December 10, 2010

12-10-10 Friday, 5:15 am Springfield, 30 degrees, clear.

Today we host the funeral service for Bill Hensley at Wesley, and make our final preparations for the weekend, which will include our Christmas Musical, a Saturday dinner for special guests, Saturday evening special edition of the musical, and four Sunday morning services. Yesterday my trip to Rolla was very productive as 5 of us from around the state were trained to be team leaders to Mozambique. Last night I met briefly with our Mission Outreach team and at length with our finance-trustee committee as they proposed a budget for 2011.

Reading The Story of Asbury Theological Seminary by Kinghorn I was surprised to learn that its second president, J. C. McPheeters (1889 - 1983) was born and raised in southwest Missouri. I had the privilege of hearing him preach in chapel, and even the special joy of eating lunch with him once in the seminary cafeteria in about 1981. For 18 years he was the founding pastor of Glide Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco. Pondering his life has led me to ponder mine, returning to my passion for spiritual formation and the “long view of a short life”. I need to continue developing this emphasis.

Amos 1:1-3:15

This prophet, whose name means “burden”, is called from the humble life of a shepherd in Tekoa, to bring messages of destruction to Israel, Judah, and surrounding countries, all resulting from disobeying God’s purposes, lounging in luxury gained by fraud and deceit, and ignoring the poor. May God guide me in this generation as I preach the Word, teach the Way of Jesus, and live out my calling as a shepherd.

Rev 2:1-17 (Reading from Goodspeed’s translation)
Letters from Jesus to the angels of the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum. Ephesus is commended for hard work and endurance, but chastised for not loving as they did at first. Smyrna is commended for suffering through distress, poverty, and slander, and encouraged not to be afraid, as they will receive the crown of life and not be hurt by the second death. There is no correction or chastisement for the church of Smyrna. I went to the Smyrna elementary school in second grade in Louisville, Ky. The church in Pergamum is commended for being faithful, even as Antipas was put to death among them. They are chastised for allowing the false teaching of Balaam, and the Nicolaitans in their church.

As a pastor, I have always found great comfort, wisdom, and challenge in the seven letters of Jesus to the seven churches. As a church planter in 1990 I developed a Bible study based on these seven letters which I conducted in homes from Oct – Dec in preparation for the launch of SunRise in March of 1991. As I have been invited to preach there on the 20th anniversary of that first Sunday, perhaps I should use these 7 letters as a basis for a “Letter to SunRise” modeled in this same style.

I am yours today, most Holy One. Use me as your shepherd through this day of funeral and preparation in and around the church.