narciejeter

Campus Ministry, Duke speedo Guy, Grace, Holy Spirit, Sermon

The Invisible 12th

Posted on November 23, 2013November 23, 2013 by narciejeter

We’ve reached the end of our sermon series on Len Sweet’s 11 indispensable relationships that you can’t be without and I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. It’s certainly challenged me as I’ve prepared these sermons. My prayer is that you can realize the profound impact your web of community has on your past, present and future and you can search out those relationships that will help you to grow stronger, speak truth over your life, or give you a good kick in the pants. Nathan – your editor, Jonathan – your true friend, Jethro – your butt kicker, Barnabas – your encourager, and Deborah – your back coverer. These relationships come in many different forms and it’s not supposed to be a checklist where you say, “Oh, I have a one of those – a Nathan, someone who both comforts and convicts me, so I don’t need another one.” Although, I’m not sure you would want another Nathan. Likewise, some of us seriously don’t have that many close friendships. Introverts breathe a sigh of relief. There’s nothing wrong with friends or colleagues or mentors playing multiple roles. I’ve agreed with Sweet’s basic premise but I have to admit to taking some poetic license every once and a while.

So this chapter is called “The Invisible 12^th: You Need the Paraclete.” Josh mentioned the paraclete in his sermon on Barnabas because part of its definition is encourager. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary simply defines paraclete as Holy Spirit. Helpful, I know. Paraclete comes from the Greek word that can signify “one who consoles or comforts, one who encourages or uplifts and/or who intercedes on our behalf as an advocate in court.” In the Greek New Testament the word appears most prominently in the Gospel of John where it’s used as counselor, helper, encourager, advocate or comforter. There are two examples I’ll use here, both in John 14.

JOHN 14:15-17 –

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be inyou.”

What words jump out at you? Advocate, forever, Spirit of truth, abide, and the claim that the Holy Spirit is in us.

JOHN 14:25-27 –

“I have said these things to you while I am still with you.But the Advocate,the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

Sweet begins this chapter with these words, “Sometimes – Jethros fail. Sometimes – Yodas are no-shows. Sometimes – Jonathans turn into Judases. Sometimes – Deborahs fall asleep. Your VIP’s turn into duds.” That’s when we have another promise, “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” [Ps 121:4] God works the late shift. God always has your back. And every other part of your being as well.

Las Vegas statisticians set the spread of points between the winners and losers in football. And all sports. And they even had a bet when the royal baby would be due. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that big money flows in and out of Vegas for college football games. This may be something you didn’t know, but they always give the home team a three point advantage just because they’re playing at home. There’s nothing like the energy of the home crowd. I had written this sermon prior to the game and what struck me was how many fans sat through to the bitter end. “In all kinds of weather, we all stick together.”

Texas A&M might have first come up with the 12^th man concept, but every team has EMBRACED it. So I triple-checked with Mike before explaining this because I wanted to make sure I got it right. The 12th man or 12th player is a term for the fans within a stadium during football games. As most football leagues allow a maximum of eleven players per team on the playing field at a time, referring to a team’s fans as the 12th man implies that they have a potentially helpful role in the game. The presence of fans can have a profound impact on how the teams perform and an element in the home advantage. Namely, the home team fans often create loud sounds or chants in hopes of distracting, demoralizing and confusing the opposing team while they have possession of the ball; or to persuade a referee to make a favorable decision. It’s like the commercial that says we’ll never know if somehow in some way we can affect the outcome of the game

or the Duke speedo guy that made North Carolina’s Jackie Manuel miss two free throws back in 2003

And little known fact, the speedo guy became a pastor. We never know the affect the crowd, that 12^th man on the field, will have. That mysterious, invisible 12^th is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit never fails to appear.

The Holy Spirit is more than a voice from the great beyond a la Obi Wan Kenobi telling Luke Skywalker to trust in the force. The Holy Spirit doesn’t get much fanfare or a theme song, unless you count the cacophony of voices that day on Pentecost. “The Holy Spirit is our garment of protection, our armor of light, our spiritual bodyguard and our battle companion.”

My dad is bald. There’s no other way to say it. I have very few memories of him with hair. He jokes, “They don’t put marble tops on cheap furniture,” but I’ve heard that joke tens of thousands of times. So our family has an assortment of throw blankets or afgans or comforters, all throughout the house because my mom is hot-natured and my dad will be wrapped up in a blanket with a ski cap on top of his head and thick socks on his feet year round. It’s ridiculous. But now I do it too. You’ll find me in the evenings with a blanket on year round. I don’t know why I do it. Maybe it’s the fact that I married someone warm blooded as well. But there’s something comforting about it.

Do any of your churches back home knit prayer shawls? I’ve gotten my fair share of them with both of my surgeries. This is what Indian River City United Methodist Church in Titusville, Florida sent me. With it was a card, and the card reads. “Dear Lord, please bless this prayer shawl. Please comfort the recipient and hold her close. Let her know that the stitches of this shawl were made with loving hands to reach to her heart and bring her peace. As this shawl lies close to her, let her feel the prayers and love that have been knit into it. Let her know that, even in the middle of the darkest night, she is not alone. Let her feel Your constant promise that, no matter what travail she must face, You are beside her. Lord, may Your grace be upon this shawl, warming, comforting, enfolding, and embracing. May this mantle be a safe haven…a sacred place of security and well-being, sustaining and embracing in good times, as well as difficult ones. May the one receiving this shawl be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace, and wrapped in Your love always. In Jesus precious name, Amen.”

I think of the Holy Spirit in that way. Wrapped around us tight, going with us into life’s conflicts protecting not only our backs, but also our sides, our fronts, our insides, our whole being! Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.” And these words from Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” People on the front lines of battle, when you’re feeling attacked from all sides, and you’re fighting with your roommates, struggling in your classes, and don’t know what way is up or down – you need the Holy Spirit to intervene on your behalf. In Romans 8:26-28 it says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purpose.”

The Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead. God is 3 in 1 – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. God is our chief advocate, who makes a way when there’s none, who braces us for impact, who goes with us. A group traveled to Anna’s dad’s and Kelly and Kenneth’s uncle’s funeral this past week. His name was Scott Swygert and he lived life to the fullest, squeezing out every moment. Countless stories were told by friends and family about his tremendous impact, so much so, it was clear that he exemplified all that it means to be a Christian. Rev. David McEntire concluded the service by reading this passage of scripture. Also from Romans, chapter 8:31-39, where it starts off with the question, “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Not changes of majors, not knowing what we want to do when we grow up, not parent’s expectations, not a broken relationship, not a complete failure, not asking for a do over, not even Gator Wesley “drama.” Nothing can separate us from the love of God. So if we truly believe that, how would we live our lives differently? If we truly believe the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives and in this ministry blowing where it will, igniting and enlivening, fanning the flame and equally putting out fires, how would we live our lives differently both as a community and individually?

We would take GRACE seriously. Such a good Methodist answer. And not just grace for ourselves, but for others. In God’s prevenient grace, God draws us to God’s self. God’s prevenient grace is available to all. And all means all. In God’s justifying grace, we realize that this gift of Jesus sacrifice on the cross was for each of us. It’s nothing we earned for good behavior. It’s only through the grace of God. In sanctifying grace, God does not leave us where we are, it’s a lifelong journey of growing and stretching and seeking to be more and more like Christ. You may have noticed that I also mentioned grace for others. Ie. Matthew 7:3, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” If we always see ourselves as the exception to the rule or think that we have it all figured out, while we judge others’ commitments, looking down our noses at them in judgment – we DON’T take God’s grace seriously. That’s not very grace-filled. As Macklemore says, “Those words aren’t anointed.”

That’s the thing about the Holy Spirit, you can’t control, you can’t contain – because the Holy Spirit won’t be boxed in. The Holy Spirit has the dual roles of being great sustainer and comforter, working to guide and lead us, as well as convicting us when we need it and often don’t want to hear it.

May the Spirit

Bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half-truths, and

Superficial relationships so that

You will live deep in your heart.

May the Spirit

Bless you with anger

At injustice and oppression,

And exploitation of people and the earth

So that you will work for Justice, equity and peace.

May the Spirit

Bless you with tears to shed

For those who suffer

So that you will

Reach out your hand

To comfort them.

And may the Spirit

Bless you with the foolishness

To think you can make a difference

In the world,

So you will do the things

Which others say cannot be done.

Amen.

Holy Spirit, please comfort us now, with your healing and perfect peace that transcends all understanding. Holy Spirit, please work within our lives, giving us the tenacity to discern in our personal relationship with you. Holy Spirit, we ask that you guide and lead us in all that we do, as individuals and as a community. And you spread forth your love and grace, that all may see and know your truth, your power, your redeeming love. We boldly pray all these things in your name and we join Christians all over the world with the prayer you taught us to pray saying,

All Saints Day, Campus Ministry, Lazarus, Lydia, Ministry with*, Mother Teresa, poor, Rich, Sermon

Lydia and Lazarus – Are you a better giver or receiver???

Posted on November 3, 2013November 3, 2013 by narciejeter

We’re going to be looking at the Biblical characters of Lydia and Lazarus, but as we prepare our hearts and feet to be in action for National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week, that Gator Wesley will be hosting, I thought I would begin with this video that shows the ever-widening divide between rich and poor.

These are some pretty eye-opening statistics. But I invite you to not let the research/fact part of your brain take over urging you to gloss over the information downloaded. As an African proverb says, “Statistics are numbers without tears.” In other words, we can tune out or trick our brain into thinking that these are not real people. Real struggle. Real challenge. Real hunger.

The actual title of this chapter is “Who Are Your VIPs? You Need a Lydia and Lazarus, Rich and Poor.” So the author of the book, Len Sweet, is setting up a dichotomy between Lydia, who represents the rich and Lazarus, who represents the poor. I will read the passage where we meet Lydia for the first time. It’s in the book of Acts, when the early church is first forming.

Acts 16:11-15

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Conversion of Lydia

¹¹We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, ¹²and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. ¹³On the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.

Lydia is found in the Bible only in two places both of which are in Acts. When it says that she was a dealer in purple cloth that was a signal to readers that she was wealthy because purple cloth was expensive so it was a sign of nobility or royalty. Her husband is not mentioned anywhere in the passage, but it says she and her household were baptized, which most likely would have included her children and servants. She offered hospitality in her home to Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke.

Let’s flip to Lazarus. First off, it’s not THAT Lazarus. It’s the only parable that Jesus ever told where he gives the main character a name. Lazarus is Hebrew for “God helps.” He gives all of the characters names except for the rich man.

Luke 16:19-31

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. ²²The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ ²⁵But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ ²⁷He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ ³⁰He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

These texts have been playing in my head all week as I’ve prepared for this sermon and this is my main take away. We often receive from people we would think or assume have nothing to offer us. We often receive from people we would think or assume have nothing to offer us. Is it easier for you to be the giver (like Lydia and her patronage providing for the ministry of the early church) or the receiver (like Lazarus who depended on the alms of passersby and who only had dogs to lick his wounds)? We’ve all heard the saying that it is more blessed to give than to receive. But, and I’m speaking for myself here, it is much more difficult for ME to receive. I love giving gifts and being generous with my friends and family. My default position is to be a giver and I rarely can wait for Christmas or a birthday to give gifts to those that I love. Mike and the kids get Christmas or birthday presents all year long. My love language is gift giving. But something about receiving gifts makes me uncomfortable. I know it sounds silly, but I care so much getting right the appropriate reaction to show my appreciation to the giver, that I often wait and open the gift or the card in private. And that’s not fair to the giver. I’m robbing them of the joy of giving by hiding out so they can’t see my actual receiving. Have you ever noticed that when you take the love languages quiz that it only asks how you SHOW your love language? But it doesn’t take into account how you want to BE loved? Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, Physical Touch. What’s your love language? Is it easier for you to give than receive?

Jesus was a good receiver. Have you noticed that he was never in the role of host and he was comfortable in that? He was always the guest. That convicts me. Because it so hard to be placed on the side of invitee rather than the one doing the inviting. It gives up a certain amount of control and makes you vulnerable. In Atlanta this past week, we had the opportunity to hear Barbara Brown Taylor, one of the most respected preachers of her generation, on the virtues that shape her preaching life. She told us that research has shown the believability factor is central to you being considered a “good” preacher. That was broken down to the visual factor, the vocal factor and the content. The statistics may surprise you. It did me. The visual factor made up 55% of the votes, the vocal factor 38%, and the content of what you’re actually saying only made up 7%. She posited that it had less to do with what the preacher says but how a preacher lives. How the things match up, the authenticity, the integrity. She gave us her three virtues: reverence, courage, and self-forgetfulness. She then challenged us to come up with our own virtues. Mine was vulnerability. And that surprised me. That was the first thing that came to mind in this season of life. I’m challenged to be vulnerable each Sunday and Wednesday as I preach, lead the communion liturgy, pray out loud, and give the benediction, because I don’t know if the words are going to come out or not and that has shaped who I am. For those that don’t know I had brain surgery in May and I lost my ability to speak but it’s slowly coming back. I’ve appreciated SO much the grace in which y’all’ve walked this journey with me. I know if you asked me a year ago what my virtue would have been I would NOT have answered vulnerability. Sometimes we need to be brought down low, to fully trust in and rely on God and the community around us. Sometimes the “rich” need to get the fuller picture of what God has to offer them instead of relying on their own strength, their own wealth, or their own power.

We must remember the words of Mother Teresa in A Simple Path, “The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty — it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.” In many ways, the rich are spiritually more vulnerable than the poor because they’ve not HAD to rely on God.

Have you ever been on a mission trip where you thought you were going to serve “the poor people,” and you realized at the end of the trip that God had given you abundantly more through the people you were supposedly “serving” than you gave in return? I’ve had countless experiences like that. Through Salkehatchie, a work camp that we have back in South Caroling, on mission trips, in the summers I spent working at the Cooperative Ministry, a one-stop service center for the homeless that provided clothes, food, counseling, and cars to the needy. I’m sure many of you can think of a similar time in your own faith journey. If not, I would encourage you to go on our domestic spring break option or our international option. It has the potential to be life changing.

But, the disparity in our world should not just be a thing that we do on a mission trip. It’s building relationships that cross socio-economic barriers ALL THE TIME. Sweet writes, “It’s one thing to have a heart for the poor. It is another to use their bathroom.” Let me repeat that. “It’s one thing to have a heart for the poor. It is another to use their bathroom.” I couldn’t be blunter than that. We should be in ministry WITH the poor.

We all come at the Communion table as one. “In the early church, the agape feast followed by Communion (the Eucharist) was a “family reunion” where the rich and the poor shared food and fellowship together without regard to class distinctions and social status.” And on this All Saints Sunday we remember those that have gone before, the communion of the saints, and gather with them at the table as well. Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day – all are examples of saints who have gone on before but those whose lives we should emulate. May we live out our faith in word and deed, may we be in ministry with not in ministry to, may we humble ourselves and in our vulnerability may God teach us and mold us and shape us to fully rely on God.

Campus Ministry, Communion, God's love, Jesus, Revelation, Sermons, Song, Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus – You Need a Reject but we’re ALL Rejects

Posted on October 27, 2013October 27, 2013 by narciejeter

Today, we’re talking about Zacchaeus and this particular chapter of Len Sweet’s 11 indispensable relationships you can’t be without, our sermon series this Fall, asks the question – “Who’s Your Zacchaeus? You Need a Reject.”

Did you ever climb trees as a kid? We had a magnolia tree in a neighbor’s backyard that was perfect for climbing. If you know anything about magnolia trees, their branches are close together, which makes it an easy tree to climb. We spent many afternoon of my childhood climbing trees. That’s why the story of Zacchaeus has always fascinated me.

Not to mention the song we learned in Sunday school, “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see. Jesus said, “You come down for I’m coming to your house today, for I’m going to your house today.” I can’t believe after all these years I still remember that. Which leads us to our scripture reading for today…

Luke 19:1-10

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Jesus and Zacchaeus

19 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. ²A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. ⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. ⁷All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” ⁸Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” ⁹Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Sweet says, “One of the oddest people Jesus ever befriended was a short, wealthy, self-made entrepreneur named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector which made him one of the most hated people. Have you ever heard people say nice things about the IRS? And Biblical tax collectors were even worse. If there were pictures with definitions of words, he would be the one with the caption “ostracized.” Are you surprised that Jesus decided to go over to his place for lunch? Not at all. Jesus was at home with social outcasts, lepers, women of ill repute, AND the chief tax collector. Jesus didn’t care much for the hyper religious or the wealthy. So this was not out of the norm for Jesus. But have you noticed that it always disturbs/upsets the crowd. They are surprised every time. What company do we keep? Would the crowd be surprised with whom we hang out?

Most of the characters within the series have something to give us – Jethro – the butt kicker, Jonathan – the true friend, Deborah – the back coverer. But Zacchaeus is different than these. It all begins with fully seeing Zacchaeus for what he is, and inviting him down from the tree. If we let them, the Zacchaeus’ of our lives help to illuminate our own need for grace. Because we’re all in fact a little bit messed up. Not one of us is perfect. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All of us are walking and talking “steaming cauldrons of moral failures and ambiguities.”

Zacchaeus doesn’t need to be told he’s a sinner. Society’s already made that clear. He doesn’t need people to tell him he’s an outcast. He already feels it. Most people know that the Inuit have a hundred words for snow. The English word sin is used to translate at least six Hebrew and seven Greek words. Soren Kierkegaard defined sin this way. “Sin is the steadfast refusal to be your one true self.” That is a very different understanding than the typical definition of sin. Evigras of Pontus’ understanding of sin is that sin is a “forgetfulness of God’s goodness.” Hmmm…Jesus actively sought out sinners and made room at the table for them, maybe he was searching them out reminding them of God’s love specifically for them.

Jesus didn’t seem to mind that he was getting a “reputation” for hanging out with tax collectors and prostitutes. Everyone that he encountered, he saw as a person in need of God’s love.

There are no outsiders because no one is out of the reach of the love of God. Nothing can separate us from it, actually. Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jesus taught us to see others not as “others” but as “one of us” as “oneanothers.” So y’all don’t know about my LOST obsession. Scores of students were subjected to this madness as sermon illustrations poured forth each week for years and years. They had the ability to weave their way into my sermons. Josh alluded to it on our Fall Retreat but you’re about to see a clip of Jack’s live together, die alone speech.

I imagine Jesus would have given a similar speech and he would be befriending con man Sawyer and criminal Kate. What made LOST special was that it delved into the messy-ness of the survivors lives. It showed in real and tangible ways the flaws of each one. Characters were never pure evil or purely good. But they were REAL. And you pulled for their redemption.

This episode ended the first season. And it was here that a motley crew of people triumphed. A community. Michael and his son Walt, and their complicated relationship of abandonment and reunion. Jin and his wife Sun – their evolution as characters from Jin working for Sun’s father to their estrangement and to their eventual homecoming. The reason that LOST worked so well for those who watched it and dare I say were obsessed with it, was because you bought into the characters’ stories, and you saw a little bit of yourself in each of them. It helped to have a full orchestra that performed each score – conveying emotions!

We have quite a few “characters” in our lives. People that are either larger than life or a bit peculiar or a bit “off” or those that march to the beat of a different drummer. What “characters” do we have at Gator Wesley?

Often we have to find the Zacchaeus’ of our lives. Sweet writes, “We have tried to “live in” rather than “live out” the gospel. It is time for Christians to “Get out more,” to try alfresco forms of faith and community. The Christian church is too “in here” and not enough “out there.” Late fourth century philosopher Caius Marius Victorinus was afraid to show up in church with his pagan friends and said this about the church, “Do walls make Christians?” That’s the reason for Wesley lunches on Tuesday and Friday, Love Campaign, and leadership team discussing whether to do Evensong on the Plaza of the Americas once a month – TO GET OUT OF THE BUILDING! This outward focus is a natural part of the Christian faith. We are to be the church in the world. SO WHY ARE WE NOT OUT THERE?

In essence, moving from inward to outward is central to the revelation of Christ by the church to the world. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, called the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion an “outward sign of inward grace, and a means whereby we receive the same.”

Thus leading us to an obvious segue to Communion that we celebrate each week. But I want to make sure you get something. It bears repeating. Zacchaeus’ are obviously “out there” – the social misfits, the anarchists, the people on the fringes or outside society’s norms, BUT there’s a bit of Zacchaeus in all of us. We’re all Zacchaeus. Jesus would have come into the world for any one of us. Like the parable of the good shepherd who leaves the 99 to find the one lost sheep. All for one. So this scene from the Rise of the Guardians is a turning point. You see Pitch, the villain in the movie, has wiped out the whole world’s belief in the Guardians (Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, the Sand Man, and a new guardian Jack Frost) and only one boy is left that believes.

All for one.

I’m not saying all of those things are real, even though Enoch and Evy believe them to be, and I find it problematic that as parents were supposed to enlighten our children one day that they’re not real, however saying at the same time that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit also that they can’t tangibly see – are real? I’ll let you know how that conversation goes down. However, I know what I will say, that God will give you the evidence you need to help you believe. Like in Luke 9:24, when the man of the child that Jesus is healing says to Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Just ask. Jesus desires a personal relationship with each one of us. That’s why before we even have understanding of it, God searches us out and draws us to God’s self in God’s prevenient grace. We recognize we’re in need of God’s grace – that that grace is for us – in justifying grace. God doesn’t leave us where we are in the mire and the muck. In God’s sanctifying grace, God helps us to grow and mature as Christians. Growing in grace and growing the depth of our faith that the world may see and know that our God reigns and God’s grace is available to them. Tax Collectors. Prostitutes. You and Me. Amen.

5 Things, Breathe, Music, The City Harmonic

Spark and Mountaintop

Posted on October 23, 2013 by narciejeter

One of the Gator Wesley bands is going to be playing both of the songs that I’ve included in this post. They’re both by a band called The City Harmonic and they are called “Spark” and ‘Mountaintop” respectively and Gator Wesley hopes to book them in late January. I share these songs because I shared them both in a closing worship that I did at Duke’s Foundation of Christian Leadership, a week before my surgery. I have no clue what I said at the time. But, reflecting now, these things jump out at me so I share them with you, in no particular order.

1. Breathe – There’s nothing a few deep breaths won’t solve. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration. Have you heard people encouraging you to take deep breaths if they have just said something that they think will make you mad? The lines of “Spark” that say “When I breathe in hope/And breathe in grace and breathe in God/Then I’ll breathe out peace/And breathe out justice, breathe out love” make sense don’t they? So take a couple of deep breaths. I’m not talking about shallow breaths. I’m talking about using your diaphragm. Visualize you’re breathing in God and breathing out peace.

2. Have you heard that John Wesley said, “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.” Well, he didn’t actually say that. It makes for a great quote though, doesn’t it? If we all come together and share our “sparks” we CAN set the whole church on fire. Are you with me?

3. Our spark sometimes gets snuffed out. By life, by stress, by midterms, by tragedy, by doubt, by what we say as the very nature of God. It’s never too late to ask like the lyrics say, “Light a fire here in my heart.” If you ask God surely will answer. Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

4. Have you ever had a “mountaintop” experience? I like that the song talks about “The valley low, that’s where we make our homes” and God is present in that valley low. I love the line, “He’s here, I feel it in my bones, our God.” So God is WALKING WITH US EACH STEP OF THE WAY.

5. I like the image of no matter what walls or temples we can build, we can’t hold God in. That’s so powerful. So many times we try to put God in boxes of our own making, but God leaks out and CANNOT be CONTAINED. No matter what. God cannot be contained, no matter how the world defines God (“they”) or how we define God (“we”).

What jumps out at you in regard to the two songs? You may have noticed that music plays a significant role in my faith walk. What are the songs that have shaped your faith?

Bible Stories, Esther, Our Story

The Story of Esther

Posted on October 19, 2013October 19, 2013 by narciejeter

So we’re sticking with our theme of stories – those of Biblical characters and stories from our community. I would like to tell you the story of Esther. It begins with a party lasting for seven days. In Esther chapter 1: 8-9 it reads, “Drinking was by flagons, without restraint; for the king had given orders to all the officials of his palace to do as each one desired. Furthermore, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the palace of King Ahasuerus.” Can you imagine a party lasting for seven days? It would be like Mardi Gras to the extreme. Or if you saw the movie version of The Great Gatsby or even previews, it would be like morning never comes. The party never ends. On the seventh day, the King, who was in “high spirits” from wine orders Queen Vashti to make an appearance so they can behold her beauty, she’s his centerpiece after all. But Queen Vashti refuses to come. The text doesn’t say why she didn’t come. Maybe she didn’t feel like it, maybe she was sleeping and she didn’t want to be rudely woken up by a summons from the king, maybe she thought ‘I’m the Queen,’ how dare the King request me. We’re not sure. As the eunuchs give the Queen’s response to the King, he was furious. Angry at her refusal to obey, the King asked his wise men what should be done. One of them said it would set a bad precedent. Esther 1:16-17, “Not only has Queen Vashti done wrong to the king, but also to all the officials and all the provinces. For this deed of the queen will be made known to all women, causing them to look with contempt on their husbands.” So Queen Vashti got deposed and at the end of chapter 1 the King sent letters to all the royal provinces, in their own language, “declaring that every man should be master in his own house.” It begs the question, was he that threatened? That’s neither here nor there.

Okay so how did Esther arrive on the scene? While the king was having second thoughts for having Vashti banned, his servants encouraged him to gather “beautiful young virgins” from every province in the kingdom and let “cosmetic treatments be given them. And let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” The king thought this was a very good idea.

I feel like at some points I’m telling a fairy tale here. Esther was the most beautiful, fairest in the land. There was a Jewish man named Mordecai, and he had brought up Esther as his own daughter because she was an orphan. And so of course, she ended up with the king. I’m skipping several plot points here – the twelve month beautification in the king’s harem Esther underwent and the king actually choosing her. I feel like I’m telling the plot of Pretty Woman at this point. Anyway, the king made her queen instead of Vashti and gave a banquet in Esther’s honor.

And they lived happily ever after?

They may not if Evy had had her way. The fam had all piled on top of the bed before the kids had to go to swimming and Evy was playing Barbies. Apparently Ariel was married to Prince Charming, but he was dancing with Cinderella. She had Prince Charming and Cinderella and I was Ariel, and I was to break them up from dancing. Random. The girl has an extensive imagination.

Back to the story, what happens after happily after? Things get real.

Shortly thereafter, when Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gates, he overheard two of the king’s officers plotting to assassinate the king. Mordecai let Esther know, and she warned the king about it. Mordecai was given credit for unfurling the plot and the two treasonous guards were hung on the gallows.

Now you should be hearing villainous music and lots of bass and minor notes because I’m about to introduce the character of Haman. It says the king “advanced him and set his seat above all the officials who were with him. All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down.” But Mordecai refused, because he was a Jew, who would bow to no one except God. This made Haman very angry and he along with his wife and his advisors plotted against the Jews making a plan to exterminate the Jews from the Persian empire. Haman uses his influence on the king and makes the king a pawn in his chess game against Mordecai, saying the Jews don’t keep the same laws. So the king agrees. Esther 3:13, “Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces, giving orders to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.”

When Mordecai learns this he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. When Esther finds about this she is obviously distressed because she is a Jew and from the beginning Mordecai told her to be silent about her heritage in the palace. Mordecai sends this reply to Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzVR09ujdDc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxNrhJJlnk4

What ensues is some palace intrigue.

Esther was not permitted to see the king unless he had asked for her otherwise she could be put to death. And she had not been called in to see the king in 30 days, so she, her maid-servants, and all of the Jews of Persia fasted earnestly for three days before she built up enough courage to enter the king’s presence. When the king saw Esther, he was pleased and held out his scepter to her. He then asked Esther what she wished of him, promising to grant even up to half his kingdom should she ask. Esther requested a banquet with the king and Haman. During the banquet, she requested another banquet with the king and Haman the following day.

Cue villainous laughter, Haman was already ordering gallows to be constructed to hang Mordecai. At the same time, Esther 6:1 says, “On that night the king could not sleep, and he gave orders to bring the book of records, the annals, and they were read to the king” and he remembers that Mordecai had saved him from the previous assassination attempt and the king realizes he had not rewarded Mordecai.

Early the next morning, Haman came to the king to ask permission to hang Mordecai, but before he could, the king asked him “What should be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” Haman thought the king meant himself, so he said that the man should wear a royal robe and be led on one of the king’s horses through the city streets proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!” The king thought this was appropriate, and asked Haman to lead Mordecai through the streets in this way, to honor him for previously uncovering the plot against the king. After doing this, Haman rushed home, full of grief. His wife said to him, “You will surely come to ruin!”

Esther 7:1-10

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

7 ¹So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. ²On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” ³Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me—that is my petition—and the lives of my people—that is my request. ⁴For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king.”^[a] ⁵Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?” ⁶Esther said, “A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!”

Haman then pleaded with Esther to save his life. Seeing Haman on Esther’s couch begging, the king became further enraged and had him hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. The king then appointed Mordecai as his prime minister, and gave the Jews the right to defend themselves against any enemy. This precipitated a series of reprisals by the Jews against their enemies. This fight began on the 13th of Adar, the date the Jews were originally slated to be exterminated.

So it was a happy ending for God’s people. Jewish people still today celebrate Purim in remembrance of their deliverance.

So how do we relate to the story of Esther? Did God place us exactly where we are now, in this time, and in this place “for such a time as this?” How can we stand up on behalf of the marginalized in our own lives speaking truth to power? In what ways are we challenged by the story? How is Esther’s story intersecting with your life right now?

Brain Tumor, Cancer, Health, Helpless

Survival Mode

Posted on October 14, 2013 by narciejeter

I had coffee with a friend last Thursday night, and we both intentionally want the friendship to go deeper than just our kids play together, so that’s why we made it a no kid time coffee date. Two-thirds of the way through the conversation she asked me, and I’m paraphrasing here, if I had processed the surgery? I stopped before answering because I want to be honest in our burgeoning friendship, and I said no. Not entirely. That stayed with me throughout the entire weekend. I was shocked at the strong, protective feelings her initial question evoked and there was a definite shift in the conversation.

Mike and I celebrated a long overdue date night. We had received a gift card for Mark’s Prime, a fancy place in Gainesville (thanks Brittany and Brian!) and we splurged ordering appetizers, steak, and dessert. (See Mom I do make an effort to eat red meat the week before chemo!) Then we watched a movie just right for us. Saturday was spent in typical fashion, Evy talking to Mr. Sun on our way to Krispy Kreme, Enoch threatening to put Mommy and Daddy in time out if we yelled any louder at the football game. Then Sunday it was a full day at Gator Wesley.

I didn’t consciously think about my friend’s question until they started my IV for the contrast in the MRI this morning.

Then left with no phone or book or students or laundry or things that need cleaning or ways to procrastinate, I was left alone and perfectly still with my thoughts for a whole 45 minutes. I’ve had longer MRI’s, but this FELT longer. I was trying to pray. To be present. To make this time somehow “productive.” To fight off the occasional panic attack. But the question remained.

And then fast forward to the doctor’s appointment. The oncologist’s resident came in first to ask me a few questions. I was struck by two things. The first the only person to have cancer in my family was my paternal grandfather (prostate cancer). After my grandmother died of a heart attack, the results came back the next day that she had leukemia. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that we don’t have our fair share of health problems, diabetes to the extreme on Dad’s side and cholesterol and extreme heart disease on my mom’s. But growing up, cancer was never something we worried about. My grandfather was given 6 months to live when Dad was a little boy and then he lived until I was a junior in college.

The second was how different this recovery was to my first surgery. They were DRAMATICALLY different. In 2010, I came out of surgery completely normal (or as normal as I could be…). The surgery in 2010 I had no deficits, except recalling some names. I woke up in ICU talking and thinking clearly, and I went back to work a week later, ready to be back. I experienced the same pre-op that I had before, but waking up in the recovery room unable to speak but fully understanding all that was happening around me and to me….(what I was experiencing was apraxia, which I define below)…and the nurse(s) wondering aloud what was wrong with me, they had never seen someone come out of brain surgery like this…and my people pleasing nature coming out for sure…me wondering how to communicate to them about my pain needs…wondering all the time if this was permanent…the doctor checking in because the nurses apparently called him…me trying to communicate with my eyes the helplessness I felt…and sobbing when I couldn’t communicate with the doctor. That’s the last time I cried in the hospital. I guess I flipped a switch. Moving into survival mode.

I was reading back through my “notes” before the MRI. Iphones have these things called “notes” that are an app where you can type directly into it. At the end of May/beginning of June this was my preferred method of conversing because it was still hard for me to speak at that time. Somehow it was easier for me to order the words if I typed them. In the midst of “notes” of song lyrics, movies to watch, quotes from speakers at the UMCMA conference, benedictions/prayers that I had to type up to say them, notes from our staff retreat in NYC, was this hidden gem. May 24, 2013, exactly two weeks after the surgery, I typed, “The quickness with which I speak comes back?” I imagine this was thrust in the face of Mike at some point, as I gathered the courage for days to ask that question.

I ended the work day with a meeting of a newly formed clergywomen’s covenant group. I could barely articulate to them the events of the day. They had seen the facebook post so they knew the results of the MRI. A fellow clergywoman, I had not met before today, at the end of our conversation, called me a beautiful person and I answered honestly that I don’t feel that way now. I repeated my answer, but I was unable to add or articulate the words that would disguise my bruised soul. So it was left hanging out there.

So on my way I called Mike debating if I should go home or back to Wesley before freshman small group. And he said that he had been feeling the same way. He didn’t understand it either. He said he had walked around the neighborhood with the kids and that made him feel better, to get out the excess energy. And he encouraged me to do a blog, because that’s the way I process. Why are we not feeling relief/excitement/joy at the good news of the MRI results? I don’t know. Maybe we never turned off survival mode. Maybe during “recovery” we never quite recovered. Maybe it takes time. My mom texted me tonight, “Ask Jesus to show you where he was” in the post-op. And that may lead to an entirely different blog post.

I’m glad for the friend who asked the question. Because she, without her knowing, set me off on a journey towards healing….

*** Apraxia (from Greek praxis, an act, work, or deed[1]) is characterized by loss of the ability to execute or carry out learned purposeful movements,[2] despite having the desire and the physical ability to perform the movements. It is a disorder of motor planning, which may be acquired or developmental, but is not caused by incoordination, sensory loss, or failure to comprehend simple commands (which can be tested by asking the person to recognize the correct movement from a series). It is caused by damage to specific areas of the cerebrum.

Health, Natalie Grant, Tumor

Hurricane

Posted on October 13, 2013 by narciejeter

I have my first MRI post-surgery tomorrow at 9 am. The doctor is going to read it at our appointment at 1 pm. I’m not expecting that the tumor will grow back overnight. Not by any means. And I’m sure the doctor’s visit will be anticlimactic – but only in a GREAT, AWESOME, GOD way.

This song “Hurricane” by Natalie Grant has really struck me lately.

Back Coverer, Campus Ministry, Deborah, Grey's Anatomy, I've got your back, Sermons

Deborah – Who’s got your back?

Posted on October 13, 2013October 13, 2013 by narciejeter

Who’s got your back? That’s your Deborah. Urban dictionary defines the words “got your back” these two ways. The first way, is an expression assuring someone that you are watching out for them. It comes from making sure you are safe by watching what’s behind you, when you’re busy looking ahead. Example: I don’t know about this. Don’t trip, son. I GOT YOUR BACK. The second way is when your friend, colleague, cheerleader, or someone of a close affinity is by your side (either figuratively or literally) making sure that you make it through the troublesome, difficult, or tedious times or predicaments you are currently in. Urban dictionary used Craig and Arianna of Saturday Night Live fame, in their example. Craig says, “Oh, Arianna, are you ok?” Arianna answers back, “I just can’t get this cheer down. I don’t think I’ll be able to do the perfect cheer.” Craig responds, “You can do it! I know you can! I got your back.”

Urban dictionary is quick to note that it can be converted to a threat, “Watch your back,” from the possibility someone might injure or kill you from behind when you aren’t looking. They protect you from getting stabbed in the back.

Have you ever called someone your guardian angel? They seem to protect you from outside forces – like a friend’s betrayal. Or missing that student loan payment. Or if you don’t know when you will get your next meal, and you’ve eaten your last left-over and everything else in the cabinet, a Deborah’s already got you covered. Or if it’s something internally you’re struggling with, for example, who you are after x, y, z situation (break up, loss of job, change of major, maybe you’re struggling with even staying in school, a death in the family, grief at life). Maybe you’re questioning your faith, how much of a difference you’re making, or you’re experiencing a dry season in your relationship with God. Maybe you need to get back on track spiritually and you need someone to ask you the hard questions and not let you off the hook until you answer them. That’s your Deborah.

Author of the book we’re studying this semester, 11 indispensable relationships you can’t be without, Len Sweet says, “Everyone who has made a dent or a difference for God in history has had ‘protectors’ – people who have said to them, “I’ve got your back!”

I would take it a step further. Everyone – all people – need protectors. You need someone to have your back if you are going to realize your dreams and push forward when those that seek to tear you down are increasing in number. Likewise you need someone to protect you when the doubts pile up inside your head.

So who was Deborah and what did she do that was so special?

Judges 4:4-10

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

⁴At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. ⁵She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment.⁶She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. ⁷I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’” ⁸Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” ⁹And she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. ¹⁰Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him.

So what do we know about Deborah? She was a prophetess our text says. She was the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and she was the only female judge. The Bible tells us nothing of her family except who her husband was. In the history of Israel, only three people combined the offices of prophet, judge and military leader: Moses, Samuel, and Deborah. Deborah was one of the early judges of Israel. The judges were charismatic leaders who by their wisdom oversaw the simple and rather disorganized government of Israel during the first couple of centuries of its existence. One of the greatest contributions of the early judges was their ability to stir up a sense of national unity and great loyalty to the rule of Yahweh among a fiercely independent and generally ignorant people, who had not long before been Egyptian slaves.

What exactly is happening in the scripture passage that I just read? Deborah summons the general Barak to give him an oracle from God ie. a message from God. She tells him to bring 10,ooo men from two tribes of Israel, and she will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army. Barak answers her that he’ll only go if she goes with him – if she’ll cover his back.

Barak’s request of the presence of Deborah has given interpreters and commentators headaches for years. Some see Barak here as cowardly, afraid, and distrusting of God. Other interpreters see Barak’s request as a gracious and insistent invitation to Deborah as God’s prophet to join him so that she might bless the military expedition and share in the glory of the Lord’s victory over the Canaanites. It’s ambiguous. Either way Deborah delivered. Not a single man of Sisera’s army survived, except Sisera himself (and another strong, gutsy woman took care of Sisera, Jael drove a tent peg into his head, killing him). The narrative of what happened is told in Judges chapter 4 and the “Song of Deborah” is told in Judges chapter 5, one of the earliest examples of Hebrew poetry.

Bottom line, Barak would NOT go without Deborah.

It is certainly not true that “behind every good man is an even better woman.” That’s sexist garbage. It is true that behind anyone who has had any “success” whether personal or professional, you need someone who has your back. Or a whole community of people. That’s why in any Oscar speech people thank the one’s that got them there. Who’s in your corner. TV shows abound with this. Scandal, the workers of Olivia Pope and Associates, willing to take a fall if any of the team get hit. Once Upon a Time’s unlikely alliance busy finding Henry and begrudgingly covering each other’s backs along the way. Grey’s Anatomy – this season as the interns realized they didn’t know each other and if they were to “fall/collapse/die” they would be left alone to face it because they had not reached out and realized they didn’t know each other. If you watched it in the olden days with the original 5 – Alex, Meredith, Izzie, George, and Christina – they invented delving into drama and gossip with who was hooking up with who and they pushed people like my brother Josh away with their shenanigans but made me love them all the more because they cared about each other. It may not have been from the moment they met, but they became each other’s family, each other’s “person” as seen in this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9bFnrSp998

Your family can offer good protection. Your adopted family can offer good protection. Your friends that become like family offer good protection. Who’s got your back, is not someone who in an argument or dispute automatically sides with you. It’s much more than that. Deborah was a judge. She was fair. Your Deborah can help you see things about yourself that no one else sees. They can point out your blind spots. The areas where you’re not exercising your best judgment. They can handle your vulnerability. Your laughter. Your tears. And they can give you a good kick in the pants. And you’ll accept it, because you know they have your best interest at heart. But be discerning, don’t let just anybody give you a kick in the pants. Because people will line up for that job. People offer criticism freely. But guarding your heart and being a back coverer, it will be a shorter line.

I posted this on the “Encouragement Board” a facebook group that seeks to offer encouragement, birthdays, and prayer requests of Gator Wesley. William Arthur Ward writes, “A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.” Read those words again.

Sweet writes, “The world is full of people who like nothing better than to kill—your reputation, your spirit, your mission.” Have you ever heard of being attacked on all sides? Have you ever felt like your world is falling down all around you? If you are a right-handed quarterback – one of your most trusted allies is the left tackle on the offensive line. This is your blind side, and the best defensive linemen are put here to intimidate you and make you mess up – your success depends on your left tackle.

Deborah didn’t fight next to Barack – but she covered his back with the fire of her words, her spirit, and her courage – she was always close enough to catch Barak’s eye. Some people have a holy spirit, and the presence of that Holy Spirit in your life is enough to be a Deborah. Sometimes Deborahs fight alongside you on the front lines or they’re actively covering you in prayer from a distance. My mom is a prayer warrior. She’s on the front lines in battle over our lives every day. Mom’s not a pansy or a shrinking violet. She covers it well with her southern charm, manners, and proper etiquette – she writes thank you notes. Which is a big deal to me who never writes thank you notes. I would say she epitomizes a Deborah. She would be a really good judge. Always fair. But with a deep and abiding strength about her. Centuries ago it was the function of knights to be back-coverers for the weak and wounded. Especially in the age of chivalry, knights were the protectors of the marginalized and unarmed – the priests, the peasants, the poor, and the child in a violent world. My mom is a modern day knight of sorts. In her work as an elementary school guidance counselor she comes into contact with all sorts of things and she’s a Deborah to each of her students. And she’s a Deborah in each of her children’s lives.

Your Deborahs should point you back to God. My mom is certainly quick to ask, “Have you prayed about this?” Because she knows God is our ULTIMATE back coverer. God’s got your back 24:7:365. David wrote this Psalm after escaping from Saul. Psalm 18:1-3 “I love you, O Lord, my strength.²The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ³I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies.”

Thank you God for ALWAYS having our backs.

***The Gator Wesley worship band picked these songs to do after the sermon during communion and as our closing song, “Not for a Moment” by Meredith Andrews and “Taste of Eternity” by Bellarive, and I thought they were both pretty powerful.

Not For A Moment – Meredith Andrews

Taste of Eternity – Bellarive

Campus Ministry, paul, peter, relationships, Sermons, yoda

Yoda – Who’s Your Peter/Paul?

Posted on October 6, 2013October 6, 2013 by narciejeter

Maybe I built this up too much in my mind, but I really, really, really was looking forward to the Yoda chapter in Len Sweet’s book 11 indispensable relationships you can’t live without. To say I was disappointed when Sweet only talked about Yoda for a paragraph is an understatement. Yoda ihe says is a mentor, a guru, a coach, a spiritual teacher/director. I was discussing this in the College Room and Carly mentioned she had no idea who Yoda is so I should not assume that everyone has watched Star Wars even once, forget watching it incessantly. Enoch, my 6 year old, got both trilogies for Christmas, so I’ve watched them REPEATEDLY. He even watches the offshoots from Lego Star Wars to the Yoda Chronicles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_QcRPNfUuE

I love that clip. Because Yoda doesn’t let Luke get away with anything. And yet he clearly cares about him. R2D2 is clearly the encourager from last week’s chapter. The Master is showing the Apprentice how it’s done. Seeing is believing. Yoda says, “Always two there are, no less: a master and an apprentice.” A master pushes us to help us navigate the way that seems unattainable. A master can help us move to new levels of perception and experience. A master KNOWS us. Our limits. Our strengths. A trusted master knows when to push or prod or ask the right question.

Disney movies have rich and meaningful mentor characters. The emperor from Mulan, Phil from Hercules, Grandmother Willow from Pocahontas, Sebastian from The Little Mermaid, Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio, Merida’s mom in Brave. They clearly provide the morale compass of the story or the wise sage. Their all over pop culture as well. Morpheus to Neo in The Matrix, Mr. Miagi in the Karate Kid, Mother Superior in The Sound of Music….

Mentors often can give a reluctant protagonist a necessary push to get the plot rolling. Mentors also often personify the moral of the story in the protagonist’s story. They offer the inspiration to the protagonist to keep going when they would rather give up. They’re often the voice inside your head urging you on. Urging you forward.

Sweet actually titles this chapter, “Who’s Your Peter/Paul? You Need a Yoda.” So I’m going to read to you snapshots of each. Peter was the one that constantly stuck his foot in his mouth. He was a fisherman. He was with Jesus at the Transfiguration, the glow in the dark Jesus, where Jesus’ divinity is on full display. He was the one that walked on water with Jesus (before sinking). He was the one who denied Jesus three times. He’s the one Jesus said he would build his church upon, because Peter means rock. He was also the one who tore it up in Acts, proving that he was a changed man, preaching at Pentecost.

Acts 3:1-10

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar

3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. ²And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. ³When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. ⁴Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” ⁵And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” ⁷And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. ⁹All the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Let that simmer for a second before we launch into Paul.

Paul was the one who persecuted Christians. He was the chief persecutor of Christians. And he had an experience on Damascus Road with the Living God. He then presented himself to the early Christians and thinking he was going to violently persecute them, they fled. 14 of the 27 books of the New Testament are attributed to him so to say he was a prolific writer is an understatement.

Acts 16:25-34

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

²⁵About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.²⁶Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. ²⁷When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” ²⁹The jailer^[^a^] called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³²They spoke the word of the Lord^[^b^] to him and to all who were in his house. ³³At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. ³⁴He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Acts was nuts! There were all sorts of things going on. That’s why you hear people model their churches on Acts. I don’t entirely agree with Sweet’s simplified explanation of the difference between Peter and Paul. He says Peter was intellectually and culturally slow, but interpersonally was quick and rich, he was a hands on person when it came to relationships, it took him a while to realize the gospel was for everyone, he had a relational point of view. In contrast he says Paul was intellectually and culturally quick but interpersonally slow, he was hands off, not relational, Paul understood early on that the gospel was for all, he argumentative point of view.

I would like the opportunity to be mentored by either one! They were obviously men of God who had much to teach, and they had obviously experienced a conversion experience. Neither Peter nor Paul was afraid of a fight – but a mentor can tell you which battles are worth fighting and which ones aren’t – a lesson that both Peter and Paul had to learn.

You will be mentored by lots and lots of people in your life. I hope you will be. I pray that you will be. Because one having a mentor, means that we do not have it all figured out. You remember when Luke says to Yoda “he can’t do it” and Yoda shows him he can if he just believes….You can’t be cynical or jaded for long around a Yoda.

Sir Isaac Newton said, “IF I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Whose shoulders are you standing on?
Who do you see and say, “I want to be like them someday!”
Who sets standards to which you aspire?
What person are you seeking out to help you find your voice and be true to your own voice?
From whom are you learning when to suppress and when to express yourself?
Whose blessing do you seek?

Those are all good questions as we find our Yodas.

We must choose our Yodas carefully. Sweet writes, “There are as many kinds of ‘Yodas’ as there are heads, minds, and hearts! – don’t hitch your wagon to any single star or listen to any voice that seems to attract a following.” So be discerning in who you choose. Do you see Christ in him or her? Mentors come in all different shapes and sizes, some for only a season and some for a lifetime. We may not even know our spiritual mentors. Do you have a favorite author who’s dramatically shaped your life? Whose books you pick up at just the right time and they challenge you long after you finish reading them. Rob Bell. Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Teresa of Avila. Brennan Manning. Donald Miller. Elisabeth Elliott. Hannah Hurdard. Bob Goff. And countless others. It’s like a continued conversation when you find an author that engages you.

Sweet says we must choose our Yodas based on these three things: Humility, Honesty and Honor.

Humility. Peter objects to Jesus’ washing the disciples of feet. In John 13:7 Jesus challenges Peter back, “You do not realize now what I’m doing, but later you will understand.” The Great God of the universe humbled himself because he wanted to get in the disciples heads and make clear to his followers that you must serve. The Master wants to study WITH you, not demand you to study UNDER them. A true Yoda sees themselves as constantly learning. As Sweet says “An ideal Yoda is a One-who-knows … but a One-who-knows he/she doesn’t know it all.”

Honesty. The best Yodas will be honest enough to share their secrets with you. But they will be honest enough to tell you the truth, even to rebuke you, especially when you settle for easy answers. The best mentors let you see behind the curtain to the man underneath – a la the Wizard of Oz. They let you see through to their vulnerability. Their weakness. It’s not a façade. I appreciate people who are “real,” “authentic,” and don’t have it all figured out. Even the Yodas second guess themselves. But they push you out of that same second guessing….towards the light. Because that’s innately who they are.

Honor. To be blessed by and to bless a mentor are two of life’s richest blessings. A Yoda wants to mentor people who will honor them by demonstrating both a love of originality and a love of conformity. So you being you, is all the thanks they need. That they had influence on your life is all the thanks they need. That they see their legacy in YOU is all the thanks they need. Yodas love questions. I’m reminded of a seminary professor, Dr. Thomas Thangaraj, who asked all the right questions. He was from India so he even sounded very much like Yoda. I had the pleasure of being in his Contextual Education class and taking his Images of Christ class. And I had the nerves-inducing opportunity to preach in front of him in Chapel upon several occasions because he attended University Worship at Emory. He would find the one question we hadn’t thought of or engaged in. He was not afraid to answer our questions either. Like Yoda, he often answered a question by asking another question. He modeled the give and take between Master and Apprentice unlike any other.

Throughout this chapter I was writing in the margins the names of my mentors. My parents. Bridgette. Susan. Risher. Sara. Ms. Rhodes. A mentor’s function, according to Sweet, “is to guide and guard us into a living, dynamic relationship with God, to help us grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to help us live in a daily relationship with the divine.” With that definition, who are your mentors, your Yodas, your guides? Have you thanked them for shaping you in big and small ways? I encourage you during this week to thank your Yodas. Also, to whom are you a yoda, mentor, or guide? To whom are you going to pass the baton? Or leave your legacy?

Jesus is Lord, Music, Praise the Lord, Scripture

Praise the Lord in All Circumstances

Posted on October 3, 2013October 3, 2013 by narciejeter

For some of us we have a harder time acknowledging God in the good times but we cry out to God readily in tough times. Others of us, lean the other way – feeling like if everything’s going right in our lives we must be in tune to what God is calling us to do. I definitely find myself pulled in one direction or the other, but I remind myself of Paul’s words in Philippians and Thessalonians. In Philippians 4:11-13 it says, “Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 it says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

It reminds me of the song Praise the Lord from The City Harmonic’s just released album Heart. The lyrics and the link to the song are below.

It reminds me of the ordination question, “How do you interpret the statement “Jesus Christ is Lord?”” So I pulled out my ordination paperwork and perused the answers that I wrote in 2004 and 2007. I wrote this in 2007 as I went before the Board for my Elder’s orders, “Jesus is (past, present, and future) our Lord. He is the Lord.” I go on to write, “In confessing Jesus Christ as Lord, I am affirming that Jesus Christ won the ultimate victory over sin and death. Nothing in creation can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer.”

I like the images of seeming contradiction of being on top of the world and the world on your shoulders.

So what do you think? Is it easier for us to see God at work in the good times or the bad? Do we feel closer to God in our turning towards God after we’ve been through things? Is it easy to see God at work in our lives? Or a challenge at times? No matter where you find yourself on your journey, I hope you will wrestle with these questions. And that God will give you real, tangible signs that help you to praise the Lord!

The City Harmonic – Praise the Lord

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50e4vTAexMM

Praise the Lord when it comes out easy
Praise the Lord on top of the world
Praise the Lord ‘cause in every moment Jesus Christ is Lord
Even in the middle of the joys of life
There is always grace enough today to
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord
Won’t you praise the Lord?
Praise the Lord with the world on your shoulders
Praise the Lord when it seems too hard
Praise the Lord ‘cause in every moment Jesus Christ is Lord
Even in the middle of the long, dark night
There is always grace enough today to
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord
Won’t you praise the Lord?
Praise the Lord if you can sing it at the top of your lungs
Praise the Lord like every moment is a song to be sung
Praise the Lord: though it might take blood, sweat and tears in your eyes
There is grace for today so praise the Lord
There is grace for today so praise the Lord
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord
Won’t you praise the Lord?
There is grace for today so praise the Lord