All Creatures of Our God and King!

Sometimes it is hard to keep your cool and stay focused.

So two preachers are in their place on Sunday morning (the names have been withheld to protect the guilty!).   The hymn begins to play.  It happens to be that great hymn of faith (All Creatures of Our God and King!)  The hymn celebrates the majesty of all creation.  Then it happens.

A wasp has decided to join worship.  Now I often wonder if these creatures who decided to worship with us randomly are God sent or demon sent.  Did the wasp suddenly feel the urge to identify himself/herself with the leaders of worship?  Has this wasp been waiting to answer the call to ministry?  Is there a wasp committee (which would have to be Methodist as we have such an affinity for committees) that sends out missionary wasps to worship?  "Go see what the Methodists are doing and report back to us!"  

Or perhaps there is a demonic side to this creature that has motivated its sudden appearance.  Is it a martyr wasp that is sent to do harm to those who would lead worship?   Are there cells of demonic wasps just waiting to invade UMC worship and attack its leaders?

Anyway, the wasp showed up.  It is hard to identify whether a wasp is friendly or not.  I imagine it the same for the wasp. 

The sudden appearance of these wonderful creatures of God in worship has great impact upon those who find themselves in close proximity.  One can react without thinking.  Such is the case.

Preacher one found himself holding a cross.    Preaching two and Preacher one were silently contemplating their options when said wasp lit upon or in very close proximity of Preacher one.  There should be a pubic notice somewhere in the wasp colony that warns them:  Do not land near preacher holding a cross.    Without really thinking, preacher one smote the wasp with the cross!  Yes in the holy of holy, with a cross, he smote the creature of  our God and King!  Let us pray.....

Now I am not sure what theological implications there are for such action.  I am sure there is no disciplinary actions that are necessary.  And I am not sure what happened to the remains of the wasp that dared to show up for worship.  However, I am sure that preacher one and preacher two continued to worship God in the fullness of creation with a sigh of relief.  But maybe there should not be too much comfort for these two as there ARE other wasps in this world.

Strangely enough, the apostle Paul reminds us that the cross is the central event in the life of Jesus that does protect us.  We speak in the faith of taking up the cross and carrying the cross.  When we find ourselves at a loss for what to do look at the cross.  Hold the cross in your hand and in your heart.

Sometimes there is more going on in worship that one realizes.

Pray for me as I pray for you.

Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

www.midweekmanna.com

www.stlukesimpson.org

Giving Voice

Each morning I listen to a Podcast that is produced by the British Jesuits (Pray as You Go).  It is a very traditional devotion.  It begins usually with a monastic chant.  Don't you love to hear the monastic voices sing!  First of all they are singing in a cathedral where sound just oozes.  Then it seems that all of the monks have beautiful voices.  I am wondering what they do with all those who cannot sing?   It is a great way to start the day along with other prayers and scriptures that I read.

In past months, there has been a female British voice that began the podcast.  This week the voice has changed.  There is a male voice that almost has a gruff whisper in it.  At first, I was just taken back by the change.  "Wait!  That is not the usual voice I am used to hearing!"  I even checked to see if some foreign podcast had invaded my space.  At each day has passed, I must admit I enjoy hearing both voices in their uniqueness.

What would that look like in our everyday world--to enjoy hearing the different voices in their uniqueness?   Usually when we hear something different one reacts to the voice.  Some have the hair stand up on our necks.  Some will not listen.  Some become intrigued.  Others welcome the new voice.   But to celebrate the uniqueness is still the call before us.

I think Jesus was intrigued by each person's uniqueness.  He would look at each person with compassion and sometimes pity.   He listened to their stories.  Jesus dared to feel their pain.  Jesus saw that the image of God was deep within the soul of each person.  Sometimes it was in poor shape as the world had trampled upon it.  At other times the person had lost sight of their uniqueness and had become something quite different than what God intended.

I would invite you to give voice to the uniqueness that God has given to you.  I heard it put this way the other day by someone--"Be yourself--everyone else is taken!"    And then the next question is what have you been called to do in the kingdom of God that is uniquely yours?  In other words, it won't get done unless you do it!  God is counting on you!

Give voice.  Hear the voices around you with an intrigue for the holy.

Pray for me as I pray for you.

Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

www.stlukesimpson.org

www.midweekmanna.com

What Will You Do With Jesus?

As I am writing this, Jesus is passing by the window of my office.  He is with Mary and Joseph in the back of the pickup truck.  Jesus is being stored away in the shed until next year.     Kind of an interesting thought--storing Jesus and his family in the shed.

Storage shed take on a life of their own.   Did you know that the storage industry generated over 24 billion dollars in 2013?  That is alot of storage.  We have so much stuff that we not only cannot put our cars in the garage (it is filled with stuff!) that we have to rent/construct other places to store it.  The attic is full.  The garage is full.  Our closets are full.  For most of us even baby Jesus can't fit into the storage shed.  It is too full.

You can now bid on storage sheds that people have abandoned for one reason or another.   There are some who have found treasures in these abandoned places.  Great pieces of art, furniture, etc that have been left behind.  I have not heard of any one finding Jesus in the shed.  Or if they did they were not excited about it enough to tell anyone about it.

Some folks store Jesus on a weekly basis.  I admit that I do not like to have the sanctuary doors locked at the church.  It is as if we have to lock God in until next week.  We certainly do not want God loose in our neighborhoods.   The tamed and stored God is so much more fun to visit.  We can just peek in on God when we need God.  

So did you store Jesus away with all the other Christmas decorations? Or has the birth of Jesus changed your life so that storage is no longer an option?  How can you keep the Christmas experience alive in your life?  Let me offer some suggestions.

Celebrate each day!  I do not think there are enough celebrations in life.   I think one ought to celebrate the presence of people as much as possible.  Celebrate one's health!  Celebrate anything done well or done with intention.  Shock someone today by giving them an standing ovation!!!

Give more than you receive.  Generosity is missing in many people's world.  Begin to think of changes you can make in your life to give more to others.  Being generous creates holy spaces in your heart.

Pray.  Pray as though you believe that prayer makes a difference in your life and others.  It does!  Pray for your enemies.  Pray for those who think ill of you.    Pray with Jesus.  You will never be the same.

As Jesus and his family round the corner to head to the back shed of the church, I know they will be safe until next year when we take them out of storage.  The real danger for my world is the Jesus I will not let be stored.  It is this Jesus that will control my life this year.  What will you do with Jesus?

Pray for me as I pray for you.

In the Master's Name,

Dr. M  Jack O'Dell

www.midweekmanna.com

www.stlukesimpson.org

We Need More of These Things!

So now you have more stuff?  You have had more food.  You have more clothes.  You have more and more.  There are certain things we need more.  There are some things that need to be thrown away and not hoarded.  I saw an article the other day that suggested you put a rubber band on the hanger of all your clothes.  As you wear the clothes, take the rubber band off.  After three or four months, the rubber bands can tell you what clothes you can give away.  Notice I said, “Give away!”  I did not say sell.  We have lost the art of sharing!  Practice it more!

Here are some things the world could use more of in the coming year.  Will you do your part?

Generosity.  Why is it so difficult to be generous?  Generosity begins with God in the Judeo Christian world.  We give to the church because we need to not for any other reason.  It centers our life.   Once you begin to understand this center, life is easier.  No you are not going get rich or receive more money because you gave.  You are going to be blessed because your life is centered.  A life centered in God becomes generous in all of life. 

Kindness.  Why can’t we extend simple kindness to the world around us?  It is easy to think of other people being rude.  The truth is that we all need to be more kind to one another.  Sometimes it means just being quiet.  At other times it means doing something that extends kindness.  Most of the time it means not reacting to others meanness.  Yes, people can be downright mean.  Some think it is their “God given right” to be mean.  It is not. 

Tolerance.  To some this is a dirty word.  It is compromising.  As you mature in life, you will learn that it is not.  Tolerance is what statesmen practice for the good of the country.  Tolerance is the art of Christian compassion at its best.  You can still hold your blessed assurance without being intolerant.  One of the most interesting sermons of John Wesley is entitled “On Bigotry.”  He basically defines bigotry as being unable to see God at work in ways you never would imagine—even through other faiths.  If you are in the Methodist tradition, it might be a sermon you would want to read and reread.  Tolerance is not a weakness.  It is a virtue to be practiced daily!

Prayer.  Most people believe in the concept of prayer while being unable to practice it.   It is because we have forgotten the power of prayer.  Prayer has turned into a version of Santa Claus—just ask and it will magically appear.  Prayer is about relationship with God, the world, and yourself—all in one.  Begin praying this year.  Spend more time in prayer than you can imagine.  The practice will change you from the inside out.  If you tell someone you will pray for them (yes-Pray, not think!)  DO IT.  Ask people to pray for you.  When you do not know what to pray, just be still and be with God.

The world can use more of some stuff and less of other.  You can too!  Make this year one that leaves great impact on you and the world you in which you live.

Pray for me as I pray for you.

M. Jack O’Dell

www.midweekmanna.com

www.stlukesimpson.org

Today is Christmas!

Today is Christmas!  Christ is born again!

It is a day of
    getting up early with the excitement of a child
    remembering staying up late or staying up late,
    traveling to be with family,
    cleaning up wrapping paper,
    eating more than you should,
    sorting out what goes where and what goes back,
    watching old Christmas movies,
    playing with new stuff,
    wearing new stuff,
    remembering those who you miss on this day,
   wondering where some are and what they are doing,
   loneliness for many, 
   work for some,
   sadness for those who experience grief in any shape or form,
   rest for the weary,
 
It is a day you could
   call an old friend,
   feed others,
   forgive many,
   worship,
   Read your Bible--the birth of Jesus,
   Pray,
   rest your soul,
   write an email or letter to someone who needs encouragement,
  make a donation to the ministry of your congregation
  smile more
  laugh loudly,
  praise all whom you meet,

May Christ be born in your world today.  May this day change you from the inside out as Christ is born again!  Merry Christmas!

Pray for me as I Pray for you,

Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

www.midweekmanna.com
www.stlukesimpson.org
  
  
  

It is NOT about you!

The mind does not help us sometimes.  I wonder sometimes whether in God's original design what the mind was like.  

I am a selfish person.  But so are you.  Maybe it is better said that we both tend to work towards self preservation.  Our personal safety gets in the way.  Oh there are times where heroes forget their own safety for the larger good.  It is most of the time done without thinking.  But there seems to be something deep inside all of us that makes us self centered.  It is healthy to acknowledge this and even own it.

So Christmas is not about you.  Someone in this world puts it this way, "It is NOT your birthday!"  It is more about God.  It is more about others.  It is more about the oppressed, the lost, the lonely.  When you begin to understand this, the holiday season takes a whole new meaning.

A man wrote a letter to his pastor about the Christmas Eve services at the church.  Over the past few years, the emphasis of the service had been on third world countries--their poverty, their strife, etc.  In the letter, the man asked that the focus return to HIS world.  "I want to feel the warmth of my old sentimental Christmas Eve services."  The pastor wrote him back, "I promise that you will see the focus of Christmas Eve that Jesus came to share with us.  We will see and experience HIS (Jesus) world."

Think about it.  The manger was a cold and dingy cave--not a cozy stable that we imagine.  The mother and father of Jesus were alone--no place to stay.  The shepherds who came to see the baby were the outsiders--the oppressed, the marginal.  Christmas is about God's message to the world!  The Savior is born!  Heavenly peace is the aim of the kingdom.

Maybe the invitation for each of us this year is to own up to our self-centeredness and get out of it!  Move towards what Christmas is all about--God is doing wonderful works.  God is inviting us to join in where God is.  It is NOT about you or me.  It is NOT our birthday.  It is about Jesus.

Pray for me as I pray for you.

Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

www.stlukesimpson.org

www.midweekmanna.com

Make Room for Jesus

The little boy was given the role in the Christmas program which he hated.  He only had to say one line--"I have no room!"  Each time it was rehearsed the little boy would hesitate and then say in a whisper his line.  The lady in charge of the program would then instruct him again.  "Say it louder with force!"  But the little boy would not comply.  Finally in frustration she bent down and asked him, "What is the problem?  Why won't you say your line loud enough for people to hear?"  As only a child could say the little boy answered, "But that is Mary, the mother of Jesus!  Can't I just give her my room?"

It is hard to even conceive of having on room for Jesus in our world.  It happens more often that we want to imagine.  It happens in our calendar.  It happens in our finances.  It happens in our relationships.  There is no room for Jesus anywhere!  So what is answer?

John Wesley gave the early Methodists a handle for such demons.  We like to think they are new demons only of our day.  But these demons have been around for a long time.  Wesley's answer can be found in two words--Holy Habits.  Habits are hard to break!  Habits are sometimes hard to make.  Holy habits are the things that get done on a regular basis regardless of the rest of life.

May I offer you some suggestions?

Pray each morning.  Not on the run or as you are doing other things.  Set aside a place, a book, and a time to stop and pray.  Then you can add to your prayer life by doing some praying on the run.  

Give.  You need to have a discipline of giving.  Most people think church finances is about a budget.  It is not.  It is about your need to order you life in gratitude to God.  Give to YOUR church.  Then you can add offerings to other places in life.

Serve.  Find a place of service.  I am disappointed to know that most churches in our world today cannot find enough people to teach children's Sunday School classes.  What does it mean when we are too busy to share the Gospel with our children?  Service is a privilege and an obligation.  

Worship.  Worship is again giving God what God is due.  It is not about you.  It is not about making you comfortable.  In fact, sometimes the role of worship is to make you UNcomfortable.   Worship is a way to be found by God.

Holy Habits make room for Jesus.  Holy Habits will invite the birth of Jesus again and again.

Pray for me as I pray for you.

In the Master's Name,

Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

www.stlukesimpson.org

www.midweekmanna.com