July Newsletter Article - Pastor Roy Karlen

Pastor's Pondering:

Well, it's July already!  What a wonderful festive time of the year, we as Americans can't help but love the Fourth of July with all of its picnics and celebrations.  It's a time to reflect on what makes us Americans and why we are so lucky to live in this great Nation of ours.  In a way that reflects well on the sermon, I gave this last Sunday in the Square during our Community Worship for Western Days.  There is a copy of the sermon attached to this newsletter, and yes that's why this is such a big newsletter.  I had a couple of people suggest that the sermon should be included here for those who missed the service in the Square, and so, we added it to this month's news.  I pray that some of you will find it worthwhile.

The sermon has to do with the changes facing us as a Church (note upper-case 'C' on Church, meaning the entire Church not just our church or even just our denomination) in this time in history.  Of course, the change that is first and foremost in the minds of all of us here at Woodlawn is the upcoming merger with First Baptist Church.  Towards that end, we will be having a special congregational meeting on Sunday, July 16th immediately after our Worship Service.

On the 16th, the members of First Baptist Church will join us for worship.  After worship, the two congregations will meet in separate rooms here at Woodlawn.  Both congregations will then vote separately on whether to merge or not.  Provided that both congregations accept the proposal to merge, then the members of both congregations (which will then be one congregation) will vote together on the proposed Bylaws which incorporate the merger.  After all the voting is over, we will then celebrate the merger together by having a Congregational Meal.  This meal has been funded by anonymous donations from members of Woodlawn Christian Church and their generosity is very much appreciated, you are all a great blessing!  Our Membership/Fellowship Team (Roxy, Kim & Gail a/k/a the 'Peas') is planning and preparing this meal so you know it will be a GREAT one!  Heck, why come for the meeting... come for the MEAL!

The proposed new set of Bylaws have been reviewed by the Church Council and the revisions were made by Jim Bruce, Norma DeVries, Mel Alcox, Bill Hungate, and myself.  Copies of these Bylaws are available in the back of the Sanctuary or in the church office.  Also, if you get your newsletter by e-mail there should be a copy of them attached for your review.

Besides the changes needed for the merger, there have been term limits added for the Church and Christian Councils.  The only exception on term limits is the property chair position.  Given that the person holding this chair needs to have a certain set of abilities and knowledge, we decided to not require term limits for this position.  Not everyone in the congregation possesses the skill sets required to be property chair and those revising the Bylaws acknowledged that limitation.

There has also been an addition to the section on becoming a member of the church and some clarifications as to baptism and church membership.  The Bylaws also provide for a period of time when there will temporarily be an additional member on both the Church and Christian Councils.  These two members will come from the congregation of the old First Baptist Church.  Please note that these two positions expire and disappear after the Annual Congregational Meeting in December.  Our church's leadership structure does not change with the ratification of these Bylaws.

If you have any questions about the Bylaws or the merger in general, that you'd like to ask before the meeting, please either get a hold of Mel Alcox or myself.

I will be out of the church from July 8th to July 12th in order to attend the General Assembly along with Jim Bruce.  We're both looking forward to this trip and learning what is going on with other Disciple churches around the USA.  It will be a tiring trip (over 18 hours on the road) but I know it will be invigorating and hopefully, some new insight, knowledge, or connections will come as a result.

While I am in Indianapolis for the General Assemble, Dr. Susan Gillies will be coming to preach on the 9th to both the folks at First Baptist Church and all of you here at Woodlawn Christian Church.  Susan is a friend of mine and she was instrumental in helping me get into the Lay Ministry Program in Nebraska.  She is the past Regional Minister for the American Baptist Church in Nebraska but most recently, on Sunday, July 2nd She will be stepping down as the Interim General Secretary of the American Baptist USA.  We are very honored to have her coming here to Lake City just a few days after she returns home from Portland and the American Baptist USA Mission Summit (their version of our General Assembly).  She will be with us less than a week after stepping down as the Leader of the American Baptist USA, what a thrill to have her doing humble 'pulpit supply' for us. Susan is the sister-in-law of my late mentor Jesse and she along with Jesse has helped to mold me as a minister.  Susan has also been with us before, she was here in 2015 for my installation service; so, please welcome her with open and loving arms to Woodlawn once again.  I only wish that I could be here to hear her sermon.

We have so many exciting things going on right now and I apologize that this 'pondering' has gotten a bit long so, I will cut it off here and leave you with just this thought...

Be a blessing to someone today!
Pastor Roy

Dry Bones, Ezekiel 37:1-14 - A Sermon on Change in Rural America

Below please find the manuscript and the video of the sermon I gave yesterday in the Lake City Town Square.  It was our Annual Lake City Ministerial Association Community Worship and this year I was asked to deliver the message.  

The audio is difficult in a couple of places due to the wind, it was fairly windy in the Square, and pretty chilly as well.  The sermon was well received and I was asked to publish it in our July Newsletter as well.

It wasn't a terribly long sermon, but, it was at first a poignant but ultimately (hopefully) an inspiring message.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Mercy,
Roy

“Dry Bones” 
A Sermon given by Pastor Roy Karlen, 6/25/17

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NRSV) The Valley of Dry Bones
1 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
11 Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.”

Ezekiel is a prophet speaking to the Jewish people during the Babylonian Exile.  Truly, the chosen people of God are wondering if God has forsaken them... has God forgotten Israel.  Here in Ezekiel, we hear what is at first a terrifying and frankly depressing tale. 

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.

These bones are the bodies of those killed in battle and left to rot and decay in the elements... to have their bones literally picked over by scavengers.  These dismembered bodies have been left behind... forgotten... left to decay. Dislocated and scattered across the landscape. These bones God tells Ezekiel are the 'whole body' of Israel.  What starts out as a dark and depressing passage ends up with the dismembered bodies being “re-membered”, reassembled and reanimated with the breath that God instructs Ezekiel to prophesy.  And then we have the final promise; I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.  The promise that will come true with the return from Exile and the reconstruction of the Temple, God has not forgotten Israel... Israel, now broken and scattered, will be restored... Israel is not forgotten, it is remembered.

More and more we Christians can easily feel like Ezekiel's “dry bones”.   Right here today, as we worship together, unfortunately, Father Lynn is not with us, as today is the last day of worship at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Auburn, and he is there to lead their final service, their closing ceremony, and luncheon.  Far, far too many churches both Catholic and Protestant are closing, and we can't help but feel like “dry bones”.  We like the bones viewed by Ezekiel feel dismembered and scattered... maybe at times... we even feel forgotten by God... just like the Jewish people in the time of the Exile.

Here in rural and small town America perhaps this feeling is greatest of all.  The demographics of rural America have been shifting for decades and continue to do so, as our population continues to age, those fewer and fewer who are younger... are continually less and less likely to be attending Sunday worship.  We struggle to find ways to be relevant in a changing society, ways to reach and enrich the communities in which we live and worship.

As much as we as human beings dislike it we are forced to face the need to change... ironically, the only thing constant in this world is change... yet nearly all humans dislike change, and to be honest... most of us fear it.  Change can be exciting... and some few do constantly crave change, but even those few are beset by fear.  It's likely the fear and the release of endorphins is what they actually crave.

Change is flat out scary...

I have preached a fair amount lately at Woodlawn about change and I apologize to those here from Woodlawn for having to revisit this topic.

A large part of the problem with change is that it's seldom comfortable, it's said that growth resides just outside our comfort zone, that's because growth requires change.

To grow... to improve... one cannot be comfortable... and one must embrace change of some kind.  Off and on for much of my life, I've lifted weights, and I can tell you that if you do not constantly challenge yourself you will not get stronger.  One cannot constantly lift the same amount of weight and expect to gain either strength or muscular size, rather one has to constantly increase the amount of weight or the number of repetitions that one lifts the weight if there is no upward change one will actually start to recede in strength and size.  But change is as I said scary, constantly having to face new and different challenges is daunting.  

The other thing about change is that far too many want things to change, without changing anything that they're doing.  For example, I like many others, would really like to lose some of the girth I've put on in middle age around my waist, the only problem is I'd like to lose that extra chub without changing the amount or kind of food I ingest.  You see, I really like my diet... I like my bagels, I love cheese, and then there are desserts... and giving them up would be PAINFUL...  We all would love change so much more if we didn't have to change anything to get it!

I'm reminded of the cartoon about a search committee looking for a new minister.  They say to the candidate being interviewed “We're looking for a dynamic, creative, and excited leader... who will do everything exactly the same way we've always done it”.

Surely you've heard the saying that the last words of a dying church are “But we've always done it this way”.

Change is nothing new to Christianity, in fact, the amount of change that has occurred within our chosen religion is stunning.  As much as we here in this day and age are apprehensive of what lies ahead... think of the Disciples and the 'change' that they faced.  In what had to seem like a whirlwind... they met a radical thinking Rabbi, traveled from village to village with him spreading his “Gospel”, found themselves in Jerusalem... where things really took a turn and to say things changed would be the understatement of all understatements!

But change didn't stop there, it kept going from then until now.  If we went back in time to the resurrection and then skipped through the centuries until now we'd see changes that we honestly wouldn't believe.  But we don't need to go back in time to live through some of the greatest changes that the church will ever endure.  We are now living through great change... and all of us here will live the rest of our lives in the midst of this change.  

As I mentioned Father Lynn is not here due to commitments to the closing of St. Mary's in Auburn, all across the State there are Catholic Churches being closed and parishes being consolidated.  And it's not just the Catholics that are changing as we all know too well.  In just the last year the Methodist churches in Glidden, Lohrville, and Lanesboro have become yoked and called one minister to lead all three congregations.  It was the limitations on the timing of worship services that caused us to have to delay our worship here today to allow Lorinda to be here and be a part of this service.

First Baptist Church here in Lake City will be voting as will Woodlawn Christian Church to see if the two congregations will merge.  But to be honest the changes won't stop there... not for Woodlawn Christian and First Baptist, nor for any of the rest of us gathered today.  We all will have to reconsider and learn at least slightly different ways to be church, how we do church, where we are church, who and what is the church, and together we'll have to devise ways to attract the younger generations that have disappeared from Sunday mornings to come and join us in worship.

These ideas and predictions can and do sound frightening.  But, let us not forget that even though we are here in a small community in the middle of the USA, we are not alone.  These changes need to be made... and the same difficulties facing us here are facing churches in small towns and rural communities all across the nation from the east coast to the west.  Today with our interconnected world we can communicate and learn from others what is working and what needs to be replaced.  

But, we can't just wait for others to lead the way, we too need to be leaders and learners... the task is daunting and frankly we all wish it didn't need to be done... but we all know in our hearts it's coming.

As difficult and perhaps impossible as the future may appear... I will confide in you, there is NOONE, and there are NO PEOPLE... who are better inclined, and who have a better mindset... and skill set... to change the church... than the people of the small towns and rural communities of America.  Remember your heritage people... we are all the descendants of brave men, and even braver women who set off from their old ways of life as diverse as they were... and came here to the Midwest to settle and start a new life.  These people didn't back down from pain, trials, difficulties, and inconveniences, they established churches, and towns, and communities where there was once only endless prairie and woodlands.  Theirs was the 'can do' spirit, and problem-solving skills which are etched within our cultural DNA.

I grew up as most of you know in West River South Dakota, I grew up as a cowboy.  Now, a few years back when the media seemed to think calling someone a cowboy was an insult, I never understood that... for you see a real cowboy is somebody who is able to overcome, to do the job that needs to be done... no matter what it is, with the meager tools at hand.  Whether it be whatever they have in the pickup they're driving or if out on horseback and even less well equipped... armed only with a pair of fencing pliers strapped to their saddle and maybe a few other odds and ends in a saddlebag.  Where I grew up... when you wanted a difficult job done... you wanted a cowboy there.  I've pulled calves in the middle of nowhere with nothing more than a rein from a bridle and the strength of my back because the job had to be done and that was all there was available to do it with.  But, that spirit wasn't and isn't just the spirit of the cowboy, as I said, most all of us in the Midwest come from pioneer stock.  Our great-grandparents, or great-great-grandparents, or great-great-great grandparents left the old country and came here to America to make a new life.  Now that's change 

Today we need to recall our ancestors 'can-do' nature, their creativity, their determination, their ability to adapt and overcome.  But, what we need most of all is to remember and reinstate their ability to work together.... to rebuild the Christian faith here in America and beyond.  Together, our creativity, our melded brain power, and our determination to succeed can and will make up for our lack of other resources.  We are tailor made to do the job with the meager tools at hand... all that we are, all that our ancestors taught us, has brought us to this hour, prepared to do the work of, and to work for God.

As I said earlier we can easily feel like dry bones, we can even start to wonder if God has forgotten us.  As many of you know I don't believe that God causes bad things to happen to anyone, so I don't believe that God wants the church to be in decline.  God has not caused this decline, it is a factor as I said earlier of the changing demographics of the Midwest, we can see this all too well in the consolidation of the school systems, the population is changing.  I don't think this is caused by God, but what I do believe... what I do believe about God... and His presence in the midst of all difficulties and tragedy, is that He can and will use these circumstances to further His Kingdom.  What I am starting to wonder and will share with you today, is if God is using this change of demographics to force His often far too divided children to return to dialogue with one another.  To reconsider our differences... most that know me know that I am above all else an advocate that ours is a God of reconciliation... is God using these difficult days to reconcile His children?

Jesus spent his ministry preaching to the small villages, it's where this movement that we love and call Christianity started and flourished.  I have come to believe in my heart that it is out of the small towns, the small communities... these places that might be thought to be the least likely of all, that it's here where Christ will resurrect His Church.  

We know that somehow somewhere the Church will rise again.

Why wouldn't the most unlikely... just as Christ was in His time, the least likely... why wouldn't God use the most unlikely... to be the spark to reignite His people.

He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live”.

I answered, “O Lord God, you know”.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them; O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

How and why do I believe that the Church will be resurrected?  Why do I believe that like the dry dismembered bones of Ezekiel, that we will be re-membered and restored?  I believe because my God told me so...

O my people, I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live...

Diversity in the Church and beyond, Matthew 9:35-10:23

This past Sunday the Scripture which I chose to preach over was found in the Gospel of Matthew 9:35-10:23.  This is the first commissioning of the 'Twelve' to go and preach and heal in the villages of Judea.  They are instructed not to go beyond the children of Israel, though there is the curious reference in verse 10:18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.  Which seems to leave an opening even here for a ministry to the Gentiles.

I preached these verses on Sunday at both First Baptist Church and at Woodlawn Christian Church.  The two sermons were different with the sermon at the Baptist Church being the longer and more involved sermon.  We had a number of other things going on during the service at Woodlawn and I had to cut the sermon in order to keep the service from becoming overly long.  It was Father's Day and we also were celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone for our Sanctuary.  The sermon at First Baptist was honestly a much better sermon and I wish I'd have recorded that one, the one linked is the sermon as given at Woodlawn Christian Church.  It isn't a long sermon at just twelve minutes and though it wasn't as impactful as the more involved sermon, I still think it's worth a listen.

The primary point that I stressed at First Baptist was the difference in the Disciples.  We see Jesus selecting men from very different ends of the political spectrum.  We have Matthew the Tax Collector, who was as such a Roman Collaborator, then we have at the other end Simon the Zealot who was involved in a movement striving for the violent overthrow of the Roman occupiers.  It's worth also noting that some scholars believe that Judas Iscariot was also a member of the Zealot movement, a fact that if true I believe helps one understand better the betrayal in the garden.

The end point is that Jesus was working with an incredibly diverse and likely divisive group of men, Jesus purposefully selected for this diversity of opinion, background, and talents.  We are often guilty in this world (and with the Internet, it's getting far, far worse) of only 'hanging out' with those that we agree with.  One of my favorite personal quotes is that "if I only talk to people I agree with, I'll never learn anything... and I'll never teach anything either."

One of the things I like about both the Disciples of Christ and the American Baptist is that both denominations are incredibly diverse.  You have very liberal thinkers and you have very conservative thinkers in both denominations.  This diversity is our greatest strength and trying to lessen this diversity shall only serve to weaken the Church as a whole.

We're seeing this in society as a whole as well in the Church, and as I added in parenthesis above, the Internet has served to allow us to gravitate to listen only to those with whom we agree.  This phenomenon is going to be our undoing as a Nation as well as a Church if we don't take strides to open doors of dialogue and understanding.  Sad to say I have listened to leaders who claimed to want to make such inroads... to only hear them turn around and bash those which whom they disagreed in a very insulting and belittling manner.  I pray that someday soon we'll all learn to communicate and listen to one another in love and understanding.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Matthew 9:35-10:23  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

10 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers,[d] cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. 9 Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

16 “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

The Trinity and The Great Commission - Worship Outside in God's Creation

This past Sunday the Gospel Lesson from the Lectionary was Matthew 28:16-20.

Matthew 28:16-20 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Commissioning of the Disciples
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This is, of course, the "Great Commission" and was the focus of many sermons given this past Sunday.  It was also "Trinity Sunday" and I am certain, that many sermons also focused upon the Trinity.  I choose to focus some portion of the sermon to each aspect.

I won't address the Trinity here today as it is a horribly complex topic and I don't want to bog this blog post down with a heavy doctrinal dialogue.  What I will address here today is the commissioning and more specifically the "doubt" response of the Disciples during Jesus' appearance and preaching to them.

In the Greek, it is difficult to determine if it is saying that all worshiped and some doubted, or if it's all worshiped and all doubted.  And if we understand it even as some doubting (much less all doubting) how can that be... they've just witnessed the risen Christ?  Just what are they 'doubting' here in this passage.  I've suggested that in fact all here are doubting, just as today all of us doubt.  It's not the risen Christ that they doubted (though for us today this can and often is the case), but rather they are doubting their worthiness for the task (commission) given to them by Christ.  I have to believe that all of us at some point (if not at all points) feel that we fall short of the ability to conduct the 'Great Commission'.  What we have to remember first and foremost is that not all (few of us actually) are called to do large and 'splashy' things in the name of Christ.  Rather, we all are called (even those called to large events) to do the uncountable 'small' things that we must do daily to forward the Kingdom of Christ.

My favorite saying is "be a blessing to someone today", this statement speaks to doing these small and impactful events on a daily basis.  It is these small blessings that allow us to witness effectively to all those we come in contact with in our lives.  Never doubt that your efforts for the Kingdom will not have the desired effect... rather, have faith God knows where and when He needs your assistance.  Just remain tuned into the guidance of the Spirit and do a kindness for at least one soul daily.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

June 4th, 2017 - Pentecost Sunday at Woodlawn Christian Church

Sunday was, of course, the celebration of Pentecost for all Christians.  My sermon as it generally does followed the Lectionary and I preached over Acts 2:1-21.  In the second chapter of Acts, the author (generally accepted as the same author as the Gospel of Luke) relays the story of the coming of the 'Holy Spirit'.  This story is unique in the Bible and speaks volumes upon which one can preach any number of sermons.

I chose to focus upon mainly two points.  The first is a position that I have preached over before here at Woodlawn, and that is that the miracle of the Pentecost is likely more in the hearing than it is in the speaking.  The point of the story of the very many different languages spoken is greatly revealed when one considers that really only two languages would have been needed to communicate to these people.  In Judea, almost everyone spoke Aramaic at that time, and those that would have been in town from other parts of the world would have almost certainly spoken Greek.  So only two languages would have sufficed if simple communication was all that was desired.

God isn't looking to simply speak to us, rather he wants to communicate with us where we are and where we understand things the most clearly.  Ours is an intimate God, one who wants a close and familiar relationship with His creation, therefore he speaks to us in a manner most familiar and comfortable to us... in a manner where we will truly hear Him speaking.  Praise be to God!

God speaks to us not only in a specific language but in a specific way.  Each of us has traveled our own unique path to arrive at "God", and God speaks to us in a language and manner that utilizes all those past tragedies and victories in order to fully communicate with our souls.  One of my own personal quotes is "Jesus may be the only way, but there are many ways to Jesus".  All of us has arrived at the foot of the cross via a different path in life, though some stories are similar, none are identical.  

The other point I attempted to drive home was the ability to determine when it is the 'Holy Spirit' speaking to us and when it is our own 'ego' speaking.  All of us strive to be 'rational' human beings, sometimes though our egos hold very irrational beliefs and motives.  I fear that far too often we humans wield the claim as a weapon that "God spoke to me" or "I was lead by the Spirit" or some such variance.  We fall back on these far too frequently when our egos have taken an irrational or unsustainable position and we are fighting to salvage our ego and failing argument.  How better to defend an irrational and erroneous tact than to say it's God-breathed...

Now, I am absolutely of the mind that the Spirit can, will, and does speak to all of us.  The thing is that it isn't generally in my experience a voice speaking to you as much as it's a quiet thought, or another believer coming to you to direct or affirm something to you.  But how does one know it's the Spirit speaking?

One of the first steps to discerning if it's the Spirit is simply, does it agree with a position you currently hold or is it slapping you alongside the head and steering you a new way?  If it's in agreement with a position that you already hold then discernment is required to make sure it's not your ego talking to you in disguise.  If it's smacking you alongside the head and forcing you to face your own error or wrong beliefs, it's more likely to be the Spirit.  Next does it follow the teachings of Christ, i.e. is it loving, is it grace-filled, does it seek reconciliation, is it working to build up and strengthen the Church at large, does it teach and advance the Gospel; or does this thing... that you want to be the Spirit... advance hatred, disunity, distrust, anger, violence, is it aggressive, intolerant, and seek to divide the Body of Christ... I think that you'll all realize that the second is your own ego trying to solidify its feelings and irrational beliefs.

A major way that we can determine if what we are feeling (or hearing) is of the Spirit is if it is being reaffirmed to us by other believers.  God will seldom leave us in isolation, if other Christians are feeling/hearing the same message the chances are greater that it's the Spirit, conversely, if we're alone in our thoughts, the chances are greater that it's our ego at work.  Neither of these are absolutes, however, just a part of the process of discernment along with prayer and reading Scripture.

The sermon is one of my longer recitations here at Woodlawn, but I think it's worth the 28 minutes required to listen to it... of course, that just might be my ego trying to rationalize why everyone should listen to me speak. (insert winking emoticon here, LOL)

Thank you for wandering through this little spot on the world wide web!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ always,
Roy

Acts 2:1-21New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Coming of the Holy Spirit
2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
    and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
        and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
    and signs on the earth below,
        blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood,
        before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

The Ascension of Christ - Luke 24:44-53 - May 28, 2017

Last Thursday was the "Feast of the Ascension", but in keeping with most Protestant Churches, we at Woodlawn do not have a Thursday service in celebration of the Ascension (which of course always falls on a Thursday), rather like many we recognize the Ascension during our Sunday worship on the Sunday immediately following. The Lectionary Text for Ascension Day was Luke 24:44-53 and that is what I chose to preach over on Sunday.  The account in Luke 24 is the only recording of the Ascension in the Gospel stories with the exception of the 'long' ending of the Gospel of Mark.  However, since many scholars (and I agree with them) do not believe the 'long' ending of Mark was part of the original text, we are left with only the story told by Luke.

I walked through the text verse by verse in my sermon, but here I will only touch upon the last few verses of the text.

 50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

As I stated in the sermon, I am certain that the Disciples would have greatly preferred that Christ had stayed with them to aid and guide them in their ministries.  But, that isn't what God had planned for them or for Jesus.  The Disciples were right then and there faced with a sea-change in their ministries to the people of Israel and beyond.  They at that moment were faced with an astronomical and overwhelming change in their lives.  No more would the way that they had become accustomed to working and living be the same; not only could they not go back to the way their lives had been while walking with Jesus, they couldn't go back to the way their lives had been prior to meeting the Christ.  The way they practiced Judaism was forever changed, they now were to preach the Gospel of Christ to Israel and the World.

Change had come crashing down upon them like a massive wave, and we can look to their example as we in Christianity today are faced with change.  The Disciples prostrated themselves and worshiped their Christ... the Messiah.  Then, they all arose and went back to the Temple with joy filled hearts and souls.  The Messiah had just left them... their friend Jesus had just left them... their world had just been shattered... and they went immediately back to work spreading the word of the Gospel... with joy.

I told a story (actually I told two stories, but I'll only tell one here) about a vacation I had taken many, many years ago to Hawaii.  There on the beach, we were walking in the surf.  The waves would come crashing in and folks would jump into the waves and the waves would lift them back towards the shore and leave them behind as they receded back to the ocean.  Thinking I was 'strong' enough to endure the wave (think of it as a change in our lives) and that it would just break around me... after all, I'm pretty tough... instead of jumping into the wave I braced myself and took the wave on head on.  Well, as Diana Arkland knew, and laughed as I was telling the story... the wave knocked me down and crashed over the top of me.  Now, instead of being on top of the wave as I would have been if I jumped into it, I was under the wave and in the 'Undertow'.  The next thing I know, I am popping up out of the Pacific Ocean, all too far from the shoreline.  Fortunately, I was able to swim back to shore but, you can be certain that I did not try to take on another wave head on.  Change can be just like that wave, if we think we can take it on without adjusting or adapting to it, we will find ourselves overwhelmed and washed out to sea.  But, if we accept that there is change coming and we 'ride along' with the change we will find ourselves safely back on shore.

When change hits us will we let it wash us away, or perhaps we should sit like Job and cover ourselves with ashes and lament our plight... or just maybe we, like the Disciples in the 24th Chapter of Luke, should understand that change is necessary (though we may not understand why nor particularly like the fact that we had to change) and set ourselves to God's work, preaching and worshiping with joy.  Let us also remember that all too soon not only would the Disciples be working in a new way, but they'd be preaching to a new 'flock', the Gentiles, as well.

Be a blessing to someone today...

In His Love, Grace & Mercy,
Roy

John 10:16 King James Version

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Luke 24:44-53 New Revised Standard Version

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah[a] is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses[b] of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.[c] 52 And they worshiped him, and[d] returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God.[e]

Footnotes:

a) Luke 24:46 Or the Christ
b) Luke 24:48 Or nations. Beginning from Jerusalem 48 you are witnesses
c) Luke 24:51 Other ancient authorities lack and was carried up into heaven
d) Luke 24:52 Other ancient authorities lack worshiped him, and
e) Luke 24:53 Other ancient authorities add Amen

Acts 1:6-11 New Revised Standard Version

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

1st Baptist Church, Lake City, Iowa

Woodlawn Christian Church - June Newsletter Article

Below is my article for the June Newsletter, thank you for taking a look through my little corner of the internet.

Be a blessing to someone today!
Pastor Roy

Pastor's Ponderings / Pastor Roy Karlen 
Woodlawn Christian Church, June 2017

John 10:16 King James Version (KJV)
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

To use an overused expression, 'Time Flies', it's hard to believe we're almost out of the month of May.  We've been very busy this month and of course being busy will make time go along at a dizzying pace.  June looks to hold it's share of busyness as well, with the upcoming “Baked Steak Dinner” and then the very next weekend we'll have an outdoor worship service followed by another Cookout.  Our last outdoor service was just wonderful, I just pray that we'll have comparable weather this time as well!  Make sure you invite your friends and family to both the Baked Steak Dinner and the Cookout.  The cost for these events is; Baked Steak Dinner – full portion $10 or a half portion $6.  The Cookout is $7 per person.

Mel tells me he has a PA system that we can use during our outdoor worships and hopefully that will help everyone hear the keyboard and the sermon a little better than they were able to during the service on May 7th.  While the weather is nice we'd like to have several services on the lawn, perhaps one a month through the summer/fall.  Pray for great weather on Sundays this summer/fall!

On June 25th we will not have our regular worship and we'll gather along with the other local churches in worship in the Square.  That service will be at 11:30 am, the Ministerial Association moved the time this year in order to allow Lorinda Hoover from the Lohrville/Lanesboro/Glidden Methodist to take part.  We're still working on what all will be in the service but I will be giving the message that morning.  Hopefully, it will be another beautiful morning as it has been the last two years that I've been here and taken part.

We are making great strides in preparing for the concert in September and the Concert Committee decided to give the event a proper name.  From now on the concert is “Son Celebration”.  The date will be September 16th and hopefully, everything will fall in place to allow us to host the event on the Church grounds.  Jeff Frank is working hard on trying to get a grant from the Region to cover the cost of moving electricity to the outside of the Chapel which will allow us to power up the bands.  Bill Spangler-Dunning assures me that the grant will be no problem and thus we are very confident that the event will be held here at the Church.  This is a much-desired turn of events as it will make the concert more visible to the community and help with attendance as well as show more clearly that we're active and vital here in Lake City.

We have t-shirts for the “Son Celebration” in the Church office and we'll also have them available during Sunday worship.  These shirts are free, all we ask is that you wear them everywhere you go in order to promote the “Son Celebration”!  Promotional balloons have also been ordered for the event and we're planning on handing them out during the parade for Western Days.  Anyone who would like to hand out balloons during and along the parade route, please let either Jeff Frank or myself know, THANK YOU!  Also, if anyone knows where I can refill a helium tank please let me know, I have a helium tank in the garage from my Jaycee years but it is empty at the moment.

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

By now everyone is most certainly aware that the First Baptist Church has asked to meet with our Church Council to discuss their becoming a part of Woodlawn Christian Church.  The details of this action have not been worked out but Mel Alcox and Bill Hungate are working to schedule a joint meeting of our Church Council and the First Baptist Church's Board.  I can't tell you just what will be done between the two churches but I can tell you that if you have heard rumors about us leaving the Disciples of Christ denomination, that is patently untrue, there is absolutely NO discussion of that occurring;  likewise, we are NOT discussing changing the name of our Church.  Please do not let any of these rumors upset or concern you, please do understand that the Church Council will be working hard with the Board from First Baptist to find a way to be mutually beneficial to both congregations and much more importantly to the Body of Christ.  This is all a very positive thing and should be looked upon with great anticipation and joy that God is working among us and through us.  We ask our Lord to let us be His hands and feet... let us not be afraid when he answers our prayers and gives us a mission to attend to his flock.  Truly, we are one fold, with ONE shepherd... Jesus who is the Christ, who lived and died to save us all... may we work to be a blessing to Him and to all that is His.

Be a blessing to someone today!
Pastor Roy