My Thoughts on the Penn State Scandal

Someone in the church asked for my thoughts on the recent Penn State scandal that has been in the news.  I decided to make my response a blog post because it relates to our faith and how we handle serious issues that impact people's lives.

My first thought is how tragic this story is (if proven true) that minors were abused by an assistant football coach during his employment AND during his retirement years.  Systems should be in place and followed to protect children.

We still have a lot of unanswered questions.  The legal process and the investigation committee being put in place by the Board of Trustees at PSU will provide us with a lot of answers to our questions in due time. 

Some of those questions include, 1) Was their a cover-up by university officials? 2) Was Coach Paterno part of that cover-up?  3) This was not an isolated incident.  Why would university officials not contact children services directly?

It will be interesting to see how the PSU board will handle this since the football team is still in the process of their season.  Do you wait for more information before making personnel changes or do you go with what information you have, even if it's incomplete and make radical changes with the coaching staff and other university officials.

The protection of minors MUST be the focus of any decision they make.
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An Election Day Prayer

Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges: Guide the people of our country and local communities in the election of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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One Last Trip to the Pines

This past week, I joined my brother and sisters at the family farm where we were raised to get things ready for an estate sale since our mother will be moving in with my sister due to declining health.  Since we had a limited amount of time to get things ready, the four of us made a pact to not stop to reminisce as we sorted through our family's belongings.  This was very difficult to do since we uncovered memory after memory.

We only had two full days to get the heavy work done of lifting furniture and sorting through all of the items in the house as well as in the farm buildings.  We were all tired and dirty after day #1.  I noticed that we were all limping at one point due to the heavy moving and lifting.  At the end of the day, we surveyed what we got done and knew that there would be even more work for the next day.

Day #2 came quicker than we wanted.  Still sore from the previous day, we got an early start.  There were still more heavy and awkward size pieces of furniture to bring down two flights of stairs.  There were still more heavy trash bags to heave over the metal wall of the large dumpster.  There were still more pieces of wood and old farmhouse equipment to get ready for the sale.

It's 4 in the afternoon of day #2 and believe it or not, we did it!  We got everything done that we needed to get done.  The house and the farm buildings were now ready for the big sale.

As we're standing in front of the barn, tired and worn out, my brother says, "Hop on the pick-up truck and let's drive one last time to the pines."  The pines represented the holy space on the farm.  The pines was where dad would go to chop down our Christmas tree.  The pines was the final resting place for our loving pets.  The pines was the place you would go when you just wanted a place that was quiet and beautiful.

Off we drove on the tractor pathway that our dad had traveled so many years.  It's the path that we used for our mini-bike while growing up.  Dad died in 1989 and so this final trip to the Pines was in loving memory of him and in honor of our mom who was about to leave the place where she was born.

The pick-up truck stopped and we jumped out and marveled at the grandeur of the recently picked corn fields, the thick woods behind us, and yes, those beautiful, beautiful pines just down the hill from where we were standing.

The four of us reflected on some good memories of growing up on the farm, working the land with our dad, going pheasant hunting and scaring out rabbits from the brush nearby.   Sometimes we didn't say a word because of the peace that we felt in that moment.  A deer took us by surprise as it darted through the empty cornfield toward the pines.  As the sun was setting and we were all trying to savor every moment of that holy time, someone offered to pray.

The four of us joined hands, forming a little circle and we prayed.  We thanked God for giving us parents who loved us through the good times and the bad times.  We thanked God for blessing us with good memories of the farm and for the opportunity to be on it one last time as sons and daughters of Janelle and Norman.

After our prayer, we got back in the pick-up truck and drove back to the old farm house.

I'll always remember this holy moment as our last trip to the pines.

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Sermon (November 6) - What's In a Name?

     There’s a tradition whenever a baby is brought for baptism for the minister to ask the parents the question, “What name is given this child?”  Now, of course the pastor already knows the name of this baby, but there’s an important reason why this question is asked.

     And if you’ve ever noticed, the parents don’t typically use the last name of their little one.  Instead they use just the first and middle names.  And the theological reason for this is that through baptism, God is claiming that child and giving that child the name, “Christian.” 

     So as a follower of Jesus, my new name is Christian.  Whenever I meet with parents in preparation for a baptism, I mention this little tradition of the last name being Christian.  And I go on to explain that our prayer is for their child to be raised in the Christian faith and that one day their child will accept for herself or himself the name that was given at their baptism.

     This is why we offer a confirmation class for seventh graders.  It’s an opportunity for our young people to embrace their name as Christian.  And at some point after their confirmation process, they stand up here and verbally profess their faith in Christ.  For those who have already been baptized, they are saying “yes” to the name that was already given to them.  They are claiming their name and their identity as a follower of Jesus Christ.

     And for those of us who have already been baptized and have claimed our new name as Christian, every time we celebrate a baptism, it’s another opportunity to remember our name and renew our identity of who we are in Jesus Christ.

     Remembering our name is so important because it’s easy to lose our way in life and forget who we are.  Maybe this is why whenever I would get into trouble, my mom would use my formal name and say, “Robert Vincent, you get over here right now!”  It was never a good thing when mom or dad would use my middle name.  It usually meant that I would have to sit on the special time-out chair.  Did you have a time-out chair in your house?  Using my formal name was a way for my mom and dad to remind me that they were speaking to me even though I was the only “Robert” in the house. 

     During my senior year of High School, I was sitting in the 2^nd row of desks in a classroom with my football teammates because our coach had called for a special meeting.  It was a Monday afternoon and we had just come off one of our few football victories of the season.  And we all thought the coach was going to say how proud he was of us.

     He paced back and forth in front of the classroom carefully thinking about the words he would soon share with us.  “I have called you here because I am very disappointed in the behavior of someone in this room following our win on Saturday.  Sometime on Saturday evening, one of you took your car and did doughnuts on our practice field and tore it all up.  It’s now a muddy mess out there.  You have let our team down and you have forgotten that we as a team represent our school.  If we need to, we’re going to sit here all afternoon until that person speaks up.”

     Nobody said a word.  We all just sat there – frozen and speechless. 

     And then, the coach said something that I will never forget.  He looked intently in my direction as if I was the only person in that room, and he said, “Bob – do you have something that you want to share with the rest of us?”

     My face turned beat red and instant perspiration came to my forehead.  The coach just kept staring at me.  And finally, with my voice shaking I said, “Coach, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

     Coach Hershey said, “I’m not looking at you McDowell.  I’m looking at this Bob, Bob Burgee who’s sitting in front of you!”  

     I’ll never forget how extremely relieved I was in that moment, that my name was Robert McDowell and not Bob Burgee!  And now you know why I go by the name of Robert instead of Bob!

     Do you know what your name is?  Remembering who we are and to whom we belong is something that the church helps us to not forget.

     Our scripture reading from the letter of I John calls us “children of God.”  The writer of this letter says, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.”

     I like that name.  Children.  Children implies that we aren’t done growing.  We haven’t arrived yet.  There’s still more to discover and to experience in the Christian life.  I remember when I was just starting out in the ministry and I thought to myself, “By the time I’m fifty, I should really have my act together.”  Boy, was I overly optimistic!

     I’m amazed at how I can read a familiar passage of scripture and still find something new or different that I had never seen before.  But that’s a good thing.  I hope that we never get to a point in our faith journey where we feel that we have experienced it all.  Following Jesus is a life-long process of growth and maturity.

     The writer of I John also points to a future hope that we have as “children of God.”  Not only do we get to share in God’s love and grow in our faith in the present, but we also can look forward to that time in the future when we will see Jesus.  It will be then that we will be like him.  

     Children often think about what they want to be when they grow up.  Maybe a doctor or an astronaut or a baseball player.  Well, those who are children of God want to be like Jesus when they grow up.  I John says,“What we do know is this; when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.”

     Who do you want to be when you grow up?   By remembering that we are children of God, we can spend each day becoming more and more like Jesus.  We can become more loving, more compassionate, more giving, more serving, more forgiving, and more hope-filled.

     Today is All Saints’ Sunday when we light a candle for each person in our church who has died since this time last year and are now with all the saints in heaven.  One of those names is Brayden Tackett, a seven year old who had terminal cancer and died this past May. 

     I had the privilege of getting to know Brayden and baptizing him in his home last winter. During one of my visits with Brayden, he thanked me for coming to his house and for how our church had been reaching out to him.  And I was really impressed that even though he wasn’t feeling well, he was still able to say these nice things.

     And I remember saying to him, “Brayden, why are you so nice?”  And without even pausing, Brayden responded as if I should have known the answer, “Because God made me this way.”

     But it’s what he said next that I will never forget and what I want to share with you today.  He then said to me, “And God made you that way too.”  Wow!  How about that spiritual maturity for a seven year old!  Brayden knew that he was a child of God.  And he reminded me of who I was as well.

     All Saints’ Sunday reminds us that there’s another name that the people of God have.  A follower of Christ is given the name, “Christian,” “child of God,” and yes, even the name “saint.”  We tend to shy away from the name, “saint,” since we often use it sparingly to speak of a small percentage of people who have lived exemplary lives, like Mother Teresa.

     But this is another important name.  Many of the New Testament letters begin with a greeting to the saints, meaning not just the leaders of that church but everyone who is in the church.  I know of a preacher who begins every worship service by greeting the congregation with the words, “Good morning saints!” 

     I don’t always feel like a saint, do you?  I feel so unworthy of that name; “saint.”  But that’s who we are in Jesus Christ.  To help us claim this name, it might be helpful to know that it’s because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that God gives us this name.  It’s because of what Christ has done for us by dying on the cross and rising to new life that God has claimed us and has given us a new name.

     Several years ago, I was pulling out from a parking space in the city of Dayton when I noticed an interesting vanity license plate on the back of a car which had just pulled into a space in front of me.

     The license plate had the message, “In 3 Days.”  It seemed obvious to me that it was referring to the three days of Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday.  As I started to drive away, I noticed a man getting out of this car.  I pulled up beside him, put my window down, and said, “I read your license plate.  Are you a Christian?”  With a great big smile on his face, he nodded his head, and yelled back to me, “You won’t believe how my life changed because of those 3 days.”

     Because of Jesus, that man has claimed his name.  That man knows who he is.

     That man is a saint.

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Sunday Worship Preview - November 13

Sunday, November 13 - (8:15 A.M. & 11:00 A.M. Traditional Services & 9:45 A.M. Praise Service) & Wednesday, November 16  (6:30 P.M. Casual Service @ Crossroads, 2095 Fair Avenue)

Sermon - "God-Given Talents"

Features - Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost & Holy Baptism

Scripture - I Thessalonians 5:1-11 & Matthew 25:14-30

Theme - Jesus told a parable about the giving of talents.  What are the talents that God has given us?  Do we hide these talents or use them to expand God's kingdom?
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Dave's Deep Thoughts

I am very confused.

You see, I have this gift.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this......

I am a time-ologist

I could be on the beach

with no clock within miles of me

and I would be able to tell you within 10 minutes, what time it is.

As far back as I can remember,

I've always been able to know the time of day.

Being a time-ologist has as its ups and downs.

It always gets me to dinner on time,

but also lets me know that I am late for a meeting.

But my gift has been compromised.

Lately it's not a matter of knowing what time it is,

I don't even know what day it is.

My inner clock not only gauges minutes and hours,

but also seasons.

There are certain things I do at certain times

I close my pool in mid October.

I plant my flowers the week before Mother's Day.

I take down my Christmas tree the weekend before the Super Bowl,

and I always have my Shamrock Shake on St. Patricks Day.

Like most people, I love the autumn.

It's my favorite time of the year.

It's the time of year

where you receive the gift of an extra hour.

It's a time of the year,

when you wish those warm, sun-splashed afternoons

would last a few more hours.

And it's the time of year,

when each day tells you

that you will be receiving less, not more light.

Like most people,

each season has its rituals.

Rituals help us keep our inner balance of time.

Well, my inner balance was rocked last week

This is what happened.

WEDNESDAY

October 26

I was purchasing candy for trick-or-treaters,

as always, the week before Halloween.

That's when my time-o-meter started going haywire.

I always taste test my Halloween candy

for the safety of my little ghosts and goblins.

As I was taste testing,
I was also opening my mail.

I received a birthday card.

My birthday was three weeks ago.

It's not that I didn't appreciate the card,

I just didn't know what to do with it.

Like any normal person,

birthday cards always are put on display

for one week,

and one week only.

After some in depth thought on the matter,

I decided to put it on display for a day.

This was the beginning of my time crisis.

THURSDAY

October 27

I received a lovely gift from a dear, dear friend.

My friend made me chocolate, peanut butter eggs,

just to tell me she appreciated my friendship.

She is a great friend.

The eggs are the best candy ever,

far better than the Halloween candy I was about to distribute.

They are also a highlight of my Easter celebration.

So I discarded the one-day old birthday card,

and got out my Easter basket,

as I began to package my Halloween candy.

I was starting to get the shakes.

FRIDAY

October 28

A package arrived at my house.

Oh good,

it was supplies that I ordered two months ago for my pool......

which I closed two weeks ago.

The outside temperature was now 41 degrees.

Anyone for a polar bear swim?

Feeling a little bit out of rhythm.

SATURDAY

The 29th of October.

Almost the end of my favorite month.

I woke up and looked out the window.

It was snowing.

Not just some early morning flurries that quickly melted, mind you.

It was SNOWING.

Big flakes, coming down at a furious pace.

Oh this can't last, I thought. It's October....

Oh, it could, and it did.

It snowed all day.

Traffic advisories to stay off the roads.

Power outages caused by falling trees branches

that were filled with changing leaves,

that were now burdened with heavy snow.

I felt like I should get some chestnuts to roast on an open fire,

but I couldn't get to the store.

And let's not even talk about the egg nog.

I tried to get my equilibrium at the end of the crazy day

by watching my football team.

That didn't work.

The game went into 3 overtimes.

I was beginning to realize that I was now in some time warp

of which there was no escape.

SUNDAY

October 30

Children were building snowmen

on their lawns to greet soon-to-come Trick or Treaters.

Church services canceled,

Halloween parades canceled.

Entire communities without power.

Halloween canceled in some zip codes.

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I went out and built a snowman,

I used a jack-o-lantern for his head.

If you had asked me what was coming next,

a solstice or an equinox,

I couldn't tell you.

My head was spinning.

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MONDAY

October 31
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The snow was starting to melt,

just in time for trick-or-treaters.

I was driving through town

when I came upon this house.

It was laden with snow, cobwebs, and .............

patriotic bunting?

I went through my patriotic holiday mental file......

Memorial Day?

4th of July?

Spring Elections?

Flag Day?

Ahh....Veterans Day

two weeks early.

If I were a trick-or-treater

who was to come to that house

later that day,

I wouldn't have known

whether to have a snow ball fight

or to recite the pledge of allegiance.

These last five days have been rough for this time-ologist.

Life sometimes does that,

throws us off balance.

We are creatures of ritual,

of patterns, and of seasons.

But what happens when something interrupts your schedule,

your season, your life,

your world?

An unexpected death,

an illness,

a job loss,

a blizzard during your picnic......

As much as we want to know whats coming around the corner,

we don't always know.

And that can throw anyone off balance.

So what is a time-ologist to do?

Jesus ran into a few time-ologists in his day,

people who were worried about tomorrow,

worried about the unknown.

There are many things I like about Jesus.

One of them is his sense of humor.

Listen to these words he spoke

in humorous proverbian fashion to the time-ologist of His day......

Do not be anxious for tomorrow;

for tomorrow will care for itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt 6:34

Yes, it might just snow on my Halloween,

it might even rain on my parade.

But even if life's timeline gets confusing at times,

we are told that we only have to face life one day at a time.

The good news is that we have a Lord

who causes the sun to rise and to fall on each day,

and who lords each moment in between.

Now go out and get that turkey,

your fireworks,

and your Easter bonnet.

And don't forget to have a happy new year!

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Why We Celebrate All Saints' Day/Sunday

On All Saints' Day (observed at our church this Sunday) we remember the following:

• Brothers and sisters in Christ who have died since last All Saints' Sunday.  We will light a candle for each of these saints during worship, remembering each one with gratitude and thanksgiving.
• All who follow Jesus are given the name, "saint."  We are saints because we have been claimed by God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This is who we are!
• Anticipate that time in the future when Jesus will come again and God will renew the face of the earth.  This is a very, very different view of the second coming than the popular rapture/Harold Camping theology which claims that believers will be raptured away to heaven and the world that God created will be destroyed.  God is in the restoring/redeeming business, not the destroying business.  See Revelation chapter 21 where heaven fills the whole earth.  This is the heart of the Christian hope.  This is why we call the message of the bible, "good news/gospel."

Collect of the Day: All Saints'
Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
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