Eternal Life: How Do I Get It?

Eternal Life: How Do I Get It? 

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him. . . .You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'" He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. (Mark 10:17-31)

I have often wondered if the man felt that he had, in fact, kept all the commandments from his youth and he was simply looking for confirmation from Jesus, “the teacher,” or if he really sensed that something was missing in his life that just completely alluded him. 

Whatever the case, Jesus cuts through the legalities and goes right to the heart of the matter.  Something, in fact, was missing.  Something was missing from the man’s life, or better said, something was in his life that blocked him from receiving the free gift of eternal life, the gift of the Kingdom of God.  The most telling part of the story, the part that shows us who Jesus really is, is captured in the words, “Jesus looked at him and loved him. . . .” 

Most of us remember the words which follow these words: . . . ."you lack one thing; go, sell what you own and give the money to the poor and you will have treasures in heaven; then, come and follow me.”  We have heard this story enough times that we know the ending by heart. That “he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. 

At first blush it appears that the man’s road block to the Kingdom of God is money, possessions, but the longer I live the more I realize that the roadblock is “whatever separates us from God. 

Many people in our time, the famous as well as the unknown, have given up many different things which blocked them from following Jesus.  Mother Teresa gave up everything; Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Workers Movement, gave up the father of her child and prestige; Dietrich Bonheoffer gave up status and position and finally his life; Martin Luther King Jr. gave up the opportunity for big churches, time, energy and his life. 

All of us can think of people in our own lives who have given up much to follow Jesus, who have given up much to find eternal life, to find the Kingdom of God, and to help bring about the Kingdom of God, on Earth as it is in heaven. 

The question for me, and likely for some of you is, “what one thing do I lack that God would have me give up?”  For some of us it may be “all of the above.”  For others, it may be wealth or respect or power or money or position, or even our lives.  What we are asked to give up will be different for each of us, but we can be sure that it will be whatever keeps us from serving God and our fellow human beings. 

Finally, I believe it comes down the words of the Prophet Micah asks the people of Israel:  

What does the Lord require of you but to do Justice, and to

love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Jesus, Divorce the Church and the World

Jesus, Divorce and the Church and the World

Mark 10:2-12: Some Pharisees came, and to test Jesus they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

Every couple of years the above Gospel or a similar one from Matthew shows up as the reading for worship on Sunday.  It is my firm belief that in a society and in a congregation where over one third of the people present have been touched by divorce that a preacher must preach on this reading and not take the easy way out and preach on the Epistle or the Old Testament.

At 4:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, while drinking coffee and meditating on the day’s sermon, two thoughts from my past showed up in my mind.  I share them with you because I believe that are relevant to Jesus’ teaching on divorce in today’s church and today’s world.

The first unbidden story that entered my mind took place in 1974 when I was doing construction work, building a Monsanto Plant in North Alabama.  I recalled a discussion with several crew members in which one man asked: do we really want a governor who is an adulterer?  My response was that Governor Wallace’s wife had died and he was free to marry.  The response was based on the Gospel from Mark.  “Yes, but Cornelia is divorced, and by marrying her, Governor Wallace is committing adultery.”

The second story to enter my mind was about a family of the church in which I grew up, in which the children and parents had different last names.  It took several years for it to dawn on me that one or both of the parents had been divorced.  That just did not happen in 1960 in Alabama.  What I did understand was that the parents were two of the finest Christian people I knew and that their family was a place of love and care and safety

My reflections on Jesus, divorce and the people of God grow out of this unbidden memories from my past.

I believe Jesus taught against divorce for several reasons, including a desire for people to have strong, safe and caring relationships.  But I also believe that Jesus understand the reality of his day and time.  “What will happen to women if their husbands divorce them?”  (Women, of course, could not divorce their husbands).  The reality in Jesus’ day was that the women, if fortunate, could go home to their father’s family.  If not the two most likely possibilities were that they would become either beggars, or prostitutes in an effort to take care of themselves and their children.  I believe that Jesus had practical as well as spiritual reasons for his teaching.

Marriage was about many things in Jesus’ day, including responsibility.  Biblical marriage was also about property, even the admonition in the Ten Commandments had at least as much to do with the wife as property as it did with faithfulness.  Biblical marriage also allowed for multiple wives and concubines and for the stoning of women who were caught in adultery. (You may remember Jesus’ forgiveness of the woman brought to him for stoning.

Having briefly looked at our history, how does Jesus’ teaching apply to those of us who follow him today?  First, I believe marriage is a sacred commitment based on love and respect as we see in the Letter to the Ephesians 5: “husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. . . .wives respect your husbands.”  In today’s world that love and respect goes both ways.

Even though things are better economically today, there are studies that show that women very often end up worse off economically after divorce than men do.  So there are still practical considerations when divorce is an option in a couples lives.  I do believe that the respect must continue, even as couples look at going in two different directions.

As late as 1972 and 1973 the Episcopal church, of which I am a part used to excommunicate divorced people, baring people from communion and the fellowship of the church at the very time in their lives when it is needed most.  We have since realized that compassion is more important than judgment in the church.

The reality today is that some marriages need to end in divorce.  I say this believing that no one likes divorce, even people who have been or will be divorced.  There are simply times when two people need to acknowledge that a death of some kind as happened and that the healthy action for all concerned, even children involved in a family is to respectfully move on.  This is not to say do not work on your marriage through counseling and spiritual direction but that when a couple realize that they are doing more harm than good to each other, themselves and any children involved, that the loving act may be to end the marriage in as healthy a way as possible.

I close with my dream for couples who divorce.  I would love for them to come back to the altar where they were married and where they asked God to bless their marriage and where the people present promised to “uphold these two persons in their marriage.”  I would like to have those some people present, plus children and other loved ones promise to “uphold these two persons as they move in new and different directions in their lives.”  Then we would send them out with God’s blessing and God’s assurance to be with them all the days of their lives.”

 

 

 

 

Civitans: Helping People and Having Fun

Civitans: Helping People and Having Fun 

Four years ago I was invited to join a group of people to do some things to make our community better.  The group was the Greater Wetumpka Civitan Club.  I joined for several reasons:  I had been a Civitan 35 years earlier; I was a Junior Civitan in High School, My grandfather, father and two uncles were Civitans; my Boy Scout Troop was sponsored by the local Civitan club; and last but not least, of the 30 Charter members I knew only two. 

I spent this past weekend with almost 100 Civitans at the Alabama-West Florida District Convention at WindCreek Casino and Hotel in Atmore, Alabama.  WindCreek is owned and operated by the Porch Band of Creek Indians, a tribe native to Alabama.  As Civitans, we truly fulfilled our commitment to “have fun while doing good!” 

Before I sharing insights from the weekend, I want to share with you a little of what Civitan is and what Civitans do.                                                                                                                                         

Civitan International was founded by a group of businessmen in Birmingham, Alabama in 1912. Civitan has a focus on helping people with developmental disabilities, and funding research into illnesses of the human brain at the Civitan International Research Center, which is located at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.  However, local clubs do so much more.

Each Civitan club is different, but they all have one thing in common: Civitans help people, and have fun doing it.   The Civitan Creed which follows will give you a good idea who we are: 

Civitan Creed
I AM CIVITAN: as old as life, as young as the rainbow, as endless as time.

MY HANDS do the work of the world and reach out in service to others.

MY EARS hear the cry of children and the call throughout the world for peace, guidance, progress, and unity.

MY EYES search for others to join in the fellowship and service of Civitan.

MY MOUTH utters the call to daily duty and speaks prayers in every tongue.

MY MIND teaches me respect for law and the flag of my country.

MY HEART beats for every friend, bleeds for every injury to humanity, and throbs with joy at every triumph of truth.

MY SOUL knows no fear but its own unworthiness.

MY HOPE is for a better world through Civitan.

MY MOTTO: Builders of Good Citizenship

MY BELIEF: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

MY PLEDGE: to practice the Golden Rule and to build upon it a better and noble citizenship. 

The Alabama-West Florida Civitan District encompasses the area roughly from Montgomery south to the Gulf Cost and includes the Florida Panhandle to just East of Panama City.  There are 21 active local clubs in the district with a membership of over 620 Civitans.  

This past weekend we met for fun, food, fellowship, and a sharing of awards and ideas and enthusiasm.  A few brave souls even put their reputations on the line by singing Karaoke, including District Governor, John Mike McCall and Past District Governor, James Jones. 

We met for business, for hearing of the good works done by the various clubs, including over 300 wheel chair ramps built by the Pensacola Club.  We heard reports on the Civitan Neurological Research Center at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.  Civitan International has already given over $13,000,000 to this cutting edge organization. 

Did I mention that we ate (several times) including a formal installation and awards banquet for our incoming officers?  We also had free time for a little video poker in the Casino, swimming in the pool and some of us even found time for a really good nap. 

We were privileged to have three Past Presidents of Civitan International at our Convention, Including Immediate Past President Gay Aaron who installed our club Presidents and new District Officers. 

I am just scratching the Civitan surface, but maybe, just maybe this will give you an idea what we are about, or pique your curiosity.  Find a club near you and join in with their work to make this world a better place. 

Oh, by the way, rumor has it that next year’s District Convention will also be at WindCreek.   Did I mention that I won enough money in the Casino to pay for one night’s lodging? 

Civitans, Helping people and having fun!

Looking Back, Moving Forward

Looking Back, Moving Forward

Reflections on Honduras Good Works, 2012 

After month at home I look back on Honduras Good Works, 2012 with fondness and joy and hope for the future.  Hope for the future of the Mission, hope for the future of the people of Honduras and hope for the continued giving and receiving of God’s blessings and the giving and receiving of God’s good works through the lives of the people of God.  The photographs attached to this post give just a small look at the people of Zarzal and their commitment to each other and to the Kingdom of God.  Incredible things happened, friendships were formed, and we all, I mean all, came away with a better understand of the covenant of baptism.  That is, that we are all joined together, not only with God through Jesus, but that we are all joined together with each other as well. 

The five of us on our team brought enthusiasm and took away skills and friendships.  The people of Zarzal brought skills, enthusiasm, a commitment to working together and a love for their church and their people.  They also took away friendships.  Friendships with the five of us and stronger friendships with one another, forged by working together for a common goal. 

I have some goals for the coming year.  I want to return with my team, hopefully a larger team that will include more people from St. Stephens and Beaumont, Texas, including several children who will give and receive and be ambassadors for the kingdom of God.  I also hope that my wife, Lynn, a Nurse Practitioner specializing in Women’s Health will be able to join the medical part of this very important mission. 

In an earlier post I mentioned the 140 Scholarships given to support secondary education in a country where this is normally limited to the larger cities.  I intend to become a financial supporter of this very important program as well.  Can you imagine the change that can take place in villages where all the young people have the opportunity to go past the sixth grade in School? 

My primary reflection on Honduras Good Works is that it is like a stone thrown into a lake.  The ripples just keep growing and going further out and further out until the entire lake is covered.  The longevity of this mission and the founders’ willingness to share the leadership and even to pass it on to others insure that this wonderful work in God’s name will continue for many, many years to come.

As I continue to reflect on this year and look with anticipation toward next year I leave you with some words of St. Paul, from the third Chapter of Colossians, which have shaped my attitude toward this important mission. 

12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.¹³Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord^* has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.¹⁴Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.¹⁵And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.¹⁶Let the word of Christ^* dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.^*17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

All I can add is Amen!

“Sunday Morning Coming Down”

“Sunday Morning Coming Down”

(Song by Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson)

My Albertville Adventure, Part Three 

After a wonderful Friday and Saturday with friends, both new and old, I arose early on Sunday to have another great breakfast with my mother before heading off to Christ Episcopal Church to preach and officiate at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.  Christ Church is a wonderful group of people (yes the church is the people) who meet in a beautiful new and holy building which was built to replace the one destroyed in the April 24, 2010 tornado which devastated East Main Street as well as other parts of Albertville.   

It is truly an honor to be asked to preach and lead worship in one’s home town, despite Jesus’ words “that a prophet is not without honor except in his own home town.”  The Epistle reading for that Sunday was from Ephesians 4:1-16. 

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearingwith one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in thebond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the onhope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, whois above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift.  
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. "

As I read these lessons earlier in the week, I had a real sense, without knowing why, that this message of bearing with one another in love within the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace was very important for this congregation.  The General Convention of the Episcopal Church had ended ten days earlier and the church had approved a trial liturgy for the blessing of same sex unions.  Our Bishop, Kee Sloan, had voted in favor of the measure and had also said that he did not believe Alabama was ready to institute this measure.  I had no idea as I was writing my sermon how the people who are Christ Church had reacted to these decisions on the part of the church and our Bishop, but I have been around long enough to know that there would at least be differences of opinion.  I also knew that the convergence of the Epistle lesson and the life experience of General Convention and its aftermath brought an opportunity for all of us to reflect on God’s call to us in our present day. 

As I spent time with members of the church in preparation for the morning worship I found that indeed there were differing opinions and that unfortunately some had decided to leave Christ Church and the Episcopal Church.  My sermon from that day is included in another post on this blog and I invite you to read it.  I will simply say at this point that we focused in the sermon on, “to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” and on the many different gifts God has giving each of us, “for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.” 

It was a wonderful morning and many of us spent time in prayerful conversation after worship, not in condemnation but in asking each other and God to lead us and guide is into a way to bring the whole flock of Christ Church back into that “unity of the spirit that will bring them back into those bonds of peace.” 

What a blessing to be of “one body and one spirit” and to know that we are united by “one Lord, one faith and one baptism.”

“Déjà vu part Deux”

“Déjà vu part Deux”

The Albertville Adventure Continues 

Saturday, August 4 began with breakfast at Merrill Gardens with my mother Eunice.  What a wonderful breakfast of sausage, eggs, biscuits and lots and lots and lots of coffee.  Mama has been living at this wonderful assisted living facility for two months and has gained five pounds, is no longer in pain, no longer falling, and is playing bingo to win such necessities as Kleenex, toilet paper and paper towels.  Makes sense to me.  As a priest I have been in many assisted living facilities and nursing homes and this is the best one I have ever seen:  immaculate facilities, wonderful staff, more activities than I have the energy for and, as mentioned earlier, great food.  And, they prepare it, bring it to you and clean up after you leave.  I could really get used to that. 

After breakfast I met my brother, Pat at the relatively new Albertville History Museum, located in the old Primitive Baptist Church on West Main Street, across from the pre-Civil War Cemetery.  The program planned for the day was a look at the History and sounds of Sand Mountain Music.  The musical legacy goes back to the late 1700’s when the musical Johnson family camped out in Hustleville on their way to Arkansas. One of the Johnson brothers killed a deer, fed the family and decided that there was no good reason at all to get back in the wagon and continue on to Arkansas.    Gary Pledger, a long time friend, and a descendant of the Johnson family gave a wonderful and entertaining history of his family and the impact they had on the music of our area. 

Additionally, Jim Connor, award winning banjoist, and author of “Grandma’s Feather Bed” made famous by John Denver, played and sang his way through the history of Sand Mountain music, focusing on “Uncle Arthur Kuykendall” (pronounced Kirkendall) one of the most famous banjoists and cloggers in the history of Sand Mountain Music.  What a joy to hear the old music again and to have a better understanding of where it came from and how we received it and how we might continue it.   

I left the program early to prepare for the evening wedding of Amber Blackburn and Chris Rogers which was to be held at the Senior Center on Lake Guntersville.  Walking down Main Street, through the Main Street Music Festival, watching the crowds, listening to the music from both stages and seeing  the massive “Blowup Water Park” for the kids was thrilling.  What a great Albertville event for citizens of all ages. 

As a priest, I just love weddings. It is so exciting to see people joyful and happy and excited, not only about the moment but about the rest of their lives together, and about the lives of their children, siblings and friends.  The group of young people who made up the wedding party and the friends of the bride and groom had come together primarily around the common connection of Jacksonville State University.  What a joy to see young people who loved each other and enjoyed being together and relished the joy of their friends who were getting married.  The wedding was truly a group event made possible by the love and talents of these wonderful young people.  To be invited to be the priest at this wedding was both a privilege and a blessing.  For any who might be tempted to lose hope for the future of our nation, let me just assure you that we are in good hands! 

A postscript:  On the way to the reception, a woman stopped me and said, “you must be Bennett’s and Eunice’s son.  I responded affirmatively and asked her how she knew.  She said that I look just like Daddy did at my age (she is correct).  She was Nancy Cornelius, mother of groomsman Destrey Cornelius, daughter of Jim Martin and granddaughter of Lola Martin who lived just on block down the street from my grandparents, and is married to Rodney Cornelius whose mother is a new friend of my mother.  Talk about “déjà vu all over again!” 

“Déjà vu All Over Again”

“Déjà vu All Over Again”

(Quoted from New York Yankee Great, Yogi Berra) 

This past weekend was truly one of those where the whole was much greater than the parts.  In an attempt to put it all together I must go back to February of this year.  My Wetumpka friend, Peggy Blackburn, Managing Editor of the Wetumpka Herald as me if I would be willing to officiate at her daughter Amber’s wedding on August 4^th in Albertville, Alabama, my home town.  Since I like Peggy and since I travel to Albertville twice a month to visit my mother I readily and happily agreed.  About two months later I was visiting my mother and dropped by Christ Episcopal Church to visit my friend the Reverend David Kendrick.  David asked me if I would be able to preach and lead worship on August 5^th at Christ Church when he and his wife, Laura, were going to Washington D.C. for their son, John’s wedding.  Since I was going to be in Albertville anyway I readily agreed. 

In June, my brother, Pat, sent me a Face Book Message telling me about the Main Street Music Festival which was going to be held in Albertville on Saturday, August 4.  He told me that included in the festival activities was to be a History of Sand Mountain Music led by Jim Connor, legendary banjoist and writer of “Grandma’s Feather Bed,” and my long time friend, Gary Pledger, descendant of the Johnson Family of Johnson Family Band fame.  Talk about “synchronicity 

Fast forward to August 3:  On the way to Albertville I meet long time friend, Cheree Collins Carlton catching up on the 42 years that had elapsed between our last visit in 1972 and our reconnecting in late June of this year.  After lunch I stopped by her home to meet her husband, Eric, whom I had never met.  What a wonderful, energetic man who, as it turns out, shares my love for the outdoors, backpacking and Mission projects in Latin America. 

Arriving in Albertville just before 5:00 p.m. I stopped to visit briefly with friends Anneva and Richard Hard whose daughter, Amy is very, very ill and then headed to the Assisted living facility to have a catfish dinner with my mother.  As it turns out it was only my first catfish dinner of the evening.  After a wonderful time with my almost 90 year old mother, Eunice, I headed down the road for the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner for Amber Blackburn and Chris Rogers.  What a wonderful evening, what wonderful young people and what a great (second) catfish dinner of the evening, made even better by being topped off by homemade vanilla ice cream.   

August 3 continues with a celebration for the happy, soon to be married couple.  As family and friends begin to arrive I become aware that the unifying factor in this group is Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama.  The bride met many of the wedding party at Jacksonville, some of whom were from Albertville and introduced her to the groom.  And “the rest” as they say, “is history.”  As I began to meet the young “wedding partiers,” and their families I found that the parents  our host’s girlfriend were in high school with me at Albertville High School and that one of the groomsmen was the great grandson of a couple who lived a block from me and my parents when I was growing up.  His grandfather and my father’s youngest brother were best friends growing up and played football together at Albertville High School.  I am beginning to get a sense of family and history and the connections that join as together. 

The most exciting part of the evening was seeing the love and friendship these young people have for each other and how much they enjoyed being together and how few (like none) of them were on cell phones or texting.  They were actually there for each other and enjoying each others’ company and companionship, their new wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends and babies 

“Déjà vu” part “Deux” will pick up with the history of Sand Mountain Music.