First United Methodist Church - Fort Collins, CO

“The Talk of the Temple”

The confrontation of Jesus at age 12 with the theologians and priests was an important event. It is reported in the Gospels and it telegraphs some of the early experiences in his life. There is very little we can learn from his birth until he was 30 years old. This encounter int he temple is one of the few glimpses of the kind of person he was. He made an impression on the hierarchy there.

Much of what happens to us in our later years can be viewed in our early days. We are what we were; we become what we started out being. Our formative years are decisive. That is true for us. That is true for Jesus.

One of the points of contention he was bound to address with his people is the attitude of victimization that had become ingrained into the culture and into the soul of the leaders. They were a suffering people. They experience defeat and exile, and they were on the verge of being attacked by the Romans. Their past was troubled and their future did not look good. I’m guessing Jesus would have confronted that “why me?” attitude with a strong message of affirmation. He would have wanted religious people to avoid the trap that comes when we blame other people for what happens.

I think his first question would have been, “Have you been born again?” He would have wanted people who were worried about their distant past to consider their immediate present. He would have pushed the leaders of his faith tradition to move beyond blame for the days that were tragic by asking them to consider the glory of the present day and the rebirth of wonder that occurs every day. It causes us to ask the same questions about our lives and our present situations.

If things haven’t gone well, what about how things can change? If life has given us death can we not see how life has opened us to re-birth. Jesus was all about getting away from making excuses to getting into making sense of the present.

Today is our day; even if we have had bad days.

What does the day bring?
How can the day be celebrated?

How can we be born from above when we are being drug down to earth?

It is important that we hear the question Jesus asked the theologians and priests. It is important that we take a look at our re-birth today and tomorrow.

Do you have thoughts about this? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you would like to have others see your response click on the “comments” box at the bottom of this page.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

“The Talk of the Temple; Jesus at 12″

In Luke 2:41-52 we have a very rare look at the early years of Jesus’ life. It’s the story about the time Jesus’ parents took him to Jerusalem when he had come of age (Son of the Law). It was Jewish law that an adult male must attend to the temple in Jerusalem three times a year. The particular episode ends when Jesus’ parents begin their pilgrimage back home only to realize their son was not with them. The end of the story allows us to see how this young man amazed the teachers, priests, and philosophers. One account suggests that he was impressive because of the answers he gave. Another account suggests that his impressiveness came as a result of the questions he asked.

In the sermon for Sunday I plan to look at the “talk in the temple” and to pursue the kinds of questions Jesus would have asked and the kinds of answers he would have given.

This is something it is possible to do as long as what we come up with is consistent with the values he exhibited his whole life. The sermon will be an exploration of the basic and foundational beliefs of the Christian faith. As a first approach to this I suggest the following:

1. He would have urged the temple authorities to liberate people from the artificial requirements of religion.

2. He would have encouraged them to develop a faith that encourages people to find and live out their fullest potential.

3. He would have wanted the word “God” to mean something to them on a personal level. Jesus’ calling God “abba” was a change in his faith tradition. To Jesus God was present to every person as a loving parent is present.

4. I think he would have wanted the religious authorities to encourage people to see how their faith leads people to speak their creeds in such a way that belief is attached to the imperative deeds of goodness and mercy.

This is what I’m thinking.

How do you think Jesus impressed the temple authorities with his questions and answers? I look forward to hearing from you. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net or if you are willing to let the world see your response click the “comments” box.

Thanks for your help.

Charles

“The message for Sunday has taken shape around Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?”  There will be a brief explanation of how Jesus was perceived historically, and then a plea that his question is a very personal one, which all of us must answer for ourselves.  However, I will pose the thought that one concept we might ALL consider is that Jesus is both a Divine and a Human gift.  I will elaborate on his “giftness” in our lives.” David Dalke

David’s sermon will raise some very important questions. We will want to hear this one.

He presupposes there is a perception of Jesus historically. We will want to see what this perception is and where he finds support for it. He is bringing together the “divinity” and “humanity” if Jesus in this sermon and is helping us put together our perception of Jesus and how that perceptions directs our lives and defines our faith.

Finally, he is going to show us how our understanding of Jesus is a gift to us, and how we can apply this gift to our lives.

David Dalke is an great preacher and he is dealing with a difficult and important set of questions. I am on a short vacation but I may try to find a way to get back to church so I can hear this sermon.

Charles

If you would like to write David and give his some help with his sermon email him at ddalke37@cs.com. If you would like for your thoughts to be shared on line respond to the box at the bottom of this page marked “comments”

“The message for Sunday has taken shape around Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?”  There will be a brief explanation of how Jesus was perceived historically, and then a plea that his question is a very personal one, which all of us must answer for ourselves.  However, I will pose the thought that one concept we might ALL consider is that Jesus is both a Divine and a Human gift.  I will elaborate on his “giftness” in our lives.” David Dalke

David’s sermon will raise some very important questions. We will want to hear this one.

He presupposes there is a perception of Jesus historically. We will want to see what this perception is and where he finds support for it. He is bringing together the “divinity” and “humanity” if Jesus in this sermon and is helping us put together our perception of Jesus and how that perceptions directs our lives and defines our faith.

Finally, he is going to show us how our understanding of Jesus is a gift to us, and how we can apply this gift to our lives.

David Dalke is an great preacher and he is dealing with a difficult and important set of questions. I am on a short vacation but I may try to find a way to get back to church so I can hear this sermon.

Charles

If you would like to write David and give his some help with his sermon email him at ddalke37@cs.com. If you would like for your thoughts to be shared on line respond to the box at the bottom of this page marked “comments”

We are brought face to face with one of the most important questions asked in the Scriptures.  And, Jesus did not only ask his Disciples, but he asks us, his modern day Disciples the same question:  “Who do you say that I am?”    What a great question?  Do you grapple with the answer in your lives?  As United Methodists we are called to confront ourselves daily by what we think, feel, say and do.  It is a congruent approach to answering Jesus’ question. 

Let’s continue to wonder and wander inside ourselves as we anticipate our celebration together in a few days.

How do you answer Jesus’ question “who do you say to I am?”

How does that apply to your daily life?

I look forward to hearing from you. Write me at ddalke37@cs.com

I you would like your thoughts available for other to view respond by clicking on  “comments”

Thanks for your thoughts.

David

David Dalke will be preaching the sermon on January 28th. His sermon will look at that passage of scripture where Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” and then asks the question, “Who do you say that I am?” The sermon will ask us the same question. Who is Jesus to us?

Is he our Savior? If so, in what sense?

Is he our theologian? If so, what does he tell us about God?

Is he an example of what it means to be human?

Is he the Son of God? If so, what does that mean?

Is he our inspiration as an example of sacrificial love?

Is he God? Is he human?

What is Jesus to us?

If you have some thoughts write David at ddalke@cs.com.

If you would like your thoughts to be public click on “comments”

I have prepared this for David and I know he’d like to hear from you.

Charles Schuster

The sermon has taken an incredible direction. I wouldn’t have anticipated this but these things happen. There will be two points I’ll try to get across. The texts come from Nehemiah 8:1-10, and Psalm 19. The Nehemiah passage has the prophet urging the people not to be sad as they listen to the reading of the Law because it is the Word of God. We shouldn’t be sad listening to the “Word of God”.

The Psalm advocates that “The heavens are telling the glory of God”.

The sermon will try to do say two things about our religion:

1. Form without fun isn’t faith. If we find ourselves keeping the structures of faith and doing the things we believe we are called upon to do, but if it isn’t fun then it isn’t faith. Form without fun is fanaticism.

2. Fun without form isn’t faith. If we discover our faith fails to disturb our confort; if it is all fun and games it isn’t faith; it’s froth.

faith requires both form and fun to keep from becoming fanatical and frothy.

What do you think about this. I’d like to hear from you. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing for others to respond to your reflections respond by clicking on “Comments”

Thanks for your help with this sermon. It’s been a tough week.

Charles

“Don’t Make Me laugh”

“Much more stiking, an example of Christ’s irony is application of a nickname to one of his disciples, Simon. Peter got his name when, in the district of Caesarea Philippi, he achieved, suddenly, the tremendous insight concerning who his Leader was. Even on this solemn occasion Christ proved that He could joke and He did so by giving Simon the fisherman the most improbable of nicknames. In our terminology, He called the fellow ‘Rocky’ and the name stuck. The paradox is obvious, for Simon was anything but stable or durable, which is what rocky things are supposed to be. No sooner did Simon receive his nickname, Peter, than he rejected his master’s teaching and rebuked him, whereupon Christ said to him, with sudden fierceness, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of human beings.’ (Matthew 16) That Peter was unstable was proved by his showing himself to be both a liar and a coward at the time of the trial before the high priest. Peter ‘followed at a distance’ and sat in the courtyard, but when he was asked whether he was one of Christ’s companions, he answered, ‘I do not know what you mean.’, and later he said, ‘I do not know the man.’ (from Elton Trueblood).

There is a way of looking at Jesus words and seeing ironic humor in them. When he told the Pharisees if their hand causes them to sin they should cut it off, he was using humor to help a group of people who thought they were so righteous and pure that they were without sin. Jesus understood temptation. He knew the kinds of pressures that come to all people. Those temptations came to him in the wilderness. When he admonished the Pharisees to pluck out their eye if the eye causes them to sin, he really didn’t expect them to do that. He wanted them to take a look at how self-righteous they thought they were. The only way he could get through to them was with ironic humor.

One of the saddest things about religion is that it can move from faithfulness to fanaticism. It’s importance can take on a place in our lives that is unhealthy and, ultimately, it can do much harm. We have to be able to laugh at ourselves. Otherwise we will find ourselves doing things and saying things in the name of our faith that should cause us to be concerned.

Humor can save us from ourselves. Even, and especially, when it comes to faith.

Do you have examples of when this might happen or has happened? Have you ever experienced faith that leads to fanaticism? Isn’t humor an important corrective.

If you have some thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. if you are willing to allow others to participate with you in your thinking click on the box marked ‘comments’.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

“Don’t Make Me Laugh” is the title to the sermon for Sunday, January 21st. I have wanted to do a series of sermons on biblical humor and this is one episode of an attempt. Much in our bible is given to us with humor. The problem is we have so domesticated it that the humor has been stripped from it.

The story of Abraham and Sarah is a prime example. This is a story of an older couple and when she finds out she is pregnant she is so convinced it is a joke that when the baby is born he is named “laughing child”. I plan to point out several stories in the bible that are made more meaningful if we can see the humor in the stories.

Let me ask this question and tell me what you think. When Jesus said, “If your hand causes you to sin cut it off. If you eye causes you to sin pluck it out”, was he serious or is this an example of ironic humor?

If you have thoughts about the humor in the bible write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net If you are willing to have your thoughts shared with the congregation hit the “comments” box on this page.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

There are two parts/points to the sermon Sunday.

1. We don’t need to look back at a better time because the time is now.

2. We don’t need to look for heroes to come forward because there are heroic gifts we each have been given.

There is a story in a book by Sue Monk Kidd. it’s in her book of reprinted articles entitled Firstlight:

Many of my childhood memories come from the times I spent on my grandfather’s farm in Georgia. I especially recall the day he gave in to my begging and let me pick cotton. I was seven, and the burlap sack I was given to collect cotton was bigger than I was. 

“The cotton field stretched endlessly ahead of me freckled with white and drenched with heat. The pickers were paid by the pound, and their hands moved swiftly. They skinned the bushes of fluffy white balls leaving me far behind. I wanted to quit. Frustrated and tearful, I looked back for my grandfather’s truck and realized he was gone, having left me in the care of the field workers. Noticing my distress, a black woman idled over, her hair tied in a faded red bandana. “Mind if I pick with you?” she asked.

“No, ma’am,” I said. “I don’t guess so.”

Her fingers worked like music along the row, and every time she dropped a handful of cotton in her sack, she dropped one in mine too. “One for you and one for me,” she said.

My bag grew plump. When we took a break in the plum tree shade at the fence, I asked her why she was putting cotton in my sack. She laughed. “For every handful you take in life, that means you’ve got one to give,” she said.

Later she would come to work in my grandmother’s house, where I would hear her repeat this incantation many times. There is wisdom in this. Imagine a world with a handful of giving for every handful of taking.”

Who are the heroes in our day? Are they not the people who have come to adopt that philosophy?

Who are the heroes of our day?

I would like to hear from you. If you have thoughts you’d like others to see respond where it says “comments”. For reflections specifically for me write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net

I look forward to your input.

Charles