Reflections From Sunday Evening

I had my annual opportunity to participate with our Wesleyan Choir today. I know they have me stand off to the side and read some things and do everything possible to guarantee that no one could possibly hear me sing. It is still a fun time to narrate the annual Christmas cantata. More importantly the choir did amazing! It was a true blessing for all present. A huge shout out to Walter Bryant who directs our music. Everyone who played and all who sang are deeply appreciated. A special note of appreciation to everyone who attended this weekend. The church was filled. People brought others. It was a joyful day. This is such a great time of year. There is something about the Christmas season that tugs hearts toward the manger. Person after person feels a little more desire to be in church where the Story is related once again. I look forward to sharing with you and those you bring to worship in the next days. We have one more weekend and then Christmas Eve. As usual we will have services at 3:00 (directed toward children so bring the kids and hear the story); 5:00 (generally are largest attendance so be sure to come early to get a seat in the sanctuary - there will be overflow seating available in the café); 7:00; 9:00 and 11:00. In addition we will have NEXT style worship at 5:00 and 7:00 in Memorial Hall. Come celebrate the birth of Jesus. It's been a great day. I hope you've had a good day too. And that Chief's game was one of the craziest ever! steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

It was freezing rain and light snow. It was really cold. (Still is.) But for a winter day things did not go too poorly. As a matter of fact God seemed to make it a point to be with us today. Families were able to avail themselves of opportunities to study and learn. Many people found their way to the sanctuary to worship. Many gathered in the dining hall for a fellowship dinner. People gathered around the coffee pot and doughnuts and good conversation. People filled up the choir loft and led in music. There were others who led in praise. A number of people served through the ministry of hospitality. Children came forward and lit candles. A new group of people gathered for a preview of a new worship service. People came forward to the communion rail to pray. People gave generously to support the mission and ministry of the church. There was sharing of mission experiences through video. People led worship through our orchestra. All this on a snowy, cold and drizzly morning. But as always the Lord warmed our hearts. It is truly an amazing thing to join with others in the House of the Lord. It's been a good day. Be warm. Be safe. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

We enter the Advent season and realize that during these next few weeks we are likely to have a number of people visit church. We may not think much about it but with an influx of new people dynamics change. This makes me ask three questions. (And a few more to go with them.) 1. To whom do we speak? Do we speak primarily to long time church members? Do we speak primarily to committed Christians? Do we speak primarily to nominal Christians? Do we speak primarily to skeptics? Do we speak primarily to seekers? This is not an exhaustive list but it may get us thinking. 2. To whom do we want to speak? Is there another group of people we long to reach? Is there an age group that is missing we seek to reach? Do we really want to speak primarily to people like us? 3. To whom will we speak? This is a loaded question. It will cause us to ask a number of other questions. What are we speaking? What does our architecture say about us? What do the songs we sing say about us? What does the message imply? I hope to spend some time in the coming months talking about these questions and many others. This is a great time in the Church Year. I pray we be ready, willing and able to speak to new people God brings our way. Its been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

This past week Baby Boomers and Builder Generation people spent time reflecting on where we were and what we were doing when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. November 22, 1963 was certainly a significant day in American history. For those of us who lived in that time we remember watching the events unfold on television. One of the iconic images that continues is that of John Kennedy saluting his father's casket. The world was on edge. It was a very difficult time in our history. There were other things that happened on November 22, 1963. Perhaps you read the story in the Kansas City Star this week about the queen of the auto show and that the decision was made to go ahead with their program. Maybe you remember that a number of college football games were cancelled that day, however Oklahoma and Nebraska did play that weekend. In a controversial decision then commission of the NFL, Pete Rozelle, had the games played on that Sunday. There were some other events. My wife Cindy's grandmother died on November 22, 1963. There were two other notable deaths on that day. The author and intellectual Aldous Huxley died that day. C.S. Lewis, the great Christian thinker and author also died on November 22, 1963. It seems interesting to me that huge events do not cause the seemly endless series of "normal" events to cease. Might I put that in a Christian context. We may have "big" events or experiences in the Christian life but that does not negate the significance of the hundreds of moments of grace that we continually live. A grand moment takes place that effects thousands of people and at the same time a child is influenced by a Sunday School teacher. Some big event takes place and a person with very limited financial means gives to make a difference in another life. I pray we never see anything like the death of a sitting president. I also pray we never lose sight of the many, many small moments of grace that truly change lives. On another note... Have a very blessed Thanksgiving Day. I hope you have time with family and friends. I hope you eat just enough! I trust you will allow your heart to overflow with thanksgiving. It's been a good day. (I know the Chiefs lost but of greater significance Baker U. won their first playoff game since 1993 and moves into the national quarterfinals next week. But I digress.) It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evenin

Last week I noted that following the capital campaign was a good time to take a few days off. During the past couple of weeks I have been in the office a few times, done a couple of days in meetings and officiated at a funeral service for a friend's family member. Cindy and I have also taken the opportunity to visit a couple of churches these past two Sunday's. It is good to find people gathering to worship in United Methodist Churches in the area. I have heard good preaching. I have experienced meaningful worship. I have been able to join with others in worship. It is my observation that churches are very aware of new people potentially being in their midst. Churches "say" things that note the possibility of visitors being present. Some take further steps to make new people be welcome and find their way. Another observation is that churches are difficult to navigate. In a mega-church it is clearer where people are going. The coffee shop is obvious. The restrooms are well marked. It is clear that a particular door(s)leads to the worship space. Churches like ours are not as clear. A person tends to need a basic understanding of where they are going and what they are looking for. People are great. What to do once you show up is not as clear. Hopefully I can gain some learning from the past couple of weeks. One thing I note is that we do a very good job with hospitality -- and we have opportunities to do even better. There are times when we need people in the parking lot giving direction to those coming at high traffic times. We will make it even clearer where to go when a person steps out of the car and heads to our building for the first time. Once inside I love our people! I would rather be in worship at PWUMC than anywhere. (I am biased but wouldn't you hope I would be!) We will continue to strive to provide an experience that is relevant, meaningful and compelling. It is a joy to serve with you and work with our staff and leadership to offer Christ to our world. It's been a good day (so far). I hope you've had a good day too. -- Now for a couple of other things. Chiefs - Broncos. My heart says Chiefs, Chiefs, Chiefs!!! but...at Denver - Peyton Manning. Enjoy the game and see what happens. On a much more significant note - Baker University finished their season with a 10-1 record and will head to the N.A.I.A. playoffs next week. I got to see their game yesterday. There is not quite as much hype over small college football but the kids show up and play. They seem to have a good time. The games take about 2 and 1/2 hours (instead of the 3-4 when TV is involved). All in all it is a good experience. It makes me ready to come back for more. Well...that is what we seek to create in church. A great experience and something that people want to come back for more. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

I have been told that when a pastor completes work with a capital campaign they should take some time off. For one of the few times in my life I have taken that sort of good advice! Following several months of active involvement where the people of PWUMC pledged over 7 million dollars and have contributed 2.1 million to date, it is a good time to step back and re-charge. Last week Cindy and I took a few days and got away. That was good. Today Cindy and I met Bobby and Leslie and Andrea and Billy at Church of the Resurrection and went to church together. The worship was good, Adam Hamilton's message was great but being together in worship was best of all. After brunch together it is home for an afternoon with no responsibilities. Nice. I've been reading a book comparing and contrasting the thought of John Wesley and John Calvin. (This is what preachers do for fun.) There are many similarities but also significant differences. As I read these two great church leaders I see the basic difference lying in Calvin's tremendously astute insights into theology and Wesley's practical theology. Calvin explains things very logically. Wesley puts theology into practice. Wesley would have us live the faith. These are the two primary theological schools of thought in our culture today. (at least I choose to think so.) This new Calvinism seems to be embraced by a larger number of people, in particular younger Christians. This makes me want to do a better job of sharing and living the gospel in our Wesleyan context. So this is what I've been doing the last few days. It is not merely thinking about theology. In rest and restoration we find ways to live our faith. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Today we took a look at some passages in the Book of Nehemiah. Specifically Nehemiah 10:32 and 10:35. There is a phrase in the beginning of those verses that sets the stage for understanding the way the people approached the life of faith. "We assume the responsibility..." A governing principle in the Old Testament is assuming responsibility. This is grounded in commandments, or the Law, rules and regulations. If you read through the passage you find the practical way they fulfill this. They pay a Temple Tax. So the principle is "assuming responsibility", grounded in the Law and lived out by paying the Temple Tax. Here is a New Testament way of approaching life. The governing principle could be "invitation to participation." The invitation is grounded in grace. We live the faith in communion, or relationship with Jesus Christ. Invitation to participate in the life of grace does not negate assuming responsibility. It merely puts responsibility in a different perspective. Grace offers a way to the Lord that succeeds where law fails. Communion beats taxes! You are invited to the life of grace. You are invited to participate in the life of grace. On another note...We announced our current amount pledged to the HOME campaign. When I left church today we stood at $7,001,000. That is amazing! I am certainly looking forward to what God will do with this strong willingness to give and move into our future. We have been working on this campaign in earnest since July. It is well worth the effort. Cindy and I are going to take a couple of days off and get geared up for the next step. It's been a good day. (How 'bout them Chiefs!) I hope you've had a good day too. steve