Almost

      The word “almost” can have an interesting application in the English language. We can “almost” win a game, “almost” order chicken nuggets instead of a hamburger, or “almost” fall as we slip on the icy sidewalk. Your shoes can “almost” be worn out, and you can “almost” be late for work.

      Yet, on the other hand, an oak tree is not “almost” a pine, a Ford truck is not “almost” a Chevrolet, and a person is not “almost” a fish. You are either hungry or thirsty, or you are not hungry or thirsty. Either a person is married, or he/she is not.

      John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Movement, takes this “almost” discussion to an entirely different level. On July 25, 1741, Wesley preached a sermon entitled “Almost Christian” to a congregation of students and faculty at St. Mary’s College, Oxford University. His sermon explored the question, “Is it possible for a person to be an “Almost Christian?” And if so, where is the dividing line between the “Almost Christian,” and who Wesley calls the “Altogether Christian?”

      Wesley takes his text from Acts 26 where we find Paul standing trial before King Agrippa. Paul gives his testimony of how he was converted and transformed into a follower of Jesus. Then suddenly, King Agrippa interrupts with perhaps the saddest of all Biblical confessions, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

      Wesley begins his sermon by saying, “Ever since the Christian religion came into the world, there have been many people of every age and nation who have been almost persuaded to become Christians.” So, as we discuss this sermon, can we say that there are people today who fit this Wesleyan label of “Almost or Altogether Christian?”

      Well, Wesley says that the “Almost Christian” is filled with a desire to do good works for God and for other people. There is a sincerity to love and please God. This “Almost Christian” goes to church, tithes, gives to the poor, instructs his children, treats his neighbor with respect, and is sensitive to the causes of justice. This “Almost Christian” does not take the name of God in vain, does not get drunk, fight, or harm anyone with words. This person will even encourage unbelievers to come to church and to follow the right path. The “Almost Christian” treats worship very seriously and reverently.

      Wesley then asks a question in his sermon. “Is it possible that a person could live this way and yet remain an “Almost Christian?”  He answers his own question, “Yes.” What the Almost Christian lacks in his/her life are three essential components found in Jesus’ words and New Testament scripture.

      “Love God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” That kind of love leaves no room for love of self and the desire to please one’s self. This means total surrender to God’s will. “Love your neighbor as your self.” “This includes our enemies, the enemies of God, or those who are their own enemies,” Wesley preached. And the last component of an Altogether Christian is “the ground of all the rest—faith.” This not just a belief that there is a God, that Jesus was a historical figure, or even that heaven exists, but a belief that Christ is all a person needs. This faith “cleanses our hearts from pride and anger, and all unrighteousness, fills lives with love, wants to be spent for Jesus, and endures persecution.” This is a call for daily, holy living.

      This kind of person goes beyond “Almost Christian,” this person is an “Altogether Christian.” Can we use John Wesley’s sermon to examine our hearts and lives so that we can honestly answer, “Which kind of Christian are we?”

Rev Tim McConnell Long’s Chapel UMC November 11, 2012

Jesus Does Not Work Alone

      Do you ever wonder why God chose to involve humans, the most fallible of all the creatures of his great creation, to be partners with him in the restoration of his earthly kingdom? Because God is God, he could have created and planned things so differently. God could have put into motion a world in which the humans whom he had created were merely spectators with no active role in a relationship with him, or with other humans. However, God chose to use his created beings to work side-by-side with him in building his eternal kingdom. God sent Jesus to show us how the work would be done, and we find Jesus, early in his ministry, quickly gathering his helpers and beginning his kingdom work.

      Jesus, our Savior, refuses to work alone. He chooses to use us, his creation, to work with Him in the job of redeeming a lost world. From the very beginning of his ministry, we find Jesus reaching out and placing His hand on the lives of other people, ordinary people, for work in his kingdom. You and I, as disciples of Jesus, are delegated to work with him in his mission to the world, his mission becoming our mission, our only mission. Jesus tells us in John 20, “…as the Father has sent me, I send you.” We are “sent” people, but we do not go alone, Jesus goes with us.

      Jesus knew at the age of twelve that he had work to do. It is interesting to read how Jesus began to gather his disciples around him so the work could begin. Jesus’ first priority was to make disciples. Before Jesus began any of his miracles, preaching, and teaching, he calls everyday, ordinary people like us to work with him. Then he places within each of those “called” disciples, each of us, a desire to call others and tell others about the miracle that Jesus can work in each heart and life. That also becomes the mission of the church.

      For three years, Jesus’ disciples went through daily training so that one day God’s work could be continued. But it wasn’t until Pentecost that their human spirits and Jesus’ spirit were united in such a way that the work of the church could begin.

      Once we have allowed Jesus to move in with us and make us disciples, amazing things begin to happen, greater things than ever before. We begin to see “God things” happening in our lives and in the life of the church. We realize that Jesus has given his work to people like us, so we begin to look around and see the work that God has for us; physical work and spiritual work, work for his kingdom. It is revealed to us that Jesus does not work alone. We are members of the body of Christ, and there is work for us to do, with him.

 

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, November 4, 2012 

CHILDREN IN KENYA HAVING LUNCH. MAY THEY EXPERIENCE THE WONDER AND TRENSFORMATION OF CHRISTMAS--THE COMING OF JESUS !!!!!!

A Journey of Faith

Well, here it is almost Christmas once again!! Time just seems to continue to accelerate toward who knows where next. What a wonderful journey it has been during my five months of ministry at Long's Chapel UMC!! God seems to be everywhere, using his people in unexpected places and mysterious ways. I am constantly amazed at how God shows himself.
Baby "Huck", John Howard is a year old and walking, talking, and beginning to show his developing personality. What a boy!! The other grandchildren, Sawyer and Scout are growing so fast.
I look forward to another anniversary with my wonderful and beautiful wife. What a blessing she is to God, me, and so many other people!!
I am a blessed man, Momo is still able to do so many things for herself! She is an amazing mother!
I look forward to Advent, and the New Year. What opportunities are out there?? God has many surprises. 

The Whole Gospel-In Two Sentences

   I recently re-read Matthew 22:34-40 in preparation for a sermon. I felt a sense of amazement when I realized how simple and obvious Jesus’ answer to the Pharisee’s question was. The lawyer had asked, “Jesus, of all the 613 commandments, rules, and regulations, which one is the most important?” And Jesus reached back into the Torah, which the lawyer knew by heart, and quoted from Deuteronomy and Leviticus. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your soul. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

      Jesus went on to say that on these two commandments hang all those hundreds of rules. These two must be carried out together. They are like hinges on a door. These are not open to debate, nor are they are optional for a disciple of Jesus Christ.

      Then I began to think. What does it look like for me to love God with all my heart, soul, and mind? Most of us have experienced deep, sincere love with a spouse, our children, grandchildren, family members, and friends. We develop such a strong relationship with them that we want to spend time with them, talk with them, think about them, and consider what we can do for them to please them in the name of unconditional love. We are willing to give all of our self for them and to them. That’s the kind of relationship that Jesus says we must have with God. We must be willing to give every thing to God, holding nothing back. Jesus said, “Give up your self, pick up your cross, and follow me.” A self-giving love back to God.

      Then Jesus said, “There is another commandment, another hinge for your door. ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Now just what does that mean? Who is my neighbor? My neighbor is anyone who has a need, whether that need is big or small, regardless of social, ethic, economic status, or even that person’s appearance or how they got into the situation they are in.

      Jesus means taking care of others as much as we take care of our selves, attending to the needs of others as much as we attend to our wants and needs, making others comfortable as much as we are comfortable. It means taking care of the beat-up people who we see around us.

            What good is your door without the two hinges? It needs both hinges to work properly. Jesus said: “Do these and you shall find life; you shall begin to really live.” He didn’t say: memorize them, recite them, or think about them. He said: “Do these and you shall finally begin to live a life worth living.” This is the way to a holy sanctified life, a life patterned after Jesus. The whole Gospel-in two sentences.

Rev. Tim McConnell, Peachtree UMC, October 30, 2011

  The Shepherd and Us

      I don’t know about you, but I know very little first-hand about shepherds and sheep, or goats. What I do know I have learned second-hand, by watching the History Channel, or reading from books written by real-life shepherds about the 23^rd Psalm. I have learned that sheep are not very smart. They are smelly and not very well motivated, mostly staying away from change, and anything less than routine. Sheep are creatures of habit, tending to follow, or not follow, whichever sheep decides to be the leader for the day, oblivious to the many dangers on the hills and mountain pastures.

      So, we see that shepherds for those needy sheep must be individuals who are constantly aware of what the sheep might or not do, ready to prevent a problem, or rescue a sheep from a dangerous situation. Being a shepherd is a demanding and challenging, yet rewarding job. No wonder Jesus looked at us, called us his sheep, and realized that he must be our Shepherd.

      Jesus had much to say about how he is the Good Shepherd, and we are his sheep. In John 10 Jesus gives a beautiful picture of how he as our Shepherd is willing to lay down his life for us. In Mark 14, on that Thursday night before his arrest, Jesus predicts how the disciples, the sheep, will scatter because they will have no Shepherd.

      But Jesus also says to his disciples then and now, “I will leave you physically and give my life for you, but my Spirit will always be with you. My Spirit, the Spirit of the Good Shepherd, will watch over you, lead you, and heal you. You will always be my sheep, and I will always be your Shepherd. I promise.”

      We know that Jesus’ mission statement contains these words, “I have come to seek and save whoever is lost.”(Luke 19:10) Then Jesus tells us that if he had one hundred sheep and one was lost, he would leave the ninety-nine and go find the one who was lost. (Matthew 18:12) We find in the John 10 reading the not so surprising news that he has other sheep outside of his fold, who he must go out and find and bring into the church, into a relationship with him, so that there will be one fold with Christ as the Good Shepherd. What a wonderful picture this verse paints for us! If Jesus is willing to go outside the safety of the church to find others, why are we waiting? Why aren’t we going with him?

     You see, being in the same pasture with Jesus as our Shepherd is not just about being “churchy.” It’s not just about what we “do” as a church and what we “do” for ourselves and even others. Being in the same pasture with Jesus involves relationships; relationships with the other sheep and an intimate, intentional relationship with the Shepherd, getting to really know him. Perhaps after that relationship begins, we will begin thinking differently about worship, church, and our faith walk with Jesus. It may not be so much about what we can do for the church, what we can do for others, or even what we can do for God; as important as all that is. Worship, church, and our faith walk may be more about what God can do with us and in us. So the question may be, “If we are sheep, what is our relationship with the Good Shepherd? Do we really know him? Or, are we all over the hills and mountainsides doing our own thing, instead of following the Good Shepherd?

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, October 28, 2012

God of the Future

    

      Even before the dawn of human creation, God, in his Triune council, thought about the future. His design was to create a world occupied by human beings created by him to worship and serve him forever. And ever since that creation, humans have turned their faces toward the future. It is because of our creation in God’s image, our historical relationship with God, and the eternity that he has placed in our hearts, that we can be called a people of the future.

      If we are to be a covenant people with God as our creator and sustainer, we must also be focused on the future. If we are to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our thoughts must be on a future with him.

      We look back on the Old Testament examples and find people looking forward to the future. There we find a constant looking for what will happen next, when will the Christ come, when will we find peace?

       Noah looked at the covenant of the rainbow and saw a renewal of the earlier promise to Adam, to re-populate the earth and never another flood to destroy the earth. Abraham trusted God that he would be the father of not only the nation of Israel, but a spiritual father to all who believed in the future. Joseph knew that one day his people would leave Egypt and return to the land God had promised. He said, “When we return, take my bones with you and bury them in our land.” Moses and Joshua believed in the future of the Promised Land, and with God led the people back home.

      Jesus looked down on the small band of disciples, as he ascended back to heaven, and placed the future of his church in their hands saying, “Go into all the world, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching what I have taught you.” Jesus believed in the future when he said that he would send the Holy Spirit and that he, Jesus, would return one day.

      We learn from the past, and we treasure it. We live in the present and realize how important every minute is. But our faces are turned to the future, the future of the next second, next hour, and the next day. Through the miracle of technology, I have placed the heartbeat of our soon-to-be-born grandson on the ring tone of my cell phone, because I believe in the future. I plant bushes and bulbs in my yard with the spring in mind. We must not stop planning for the next day.

      So we pray for our children, grandchildren, spouses, and ourselves. We pray and hope for a better job, a more concerned church, and for health and retirement. All the while, we must realize that it is in the future that we will find hope for the present.  

      And we keep on praying for those who need spiritual and physical healing. The answers will come, maybe this afternoon, maybe next week, or even next spring. God’s time is not our time and his thoughts are not the way we think. The God who created us, provides for us, and loves us so much will be with us in the future.

      So we take some of the past, live confidently in the present, as we serve a God who walks with us into the future.

 

Rev. Tim McConnell, Peachtree UMC, October 16, 2011