Lincoln Sunday, February 15 - "To Lay Down One's Life: The Martyrdom of Abraham Lincoln"

This past weekend, we again celebrated Lincoln Sunday at Eastgate.  The service featured music that could have been heard in the era, readings from the King James Version of the Bible, and some prayers taken from prayer books of the time, including some printed for soldiers to carry in the field.

I also preached my annual Lincoln Sermon.  This year is the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  As such, I considered the meaning of Lincoln's death, especially the almost immediate determination by many that he was a martyr.  I placed this within the context of Jesus' famous statement about martyrdom: "greater love has no one than this -- to lay down one's life for another."

In the sermon, I considered what we should learn, through history and faith, about what is worth dying for -- and what is worth living for.

If you missed the sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording of the sermon here.

January 25 Worship - "Ezra - A Zealous Restoration"

On a rainy Sunday, we gathered for worship.  While we still shared many prayer concerns, particularly about peoples' health, we were also able to celebrate several people who are recovering from recent illnesses and surgical procedures.  This brightened our spirits as we came together in God's presence.

We continued our journey along Godsway 66, turning our attention to the Jews who returned from exile.  When the Persians defeated the Babylonians, the emperor Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and supported them in rebuilding the Temple.  (This would become known as the Second Jewish Temple.)  Ezra, a priest who returned with a group after the Temple was rebuilt, took religious leadership in Jerusalem.  He was troubled that a number of men returning from exile had married "foreign women" (that is, non-Jews who were living in and around Jerusalem when the Jews returned).  Ezra was convinced that the influence of foreigners (non-Jews) and their gods had led to the previous defeat of Judah and insisted that it not happen again.  So he prevented such marriages from taking place and those who had already married shunned their wives (and any children born to them) and sent them away.

The zeal for keeping the faith, so that they would take full advantage of the "second chance" God was giving them, is understandable.  However, it seems like Ezra was "fighting the last war," so to speak.  He was so desperate to not make the mistakes of history that he didn't see how the circumstances had changed.  After all, without the support of foreign leaders and foreign money, the Jews could never had returned to Jerusalem or rebuilt the Temple so quickly.  How much to deal with non-Jews and how much to separate from them had been a long complex issue, especially during the exile.  It would remain so, even to Jesus' day and beyond.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the related Communion meditation and closing benediction.

January 11 Worship - "2 Chronicles - Those Who Set Their Hearts to Seek God"

This Sunday, we gathered on another cold and cloudy winter morning -- though it was not so slick and cold as last Sunday.  There were lots of prayer concerns for people who are sick or in the hospital (a reminder of how difficult this flu season has been so far, among other things).

We also continued the Godsway 66 series into 2 Chronicles, which focuses on the Jerusalem kings from Solomon until the exile in Babylon.  While some of this book repeats 1 Kings and 2 Kings, there is a different emphasis on how the kings support the Temple and the priests -- to the extent that they do support the Temple and the priests.  Unfortunately, external influences cause the kings to lose focus on worshiping the one true God, which allows the worship of foreign gods to enter the kingdom.  Eventually, King Hezekiah tries to root all all of the foreign god worship, leading an effort to reestablish proper faith in God and worship in the Temple.

As part of this, the Passover celebration is held (evidently for the first time in generations).  Hezekiah, eager to encourage proper worship, issues a broad invitation to participate, even to some people in the northern kingdom.  During the Passover, some of these people attend, but they are not ritually clean -- which creates a problem in the celebration.  Hezekiah urges patience, though, recognizing that all of the people had made mistakes, but praying that God would forgive them and claim them again as God's chosen people.

This created a precedent in which not all of the rules of Torah had to be followed by people of faith.  Perhaps it was the attitude that allowed for the flexibility necessary to preserve the Jewish faith through the tough times of the defeat of Jerusalem, the exile and captivity in Babylon, and the return to the devastated Promised Land 70 years later (not to mention all of the challenges of the 25 centuries from then until now).  It is an open question we face as Christians always -- how many of the rules must we follow, and how much should we rely on God's grace and mercy to forgive our oversights?

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here. 

You can also listen to the related Communion meditation and closing benediction.

January 4 Worship - "The Man with the Plan (1 Chronicles)"

A few stalwart people gathered on Sunday, given the frigid temperatures and overnight snowfall which made some roads slick in the morning.  God was still praised, if in a slightly more informal way than some weeks.

We continued our Godsway 66 series in the new year, turning our attention to the history of the Jewish monarchy and Temple presented in 1 Chronicles.  Here, King David seems to be the most important figure in Jewish history, due to faithfulness and his preparations to build God's Temple in Jerusalem.  In fact, he seems to have micromanaged that process; after God told David he would not build the Temple, David created elaborate plans to ensure that it would be built after his death, which he gave to Solomon shortly before he died.

Of course, we know the rest of the story.  The Temple was built, but succeeding generations had trouble keeping worship of God at the center of their lives -- in they worshiped God at all.  Eventually, they were defeated, the Temple was destroyed, and the leadership was carried into exile in Babylon.  However, the legacy of the Temple was so important that it was a beacon for those exiles, who dreamed of returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the Temple.  It became a way for them to preserve and, in some ways, reclaim their identity as God's people.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can listen to an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the Communion meditation and the closing benediction.

December 28 Worship: "New Year, New Vision"

We gathered on the Sunday after Christmas to continue the celebration of Jesus' birth and to look ahead into a new year.  As part of our celebration, I encouraged us to consider the prophecy of Ezekiel seeing the plans for the second Temple to be built in Jerusalem (after the Jews returned from exile in Babylon).  This vision seems to be a combination of Ezekiel's desire for people to return to Jerusalem and build a Temple and God's desire for the people to demonstrate their faithfulness.

Too often, we assume that God wants to replace our desires completely.  Time and time again in the Bible, though, God seems to meld human desires with divine wisdom.  This is an important lesson for us at the start of a new year, when we feel the urge to completely change different parts of our lives.  Instead of always insisting on u-turns, perhaps we should consider some of the better desires of our nature.  This might be the best way to improve our lives.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the Communion meditation and the closing benediction.

Christmas Eve Worship

We had a beautiful worship service on Wednesday evening, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.  There was plenty of music, candles, and decorations to mark the occasion.  Also, drawing on the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 (and on a couple of themes we have explored this fall in Godsway 66), I suggested one of the identities of Jesus as a "Son of David, Son of Abraham."

You can listen to the meditation here.  You can also listen to the related Communion meditation and the closing benediction.

December 14 Worship - "2 Kings - The Decline and Fall of the House of David"

On Sunday, we gathered for a beautiful Advent service on a warm and cloudy December morning.  We also continued our journey along Godsway 66, focusing on the final years of the Jewish monarchy described in 2 Kings.  While this is a book filled with examples of the kings and leaders consistently disappointing God and demonstrating repeated faithlessness, there are a couple of examples of faithful leadership.

In particular, I focused on the reforms instituted by King Josiah in the southern kingdom of Judah.  He banished all worship of false gods from the kingdom and commanded that Passover be celebrated for the first time in centuries.  These actions were not enough to stop the ultimate conquest of Judah by the Babylonian empire, but they laid the groundwork for the survival of Jewish faith even after the kingdom's demise by emphasizing study of the holy writings and keeping specific religious festivals.  These have been the hallmark of faith for 2500 years since, and through Jesus are key pieces of our faith too.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the Communion meditation and the closing benediction.

December 7 Worship - "1 Kings - A Tale of Two Kingdoms"

On Sunday, we enjoyed a beautiful Advent worship service, complete with a special solo.  Then we continued the Godsway 66 trip through the Bible, considering the book of 1 Kings.  There are three main things to consider in this book: the construction of the Temple, the division of Israel into two kingdoms, and the prominence of prophets as moral authorities in place of a line of disappointing kings.

Of the most lasting significance is the Temple, dedicated by King Solomon, who recognized that it could not be the earthly dwelling place of God but hoped it could be a focal point for faith in God.  Particularly, he prayed that the people could return to the Temple and pray to God after a period of time in which they had strayed from faith in God.  The Temple gave the people an identity that has remained for 2500 years, through even the hardest times.

On the other hand, the northern kingdom of Israel lacked such a strong piece of identity as the Temple (though they tried to establish a religious center at Shechem).  Instead, their strongest identity seemed to be negative -- they weren't Judah (the prominent tribe around Jerusalem).  However, they lacked other strong positive things about which to share an identity.  It is not a coincidence that the northern kingdom was captured decades before Judah and that the people had no way to regroup after their defeat.  The northern tribes were scattered and lost.  The southern tribes in Judah managed to create a new identity as Jews during and after their exile in Babylon.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the Communion meditation and the closing benediction.

November 30 Worship - "2 Samuel - Bless This House"

On Sunday, we resumed our Godsway 66 adventure, focusing on the reign of King David.  In particular, we focused on a couple of issues that have huge impacts on the legacy of David's leadership for Jewish history thereafter (even through the present day).

One of the most important images of 2 Samuel is of "house" -- David wants to build God a house (the Temple) and God, in return, blesses David by establishing a dynasty of rulers over Israel (the House of David).  Eventually, David's son Solomon would build the Temple and David's heirs would be kings, but not everything worked out "happily ever after."  David's successors proved a mixed lot, and they also inherited some of his lesser tendencies, which ultimately led to the failure of the kingdom (actually kingdoms, but that is a story for 1 and 2 Kings).

In some ways, David's story is one of dreams and hard realities.  Some of David's dreams were passionate and faithful, but they were balanced by the lesser parts of his character (his tendency to violence and his relationship with Bathsheba).  And both of these things had a large impact on Jewish history after him.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the related Communion meditation and the closing benediction.

November 9 Worship: "1 Samuel - Kings and Princes"

On Sunday, we continued our journey along Godsway 66 into 1 Samuel, the beginning of the history of the Jewish monarchy.  The first part tells how the Israelites demanded a king, likely after the chaos of the period of the Judges, especially in figuring out who would take power after a tribal leader died.

However, the prophet Samuel gives God's response to this request -- you don't really understand what you're asking for.  A king would place huge demands on the people, money and manpower needed to provide for both the military and the royal household.  Still, God accepts the Israelites' desire and guides Samuel to a man who looks and acts like a king, Saul.

After some initial success, Saul falls short.  He becomes too enamored with power -- thinking himself almost a god.  And he becomes desperate to maintain that power, even to the point of seeing potential threats everywhere.  Interestingly, Saul's successor will not be one of his sons, but will be another man hand-chosen by God -- David.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the Communion meditation and the closing benediction.

November 2 Worship: "Ruth - Gaming the System"

On Sunday, we continued our Godsway 66 journey through the beautiful book of Ruth, which tells the story of King David's great-grandmother.  I focused on the three main characters: the widow Naomi, her now-widowed daughter-in-law Ruth, and Naomi's distant relative Boaz.  Eventually, Ruth and Boaz will marry; however, all three people have to work outside of social customs for this to occur.  Ruth has to stay with her mother-in-law, rather than return to her family.  Both women have to throw themselves on the mercy of a distant relative to survive.  Ruth has to use her feminine wiles to attract Boaz' attentions.  Boaz has to maneuver in order to be able to marry Ruth.

Usually, we have a bad image of people "gaming the system" -- thinking that they are just looking for unfair and undeserved advantages.  However, in Ruth, these three people are trying to work around the system for good reasons.  As Christians, living in a sinful world, we too have to find ways to work around some of the broken systems around us too -- even if some of our systems are less awful than those of the ancient world.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the Communion meditation and the closing benediction.

Also, you can listen to the a cappella version of "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" that I sang during Sunday's offering.

October 26 Worship: "Judges - A Wondrous Jawbone"

On Sunday, we concluded our celebration of the Month of the Ministry by honoring our worship greeters and our Director of Music, Renee Zimmerman.  There also was a time of appreciation for my ministry, which was touching.  I am so grateful for my ministry at Eastgate, where we are serious about growing in our faith, about loving each other, and about serving beyond ourselves.

In the sermon, we continued our Godsway 66 journey, entering the time of the Judges in Israel -- between the leadership of Moses and Joshua and the first king, Saul.  This was a period of charismatic leadership, when influential tribal leaders rose to prominence and authority in the entire nation.  A couple of these people's names still echo through the centuries -- Gideon and Samson.  Samson is especially famous for his strength, which made people eager to follow him.

The problem with charismatic leadership is that there is no check on where these people might lead, which created problems for the Israelites (as such leadership still creates today, even with our systems of checks and balances).  The opportunity, though, is that these people could get certain things done quickly, with no established system to get in the way.  However, relying on such leadership can be disorienting, especially when the leader dies and leaves a vacuum -- which is why the Israelites demanded a king.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the related communion meditation and the closing benediction.

October 19 Worship - "Joshua - ... One Step Back"

On Sunday, we continued our Month of the Ministry by publicly thanking those who serve in administrative leadership at Eastgate: our board officers, ministry and committee chairs, and those who account for financial giving.  We also highlighted some of our current giving campaigns, including the special collection to "Re-leave Tall Oaks," our regional camp and conference center.

We also entered a new leg of our Godsway 66 journey, beginning our study of the Jewish histories with the story of Joshua and the conquest of the Promised Land.  From the famous battle of Jericho on, the Israelites cross the Jordan River (miraculously) and capture and take possession of city after city.  Despite all of this success, though, the Israelites seem to have been distracted from God -- sometimes even worshiping other gods.  At the end of his life, Joshua pleads with the Hebrews to keep the faith by not getting distracted.

Of course, we have not witnessed all of the miracles that these Israelites did.  But many of us have benefited from a lifetime of blessings -- and yet as a culture we seem to have lost our faith.  As Joshua urged the Hebrews, we need to stop turning away from God, but reclaim and proclaim our faith in God.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the related Communion meditation and the closing benediction.

October 12 Worship - "Deuteronomy - With All Your Might"

On Sunday, we continued our Month of the Ministry celebration by honoring those who serve as nursery assistants, Sunday School teachers, Children Worship & Wonder storytellers and greeters, and our large group of property, maintenance, and lawn care volunteers.  We also promoted our "Re-Leaving Tall Oaks" collection to provide additional support to the camp and conference center of the Christian Church in Greater Kansas City.

We also continued our journey along Godsway 66, concluding five weeks reading the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.  With Deuteronomy, we discover a retelling of the story of the time of the Israelites during the wilderness years after slavery in Egypt.  While Exodus seems more interested in presenting God's miraculous liberation of the Hebrews from slavery, Deuteronomy focuses more on the inner salvation that the Hebrews need to experience before inhabiting the Promised Land.  Part of this faith in God is to be exhibited in love and devotion, as described in the 6th chapter.

In some ways, the people needed to learn how not to be slaves.  But God worries that without a proper relationship with God (which would include having some appreciation for God's perspective on human life), the Israelites would start thinking that their good fortune in the Promised Land was about their work and not about God's providing it.  Worse, losing sight of this would allow them to start mistreating other people around them too, because they would think too highly of themselves.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the closing benediction here.

October 5 Worship - "Numbers - The Complaint Department"

We celebrated World Communion Sunday at Eastgate over the weekend, joining with other congregations around the world in gathering at the Lord's Table and celebrating the wideness of Christian expression and influence throughout the world.  Also, Rev. Sara Wilcox was visiting with us this weekend, and it was exciting for her to serve at the communion table as part of this celebration (which gave me the happy excuse to sing during communion too).  We also began our month-long celebration of ministry by publicly thanking the elders, deacons, and leaders of the Disciples Women for their service this year.

In the sermon, we continued our journey along Godsway 66, exploring the book of Numbers.  This book, which details a complete census of the tribes of Israel, also offers insight into a time of frustration for the Hebrews while they are still in the wilderness, waiting to enter the Promised Land.  In particular, the group complains about the lack of food -- only manna to eat, nothing else -- and even imagines it would be worth being slaves in Egypt again, just for some other food to eat.

I suggested that these were the teenage years for the Israelites, when they were experiencing some growing pains.  In particular, I said that while their frustrations were valid, they still had things to learn -- or unlearn -- before they would be ready to claim the Promised Land.  They had to stop thinking of themselves as slaves, and they needed to learn how to live together freely and peacefully.  This can make us wonder what we might have to learn in times when we just seem to be waiting anxiously for the next thing in our lives.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

September 28 Worship - "Leviticus - Holy People"

On Sunday, we continued our Godsway 66 journey into the book of Leviticus.  Filled with detailed laws about ritual sacrifice and descriptions of things ritually clean and unclean, this book of Torah can seem long and unnecessary.  Certainly, many of its instructions are out of date -- but the underlying lesson is still vital to our faith.  The point of the instructions seems to be made explicit at the opening of Leviticus 19 -- the Israelites are to be a holy people, living in ways pleasing to God, who is holy.

This is a radical idea.  So often we believe that our faith is meant only to point out our sinfulness -- how many mistakes we make and how far we fall short of God's expectations.  But the purpose of learning about our imperfection is not to make us feel guilty, but to point us toward a different way of living and being -- to point us too toward a life that is holy.  We may not worry about the finer points of unclean foods and ritual sacrifice, but God wants us to make deep commitments to our faith and to live in ways that make us more like God's co-workers than God's lowly subjects.

If you missed the sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to Sunday's communion meditation and closing benediction.

September 21 Worship: "Exodus - Behold God's Mighty Hand"

On Sunday, we continued our journey along Godsway 66 focusing on the second book of Torah, Exodus.  After opening with God speaking to Moses from the holy ground of a burning bush, we focused on God's power to save and protect through our songs, prayers, and the sermon.

The sermon drew its main inspiration from the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to cross on dry ground.  The theme of God's miraculous power to save resounds throughout Exodus, in both dramatic and subtle ways as the chosen people are transformed from slaves in Egypt to God's free people traveling toward the Promised Land.  The challenge is to see God's salvation, especially subtle and patient salvation, in our own lives.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to Sunday's Communion meditation and closing meditation.

September 14 Worship: "Genesis - First Things"

On Sunday, we completed the first week of Godsway 66 with the sermon on Genesis.  Focusing on the covenant between God and Abraham (and through Abraham, with all of humankind), we considered that the first lesson of the Bible is that God wants to be in relationship with the created world, particularly the humans who are made in God's image (per Genesis 1).

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to Sunday's communion meditation and the closing benediction.

September 7 Worship: "Godsway 66 - Planning and Packing"

On Sunday, we enjoyed the promise of Autumn, with a beautiful September morning and the choir singing in worship.  We also began Godsway 66, with a preview sermon on the upcoming trip through all 66 books of the Bible.  The sermon drew on the promise of Jeremiah's letter to the exiled Jews in Babylon, one of many reminders that God is present to those who seek.  This is the ultimate promise of our upcoming journey through the Bible.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to Sunday's communion meditation.

August 24 Worship: "Star Wars"

We concluded this year's Summer Blockbuster Sermon Series with one of the all-time great blockbusters, the original Star Wars, from 1977.  We considered the spiritual meaning of the Force in George Lucas' space opera, comparing it with the armor of God that Paul describes in Ephesians.

If you missed the sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the Communion meditation.