with a small child, having to keep an eye on him so that he was not run over by a car or person as he gazed up into the skyline.  As we walked he saw in the distance what he believed was the biggest building he had ever seen, the Prudential building.  This building is 41 stories tall, and twice the size of anything he had ever seen.

Our final destination of the day was the observation deck of the John Hancock building.  Standing at 100 stories, and over 1,112 feet tall, the Hancock is the second tallest building in Chicago, only to the Willis (Sears) Tower.  As my friend walked out of the elevator into the observation deck and saw the panoramic windows before him he was shocked.  After convincing him that it was indeed safe to go look out the windows, he noticed something.  Bill, isn’t that the building we were just looking at? (He was pointing to the Prudential building)  It looks so small from up here.

I would guess that as many of you read this right now, you may feel you are facing struggles and fears than may be overwhelming; much like my friend felt looking at the Prudential building.  Your busy schedule the next few days, paying the bills, having a tough conversation with your kids, needing to reconnect with a spouse, wondering if my job is stable, and more.  Honestly all that life sends at us can be overwhelming, discouraging, and just downright tough to handle.  We can quickly feel like the struggles of our life are the biggest, most overwhelming, that they are the tallest tower.  It is at those moments that it is crucial to step back and gain some perspective.

A simple conversation at your kids sporting event turns when your friend opens up about their family’s financial struggles, and they wonder out loud if they will be able to keep their home.  Suddenly your financial issues seem much smaller.  You are shocked when you hear about a friend’s family dealing with serious medical issues; you suddenly are not so worried about the medical issues in your own family.  As we speak to others, it allows for us to see the bigger picture, to put everything in perspective.  Ever considered reading the Bible as a conversation partner in gaining perspective?  As you read about the struggles of the early believers and how God intervened in their situations, we are reminded that we worship a big God, who is active in the lives of those he loves.  We are reminded of the smallness of us and our lives compared to the greatest of the God we worship.

Gaining perspective does not remove the pain, the heartache, or the stress of the struggles that we each face on a daily basis, but encourages us to remember the place of God in the midst of all that we experience.

Pastor Bill

Discussion Questions:

1. What in your life feels overwhelming right now?
2. Why are those things so overwhelming?
3. How could you gain some perspective on all that is going on around you?
4. Where does God fit in your world?

Good Vibrations

The lights dim in the movie theater, the stadium starts to roar as fans jump to their feet; you can feel the rumbling and hear the noise of the parade in the distance.  Then something happens, the feature film starts on the movie screen, the players come running out of the locker room, the marching bands and floats pass by in the street.  For each you knew something was about to happen before it ever did.  You could feel it, you could sense it.  The lights dimming told you the movie was going to start, the fans roaring before the players entered the field, the vibrations of the drums and feet of the marching band in the parade, all serve as signs of something that is yet to come.

We read in the bible in Isaiah 6 when Isaiah experiences this first hand.  It says, “At the sound of their voices the door posts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” (Isaiah 6:4, TNIV)  Kind of sounds like a rock concert doesn’t it?  The temple literally is shaking on the foundation, filling with smoke, all to show that God is showing up.  I had someone say to me a few weeks back, I wish God would reach out to me in blatant ways that he did in Scripture.  I wish he would come to my living room, fill my house with smoke, write a note to me in the stars, just something easy to understand and hard to miss.

Who says God is not trying to speak to us?  At a movie no one gets scared when the lights go down, no one thinks that the power is out, instead we get excited that the movie is beginning, we anticipate the movie coming.  When everyone stands up, and cheers real loud, we get excited because we know it is about time for our team to take the field.  When we hear noise and rumblings in a distance at the beginning of a parade, our heart skips a beat because we know that they are on the move coming our way soon.  We learn to make sense of the commotion, the vibrations, and get excited because the vibrations tell us something big is about to happen.  There is a tangible sense of expectation that we experience.

What if God has something huge brewing for our lives right now?  Would we even know that it is coming?  Are we even listening to see if there are some good vibrations coming that we would tell us something big from God is just around the corner?

Pastor Bill

Discussion Questions

1. Do you believe that God can show up in our lives?  What might it look like?
2. What vibrations might we sense that tell us God is up to something?
3. Do you sense any vibrations of God at work in your life right now?  How?

A New You

On January 1, a new television channel was launched.  This entire channel was dedicated to one person, Oprah Winfrey.  The Oprah Channel or OWN debuted with fanfare, anticipation, and excitement as 2011 opened.  Oprah’s legacy and following has been strong of over 25 years, and her popular message has been consistent throughout.  Transformation.  Look at Oprah’s Book Club bestsellers; they are often stories of underdogs transforming their lives into something better.  Oprah’s show is watched by millions and millions because people love to see her guests, experience transformation and growth first hand.  We love to watch and see lives changed into something new, something better.  We watch with excitement as we see them become a whole new you.

I believe that we have been hard-wired to seek transformation, that there is something powerful about it that fascinates us.  We hear it coming from scripture in 2 Corinthians  5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”  And then again in Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26, TNIV, my emphasis added)  God has built us for transformation; it is meant to be the norm of how we function as believers.  But if we are honest with ourselves, often our lives fall into a rhythm or even a rut.  We do things the same way day in and day out.  We get up at the same time, watch the same shows, and eat the same foods.  Then we turn on Oprah or reality TV, and we see someone else change, we see someone else break the mold, and a part of us leaps inside.  A part of us comes alive just seeing transformation, and we may think to ourselves, I wish I could do that or be that way.

But we can be.  2 Corinthians did not say if you are in Christ, you might be a new creation, it says that you are supposed to be a new creation.  We are made to be transformed by the Holy Spirit.  When God gets inside of us and our church, our lives should look different, we should talk different, and spend money different.  But when faced with the opportunity for transformation, growth, or change, we rarely take the chance.  We are fearful of the unknown and the cost of something new and unfamiliar.  I believe that God has a message of transformation and change coming for His Church and for His people.  I believe that God is going to show us what transformation will look like, but are we ready to accept the cost and do what it takes.

We can begin this transformation by simply engaging.  Each time we read the Bible we change a little, each time we pray God transforms us a little.  Join a small group, serve at a soup kitchen, go on a mission trip, mentor a child and teach Sunday school.  God may say, remove this from church, change how you do this, start this.  If we are faithful to what he calls us to do, trust me, in no time we will quickly see a whole new you.

Member’s Only

“Members Only.”   I was a golf caddy for four years during high school and college, and each day as I arrived at work I was greeted by a number of signs with that message on them.   I always wondered, what was behind those doors?   What was so special in the member’s only space?   Finally in my last summer caddying, I was called to enter a member’s only space to receive my tip from a golfer who had no interest in walking back outside in the pouring rain.   I remember getting ready to walk through the doors with such excitement and wonder.  I had been told what the other side was like.  I had read books and seen movies that depict it but now I was going to get a chance to experience it first hand.

Country clubs were not the first to come up with the idea of a “member’s only” space.   Ancient Jewish culture had two clear members’ only spaces.   First was in the temple.   There was an area in the middle of the temple that had a veil covering the entrance that was called the Holy of Holies, which could only be entered by a selected priest once a year.   Yet when Jesus died on the cross we read in scripture, “With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Mark 15:37-38, TNIV)  The second “member’s only” space were a system of roads that only could be used by priests and powerful political figures.   We read in Isaiah 35 about these roads that when Jesus comes, “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way…But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued.” (Isaiah 35:8-10, TNIV)

In both of these passages the message is similar; Jesus’ coming will signal a change in how we engage God.   Before Jesus only a select few priests would have the opportunity to engage God closely at the temple. When the temple veil is torn, symbolizing Jesus’ death clearing a path so that God’s people have and can continue to directly engage God.   Isaiah’s passage lays out a vision of a special road that is made for all of God’s people, not just the elite or royalty to travel to meet God.

Each day people drive past churches all across America and see these little “member’s only” signs.   They see it on the church building, the front doors, and the people who worship inside.   There are many who need to be at church, and some who even desire to come here and spend time with God and others, but fear that they don’t belong because this is a “member’s only” zone.   We could tell them that it is not the case, but our examples today from scripture are not about rationally convincing people of a new reality.   Instead both our passages are showing and engaging people in that new reality, inviting them to come and meet God in a real and personal way.  So this Holiday season, perhaps you will invite someone to come and meet God, and to experience first hand that this is not a “member’s only” zone, but rather a place where all who desire to meet God are welcomed and loved.

Count the Cost

Each day we make choices and decisions.  What to eat for breakfast, to speed or go the speed limit, to be kind to others, or have a chip on your shoulder?  Every decision that we make comes at a cost.  Sometimes the cost is obvious, we chose to buy a product and it’s lowered the balance of our bank account, we make a business decision that has a tangible financial cost to it.  Yet every one of our decisions comes at a cost.  Treating your co-workers with kindness or with cruelty may inform their perspective of Christians.  Working overtime everyday takes a physical and emotional toll on you as well as friends and family closest to you.  All our choices have an effect on both ourselves as well as those around us.

Have you ever thought about being a follower of Jesus as one of those choices that we have to make?  Jesus talked very bluntly with his followers about this importance choice and its effect on their lives.  Jesus used this analogy, “”For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him.” (Luke 14:28-29, ESV)  Jesus challenge to the disciples is count the cost.  That each of their decisions as a follower of Christ has consequences, and they have better thought through the long term consequences of their actions, not just the immediate ones.

Yet as we read this we often think of the big decisions, buying a home, a car, starting a family and more, but it is not just the big decisions that we need to be thinking about, or as Bishop T.D. Jakes puts it, “The costliest decision that you ever make for your business, church, or family may the decision that you chose not to make.”  Perhaps the most costly decision with investing money would be not selling a stock off and keeping things just as they were, and losing thousands.  You notice your lifestyle is leading to weigh gain, but changing would be so hard so you don’t, until you gain 40 pounds, and find out the cost of losing those 40 pounds.

As follower of Christ we are regularly asked to make decisions, some for change, and some to keep things the same.  Jesus reminder in this passage is that as we weigh decisions that we need to count the cost.  To change nothing comes at a cost, sometimes even higher than to change everything with weigh loss, investments, and our faith and church.  As we continue to seek the Spirit’s leading for our work and ministry this is a central question that we each need to wrestle with.  What is the cost of this?  How does this affect others at church, in my family, and at work?  Jesus call here is that mature and responsible disciples make sure they understand the consequences of their choices before they are made.  Because sometimes the costliest, most painful decision that causes the most loss, is the decision to do and change nothing, to remain on the same path.

In the Vine

John 15 is a famous passage where Jesus begins by saying, I am the vine and God is the gardener, if you want to produce fruit you will remain in me.  The passage is all about plants, and comparing our relationship to God and Jesus to plant parts.  Plants are constantly growing, and changing.  They are rarely the same for very long.  If you reflect or read anything about the history of Trinity Church you will see that change is our heritage.  Trinity looked different in 1960, 1963, 1970, and so on.  From the beginning the church was always on the look out for how God was moving and leading to reach the lost and grow up people in the faith.  As we listened tonight we heard stories of how this church has been faithful to how God has led us even when it was hard, or uncomfortable, or unconventional.  God blessed that.  God blessed our obedience to follow him where he led.  God blessed it because we remained in him.  Jesus tells us in this passage that we will produce fruit only if we remain in the vine that is Him.

That is our job.  Throughout the history of Trinity the work has been all about doing God’s will, about following the Spirit’s leading to do his work.  That work has looked different each year, through each consistory, each pastor, but the focus for all of it was Christ.  “Remain in me, and you will produce fruit.”  As we step into the next 50 years of Trinity it is going to look different.  There are going to be ministries that bear great fruit that we cannot even imagine right now.  There are methods and means of ministry that we could never imagine that God will bless greatly.  No matter what we do or how we do it our driving force is to remain in Christ.

The future of Trinity does not hinge on face book, lemon bread, a certain kind of music, or anything else, it is about Jesus.  It is about sharing the love of Christ and the Good News of the Gospel.  If we are here to bear fruit, to share the good news, and grow in our faith it does not happen apart from God.  And it also is not always done in the same ways.  It means that God will lead us in directions and to places that we have never been before.  As we move forward that is our measuring stick; in all that we do, are we remaining in Christ, are we following his leading?  Because we are a changing place and people, each year new people come in and others follow God’s call to go elsewhere.  This is why Jesus mentions the need for pruning. Pruning is done to encourage different growth and greater fruit.  It allows for a skilled gardener to carefully remove parts the impeding fruit for further growth and fruit.  This passage reminds us that being in Christ is not always comfortable; in fact Jesus will prune back all that does not bear fruit so that the rest of the plant will bear more fruit.  As we seek to do this all we do need to remain in him.  It is by God and for God that we do everything in this place.

I believe that Jesus has called us as a church and as individuals to remain in him, the true vine.  So today I ask that you consider this covenant to one another.  To be part of the vine does not promise comfort, it leads us to reliance on Christ.  To be part of the vine does not lead us to tradition, but to follow God faithfully.  To remain in the vine does not lead us to a perfect never changing plan, but to discern the leading of the Spirit everyday of our lives.  I believe we want to be a church that remains in Christ in all that we do, even thought it has looked different each year.  This core conviction is something that has not changed since the day this church began.