Worship Preview: February 28 (2nd Sunday in Lent)

The Scripture Lessons:

Psalm 27

Luke 13:31-35

The Sermon Title:

Fear and Faith/Playing it Safe and Living with Freedom

TRACKS: New Haven, CT

Today’s edition of USA Today poses the important question of whether or not Tiger Woods was sincere when he made his confessional apology last Friday. To be precise, the newspaper’s wording is “Did Tiger Woods sound sincere or not on Friday?”

Never mind the weighty questions that could be raised regarding a corporate mortgage crisis similar to the one that hit home-buyers earlier, the vicissitudes of our brave military personnel in Afghanistan trying to avoid death at the hands of extremists prostituting religion by claiming it as a motivation, and the next steps in our national health care debate. And, so much for suggesting questions about how we could offer support for Mr. Woods or what we should ask ourselves about the parts of our lives for which we should say, “I’m sorry.” The question on the table is about the sincerity of the world’s most famous golfer.

Who knows the correct answer? And, how do you know it’s correct? What does sincerity in a confession sound like?

When I was growing up, sincerity required tears. No tears, no sincerity. In ancient times, sincerity seemed to require pounding your fists against your chest. What about sincerity in people who can’t cry and who don’t want to flagellate themselves? Is it determined by a tone of voice or whether you read from a prepared statement? What if the confessor’s humiliation and fright cause stiffness in body language and formality in verbal language? Who has the formula for measuring sincerity?

I remember the morning that I sat in the East Room of the White House about two tables away from President Clinton as he confessed his wrongdoing, read from David’s psalm of repentance, asked for forgiveness, and shared his plan for healing. I sat there thinking Here I am at the very center of political power in the Free World and the leader of the Free World is confessing weakness and asking for forgiveness. The moment was overwhelming.

Once outside the White House, media representatives swarmed around with their notepads, cameras, and microphones. All of them were asking the same question, “Was he sincere?” “Do you think the president meant it?”

The reason we ask that question is because we are not equipped to make that judgment. That is precisely one reason that the Bible tells us to leave such judgments for God alone to make.

Repentance means taking a U-turn, changing directions. No one knows when another person makes that turn until the other person starts walking a different direction. Frankly, even then, no observer can judge the motivation behind the steps, what has happened in the heart.

We know what Jesus would do about this matter of judgment. Standing beside a woman about to be stoned to death because of her behavior, Jesus said, “Let those without sin cast the first stone.” Now, honestly, on that day, people responded with integrity and Jesus sent the woman on her way. Today, I fear the response to Jesus’ words would not be so clean cut and safe for the sinner. There are a lot of arrogant people intent on running the world and punishing anyone who does not see things exactly the way they do.

It’s easy to see why the season of Lent is so important. It calls us to an honesty about ourselves that leaves us no time for making judgment about others.

When Jesus speaks today to voters on sincerity and other self-appointed judges challenging them to punish another person only if without sins in their own lives—“Let only one without sin throw the first golf ball at Tiger—I am not sure the golfer would be safe. In fact, you may hear someone hollering “Duck!” Don’t be surprised if it’s Jesus.

Prayer

O God, please don’t forgive us as we forgive others. We will be in such a mess if you do. O God, please forgive us as you forgive others—all others.

TRACKS: New Haven, Connecticut

C. WELTON GADDY

Well, here goes. I always have been reluctant to commit myself to writing anything on a daily or quasi-daily basis. However, as is true in so many other areas of my life, here too I have changed my mind.

Many of you regularly ask me, “Where have you been this week? What have you been doing? What are you reading? What are you thinking? What’s up next?”

Additionally, this peripatetic life, though always busy, often is a bit empty because of feeling away from and out of touch with people who are extremely important to me—the people who are Northminster Church, friends, loved ones, and individuals with whom interaction brings extraordinary richness to ordinary days.

So, I will take advantage of technology and see if I can use it sensitively to share, inform, connect with, and, if all goes well, sometimes even inspire people who care where I am geographically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well as care about nurture for their own journey. If people find tracing my “tracks” helpful, I will continue this discipline. If not, likely with the relief that comes from finding more time, I will seek other ways of relating. The first Sunday in Lent is an opportune moment to begin.

Prayer

O God, as only can be done mysteriously with the aid of your Presence, through shared thoughts, words, and meditations, draw us closer together in order for us to know each other better, find strength in each other individually, and enable us together to model a community in which boundaries are absent and love is present—all developments to which you respond saying, “Good!”

Northminster Snow

Dr. Gaddy took some pictures early on Friday, February 12 of Northminster in the snow. Click here to see a slideshow of more of Dr. Gaddy's Northminster snow photos.

Ash Wednesday, February 21 at 6:30 p.m.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the forty-day Lenten journey toward Easter (excluding Sundays) in imitation of Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness following his baptism (Matthew 4:1-11). The tradition of a ceremonial imposition of ashes on the foreheads of worshipers as a sign of mortality and penitence dates back to at least the 10th century. In the 12th century, the tradition began of creating the ashes by burning the branches used on Palm Sunday the previous year.

During the season of Lent, Christians have traditionally (1) given-up a bad habit in order to loosen attachment to the aspects of our lives that unduly occupy our attention and (2) taken on a spiritual practice that helps focus this regained attention on the love of God and neighbor (Mark 12:28-31).

Examples of spiritual practices include Bible study and devotional reading, fasting and almsgiving, prayer and works of mercy (feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned). These and many other disciplines have been used throughout history by people seeking to deepen their journey of faith.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

The Gospel Lesson:

Luke 3:21-22; 4: 1-2

The Sermon Title:

"Where is God Leading You this Lent?"

The Sermon Description:

On this first Sunday of Lent, we have the same opportunity we have every year to learn the lesson of the original Lent, when Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. I invite you to consider that Jesus’ regular practice of prayer, made him open to hearing God speak the words, “You are my Beloved.” And it was Jesus’ powerful experience of God’s love that helped him, not only survive the temptations in the desert, but also that set the trajectory of a public ministry characterized by ever-increasing love and ever-widening compassion. It is not enough for you to know intellectually that Jesus was God’s Beloved. It is not enough for me to tell you that you, too, are God’s Beloved. You need to experience God’s love first-hand, for yourself. So, where is God leading you this Lent?

Epiphany: An Examination

The sermon audio has been posted for Sunday, February 21. Click here to listen online. The sermon manuscript will be posted soon. We welcome reflections in response to the sermon in the comment section below.

Worship Preview: February 14 (Transfiguration Sunday)

The Gospel Lesson

Luke 9:28-36

The Sermon Title

Epiphany: An Examination

Worship Preview: February 2 (The 5th Sunday after Epiphany)

The Scripture Lesson:

Isaiah 6:1-8

The Sermon Title:

Epiphany: A Dynamic of Christian Worship