We have some powerful moments in the Sunday School class I teach on Sunday mornings. The class is formed for beginning Christians. The idea is to give folks who have never had any experience with the Christian faith a place to begin. From the beginning the attitude in the class has been, we’ll start wherever you are. That’s why I begin by showing folks how to look up a particular passage in the Bible; it is why I talk about the difference between the Old and New Testaments; and why every religious term or idea gets broken down so that it can be understood.
Right now the content of the class is around a series of questions from a book by David Heller entitled Talking to Your Child About God. Another pastor gave me these questions and I’ve been asking everyone to think about the question during the week and then share their thinking. Last week the question was: List five of your most deeply felt beliefs about God. Wow did that get us going! Soon we were into all of those feelings we have about God. How God is loving. How God sometimes seems like a spiritual cop, posed to arrest us.
How often do we really take the time to think through our faith and beliefs? How often do we have a bunch of vaguely formed thoughts that we’ve never really gotten clear about? One class member stated that in listing her beliefs she realized they contradicted one another! That’s not too unusual an experience; most of us are probably just like her. I know that I am. I sometimes really disturb folks when they ask me a question and I reply quite honestly. Well I’ve been thinking about that question lately, and here’s where I am about it today. That’s not exactly an answer for all of time, but it’s honest.
Personally I think God likes the honesty of a questioning and open mind. It’s when we think we’ve got God figured out and begin to close our minds that we really get ourselves into trouble and into judging others. And I all honesty I can’t believe that this One who understands the whole of the universe and all creation, can be understood or figured out by mere human thought.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Love Boat Challenge
Okay, time for some nostalgia! How many of you remember that popular series on ABC from the mid-70’s to mid 80’s called “The Love Boat?” I bet most of you do because even if you were too young to see the original episodes it’s been in syndication forever. And I’m betting a bunch of you are already humming the Love Boat theme. How did that go? Let me help you out
Love, exciting and new Come Aboard. We're expecting you. Love, life's sweetest reward. Let it flow, it floats back to you. Love Boat soon will be making another run The Love Boat promises something for everyone Set a course for adventure, Your mind on a new romance. Love won't hurt anymore It's an open smile on a friendly shore. Yes LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! It's LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!
That’s not all of the song, but you’re remembering it now! Remember Captain Stubing? Your Ships Doctor played by Bernie Kopell? And then there was Gopher, played by Fred Gandy who went on to be a Congressman from Iowa. And of course “Your Cruise Director” Julie McCoy played by Lauren Tewes. Every week there’d be some guest stars on the show as well. The list was endless; every week a group of recognizable stars would be on the show playing some character or other. What drove the series besides all that star power was that every one of those characters would have a “love problem” of some sort that would get “solved” by the crew by the end of the episode. Do you remember that? How things always ended well?
So after all that nostalgia here comes the payoff and the point. If you think about it, other folks, right along with all of us, come to Cherokee quietly hoping Cherokee will be a Love Boat. Stick with me here! Folks come to Cherokee hoping to find love, hoping to find an answer to some life problem. And we have the answer—okay we don’t, but God does, and so every week our “job” as both passengers and crew on the Love Boat called Cherokee, is to point folks toward God and the love that makes all things new again.
Now you are ready for the Love Boat Challenges!
First, as a crew member on Love Boat Cherokee I challenge you to love someone everyday this week before Valentine’s Day. Make a conscious effort. Find someone who could use a little extra love, and do something that says, “You are loved.” It could be anything, from doing something special for your spouse, to making a phone call to someone you know is going through a hard time. One day it might be giving some extra dollars to help out in Haiti. Just open your mind and heart each day, and let God’s loving Spirit direct you.
Second, I challenge you to invite a friend aboard Love Boat Cherokee. Invite them to join you for worship at Cherokee on Valentines Day. We’ll make it fun. I may even figure out a way so that we can all sing the Love Boat song! And of course I’ll be talking about love in a sermon entitled The Loving Heart. I’ll see you on Valentine Sunday. In the meantime, I’m on a “cruise” to Albuquerque to love that new grandchild of ours.
Love, exciting and new Come Aboard. We're expecting you. Love, life's sweetest reward. Let it flow, it floats back to you. Love Boat soon will be making another run The Love Boat promises something for everyone Set a course for adventure, Your mind on a new romance. Love won't hurt anymore It's an open smile on a friendly shore. Yes LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! It's LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!
That’s not all of the song, but you’re remembering it now! Remember Captain Stubing? Your Ships Doctor played by Bernie Kopell? And then there was Gopher, played by Fred Gandy who went on to be a Congressman from Iowa. And of course “Your Cruise Director” Julie McCoy played by Lauren Tewes. Every week there’d be some guest stars on the show as well. The list was endless; every week a group of recognizable stars would be on the show playing some character or other. What drove the series besides all that star power was that every one of those characters would have a “love problem” of some sort that would get “solved” by the crew by the end of the episode. Do you remember that? How things always ended well?
So after all that nostalgia here comes the payoff and the point. If you think about it, other folks, right along with all of us, come to Cherokee quietly hoping Cherokee will be a Love Boat. Stick with me here! Folks come to Cherokee hoping to find love, hoping to find an answer to some life problem. And we have the answer—okay we don’t, but God does, and so every week our “job” as both passengers and crew on the Love Boat called Cherokee, is to point folks toward God and the love that makes all things new again.
Now you are ready for the Love Boat Challenges!
First, as a crew member on Love Boat Cherokee I challenge you to love someone everyday this week before Valentine’s Day. Make a conscious effort. Find someone who could use a little extra love, and do something that says, “You are loved.” It could be anything, from doing something special for your spouse, to making a phone call to someone you know is going through a hard time. One day it might be giving some extra dollars to help out in Haiti. Just open your mind and heart each day, and let God’s loving Spirit direct you.
Second, I challenge you to invite a friend aboard Love Boat Cherokee. Invite them to join you for worship at Cherokee on Valentines Day. We’ll make it fun. I may even figure out a way so that we can all sing the Love Boat song! And of course I’ll be talking about love in a sermon entitled The Loving Heart. I’ll see you on Valentine Sunday. In the meantime, I’m on a “cruise” to Albuquerque to love that new grandchild of ours.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Corporation Money Ads
Our Supreme Court struck down this week a big piece of what many considered campaign reform. Large moneyed interests, corporations, etc. will not be barred from being able to put on advertisements promoting their political views on issues. To do so, in the Court’s opinion, is to limit right of political expression by those who have the big bucks to do so. Once again the Other Golden Rule applies; Let those who have the gold, rule.
Okay so big corporations are now in the position to have even greater influence over the decisions that affect all Americans. Could we have at least this one piece of sanity? How about at the end of every ad, the source of the money that paid for that ad has to be clearly stated and boldly displayed? That way everyone with an axe to grind gets to grind it, but at least I know who is grinding that axe and as a voter I have a bit more perspective about whether I want to fully trust in what that ad says.
When I say, “clearly labeled,” I mean it. No shell names like, Americans for Health Care, when the money comes from Blue Cross, Blue Shield and United Health Care. No Americans for a Cleaner Environment endorsement, rather a prominent line that goes, “This ad paid for by the Gas and Oil Corporations of America, Chevron, Standard Oil, Mobil.” I’m not talking about a disclaimer size note that flashes for a millisecond in fuzzy light gray print at the bottom of the screen. I say if you want to try to persuade folks, be forthright about it. Clearly say who you are so folks can decide for themselves. After all every letter to the editor has the name and town of the person submitting it.
I’m sure there are a million details that would have to be worked out and I leave that to the politicians. My point is simply this, every company or group of corporations with the money to influence my vote, ought to stand up and proudly label themselves. Tell me, and the rest of America, who you are, and then let me and every other citizen decide who we will vote for—who best represents the interests of our country. By the way, my name is Tim Mabbott and I’m the pastor of a Christian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. And this is my opinion until someone convinces me otherwise; we’re all entitled to one even if we don’t have a million dollars to proclaim it.
Okay so big corporations are now in the position to have even greater influence over the decisions that affect all Americans. Could we have at least this one piece of sanity? How about at the end of every ad, the source of the money that paid for that ad has to be clearly stated and boldly displayed? That way everyone with an axe to grind gets to grind it, but at least I know who is grinding that axe and as a voter I have a bit more perspective about whether I want to fully trust in what that ad says.
When I say, “clearly labeled,” I mean it. No shell names like, Americans for Health Care, when the money comes from Blue Cross, Blue Shield and United Health Care. No Americans for a Cleaner Environment endorsement, rather a prominent line that goes, “This ad paid for by the Gas and Oil Corporations of America, Chevron, Standard Oil, Mobil.” I’m not talking about a disclaimer size note that flashes for a millisecond in fuzzy light gray print at the bottom of the screen. I say if you want to try to persuade folks, be forthright about it. Clearly say who you are so folks can decide for themselves. After all every letter to the editor has the name and town of the person submitting it.
I’m sure there are a million details that would have to be worked out and I leave that to the politicians. My point is simply this, every company or group of corporations with the money to influence my vote, ought to stand up and proudly label themselves. Tell me, and the rest of America, who you are, and then let me and every other citizen decide who we will vote for—who best represents the interests of our country. By the way, my name is Tim Mabbott and I’m the pastor of a Christian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. And this is my opinion until someone convinces me otherwise; we’re all entitled to one even if we don’t have a million dollars to proclaim it.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Don't Let Pat Robertson Be Your Excuse
By now lots of folks have seen or heard about Pat Robertson's comments about Haiti (something about Haitians pact with the devil being the reason for this devastating earthquake). The important thing to recognise about those comments is that they don't represent the all of Christian thinking any more than my comment here represents the totality of Christian response. Some will use Pat Robertson's comment as an excuse to beat up on the Christian faith. How many books currently on the market written by atheists use these kinds of extreme view to justify their arguments for atheism?
Here are the Christian responses I'm seeing. I'm seeing Christians trying to contact loved one's who were in Haiti helping to built up the country when the earthquake struck. I'm seeing Christians now forming work groups to make more hygiene kits, because the ones they made this summer are now being used in Haiti and more are needed immediately. I'm reading the letters of Christians who are telling their brothers and sisters in faith not to be discouraged because all of the hard work building facilities has been undone, but rather to realize that the most important part of the work was the relationships that were built. It is that history of compassionate relationship that will give hope to those Haitian people in the difficult days ahead.
In my mind these are just a few of the Christian responses I'm seeing. They are a world apart from Pat Robertson's view. The Christian community I'm part of, was in Haiti, is in Haiti, and will be in Haiti with an even stronger commitment just as soon as such support is appropriate.
Here are the Christian responses I'm seeing. I'm seeing Christians trying to contact loved one's who were in Haiti helping to built up the country when the earthquake struck. I'm seeing Christians now forming work groups to make more hygiene kits, because the ones they made this summer are now being used in Haiti and more are needed immediately. I'm reading the letters of Christians who are telling their brothers and sisters in faith not to be discouraged because all of the hard work building facilities has been undone, but rather to realize that the most important part of the work was the relationships that were built. It is that history of compassionate relationship that will give hope to those Haitian people in the difficult days ahead.
In my mind these are just a few of the Christian responses I'm seeing. They are a world apart from Pat Robertson's view. The Christian community I'm part of, was in Haiti, is in Haiti, and will be in Haiti with an even stronger commitment just as soon as such support is appropriate.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
New Decade New Roles New Graces
As I write I'm waiting on my first grandchild, a boy who will be named Evan Christian Lee. His mother, our daughter Sarah, and I were on the phone talking about his impending birth. Sarah and Kimon are using a doula as a part of the birth plan. A doula is a kind of birth coach who helps the mother through the stages of delivery. Among the things the doula discussed with Sarah and Kimon was the latest research on delivery reveals that the very best action to take with a newborn isn't to hustle the baby off to a bed in the nursery, but rather to put the baby right next to the mother with skin to skin contact for at least an hour. Keeping the baby and mother close, research reveals, helps the baby to regulate his heart beat, breathing and body temperature. Amazing who would have thought that 1000's of years of human instinct had a chance of being right? wink wink
I sit here thinking about the church and the ancient wisdom it contains. I look forward to the day when science reveals to us, no doubt to our surprise, that there is this mysterious connection with something the scientists can quite define, that helps folks live lives of hope, courage, love and compassion and somehow those folks have more joyful and fulfilled lives.
I sit here thinking about the church and the ancient wisdom it contains. I look forward to the day when science reveals to us, no doubt to our surprise, that there is this mysterious connection with something the scientists can quite define, that helps folks live lives of hope, courage, love and compassion and somehow those folks have more joyful and fulfilled lives.
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