The original invitation to deliver this Johannaber Lecture included the general instruction that the lecture theme have something to do with spirituality and/or spiritual formation. The more I thought of that in the context of a “ministers week,” the more certain I was that I wanted to focus on leadership – the vocation of leadership. Pastors are leaders, but they are specifically Christian leaders. So that’s my focus: leadership from a Christian perspective. I begin with three pictures. The first is out ...
I had heard of the place for years, but never seen it until Tuesday in Chicago- The Pacific Garden Mission. Lori and I were on the way from a science museum to an art exhibit (I believe vacations are for learning!), and there it was on the left side of the street. I first knew it through the dramatized radio program Unshackled which tells the stories of those whose lives were turned around by faith in Christ and the help of the mission. Down-and-out to up-and-on is a story line with endless variations. ...
It is because we are a people of such high intelligence, and perhaps the threat of product liability litigation, that the following warning labels were recently found on consumer products? On a Duraflame fireplace log: "Caution - Risk of Fire." On a children’s Batman costume: "Warning: Cape does not enable user to fly. On a bottle of hair coloring: "Do not use as an ice cream topping." On a cardboard sun shield for a car: "Do not drive with sun shield in place." And, for the first time parent, this label ...
The text for this sermon is from the lectionary, but the inspiration comes from Peru. As many of you know, Jean and I have returned from a visit to the ancient civilization of the Incas, which continues to haunt us with wonderful memories. We visited Machu Picchu, high up in the Andes, as well as other Inca ruins. But Machu Picchu is unique. The other ruins in Peru have been vandalized. The precisely hewn stone that the Incas are famous for has been appropriated by subsequent generations to use as ...
It has sneaked up on us so that perhaps you didn't notice. But we live in one of the most prosperous times in this generation, perhaps in this century. Unemployment is at a record low. Inflation is minuscule. The stock market seems to defy everybody's prediction, and keeps on going up and up. We used to talk about the richest people being millionaires. Now we talk about them being billionaires. I read this week that three of Microsoft's original founders have more wealth combined than something like two ...
You know that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, because it might come true"? We see examples of that again and again in life. During the war in Iraq, Hampton Sides, a journalist who had been slated to be "embedded" with one of our frontline Marine battalions, gave an interview on NRP (National Public Radio). At almost the last possible moment, Sides decided not to go with the Marines, but instead to report from Central Command in Qatar. The interviewer asked Sides when he began having doubts about ...
When I was growing up in the 60's we practiced drive-by littering. The big game was to see if you could get in front of a pick up, throw out the window a Carrolls hamburger wrapping (they were the competitor to McDonalds that went belly-up), and have it land in the lap of the pickup bed. Today kids don't do drive-by littering. They do drive-by shootings. Or in-school shootings. Do you remember the rash of in school shootings that affected areas around the country? · Jonesboro, Arkansas. · Paducah, Kentucky ...
What do you think of when you think of an interpreter? A tour guide on a trip, translating the language of another country? Someone who works at the United Nations in international diplomacy? Maybe someone interpreting for the hearing impaired at a public event? These are the kinds of things I used to envision whenever I heard the word "interpreter:" all are someone with whom I do not have regular contact. But I'm beginning to see the need for my own personal, full time interpreter. Our society, even in ...
One of my favorite musical forms is the spiritual. For as long as I can remember, one of my favorite spirituals has been “Sweet Little Jesus Boy.” I don’t know why, exactly. I like the melody. I like some of the images it calls to mind. It stirs up some deep feelings within me. I don’t know, I just like it. But recently, some of the words have been troubling me. All throughout the song there is the recurring phrase, “We didn’t know who you was,” or, “We didn’t know ‘twas you.” One typical verse says, “The ...
One of the most meaning filled stories in the New Testament is the account of the last supper. It was the Passover, and Jesus and his disciples gathered in an upper room to share in the meal. It was customary, and an expected act of hospitality, to have someone there to wash the feet of those who had come. But there was no servant present, and the disciples were busy jockeying for the preferred positions in the coming Kingdom. They all wanted to be pre-eminent in the Kingdom, so none was willing to lower ...
A young preacher just out of the seminary had been called to pastor a church in a college town. Most of the college professors were members of the church. As he thought about that cultured congregation, he became very intimidated in preparing his first sermon. He called his dad, who was a wise and godly pastor, and said, "Dad, I'm having a hard time preparing my sermon. If I talk about geology I will be looking at a Ph.D. in geology. If I talk about sociology I will be staring at a Ph.D. in sociology. If I ...
After Confederate General Robert E. Lee retired from the military, he was named President of Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, originally named Washington Academy because of a gift from George Washington. The name was changed in 1871 in honor of General Lee. While Lee was president of the University, a new student came into his office and asked for a copy of the school's rules and regulations. Lee looked at him and said, "Son, we don't have any rules and regulations in print." The young ...
Have you ever been afraid? So afraid that you were almost paralyzed? So afraid, that words stuck in your throat and you wanted to scream, but you could not. Pastor John Ortberg wrote a book sometime back titled, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of The Boat. In it he tells a wonderful story about a ride he and his wife once took in a hot-air balloon. The balloon party consisted of the Ortbergs, the pilot and another couple. Ortberg had always assumed that the baskets hanging below hot-air ...
One of the advantages of growing older and getting a few more years under your belt is the opportunity to learn. In fact, I really believe if you're not learning, you are really not living. The day you quit learning or the day you lose your desire to continue learning, your life basically is over. The longer you live, the more you can learn. One of my goals in life is to try and learn something new every day. I do it either by reading a book or a magazine or perusing the internet or asking questions of ...
Those of us ministers actively engaged in congregational worship don't get many opportunities to visit other churches and to worship in different settings. We're pretty much committed to being in our own congregations for the better part of the year. Four or six Sundays at most is about all we have to experience how others go about it. Actually, this pattern begins for most of us even before we're ordained. A colleague related that in divinity school he was a youth minister and only got a couple of Sundays ...
In this the sixth chapter of John's Gospel, Jesus begins to withdraw to the east side of the Sea of Galilee. He has fed the 5,000, and he has walked on water. The press of the crowds had become all consuming and he needs some solitude to prepare himself for what lay ahead. Considering that the crowds that followed him more than likely knew of the feeding of the 5,000, and some may even have heard of the miraculous walking on water, it is difficult to explain why in these verses, they would doubt anything ...
Paul was sitting in prison with every reason to be discouraged. He was just days away from his execution at the hands of Emperor Nero. He was isolated and treated like a man to be scorned, unlike his earlier stints in jail. The Emperor Nero had blamed the Christians for the great fire that destroyed the city of Rome. For the first time they were subjected to terrible persecution and citizens from every corner of the empire turned against them. Christians were burned as living torches to light the emperor's ...
One of the most obvious things about the night sky is the moon, especially the full moon. The full moon transforms not only the sky, but the earth, creating a dimmer, second kind of day, casting long shadows, and providing some guidance to those who find themselves outdoors. Certainly, it is one of the things that children first notice about the sky. They can point to the moon, ask what it is, stare at it in wonder. And then, a few days later, the child can wonder - where did it go? The sun, after all, ...
My dad is 75 years old and lives with my 76 year old Mom in Perry County, Mississippi. Now if you have not been to Perry County, you haven’t really missed anything n the way of exciting life or beautiful geography. But you’ve missed a unique culture. More than that, you’ve missed knowing two great people. My dad didn’t even go to high school, yet I’ve moved among the high and mighty of the land, and have hobnobbed with some of the brilliant people of the country, but I’ve met few people whose wisdom ...
In an article in The New York Times, one of my favorite editorial columnists, James Reston, said, “A top flight reporter keeps asking, ‘What’s not getting reported? What’s the big story we’re all missing?” When I read that, lights began to flash in my mind. That’s the task of preaching, I thought to ask the question, “What’s not getting reported? What’s the big story we’re all missing?” I thought of Reston’s words again as I began to prepare for this day with you. This is probably the only time I will ...
There were two fellows who lived and breathed baseball. They were professional players with the Atlanta Braves and you would think that playing for a living would be enough. But not so – these guys breathed, ate, and slept baseball. More than teammates, they were very close friends. So, they talked with each other about that mattered most in their lives. One of their big concerns was whether there would be baseball in heaven. They loved baseball so much that they were not sure at all they wanted to spend ...
Back in 1981, the attention of the world was focused on the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. My wife, an almost hopeless romantic, (I really praise God for that) became tremendously involved in that event. We were traveling when the wedding took place, and I remember she stayed up almost all night in a hotel room where we were, watching the live television presentation. She also read all the newspaper accounts, and she even gave our two daughters beautiful color picture albums that recaptured this ...
Has anything ever gotten you into more trouble than your tongue? Have you ever wished you could take something back after you had said it? Oh, let me confess, I only ask this rhetorical question because it has happened to me. I know the sense of shame and regret at having spoken too soon before I could stop myself. Someone has said, the tongue weighs practically nothing, yet so few people can hold it. One of the quotable sayings, which I try to live by, is a statement made by Socrates: "It is better to ...
Some of us are old enough to remember the old Cat Stevens' tune, "Father And Son." That song, as you might recall, is in the form of a dialogue. The father speaks first and tries to share with his son some of the wisdom he's gained from his years of living. He says that it's not yet time to make a change, relax, and take it easy. Perhaps the son ought to look for a wife. The son, in the next verse, responds that his father is more interested in talking than listening. Dad then replies with his same message ...
During the government shutdown this October, there was only one major point both Democrats and Republicans could completely agree on. Both parties proudly and loudly declared “It was not our fault.” Not so much “taking a stand” as taking a “stand off.” There are always two front lines going on during any conflict. There is the horrible physical conflict, the confrontation between persons and countries that results in blood and doom. The losses logged on that physical front line are devastating and deadly. ...