Supporting the Ministry of the Church through the Giving of Money, Time, and Talents

 “Supporting the Ministry of the Church through the Giving of Money, Time, and Talents” was preached at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, PA on October 16, 2022. You can hear/watch this sermon here, starting at 35:34.

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Scripture Text:
Luke 16:19-31

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Aside from the kingdom of God, Jesus talks more about money than just about anything else.

I’m not sure how that makes us feel. While we are well aware our church needs to raise money to do good in the world like we are called to do, let alone even function or exist, we tend to tiptoe around stewardship in the church. Or we make jokes to cover the awkwardness and discomfort of talking about money.

For example, my very first sermon at my previous church, so my very first sermon as a pastor, was about money. I was there just under a month, and that Sunday’s sermon already had an assigned topic: living by faith… with your money. I wasn’t supposed to preach that Sunday, but the Head Pastor at my previous church fell down a flight of stairs, did major damage to his knee, and was out of commission for awhile. So within weeks of starting as a new pastor, I took the scripture texts and topics he assigned himself to preach on as my scripture texts and topics to preach on. In the sermon, I told everyone who would listen, hazing in the church looks like giving the new pastor the sermon on money.

The awkwardness of talking about money in the church has never really went away. Just this week, while talking to a friend about my job as a pastor, he asked, “So do you get paid by whatever is in the offering plate that week?”

The question had both humor and curiosity in it. This friend, who grew up going to church, wanted to know how pastors get paid… and don’t worry, I explained it’s a little more complex than that, but the answer to his question is… essentially yes. I get paid through the donations of others.

And that can be a little uncomfortable to talk about.

But Jesus talked about money a lot. And his ministry as a traveling teacher and prophet along with disciples must have been built upon the generosity of others. Because even Jesus relied on the generosity of others, he approached the topic of money pretty neutrally. Jesus doesn’t really care if we have money; he is more concerned what we do with it if we do. And he did preach over and over again of caring for those who do not have money.

Taking a note out of Jesus’ book, we also talk about money in worship every week. Following the sermon, we are given an opportunity to respond to God’s Word and part of that response time is the consideration of the giving of our money, time, and talents. We urge this every week, and because we are currently asking members to commit to their pledges for next year, there is a special emphasis on the topic of giving and money. Even if it is awkward or uncomfortable or we try to cover it with jokes. But we do this because as one of our marks of membership as found in the Book of Order and the topic of today is “Supporting the Ministry of the Church through the Giving of Money, Time, and Talents.”

And we shouldn’t dismiss the topic of money or the giving of our time and talents within the church because Jesus didn’t dismiss the topic of money, rather it was the focus of several of his parables. Including this one today.

Nestled in between stories of inclusion, mercy, kindness and forgiveness is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. This Parable found in chapter 16 immediately follows parables of radical grace as found in the Parables in chapter 15, which includes the Parable of the Lost Sheep, The Prodigal Son, and the Lost Coin, with the latter of the three being an example that Jesus does in fact often talk about money. So following these parables in which God’s grace is extended to everyone, including the rich, we have a parable that serves as a warning. It’s a healthy reminder, even.

Each of us is given grace. Grace. Grace. Overflowing, abundant grace. But the grace we are given does not mean we can ignore our faults or the faults of the world we live in. The language of this parable is strong and direct, and it offers a glimpse of God’s judgement. But this is good because God’s judgment in the Bible is restorative, making something right. Therefore, God’s judgment, even as found in this parable, is not about condemnation but grace. Grace. Grace. Overflowing, abundant grace.

In the parable, there is a rich man who loves his money. So much in fact, he could see only his wealth, his fine linens and sumptuous feasts. What he couldn’t see was the man in need right outside his gates. He was so blind to this that he couldn’t see even what the dogs could see. He couldn’t see Lazarus. And because he couldn’t see Lazarus, he couldn’t see that Lazarus needed help. And because he couldn’t see that Lazarus needed help, there was no way the rich man could help Lazarus. Distracted by his wealth, the rich man remained ignorant to an opportunity to love his neighbor. And because he could not love his neighbor, the rich man couldn’t see the transformative grace that is found in God when we do love and serve our neighbor.

To be honest, no matter our own economic status, we are more often comparative to the rich man than Lazarus. We are good, honest, generous, faithful people… living in a country that we are so blessed to live in. But as Americans, we enjoy economic comfort, and our culture gives us plenty of ways to indulge ourselves. And we do. Now as I said earlier, Jesus is pretty neutral about money and doesn’t care so much if we have it, and I’m pretty sure Jesus is also neutral about our nationality and doesn’t care so much that we are blessed by economic comfort as Americans. Jesus cares more about what we do with this comfort.

What comforts, or even blessings, in our lives distract us from seeing our neighbors in need? Is it our love for money? Is it entitlement? Is it selfishness? Is it a “serve me first” mentality? Is it “give me what I want and then I will give you my money”? Is it fear, anxiety, inflexibility? Is it a fixation on one particular issue or conflict? Is it politics? Is it disagreement? Is it a refusal to worship because we didn’t like a sermon or two? Is it our past, our history, our image? Is it anything other than Gospel and the Good News of Jesus Christ?

If we only give to this church and this ministry when it benefits us first, we have warped the very concept of grace. If we only give because we like the pastors or the pews or hymns or because the sermon that day made us feel good, if we only give then, then we have created a chasm that refuses God’s grace, healing, and transformation. And that chasm, as we learn from the rich man, is not where we want to be.

God’s grace covers us despite all the ways we have fallen short, despite all the things we have done to upset God, despite all our faults, despite that we constantly miss the mark of what God intended for us when we were created in God’s image. God’s grace crosses over the chasm to transform us from brokenness into wholeness, into redeemed state where our lives strive for generosity, kindness and mercy to be extended onto others.

I have benefitted from your generosity, kindness and mercy. I try to live every day in gratitude, and I have so much to be grateful for. This community of faith is part of the reason I am so grateful. I am grateful for this community because it is marked by fellowship, love, and grace.

So I do feel comfortable talking to all of you about money because there is nothing wrong with having money. And it should be normal talking about money just as Jesus so often did. But if we let our money become our focus, or if we let our own desires become our focus, we have cheapened the very grace God has given to us and we have created a chasm.

But we won’t let that happen, will we? Because we remember this: the grace of God really is sufficient to cover all our faults. The one who will bridge the chasm is not us; it is and always has been God.

We don’t give to this church – money or otherwise – because it benefits us first. We give because we believe in grace. Grace. Grace. Overflowing, abundant grace.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

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Koenig, Peter. Lazarus at the Gate, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=58503 [retrieved October 28, 2022]. Original source: Peter Winfried (Canisius) Koenig, https://www.pwkoenig.co.uk/.

Studying Scripture and the Issues of Christian Faith and Life

“Studying Scripture and the Issues of Christian Faith and Life” was preached at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, PA on September 25, 2022. You can hear/watch this sermon here, starting at 50:50.

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Scripture Texts:
Psalm 119:33-44
Acts 8:26-40

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What will it mean for us for all of us if the Gospel is indeed good news for all people, without exception? 

There are several passages in the Bible that every time I read them, I am filled with so much hope, joy, and gratitude. The baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch as found in Acts 8 is one of them. It’s purposely provocative. 

In the beginning of Acts, Jesus declares his followers will be his Spirit-led “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When we arrive to chapter 8, Jesus’ follows have served as witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. But not so much to the ends of the earth. That is until the Word of God reaches the Ethiopian Eunuch. Now, we have a lot to cover today, so I’m going to keep the explanation of the Ethiopian Eunuch short. Here’s what we know: He’s Ethiopian, a dark-skinned man considered to be living on the fringes of the inhabited world, especially on the outskirts of the Greco-Roman world where Jesus’ ministry was building. Because he was a Eunuch, his manhood was often questioned. In fact, some would not consider him a man at all. And he was a court official, which means although he did carry some power and wealth, at the end of the day, there was a great possibility that the Ethiopian Eunuch was a slave to the queen he served. 

The Ethiopian Eunuch represented the diversity of the world outside of the norm: he is powerless yet powerful, strange yet impressive, ignorant yet knowledgeable, a person who will have no future family of his own but will be the future of a growing family of followers of Jesus. And as we heard today, the Word of God was for him. The Good News of the Gospel was for him. And through him, the witnesses that Jesus promised that will go to the ends of the earth, was now just starting.

Because the Ethiopian Eunuch, a court official destined for a single purpose without a future, realized the Good News of the Gospel was also for him, it set the course for the Good News of the Gospel to be brought also to us. Because he let the Word of God form and transform him, the Word was carried to others who saw that this Word would also speak to them. 

The Word of God still speaks to us today. Sometimes it is clear, and sometimes it is confusing. Some days we have answers, but most days it seems we have questions. Some days the Good News brings us joy and others it challenges us to a point of frustration. And some days we understand the Word individually, and some days we need a teacher or a community to make sense of God’s story. 

This is true for all of us as members of the Church of Jesus Christ. The Good News of the Gospel is indeed for all people, of all ages and stages and identities. And it is our responsibility to make sure this Good News is understood and shared with all people; not just ourselves and our own lives. 

From the Presbyterian Church (USA) Book of Order:

“Membership is the Church of Jesus Christ is a joy and a privilege. It is also a commitment to participate in Christ’s mission. A faithful member bears witness to God’s love and grace and promises to be involved responsibly in the ministry of Christ’s Church. Such involvement includes: … studying Scripture and the issues of Christian faith and life.” 

Such involvement includes: … studying Scripture and the issues of Christian faith and life.”

Here at First Presbyterian Church, we call our educational programs where we study Scripture and the issues of Christian faith and life faith formation. 

It’s good we are talking about studying scripture and faith formation today because last Sunday, we launched our Sunday morning faith formation opportunities for all ages. From 9:50 to 10:50 a.m., between our two English-language worship services; our children, youth, and adults gathered throughout our building to study God’s Word and be formed in their faith. As I was listing the different opportunities for faith formation in worship on Sunday and using hand motions to point out where these opportunities could be found, a member said they were reminded of Genesis 28:14: “you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south.” I think this is also included in Jesus’ words when he meant his witnesses would go to the ends of the earth, or at least to the ends of our building. 

And we did. Our three-year-olds to 5th grade children spread out upstairs and downstairs, our middle schoolers and high schoolers went over to the youth wing, and our adults had four options to choose from found in four corners of the building. Plus, the choir was rehearsing in the sanctuary during this time to prepare to sing in the 11:00 a.m. service, which provided an additional opportunity for our youth and adults to be formed in their faith!  

Throughout the week, we had bible studies for women, men, and all genders. Some met in person and some met on ZOOM. And yesterday our confirmation students met here for a full-day retreat. As we were concluding the retreat, one of the students said, “Wow! This wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be!” which as you might know, is a pretty high compliment from an honest 8th grader. 

As we spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, I found myself giving thanks for life throughout our building. In the midst of a changing church navigating a global pandemic, it has taken faithful, incredibly difficult work to provide these opportunities of faith formation. While volunteers and staff did faithful work during the pandemic to provide faith formation opportunities including many ZOOM classes, daily prayer services, groups social-distancing on the front lawn, dropping off driveway faith formation bags to  families to form faith at home, and even a virtual vacation bible school; it led us to realize that faith formation at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, like many other areas of the church, was in a season of death and resurrection. What once was, was now over, for good, and there was no going back. 

Last year as we were returning to in-person worship, you might remember our Session made several decisions. First, we returned to in-person worship outside either on the front lawn or in the memorial garden. Then, we were holding multiple services on a Sunday with some outside and some inside every Sunday. When we finally discerned God was calling Session to hold just inside worship services, to promote community and connection for a church family that hadn’t physically worshipped together for nearly a year, we held one worship service for all to join. After a season of that, it was finally decided to hold two English-language worship services every Sunday with a designated learning hour between the two. It was the first time in over a decade First Presbyterian Church of Allentown had a designated learning hour not at the same time as worship. There were some growing pains here and there as we navigated this great and good change, especially for families, but here we are, almost a year later after that change was made, and we are now reaping the rewards. There are multiple opportunities for children, youth, and adults of all ages and stages and identities every Sunday morning and throughout the week. There is an opportunity for people who worship in different styles to come together and study God’s Word. Families can and are encouraged to worship together; children and youth are no longer sent away from worship but are now brought front and center to be fully included in it. There is even a Happy Hour parenting group for parents to find rest, fellowship, and snacks as their children are in their classes. And as I said, there is life in our building once again, from east to west and north to south, to the ends of the earth. 

Our fall theme as a church is Together: Building a Home with God. Each word in that title was given much thought. Specifically, the word building focuses on the ongoing work to be done to create and maintain healthy Christian Community. There is direct correlation between this ongoing work and faith formation, as faith formation itself is a lifelong process of transformation. Participating in this ongoing work is not just for our children and youth, but even for us as adults who live out our membership in the Church of Jesus Christ, as we are called to study Scripture and the issues of Christian faith and life. Listen to these paraphrased words of the Psalmist: “God, teach me lessons for living, so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me, my whole life one long, obedient response. Give me an appetite for your words of wisdom, invigorate me on the pilgrim way. See how hungry I am for your counsel, preserve my life through your righteous ways.” 

Each of us are called to be formed in our faith because God’s Word is a sacred nourishment to our hunger of Christian discipleship. The Word provides a path of obedience and fulfillment. And the Word gives us the wisdom and courage to respond to issues of Christian faith and life as they arise; things such as justice, hospitality, tragedy, joy, and even politics. Yes, we must study scripture to inform our approach to politics, and we must do it within the Church of Jesus Christ. As we study Scripture and the issues of Christian faith and life, we are able to bring the Good news into the greater community across the city, state, country, and world through word and action. 

But studying Scripture cannot be a silo in the church. It is found in our classes for children, youth, and adults but it so much more than that. Listen to how the Book of Order explains Christian Education, AKA faith formation, in the church. It’s lengthy but necessary, so bear with me: 

“God calls the Church to continue the teaching ministry of Jesus Christ, guiding and nurturing one another through all the seasons and transitions of life. In particular, the church offers opportunities for education and formation as members enter the community of faith, discover Christian vocation, and assume responsibility in the world. The church’s primary standard and resource for Christian nurture is the Word of God in Scripture, bearing witness to Christ’s way of truth and life. 

The central occasion for Christian nurture is the Service for the Lord’s Day, where the Word is proclaimed and the Sacraments are celebrated. Beyond the process of Christian formation that takes place in public worship, the words and actions of the service can be a particularly fruitful source of study and reflection. Therefore all members should be encouraged to be present and participate in this assembly. Educational activities should not be scheduled so as to prevent or discourage participation in this service. 

The educational ministries of the church are rooted in the promises of Baptism, in which the congregation pledges responsibility for Christian nurture. The session is responsible for the development and supervision of the church’s educational programs, the instruction of ruling elders and deacons, and the discipleship of all members. The minister of the Word and Sacrament contributes to the nurture of the community through the ministries of Word and Sacrament, church school classes, the gift of prayer, and by example. Trained and certified Christian educators bring special skills and expertise in teaching to the church’s ministries of nurture and formation. The session has a responsibility to identify, encourage, and equip others who have gifts for Christian education. 

The session also has a responsibility to support parents and others who seek to nurture the faith of children. Church school gatherings offer opportunities for worship, including singing, praying, and hearing the Word. These gatherings may also include occasions for self-offering and service. However, worship in the church school is not a substitute for participation with the whole congregation in the Service for the Lord’s Day. 

The church provides other opportunities for Christian nurture, including: seminary instruction and continuing education; workshops on particular themes or topics; music programs and rehearsals; mission and program interpretation; meetings of committees, boards, and councils; and retreats, camps, and conferences.” 

What would it look like if we embraced the Good News of the Gospel for all people, without exception, through all things? 

Faith formation, worship, fellowship, mission, retreats, committee meetings, hallway conversations, and our care for one another – what if every moment here and outside of here was an opportunity to study scripture and the issues of Christian faith and life? 

We are moving in this direction. And I believe as we continue to do this, we will continue to spread the Word to the ends of the earth as we act as witnesses to Jesus’ Good News. If we embraced the study of scripture in all things, we will know the Word of God is indeed Good News, even when it challenges or frustrates. And the Word of God will be spread because we will gladly share it. We will recognize that it speaks to us no matter who we are or how others measure us, and we will want to share the same good news with others. And with guidance, we will help others recognize that the good news is also for them. 

How provocative. 

Thanks be to God. Amen. 

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Spirit of Life

“Spirit of Life” was preached at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, PA on August 21, 2022. You can hear/watch this sermon here, starting at 40:35.

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Scripture Text:
Philippians1:20-30

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A few months ago, in the Easter series, our congregation practiced joy. In all things and in all ways… and we tried to do it in all times. To celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, we practiced joy.

I preached one of those weeks on the topic of “practicing joy in all times” – and I used a passage from Philippians 4 to guide that message.

If you remember that sermon or if you know a little about the context behind Paul’s letter to the Philippians, you know that Paul was imprisoned by the Roman empire when he wrote this letter. Despite all the hardship and suffering Paul and other early disciples of Christ were facing, Paul lifted up joy and celebration and glory as a reminder so that people would continue their good works and the spreading of the Gospel in the name of Christ. And despite the hardships and sufferings, Paul does exactly that. In the midst of all the doom and gloom, Paul’s message is a happy ray of sunshine promoting positive living and grace-filled gratitude. Nothing and no one will take that from him.

But in all of Paul’s positive pep talks, there’s also a harsh bit of truth and reality. In between messages of thanksgiving and joy, Paul holds a conversation of intimate vulnerability. He talks about death – possibly his death and the death of those like him who follow Christ.

As I said, when Paul writes the letters to the Philippians, he is imprisoned by the Roman empire for declaring Jesus as Lord and not Caesar. He writes this to the people of Philippi, which their city at the time was a Roman colony. Both Paul and the Philippians shared the experience of living under the rule of the Roman Empire. And with it, they shared the threat of imprisonment, punishment, and death for challenging an oppressive system that opposed their call to follow Christ.

Paul admits to the Philippians, in his opening remarks, that he believes his ministry has led him to an impasse with two choices: life or death, and that he is hard pressed between the two. He does not know what he will choose. He says that he desires death so that he can be with Christ but to live and continue his work is more necessary for the community.

And I don’t believe Paul is glorifying death or martyrdom here. I hear a man, who loves Christ and loves life, who tries to be positive and supportive and joyful every day, who believes in his purpose and ministry – I hear a man who despite all the great things he tries to be is also simultaneously tired and worn down and yes, even a little broken. I see a man who is face to face with his own mortality and a man who recognizes his death is a very real possibility in his near future. I feel for this man who would welcome death because it would mean an end for his suffering. That’s the Paul who wrote these words that we heard this day.

But Paul also convinces himself that he must continue to live for the sake of the community.

Does this dichotomy ring a bell for you? Have you ever witnessed a simultaneous acceptance of death and a will to live?

When the Aids epidemic hit our country decades ago, the queer community shared the experience of living in the face of death. With no support of the government and a physical and emotional ostracizing of an entire group of people from society, the queer community faced the harsh reality living every day with the possibility of death. Justin Tanis, a PCUSA pastor and theologian, spent a part of his ministry serving alongside men living with HIV aids.  Tanis said that many of the men, when critically ill and facing the real possibility of death, shared the dilemma of the war happening within them; that they would welcome death to end their suffering but also their need to live for the sake of others. That’s the same feeling Paul had. And for the men facing the harsh reality of death, they carried the guilt that their care would be placed on the lives of their loved ones while also worrying about the grief that would spread among their loved ones once they died.

And for those left behind, who did and do grieve deeply and painfully, they had to figure out what it means to keep on living. There must have been times where the thought of joining those on the other side, as Paul longed to join Christ, was very tempting. But the queer community, while facing death every day, learned the value of life, they learned the value of each and every day.

Unfortunately, LGBTQ+ youth are more than 4x likely to attempt suicide than their straight and cisgender peers. The Trevor Project, an organization that focuses on suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth, found that in a 2022 survey, 45% of LGBTQ+ youth thought about attempting suicide. That percentage was even higher for transgender and nonbinary youth. It should also be noted that LGBTQ+ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It comes from how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society. Things like rejection from their families; conversion therapy; casual homophobia and transphobia in schools, work places, and churches; and even the best intentioned, most faithful people who use their beliefs to label LGBTQ+ as sinful and wrong.

Today is Lehigh Valley Pride. It is a day when our community celebrates the stories, histories, and lives of the LGBTQ+ community. And while we might believe that it does matter if a person is straight or gay, let me tell you. It does matter. It’s a beautiful thing! Today we celebrate queerness the same way we celebrate our own lives every day. This is something we will learn to do every day. To see someone’s identity and realize that their story, history, and life is the good news of the Gospel told in the flesh. What would it look like for us as a community of faith to learn from the queer community? A community that has lived out fully the words that Paul wrote and that we heard from today.

The queer community knows death. They know the burdens of carrying guilt and grief. They know hardships and suffering. They know what it means to not give up when it feels like the very society around them is against them. They know what it means to be rejected and angry and sad. They know what it means to want to walk away.

As a community of faith, we too have lived hard pressed between life and death, especially these last two years. I’m not talking about an actual physical death like Paul was talking about or what members of the queer community experienced, but a metaphorical death of leaving this community behind because the suffering has been too great.

Over the last two years, we’ve lost good intentioned, faithful people. People left. Those who remained, people like me and you, carried that grief and guilt while doing our very best to continue to live a life worthy of the Gospel all while experiencing a community immersed in suffering. And I think all of us have prayerfully considered stepping away at some point. Most recently, I have been aware of people who are questioning whether they want to be a part of a community that has treated Jan among other so horribly. Even I admit, that’s not a community I want to be a part of…

Some days walking away seems like the right choice. For those who make this choice, I know it wasn’t made lightly. We need to support, affirm, bless, and love those who make that choice. Walking away doesn’t mean giving up. Rather, it’s another way to live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ. This is true for some of the people who have chosen to leave this community. This includes Pastor Jan. In the same way for all who have left, we will support, affirm, bless, and love her as she departs.

And some of us have chosen to stay in this season. We need to support, affirm, bless, and love each other. We need to hold firm to the choices that brought us to this point. We must learn from our mistakes and provide a better path for those who are still here and for those who will be called to join us one day. This is another way to live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

Both choices carry their own hardships. And both decisions will still carry a certain amount of guilt and grief. Either option is not an easy path to take. And there’s no point trying to do any of it alone. I can’t. And I don’t think any of you can either. We’re not meant to do any of this alone.

So as for me, I will take the guilt and the grief, the hardships and the sufferings, and if it is okay with you, I ask that you take it on with me. As long as I am here, I want to be a companion to you in our growth and our joy. And this also means sharing our pain. But with you, I feel more courage and confident. To be with you is a gift. And to suffer with you – although incredibly difficult – is also a gift. Because we do so in the name of Christ and as part of the body of Christ.

If we are to do this together, we need an anchor for our community. That anchor must be our lives in Christ. Christ must be at our very center: the center of our pursuits, the center of our thinking, the center of our reflections, and the center of our lives.

In all things, in all seasons, we must glorify Christ. This relentless focus on Christ is worth every moment we might face together as one body.

Today I give thanks for faithfulness, loyalty, and generosity of this congregation in the midst of hardships. Today we honor God with acknowledging our suffering. Today we learn and we grow. Today we cling to our faith and our Lord. And we move forward. With joy and celebration, with commitment and glory, we will live lives worthy of the Gospel.

Thanks be to God. Amen.   

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Spirit of Love: Loving God

 “Spirit of Love: Loving God” was preached at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, PA on July 3, 2022. You can hear/watch this sermon here,starting at 28:17.

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Scripture Texts:
Psalm 116
Ephesians 3:14-21

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This summer I’ve been spending my free time at the pool. For me, Sabbath comes from the hot sun, refreshing waters, inflatable chair, and a cold drink, mini umbrella optional. I did this on Friday; I did this the weekend before and the weekend before that… almost every weekend since Memorial Day. I’m sure sometime today and tomorrow – 4^th of July weekend – will also be no exception. Most likely later today, you will find me at the pool under the hot sun floating on the refreshing waters with a cold drink in hand, mini umbrella optional.

The pool I’ve been spending my free time at is 3/4s surrounded by trees. Huge, tall trees – a combination of vines and pines that tower over the pool. It’s beautiful. Lush, vibrant greenery that climbs its way to the skies. A friend noticed how incredible this sight is, and even said that the view is good enough to be a computer wallpaper background. It’s that good!

So of course, while enjoying the summer heat, I would watch the trees as I would float. And I’m glad I did. Because something magical happens.

With every gust of wind, no matter how big or how small, the wind would blow through the trees. And the trees with leaves the size of the palm of your hand, when the wind ran through those, it looks like creation is cheering.

These trees, when given life through wind, would shake their leaves as if they are shaking a cheerleader’s pompoms. Really, it feels like they are shaking their pompoms for me. It feels like they are cheering me on!

“Go Taylor! Enjoy the sun! Enjoy the pool! Enjoy the rest! You deserve it. Love, Creation and Creator!”

There is no better feeling then when Creation itself cheers you on for enjoying a time of Sabbath.

Have you ever had a moment like this? Or something like it.

Have you ever felt true freedom while hiking? Or have you ever felt in crisis during a thunderstorm? Has rain ever made you felt whole again… or perhaps made you remember your baptism?

Have you ever found deeper meaning in something so typical and standard? Where you knew you were having a conversation with God – maybe one you only understood – but you knew it was with your Creator? And the conversation itself was rooted in mutual love.

And it doesn’t have to be in nature like it does for me. It could be through a conversation with a friend or stranger, maybe a song on the radio, a random epiphany, or even in your evening prayers.

I’m sure we all can name a moment that felt like a conversation with God, a loving conversation with God. In fact, my prayer is that all of us have had this moment because it is something God desires for us. Something that God does for us.

These moments of deeper understanding – making sense of the divine out of the mundane – is God’s Spirit at work in the world and in our lives. These moments of conversation with God is God putting work into being in relationship with us—each of us.

The book we are using for our summer series, “We Make the Road By Walking,” written by Brian McLaren, encourages full participation of us as disciples of Jesus Christ to work alongside the Spirit. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would take the work that he began and extend it across all of space and time. This work of Christ was rooted in creating a global community of disciples that welcome others into an inclusive kin-dom, a diverse embodiment of love, grace, and mercy. The Spirit started this work across space and time on the Day of Pentecost and has not stopped her work since. Across space and time, the Spirit has invited more and more disciples into her work. This work is done through partnership and relationship. So if we believe God is at work at being in relationship with us, and if we are encouraged to participate in God’s work as disciples of Christ, then our full participation starts by us working at being in relationship with God.

In fact, it must start there: to love God in the same way that God loves us. This type of love is called Agape.

Agape love is the highest form of love; specifically the love that God has for creation and the love creation should have for God. This type of love is a deep and profound sacrificial love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance. If we as creation have true Agape love for God as we should, this agape love naturally extends to our love for our neighbor and the imago dei – or the image of God found in each person.

The letter to the Ephesians, in its short six chapters, mentions agape love twenty times, used equally as a noun and a verb. Twenty times in six chapters; that’s an impressive frequency! It’s used twice in our passage for today. But what it more impressive than the twenty times agape love is mentioned in this letter is the normalcy in which Paul – the attributed writer of this letter – believes this type of highest love can be achieved. Paul believes the people of Ephesus can draw a deeper understanding of the divine out of the mundane, that they be in divine agape love with God if they are comfortable with expressing concrete forms of love to each other and themselves.

Brian McLaren writes that loving God and loving another human being really are not so different. And if you can do one, you can just as easily do the other. If you can love God with all your heart and soul and strength and mind, you can do the same for another human. And if you can love another human with all your heart and soul and strength and mind – whether that be a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or friend – then you can do the same for God. And if for whatever reason, you might struggle to love God or love another, then at the very least remember the love God has for you – a love that knows no bounds – and go from there.

Think of your love for God. And if you have struggled or are currently struggling with your love for God, think of the love you have for your favorite person or persons.

Think of the agape love in your life.

In agape love, we naturally move toward God or that person(s) in a special way. We appreciate the qualities of the beloved. We respect and honor the beloved's dignity. We enjoy the beloved's company and feel curious about the beloved's personhood. We want to support the beloved's dreams and desires. And we make ourselves available for the beloved to respect, honor, enjoy, know, and support us, too, because to be "in love" is to be in a mutual relationship.

This is done by being aware of God’s presence and welcoming God into our presence. It’s done by showing God appreciation and gratitude. It’s done by showing respect for God and who God is and what God has done. Agape love is knowing when to say sorry and receiving forgiveness. Agape love is showing our support for what God desires: love for neighbor, advocacy, hospitality, and justice. And agape love is allowing ourselves to be loved by God and others. It’s allowing ourselves to feel supported in our hopes, dreams, and desires. And agape love is being honest with God and others with our deepest fears, doubts, frustrations, or laments.

Sometimes words suffice. Each of these can be done with simple phrases; phrases you already know.  

“Here I am, Lord.”

“Thank you, God!”

“Hallelujah!”

“How long, O Lord? How long?”

“Lord, have mercy.”

“May your kingdom come. May your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.”

And sometimes, words aren’t needed. Sometimes love is best expressed through attentiveness to God around us – when not looking, when not trying, without even thinking. Like when floating on a pool on a hot summer day and seeing God cheer for your Sabbath through the ministry of the trees.

As part of God’s beloved creation, we are never alone. We are loved and we love.

As part of a community of faith, we have the means to share this love with others.

This is true agape love.

“I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, God may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

In other words, I pray that you know true agape love each and every day, in all you that say and hear, in all that you do and experience. This is God’s gift to you. This is God’s love for you.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

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Evangelism Today

 “Evangelism Today” was preached at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, PA on August 29, 2021. You can hear/watch this sermon here, starting at 35:40.

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Scripture Text:
Acts 19:1-7

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On the day of my ordination as a minister of word & sacrament, caution tape was draped over both sides of the pulpit.

The kind you would find at a construction site or a crime scene. You know what I’m talking about. It’s a universal sign we understand: “Warning. Beware. Proceed with caution.”

And although some of you might beg to differ, the caution tape was not there because of me or my ordination. Rather, it was part of the theme of the sermon series in the sanctuary of the community of faith that raised me. Similar to the school supplies that decorate our chancel and table that serve as a visual emphasis to our worship experience this day; ivy, flowers, and caution tape decorated theirs. It was a part of their Lenten theme that year.

So my service of ordination was decorated with caution tape, something so odd and unique and yet so perfectly fitting. The minister even started her sermon that day referencing the caution tape, saying exactly that, how odd and unique and perfectly fitting it was for a service of ordination because ministry – ministry was not something to be entered into lightly. “Warning. Beware. Proceed with caution.” 

You all know this firsthand. You sang it earlier, “Spirit, open my heart, to the joy and pain of living.” You all, out of the call that God placed on your heart, have continued in your ministry. Despite departures and transitions, despite pandemics and politics, despite divisions and disappointments, despite name-calling and way too much bullying; we have continued forward with our ministry together.

The caution tape would have been fitting for this past year and a half.

It’s been hard. Real hard. But we did it. By the grace of God, we did it. And I don’t think we are stopping anytime soon. Even despite how hard it may get.

I don’t think God will let us. Actually, I know that. God won’t stop, and God won’t let us stop either.

Every day we move forward to keep up with the Holy Spirit who is at work in this world; full speed ahead. No caution for the Spirit; just encouragement for us to keep up.  And the occasional dragging when we need it.

For how difficult ministry is, it’s important to remember that we are only participants in it. God is the real agent of change. Think about it. In moments of baptism and ordination, we clergy and members participate but it is God who transforms. We sprinkle the water. We lay on our hands. But it God who baptizes and claims; it is God who lifts up and ordains. It is God who seals those acts to make them holy and lasting and enduring… And there is no undoing what God has done.

This is so very important; this is the message we must trust with our full being.

As Presbyterians, we have a theology that says we cannot undo what God has done. From the very beginning of time and every moment since, God chose you as God’s beloved. This claim is made visible to us in our baptisms. There is not a single thing that we or another can do to remove us from this claim. There is not a single thing that can separate us from God’s love.

Do you hear this message? Do you understand this message? Not a single thing can undo what God has done, and what God has done is love you. What God does is love you. What God will do is love you.

Parents – this is an especially important message for you to tell your children. Take a moment and tell them now. There is not a single thing that will ever separate you from God’s love. 

There is not a single thing that will ever separate you from God’s love.

Are we starting to understand why Paul emphasized baptism in the name of Christ? Paul, from our passage today, needed the new disciples to understand that their baptism in the name of John was not the same as a baptism in the name of Christ. That a baptism in the name of a human was not the same as a baptism in the name of the Spirit.   

Paul needed this new crew of disciples to understand that now that the Spirit has come to them, the Spirit will never leave them, no matter what hardship they might approach in the days ahead. Even here, Paul and the disciples are only participants in this holy moment, but it is God who is the agent of transformation. It is a baptism done in the name of Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit that descends upon them. And as we know, we cannot undo what God – or Christ or the Spirit – we cannot undo what God has done.

We are only participants in ministry, but it is God who is the agent of change.

I want you to think about that now in terms of evangelism, or the spreading of the Christian Gospel through Word and Witness in hopes to make others disciples of Christ.

We are only participants in evangelism, but it is God who is the agent of change.

As Presbyterians, we sometimes get a bad rap when it comes to evangelism. We believe that it is God who chooses us and not the other around, which means we tend to use that as our scapegoat when evangelizing to others, or really when not evangelizing to others. And also, our denomination and our church, tend to be extremely respectful of our ecumenical and interfaith relations, which is a really good thing! And yet the commandment by Christ is still there: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Which is exactly what Paul did in our passage. He copied Jesus and found new disciples and baptized them in the name of Christ. Jesus, during his earthly life, found the most diverse crew.  His disciples were Jewish and Greek, tax collectors and zealots; some were fishermen and some were rich.  And with the addition of Mary and Martha and others, they were women. Jesus even recruited his betrayer.

So then Paul does the same. He makes a choice. Paul will go Ephesus, which is the fourth largest city after Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch. There, in this large and important city, he will find the most diverse people and cultures. And he does. He comes across a group of disciples who are believers but have yet to receive the Spirit because they do not know the Spirit. They are hungry for it; thirsty for it. They ask questions and then they are baptized. Of course, we see that Paul lays his hands over them but once again, we know it is not Paul serving as the agent of change here but rather, it is the Spirit that descends upon them that confirms the love of God and the grace of Jesus in their lives.

I think about what this means for us today; about what evangelism should look like today.

A few weeks ago I officiated the wedding for my cousin and his now wife at a small ELCA church in rural North Dakota. And when I say, rural, I mean North Dakota rural. More cows than people. 

But this church -- This church is one of my happy places. While interning as a chaplain at a summer camp, I preached for the very first time at this church. Their minister at the time, who is still a friend and mentor in ministry, invited me to do so. I was a first year seminary student with lots to learn, but she gave my voice a place to preach the Word of God. I preached twice that summer! When I preached in this church again at my cousin’s wedding, it was a homecoming of sorts 8 years later.

I also know this. This particular ELCA church, which ELCA is the equivalent to the PCUSA church in the Lutheran denomination, this particular ELCA church is not ready to call an LGBTQ+ minister. It’s a place that would not call me or someone like me. But three times I’ve been invited to preach there because their minister and now my cousin and his wife thought that the people of this particular place and time needed to hear the Word of God through the voice of an LGBTQ+ pastor. 

That is what evangelism looks like today.

Evangelism looks like a female head of staff and pastor serving alongside women elders and deacons because we know the holiness and power of women voices as a part of God’s voice, from the moment they were the first to preach the resurrection to this day where their very presence in leadership faithfully defies the churches in this area who silence their calling.

Evangelism looks like the lifting up and listening of youth and young adult voices – people in their teens, twenties, and thirties – as they serve as our elders and deacons and volunteers because we see and believe in a God who calls all into service and can work through them through their experiences, especially those who are still young.

Evangelism looks like black lives matter signs outside of a church because scripture and our confessions require us to seek justice and serve the marginalized because we know our world and its system still oppress and murder black, indigenous, and people of color lives at a rate that is not synonymous with the lives Jesus intended for all of God’s children.

Evangelism looks like a community of faith hosting a booth at Pride because the Church – the big C church – the church all our communities of faith are a part of – have caused so much damage and self-hatred within the LGBTQ+ community that moments of saying “I’m sorry for what we have done” and “God celebrates and loves who you are” are life-changing and life-saving.

Evangelism looks like a magic carpet in the front of a sanctuary where children can gather. Evangelism looks like reminding your child every day that nothing will ever separate them from God’s love. Evangelism looks like welcoming the sounds, noises, and voices that come with children in worship, even if it’s distracting. Evangelism looks like a backpack tag that boldly and simply declares the most important message: “You are loved.”

Evangelism looks like intentional allyship, knowing that each of us have special powers and relationships to challenge a system which may include family and friends we love that still makes some people “less” than others because we know Christ tells us we must serve the least of these, even if it’s hard.

Ministry is hard. “Warning. Beware. Proceed with caution.”

But at the end of the day, in all of this, we are only the participants. We show up. We do what we can. We preach and we teach and we serve and we love. But it is really God at work in these moments; it is God who is the agent of change. It is God who is leading the way.

This is what God is doing here at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown. And nothing can undo what God has done.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

This Summer

“This Summer” was preached at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, PA on July 11, 2021. You can hear/watch this sermon here, starting at 34:40.

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Scripture Texts:
Acts 3:1-16

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“We do not see things are they are. We see things as we are.” This Talmudic quote from Rabbi Schmuel Ben Nachnami notes that seeing is not always vision. What we see in life is more than what the eye beholds. A person or circumstances right in front of us can be merely the surface of someone or something more profound.

Let me explain.

If you ever want to shock someone, when they ask you what you do for a living, tell them you are a gay pastor. This will be shocking to that person because most of you are not gay nor a pastor.

So you might just have to take my word for it. But when I tell a stranger that I am a gay pastor, 4 out of 5 times the person responds in shock. There’s usually follow-up questions! Non-churched adults, especially those who grew up in the church but no longer have any church connection, are often surprised that one can be both gay and a pastor. Radical, right?! It’s a great conversation starter.

I think the shock also comes from when they ask what I do for a living, they don’t assume to see a gay pastor before them, whatever a gay pastor looks like. Unless I am wearing a rainbow stole or my preacher’s robe, both of which I have, I don’t think most people would put two-and-two together and assess I must be a gay pastor by my appearance. And not like it matters anyway.

Actually, in fact, a former clergy colleague of mine once criticized my appearance as a pastor saying he, “could never do the Lord’s Work in clothes as comfortable as mine.” (I was wearing button up and chinos). Fortunately he said it in front of two of my former church members, who knew my character and ability, and said, “If Pastor Taylor ever visited us in the hospital wearing a full suit and tie, we’d be thinking we were on our death bed needing to say good bye to our loved ones right then and there.”

As if pastors have one way to dress… as if any of us do.

How do people perceive you when they see you? Can they tell if you’re a teacher or a doctor or an engineer? How about if you’re a parent or a grandparent? What do they look like? What’s their uniform?

By what you’re wearing right now, or how or where you’re sitting, or the items you brought with you, could any of us tell what your hobbies are or where you’re from or your plans for the rest of the day? By looking at you, could I criticize your deepest faults or share your greatest gifts? Would I be able to know your full story?

The answer is no. “We do not see things are they are. We see things as we are.”

Anything I say about you based off appearance alone is only a projection of myself onto you.

Each of you are something more than the human eye can see. And each of us are more complex than any of us in a solo understanding can comprehend.

This summer we are focusing on the book of Acts as part of our summer theme: “One Worship, One Church: A Summer of Being Together.” If you joined us for worship two weeks ago or had a chance to view that service at a different time, you would have heard a conversational sermon preached by the three pastors. That sermon, which launched our summer theme, was inspired by passages found in the opening chapters of Acts: chapters 1 and 2.

Immediately following the ascension of Jesus, the early followers of the Way were told to wait until the Holy Spirit would descend upon them with power. This must have been incredibly difficult as after witnessing the resurrection of Christ, I’m sure all the disciples wanted to do was to go out into the world to preach the Gospel and serve their neighbors. But they were told to wait. And so they did.

Then, during Pentecost, the Spirit of Power did descend upon them and the early church was created. To build and expand the church, the disciples did simple but holy things. If you remember, the early church in the 2^nd chapter, the period right after the moment of Pentecost, the early church “followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved” (Acts 2:46-47).

That’s what we’re doing this summer. We’re focusing on building community, and we’re doing it through simple but holy things: one worship service, a variety of music, intentional fellowship every week, and food and fun to share with one another.

If you read my Eblast letter from Thursday, you know how I feel about this summer. Grateful is exactly the word. In general, I like what I see, because we’re together after over a year of not being together.

But even this summer, there is something more happening than the human eye can see. To believe this, we must have faith.

Think of the early church. There was something more there too.

Our passage for today immediately follows the verse I quoted earlier that was a part of the conversational sermon preached two weeks ago. The early church is still worshipping daily, enjoying the simplicity of just being together as one body.

Peter and John, two of Jesus’ original disciples during his earthly life, are now living out the resurrected and now ascended Christ’s command of going out and making disciples of all nations.  Outside of the temple, as part of their daily visit, they see a man who had been lame from birth. The man calls to Peter and John and asks for alms of silver and gold. But Peter takes the hand of the man, raises him up, and commands the man to “stand up and walk” in the name of Christ. And so the man does. He stands up. He walks. And then he starts jumping and leaping and praising God.

The story is similar to a healing performed by Jesus. Remember the story of the paralytic man being lowered by friends through a hole on a roof so that he would be placed at the feet of Jesus to be healed? There too, a man once lame, was healed and was able to walk and jump and praise God. This is found in Mark 2.

Both stories feature the healing power of Christ. This is important. Peter makes it very clear to the crowd that he did not heal the man; it was Jesus and faith in his name that made this man walk again.

But there is a difference in these stories as well. When Jesus heals the paralytic man, he does so by forgiving the sins of that man. He acknowledges the man as a sinner and then he forgives him. As our perfect judge and redeemer, Jesus has the authority and the power to do so. To name the sins of the marginalized in addition to the sins of those in power with the promise of his forgiveness.

But in our story from today, there is something more than meets the eye.

Peter never names the sins of the lame man as he heals him in the name of Christ. Instead, Peter turns to the crowd, to the Israelites who are just like him, and names their collective sin; their sin of sentencing Jesus to death and he calls them all to repent.

First, don’t let any of us twist this into an anti-sematic passage. Peter, a Jewish man and follower of the God of his Jewish ancestors, is preaching to a Jewish crowd, followers of the same God through their Jewish ancestors. This crowd that Peter is preaching too is also most likely not the same crowd that gathered before Pilate the day Jesus was sentenced to death. But yet this is a collective truth and a collective responsibility. Peter calls the crowd – those worshipping in the temple every day as well as himself – to repent. And then Peter gives them the opportunity to do so.

Peter holds himself and his worshipping community accountable. This idea isn’t new to us.  With more media attention to injustices across our world and country, we know we too are called to hold each other accountable. White people holding white people accountable. Men holding men accountable. Straight, cisgender people holding straight, cisgender people accountable. This is our responsibility.

But what if this summer and moving forward, we as a community of faith hold each other accountable? Not out of piety or superiority over another, but instead rooted in our faith in Christ and our call to be a community with one another.

Do we believe the Spirit could intervene if we are forthcoming with the ways in which we fall short?  Do we believe the Spirit would heal if we were honest about our ailments and our areas of concern? Do we believe something more is at work? Something more than we can see with our own eyes…

What does accountability look like during a summer of “One Worship, One Church: A Summer of Being Together”? What if the accountability is as simple as the simplicity of the responsibility we have this summer? How do we stay accountable to worshiping together and breaking bread together, and generally enjoying it as we do?

I think it can be as easy as one, two, three.

One, each of us need to first and foremost hold ourselves accountable. Let each of us commit to this time of experimentation and discernment in our community of faith. Try to be here every Sunday and be intentional about your time here. Sing the music, pray the prayers, and enjoy the time in fellowship. Participate and be engaged. We’ll get more of out of all of this when we do.

Two, find joy and gratitude in at least one aspect of worship every Sunday. Write it down if you would like. Make that your number one takeaway and focus on that joy. Maybe you liked a song a line from the sermon. Maybe you saw a friend you haven’t seen in awhile or maybe you met someone new. Maybe the most joyful thing was worshipping in your pajamas that day or maybe it was the first time this week you got to experience a sabbath. Find that at least one piece of joy or gratitude and then share it with someone. That’s a healthy way to hold others accountable; by sharing your joy and asking them to share theirs. Positivity is contagious.

And three, speaking of holding others accountable, find your people – your inner circle; the people most like you – and hold each other accountable. Even directly if needed. For example, let’s say you belong to a circle of friends that believes Sunday worship is best when Stephen wears a bowtie. On the days he wears his bowtie, I’m sure you and your circle go find each other and say just “how lovely that polka dot” pattern was! And on the days that Stephen doesn’t wear a bowtie, maybe some in the circle complain that worship wasn’t at meaningful because we didn’t get to appreciate the dashing design around his neck. If this happens… and it is bound to happen, whether it’s about bowties or music, children or chairs, when someone in your circle who has similar beliefs, opinions, and preferences as you; if and when someone in your circle might complain, kindly and compassionately redirect them back to the joy and gratitude. The positive takeaway you promised to focus on that week.

There is something at work here that is more than any of us understand. Let us live in response to God who we know is at work in all of this, whatever it might look like and what ever may come from it. Maybe – just maybe – if we spend a summer of empowering another, our faith in Christ and our call to be a community will make us whole again. I believe that it can.

I think this summer is a summer is letting the Spirit do her work. It’s a summer of believing Christ can do anything… and that Christ will do something. It’s a summer of repentance and a summer of healing. It’s a summer of intentional faith and fellowship. It’s a summer of being together.

There is more to this summer than the human eye can see. Thanks be to God for that. Amen.

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