The Serenity Prayer - Leftovers

Sunday we merged two of my favorite spiritual tools - the twelfth chapter of Second Corinthians and the renowned Serenity Prayer. The pair intersected at the great theme of acceptance; Paul wrestling with an intractable pain he referred to as a thorn in the flesh and the Serenity Prayer's appeal for the calmness of soul to accept those things we can not change.

The original version of the Serenity Prayer, popularized by the recovery movement, has been attributed to the twentieth century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and began circulating widely by the late 1930s. At some point an anonymous author added a section leaving the full version:

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever and ever in the next.

That, my friends, is worthy of frequent usage.

My prayer for you today is that your life will be filled with serenity, courage and wisdom. And may we all truly rest in the hand of the One Who holds the universe and Who will finally make all things well.

Peace to you,

Stan

Generosity - Sunday Leftovers

June 28th's theme was drawn from Second Corinthians, chapters eight and nine in which Paul appealed to the Christians at Corinth to be generous in a collection for their hurting brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. I could, and many have, fill a lot of pages with commentary on this incredible text. Instead, allow me to share my single, favorite verse from these highly insightful chapters.

As Paul concluded his appeal he obviously recognized the possibility that the Corinthians could feel a pressure to give that, by his estimation, would not be in anyone's best interest. So in verse seven of the ninth chapter he said, "I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving." (The Message)

I love the language and spirit of that verse. Giving is, and should be, a deeply personal thing. While we must never judge another person's giving, or lack thereof, we CAN learn a lot about ourselves by where, how and why we give of the substance of our lives. If you don't like some of the ways you feel or the patterns you see in relation to giving/generosity my best advice is to ask God for better perspective - His perspective. Inner transformation, as opposed to guilt, manipulation or glory-seeking, is the only healthy impetus for the truly generous life.

Let me leave you with the Dorothy Day quote I referenced Sunday: "Give only if you have something you must give. Give only if you are someone for whom giving is its own reward."

To the generous life,
Stan

Grace Maximized - Sunday Leftovers

I actually made it to the end of my sermon notes which is a bit of a rarity for me but I suppose that's a good thing. The only downside is it cuts into potential Leftover's content. So, in the absence of remnants, I'm left to consider what parts of the lesson I would like to have a do-over on and what I've thought of after-the-fact that I wish I would have thought of last week while preparing the sermon.

The gist of the message was the age-old theme of learning to live in the moment; to seize the day; to recognize the only place life is actually lived is in the present. At the present, I am sitting in a midnight showing of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, with Stan Jr and I am multi-tasking which might not be the most effective way of fulfilling the aforementioned goal.

So... I will cease and desist and get back to, what promises to be, a rip-roaring conclusion to this movie. And my best "leftover" advice is - avoid multi-tasking if you can and don't miss the gift of every moment.

Stan

Soul to soul - Sunday Leftovers

This past Sunday's sermon was chiefly focused on the sixteenth verse of Romans eight which, in the New Living Translation, reads, "For His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children."

Some translations of the Bible render that verse, "God's Spirit bears witness with our spirit..." Personally, I like the NLT's rendering the best, "His Holy Spirit speaks deep in our hearts..." From either, though, the point is clear - God longs to communicate with us, and does so at a deep level alternately referred to as our spirit or the depth of our heart.

In connection with this, I strongly believe that humans possess a sixth sense beyond the five physical senses, and with this additional sense we are able to communicate with God. The Bible refers to it as faith - a deep conviction or confidence that something is so. I also believe that the part of us that Paul called "spirit" or "deep in our heart" is the seat of that sense.

One other thing that I believe in regard to this subject is that God communicates with each of us in ways specific to our personality or nature. While we all share the common need and desire to intimately connect with God, the ways we make that connection are as varied as we. Thankfully, God loves us enough to learn a whole lot of love-languages.

The book of Acts is a compelling book which makes the above point abundantly clear. It records in vivid detail the first three decades of the Christian church's life. In it there are multiple accounts of the Spirit of God engaging individuals and/or multitudes. While some commonalities are discernible, the clearer point is the amazing differences in the many stories. Again and again, God profoundly connected with His early followers. Again and again, He did so in distinct ways; ways that no doubt were His gracious accommodation to the distinctiveness of those He was connecting with.

My encouragement this past Sunday was for all of us to ask God to sensitize us in regards to His ''voice'' and to help us be more aware and in touch with that place called "deep in our heart." My encouragement today is don't stress about this; instead, relax, pray the prayer sincerely and then leave the welcome mat out and your heart's front door unlocked. As Frederick Buechner said, "If you pray for anything other than God, you may or may not get it, but if you pray for God, you will always receive what you pray for."

Stan

Pentecost Sunday Leftovers

Sunday we celebrated the birthday of the Christian Church, a day we call Pentecost. Some two millennia ago and just seven weeks after Christ's resurrection, the New Covenant began with God ''pouring'' Himself out on a group of 120 Christ-followers. The book of Acts, which is a cursory overview of the church's first thirty years, begins with this story and continues the refrain of God powerfully moving in the lives of countless people from Jerusalem to Rome.

Before the monumental day of the Church's birth, the biblical story seems to indicate that God was not as universally accessible to the human family as He became post Pentecost. We could spend a lot of time and space speculating why this was the case, and, frankly, that's not an unprofitable conversation. For this e-reflection, though, I am satisfied to focus on the reality as we now enjoy it; the good news that every man, woman, boy and girl has the capacity to directly experience God.

By ''experience God'' I mean, we directly communicate with, are empowered by and sense the nearness of the Creator of all things. In other words, our relationship with the Divine is an intimate one, marked by mutual concern, listening and direction. This reality of God's nearness is what the New Testament text refers to variously as the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ or simply the Spirit. All of these monikers employ the idea of spirit which in the ancient world simply meant the deepest essence of a person. To encounter the Holy Spirit is to encounter God unmitigated by any mediation.

Jesus did not say God has a spirit rather God is a Spirit (John 4:24). In other words there are no secondary or superficial parts of God. Later, the Apostle Paul said that the Spirit of God communicates directly with our spirit (Romans 8:16). All of this is simply another way of describing the Edenic relationship when God met with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. That closeness has always been God's desire and is a reality we simply need to recognize and enjoy.

May you be filled with, baptized in, and fallen upon by the Holy Spirit even today. If that sounds too ethereal, then may you sense the nearness of God in your life right now and always.

Personal Evangelism - Sunday Leftovers

Our lesson this past Sunday centered on the matter of sharing our faith with others. I concluded the sermon by offering you, what I believe are two vital characteristics of the person who is effective at this process. The first trait perhaps is the most indispensable and that is that we must care for people. The deeper that care, the more effective we will be in engaging people in spiritual conversation. The second came more in the form of a tip and that was to wake up every day and pray that God will help you cross paths with someone who is in need of His Good News. More appropriately said, pray that God will heighten your awareness so that you will be ready when you do cross paths with that person. It is highly likely that we are intersecting the lives of these people on a daily basis already.

I had five more of these traits/tips to share Sunday but, as it typically goes, I had more sermon than time. Let me list those five additional insights for you now.

1) Earn the right to speak of spiritual things.

Matters like faith, God and spirituality are intimate in nature. To get to them effectively it is only reasonable that you would have to gain the respect of the other through investments of time and concern. Why should someone be convinced that I care about their eternal life if I don't show concern for their temporal one?

2) Respect their journey thus far.

Listen to them. See and validate their spiritual process up to this point. Surely God has been interacting with them before you came into their life.

3) Tell them your story.

Jesus/God is not a doctrine; He is a living experience. There is nothing more compelling than a true story.

4) Be open for God's guidance.

Obviously, this is true in every area of our lives but no where more so than in this, potentially, sensitive area. Surely if God loves people and we are willing to be used by God, He will impress us in ways to be effective in these interactions.

5) Trust God.

Be confident that God is involved in this holy process. He loves even more than you do. The Apostle Paul taught that one plants the seed, another waters it but it is God who gives the increase. We aren't called to do anything more than come alongside people in their journey by hearing their story and sharing ours. God does the rest.

I know these are very basic and I'm sure you already knew them but that's a good thing. It reminds us that this process does not demand a degree or professional status. The truth is, with these simple elements in tow, willingness is the greatest part.

I hope you’re willing today.