Sabbatical Plans

This summer is a time of rest and renewal.

I'll keep the myspace page, but my plan is to be mostly off line except to post pictures once in a while. Also my riverandvine e-mail will have a vacation message on it. So catch me this week if you need me before I go!

I will be resting, studying, thinking, praying, writing and playing. I have a stack "this high" of books I want to read. Here's where I'm going:

June is mostly time by myself. After the girls and I go to Mom and Me Camp, I'll go to the Trappist Abbey (www.trappistabbey.org) to pray and clear my head. I'll have a week at the Grunewald Guild (www.artfaith.com) to study art and spirituality with Bro. Mickey McGrath (www.beestill.com). His new book, At the Name of Jesus, will be the basis of my sermon series for December 2007 through Easter 2008.

July is mostly time with Michael. My brother Jonathan will take care of the girls while Michael and I go to Los Angeles to study at seminaries, visit churches and museums, and renew our marriage. Highlights will include studying the Gutenberg Bible and ancient manuscripts at the Huntington Library, Greek and Roman art at the Getty Museum, using the library at Fuller Seminary and visiting the church I pastored in Escondido. We will take a short cruise out of San Diego with my mom and Jonathan.

August is family time, reading and reflection. My dad and his wife will be with us here in Gresham the first week of August. I hope to catch the Mount Hood Jazz Festival and Mt Hood Repertory Theater when I'm here. We will go to Kauai August 6-16 with Michael's parents, siblings and their families, thanks to the generosity of Michael's parents. Then Michael and the girls and I will stay another week in Maui. I'll go back to the abbey for the last week of the month to pray and write before returning to church September 1.

Please don’t bother our house sitters while we’re out of town, but feel free to send us a card as we’ll be dropping into town frequently and will pick up our mail regularly. Have a great summer!

Sermon: Bringing Peace to Work, School

Bringing Peace to Workplace and School

1 Sam 25, selections

Cynthia O’Brien

May 20, 2007

Kip Kinkel entered the cafeteria, firing randomly. Students screamed and hit the foor, seeking cover under tables. 17-year old Jake Ryker turned to face Kip and yelled. A bullet blasted through his chest, ripped through his lung, out his back and slammed into his girlfriend, Jennifer. He fell to the floor, bleeding.

Kip shot 17-year old Mike Nickolausen in the leg. Then he put the gun to the back of Mike’s head, shot and killed him. He turned to 14-year old Ryan Crawley, stuck the gun in his face and pulled the trigger. Click. Empty. Kip reached into his pack for another clip. Ryan reached up and started punching him in the throat and in the face.

Jake struggled to get up from the floor. His leg got tangled under a chair, and he stumbled. But he found the strength to get up and lunge for the shooter, who was now holding a pistol. Jake rammed his shoulder into Kip, knocking him to the floor. He grabbed the pistol’s muzzle and tried to pull it away. Kip fired, piercing Jake’s hand.

Other boys jumped on top of Kip to help hold him down, including Jake’s 14 year old brother Josh. It took six boys to subdue him and wrest the weapons out of his grip. A rifle, two pistols, a knife and ammunition.

People say the boys who stopped him are heroes. They don’t see it that way. Josh said,

“We just did what we thought was right. We stopped him. That’s how we were raised. I would have done it again and again and again if I had to keep people from getting shot.”

We all said, How could this happen? How could it happen right here in Oregon? What could have been done to prevent it? Are my children going to be safe at school?

And then the questions became more personal. What would I have done in that situation? Would I have lunged forward to stop him, or would I have tried to protect someone in some other way? Would I have turned and run, or hid under a table?

What if someone could have talked it out with Kip before he went on this rampage? What if a friend or a counselor could have helped him to deal with his anger, defuse him, make him see that he was about to cause an immense tragedy? Couldn’t he be stopped from hurting others and throwing his life away?

In the Bible, in 1 Samuel chapter 25, David had just strapped on his weapons, filled his pack with ammunition, and was headed to the place where the people who had offended him were gathered. He intended to kill. What was his problem?

Let’s read this story.

(1 Sam 25 NIV) Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Maon. {2} A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. {3} His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings. (The name “Nabal” means “fool” or “simpleton.” One nice person and one old grouch live here.)

{4} While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. (This is a time of great celebration and there’s always lots of food.) In the next few verses, David sends his men to greet Nabal politely. Nabal’s response should be to welcome them and give them food.

BUT {10} Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? (This was an insult – he knew who David was.) Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. (He accuses the servants of being runaway slaves.) {11} Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?" {12} David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. {13} David said to his men, "Put on your swords!" So they put on their swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.

David says later that he planned to kill Nabal and all the men who worked for Nabal. Now, from verse 14 on, one of Nabal’s servants told Nabal’s wife Abigail what happened, that David’s servants were very polite, and they had even watched over Nabal’s property, and Nabal had insulted them. The servant had obviously tried to talk to Nabal directly in the past, but Nabal was so wicked he wouldn’t listen.

In verse 18, Abigail took things into her own hands. She took hundreds of loaves and cakes, grain, wine and sheep, and rode up the mountain ravine to meet David.

Abigail got off her donkey, bowed before David, fell at his feet and gave this beautiful speech to defuse his anger. From here through verse 31. She acknowledged the wrong her husband had done, asked for forgiveness, and praised David for being the chosen of the Lord. She told him he wouldn’t want to have this needless bloodshed on his conscience. Listen to the words she chose to talk him down.

{23} When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. {24} She fell at his feet and said: "My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. {25} May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name--his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent. {26} "Now since the LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal. {27} And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you. {28} Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the Lord's battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live. {29} Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. {30} When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, {31} my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant."

David accepted her words and her gifts and granted her request.

What can we learn from this story?

1. If your husband is a jerk, you may have to intervene to keep someone from killing him. Nobody could tell him anything, so Abigail had to do something.

2. Swift action can make a difference. Abigail did something as soon as she knew there was a problem.

3. Make a peace offering. Abigail brought food for David’s men, which Nabal should have offered in the first place. Her generosity showed that she was truly sincere in her request for forgiveness.

4. God can use anyone to stop evil. Abigail wasn’t a powerful person, but she used her smarts and she acted fast.

This morning I want you to put yourself in Abigail’s place. Could you defuse a tense situation? What skills do you have?

It’s been a long time since Michael’s taken martial arts, and yet a lot of those moves are still in his muscles. We were in swing dance class and the teacher taught us a cute little kick step. Michael hauled off with some kind of roundhouse taikwando kick. He remembers. As for me, I’ve forgotten everything I learned in a short jujitsu class. I don’t know how I would do in a situation like a school shooting. We watch a lot of action movies, but our bodies don’t have the muscle memory of actually stopping someone from doing evil.

So what do you have to offer?

Last Thursday night I completed a seven-week training with the City of Gresham Fire Department – it’s called CERT – Community Emergency Response Training. When the big event happens, whether it’s an earthquake or something else, those of us that are CERT trained have some skills and procedures to keep us calm and organized.

What skills would you contribute in an emergency situation? What skills do you use every day to bring peace to your workplace or your school or your neighborhood? Do you have the inner strength and the smarts like Abigail, if you were faced with a situation that required you to act? If not, how can you get it?

Our Presbyterian Statement of Faith tells us that this strength comes from the Holy Spirit:

In a broken and fearful world

the Spirit gives us courage

to pray without ceasing,

to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior,

to unmask idolatries in church and culture,

to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,

and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.

We thank you, God, that you desire justice and peace among your children on earth, and that you call us to be peacemakers. Give us strength of character, courage and skill to fulfill our calling. We pray in the name of Jesus, who is our example, and by the Holy Spirit, who empowers us. Amen.

Sermon: How Jesus Handled Conflict

Matthew 18:15-35

Rev. Cynthia O’Brien

“Jesus, CEO: How Jesus Handled Conflict”

May 6, 2007

^{MT 18:15} "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ¹⁶ But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that `every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

What is Conflict? Let’s agree on a definition: A competitive behavior between people or groups in which perceived or real goals and needs are divergent or incompatible.

Put another way, conflict occurs when I want A, and you want B and I think that if you get B, I can’t have A. Since I don’t think that we can both have what we want, I compete to get what I want.

No healthy person likes conflict, especially since we see so many cases where conflict is handled badly. Politicians fight and put partisanship above the interest of the country. Unions and employers fight over salaries and benefits and work grinds to a halt. Israelis and Palestinians fight over territory and won’t let go of past grievances. We know that conflicts can get out of hand and this colors our perception.

Most of us dislike conflict and will avoid it if possible, but is all conflict bad?

True or false? Conflict is always the result of people sinning – False.

Conflict goes away if ignored – False.

Conflict is always bad – False.

If we are going to handle conflict constructively, we need to rethink it. Here are some truths about conflict

Conflict is the result of a fallen world. In Romans 8, Paul wrote:

For the creation waits with eager longing -- creation was subjected to futility, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay -- The whole creation has been groaning under the weight of sin. Conflict is inevitable until the day when God redeems and restores the whole world.

But conflict is normal because people are needy. In Acts 6, people were upset because the widows were not getting the food they needed. There was a conflict about it which resulted in a better food distribution system.

Conflict in church is natural because what we do is of eternal significance. When we care about things deeply, we are likely to come into conflict with others.

Change is normative, therefore, conflict is normative as we try to adapt

By the way, if you don’t think that conflict is normal in the church, I’d encourage you to go back and read Paul’s letters. We have this odd notion that everything was pristine in the early churches. It wasn’t. In every church to which Paul writes, there is conflict.

It is important to understand that conflict is normal -- then we don’t over-react when it happens.

I have a list of the 10 most likely times for conflict in the church. It was prepared by the Alban Institute. Whenever ministers hear the name of the Alban Institute, we bow down and worship and buy whatever book they are selling, because these are very smart, very experienced church leaders and pastors who understand church dynamics. They have complied this list of the 10 most likely times for church conflict. As I read the list, think back to a church conflict and see if it fits into one of these 10 categories.

1. Easter. There is a lot of stress around Easter which brings conflict to the surface. The Alban Institute gets nearly 30 percent more calls than average right before Easter.

2. Stewardship Campaign and Budget Time. When money doesn’t come in as expected. When people use the opportunity to withhold money and air their complaints.

3. Addition of new staff - new staff change old dynamics. Donna, our secretary, is retiring after nearly 26 years. When we hire a new secretary, she could be as skilled and as nice as can be, but after a while you won’t like her, and you won’t know why. The reason is probably that, until now, every time you called the office you got a person who knows you well, knows your history, understands whatever you’re going through and cares deeply about you. In fact, sometimes when I pick up the phone, the person on the other end says, “Where’s Donna?” We can’t replace that depth of relationship. It won’t even happen in a couple of years. This is a great loss. But if we understand that what we’re losing can’t be replaced, hopefully it will help us manage our feelings and reduce future conflict.

4. Change in leadership style, especially when a new pastor’s leadership style is different from the predecessor. In a time of crisis, people depend on the pastor’s leadership to be the same as before.

5. The pastor’s vacation. Those who rely heavily on the pastor may panic when the pastor is gone. Additionally, it’s a good time to act up. I know a church where the pastor was gone for just a few days. During that time, the Worship Committee met without the pastor and voted to change the number of Sunday worship services and the time the services were held.

6. Changes in the Pastor’s family -- marriage, illness, the birth of children, divorce, death – these all affect the pastor’s relationship with the church and the people’s perception of the pastor’s devotion to them.

7. Young people joining the church. Different generations don’t always see eye to eye. Long time members ask, “What’s happened to my church? Who are these people?”

8. The completion of a new building. One of the most common times for a minister to be forced out is after the completion of a building. During construction, everyone is focused on a common task. Once it’s done, a new focus is needed. Without it, the church feels like it’s drifting and has no immediate goal. These feelings lead to conflict.

9. Loss of church membership. When membership decreases, people will look for a person or group to blame it on.

10. Increase in church size. As a church grows, its personality changes. Those who liked its personality before may have a hard time getting used to a new feel of the larger congregation.

Did any of your conflicts you thought of fit one of these categories?

If we are aware of why conflict happens and when it happens, we can redeem it and use it constructively. Instead of destroying the church, conflict can stimulate change, healing and growth.

But it is not enough to know why and when conflict occurs. We need to have the right attitude too. And that’s why we look to Jesus to see how he managed conflict.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and yet his life was constantly surrounded by conflict. Almost everything that Jesus did made the religious leaders unhappy or sparked some controversy and heated discussion. What made Jesus a peacemaker was not avoiding conflict but how handling it well.

Do you remember the story of the women caught in adultery in John chapter 8? It wonderfully illustrates how Jesus dealt with conflict.

While Jesus was teaching at the temple, a woman was brought before him. She had been caught in the act of adultery (I don’t know why they didn’t catch the man, too) and an angry mob assembled to stone her. The religious leaders asked Jesus if she should be put to death as the Law prescribed.

This was a trap that the religious leaders set for Jesus. They knew that Jesus was merciful and they were looking for a way to discredit him. They hoped that he would set the woman free so that they could accuse him of being soft on the Law. The religious leaders were out to get Jesus, and this poor women was simply the means.

Jesus defused the situation by saying “Let he who is without sin throw the first stone.” A few at a time, the mob disbanded. The crisis was over.

What I love about this story is that Jesus demonstrated what true peacemaking is all about.

1. Jesus was loving and patience with everyone even when being personally attacked. It is easy to see Jesus love for the women, but we might miss Jesus’ love for the religious leaders too. Jesus could have blasted them for being hypocrites. After all, they were not interested so much in upholding the Law as they are in trapping Jesus. He saw their hypocrisy and understood that he was being personally undermined. But rather than attack them, he looked for a way to show them mercy too. Can you be loving and patient with someone who is attacking you, and not hurt them back?

2. Jesus was not anxious even in the midst of an emotionally charged situation. While the religious leaders were open hostile, Jesus did not respond to the threat. In fact, while they were making accusations against the woman, Jesus doodled on the ground. He remained calm, focused and unaffected by they negativity around him. He wouldn’t allow himself to get sucked up into the frenzy. He would not get upset while being attacked. He remained calm.

This is something I’ve been able to do a lot in ministry. Michael and I attended Interim Pastor Training many years ago, an intense training for pastors who serve churches between permanent pastors. Oftentimes these churches are hurting or conflicted, so one of the things we learned was to be what they called “a non anxious presence.” So when something comes up here at church, and someone flies into my office in a flurry because there’s something terribly wrong, I try not to get upset about it. I try to stay calm and focused. You might misinterpret that as my not caring about it. That’s not true. I have been trained to be a non-anxious presence, to focus on finding a solution to the problem. Can you also be calm when faced with conflict?

3. Jesus reframed the question. This is a skill I’d like to develop more. Jesus had a way of seeing through the surface issues and getting to the heart of a matter. He challenged people’s assumptions and forced them to rethink their attitudes. Sometimes Jesus would do this by answering a question with a question. Next time someone is attacking you, try not to get defensive. Don’t try to give an answer right away. Try asking a question, and see whether you can get beyond the attack to see what that person really needs.

Jesus showed patience and mercy to all parties. He remained focused and non-anxious in the midst of an emotionally charge atmosphere. Jesus got to the heart of the matter.

That’s the kind of peacemaker I want to be. In the coming weeks, we’ll find out how to be peacemakers in all walks of life: at home, at work and at the church.

Sermon: Too Young, Too Old, Too Busy

“Limited Time, Unlimited Possibilities”

Rev. Cynthia O’Brien

April 22, 2007

Luke 10:38-42; Mark 1:32-37

Quote to consider:

"If you're burning the candle at both ends, you're not as bright as you think you are."

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"

Mark 1:35-37

^{2CO 1:3} Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. ⁵ For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

We are continuing in our church’s theme for 2007: The Year of Discovery, and this month’s theme, Discover the Power to Make a Difference.

As I’ve been reading and talking to people this week, it seems that a lot of people want to make a difference in their communities or help other people, but they don’t, pretty much for three reasons. They feel they are too young, too old, or too busy.

TOO YOUNG?

I hear a lot of teenagers saying, “I’m so bored” or “It doesn’t matter what I do.” They’re either out of touch with the needs of others, or think that since they’re too young to vote or drive or hold a job, that there’s nothing they can do about the problems of their communities.

But if you’ve been around this church for any length of time, you know that being young hasn’t stopped people from making a difference. The preschoolers have been collecting change for three years for the new building. Alex Brown, a middle schooler, is raising money for clean water in Africa, and he and his friends collected money on Halloween instead of trick-or-treating. A dozen of our high schoolers are headed to Florida this summer to do the hard work of hurricane relief and restoration.

We quoted this Scripture a few weeks ago from 1 Timothy: Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

Friday was the 8^th anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Charlie Simmons, a member of the Columbine choir, was one of the survivors. About a week later, he was asked to help start a community youth center, a place where teenagers could go to hang out, everyone would be accepted, and you could share things that were on your mind with caring mentors. They called it SHOUTS, Students Helping Others Unite Together Socially, and it opened a month after the tragedy.

Charlie said: “Eric and Dylan had a secret and they told no one. Maybe nobody let them know they had somebody to talk to if they needed to. I think they were angry at the world. I think they had problems with themselves or their families or with others they just couldn’t work out. I think that someone wasn’t around to touch their lives.” [1]

I’ve found that people of all ages really start to make a difference when they find a cause that they can relate to. Unfortunately, sometimes this happens when they experience a problem or tragedy in their own life, but as they are overcoming it, they find they have enough strength to reach out to others.

(Story of Tessa Thompson from Teens With the Courage to Give -- about how she began to realize that her “perfect” boyfriend was also a classic abuser. She broke up with him nine times but he kept convincing her to stay, until she finally made the break, eventually spoke at student assembly, found herself, now helps teenagers in similar situations.)

The Apostle Paul wrote, God … comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

God has made us this way – when we experience a difficulty or a tragedy, it makes us compassionate towards others. We say, “I don’t want someone else to go through what I did.” That’s a powerful energizer towards getting the power to make a difference.

TOO OLD?

And being old hasn’t stopped people from making a difference. It was maybe 12 years ago that one of our members, Bob, about 70 years old at the time, was approached by a fellow member, Holly. Holly said, “Do you have a truck?” Bob said, “yes.” She said, “You need to go volunteer for Snow Cap.” So he did, and now, even in his 80’s, he’s picking up bread from the bakery and donations from the church and delivering it to the food bank in his truck. He and his friends moved the 400 pounds of baby food that we collected here last fall. I think it keeps him young.

There was a man in Berkeley named Joseph Charles who liked to work in his front yard and always smiled and waved to his neighbors and people walking by. One day a lady said, “You make me feel so good, you should go out to the street and wave to everyone.” He put on a pair of yellow gloves and started doing it. For 30 years, every morning from about 7:30 to 9:30, he waved to the passing motorists from in front of his house on the busy Martin Luther King Jr. Way. He would smile and call out, “Keep smiling!” and “Have a GOOD day!” People used to change their commuting route to go by him. The mayor of Berkeley said, “He brought a lot of joy to people.” Joseph Charles died a few years ago at the age of 91. He outlived his wife, two children and two physicians.

Still feel too old? Consider these things you can still do. Remember the church in your will. Whether you give 10 percent of your estate, or a modest amount, it is your legacy to your family and continues the ministry that you care so much about.

Love your family and friends. Let your grandchildren know how special they are to you.

And pray for your loved ones, the church and the world. The Bible says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

So there’s not too young, and not too old. How about the rest of us?

TOO BUSY?

A lot of us who are working and/or raising children just feel too busy with our own lives to get out and do something for someone else.

I am not going to stand here and tell you that you’re not too busy, because I know what some of your lives are like. You’re overloaded, either financially, emotionally, or with the amount of activities and responsibilities you have.

Let me share a picture you might relate to. The Chicago Bears used to do this thing called "Splashing.” The smaller defensive backs and the huge defensive linemen had a good natured battle of intimidation. First they would hurl verbal assaults at each other. Then the big guys would try to circle and isolate one of the defensive backs or as they called them, the "Brat Pack." Usually the smaller, faster defensive backs were able to strike and quickly escape; but, if captured, they paid a huge price.

This is how it happened when they “splashed” defensive back David Tate, who weighed 180 pounds. He was dropped to the ground and the 300 pound William "Refrigerator" Perry collapsed on top of him. Then 270 pound Richard Dent, 275 pound Dan Hampton, and 270 pound Steve McMichael jumped on top--1,115 pounds of pain.

David Tate said, "It hurts. I don't think they know how heavy they are. Once you've gotten 'splashed,' you avoid it at all costs--even if it means backing down."

Have you ever felt "splashed"?

Dr. Richard A. Swenson used this idea as a metaphor for people’s overloaded lives. In one form or another--whether emotionally, physically, or financially--it happens to a lot of us. Newsweek did a cover story on it – the title was simply, "Exhausted."

Swenson said:

"The spontaneous tendency of our culture is to inexorably add detail to our lives: one more option, one more problem, one more commitment, one more expectation, one more purchase, one more debt, one more change, one more job, one more decision. We must now deal with more 'things per person' than at any other time in history. Yet one can comfortably handle only so many details in his or her life. … Overloading occurs whenever the requirements upon us exceed that which we are able to bear.

This month we are exploring the idea, Discover the Power to Make a Difference. But if you are overloaded, if you have too much going on, you’re not going to feel like you can make a difference in other people’s lives.

But you realize God calls you to love your neighbor as yourself, and that as a Christian you are called to follow Jesus. So let’s see how Jesus pulled it off.

In Mark 1:32-34. It was early in Jesus’ ministry, and the crowd just loved him. They brought him ALL the sick and demon possessed, and he healed them.

The disciples must have been ready to pitch a tent, put up billboards, and advertise through television and newspaper that Jesus would be having an extended campaign in the area. They were ready to set the agenda for Jesus. (You may have heard this saying, "God loves you and everybody else has a plan for your life.")

Meanwhile, Jesus had his own agenda. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed, 'Everyone is looking for you!'" More and more people wanted Jesus to help them. So after he had set aside time to pray by himself, he went to the next village to preach.

Jesus did not heal everyone; he did not minister to everyone; he did not visit everyone; and he did not teach everyone. He did not work 24-hour days. He didn't run from place to place; he walked or shuffled as he talked with his companions. At the end of every day, he slept. Jesus lived in the context of limits. Yet at the end of his life he could say to his Father, "I accomplished the work you gave me to do."

Is it possible in our busy lives to do what we’ve been called to do, to love our neighbor as ourself, to help the poor, to take a public stand for truth, and to still get a full night’s sleep?

Many of Christ's followers today get caught up in a lot of activities that aren't closely related to the primary job God has given them to do. We can get worn out with too many good things.

I heard someone say recently, "If you are burning the candle at both ends, you're not as bright as you think you are." Jesus knew it. The leaders in the early church knew it as well. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants" (Eph. 5:15-17, TM).

If we don't establish effective priorities, overloading will continue to fill up our schedules and keep us captive. We may have to simplify our lives and get rid of excess. We may have to say "no" to the good that we may say "yes" to the best. Only then will we be able to find the power to make a difference.

This is the situation I find myself in. With a husband, two active children, a terrific church, my involvement in the community, and lots of personal interests, I have a life that’s packed with blessings and great ways to make a difference. “How’s it going, Cynthia” someone will ask. “It’s a chaos of joy,” I say. “An avalanche of blessings.”

But there’s not enough time to do it all. When I go on leave this summer, one of the things I will have to think through is how I can make a difference in my community and still keep a reasonable schedule. I’m going to study the life and ministry of Jesus and try to understand how he met people’s daily needs while also carrying out the Father’s long term vision. How did he preach such wisdom that brought fresh insight, and still had time to welcome the little children who came to him?

I invite you to make the same self-examination. Look over your calendar of activities, evaluate your television watching habits, evaluate the purchases in your checkbook and on your credit card statement. Become aware of where you’re spending time and money. Then consider where your true passion is, and what your gifts are. Talk to a trusted friend about it. And pray that God will give you the power to make a difference.

Next week is the last message in the Power to Make a Difference. I’ll be handing out some ideas for ways that you can change the world, one life at a time.

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[1] Jackie Waldman, Teens With the Courage to Give, 2000, Conari Press

Sermon: Lighten Up, Light the World

Lighten Up, Light the World

Rev. Cynthia O’Brien

April 15, 2007

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven…

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance …

Ecclesiastes 3

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord…

"Wake up, O sleeper,

rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you."

Ephesians 5

We are 28 percent of the way through 2007, the Year of Discovery, and this month’s topic is Discover the Power to Make a Difference. Last Sunday we focused on the source of our power, Jesus Christ raised from the dead, and we learned about how God works with ordinary people with extraordinary results, like that Presbyterian Disaster Assistance team in Louisiana I told you about.

Speaking of PDA, we received an offering last week for One Great Hour of Sharing, which goes to disaster assistance and programs that help people help themselves in the neediest parts of the world. Your gifts last Sunday totaled $1300. Thank you so much.

After the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples were a scattered, frightened band of fugitives. But within a week, they began to change into the most remarkable collection of human beings the world has ever seen.

Luke 24:51-52 “Now it came to pass, while Jesus blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”

Sherwood Wirt says: “Joy was what changed them. .. Joy was the atmosphere in the early church. It was euphoria, hilarity, unspeakable gladness. The believers had become aware that the bars of nature had been broken through by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.” [1]

In the early Greek Orthodox tradition, an Easter custom developed, in which on the day after Easter, clergy and laity gathered to tell jokes and stories. They even played jokes on each other. The theology behind this was that they were celebrating the greatest joke of all, the joke God had pulled on the devil – the Resurrection. Theologians called it Riscus paschalis, the Easter laugh.

We can so easily miss our Easter joy.

Once the comedian Groucho Marx was getting off an elevator and he happened to meet a clergyman. The clergyman came up to him, put out his hand and said, “I want to thank you for all the joy you’ve put into the world.” Groucho shook his hand and replied, “Thank you, Reverend. I want to thank you for all the joy you’ve taken out of it.” [2]

How often do we go around looking like Easter never happened?

In 390, Chrysostom preached a sermon against it. He said, “This world is not a theatre in which we can laugh, and we are not assembled together in order to burst into peals of laughter, but to weep for our sins… It is not God who gives us the chance to play, but the devil.” [3]

But more Christian theologians through the ages have had a joyful point of view. Martin Luther, a very serious professor and reformer, had a fun loving spirit and said that the Christian can and should be a joyful person.

Evangelist Paul Rader, pastor of Moody Church in Chicago in the 1920’s, said that laughter is from God. He said, “When God chooses a man, he puts laughter into his life. God is delighted to fill the hearts of men with laughter. The anointing oil that was poured upon the head of David put laughter into David’s life…. It is the oil of Jesus’ presence that makes holy laughter in life – not only in the disposition to laugh at a joke, but the ability to laugh at calamity, to laugh at death, to laugh at the victory which the devil thought he had won.” [4]

When our hearts are filled with laughter, we can face life squarely and approach the problems of our lives more creatively.

Bill died, leaving a will that provided $30,000 for an elaborate funeral. As the last of the visitors departed the services, his wife, Lynne, turned to her dearest friend, Sue, and said, "Well, I think Bill would be pleased."

"I'm sure you're right," replied Sue, who then lowered her voice and leaned in close. "How much did this really cost?"

"All of it," said Lynne. "All thirty thousand."

"No!" Sue exclaimed. "I mean, it was very nice, but $30,000?"

Lynne replied, "Yes. The funeral was $6,500; I donated $500 to the church, and the wake, food and drinks were another $500. The rest went for the Memorial Stone."

Sue computed quickly and asked, "$22,500 for a Memorial Stone? My goodness, how big is it?"

"Two and a half carats."

Perhaps when you have a sense of humor, you can face life more creatively!

Joseph Michelli, a psychologist at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, often usues humor to help patients with cancer or depression. He says “Kids laugh 400 times a day. Adults laugh 16 times a day. We lose 384 laughs a day in a process I call adulteration.”

Albert Schweitzer was a doctor who used humor to combat depression and to keep from falling into a state of helplessness. He found that it not only helped him deal with stress, but it also seemed to positively affect the people around him. The stress involved with illness not only affects the patient, but it extends to the doctors and nurses who take care of these patients as well. He saw humor as being a vital nourishment for the hospital community.

King Solomon, who wrote the book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs. Solomon said, “A merry heart is good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.” He also wrote the quote that heads up my page on MySpace: “A cheerful heart has a continuous feast.”

I heard a story about a man who worked for the IRS whose job it was to read all the letters that came into the department and decide who should receive them. He said, “Several times it was my pleasure to read letters from people who had just given their lives over to the Lord, and who wished to start their new lives with a clean slate by paying back money that they had cheated the government out of.”

He was commenting on this marvel of new life to one of his co-workers when they received an odd letter. The man who wrote it explained that he hadn’t been able to sleep well since 10 years ago when he had cheated on his income tax.

Enclosed with the letter were five one hundred dollar bills. The man concluded the letter by saying that if he didn’t sleep better now, he would send the rest.

Well, some people have to take baby steps to that place of joy. But others make a decision that they are going to lighten up, and it changes their lives.

You know George Forem an? Two time heavyweight boxing world champion, preacher, founder of youth centers and grill-master. George learned throughout his life to have a good attitude. But there was a particular day when he made a conscious effort to show it. It was when he returned to boxing at the age of 37. TV interviews were hard to get, and when you got on a sports show, they would only give you a few seconds. Athletes were unapproachable, and it seemed that Mik e Tyson wanted to kill everyone. George noticed when he watched TV that it was always the funny stuff that would make him stop flipping the remote. He writes, “I decided to meet everybody with a smile, so I would never have to put on an act. I was going to be the happiest man alive on TV.”

Even today, he says, “I tell my kids, ‘Keep your smile; it will be your health. There will be better students in college, but you can be the happiest about being there. Don’t let anyone beat you at this. Have it said when someone meets you, ‘I met the nicest person in the world,’ because you have a smile, joke, or time for the least of them.”

Jesus said, ^{MT 5:14} "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

And Paul continued the encouraging message when he wrote,

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.

"Wake up, O sleeper,

rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you."

---

[1] Sherwood Eliot Wirt in More Holy Humor P. 175

[2] Joyful Noiseletter 4/2000, p. 7

[3] And God Created Laughter, p. 26

[4] Paul Rader, quoted by Sherwood Eliot Wirt, quoted by Cal Samra, More Holy Humor, page ix

Sermon: The Source of Our Power (Easter)

Easter Sermon Acts 10:34-43

“The Source of Our Power”

Rev. Cynthia O’Brien

April 8, 2007

We are continuing our theme for 2007: The Year of Discovery. So far this year we have discovered the Bible, discovered our story, discovered our unique gifts, and this month we discover the power to make a difference. Last week we learned about the great sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, when he died on the cross so that we could be reconciled to God. Today and in the following three weeks, we learn how we tap into that power, to make a difference in our world.

Let us pray.

God of power and might, as the Scripture is read and your Word is proclaimed, may your Holy Spirit bring understanding to our minds, and move us to follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

We are about to read a summary of a speech Peter gave in Caesarea, in the house of Cornelius. Cornelius was a respected centurion in the Italian Regiment. He was a man who prayed to God and gave to the poor, but he wasn’t Jewish and he didn’t know about Jesus. One day, Cornelius was praying and an angel appeared to him who said, “God has heard your prayers and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to the city of Joppa for Peter.” Meanwhile, God sent a message to Peter also, that this summons was coming and that he should go. Peter went, even though it was against Jewish law for a Jew such as Peter to associate with a non-Jew such as Cornelius. When he arrived, Cornelius said, “We are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."

^{AC 10:34} Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached-- ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

^{AC 10:39} "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen--by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

What Peter just preached is the essential story of Jesus, who was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went around doing good and healing people, who had power over the devil, because God was with him, who was killed but was raised by God on the third day, who was seen by witnesses, who was not a ghost but flesh and blood who could even eat and drink, who told his witnesses to go out and tell his story to all the world. This is the story of Jesus, not a gentle, weak person, but God in the flesh, who lived the perfect human life and sealed his teaching with miracles. This is Jesus, whom God has made the judge of the living and the dead. This is the one with the power. If you want real power, you have to know Jesus.

The demon possessed man

Some of the best examples of how powerful Jesus was, are in the book of Mark in the Bible. Read the whole book of Mark; it doesn’t take long and it’s packed with action. There’s a great story in Mark about a demon-possessed man who lived in the tombs and would scream and cut himself. When Jesus saw him, Jesus commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. He started screaming at Jesus and identified Jesus as “the Son of the Most High God.”

Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

The voice came from the man: "My name is Legion, for we are many." Jesus made them leave the man, and allowed the demons to go into a herd of two thousand pigs. The pigs then rushed into the nearby lake and drowned. People heard about this and rushed out to the lake to see what was going on. When they got there, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and this made everyone afraid. In fact, people were so afraid of Jesus they pleaded with him to leave the area.

As Jesus was getting into a boat, the man who had been demon possessed said “Let me go with you.” Jesus said, "No, go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." So the man went away and began to tell in the city how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Whatever demons are on your back, real or just the trials of your life, Jesus has the power to cast them out. Through Jesus, you can be saved. Is there anyone in this room that can say that Jesus has saved them? Raise your hand if there’s something that was wrong in your life and through Jesus, you were saved.

I know a lot of people who feel like their lives are going OK – up and down, but OK – and yet they feel like they’re just surviving. Feels like you’re working all the time, trying to make a life for your family, trying to overcome challenges of work or money or marriage or kids or all of the above, but you also feel drained.

Then you hear about truly serious needs – Children in Africa whose parents are dying of AIDS. Women and girls who are victims of human trafficking. Veterans unable to get proper medical care. Hurricane victims. Even other local families who don’t have a simple, decent place to live. And you think, I’ve got to do something to help them, too, but shoot, I’m just trying to keep my whole deal together.

John Mayer sings about it on his new album “Continuum.” At 29 years old, he has a song, “Waiting on the World to Change,” which seems to be an explanation for why his generation seems so apathetic:

It’s not that we don't care,
We just know that the fight ain't fair
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change.

Rather than urging people to change the world, he seems to say, there's nothing we can do. I heard him interviewed on NPR last month. He said, "Look, demanding somebody do anything in this day and age is not going to fly. Kids don't even like being talked to like kids anymore, you know. 'Just give me the option and I'll think about it.'" He says, "All I want a song to do is just to kind of present an idea..."

So there’s an idea to consider. Now, how long do you want to be waiting on the world to change? If you’re ready to be part of the solution, that’s where Jesus comes in again. Because Jesus commanded us to share the love, spread the healing, and he also gave us the power. He said to his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.” The power comes from Jesus.

If there’s someone near you who raised their hand earlier, they’d be glad to tell you after church about the power of God in their life. But let me tell you a simple story about someone who got the power to make a difference.

Suzan Robison – the power to become a nurse

When Suzan Robison graduated from high school, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to become a nurse. As she looks back, she remembered that time in her life. She said: “The idea of helping people really appealed to me. On the other hand, studying four hours a day had no appeal.” Her grades showed it. At the age of 19, she failed her first year of nursing school. The next year, she failed again.

A teacher bluntly told her she didn’t have what it took to become a nurse, and that she should drop out. She was humiliated. She moved to another city, away from her family and friends, and took a position as a medical transcriptionist. It went well, but, she said, “I couldn’t get nursing out of my mind. It became clear that I wouldn’t be satisfied doing anything else. But my desire to become a nurse was threatened by an equally compelling fear of failure.”

Every year for 5 years, she planned to go back to school. And every year she was paralyzed by the fear of failing. She found endless excuses for not signing up. The years passed and she was no closer to what she really wanted. Finally, she realized she didn’t have the strength within her to do it alone.

“I asked God for help. I asked Him to grant me the ability to achieve my goal. I started reading the bible, and friends recommended several books. My faith grew, and with it, my courage. Over time, I believed that with God’s help, there was nothing I couldn’t do.”

The next time the nursing program enrollment opened, she applied. She was nervous, but confident God would see her through. Two years later, she graduated with honors in the top 5 percent of her class, and she has been happy being a nurse ever since. “It took me five years to discover my faith, to build my confidence, and to find the courage to try one more time.”

Suzan had a dream for who she wanted to be – a person who made a difference in other people’s lives. With God’s help, she is both personally fulfilled and an asset to her community.

I look around and I’m so pleased to see how so many people give of themselves to help others. This summer, 25 of our church adults and teenagers will be spending 10 days on the coast of Florida doing hurricane cleanup work. You would think that it would be like pulling teeth to get a person to spend his or her hard-earned vacation time doing hard labor, but people who come back from these work trips seem to have received as much as they gave.

New Orleans story

A pastor at the Presbyterian church in Corvallis, Linda Gebetsberger, went to New Orleans with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to help with hurricane relief. She also sent her youth group down there, and this summer she’s going again with a group from around the presbytery. She told me this story.

This time last year, in March of 2006, a work team from PDA, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, had an assignment to clean out a particular home in Louisiana. First thing in the morning, they went to their assigned home. They had a map, but many street signs had been blown down. House numbers were visible, so having finally found the home, the team went to the front door. An elderly man and his wife answered the door.

The team leader explained that they had come to help on behalf of Presbyterian

Disaster Assistance. The elderly man welcomed them in. All day as they worked, he watched them. At the end of the day, the team had accomplished quite a bit.

When they got ready to leave the elderly man again asked them where they were from and who had sent them. The team leader explained that they had been assigned to the home through PDA. The man shook his head and said , "I believe it was God that sent you." The team leader said, "Well, yes...but we were assigned by PDA."

The man shook his head and again said, "I believe that God sent you." He then went on to say that he and his wife had been living in their kitchen since the hurricane hit. No one had come to help them and that morning they had held hands, sat at the table after breakfast and agreed that today they would end their lives. And then ... the doorbell rang.

Each evening back at camp, the teams have a devotional and debriefing time together and share experiences. That night, this team was sharing their incredible experience and telling about the elderly couple, when the village manager got up and left the community tent. He returned shortly with a large binder. He had it opened and his face was an ashen color. Everyone became silent and looked at him. He told the team that they had gone to the wrong house. The homeowner names didn't match up. It was the right house number but the wrong street.

Do you want the power of Jesus to save you, to overcome the demons in your life? Do you want the power to make a difference in this world? It’s yours for the asking.

Let us pray.

Great God, we praise you that in Jesus, you demonstrated your love for us and your power to heal us, and in raising Jesus from the dead, you broke the power of sin and death. Yours is the glory, and the victory. Please give us the courage and the power to join you in bringing healing and salvation to all people. Help us in this church to be the place where every person can find the power to make a difference. Amen.