Sometimes I preach: On Covenants and Tea Kettles (8/21/16)

So here we are. The night before Jesus is handed over. The final night with his disciples. We have worked through Jesus’s birth, his childhood, his baptism and temptation, his miracles, his teachings and here we are, the last night.

If you go to Jerusalem, you can visit the the Upper Room. And I’ve actually been there. But I’ll be honest with you. I don’t really remember it that well,  because I was really really hungry because we had been fasting all day and I knew all we had to do was get through this last stop and then we were going to get to break our fast with communion. And so I was pretty preoccupied thinking about the snacks that were waiting for us back on the bus. And the room itself was pretty standard, mostly stone and columns and so when I try to picture the Upper Room, I mostly just picture being hungry.

There is probably a deep theological point to be made there and maybe in a different sermon one day you’ll hear that but for right now , but again, going with the honesty theme, it was not a spiritual hunger. It was regular old “come on guys let’s keep moving, the snacks are waiting” kind of hunger.

Maybe the disciples were too and maybe they were distracted when Jesus was breaking the bread. Maybe they were just really ready for the meal to be done, for church to be over so they could go home, or I mean, for Passover to be over so they could go to bed. Maybe they skipped over hearing the words: this is the blood of the new covenant, poured out for you.

Listen to the rest here: http://ssumc.org/visitors/recent-sermons/

Sometimes I preach: " The Divine Dance" Trinity Sunday (5/22/16)

Excerpt:

Meanwhile, while part of the early church were in this debate, trying to come to terms with this divine mystery, other parts were more concerned with the relationship of the Trinity and what they do, rather than trying to define who they are.

These Christians started thinking about how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit existed before time and creation and how they have been relationship with one another from the beginning.

One monk, John of Damascus, came up with an image to trying to define this relationship using a fancy Greek word: perichoreisis.  

It basically means dancing between. He thought about how God is love and always has been and how the three members of the Trinity have shared in that love since since before time began. That before the world began, there was God, there was communion, there was a divine dance. And they dwell together, circling one another, making space for another.

God at the very core is not solitude but rather community. One in Three, Three in One.

Dancing, dwelling together, making space for one another.

And miraculously, through the in-breaking of Christ into the world, we have been invited to participate in that dance, in that relationship, in that communion. It’s what Jesus says over and over in John that we will be one with him as he and the Father are one. We are invited into that mystery.

Sometimes I preach: Wrestling with God (9/13/15)

I think it is a core part of our faith though that there are four, because it shows that one telling of Jesus is not enough. One story cannot fully grasp who is he, he bursts out of the margins and cannot be contained by one version. It forces to recognize the bigness The four gospels each highlight a different aspect of the character of Jesus. With each telling, a different piece of him comes into focus.

In John, we see the divine Jesus. He is all-knowing and in control. He is the Light and the Way and the Shepherd. And the claim that he is the Son of God can never be doubted for a second.

In Matthew, we see the Jesus who was forged out of the stories of his Jewish ancestors. He is a teacher. He is committed to the correct understanding of how to live out God’s law.

In Luke, we see Jesus the prophet, committed to welcoming all, the social outcast, the woman, the foreigner. He is like the prophets of old, but also somehow so much more.

But then we have Mark, which is where our Scripture passage is from today. And Mark is the strangest of the 4 gospels. Most official biblical scholars don’t like Mark too much. His grammar is bad. His sentence structure is awkward. And his Jesus is often...

a little..well, the fancy scholarly word is enigmatic? But the regular word is probably just a little crazy.

He is wild and says strange things and does strange things. Everything happens “suddenly” And Mark’s Jesus feels things, we get insight into Jesus’s emotions. Mark frequently tells us that Jesus is moved to compassion by the people and situations he encounters. He tells us that Jesus feels the compassion all the way into his splaghkna, (the Greek word for guts). Mark’s Jesus has this purpose, but its confusing and people don’t get it and people don’t listen. And Jesus, he just keeps on doing his own thing. This Jesus is wild and loving and determined and if the claim that Jesus looks the most divine in John is true, then it is also true that Jesus looks the most human in Mark.

Listen to the rest here: http://ssumc.org/visitors/recent-sermons/

Sometimes I preach: Advent, John 1:1-14 (SSUMC 12/7/14)

Before anything was, when there was only darkness and chaos, there was the Word, and through the Word, God spoke and from the Word came light. And God saw that it was good. I bring this up because I think it is important during this Advent season when we sing and celebrate the light of the world, to at least acknowledge to ourselves that at times we have chosen the darkness... When there was only darkness and chaos. There was the Word. This is where John’s story begins. And the Word was life and life was the light of all people. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And the light came into the world, but the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, but his own did not receive him. We have a complicated relationship to light. History has shown this to be true. The Bible itself shows this to be true We know light is what we need, but light can unsettling Because the light shows you who you really are; shows the world for what it really is. Shows what you are not yet, but could be. It reminds me of the story in Exodus, where Moses comes down from speaking with the Lord and his face is glowing. It is literally radiant. And the people are so afraid that they beg him to cover his face. Sometimes, when faced with a glimmer of Light that created us, we turn away and beg for it to be hidden. We go and hide in the darkness. Men hated the light and loved the darkness, because their deeds were evil. And some days, it is can be pretty comfortable. We can wrap ourselves in the blanket of privilege and hide in the closet. And sure you might run into some stuff, no one can see your fears, and your insecurities and your misdeeds. I think it’s important to say that out loud: that sometimes we have loved the darkness more than we have loved the light. And yet, I think we know that despite the times we have turned to hide in the darkness, we know that we were not made for hiding in closets, Deep down, even if we are scared, that we were not made for darkness...

(Listen to the rest of the sermon here)

The World Drenched with Grace

“God is at work all among us. 

God is at work constantly in the world. 

Theology is not a body of  knowledge that we memorize and put in file cards. 

Theology is a way of perceiving the world as drenched with grace, as filled with the life and power of God.”

Luke Timothy Johnson

May we always have eyes to see it.

Sometimes I Preach: Walking with God (Back to Jerusalem), Luke 24:11-35 (SSUMC 8/24/14)

Because we believe that God walks with you down the road, surrounding your whole life with grace. We proclaim that before you took your first steps, God was with you. Even when you’re walking away from the place you should be, God meets you on the road. And if we were being technical here, I would tell you this is what prevenient grace looks like. This is the dawning of salvation in your heart. This is your heart burning within you even though you don’t know why.

This is the beginning of your walk with God, the part of the walk when you don’t realize God is with you.

But we also proclaim that we believe that when the moment comes when you realize you are in the presence of the resurrected Christ, it changes you.

John Wesley would say this is the dual moment of your justification and regeneration. But if that sounds a little ridiculous, let me put it this way. This is the moment you wake up. This is the moment who see Christ for who he is, see yourself for you are and see the world that Christ has issued in. This is the moment you are reborn.

This moment when you see the resurrected Lord in the breaking of the bread.


Listen to the rest of the sermon here



image credit: Walk to Emmaus Stain Glass in Pitman UMC's sanctuary (pitmanumc.org)

Sometimes I preach: The Reason Behind All This Time and Sand, Exodus 19:1-6,32:1-6 (SSUMC on 6/1514)

We started a new sermon series this week at SSUMC called Painting Pictures of Egypt, based on various stories from Exodus and Numbers featuring the Israelites during their time in the wilderness. I had the privilege of kicking us off last Sunday. If you are interested in the song I mention at the very beginning which the series is based on, you can hear it here

"We meet the Israelites here on the third new moon after they had gone out from Egypt. Three months had come and gone since the water of the Nile turned the blood, frogs and locusts filled the sky, since the Angel of the Lord swept through Egypt but passed over them, since they marched out Egypt with gold and silver and song. Three months since the Red Sea split in two and they walked across on dry land. Three months since they watched Pharoah’s army swept away in that same water.

Three months.

And we meet them in the wilderness.

Three months already they’ve been walking around here.

And yet today we find them camping at the base of a mountain in the wilderness.

And the glory of the God surrounds that mountain and it burns with the power of God, which they have been witness to, time and time again.

God is about to call Moses up on there on that  mountain and God’s about to hand down the covenant, the 10 commandments, the stone tablets, the whole shebang.

And as he goes, Moses leaves them with a promise from the mouth of God. “That I  who delivered you from Egypt, who brought you here on eagles’ wings, I will make you my people.”

And then Moses goes up. And the people are left

Still in the wilderness.

For forty days.

Waiting at the base of the mountain .

Still in the wilderness.

After forty days, the word goes out that Moses is late. That maybe he’s dead. That maybe its over.

That maybe this mountain in the wilderness is as far as they get..."

Listen to the rest of the sermon here

#Guyturns27

My favorite boy turned 27 two weeks ago, which is convenient since that means his birthday weekend fell over the holiday weekend!
                                                

Though Guy doesn't take birthday nearly as seriously I do, I still wanted to make a big deal out of it since he is pretty sure that 27 is going to be the best age.

So starting on Friday, we began celebrating. I made him his favorite desert (that I make) and we took off for a date at the Fernbank Planetarium.

               

Then after church on Sunday, we drove to Chattanooga Bend State Park for a picnic and hiking alongside the river.

 



I might have vandalized a little bit. But it seemed worth it.








After hiking we drove to LaGrange to spend the night. We ate at Brickyard Grille and Tavern in downtown LaGrange. (side note: the table looks a table made for a giant. In real life, I did not get that impression)

                    


The next morning, we drove to Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park (the largest state park in Georgia) to explore.

(Photo evidence of our pit stop at a Piggly Wiggly: Guy wanted to try to some local cuisine)

               

The park itself was impressive and we had a great time exploring some of the trails, though my favorite part was this place which overlooked the rest of the park.

 

(I could have stayed there all day with our pork cracklins, my mismatched socks and our picnic blanket.)

Happy 27th birthday, Guy. May it be the best year yet and the beginning of even better ones to come.

I love you. 

Spring 2014: An Inadequate Overview

Back on February 15, I looked ahead at my calendar and had an overwhelming feeling of excitement, followed by a tiny bit of panic (no weekends=rough end to semester)

But almost every weekend from Feb 21 to past weekend (May 26) was filled by something wonderful, which made it worth it. 

Weddings, family visits, retreats, graduations, murder mystery dinners, lock-ins, you get the idea. 

It was crazy and busy and beautiful. 

But between that and the whole PhD thing I'm still working on, there was little time left for other things like blogging...or scrubbing my shower (which in case you were wondering was the first thing I did after I turned in my last paper) 

But without further ado, here is a brief glimpse of what my semester looked like: 

Jamie's beautiful wedding weekend: the most wonderful weekend of this horribly cold winter

My spring break was busy, filled with family, birthday surprises, trips to the Zoo, Stone Mountain, Millidgeville (not pictured the NT exegesis paper I graded) 

Catie's getting married! 

Easter 2014 

Sara's got an MFA. 

 Alex has an MDiv...and a pug named Bishop. 

The brilliant Candace (and my sweet church compatriot) at the UMW Fashion Show (you read that right) 

Mother's Day Painting with the Family. 

So that was a brief brief glimpse into all the good parts of my semester. It was filled to the brim with people that I love. There was also lots of stress as the final papers refused to write themselves no matter how hard I begged and working at church as more paperwork than anyone would guess. But one year of PhD work is officially down and the summer is here with new fun adventures and schoolwork (Ich lerne Deutsch lesen.) 

Stay tuned for the next post: Guy turns 27. It involved a lot of dessert. 

Jennifer

Sometimes I preach: When Jesus Says Things We Wish He Wouldn't, Matt 5:21-37 (SSUMC on 2/16/14)

Warning: I complain about the weather because let's face it. Winter is terrible, even not that bad Georgia winters. 

"The Jesus I picture in my head wears sandals all the time so obviously, he couldn't have been cold, right?

And it was strangely comforting as I thought about it. That somewhere in time, Jesus had once maybe been outside in 35 degree rain.

And it wasn't the Jesus I pictured.

But following Jesus is like sometimes. We have these  sometimes even unspoken expectations and pictures of who Jesus is in our minds, and every now then we encounter something that forces us to readjust our image."

Listen to it here

image source: http://www.kennethdowdy.com/iconography13.html

Top Seven Tips for Surviving Your First Semester as a PhD Student

My first semester as PhD student has officially come to a close. The last ten days have been one for the books. When I left my house earlier today, I realized it was the first time I had been outside since Monday. It took a long time for my eyes to adjust to a light source that wasn't from Christmas trees or computer screens. 

But now that I have survived, I thought I would pass along my top seven tips for surviving your first semester as PhD student.

 1) Get yourself one of these things

Because if you're going to have read approximately a billion pages a week, you should at least be able be comfortable and preferably up to your neck in bubbles. 

2) Hot Tea

More accurately, this is one of my tips for surviving life in general, because tea might be one of the best things God created on this earth. Bonus points if you drink tea while taking a bubble bath while reading a biblical scholar who's been dead for a least a century. 

This is also one of the most true things I've ever read. 

2b) Find someone who can make you tea

Because frankly, when you're surrounded by books and trying to churn out 3000 more words before bed, you're not going to have time (or skill required to dig yourself out those books) to make some yourself. Thankfully, Guy makes the best tea in the world (I married up, you guys.) 

3) Sara Stephens (Pushcart nominated poet) 

I feel like this one goes with out saying. It's for a million reasons, but also because she copy-edited my papers like a champion. (and seriously. they were really long and scary). Also, because sometimes she volunteers with my youth when I need extra help and once she dressed up like flower and only teased me a little when I dressed up like a pig and had pies thrown at my face.

4) Make your bed. 

I don't know why this one works, but it does. I've made my bed every day since we moved into our new house (except for this week, when I turned it into my office after I get tired of the futon). 

5) Be grateful for your cohort. Because they are brilliant. Because they are making you into a better student.

Because they sum what you're feeling with insightful sayings like this: "When full days of studying Greek are the light at the end of the tunnel, you know your finals week is a crazy time." 

And because they remind you that you are not alone and that they are at least a few other crazy people out there who decided spending five more years in school was a good life decision. 

6) Get a fire pit. 

And use it. Invite your best friends over (one at time, of course, because you only have three chairs) and make s'mores and drink tea. Sit with your husband by it and discuss the pros and cons of a constructivism or about that show with the banana stand. 

7) Be kind to yourself

During our first official advising session, the brilliant New Testament scholar, Luke Timothy Johnson, looked at us and said: "be kind to yourselves." 

Now, he might have been only referring to what ancient texts we picked for our translation exam, but this became my unofficial slogan for the semester

Because there was always more reading that could be done. Always more translating that needed attention. Always more planning to do for church.

Always more of something.

But this semester, I tried to give myself a break every now and then. I took weekends off on occasion. Sometimes, I just went to bed with more pages to read. I tried not to compare myself with others, tried not to beat myself over the things I hadn't done or things I didn't know. I tried to give myself a little bit of grace. 

It worked most of the time and it helped take some of the pressure off, 

And when I was being kind to myself, it reminded me that I really love what I do.

One down, friends, nine more to go. 

Tom the Turkey (My Short Thanksgiving Post)

Seriously, if you have 15 minutes today, you should listen to this hilarious true story about Tom the Turkey and his demise. (It starts at 14 minute mark) 

"He lived like a bird, but he died like a gangster." 

Layla Marie (A Baptism)

Little Layla,

You won't remember the day you got baptized. You won't remember how so many of the people who love you gathered with your mom and dad in the back of your church. You won't remember the white christening gown you wore, the same gown your sister wore less than two years earlier. You won't remember how the room was cold or how your cousins weaved in and out of the pews, as they waited to go to your house for cake. 

You won't remember the priest or the water or the oils or the prayers we prayed over you and for you.

But we will.

I will.

So if you ever need reminding of the day you officially were brought into the family of God, I'm your girl. 

Thanks for letting us be a part of your beautiful day.

Love you, little girl.

(thanks to Aunt Carol for taking these photos at the baptism) 

The Bible is not a love letter written directly to you

"The Bible is God's Love Letter written just for me!"

Seriously, guys. Stop saying that. Stop thinking it. Stop pinning things about it.

Because when you say stuff like that, the internet produce scary pictures like this one.

I blame you for this image. 

Traumatizing images aside, stop saying it because it makes you look like you haven't actually read the Bible.

Because if the Bible was actually was God's love letter written to me personally, I might think that somebody needs to explain to God what exactly love letters are supposed to look like...

Because this "love letter" has genocide in it. Floods. Destruction. And a whole bunch of gore, blood and death. (Don't believe me, flip open to the book of Judges...seriously, that book is crazy town)

And that's just the violent stuff. This love letter also has page after page of rules, genealogies, measurements, clothing patterns, debates about food laws, and the like.

Nothing says love like all that, right?

Even Jesus, the hero of our story, gets a bit snarky at times. Seriously, read what he actually says in there sometimes. Sometimes its all love and all inspiring, but sometimes he talks about cutting off your hands and throwing them into fire or throwing mill stones around people necks.

Oh and then there's Paul and all I'm going to say is that I'm pretty sure he would roll over in his grave if someone called him a romance author.

When you try to make the Bible become a love story written just for you, you are not getting the whole story of who God is and what the Bible can do. You end up ignoring its complexity, the multiplicity of its voices. You lose out on the stories, the tragedies, the victories.

You lose out on the anger. You lose out on the despair. Which makes the hope you find its pages lose some of its strength.

And no, I'm not saying that God's love isn't in the Bible. No, with every ounce of me I believe that Bible contains the words that lead to Life. God is love, friends and by reading its pages, I hope you begin to realize that God loves you and your neighbor and your enemy and all of creation.  And there are days when I know that the Spirit will use 3,000 year old words to speak directly to the deepest places of your heart.

But that doesn't mean the sole purpose of the Bible is to be love letter written by God directly to you.

It's a collection of stories and letters that span centuries, written for different reasons in different places. Different voices shouting through history to teach us a little bit more about who God is and about who we are and who we could be.

Barbara Brown Taylor describes the Bible like this:

[Because of the Bible] I am not an orphan. I have a community, a history, a future, a God. The Bible is my birth certificate and my family tree, but it is more: it is the living vein that connects me to my Maker, pumping me the stories I need to know about who we have been to one another from the beginning of time, and who we are now, and who we shall be when time is no more.” -   from This Preaching Life 

So call it your birth certificate. Call it your family tree. Call it your connection to the past and to the future.

Call it crazy and lovely and scary and life-giving and encouraging and difficult.

But please, stop calling it a love letter.

It is so much more.