Practice What I Preach

I recently was blessed with the opportunity to preach at a small, lovely church, in a small, quiet, rural town. I always accept these opportunities when possible because these places remind me of home. Regardless of what city I live in or where I call home, I will always have a country boy’s heart. Visiting and preaching at these small towns is a lungful of fresh air away from the urban setting. I have grown fond of the city but every now and then I need a recharge of country air. Preaching at rural churches is just the excuse I require to do so.

The church I was assigned to speak at was an old Cumberland Presbyterian Church on the outskirts of a small city. It was built in 1829 and was one of the denomination’s earliest buildings. Before the church was erected, the land that it resides on was used for revival style camp meetings. These magnetic worship meetings stemmed out of the first Great Awakening and were the product of many protestant denominations. At any rate, the church was old and contained a lot of history. Despite its age the building was in beautiful condition. This told me there was a lot of love in the congregation. Their love for the building shows in its appearance.

Not only did the congregation’s love for their building show but also their love for the fellow person was quite apparent by the hospitality they showed my girlfriend, Rachael and I upon our arrival. We were immediately welcomed and showed around by one of the members. The worship leader, whose father pastored the church in the 1960s, walked me through the liturgy and gave me the opportunity to adjust it if need be. We then found our seats and worship began.

When it came time for me to speak I stood behind the pulpit and delivered a sermon using the Gospel of Luke, chapter 7, verses 1-10. This is the story of the centurion whose servant was deathly ill and he sent message to Jesus. Upon the soldier’s faith, Jesus heals the servant and says, “Not in all of Israel have I see faith like this.” This is commonly used a faith story but, upon studying it, I heard a different message. I felt like it was amazing to hear of how much respect the Roman soldier had for his Jewish servants. He must have really loved them because, despite being a Roman soldier and worshiping Caesar, he built his servants a place of their own to worship. I not only hear a faith story, but a respect story. Then, to reinforce this message, Jesus comes in and gives that respect back to the centurion by fulfilling his request. So, my message to the congregation was to show respect to people irrespective of their race, gender, cultural upbringing, or religious background. I started the homily with an inductive approach by retelling a scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Dr. Jones, Willie Scott, and Little Round are sitting at the table of a royal prince. The three of them are presented with an array of foods they and we could not dream of ingesting. Nevertheless, they showed respect and appreciated the hospitality.

I went on with the sermon and wrapped it up with a benediction in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then, each of the members came and introduced themselves to Rachael and I. I received a number of compliments on my message, which is always reassuring for any preacher. One lady, an eighty-seven year old elder of the church, complimented me and invited the two of us for lunch. Both feeling quite hungry, we delightfully accepted the offer. She joyfully asked where my car was parked and insisted on riding with us so that she may direct us to her house. Rachael and I made a glance at each other as to say, “When in Rome”. When we arrived at the lady’s house it was like walking into a past experience. It was your typical grandmother’s house as a child. It had an old musty smell, there were little trinkets arranged everywhere, and the only sound was the tick of the old clock on the wall. It was nostalgic. She requested that we have a seat in the living room while she prepared lunch. Her son, who was also the worship leader at church, was present. He sat with us to converse and entertain while lunch was being finalized.

As the three of us talked two things kept going through my head. 1) Why is there not a TV in this TV room? 2) Meat was about to be served. Eleven years have past that pork, beef, or chicken has not entered my digestive system. In fact, fish is the only meat I have eaten in over eleven years. “It’s ready! Ya’ll come in to the kitchen and make your plates,” she said. As I rounded the corner, there it was, a large container of enough pulled pork to feed a family. She looked at us and said, “Ya’ll do like barbecue, right?” Friends, is it a coincidence that I just preached a sermon over respect? “Yes mam, we do!” I replied. When in Rome, Capernaum to be exact, the Roman soldier built a church for his Jewish servants. Rachael, being an avid meat eater, was soaking it up, loving the whole thing. She saw it coming as I did. As we all sat at the dinner table, beautifully arranged with linens, silverware, and the hostess’ best plates, I devoured, not one but, two barbecue sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, and a deviled egg. A couple of times, as I consumed my pork sandwiches, Rachael smiled and asked, “How is it?” “Delicious!” I replied with joy. Upon finishing our meals we were invited back into the living room (the TV room without a TV) for more conversation. She wanted to know all about us, where we were from, our families, our future, and many other questions. She asked if I had plans of coming back to preach and I assured her that my hope was definite.

After Rachael and I departed we were in a constant laugh about the experience. I have preached in several diversely different churches in the past numerous years but this one has created a memory that will be long lived. I hope someday I can go back to the church and tell of this experience so we may all have the opportunity of a good laugh.

Peace

The Righteous Path

Here is a little homily I created last year. I am usually self-conscious about letting people read my sermons but it's something that I need to get used to.

Peace

"The righteous path"

Psalms 1:1-6

God's Word Translation

1Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers.

2Rather, he delights in the teachings of the LORD and reflects on his teachings day and night.

3He is like a tree planted beside streams- a tree that produces fruit in season and whose leaves do not wither. He succeeds in everything he does.

4Wicked people are not like that. Instead, they are like husks that the wind blows away.

5That is why wicked people will not be able to stand in the judgment and sinners will not be able to stand where righteous people gather.

6The LORD knows the way of righteous people, but the way of wicked people will end.

When I was young, I usually had a hard time trying to discern the good from the bad crowd. At least that was my claim. I usually ended up hanging with the bad crowd, with some bad influences. It was almost as if that was my nature, as if I were drawn to people who gravitated toward trouble. I don't know why I took this path. Maybe it was because the "good crowd" was boring. I sometimes like to believe that I joined these ranks because I wanted to be the good influence in the group that lead others toward a not-so-windy road. That never happen. Much of the time I found my decisions being poorly influenced. Some people just gravitate toward the wrong crowd and end up making poor decisions. I will say, that in a broken world finding the "righteous path" is not always the easiest of tasks. There seem to always be directions and suggestions acting like road signs leading us down a windy path. Some of these directions sound great and may come from a legitimate source. We see adds that tell us to eat this or buy that to make life easier. Vote for this person or support this cause; it will make things better. Unfortunately, this is not always the righteous path. Our decisions are easily tainted by propaganda. What sounds good on the surface is not always the best option when the layers are peeled away. Much like an ear of corn, with good intentions you peel away the layer, but sometimes you find the fruit is rotten.

This morning our scripture gives a little light on the "righteous path". I struggled with finding a good title for today's message. I read the scripture over and again, trying to come up with this title. As I was working on the sermon, I was listening to one of my favorite bands, The Drive-by Truckers, and the song "The Righteous Path" came on. It sounds a little cliche' but I went with it. If you ever happen to hear the song, you're going to say, "that has nothing to do with the message" but nevertheless, it influenced me.

Most of the book of Psalms is credited to King David; a man who is quite familiar with sin and life in a broken world. The book is full of stories of praise, lament, and direction. This morning we turn to the first chapter of Psalms for some light on the righteous path and ways to deviate from the sinful path. Were are going to plow a little bit into this chapter to uncover some beautiful truth. It seems to me that when you dig a little deeper into the context of scripture, you reveal so much beauty.

The KJV reads, 1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

On the surface, this verse implies that we should not "walketh, standeth, or sitteth" with scornful people or, rather sinners. As some of us might know, in biblical translation we lose a lot of meaning of words. As one of my professors notes, "words don't say something, they mean something". Here, in the psalms, which is much like music or poetry, we see art. And art, my friends, can say something that words cannot. The Hebrew words for walketh, standeth, and sitteth don't necessarily mean to walk, sit, or stand. The Hebrew translation for these words are more figurative. This verse implies that one is not to conform to the ways of the sinner. It is implying that the blessed person does not abide, serve, or become a servant of the sinner. It does not necessarily mean that we should not walk, stand, or sit with the sinner. As a matter of fact, as I see it, as common people of faith, walking, standing, and sitting with the sinner should be a common practice. Taking this action gives the believer the opportunity to be a witness of the power of our great God and the saving grace of Jesus Christ. This action of walking, standing, and sitting gives the believer the opportunity to exemplify verse two, "The blessed person's delight is in the law of the Lord; and in the law does the blessed meditate day and night".  This person stays in the presence of God day and night, speaking to God and breathing prayer at every opportunity. They enjoy the communication between God and themselves. They need that communication. They have an addiction to prayer. They have fear of God but they're not afraid to question God. I have learned that God would much rather you question God's decisions than not speak at all. I believe God had rather you ask why than not want to know.

Verse three tells us, 3The blessed person is like a tree planted beside streams- a tree that produces fruit in season and whose leaves do not wither. The blessed person succeeds in everything they do.

Last spring I took a trip to southern California. It was the first time I have ever been to the western state. I'm still trying to soak in and process the landscapes. I keep recalling some of those magnificent images. I was left in awe. It gave me the awareness that not all land is created equally or alike.  It was amazing! I have a love for geography. I love hills and mountain scapes. One of the most notable memories of the trip was the flight. As the flight approached California I could clearly see the mountains below. I could see the tops of the mountains and all around it trickled lines of greenery like the veins of a leaf. What I was seeing was the mountain streams trickling off of the mountain. Where the streams were coming off of the mountains, trees were growing. These streams were giving life to the earth and trees that planted themselves a long these streams. I could talk about this all day but I beg you to see that the blessed person is the person who plants themselves along side this allegorical stream of life. This person shall produce fruit and they shall not falter. This stream is the word of God and the fruits produced are the rewards of the spirit. The verse tells us that by this produce, the blessed person will prosper in all that he or she does.

Verse four tells us 4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. It is interesting to me that throughout the Hebrew Old Testament as well as the Greek New Testament, the word "wind" has a dual meaning. The Hebrew word, ruwach and the Greek word pnuema also mean "spirit". Verse four implies that the spirit will drive away the ungodly like chaff, which refers to the husks of corn. If we take a closer look at an ear of corn, when the husks are removed we have our fruit, our harvest. I'm going to take this verse a step further. Stay with me here because I'm going to dig a little deep. This verse is not implying that the spirit will simply drive away the ungodly person. That would be too simple for our complex, almighty God. The spirit of God is driving away the chaff, the layers of ungodliness, to reveal the beauty, the true character of what lies on the inside of an ungodly person. Even ungodly people are people created by God. And, they too, are God's people. These people simply need the stream of life to produce the fruit of the spirit. What better catalyst is there than the blessed people of God to lead them to the stream? What better way for someone to experience God's love than one who feels it everyday?

Verse five and six tell us 5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. This tells us that the ungodly shall not stand among God nor shall they be among the people of God. Let me allow this verse to summarize the point I'm trying to make: I believe the ungodly people of the world, the sinners of the world are the people we are called to...to make a difference in. I think the Psalmist is using a rhetorical device to persuade God's people to hear God's missional call. We want the ungodly to stand among the divine. We want the ungodly among our congregations. This text is not telling the believer to sit back, relax, you're good, they're bad, you'll be with God, and they won't. I believe this text is, however, telling us that there is a purpose, a path, a righteous path for all of God's creation. There are some of them who are lost. There are some of them who have wandered from that road of righteousness, or some who have never experienced it. God's blessed people are called to lead them to it or back to it. The Psalmists tells us in verse six that God knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. The text doesn't say that the ungodly will perish. It tells us that the way of the ungodly will perish. The lifestyle that they are living will come to an end. The Hebrew translation implies that "the journey of the sinner shall be undone."

My friends, I had a realization some time ago and this scripture reminds me of it. God created us out of his own pleasure. God created human for God's self. God created human out of love. I believe that God never leaves, forsakes, or walks away from God's people. God's people, God's creation walks away from the creator. When the person is walking down the dark, windy path God is there nudging, persuading, and reminding them that God is there. Much of the time, though it is ignored. I commonly use the illustration of the parent and the child. The parent brings the child into the world, nurtures it, teaches it, shapes it to be the person that they want it to be. As it grows older, it may sometime sway. It may wander away, find trouble. He or she may start spending time with the wrong crowd... But, the parent will always have open arms, saying, "you can come back home, we will fix this". Much is the same for God as our parent and we are God's children. The difference is that God's love for us is much greater than any love we can imagine. But still, there are and will be many who choose to ignore it. There are some who just don't hear, who don't feel, who are unable to experience the love of our great parent. This is why God calls a number of blessed people to amplify God's voice, touch, presence, and love so that it may be experienced. May God be our guide down this righteous path.

The Competition Box

I recently had a conversation with a good friend of mine about racing. He led me to an illustration that allowed me to summarize the feelings I’ve been experiencing on competing. The illustration was that many people live inside this competition box, that you have to reach a certain standing or perform a certain way to be an athlete.  This illustration led me to a conclusion: I have a problem. I ,am not ashamed of this problem because I am aware there are many people, endurance athletes, which suffer from the same problem. The problem is we feel like we have to perform a certain way in order to participate in a race. You know what I’m talking about. In 2007 I developed a reputation on the local mountain bike-racing scene. I won a couple of races and next thing you know, I’m laying in my bed the night before an event, wondering if I should show up to compete because I may not win again. I really beat myself up about it. It seems, though, this is across the board with amateur endurance racing. And, if a person does not perform with sufficient results, he or she will make up excuses. Can you not say, “I just really suck today. Maybe next time.” I once competed in a XC mountain bike race where I flatted during the first lap. I was riding a single speed with horizontal dropouts. In summary, it took a good fifteen minutes to repair. I fixed it, got on my bike, and rode like I was still in the race. Of course, I came in last but I had a hell of a ride. When I finished the guy that won came to me and ask if I flatted. I said, “Yep, it wasn’t really a competition day for me.” He replied in a condescending tone, “But it was a race.” I didn’t know the guy and I wanted to say, “Oh wow, I didn’t notice because you and all your douche bag friends were in the way.”  Yeah, it’s a good thing I have a filter.

We are a community of people with common interest. Why do we have to turn it into a self-righteousness cockfight? As get I older, I glean that competing has nothing to do with results. Setting goals is one thing but pitching a fit because you didn’t hit your marathon PR is another. Lets face it you just ran a marathon. Is that not bad ass? These races that we enter ourselves into are all about spirit and being part of a movement. We are able to do the things we love and while we doing it we advocate and inspire. This is supposed to be fun!

If you are one of those few who are drawing a paycheck from it, more power to you. But I know none of my friends are. And, from what I have gathered, most of the people who are drawing a paycheck from endurance sports are making less than me at a specialty running store. And I, too, get free stuff.

I recently decided to stop training to race and to start riding and running simply because I love doing it. Many of the mornings that I used to go out for a tempo run has turned into a jog on the trails with my dog. I have changed some of my routine training rides into rides around downtown Memphis in street clothes. I am slowly falling in love with running and riding again. Am I still going to race? Of course! However, it will be for the community not the competition. If I happen to produce some results, well, sounds like good reason for a cold one.