Worship or Sports? Or....

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (Exodus 20:8)

Sunday morning has become a battleground in Minnesota (and throughout this nation). 

Coaches of youth wrestling and youth basketball feel the squeeze for gym space.  They want to see their children grow in talent and experience, so they schedule tournaments for one of the only times that the gyms are free: Sundays!  The tournaments often take up much of the day, so they begin as early as possible to get people on the road home.  Sunday morning becomes a time for sports.  But what about worship?

Preachers insist that Sunday morning is God’s time!  They rail against a culture that would willingly pull people away from worship for something as ‘trivial’ as a sport.  They ask, “Ultimately, what is more important?  Jesus…or a three point shot?”  They quote the commandments, “You shall have no other gods before me,” and “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.”   They say, “Thirty years ago this wasn’t an issue!  Those evil sports are destroying the church.”  But are sports actually destroying faith?

The battle lines are drawn and many families find themselves squeezed between the two.  Parents realize that faith development is important to their kids and that worship and Sunday education times are crucial to that growth.  Parents also realize that sports are important to the life development of their kids.  While 99.9% of the kids won’t become professionals, sports teach many important life lessons, including winning/losing, teamwork, and physical fitness.  Faith is good. Sports are good.  What is a parent to do?

Last Wednesday night at our Lenten service Curt Olson (D-E varsity wrestling coach and Peace Education Team Leader) talked about his involvement in the Northland Youth Wrestling Association.   This coming weekend wrestlers from all over the state will come to Rochester for their state tournament.  Because of the sheer size of the event it begins on Thursday and runs through Sunday.  Several years ago the decision was made to include a small worship service on Sunday morning.  At first, a few people showed up at the end of a bleacher.  Over the years the worship service has grown, now needing its own room!  God AND sports, not one or the other.

The reality of life is that tournaments WILL happen on Sundays.  No amount of pontificating by preachers will stop that, but does it need to be worship OR sports?  What would it look like to add a service to the tournament schedule?  It could be something as simple as a prayer, Bible reading, and brief message.   The message could come from a coach or other sports role model who could talk about how God has worked in their life.  It wouldn’t take a lot of work to coordinate.  Even if 10 people came, I’d call that a huge success. 

God is good.  Sports are good.  Loving one does not mean that you have to hate the other.  It’s possible to worship and play on the same day.  How might you work with your youth sports leaders to make this a reality?

Why did I do that???

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (Romans 7:15)

Last Saturday noon I found myself on the road, heading back from my brother’s house.  My internal stomach clock realized that food would be a good idea!  As I pulled off the highway to get gas the battle began.  The window of the gas station housed a Subway banner.  Right next to the gas station a large McDonalds loomed.  What to do?

I pondered my options.  Right now I’m a part of a Blue Cross & Blue Shield ‘Go Challenge,’ where for four weeks I track what I eat, how much I exercise, and how much I find time to care for myself.   The ‘Go Challenge’ pulled me towards a nice 6” chicken sub piled high with veggies.  I’d be able to get a star for my efforts!  The sub on the banner sure looked tasty.  I knew it’s what I needed to do.  I actually took two steps towards the door of Subway before I stopped.  Those Golden Arches called to me.  A chocolate shake!  MMmm…  There’s not much that I like more than drinking a chocolate shake while driving.  I’d had a late breakfast.  Surely I didn’t need a whole sandwich!  I could just have the shake and call it lunch.  I got back into the car and headed to the McDonald’s drive-through.  Just a simple chocolate shake and I’d be on the road.  But, as I stopped to order, two beautiful Filet ‘o Fish sandwiches filled the drive-through sign.  I could almost hear them calling to me.  They soon found their way into my front seat.

An hour later, the gut busting reality hit me.  I’d done it again. I knew exactly what I should do.  My pants have grown tighter lately and I’ve vowed to do what it takes to rectify that.  So much for that vow!  It’s not that I quit wanting to eat properly…I just didn’t do what I knew that I wanted to do.  I wanted to eat the sub.  I ate the shake and fish (and felt the queasiness of all that grease).  Perplexing, isn’t it?

For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

My poor choice made me face the reality that I could not fight this fight alone.  I needed help!  I couldn’t count on my own willpower. I needed to be accountable to someone.  I’ve now enlisted my wife’s help in my battle for healthy eating.  I’ve simply asked her to help me do what I know that I want to do.  Knowing that I’ll have her to answer to if I come home with another McDonald’s bag helps me to choose wisely!  I know I’m not alone in my battle.

It’s so tempting to think that we can fight temptations on our own.  We can’t.  We have things that make us angry with ourselves…but we do them anyway.   When these temptations remain hidden they can overwhelm us.  When we bring them to someone else’s attention we can get the support that we need.  God doesn’t call us to live as solitary creatures.  God has given us friends and family for support, to help us to do what we want to do (but can’t seem to bring ourselves to do).

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:24-25)

Choose the God of Your Choice

Does God surprise us...or do we have God all figured out?

Do we define God...or does God refuse to fit into our neat theological understandings?

This skit (from last Sunday) opens up those questions for me...

#1 – Welcome to Bob’s…I’m Bob.   Can I help you?

#2 – My name’s Joe and I sure hope you can do something for me.  I just got laid off from my job.  Money is tight.  I really need a God who can get me through this.  I was told that you might be able to help.

#1 – You’ve come to the right place!  Bob’s is the one-stop store where you can create your own God. 

#2 – How exactly does that work?

#1 – Simple.  You just browse the shelves here to see what kinds of qualities you want in your God.   I’ll mix them together and you can go home with the God that suits your needs!

#2 – Wow…that sounds a bit overwhelming.  I’m not quite sure where I’d even start!

#1 – Don’t worry about it.  I’m here to help.  Now, you say that you lost your job and money is tight.  Sounds like we need to move over to the financial section. 

#2 – The financial section?

#1 – Yup.  We have several packages.  We have the ‘Get rich with faith’ package, the ‘provide in tough times’ package, and the ‘There’s always enough’ package.  What do you think?

#2 – Hmm…the “Get rich with faith” package seems a bit excessive…but I want to do more than be provided for in tough times.  I think I’ll go with ‘There’s always enough.’ 

#1 – Perfect.  You seem like a hard working guy.  Would you like to add the ‘God helps those who help themselves’ package. 

#2 – That sounds great.  I don’t want to have a God who helps those lazy people.

#1 - Now, what to go with it?  I have a really nice God-of-Wrath add on over here…

#2 – I don’t know.  I guess if the wrath is directed at someone other than me I could do that.

#1 – Would the ‘God doesn’t like thieves’ package work for you then?

#2 – Ooh, I don’t think so.  That hits too close to home.  Might you have a ‘God hates murders’ option…or something like it?

#1 – It’s right here.  It’s a popular one…I mean, a little wrath goes a long way.  We just have to make sure it’s directed at people who do things we don’t do…like murder!  They can take the wrath so we can avoid it.  Now what else…How about a sickness add-on?  Do you want a God who heals you when you need it?

#2 – Sure!  Glad you thought of it!

#1 – Do you need any grace in this God?

#2 – Ooh, not too much.  A little grace is ok…I mean, I’m not perfect, but I don’t want God to forgive too many people. So many just don’t deserve it.  I don’t know where to draw the line…

#1 –We can be pretty specific on our grace packages to make sure you qualify.  I mean, who wants to have a God who doesn’t give THEM grace…but who wants a God who gives it to too many people?  How about this package, ‘God forgives white guys named Joe who live on 21^st Street and drive a Chevy?’ 

#2 – Wow, that’s specific.  I like it.  It means that God will show ME grace no matter what.  That’s what I want.

#1 – So…this is what we have so far.  We have the ‘There’s always enough’ God with these add-ons.  “God hates murderers,” “God helps those who help themselves.” “God heals sickness.”  “God forgives white guys named Joe who live on 21^st Street and drive a Chevy.” 

#2 – That sounds awesome.  I like this idea of being able to pick out my own God.

#1 – That’s what we’re all about here at Bob’s.  Who wants a God who might make you uncomfortable or who might be unpredictable and hard to figure out?  We make it easy to find the God who fits perfectly with what you want. 

Our Attempts at Control

Sept 11th (NY) Jan 11th (Haiti) and March 11th (Japan).... Weird. Luke 21:10-11, Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes', famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. 'Jesus says for behold I come quickly.”  So ask yourself, are you ready? Sad to say, many won't repost this!! (Facebook post)

'What God does is God's business. But I'll tell you this...there's a message being sent. 'And that is, "Hey you know that stuff we're doing? Not really working out real well. Maybe we should stop doing some of it." I'm just saying.  (Glenn Beck)

The events in Japan last Friday shattered any illusions that we might have that we’re in control of our world.  We build earthquake-proof buildings and large sea-walls in the hopes that we can control the forces of nature, but when the earth’s plates slip our feeble efforts are for nothing.  The rushing waters of the tsunami flattened buildings and tossed aside all that people thought could stand firm.   It was a humbling weekend for humanity.  I’m still shocked as I watch video of the disaster.  Nature unleashed a power that we could do nothing about.

It didn’t take long for people to try to regain a sense of control.  The Facebook post making the rounds focuses on dates.  Since three tragedies happened on the 11^th of the month and since the 11^th verse of Luke 21 talks about fearful events, OBVIOUSLY something is going on here.  OBVIOUSLY God is trying to tell us something…right?  The fact that other earthquakes (i.e. Christchurch, New Zealand) have happened on other dates is ignored. The fact that other Scripture verses speak of suffering don’t seem to matter.   Posts like this one attempt to take a seemingly random world and bring order to it.  They try to say, “See, God knew this would happen all along.  We just didn’t notice the warning signs.”   

Let’s be honest.  A few coincidences mean nothing!

Glenn Beck tried to do a very similar thing.  While he talked around the issue for a while, he definitely implied that the earthquake came as ‘a message’ that we should pay attention to.  The assumption was that God caused the tragedy to teach people a lesson.  Bad things can’t just happen.  There MUST be a reason for them.  Once again the attempt is to gain control over a seemingly random world.  If tragedies happen for a reason then we have the capacity to live good lives and keep them from happening, right?

Hogwash!

This past weekend showed us that we don’t have control, no matter what we think.  We cannot predict when or where the earth’s plates will slip.  There is little that we can do to avoid the disasters that fall upon us.   We live in a broken world where bad things happen.  We live in a world where earthquakes and tsunamis kill tens of thousands where we least expect it. We live in a world where cancer strikes and viruses infect, seemingly at random. 

In the midst of this chaos, we proclaim a God who walks with God’s people THROUGH the tragedies.  Jesus shattered the illusion that we can avoid all pain by living a good and moral life.  Jesus lived a life of perfection, yet He chose to endure the pain of the world on a cross.  We proclaim a savior who lives among us in good times and in bad, in joy and in sorrow, in life and in death.   

Instead of looking back and trying to bring order to the chaos (an impossible and arrogant task), let us look ahead and ask how God might use us to care for those who are suffering. 

Grief in Japan

Psalm 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength,
   an ever-present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam
   and the mountains quake with their surging.

 ⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
   the holy place where the Most High dwells.
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
   God will help her at break of day.
⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
   he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

 ⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Two days ago (On Ash Wednesday) many people received ashes on their foreheads with the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.”   I woke up today to news from Japan and the images are overwhelming.  Every time I see a crushed vehicle or a collapsing building I imagine the people who were in them when the ground began to shake and the surge of water crashed through.  The death toll rises with every report.   People’s lives and homes have been ripped apart.  Pain is everywhere.  “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.”  

We live in a broken world where sometimes the earth itself gives way, where the waters roar and foam.   We live in a world where death and despair can come in an instant.  Amid all this chaos, we hear the words of Psalm 46:

 ⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our fortress.

God has not abandoned God’s people in this disaster.  God is with the rescue workers as they desperately look for survivors.  God is with the parents who don’t know if their children are even alive.  God is with the families who have nothing left.  God is with the business owners who no longer have a business to own. 

The God who endured death on the cross now walks with those who endure pain and suffering in Japan.  These things happen in our world.  May God use us to support and provide for those in desperate need.  May God comfort the grieving and heal the hurting.  May God bring hope in despair.  May God work to redeem the dust.

Genesis 3:19

By the sweat of your brow

   you will eat your food

until you return to the ground,

   since from it you were taken;

for dust you are

   and to dust you will return.”

You are dust.   On December 13, 1944 God took some dust, formed it into a small baby and breathed life into my mother, Edith Ann Dodd.  By the time of her birth her father, 2^nd Lt. Charles Dodd, had already returned to the dust, killed in the WWII fighting in southern France.   And to dust you shall return.

You are dust.   On April 2, 1971 God took some dust, formed it into a small baby, and breathed life into me.  Twenty two years ago, on March 15, 1979, my mom returned to the dust, succumbing to lupus.  And to dust you shall return.

You are dust.   On June 11, 1998, God took some dust, formed it into a small baby, and breathed life into my son Ben.  The day will come when I join my grandfather and mother and return to the dust.  And to dust you shall return.

Ash Wednesday provides a striking reminder of the realities of this world.  We receive the ashes on our foreheads with the words, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  These words can seem a bit scary to many people because they remind us of our mortality.  They keep us from thinking too highly of ourselves.  We came from dust.  We will return to dust.  There’s not a lot of glory in that.

You are dust, and to dust you shall return.  My earliest memories of faith come from that horrible day in 1979 as I sat with my family at my mother’s grave.  As a 2^nd grader I didn’t understand much of what was happening, yet in the midst of the darkness of that hour I heard words of hope.  Death might come and bring pain to this world (and it does) but Jesus has already conquered death.  I knew that day that mother would live, not on this earth, but in God’s Kingdom.  That experience shaped my life.

You are dust, and to dust you shall return.  I’ve experienced a lot of death in my nearly 40 years.  I’ve sat at the graves of three grandfathers and one grandmother.  As a pastor I have presided over funerals of the elderly and the very young (including one seven year old boy killed in a grain bin accident).  I don’t ever pretend that death doesn’t bring pain.  It surely does.  I’ve known many tears.  In the midst of that pain we proclaim that death is not the end.  Through Jesus’ death and resurrection death is just another part of the journey of faith.   Those who have died in Christ know a reality that we can only dream of.

You are dust, and to dust you shall return.  I’m OK with that!  While I definitely enjoy the life that God has given me, I can look forward to life with God forever.    God promises something much better that this daily experience.  We will live in the presence of God.  Nothing can compare to that!

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

I have fond memories of watching Sesame Street as a kid.  One of the recurring songs that would get stuck in my head was ‘One of these things is not like the other.’  (If you want a quick walk down my memory lane, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueZ6tvqhk8U ).  Well, this past Saturday I fully experienced that song!

In my role as the synod Mission Director I got to fly to Orlando to attend a training conference for people starting new ministries (yes, it was warm…no, I didn’t have time to be outside enjoying it).  It was amazing to see what new things God is doing in our Lutheran Church.  I had the chance to talk to people starting African ministries, Latino ministries, Hmong ministries, Chinese ministries, suburban ministries, urban ministries, ministries among the young, ministries among the aged, and even Minnesota small town ministries (I now know where Frazee, MN is!).   God’s energy flowing through these leaders inspired me.  They all had a great passion for telling others about Jesus Christ.  They gave of their lives to serve the God who died to save the world.  They knew that they were not the focus on the ministry – God was!  They all had powerful stories of God at work in their communities.

That Saturday morning, as we all shuffled into the hotel conference room for a day of learning and worship, I noticed a large group of nattily dressed people streaming into the room next to ours.  I stopped by to see what it was all about.  One sign caught my eye: FIRST MILLION TRAINING.  I stood at the back and listened in for a moment before I realized the purpose of their gathering:  these people had all come to learn how to earn their FIRST $1 million!  Of course, after the FIRST million a person could move on to the second…and the third…and the fourth… The focus was on charisma, intelligence, and correct decision making.  If you’re going to make $1 million, you have to be the right kind of person and you have to work hard to get ahead of everyone else!

One of these things is not like the others.  One group focused on using God’s power to expand God’s kingdom.   The other group focused on trying to use their own power to get rich quick.  One group opened and closed in worship (and included prayer throughout the day).  The other group focused on how they could use their own power for their own good

I’ve never seen such a stark contrast between the ways of God and the ways of the world.  God?  $1 million?  There’s not much of a comparison, actually.  Money may hold some power, but we proclaim a God who has MUCH more power than mere dollars.  We proclaim a God who has conquered death.  We proclaim a God who will love us and walk with us even when times are tough.  I’d like to see a bank account do that!