Spiritual Journeys Today

Sermon:   To Live In This World 

Read:   Luke 16:1-12   I Tim 2:1-15

Thank you for this time to worship together.  Worship is always our God focus; we believe that the Spirit creates community and brings new life for us.  We give thanks for these blessed moments.

I want you to know that our texts offer a very practical opportunity for us.  We are called to live in this world – not to escape the world with our heavenly home in promise.  Each day, that is our choice in faithfulness to God’s love and grace.  I am firmly convinced that God loves us, God forgives us, and the Eternal One is always present within us.  The Eternal Spirit brings insight to what we know, ability to make the best choices, and offers us the opportunity to learn to love and care. 

Ours is the task to learn to live with this God focus in all that we do and say and think.  That’s not easy.  But like the text “Pray without ceasing”, we need to know that if we are driving the car, we had better pray with our eyes open, not closed in prayer.

                                                  _________________________________

The earliest Christians believed that Jesus would return soon, at any moment and at any day.  But that was not to happen.  By the time Luke witnesses in the gospel, or the Pauline community speaks to young leadership in I Timothy, we hear the Christian community endeavoring to learn to live in this world.

Listen to I Timothy again:  “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity”…  “There is one mediator between God and humans Christ Jesus, himself human.”  Thus Jesus learned what he needed to do, he grew with insight, he chose that which was the Father’s will with struggle, he learned to love and care for others.  So when we follow Jesus, this is our life also.

In the gospel lesson, Luke commends the dishonest steward and concludes that children of this world do better than children of the light.  We need to learn how to live in this world with the Eternal One in focus.  That’s the direction of our time this morning.  These words taken from our hymns speak to this understanding: 

                            Finish then thy new creation. 

                            Do it now and day by day.             

                            Forth in thy name I go;

My daily witness to give in the work and in the relationships which are mine and ours together.
                                                  _________________________________ 

My wife, Gretta and I listened to the Pope address the English Parliament in Westminster Hall.  Centuries ago, he would have had to fight to get in, and now he was welcomed with great applause.  He spoke of a need for an “ethical foundation for political discourse”.  I believe that is a necessary ingredient to live in this world.  Indeed our ethical consideration is always needed.  So what shall we say for Christians now?

                                                  _________________________________

I offer to you some ethical insights that help me in the daily witness of God’s presence in my life with others. 

We live in the resurrection.  That means ours is the victory eternally in life and life eternal.  We may act in faith and live in faithfulness, knowing that God is always at work in us.  The Spirit bears this witness with us always.                                                                                                                              

                                                  _________________________________

We need always to consider both person and community.  Persons reflect God’s rich person, Spirit of the nature of person.  I need carefully to consider how persons are created and how they are redeemed.  The conversations, the communication which is ours is reflecting that which God gives to us.  The cup of cold water, given in Jesus name, is that which is redeeming.  Better said, the cup of coffee with a cookie is our holy communion with a neighbor or friend. 

God also calls us to live in community.  Family and friends are part of this holy relationship.  Surely, the church needs to be the family of God offering redeeming grace and community service to everyone.  Our city or community is the place where education helps all of us grow.  The healing community is part of God’s way to keep all of us healthy.  The commerce of our community brings the blessings of the whole world to us – and offers to us a way to give back to others that goodness we have known.  We build community in many ways, and we need to discover new relationships which fulfill the Oneness to which we are called.

Our ethical response daily must include consideration of person and community at the same time.        

                                                   _________________________________

Our decisions need to consider motive, means, and ends.  We examine the reasons for our actions carefully.  When I served at Hamline Church, I was pastor of a community that serves meals at the State Fair at the Hamline Dining Hall.  “Why do you want to continue to do this?” I asked.  “To make some money for the church” was the reply.  “Now that’s not the best reason.” I responded.  “To serve good food to hungry persons and to do it together with others” I responded,  “Now that’s to consider persons needs and to build community,”   “To give persons a clean place to sit down and eat”; that’s a good answer also.  And then “to make some money”; “now, that’s about the right place for that reason.”  We always need to consider our motive.

We need to consider the means or methods we use to act.  There may be more than one way to accomplish what needs to be done.  Especially in our complex society with many cultures, races, and life styles around us, this is true.  Again at the Hamline Dining Hall, the fair health inspectors had a thermometer in the refrigerator.  The temperature had to be right to keep things cold.  Those in charge were greatly pleased when they found a refrigerator with a glass door.  The women who cut the tomatoes and made the meat balls did not have to open the door to see when they needed to work at these tasks: and the refrigerator stayed cold which the health inspectors liked very much. How we do what needs to be done is always significant.

To look ahead to the outcome is necessary.  We need to pursue the best for all.  Again at the Hamline Dining Hall, a family came in and asked “Do you have a table for 8 and for one person with muscular dystrophy who is in a wheel chair?”  “Yes,” we said.  We asked a number of persons to move, and that made it possible for the family that had the need to eat for as long as the person in the wheel chair needed.  We were long closed for the noon hour when they finally finished – with lots of time together and good food for all.

Motives, means or methods, and ends all need to be redeeming to act in God’s will day by day.  

                                                  _________________________________

Now for one with which I endeavor to work.  It is more important to be loving, than to be right.  That means I need to walk away from some conversations if the person or persons insist on their answer, and they always have the answer.  I need to care about persons and community.  I need to care about discovery of new insights together.  When I cannot do this, it is better to walk away.  It is better and more important to be loving, than to be right. 

I could tell stories that illustrate what I am trying to do.  But they are not always good stories, so if you want to know them, you will have to ask.  For we have much to do that transforms our world.  We are not alone.  Many persons share our vision of God’s presence in our world.  We work together in redeeming ways.                                       

                                                  _________________________________

All of us know Psalm 23.  “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”  But righteousness needs to be understood in better ways for most of us.  My Hebrew professor years ago helped with this understanding.  When in the Exodus, God says “I have heard the cry of my people, and I have come to deliver them…” that’s righteousness.  Our redeeming activity is that for which God asks; and is that to which God’s Spirit directs us.  So every day: “He leads me in paths that are redeeming.”  This is true in my redeeming, and in redeeming the lives of others.  That is blessing indeed!!

Redeeming life is also our witness to the Jesus presence in us and with us.  For this responsibility we give thanks and to this responsibility we commit ourselves today.  We live in this world with the Spirit presence.  Thanks be to God.

Amen

Bruce Buller

                                                               My Christian Story
                                                  “I Have Called You By Name….”
                                                               By Peter Kroneman

                                                                 January 22, 2002
It was the summer of my first year at youth Bible camp, called L.T.C.– Leadership Training Camp. It was here at this camp that I came to know Jesus on a personal and very real basis. It was during one of the evening worship services that the reality of the crucifixion became apparent on my life. I wept out of an overwhelming sense of guilt that I had actually put Him on the cross for me. It was a life that was transformed from the worldly to the godly. I believe that repentance is a one time thing, but renewal of the godly life is a daily matter; just as a person must be washed everyday, so must the Christian life must be renewed each day. This is often easier said than done. The Christian life does not prevent people from committing sinful acts, it does not prevent tragedy from striking, it does not make life seem more fair? The Christian life does awaken the spiritual content of what happens on a daily basis and makes the Christian aware that God is present– especially when God’s presence seems not only questionable but out right deniable.
The Christian life has stayed my course from that summer evening so long ago. The trial and tribulations of life have visited me. I have come to a quick realization that they cannot be avoided, they can only be dealt with– either from a Christian perspective or from the worldly perspective. The Christian view would be to deal with adversity through hope, the worldly view is to deal with adversity through despair– “the world is coming to an end” instead of “there is a world that awaits us beyond what our physical bodies can reach.” One hope, the other despair, all based upon one idea; the resurrection. The resurrection brings a life of hope, without it, it brings a life of despair.
People living with a worldly view say that God does not and cannot exist because he cannot be physically seen, heard or touched. Those living the Christian faith say that God can be seen, heard and touched; not in just one statuesque form but in the people that we interact with on a daily basis. God is simply too big to be contained in a statue or any other graven image. God is also present during our times of greatest need. When our soul finally says, ”I am ready to listen.” This is when I have been the closest to God. God is so great that it is possible to deal with people on an individual basis– this is what the Bible is all about. He speaks and I will listen and ACT. There have been several times when I have called on the Lord, and He has instructed me.
I can remember back in college when I first had this experience with God. I had come to a point where I needed guidance for my life. I was deciding on career choices; a teacher or a pastor. I was equally qualified for both and was receiving pressure from many different people to choose one over the other. I finally went to the Lord in prayer for 2 weeks, each day I would take the time to commune with God for direction. I can remember being told, as clear as day, “I need you in the schools.” End of discussion, I was going to be a teacher. Too many people have desecrated the idea of God speaking to them, using it for personal gain. I think the true test of whether or not God has actually spoken to a person is to ask “is it self-serving or Christ-serving?” The answer to this will become immediately apparent. “I have called you by name to become a teacher.” This was not the only time that I have been directly instructed by God.
There was the time when a relationship that I was involved with took the direction of considering marriage. I was not sure what to do with this, again, I went to God in prayer and was guided by Him, that this was not the right time, place or person. This was an extremely difficult pill to swallow. But, now as the years have passed, it has become apparent why He made that decision.
Finally, the greatest test of faith came when my brother died at age 24. This was beyond agonizing for me and my family. The death was a result from a brain aneurysm. It was instantly fatal. This would begin a period of grieving that was beyond description. Ironically, the last thing in the world that I wanted to discuss, hear about or even pray to was God. I could not even open my Bible for months. It literally made me sick to open the Bible. So, did faith fail me in my time of need? I was still looking for that teaching job that I had been called for several years ago in college. I was at the lowest point of my life. Again, I cried out to God, literally, about what to do. Again, I was answered directly by Him, “It is time to go.” Shortly after that a call came out of the blue for a teaching position in Florida; over 2,000 miles away. It was only 10 weeks after my brother died that I got this call. I needed to take this position, even though it was so far away. I took the job, against my family’s great protests. I used my time in Florida to do a great deal of healing. Though, the first year of teaching was nothing short of miserable.
I am now waiting upon the Lord to show me the way to the next stop in life.
                                                                      December 21, 2003
The next step in life was to eventually leave Florida, after teaching there for three years, and return to Minnesota. Looking back on my experience in Florida, I have come to see God in a whole new light. I can look back and see how God was present even when I never thought he was. The people that he put in my life leading up to and right after my brother’s death. The time spent in Florida was necessary, because it got me away from everyone and everything and allowed me the time to heal on my own. It was time well spent.
But, again, God’s presence indicated to me that it was time to go. This lead me to Northfield, Minnesota and the United Methodist Church there where I took a part time youth ministry job. Along with that job, I took another job teaching part time at the middle school. The job at the church did not last long when I was put into a position that required me to make a decision: resign or be fired. This was an unfair position for me since I did not do anything that would warrant such a decision, but it became clear that my presence was no longer wanted. This situation made me very angry, not towards the congregation, but towards the powers-that-be, for allowing this situation to occur. I took several weeks away from attendance and it was in May of 2003 that something interesting happened. I had ran across several people from the congregation that were asking me to consider returning to church. The interesting part was each of these conversations were independent of each other and occurred with in twenty four hours. Additionally, it was the same weekend that was the anniversary of my brother’s death. The worldly view of this would be to regard it as not thing extraordinary and as just a chance event. The life of faith tells us that this was something more than just a mere coincidence.
                                                                 November 18, 2007
Several Years later, and many things have changed; some for the better and some for the worse. After several years of off again/on again employment, I was finally led to Rochester, Minnesota to work in the social services field with adolescents. It has been a wonderful match for me!! It took me over 500 applications to finally land a full-time job. I had to first accept that I was done pursuing a teaching career. But I remember a time of discernment years prior where I felt God speak to me “I need you in the schools” and that is exactly where I am in a way that I had never imagined and doing work with far more significant implications.
The past several years have encountered significant turmoil and distress. In December 2004, mom was killed walking across the street on a December afternoon in downtown Sioux Falls. The driver had been blinded by the late afternoon sun, did not see mom in the crosswalk until it was too late. I remember laying on the floor of the ICU waiting room praying my little heart out to God not to let this happen again. Again, my pleas went unanswered. Now only 5 ½ years later, I have buried half of my family. Not where I expected life to be at 30. I have a new understanding of what Jesus meant when hanging on the cross, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me.” I cannot say it any better than that. What impresses me more is the dead silence that follows. There is simply no response from God. What is a person of faith to do when the response we expect to get from God simply does not happen?

Because I Am

I am alive, what are the odds
That it’s random chance and there’s no God?
I do exist, I live and breathe
I laugh, I love, I cry, I grieve
Do you honestly believe that there’s no plan?
I know God is, because I am

I am wonderf”ly wrought, I am perfectly made
Yet I succumb to temptation and pride
Made by God’s own hand, exactly as God planned
And though I go astray, God stays right by my side
Life is a miracle and I’m alive

I am alive, I look around
Always amazed, at the sights and sounds
I see the sun, the moon and stars
the ocean blue, the mountains far
Do you honestly believe that there’s no plan?
I know God is, because I am

I am wonderf”ly wrought, I am perfectly made
Yet I succumb to temptation and pride
Made by God’s own hand, exactly as God planned
And though I go astray, God stays right by my side
Life is a miracle and I’m alive

I am alive, I hear God’s voice
In a baby’s cry, and I rejoice
I hear God’s song, in rustling leaves
The chirping birds, the raging seas
Do you honestly believe that there’s no plan?
I know God is, because I am

I am wonderf”ly wrought, I am perfectly made
Yet I succumb to temptation and pride
Made by God’s own hand, exactly as God planned
And though I go astray, God stays right by my side
Life is a miracle and I’m alive

I am alive, and seek to be
Working for God, so joyously
I’ll persevere, I’ll overcome
For the love of God, with whom I’m one
Do you honestly believe that there’s no plan?
I know God is, because I am

I am wonderf”ly wrought, I am perfectly made
Yet I succumb to temptation and pride
Made by God’s own hand, exactly as God planned
And though I go astray, God stays right by my side
Life is a miracle and I’m alive

I wrote this song this morning after reading some commentary on one of the internet news outlets. The contributors were discussing the earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear problems in Japan. Their views were widely varied and even profane at times as they discussed whether God was serving judgment on Japan for killing dolphins, whether God existed, and even whether external forces including the US had used some unknown weapon on Japan. I was amazed and horrified at times by what I read. I believe God exists and assists us, even in times of disaster but I will never again believe that God takes vengeance on us for our actions. The God I believe in has given me so many opportunities and has forgiven me and welcomed back to the fold so many times that I can’t keep track anymore.. Life is a miracle!

I hope you’re able to see God’s blessings in you life today!

John

Copyright March 20, 2011 John Lage, Jr. All rights reserved.

Our trip to Guatemala from New Year’s Eve to January 9, 2011 was a life changing experience. I expected that but I guess what was unexpected has been the ways that my life has changed.  I’ve changed a number of seemingly small things.  For example, I have more or less given up caffeine.  I’m not completely sure why.  I have changed my shower habits.  I used to leave the water running while I shampooed, washed and shaved.  I now turn the water off except when I’m getting wet or rinsing.  We took our showers in a similar manner while in Guatemala to conserve water.  I have a new view on water, it’s importance in our lives and the recognition that water is something we take very much for granted.  You just can’t do that in Guatemala today.  There, water can make you very sick unless you take the proper precautions, and sometimes even if you do. We take so many other things for granted as well, food, safety, warmth and health.  I am still wearing the hand-woven Guatemalan bracelet that one of our trip leaders, Steve Loth, gave to each member of the team to symbolize our unity in serving the people of Guatemala.  I try say a prayer for those who are still in Guatemala each time I look at it.  It helps me to remember my native Guatemalan friends as well as the missionaries such as Heather Nielson, our nurse friend who is helping to run a clinic for two years in Guatemala.  I have also started to meet one on one, on a regular basis, with several Christian friends.  We share in fellowship and talk of our Christian experiences.  I find it is helping me to grow even stronger spiritually, although there are still days when I seem somewhat distant from God.

Another incredible thing that continued to happen during the trip is that my relationship with Jan continues to grow and deepen.  We are talking more and more about our joint and separate spiritual growth.  We are sharing items from our devotions with each other and discussing them.  I remain a very fortunate man to be married to this wonderful woman.  She came back from this trip with a strong desire to concentrate her efforts in helping to offer mission opportunities to families with children.  I’m hoping she will share that with you here soon.

 I am overweight and my wife has been urging me to exercise for quite some time.  I kept telling her I couldn’t find the time.  She recently lost a significant amount of weight after starting to exercise regularly.  Not long ago, she stooped so low as to ask one of my friends from church to encourage me to start exercising.  The joke turned out to be on her as he asked me…right in front of her, while telling me she had told him to do so!!! 

Jan and I are intending to go to Guatemala again at the end of the year if all goes well.  I am investigating the possibility of adding the dispensing of prescription glasses to our medical team’s mission but that’s a story for another time.  The trip is somewhat expensive, especially for two of us, so I have been trying to figure out a fundraising method.  God helped me to come up with a way to work some exercise into my life and to raise funds for the trip at the same time.  I will be bike riding (both stationary and real bike) and walking the 2831.9 miles to Lemoa, Guatemala and plotting my virtual progress on this map so you can follow. The distance between points A and B is the distance I have traveled so far.  When I wrote this I had logged 261.2 miles.  At a penny, a mile, that comes to no  more than 28.32 but you can pledge any fraction of a penny per mile or any amount that the spirit moves you to.  I will turn any funds above our expenses over to the team to cover some of the entire group’s costs.  You can pledge by sending me an email at [email protected].  I will not require the actual funds until the group has worked with Christ United Methodist Church to set up the finances in a way that will make this tax deductible.  This will occur in the second half of the year.  The checks will be made out to the church with Jan’s or my name on the memo line.  I continue to be amazed at how God finds ways to help us do God’s work in our daily lives if we  just try to listen to Him.  

My hope for you today is that you recognize God’s blessings in your life.  That simple step will start you an a path to a wonderful relationship with God!

John 

I’ll admit I’m not much of a NASCAR fan.  I’m not against it either, I just don’t watch much and am certainly not addicted.  On Sunday, February 20th, 2011, my family and I went out to eat lunch at a restaurant where we play trivia and the Daytona 500 race was plastered over many of the screens there.  It was a pretty exciting race and I started watching between trivia questions.  .  We left to go home and I went downstairs and started watching the race again.  I could hear the announcers now too.  Before long they narated the story of Trevor Bayne, a rookie driver, who had turned 20 years old the day before.  I have a habit of rooting for underdogs in sporting events and so I started cheering for Trevor perhaps about half way through the race.  I am sure many of you now know that Trevor went on to win the race in incredibly exciting fashion, but that’s not I want to tell you about.  The next day as I checked the news, I came across this article “Daytona 500 Winner’s Race for Faith“.  In brief, Trevor Bayne is going to contribute part of his earnings to a Christian charity that does mission work serving orphans in Mexico.

Trevor Bayne worked hard to win the Daytona 500 a few days back but his best work that day was to stand up and testify to his belief in God.  As you know I believe telling our stories of faith is what we should be doing.  This song came to me a few days later as I rode the bus to work one morning.  It is dedicated to Trevor Bayne.  I hope that fame and success are never able to overcome his devotion to doing God’s work.  If a NASCAR race driver can take the time to stand up and testify to God’s work in his life on the best day of his life, can’t we all find a way to do so in our daily lives?

Thanks for listening, John
 

From the back seat of the bus today
I watched a young man make his way
Down the sheet of music he was writing
I couldn’t hear what he clearly heard
Don’t even think the song had words
But it was obvious that he could hear the music

The talents and gifts that God gives us all
Are special and unique, we must answer his call
To use them for the good of all of creation
To make a better place for the whole human race,
Use your talents and gifts

As I watched the news of the NASCAR race
And saw excitement on the face
Of Trevor Bayne who had just won at Daytona
I was so amazed when I heard him say
To the whole wide world, on his special day
He would use some of the prize to do God’s bidding

The talents and gifts that God gives us all
Are special and unique, we must answer his call
To use them for the good of all of creation
To make a better place for the whole human race,
Use your talents and gifts

How will you use your gifts today?
Please see if you can find a way
To make the world improve a bit for someone
You prob’ly won’t need to look too far
To find out where the real needs are
If you’ll only try to see the things God shows you

The talents and gifts that God gives us all
Are special and unique, we must answer his call
To use them for the good of all of creation
To make a better place for the whole human race,
Use your talents and gifts

Copyright 2011 John Lage, Jr. All rights reserved
Test for Amanda



Not long ago, for a relatively short period of time one morning, I was acutely aware of God’s overwhelming presence with me.  This sensation was both spiritual and physical.  I knew God was there, he always is, but during this time I could literally feel his presence surrounding me in an almost electric way!  As I lay there in my bed with my wife sleeping next to me, three words came to me clearly, not spoken but just there.  Infinite, universal, unconditional.  I knew these words could only describe one thing, nothing else could possibly encompass this scope.  That thing was God’s love for us,   Indeed, we are God’s creation and he loves us beyond our ability to comprehend.  This seems obvious but at times it seems to be in conflict with our Bible, with our organized religion and with our very way of looking at almost everything.  I’d like to take some time to explain.

Infinite

1. extending indefinitely : endless
2. immeasurably or inconceivably great or extensive : inexhaustible
3. subject to no limitation or external determination

In terms of God’s love, no matter how many people there are, on this planet or any other planet or anywhere else in all of God’s creation, for that matter, God’s love is there for you, in a very personal and caring way.  No matter how great the need,  through floods, famines, drought, disease, or tsunamis, where thousands or even millions may need his love at once, God is there.  No matter how terrible your sins, no matter what you’ve done or not done, God’s love is there  – Even in the depths of human suffering and depravity, in events such as the holocaust, God and God’s love were there and available to each and every person, no matter their role.  God never promised us that following him would be an easy path. 

Universal

I also believe that God’s love is universal,

1. including or covering all or a whole collectively or distributively without limit or exception : available equitably to all members of a society
2. present or occurring everywhere
3. existent or operative everywhere or under all conditions  

God’s love is there for all of us, across the board, no matter our color, our race, our lifestyles, our religion, or our anything else in the world.  As the word is defined, subject to no limitation or external determination. Earlier this week, we celebrated the holiday that honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  I searched the internet with the intention of using excerpts from his “I Have a Dream” speech.  As I read it, I realized that although it is an awesome piece of work, it says little or nothing about God’s love.

 Perhaps with a little divine inspiration, I searched for “Martin Luther King Jr God’s love”.  I found this description and these sermon notes.  After a summer commuting from Boston, King moved to Montgomery and begun to serve as the full-time pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church on 1 September 1954.  For his first sermon following the move, he preached from John 3:16 and I John 4:8, emphasizing God’s universality. 

I’d like to read most of one paragraph of his notes from that day

“God’s love has breadth. It is all inclusive.   It’s a big love, it’s a broad love. This is one of the things that distinguishes the N.T from the OT (in The OT, God is a tribal and national God ) Jesus came on the scene saying “our Father” meaning that he is everybody’s Father.   God’s love is too broad to be limited to a particular race.   It is too big to be wrapped in a particular garment. It is too great to be encompassed by any single nation.   God is a universal God.  This fact has been a ray of hope and has given a sense of belonging to the disinherited   All of the hate in the world cannot destroy the universal effect of God’s love.  Along with its breadth, it is personal and individual.  God loves infinitesimal me!”

Those words jumped off the page as they lined up so very well with what I was trying to say.

Unconditional

This concept of God’s love being unconditional is perhaps the most significant characteristic to me, because it is the one that I have the most personal and specific knowledge of.  I’ll explain more in just a moment  but I want to tell you that this is also the place things can get difficult for me, where my personal beliefs come into conflict with the Biblical and religious beliefs of others.  I believe God and God’s love are able to do things beyond what most of us can imagine.  I believe God’s power and might extend beyond the realm of Christianity and that God uses other religions and belief systems to reach others in ways that are specifically meaningful to them, in their lives, their experience and their cultures.  I believe Christ was the son of God but that we all are children of God  I believe we all have capabilities far beyond those we actually use, Jesus managed to utilize his to help and heal and reach those around him. 

God had the power to reach into my life in a very real and personal way.  Many of you know that for 10-11 years before I moved to Rochester, I was a drunk.  I drank to kill the pain that my first divorce caused me.  This sermon isn’t about that story so I won’t go into more detail here. 

This sermon is about God and God’s love and they were both there unconditionally for me when I finally answered Jesus’ knock at the door of my heart and returned to God.  God was there and guided me to a church, where I found non-judgmental people who accepted me as I was.  God was there with a band and choir, with whom I could play,  sing God’s praises and…stay out of the bars – I was not as attuned to his love then as I am today but God’s love was definitely there the moment I decided to listen.  God didn’t require me to recite a creed, to be re-baptized as adult, to commit to becoming a church member, to make Christ my personal Lord and Savior at that moment.  God’s love was there unconditionally for me, it was there instantaneously, once I turned to him.

Matthew 7:7-8 says:  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

One way I can visualize God’s love is as an all powerful, infinite, universal radio or television signal.  It surrounds us unknown and unseen unless we have a receiver that is turned on.  Just because we can’t see or touch it does not mean it isn’t there, it just means we are unaware.  The same is true of God’s love for us, it’s there, it surrounds us at all times,  I believe there are many channels and that we have to find one that we can tune in to.  Christ is that channel for me.  Jesus is my personal savior, not in some far off theological way that will get me to heaven if I’m good, but here, today, living right here in Rochester.  Jesus saves me from myself, saves me from my sins by being a living breathing participant in my life each day.

The key to knowing all these things and realizing all the amazing benefits that God’s love can bring you is turning to God, developing a personal relationship with him, learning to see and feel and hear him – sometimes directly, sometimes in the words and actions of those around us.

The song you’re about to hear is one of the devices that I use to remember who I am, why I’m here, and who I serve.  Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not a saint.  My receiver, tuned in to God’s signals, fades and disappears at times.  I think thoughts that are impure and unhealthy, I have a hard time focusing on God when distractions surround me.  However, those moments when I can focus on God are beyond my ability to explain.  They are times when songs, such as this one, are written and the words just flow.  Times when I know that God will work through me.  Times like being here with you today, times when I know that what I am doing is what God created me to do  and that God’s love surrounds me, infinitely, universally and unconditionally.

This sermon was given January 23rd, 2011 at the 11 AM service at Christ United Methodist Church, Rochester MN

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVz-KzXLJWg&rel=0]

I read each day’s The Upper Room Devotional as a part my time with God in the morning. I receive it via email. I file every one after I’ve read it in one of three folders:
The Upper Room, where I place the ones that didn’t particularly strike a chord with me that day.
Devotions, where I place items I may want to share with others if I’m called upon to provide devotions.
Contemplation, where items that really strike me or that I want more time to think on go.

After reading this devotion,
The Upper Room Devotional – January 25, 2011 , I immediately sat down and wrote the following song as the words from the scripture in the devotional echoed in my soul that morning. The song’s a little different because it’s written from God’s point of view and in God’s words. I hope you enjoy it.

Come…

Come….Heavy laden and weary
Lay your burdens upon me
And I will give you rest
Come…The tired and the teary
Send your troubles right to me
With my comfort and love you’ll be blessed

Why must you fight my love so?
I want only to live in your soul
Turn to me and my peace you will know
Take my hand, walk with me, Come, lets go!

Come…broken hearts and hurt feelings
I can help with the healing
And I will give you peace
Come…when your life sends you reeling
With the sins you’re concealing
I’ll surround you with love that won’t cease

Why must you fight my love so?
I want only to live in your soul
Turn to me and my peace you will know
Take my hand, walk with me, Come, lets go!

Come…with your faults and your blunders
They will rip you asunder
Unless you share them with me
Come…with the pressure you’re under
Through the lightning and thunder
I’m the calm in your storm, Can’t you see?

Why must you fight my love so?
I want only to live in your soul
Turn to me and my peace you will know
Take my hand, walk with me, Come, lets go!

Spoken – Can you imagine God and how impatient God must get with us,
with our short attention spans,
with our willingness to completely ignore God,
with our attempts to put limits on God’s power,
with our inability to get along,
with the hate and the greed and self-centeredness in our lives,
with our unwillingness to share what we have,
with our bickering,
and with our desire to always be right instead of doing right.
God’s patience must be stretched and pushed to the limits
but his love and his grace still surround us.
It’s amazing and wondrous
and it contrasts so greatly with our punishment and reward based lives.

Why must you fight my love so?
I want only to live in your soul
Turn to me and my peace you will know
Take my hand, walk with me, Come, lets go!

Copyright January 25, 2011 All rights reserved. John Lage, Jr.

 During Lent last year, one of my pastors at that time, Amanda Larson, asked me to teach a roving Bible study when she couldn’t be there one night. As I prepared, using the materials she provided, one of her questions was “Do you know the meaning of your name?”. I said ‘yes’ to myself, thinking that John meant “beloved”. I started to move on, but that small voice inside my head said “Are you sure?”. I was pretty sure I was right as this was something I recall being told long ago. So I went out to the internet and found that I was — WRONG!!! Have I mentioned that I hate it when that happens? John actually means “God is Gracious”. Those words are so true. God has been incredibly gracious to me. Please read the first couple of chapters of my journey to learn more. To finish this story, I have taken several opportunities to reflect on my name since then. I realize how well it fits me and my life and I realize how truly blessed I am. Amanda’s one little question led me to write this song. I hope you enjoy it.

“God is Gracious”

Do you know the meaning of this name my parents gave to me
  John means “God is Gracious”, I’m thankful that it’s true
They could not have named me better if my life they’d have foreseen
  Saved by that grace, it’s clear to me, I must tell you

God is gracious, God is kind
  God is yours, and God is mine
I may not see God just as you do
  But that’s OK, part of God’s way, for me and you

Why do we get so caught up in the things we think we have to do
  To earn a spot in heaven, if we only just knew how
My experience has shown me God’s right here with me and you
  Here in this time and in this place, God’s here right now

God is gracious, God is near
  Not somewhere else, but always here
I may not feel God just as you do
  But that’s OK, part of God’s way, for me and you

Could it be we’re searching for something that’s always been a part
  Of all we’ve ever been and all we’re ever gonna be
My life’s been so much better since I pledged to give my heart
  My soul, my will, to do God’s work, try it and see

God is gracious, God is love
  Right here on earth, not up above
I may not hear God just as you do
  But that’s OK, part of God’s way, for me and you

God is gracious, God loves all
  Open your heart, and hear God’s call
I may not worship just as you do
  But that’s OK, part of God’s way, for me and you

Copyright John Lage, Jr. December 18, 2010 All rights reserved.

It was the year 2000.  I really did not expect anything significant to happen as I attended an Alpha Workshop.  Four people from our Adult Education Team decided to explore the Alpha program.  It was a new approach that was meant to invite unchurched persons in the community to attend church.  It had its foundation in England and had recently arrived in the United States.  Having attended church workshops in the past, I was expecting a medium size church where we might possibly meet in the basement.  We all were amazed as we drove up to a very large church.  Men in the parking lot directed us to a place to park.

 As we entered the building, something felt different.  I can’t describe it, but there was a feeling of sanctity upon going through the doors.  Inside, we found 400 – 500 people and a large sanctuary where the program had already begun.  There were speakers explaining the program, singing, and something that I had never experienced before – an altar call.  This call was given between the sections of the workshop.  Participants were invited to come to the altar rail and offer prayer for any concerns that they might have.

I resisted for the first calls, but by the fourth call, I moved forward.  I don’t know what drew me to this experience except that I had struggled with something for a long time, and I decided to pray about it.  It seemed the thing to do at the time.  There were people at the altar rail who would pray with you if you asked.  I don’t know how long I was there praying alone and also having someone pray with me.  As I think back now, I do remember that I was shaking as I prayed.  It really didn’t seem like anything had happened.  I was disappointed.  Why hadn’t God answered my prayer?

That night in the room I shared with a young minister who was one of the four, I told him about the experience and how unhappy I was that nothing seemed to happen.  I really don’t know what I was expecting, but God was not there, or so I thought.

We finished the workshop the next day and headed back to church.  We discussed the Alpha Program, and all were enthused about it.  We decided that we would offer it as soon as possible.  Upon arriving back at the church, I knocked on the door of a meeting room where Elaine, my wife, was attending a meeting to tell her that I would wait for her in the sanctuary.   She answered the door and her first words were, “What happened to you?”  I didn’t understand what she meant but she continued with, “You have changed.”  It still didn’t sink in. 

The sanctuary was dark as I entered.  It seemed like a Holy place.  Something was happening.  As I sat there, in the darkness, God came into my life in a way that astounded me.  I prayed; I silently sang songs that seemed to come out of this place.  Tears came as I began to see the significance of what was happening. 

I had changed and others noticed it also.  There was a different feeling inside of me; it was a life changing experience.  A new focus was now a part of my life.  I threw myself into this new life with such vigor that I almost felt that I was on fire.  Writing poetry, something I had never done before, began to happen.  I started writing a monthly column on spirituality in our church newsletter.  There were so many changes that I can’t begin to write about all of them.  All through this “new life”, I felt the hand of God leading me.  I can remember feeling this as a child at times.  God spoke to me, not in words, but in ways that I understood.  At one point, in prayer, God told me I would do things and go places that I had never imagined.  It’s all true; that has happened. 

The journey continues.  There have been many plateaus, some valleys and also some mountain tops.  I have learned on the way and new things have become known as I continue.  I have become a Spiritual Director, journeying with others as they seek to find their way.  I am a Lay Speaker, who has filled the pulpit several times.

 Recently I have “heard” the words, “Make Room.”  Again, I am not certain what they mean, but I know that God has something for me to do.  A recent entry in my journal seems to give some insight.

 “I am so comfortable in this new place.  I feel so close to God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  It seems to be the place I am called to, a place to “Make Room”.  There seems to be a new found strength in this place that I didn’t have before.  It feels as though Jesus is a part of me.  So God, on I go, not certain of my destiny, but knowing that I am in your hands, and that Jesus fills me with his strength, and that the Holy Spirit holds my hand leading me ever onward into the place I do not know now, but which will be revealed to me on the journey.”

Ken Bauman