Sermon from Sunday

Yesterday I decided to try something new. Instead of a standard sermon we had an interactive sermon where the congregation participated in the sermon through questions and answers. Since there is no written version of the sermon, I have included below an audio clip of the sermon at the middle service. The Scripture passage is Matthew 22:34-40. It's read at the beginning of the audio clip. Hope you enjoy! Let me know if you like this format.

A Message from our Bishop

Below is a letter from the Bishop of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. He shares with us some concerns he has about the election and more specifically about slots. What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Why?



Dear Fellow Baltimore-Washington Conference Disciples,

God who started you in this spiritual adventure shars with you the life of his Son and our savior Jesus, will never give up on you. -1 Corinthians 1:9 (The Message)

Isn't it reassuring to know that God will never give up on us? In the midst of a financial crisis, complicated by an election, I am encouraged that God will not give up on us. I invite you to believe during these turbulent and complicated times. Believe in God and believe in yourself, because you are a gift from God.

I would like to talk with you about two beliefs and concerns on my heart as we approach the November 4th election.

The United Methodist Council of Bishops has called all political parties and leaders to embrace a public discourse that is free of divisive and demeaning rhetoric. Respectful, principled, and vigorous debate on the issues is the only way to move into a future that offers hope and solutions to our common problems.

The first is how the intensity of political campaigns can heighten political rhetoric and deepen prejudices. I believe in good healthy, vigorous discourse during political campaigns. I am also concerned when discourse undermines our unity and our respect for diversity. This election is historic because there is an African American presidential candidate and a female vice presidential candidate. This demonstrates our nation's ability to recognize people for their ideas and their gifts. Yet some are using this election as an opportunity to prey on deep seated prejudices.

We urge all the presidential candidates, vice presidential candidates and other political campaigns to focus on the important national and global challenges we face: poverty, war, inequality, racism, sexism, the current financial crisis, and terrorism in all its forms.

We invite you to pray daily for all candidates, voters and leaders in the United States . Also, encourage fellow believers, family members, friends and co-workers to engage in principled political discourse that builds up our nation and seeks unity among all people.

My second concern is Maryland Ballot Question 2, which, if passed, will add slot gambling to the Constitution of Maryland. Our United Methodist Book of Discipline and our Book of Resolutions (the books in addition to the Bible that guide our living) state: "Gambling is a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic and spiritual life, and destructive to good government. The Church should promote standards and personal lifestyles that would make unnecessary and undesirable the resort to commercial gambling." (United Methodist Book of Discipline, 162.G). I call all Marylanders to oppose adding slot machine gambling to our state constitution. Legalizing slot machine gambling, the most addictive form of gambling, will cause suffering, especially among lower income families and those who are easily addicted. It will increase crime as well as the costs to society caused by crime and addictive behavior. Marylanders have a wealth of knowledge and abilities to address our financial needs without turning to slot machine gambling.

I have joined with colleagues of other faith traditions across Maryland to encourage people of faith to oppose ballot question 2 and the inclusion of slot machine gambling in our state constitution. I am grateful for this ecumenical voice. Below is the statement from bishops and other denominational leaders calling on all Marylanders to oppose the legalization of slot machine gambling.

Over these next several weeks, I invite you to spend additional time in prayer. Pray for the health of our state, pray for the unity of our nation, and pray for peace within our world. God, who started you in this spiritual adventure...will never give up on you.

In the love of Christ,

John R. Schol, Bishop
The United Methodist Church
Washington, DC Area
Baltimore-Washington Conference


Maryland Religious Leaders Statement against the November 4, 2008 Gambling Referendum

The expansion of the state's dependence upon gambling is a current and critical issue, that we are compelled to address. We firmly oppose the legalization of slot machine gambling in Maryland , and urge citizens to vote against the slots referendum on November 4, 2008.

We speak not only because of our collective conscience as religious leaders, but also as leaders who serve the citizens of Maryland . We are concerned about the serious long-range consequences gambling will have for the quality of life of all of the citizens of our state. Gambling is a menace to society and a regressive tax on the poor. It is deadly to the interests of moral, social, economic and spiritual life and destructive of good government.

There is significant sociological and personal research regarding the vices and social ills that accompany legalized gambling. Its very real impact on low and moderate income families and individuals - on those for whom gambling becomes a compulsive behavior, are concerns that must be considered.

In current gambling jurisdictions, the foundation of the family is at greatest risk. There is a sharp increase in divorce, suicide, bankruptcy, child abuse and domestic violence. Children of gambling addicts experience lower levels of mental health and physical well being.

Introducing slots into our state sends a message that dollars are precious and people are expendable. This is not true. Marylanders will creatively work together to insure children are educated and fed without gambling revenue. In fact, gambling revenue will worsen the plight of children, youth and adults within Maryland by increasing addiction, divorce and poverty.

Given these and other considerations, it is unconscionable that our state would consider and promote the inclusion of slot machine gambling in our constitution. In a state with a strong creative work force and innovative leaders, we do not need slot machine gambling. It jeopardizes the lives of untold thousands of individuals and families, and contributes substantially to the moral decay of our communities.

Therefore, we believe legalized slot gambling should and must be vigorously opposed.

The Reverend Dr. John Deckenback, Conference Minister, The Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ .

Bishop Richard Graham, Bishop, Metropolitan Washington DC Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Reverend Lari Grubbs, Regional Minister, Christian Church Disciples of Christ

Bishop Peggy Johnson, Peninsula Delaware/Maryland Conference of the United Methodist Church

Rev. Dr. Clark Lobensine, Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington

Bishop H. Gerard Knoche, Bishop, Delaware/Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Reverend Dr. Peter Nord, Executive Presbyter, Presbytery of Baltimore

Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr., African Methodist Episcopal Church, Second District

Bishop John Schol, Bishop, Baltimore/Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church

The Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane D.D., Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington (comprising Episcopal jurisdiction in four Maryland Counties)

The Rt. Rev. John Rabb, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland

The Reverend Allen Spicer, President, Central Maryland Ecumenical Council

The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland

Sacrifice

Last week during the presidential debate a question was asked that referenced the sacrifices made in the Depression era. The candidates were asked what sacrifices they would ask the American people to make besides the sacrifices of American lives.

We all have various images that come to mind when we think about sacrifices that we made by families and individuals in the Depression Era. But my guess is that those images probably did not match the answers either candidate gave. In general, both candidates talked about how the American people would have to make do without some government funded programs. Certainly, a lot of people are helped by various government funded programs and for some of them, giving up those programs will indeed be a sacrifice.

I must admit, as I listened to the candidates, I wondered how they defined sacrifice. Merriam-Webster defines sacrifice as "destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else." While this helps a little in defining sacrifice, I think it falls short because with this definition almost anything that is given up, no matter how trivial or inconsequential, can be considered a sacrifice. When I think of sacrifice, I think of something big, something that was costly in one way or another. When I think of sacrifice the definition that comes to mind is one that was used in one of my seminary classes. Sacrifice is "costly self-giving."

Costly self-giving. That tells us a lot about sacrifice in a few short words. First it tells us that sacrifice is costly, it's not trivial or inconsequential. It doesn't have to be monetarily costly, but a sacrifice might be emotionally, socially, physically costly. A Sacrifice is not something that's easy to do. It takes a lot of effort to give up.

This definition also tells us that a sacrifice requires something of you. It's not giving away something that's valuable to someone else, it's giving up something that means a lot to you. Again, this can be physically, mentally, emotionally, monetarily, socially, or any number of other categories. It's a giving of something you have or some part of yourself.

A sacrifice involves the act of giving. It's something that you willingly give. A sacrifice isn't something that's taken from you. A sacrifice is something that you willingly give up, something you willingly offer for the sake of something else, for something that's beyond you, something that's not about you.

Which leads me to the next question, what are we willing to sacrifice for? We're asked to sacrifice for many different things in our society. Sometimes it's for our country, sometimes it's for our family, sometimes it for societies ideal of success, sometimes it's for more money.

Before we consider what we'd be willing to sacrifice, I think it's helpful to ponder what is it that we would be willing to sacrifice for? What is it that's beyond ourselves that we think is worth costly self-giving? Often the things we are willing to make sacrifices for are the things that we value the most.

Power outage

At about 1:30 today, someone from Allegheny Power informed us that they would be turning off the power to the church from 2pm until 11pm. Apparently they are doing some work in the area and need to turn the power off in order to do the work. Obviously news like that sends the entire staff scrambling to finish up work and contact those who use the building that the power will be out.

At Calvary, when the power goes out, everything stops working. You can't even make a phone call because our phones require power. With such a large facility there are lots of interior rooms with no windows to let in outside light and these rooms are pitch black without the overhead lights on. And groups that usually make dinner on Tuesday night won't be able to cook or run the sound system or any of the other activities typically held at Calvary on Tuesday nights.

All of that seems obvious. Of course you can't cook or turn the lights on without power. Of course you can't make phone calls, copies, or send emails. Of course you can't get online to blog either (but the power is on at my house so today I blog from home). Everything literally shuts down. And when the power goes out, planned or unplanned, it makes us realize how much we really depend on it. When the power goes out, we realize how much of our daily tasks take for granted that the power will be there.

As I carried my computer and other work home with me this afternoon, I began to wonder, what is it that powers our lives? What is it that is the underlying driving force in our lives? I think many of us know what we want the driving force in our lives to be or what we think it should be. But does what we want it to be, what we think it should be, line up with what really does power our lives?

One of the ways to figure out the answer to that question is to ask yourself this question: What is the thing in our lives, that when it's missing, causes our whole lives to come to a screeching halt, just like when there's a power outage? What is it that provides the energy, enthusiasm, and desire for all the things we do in life? What is it that decides how we will spend our time and energy?

What is it that powers your life?