pastor of second chances

Jesus is all about second chances. that's why I love this article: Pastor of second chances

Hot Dogs and Cross-Cultural Dialogue

I stumbled across this post that I think is worth sharing. We live in a society that is quick to pigeon-hole, label and separate. Here are some folks who believe that believers of different faiths can learn from one another and live as neighbors.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/23/pastor-pitches-reality-show-about-dinner/

Salt and Light

David Lose, professor at Luther Seminary, has an interesting suggestion: he says "We have a hard time believing that we are good, worthy, and lovable and therefore will perhaps nod politely when you call us salt and light but not really believe it. (And while I think this is true of all ages, I think it's especially true of adults! We know ourselves too well; moreover, we believe our pastors are nice people paid to say these kinds of things!) For this reason, we need to actually show people that they are, in fact, salt and light. So I suggest starting a "Salt & Light Log." Really. Start asking people to collect examples of where God has worked through them to help someone else.

"Now, I warn you: this may be difficult for many of us who were taught never to boast. (Or, more accurately, we were taught that saying anything good about ourselves publicly is boasting.) So you may have to tell people that you really need them to do this. You know, to help you with your sermon. Or you might say that they can practice by pointing out where they see someone else being salt or light, but encourage them also to look and see where God is using them as salt and light, too."

Thanks, David, for the idea. Will it work? I have no clue, but that isn't going to stop us! We’re going to give it a try. How has God been using you as salt and light? Post it here or send me an email. I'd like to know. And, I have to preach on Sunday!

A man walks in to a bar...

A man walks into a bar in Minnesota ... to preach

King's 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' still challenges us | National Catholic Reporter

King's 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' still challenges us National Catholic Reporter

Later this month we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, and in doing so remember the work done by Dr. King to bring to the forefront of our nation the issue of human and civil rights for all Americans. He was both demanding and hopeful, challenging and expectant.

As part of his famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial in August of 1963, King said “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

"It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check.”

Nearly fifty years after this renowned speech, the challenge of equality for all is still before us. The biting winds of prejudices and separatism still blow through our nation and our community. We still look forward to the day when all people ”will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

If you’d like to watch King’s “I have a dream” speech, click this link: http://www.mlkonline.net/video-i-have-a-dream-speech.html

King saw his cry for freedom as directly tied to the promises of the prophets, especially the words of Isaiah: I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together (Isaiah 40:3-5). His commitment to love his enemies was rooted in his Christian faith, which both empowered and sustained his work. His vision still inspires me, and it hope it inspires you, to take on the mantle of love for all people, of respect for all human beings, and to see in the face of the marginalized the face of Christ himself.

I still hope for the day when King’s dream can become our reality.

NotyetreadyforChristmas

Okay, I admit it. I’m not ready for Christmas yet. I’m not in the mood today. Thank God for four weeks of Advent.

I always get droopy when winter begins. The sun goes away, the wonderful autumn colors fade to gray, and the refreshing chill is taken over by biting cold. Everyone seems rushed and there’s pressure to spend money on everything imaginable. The weather, the economy, and the drabness all do little to provide hope for any of us. And the notion of unbridled shopping might provide some of us with a momentary thrill, but even the most materialistic among us know that the commercial excitement of the season is destined to fizzle quite quickly.

When I look around American society I often see few reasons for hope. We seem to have lost our ability to empathize with one another, simple civil behaviors, from saying thank you to stopping at red lights, seem to have gone by the wayside and people seem intently self-focused. We are as “me-centered” as we have ever been. I am struck by how often people become petty, worry about things that truly have no significance and spend their energy on meaninglessness. Recently I have met a number of people who are just angry, and are willing to take out their anger on anyone within reach. Such observations do not make for a merry Christmas.

That may be the blessing of Advent, a season dedicated not to instant celebration, but to looking ahead. The season begins with looking ahead to Jesus’ final reappearance, when the reign and rule of God become clear for all to see. No longer will we wonder, no longer will we have unanswered questions, for God will be revealed in a way that transcends our most vivid imaginations. The timing is hidden, the method is cryptic, but the promise is sure: we will see Jesus! There is hope (HOPE!) in that promise!

But Advent doesn’t stay in the realm of an otherworldly future. After the looking-ahead-kickoff, the season turns our attention to preparing for Christmas by immersing us in Scripture stories of John the Baptizer and the angel’s appearances to Joseph and Mary, all helping to prepare our way into the miraculous manger. Advent fights our consumer-crazed desire to rush headlong into that stable, knocking mother and child flying, all in search of peace on earth or presents for the tree. Advent slows us down, asks us to look ahead with patience, to seek an audience with the Christ child from the depths of our beings, to see past glitz, glam and glitter to kneel before an unlikely altar; a feeding trough in which lies the Son of God.

So, perhaps it’s okay that I’m not ready for Christmas just yet. Maybe you’re not, either, and that’s okay too. The beautiful blessing of Advent is that God takes on our frustrations, our chaos, and even our droopiness and pushes them aside so that you and I can anticipate the real reason for the Christmas season: Immanuel, God with us.