Take out a five-dollar bill and hold it up to the light. What do you see? You should see, very faintly on the right hand side, a watermark of the number five. That watermark is a special label that tells us whether or not we have a genuine five-dollar bill. To put it another way, the United States Treasury has put its mark of approval on this bill. We can take this bill and exchange it for goods and services because the U. S. Government puts its full faith and credit behind it. Did you know that you and I have been watermarked? Through the waters of baptism God marked us.  Do we bear that mark well?

JESUS’ BAPTISM

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, and according to Matthew’s Gospel, his baptism wasn’t an afterthought. He didn’t wander by the Jordan River one day, see a crowd of folks getting baptized by John and say, “Hey? I think I’ll follow the crowd.” According to Matthew’s Gospel, it was an intentional act on Jesus’ part to participate in John’s baptism. That must mean that baptism was important to Jesus. As disciples, if it were important to Jesus, it should be equally important to us.

That truth is supported by John’s reaction when he saw Jesus standing in the line of sinners waiting to be baptized. “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” John stammered (Matthew 3:14). Think about it this way: Jesus coming to John for baptism is sort of like me cooking at home and Bobby Flay knocks on my door and wants me to cook dinner for him. “Hey, wait a minute,” I say, “You’re the expert. You’re the one who should be cooking for me!”

John’s baptism of Jesus reflects the truth that even John himself understood: Baptism is a gift from God–God-designed and God-ordained. Baptism is not something John the Baptist made up, not something Jesus made up, nor something the Church made up. Baptism was God’s idea and God’s gift of grace.

THE GIFT

We United Methodists believe baptism is a gift from God. The word we use to describe it is “sacrament”, from the Latin sacramentum, meaning “sacred.” We believe that God’s grace is given to us when we participate in baptism. The Bible teaches we are changed by God’s grace through the act of baptism. Thus, baptism demonstrates God’s actions, not ours. According to our Church’s official document on baptism:

“Grace brings us to an awareness of our sinful predicament and of our inability to save ourselves; grace motivates us to repentance and gives us the capacity to respond to divine love. In the words of the baptismal ritual: ‘All this is God’s gift, offered to us without price’.” By Water and the Spirit—A United Methodist Document on Baptism

Our baptism is special because it is a God-designed, God-ordained channel of grace into our lives, and thus, through baptism we are blessed beyond measure.

THE BLESSING

Baptism is a channel through which we receive God’s blessings. What do I mean? Think of it this way. Did you receive a gift card for Christmas? A gift card doesn’t look like much – a piece of plastic with some fancy writing on it, but it entitles you to a tangible blessing like a meal or merchandise. In the same way, baptism may not look like much more than a nice photo-op, especially when one considers we Methodists take a few handfuls of water and splash them over a person’s head while some fancy theological words are spoken, but baptism connects us to tangible blessings from God. John understood well that one blessing was the forgiveness of sins. That’s another reason he was so confused when Jesus requested baptism. Jesus didn’t need forgiveness, so why was he asking to be baptized?

Although Jesus didn’t need the forgiveness that baptism offers, he was baptized anyway. The events that immediately followed his baptism illustrate what happened at our baptism. Matthew tells us that after Jesus was baptized, heaven was opened, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove, and the voice of God the Father boomed: “This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with Him” (verse 17).

It really is an amazing scene. When Matthew says that heaven was opened he wasn’t just saying that the sun managed to poke through the clouds; he was describing how God’s blazing glory burned through the skies. Accompanying this heavenly display was the Father’s voice marking who Jesus was. “This is MY Son, not Joseph, the carpenter’s son. He is the Son of God.” Not only did the Father identify Jesus as his Son, he went on to put his mark of approval on what Jesus had come to do when he said that he was “well-pleased” with Jesus. The same thing happens at our baptism. God put’s His name on us. He calls us his son, his daughter and says that he is well pleased with us. And, he sends the Holy Spirit to give us or strengthen our faith in this announcement. Through baptism, heaven stands open to us.

How do we know that we really receive these blessings from God? The dove is all we need to know! Remember the account of the flood in Genesis? It was a dove that Noah sent out from the Ark when the rain (another water image, I might add) stopped, and it was the dove that brought back an olive branch to show Noah that the floodwaters and, therefore, God’s wrath had receded. By alighting on Jesus in the form of a dove, the Holy Spirit was marking Jesus as the olive branch the Father was extending to us. In Jesus we find peace from God’s wrath because he came to switch places with us. Peace with God is what Jesus was signaling with his baptism. He got in line with those sinners at the Jordan River, not because he needed baptism but to say to the world, “I will become what you are so that you can become what I am. I will become what you are when I let God the Father sweep all your sins into his heavenly dustpan and dump them all on me at the cross. Yet, you will go free and will be declared to be what I am – a faithful child with whom the Father is well pleased.” Now, that’s a blessing if there ever was one!

Baptism is God’s watermark of approval. Just as the watermark on the five-dollar bill assures us that a $5 bill is real money, the watermark of baptism assures us that we have forgiveness and that we really are God’s children. I didn’t make this stuff up about baptism, nor did John the Baptist invent this sacrament of cleansing. God did…to put his mark of approval on us.

There is so much more that baptism means for we United Methodists. I’ve only scratched the surface, but above and beyond all that baptism is, it is a gift of grace to us. We must never forget that fact. Never forget…

Until next time, keep looking up…

A new year beckons us, and as I’ve scanned Facebook posts over the past 24 hours, I’ve noted many posts filled with the hope and promise of the new year–2017. That is appropriately so. One of the joys of the celebrating any new year is the opportunity to “start over,” as if starting over isn’t something a disciple of Christ must do every day. Actually, I’ve found myself starting over multiple times many days, but that’s another story (and also another reason the name of this blog is “Nottheperfectpastor”) for another day.

I began this new year with Paul’s words to the Philippian disciples on my mind–you know those from Chapter 3:

¹² I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. ¹³ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3: 12-14 NLT).

As I reflect over these words on this first day of 2017, anticipating all that lies ahead, allow me to share three things I can do to make 2017 a fruitful year.

FORGET

I have said numerous times as 2016 drew to a close that I would never be so glad to see a year in the rear-view mirror. Taking a cue from Paul, I could make a list of all the things about 2016 that I’d like to forget. My problem is I’d likely want to forget the wrong things. Some things are best forgotten, and I’m grateful that God has the capacity and the desire to forget my sins, and to forgive them through the blood of Jesus Christ. I’d want to list all the bad circumstances, the losses, the failures and sadness, but I don’t think that’s what Paul had in mind.

Paul (in his notorious fashion) makes a list of those things he would forget as he offered his words to the believers in Philippi. What’s interesting to note is that he lists his achievements! That’s right! Paul listed those things that defined him for so much of his life–his zealousness, his righteousness, his connection to the Pharisees, his Hebrew upbringing, etc. He listed those achievements he had worn as a badge of honor for so much of his life. These were what he wanted to forget.

As I make my “forgetting” list for 2017, I want to forget my successes. I want to remember my failures, not because they depress me, but they remind me of God’s grace through them. They have lessons to teach me, and the lessons I’ve learned through my failures are vastly greater than the lessons I’ve learned through any success (perceived or otherwise). We should never forget the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve run the race of life, and we should never neglect to note the past faithfulness of our God.

Forget, yes, but make sure we forget the right things.

STRETCH

One of the images Paul uses in his words to the Philippians is that of a runner stretching toward the tape at the end of a race. Life is certainly a race, but it is a marathon and not a sprint. We’re in it for the long-haul, and we have to keep growing and keep going as we run the race. What ways can I stretch myself in 2017? Can I develop a new friendship? Can I develop a new spiritual discipline? Can I renew some friendships that have gone by the wayside? Can I begin a new friendship with someone who has a difference religious or political perspective than me? I’ll be challenging myself to stretch myself to become all that God has called me to be, and hopefully to do all Christ has called me to do.

One of the ways I’m going to stretch myself in 2017 is to invite more accountability into my life. It’s so easy for each of us (but especially for pastors) to isolate ourselves, and pretend that we can make it on our own. The reality is we can’t. We need each other, and part of what we need each other for is accountability–at least that’s what I need. That’ll be my stretch. What’ll be yours?

FOCUS

Paul had a goal. He would call it “this one thing.” A good word of advice for this new year is to define your “one thing.” If we know what the goal is, then we can develop strategies to help make THE goal become the reality. I think, too often, I’ve failed because I’ve tried to do too many things and to be too much to too many. Certainly, for those of us who call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ, the goal is to always be a better disciple, but simply stating that fact leaves the achieving a bit nebulous. Focus is specific. State the goal in the beginning. Write it down. Review it daily.

I can’t define your focus for you. Only you can do that. I can tell you my focus for the year. It’s to be a better spouse. Sure, I need to be a better pastor. My children probably think I need to be a better parent. I know I need to be better engaged in the community, and I’m certain I could be a better follower of Jesus. I want to be all those things, but this year, I’m going to start by being a better spouse. Does it mean all those other things I want to be are not important? Of course not! But, I have to believe that being a better spouse will help me to be better in those places, too. That’s the focus I hear God calling me to in this new year. What about you?

Go for Gold

Here’s the reality–we can’t win the race looking in the rear-view. The race is before us. We only win when we look forward. Here’s to the best year ever. Forget the right things, stretch yourself and focus on the “one thing” that matters most.

Until next time, keep looking up…

My wife, Vanessa, and I like to get away to L. A. as often as we can. No, I’m not talking about Lost Angeles. I’m talking about lower Alabama. Driving across southern Mississippi when we go we go through a lot of little towns on Highway 49. One in particular is Mt. Olive, Mississippi. Driving into town there is a prominent sign that says “Birthplace of Steve McNair.” Steve McNair was a professional football player who played quarterback, and spent most of his career with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. A little further down Highway 49, you enter Collins, Mississippi, and again, at the entrance of town there’s a sign that says “Birthplace of Gerald McRaney.” Gerald McRaney is an actor who played in series such as Simon & Simon, House of Cards and currently, This Is Us. I don’t know how many of you have driven through Mt. Olive or Collins, Mississippi, but there isn’t much happening in either of those places. They are simply little towns nestled between the bigger cities of Jackson and Hattiesburg. Their claim to fame is who was born there.

An Ancient Journey

Now, picture in your mind, riding your camel across the Judean desert southward out of Jerusalem in the first century. About five miles out of Jerusalem, you start to enter a sleepy little town called Bethlehem, and as your camel glides into town you see a sign that says, “Birthplace of King David.”  Bethlehem’s claim to fame was that it was the birthplace of the nation’s most famous and popular king. One scholar says, “’At the beginning of the first century AD, Bethlehem was a village with not more than a thousand inhabitants: a small set of houses scattered along the side of a ridge and protected by a wall that was in a bad state of repair.” We sing the Christmas carol O Little Town of Bethlehem with the emphasis on “little.” It was not where anyone was expecting anything special to happen. It certainly wasn’t where anyone was expecting God to show up. Sure, there had been this prophecy from Micah that said,

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel,
whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on my behalf.” (Micah 5:2 NLT),

but that prophecy was long since buried in the recesses of the nation’s mind. Even the nation’s king, Herod, had to call on the experts to be reminded of Micah’s prophecy when the wise men showed up looking for this “new” king that was born.

Nobody really expected God to show up, or for God to do anything special in Bethlehem. If God was going to show up, God was going to show up in Jerusalem. That was the happening place for the nation of Israel. Of course, God might show up in Rome, or even Athens, Greece. Those places were the center of first century culture, politics and power. If something is going to happen, it would surely happen in one of those places, not sleepy little Bethlehem.

That’s what we expect, too, and we have the benefit of bible stories and an annual celebration to remind us that God shows up in unexpected places. What do I mean? God is a big God, and if God is going to make a difference, it’s because He’s going to do it in a big way. Right? Sure, like in New York City or Washington, D. C., or maybe even Paris or London. Those are the seats of power. We certainly don’t expect God to show up in Monroe. But, He does, and isn’t that Good News? Sure, it is preacher…sort of…

God Gets Close

If God shows up in Monroe, that brings Him awfully close to home, and we’re just not sure we want God that close. We like having a little space between God and us. You know how we like our space. Don’t get too close. Don’t believe it? Notice what you do next time you’re waiting on the elevator and the doors open and it’s got more than four people on it. Most of us will wait on the next one. And, let’s face it, there’s more than a little discomfort here tonight. We’re a lot closer than many of us really like, but I suppose we can endure it for an hour once a year. Let me tell you, Bethlehem is evidence that God doesn’t really respect our space, and we don’t quite know what to do with a God like that.

What do we do with a God like that? What do we do with a God who shows up in the most unexpected places? I tell you what we do—we build places where we will COME and meet God. We’ll come, sit down, listen for an hour or so, get our God fix, talk a little bit about how it’s been going for the last week, be reminded of the things we need to work on, resolve to do better and ask God to help us out. Most of the time we’ll leave saying, “Hey, this has been a good session. We’ll do this again.” We leave and we expect that God stays, but…that’s not the evidence of Bethlehem. That’s not Emmanuel—God with us. That’s not the point of Christmas at all!

The point of Christmas is that God is with us in all the unexpected ways and all the unexpected places of our lives. That’s what we sing in the words to the third verse of the song Phillips Brooks wrote in O Little Town of Bethlehem:

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given; so God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.

Born in Us

God imparts to human hearts. God is born in us. Christmas is God being born in us—you and me! And, that is an even more unexpected place than Bethlehem. Christmas means that God goes with us to work. When we’re standing on Monday morning at that blasted copy machine that never works the way it was designed to work. God is with us at home with our families, around the dinner table, and God is with us when we’re living at the homeless shelter. God is with us when we’re going through the divorce and when we’re battling the addiction. God is with us when we’re shopping at Wal-Mart and when we’re driving our cars. God goes with us on vacation. God is right there with us when we’re confronted with choices that challenge our values, and God is right there when our co-workers, or friends, or children make lifestyle choices that challenge our sensibilities, and who don’t understand who Christ is because we’re the only definition of him they see.

Yes, God is with us in the great, high and holy moments of our lives, but God is also with us when we’re struggling with the difficulties of life. Christmas is God giving Himself to us, to be with us, to invade our time and space for one purpose and one purpose only—to have a relationship with us, to save us from our sin, and to give us life through His Son, Jesus Christ. That’s the evidence of Bethlehem. That’s the point of Christmas!

That only leaves one question: Will we allow Him to be born in us tonight? The last verse of O Little Town of Bethlehem becomes our prayer this Christmas and every Christmas. Listen to Brooks’ prayer again:

O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;

cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;

O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel! Amen.

Until next time, keep looking up…

General Conference 2016 is behind us now, and I return with a renewed hope that God is not done with these people called Methodist. There was much anxiety leading up to the once-every-four-year’s gathering of the church’s top legislative body because of the diverse nature in which members who call themselves United Methodist view culture, the Bible and the nature of “doing” church. Many felt this would be a “watershed” shed for the church, and in many ways it was. Knowing that hindsight is supposed to be 20/20, let me offer my personal reflections of our time together.

Primary among the sources of anxiety was the question, “How will the United Methodist Church respond on the issue of human sexuality in response to the Obergfell decision of the Supreme Court in June 2015?” Many wondered if this would be the time the church changed its understanding of homosexuality, and open itself to full inclusion by ordaining homosexuals as clergy, and permitting same-sex weddings to be presided over by its clergy and conducted in its facilities. Many others wondered if the church would maintain its teaching rooted in Scriptural and traditional understandings of marriage. Protesters were present throughout the ten days of meetings, and did disrupt the proceedings with organized protests on three different occasions. Additionally, delegates and alternates were greeted each day (but specifically on Wednesday) with supporters of a change in the church’s stance, particularly the wording that says homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.” In the end, though, the delegates did what United Methodists have too often done…they didn’t decide. And, that’s not a bad thing from my perspective.

Wednesday, May 18^th was the pivotal day. Several petitions favorable to retaining the current stance of the church, as well as legislation designed to strengthen penalties for those who violated the Discipline had made it out of committee, and were ready to be presented on the floor of General Conference. I remind you, this is not something that has arisen in the last couple of years. This has been a forty-four year long conversation that has only escalated in the last decade because of the changing culture of the west. Please also understand, this is an issue that has no place for discussion among delegates and the church in Africa, Asia and other places where the church is growing. They can’t figure out why we’re fighting about it. They can’t figure out why they’re voting on it. They just think, “Those crazy Americans!” Yet, it is an incredibly contentious issue, and everyone thought this was the year it would be addressed. It was not. Let me explain.

The loudest group has generally been the most progressive segments of our church. Unfortunately for them, their numbers are shrinking.  Explosive growth is happening in the Global South, particularly Africa.  A coalition of American evangelicals and international delegates ran the tables in the legislative committees and swept elections to our highest court—the Judicial Council. Delay tactics by progressives was the only thing that kept more legislative items aimed at enforcement from being recommended.

But, there is a third player in the game—U.S. moderates. One colleague described them as “nice people, doing nice things, under high steeples, with above average educations.” These moderates are incrementally changing their minds on homosexuality. The pastor of our largest church, Adam Hamilton, is in the final stages of his transformation on the issue. He told a group of seminary students last week that he would like the first same sex weddings in his Kansas City-area megachurch to be conducted by associate pastors so he can be available to pastorally soothe those who will be unhappy about it.

The day prior, another moderate pastor took the floor following a night of rumors regarding a church split.  He asked that the Council of Bishops meet, show some leadership, and bring forth a plan for fixing things.  This was sweet music in the ears of delegates who have witnessed the council unable to police its own members, much less lead the church.  We delegates enjoyed the opportunity to tell our bishops what to do. Our bishops said they would meet and consider it.

The next day, our bishops came back with a plan representing the majority view of the council. They thanked the church for the invitation and expressed they would be willing to see the conversation on sexuality deferred, appoint a commission, and consider a specially-called General Conference in two or three years to entertain its recommendations. The conference found itself in the embarrassing place of having asked our bishops to lead. Be careful what you ask for! The Bishops returned with a plan that just happened to coincide neatly with the wishes of moderates trying to buy time. Progressives breathed a sigh of relief that the legislative train steaming their way had been derailed.

I need to make a long story short. The debate on the bishop’s recommendation turned ugly, with one delegate charging the presiding bishop with being corrupt. Fortunately, we didn’t see much of that delegate the rest of the time. After several emotional speeches, the episcopal plan was adopted as legislation by the narrowest of margins.

The political machinations we witnessed that day were impressive. Congress would be proud. But, the end of it means we spent a lot of money and time without really deciding anything. Well, we decided to take a little more time to decide. Many felt it unconscionable, but I’m not that put out by the whole ordeal.

Yes, I would like to have seen the General Conference decide once and for all on the issue of human sexuality, but as it stands, nothing has changed. The same language the United Methodist had before General Conference is the same language we have now, and I believe that’s a good thing. As for the future, we’ll look to the bishops to offer the leadership they say they’re willing to undertake. We’ll see if there will be a special commission, and a special called session of General Conference to deal with the issue.

That’s not the only thing we did at General Conference. Here’s a synopsis of our time together:

• The Conference defeated motions to separate the American Church from the global Church by creating a new Central Conference.
• Additionally, the African Central Conferences will receive five more bishops over the next four years, thus solidifying the global nature of the UMC.
• Moreover, the General Conference voted to double the amount of theological education for Africa (from $5 million to $10 million) in the general church budget.
• In a surprising fashion, the General Conference voted (by a margin of 3-to-1) to disaffiliate the UMC from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. This represents a significant shift in thinking for the global Church, and reflects how significant is the shift toward a more orthodox church.
• The church continues to pursue important justice and mercy issues including human trafficking, stamping out killer diseases like malaria and AIDS, environmental stewardship, and the sanctity of human life.
• A separation-with-property proposal passed a committee vote, signaling support for a conversation about this issue. The proposal did not make it to the floor of General Conference, but expect it to be a priority of the Bishops’ special commission exploring the issue of human sexuality.
• The margins in the votes on key issues signal that the weight of opinion has shifted toward a more orthodox theology.
• Both the University Senate and Judicial Council received a number of new members who are more theologically orthodox. For the first time, the chair of the Judicial Council is not an American.
• A proposal was made and accepted requiring bishops to hold one another accountable for decisions in their individual Conferences.
• The UMC grew by a total of 1.2 million members in the last four years, mostly outside the U.S. The African church, growing at significant rates, now holds the power in our denomination. The Africa Central Conference has grown by 329 percent, while in the United States the denomination has declined by 11 percent.

I am blessed to have had the opportunity to serve as a delegate to General Conference. The days were long and I returned home weary (for more reasons than one), but the experience was one I’ll never forget and will always consider an honor.

Until next time, keep looking up…