Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit moves like the wind. (also fire) The Spirit as the presence of God is unpredictable except that we can count on his continued movement. As we had a rain storm this afternoon, I thought of how the wind moved in one direction and then another. So the wind Jesus' Spirit. Today, that sweet wonderful Spirit blew in a quiet but powerful way through the sanctuary of Long's Chapel UMC. Not just once, but in all three morning services our hearts were strangely warmed by grace, love, conviction, and a sense of purpose and vison. Thank you Holy Spirit!!!

MY BOY HUCK TAKING A BATH IN THE KITCHEN SINK, RIDING HIS "BEEP BEEP", TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE TRUCK, PLAYING WITH GRANDMOTHER 'CANA" AND HELPING ME WRITE THE NEXT NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

NUDGERS AND BURNING BUSHES

      For the past several months, I have been reading and re-reading a fascinating book, “Nudge, Awakening Each Other to the God Who’s Already There,” by Leonard Sweet. This writing has been out since 2010, but I just recently discovered Sweet’s easily understandable writing style alongside of his innovative perspectives on the unmistakable connection between evangelism and discipleship. Sweet says, “Evangelism is discipleship, and what connects the two is the spiritual practice of paying attention to life, and to God.”

      Sweet writes, “‘Nudge evangelism’ is all about the human contact, the meeting of the eyes, the sharing of the space, the entanglement of words, and the sense of bodily contact. It is to the soul what blood is to the body. The purpose of nudging is to be with someone in a moment and wishing them to join you in recognizing a God-moment. Nudges take place in proximity of relationships.” Disciples being made, one conversation at a time.

      Sweet talks about paying attention to people, the situations that surround each of us, and to the movement of God in the world. In his book, there are references to “God-soundings, Jesus-sightings, and “burning bushings.” The questions we are left to answer, as we wonder why we are so ineffective in personal, invitational evangelism, are especially soul searching.

      God speaks in so many ways to us, why can we not hear his voice? He speaks, maybe not in an audible voice, but in the “nudging of his spirit.” Jesus shows himself in the faces of many people, the brokenness, the hurts, the hungry, and the oppressed. Remember Matthew 25, “I was hungry…I was thirsty…I was a stranger…etc.” Why can we not see him? Then there are the “burning bushes,” the signs and the attempts by God to get our attention as he did Moses in the desert. Even with a burning bush, we sometimes fail to turn aside from our “busyness” and see what God wants with us, how he wants to use us for the sake of others.

      Just as God nudges us, through the gift of prevenient grace toward salvation and holy living, his spirit nudges us toward others. We become “nudgers” for God. Nudge evangelism plants seeds in places where others seem skeptical of success. Seeds are sown with extravagant generosity, with abundant love, and with passionate expectancy. Nudgers meet people in out-of-the way places within their context and find ways to nourish their souls. Within nudge evangelism, nudgers have the freedom to invest without reservation in the lives of others. “Burning bushes,” signs of God’s direction and mission, are seen as beacons that mark the way toward effective witness.

      Does this way of “doing” evangelism make sense to you and me? Are we willing to take the time to “sit at the well” as Jesus did with the woman, to form relationships? Can you see yourself as a potential “nudger?”

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, June 2, 2013

Huck enjoying a piece of bread before the "main course," and his first fishing trip with Daddy.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

 

      There are times when we have “long term” thoughts about certain topics. For days and weeks, our minds may refuse to let go of those topics and ideas even as we go through the routines of daily living. For example, recently I was totally immersed in the “Jewishness” of Jesus. I was enthralled with how Jesus’ Jewish traditions affected the content and method of his teachings, and the way he expressed himself. For weeks, I searched for and read several books that fed my curiosity, and kept my interest alive. Although, I still have an interest in the subject, the intensity level has diminished.

      On the other hand, we all have experienced “short term” interest in “passing” thoughts and topics. These subjects hold our attention for a brief time before we move on in our thinking to another topic. These “short term” subjects may be of equal interest as the “long term” topics, but for some reason fail to hold our attention for a long period of time. 

      Sometimes, “short term” thoughts point us to “long term” thoughts. For many months, I have had foremost in my thoughts the idea of Jesus’ disciples being “sent” people and how that applies to the church today, and specifically to me. As I watched the last year’s bird nest being remodeled outside my window, eggs laid and hatched, and the young birds flying away, I was reminded of our “sentness.” Just as the little birds discovered their God-given purpose, we must discern ours. As they would certainly fail in their life’s purpose if they stayed in the nest, so will we.

      We may explore other examples of indirectly related random thoughts. Questions can be asked such as, “Is there a theological, or practical, difference between “loving” and “liking” in our relationships with each other?” Recently our senior pastor, Chuck Wilson, posted this statement on his blog.

      "God does not love us without liking us ..." From Dallas Willard:

"We must understand that God does not 'love' us without liking us - through gritted teeth - as 'Christian' love is sometimes thought to do. Rather, out of the eternal freshness of his perpetually self-renewed being, the heavenly Father cherishes the earth and each human being upon it. The fondness, the endearment, the unstintingly affectionate regard of God toward all his creatures is the natural outflow of what he is to the core - which we vainly try to capture with our tired but indispensable old word 'love'." The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God

      In my thinking about relationships with others, I have this distinction between “loving” and “liking.” I feel that God does put in our hearts the ability to love one another as we love ourselves. This is the mark of a true disciple. What a challenge for me!! But there remains the possibility (maybe) of loving one with Christ-like love and still not “like” the person in a “fellowshipping, buddy-buddy” way. Or, is that just a selfish way of not loving completely in the first place? Or, is my dislike really aimed toward that person’s actions, reactions, habits, etc. instead of the person her/himself? I will continue to think and pray about this. My goal is to be like Jesus and to reflect the love he has toward us all. However, were there times he disliked his disciples? How about toward us? Just thinking… another random thought.

      If sin had not entered the human heart, would God still have sent Jesus? As the early church leaders discussed the incarnation, they asked this question. Some concluded that the incarnation of Jesus would have still taken place because God wants to be as close as he can to us, even becoming one of us. I, also, tend to lean that way in my thinking.

      However, these are just a few indirectly related random thoughts. They may, or may not, hold our interest for very long, but still, they may prove meaningful.

Rev Tim McConnell  Long’s Chapel UMC  May 26, 2013

PLANS AND PROMISES

      In a recent wedding ceremony, I was once again reminded of the seriousness and the strength found within those vows the bride and groom spoke to each other. We know those vows well, “I take you to be my husband/wife…to have and to hold…for better or worse…for richer or poorer …. till death us do part…I pledge you my faith.” These are sacred promises.

      From these thoughts about promises, I remember some of the many promises made by God to us his people. The one promise that Jesus makes that I experience the most, the one I keep in front of me at all times, is when he said, “I will not leave you alone. I will go with you to work and school, I will be with you in the darkest night when you are so worried that you can’t sleep, I will be with you in sickness and when you celebrate good times, I will never leave you.” When I reach out for that promise, and then feel his presence surround me, I realize that Jesus is keeping his promise. Whatever God promises, he is able to carry out. Our faith increases as we see one promise after the other being kept. Those promises carried out in our daily lives.

      I recently reread the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent to the exiles in the city of Babylon. It is really a letter from God dictated by Jeremiah telling the Jewish nation that they will spend seventy years in captivity as punishment for the rebellion and sin against God’s law. That is the promise with the bad news. In 29:10-14, we find the good news. Here God promises to restore and renew the lives of his people if they repent and seek his will. Those ancient Jews had lost their homes, temple, families, way of life, and hope for tomorrow. All they had left was God’s promise of restoration. Perhaps, this letter could be our letter from God, his words to our situations.

      God might be saying in our letter of promise, “I have plans for you, as individuals and as a church. These plans are good, they will give you an earthly and eternal future with me, they will give you hope in this world for any situation, and assurance of your salvation. The plans that I have for you will restore your spiritual fortunes and bring blessings upon you in the face of opposition. But you must pray to me, you must make sure that I am at the center of all your activities and thinking, and you must stay close to me.”

      Several years ago, God revealed to the leaders of our church that he had plans for us. These plans reflected the vision of an outreach into the Asheville area. After much planning, within the next few weeks we will launch God’s plan and his mission as we claim John 20:21 as our theme. “As the Father has sent me, I send you.” We go not only with God’s plans, but also with God’s promises ringing in our ears. Promises like, “I will never leave you.” “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” “Go into all the world with the good news and I will send my Spirit to be your guide and comforter.” In me, you can have peace. You will have troubles, but be of good cheer because I have overcome the world.” We will hold to these and many other promises in the days ahead. We serve a God who not only makes promises, but also keeps his promises. We come before him with the desire to start a new life and a new faith community. We make our covenant with him, and we believe his promises. We launch forth in faith, faith in God’s promises.

      May we live life as people who are standing on the daily promises, promises that we believe, and promises that are the foundation of our faith. 

Rev. Tim McConnell Long’s Chapel UMC May 12, 2013  

IMITATORS OF GOD

      For many years, I have been very cautious about any attempt for me, or anyone, to be “like God.” My thinking was that since God is absolute purity, holiness, power, and knowledge, how could I ever be like that? How could I be any of those things that make God, God? Besides, there is that verse in Genesis 3:5 where Satan is encouraging Eve to eat the fruit by saying, “you will be like God.” I have never liked that phrase coming from one so evil.

      Yet, over the course of recent years, I have realized more strongly that Jesus Christ came as our example. Through Jesus, we see God revealed to us as the way we should live in our humanity. We are to imitate Jesus, and as we do, we imitate God. 

      The passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians chapter 5, verse 1 tells us, “So you should be imitators of God, like dear children.” It is amazing how quickly young children learn by imitation of what they hear and see. Our newest grandchild, John Howard, has to see an action, or hear a word or sound, only a few times before he is able to imitate. Paul says we should be imitators of God the same way.

      Dr. Dennis Kinlaw in his book, “This Day With the Master,” says if we stop at the first verse of Ephesians 5, we will find ourselves frustrated with the impossibility of imitating God. “First of all, he is the omnipotent One. A few in history have tried to be all-powerful, but ended up as fools. Second, God is the omniscient One. But when I am in the process of finding an answer to a question, I discover that I have ten more questions. So, my experience is one of exploding ignorance, not knowledge…Third, he is the omnipresent One. But I am confined to one moment in time and one point in space. How can I imitate God?”

      We find the answer to that question when we read the second verse of Ephesians 5. “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us, and offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma.” Kinlaw continues, “God wants us to imitate his lifestyle, not his attributes. …to imitate the life of love that flows from self-sacrifice modeled by Jesus. …to model the God we see on the Cross, the God who cares more for others than he cares for himself.

Paul believed that God can put his own love within us, if we want it and seek it. Then we can live as he lived because he will be living through us.”

      Our passage from Ephesians 5 is surrounded by Paul’s mandates on how we are to live, what we are to do and not do. The fulfillment of these mandates cannot be accomplished without heart change and divine transformation. I am reminded here of Thomas a Kempis’ classic book, “The Imitation of Christ.” a Kempis focuses upon the change that must take place within a person’s heart, mind, and soul as his/her lifestyle begins to model and imitate God.

      Can we fulfill the mandate to imitate God? I believe we can, but we must first begin with Jesus, the beginning and the finishing of our faith in a God who transforms.

Rev. Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, May 5, 2013