SCRIPTURE

Scripture.

I hear people say "I know God will not put more on me than I can handle." It is a strange

saying. It is as if God is saying "you are handling that burden ok, so I am going to give you

more stress, more work, more trouble, more grief." If you think about it long enough, it is a

pretty narcissistic statement. We keep telling ourselves that we are strong, invincible, God-like.

Scripture does not say that God will put more burden on you. Rather, scripture clearly shows

that we live in a broken world. It tells us of war, betrayal, displacement and slavery. It tells us of

famine, disease, flood and pestilence. It tells us of brokenness. It tells us of death. None of

these are things that God does to us. Satan does these things. Satan promises power and

prosperity. Satan never delivers, and we are left broken and defeated.

Scripture says that God comes to be with us. God does not abandon us, but even when we are

lonely, God is present. At our weakest moment, God brings strength. At our darkest moment,

God brings light. When we feel defeated, God brings victory. At those times when it becomes

clear that we are not god and that we cannot handle everything, God comes and handles our

burden for us. And when we die, God brings life.

Scripture is full of stories of how God acts. Liberation from slavery. Order out of chaos.

Empowerment to the weak. Justice to the victim. Food to the hungry. Forgiveness to the

transgressor. Hospitality to the stranger. Healing to the sick. Justice for the victim. Grace to the

sinner.

Scripture also shows that even the most devout are not immune from the brokenness of the

world. King Saul became paranoid. Uriah was murdered by King David who was trying to cover

up his adultery. Job suffered great pain and loss. The disciples of Christ either died violently or

in exile. Paul was afflicted with his "thorn in the flesh." Stephen was stoned to death. To "put

on Christ" or to commit to love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength will not protect us

from harm.

But those who do acknowledge and daily worship God find strength, courage, and purpose.

Those who align themselves with God produce the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace,

forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those who trust in

God can stare down the darkness of evil.

If we focus on the ways of the world, we will be beaten and bruised. But, if we focus on God in

the midst of our struggle, we will confirm that which the prophet Isaiah said "those who hope in

the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not

grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

So let us be careful not to use pithy statements that sound like they come from the Bible. Let us

actually read and study the Bible so that it reveals to us the nature and glory of God.

We can find what we look for in scripture. 

The Wright Word for Today.

OPTIONS

Options

At any moment, we have unlimited options. Usually, we think we have only one or two or perhaps a few options - stop, move forward, turn left, turn right. But, the truth is that we have many options - turn around, go up, go down, turn circles, and more. 

Just think about what you can do right now - stand up, sit down, sing a song, paint a picture, scream bloody murder, do handstands (or attempt to do handstands), get in your car, take a walk, read a book, go to the kitchen, go to the bathroom, go to bed. 

We do have unlimited options, but only one choice. We can only take one step at a time and each step brings us to a whole new set of unlimited options. We are constantly making a choice from our options all day long. 

There are benefits and consequences to each choice that we make. When we choose to marry, we get the joy of being committed to one person for life's journey. But, we eliminate every other person in the world as a partner. We find joy in eating that piece of cake, but that choice might bring diabetes or the need for new pants as our waist expands. We can buy that huge SUV, but we pay dearly at the pump. 

Choosing the interstate can get us there faster, but we miss all of the beauty and culture along the back roads. We can choose the serenity of the back roads, but we might miss the ballgame, or party, or concert because we took the road least traveled. 

Some choices have immediate blessings but long term consequences. We can rejoice at buying the latest and greatest thing, but the debt can be costly. Some blessings are delayed but bring long term benefit. We might want that double latte now, but putting that money daily into a savings account might help us be able to retire early later on. 

If we are not careful, we will choose to seek immediate gratification and suffer later because we did not put something away for a rainy day. Or, we will put all that we have in a rainy day fund and never enjoy the fruits of our labors. 

And carefully making choices based on what appears to be the best option might lead us to a cliff or quicksand. Until we complete the journey, we will not know whether or not we made the best choices. Sometimes, we need to make difficult choices to go through the dark valleys in order to eventually be able to see the beauty of the meadow or the sunrise from the mountain top. 

That is why it is best to choose something or someone that will help guide us. Joshua said to the people of Israel "Choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." The Psalmist said "the Lord is my shepherd." Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life." The wise person will not listen to the get rich schemes of humankind, but the wise person will seek God and follow along the path that God's lays out. 

Making The Lord our shepherd is the best option. The Wright Word for today.

SOAPBOX

Soapbox.

Any idiot can get on a soapbox and draw a following. Strange things have been espoused by street corner preachers, politicians, fanatics, and others. Usually, when we encounter them, we chuckle. Yet, they feel the need to keep expounding their narrow thoughts over and over again. In time, instead of striking a nerve, they strike a chord with others that agree with what they are saying and they fall in line with the piper.

There are many out there. Some are pro choice and others that are pro life. Some support gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender persons. Others angrily speaak against them. Those on the right say that we must have a strong defense at all costs, and those on the left say that we must drop our weapons of war and put all resources into social services. Conservatives say we should spend less money and liberals say we should spend more. There are capitalists, communists, marxist, atheists, white supremacists, anarchists. There are Republicans, Democrats, Tea Partiers and Independents. They are white, black, hispanic, asian, middle eastern, old, young, male and female. 

Generations ago, people went from town to town, found others who held similar beliefs and tried to make converts. A critical mass formed as two or three agreed with the messenger and they would successfully recruit others to follow along a very narrow path. As technology developed, more and more people took to the airways. First, they spread their message through word and music on the radio. Then TV. Then the internet. Now there is Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and a host of other social media outlets used as our modern day soapboxes.

Today, instead of a handful of soapbox proclaimers, hundreds of thousands of people spread their thoughts and countless people hear their messages. Many agree with what they hear and send money, leave family and friends, share messages with others, and whether the message is true or not, people say "Oh yeah, That is exactly right!". Some of the more popular people on their soapboxes can take one kernel of truth and twist it to help them fill their egos and coffers.

And now, ISIS is successful in recruiting young people from around the world to their cause. Certainly, most people reject their message of power and violence, but with their words falling on millions of ears even the small percentage who respond are a large and troubling number. We are no longer chuckling. We are worried.

We need new people on soapboxes. We need people proclaiming a different message from all that has poured into our ears over the past 20 to 30 years. We need a message that will change our minds and our hearts. We need a powerful message that will counter the powerful forces at work in our world.

So, let me crawl up on my soapbox and offer a simple message that has been proclaimed before, but seems to have been lost. Let me say something that will change the world. Let me preach something that will counter the power grab of so many. Let me offer our only hope to counter the hate.

My message? Love. It is a commandment. Let us love God, let us love our neighbor, let us love our enemy. Let us love one another. Let us stop spending our time preaching that the sky is falling, that everyone else is an idiot, and that those that disagree with us are going straight to hell. Let us love.

Love is my message from the soapbox. The Wright Word for today.

PARISH

Parish.

Though the length of stay for many preachers is trending longer, still the average pastor only stays at a church for 3 to 4 years. Most of these pastors have a membership mentality. They are hired by or appointed to a church and all of their focus is on caring for the members of that church. Baptisms, weddings, funerals, visiting the sick, preaching, and programs all tend to be member-centric. The new minister spends a year getting to know his or her congregation, then spends a year trying to lead them and hopefully grow the number of members, and then he or she spends a year saying goodby.

It is not a good model for success. Because of ministers having a membership mentality, they have very little interaction with the larger community outside of the church. They tend to spend all their time with people who look alike, think alike, vote alike and fight alike. The people and the needs of the community are often overlooked.

John Wesley once said "the world is my parish." Many Methodist think that his words were a call to world evangelism. Actually, it is because the Anglican priests in his day were complaining that Wesley was preaching in their parishes. 

Anglicans and Catholics (and some others) have a parish mentality. Their reach goes beyond the members of the church into the community in which the church exists. But, at that time, Wesley had fallen out of favor with the Church of England and did not have a parish assigned to him. So, he went to the mines and factories of England and preached to the common people who were not welcome in the stuffy churches in England. He told people that were not a part of the church that God loved them, that they matter, and that they were loved. And the people responded. Ultimately, the Wesleyan movement became the Methodist Church. 

While Wesley would have encouraged world missions, his "the world is my parish" statement reflected his belief that wherever he was - in the church or outside the church - that place was his place of ministry. He did preach in churches, but he also preached in cemeteries, in bars, in homes, and in the foundries. He did not minister just to those who were like him, but he ministered to people of various cultures, socioeconomic groups, education levels, races, ages, and other groups.

Our ministers and churches would do well to develop a parish mentality. By doing so, the people who live within the shadows of the steeple become the focus of ministry - the homeless person in the alley, the elderly couple across the street, the family around the corner, the widow and the widower, the people of other races that cause us to lock our doors rather than opening the doors to them, the people who might vote differently, the sick, the lonely, and others. 

People gain energy when hospitality is offered to them. As the church lives out its message of love and hope within the neighborhood, then lives are changed as new relationships are formed.

Parish. The Wright Word for Today.

ECUMENICAL

Ecumenical. 

In our anti-institutional culture, it is common to promote a church as "anything but." Some churches go to great lengths to downplay or disassociate themselves with denominations like Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Catholic and others. Terms like nondenominational, independent and even community suggest a pulling away from traditional institutional organizations. 

Yet, independence comes with a cost. Many churches are small and do not have resources to make a dramatic difference in the community. Larger churches have larger expenses, and while they can have greater impact, there is only so far that they can go without being connected to a larger organization. Members often become frustrated with their church when leaders and other members do not find the same calling of God to meet a need within the community. 

Unfortunately, both the denominational and the non-denominational church are limited in the impact they can have on the world beyond the walls of the church. Salaries, utilities, and the various worship and educational programs often leave little for service. Emphasis is put on style of worship, doctrine, membership connections, and on matters that make one church unique from another. Each church worships in its own way and believes in its own way. But, all people are called of God to do something to make a difference in their community and the world. 

Yet, churches continue to try to make noble efforts with scarcity of resources. 

A better way is for church members to join hands and lock arms with members of other churches when addressing needs in the community. One Methodist, one Baptist, one member of an independent church, and one from any of the countless congregations can work together. Together, they form a critical mass. Together, they can accomplish far more when they bring their gifts and graces to a person, to a family, or to a situation in the community or world. Regardless of denomination, we are all called to respond to the cries of the lonely, vulnerable, and hurting. Working together makes a difference beyond what we can do separately. In Southeast Georgia, we do this through FaithWorks. Families are assisted with financial help and food; recidivism is reduced as formerly incarcerated get jobs; people who are homeless are treated with respect and dignity while opportunities for employment, healthcare, and safety are provided; elderly or the sick persons are encouraged to continue the good fight; and people who live in the margins of our society are embraced and valued as God's children. 

While non-denominational or independent suggests a pulling away, the term ecumenical suggests a coming together to attack a common concern. Joining forces on the streets that work for justice, equality, and peace can change the world. Six days a week we can work together and one day a week we can worship with others who believe the way we believe and worship in ways we feel comfortable. 

Many decry the fracturedness of the church in the world. But a commitment to working together can prove to the world that we are actually on the same team. 

Ecumenical. The Wright Word for today.

ORDER

Order.

For the past several decades, we have been pulling apart at the seams as we choose camps on various social and political issues. A host of ideologies vie for our attention and when we decide that we support one, we separate ourselves from those who are in other camps.

It is nothing new. The Jews in Jesus' day had Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots and Publicans. In the early days of our country, the various colonies and then states formed due to different religious or philosophical beliefs. We fought a Civil War over the issues of slavery and states rights.

Today, we argue about civil rights, women's rights, children's rights, birth control, abortion, the environment, homosexuality, and the definition of marriage. We divide along denominational lines, style of worship, the existence of heaven and hell, and whether or not we should paint the social hall. We choose to be Democrat, Republican, Independent, Tea Party, or disinterested. We choose to own guns, to control guns, or to ban guns. We choose to be liberal, conservative, evangelical. We have become a nation of letters: CNN, FOX, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, and CSPAN - each defining who we are or who we are not.

Do we send in troops? Do we build walls and fences to keep others out? Is our barbecue

vinegar, mustard, or tomato based?

We have pulled and pulled ourselves apart and we find ourselves out on the edges so that we can't possibly see the point of view of others and we get angry whenever anyone disagrees with us or tries to convince us that we should change our minds and hearts.

We live on the fringes and it is pretty tattered out there. We have moved so far to the extremes that we live with gridlock, isolation, sequestering, lack of communication, failure to act, and fear. The result is a world full of chaos.

Is there any hope for us? There is always hope. The very first act of God was to bring order out of chaos. Later, the children of Israel were living in chaos when God gave the Ten Commandments to bring order. God asks us to offer hospitality to the stranger, to set aside food for the hungry, to care for those who are most vulnerable, and to rest on the Sabbath inorder to reflect upon the goodness of the previous six days. All of this brings order.

The cure for our mess is that we are to love God and to love our neighbor. We might not change our minds about things that are important to us, but when we follow that simple request to love God and neighbor, then our ideologies cease to be our idolatries. With God, we will be able to weave a new tapestry out of our tattered threads.

Order. The Wright Word for today.