Reflections From Sunday Evening

In her book, "Dare to Serve" Cheryl Bachelder defines Servant Leadership by saying "servant leaders are courageous enough to take people to a daring destination, yet humble enough to selflessly serve others on the journey." Today we were talking about servant leadership in the context of Jesus' entry to the city of Jerusalem that initiated what we have come to call "holy week". Jesus gives us an example of servant leaders who lead with courage and humility. Another part of this mindset informs our attitude toward those we serve. Who do we serve? In Jesus time the religious leaders would give the impression that the Temple was intended to be served by the people. By the time Jesus got down with people there would be an idea that the Temple was meant to serve the people. So what do we do with this servant leader idea in our day? We in the Church are clearly meant to serve others. So what does this look like? I sometimes get the idea that we confuse serving with catering. A caterer is a person employed to provide and serve food. That is a basic definition. A group hires someone to make preparation, set up, serve, and clean up. It is important that we do not confuse servant leadership in the Church with catering. A servant leader will inspire people to join in a daring destination. A servant leader leads with courage and humility. A servant leader involves others in moving toward the daring destination of God's greatest plans and purposes. Let's join in serving rather than catering. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

How do you discover your talents? Some are obvious. Some people manifest talent at an early age. A child prodigy has a knack for playing the piano and it shows up when they are two years old. A little guy seems extra coordinated and looks like they will have some great athletic talent. In elementary school a student is the one everyone looks to and shows leadership talent. Some sing and others draw. There are some people whose talents seem to jump out and everyone can see them. Not everyone is like that. For various reasons some people find themselves developing in life wondering what it is they can do. Whether talents have appeared obvious for years or they seem elusive everyone can do some things to discover their truely God given talents. This assumes everyone has some talent, skill or ability. Today I used the illustration of driving to the church each day and being amazed at those who operate heavy excavation equipment. I would not know how to start one of those things! I see iron workers doing things that absolutely amaze me. At the same time I realize most of those talented people would rather die than stand up in front of a crowd of people and talk! We all have talents. Here is the window I believe we could look through to discover our talents. Daydream. What do you find yourself thinking about and imagining? What are your hopes, dreams and aspirations? Too many people have their dreams and ideas but make a faulty assumption. They assume they could never actually do any of them. But perhaps our dreams are meant to reveal talents that God has planted in our lives. Have you put your talents to use? That was the point of our message today. Use it or lose it. You have talents, gifts and abilities. Use them to God's glory and honor and be amazed at what God will accomplish through you. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

35 years ago we printed up "I Wish" cards and invited people to fill them out in church. An "I Wish" card might include things such as... I Wish... We would sing (a favorite song/hymn) The preacher would talk about.... Someone would call on.... We had a class on... We would pray for... The list would go on and on. Of course the key was in the follow up. If all we did was have someone "wish" for something the work was not finished. We needed to sing, preach, pray or visit in response to the people's wishes. That may have been an old method but it occurs to me that people still sit in church and "wish". We continue to be people with ideas, dreams, hopes, vision and thoughts about ministry. So what are your hopes for your church? What are your dreams for ministry? In what ways would you see the work of Christ be carried forth? These are certainly exciting times in the life of our church but remember to keep focused on mission and ministry. I wish we would continue to move forward in our current project but keep the main focus on the main thing of reaching new people for Jesus Christ. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Late next week I will be with a group of Missouri Methodist's interviewing Episcopal candidates. Every four years delegates meet to elect bishops. This summer will have added significance as our bishop, Robert Schnase, will complete his allowed years with us and be re-assigned. So among the people we interview will probably be our next bishop. We talk about the characteristics we seek in our leader. We look for a person with a significant spiritual life. We all have special interests. I am interested in how a potential bishop will relate to larger churches. We look for someone who has a great heart for the local church. We look for someone with a good knowledge of the appointive process. Frankly we end up with a composite that is impossible to meet. But off we go. We continue to pursue effective, fruitful leadership. Not only is this something we look for in a bishop but we seek to nurture leadership qualities in the local church. Our vision is a big one and not easy to do. When it comes to leadership at PWUMC we are looking for people who are able to Identify, Recruit and Equip leaders who will in turn Identify, Recruit and Equip people to engage in ministry. This is the avenue to an Equipping Church. I see us in an on-going transition. We are a large United Methodist congregation. However when you attend a worship service it does not feel all that big. Our multiple service model provides various worship settings that are small or mid-sized. But when we put everything together we have a large church. The difficult piece is leadership structure. In a mid-sized church we generally develop what is referred to as a "program church" model. The church identifies ministries or programs to develop and lead. They usually call for a staff person to lead the program. This will work up to a certain level. When a church reaches around 400 in worship the program model hits its ceiling. (That is my opinion but it is probably as right as anything!) If you study our church I believe you will find that although we have over 800 people in worship we continue to operate with a program church model. We must change. In comes the Equipping Church model. In April we will have Doug Anderson, our church coach, come in to work with staff and laity specifically on the issue of the Equipping Church. I look forward to learning new skills, finding people with more resolve and leading us into a new season of ministry with this Equipping model. When we do this we will multiply ministry and enter an exciting new phase in our life together. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. I like mid 60's in the dead of winter! blessings, steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Cindy and I saw the movie Risen this weekend. It is a new release. It probably will not get a great following and certainly not a box office hit. But I did find it interesting. What would it be like for a Roman soldier who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus do with the assignment to go find the body of the dead Nazarene? This is his story. What would you do? You might go looking for people who are spreading this story about Jesus rising from the dead and ask them some questions. In his case he had to find all the recently dead and look among them for the one he would recognize from those hours on the cross. You would go looking for those reported to be disciples. Perhaps you would take a group of soldiers and kick in a door in search of followers. But what would you do if you stepped into a room and came face to face with the crucified One? It might - no, it definitely would change your life. What do we do to examine this story of the resurrection of Jesus. Some of us find it easier to accept than others. Some of us have heard the story of Jesus rising from the dead all our lives. For some this is a new idea, and a strange one at that. But this is the center of Christianity. The resurrection of Jesus. Why would someone go to the trouble of making a movie about the resurrection of Jesus? This is not a re-telling of the Bible story. This is the story of a person who encounters the risen Jesus. It could be your story. It could be anyone's story. What would you do if someone rose from the dead? Look for him? Listen to him? Believe? It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

How to listen to a sermon. That would be a pretty good title for an article. Maybe. This weekend I listened to 4 sermons. I was up front with Kyle on Saturday evening and with Kyle and Ginger at 8:15. As a participant in the service I was pretty engaged with what the preacher was saying. At 9:30 I listened from the congregation. At 11:00 I listened to Jake in the NEXT congregation. I am reminded that it is not easy to listen. As a preacher I have a tendency to "evaluate" sermons. I try to avoid this in our church but part of my task is to evaluate so I listen with a "critical" ear. (I came away today feeling that we are in very good hands with our younger clergy and the messages they offer.) I also realize it is easier to stay focused when I am the one doing the talking. It seems to me that little distractions are more difficult to ignore when listening. With this said I want to commend congregants who regularly attend worship and listen as we preach. Listening to a sermon is not something a person is able to do in a passive way. But maybe this is one reason we experience people attending worship on a less regular basis. Maybe it is not a matter of not being interested. Maybe people are realizing that it takes effort to listen. Is it worth the effort? Here are some hints for better listening. 1. Prepare to listen. Be rested and awake when you show up. Believe me I can put myself to sleep while I Am Talking if I am not rested. 2. Jot down a key take away or some idea that the message sparks. (This means you will be listening more intently). 3. Pray before listening. (Preachers pray before speaking. Pray the Holy Spirit speak to your heart in the message.) 4. Expect to hear a word from the Lord. It continually astounds me that God uses very human instruments to get a spiritual word to people. Expect. 5. Listen for something you may apply to your daily life. I am sure we could work on this list and come up with something more helpful but perhaps this is a start. Remember that preaching is not mere talking. It is intended to be communication. Communication requires a sender and a receiver. Part of the joy of preaching is that we are in this together. Thanks for listening. It's been a good day - Remember it is Valentine's Day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Today is Super Bowl Sunday. This event has a way of taking over the day. For the vast majority of American football fans their favorite team is not playing. However even the casual fan finds this nearly compelling viewing. I will tune in and enjoy the game and the commercials. Let me put this in a different perspective. Cindy and I returned last night from a trip to Guatemala. We joined eight others from the church and visited a number of churches, schools and clinics Platte Woods UMC has supported through the years. We had fellowship with people who speak a very different language. We shared smiles and laughter. We felt the joy of people gathering in churches to praise God. We toured a medical clinic where the poor are treated and cared for. We saw the shy smiles of children. We enjoyed the extremely colorful traditional clothing worn by these Mayan people. It was not "roughing it" by any means. (I still remember sleeping in a tent on the mountain in Honduras). We spent the last two nights in Antigua. I had never seen an active volcano before. That is some sight. Even in this resort setting we visited the ancient, sacred site overlooking the city. It is an amazing thought that followers of Christ have walked these streets and lanes for hundreds of years. It is amazing to share in the simple lives of these gracious and joyous people. It is amazing to share faith in Jesus Christ with people whose lives are so different from ours. We speak of our international missions from Platte Woods Church but most cannot grasp the impact this work makes. Dr. Marty and Mona Kanne have been at the forefront of these Central American efforts for many years. I am planning a way to share this vision and mission with our church in the next few weeks. I want everyone to capture the joy of mission and find some way to participate in changing the lives of people in Central America. I am so thankful for the opportunity to see the things I've seen and meet the people I've met. I could have never imagined being in another country having a very small part in life-changing, community changing grace. As I sit to watch the Super Bowl this evening I think my mind will still be at Atitlan Lake, Chichicastenago, Chulamar and Antigua. My mind may wander to the crooked roads and mountains. Whatever I eat will certainly be compared to tortillas and frijoles. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve