First United Methodist Church - Fort Collins, CO

“Let Me Tell You About Two Tables”

 There are two tables that are extremely important to us as Christians and they are important to us for different reasons. The first table is the “Money Changer’s Table”. Jesus saw the money changers selling worship sacrifices at unfair prices, and he turned over the tables and told them they had made “God’s house a den of robbers”. They were exploiting people with their sales and it made Jesus angry. Also they had put their tables in the “outer courtyard’ and that kept Gentiles out of the Temple. The Temple was divided into three sections; 1. the holy of holies where only the priests could go 2. the inner courtyard where only Jews who were members of the Temple could go 3. The outer courtyard was the only place non-Jews could go and the tables blocked them. Jesus’ anger at the money changers centered around the fact that they were exploiting people and were prohibiting people from coming into the presence of God.

The other table that is important to us is the “Table in the Upper Room” where Jesus had his last meal with his friends. At that people he welcomed people in and allowed people to grow in the faith. He told them their job was to help other people and he encouraged them on their ministry by washing their feet. Also, as the Last Supper has developed it has become a Eucharistic meal at which all are invited. It became inclusive and invitational instead of exclusive and closed. It was empowering and liberating instead of being exploitive and hurtful.

When we think of our faith and these two tables and our church and our ministry the question the two tables have raised for us is this:

1. Is religion fulfilling or empowering?

2. Is religion exclusive or or invitational?

For our church and for your faith how is it for you?

I’d love to hear from you. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net or if you are willing to let other people see your response click on the “comments” box below.

Thanks for your interest in the church and in next Sunday’s sermon.

Charles

“Can You Be Too Pious?”

Is it possible to be too religious; too pious? I think it is. I have known people who are so religious they are a hazzard to themselves and a problem to their family and friends. People who practice religion to the point they lose the point of religion promote something that isn’t religious; they put forward a faith based on fear or habit; they posture a proposition that gives religion a bad name.

One of the most important themes of the Gospel is the idea that religion must be relevant and alive. The spirit of faith must soar and the strength of dedication to our beliefs is crucial. There is no question about the importance of faith and the importance of carrying out faith in the practice of our faith. But sometimes things happen to us. We have witnessed numerous clergy who have gotten so caught up in popularity of their ministry they have lost sight of the essence of it and what got them into it in the first place. Fred Craddock once thinks one of the most dangerous things for clergy is being applause. Clergy do not think they will experience applause but then it comes. We get used to it. We enjoy it and then we lose our souls because of it. He thinks that’s one of the things that happened to Ted Haggard.

There is danger in what can happen if we become fanatical in our faith. Jesus knew this and he confronted the Pharisees.

What are the areas of faith that can cause you to lose your balance?

How can you become too religious?

What do you do with people who have become too religious? Jesus prayed for them.

I’d like to hear from you about this. I think it may be a problem we all have to guard against. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you’d like others to see your thought click on the “comments” box. Thanks for looking into our Build a Sermon.

Charles

Joel is involved in a process of evaluation and direction from the Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. It will lead to his ordination as an elder, in full connection, in 2008.

Part of this process requires a member of the Board to meet with him in his ministry setting and, if possible, for him to preach a sermon. Dr. John Tomlinson will be attending the 10:45 worship service Sunday and then will meet with Joel and several people who work with him.

We are fortunate to have such talented preachers on our staff. The opportunity to hear David Dalke, Carol Quinn, Ray Miller, and Joel is a wonderful gift to our church. I have tried to give each of them an opportunity to preach with frequency without losing the continuity that comes from the same preacher in the pulpit week after week.

The preaching schedule is as follows:

February 18  Carol Quinn preached

February 25  Joel Kershaw preaches

March 4  I’m preaching

March 11  David Dalke preaches

March 18  I’m preaching

March 25  Ray Miller’s preaching

April 1  I’m preaching

Maundy Thursday  Choir’s Cantata

Good Friday   Joel Kershaw preaching 

April 8 I’m preaching

April 15  Carol Quinn preaching

April 22  Confirmation Sunday  Joel Kershaw preaching

If you have thoughts to send Joel for his sermon or to let him know you’re thinking about him this week write Joel at jkershaw@fcfumc.net

If you’d like to send me an email write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

The question before us is, will we be able to follow Jesus, regardless of what is happening in our lives? Can we continue to place our trust in him, or do we pull back when things are getting difficult? The whole idea of following him to the “enth” degree in the way that Abraham did, involves surrender, giving up control of our lives and turning over that control to Jesus.

That whole idea of surrender is hard for us to grasp, because we are taught that being strong is what we are supposed to do. But surrendering doesn’t mean being weak, surrendering strengthens you. When we surrender to Jesus, we place everything in his hands, and we trust him completely. That doesn’t make us weak, it makes us strong, because when we do that we share in His power.

And there are rewards for surrendering. When we surrender the load we carry to Jesus, we have someone helping us carry the burden. In Matthew 11, Jesus says: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” We may not always get our way, but we will receive the healing of our spirits that only his peace can bring. And we are blessed with the peace that knows He walks with us each step of the way.

I look forward to sharing your thoughts. If you have thoughts to share publicly, please leave a comment with this post. For personal thoughts, write me at pastorcq@quinnclan.net

One way to follow Jesus is to follow the commandments. In Sunday’s reading from Matthew, Jesus is asked by a young lawyer, what is the greatest commandment. Jesus replies, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

What does it mean to love God with all your heart mind and soul? Does it mean putting God first, before anything else in your life? I would like to suggest that one of the ways we love God is by trusting God enough to trust God with your life.

In our Genesis reading for Sunday, we hear again the story of when Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham had already been asked to give up his entire past when he left his homeland, and now he is asked to give up his entire future. But in spite of this, Abraham loved and trusted God enough to do what God was asking. The story of Abraham is an example of ultimate trust in and devotion to God.

In the New Testament, we learn that Jesus came to teach us more about what God is like. And when Jesus asks us to follow him, he always points us to God.

The question we can ask ourselves is, do we trust Jesus enough to follow him to the ultimate end? There comes a time in each of our lives when we are asked for the ultimate sacrifice: giving up a loved one, giving up a dream, etc. Would we be able to go the length, as Abraham did? It would be and is very hard.

These are hard issues to grapple with. I would appreciate your thoughts.

If you have thought to share publicly, please leave a comment with this post. For personal thoughts write me at pastorcq@quinnclan.net. I look forward to your ideas.

Carol

Carol Quinn is preaching on Sunday, Feb. 18. In her sermon, Carol will be exploring what it means to follow Jesus. Jesus invited his disciples to follow him, and he extends the invitation to all of us. But first we have to ask our selves some key questions:

1. What does it mean to follow Jesus?
2. What does that mean to you?
3. Does following Jesus mean keeping the commandments?
4. Does following Jesus affect the way you live your life?
5. Is following Jesus always the same, or is it easier some days and harder on other days?
6. Is following Jesus determined by what is happening in your life?

I’d love to hear from you, leave a comment below for public messages or email me at carolquinn@fcfumc.net.

 Thanks, Carol Quinn

As things are beginning to work themselves out on the sermon I have been drawn to a couple of important thoughts related to John the Baptist and Jesus. Here are two insights for your consideration:

1. John the Baptist has a following, and Jesus didn’t even have disciples. John yielded to Jesus and that shifted the focus from a Gospel of Sin and Forgiveness to a Gospel of Love and Joy. I wonder if, after the baptism in the River Jordan, John’s preaching was changed. I believe it was. I believe John came preaching the need for conversaion, and he was moved by his encounter to preach on the need for joy in faith and accepting of the outcast.

2. Jesus shared his power with John when he asked John to perform the baptism. In a way Jesus enabled John by assuming a subservient posture. Jesus had all power. In Mark’s Gospel what follows Jesus’ baptism is his time in the wilderness when he is promised political power, magical power, and the power of the protection of God. He, who had all the power in the world, gave power to the roving evangelist.

The end of the story suggests the words of God who said, “This is my son of whom I am so proud.” I think those words refer both to John and to Jesus, and I wonder when God is proud of God’s sons and daughters. Here is some of what may make God proud:

When people care about each other and are willing to give unconditionally.

When enemies are forgiven and past difficulties can be forgotten.

When there is understanding between people who have been in conflict.

When people are willing to speak out for the marginalized.

When little children learn to share.

When grown adults learn to share.

When who a person is is more important than their station or position in life.

When the church becomes THE CHURCH.

Can you identify when God is proud of us?

Are there examples of this?

I’d love to hear from you. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you’d like others to see your response click the “comments” box.

Thanks for your help and for your interest in reading “Build a Sermon”.

Charles

Sermons do not present themselves to us, they evolve. They take twists and turns from the beginning of the week and you never know there they are moving. This sermon for Sunday, February 11th is on the baptism of Jesus. I had selected the story of the baptism from the Gospel of John. The writer of that gospel is intent to show us that John did not baptize Jesus but that John baptized with water and Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit. There is a problem if we think John baptized Jesus. John the Baptist came baptizing people in order to save them from sin. Jesus didn’t need to be baptized since he was without sin.

John’s Gospel deals with that by suggesting that John the Baptist did not baptize Jesus but noted the difference between John’s baptism and Jesus’.

If you look at Mark’s account of Jesus’ baptism you find that Jesus was baptized by John and you have a theological problem. It says, ‘In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.’

The sermon now has taken a different turn. I am probing why it is important that John baptize Jesus. I think there is a deeper truth here. I think this baptism is important. It speaks of the level of trust and friendship of both John and Jesus toward each other.

It seem the John  had the crowd with him and Jesus did not. John, who was popular, abdicated his popularity to Jesus, who was unknown.

Jesus who had power, surrendered his power by allowing John to baptize him.

At the end of the episode in Mark we hear the voice from heaven that said, “You are my son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

I think God was pleased with Jesus who allowed himself to be baptized by John even though it wasn’t necessary but I also think God was pleased with John who showed defference to Jesus even though John was better known and more popular.

God is always pleased with us when we give to others in ways that aren’t required to empower them and to enable them to become the person they can become.

Have you have received power from someone else?

Have you ever been given authority from someone who had it and didn’t need to share it?

That’s what this baptism of Jesus by John, in the River Jordan is about.

If you have thoughts write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to allow others to see your response click on the “comments” box.

I look forward to your ideas.

Charles

“There Must Have Been Something In The Water”

The liturgical season of the year is Epiphany. Over the past several weeks I have tried to maintain that theme with the sermons that dealt with Jesus’ early years. The word “epiphany” means “manifestation” or “showing forth”. The implication is Jesus was an epiphany of God and that showing forth came from the time of his birth through his first act of ministry when he was thirty years old.

The part of the story of Jesus life we will look at this Sunday is his baptism. Reverend Curtis preached a sermon on Jesus’ birth, and Dr. Dalke preached a sermon on how important it is for us to determine “who Jesus is” for us. I have tried to have us look at what it meant for Jesus to be presented to the temple in Jerusalem when he was 12 years old and I speculated what questions he asked the theologicans and priests.

This Sunday I am going to try to explore Jesus’ relationship with John the Baptist. It is an interesting problem to consider. If John preached the need to repent of sin and be baptized, why was it necessary for Jesus to be baptized (since he was sinless)? What issue is involved in this baptism? What kind of statement is being made about John and about Jesus, and why at the conclusion of the baptism do we hear the voice of God saying, “This is my son of whom I am so proud”?

The sermon will probe the character of John and Jesus more than it will explore the meaning of baptism. The character issue is the most important issue for us I think. It raises some great questions such as:

1. To whom do we defer rightfully?

2. How do we acknowledge the greatness we see in other people?

3. When have we been greatest as we have shown respect for some else’s greatness?

4. Who is the greatest person you have ever known?

5. What qualities did they have that told you of their greatness?

If you have thoughts on this I’d love to hear from you. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to let other people in on your thoughts click the “comments” box at the bottom of this page.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Christianity is a world view and a life style. It’s a way to relate to the other people, and it’s an ethic that enables us to live our creeds in our deeds of kindness, compassion, and caring. Unfortunately, there are aspects of our faith that tie us down and force us to act out of motives that are manipulative and manipulated.

The essence that can be distilled from the life and teaching of Jesus is an approach to life and faith that is wholistic and authentic. My guess is he was as confrontive of sick religion when he was 12 years old as he was in the later part of his life when he was living his faith and teaching people about the God of love (whom he called Abba).

If we make excuses for ourselves and blame what happens to us on other people and factors beyond our control we will waste our days.

If we worry about our critics and what they say about us and are put down by the notion that we are incompetent or inept, we will give up before we try. We have got to risk. We cannot hide our light under a basket and expect to let our light shine.

If we wonder through life without direction and purpose we will live our days without living them. We need to ask ourselves about our ultimate destination. Toward what are we moving. John Wesley spoke of the need to “move on toward perfection”. That is a very healthy concept. There are broad horizons that our lives can influence.

Jesus in the temple at age 12 asked three questions:

1. What are you doing with the days you have?

2. What is your destiny?

3. What is your ultimate destination?

“Some people who are hoping for eternal life don’t know what to do with a rainy day.” Harvey Potthoff (professor at the Iliff School of Theology)

How would you answer the three questions?

How does religion assist in your religious journey? How does religion block your religious journey?

I’d love to hear from you. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net or click on the “comments” box to allow others to read your response.

Charles Schuster