First United Methodist Church - Fort Collins, CO

The problem with flag waving is that it can deteriorate into fanaticism. Patriotism can become fanaticism. The issue with freedom is that the desire to be free can become the motivation to do as we wish. Fanaticism is born out of a need to be thankful for the freedom we have as citizens of our country, but it absolves us of the responsibility of working to make our nation greater. Fanaticism assumes we have arrived at a state of perfection and forgets that our democracy is evolving.

Communion is an important event almost any time in the year, but especially important in July. Communion is an invitation to come to the table and to receive the bread and the cup and to experience the presence of Christ in our lives. It is a time to think about our obligations and responsibilities and to put things in perspective. It is a time to think about our country and what it stands for and how it lives out its values. It is a time to reflect upon what it means to be a Christian patriot; how to be loyal to our nation and faithful to the Gospel.

The flag will be in the sanctuary Sunday. It will be visible and it will remind us the difference between patriotism and fanaticism.

How do we work through that tension between citizenship and Christian discipleship? What helps direct our thinking and what brings us into a balance?

If you have some thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to allow others to see your ideas click on the ‘comments’ box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

“Who Put the Flags In The Sanctuary?”

Currently, in our denomination there is a controversy the seems to be swirling regarding “flags in the Sanctuary”. Apparently, a member of the Board of Church and Society has expressed his dismay that churches would put flags in church sanctuaries. He feels that is an endorsement that runs “counter to the teachings of Jesus Christ and our Christian faith”.

Any time an official member of the a general board of the church makes a statement on anything, any times a Bishop or some other person in the church’s hierarchy states an opinion, or any time there is an opinion from the Council or College of Bishops it carries no weight that dictates an imperative to the church (here or any other place). The only group or intity that can speak for the whole church is General Conference and that happens every four years.

What we would want to struggle with related to the flags in the sanctuary is the issue of patriotism vs. fanaticism. When does a patriot become a fanatic? When do we step over the line in maintaining our allegiance to our flag to the point that we have become chauvanistic nationalists? Patriotism is appropriate. Fanaticism is not appropriate. Fanaticism leads to behavior that is, sometimes, in violation with the basic principles that formed our nation.

Where do we draw the line? Isn’t it important to move beyond “my country right or wrong” to an appropriate respect for the values that formed us without becoming blind to the ways of trying to make our great nation greater? Isn’t it the role of the prophet to ask questions about policy or motivation?

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to allow other people to see your writing click on the “comments” box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

“Who Put The Flags In the Sanctuary?”

On the first Sunday in July we are going to look at what it means to be patriotic and Christian. What is a Christian patriot?

Since I’ve been here at the church I had not seen the flags in the Sanctuary. It may be they had been put there prior to the rennovation but I hadn’t seen the flags put in the Sanctuary. The last church I served had flags in the Sanctuary. They were put there in honor of a young man who was killed in Viet Nam. Some of the churches I’ve served have had flags in the Sanctuary and some have not. Next Sunday begins the fifth year of my appointment here. The flags were not in the Sanctuary when I came.

After we completed the Sanctuary rennovation one Sunday morning the flags appeared in the Sanctuary. I don’t know who put them there. The person who prepares the Sanctuary for worship didn’t know. None of the ministers knew. The trustees of the church didn’t do it.

We have spent some time talking about having flags in the Sanctuary and what it meant to have them there. We have determined we would put the flags in the Sanctuary three times a year. They will be in next Sunday (prior to the fourth of July), they will be in on Memorial Sunday, and they will be put back on the Sunday in November when we honor Veterans. The Worship Committee has approved this plan and the Administrative Council has agreed.

The larger issue is the one we will consider next Sunday. What does it mean to be patriotic and Christian? What is the role of the church when it comes to support of or critique of our nation’s foreign policy?

What do you think it is?

Do we have a responsibility to study and critique what we are doing as a nation? Is our job mainly to support our leaders? If we offer criticism of our policy does that mean we are not being supportive of the men and women who are carrying out the policies they are being asked to execute?

I will never forget how divided we were in our country during the Viet Nam War. That remains a subject that brings division and controversy. What do you think the role of the church is related to patriotism? I look forward to hearing from you. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net and if you are willing to allow others to see and respond to your thoughts click on the “comments” box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

“What If We Had Never Been Born?”

It is an interesting question that has been chasing me around all week. On the one hand it seems a primary problem with human beings is an excessive sense of importance. We tend to be puffed up. We seem to glory in our own exaggerated self-esteem. That’s the way it seems but that is not how it truly is. Most egotism is grounded in a lack of confidence. Most people who want to tell you how great they are are primarily trying to convince themselves. The foundation of most self-centeredness is low self worth.

When we consider what would have happened if we had never been born we can see that there is much added to life because we have lived. Much more than we will ever know is the result of our participation in it.

Two things make that true:

1. Everybody is somebody. We are just a step or two away from a person of great accomplishment. Maybe it is a distant relative who is our link to greatness. Maybe it’s a passing acquaintance or a brief conversation with a stranger whose identity is unknown to us. There is greatness in the human family, and we are much closer to it than we realize.

2. Everybody has done something great in their lives. The problem is most often we are not aware of the great thing we have done. The consequences of our deed may be unknown to us.

Everybody is somebody and we may be aware of our touch with greatness. Everybody has done something wonderful but most of what we have done we never realize.

What if we had never been born? We do exist. We are given this time and place. God has work for us to do. There is a task that will not happen unless we do it.

What is being asked of you now?

What is your mission in life?

How will you get on with doing it?

I would love to hear from you. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to allow others to read your thoughts click on the “comments” box below.

Charles

P.S.

We will have all three morning services as usual. This Sunday, June 24th, there will be a contemporary worship service at 12:15. Ray Miller will preach and the theme of the service is “What Does a Christian Look Like?”

The sermon is moving along pretty much as I had thought it would but I have found two interesting things about the Biblical texts. I choose to deal with two lectionary readings. The first is from Psalm 22. It is a very positive and inspired section of the Psalm beginning with verse 19. It suggests that God is not far off. It holds out the idea that God has always been with the people of Israel and will continue to be with them. It lifts up the idea that they are blessed and their lives are enriched because of the presence of God. What is interesting about this text is that Psalm 22 also includes those words Jesus spoke on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” The alternation between feeling that we have been separated from God and the feeling that God is very close is an interesting mix of emotion.

The other text is from the 3rd chapter of Galatians. Paul is writing the churches in the area of Galatia about how Christ is in them and they are in Christ. He tells them at the end of the 3rd chapter that they are Abraham’s offspring. What is interesting about the 3rd chapter is the way it begins. It begins with the words, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” Again, we see the alternation of feelings. At once we see the sense of failure mixed with the sense of absolute union with Christ.

I think both of these texts tell the story of the life of every one of us. We are all brilliantly contributing to the course of history, and we are completely indifferent to the movement of a higher destiny. Our lives are combinations of accomplishment and emptiness. We are anonymous nobodies and we are giants in the midst of the ultimate challenge. We make huge contributions and our lives make no difference at all.

The sermon will struggle with the issue; “What if we were never born?” What difference do we make?  I will pose the proposition that we do matter tremendously and that our lives do make a difference. How has your life mattered or made a difference? How often do you feel that doesn’t matter at all.

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing for others to see your response click on the “comments” box below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

P.S.

Sunday we will have our three services in the morning and we will have a contemporary service at 12:15. A light lunch is provided and Ray Miller is preaching.

Sermon for Sunday, June 24th

“What If I’d Never Been Born?”

This is one of the most important questions we will ask ourselves. What in the world would be missing if we had never been? What do we bring to life?

In some ways it is much less than we would imagine. What we bring to the world we may wish to something grand and wonderful. We hope to be able to bring about major changes for the good in a world that needs so much good to come. We think of the ways we would like to contribute.

There are people who have done wonderful things with their lives. There are people who have made major contributions. Look at some of the great scientists whose research has led to discoveries that have changed lives! We probably haven’t done anything like that. Consider peace-makers who have confronted social problems like slavery, racism, poverty, disease, and war! That has not marked our contribution. Then, there are people whose talent has been exhibited and who have brought joy to millions; people like Marion Anderson, and Todd Helton, or John Elway. We will never sing like Marion Anderson or throw a football like John Elway.

There may be little that is remarkable about our lives as compared to others whose lives are what legends are built from. But we must never conclude that it doesn’t matter that we are born.

I will ask about the contribution of our lives, but in such a way that we realize what is remark about us. It does matter that we are alive. We do make a difference. This coming Sunday I will have us explore that important issue.

Just a few questions:

What is the most remarkable/unremarkable achievement you have made?

What regrets do you have?

What could you have done that you failed to do?

How do other people view your accomplishments? Does it matter what they think?

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

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

As we celebrate Father’s Day, we lift up our memories of our fathers. If we are lucky enough to have him still with us, we can share those memories with him. If he has already gone on to heaven, we can share those memories with someone else, or we can hold them forever in our hearts.

A few years ago, when my mother died, someone gave me an article entitled: “The death of a parent alters our souls.” In it, the author wrote, “There is a special light that may come in the wake of our parents’ leaving. I discovered, as you will too, that in a deeper sense, our parents don’t leave us. They become part of us.” They live on through or memories of them. 

 Jack Shea, theologian, says that we have to, have to, have to remember. Memory is a real powerful religious reality. In the Bible, people are reminded often to remember. The Israelites are told to remember their slavery, so that they could help others who are enslaved. When you forget, when you don’t remember the dynamics of the past, you are bound to each moment without power. As we remember, we reinterpret life, and we begin a process where we praise what we have been given, and we judge what we want to carry on. The remembering gives us power to live the present a little better, and to move on to the future.

Father’s Day is for remembering the good and the not so perfect times. Remembering is being thankful and learning from the past. By remembering, we honor the past and those who have gone before us. 

This Sunday is Father’s Day. As we celebrate this day, we celebrate all that has been family to us as we have grown up, or what is family to those who are currently raising their children. As we do that, we are reminded that not all of life has been perfect. However, we know that everyone does the best they can with what they have been given, and our parents have done the same for us. But in the midst of the imperfection, sometimes even in the worst of times, grace emerges. Jack Shea, theologian, says that grace is present and emerges in all relationships. We just have to be awake enough to notice it.

What do you think? Has grace been present in your relationship with your father, that you haven’t noticed? As we celebrate the men who have “fathered” us this Sunday, let us ponder this question. We may all be surprised at what we realize has been there all along.

If you have thoughts on these ideas, I’d love for you to share them with me at pastorcq@quinnclan.net

Carol Quinn is preaching Sunday. This will be her final Sunday with us as she is moving back to be with family in Chicago.

The title of the sermon is “Remembering Our Fathers”. She has the following quotation in the bulletin:

“Ask the average person which is more important to him, making money or being devoted to his family, and virtually everyone will answer family without hesitation. But watch how the average person actually lives out his life. See where he really invests his time and energy, and he will give away the fact that he does not really live by what he says he believes. He has let himself be persuaded that if he leaves for work earlier in the morning and comes home more tired at night, he is proving how devoted he is to his family by expending himself to provide them all the things they have seen advertised.”  Harold Kushner When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough.

I have submitted this for Carol but Iknow she would be pleased to hear from you.

Charles Schuster

Write Carol Quinn at pastorcq@quinnclan.net. If you are willing to have other people read your thoughts click on the “comments” box below.

I’ve been thinking about death this week and the consequences of that kind of thinking seems to move off in one of two directions. It could lead to a morbit line of reasoning. Reflecting upon the fact that we will die and that we may die tomorrow could become a real negative factor in our thinking. That has not been the case.

In the 7th Chapter of Luke Jesus is in the town of Nain. Here is the text:

“As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

This text has many possible interpretations. I like the one that suggests that Jesus had a way of awakening the dead from their sleep. The idea of suggesting to us, “arise” from our death to life seems to me a strong imperative. We are to live. The Christian faith makes us aware of our death, but it awakens us, in our dying, to becoming fully alive.

The consquence of this is two-fold:

1. Let us find the passion to the point that, although we may be dying (none of us will get out of this world alive), we are dying to live. We have passion for life and can see the forest for the trees.

2. Let us discover the sensitivity that enables us to live until we die as we discover the trees in the forest.

3. We worship the God of life who made both the forest and the trees.

The realization that we could die tomorrow brings a zest for living today. This realization is not a morbid thought but a perspective that lifts life up and invites us into a full participation.

Can you make this affirmation, “It’s a great day to be alive”. If so, in what way is it? I’d like to hear from you. Why is it a great day to be alive and what difference does it make if we know we will die tomorrow (some tomorrow we will die)? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to let others read your response click on the “comments” box below.

Charles