Dave's Deep Thoughts - Watch Out for Security Line "D"

 

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.

 

If we say "break a leg" to wish good luck on opening night,

why don't we say the same thing just before a ski trip?

 

I love to ski.

Every year I look forward to taking a ski trip

with some friends to the "real" mountains out west.

 

There is nothing like being on top of a mountain

at 12,000 feet above sea level

and gazing far enough to see two other states.

 

Inevitably the week before,

as people realize my trip is approaching,

I am inundated with the well-intended phrase,

"don't break your leg".

 

Once in a while,

I will hear "have a great time,"

but 95 times out of 100 it will be.....

"don't break your leg".

 

I begin to understand what Ralphie

in Christmas Story felt like when he was bombarded with

"You're gonna shoot your eye out."

 

Now I have no intention of ever breaking my leg,

or any other bone in my body for that matter,

in fact, I have never broken a bone doing anything.

 

And every "don't break your leg" comment

seems to come from women.

It must be a maternal instinct as

I have never heard a man tell me,

"Don't break your leg"

 

If folks really wanted to wish me protection on my ski trip,

maybe they really should say,

"I hope you make it through airport security"

 

Let me explain.

 

Now that airlines charge for each baggage,

I have learned that I can save a substantial amount

if I stuff all my clothes into my ski bag and my boot bag.

 

By using my boot bag as my one free carry on,

I save the cost of 2 baggage fees both to and from my destination.

 

The night before my departure

I crammed shirts, pants, underwear, toiletries, sweaters

into both my ski bag and my boot bag.

Now, my boot bag is quite old. So old in fact,

that when I closed the zipper over the bulging mass,

the handle of the zipper broke.

To open the bag upon arrival

I was going to have to rip the canvas.

No problem, I thought.

I'll just buy a new bag when I arrive out west.

 

No problem.....

that is, until I got to the airport.

 

I don't know what it is about me.

I must look suspicious.

I am the one who usually gets picked for the random body search.....

at airports, during prison visits, at theme parks....

it doesn't matter.

 

Even I try to flash my clergy card,

what I get is

"Please put your hands up sir,

this pat down won't take very long."

 

This trip I didn't get the strip search

or the pat down,

but what I did get is the

"Sir, we're going to have to check through your bag."

 

At that moment I learned something.........

If you raise any level of protest

at an airline security check-in,

you might as well take your monopoly icon past Go,

do not collect $200,

just go straight to jail.

 

There is no amount of pleading

that will deliver you from the ravages of Mr. Security Check-In Guard.

In fact, the more you protest,

you might as well be ready for the magical world of handcuffs.

 

I tried to explain that the zipper had broken

and that there was no way to open it.

 

"Oh, we'll open it" Mr. Security Check-In Guard

said quite confidently.

 

At that moment,

I realized that everyone in security line D

was going to find out whether I wear boxers or briefs.

 

"But once you open it,

I won't be able to close it" I pleaded.

 

I was one step closer to being apprehended by the nearby guard with handcuffs.

 

"Oh, we'll close it" Mr. Security Check-In Guard

said quite confidently.

 

Out came the underwear,

out came the deodorant,

out came the sweaters.

 

Then out came the reason for the search.

 

The shampoo bottle,

that would be the shampoo bottle that was 2 lousy ounces over regulation.

"Yup, that's a security threat,"

I said inside my head to Mr. Security Check-In Guard.

 

Mr. Security Check-In Guard

gleamed with triumph

as he tossed the contraband into the black abyss

never to be seen again.

 

Then out came his gun,

that would be his cellophane wrapping gun,

and like Humpty Dumpty,

he began to put my violated ski boot bag back together again.

 

After 71 circumnavigations of my boot bag with the cellophane,

Mr. Security Check-In Guard

handed me back my ravaged bootbag.

 

To add insult to injury,

he made sure that one pair of underwear

was visible to all the population on Flight 1939.

 

"Have a nice flight"

Mr. Security Check-In Guard chimed as I walked off to Gate D10.

 

Sometimes the problem

isn't the real problem.

 

Sometimes it's not the skiing,

but the security check-in.

 

Jesus knew that the problem

isn't always the real problem.

 

He knew that the Pharisees questions

were more about entrapment then theological understanding.

 

He knew that impure deeds

had as their genesis, impure thoughts.

 

He knew that impure sacrifices being sold in the temple

were only a symptom of a deeper greed. and lack of fear of God's holiness.

 

He knew that the woman caught in the act of adultery,

was moreso, a wounded soul in need of forgiveness and second chances.

 

He knows what wounds each one of us

and that what is shown on the outside

is merely a reflection of a deeper internal need.

 

If that is true of ourselves,

it is also true of others.

 

There will be times when we are offended by others,

or we do the offending.

 

It is when we realize that the problem

often isn't the real problem,

that we can live a life of grace

both towards ourselves and for others.

 

And that is when the problem begins to be solved.

 

As for me,

give me double diamond slopes anyday,

just keep me out of Security Line D.

 

O Lord, You have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD

Psalm 139-1-4

C'mon Christians. Admit It. The Resurrection of Jesus Is Difficult to Believe

OK, if we're honest, Easter and the resurrection of Jesus accounts in the gospels are very difficult to believe. I have found that most Christians simply believe it to be true because this was taught to them throughout their lives and they've never questioned it.

There's something beautiful about passing on the faith from one generation to another, but it doesn't mean that we shouldn't ask questions or express doubts.  Easter is much too big and important for us to just say that we shouldn't ask questions about it and accept it by faith. Yes, faith is central to our approach to the biblical stories and especially in how we approach the resurrection accounts, but we also need to perform a reality check with our biased worldviews.

1st Century Judaism Worldviews: These varied from there will be no resurrection of people from the dead to yes, this will happen but not until the end of the age when all of God's people will be bodily resurrected.

21st Century Western Worldview: A secularist worldview provides little to no room in allowing for a belief in the resurrection account.

What if we set aside our worldviews and with an open mind examine the resurrection of Jesus from a sociological/historical perspective? This is what New Testament bible scholar, N.T. Wright has done. Listen to his explanation of the resurrection and how it all ties in with our preconceived worldviews of what is possible and what is not possible. A big thanks to Scot McKnight for reminding me of this perspective.

Sunday Worship Preview - April 14

Sunday, April 14 - (7:30, 9:00, & 10:30 Services) & Wednesday, April 17  (6:30 pm Casual Service @ Crossroads, 2095 Fair Avenue)

Sermon - "Like a Good Neighbor"

Features - 3rd Sunday of Easter

Scripture - Psalm 30 & Luke 6:27-36

Theme - Jesus spoke about loving our neighbors. How well do you know your neighbors? Our church is joining several other churches in the Lancaster area to participate in "The Art of Neighboring" movement which is designed to build stronger and more hope-filled neighborhoods and communities.

Sermon (April 7) - "Be Generous with Praise"

     Today, I want us to think about how generous we are in giving praise.  I don’t mean the praise we give to one another, as important and needed as that is, but the praise that we are to give to God. 

     Psalm 150 is the very last Psalm found in the Book of Psalms.  It is a wonderful concluding Psalm.  In this very short Psalm of just six verses, the word “praise” appears thirteen times. 

     In fact, the final five Psalms, Psalm 146 through Psalm 150, all begin and end with the phrase, “Praise the Lord.”  It’s like the Bible is sending us a strong message.  Be generous with your praise to God.

     Psalm 150 answers four questions about what it means for us to praise God.  It answers where we are to praise God, why we are to praise God, how we are to praise God, and who is to praise God.

     Let’s begin with the “where.”  The Psalmist begins by saying, “Praise God in his sanctuary, praise him in his mighty firmament!”

     In other words, the Psalmist is saying that we are to praise God wherever we are.  The phrase, “Mighty firmament” reminds me of the story of when the astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history when they walked on the moon during the summer of 1969. 

     Aldrin was a very active member of his Presbyterian Church in Texas during this time and knowing that he would be doing something unprecedented in human history, he felt he should mark the occasion somehow and he asked his pastor to help him.  His pastor consecrated a communion wafer and a small vial of communion wine.  And Buzz Aldrin took the communion elements with him out of the Earth’s orbit and on to the surface of the moon.

     After just a few minutes of walking on the moon’s surface, Aldrin made this public statement: “This is the LM pilot.  I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.”

     He then ended radio communication, and there, on the silent surface of the moon, 250,000 miles from home, he read a verse from the Gospel of John, and he received the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

     We had just concluded a late summer three mile run on a beautiful central Pennsylvania mountain pass. I was bent over huffing and puffing with my fingers clutched to my knees when I heard my brother talking to someone.

     At first, I thought he was saying something to me. I looked over at him to respond and noticed that he was looking above the tall pines into the clear blue sky talking.

     "Thank you, God! Thank you for this day and this beautiful place. Thank you for giving us parents who loved the mountains. Thank you, God!"

     His prayer was out of the blue and caught me off guard. It was one of the most sincere prayers I have ever heard. It was as natural as breathing. God's beautiful creation prompted him to just start praying out loud.

     My brother was overwhelmed with God's grace in that moment, so he did the only think he knew to do. He started praising God.

     When you look into a crystal blue sky in the middle of God's majestic mountains, praise God. When you are looking into the eyes of a newborn baby, praise God. When you listen to a voice message from a friend you haven't heard from in a long time and who was an important part of your spiritual journey, praise God.

     And notice that the Psalmist also is very specific by saying to praise God in his sanctuary.  This is why we gather every Sunday for worship.  We gather in this place every week so that we can praise God together. 

     Where do we praise God?  “Praise God in his sanctuary and praise him in his mighty firmament!”

     The Psalmist also answers the why question.  Why praise God?

     For the why, we go to verse 2 of our Psalm.   “Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness.”

     One of the reasons why people don’t go to worship and don’t spend time praising God, is because, they’re just not aware of all the incredible things God has done.  Or maybe they have heard about what God has done, but they have forgotten.

     Just a week ago, we began the Season of Easter, a six week season in which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It was the miracle of the empty tomb that led the disciple Peter to boldly tell the religious authorities who were arresting him about the good news of Easter.

     Peter tells them that by rising to new life, Jesus is the Savior of the world and it’s through Jesus, that we can receive forgiveness from our sins.  Peter also says, that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey him.  The Holy Spirit meaning, the presence of the risen Jesus for anyone who places his or her faith in what Jesus has done by dying on the cross and rising to new life.

     The Psalmist, who lived hundreds of years before the miracle of Easter, would have been thinking of how God had made a covenant with Abraham to become the father of a nation.  The Psalmist would have also been thinking of how God delivered the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and led them into the promised land through his servant, Moses.  The Psalmist would have been thinking about how God had blessed David to be the leader of God’s people and to be a man after his own heart.

     Psalm 150 is reminding us to offer our praises to God because of God’s mighty deeds and God’s surpassing greatness, all of which reach their ultimate climax in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is through him that we are called to be an Easter people.

     That’s not a bad reason for us to offer praises to God every Sunday morning or in the morning after we wake up and throughout our day.

     Well, that’s the answer to the “where” and the “why” questions.  What about the “how” question? 

     The Psalmist gives us a list of musical instruments to help us praise God.  In verses 3 through 5, we hear about trumpets, lutes, harps, tambourines, strings, pipes, and cymbals.  We even hear about dancing.  I think this list helps us to see what it means to offer our praises to God, so that we don’t just think that praising God is a one dimensional activity. 

     It’s interesting to think about the instruments that are listed in our Psalm.  It’s a rich variety which I think is intentional on the part of the Psalmist.  A tambourine.  A harp.  Cymbals, loud crashing cymbals at that!

     Whether our worship services are more of a contemporary style or  a traditional style, the Psalmist says that we are to offer our praises to God in a variety of ways.   One of the many things I appreciate about our church is our wonderful music ministry.  We have very talented singers and musicians who help us to praise God throughout the year.

     In my previous church where I served as pastor, I became friends with a non-denominational pastor.  He was the founding pastor of a new church in town and they were getting ready to celebrate their fifth birthday anniversary as a congregation.

     He invited me to preach for their special Sunday morning worship celebration which I accepted.  While I was honored that he chose me, this mainline denomination pastor to speak at their special ceremony, I was also a little intimidated because I knew that our churches were very different with our worship styles.

     I don’t think that I have ever experienced a louder worship service than the one I attended that day when I spoke at his church.  I mean, it was really, really loud.  Drums, guitars, and lots of singing. Lots of singing.  Their worship service that day lasted two hours and most of it was the band and praise singing.

     About an hour into the service, and knowing that I still had another twenty minutes before I was to preach, I needed to go to the restroom. Even while I was in the restroom, the music was incredibly loud.  It’s the kind of church that even if you’re in the restroom, you don’t miss a thing!

     So I go back into the sanctuary and finally it’s time for me to preach.  I began by congratulating them on their five year birthday celebration.  This was an incredible church because they were reaching a lot of people through their recovery ministries and people who were dealing with addictions.  They were doing a lot of really great ministry.

     And then I said, “Our two churches are very different, though.” I said that by this time I would already be done with my lunch at Bob Evans because our worship services are only an hour long.  And they laughed.

     And then I said, “You’re church is celebrating five years and next year my church will be celebrating our 200^th anniversary.” And they applauded which was really nice of them.

     And then I said, “The biggest difference between our two churches is that the music here at your church is a lot louder than at my church.” I said, “For example, before worship, you hand out ear plugs because the music is so loud.  At my church, we hand out hearing aids.”  

     Maybe this is why Psalm 150 gives us so many different choices of instruments to praise God.  There’s not just one way to praise God.  There’s  not just one volume. 

     The Psalmist answers the question of “how.”  We are to worship with a variety of instruments to help us offer our praises to God.

     And the final question.  Who?  Who is to praise the Lord? 

     Verse 6 – “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!”  That narrows it down, doesn’t it?

     If you have a pulse, then you are welcome to praise the Lord.

     Our denomination, the United Methodist Church has a great phrase to describe who we are.  “The United Methodist Church:  Open Hearts.  Open Minds.  Open Doors.”

     I like that.  We are called to be a church that is always inviting and always welcoming our community to share in the ministries of our congregation.  The invitation is always open to come and praise the Lord together.

     Democrats. Republicans. Independents. Undecided.  “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!”

     Long time Christian.  New Believer.  Seeker.  Agnostic.  “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!”

     Senior Citizen.  High School Senior.  Preschool child.  “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!”

     White.  Black.  Latino.  Native American.  “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!”

     Rich.  Poor.  Or somewhere in between.  “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!”

     Methodist.  Pentecostal.  Catholic.  Non-Denominational.  “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!”

     Hymn lovers.  Praise Singers.  Organists.  Drummers.  “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!”

     I was having a conversation with a member of another church and he said to me, “You know how you and I really like it when someone shows their appreciation to us?  Now, just imagine how God feels when his people praise Him every Sunday in worship.”

     One of the last things John Wesley, the 18^th century founder of Methodism said before he died was, “I’ll praise my maker while I have breath.” 

     I can’t think of a better ending to the Book of Psalms.  And it’s not a bad way to end this sermon.

     “Praise the Lord!”

Thumbs Up & Down for The Bible Series on the History Channel

TV is TV. That's what I have been trying to keep in the back of my mind as I watched the five week bible miniseries.  For TV to work, they need sponsors and sponsors will only pay big money if they know there will be a lot of viewers. If you want a lot of viewers, shows need to offer what people want to see. Even on the History Channel which includes commercials, it all comes down to the mighty dollar and ratings.

Having said that, I thought the miniseries served an important purpose. It reached many people who have no intention of reading sixty-six books which were written several centuries ago. In memory of the great movie film critic Roger Ebert, here is my humble review.

Thumbs Up:

• The History Channel excels in the area of helping us to understand the culture and history of different ancient historical eras. The Bible miniseries gave us a sense of how kingdoms ruled. From the Babylonians to the Romans, we were able to see how the Jewish people often lived in the shadows of these mighty empires. A church member once asked me what the Romans had to do with the story of Jesus. The answer is a lot! They are the ones who ultimately put Jesus to death on a cross. You can't tell the story of Israel and Jesus without some focus on the geo-political realities of those time periods. You just can't.
• While I understand that many were dismayed by the violence in the mini-series, it did expose how biblical times were very violent. If a people wanted to claim land, they didn't just go to a real estate representative. They had to take it by force! I'm not condoning violence, but just saying that this was how things were done during that time. And oh by the way, that's still how it is done sometimes in our so called civilized and enlightened modern world.
• Some biblical character portrayals I especially liked - Abraham and the Apostle Paul. Daniel Day Lewis couldn't have done a better job!
• I thought for the most part, the depiction of Holy Week and the crucifixion were very good.
• I liked the realism of the disciples healing people in the name of Jesus. It showed that they were a little unsure about this new found power to heal, but they tried it anyway and people were healed. We as viewers could identify with the disciples, something that the New Testament writers also try to convey in their writings.

Thumbs Down:

• The David & Bathsheba Story, especially in how they made it seem like David was buddy buddies with Bathsheba's husband, Uriah. Again, I think the producers felt that they needed a little more modern day drama to show what a terrible thing David did when he committed adultery with Bathsheba, but it really wasn't necessary and I felt this story went off script too much.
• Post-Easter Resurrected Jesus - I know that it is next to impossible to depict someone in a resurrected body especially since nobody has ever seen someone in this state, but I felt that the producers made the risen Jesus look a little to ghostly. Yes, I saw the hole in his hand from the nail but that was a bit cheesy in my estimation. I wished they would have made Jesus seem a little more physical since the gospel accounts tell us that the risen Jesus ate fish with the disciples and they could touch him!
• I felt the New Testament was way too rushed. Yes, the crucifixion is a key part of the Jesus story, but they could have shortened it to make more room for John and the Book of Revelation which is such a key book in the entire bible. Which leads me to my final not so positive...
• Yes, they ended with John, the island of Patmos, and his Book of Revelation letter, but there was nothing about how that letter powerfully concludes by saying that heaven will descend on earth at Jesus second coming and all of creation will be made new.  The ultimate Christian hope was kind of swept aside for some modern day version of, "all that matters is that you accept Jesus in your life so you can go to heaven someday." Yes, part of the good news of the bible is that God's people will receive eternal life, but the bigger picture is that God wants to make a new heaven and earth.

Lectionary Bible Commentary for Sunday, April 7

 

April 7 Sermon – “Be Generous with Praise”

Psalm 150

-       There are five types of Psalms: hymns of praise, laments, thanksgiving psalms, royal psalms, and wisdom psalms

-       This Psalm answers the Where, Why, How, & Who of praising God.

-       Look at final four Psalms and notice the final phrase of each of these Psalms. What does this say about how often we should praise the Lord?

Acts 5:27-32

-       Peter & John are arrested and they are ordered to not speak about the resurrection anymore. Even after they are released, they continue to proclaim the good news of Easter.

-       Why do you think the apostles were willing to continue to preach the good news of Easter? See verse 32. They were witnesses of the resurrected Jesus!

John 20:19-31

-       On the evening of Easter Day, the resurrected Jesus appears before the disciples, but Thomas is not present.

-       Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit upon them just like God breathed life into Adam in the Book of Genesis.

-       The following week, Thomas demands evidence and Jesus appears to him. Thomas offers the most profound statement of faith in the entire gospel account. “My Lord, and my God!”

-       Verses 30-31 – The purpose of the Gospel of John is to share the good news of Jesus Christ for people who were not eyewitnesses but who can trust in the eyewitnesses of the first followers of Jesus.

-       Since our faith depends on the eyewitness accounts, how can we be sure that the gospel story is true?

Sunday Worship Preview - April 7

Sunday, April 7 - (7:30, 9:00, & 10:30 Services) & Wednesday, April 10  (6:30 pm Casual Service @ Crossroads, 2095 Fair Avenue)

Sermon - "Be Generous with Praise"

Features - 2nd Sunday of Easter

Scripture - Psalm 150

Theme - Psalm 150 gives us an opporutnity to reflect on our worship life together. What does it mean for us to praise the Lord? How do we know if we're doing it right? Come and learn how we can be generous with our praise.