September 5 Sermon - "Rethink Church"

Sermon by Pastor Robert McDowell

Sports Announcers & God's Word

NPR recently had a nice article on the impact that famous baseball announcers have on our national consciousness.

Even the casual baseball fan probably would have been able to recognize the voice of Harry Kalas who announced for the Philadelphia Phillies and who died this past April before the season began. Growing up in southeastern Pennsylvania, I heard his voice often but it wasn't until he passed away that I actually saw a picture of him.

In his commentary on announcers, Frank Deford says, "...when he retired in 2002, (Ernie) Harwell (announcer for the Detroit Tigers) thanked his listeners for 'taking me to the cottage up north, to the beach, to the picnic, your workplace, and your backyard.'"

As I think about Ernie Harwell's comment, isn't this what is going on when we seek to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ? When we are in worship together, we hear God's voice speak to us through the hymns, songs, scriptures, prayers, and sermon. And during those times when we're not physically present in church, God's voice continues to speak to us at the cottage up north, at the beach, at the picnic, our workplace, and in our backyard.

No matter where we may be, we are able to hear God's voice through prayers, through times of listening, in our conversations, and as we read the scriptures and meditate on how they relate to our lives.

God's voice might not sound exactly like Harry Kalas or Ernie Harwell, but whenever we hear it, whether in church or as we go through our week, we know that we are not alone. God is with us.

And the more we listen for God's voice, the more familiar it becomes to us. Thanks be to God!

Humor and the Christian Faith

This evening, Christian comedian, Mike Williams entertained a nice size crowd at the Crossroads facility of Lancaster: First UMC. Mike travels the country sharing his gift of humor and has an incredible ability to help Christians and the church to laugh even if it's about ourselves!

Near the beginning of his performance, he shared that God created humor and there must be a reason why God allowed it as part of God's creation. He believes it's because humor is one of God's ways of helping us to cope with the challenges and valleys we face in life.

Mike's impersonation of Bruce Springsteen, his invention of a much cheaper hands free bluetooth option for cell phones (a rubber band,) and his samples of stupid sayings found on public signs helped us to laugh and remember to not take ourselves too seriously, even those of us who are very committed in our faith and to the work and ministry of the church.

I've often felt that humor, when appropriately used in sermons, bible studies, worship, and conversation can help us connect with God at a deeper level. Maybe it's because effective humor has a way of dismantling even the coldest of hearts which frees us to be open to new possibilities thanks to the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

How has humor sustained you through difficult times?

October 4 & 7 Worship Preview

Sunday, October 4 - (8:15 A.M. & 11:00 A.M. Traditional Services & 9:45 A.M. Praise Service) & Wednesday, October 7 (6:30 P.M. Casual Service @ Crossroads, 2095 Fair Avenue)

Sermon - "Roadblocks"

Features - 18th Sunday After Pentecost & World Communion Sunday (Holy Communion)

Scripture - Ephesians 4:1-6 & Mark 10:13-16

Check Out "Christian Young Professionals" Ministry at a United Methodist Church

My good friend, Ed Zeiders, Sr. Pastor at St. Paul's UMC in State College, PA shared with me about a ministry of Christian Young Professionals. It's specifically for 20 to 40 year olds who want to grow in their faith and make a difference in their community for Jesus Christ.

And no, I'm not posting this only because this church is located just off the campus of Penn State. OK, maybe there's a little something to it, but it's more about the ministry. :)

What a joy to see this age segment taking an active part in the life of the church, especially when many mainline churches are seeing a decline of this age segment.

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I am so thankful for the christian young professionals who are active here at Lancaster First UMC!

Dave's Deep Thoughts

Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.

Late summer into fall....
warm afternoons, cool nights
blue skies, the brilliant colors of changing leaves,
the taste of fresh apple cyder.......

I DREAD IT

It's not that I don't like those things.......
But each fall, my home is invaded by that dreaded insect,
the cricket.

There's nothing wrong with listening to the little guys on the lawn,
chirping the night away.
It's just that I don't really need to be serenaded in my bedroom ................
at 3am.

Scientists say that the male cricket chirps
to entice the female for purposes of mating.

If that's the case,
my home has become a love shack for the little tikes.

It started about 4 days ago...
not just in the bedroom.
There was one also in the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen.
It didn't matter where I went to try to sleep.
They were there....talking to each other, from a distance.

It was the same feeling as if a couple chose to talk in front of me in Spanish,
so I wouldn't know what was being said.

So I laid awake, wide eyed,
listening to their locker room banter....
It went something like this....

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp
(Hey guys, glad to see you made it into the vault)

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp
(Yeah! Glad the human of the house left the sliding door ajar.)

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp
(He's not very smart.)

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp
(Where are the girls?)

Chirp, Chirp
(I think they are hanging out by the fireplace)

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp
(It's going to be a wild and crazy night)

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp, Chirp!
(Wait, I see one of them. )

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp
(I see her too. Jiminy Crickets, she is hot!)

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp
(Watch your language, let's not take our name in vain.....)

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp
(Let's hit it boys.....)

As the chirping increased to a rapid pace,
I could hear them getting closer together.
I could only imaging what they were about to do....
on my carpet.

By now I was wide awake.
And so I did what any self respecting human would do,
I turned on the lights.

Silence.

Nothing stops a wild party like a raid.
Nothing stops depravity like shining the light on it.

Jesus spoke how we are like crickets.
We do those things in secret
under the cover of darkness,
that we wouldn't do in the light of day.

That's the nature of sin.

Crickets have an excuse,
they are acting entirely on instinct.
What's our excuse?

As for me.....
I recommend ear plugs.

"For nothing is hidden,
that shall not become evident,
nor anything secret that shall not be known
and come to light."
Luke 8:17

George Barna: Poverty, Health Care Reform, & American Views

George Barna, probably the most recognized religious research guru who tracks trends, opinions, and views on a variety of contemporary issues facing society and the church, offers this feedback on the topic of poverty and health care reform.

I think it's helpful sometimes, regardless of what opinion we may have, to step back and read the pulse of the country to help us distinguish between popular sentiment and an authentic Christian response.

Below is a portion of Barna's summary of the pulse of our country's worldview regarding the topic of poverty and more specifically, health care reform. The last paragraph which I put in bold is the "catch 22" of the health care reform issue and why this is such a controversial topic that often prevents people from being open minded and having civil discussions.

Views of Poverty:

Our surveys underscore the fact that about three-quarters of all adults believe poverty is one of the most serious issues facing the nation. Even more significantly, most Americans also contend that when it comes to alleviating poverty, that’s mainly the government’s responsibility. Two-thirds of adults look to the government to solve issues related to poverty – including health care deficiencies. Just one out of every five adults believes that solving poverty is an individual duty, and a mere one out of 25 people assigns that task to non-profit organizations, and another one in 25 assigns it to churches.

As we assess how individuals deal with poverty on a personal level, we find that Americans do get involved, but in a kind of arms-length manner. For instance, the most common responses are for people to give money, food, and clothing to someone else to get the job done. In contrast, the most personal responses are the least common. Relatively few Americans talk directly with the needy, tutor them, build homes for them, visit them, befriend them, or engage in other types of personal activities to address the issue.

One might say, then, that we mean well but we’re too busy, too disinterested, or feel too inadequate to actually address poverty personally, head-on. Given that mind set, it’s no wonder that the current health care debate centers not on what every American can personally do to help alleviate human suffering, but on how we can get the government to provide a more efficient alternative that will neither break the bank nor hinder our lifestyle.

In essence, what Americans seem to want is increased government services, more efficient delivery of services, no increase in taxes, and no personal involvement in the process. In a nutshell, our argument is: it’s not my fault and it’s not my job, so let the paid professionals deal with it.