Help.Thanks.Wow – Salvaged Faith

WOW!

Posted on June 25, 2023Leave a comment

Text: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29

A few weeks ago, I was able to make a trip to Hawaii with my family.

Twenty three of us… aunts, uncles, cousins, grandkids, siblings, parents, nieces, and nephews… in paradise.

One of the things that I am always on the lookout for in Hawaii are rainbows.

The mountains in the center capture the clouds as they move over the island, bringing light sprinkles nearly every day.

But water and sunlight means rainbows.

Nearly every day!

The first day went by… and I didn’t see one.

The second day went by, and my dad asked if I had caught the double rainbow over the ocean that morning. Nope.

Did I see the one the next afternoon?

*sigh* I hadn’t.

A WEEK went by and I hadn’t seen a rainbow.

But I also realized something else.

While I had been looking… I hadn’t really been paying attention.

I was still getting into vacation mode.

Still carefully putting away all of my plans and thoughts and to-do lists from ministry both here and at the conference center.

That second day of vacation, after all, we had a special session of annual conference that I joined virtually so that we could say goodbye to 83 churches as they left the United Methodist Church.

I had been in paradise. But I wasn’t present.

In an interview, Anne Lamott talked about prayer as getting outside of ourselves and paying attention:

Prayer is not about saying, ‘Oh, I think I’m going to pray now.’ Or, ‘Oh, I see I’ve made a notation here to pray at 2:15.’ It’s about getting outside of your own self and hooking into something greater than that very, very limited part of our experience here…

It’s sort of like blinking your eyes open. … It’s sort of like … when Dorothy lands in Oz and the movie goes from black and white to color, and it’s like having a new pair of glasses, and you say, ‘Wow!’

I started focusing on being more present to what was happening all around me.

Savoring every moment and bite of food and laugh of the kids.

And one afternoon, on a walk with my niblings, it happened.

a blue sky in the foreground with clouds in the background and a rainbow between palm trees and a building

I turned around and saw a rainbow.

Wow.

The artist Michael Lipsey says that “if you’re not amazed most of the time you aren’t paying attention.”

Because the truth is, you don’t have to go to Hawaii to catch a rainbow or a spectacular sunset or a glorious flower bursting forth.

We have the opportunity to get outside of our own selves and hook into something greater every single day.

It is the touch of your partner’s hand.

Or the way the sunlight filters through the leaves.

It is the frosting covered face of our children.

Or the swell of the organ in a hymn.

Wow.

The other day, I came into this sanctuary all by myself and sat on these steps.

And I was overwhelmed by it all.

Nine years of memories flooded my soul…

From the nervous excitement of that first Sunday and hearing your gasps as I threw seeds all over the church…

Playing and building with scaffolding and bricks during a stewardship drive…

The babies I baptized… and the grown-ups, too!

The little ones who are now taller than I am…

Playing bass…

Singing with the choir…

The many, many goodbyes as we celebrated the promise of resurrection…

The meals we shared…

The singing and music and laughter…

We don’t always take the time to appreciate and celebrate each of those moments when they happen, but…

WOW.

I was all alone that morning… but not really.

Because I was connected to something bigger than myself.

And friends… I know that this is a big morning with lots of emotions that just fill this space.

As Missy and I talked about it… we might have to do some liturgical weeping today…

But I also want and need you to know that this room…

this sanctuary…

this world is always filled with wonder and power and awesome things…

If we are willing to pay attention.

In our scripture from Isaiah this morning, he sees the Lord sitting on a throne, with the hem of God’s robe filling the temple.

And you know what, I can imagine that Isaiah’s day actually started off pretty normal.

He might have gone to the temple that morning for prayer.

Or maybe he was bringing an offering.

But something happened to him in that space.

He hooked into something greater than himself.

He could see beyond the veil of his own limited experience of reality to catch a glimpse of the divine.

And God’s glory filled the room.

Seraphs… angels… flew around crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy!”

“The whole earth is full of his glory!”

Everything around him shook and Isaiah falls to is knees…

Woe is me!

Woah!

WOW!

(it might all be the same prayer…)

The Psalmist is moved in the same way, hooking into the power of God in all of the earth

as they listen to the rolling thunder,

or the roar of the ocean,

or the creaking trees of the forest…

they see the mountains tremble and the fire of God flash forth…

As the Message translation puts it:

Bravo, God, Bravo!

Gods and all angels shout, “Encore!”

In awe before the glory,

In awe before God’s visible power.

Stand at attention!

Dress your best to honor him!

…We fall to our knees – we cry out, “Glory!”

And friends… I have to wonder how often we, too, might cry out in wonder and awe at God’s glory…

If only WE were paying attention?

Anne Lamott writes that “astonishing material and revelation appear in our lives all the time. Let it be. Unto us, so much is given. We just have to be open for business.”

Next week, you will welcome a new pastor.

As part of that time, you will also hear from a guest, Josh Smouse, who is bringing to this church a word and some encouragement and direction from the CAT survey that you all took.

But before you dive into some of those ways that the church can continue to grow and thrive, I want to invite you to take a step back and ask a different kind of question:

Am I paying attention?

Am I spiritually “open for business”?

Have I been willing to allow myself to get hooked into something greater than myself?

A colleague posted on facebook this week a word about how we can change our experience of worship… and I want to share a few of their thoughts with you

Pray before you get there. Friends, you don’t have to raise your hands, but how many of you prayed before you came to worship this morning? How many of you asked God to speak to you during this time? What might be different if you opened yourself up to encounter God before you ever walked into this room?
Listen to worship music on the way. What are some songs that speak to you? What helps you to connect with God not just in your head, but in your soul? How might that change what you are able to see and hear in this space?
Sing loudly and focus on God. John Wesley talks about this in his directions for singing! … sing lustily and with good courage! Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim more at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. And to do this, he encourages people to attend strictly to the sense of what you are singing… what are the words? What do they ask of you? What are they inviting you to pay attention to?
Don’t run late. We are all going to be late at some point… but the truth is that when we arrive harried and discombobulated, it is going to be harder to let go of those distractions. Try to arrive and give yourself enough time to center and truly be present in this space. After all, you don’t have a week to get present so you can see the rainbows!
Expect God to move. Oh friends… do you actually expect God to show up in worship? Are you ready for God to speak? Do you want to see the hem of God’s robe filling this space and God’s glory over all the earth?

While trying to do a few of these things might truly change your experience of worship… they aren’t just about what happens in this room.

Because there are amazing, incredible things happening all throughout the ministries of this church…

Our little free pantry gets emptied nearly every day… and people show up to fill it again and again and again… WOW.

Our Immanuel Gospel Fellowship community continues to grow and their worship is so full of life and sound and chaos and joy… and you can come and experience it any Sunday at noon… and I encourage you to do so! You truly will cry out… WOW.

People are going through really hard times in their lives… but you keep showing up with food and prayers and encouragement… you are present with one another… WOW.

As she describes that third essential prayer, WOW, Anne Lamott writes:

Love falls to the earth, rises from the ground, pools around the afflicted. Love pulls people back to their feet. Bodies and souls are fed. Bones and lives heal. New blades of grass grow from charred soil. The sun rises.

And it is happening everywhere, all around us, every moment of the day.

This whole earth is full of God’s glory.

It is not just the miracle of the rainbow… but also the loving embrace of a church for people of all gender identities and sexual orientations.

It is not just the beauty of a sunset… but also the glorious diversity of our colors and cultures.

It is not just the rumble of thunder in the mountains… but also the roar of laughter as family and friends from many generations play together.

And if we prayerfully connect with God… open our spirits… pay attention to what is happening… I promise, you will be amazed by what you see.

I also know that there is a fine line between being amazed and being terrified.

In Isaiah, we discover there isn’t much distance between WOW! … and Woah! … and Woe is me!

Sometimes we are overwhelmed by just how great of a struggle we face…

Or how far we have to go…

Or by how much has been lost…

There is so much hate in this world.

So much violence.

So much destruction.

Sometimes the problems of the world make us say, WOW – how could that possibly be?

There are so many people who are unwilling to get outside of their own selves and their own limited experiences to hook into something greater.

Yet even those poetic words of the psalmist, David… you know, the ones that recall the violent destructive power of nature… earthquakes, floods, raging fires…

They also name that above anything that has the power to destroy… is God.

The one who gives strength.

The one who touches our lips with grace and mercy.

The one who brings peace.

The one who has the power to heal… and forgive… and change… and transform… and create… and renew…

The one who calls…

The one who sends every day, ordinary people into the world…

So that we can pay attention…

Pay attention to the hurt, and the joy, and the love, and the struggle…

And with arms and hearts and lives wide open, can say, “Here I am, Send me.”

Help!

Posted on June 11, 2023Leave a comment

Text: Psalm 40:11-17; Matthew 26:36-39;

Good morning friends!

We find ourselves in the season of Pentecost.

The season of the Holy Spirit.

Those first disciples of Jesus were transformed into apostles…

leaders of a community of people that tapped into the power of God for good in the world.

You know, as much as we think about that phrase from the gospel of John…

that the world will know you are my disciples… they will know you are Christians… by how you love one another (John 13:35)…

I think this early Christian community was known by its prayer life.

Just after the ascension of Jesus, there were about 120 folks that were part of the Jesus movement who all gathered together.

Luke tells us that “all were united in their devotion to prayer.” (Acts 1:14)

And when Pentecost came ten days later… where were they?

Gathered together in prayer!

On that day, as their community grew by leaps and bounds, we are told that these thousands of new believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers.” (2:42)

And everyone around them was amazed by what they saw.

Prayer is powerful.

Prayer is power.

It is one of the key ways that we stay connected with God.

It is how we allow the Holy Spirit into our lives: our minds, hearts, and souls.

And as I thought about what I wanted to say to you in these last few weeks…

As I thought about what might be the most important thing I could leave you with…

I kept thinking about how important it is that we are a people of prayer.

It is part of our vision after all – isn’t it?

In Christ, we live a live of love, service, and prayer.

And I know you to be a praying people.

We knit and perl and crochet together prayers for others.

We add our neighbors and friends and family to our prayer list.

But I’ve noticed something else about this church…

We are great about praying for others…

but we sometimes struggle with lifting up prayers for ourselves.

Maybe it is because we don’t want to admit that we don’t have it all together…

Or because we don’t want to be seen as bragging about the good in our lives…

Or maybe we aren’t sure if it is something we need or deserve.

The writer Anne Lamott describes prayer as:

“…taking a chance that against all odds and past history, we are loved and chosen, and do not have to get it together before we show up. The opposite may be true: We may not be able to get it together until after we show up in such miserable shape.”

Did you hear that?

We might not be able to get it together… until AFTER we show up in such miserable shape.

You don’t have to have all the right words, or have it all figured out.

You just need to start.

Over these next three weeks, we are going to talk about what Anne Lamott describes as the essential prayers for our lives:

Help.

Thanks.

Wow.

When I think about those three prayers, but especially the first one, “Help!” I realize that God already knows what we need.

God already knows what is happening in our lives.

Really the question is… are we aware?

Can we be honest with ourselves?

Are we willing to admit that we are not in control?

Perhaps this kind of prayer is easy in moments of true desperation.

In 1815, the playwright Hannah More, described how, “under circumstances of distress, indeed, prayer is adopted with comparatively little reluctance; the mind, which knows not where to fly, flies to God. In agony, nature is no Atheist.”[i]

Later in World War I, people would talk about how there were no atheists in the trenches and foxholes.

In those moments when we truly have run out of options, and nothing is left, we cry out, “Help!”

In our scriptures for this morning, we hear two variations on this prayer.

The Psalmist finds themselves surrounded by evil and sin.

Troubles are piling up, counting more than the hairs on their head.

They cannot see a way out.

Their heart… their hope… fails them.

“O Lord, make haste to help me!”

As The Voice translation concludes this psalm:

“I am empty and need so much, but I know the Lord is thinking of me. You are my help; only You can save me, my True God. Please hurry.”

In the Gospel reading, Jesus himself is described as grieved and agitated.

He knows that betrayal and death are just around the corner and it is more than his soul can bear.

And so first, he cries out to his friends for help… “remain here, and stay awake with me.”

But then he cries out to God:

“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me…”

Save me… rescue me… from what I am about to go through.

There are those moments of true and utter desperation that show up in our lives.

Life and death moments…

Rock bottom moments…

When there is literally nothing else that we can do besides ask for help and prayer from those around us.

But I’m far more aware of those more everyday situations where we might need help and prayer, but we hesitate to speak up.

We hate the feeling of vulnerability and think that we should be stronger than we are.

I can do this on my own, we say.

We don’t want to bother others with what we are going through.

Or we worry about what they might think of us if they knew that we were having a hard time.

Most of you don’t know my spouse, Brandon, because he’s not a “churchy” guy.

Deeper than that, he has some experiences that have put him off from religion and we’ve established some good boundaries to help respect one another’s beliefs and needs.

I so appreciate all of you in this church for also doing so and allowing him to be who he is.

Just over two years ago, we found ourselves going through a rough patch.

I have preached on mental health, talked about suicide and depression, walked with many of you through those moments… but suddenly, there it was on my own doorstep.

Brandon was experiencing feelings of hopelessness and depression and anxiety… and we were able to reach out and get him connected with the resources and therapies that he needed.

But there were some incredibly difficult moments along the way, including a 9-1-1 call in the middle of the night when he had a poor reaction to a change in one of his medications.

And as much as Brandon needed help in those moments, so did I.

I knew I couldn’t fix it… but that doesn’t mean I didn’t feel shame or guilt for not being able to do so.

I needed help and strength to walk that journey with him.

And I’m so grateful for a group of friends and colleagues who answered midnight texts and kept checking in on us and allowing me to vent when I needed to do so.

I’m so grateful for members of this staff and SPRC committee that created a safe space for me to share and talk about what was going on and who kept Brandon and I in your prayers.

But as I was thinking about this sermon, I also keep asking myself why I didn’t share all of this with all of you while it was happening.

Part of the reason is that Brandon himself was not ready to talk about it in a bigger way… and with worship being online, I didn’t want to share more of his story in such a public space…

It is one of the reasons why we aren’t sharing more intimate details and names of prayer requests in worship… because we are now livestreaming worship every week, we hold those more personal details for our internal prayer lists.

But I also think my own hesitation to share in a bigger way reflects why it is difficult for all of us.

We don’t want to bother others.

Or we don’t want it to change our relationship with them… worried that they will only see our weakness.

Or you know what… maybe we simply want a space in our lives where we can pretend that everything is okay.

As your pastor, I think I worried about it impacting my ability to show up in the way you needed me to… even though, it was impacting my ability to show up in the ways you needed me to.

And what I needed, but maybe was unable to communicate, was some extra grace as I spent a bit more time at home and when I couldn’t be as available as I wanted to be.

I just kept doing what I could, hoping that things would be okay.

I fumbled along… rather than asking for your prayers.

Rather than crying out, “Help!”

Lamott describes this as the hardest prayer, because we are admitting defeat:

“You have to surrender, which is the hardest thing any of us do, ever.”

It is not easy to say, “I can’t fix this.”

We struggle with admitting that things are not okay… sometimes even to ourselves.

But then Lamott goes on to say: “a lot of the time we don’t know when we’re surrendering that we’re actually, at the same time… establishing connection… to a power greater than ourselves.”[ii]

We “open ourselves to being helped by something, some force, some friends, some something.”

When we turn to God and when we turn to our fellow disciples with a prayer of “help!” we don’t just find answers… we find community.

We find people who are not just willing, but eager, to walk alongside us.

We find a God who has always been faithful and good and who will never stop loving and caring for us.

It is why the Psalmist is able to not just cry out for help, but to acknowledge the joy that comes to those who seek him.

And it is why Jesus, in his great prayer of desperation can reconnect with his Father, placing his life in God’s hands… Not my will, but yours.

In saying, I trust you with this… we are also saying, I am in relationship with you.

Friends, when we share our own prayers for help with each other, we are saying to one another:

I believe that you care for me.

I trust that you are in this with me.

And I know the power of God that is with us will continue to give us strength not just for this, but for anything that might come our way.

In asking for help, we are creating the opportunity for us to be blessed by one another.

That doesn’t mean that you need to feel pressure to air all your struggles with the whole body.

It is perfectly okay to have a smaller group of friends and disciples that you trust to walk with you… a friend or two that you know you can be honest and vulnerable with.

Even Jesus chose to take along just a few disciples for his intimate time of prayer in the garden.

I needed that during my struggles… and was so grateful I had it.

But I also want you to remember and to know that this is a praying church.

That if you ask for help and are willing to be vulnerable and share those needs with us, we will be here for you.

We will be united in our prayers, quick and eager to help and respond and show up with whatever might be needed.

Like that early Christian community, we are people who love one another, want what is best for one another, and are willing to share and surround each other with the love and grace and mercy of God.

And I think that when we have the courage to be vulnerable and surrender, we will find that God will simply pour out even more power and strength upon us.

May it be so.

Amen.

[i] 1815, An Essay on the Character and Practical Writings of Saint Paul by Hannah More, Volume 2 of 2, Fourth Edition, Chapter 19, Quote Page 232, Printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies, London.

[ii] https://www.npr.org/2012/11/19/164814269/anne-lamott-distills-prayer-into-help-thanks-wowMusic: