build each other up

But you, dear friends, remember the words spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the end time scoffers will come living according to their own ungodly desires.” These people create divisions. Since they don’t have the Spirit, they are worldly. But you, dear friends: build each other up on the foundation of your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep each other in the love of God, wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will give you eternal life. Have mercy on those who doubt. Save some by snatching them from the fire. Fearing God, have mercy on some, hating even the clothing contaminated by their sinful urges. To the one who is able to protect you from falling, and to present you blameless and rejoicing before his glorious presence, to the only God our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, belong glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, now and forever. Amen. (Jude 17-25, CEB)

We need to build each other up on the basis of our most holy faith.

We need to pray for each other in the Spirit.

We need to keep each other in the love of God.

We need to wait for mercy from Jesus.

We need to uphold those who question or doubt.

We need to help all understand the love God has for them.

Love Out Loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

Discerned?

There are many times I discerned God’s direction for my life. Every day I pray that I might follow where God is leading me and the paths I take might be the ones God has prepared for me. But especially as a pastor who is called by congregation and ministries, I have discerned call and direction.

Since I gave in to the call to ministry as an ordained pastor, which was long and hard, I have discerned God leading me to different calls. I am not sure if I ever really was sure of the direction or the path, but there were definite times of less stress.

When we were in the process of working through candidacy and getting ready for seminary, there seemed to be things that were keeping us from going. My pastor was a recent graduate of seminary and was telling me the truth about the church and how political it was and how hard being a pastor was and maybe I should prayerfully consider not going to seminary. We also had just bought a home about 1.5 years earlier so we had to sell a house we had no equity in, and it was not selling. A home on the corner of 2 cul de sacs, within walking distance to an elementary school in the second largest housing market in the country at that point in time, and nothing. And as we were getting ready and working through all of this we were blessed with the coming of our second child. So I was concerned how we would afford seminary with one child who was roughly a year and 3 months old when we would start seminary, still having to make a mortgage payment, and now there was a second child coming. I remember at one point I was saying we can’t go, and my wife looked at me and said, “I’m moving to Gettysburg, with or without you.” That was actually the moment I knew that this is what we needed to be doing. I mean I knew we needed to go to seminary, but that moment was when I was sure this was the time.

And each of my calls has ended with a definite end. My first call voted to cut my pay from full-time to 3/4 time and expected me to still give them 50+ hours a week. That just wasn’t possible. My second call ended because the congregation was going against its constitution and that of the ELCA to leave the ELCA because of the 2009 Church Wide decision to allow congregations to have pastors in life-long monogamous same-sex relationships if they wanted. I was trying to help them leave the way they were supposed to according to the constitution and they didn’t want to do that, so my bishop helped me leave by resigning. That led to a period of almost 2 years before I found another call. I interviewed and discerned where God was calling me. I traveled to many states and talked to many congregations. I prayed that God would help me connect with a place to call home. That led to a 6-year stay in Wisconsin at a place that had a few people that really didn’t want me there. But God had us there for a time and then when that was done we moved to College Station, TX, where I am the campus pastor for the ELCA Campus Ministry for the Brazos Valley, better known as Treehouse, the campus ministry to Texas A&M and Blinn College.

This call was one I was looking at and for before I went to Wisconsin. But it took a while to get here. I can definitely say I knew this was the place when I met with the call committee, but I wasn’t sure they wanted me. I know that God works in and through all things and if we continually and daily talk with God these things will become clearer. Discerning where God is leading is tricky and sometimes our desires get in the way.

How do we know where God is leading? We pray. We trust. We ask spiritual friends. We have faith.

That is it. Faith in our feelings about things and trust in the leading of the Spirit.

I know I will be discerning more of where God is leading and I pray that it will be clear, or I will step out in faith, trusting as I have until now.

regularly

The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. They would come together regularly at Solomon’s Porch. No one from outside the church dared to join them, even though the people spoke highly of them. Indeed, more and more believers in the Lord, large numbers of both men and women, were added to the church. As a result, they would even bring the sick out into the main streets and lay them on cots and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow could fall on some of them as he passed by. Even large numbers of persons from towns around Jerusalem would gather, bringing the sick and those harassed by unclean spirits. Everyone was healed. (Acts 5:12-16, CEB)

The apostles would gather regularly. And as believers grew in number more and more would bring those needing healing to the place where the apostles were and everyone was healed.

Do you gather regularly with other believers?

Do you make the space and time to be in the presence of those who follow Jesus?

We need this. Not just for ourselves, but for the community.

Our gathering as believers is Loving Out Loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

hear and see

Now when John heard in prison about the things the Christ was doing, he sent word by his disciples to Jesus, asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus responded, “Go, report to John what you hear and see. Those who were blind are able to see. Those who were crippled are walking. People with skin diseases are cleansed. Those who were deaf now hear. Those who were dead are raised up. The poor have good news proclaimed to them. Happy are those who don’t stumble and fall because of me.” When John’s disciples had gone, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John: “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A stalk blowing in the wind? What did you go out to see? A man dressed up in refined clothes? Look, those who wear refined clothes are in royal palaces. What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. He is the one of whom it is written: Look, I’m sending my messenger before you, who will prepare your way before you. “I assure you that no one who has ever been born is greater than John the Baptist. Yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:2-11, CEB)

Are you the one we are expecting or is there another?

Seems John and his disciples didn’t get the memo.

But Jesus said:

The blind see!
The crippled walk!
Those with skin disease are cleaned!
The deaf hear!
The dead are raised up!

God is doing things and moving in this place.

And why did you go to hear these things?

Do we come because God is moving or to see a spectacle?

Do we really believe or are we wanting to see a show?

God is moving and will we join God?

Loving People. Loving God.

What should we do?

In the fifteenth year of the rule of the emperor Tiberius—when Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea and Herod was ruler over Galilee, his brother Philip was ruler over Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was ruler over Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas—God’s word came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. John went throughout the region of the Jordan River, calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. This is just as it was written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet, A voice crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be leveled. The crooked will be made straight and the rough places made smooth. All humanity will see God’s salvation.” Then John said to the crowds who came to be baptized by him, “You children of snakes! Who warned you to escape from the angry judgment that is coming soon? Produce fruit that shows you have changed your hearts and lives. And don’t even think about saying to yourselves, Abraham is our father. I tell you that God is able to raise up Abraham’s children from these stones. The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and tossed into the fire.” The crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” He answered, “Whoever has two shirts must share with the one who has none, and whoever has food must do the same.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized. They said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He replied, “Collect no more than you are authorized to collect.” Soldiers asked, “What about us? What should we do?” He answered, “Don’t cheat or harass anyone, and be satisfied with your pay.” The people were filled with expectation, and everyone wondered whether John might be the Christ. John replied to them all, “I baptize you with water, but the one who is more powerful than me is coming. I’m not worthy to loosen the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. The shovel he uses to sift the wheat from the husks is in his hands. He will clean out his threshing area and bring the wheat into his barn. But he will burn the husks with a fire that can’t be put out.” With many other words John appealed to them, proclaiming good news to the people. (Luke 3:1-18, CEB)

What should we do?

If you have two shirts give one of them to someone who doesn’t have one.

Collect no more than you are told to collect.

Don’t cheat or harass anyone.

What should we do?

Treat all people with love and respect, as we would want to be treated.

Love unconditionally and share grace and mercy.

What should we do?

Love Out Loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

hastening

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be? You must live holy and godly lives, waiting for and hastening the coming day of God. Because of that day, the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. But according to his promise we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. Therefore, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found by him in peace—pure and faultless. Consider the patience of our Lord to be salvation, just as our dear friend and brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, speaking of these things in all his letters. Some of his remarks are hard to understand, and people who are ignorant and whose faith is weak twist them to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been warned in advance, be on guard so that you aren’t led off course into the error of sinful people, and lose your own safe position. Instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him belongs glory now and forever. Amen. (2 Peter 3:11-18, CEB)

We must live holy and godly lives, waiting for and hastening the coming day of God. What does that mean, and how do we do that?

We must live holy and godly lives. Our lives should be lived in such a way we can always be in the presence of God, free from sin and evil. That should be easy, right? I mean I only sin once every half second or so.

But we also need to be waiting for the coming of Christ. How are we waiting? Not very patiently most of us. But are we also doing that second part, hastening the coming of Christ? Well to be hastening the coming of Christ we need to know what hastening means. I have a general understanding that it implies moving quickly. I looked it up. M-W.com says:

intransitive verb
: to move or act quickly
She hastened up the stairs.
transitive verb
1: to encourage to move or act quickly : to urge on
hastened her to the door A. J. Cronin
2: to cause to happen more quickly : ACCELERATE
His death was hastened by alcoholism.
hasten the coming of a new order D. W. Brogan

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hastening

So the best definition for us is the second under transitive verb, to cause to happen more quickly. So as we wait we are supposed to also make Christ’s coming to happen more quickly. How are you doing that?

We can do that by actually loving God and loving our neighbors. By sharing grace and mercy in everything we do. We can hasten the coming of Christ by Loving Out Loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

slow

My dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both letters to stir up your sincere understanding with a reminder. I want you to recall what the holy prophets foretold as well as what the Lord and savior commanded through your apostles. Most important, know this: in the last days scoffers will come, jeering, living by their own cravings, and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? After all, nothing has changed—not since the beginning of creation, nor even since the ancestors died.” But they fail to notice that, by God’s word, heaven and earth were formed long ago out of water and by means of water. And it was through these that the world of that time was flooded and destroyed. But by the same word, heaven and earth are now held in reserve for fire, kept for the Judgment Day and destruction of ungodly people. Don’t let it escape your notice, dear friends, that with the Lord a single day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a single day. The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a dreadful noise, the elements will be consumed by fire, and the earth and all the works done on it will be exposed. (2 Peter 3:1-10, CEB)

I remember in seminary this was one of the verses I and 2 other classmates in an advanced Greek class used to figure out what year would be the end of the world, the return of Christ. Now I do not remember the actual year and it was all in jest. But don’t we all really want to know when, and how much longer we have to wait.

This translation says, “Don’t let it escape your notice, dear friends, that with the Lord a single day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a single day.” The one we used way back in 2007 said, “to the Lord the blink of an eye is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a blink of the eye.” So one day or the blink of an eye is a thousand years. God is way more patient than any of us.

So when will Christ return? We do not know. But the letter continues, “The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives.” God is patient towards all of creation, not wanting any to perish. And God is patient.

Maybe Christ will return when we all get it. When we all understand the love of God and actually love neighbor and love God. Maybe?

So do your part, Love Out Loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

Words

“Either consider the tree good and its fruit good, or consider the tree rotten and its fruit rotten. A tree is known by its fruit. Children of snakes! How can you speak good things while you are evil? What fills the heart comes out of the mouth. Good people bring out good things from their good treasure. But evil people bring out evil things from their evil treasure. I tell you that people will have to answer on Judgment Day for every useless word they speak. By your words you will be either judged innocent or condemned as guilty.” (Matthew 12:33-37, CEB)

A thing is either good or it is evil. It is not both.

We will all answer on judgment day for the things we have said. As the above text says we will answer for every useless word we speak.

Are the words you say uplifting?

Do your words tear people down?

You will be judged guilty or innocent on your words.

Speak love. And live love.

Loving People. Loving God.

convinced

My brothers and sisters, I myself am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and are able to teach each other. But I’ve written to you in a sort of daring way, partly to remind you of what you already know. I’m writing to you in this way because of the grace that was given to me by God. It helps me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I’m working as a priest of God’s gospel so that the offering of the Gentiles can be acceptable and made holy by the Holy Spirit. So in Christ Jesus I brag about things that have to do with God. I don’t dare speak about anything except what Christ has done through me to bring about the obedience of the Gentiles. He did it by what I’ve said and what I’ve done, by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of God’s Spirit. So I’ve completed the circuit of preaching Christ’s gospel from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum. In this way, I have a goal to preach the gospel where they haven’t heard of Christ yet, so that I won’t be building on someone else’s foundation. Instead, as it’s written, Those who hadn’t been told about him will see, and those who hadn’t heard will understand. (Romans 15:14-21, CEB)

Paul is convinced the people he has never met are full of goodness, full of knowledge, and are able to teach one another.

Does this mean only the people of Rome that belonged to the gathering to which Paul wrote this letter? That is a simple yes, and no. Paul didn’t know all of the people he was writing to in Rome. He probably knew of them and about the gathering and therefore he assumed (I wonder if Paul knew what happened when you do that? 😉 ) that the people were good, full of knowledge, and able to instruct each other. And that same assumption goes for you.

We are all good, knowledgeable, and able to help others learn about the love of God.

So go into your world and Love Out Loud!

Loving People. Loving God.

Metta Meditation

This was an interesting practice that really was close to giving affirmations, but Oneika Mays explained it was about us and not the person. That we offer words of compassion to a loved one, then to ourselves, then to a familiar stranger, and then to a difficult person. And she told us about how her familiar stranger was her mail person. And then one day she asked his name and then he wasn’t a familiar stranger, but a named friend. And that is the true meaning and work of Metta.

Metta meditation is loving-kindness. It is focusing on loving. Love as a verb. Love is an action, not a thought or an emotion, but an action we do.

Love is justice in the community. It is a celebration because it is not something we have alone but we embody in a community. Love is accountability that my actions have an impact on others.

The thing that surprised me about the practice and discussion was when Oneike Mays said, Metta allowed her to “call people in with love, instead of out in anger.”

Metta is focusing our energy on love. Loving those we love, loving ourselves, loving the familiar stranger, and loving those who are difficult, or our enemies. And isn’t that really what the gospel is really about? Jesus told us to love God and love our neighbor. And our neighbor is everyone other than us. Those we love, the familiar stranger, and the difficult person.

One of the things I strive to do at Treehouse is to love all and accept all. We are a ministry that espouses being all-inclusive. And we say our mission statement is Loving People, Loving God. And I always thought that was backwards. Because Jesus said, Love God, Love Neighbor. But I was told that when the mission statement was written the students said that loving God is easy, we can love God because we know God loves us, but people, Loving people is hard. We don’t know if people love us, but God’s call is not about what is easy. God loves us, even when we have turned away, even when we don’t love God.

One of the things I have been focused on a lot lately is the text speak LOL. Most of us know that means Laugh Out Loud. But I want to change it. I have lately been saying Love Out Loud. Because that is what we need more in the world. And if I can focus on loving my loved ones, myself, the familiar stranger, and the difficult person, then maybe I can show more love in my little corner of the world. And metta wants us to show loving kindness and be love in the world.

If we can all be more love, more loving and share what God has given to each of us. That is my hope for how to incorporate metta more into my life, but being more loving and actually loving out loud in every aspect of my being. And showing that to the world to be an example, as Jesus was. So we can all be a little more loving.

Love Out Loud.