Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
40
Here is my column for Sunday. I'll be leading a worship service on Sunday evening to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the merger of the two churches that created Faith-Westwood United Methodist Church, which The Water's Edge was created from.
The number 40 means something special in the Bible.
Forty years ago, this week, Westwood Heights Evangelical United Brethren Church and Faith Methodist Church merged to form one church—Faith-Westwood United Methodist Church. Great things have happened in those 40 years. People have received hope. People have received God’s love. People have overcome challenges. People have been provided for. People have persevered. People have received grace.
Noah built the ark. It took courage. People had to be laughing at the old man as he built the big ship. But he saved the world. Likewise, it took courage to build buildings, to send kids on mission trips, to give money when there wasn’t much money to give, to give time when there wasn’t much time to give. But people in Omaha and beyond have experienced salvation because of the people of Faith-Westwood.
Philip William Otterbein, the founder of the EUB Church, and John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, both have something in common—they had a vision to take the church to the people. A vision to build strong faith communities, to plant new churches, to help the oppressed and the marginalized. In Pennsylvania and Maryland and in London and throughout England, both these men gave their lives for the sake of the Gospel.
To the visionaries who dreamed new dreams to reach new people. To the people who have been the church over the last 40 years and have laid the foundation for the next 40 years—thank you for your example of what it means to be the body of Christ! You have inspired me and many others.
In the Bible, after every time period of forty day or forty years, God does something great. I know the same will be true of us.
The best is yet to come…
Craig
The number 40 means something special in the Bible.
- God made it rain for 40 days and 40 nights to cleanse the world. (Genesis 7:12) It is a story about hope.
- On a mountain during 40 days and 40 nights of fasting and prayer, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 34:28) It is a story of God’s love.
- For 40 years, one year for each day they explored the Promised Land, the people of Israel were stuck in the Wilderness. (Numbers 14:33-34) It is a story about overcoming.
- Elijah strengthened by one angelic meal went forty days to Mount Horeb where the Lord passed by and he heard the voice of God. (1 Kings 19:8) It is a story about God’s provision.
- Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. (Matthew 4:1-2) It is a story about perseverance.
- Jesus was seen in the earth 40 days after His crucifixion. (Acts 1:3) It is a story about grace.
Forty years ago, this week, Westwood Heights Evangelical United Brethren Church and Faith Methodist Church merged to form one church—Faith-Westwood United Methodist Church. Great things have happened in those 40 years. People have received hope. People have received God’s love. People have overcome challenges. People have been provided for. People have persevered. People have received grace.
Noah built the ark. It took courage. People had to be laughing at the old man as he built the big ship. But he saved the world. Likewise, it took courage to build buildings, to send kids on mission trips, to give money when there wasn’t much money to give, to give time when there wasn’t much time to give. But people in Omaha and beyond have experienced salvation because of the people of Faith-Westwood.
Philip William Otterbein, the founder of the EUB Church, and John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, both have something in common—they had a vision to take the church to the people. A vision to build strong faith communities, to plant new churches, to help the oppressed and the marginalized. In Pennsylvania and Maryland and in London and throughout England, both these men gave their lives for the sake of the Gospel.
To the visionaries who dreamed new dreams to reach new people. To the people who have been the church over the last 40 years and have laid the foundation for the next 40 years—thank you for your example of what it means to be the body of Christ! You have inspired me and many others.
In the Bible, after every time period of forty day or forty years, God does something great. I know the same will be true of us.
The best is yet to come…
Craig
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
A Favorite Quote and a Favorite Picture
This is from Father's Day a few years ago. The boys have changed so much.We have been playing soccer a lot in our backyard this spring and the lawn is starting to show some wear and tear.
"We're not raising grass. We're raising boys." Harmon Killebrew
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Cain and Abel
Here is the text for this Sunday from The Message. It is from Genesis 4:1-16.
Adam slept with Eve his wife. She conceived and had Cain. She said, "I've gotten a man, with God's help!"
Then she had another baby, Abel. Abel was a herdsman and Cain a farmer.
Time passed. Cain brought an offering to God from the produce of his farm. Abel also brought an offering, but from the firstborn animals of his herd, choice cuts of meat. God liked Abel and his offering, but Cain and his offering didn't get his approval. Cain lost his temper and went into a sulk.
God spoke to Cain: "Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won't you be accepted? And if you don't do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it's out to get you, you've got to master it."
Cain had words with his brother. They were out in the field; Cain came at Abel his brother and killed him.
God said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?"
He said, "How should I know? Am I his babysitter?"
God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."
Cain said to God, "My punishment is too much. I can't take it! You've thrown me off the land and I can never again face you. I'm a homeless wanderer on Earth and whoever finds me will kill me."
God told him, "No. Anyone who kills Cain will pay for it seven times over." God put a mark on Cain to protect him so that no one who met him would kill him.
Cain left the presence of God and lived in No-Man's-Land, east of Eden.
Adam slept with Eve his wife. She conceived and had Cain. She said, "I've gotten a man, with God's help!"
Then she had another baby, Abel. Abel was a herdsman and Cain a farmer.
Time passed. Cain brought an offering to God from the produce of his farm. Abel also brought an offering, but from the firstborn animals of his herd, choice cuts of meat. God liked Abel and his offering, but Cain and his offering didn't get his approval. Cain lost his temper and went into a sulk.
God spoke to Cain: "Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won't you be accepted? And if you don't do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it's out to get you, you've got to master it."
Cain had words with his brother. They were out in the field; Cain came at Abel his brother and killed him.
God said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?"
He said, "How should I know? Am I his babysitter?"
God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."
Cain said to God, "My punishment is too much. I can't take it! You've thrown me off the land and I can never again face you. I'm a homeless wanderer on Earth and whoever finds me will kill me."
God told him, "No. Anyone who kills Cain will pay for it seven times over." God put a mark on Cain to protect him so that no one who met him would kill him.
Cain left the presence of God and lived in No-Man's-Land, east of Eden.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Rolling Stones: Easter Message
Here is my message from this morning. Listen here.
Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. -Matthew 28:2
God has been in the business of rolling stones from people’s lives since God created the world and God will keep rolling stones as long as people exist.
- What are the stones that are preventing you from being raised to new levels of life?
- What are the stones that keeping you a prisoner; preventing you from experiencing freedom?
Confidence - Start Me Up
Fear keeps us in the tomb.
The most common command in the Bible is "Do not fear."
See Isaiah 43
Contentment – I Can’t Get No Satisfaction or You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you don’t have.
Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. -Philippians 4:11
Clemency – Beast of Burden
Unforgiveness is a stone that will keep us in our tomb.
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. –Ephesians 4:32
The forgiven person becomes the forgiving person.
Character – Emotional Rescue
Who are we when nobody is looking?
Do we ever find ourselves asking: What if he / she finds out? If so, we our limiting how God can use us in the future by a lack a character.
Community with God – Waiting on a Friend
Our friendship with God is the one friendship that will never end.
Friday, April 2, 2010
What is Different about Tomorrow?
Here is Sunday morning's column...
Easter is the day death died. So what is different about tomorrow?
Our kids, some who will still be on a high from too many Easter eggs, will return to school. Most of us will go to work at the same job we did last Monday. A few of us might want to investigate about the possibility of getting our taxes done. We will be busy. The weather will be about the same, hopefully a little warmer and a little less windy. We will live in the same houses. The stock market will have good days and not-so-good days.
So what will be different? Well, for some the answer is absolutely nothing. For others, something will be different.
Death is natural. Loss is natural. Grief is natural. Pain is natural. But Jesus came to the world to trade places with us. Our sin became his sin. His life becomes our life. We have trouble with our life. Jesus is the carpenter who can construct us into the wonderful image of God that we are created to be.
When the stones were rolled away from the tomb, something really unnatural happened. On that day, the dead came to life. God planted a seed of life in us that cannot be killed and if we are blessed enough to have figured this out, there is not a whole lot that we can’t do: move the mountains in front of us, banish fear, love our enemies, forgive somebody who has hurt us, hope for a better tomorrow, get a good night’s sleep, laugh, experience joy, serve the hurting, grow closer to the One who wants nothing more than for you to grow closer to Him.
I believe that living has very little to do with a heart that beats and lungs that breath. The Greeks call the beating heart and breathing lungs bios. I believe that living has to do with relating, serving, caring, sharing, daring, dreaming, and loving. The Greeks have a word for this kind of life: zoe. Bios appears in the New Testament 5 times. Zoe appears in the New Testament 133 times. As God’s creation we are granted bios at our birth. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we are given zoe.
So take God up on giving you another chance. Know that today, because our God lives, can be the first day of the rest of your life. My prayer for all of us tomorrow is more zoe. I pray we live as we have never lived before. I pray for us lives full of faith, hope, and love.
The best is yet to come…
Craig
Easter is the day death died. So what is different about tomorrow?
Our kids, some who will still be on a high from too many Easter eggs, will return to school. Most of us will go to work at the same job we did last Monday. A few of us might want to investigate about the possibility of getting our taxes done. We will be busy. The weather will be about the same, hopefully a little warmer and a little less windy. We will live in the same houses. The stock market will have good days and not-so-good days.
So what will be different? Well, for some the answer is absolutely nothing. For others, something will be different.
Death is natural. Loss is natural. Grief is natural. Pain is natural. But Jesus came to the world to trade places with us. Our sin became his sin. His life becomes our life. We have trouble with our life. Jesus is the carpenter who can construct us into the wonderful image of God that we are created to be.
When the stones were rolled away from the tomb, something really unnatural happened. On that day, the dead came to life. God planted a seed of life in us that cannot be killed and if we are blessed enough to have figured this out, there is not a whole lot that we can’t do: move the mountains in front of us, banish fear, love our enemies, forgive somebody who has hurt us, hope for a better tomorrow, get a good night’s sleep, laugh, experience joy, serve the hurting, grow closer to the One who wants nothing more than for you to grow closer to Him.
I believe that living has very little to do with a heart that beats and lungs that breath. The Greeks call the beating heart and breathing lungs bios. I believe that living has to do with relating, serving, caring, sharing, daring, dreaming, and loving. The Greeks have a word for this kind of life: zoe. Bios appears in the New Testament 5 times. Zoe appears in the New Testament 133 times. As God’s creation we are granted bios at our birth. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we are given zoe.
So take God up on giving you another chance. Know that today, because our God lives, can be the first day of the rest of your life. My prayer for all of us tomorrow is more zoe. I pray we live as we have never lived before. I pray for us lives full of faith, hope, and love.
The best is yet to come…
Craig
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Comedy of the Resurrection
From my paper...
The Gospels are serious, but seriousness does not exclude the expression of joy or the use of humor. A better understanding of life, self, and God can be attained when a person is able to recognize humor in the Bible. Trueblood notes that new possibilities in understanding and applying the teachings of Jesus exist when the reader can understand that Jesus was not always serious (96). Jesus looked at his disciples and the multitudes, a group of people who needed grace, and said, “God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.” (Luke 6:21, NLT).
Jesus knew that the end is not weeping; the end is laughter. Frederick Buechner writes of the humor of Jesus, “Nobody claims there’s a chuckle on every page, but laughter’s what the whole Bible is really about” (Peculiar Treasures 173)
History’s great comedy is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the early Greek Orthodox Church, the day after Easter, the people gathered to tell jokes and funny stories. The jokes and stories were told to celebrate the practical joke that God played on Satan. Satan thought that he had conquered the world, but on the third day the tomb was empty and Christ had risen (Demaray, Laughter, Joy, and Healing 35; Hyers, And God Created Laughter 25). The comedy of the Bible, specifically the story of Jesus Christ, is found in the fact that liberation and laughter come through God’s victory in Jesus Christ (Oden 405-06).
The Gospels are serious, but seriousness does not exclude the expression of joy or the use of humor. A better understanding of life, self, and God can be attained when a person is able to recognize humor in the Bible. Trueblood notes that new possibilities in understanding and applying the teachings of Jesus exist when the reader can understand that Jesus was not always serious (96). Jesus looked at his disciples and the multitudes, a group of people who needed grace, and said, “God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.” (Luke 6:21, NLT).
Jesus knew that the end is not weeping; the end is laughter. Frederick Buechner writes of the humor of Jesus, “Nobody claims there’s a chuckle on every page, but laughter’s what the whole Bible is really about” (Peculiar Treasures 173)
History’s great comedy is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the early Greek Orthodox Church, the day after Easter, the people gathered to tell jokes and funny stories. The jokes and stories were told to celebrate the practical joke that God played on Satan. Satan thought that he had conquered the world, but on the third day the tomb was empty and Christ had risen (Demaray, Laughter, Joy, and Healing 35; Hyers, And God Created Laughter 25). The comedy of the Bible, specifically the story of Jesus Christ, is found in the fact that liberation and laughter come through God’s victory in Jesus Christ (Oden 405-06).
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