Where God was revealed to us.
Only the two of us know the magic and awe
of that presence.
Against all odds . . .
Our connection to eternity reinforced,
strengthened.
—Wayne W. Dyer
I hear the word, an overworked word now so devalued it has little emphasis at all—awesome. The word is applied to practically everything anymore—a house, an automobile’s acceleration, a piece of clothing, dessert. Is there any real wonder and awe anymore? Dyer was writing of the awe of his wife conceiving when it was against all odds. The birth of their daughter became for them, as does for so many of us with children, our connection to eternity.
If there is anything in life that is awesome, it is childbirth. It’s a miracle that an infinite number of cells can all come together over a period of time that result in a child with a certain color of hair and eyes along with all of the right number of fingers and toes. It is an awesome privilege to witness it.
In spite of Mary’s song and Joseph’s will, I wonder if either one fully realized their connection to eternity that awesome night with Jesus? Indeed, Jesus became the connection to eternity for us all in a very special way. We no longer have to wonder that it will be—only to know that it will be wonderful! I am in awe when I think about it and infinitely grateful for it, that God chose to be present with us through two very real but human beings that against all odds reinforced and strengthened our connection to eternity.
Prayer
Gracious God, I stand in awe that from the beginning what had only been a word for you became flesh and dwelt among us. I give thanks today that you knitted me together in my mother’s womb, and that I have been fearfully and wonderfully made. If in praying these words I do not yet feel them, then let me sometime during the course of this season feel them once again. Amen.
C. Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Let the Light Shine
In him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
-John 1:4-5
It is darkest before the dawn, is a phrase in common usage. I have used this phrase frequently but have not understood its origins. It refers in actual fact to that period a little past halfway through the night when the sun is directly on the opposite side of the planet. The Irish, very early, incorporated it into their sayings. A seventeenth century theologian, Thomas Fuller, is credited with first putting it in print.
The phrase means that there is hope, even in the worst circumstances or our darkest hours. It is certainly the heart of this passage from John which is one of my very favorite passages in scripture. In Jesus, God becomes more than a word, but one who brings light to the darkness of our lives. It is everywhere in the natal story. It is in the star that guided the wise men. It is in the aura surrounding the angel appearing to the shepherd. And, it is the sole contribution of John's gospel to the advent of Jesus.
There are so many inspiring aspects of the birth story-a young, single, pregnant woman, a gallant man, impoverished shepherds, wealthy wise men, angels, an evil king, etc. As inspiring as these are, the idea that God in Jesus placed light in our darkness, hope in our despair, presence in our loneliness, love in the midst of hatred, peace in the presence of struggle, gives me goose bumps.
Perhaps you are in the midst of a dark moment today. Remember that by the tender mercy of our God, the dayspring from on high is broken upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness . . . [and] to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:78-79).
Prayer-
Heavenly Father, I am grateful on this new day for the promise of light when darkness surrounds me, hope when despair is close at hand, and peace in the midst of wars. Let me be filled with your light today that I may let that light shine through me that others may be witness to your glory in this Christmas season and throughout all of life. In the name of him in whom your love is fully known, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
C. Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
12.13.10
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
-John 1:4-5
It is darkest before the dawn, is a phrase in common usage. I have used this phrase frequently but have not understood its origins. It refers in actual fact to that period a little past halfway through the night when the sun is directly on the opposite side of the planet. The Irish, very early, incorporated it into their sayings. A seventeenth century theologian, Thomas Fuller, is credited with first putting it in print.
The phrase means that there is hope, even in the worst circumstances or our darkest hours. It is certainly the heart of this passage from John which is one of my very favorite passages in scripture. In Jesus, God becomes more than a word, but one who brings light to the darkness of our lives. It is everywhere in the natal story. It is in the star that guided the wise men. It is in the aura surrounding the angel appearing to the shepherd. And, it is the sole contribution of John's gospel to the advent of Jesus.
There are so many inspiring aspects of the birth story-a young, single, pregnant woman, a gallant man, impoverished shepherds, wealthy wise men, angels, an evil king, etc. As inspiring as these are, the idea that God in Jesus placed light in our darkness, hope in our despair, presence in our loneliness, love in the midst of hatred, peace in the presence of struggle, gives me goose bumps.
Perhaps you are in the midst of a dark moment today. Remember that by the tender mercy of our God, the dayspring from on high is broken upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness . . . [and] to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:78-79).
Prayer-
Heavenly Father, I am grateful on this new day for the promise of light when darkness surrounds me, hope when despair is close at hand, and peace in the midst of wars. Let me be filled with your light today that I may let that light shine through me that others may be witness to your glory in this Christmas season and throughout all of life. In the name of him in whom your love is fully known, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
C. Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
12.13.10
Monday, December 6, 2010
In the Silence
Let never music sound
Unless an angel make it;
Let stillness reign around
Until a seraph break it-
No song was ever noble
As the unsullied wide
Prairies of silence sleeping
In peace on every side.
-Sara Teasdale
Unless an angel make it;
Let stillness reign around
Until a seraph break it-
No song was ever noble
As the unsullied wide
Prairies of silence sleeping
In peace on every side.
-Sara Teasdale
Have you ever stopped on a prairie side as you rushed from Indiana's flats to Denver's mountains? There is a roadside park on I-70 between Topeka and Manhattan, Kansas offering such an opportunity. One night as I returned from one of the frequent trips to see my parents, who were living in Kansas, I stopped at that place. It was late and there were few people there. The prairie sky was ablaze with stars that seemed so close you could touch them. There was occasional silence from the highway as I sat there on a picnic table watching the stars.
What if in the midst of that silence the heavens sang for joy? There were times during that brief moment on a prairie side I felt they were singing. Would I have heard them sing in my car if I continued the race home and had not stopped? Would I have heard them in any other place where traffic could have deafened my thoughts?
I think the shepherds sharing part of the eternal silence of quiet pastures when the heavens sang for joy! It was perhaps because of this silence that they were able to witness heaven's choir as they sang Glory to God. The angelic stars proclaimed a message that something wonderful had happened, so compelling the shepherds left their flocks and hurried to an otherwise sleepy town.
I wish for you during this Advent season on some evening that a few moments of stillness reigns around you until a seraph break it with a whispered voice and tells you God has good news of great joy which is for you. I hope you are close to some simile of a prairie side and that you pull over with your life long enough to listen for their song.
Prayer
Gracious God thank you for the music of the spheres. Grant to me moments to slow down and in the silence that reigns, if only for a time, may I hear your voice loud and clear-I have good news which is of great joy and it is for you-a savior has been born-Christ the Lord. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Monday, November 29, 2010
God's Surprises
Well the carnage of Black Friday has past and the dawn of Advent’s first Sunday has past. Of course it is easy to become jaded this time of year—to bemoan the missing Christmas greeting replaced by a generic Happy Yuletide or Happy Holidays. Just about the time you think it is time to throw in the towel some random act of cultural kindness comes your way and it occurs that God is not lost.
There is a such an random act that has had well over four million hits on Youtube. It takes place in the heart of a great cathedral of consumer worship—Macy’s. In the center of Macy’s is a huge organ that is played during the shopping days. Suddenly the early musical strains of the organ break into Handel’s Messiah chorus and a great combined choir begins to sing. Shoppers stop what they are doing and begin to sing as well.
The whole scene is transformed, and for a moment the child of Bethlehem’s Spirit pervades the whole scene. Take a few minutes and watch it. I think you’ll be moved to the same tears of joy and thanksgiving that has moved so many of us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU
Prayer
Almighty God who does appear in unlikely places and in ways we would not expect, surprise us this day with the joy of this advent season that we might follow you more faithfully as disciples of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
There is a such an random act that has had well over four million hits on Youtube. It takes place in the heart of a great cathedral of consumer worship—Macy’s. In the center of Macy’s is a huge organ that is played during the shopping days. Suddenly the early musical strains of the organ break into Handel’s Messiah chorus and a great combined choir begins to sing. Shoppers stop what they are doing and begin to sing as well.
The whole scene is transformed, and for a moment the child of Bethlehem’s Spirit pervades the whole scene. Take a few minutes and watch it. I think you’ll be moved to the same tears of joy and thanksgiving that has moved so many of us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU
Prayer
Almighty God who does appear in unlikely places and in ways we would not expect, surprise us this day with the joy of this advent season that we might follow you more faithfully as disciples of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Thursday, November 25, 2010
In God's World
The year’s at the spring
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hillside’s dew-pealed;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in his heaven—
All’s right with the world.
—Robert Browning
The verse above reveals the sort of unbridled optimism for which Browning was sometimes chastised in his lifetime. Browning speaks of a majestic awe and perfection in the universe as if he is saying to us, Take a look around you. Everything is just as it should be. But we know better. We are well into fall and the leaves have fallen from the trees, we’ve raked the leaves as though they cluttered the view of the dead grass, the first frost has come and gone, and the lark’s song has disappeared. This morning we may not feel awe as much as may feel awful.
Rather than seeing ourselves as connected to this world, we often feel we are in it to push it around and make it conform to us and our view of perfection. Rather than accepting it, we twist it to feed our ego, creating havoc, imbalance, and what we than call imperfection. Then the ultimate iron, we blame God for the very conditions we create out of the real perfection that is our gift from God. The fall has its beauty along with the frost and the leaves that cover our grass.
Jesus was particularly good at accepting the world for what it is and the people who inhabit it. He spoke to people of the importance of loving God, one another and ourselves as a means of making the crooked paths straight, bringing low the powerful and exalting the impoverished (Luke 1:46ff). He chastised those who kept trying to perfect the world by loading rule after rule which neither they nor anyone else could keep (Matthew 23:1ff).
Okay. Life is not perfect today or any day for that matter, at least by our estimates. God is still in his heaven. There are things around you in which you may be in awe (you have life, you have opportunity, you have support if you reach for it). Give yourself five minutes to contemplate them. Focus only on perfecting your faith to live in an imperfect world. And when the world goes haywire remember that God is the One who will help you perfect the kind of faith you need to deal with it.
Prayer
Gracious God I thank you for your perfect love. Grant that I may take a few moments to contemplate the wonder of your love for me, and the others who care about me. For this day and for the bounty of your love and grace I give thanks in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hillside’s dew-pealed;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in his heaven—
All’s right with the world.
—Robert Browning
The verse above reveals the sort of unbridled optimism for which Browning was sometimes chastised in his lifetime. Browning speaks of a majestic awe and perfection in the universe as if he is saying to us, Take a look around you. Everything is just as it should be. But we know better. We are well into fall and the leaves have fallen from the trees, we’ve raked the leaves as though they cluttered the view of the dead grass, the first frost has come and gone, and the lark’s song has disappeared. This morning we may not feel awe as much as may feel awful.
Rather than seeing ourselves as connected to this world, we often feel we are in it to push it around and make it conform to us and our view of perfection. Rather than accepting it, we twist it to feed our ego, creating havoc, imbalance, and what we than call imperfection. Then the ultimate iron, we blame God for the very conditions we create out of the real perfection that is our gift from God. The fall has its beauty along with the frost and the leaves that cover our grass.
Jesus was particularly good at accepting the world for what it is and the people who inhabit it. He spoke to people of the importance of loving God, one another and ourselves as a means of making the crooked paths straight, bringing low the powerful and exalting the impoverished (Luke 1:46ff). He chastised those who kept trying to perfect the world by loading rule after rule which neither they nor anyone else could keep (Matthew 23:1ff).
Okay. Life is not perfect today or any day for that matter, at least by our estimates. God is still in his heaven. There are things around you in which you may be in awe (you have life, you have opportunity, you have support if you reach for it). Give yourself five minutes to contemplate them. Focus only on perfecting your faith to live in an imperfect world. And when the world goes haywire remember that God is the One who will help you perfect the kind of faith you need to deal with it.
Prayer
Gracious God I thank you for your perfect love. Grant that I may take a few moments to contemplate the wonder of your love for me, and the others who care about me. For this day and for the bounty of your love and grace I give thanks in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Special Recognition
When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him,
'Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; I want to stay
at your house today.' -Luke 19:5
The red plate is coming out at the Hamon house today. We are celebrating a birthday. We've had the red plate for years. The red plate has an inscription around the brim that says, You are special. I must confess as hokey as it may sound to you, it is something that has become quite a tradition for us.
Everyone likes to be recognized. We like to hear our name and have others notice something we have contributed if it is only another year of life. I believe that is why anniversaries of all sorts are important to us. Anniversaries help us recognize, not only milestones, but who we are and what we do.
Not all recognition is welcomed. Zacchaeus was a tax collector for the occupying Roman government. So, it goes without saying that he was unpopular. I would imagine that the recognition Zacchaeus usually received was negative. He was probably shunned by about everyone except his fellow tax collectors.
Along comes Jesus who gives him some hope that in spite of what he does, God recognizes him as a person of worth. This positive recognition made Zacchaeus happy. In fact it changed his whole life and the way he did business. He did not give up tax collecting, instead continued his career in a way that was fair and just.
I'm not claiming that the red plate will turn my life around. I do know this-it will remind me that I am loved and that alone will help me, at least for this day, to be more loving of others.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminders each day that you care for me. Help me to look for them in the small ways they often appear that I may accept your invitation to be fair and just in my treatment of others. Amen.
P.S. While you're waiting for that recognition from someone else, perhaps there is someone waiting to receive recognition from you.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
'Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; I want to stay
at your house today.' -Luke 19:5
The red plate is coming out at the Hamon house today. We are celebrating a birthday. We've had the red plate for years. The red plate has an inscription around the brim that says, You are special. I must confess as hokey as it may sound to you, it is something that has become quite a tradition for us.
Everyone likes to be recognized. We like to hear our name and have others notice something we have contributed if it is only another year of life. I believe that is why anniversaries of all sorts are important to us. Anniversaries help us recognize, not only milestones, but who we are and what we do.
Not all recognition is welcomed. Zacchaeus was a tax collector for the occupying Roman government. So, it goes without saying that he was unpopular. I would imagine that the recognition Zacchaeus usually received was negative. He was probably shunned by about everyone except his fellow tax collectors.
Along comes Jesus who gives him some hope that in spite of what he does, God recognizes him as a person of worth. This positive recognition made Zacchaeus happy. In fact it changed his whole life and the way he did business. He did not give up tax collecting, instead continued his career in a way that was fair and just.
I'm not claiming that the red plate will turn my life around. I do know this-it will remind me that I am loved and that alone will help me, at least for this day, to be more loving of others.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminders each day that you care for me. Help me to look for them in the small ways they often appear that I may accept your invitation to be fair and just in my treatment of others. Amen.
P.S. While you're waiting for that recognition from someone else, perhaps there is someone waiting to receive recognition from you.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Monday, November 8, 2010
It's What's Inside
Neither do I condemn you. Go your way and do
not sin again. -John 8:11
I heard an old religious man
But yesterday declare
That he found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair?
-William Butler Yeats
The first quote is from scripture where Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery. It was an act of unconditional love-soul love. The poet Yeats speaks of the same thing-looking beyond the exterior to the interior person.
There is a part of psychology that deals with becoming a self-actualized person. Such a person is so comfortable with themselves that they do notice appearances but see only the unfolding of God in each person they encounter. I must confess that I have known very few such people over the years. Most of us will notice the yellow hair-whether it is styled or not. We'll notice the earrings and their placement or whether they are dressed properly for the occasion.
Jesus asks us to look beyond that. He looks into the soul of the woman and sees something that is lovely in spite of her unlovely circumstances. It is so with each of us-even when our souls are not what we would wish, God looks into each of us and as St. Augustine wrote, loves us as though we were the only one to be loved.
Each one of us desperately wants to reach a point of being our actual self, at least before God, that we can experience what being loved for our self alone is like. I would imagine when we truly experience that it will be less of a challenge loving others for themselves alone and perhaps less difficult tackling whatever the challenge before us may be.
Prayer
God of grace so let me set before you my soul with all of its light and dark hues that I may experience this day your love for me, meet the challenge that is before me, and so seek to love others in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
not sin again. -John 8:11
I heard an old religious man
But yesterday declare
That he found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair?
-William Butler Yeats
The first quote is from scripture where Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery. It was an act of unconditional love-soul love. The poet Yeats speaks of the same thing-looking beyond the exterior to the interior person.
There is a part of psychology that deals with becoming a self-actualized person. Such a person is so comfortable with themselves that they do notice appearances but see only the unfolding of God in each person they encounter. I must confess that I have known very few such people over the years. Most of us will notice the yellow hair-whether it is styled or not. We'll notice the earrings and their placement or whether they are dressed properly for the occasion.
Jesus asks us to look beyond that. He looks into the soul of the woman and sees something that is lovely in spite of her unlovely circumstances. It is so with each of us-even when our souls are not what we would wish, God looks into each of us and as St. Augustine wrote, loves us as though we were the only one to be loved.
Each one of us desperately wants to reach a point of being our actual self, at least before God, that we can experience what being loved for our self alone is like. I would imagine when we truly experience that it will be less of a challenge loving others for themselves alone and perhaps less difficult tackling whatever the challenge before us may be.
Prayer
God of grace so let me set before you my soul with all of its light and dark hues that I may experience this day your love for me, meet the challenge that is before me, and so seek to love others in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
What Does Your Heart Think?
As a person thinks in their heart, so they are. -Proverbs 23:7
It is interesting to see how many times Jesus uses the word think in the gospels.
Think not that I have come to destroy . . . .
What are you thinking in your hearts?
You think in these you have eternal life?
Jesus says a lot about what we think in our hearts. Where our hearts/minds are there will be our treasure. Where our hearts/minds are will determine what comes out of our mouths. Where our hearts/minds are will say a great deal about who is our real God. Jesus knew to be true about us what the poet wrote, My mind to me a kingdom is.
What we think and how we think determines our response to both opportunities and challenges. If we have decided that we shall think in terms of compassion, when we feel compassion fatigue, our thinking will enable us to be compassionate. If we have decided in a thoughtful way to be forgiving, then when we set out on its path forgiveness will be our eventual destination. If we have decided to follow Christ, then when the challenges of life assail us, we will keep Christ as our companion even though we may stray.
So how are you thinking today? What decisions in the midst of opportunities and challenges will reveal where your mind/heart ultimately rests?
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what
is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. -Romans 12:2
Prayer
Gracious God be in my mind and in my understanding. Instill in me this day a right way of thinking that in the midst of the challenges of the day, I may serve you with all heart, soul, and mind to the glory of Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
It is interesting to see how many times Jesus uses the word think in the gospels.
Think not that I have come to destroy . . . .
What are you thinking in your hearts?
You think in these you have eternal life?
Jesus says a lot about what we think in our hearts. Where our hearts/minds are there will be our treasure. Where our hearts/minds are will determine what comes out of our mouths. Where our hearts/minds are will say a great deal about who is our real God. Jesus knew to be true about us what the poet wrote, My mind to me a kingdom is.
What we think and how we think determines our response to both opportunities and challenges. If we have decided that we shall think in terms of compassion, when we feel compassion fatigue, our thinking will enable us to be compassionate. If we have decided in a thoughtful way to be forgiving, then when we set out on its path forgiveness will be our eventual destination. If we have decided to follow Christ, then when the challenges of life assail us, we will keep Christ as our companion even though we may stray.
So how are you thinking today? What decisions in the midst of opportunities and challenges will reveal where your mind/heart ultimately rests?
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what
is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. -Romans 12:2
Prayer
Gracious God be in my mind and in my understanding. Instill in me this day a right way of thinking that in the midst of the challenges of the day, I may serve you with all heart, soul, and mind to the glory of Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Monday, October 25, 2010
Have Mercy
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. -Matthew 5:7
Nothing new about this teaching of Jesus. We have heard so many sermons over the years praising the qualities of mercy. Shakespeare celebrates it in Hamlet:
The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest,-
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
We read and hear the altruism in the words of the poet and of scripture, and we embrace it in the general, but find it so difficult in the particular.
By the particular I mean the couple who has abused their child; hearing our son confess their abuse of alcohol; hearing that our daughter understands sexual activity more permissively than we do; learning that our neighbor has embezzled funds from their employer; reading that another government employee has been arrested for this or that offense. The list goes on.
Could it be that God meant mercy for certain sincerely penitent people or for everyone who has personally offended us? I think it was a pretty universal mercy he was talking about-everyone, who upon confession, is deserved of punishment. Jesus understood what Shakespeare expressed that mercy frees the one who offers it perhaps more than the one who receives it.
I'll wager that today somewhere in the midst of it, you will be challenged to extend mercy whether at your place of work, among your family, on the road, or in something you see or read. Jesus knew that extending mercy frees us from the sadness of carrying an eternal torch of punishment and judgment. Jesus knew that when we show mercy we are in possession of one of God's greatest attributes.
Prayer
Gracious God this gate to life is so narrow and the road so hard that I wonder at times if I can travel it. Alone, I know I cannot. With you I know all things are possible-even an act of mercy to one I may feel is quite undeserving in the name of Jesus. Amen.
C. Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Nothing new about this teaching of Jesus. We have heard so many sermons over the years praising the qualities of mercy. Shakespeare celebrates it in Hamlet:
The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest,-
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
We read and hear the altruism in the words of the poet and of scripture, and we embrace it in the general, but find it so difficult in the particular.
By the particular I mean the couple who has abused their child; hearing our son confess their abuse of alcohol; hearing that our daughter understands sexual activity more permissively than we do; learning that our neighbor has embezzled funds from their employer; reading that another government employee has been arrested for this or that offense. The list goes on.
Could it be that God meant mercy for certain sincerely penitent people or for everyone who has personally offended us? I think it was a pretty universal mercy he was talking about-everyone, who upon confession, is deserved of punishment. Jesus understood what Shakespeare expressed that mercy frees the one who offers it perhaps more than the one who receives it.
I'll wager that today somewhere in the midst of it, you will be challenged to extend mercy whether at your place of work, among your family, on the road, or in something you see or read. Jesus knew that extending mercy frees us from the sadness of carrying an eternal torch of punishment and judgment. Jesus knew that when we show mercy we are in possession of one of God's greatest attributes.
Prayer
Gracious God this gate to life is so narrow and the road so hard that I wonder at times if I can travel it. Alone, I know I cannot. With you I know all things are possible-even an act of mercy to one I may feel is quite undeserving in the name of Jesus. Amen.
C. Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Monday, October 18, 2010
Aim High
If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there", and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. -Matthew 17:20
The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. -Michelangelo
Michelangelo lived a few days shy of eighty-nine years, still sculpting, painting, writing, and designing. When I see the size, the majesty, the spirit of his statue of David it is a work of hope. When he was asked how he could create such a masterpiece, he replied that David was already in the marble, he simply had to chip away the excess to allow him to escape. I believe sculptors are that way. They are people of hope who aim high.
We have read or heard quoted this passage of scripture where Jesus talks about mustard seed faith and wonder-how can such faith be possible. I believe the point of Jesus, like Michelangelo, was to aim high-see the possibility in the mountain before us and with God's help release the hope within it.
I see people do this who face incredible odds. We have witnessed the people working in the Chilean mountains as they tried to release the miners, exhibit this kind of hope. A pessimist might look at the challenge and throw up their hands in despair. Others looked at the mountain and saw in it the possibility for the miners to be released from it. And they were.
Okay, perhaps you are facing a mountain of challenge today. Aim high. Try to vision the hope in the midst of it that is trying to be released. The mountain may not move, but I'll bet something can be released from it that will free you from the despair that otherwise might entrap you.
Prayer
Gracious God, help me to look at the challenges of this day with faith sufficient to work with you lest I fail to see the hope that may be waiting to be released. Help me to remember that in my own life you are the potter and I am the clay. Mold me this day after your will in the name of Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. -Michelangelo
Michelangelo lived a few days shy of eighty-nine years, still sculpting, painting, writing, and designing. When I see the size, the majesty, the spirit of his statue of David it is a work of hope. When he was asked how he could create such a masterpiece, he replied that David was already in the marble, he simply had to chip away the excess to allow him to escape. I believe sculptors are that way. They are people of hope who aim high.
We have read or heard quoted this passage of scripture where Jesus talks about mustard seed faith and wonder-how can such faith be possible. I believe the point of Jesus, like Michelangelo, was to aim high-see the possibility in the mountain before us and with God's help release the hope within it.
I see people do this who face incredible odds. We have witnessed the people working in the Chilean mountains as they tried to release the miners, exhibit this kind of hope. A pessimist might look at the challenge and throw up their hands in despair. Others looked at the mountain and saw in it the possibility for the miners to be released from it. And they were.
Okay, perhaps you are facing a mountain of challenge today. Aim high. Try to vision the hope in the midst of it that is trying to be released. The mountain may not move, but I'll bet something can be released from it that will free you from the despair that otherwise might entrap you.
Prayer
Gracious God, help me to look at the challenges of this day with faith sufficient to work with you lest I fail to see the hope that may be waiting to be released. Help me to remember that in my own life you are the potter and I am the clay. Mold me this day after your will in the name of Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Monday, October 11, 2010
Patience
.. . . these are the ones who, when they hear the word [of God] hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance. -Luke 8:15
Infinite patience produces immediate results -from A course in Miracles
Both of these quotes address what is perhaps an attribute which many of us lack-patience. I hear more people wishing for patience than perhaps anything else. This desire for patience arises in a conversation when we are usually discussing issues around work and family. It often has to do with wanting to have something in our time rather than the time it will take for the topic in question to mature.
Several years ago a parishioner was telling me about their little boy. It seems the child was eager to plant a garden. Among those things he planted were radishes. As the first green leaves of the radish plants began to sprout, the little boy got very excited. His patience began to wane as he awaited the plant's further emergence. When it did not happen in his time, he started pulling on the leaves. He pulled so hard that the tender plant came up with no radishes on the end.
There is an Oriental proverb which says, With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown. It the throes of wanting our children to hurry up, we would do well to remember this. Like the plant we place in the ground some things by nature are geared to their own time rather than ours.
Jesus was talking about the patient endurance of nurturing our faith. The statement is drawn from his parable about the farmer who planted seeds. Sometimes we treat our faith like the little boy treated his radish. We want a stronger faith and as soon as we begin to see it emerge we believe it ought to be ready for anything that comes our way. So we stop feeding it and when the winds and rains of challenge and doubt assail us, there is nothing there to sustain us.
The playwright was essentially saying the same thing though it sounds quite contradictory on the surface. Infinite patience continues to build a reservoir of patience such that when the challenge comes we have the immediate reserves to draw from in order to meet them. Like plants, faith needs an enduring patience that feeds it daily if it is to bear the kind of fruit we need in tougher times.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, may I allow sufficient time today to nourish my faith with prayer and reflection that I may have the faith needed for the challenges of life. In the name of Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Infinite patience produces immediate results -from A course in Miracles
Both of these quotes address what is perhaps an attribute which many of us lack-patience. I hear more people wishing for patience than perhaps anything else. This desire for patience arises in a conversation when we are usually discussing issues around work and family. It often has to do with wanting to have something in our time rather than the time it will take for the topic in question to mature.
Several years ago a parishioner was telling me about their little boy. It seems the child was eager to plant a garden. Among those things he planted were radishes. As the first green leaves of the radish plants began to sprout, the little boy got very excited. His patience began to wane as he awaited the plant's further emergence. When it did not happen in his time, he started pulling on the leaves. He pulled so hard that the tender plant came up with no radishes on the end.
There is an Oriental proverb which says, With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown. It the throes of wanting our children to hurry up, we would do well to remember this. Like the plant we place in the ground some things by nature are geared to their own time rather than ours.
Jesus was talking about the patient endurance of nurturing our faith. The statement is drawn from his parable about the farmer who planted seeds. Sometimes we treat our faith like the little boy treated his radish. We want a stronger faith and as soon as we begin to see it emerge we believe it ought to be ready for anything that comes our way. So we stop feeding it and when the winds and rains of challenge and doubt assail us, there is nothing there to sustain us.
The playwright was essentially saying the same thing though it sounds quite contradictory on the surface. Infinite patience continues to build a reservoir of patience such that when the challenge comes we have the immediate reserves to draw from in order to meet them. Like plants, faith needs an enduring patience that feeds it daily if it is to bear the kind of fruit we need in tougher times.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, may I allow sufficient time today to nourish my faith with prayer and reflection that I may have the faith needed for the challenges of life. In the name of Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
For just as the body without the spirit is dead; so faith without works is also dead. —James 2:26
There should be less talk; a preaching point is not a meeting point. What do you do then? Take a broom and clean someone’s house. That says enough. —Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa, the diminutive spiritual giant who worked daily in the streets of Calcutta, seeing Jesus Christ in all of his distressing disguises, as she put it, offers us some profound wisdom. Words that are not backed by action as James says become simply a preaching point. If we want to make a point, we may need to create a meeting point with new and effective behavior.
The old aphorism, I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I understand, applies not only when we want to learn, but also to how we wish to be treated (Matthew 7:12). The most effective way to teach anyone what we would like them to know is through behavior, not words. The music teacher cannot teach us to sing by telling us how it is done—they must help us use our voice which gives birth to the notes. Eventually the student in driver’s education has to get out of the classroom and behind the wheel.
Our children will more often than not do as we do rather than as we say, which causes many of us a lot of frustration when they emulate those traits we do not like in ourselves. Someone said this experience is best expressed by the phrase, What you do speaks so loud, I can’t hear what you say. This point was vividly made one evening when watching a person being interviewed utter some of the most belittling, near hateful words toward those with whom she disagreed while wearing a cross around her neck.
We can preach the unconditional love of God for humankind, but if we are hateful or resentful toward those who see faith and life different than we do, then our words belie our actions. The scripture puts it this way:
Those who say ‘I love God’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for
those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love
God whom they have not seen. —1 John 4:20
Prayer
Almighty God you will come to me this day in some pretty distressing disguises. Help me to meet you, disguised as you may be, in such a way that I will be to them a word of grace and hope. In the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
There should be less talk; a preaching point is not a meeting point. What do you do then? Take a broom and clean someone’s house. That says enough. —Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa, the diminutive spiritual giant who worked daily in the streets of Calcutta, seeing Jesus Christ in all of his distressing disguises, as she put it, offers us some profound wisdom. Words that are not backed by action as James says become simply a preaching point. If we want to make a point, we may need to create a meeting point with new and effective behavior.
The old aphorism, I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I understand, applies not only when we want to learn, but also to how we wish to be treated (Matthew 7:12). The most effective way to teach anyone what we would like them to know is through behavior, not words. The music teacher cannot teach us to sing by telling us how it is done—they must help us use our voice which gives birth to the notes. Eventually the student in driver’s education has to get out of the classroom and behind the wheel.
Our children will more often than not do as we do rather than as we say, which causes many of us a lot of frustration when they emulate those traits we do not like in ourselves. Someone said this experience is best expressed by the phrase, What you do speaks so loud, I can’t hear what you say. This point was vividly made one evening when watching a person being interviewed utter some of the most belittling, near hateful words toward those with whom she disagreed while wearing a cross around her neck.
We can preach the unconditional love of God for humankind, but if we are hateful or resentful toward those who see faith and life different than we do, then our words belie our actions. The scripture puts it this way:
Those who say ‘I love God’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for
those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love
God whom they have not seen. —1 John 4:20
Prayer
Almighty God you will come to me this day in some pretty distressing disguises. Help me to meet you, disguised as you may be, in such a way that I will be to them a word of grace and hope. In the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Monday, September 27, 2010
What Really Matters
Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall
I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord. —Job 1:21
The person being interviewed was commenting on his research about the growing income disparity in the United States. His research revealed that the last time it was this great was the 1920s. Evidently the disparity in income between the rich and poor has been widening since the 1970s no matter the political party in power.
I think I was supposed to be alarmed by this. Disappointment and sadness was more of what I felt. At the same time the thought occurred to me that with all of the funerals I have had as a pastor, I have yet to see any one, no matter how nice the casket, urn, or crypt, take any money with them. I know the ancient Pharaohs tried, but they only provided loot for those who stole from their crypts.
This is not a gloomy thought as much as a reality check—death is a great leveler of status. The words of Jesus ring true—do not be anxious about the things of life (Matthew 6:25ff). What counts is what I do with what I have today. Do I speak the kind word to the person who is having a rough day? Do I share my wealth with those who have little? Do I spend a few minutes at the end of a day to debrief with my child, my spouse, or a friend? Do I read a passage from my Bible and reflect on what it says about the nature of God, humankind, and me? Do I end my day with a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s presence with me or a complaint?
Please don’t get me wrong—I think it would be terrific if there was a greater sharing of our wealth. While I may not have everything I want, I do have everything I need. I will certainly work and pray for those who do not. At the same time, I won’t be envious of those who have more. In eternity it really won’t matter.
Prayer
Gracious God it is a new day. Before me is a new opportunity. Help me to lay aside the worries of yesterday’s failures and focus on the possibilities of this day lest tomorrow come and I have wasted them all. In the name of Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord. —Job 1:21
The person being interviewed was commenting on his research about the growing income disparity in the United States. His research revealed that the last time it was this great was the 1920s. Evidently the disparity in income between the rich and poor has been widening since the 1970s no matter the political party in power.
I think I was supposed to be alarmed by this. Disappointment and sadness was more of what I felt. At the same time the thought occurred to me that with all of the funerals I have had as a pastor, I have yet to see any one, no matter how nice the casket, urn, or crypt, take any money with them. I know the ancient Pharaohs tried, but they only provided loot for those who stole from their crypts.
This is not a gloomy thought as much as a reality check—death is a great leveler of status. The words of Jesus ring true—do not be anxious about the things of life (Matthew 6:25ff). What counts is what I do with what I have today. Do I speak the kind word to the person who is having a rough day? Do I share my wealth with those who have little? Do I spend a few minutes at the end of a day to debrief with my child, my spouse, or a friend? Do I read a passage from my Bible and reflect on what it says about the nature of God, humankind, and me? Do I end my day with a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s presence with me or a complaint?
Please don’t get me wrong—I think it would be terrific if there was a greater sharing of our wealth. While I may not have everything I want, I do have everything I need. I will certainly work and pray for those who do not. At the same time, I won’t be envious of those who have more. In eternity it really won’t matter.
Prayer
Gracious God it is a new day. Before me is a new opportunity. Help me to lay aside the worries of yesterday’s failures and focus on the possibilities of this day lest tomorrow come and I have wasted them all. In the name of Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Monday, September 20, 2010
Do Unto Others
In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; —Matthew 7:12
A visitor to the bedside of Aldous Huxley who lay dying asked him what wisdom he had for humankind after a lifetime of study and exploration of the human spirit and Huxley replied, All we need to do is be a little kinder toward each other. This author of Brave New World offered what Jesus said so many centuries ago, treat others as you wish to be treated—in a sacrificially loving way, of course.
The Saturday morning men’s group has been looking at John Wesley’s Three Simple Rules. The first of those rules is to do no harm. Essentially, it means be a little kinder to others. Even in the midst of conflict with others, doing no harm means not gossiping about those with whom we may disagree; not speaking disparagingly of others involved in the conflict; not manipulating the facts of the conflict; not diminishing those who may disagree with us; and honoring them as a child of God.
There is a Native American saying that no tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves. The point is that humankind is a part of the same tree. How foolish, therefore, we would be to fight among ourselves thus placing in jeopardy the tree. Extending this saying a bit further, Jesus said,
. . . every tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. —Matthew 7:17-18
I must confess that sometimes the fruit I bear is not always good. On those occasions I need to have my tree pruned a bit. God does that for me, but usually in a very gracious way. Then I can be kinder to others.
Prayer
Gracious God grant that my roots may be firmly in you this day that I may be grateful for the moments of grace and able to face the challenges with grace and kindness in the name of Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
A visitor to the bedside of Aldous Huxley who lay dying asked him what wisdom he had for humankind after a lifetime of study and exploration of the human spirit and Huxley replied, All we need to do is be a little kinder toward each other. This author of Brave New World offered what Jesus said so many centuries ago, treat others as you wish to be treated—in a sacrificially loving way, of course.
The Saturday morning men’s group has been looking at John Wesley’s Three Simple Rules. The first of those rules is to do no harm. Essentially, it means be a little kinder to others. Even in the midst of conflict with others, doing no harm means not gossiping about those with whom we may disagree; not speaking disparagingly of others involved in the conflict; not manipulating the facts of the conflict; not diminishing those who may disagree with us; and honoring them as a child of God.
There is a Native American saying that no tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves. The point is that humankind is a part of the same tree. How foolish, therefore, we would be to fight among ourselves thus placing in jeopardy the tree. Extending this saying a bit further, Jesus said,
. . . every tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. —Matthew 7:17-18
I must confess that sometimes the fruit I bear is not always good. On those occasions I need to have my tree pruned a bit. God does that for me, but usually in a very gracious way. Then I can be kinder to others.
Prayer
Gracious God grant that my roots may be firmly in you this day that I may be grateful for the moments of grace and able to face the challenges with grace and kindness in the name of Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Wonder of the Real World
The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took
and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds,
but when it has grown it is the greatest of
shrubs and becomes a tree . . . —Matthew 13:31-32
Another illustrated the wonder and mystery of God’s creation by noting that a watermelon seed has the power of drawing from the ground and through itself 200,000 times its weight. Though those who specialize in the field of botany and agronomy can understand the process of interaction between seed and soil, for many of us it remains a wonder and a mystery, as I believe it does even for those who understand the scientific process.
Mystery and wonder is tough to come by in this age of reality shows and reminders to be relevant. Though I understand the fascination with watching the lives of people unfold in alleged unscripted fashion, it sort of takes away the wonder and mystery of life.
Few things today are left to the imagination. I confess that the reality shows have no appeal to me whatsoever. I think it is their lack of imagination that does it for me, and the way in which so many dehumanize. I believe this is another reason why faith is out of fashion—it seeks to capture the imagination and involve us in some of the mystery and wonder of how God works in this world.
So, in the midst of your real work in a real world surrounded by real people, take some time to reflect on the ways in which God mysteriously works in the world. Get out and look at a flower, gaze upward toward the sky, watch a child at play, read the passage from Matthew to which I refer and contemplate the way this kingdom of love and light can be like leaven that begins in you and influences those around you.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you have created me in your image and I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Capture my imagination this day with your matchless love that I may bask in all of the mystery and wonder that is around me. In Jesus name. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds,
but when it has grown it is the greatest of
shrubs and becomes a tree . . . —Matthew 13:31-32
Another illustrated the wonder and mystery of God’s creation by noting that a watermelon seed has the power of drawing from the ground and through itself 200,000 times its weight. Though those who specialize in the field of botany and agronomy can understand the process of interaction between seed and soil, for many of us it remains a wonder and a mystery, as I believe it does even for those who understand the scientific process.
Mystery and wonder is tough to come by in this age of reality shows and reminders to be relevant. Though I understand the fascination with watching the lives of people unfold in alleged unscripted fashion, it sort of takes away the wonder and mystery of life.
Few things today are left to the imagination. I confess that the reality shows have no appeal to me whatsoever. I think it is their lack of imagination that does it for me, and the way in which so many dehumanize. I believe this is another reason why faith is out of fashion—it seeks to capture the imagination and involve us in some of the mystery and wonder of how God works in this world.
So, in the midst of your real work in a real world surrounded by real people, take some time to reflect on the ways in which God mysteriously works in the world. Get out and look at a flower, gaze upward toward the sky, watch a child at play, read the passage from Matthew to which I refer and contemplate the way this kingdom of love and light can be like leaven that begins in you and influences those around you.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you have created me in your image and I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Capture my imagination this day with your matchless love that I may bask in all of the mystery and wonder that is around me. In Jesus name. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A Call Back to Church
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore
ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. —Luke 10:2
The first church I ever pastored was Matfield Green Community Church located in the Flint Hills of Kansas. I preached my first sermon at the age of nineteen. Because I didn’t know what to say on that first Sunday, I read the sermon out of a book. The book was a collection of Harry Emerson Fosdick’s sermons one of the premier preachers of the twentieth century (at least I had good taste). I used outlines from my father’s sermons to make it through that first year.
I returned to that little white frame church building in which, on a good Sunday, forty souls came together to honor God, for the first time since I had left it. It was amazing. The building looked exactly the same from its front doors to the sign out front. The doors happened to be unlocked, so I went in. Nothing had changed save a carpet which had been installed in the aisle and on the platform and padded pews. I looked at the attendance chart on the wall and the previous Sunday’s attendance was twelve. The congregation was now on life support.
Every day in America eight churches close their doors. We are not starting new congregations at a rate that is fast enough to replace them. The sad fact is that whenever a church closes its doors or people drop out of a church and become inactive, the vast majority go no where to church. They just stop attending.
I suppose there are a lot of reasons for this—too strong attachment to the church building, loss of interest in what the church is about, etc. I know this much, we cannot stand by and pretend that most people are going somewhere to worship on the weekend when they are no longer attending here—most are attending no church.
I know the church growth experts say we ought to focus our energies on the un-churched and not the inactive. Frankly the inactive are the un-churched upon whom we are asked to focus our energies. Perhaps you know someone who is attending no church, or perhaps once attended here. I hope you take the words of Jesus and become one of the harvesters who seek to bring them back.
Prayer
Gracious God I am a recipient of your grace and have committed myself to journey with this faith community. Grant me the wisdom and courage to reach out to others who journey alone, lest in keeping this faith community to myself it loses its witness and withers. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. —Luke 10:2
The first church I ever pastored was Matfield Green Community Church located in the Flint Hills of Kansas. I preached my first sermon at the age of nineteen. Because I didn’t know what to say on that first Sunday, I read the sermon out of a book. The book was a collection of Harry Emerson Fosdick’s sermons one of the premier preachers of the twentieth century (at least I had good taste). I used outlines from my father’s sermons to make it through that first year.
I returned to that little white frame church building in which, on a good Sunday, forty souls came together to honor God, for the first time since I had left it. It was amazing. The building looked exactly the same from its front doors to the sign out front. The doors happened to be unlocked, so I went in. Nothing had changed save a carpet which had been installed in the aisle and on the platform and padded pews. I looked at the attendance chart on the wall and the previous Sunday’s attendance was twelve. The congregation was now on life support.
Every day in America eight churches close their doors. We are not starting new congregations at a rate that is fast enough to replace them. The sad fact is that whenever a church closes its doors or people drop out of a church and become inactive, the vast majority go no where to church. They just stop attending.
I suppose there are a lot of reasons for this—too strong attachment to the church building, loss of interest in what the church is about, etc. I know this much, we cannot stand by and pretend that most people are going somewhere to worship on the weekend when they are no longer attending here—most are attending no church.
I know the church growth experts say we ought to focus our energies on the un-churched and not the inactive. Frankly the inactive are the un-churched upon whom we are asked to focus our energies. Perhaps you know someone who is attending no church, or perhaps once attended here. I hope you take the words of Jesus and become one of the harvesters who seek to bring them back.
Prayer
Gracious God I am a recipient of your grace and have committed myself to journey with this faith community. Grant me the wisdom and courage to reach out to others who journey alone, lest in keeping this faith community to myself it loses its witness and withers. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Summer Break to Feed the Soul
I will be taking a break for the next two months. It is a joy to share my insights with you, but also a challenge. Since these writings arise from my own soulful journey, I need to be sure that I take the necessary time to feed and care for it. So, I'll be using this time for reading and reflection.
In the meantime, let me suggest some passages of scripture that might be helpful for reflection and prayer each week:
July 6th - Matthew 5:1-12
July 12th - Matthew 6:25-34
July 19th - Matthew 7:7-12
July 26th - Matthew 6:19-24
August 2nd - Psalm 84
August 9th - Psalm 24
August 16th - Philippians 4:4-9
August 23rd - Colossians 3:12-17
August 30th - Luke 15:11-32
Don't forget your weekly appointment with the community of faith. See you in worship!
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
In the meantime, let me suggest some passages of scripture that might be helpful for reflection and prayer each week:
July 6th - Matthew 5:1-12
July 12th - Matthew 6:25-34
July 19th - Matthew 7:7-12
July 26th - Matthew 6:19-24
August 2nd - Psalm 84
August 9th - Psalm 24
August 16th - Philippians 4:4-9
August 23rd - Colossians 3:12-17
August 30th - Luke 15:11-32
Don't forget your weekly appointment with the community of faith. See you in worship!
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Monday, June 28, 2010
Don't Make Comparisons
A parishioner exited the sanctuary several years ago after a sermon that obviously resonated with them and asked, "Now how will you top that one?" One of the great dangers for appreciation of the moment is comparison. We could make it difficult to enjoy a present vacation, for example, because we may be constantly measuring it against another one. We could make it difficult to enjoy what may be good about our present job because we are comparing it to another. Or, it may be difficult for us to enjoy our present church because we are comparing it to another. Well, I could go on and you probably will, but you get my point.
I believe that is exactly why Jesus didn't want Peter, James, and John to build a booth to commemorate their experience when Jesus was transfigured (Mark 9:2ff). Jesus didn't want them to measure all future events against this one.
I would imagine that if you are struggling today one of the reasons may be that you are comparing this day to another or what you may now be doing to something else you'd rather be doing. Try looking at this day or what you are doing without making a comparison. So this day may not be as lovely as last Friday, but you are alive and able to enjoy what may be good about it. What you may now be doing may not be as glamorous or enjoyable as what you were doing on Tuesday, but you are able to perform the task.
Try some of the following:
- Use your own personal index for evaluating yourself and your performance. "Am I content with myself?" Rather than I'm not as good as my colleague.
- When you find yourself in the old habit of comparison stop right in the moment and catch yourself. Rather than condemning yourself for performing different than someone else rephrase, this is how I perform and I'm fine with it.
- Try to enjoy the unique gifts of each of your children rather than comparing them.
- In the midst of a task you may not enjoy compared to another one you do, try to remind yourself that at least you can do this task.
Prayer
I give thanks Lord for this day-that I am able to experience it-good and bad. Grant me the self-esteem I need to avoid comparing it to any other day lest I miss what joy I may discover today. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
I believe that is exactly why Jesus didn't want Peter, James, and John to build a booth to commemorate their experience when Jesus was transfigured (Mark 9:2ff). Jesus didn't want them to measure all future events against this one.
I would imagine that if you are struggling today one of the reasons may be that you are comparing this day to another or what you may now be doing to something else you'd rather be doing. Try looking at this day or what you are doing without making a comparison. So this day may not be as lovely as last Friday, but you are alive and able to enjoy what may be good about it. What you may now be doing may not be as glamorous or enjoyable as what you were doing on Tuesday, but you are able to perform the task.
Try some of the following:
- Use your own personal index for evaluating yourself and your performance. "Am I content with myself?" Rather than I'm not as good as my colleague.
- When you find yourself in the old habit of comparison stop right in the moment and catch yourself. Rather than condemning yourself for performing different than someone else rephrase, this is how I perform and I'm fine with it.
- Try to enjoy the unique gifts of each of your children rather than comparing them.
- In the midst of a task you may not enjoy compared to another one you do, try to remind yourself that at least you can do this task.
Prayer
I give thanks Lord for this day-that I am able to experience it-good and bad. Grant me the self-esteem I need to avoid comparing it to any other day lest I miss what joy I may discover today. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Remembering Our Father
We're coming off a Father's Day that I pray was a good one. I know it is a time for me to give thanks for my children who made me a father, and for the gift of my father-limited those his time was on earth. I enjoyed his legacy to me of humor, generosity, faith, and courage.
I know not everyone's memory of their father is good. I am sad that this is true. I read a book several years ago that helped me understand the way one person dealt with their father when memories of him were not good. She started thinking of the good traits that were a part of his life. What motivated her to do this was realizing that if she could not remember the good ones, she could not own some of those same good traits in herself (The Wounded Woman by Linda Leonard).
I am glad that Jesus came into this world to show us a more loving side to the fatherhood of God. If we had only the First Testament as a guide we would have to work harder at finding these traits about God. It wasn't that God was not loving then, it was simply that people's view of God was incomplete and often thwarted by their own views of themselves.
Jesus shows us clearly a fatherly side of God that is at once strong and gracious. Indeed, it is a terrific model of dads today-strong and gracious. When we think about it, grace takes a lot of strength. Grace does not arise from a position of weakness. Strength and grace arises out of viewing others and ourselves with a sense of respect and gratitude.
So, I pray if your experience with your father was not all good, you'll at least try to remember some of the traits there were, so that you can own those good traits in yourself. At the same time let go of those fatherly images of God that make God harsh and weak. Replace those images with the fatherly God of Jesus who is strong enough to forgive even the most disappointing of us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father I give you thanks for your strength and grace. Let me bask in it, if only for these moments, that I might see those same traits in myself. In the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
I know not everyone's memory of their father is good. I am sad that this is true. I read a book several years ago that helped me understand the way one person dealt with their father when memories of him were not good. She started thinking of the good traits that were a part of his life. What motivated her to do this was realizing that if she could not remember the good ones, she could not own some of those same good traits in herself (The Wounded Woman by Linda Leonard).
I am glad that Jesus came into this world to show us a more loving side to the fatherhood of God. If we had only the First Testament as a guide we would have to work harder at finding these traits about God. It wasn't that God was not loving then, it was simply that people's view of God was incomplete and often thwarted by their own views of themselves.
Jesus shows us clearly a fatherly side of God that is at once strong and gracious. Indeed, it is a terrific model of dads today-strong and gracious. When we think about it, grace takes a lot of strength. Grace does not arise from a position of weakness. Strength and grace arises out of viewing others and ourselves with a sense of respect and gratitude.
So, I pray if your experience with your father was not all good, you'll at least try to remember some of the traits there were, so that you can own those good traits in yourself. At the same time let go of those fatherly images of God that make God harsh and weak. Replace those images with the fatherly God of Jesus who is strong enough to forgive even the most disappointing of us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father I give you thanks for your strength and grace. Let me bask in it, if only for these moments, that I might see those same traits in myself. In the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Life Eternal
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!—
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Longfellow wrote this verse as a part of his quest for a connection to God. He had lost two wives to untimely deaths, and longed for spiritual relief. Indeed, the poetry he wrote during the last twenty years of his life reflects this quest. These two parts from his poem A Psalm of Life indicates that in spite of the tragedies that befell him, he ultimately came to understand that life does not end at the grave.
The apostle Paul who also incurred a great deal of suffering during his life concluded the same thing. Paul wrote as he reflected on his suffering:
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our
inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction
is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond measure, because we look
not at what can be seen but what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is
temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
—2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Again, that great resurrection hymn resounds:
Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where’s thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!
If that is not enough, we have witnessed one of the most glorious springs in recent memory! The beauty of it has done much to release us from the sting of winter. If God has so created the world around us, how much more does our God give the gift of life and hope to his children.
Prayer
Gracious God, thank you for this day. Life is real. Life is earnest. Let your grace enter in and bring healing to whatever may sting our souls for they are yours and we are your children. Alleluia! Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Sacrificial Giving
So Easy a Saved Man Can Do It
. . . they gave themselves first to the Lord . . .
Pastor Bob led us in a great Bible study at our last campaign rally from 2 Corinthians 8. The apostle Paul was encouraging a reluctant Corinthian church to let go of some of their cash (which they had in greater abundance than other congregations), for the sake of helping the less fortunate. He was using as an example of generosity the churches of Macedonia.
What is striking about this passage is that Paul says their generosity began by first giving themselves to the Lord. That is where any action of faith must begin—by first giving ourselves to God. No act of sacrifice for the sake of this church or any other will happen without first giving ourselves to the Lord.
I think that sounds a little frightening to some of us. I sometimes wonder if being a member of a church without giving ourselves totally to the Lord is safer. Yet giving ourselves totally to the Lord is one of the safest things we can do. Paul tries to remind us of this when he wrote that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purpose (Romans 8:28). Even when paying down the debt on our beautiful facilities.
So, as we consider what sacrifices we are willing to make, let’s first give ourselves totally to the Lord and see what wondrous things he can make happen through us.
Equal sacrifice—not equal gifts
Mac Hamon, senior pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
. . . they gave themselves first to the Lord . . .
Pastor Bob led us in a great Bible study at our last campaign rally from 2 Corinthians 8. The apostle Paul was encouraging a reluctant Corinthian church to let go of some of their cash (which they had in greater abundance than other congregations), for the sake of helping the less fortunate. He was using as an example of generosity the churches of Macedonia.
What is striking about this passage is that Paul says their generosity began by first giving themselves to the Lord. That is where any action of faith must begin—by first giving ourselves to God. No act of sacrifice for the sake of this church or any other will happen without first giving ourselves to the Lord.
I think that sounds a little frightening to some of us. I sometimes wonder if being a member of a church without giving ourselves totally to the Lord is safer. Yet giving ourselves totally to the Lord is one of the safest things we can do. Paul tries to remind us of this when he wrote that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purpose (Romans 8:28). Even when paying down the debt on our beautiful facilities.
So, as we consider what sacrifices we are willing to make, let’s first give ourselves totally to the Lord and see what wondrous things he can make happen through us.
Equal sacrifice—not equal gifts
Mac Hamon, senior pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The Perfect Day
You wake with
no aches
in the arms
of your beloved
to smell the fresh coffee,
you eat a giant breakfast
with no thought
of carbs.
there is time to read
with a purring cat on your lap.
later you walk by the ocean
with your dog
on this cut crystal day,
your favorite music and the sun
fill your house.
a short delicious nap
under a fleece throw
comes later
and the phone doesn’t ring.
at dusk you roast a chicken,
bake bread, make an exquisite
chocolate cake
for some friends
you’ve been missing.
someone brings you an
unexpected present,
and the wine is just right with the food.
after a wonderful party
you sink into sleep
in a clean nightgown
in fresh sheets;
your sweetheart doesn’t snore
and in your dreams
an old piece of sadness
drifts away.
—Alice Persons
Prayer
Almighty God this day may not be perfect, but I know your presence can make it better. Let me dream a little about what might be, yet not lose what is lest I miss the presence of your grace while I work this day and sleep tonight. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
You wake with
no aches
in the arms
of your beloved
to smell the fresh coffee,
you eat a giant breakfast
with no thought
of carbs.
there is time to read
with a purring cat on your lap.
later you walk by the ocean
with your dog
on this cut crystal day,
your favorite music and the sun
fill your house.
a short delicious nap
under a fleece throw
comes later
and the phone doesn’t ring.
at dusk you roast a chicken,
bake bread, make an exquisite
chocolate cake
for some friends
you’ve been missing.
someone brings you an
unexpected present,
and the wine is just right with the food.
after a wonderful party
you sink into sleep
in a clean nightgown
in fresh sheets;
your sweetheart doesn’t snore
and in your dreams
an old piece of sadness
drifts away.
—Alice Persons
Prayer
Almighty God this day may not be perfect, but I know your presence can make it better. Let me dream a little about what might be, yet not lose what is lest I miss the presence of your grace while I work this day and sleep tonight. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Saturday, June 5, 2010
You can't take it with you
It’s so easy a saved man can do it
. . . . for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take
nothing out of it . . . for the love of money is the root of all
kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have
wandered away form the faith. . . .
—1 Timothy 6:7, 10
Both of these verses from Paul’s letter to the young, aspiring pastor Timothy are quoted in various and sundry ways—often incorrectly. For example we hear someone say that money is the root of all evil rather than the love of money. The word for love in the Greek that is used in this passage is sacrificial love—the kind of love reserved for God.
What the apostle Paul is trying to teach Timothy is that money as a god is a pretty weak one. It is weak because we cannot take it with us when we die. It is weak because it often ruins our lives as we chase after it. Its strength is only in the way we can use it generously for the sake and help of others. With it [we] are to do good, [be] generous and ready to share (vs. 18).
Paul’s emphasis on how we are to treat the things of this world is on how we might use them in ways that enables us to focus eternity. It is easy in the midst of our daily tasks to forget that we are children whose life in this world is very brief. One day we shall be asked to give an account of what our life has said is our real God. When we sacrifice some of the things of this world, it is a discipline that keeps our material wealth in a proper perspective.
Equal sacrifice—not equal gifts
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
. . . . for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take
nothing out of it . . . for the love of money is the root of all
kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have
wandered away form the faith. . . .
—1 Timothy 6:7, 10
Both of these verses from Paul’s letter to the young, aspiring pastor Timothy are quoted in various and sundry ways—often incorrectly. For example we hear someone say that money is the root of all evil rather than the love of money. The word for love in the Greek that is used in this passage is sacrificial love—the kind of love reserved for God.
What the apostle Paul is trying to teach Timothy is that money as a god is a pretty weak one. It is weak because we cannot take it with us when we die. It is weak because it often ruins our lives as we chase after it. Its strength is only in the way we can use it generously for the sake and help of others. With it [we] are to do good, [be] generous and ready to share (vs. 18).
Paul’s emphasis on how we are to treat the things of this world is on how we might use them in ways that enables us to focus eternity. It is easy in the midst of our daily tasks to forget that we are children whose life in this world is very brief. One day we shall be asked to give an account of what our life has said is our real God. When we sacrifice some of the things of this world, it is a discipline that keeps our material wealth in a proper perspective.
Equal sacrifice—not equal gifts
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Beauty and Truth
One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
To live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
—Psalm 27:4
Emerson described beauty as “God’s handwriting—a wayside sacrament.” I’ve contemplated this idea of beauty during one of the most magnificent springs I have witnessed in recent memory. It is as though after a harsh and dark winter, God’s handwriting has appeared in spectacular form. It has been at times almost sacramental for me—the very presence of drinking it in has been a religious experience of grace and truth.
John Keats was a poet who equated beauty with truth. For Keats truth was that which was real for you. Ultimate truth would be that which is ultimately real. For the Psalmist ultimate truth was connected with ultimate beauty and reality—beholding God in the world around and especially questing for God in his house.
Every time I see a rhododendron that survives the harshness of winter and thrives beyond imagination, I see God’s truth and beauty. Every time I hear our choir sing Beautiful Savior the truth and beauty of the words and music make Jesus more real. When I hear the band rock out on Grace is Enough the truth and beauty of God’s salvific presence stirs my soul.
I really don’t have to wait to behold the beauty and truth of the Lord—it is all around me. God’s handwriting and sacramental presence can only be missed if I am too busy to notice. The loss is mine when that happens. Today, make the poetic observation of the Psalmist bloom beautifully in your life. Examine what good is most real for you. Look for the beauty and truth of God’s handwriting in what might be considered the ordinary—the dandelion struggling upward through a crack in the sidewalk, the miracle of color and sight, the joy of taste, all God’s handwriting in life.
Prayer
Creator God, I give thanks for the truth and beauty of your presence. May I take the time during this day to behold your handwriting and drink of the sacrament of your presence in all that surrounds me. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
06.01.10
that will I seek after:
To live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
—Psalm 27:4
Emerson described beauty as “God’s handwriting—a wayside sacrament.” I’ve contemplated this idea of beauty during one of the most magnificent springs I have witnessed in recent memory. It is as though after a harsh and dark winter, God’s handwriting has appeared in spectacular form. It has been at times almost sacramental for me—the very presence of drinking it in has been a religious experience of grace and truth.
John Keats was a poet who equated beauty with truth. For Keats truth was that which was real for you. Ultimate truth would be that which is ultimately real. For the Psalmist ultimate truth was connected with ultimate beauty and reality—beholding God in the world around and especially questing for God in his house.
Every time I see a rhododendron that survives the harshness of winter and thrives beyond imagination, I see God’s truth and beauty. Every time I hear our choir sing Beautiful Savior the truth and beauty of the words and music make Jesus more real. When I hear the band rock out on Grace is Enough the truth and beauty of God’s salvific presence stirs my soul.
I really don’t have to wait to behold the beauty and truth of the Lord—it is all around me. God’s handwriting and sacramental presence can only be missed if I am too busy to notice. The loss is mine when that happens. Today, make the poetic observation of the Psalmist bloom beautifully in your life. Examine what good is most real for you. Look for the beauty and truth of God’s handwriting in what might be considered the ordinary—the dandelion struggling upward through a crack in the sidewalk, the miracle of color and sight, the joy of taste, all God’s handwriting in life.
Prayer
Creator God, I give thanks for the truth and beauty of your presence. May I take the time during this day to behold your handwriting and drink of the sacrament of your presence in all that surrounds me. Amen.
Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
06.01.10
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
So easy a caveman can do it—sacrifice
I have always marveled at the primitive church as it, almost euphorically, sought to establish itself. There was such marvel, wonder, and trust among them that generosity and sacrifice was the rule of the day.
One of the places we read about this generosity and trust is Acts 4:32-37. There were many such acts, but one in particular was noted—Barnabas’. Barnabas, which means son of encouragement, sold a piece of property, and brought the money to the apostles. The humility and trust of his offering is given emphasis in the scriptures by noting that Barnabas laid [the money] at the apostles feet (vs. 37).
I remember the man in my congregation years ago who borrowed what then was a large sum of money and gave it to the church for a building program we were starting. While I would not encourage anyone to borrow money, it was an indication of the sacrifice he was willing to make. I remember the student at another congregation who gave a semester’s tuition to a building program.
Our trust is that God will use our sacrificial efforts to strengthen this community of faith. Barnabas went on to become the stalwart companion of the apostle Paul. The student went on to become an advisor to one of our Presidents. The man who borrowed the money retired and lived a simple but full life.
God is good and will honor whatever sacrifices we make.
Equal sacrifice—not equal gifts
C. Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
05.25.10
I have always marveled at the primitive church as it, almost euphorically, sought to establish itself. There was such marvel, wonder, and trust among them that generosity and sacrifice was the rule of the day.
One of the places we read about this generosity and trust is Acts 4:32-37. There were many such acts, but one in particular was noted—Barnabas’. Barnabas, which means son of encouragement, sold a piece of property, and brought the money to the apostles. The humility and trust of his offering is given emphasis in the scriptures by noting that Barnabas laid [the money] at the apostles feet (vs. 37).
I remember the man in my congregation years ago who borrowed what then was a large sum of money and gave it to the church for a building program we were starting. While I would not encourage anyone to borrow money, it was an indication of the sacrifice he was willing to make. I remember the student at another congregation who gave a semester’s tuition to a building program.
Our trust is that God will use our sacrificial efforts to strengthen this community of faith. Barnabas went on to become the stalwart companion of the apostle Paul. The student went on to become an advisor to one of our Presidents. The man who borrowed the money retired and lived a simple but full life.
God is good and will honor whatever sacrifices we make.
Equal sacrifice—not equal gifts
C. Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
05.25.10
Monday, May 24, 2010
So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
- Matthew 10:31
The phrase fear not or do not be afraid or have no fear appears three times in this short passage in Matthew 10:26-31. Various sources indicate that some form of the phrase fear not appears 365 times in the Bible—an encouragement for every day of the year.
I have written several times in Castleviews over the last few years about not being afraid. Certainly fear is a normal part of life. I don’t think the scriptures are saying never be afraid, but don’t fear the wrong things. In this passage in Matthew Jesus says, Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
In the most recent Newsweek (May 24 & 31, 2010) on the last page there is a list of the kinds of things people fear. Across from the list of those things we fear most is another list that generates far less fear yet has more potential for damage. Among those listed were 2.2 million burglaries versus 8.3 million identity thefts; 33 Americans killed by terrorist attacks verses 36,171 who die from seasonal flu; etc.
The point is made both by this scripture and this article that we often fear the wrong things. Jesus was making the same point—we fear for our bodies but not our souls. We so easily forget that these souls of ours are eternal—handle with care.
So, today care for your soul by laying aside some fear that has gripped you for too long. Lay that fear in the lap of God and let God care for it. As the scripture says, God is love . . . and there is no fear in love, but perfect love (the love God has for us) casts out fear (1 John 4:8, 18).
Prayer
Almighty and loving God, the world is ever with me and seems to shout in my ear that I should be afraid. Help me to be aware this day of your perfect love that I may lay aside my fears and serve you to the glory of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
C. Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
05.24.10
So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
- Matthew 10:31
The phrase fear not or do not be afraid or have no fear appears three times in this short passage in Matthew 10:26-31. Various sources indicate that some form of the phrase fear not appears 365 times in the Bible—an encouragement for every day of the year.
I have written several times in Castleviews over the last few years about not being afraid. Certainly fear is a normal part of life. I don’t think the scriptures are saying never be afraid, but don’t fear the wrong things. In this passage in Matthew Jesus says, Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
In the most recent Newsweek (May 24 & 31, 2010) on the last page there is a list of the kinds of things people fear. Across from the list of those things we fear most is another list that generates far less fear yet has more potential for damage. Among those listed were 2.2 million burglaries versus 8.3 million identity thefts; 33 Americans killed by terrorist attacks verses 36,171 who die from seasonal flu; etc.
The point is made both by this scripture and this article that we often fear the wrong things. Jesus was making the same point—we fear for our bodies but not our souls. We so easily forget that these souls of ours are eternal—handle with care.
So, today care for your soul by laying aside some fear that has gripped you for too long. Lay that fear in the lap of God and let God care for it. As the scripture says, God is love . . . and there is no fear in love, but perfect love (the love God has for us) casts out fear (1 John 4:8, 18).
Prayer
Almighty and loving God, the world is ever with me and seems to shout in my ear that I should be afraid. Help me to be aware this day of your perfect love that I may lay aside my fears and serve you to the glory of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
C. Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
05.24.10
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