JUNE 16 ATTENTION TO DETAIL and Faith

Matthew 14: 21-33  “When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.”

This is the third week of the new series for the summer- “Victorious: Celebrating God’s Greatest Victories”.

Here’s a quiz for you.

Q: What do the following topics have in common?

The U.S. Open Finals

The 5^th game of the NBA Finals

Fixing and moving a fence post

Discernment and wisdom

The wind on the Sea of Galilee

Jesus walking on water

Peter calling out to Jesus

A: Focus, attention to detail and faith.

How did we get all of this in one sermon?  Where I start out following the discourse, and where I end up in the commentary, is remarkable to me.

First: Comparing the amount of focus necessary to play golf and basketball.  The golf course’s handlers are there to enforce quiet so that the golfers can concentrate.  Now compare that to the amount of loud and weird distractions imposed upon professional basketball players. Curious.  Is a golfer more entitled to quiet than a basketball player? 

Second: Standing back and pondering the situation before attempting the cure.  Thinking about the solution before diving in to solve the problem, and in Rev. Jason’s case, preventing a hernia while trying to remove the corner gate post of an iron fence.  Is "diving in" the best way to handle any dilemma?

Third: During the evening after Jesus has told the Disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee without him, the wind batters the boat so badly that by morning, the Disciples are only half way or so across the water to their destination.  Jesus walks to the boat, on the water that is turbulent with waves.  Peter calls to Jesus and asks three things 1) if Jesus is a ghost 2) to call Peter and 3) to request that Peter come to Jesus on the water.

What do you miss when you are not paying heed to your faith?  Peter got to participate in a miracle, participate with Jesus, and be saved by Jesus.

Having read and heard the usual interpretation of the passage from Matthew, where Jesus says to Peter: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” I was surprised to hear Rev. Jason saying “pay attention to the details”.  The two overwhelming topics of this passage are that Jesus walks on water and that Jesus makes this comment.  But the layers to this passage start with the unusual wind, more than the wind that generally comes off the Mediterranean.  According to Rev. Jason, Jesus is not chastising Peter.  Jesus is just reminding Peter to have faith, and keep strong in faith against the winds of distraction. 

According to Rev. Jason, Jesus is not chastising Peter.  Jesus is just reminding Peter to have faith.  Rev. Jason called on us to pay attention, focus on the details and keep our faith. 

And I got there from golfers compared to basketball players.

Could things get any more exciting?

Covenant UMC is sending a group of our young members to San Marcos, TX for a week of mission work.  A first.

Vacation Bible School is scheduled for July 15-19.  A first.

A Mission trip to Haiti is scheduled for this summer.  A first.

More baptisms. More members.  More faith.  Covenant United Methodist Church

I am, a Renewed Christian.

MAY 26, 2013 BALANCE and Spiritual Wellness, the thought of being bold.

Psalm 46:  12”The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”

The busy-ness of the week is a fitting finish to this series on “Balance and …”.  I am just getting around to posting this blog from last week’s sermon for a variety of reasons.

The first is that I have written this post about one hundred times in my head, and struggled every time with the thought of being bold in my faith.

My reluctance to declare my faith stems from the desire not to discuss politics or religion; because I feel my opinions can and should remain private.

So how can I be bold in my spirituality?  I think I have taken a pretty bold step to come back to Christianity, to attend Church and to commit myself to understanding the Bible and the Word of God. This was precipitated by acknowledging first, a Higher Power, and then coming back into the fold of God’s love and the recognition of Jesus as my Savior.  It took a crisis and then an act of faith to come back.  I felt pretty much forsaken-my own abilities to remedy the situation had failed me in my relationships, and I had to acknowledge that life wasn’t going the way I was directing it. 

Re-read that last sentence.  It is the heart of any crisis of faith. And the giving over to God is critical to being faithful.

I am taking baby steps here.  I can’t put the bumper sticker on my car.  I am just inching forward in telling friends and acquaintances about attending church.  I feel like a rank beginner in learning about the Bible and God’s ways.  I marvel at how others seem to just call up the words to speak with God and how prayer comes so naturally, or so it seems to me. 

I will start my day by declaring love and gratitude for what is before me, for the beauty of the world around me, for the loves of my life. 

And it is with wonder that I can be a witness to a child being baptized, which happened at Covenant last Sunday.  Not a baby held safely by mother and father, but a child who is aware of the adults around him- and who is just starting this same journey. This wonder from the ritual of Baptism is a place where I can start.

I am, a Renewed Christian.