THE DRIVEWAY UP TO OUR HOUSE, THE PICTURE ON THE COVER OF MY NEW BOOK

 HUCK ROLLING THE THE GRASS AT HIS HOUSE

MOMO AND JOHN HOWARD (HUCK) HAVING A PRIVATE MOMENT

GOD INTERRUPTS

      As I read these verses from the prophet Jeremiah in 33:14-16, I keep hearing the word promise. The prophets Jeremiah, Isaiah, Micah, writers of the Psalms, and even Moses tell of a promise; the promise of a deliverer. I am convinced that Advent is really all about God’s fulfillment of a promise; a promise not only made to the Jewish people, but you and me, and to all of his people wherever they are found.

      And then, maybe we can look at Advent in another way, as an interruption of the routines of people’s lives. Have you ever wished for something to happen in your life, not something bad, but just something to break the routine and the humdrum of daily living? In Advent, the church celebrates a God who keeps promises, who cares about his people, who wants to be with them, and puts into action his love. We also celebrate a God who hears the cries of his people as he told Moses at the burning bush. Moses’ routine life as a shepherd was interrupted by a God who needed a messenger. So we celebrate a God who hears, intervenes, and interrupts. That is our great hope. A God who searches us out, who loves us so much that he cannot leave us alone; so he interrupts our lives, not only at Bethlehem, but in many other times and places. Jesus Christ, whose advent we celebrate in this season, is the great, loving, divine Interruption.

      God, in his incessant desire to be near us and to bring us to himself, from time to time breaks into the life of the individual and into the life of the church. There are times when the Holy Spirit is sent to disrupt our comfortable routines, to give us new directions, convict us, and refresh our faith walk. This is called revival. Revival starts within the hearts of people who see the need of intervention and renewal. Revival starts with prayer. God can then come and interrupt what we have been doing and how we have been thinking and replace it with a new “Order of Worship.”

      This is what happened at the first Advent. Paul wrote in the letter to the Galatians in chapter 4 that after 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, God interrupted  human hopelessness and discouragement, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who are under the law, so we might receive adoption as children.”  When the fullness of time had come, God intervened, and interrupted so that his people would have hope and salvation.   

      So our lives, which are closely regulated by the clock and the calendar, must realize that here we are once again at the season of Advent. If you follow the church calendar, you know that Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year. It is the beginning because God in the fullness of time sent his Son, Jesus. God stepped in and interrupted the flow of human history. God began, once again, something new.

      The Advent season is proof that God is a God who loves us enough to interrupt our lives and show us a better way-the only way. God interrupts in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” Here we are plodding down our comfortable way of life, creatures of habit, and getting by on our own just fine, we think. And then, in a place we do not expect, in a way we do not expect, in God’s own time, God comes. God is born among us, as one of us, in a form we do not expect. It happened in Bethlehem, and it can happen in the heart and life of each of us today.

      When God’s grace intervenes in our life, we must be prepared to receive it. “Surely the days are here when the Lord will fulfill his promise.” Let this be the Advent in which God’s interruption changes our life.

Rev. Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, December 1, 2013

THE HOUSE CLEANING

      In “The Principles of a Methodist Further Explained,” John Wesley said, “Our main doctrines, which include all the rest, are three—that of repentance, of faith, and of holiness. The first of these we account as it were, the porch of religion; the next, the door; the third, religion itself.” (The Works of John Wesley, Volume VIII, Zondervan Publishing House, 1959; page 472)

      Since Wesley and Methodism is all about the grace found throughout scripture and strongly expressed by Jesus, the imagery of the “house of salvation” makes sense through the eyes of grace. Prevenient grace, grace that makes it possible for us to see our need for God, brings us to conviction and the porch of the house. Justifying grace, grace that allows us to ask for forgiveness and to say yes to God, opens the door, invites us in, and makes us a member of God’s family. Sanctifying grace, grace that reminds us that God wants every room of our house to be cleaned out and under his control, makes it possible for us to live a life that is holy and acceptable to God.

      Soon after we become believers, we begin to see things in our words, thoughts, and actions that are not Christ-like. We need a spiritual “house cleaning” if we are to imitate Christ.

      Joanna Weaver, in her book, “Having a Mary Spirit,” provides a list of undesirable “clutter” and sins, which we must ask God to cleanse from the “rooms” of our heart.

      Jealousy (You are all you get to be—enjoy it!)

      Regrets   (You cannot undo mistakes, so learn from them.)

      Shame    (If you have asked God to forgive you, accept that forgiveness)

      Blame    (Stop pointing the finger at everyone else)

      Gossip    (If it cannot be said in front of the person, do not say it)

      Fear        (Stop and pray before fear takes hold)

      Envy       (Learn to want what you have)

      Lies         (Disregard the habit of half-truths, exaggerations, full-fledged    

                        deception)

      Complaining (Do not nurse it or rehearse it…disperse it)

      Ingratitude  (Look for things to be thankful for---tell someone about it!)

      Careless words  (Ask, “Does this really need to be said?”)

      Laziness   (Do one thing today that you really do not want to do.)

      Greed     (Give something you love away.)

      Self-Pity   (Cry for five minutes if you must, then blow you nose and

                        Move on.)

      Lust        (Eliminate the I-must-have-it-now desire for people and things.)

    

       Paul writes in 2Corinthians, “Let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete purity because we fear God.”

Rev. Tim McConnell Long’s Chapel UMC, November 24, 2013

HUCK TAKING A BATH IN THE KITCHEN SINK AT GRANDPARENTS' HOUSE
ON THE PORCH LAST SUMMER PALYING IN HIS POOL
TRYING ON GREAT GRANDADDY'S OLD FOOTBALL HELMET

ENOUGH FAITH TO BE FAITHFUL

      In the first ten verses of Luke 17, Jesus continues to tell his disciples and us what he expects from his followers. He sets the scene by bringing up two connected teachings.

Jesus said, “In an imperfect world with imperfect people things, which cause people to sin, are bound to happen. But make sure that you are not the one who causes another person to sin. Woe unto a person who willingly becomes a stumbling block to another.” Paul echoes Jesus’ words when he says that there are things he could do or say, but chooses not because it might cause someone to sin. Are we sensitive to the weaknesses of others? Jesus warns against any behavior of ours that might “trip up” or cause someone to compromise his or her beliefs, or maybe even turn and follow Jesus no more.

      Then Jesus says, “If someone within the body of Christ, within my church, sins against a brother or sister, there should be a spirit of forgiveness.” Our sins are ultimately directed toward God, but most often carried out toward one another. Luke has Jesus saying we should forgive seven times in a day, Matthew says seventy times seven. The idea is not the quantity but the unconditional quality of the forgiveness—the genuineness and the sincerity.

      So Jesus brings up two important spiritual practices. Do not be the cause of someone sinning. Even if you feel you are entitled to do a certain thing, or to give your opinion, Jesus says to be careful, you may cause someone to become weak. You will be accountable for their compromise. Then Jesus says we are to be willing to forgive unconditionally and without limit. If we expect God to forgive us, we must forgive each other.

      The disciples hear Jesus and immediately connect these two responsibilities of discipleship with the need for faith. They do a quick faith check and make an obvious request to Jesus. “Increase our faith.”

      The disciples realized very quickly that they did not have enough faith to fulfill these two teachings of Jesus. It is interesting that the disciples did not ask for love or understanding, they asked for faith. They realized that they would need faith in God to help them be sensitive to the needs of others; to lay aside the things they liked to do if it has the potential to harm others. They also realized that they would need much faith in God to forgive, as Jesus wanted them to forgive. They would need faith to make the connection between God’s forgiveness of them and their forgiveness of others. They did not think they had enough faith to do any of this, so they asked Jesus to give them more.

      Jesus is quick to respond. He tells them that all they need is faith the size of a mustard seed. It is not the amount of faith that is important; it is the strength in that tiny seed. It is all about the awesome things we can do if we use the faith we already have, and as we use it, its strength increases and we find ourselves trusting God with the things concerning our faith walk that we never thought possible before. That gift of faith can even move us into a more intimate relationship with Jesus, a relationship of complete surrender to his will.

      If we are going to be people who are sensitive to the spiritual needs of others, people who practice forgiveness, and people who are true servants of God, then we need to be people of faith. It is not great faith that we need, but mustard seed faith in a great God. Even the tiniest peephole in the window of faith will give us access to power in our daily walk like we never thought possible. And that power can used to uplift our brothers and sisters, encouraging them, showing them a holy example, and forgiveness, even seven times a day.

      This may sound like radical talk, and it is, but it is also Jesus talk. Maybe we have been as guilty as the disciples were by asking for our faith to be increased when we have not been using what we have. So Jesus looks at us in our weakness, our hesitancy, and fear of the unknown and says simply, “You have all you need. You have been given enough faith to do what I expect you to do. You have enough faith to be faithful.”

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, November 17, 2013         

GOD WINS

      Followers of Jesus have been let in on a secret, yet it is an open secret, open to all who will acknowledge it. This special open secret is, in the end, when all is said and done, when the last tick-tock of time has sounded, God wins. That “end of time” knowledge should tell us that we are to live in the present as different people, as people who are expecting Jesus to return to earth, as people who know the expectations and requirements of eternal life, as people who are hopeful and confident in the Jesus story because we know the end of the story. At the completion of history, we will experience the fulfillment of God’s promises of a new heaven and new earth, and we can be a part of it.

      In Isaiah 65: 17-25, we find the prophet predicting a day when there will be “new heavens and a new earth.” He tells us there will be peace and rejoicing for the world. All that is wrong with the world will be set right by the intervention and intrusion of a judgmental, yet loving God.

      In Luke 21, we hear Jesus warning his disciples and us not to try to predict when he will return and set up his kingdom. We do not know the details of the “end times” or what the future holds, but we can live with the confidence in the present age because we know that God holds the future. Throughout all of Jesus’ teachings about the “end times”, he focuses on living holy and acceptable lives here in the present so that we will be ready for what ever the future may hold. The present age, with all of its tribulations, is a time to bear witness to the loving purposes of God, because now is a time filled with grace and opportunity for repentance and outreach to others.

      When Jesus talked to the people about his kingdom, he was referring to a spiritual kingdom made up of the body of believers, those who believed in him and followed his teachings daily. We sing a hymn from time to time about this kingdom. The chorus tells us, “For the darkness shall turn to dawning, and the dawning to noon day bright, and Christ great kingdom shall come to earth, a kingdom of love and light.” Jesus’ kingdom can be found in the heart of every believer. When we pray “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we are inviting Jesus to set up his kingdom now in our hearts and lives.

      Just as those ancient people in Isaiah and Jesus’ time looked around at their world and saw that it was not the world that God intended for it to be, we too look around at the lives of our neighbors and our own lives and say there must be a better way. Can this world go on the way it is going? Can it ever be restored? Can the world that God made so good, ever recover what it has so carelessly squandered? Is there any hope for humanity?

     Maybe this is all about hope, because it is on the basis of hope that we are called to be faithful to God in the world. We are called to live now on the witness of a certain future. Because we have hope, and faith, that God will not leave the world the way it is, frees us to be his people, frees us to light candles in the present darkness of sin, knowing that finally the darkness will be vanquished! God wins now, and he wins throughout eternity!

       Jesus’ kingdom is not some future mystical creation that he will someday create. Jesus’ kingdom is now. Jesus did not come here just to get us ready for the next world, he came into this world to transform us into people through whom he could do his work in this world. He is creating now. He is creating disciples, transforming lives, and shining the light of salvation into a dark and confused world.  God invites each of us to become a part of his future kingdom today.

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, November 10, 2013

SURPRISING EXAMPLES

 

      I think that occasionally, maybe more times than we realize, Jesus will push us to look beyond our familiar boundaries. Sometimes he will cause us to look beyond our circle of friends, our small groups, and the congregations who gather each Sunday in our churches. Jesus then focuses our attention on the persons who live on the margins of our somewhat exclusive world, those on the outside of our normal mindset, and in a surprising move, uses one of “them” as an example for us.

      That is just the way Jesus operates, one way in which he reveals his purpose for us. And at the same time, it is Jesus’ way to remind us that he is Lord over all things and that his kingdom extends beyond the boundaries we have created, even beyond the boundaries of the church.

      The Gospels of Luke and John give us three of these surprising examples, which come from persons outside of the comfort of the “church.” All three of these examples given by Jesus involved Samaritans, who were definitely on the margins of Jewish culture and religious life.

      Luke gives us the familiar story of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus told in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” A traveler had been robbed, beaten, and left to die out on a deserted road. Soon, a priest and a church member walked by, but chose to ignore the desperate man’s needs. But Jesus tells us that a Samaritan, an outsider, came by and “had compassion” by providing complete care.

      John, in chapter four of his Gospel, tells a story of Jesus going out of his way to pass through the “out of bounds” territory of the Samaritans. There he meets a woman at a well, who accepts Jesus’ offer of living water and eternal life. A revival breaks out in an unlikely place because Jesus used an outsider to tell the “good news.”

      The next story again comes from Luke. Jesus chose once more to go through Samaria, and there he met ten lepers who begged for healing. All ten were healed, but only one came back to Jesus and gave thanks. Luke said that the one who came back was a Samaritan, an outsider. 

      The Good Samaritan becomes the practical example of how we are to “love others as our selves.” Jesus used the sinful woman at the well to show us how we can be transformed into powerful witnesses for him. And the one grateful leper who came back to thank Jesus is our example of how our thankfulness should overflow into worship.

      I wonder what the disciples thought when Jesus used one example after another of people from the “margins” to teach God’s way. Were they as surprised as we are today when Jesus does the same to us? How often are we surprised when God shows up by focusing our attention toward someone outside our “boundaries,” using that person as an example for our good?

      Sometimes “outsiders” remind us of the purpose of the church. They should remind us of God’s mission to all people wherever they may be found. And just maybe, we can remember that at one time we too were “outsiders,” yet someone came to us.

      As the early disciples were sent forth to witness, Jesus used Samaritans to witness to his own disciples. As we go forth into our world, let us be expectant and eager for Jesus to teach us in the same way. Let us not be surprised when Jesus uses “outsiders” from unexpected places to teach us powerful lessons.

Rev. Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, November 3, 2013

WHO IS THIS PERSON?

 

      Luke is a wonderful storyteller, and how I love to hear the stories of Jesus, over and over again. We learn who Jesus is and who God is by hearing and reading these stories. The Jesus story for today is found in a series of miracle stories. These stories reflect who Jesus is and how he can work in our lives.

      In one of these stories, Luke tells how Jesus was asleep in the boat when a storm came up. The terrified disciples woke Jesus up, who immediately calmed the storm. The disciples asked an eternal question, “Who is this man that the wind and waves obey?”

      In the very next story, the boat lands on the opposite shore, and Jesus begins to answer that question of who he is. Who Jesus is begins to unfold; he is the one who heals both body and spirit, who gives new physical and spiritual life, the one who takes an out-of-control sinner and changes him/her into a disciple who is on a mission to tell others the story.

      In Luke 8:26-39, we find this strange story with many odd twists and turns. Jesus casts many demons out of a man. The demons go into a herd of hogs, and the hogs drown themselves in the sea. The townspeople hear about all this, come and find the formerly wild man sitting calmly at Jesus’ feet—a student learning from Jesus. They are afraid and ask Jesus to leave.

      But then the story takes another interesting turn. As Jesus was getting into the boat to go back across the lake, the healed man wanted to go with Jesus. However, instead of saying “Follow Me,” as he usually does, Jesus said to the man, “Go home, and tell what God has done for you. Go home to those who so long ago turned you out. Go home to those from whom your sickness has separated you. Go home and tell your story. Go home and witness what God has done for you in your healing.” In other words, stay here and follow me at the same time. And the man does just that. He does not just witness to his family and relatives, but “proclaims throughout the whole city” what Jesus has done for him.

      Bishop Wilimon tells of his recent visit to the area across the Sea of Galilee where this story took place. This region is now in the country of Jordan. They visited a little church, which they were told had been there for many, many centuries. The people in the surrounding area had gathered all those centuries to worship Jesus. The bishop wondered, “Is this the church that was created because of the healing of the wild man in the story? Were disciples made and a church begun because of the willingness of the man to follow by staying and telling his story?” I think it was.

      What happens to the man in this story is not just about a remarkable healing, it is about salvation. It is about attitude and behavior changes. It is about God’s love being placed into a person’s way of thinking and acting. And that person becomes so different from who he/she was before, that it attracts attention. So different that some people are afraid of the change in his/her life, some cannot understand it, some are skeptical, and some want to know more about it.

      So who is this man Jesus? He touches, forgives, heals, and sends us out on a mission, his mission. However, we cannot serve and tell a story that we do not have. We must experience his healing hand. Jesus has shown up, he is here. Jesus can send us out with a story. Let us claim this story as our own.

Rev Tim McConnell Long’s Chapel UMC, October 27, 2013