Thoughts on Life and Worship

Most of the large protests and violence are over.  That’s good.  At this point, I don’t see a danger that the issue of social justice and systemic racism is going away anytime soon.  In my opinion, that’s good, too.  We have some work to do.  Anyone who reads the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) should be fully aware that God is deeply concerned about issues of justice and concern for the poor.  The themes are ever-present in the wisdom literature of Psalms and Proverbs.  The prophets are bold and state it clearly, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). For the most part of its history, the Church has fulfilled that mandate.  When pandemics struck the Roman Empire, Christians courageously cared for all the sick, even if the afflicted weren’t believers.  At the time of the earliest plagues, Christians ...

July 5, 2020 Ephesians 1:3-10 Introduction: Stories (Narratives) Guide Our Lives Life…human existence is a story. Stories trace the actions and interactions of people with each other and the world as we know it or wish to know it. Stories have been called “equipment for living.” There are a multitude of stories (or what we might also call narratives) in the world which determine our values and actions. There are family stories. And who knows that better than the young couple who has been married for only six months. Remember that season of life? Remember the tension as you and your spouse were trying to sort out the values – sometimes competing values – that came from two different family stories? Tough times. It’s a good thing we had stars in our eyes! Then there’s America’s story with all of its romantic rugged individualism and heroic sacrifice. But it also includes nearly centuries of slavery and the doctrine of eminent domain which brought unspeakable tragedy ...

Maybe it’s time…time to take a knee.  I may lose some friends on this, so please hear me out to the end. If you follow professional sports and especially if you listen to sports-talk radio, you know that taking a knee during the national anthem to protest systemic racism against black people has returned as a very hot topic.  And support for the protest is gaining momentum among influential people in professional sports.  This past week, Bill O’Brien, coach of the Houston Texans, said that he would take a knee with his players during the national anthem as an act of solidarity with them in their protest.  Also, this week, Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the National Football League encouraged teams to sign former quarterback, Colin Kapernick, the person who started the kneeling protest in 2016. Remember, it was Goodell who ordered all members of all teams to stand during the anthem just two years ago.      I never served in the m...

I don’t know about your FaceBook feed, but mine has been filled with wedding anniversary announcements virtually every day of this month.   It is June, after all, and that’s when a lot of folks tie the knot with winter in the rear-view mirror and the joys of summer living just ahead.   I’ve seen ten-year, fifteen-year, up to fifty-five-year celebrations.   And we should celebrate.   A good marriage takes a good deal of work. Roman Catholics call marriage a “sacrament.”   I’m a Baptist and we’re not supposed to be sacramental.   But general Baptist distinctives can sometimes be difficult to define because freedom of individual conscience is one of our deepest held values.   I’m with the Catholics on this one.   Of course, as a Protestant, I probably define sacrament a bit different than my Catholic brethren.   No need to quibble.   Along with the Catholics, I see God actively working smack dab in the middle of Christian marriage....

This coming Monday is Memorial Day.   Not that you probably needed any reminder.   It traditionally marks the beginning of summer and is frequently celebrated with parties and barbecues.   But its original and real meaning is much more important and sobering.   Memorial Day, or “Decoration Day” as it was originally called, came into being shortly after the Civil War.   More American lives were lost in that conflict than any other and veteran’s cemeteries were established in every state to remember and mourn the nation’s great loss.   By the late 1860’s, towns and cities had begun annual springtime festivities to remember their fallen. In 1868, May 30 th was nationally designated as “Decoration Day” to honor the veterans.     In the twentieth century, Decoration Day eventually became known as “Memorial Day” and was extended to honor all veterans who had given their lives in conflict.   In 1971, Memorial Day was permanently fixe...

When Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie walked through the wardrobe in C.S. Lewis’ classic tale, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” they entered the frozen wonderworld of Narnia.   While they encountered many delightful characters there, it was a doleful world where it was “always winter and never Christmas.”   We’ve had a bit of our own Narnia experience here in Galesburg this past week.   Prior to moving here, my wife and I lived in South Dakota for six years.   Our frigid conditions, including the flat front tire on our car this week, brought back not-so-pleasant memories of the frozen northland.   But on the upside, conditions like these can also bring out the good in people.   I’m grateful for my church, First Baptist of Galesburg, because we were able to graciously open our doors Tuesday night as an emergency warming center for six people, displaced from their home by busted pipes.   Fire Chief Tom Simkins made the connection...

I’ve been in ministry over forty years and I have observed that this month is always the toughest time of the year.   If things are going to fall apart, it often happens in December.   The stress and busyness of the month is augmented by the onset of winter and illness.   And all of the pressures that we feel tend to put people on edge which often brings out the worst in us.   Dysfunction often rears its ugly head at family gatherings.   Road rage is common as we’re trying to fulfill our crazy schedule going from place to place.   We feel loneliness the most during this season when all of our expectations of warm and happy relationships are unfulfilled.   As a pastor, I have prayed for and with more people in December than any other month of the year.   Though we try and hide it, many of us are broken.   Our lives are a mess.   That’s why Jesus came.   The New Testament writer to the Hebrews explained: “Because God’s childr...