Bringing Tidings of Comfort and Joy

(This is an old sermon from my Vanderbilt and Epworth days, but it seemed appropriate to share it again.)

40Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

3A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 6A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. 7The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. 8The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.

9Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. Isaiah 40:1-11

Christmas time is here. Christmas decorations have been hanging throughout the mall every since Halloween. The trees are up in our homes. And everywhere we go—the mall, the car, the elevator, the grocery story—Christmas music envelopes us. And everyone it seems, even those of us in the South who know little of snow, dream along with Bing Crosby of a white Christmas just like the ones we used to know.

On National Public Radio, a few weeks ago, they had a special report on the enduring popularity of the song White Christmas. The song first became a hit during World War II because it reminded soldiers of the comfort of home. Even soldiers who had never experienced a white Christmas could relate to the longing expressed in the song to be back home in the arms of family and friends celebrating a merry, bright, white Christmas.

And while many, many artists—including Elvis—have recorded White Christmas, we really associate the song with only one voice—Bing Crosby—who sang it with such a melancholy longing. He sang it like a man who might be near despair but has yet to give up hope so that soldiers living in the midst of the hell of war cold relate to the longing for something that seemed somehow out of their reach while holding tight to the hope that they might yet experience comfort and joy again.

So perhaps it is fitting to realize that the song that seems to encapsulate the meaning of Christmas for Americans was written by Irving Berlin, a poor Jewish Russian immigrant. The words are all the more poignant when we think of Irving Berlin writing about Christmas as an outsider looking into one those glass balls that you shake and the snow falls on the perfect American home. And despite the fact, that we revere Irving Berlin for being the composer of White Christmas and God Bless America and despite his great popularity and wealth, Irving Berlin became known as the “Howard Hughes of the music Industry” and died at age 101 still feeling very much like an outsider.

In the movie, Citizen Kane, Orson Wells also dreamed of a White Christmas. Throughout the movie, the main character, Charles Foster Kane, played by Hughes, would continually look at a glass ball with a beautiful snow scene and remember his childhood and dream of a simpler and happier time in his life.

Irving Berlin stood outside the dream of Christmas as an outsider, an immigrant, and a religious minority. Charles Foster Kane stood outside the dream of Christmas because the more he had filled his life with money, things, and women, the less room he had for the things that truly mattered. And some people stand outside the dream because no one has ever told them that Christmas can be more than snow, shopping malls, dinner parties, and a mad rush to get things done.

In the book, Life After God, Douglas Copeland shares how his baby boomer parents had avoided anything to do with religion and had raised him with no religious beliefs. So when he found himself in the midst of the desert of life, he had nothing to give him hope or to help him cope. He said, “For me there was nothing—not even the seed of a religious experience to grow from—and I found that I had to build (and continue to) try to build some sort of faith for myself using the components taken from disposable West Coast suburban culture. Malls and nature and fast food places.”

In his essay, 1,000 Years, he tells of the time he embarked on his own search for a “white Christmas.” And how one he found himself day riding in his four-wheel drive vehicle and had to admit, “My secret is that I need God—that I’m sick and can no longer make it alone. I need God to help me give because I no longer seem capable of giving; too help me be kind, as I no longer seem capable of kindness; to help me love, as I seem beyond being able to love.”

All too many folks stand outside staring into a cold glass globe and despairing that the dream is beyond their grasp. There are homeless families living in run down hotel rooms in dangerous neighborhoods, who don’t have a tree, let alone presents to put under it. And they no longer even allow themselves to dream.

There are people who are grieving the loss of someone they love. They dread the holiday meal when they will sit at a table with that empty chair. And the dream merely reminds them of what they have lost.

There are people in the midst of divorce or estranged from those they love, who feel like the dream is beyond them because they no longer have the perfect Christian family. The dream taunts them rather than comforts them.

And then there are people who have experienced so much betrayal and disappointment in their lives that their only dreams are nightmares full of pain and so they can’t even dream of hope anymore.

And it is for the sake of these lonely, despairing people, that the word of the Lord comes to us saying, “Comfort, comfort my people. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for. . . .Go up on a high mountain, You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, . . . say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ See the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”

In this passage from the book of Isaiah, the word of the Lord comes through the prophet to the people of Israel at a time when they were beginning to lose hope. They were in exile in Babylon. Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed and they were finding it hard to sing the Lord’s songs in a foreign land. They dreamed of returning, but the dream was growing dim. Yet just as their hope begin to die, the word of the Lord came to them and it was a word of comfort and of joy. Despite their sinfulness and despite their inconsistency, God forgave them and God provided a way for them to return home.

But before they could return home, the road had to be prepared for the coming of the Lord. And the purpose of this season that we call Advent is to remind us as God’s called out people that it is our job to prepare the way for the Lord.
How do we prepare the way for the Lord?

We only need to look outside the doors of this church to see that preparing a road is not an easy job. We’ve felt the booms and saw the falling rock as the construction workers blasted away leveling the hills. We’ve watched as rock has been placed in the valleys to build them up and as dirt has been spread to make a level road bed. They’ve been working for how long now? Two years and they still seem to have a long way to go.

So it is for us the church. We are called to help prepare the way for the Lord and the prophet makes it clear it won’t be an easy job. There are mountains of troubles to be brought low and there are valleys of despair that need to be filled. The rough spots of people’s lives have to be smoothed out and in order to do that we have to be willing to go where there the hurting people are to be found—in the wilderness!

In book, Hope For the World, theologians and pastors from all over the world sound the continual refrain that the church must rethink what we mean by the word mission. And they suggest that the rule for Christian churches for the 21st century must be “In the church tell the story, in the world live the story.”

To bring comfort to a lost and hurting world, we have to do a whole lot more than erect nativity scenes on court house squares or say prayers in school. Telling the story is important and we should never cease to tell the world what we believe, but the best way to tell our story is to live as if we believe the story is true. And if it is true that the God whose way we are preparing is the sovereign Lord whose mighty power is revealed in tender care for the flock and who gathers lambs into his arms and gently leads us, then as God’s people we need to tenderly care for the lost and the hurting and gently lead them back to God.

Now, we aren’t talking cold comfort here. We aren’t talking about feeling sorry for folks from a distance. We aren’t talking about writing a check and sending it to needy folks far far away. We aren’t talking about the kind of comfort that comes with strings attached. We are talking about gentle, warm, comfort that is given simply because the giver loves.

You’ve experienced that kind of comfort. Remember what it felt like to held safely in the arms of someone who loves you. Or what it felt like on that cold, gloomy day when you were handed a warm cup of your favorite homemade soup loving made especially for you.

And remember the transformation of the pitiful Christmas tree in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special when Linus took his blanket and wrapped it around that poor Christmas tree and suddenly the tree takes on a kind of dignity simply because someone loved it and treated it with respect. Remember the first time you truly heard the words, “In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven” and believed them.

No, we aren’t talking about the kind of cold comfort that we send from a distance. We are talking about the warm, living comfort that comes from a presence in the midst of the pain and despair. We are talking about the comfort that comes from a hand reaching out to pick you up when you have fallen, to lead you when you are lost, to hug you when you feel unlovable.

But in order for the church to provide that kind of comfort, we have to empty our mind of our own plans and dreams so that God can plant God’s plans and dreams in our hearts and minds. We have to be willing to empty our hands of the fruits of our own success so that we can reach out and touch those who need comforting. Then we have to be willing to go out in the wilderness of our lost and hurting world and be God’s heralds by declaring tidings of comfort and joy.

Simply put, comfort is the work of God’s church. And while we may call this a worship service, the real service begins the moment we walk out those doors and back into the world. Here in this place and this time, we tell the story. We tell it in music, in liturgy, and in words, but out there we truly worship and serve God by shouting God’s story through our actions on behalf of the world God so loves.

You can shout the good news by taking time to listen to those who are grieving. Let them tell you their stories. Invite them to celebrate the holidays with you and your family. Give them a Christmas hug.

You can shout the good news by visiting the sick and the lonely. Spend 30 minutes in a nursing home hearing the stories of Christmases past. Hold the hand of someone who is sick or dying. Quit worrying about having the right words to say. Just be present for someone who needs to know someone cares.

You can shout the good news by treating everyone with dignity due a beloved child of God. Be patient with that overworked and overwhelmed department store cashier that can’t seem to do anything right. Let that that harried young mom whose grocery cart is full of food and kids get in the grocery line ahead of you. Give food, clothing and toys to the poor but due it out of a sense of love rather than of obligation. Vote, write letters, and work for the institutions of public policies that bring both comfort and dignity to those on the margins of our society.

You can shout the good news by working with other communities of faith to end hunger, to educate the poor, to rehabilitate criminals, and to protect the environment.

You can shout the good news by praying for and with those who do not have a community of faith and then live as if you believe those prayers will come true.

Irving Berlin made his last public appearance in 1968 and then retreated to his home. But in the late 1970’s a group of his fans began a ritual of going to his home on Christmas and serenading him with their rendition of White Christmas. The maid invited them in and served them hot cocoa. Irving Berlin entered the kitchen in his pajamas hugged all the men and kissed all the women and told them that their singing was the loveliest Christmas present he had ever received. That night, those fans brought not cold comfort but a warm presence and that proclaims comfort much louder than any words ever could.

Let us also go now into God’s world, not to bring cold comfort but to be a warm presence, as we proclaim tidings of Comfort and Joy to a world that may not have truly heard the good news.

1 Quoted by Leonard Sweet in his sermon Don’t Keep the Faith—Share It!, Preaching Plus,
2 Brueggemann, Walter, ed., Hope For the World: Mission in a Global Context (Westminister John Knox Press, 2001), pg. 19

Spirituality and Personality Types

This is something I pulled together for the Heart, Mind and Soul Sunday School class at Epworth. Recently someone asked me for a copy of it, so I decided to post it here.

If you don't know your Myers-Briggs Type, you can find a test here.

This information is based on Prayer and Temperament by Michael and Norrisey)

WARNING: These are tendencies—how you tend to act. No one style is “better” or “worse” than another. This is a tool to help you understand yourself and others. Most of the types are inclined toward one type of prayer or another; however, a balanced prayer life will incorporate many different types of prayer and like a balanced diet you need to have some of all of them for your spiritual health. But always remember that Jesus is in the business of transforming us into new people and one of the joys of Christian growth and living is learning to act out of different tendencies/preferences. —Sherill

ESTP
ESTPs are people of action, unpredictable, yet resourceful promoters, pragmatists. They in truth can say that their work is their prayer provided it is done for the glory of God and the welfare of their neighbor.
• Don’t need as much formal prayer as others
• Often find it difficult to make a deep commitment
• Tend to avoid stress
• Need practical regime of regular self-discipline and self-sacrifice
• Tend to pray while doing other things, but need to find at least a half hour a day for formal prayer and meditation. Suggestions for types of prayer:
o Lectio Divino (Meditating on Scripture)
o Centering Prayer
o Spontaneous prayers and songs of praise throughout the day
o When alone, prayers and songs can be said aloud.
• Communal religious experiences are especially meaningful. Therefore, helpful religious experiences include:
o Emmaus Walk
o Group Spiritual Retreats
• Books of the Bible:
o Psalms of Praises
o Gospel of John
o Gospel of Mark

ISTP
ISTPs are very practical, precise, efficient, quiet, reserved, objective, factual. They are artisans and craftsmen. They are good at exploration and usually possess tireless energy in pursing the object of their search.
• Prefer action over prayer, so need to find ways of prayer that can be used while working
o Prayer of the Practice of the Presence of God
o Breathe Prayer
o Jesus Prayer (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.)
o Lectio Divino
o Use of imagination in bible study –“What might I say to Jesus and what might Jesus say to me?”
o Free and spontaneous exploration of scripture
• Thrive on deep thinking and concentration
o Need to spend at least 30 minutes in the practice of formal prayer
o Need orderly structure and self-discipline
o Quiet, reflective services may be nurturing (such as Taize)
• Need communal worship experiences among a spirit-filled community in which they feel at home
o Emmaus
o Need trustworthy spiritual friends
o Need well conducted, orderly prayer groups
• Try not to get stuck in one style of prayer

ESTJ
ESTJs are responsible, orderly, realistic, matter-of-fact, conservative and consistent. ESTJs like Standard Operating Procedures and seek to preserve the established order.
• Prefer traditional prayers
• Need to do one thing at a time
• Become distracted with monotonous repetition
• Prefer set liturgy (prefer the sameness of worship from week to week)
• Law and order folks who follow the rules of the church even when they disagree
• Resist abrupt changes
• Need at least 30 minutes of solitary prayer
o Spontaneous prayer
o Lectio Divino
o Use of imagination in bible study –“What might I say to Jesus and what might Jesus say to me?”
• Need supportive spiritual community
o Prayer and discipleship groups
o Emmaus Walk
o Congregational participation

ISTJ
ISTJs are serious, quiet, thorough, orderly, logical, matter-of-fact. They are duty-oriented and no-nonsense persons who like everything organized, proper, straight-forward. They are guardians of time-honored institutions, resistant to change, and conservative by nature. They find it difficult to handle strong feelings and emotions and may give the impression of having ice in their veins when a decision has to be made. They can be pillars of strength for any institution and, with their strong convictions, can be charismatic leaders.
• Need to spend substantial time alone with God each day
• Suggested practices
o Lectio Divino
o Directed Spiritual retreats
o Set traditional prayers are helpful but might need to be changed from time to time
o Keeping of a spiritual journal
• Prayer groups may or may not be helpful but Spiritual support groups, such as Emmaus reunion groups will be very helpful.

ESFP
ESFPs are born leaders, good entertainers, very attractive personalities, and easily attract a large following. People enjoy having them around. Wherever they go, they bring warmth, excitement, optimism. ESFPs are the life of the party and love excitement. They are impulsive, frequently, putting their foot in the wrong place.
• Need to be a part of the group and part of the action
o Prayer groups are helpful
o Emmaus Walk
• Externals of religion—candles, symbols, incense—are helpful
• Need opportunities for spontaneous response to worship
• Need at least 30 minutes of solitary prayer time each day
o Lectio Divino
• May also be able to experience God in nature.

ISFP
ISFPs are free spirits, who desire to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and impulse of the moment. They are capable of great intensity of feeling and have an eye for detail. Endowed with artistic ability, they are lovers of nature. The beauties of nature speak to them of God, God’s power, God’s presence, God’s beauty, God’s goodness, and God’s loving care.
• Love congregational singing
• Emmaus Walk and prayer groups are helpful experiences for them.
• Need flexible prayer types which allow them to speak to God from the heart
o Spontaneous prayer and worship
o Lectio Divino
o Worship through music, painting, dance, flower arranging, and sculpture
• Journaling would be a helpful spiritual discipline
• Need to spend at least 30 minutes a day in prayerful reflection to allow real contact with the Holy Spirit
• Need assurances of God’s personal love for them
• Scripture
o Philippians 4:4-7

ESFJ
The ESFJ person is the most sociable of all types. They find it easy to make friends with even total strangers. Sympathetic, their emotions are very close to the surface at all times. Out-going, soft-hearted, sentimental, they need to be loved and noticed and appreciated. They are very giving, caring, comforting. They need and seek harmony and are strongly affected by the opinion of others.
• Praying in groups is helpful for the ESFJ
o Prayer Groups
o Emmaus reunion groups
o Do not mind long charismatic prayers
• Need to learn to talk to God as if God were a friend
o Intercessory prayers for others should be a substantial part of their prayer life.
o Praise, gratitude, humility and petitions
o Spiritual journaling is also recommended
• Tend to do all the talking so they need to learn and practice the skill of listening to God.
• Helpful spiritual disciplines
o Lectio Divino
o Breath prayers
• Helpful Scriptures
o Psalms
o Historical books of the Old Testament
o Gospels
o Acts
o Epistle of James
o 1 John
• Experience both feelings of closeness to God with feelings of emptiness.

ISFJ
ISFJs are super-dependable, have a strong sense of duty, and usually relate well to people. They have a good sense of history and continuity and therefore may be conservative by nature. They love to minister to the needs of others and so are often overworked, imposed upon, and taken for granted. Because of their introverted tendency to avoid the limelight, they are often undervalued. Therefore, they are frequently taken advantage of by selfish, unthinking people and not appreciated for what they do. ISFJs show an intense seriousness of purpose and a great generosity in pursuing whatever goal or idea they choose.
• Solitary and silent prayer is helpful
o Lectio Divino
o Spontaneous prayer from the heart
o Need to realize it isn’t necessary to verbalize prayers
o Use of prayer books and prayers written by others
• Need to spend 30 to 60 minutes a day in prayer.
• Need to develop technique of listening to God
• Reluctant to express emotions in public
• Helpful disciplines
o Emmaus
• Not necessarily aware of mystical experiences.

ENFP
Usually optimistic, ENFPs are warmly enthusiastic, imaginative, non-conformist. Their intuitive powers are quite strong. Warm and sympathetic, they are usually skilled in handling people. Their extraversion tends to be well-developed, as in their attraction to the novel and dramatic.
• Need at least an hour of prayer a day
o Lectio Divino
o Prayers of petition, praise and gratitude, or contrition
o Contemplation of the beauties of God.
o Prayers from Scripture
• Helpful scripture include
o Isaiah
o Song of Songs
o Psalms
o Gospels (particularly Luke and John)
o Paul’s letters
• Need to pray alone as well as with a community of faith
• Because of tendency to want to talk, they need to spend at least half of their prayer time in “Listening” – “Be Still and Listen” should be their motto.
• Tend to dislike repetitive prayer
• Often have mystical experiences
• Good at applying scripture to real situations of life.
• Need structure in prayer life but not too much.
• Try to not to overload self with activities.

INFP
• INFPS have a great desire to pray alone and silently.
• Need an hour of formal prayer each day.
• Helpful disciplines
o Lectio Divino
o Prayer Group but find them somewhat frustrating because of their desire to try new things
o Quiet time
o Silent retreats
o Use of short passages of Scripture (as opposed to long) for prayerful study
o Prefer Spontaneous prayers
o Spiritual journaling—to track dreams and record new ideas or insights
o Spiritual direction
• Constantly searching for new and better ways of prayer
• Helpful scripture
o Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55)
o Psalms
o Gospels
o Paul’s letters
• Dislike set forms of prayer
• Take seriously any hunch, intuition, or inspiration that comes—especially dreams
• Danger of becoming too self-centered so they must make a special effort to reach out to others—“What can I do today to make other happier and better for having met me?”

ENFJ
• ENFJ needs at least 60 minutes a day to pray alone.
o Spend half time listening
o Half trying to discern God’s will
• Helpful spiritual disciplines
o Lectio Divino
o Public worship
o Good congregational singing and liturgy
o Emmaus Walk
o Emmaus Reunion Group or prayer group
• Natural leader—takes charge even when someone else is nominally the head of the group.
• Repetitive prayer is not helpful.
• Trust intuitions, hunches, and sudden ideas
• How can I do the most good for the most people?

INFJ
• Strong dislike for formal prayer and repetitive prayer
• Great need for silence
• Helpful disciplines
o Centering and contemplative prayer
o Conversational prayer
o Study of scripture is especially helpful to INFJs
o Lectio Divino
o Journaling
• Should tithe their waking hours in order to give 10% of their waking time to God and prayer. A minimum of an hour.
• Good at applying the scripture to everyday life.
• Good at seeing the signs of the times
• Must overcome a tendency to discouragement (which comes from their ability to see problems and dangers clearly) through trust in God.
• Helpful Scripture
o Second and Third Isaiah (Chapters 40-66)
o Hosea
o Psalms
o Gospels
o Paul’s letters
• Symbolic and poetic images are especially important
• Make good counselors and spiritual directors because of the4ir spiritual vision and discernment.
• Need time for leisure and as well as prayer—physical exercise and well as spiritual discipline
• Need to develop spiritual imagination.

ENTP
ENTPS need challenges to bring out the best in them. Non-conformists, they love to out-wit the system. ENTPS are ingenious, always sensitive to new possibilities, resourceful, optimistic, enthusiastic, and are often inventors and innovators. Seldom critical, with a good sense of humor that laughs easily and often, they are gregarious.
• Enjoy new forms of prayer—especially complex types
• Love novelty and originality and have a strong dislike for traditional, standardized, normal ways of doing things
• Enjoy new ways of worship
• Easily bored without novelty or challenge.
• Helpful spiritual disciplines
o Spontaneous, improvised prayers
o Need some form of formal prayer
o Lectio Divino
o Prayers of petition, gratitude, praise, humility, resolution, or commitment
o Quiet contemplation
o Emmaus Walk
o Prayer groups
o Study of the history of spirituality
o Contemplative prayer
o Centering prayer
• Helpful scripture
o Psalms
o Gospel of John
o 1 John
o Ephesians
o Colossians
o Hebrews

INTP
With great power of concentration, good memory retention, INTPs prize intelligence and may be somewhat of intellectual snobs. Having a great dislike of small talk, they quickly spot inconsistency in self or in others. This temperament is the architect, the programmer, the philosopher, the mathematician.
• Prefer solitary prayer
o Need good, logical, coherent prayer that is in accord with truth.
• Able to concentrate deeply for long periods of time and needs time and quiet to do so.
• Helpful disciplines
o Centering prayer
o Contemplative prayer
o Formal meditation
o Lectio Divino
• Has difficulty using imagination
• Prefer to work with impersonal ideas and thus is tempted to become too impersonal with God.
o Need to work on intimate relationship with God
o Need to work on expressing emotions
• Good at words, they are often good at writing prayers.

ENTJ
The ENTJ person is known as the commandant, one who is born to lead and one who needs to lead others in order to feel fulfilled. The ENTJ seeks power and competency and is impatient with inefficiency and incompetence. Usually a very good organizer, very outgoing with people, with good intuitions, logical and rational in approach to a problem, the ENTJ wants everything planned, scheduled, structured. They enjoy working with one-two- or five-year plans for themselves and the organizations to which they belong.
• Needs good experience of community at worship
• Prefers congregational singing
• Enjoy leading prayer and worship
• Love being with people and celebrating
• Recommended spiritual disciplines
o Charismatic prayer groups
o Structured prayer
o Need to develop regular habits of praying alone
o Centering prayer
o Lectio Divino
o Use of inspirational tapes and music while doing other things
• Need help of community to activate feelings and emotions in prayer.
• Tend to be impersonal in prayer life
• Need lots of sleep to allow time for dreaming

INTJ
The INTJ is the most self-confident of all types. Quite decisive, pragmatic, single-minded, INTJs do not like to be told what to do since they are usually fiercely independent. They are very introspective, dislike small-talk, always in a hurry, stubborn, determined. In their desire to control nature and people, they see themselves as human engineers and are usually very high achievers. They love to brainstorm for new insights, inspirations, ideas. They may appear to be cold, unemotional, reserved, and unable to express or feel emotions. Actually their emotions are both deep and powerful. Their reluctance to express their emotions comes from fear of their inability to control them.
• Need time for private prayer. Prayer tends to be introspective.
• Recommended spiritual disciplines
o Spiritual journaling
o Lectio Divino
o Service to others
• Favorite Scriptures
o Gospels, especially Gospel of John
o Psalms
o Isaiah
• Tend to inner loneliness and narcissistic concern about him/herself so need to cultivate disciplines that make them more God-centered.
• Tempted to theoretical study of scripture; INTJs need to be careful to not to treat God as an object.

And you can find prayers for each type here.

Search for a New Bishop

On Monday, July 16th, Linda Holland, Director of Connectional Ministries, and Nancy Cole, Natural Church Development Coordinator and Conference Disaster Relief Coordinator, and I arrived in at Lake Junaluska Assembly in North Carolina for the meeting of the Southeastern Jurisdiction Conference of the United Methodist Church. The Conference, which meets once every four years, has the primary task to elect Bishops. (If you are unfamiliar with the process of electing Bishops in the UMC, you can learn more here.) Linda, Nancy and I had been asked to serve as at-large pages for the conference and were not voting members of the conference still time and time again, we were told to "bring back a good one!" So we decided we should keep our eyes out for North Alabama's next bishop and posted our discoveries on our facebook pages. Below is what we discovered.

Here is our first possibility--but he is definitely not the Bishop! However he is cute and he giggles when you poke him.

(with Nancy's husband, Steve Cole)
Sweet . . . but not the Bishop!

(Statue of the Honorable Chief Junaluska outside Stuart Auditorium)
Honorable . . . but not the Bishop!

(outside Open Door Mission in Waynesville)
Fully Human and Fully Divine . . . but not the Bishop!

Candidates but not the Bishop

(with bust of Susanna Wesley at the World Methodist Museum)
Formidable Mama . . . but not the Bishop

(with John Wesley doll at World Methodist Museum)
Strangely warmed . . . but not a Bishop

Uncanny . . . but not a Bishop!

A bit stuffy so luckily not the Bishop!

Very Patriotic . . . but not the Bishop!

Makes a mean casserole . . . but not a Bishop

On Wednesday morning, voting began!

(Jonathon Holston)
Bishop Elect 1 . . . possibly the Bishop!

(Ken Carter)
Bishop Elect 2 . . . possibly the Bishop!

(with Dale Cohen)
Looks like Lyle Holland . . . but not the Bishop

Lunch with Ken Carter (while he waits to be interviewed by the Episcopacy Committee) . . . still possibly the Bishop

(Bill McAlilly)
Bishop Elect 3 . . . possibly the Bishop!

(Debbie Wallace-Padgett)
Bishop Elect 4 . . . possibly the Bishop!

By Thursday morning, we had elected 4 bishops with one more to go. We expected a short day of voting but we were wrong! The fourth Bishop was elected on the 11th ballot but the fifth would not be elected until the 28th ballot!

(Gloria Holt)
A Doctor . . . but not the Bishop

(with Bill Brunson)
Funny . . . but not the Bishop!

(Young Jin Cho)
Bishop Elect 5 . . . possibly the Bishop! (and the first Korean-American to be elected as Bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction!)

(Ron Schultz, Bill Brunson, Bob Alford, Hughey Reynolds, and Roger Thompson)
A lot of them . . . but none of them are the Bishop!

Not sure what it is . . . but it isn't a Bishop! And our search for a Bishop is nearing a close.

Tube Dude but not a Bishop Dude

The Search is Over!! Here is the Bishop--Debbie Wallace-Padgett, the first woman Bishop to be assigned to the North Alabama Conference!

The five new Bishops in all their great diversity after their consecration on Friday morning.

Serving at the conference was a blessing and a joy. Our delegation worked long hard hours as they prayerfully discerned their votes. And the Committee on the Episcopacy did a wonderful job of assigning bishops to the Annual Conferences and provided each of the Bishops with a rationale for their assignment.

I'm excited about our new Bishop and look forward to working with Bishop Wallace-Padgett! I pray God's blessings on her and her family as they saw goodbye to their congregation at St. Luke and prepare to come to North Alabama. I pray for the leadership, pastors and laity of the North Alabama Conference that we will be ready to follow her lead. And I look forward to seeing where God takes us next!

The Search Team! Nancy Cole, me and Linda Holland

Eclectic Echoes -- Let the Wild Rumpus Start Edition

The best thing about Tuesday was listening to the many interviews with Maurice Sendak--what an interesting man! And I am very thankful for his quirky look at life shared in such an enjoyable manner!

THOUGHTS ON FAITH AND LIFE
The Benefits of Daydreaming
Bad Religion
It's Okay to Be Bored
The Secret Power of Naps
Congregants Want Pastors to Understand Their Work Life
The Spiritual Practice of Saying Yes and No
Adjusting to Me
When A Parent Cries for Their Child
More Ways Social Issues and Religion Will Shape 2012 Election (besides same-sex marriage)

REFLECTIONS ON CHURCH
Five Challenges for Pastors
Remember Infertility on Mother's Day
Sunday Morning Quarterbacks
Traditional Churches (I think he is a bit testy but makes some good points.)
Some Advice from the Master Carpenter
NT Wright and Those Pesky Creeds
Where Have All The Leaders Gone
Ok Guys, I'm looking for some sharp dressed men at Annual Conference! Texas Pastor Launches Website for Clergy Fashionistas: Pastor Fashion

REFLECTIONS ON THE CHURCH AND HOMOSEXUALITY
The Bible and Homosexuality--13 Propositions
Andy Stanley Right and Good
Andy Stanley and Homosexuality
Why UM Canceled Votes on Same-Sex Marriage and Gay Clergy
How to Win a Culture War and Lose a Generation

I'm An Evangelical Christian and I Think Same-Sex Marriage Should Be Legal
Same Bible Different Verdict (Not terribly deep but it makes the point)
The defeated Hamilton/Slaughter Amendment
Amid Division Only One View Can Hold Us Together

FROM NORTH ALABAMA
Lost and Found Loving the Lost

REFLECTIONS ON LEADERSHIP
4 Characteristics of Effective Communicators


OTHER INTERESTING STUFF
Stephen Colbert's Interview with Maurice Sendak
The Bible App Holiness Guide
This Week I Love Adele
Employing Underthings Great advice on "foundations" for women!

JUST FOR FUN

Eclectic Echoes--Aaron's 499 Edition

Not that I actually pay much attention to NASCAR, but thanks to the Talladega raceway being smack dab in the middle of the Cheaha District, I had to plan my entire weekend in the (luckily successful) attempt to avoid the race traffic! So it seemed appropriate to name this edition of eclectic echoes after it!

THOUGHTS ON FAITH AND LIFE
Bad Religion
Critical Thinking: what is Is and Why It Is Important to Believers
Dinner Table Theology and Why I am The Worse
Adjusting to Me
Where Do I Get My Confidence About God

REFLECTIONS ON CHURCH
The Living Faith of the Dead
A New Blog You Should Take Time to Read
Quiz: How Long, O Lord, Is that Sermon?
How Long Should You Preach
Does Arminianism Preach?

FROM NORTH ALABAMA
Interview With Bishop Willimon
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love General Conference

GENERAL CONFERENCE
You Have Caused Me Pain
General Conference Wrap-Up
General Conference Wrap-Up: Take Two

REFLECTIONS ON LEADERSHIP
7 ways Women Sabotage Their Leadership Part I
7 Ways Women Sabotage Their Leadership Part 2
4 Things Followers Want From Their Leaders

OTHER INTERESTING STUFF
Brad Keselowski wins Aaron's 499
And to give another race some attention: I'll Take Another
Steve Burns (of Blues Clues fame!) on Fameishness

JUST FOR FUN

Eclectic Echoes--Ryan Gosling Edition

THOUGHTS ON FAITH AND LIFE
Did Faith Drive the Titanic Musicians?
Five Things "Angry Birds" Will Teach You About Life
Don Draper: Spiritual Director?
God's Plan Isn't a Roadmap
Why Christians Need to Care About Autism
The Hunger Games Contradiction

The Robe Upon My Back
One Reason People Go To Church
Christianity in Six Words

REFLECTIONS ON CHURCH
The Diverse Church as a Musical Production
Fruitfulness for Others
Doctrine and the People Called Methodist
The Passionate Mainline
Hurtado on Why Corssan's Jesus Won't Do

FROM NORTH ALABAMA
A Gadfly Bishop Reflects, and Candidly
Legislative Update
Tom Webster's Senior Reflection at BSC Chapel

GENERAL CONFERENCE
Prep for General Conference I: Prayer
Prep for General Conference II: Study
O For a 1000 Dollars to Save

REFLECTIONS ON LEADERSHIP
The Surprising Cure for Lonely Leaders
2012 is a Big Year for United Methodist Conferencing
3 Leadership Lessons I Learned Through Tragedy
The Titanic Need for Authentic Leadership

OTHER INTERESTING STUFF
In Which I'm Pondering Advice . . . How to write!
15 Ways to Stay Married for 15 Years
Top 10 Worst U.S. Tornadoes
Bo Jackson Interview

WOMEN IN MINISTRY
Bra Straps, Battery Packs, and Other Divine Accoutrements This has never happened to me but then I dress with the battery pack in mind! (I also buy jewelry with my tech guy in mind! As in "Oh, he'll hate these!" or "Oh, he'll love these!")

JUST FOR FUN
I usually put a video here, but this was just too good: Theology Ryan Gosling

The Eyes of Christ

For those who helped by responding to my question on Facebook, here is my sermon, The Eyes of Christ, preached on March 25th at Union and Saks United Methodist Churches.

30The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:30-34

St. Catherine’s Monastery, which is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai, contains a large collection of religious icons. Unlike idols, icons are not objects of worship rather they are devotional aids. They are generally rather simple in design and their purpose is not for us to focus on the beauty of the painting but to focus beyond the painting to the person of Christ. Like a computer icon, the icon is not what it is important rather it is simply a pathway to something greater beyond itself. So while we may stand before the Mona Lisa and marvel at Da Vinci’s artistry or wonder about the story and legends behind the painting, when you stand before an icon you look beyond it to focus on God.

One of the icons at St. Catherine’s is rather odd. It depicts Jesus holding a Bible in his right hand. His left hand is forming the traditional symbol of blessing. But his face is somehow off kilter because the eyes are very different. The eye on the left is small and steely and the other eye is large and soft—almost a puppy dog eye. The end result is a face that looks off-kilter as if someone who lacked visual perspective had drawn it.

Yet, the icon is all about perspective because the face of Christ is drawn this way for a purpose. The painter wanted those looking in the eyes of Christ to see themselves and the world as Jesus saw them. The left eye showing his anger and frustration at the sin and brokenness of the world. And the right eye showing his love and compassion for us and for our world.

This Lent you have been exploring various parts of the body of Christ and today we are going to focus on the eyes of Christ. Eyes which see the world as it really is in all its beauty, in all its promise and all its brokenness and pain. Eyes which don’t simply scan the room but which peer deep into the inner recesses of our hearts and minds. Eyes which truly see us for who we are as well as who we were created to be.

That’s why if we are honest we have to admit that looking deep into the eyes of Jesus may not be the most comforting thought. If we have any sort of solid biblical understanding of Jesus then we know that in Jesus’ eyes we may see some things within ourselves we’d rather not acknowledge.

After all, Jesus’ eyes don’t miss much. He looked at the rich young ruler and saw his love of money. He looked at the Pharisee and saw his hypocrisy. He looked at the Woman at the well and saw her checkered past and present.

His eyes are deep and penetrating and there is nothing we can hide from him. In his eyes, we see our sin—not just the bad things we have done but all the good things we have failed to do. We see our lack of love, our selfishness, and our laziness. It is impossible to look full in his wonderful face without experiencing the guilt of knowing we are sinners in need of his grace.

Looking into the eyes of Christ forces us to –in the ancient words of confession—acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins.

What’s more it is hard to look into his eyes without also seeing his pain over the state of the world around us. God’s pain for those who are lost, those who are hungry, those who are oppressed, those who are hurting, and those are in pain. To look into his eyes is to see his pain over the brokenness of this world.

If we take the time to look deeply in to the eyes of Christ, we can’t easily ignore the deep needs of the world. In fact, when we look into the eyes of Christ, we realize that to try and ignore those needs is, in fact, sin.

It’s a dangerous thing to look into the eyes of Christ because in doing so we risk being broken . . . we risk feeling the pain of the world . . . we risk feeling anger at injustice. . .we risk feeling guilt at our sinfulness.

But then there is the good news, the fact that even though he sees us and our world very clearly Jesus feels compassion. Despite our brokenness, despite our sinfulness, despite it all, Jesus looks at us and feels compassion for us.

There are many instances of Jesus seeing and acting on behalf of people in the Bible, but today I picked this passage from Mark because I am always awed by Jesus’ response to the needs of the people.

Thus far in Chapter 6 of Mark: Jesus was rejected by the people in his hometown; the disciples had been sent out by twos to cast out demons and heal people: and John the Baptist was beheaded. If anyone had a right to be tired and have some time away it was Jesus and the disciples. So Jesus sends the crowds away and gets on the boat with the disciples to head toward a deserted place for a break from all the neediness. But when they get there, the place is anything but deserted—it’s full of people in need. And our scripture says that Jesus saw the great crowd and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd so he began to teach them and then immediately following this passage we learn that he not only taught them but because he was concerned about their hunger, he fed all 5000 of them.

If anyone had an excuse to ignore the needs around him it was Jesus. If anyone had an excuse to care only for those closest to him, it was Jesus. Yet faced with the great need of the crowds, we are told that Jesus SAW them and felt compassion for them.

Recently, while driving to my office I noticed a rough looking man standing on the side of the exit with a sign asking for food or money. So as I pulled up next to him and had to stop and wait for the light, I began looking around the front of my car, fiddling with my radio, checking for texts on my cell phone . . . anything to avoid making eye contact with him . . . anything to avoid really seeing him.

After all if he knew he’d been seen, I’d have had to respond. If I’d really looked at him, I might have recognized my brother in Christ. If I’d truly seen him, I might have felt compassion. Better to look away, to not acknowledge him or his need, than to see him as Christ sees him.

Because Jesus never looks away. Jesus sees the needs of the crowd and feels compassion. Jesus sees the woman doubled over and heals her. Jesus sees Zaccheus hiding in the tree and he calls him down. Jesus sees the crowds at the foot of his cross taunting him and he forgives them.

Jesus looks and sees us as we are and feels compassion for us.

And this compassion is not simply a sentimental feeling. It’s not like us looking at pictures of starving children in Africa and thinking “Oh, how sad!” The word translated compassion here implies a gut-wrenching, stomach turning feeling. In fact, the word compassion comes from the world passion which means suffering and com which means with. In other words to feel compassion is to suffer with.

So Jesus looks at us and sees us as we truly are, he grieves our sin, he is angered by our wrong doing, but he also suffers with us in our brokenness and pain. And in the end he takes on all that sin and all that pain and carries it to the cross in the ultimate act of compassion.

The other day, I posted on Facebook the question “What would you see if you could look into Jesus’ eyes?” And I was amazed by the number of folks who chose to share. Since I hang out with lots of Methodists, many of the responses focused on the love, compassion, and forgiveness found in Jesus eyes. A few spoke of the judgment they might find there.

One particularly poignant response came from a friend who said that because of his sinfulness he couldn’t possibly look into the eyes of Jesus. And my heart broke for my friend because the good news is that because Jesus does feel compassion for us and went to the cross for us that we can look him fully in the eyes despite our sinfulness. The good news of his love and grace always trumps the bad news of our sin and brokenness.

But the less prevalent response was the most mature and the most Biblically accurate observation—in his eyes we see sadness over our sin and the brokenness of our world but in his eyes we also see love, forgiveness and joy.

And unlike the eyes on the icon, it’s not either/or. It’s not bad news/good news. In a very real way it is all good news. We dare to look into his eyes and acknowledge our brokenness and sinfulness because we also know that the eyes that judge us are also the eyes that not only forgive us but which love us more than any other!

We don’t have to hide from the truth of our sin. We can acknowledge and confess our sins because we know the one we confess our sins to knows us and loves us despite those sins. What’s more we only know the true depth of God’s love for us when we realize how much we have been forgiven and to what extent Jesus was willing to go on our behalf.

So we dare to look full into his wonderful face and deep into his wonderful eyes and see the truly good news that despite it all, we are loved and we are forgiven.

But if we truly look into the eyes of Christ, something else happens as well. The more we look into those truthful, compassionate eyes, the more we begin to see the world as Christ sees it. We see signs of God everywhere. In his creation—the beauty of a sunrise, the crashing of the waves, the juicy sweetness of a ripe strawberry, the joy on a baby’s face as she discovers her hand for the first time. But we also see it in the face of a beggar on the side of the road, a starving child in Africa, the person who betrayed us . . . We learn to see God in the good and the bad, the strong and the weak, those like us and those very different.

What’s more when we see the world through Jesus’ eyes, we are moved by his compassion. We see the world’s brokenness. We see its injustice. And instead of running to hide our head in the sand or clucking our tongue in disgust, we are moved by compassion to act on its behalf.

Remember a few years back when everyone was wearing those WWJD bracelets? What would Jesus do? Well today I’d like us to ask ourselves WWJS? What would Jesus see?

If Jesus lived in our home, worked at our job, worshipped at our church, read our newspaper, and travelled our roads, what would he see? Who would he feel compassion for? And what would he be compelled to do on their behalf?

Actually, there is a strong connection between asking what would Jesus do and asking what would Jesus see because it is only when we truly see people and their needs that we can truly know how to help. All too often we are looking for some stock program or words to answer the needs of those in our community. But it is only when we truly see what they need that we can determine what we should do.

Last night, I took my daughter and two of her friends to dinner. Somewhere in the midst of the meal the conversation turned to a young man they knew. They were marveling on how he could be blunt and honest and yet people were drawn to him. Then one of the girls shared about a time that this young man was all prepared to tell someone just exactly what he thought that person should do to get his life straight. However, he said that when he began to say his piece, he saw something that made him hold his tongue and spend the evening getting to know this person. Then Sarah said, “That’s why he can do it! That’s why people are drawn to him even though he is blunt and honest. He invests himself in them!”

To see people with the eyes of Christ means we have to invest ourselves in them. We have to listen more than we talk. We have given more than we take. We have to value risk rather than security.

After all, when we see with the eyes of Christ we are seeing with the eyes of the one who taught that if anyone wishes to be his follower then he or she would take up their cross and follow him.

We have gathered here today to be the church—the body of Christ. And as Christ’s body, we must take the time to look deeply into the eyes of the one who called us here, to see us as he sees us, and to learn to see the world as he sees it.

And as Christ’s body here on earth, we are also reminded that we are the ones called to continue his ministry here on earth. And just as Christ looked on the crowds and had compassion on them so too we are now called to look on our communities and our world and to continue Christ’s work of compassion on their behalf.

As St. Teresa of Avila famously reminded us:
"Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now."

So as we leave today, let us look deeply into the eyes of Christ, acknowledge our sinfulness, accept our forgiveness and to learn to look with Christ’s compassion at the world asking “What would Jesus see” and therefore, “What am I called to do?”

Eclectic Echoes -- New Life Edition

I hope you have all had a blessed Easter!! It's been a very busy year thus far for the Clontz clan. I'm somewhat settled in Birmingham and Craig and I are now a part of a new demographic, LAT (Living Apart Together). I've finished my first 90 days as Superintendent of the Cheaha District and on Palm Sunday I preached my last sermon at Trinity. It was hard saying goodbye to that wonderful congregation! But I am very much enjoying getting to know the pastors and congregations of the Cheaha District. And hopefully I'll be able to take up blogging once again. So to get started here are a few of the interesting things I've read over the past week.

THOUGHTS ON FAITH AND LIFE
What Wine Means at Passover and Easter (love the wine suggestions!)
What Christians Can Learn from Captain Kirk
Where Am I? The Middle Class Crisis of Place
What's Real About the Rapture?
I'm A Bible-Thumping Progressive Christian
Advanced Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
Holy Week and Consumerism
For the Hurting on Easter
What I Learned About To-Do Lists from my Eight-Year-Old Son
John Wesley Gets In My Face
Now You See It
On Grace


REFLECTIONS ON CHURCH
Christianity in Crisis
and in response Christianity in Crisis?
An Uncreative Process
Congregations Gone Wild
Just a Spoonful: Why Congregations Can't Just Get By
Raising the Bar
Engage Your Congregation with Visual Worship
The Mainline and Me
All For Nought
What's Killing Our Congregations

FROM NORTH ALABAMA
Cabinet Announces First Round of Appointments
God Shows No Partiality

GENERAL CONFERENCE
Will General Conference Foster Expanded Ministry For Women?
4 Good Things About the Call to Action

REFLECTIONS ON LEADERSHIP
Failing to Learn
9 Things Successful People Do Differently
12 Things A Leader Simply Cannot Do
Are You Stuck In the Middle?
The Problem Behind The Problem

OTHER INTERESTING STUFF
19 Regional Words All Americans Should Adopt Immediately
The Best Damned Film List of Them All
10 Celebs Doing the Vulcan Salute
10 Things to Do After You Are Immortalized in a Wax Museum

WOMEN IN MINISTRY
From Asbury Theological Seminary's 7 Minute Seminary series



JUST FOR FUN
SPOILER WARNING!! If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, you may want to skip this!

God Unboxed: Messin' WIth My Life!

Happy 12th Day!

On Christmas Day, I challenged everyone (See C&C Service on 12-25 at Trinity's website) to spend the 12 days of Christmas shouting God's "Yes" to the world. I'd love to hear your stories about sharing God's "Yes" during this very special holy-days!

(I hope to return to posting eclectic echoes and other thoughts soon but probably after Easter!)

Eclectic Echoes--Steve Jobs Edition

I never thought I'd be a Mac person. But here I sit typing on my MacBook Pro and answering calls on my iPhone and suffering from a huge case of iPad envy! And I can't help but reflect on how one man's dream can impact so many people. Granted Steve Jobs was not the heroic man that Fred Stuttlesworth or Derrick Bell (both of whom died the same day as Jobs). Yet whether you use an Apple product or not, your life has been changed by his life. And I have been very moved by his thoughts on life and faith (see video at bottom). So thank you Steve Jobs for pursuing your dream and changing our lives and hopefully we will use the fruits of your ingenuity to make a positive difference in the world!

THOUGHTS ON FAITH AND LIFE
Delusions of Glamour Began with Chandelier Earrings
American Religion is Strange
Four-Fold Pattern on Franciscan Prayer
To Change You Have To Want It
25 Ways to Be Missional in your Neighborhood
Steve Jobs: Reflections About Life, Death and the Life In-Between
I Don't Want An Easy Faith AMEN!
Good News! Jesus Is Not Nice!
The Harvey Inside

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Steve Jobs

REFLECTIONS ON CHURCH
In Defense of the Lectionary
Six Reasons Young Christians Leave The Church
Scandalous Faith
Finding Yourself In-between
Why Congregations Need Denominations
Random Thoughts on Preaching Styles
Bishop Mike Coyner on Angry Birds
The Clarion Call to Watered Down Evangelicalism
A Few Days on the Trail
The Methodist Call To Action: Marching to or Rescuing Zion
Welcoming Doubt to Christian Education
Preaching to Your WHOLE Church

FROM NORTH ALABAMA
Illegals All!
The Passing of a Preacher
Just Another Liberal Rant . . Business as Usual
The End of Almost Fifty
Why I Am Against Capital Punishment
After Ruling, Hispanics Flee An Alabama Town
People Kept Telling Me No
I Know My Call Is Real

REFLECTIONS ON LEADERSHIP
God Will Make A Way
How to Absorb New Ideas And Become a Better Leader
Ministry For the Long Haul

OTHER INTERESTING STUFF
Confronting the Malefactors
5 Reasons to Drink Coffee (not that I need 5 reasons!)
The Lyrics to the Star Trek Theme Song
Tailgating Traditions at Auburn

JUST FOR FUN