First United Methodist Church - Fort Collins, CO

“Afraid of a Crowd”

They say one of the biggest fears people have is the fear of speaking in public. The fear of presenting your thoughts in front of a group is people is gripping and real. Preachers have to do it every Sunday. You’d think we had gotten over the fear but most of us continue to have trouble on the Sunday morning we are assigned to preach. We compensate by working extra hard on the sermons so that we are as prepared as we can be. We put so much into our sermons on Sunday morning that we basically go into a deep sleep Sunday afternoon. For me it’s under the guise of watching a football game. Usually, there isn’t much watching for the first 30 minutes.

Is there a difference between a crowd, and a mob, and a congregation? Does it matter if we are speaking to family, or to friends, or to class members at school? What if it is related to work and we are filling out an assignment we have been given? How do we “take the authority” and do what is being asked of us?

Sometimes we are asked to speak at funerals for friends or loved ones? I have witnessed occasions of extreme courage when a family member, in the depths of grief, will be able to share insights and thoughts in a funeral or memorial service.

What experience have you had with a crowd and facing down your fear? How did you overcome your fear of the crowd? If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing for others to read your responses click on the ‘comments’ box below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Rev. Janet Forbes, senior pastor at St. Lukes UMC, Highlands Ranch, is preaching on Sunday, September 30–Women’s Ministry Sunday at FUMC.  Her sermon text is Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7. 

She is also using the work of Leonard Sweet in his book Postmodern Pilgrims, noting that in the postmodern world, those of us who are over 40 now are ‘immigrants’ into this new world and way of life (iPod, eBay, etc.) and that those who grew up in the technology boom era (under 40s) are ‘natives’ to this world. 

How do we connect to each other? How do we make the church of modernity connect to the era of postmodernity?  How does God relate to those who are coming of age in the postmodern world?  How do we use tradition to propel us forward rather than keeping us stuck in modernity? 

It will be a pleasure to welcome Janet to the pulpit Sunday. Please join me in welcoming her.  In the meantime, if you have comments, please feel free to post them here, or email me at pameverhart@fcfumc.net

Look forward to hearing from you.

Peace,

Pam

Women’s Ministry Sunday

September 30th

In 1989 The Rocky Mountain Conference directed churches to have a Women’s Ministry Sunday every year. The purpose was to confront the bias in some churches against women clergy. It was hoped that the congregations in our Annual Conference would experience some of the competent women preachers and would begin to shift attitudes toward women in the ministry. It does appear to have worked. There are almost as many women clergy in the Rocky Mountain Conference as men. Seminary students represent more women candidates than me and it is beginning to be less of a problem.

Our preacher next Sunday is Janet Forbes. Janet is Senior Pastor of St. Lukes United Methodist Church. She is the leader of our delegation to General Conference. She is a good preacher and we will enjoy having her in our pulpit next Sunday.

As I receive information about her sermon I will add to the “Build a Sermon” later in the week.

In the meantime if you have thoughts about our church, about religion, about theology, about anything at all write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your email to me click on the ‘comments’ box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

“Take Your Mind and Use It”

This sermon hasn’t yet found its ultimate direction but this is where it currently sits:

I am exploring “Jesus as teacher” and asking myself what made him such a great teacher. I suspect he was known for being a teacher more than for being a preacher. We have more of a collection of his sayings than we have a collection of his sermons. The Sermon on the Mount beginning with the fifth chapter of Matthew is not one sermon but a collection of sayings put into the format of a sermon. Homiletics teachers view that as an ineffective sermon and would give it a low grade as a sermon.

What makes Jesus a great teacher?

a. He had a high degree of wisdom. He knew the wisdom of the heart and was charismatic.

b. He had a high degree of wisdom. He knew a mathmatical approach to life that transcended traditional calculation. He knew the ‘first shall be last’ and ‘the servant shall be master’.

c. He had a high degree of sight. He knew when he looked that there were things to see within what seemed to be ordinary. He grasped revelation of God in everything he saw; a mustard seed, a farmer going out to plant seed, a Samaritan who helped a man who was beated and left to die on the road.

Jesus was a great teacher because he had revelation, wisdom, and charisma.

How does that line up with your thinking? What do you think made Jesus a great teacher and how does that instruct you and me? If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your ideas click on the ‘comments’ box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

“Take Your Mind and Use It”

It isn’t usual to pick out part of the United Methodist Book of Discipline and quote it in some kind of church event but I think it is instructive as we reflect upon this issue of reason.

The United Methodist Church rewrites its rules every four years. There is a section entitled “The Doctrine of the Church”. There is a part of Doctrine that includes “reason”. This is what it says:

“Although we recognize that God’s revelation and our experiences of God’s grace continually surpass the scope of human language and reason, we also believe that any disciplined thrological work calls for careful use of reason.

By reason we read and interpret Scripture.

By reason we determine whether our Christian witness is clear.

By reason we ask questions of faith and seek to understand God’s action and will.

By reason we organize the understandings that compose our witness and render them internally coherent.

By reason we test the congruence of our witness to the biblical testimony and to the traditions that mediate that testimony to us.

By reason we relate our witness to the full range of human knowledge, experience, and service.

Since all truth is from God, efforts to discern the connections between revelation and reason, faith and science, grace and nature, are useful endeavors in developing credible and comunicable doctrine. We seek nothing less than a total view of reality that is decisively informed by the promises and imperatives of the Christian gospel, though we know well that such an attempt will always be marred by the limits and distortions of human knowledge.

Nevertheless, by our quest for reasoned understandings of Christian faith we seek to grasp, express, and live out the gospel in a way that will commend itself to thoughtful persons who are seeking to know and follow God’s ways.

In theological reflection. the resources of tradition, experience, and reason are integral to our study of Scripture without displacing Scripture’s primacy for faith and practice. These four sources–each guide our quest as United Methodists for a vital and appropriate Christian witness.”

Reason is a resource of faith. How do we employ it? When they call Jesus ‘Rabbi’ does that not imply Jesus was a teacher? Does that not indicate he was a proponent of reason? What was his method of teaching?

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to allow others to read your response click on the ‘comments’ box.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Let’s admit there is a lot in religion that is mindless. There is much that doesn’t seem to make sense, and no amount of reworking can make it work in a logical way.

Thomas Aquinas said, “Faith transcends reason”. He also said, “To say faith transcends reason is not to say faith is unreasonable.”

Sunday I want to work with reason as a resource for our faith. The Quadrilateral we lift up as important to us as United Methodists includes reason along with scripture, tradition, and experience. Reason is a resource for our faith. We don’t have to check our brains at the door of the church when we enter.

What is reasonable about resurrection? What is reasonable about incarnation? What is reasonable about the “divinity of Jesus”? What is reasonable about the miracle stories? What is reasonable about some of the basic aspects of our faith?

Is it reasonable to think of God in the form of a human being? Is it reasonable to ponder such “truths” as “the first shall be last” or “the servant shall be the master” or “the meek shall inherit the earth”? Is it reasonable to think that it’s a good idea to turn the other cheek when offended?

What is reasonable about the Christian faith? Is it reasonable to apply reason to religion? I think it is and Sunday, September 23^rd I will try to explore it.

I would appreciate help with this. If you have insight on the subject of religion and reason write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to allow your thought to be shared click on the ‘comments’ box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

The three points I am looking at stem from the Biblcal texts from 1 Timothy in which it is suggested that Paul recongizes he was a leader in the persecution of Christians but that Christ forgave him. We realize the Timothy was not written by Paul but that the idea of Paul having been forgiven by Christ and the church for the way in which he persecuted the church was so well known that it became a symbol of the way the church taught people to forgive.

The other text comes from the 15th chapter of Luke and has to do with the way Jesus was at home with “tax collectors and sinners”. There is no apology for that in the Christian faith. As followers of Jesus our task is to look toward the margins of society and to live in support of those who have no support or voice.

We need not apologize for being Christian:

Jesus is our inspiration and he lived a life of inclusion and forgiveness, and he gave his life for others. He preached Agapaic love and he lived it.

We need not apologize for being United Methodist:

This denomination is a homecoming for anyone who is seeking to find and yet has not found. It is a denomination for seekers and risk takers. It is a denomination that encourages us to explore our faith, to use our minds, and to work to make the world a better place.

We need not apologize for being in First Church:

When you look at all the things that have happened because this church has acted on the passions of the ministry of its people it is amazing.

The range goes from Rotation Sunday School, Alternative worship, cooperative outreach with the Lamp mission trips, Women’s ministry Sunday, rennovated sanctuary, south entrance and elevator, columbarium, Kid’s closet, all-church picnic, basketball tournament, movies under the stars, youth mission trips, young couple’s fellowship, Stephen Ministry, new church start in Wellington…The list goes on. There is so much that has been initiated by members and their passion for ministry. This is a passion-driven, permission-giving church.

We have reason to want to take our faith and share it because there are others who would join us if we invited them.

How do you feel about your church? What do you think about how we get the word out? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net . If you are willing to have others look at your writing click on the ‘comments’ box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

“Take Your Faith and Share It”

This is a hard sermon to write because I am pushing a point that goes against my general disposition. It is hard for me to invite someone to come to our church. I am reluctant to announcement to someone I am a Christian. The last thing I would ever say to a person is that I am a pastor in the United Methodist Church.

I just feel religion is a private thing. Those people who go door-to-door with their Bible tracts and their religious material are doing something I would never do.

Does that mean I don’t have the faith they have? Does that mean I am embarrassed about my church; my denomination; my faith? It may mean just that. I recall something Paul wrote when he said, “We are fools for Christ’s sake.” I don’t want to be a fool like that. I’m not interested in been foolishly religious. I am embarrassed when I hear people give their witness to their belief in Christ. I wnat to leave the room when there is some kind of overt evangelism going on.

This approach to religion is curious, and I think it is reflective of most of us United Methodists. It does pose the question for us; What do we have that we are willing to share?

What does it mean to be a Christian in a world like this?

What does it mean to be a United Methodist in a world like this?

What does it mean to be a member of First Church in a world like this?

What are we willing to share with someone else?

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

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

“Take Your Faith and Share It”

How do we share our faith with other people? How do we convey the things that are important to us so that other people can see it and can have it for themselves?

Some would say we shouldn’t share our faith. They believe it’s a personal matter and we should keep it to ourselves. To a large extent I think that’s true. And yet, if it is important to us it seems to me we cannot hide it. It is a part of us and, no matter how secretive we are about it, it will come out. The most effective kind of share comes as we live our faith. People are watching us and will pay more attention to what we do than what we say we believe. Our actions will speak louder than our words.

D.T. Niles defined evangelism as “one begger telling another beggar where to get bread.” Sermons that are preached are not as effective as sermons that are seen and lived.

I would like to explore how it is people of faith have given us a sense of their belief as we have observed them, and then I would like to explore the way in which we find ourselves living out our faith and what other observe as we live it.

Being faithful to our faith is most difficult. Life usually presents us with challenges that are confusing. What we do with what we believe must begin with what we intend. How we live out our faith should come from a strong desire to live congruently. Sometimes we miss the mark (Tillich called that sin). Sometimes we are right on target and we become proud of our exemplary faith (religion calls that hubris). We just want to do the best we can do and hope that we live what we believe and that others will realize it. We seek not to live to impress others, but we seek to be faithful to the God we worship.

How do you take your faith and share it? How do you feel about people who knock on your door trying to evangelize you into their belief? Would you ever do anything like that? Why not? Why would you?

If you have ideas about sharing your faith write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts on this “Build a Sermon” part of the web click on the ‘comments’ box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles