Second Presbyterian Church

In John 17:16, Jesus prays for his disciples, saying “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”  Throughout the New Testament, Jesus, Paul, and Peter each refer to followers of Jesus as being sojourners and foreigners in this world.  They have a distance from the world, even while being a part of it.

I love that familiar story of an airline employee who worked through a long delay in a flight's departure and kept her composure as the passengers grew angrier. When someone asked her name so he could write a letter of commendation, she replied, "Oh, I don't work for this airline; I work for Jesus Christ."

When I was little, I used to sing, “They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love.”  That is a beautiful message, particularly if we imagine it not just as a song but as a reality.  My prayer is that each of us lives our life with the recognition that we do have an important calling.  We are “not of this world.”  That is a calling, and it is good news.

With blessings,
Craig

In her book Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, Anne Lamott writes, “There's a lovely (Jewish) Hasidic story of a rabbi who always told his people that if they studied the Torah, it would put Scripture on their hearts. One of them asked, 'Why on our hearts, and not in them?' The rabbi answered, 'Only God can put Scripture inside. But reading sacred text can put it on your heart, and then when your hearts break, the holy words will fall inside.'"

Sometimes scripture does not speak to us, simply because our hearts are not responsive.  Deuteronomy 6 commands us to frame each aspect of our life in scripture, and Jesus—responding to the devil in the wilderness—indicates well why it matters.

Again, this week I encourage you to read the sheet of scripture distributed in worship (and available at this link).  Read it in your car, or in your kitchen, when in bed, or while waiting in line for groceries.  Then wait for the words to fall inside.

Have a blessed week,
Pastor Craig

The next day, Karl—the Nazi officer—died.  The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness goes on to say that years after Simon Wiesenthal had walked out on Karl, he realized that he still didn’t have closure in his life.  He did what many of us would see as unthinkable:  he visited Karl’s elderly mother, in part—he says—because he wanted to hear some story that would clearly contradict the ambivalent feelings of sympathy that he continued to have for him.  However, he did not find such a contradiction and, although he considered sharing with Karl’s mother the stories of some of the atrocities that Karl had described to him, he chose not to take away her memory of her son.  Again, he left in silence.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul calls us to be agents of reconciliation.  Even though resentments gnaw at us, and can make us prisoners to actions and people who already have caused us harm, forgiveness—at appropriate times—can clear out junk in our lives, and can allow us to use our emotional energy and our life for what God has called us to do and for who God has called us to be.  Forgiven, we are to forgive others.  But that we can do only through the power of God.

Be a blessing to others,

Craig

For Christians, grace leads to gratitude.  When I experience a genuinely gracious person, their faith life rarely fails to be inspirational.

If, in your life, you read only one more article about Tim Tebow, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, I hope that it is this one: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow

Rick Reilly describes well a person—who happens to play football—seeking to live a meaning-filled life.

As you think about your own life today, I encourage you to reflect on these words from Martin Luther King, Jr.:

“I may not be the man I want to be;
I may not be the man I ought to be;
I may not be the man I could be;
I may not be the man I can be;
but praise God, I'm not the man I once was.”

With blessings,
Pastor Craig

P.S.  When I was thinking about faith and gratitude for Sunday, I ran across two websites, both of which were inspirational in different ways.  One was called  “My Gratitude Life:  Being Grateful For What You Have” (http://mygratitudelife.wordpress.com/).  The other is called “Gratefulness” (http://www.gratefulness.org/).   Spend a little time focusing only on positive kinds of energy.  It’s a good reminder of what God has done for us.

Happy New Year, SPC Friends!

I really enjoyed the church’s first worship service of the year. It was fun to play “Family Feud” on Sunday morning as we chatted about our New Year’s resolutions.

I talked a bit about the difficulty that I have in maintaining my annual resolution to put God first in my life. My conversations with friends following worship confirmed that this is a challenge that many of us face.

As we move into 2012, I’d encourage you to join me in re-reading Matthew 6: 31 – 33 and Proverbs 3: 5 -7. God’s message that He knows exactly what we need and that we should simply trust Him (instead of ourselves) is a profound reminder of the amazing gift of God’s care that we so often overlook.     

On Sunday, I was remarking to Andrea Phelps that our commitment to refocus on our faith in the new year can easily become exactly like a new gym membership where we commit to “get in shape” (and even pay the annual fee) before we get too busy to work out (or pray in the morning).

Loretta found a wonderful website that we have committed to try. It’s called “Examen” and can be found at “www.examen.me”. A variety of devotional opportunities exist ranging from a “read through the Bible in one year” daily assignment to a 7-day devotional on “marriage”. This is a free site!

If you are looking for an organized way to think through your faith in the new year, maybe you’d want to join Loretta and me as we try to stay focused on putting God first using the Examen website.

I’m grateful for your participation in the life and ministry of Second Presbyterian Church and wish you a very happy new year!

Blessings,

Pastor Billy

P.S. We have had lots of folks ask about getting a copy of the song that Loretta sang on Christmas Eve. The song, “Labor of Love”, was written by Andrew Peterson and originally recorded by Jill Phillips. If you’d like a copy, go to www.andrew-peterson.com/behold.  

The choir, the instrumentalists, Jeff, and Bobbie led us in such a beautiful time of worship yesterday, as we approached—musically—our Advent themes from this year.  In the Gospel of Luke, Mary says, “Here I am,” “Let it be,” and “My soul magnifies the Lord.”  What does it mean for us to say the same?

After worship, some of you asked about the melodic oboe part that was incorporated in “The Annunciation” (the choir’s second piece).  It is called “Gabriel’s Oboe,” and it was an instrumental piece written by Ennio Morricone, originally for the film The Mission (about 18th century missionaries in South America).  One commentator said that the melody of this piece "weaves together our deepest longings and highest aspirations as human beings, and composes them into imagined possibilities and resilient hopefulness."  That seems fair.

After being asked repeatedly if lyrics could be added to this piece, Morricone relented, and--with lyrics--this piece is called “Nella Fantasia.” It has been recorded by Sarah Brightman and Paul Potts and, this last year, it was highlighted in a viral video from 22-year-old Sung-Bong Choi on “Korea’s Got Talent.”

I didn’t want worship to end yesterday, so I felt like I extended it some by listening to Yo-Yo Ma play “Gabriel's Oboe,” by hearing Sarah Brightman sing “Nella Fantasia,” and by reading “The Annunciation”’s lyrics in the bulletin.  

When are we moved to want to say “My soul magnifies the Lord”?  Sometimes it is through song.

My hope is that each of us—sometime this season—has that feeling.

Blessings,
Craig

When Mary says “My soul magnifies the Lord,” that faith statement acknowledges how she prioritizes her life.  We always magnify something in our lives.  What we choose to magnify is what is critical.

Mary could have magnified what was holding her back, or the challenging circumstances she was facing because of her pregnancy.  But Mary reminds us that perspective matters.  Magnifying the Lord puts our lives in perspective.

Years later—in the Sermon on the Mount—Jesus would say “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).   Maybe he was just quoting what he had learned from his mother.

May your own soul magnify the Lord,

Craig

In Here I Stand, Roland Bainton writes that Martin Luther saw three miracles in Christ’s nativity: God became human, a virgin conceived, and Mary believed. In Luther’s mind, the greatest was the last.

What it means to believe and trust is seen well in the life of Nick Vujicic.  After worship, a number of you asked me about this Australian young man (29 years old) who—although he is otherwise healthy—has no arms or legs.

He has an amazing testimony, but what I appreciate most about his words is that he doesn’t let his audience simply experience gratitude for not having the kinds of challenges that he faces.  He calls on people to compare their challenges not with those of other people, but with the overwhelming love of God.

If you are looking for an inspirational video, just type his name into youtube or, if you are looking for a thoughtful Christmas present, you may want to share his recent book, entitled Life Without Limits:  Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life.

Have a blessed week,
Craig

The first time I read Matthew Henry’s prayer, I was a little lost, and so I needed to read it again, but more slowly.

"I thank Thee first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my money, they did not take my life; third, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed."

The second time I read these words, I was struck by the fact that—unlike Henry—we overlook many of the blessings that come into our lives every day.

As we enter into Advent—a time which mixes past memories with future hopes—my prayer is that we open our eyes and remember to give thanks in the present.

With blessings,

Craig

“Be joyful always; pray continually;

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”  

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18