A few years ago, I had the privilege of doing ministry on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South-central South Dakota during June and July. From start to finish, this was a summer to remember. My family (of four at that time) lived with Pastor Andrew and his family (five total, plus his mother and father for awhile!). We were on the reservation during Vacation Bible School (VBS) time, and my job was to make sure we had ample activities and crafts for the kids each day, to teach the Bible stories, and to present the daily flannel graph.
Every day we would arrive in one of the communities and drive up and down all the streets letting the children know Bible School was about to start! This was a highly anticipated annual event for the children so they knew what to do: jump on the trailer and get a free ride to the VBS site! We were officially scheduled to start each day at 10am, so naturally I began to worry when 10:30 rolled around and we were still setting up. I was also concerned that we didn't have very many children. This was my introduction to what the locals called "Indian Time"! We start when everyone is here, which in many cases was about an hour later when word spread that VBS was starting!
You have to understand something about me at this point, "Corey time" and "Indian Time" are polar opposites! If I'm supposed to start teaching children about Jesus' love for them at 11 o'clock, the kids need to be seated and open to the right page in the book at 11 o'clock! Well, that just plain wasn't going to happen. Boy did I have a lot of learning to do!
My other job that summer was to lead worship each Sunday and preach a couple times. I thought that surely worship would start on time. On the contrary, as my first Sunday's experience taught me, "Indian Time" rules the day on the reservation. In fact, Pastor Andrew and I didn't even arrive at the church on time! To be quite honest, all this being late for everything was driving me crazy. It wasn't until about 45 minutes after the scheduled start time that we finally settled down for worship. Not only did I have a lot of learning to do, I was getting a hands on lesson!
It turns out, you can worship and teach people about Jesus a little later than planned and still share the same message of hope and love as if you did it right on schedule! It also turns out that if you live on the reservation you will be living on Indian Time, so a wrist watch is of little value. I placed mine on the night stand on that first Sunday night and didn't pick it back up until the end of July! It also turns out that when I stopped worshiping the clock and my schedules, I was able to concentrate more of my energy on the Lord and the work He brought me there to do!
As I look back on those wonderful summer days on the prairie of South Dakota, I reminisce with fondness. I actually grew to enjoy not wearing a watch or being bound to a schedule. The important thing is in getting together and sharing our faith! I learned you can do this any time! Now if I have those days when I feel like I'm just running from one thing to the next or that I'm spinning my wheels but not getting anywhere, it's helpful to relax and remember those summer days of starting when everyone got there. It's calming to remember Indian Time and remember "the Lord's work will get done because the Lord's in charge of it!"
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The Shack
Last night, my wife led a book discussion on The Shack by William Paul Young. She did a fantastic job. If you have read the book, you can imagine conversation was not difficult to generate! Conversation, in fact, flowed freely without a lull for ninety straight minutes!
Leading up to the discussion, my wife did some online research about what people (especially pastors) are saying about the book. She showed me a couple. I was disappointed to hear one pastor say, "How many of you have read The Shack . . . If you haven't, DON'T" (emphasis his). First of all, I'm not comfortable telling another Christian what he can and cannot read. Discussing a work that you dislike can be as edifying as discussing one you can't get enough of! Second, I think this comment comes out of a misunderstanding of the book itself.
If you are reading The Shack in search of your Doctrine of the Trinity (or the doctrine of anything for that matter) you're looking in the wrong place. To say it better, you're reading the book with an inappropriate goal. The Shack is first and foremost fiction. God is not a black woman named Papa! He's also not a white man named Father! For the fictional purposes of the book, however, it was quite appropriate and (dare I say) even entertaining to have God the Father depicted as Young chose to present Him! I don't get the feeling from this work of fiction that we are supposed to finish the book and say, "Oh, now I understand the Trinity!"
Rather, in a profound and emotionally participatory way, Young brings the reader into a fictional setting in which God shows the main character, Mac, exactly what it is to be loved by God! Papa is especially fond of saying he is especially fond of people! The entire shack experience, from start to finish, was God giving Himself fully to Mac. Everything that took place during that episode was for Mac! Jesus was working on a casket for Mac's daughter. Sarayu was preparing a place in Mac's heart to bury his "great sadness". Papa took Mac on the painful journey to recover Missy's body! In a fictional way, Young has led the reader through an exploration of just how "for us" God really is! (Cf. Romans 8:31) Ultimately, God led Mac to forgive the man who so radically changed his life forever.
Since The Shack is but a fictional work, can the reader learn anything from it? Should we allow ourselves to be affected by the book? I think the answer to that should be left to the individual reader. For me, the answer is emphatically "yes to both". I know, in my head, on paper, dogmatically and doctrinally, that God is love and that He loves me. Young took me on an unexpected journey that showed God's love in a very real (yet fictional) way. It has not changed my understanding of God, but helped me in my understanding of who God is in relation to me!
Unlike my colleague in ministry mentioned above, I would say "read the book if you want to!" I would also strongly encourage that if you do read it, you also discuss it with others afterwards. When read as it is meant to be read, as a work of fiction, The Shack is a powerful piece of writing! I enjoyed reading it (twice so far) and discussing it with others! Happy reading!
PS- If you would like to discuss the book with me, please comment on this post or email me at pastoraker@paducah.com.
Leading up to the discussion, my wife did some online research about what people (especially pastors) are saying about the book. She showed me a couple. I was disappointed to hear one pastor say, "How many of you have read The Shack . . . If you haven't, DON'T" (emphasis his). First of all, I'm not comfortable telling another Christian what he can and cannot read. Discussing a work that you dislike can be as edifying as discussing one you can't get enough of! Second, I think this comment comes out of a misunderstanding of the book itself.
If you are reading The Shack in search of your Doctrine of the Trinity (or the doctrine of anything for that matter) you're looking in the wrong place. To say it better, you're reading the book with an inappropriate goal. The Shack is first and foremost fiction. God is not a black woman named Papa! He's also not a white man named Father! For the fictional purposes of the book, however, it was quite appropriate and (dare I say) even entertaining to have God the Father depicted as Young chose to present Him! I don't get the feeling from this work of fiction that we are supposed to finish the book and say, "Oh, now I understand the Trinity!"
Rather, in a profound and emotionally participatory way, Young brings the reader into a fictional setting in which God shows the main character, Mac, exactly what it is to be loved by God! Papa is especially fond of saying he is especially fond of people! The entire shack experience, from start to finish, was God giving Himself fully to Mac. Everything that took place during that episode was for Mac! Jesus was working on a casket for Mac's daughter. Sarayu was preparing a place in Mac's heart to bury his "great sadness". Papa took Mac on the painful journey to recover Missy's body! In a fictional way, Young has led the reader through an exploration of just how "for us" God really is! (Cf. Romans 8:31) Ultimately, God led Mac to forgive the man who so radically changed his life forever.
Since The Shack is but a fictional work, can the reader learn anything from it? Should we allow ourselves to be affected by the book? I think the answer to that should be left to the individual reader. For me, the answer is emphatically "yes to both". I know, in my head, on paper, dogmatically and doctrinally, that God is love and that He loves me. Young took me on an unexpected journey that showed God's love in a very real (yet fictional) way. It has not changed my understanding of God, but helped me in my understanding of who God is in relation to me!
Unlike my colleague in ministry mentioned above, I would say "read the book if you want to!" I would also strongly encourage that if you do read it, you also discuss it with others afterwards. When read as it is meant to be read, as a work of fiction, The Shack is a powerful piece of writing! I enjoyed reading it (twice so far) and discussing it with others! Happy reading!
PS- If you would like to discuss the book with me, please comment on this post or email me at pastoraker@paducah.com.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter 2009
I have now been a pastor for two Easters. Thinking back to last year, I was NERVOUS! We had just installed a new sound system the week before and I forgot to put my microphone on! I had to run all the way around the church, take off my vestments, quick put on the mic, re-vest, and run all the way back around the church! All this running certainly got my adrenaline rushing! The Lord blessed the service and things went very well!
This year's Easter service did not require the same level of physical fitness, yet the Lord still blessed it! The standout for me was during the children's message in both services. I brought my set of "Resurrection Eggs" along with me to help share the story of Holy Week and Easter with the children. It turned out several of the children had their own set of this story telling tool and were pleased to see my set matched up with theirs! "Hey Pastor, ours has a thorn in it too!" "Hey pastor, ours has nails and a cross too!" What a joy to see the excitement of the children as they heard the Gospel !
In the second service, we came to egg number twelve. I asked the children what they thought might be inside. All the hands shot up, but one brave girl shouted above the rest "CANDY!" How precious! How blessed I am to be their pastor!
No one seemed too disappointed to find the egg was empty. In fact, the children were able to explain to me why the egg was empty. The empty egg is the "Easter Egg"! It represents the Empty Tomb! The Empty Tomb is good news for all of us because it means our Savior is God's Son and He lives!
My prayer for you is that God would build your faith in the Empty Tomb, that is, in your Living Savior! If you would like to watch my Easter sermon, check out www.stpaulpaducah.org and click on the "sermons" link at the left.
This year's Easter service did not require the same level of physical fitness, yet the Lord still blessed it! The standout for me was during the children's message in both services. I brought my set of "Resurrection Eggs" along with me to help share the story of Holy Week and Easter with the children. It turned out several of the children had their own set of this story telling tool and were pleased to see my set matched up with theirs! "Hey Pastor, ours has a thorn in it too!" "Hey pastor, ours has nails and a cross too!" What a joy to see the excitement of the children as they heard the Gospel !
In the second service, we came to egg number twelve. I asked the children what they thought might be inside. All the hands shot up, but one brave girl shouted above the rest "CANDY!" How precious! How blessed I am to be their pastor!
No one seemed too disappointed to find the egg was empty. In fact, the children were able to explain to me why the egg was empty. The empty egg is the "Easter Egg"! It represents the Empty Tomb! The Empty Tomb is good news for all of us because it means our Savior is God's Son and He lives!
My prayer for you is that God would build your faith in the Empty Tomb, that is, in your Living Savior! If you would like to watch my Easter sermon, check out www.stpaulpaducah.org and click on the "sermons" link at the left.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thoughts on Holy Week
Beginning with Palm Sunday, moving through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and culminating with the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday, Christianity has a really cool tradition of remembering the Passion of the Christ!
The first Holy Week was full of amazing and astonishing events. The same people who were welcoming Jesus as a royal king one day were calling for His immediate execution only a few days later. And executed He was. Although there was really no one who could bring any evidence against Him, Jesus was severely beaten and sentenced to death by crucifixion. These are the historical facts of Holy Week. In and of themselves, this is a rather sad story. The Passion should evoke raw emotion at the unbelievable unfairness of it all.
Don't stop there! Jesus didn't! Keep moving past Good Friday. Past the day of death. Past the hours of darkness. Past the politics. Keep moving to the third day. Join the women at the empty tomb of a Savior who just wouldn't stay dead. Join Peter and John as the angel confirmed what Jesus said would happen. Walk with the disciples on the road to Emmaus and hear Jesus unfold the Scriptures and cause your heart to burn within you. Celebrate the Lord's Supper and hold in your hand the body of the Lord, just as Thomas touched and believed. Don't stop with the sadness. Keep moving to the triumphant joy of a living Savior. Jesus is risen! Jesus lives.
Don't let the story stop with Jesus either. Jesus doesn't! This story works its way right into your own life. That sad day of Good Friday; that unfair death is for you! That joyous day of Easter; that day of life is for you! I know you have suffered from something in your life. Maybe recently, maybe long ago, but you have suffered. Unjustly, you have suffered. I know this because I know the conditions of this imperfect world. Don't stop with the suffering. Keep moving past and see the hope. Hear the Lord's words to you. Words of love and comfort. That although you suffer, although you hurt, there is much more out there than suffering and pain. There's life! There's perfect and timeless life! This is what Jesus' unjust death and victorious resurrected life gives you!
Is your pain and suffering caused by uncertainty? Be certain that Jesus is for you and will see you through all times! Is it a result of sickness and injury? Jesus brings healing and promises to wipe away every tear! Is it the loss of a loved one that causes you pain? Jesus brings life where once was death! Life in Christ will never end!
Dwell on Good Friday for a time; concentrate and focus on your pain and suffering for a time. But keep moving past to Easter. Move forward to hope. Be grounded in the certain hope of a Lord and Savior who literally gave up His own life because He loves you! If He would go this far for you, what wouldn't He do for you?
The first Holy Week was full of amazing and astonishing events. The same people who were welcoming Jesus as a royal king one day were calling for His immediate execution only a few days later. And executed He was. Although there was really no one who could bring any evidence against Him, Jesus was severely beaten and sentenced to death by crucifixion. These are the historical facts of Holy Week. In and of themselves, this is a rather sad story. The Passion should evoke raw emotion at the unbelievable unfairness of it all.
Don't stop there! Jesus didn't! Keep moving past Good Friday. Past the day of death. Past the hours of darkness. Past the politics. Keep moving to the third day. Join the women at the empty tomb of a Savior who just wouldn't stay dead. Join Peter and John as the angel confirmed what Jesus said would happen. Walk with the disciples on the road to Emmaus and hear Jesus unfold the Scriptures and cause your heart to burn within you. Celebrate the Lord's Supper and hold in your hand the body of the Lord, just as Thomas touched and believed. Don't stop with the sadness. Keep moving to the triumphant joy of a living Savior. Jesus is risen! Jesus lives.
Don't let the story stop with Jesus either. Jesus doesn't! This story works its way right into your own life. That sad day of Good Friday; that unfair death is for you! That joyous day of Easter; that day of life is for you! I know you have suffered from something in your life. Maybe recently, maybe long ago, but you have suffered. Unjustly, you have suffered. I know this because I know the conditions of this imperfect world. Don't stop with the suffering. Keep moving past and see the hope. Hear the Lord's words to you. Words of love and comfort. That although you suffer, although you hurt, there is much more out there than suffering and pain. There's life! There's perfect and timeless life! This is what Jesus' unjust death and victorious resurrected life gives you!
Is your pain and suffering caused by uncertainty? Be certain that Jesus is for you and will see you through all times! Is it a result of sickness and injury? Jesus brings healing and promises to wipe away every tear! Is it the loss of a loved one that causes you pain? Jesus brings life where once was death! Life in Christ will never end!
Dwell on Good Friday for a time; concentrate and focus on your pain and suffering for a time. But keep moving past to Easter. Move forward to hope. Be grounded in the certain hope of a Lord and Savior who literally gave up His own life because He loves you! If He would go this far for you, what wouldn't He do for you?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Wanting To Help
Whenever a tragedy strikes, people everywhere want to know what they can do to help. That's awesome! At the same time, in many tragedies, it is not immediately apparent what might be helpful. This leaves a couple of options. The first option is to pray. Pray for those suffering as a result of the tragedy. Pray for healing. Pray the Lord will guide us and show us how we might be helpful. The second option is to patiently wait. Although it is not immediately apparent what might be helpful, it generally does not take long for avenues of support and aid to make themselves obvious.
Waiting is difficult. We want to be doing something. We want to be put to work. If someone is ready, willing, and able to help and there is a clear task, take the person up on the offer. Understand, however, that this is often not the case. Often the only thing to do is pray, wait, and pray.
Yet waiting remains difficult. It is hard to sit by and do (seemingly) nothing while people are suffering. It is not in our make-up to sit and wait because sitting and waiting leads to thinking and ruminating. Thinking and ruminating leads to questions and thoughts we are not quite ready to deal with. Keeping busy prevents these thoughts. Or should I say it delays these thoughts. Nothing will prevent them. They will come around. You will need to process them.
So when you have offered your services at the time of a tragedy and found there is nothing available for you to do, start by praying. Then, allow yourself to think and ponder and ask questions. Then pray some more that God would guide you through your thoughts.
Waiting is difficult. We want to be doing something. We want to be put to work. If someone is ready, willing, and able to help and there is a clear task, take the person up on the offer. Understand, however, that this is often not the case. Often the only thing to do is pray, wait, and pray.
Yet waiting remains difficult. It is hard to sit by and do (seemingly) nothing while people are suffering. It is not in our make-up to sit and wait because sitting and waiting leads to thinking and ruminating. Thinking and ruminating leads to questions and thoughts we are not quite ready to deal with. Keeping busy prevents these thoughts. Or should I say it delays these thoughts. Nothing will prevent them. They will come around. You will need to process them.
So when you have offered your services at the time of a tragedy and found there is nothing available for you to do, start by praying. Then, allow yourself to think and ponder and ask questions. Then pray some more that God would guide you through your thoughts.
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