Do You Wonder Where Awe Went?

The reading from the Psalter for this last Sunday in 2008 comes to us in the form of a Psalm of praise from Psalm 148.

Psalm 148 begins, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!" The author continues for another hundred and forty two words, filling ten verses with words of praise to a creative and sustaining God.

The author suggests, infers, and instructs that for God to be properly praised, everything (and every thing is listed), must be involved in active praise. All things animate and inanimate, heavenly and earthly, literally all of creation are invited to praise the living and life giving Lord.

For us it might seem strange to have the Psalmist suggest that plant, rocks, trees, animals, sun, moon, sky and water could praise right along with humanity. Yet the author did not differentiate. All these and more were God's creation and each had a part in creation's call to worship.

If we copied the Psalm writer we might say something like, "Let each of us praise God." With our televisions, and microwaves, with our cars, and boats, with our compact discs, and earphones, with our fitness machines and manicured lawns...let all of us praise God. The author intended for all of humanity to be aware that God is the creator and as creatures of God's creative act we are compelled to use all we have and all we are to offer praise and thanksgiving.

The intent of the author travels across time and touches us now with no less power if we would but allow. An appropriate thing to contemplate at year's end. An exciting way to live a life in a new year.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Ave., No. Hollywood, CA 91601

Love Came Down at Christmas

REFLECTIONS
December 24, 2008

What is you earliest memory of Christmas? Mine is 1953. I was four years old and we lived in Winsted, Connecticut. Pushing six decades removed, the memories are still quite vivid. My slightly older sisters, Peggy and Kim teaching me to make snow angels, and pushing me in a sleigh. The water in the lake seeming imposing, lapping over the highway, as we drove to and from town. I have clear recollection of family car trips to New York so we could see Rockefeller Center, with its enormous Christmas tree and the shops filled with displays grand, and otherworldly to my young eyes. I remember stringing popcorn to put on the tree and not doing it well enough to be allowed to continue. Remember I was four.

The picture I have in my head of Christmas morning is first that it finally came. For the young it takes so long, where as when we mature it just seems it was a couple of months ago. We had just moved a few weeks earlier from Michigan so Mom and Dad had our presents in a moving container. Literally a barrel was opened and our presents were handed to us. I don’t remember the explanation in detail of how Santa knew we had moved; the presents were proof enough for me. I cannot recall a single gift, but I can tell you I experienced belonging, love and generosity. A truly gracious style of giving which my parents, Mary and Charles exhibited over and over again. Some things I still have; the Puch Burgmeister ten speed bike for my twelfth Christmas. The Craftsman tools I was given for my sixteenth birthday and Christmas. However, among the most treasured of gifts, is something that I gave, rather than received. The first gift I purchased for my mother with my own money was an amber candy dish. It had a cover and clear glass for accent. It cost $9.95 at Virginia’s Gift shop at Knott’s Berry Farm. When she died it came back to me. It wasn’t valuable or elegant, but it was hers and more important, occupied a prominent place in her living room for twenty-five years, so I am grateful to have it. I treasure it in some manner because it represents more than a days labor for me at that time, but mostly as any Momma’s boy can attest because my Mom liked it, kept it and showed it off.

The specific value of the gifts we give and receive at Christmas cannot be measured in cost or origin of purchase, but rather in the reception and ultimate appreciation of the gift. Sort of like the story of a gift coming in the form of a baby. The five star hotel was full, so the parents stayed in a stable, filling the animals feed trough with hay. With the bleating of animals and the must of the stable floor in our memories, we tell this story each Christmas. To remind us and to announce to the world, that in the end, love, not expense makes the value of the gift.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Song of Hope And Love

REFLECTIONS
December 21, 2008

“There must be always remaining in every person’s life some place for the singing of angels–some place for that which in itself is breathlessly beautiful and by an inherent prerogative throwing all the rest of life into a new and created relatedness. Something that gathers up in itself all the freshets of experience from drab and commonplace areas of living and glows in one bright white light of penetrating beauty and meaning–then passes. The commonplace is shot through now with new glory–old burdens become lighter, deep and ancient wounds lose much of their old, old hurting. A crown is placed over our heads that for the rest of our lives we are trying to grow tall enough to wear. Despite all of the crassness of life, despite all of the hardness of life, despite all of the harsh discords of life, life is saved by the singing of angels.” (From The Mood of Christmas by Dr. Howard Thurman).

In Luke 1:39-45 and then 46-55 we find two stories which amplify Dr. Thurman’s text. The first finds Mary going to visit her cousin Elizabeth in the hill country of Judea. Mary calls a greeting as she enters and Elizabeth responds; “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb... for as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.” vv 43-44. In vv 46-55 we find the “Magnificat” where Mary praises God for the blessings bestowed upon her. The readings are familiar. Mary carries Jesus within her and Elizabeth, John the Baptist. The stories of Jesus and John were great, but not all that happened to them was. Their abuse and suffering surely scarred the hearts of Mary and Elizabeth. Yet the words of these mothers of our faith are those of praise to a God who gives hope and strength to all who seek.

At Christmas we are reminded that the grace and hope of God comes in the fragile package of the babe in a manger, but has great and enduring strength if we remember that hope is stronger than fear and love is more lasting than any care or curse we encounter. The key would be found in expressing this understanding. Perhaps what Mary and Elizabeth are telling us is that if we don’t see or hear the angels singing, we are called to join the song and thus become the angels.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Between 1 and The One

REFLECTIONS
December 14, 2008

In the play Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare writes, “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” If we categorize, John the Baptist would fall into the third of these. His cousin was the son of Mary and Joseph and they could trace the lineage to the house of David, but John’s parents were just a couple of oldsters who counted him a late in life blessing. There was some talk of his being a distant relative of Elijah, but nobody knew for sure.

So, John went about his life in the hills outside of Jerusalem until he was drawn to the wilderness of the southern desert. It was here he experienced God in ways unimagined. He heard God say the law alone was not enough. For people could follow the letter of the law and remain fallen in spirit. People must turn away from those things which separate them from God. So John preached as he believed God had called him to, for people to change their ways and accept God. His existence was unusual for some, but the spirit of God moved and John had a following.

The inevitable questions came from those in authority. Who are you? And who sent you here? When he told them he wasn’t the Messiah, they asked if he was Elijah. He said he was not. They pressed, are you a prophet? “Not even a minor one,” he responded. They wondered why he was doing this unusual ministry with water, and he told them because God had called him to bless with the power of life giving water.

John was not born into a Royal Priesthood. He served in wild places wearing wild and ragged clothes and eating wild food. He did not seek recognition or acclaim. It came because of the power evident in his ministry.

When Jesus came to the Jordan River to be baptized; John knew he and the water were instruments. The greatness of God’s glory was beheld in the One on whom the water fell.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

How To Map Quest Comfort

REFLECTIONS
December 7, 2008

Isaiah 40:1-11 begins with the words “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid...” Here the prophet as a mouthpiece for God is sending a word of comfort and hope to those who had been sore oppressed by God for their misdeeds. Prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures came in two varieties. The ones who were House shills, paid by those in authority to say what people wanted to hear, and the likes of Isaiah and others, elected by God to tell the truth in the name of love no matter what. Little wonder that neither variety of Prophet was very popular. Isaiah served for God to guide, and goad the people into a life of faithfulness. Though this meant, at times, conflict in that he had to warn them of their sins and the impending punishment from God, it also was to remind them over and over again that God loved them, deeply, fully and completely. The acceptance of this fact was not immediate by the people, for it took Israel nearly one thousand years to cease idol worship. So comfort comes but at times not as quickly as we would like.

We live in a world of immediacy. With e-mail, text messaging, the Internet and cell phones, we are never far away from information or communication. All of these items and all of that technology in our homes and cars are meant to bring us convenience and comfort. This became especially clear to me a little more than a year ago when driving across the very large state of Texas. My son, Aaron, and I were headed home after a work team effort in Mississippi. Having put in a very long day behind the wheel, we were hungry and did not know whether to get off the road and take our chances at the next town or not. Aaron suggested we use the Global Positioning Satellite our rental car had. To my amazement we were able to locate a perfect choice in San Antonio which the G.P.S. guided us to with those gentle tones of “in sixteen point eight miles exit the freeway. I didn’t have to think, only drive carefully, a great comfort. A greater comfort still was finding good parking adjacent to the restaurant, then enjoying a great meal with my son before we journeyed on. I don’t think it is too much of an exaggeration to say that Texas seems twice as long as California. I will say this; long after that grueling drive, the comfort of that time spent with my Son in San Antonio lingers.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

The First Sunday of Advent

REFLECTIONS
November 30, 2008

Advent is a time of waiting. It is the beginning of the Church year where Christians the world over prepare to remember and receive anew, the gift of God in the infant Jesus. Waiting is a difficult endeavor. Whether we are children awaiting the gifts of the season, or adults waiting to be served at the bank, time seems to go ever so slowly. There is an old Tom Petty song (I think the title is The Waiting is the Hardest Part); a line from it reads, or sings if you will, “You take it on faith, you take it to the heart, the waiting is the hardest part.”

I experienced this recently when on a shopping trip to a local mall. Finding the things to buy and the place to check out was fairly easy, actually purchasing them was considerably more difficult. There was no cashier at the station and appeared to be none on the floor. Several minutes later a person arrived with a customer in tow whose purchase she began to process. This would mean a little bit longer wait for me, but not much. However, before the salesperson could complete the transaction another customer appeared and began demanding service. Saying, “Are you the only person on the floor? I’ve been waiting a very long time without any help, and I’m very busy and have other things to do.” All this without pausing for a response from the sales associate. When the person stopped to take a breath the sales associate said, “I am sorry I will be happy to help you as soon as I finish with this next customer (that would be me). The person said, “I have been waiting a very long time, why don’t you have more people working?” I offered to give up my place but the customer said something sharp and stomped off. I looked at the sales associate and remarked you know it’s the holiday season when you’ve had your first truly nasty customer. As we left the store, my son who was with me said, “This is why I do my shopping online.”

In a rush to do and have and be, patience is a commodity oftentimes lost in the experience of Advent. Rather than be pressed flat with the demands of the season, imagine if somehow we could pause each day for just a moment and consider the gift we have been given in the love of God, or recall the care and strength from which we can draw in faith and through community. Then finally remember what we are called to do with our lives in hope and concern. Waiting in holiday sales lines and listening to one another be frustrated is not part of the equation.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

The Question is Not When but How

REFLECTIONS
November 23, 2008

Have you seen God lately? Well over time and space many believers say they have. The concept of the sacred and how we express and define our experience of the Holy are issues the faith community has written, and at times argued about over millenniums.

A large part of the ethos of faith is to encounter God in our midst. One of the names for God in Hebrew translates literally “God of the mountains.” The patriarchs Moses, Abraham, and Jacob each had personal encounters with God. Likewise the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and Hosea to name a few, were called by God in person and given instruction throughout their ministry. The prophet Joel even suggested this experience was not for prophets alone. In chapter two, verse twenty-eight and twenty-nine he writes, “Our sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even upon the menservants and maidservants in those days I will pour out my spirit.” In the Christian scriptures Matthew, Mark, and Luke each record a version of the transfiguration. Here Jesus is seen by Peter, James, and John in an other worldly appearance along with Moses and Elijah.

Such visions are yet happening today. However, it is with increasing regularity that they are seen in tree sap weeping from a tree in someone’s backyard, a paint splotch viewed at a unique angle or a computer generated graphic. The term for this is simulacra, and according to William Doble who writes for Homiletics magazine, one person saw Jesus in a burned fish stick and another saw the Virgin Mary in a burned grilled cheese sandwich. In most cases these images are preserved and sold for profit. Which causes one to ponder in question, is this what God had in mind by drawing near and allowing folks a glimpse of Holiness? Does God appear for the purpose of religious trading card memorabilia? When the psalmist wrote, “Look unto the hills from whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” Do you suppose the author left off the words for fun and profit intentionally?

Psalm 100 is a so called thank offering; scholars think it to be a call to thanksgiving for the goodness of God, or perhaps a kingship Psalm, or a sung response to the thank offering in the temple. The author clearly believes that God is available and worthy of human devotion. The writer looks at life, acknowledges the Holy presence available as an asset for worship and wonder. The only value to be found in the heart and soul of creation and creatures responding in love. Yet the modern finagler in us cannot help but just imagine what a transfiguration trading card would go for on eBay.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Market Volatility and Faith's Value

REFLECTIONS
November 16, 2008

Any of us who have not been in a cave for the last eighteen months are acutely aware of the strange financial climate we live in at this point in time. With bank failures and corporate bankruptcies announced on a weekly basis it is a nervous time for workers and retirees alike. While historians and economists report that this financial fallout does not approach the Great Depression of 1929-1938, our fears are not calmed for that was a very long time ago, and this is happening to us, now. The parable of the Talents is in Matthew 25:14-30, and in Luke 19:11-27. Though very similar in style and pattern, Matthew's is set in a section near the end of the book which deals with eschatology, or final things. Matthew writes that the work Jesus modeled for those who followed him was one which called for accountability. The parable says the master called the workers and gave one of them five talents, another he gave two, and the last, one talent. In modern terms the talent's value even today is quite great. For one talent is the rough equivalent of thirty years wages. We are told the first worker turned the five talents into ten. That is one hundred fifty years of wage into three hundred years in terms of value. Likewise, the one with two talents doubled it to four and the last worker returned only the one given. He was afraid to lose what he had been given so instead he buried the thirty years of wage.

It is easy to look at this text and see only judgment. However, that would keep us from understanding the grace inherent in the original trust of the master giving so generously to his workers. Think of it. If all we have and all we are is a gift of grace from God, why not invest ourselves in making some return on that generosity? If this parable is less about judgment and more about grace then the value factor becomes heightened by our personal choices as followers of Jesus. Simply put, the question becomes one of either or. Do we hide in fear of the end of days and hide the values God sees in us, either literally or figuratively in the ground, or do we live fully and wildly toward the love Jesus taught and spoke of knowing full well there is great risk?

We know the early church believed Jesus would return soon and judge all of creation for faithfulness or lack of therein; hence, the note of harshness at the end of the passage. Although the passage deals with money, we know it's really about the true currency of life, namely faith. Jesus spoke often about money, however, not in such a way to glorify it, but rather how important it is not to let it interfere with one's relationship with God. Remember the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus asking what he must do beyond following the commandments, and how sad he was when Jesus said sell all you have and give the money to the poor then follow me. Jesus was neither for or against money. his chief interest was faithfulness. The story of the lost coin, where the poor widow searches all over her house for the coin of very small value has merit according to Jesus not because of the monetary value, but because of commitment and determination. For it was all she had speaks volumes about the market value of her faith.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

"Community Day"

REFLECTIONS
November 9, 2008

The spiritual part of faith is internal. It’s possible to be profoundly spiritual without outward appearance of being religious. Divergent views of faith formation and service is as old as the Bible. In his writing Paul wrote of salvation in terms of Justification, Sanctification, Regeneration and Grace. Paul minces no words in Romans 3:23 “For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by God’s grace as a gift through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” Though a great model of ministry and mission, Paul saw the work of faith in spiritual formation rather than service.

James on the other hand was just as clear. In his writing and ministry for the Church in Jerusalem he said one should be totally immersed in service to the Church. In his letter he wrote to that thinking; 2:14-17 “What does it profit my friends if a person proclaims faith but has not works? Can faith save this person? If a brother or sister is without adequate clothing and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”

Movement from the experience of faith to the work of faith begins when we feel the need to express faith in actions. It can be as simple as finding a Church home or attending worship regularly, or complicated as answering a call to ministry. Most of us fall somewhere in between, so it never hurts to be aware of God’s working in our lives, and those around us.
In I Corinthians 12:4-7 Paul writes, “Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working; but it is the same God who inspires them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” What Paul seems to be saying is Faith is more than attending worship or being a member. It is identifying the gifts we have, celebrating them and then putting service where our faith is.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, 91601

God Bless You

REFLECTIONS
November 2, 2008

Matthew 5:1-7 is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is teaching in the region of the Galilee, and comes to a crowd on the side of a hill where he sits and talks to them about the meaning of faith in a new age. The beatitudes include verses three through twelve, where the word blessed is used at least nine times .

The concept of being blessed, or for that matter cursed, was common during the time of Jesus. So for him to address the crowd in terms of blessings would not have been unusual. The difference was the style and phrasing he chose. For to say the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, or the merciful are blessed seems odd.

A contemporary English translation phrases the beatitudes in this way. “God blesses those who depend on God. They belong to the realm of heaven. God blesses those who grieve, they will find comfort. God blesses those who are humble, the Earth will belong to them. God blesses those who want to obey God more than to eat or drink. They will be given what thy want. God blesses the merciful. They will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, they will see God. God blesses those who make peace, they will be called God’s children. God blesses those who are treated badly for doing right. They belong to the realm of heaven. God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. Be happy and exited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.”

Even dressed up in modern language, the ‘Beatitudes’ don’t sound very beatific. The words of Jesus are straight forward, direct perhaps, even a bit harsh. Know your need of God. Know that sorrow comes to all. Know your place in the order of the universe. Know the true meaning of faith. Know the value of mercy. Know the value of a right heart. Know the strength of peace-filled living. Then if you manage to be righteous, sorrowful, humble, meek, humble, true of heart and peaceable, expect to be given a hard time. The words are less an affirmation of faith or an invitation to discipleship, than a warning or a disclaimer one might find in a contract on a product purchased. Jesus was no street corner evangelist looking for converts. He wasn’t selling anything, but he was offering something. He offered a new way to relate to the world and to those around us in terms of faith. He spoke boldly in truth and love to open hearts and minds willing to see old truths in light of new stories. So often we wish to make Jesus a salesman or a storyteller. The truth is, before and after any discussion of his deity he remains our teacher. Yes, Jesus was a teacher, and the best teachers don’t tell us what we want to hear. They do however tell us exactly what we need to know.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

God's Heart Is Our Home Address

REFLECTIONS
October 26th, 2008

What is your first consideration each day? What is important, even essential to you as you move through time and space? Work, bills, money, love, satisfaction, security? I am certain each of us has some sort of list. The author of Psalm 90 (Moses) is concerned with the central issues of human location in relation to God and perhaps more importantly human response to the love of God. The prayer opens with the words; “Lord you have been our dwelling place in all generations,”v1 Then later in the Psalm the author writes “make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be manifest to your servants and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us...”vv15-17a. Moses is praying first to remember himself that he is not the center of the universe, and also to show those he is called to serve that their true home is with God.

Moses knew the importance of relying on God and not oneself, for when he followed his lead rather than God’s trouble ensued. So for Moses faith is rooted in relationship. A Holy relationship with God which is active, vital and close at hand. Creatures need a sense of awe at the creators’ knowing and caring for them. Furthermore it means knowing that as creatures we are not the point, God is. Our spiritual strength and stamina come as a gift from God manifest in doing what we are called. To live toward God is to be in that dwelling Moses writes of. While to live for oneself is to live out of bounds. Even in the lament portion of the Psalm where Moses writes of how in broken behavior and bad choices God is still present available to guide those willing.

As modern people we are so self reliant that the words of the Psalm might seem not simply dated, but moreover antiquated. A curiosity to see and poetic to read, but without value because after all this is the 21st century and we possess the technology to be self reliant. We have what Moses needed namely Global Positioning Satellites, cell phones, and don’t forget the Microwave. What Moses in fact shows us is for all our technological power we at times lack the ability to step back and be awe struck by the power of the Holy. If our focus is only on the press and pull of each day we miss the opportunity to experience the beauty, grandeur, hope and holy happenings around us.
What this Psalm teaches us again and again is that we must be willing to make a conscious effort to consider the notion that God’s heart is our home. It at least seems worth considering.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

What Would Jesus Do?

REFLECTIONS
October 19, 2008

Today is Laity Sunday; a day set-aside in United Methodism to celebrate the ministry of lay persons. The theme is “Partners In Ministry--Making Disciples of Jesus Christ.” On this day we renew our partnership in the Gospel, remembering each of us has gifts for ministry which God calls us to use. Laity Sunday serves to remind us that ministry is not solely left to pastors, and the gifts we bring in terms of prayers, presence, tithes, offerings and service have value far beyond individual imagination.

The gospel of Mark records a story known as the widow’s offering. Speaking about Jesus the author writes, “And He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And He called his disciples to Him, and said to them. ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living.’ ”

The money she gave had little value as coins of the realm. However, in spiritual terms they were priceless, for those two coins represented the sum of her worth. Throughout his teachings, Jesus is quite clear, grace is free but it is not cheap. The cost of discipleship is an investment of life.

To invest one’s life in the gospel is not simply to sign on the dotted line; these things I believe, and these are the rules to which I will adhere as a person of faith. Active discipleship means investing in learning and then spending that learning through leadership. We are called to learn the will and way of God. The model we have in Jesus is effective and the love of Christ in our lives as a guide and guard is essential. As believers, each of us is called to active ministry. Jesus illustrates this in the gospels when He commissions the disciples, then says no longer am I your master but we are friends.

By calling his followers friends, Jesus set the pattern for discipleship; which moves from belief, to instruction, to sending forth. For if we claim the gift of God’s love, and seek to understand that gift…how can we not be moved to share it? Each in our own way! Each and every day! Here and there and yet there again! AMEN!

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Are We Too Distracted To Party?

REFLECTIONS

October 12, 2008

"We give thee but thine own, what e're the gift may be: All that we have is thine alone, a trust O Lord from thee." I grew up singing this hymn as a response to the offering. In Philippians 4:10-19, Paul gives thanks for the financial support the people have sent him. They had given for a time, stopped, then resumed gifts toward his ministry. He affirms the gift, without lamenting the earlier absence of giving. More importantly, he counts the gift as holy, and prays God's blessing upon current and future offerings.

When money comes up in Church someone is liable to be offended. This is because of how personal money matters can be. Someone will say all the church ever does is ask for money, which means don't ask or tell me how to give. So we soft sell stewardship. We write letters, send estimate of giving cards and ask people to prayerfully consider their gifts. It would be more effective to ask folks to put as much effort into giving as into buying a car or a TV. That thinking is fractured because it is based on our need to purchase. The desire to receive something of value for money. Stewardship, however, is based on our need to give.

Of course gifts to a local church are appreciated and needed. From the blessings of the gathered community in worship, to feeding the hungry locally and the support given distant missionaries, giving money matters. How much is a personal decision. If we speak passionately about a social issue, and invoke what the Bible says about it, and yet become forgetful in terms of stewardship, we have erred. Friends the Bible is clear, all of what we have belongs to God, we hold it in trust. In terms of giving, ten percent of what we have is the place we begin as stewards. How we figure that percent is up to us.

If we withhold our money from a church because we disagree with its theology, structure or program, we do so in ignorance of the aim of stewardship; which is sharing our abundance in grateful response to God's goodness. Our faith is deepened by our need to give not the need of the church to receive. If we are not being fed in a faith community, we are not vested in terms of time, talent and treasure in that place. A part of the imperative of faith is to put our money where our faith is. In more base terms a colleague once spoke of a member saying of stewardship; "preaching what ain't paid for don't sound good."

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

The Art Of Light Theory Theology

REFLECTIONS
October 5, 2008

It is fascinating that we live in a culture where we can buy beautiful things, like homes, clothes and cars. We can even buy better looks through cosmetic surgery. So, it only makes sense that spirituality would be tied to our consumer based nature. To confirm this, one need only go to a bookstore, watch television or read a newspaper. From religious self-help publications to psychic readings and tarot cards, spirituality can be purchased on the half shell.

When Paul writes in the third chapter of Philippians about the need to count as refuse, anything which keeps us from God, and encourages believers to press on toward the call of God in Christ. He set a pattern for the work of faith.

The intent of the Apostle was to instill in the mission communities that to be a person of faith requires effort, not to continue the debate over faith versus works. Paul had begun his religious journey rooted in works, first as a scholar, then as a zealot. However, when he experienced the transforming power of God through Christ, he came to know and then share that the work of faith follows experience.

When we gather as a community, especially in the celebration of the sacrament of communion, it is an affirmation and a work of faith, as well. In the songs we sing, in the prayers we say, in the love we hold for each other, for our community at large and for this world, we restate the ancient teachings anew.

In the taking in of the worship experience, and through the elements of grape and grain; we say with Paul, because in Christ I am somebody, all I had and thought I was can be thought of as loss. Yet, being found in God does not free the believer to vegetate. The pull and press of belief begins in being found, so the work of faith is simply that.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Faith Is A Direct Answer, Not A Trick Question

REFLECTIONS
September 28, 2008

In Matthew 21:23-32, we find the chief priests questioning the authority of Jesus. Asking in verse twenty-three, “by what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” He asks in return whether the Baptism John preached was from heaven or of human origin. They are stuck on an answer because if they say from heaven Jesus will say, “why did you not believe and follow him?” However, if they say of humans, they fear being attacked by those present who believed and followed John’s ministry. So Jesus does not answer them either, and then moves into the parable of the man with two sons. He goes to his first son asking him to go into the field to work and he says he will not, but then thinks better of it and does. The man asks the second son to go into the field and he says he will and then does not go. Jesus then asks the priests which son did the will of the father. They of course answer the first. Jesus then says the tax collectors and prostitutes will get to the kingdom before them because they believed John and they (the Chief Priests) did not.

It seems harsh, at some level, to have Jesus say this, yet these and other like- minded folks question the authority of Jesus. Their opposition would carry Jesus to an inquest before Pilot and, of course, the cross. He answers the question of authority not so much with words (as he does here) but with the way he lives and especially with his teaching, filled with the power of the Spirit of God.

I had a professor in Seminary who when reading a passage such as this would say... “then the Presbyterians and the Methodists questioned Jesus as to his authority and where it came from.” The good Doctor would assert, “if you cannot identify with the villains in Biblical narrative you really aren’t interested in the story.” To be fully engaged as people of faith, we must be willing to see ourselves in those who would distract us from seeing that Jesus was not about authority, but power. The power of God’s love let loose in a wild and wonderful way that can confound and confuse and raise questions.
However, in the end, faith is a direct answer never a trick question.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

A Disordered Faith

REFLECTIONS
September 21, 2008

We are a people who enjoy being first, in some measure because we equate first with best. Politicians speak of being first in the arms race, or first in peace initiatives. We are more loyal sports fans if our teams are in first, and who doesn’t want to be first in line at a concert or in line at the bank?

So, when we read the parable of the workers in the vineyard, we can become confused or angered, for our protestant work ethic sensibilities are offended. The story tells us that those who came to work in the last of the day are paid the same amount as those who worked all day. Worse yet, those who came last are the first paid. When questioned, the owner states the obvious; asking is he not free to do as he wishes with his money? Jesus closes the teaching with the statement about this being God’s realm where the first are last and the last first. Of course, this flies in the face of what most then (and now) believe to be right and fair.

On one level, this is a story about labor and management, and when is management ever fair to labor? We can relate to those who complained. To put in the greater time without greater reward can be frustrating. In our jobs, in clubs, civic organizations and yes, in churches we assume certain entitlement based on seniority. While this, in fact, is often true in terms of how these various groups operate, Jesus teaches in this parable that rank and station do not apply in the realm of God. For Jesus, the Kingdom of God is not an exclusive country club but an inclusive community.

In some manner, what Jesus is getting at is the relational aspect existing between creator and creature. The complainers, of course, seek a close relationship with God. They wish to be advisers. Every now and then when I’m deep in prayer, telling God exactly what needs to happen, I am caught by the humor of it. I trust God is as well.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

The Unfrozen Hand

REFLECTIONS
September 14, 2008

The business of forgiveness is tricky at best. For to forgive, one has to give up the resentment held toward another for hurt done. Judgment on the other hand is quite easy. It requires only the self-understanding of whom or what is wrong or right, followed by the exercise of jumping to a conclusion.

Each day judgments are made without investigation and information. If you question the veracity of this statement, remember it the next time you are treated rudely by a sales clerk, or are cut off in traffic. We judge people by how they dress, where they live, how well they speak, their net worth, in short the list is practically endless. Judgments are made of every person we encounter and all events we experience; at times without the understanding that we are being judged as we are forming our judgments. Of course, judgment alone is not a bad thing. Sound judgment allows us to sense danger, evaluate possible helps and hindrances and make choices for our lives. Judgment which hurts is that based in fear and ignorance, one which places an unequal value of my view over yours, ours over theirs.

Songwriter Lindsay Buckingham wrote these words to a song titled Oh Well, “Don’t ask about the shape I’m in, I can’t sing, I’m not pretty and my legs are thin. But, don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to.” Pointed, more than profound, his words remind us of how we tend to operate far too often.

When Peter asked Jesus whether forgiving seven times was enough he, in fact, had exceeded the requirements of faith. The norm for the day was three or four, so Peter’s suggestion was nearly twice the practiced religious response. The response Jesus gave depending on translation is either seven times seventy, or seventy-seven. In either case the direction Jesus gave is clear. We are to act as ones who are loved, forgiven, and accepted. When evaluating ourselves and others, err on the side of loving-kindness. To do otherwise is to miss the mark.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601