March & April: Not Really a Reading Report

    My studies the last month have been focused on preaching. Having transitioned to a different sermon series requires a shift in emphasis. The long month’s studying Matthew’s Gospel were fruitful. I was able to give attention to other reading because I was pretty well “read up” on Matthew when I started preaching from it in December. 

Now I am preaching a short series entitle Heroic Hope in Hard Times. I am using Hebrews 11 to frame messages about Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses and others. So my weekly reading has required biographical and commentary reading on these individuals—both with respect to Hebrews 11 and the portions of the OT where their stories are mostly told. 

This is a relatively (for me) short series of only 8 messages. My next series is from Nehemiah. It begins the first week of June. This leaves barely a month for background reading. I started backgrounds last week and with several rather large monographs to go through it will take most of the next four weeks. Then there is Hebrew work, preliminary outlining, mining some illustrations. Boring stuff, unless you like the craft of preaching. So, not much of a reading report. I can’t really recommend to you what I’ve been reading for the last month unless you intend to follow the same course of preaching I am undertaking. 

And we are resuming Sunday School starting May 2!! Of course, that means preparing to teach. Another project with its associated reading. This has required me to go through the material I had written in March 2020 to figure out how far I had gotten, where I need to begin, and what I should just go ahead and repeat. 

I have also completed a large writing project in April. I am now going through the manuscript correcting it. So, a lot of what I have been reading has been stuff which I have written. When planning this regular installment for each month I had envisioned that I would be able to provide better summaries of materials you might find helpful in your lives, discipleship, and ministry. At this point I simply have a longer reading list myself. 

    I am reading an interesting book on the 30 years war which is an interesting corollary for our own time and place. One emphasis in this book is the difficulty one has in disentangling the political, from the religious, from the cultural issues which created the 30 year war in the first place. This seems to speak eloquently to an age, which,  emerging from crisis is having some difficulty defining and aligning itself. 

Always be reading. Study the Scripture. Correlate other articles, books, and media with what the Bible teaches you. Keep focused on how God can use your mind to touch the lives of others. 

The Seasonless Season.

It is not uncommon for those of us in the Euro/American tradition to organize our spiritual lives according to current, dominant cultural principles. This is a departure from the way western traditions formed during Christendom organized themselves. Even during times of behavioral and doctrinal incoherence cultures which emerged during the centuries of Christian consensus shared the same sense of time. The basis for our experience of the passing of followed the Christian year which flowed from Advent—>Christmas—>Lent—>Easter—>Pentecost—>Ordinary Time. While  this approach was not perfect it did help to keep everyone on the same page before the invention of mechanical representations of time (clocks) and dates (printed calendars) both of which required the rare skill of literacy. 

Now, the seasons which form our comprehension of time are not reminders of spiritual milestones nor do they draw us back into the scriptures. Now the passing of time is dictated by socially dictated breaks from labor and the beginning and ending of organized entertainments and distractions. Now, I relish Memorial Day as the first real three-day weekend since New Years as much as anybody else. And like you I long expectantly for that first College football game and mourn then end of the Baseball season. Yet the comings and goings of those seasons do not dictate how I understand the world and value my place in it. 

For some, however, things have changed and their understanding of the world has been shifted. Rather than ordering their lives through understanding the scripture and seeing the world through eyes of faith they have become culturally attuned to the new rhythms articulated by a secular society. They  have not abandoned Christian faith yet they experience a discomfort which they cannot clearly voice. They feel out of step. Their timing is off. Christmas was blessed. Easter was joyful. Now they must live through the Seasonless Season. 

Too many Christians mostly just wait from Easter to Christmas. They are the poles by which Christian experience is organized and around which it orbits. Yet they are not the whole experience. Holy as these seasons may be we should not feel bereft when they pass or consider all the sacred time between as wasted or unfulfilled. 

Easter is past. Jesus still lives. Opportunities for growth and service are still to be found everywhere. In fact, because the “holy seasons” (is there any other kind?) are past and the  familiar texts and memorable stories have been read again—perhaps the Seasonless Season is the best time for a renewed commitment and focus on Scripture. Maybe this is the right time to recommit to worship. Maybe now you can think more clearly about your personal ministry opportunities. 

Christmas is coming. Long before that we have lengthening days. Lingering moments. Fleeting opportunities. Each of us is given the same gift of time and every believer is called upon to redeem that time in focused living, the days are evil and you must be a sanctifying presence within the passing of time. And there is a lot of time between now and Christmas. 

It is time for us to stop organizing our time around games, vacations, diversions, and distractions. Ordinary time is sanctified by God’s people living rightly in a bent world. We can hardly be a part of the unbending if we only serve Jesus in the time between  the cradle and the cross.

Now What?

    Normally April and May are very busy. If you still have children at home they are getting involved in Spring Sports. Spring vacation is past and it is just possible to begin tinkering with the idea of summer. Yet, as Spring springs around us in 2021 there is still an air of uncertainty. 

    The natural question—now what? While the Pandemic is not quite over the flood waters are receding. As the numbers of vaccinated grow the pool of protection will expand and there will be a corresponding increase of activities. Churches have opened and are reintroducing opportunities for worship, study, and service—while continuing  with the innovative technologies which drove worship communities during the isolated days of the Pandemic. Streaming feeds, and FaceBook Live will remain in use in concert with the traditional approaches we have missed. 

Schools are increasing their activities as well. For months many parents struggled with the question  “How will this impact my child/children? Will they be too far behind to catch up?” Now there are spring (football?!?) sports. Proms are being planned. School groups are having fund-raisers and banquets. Graduation events will soon be on the drawing board. 

Vacations canceled last year will be re-scheduled. Weddings. Anniversary parties. Reunions of all kinds. There will be lots of catching up. Now what? The next thing. Your choice. Break out. Rustle your wings. Fly you butterfly!

Has it really been so bad that we are reduced to butterfly metaphors? Yes and no. One of the central sources of ennui during this Pandemic crisis—beyond the disease itself—has been the disclosure of an odd narcissistic need at the heart of Western culture—even, we must admit within the Church.  It is true that there have been many acts of duty-driven self-less sacrifice. Churches have led, fed, and nurtured. Good people have behaved admirably. Yet, there have also been relentless examples of our neighbors and friends behaving with boorish, childish, selfishness. Calling them to account for such behavior has been about as effective as reprimanding a fit-throwing toddler. They react with self-righteous egoism and anger anytime a guy like me (fulfilling my obligation to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ) points out the disconnect between their behavior and profession of faith in Christ. 

Now what? It is time for Christian people (my central concern) to hold one another accountable for un-christian anti-social behavior. Now what? Love your neighbor. Now what? Do everything in your power to be at peace with everyone. Now what? Stop whining. Quit complaining. Grow up. Don’t call people you disagree with names. Don’t let un-wholesome unedifying speech come out of your mouth.   It’s time for mature Christian’s to feed upon the meaty Word of God. Stop railing at the world and start trying to address the issues which define our fallen culture. 

Now what? Be regular in worship. Be diligent in study. Be eager in service to others. Now what? Get over yourself and more into Jesus. Now what? Consider the needs of others first and trust the scriptures to help you understand complicated times.

Really the answer to “now what?” is wholly outside of our understanding. The actual answer, the only one which really makes sense is “I don’t know.” This year could be better, the same, or worse than last. OUCH! Rather than emerging smoothly from isolation many if not most of us will kind of lurch. People with whom we disagree will surprise us with their reasonable civility and people we agree with will continue to behave in such a way that Jesus is embarrassed and the cause of Christ besmirched. 

Now what? Do the right thing. I am called and commissioned to proclaim the Good news. Jesus calls us to be good news people. What do we do now? What’s next? Now what? 

Continue with the mission.

Preaching Practices

    Easter is now behind us. Ministry is ordered around several essential seasons and observances. Of course everything orients around the Lord’s own day. Every Sunday we gather for worship. We share the true word of God and partake of the true ordinances of citizenship in the Kingdom. For those of us who preach we have a fairly regular 52-week pattern of preparation. We have the opportunity, particularly as we gain experiences to refine our practices in ministry. There will be emergencies and unforeseen developments of course. But…Sunday’s coming.

Yet there are other seasons which require more intense input and which stand out in the year. Christmas and Easter are of course the two observances around which the entire Christian experience is focused. During the fall of the year we are building towards the Christmas season. Our preaching leads up to Christmas. Programing (you remember what that is, right?) looks toward the Christmas season with special events, gatherings, presentations. Then, after Christmas Eve services and the epilogue from Christmas to New Years, January arrives, the “excitement” dies and it is back to ministry life as usual. 

Until about mid-February when Easter season starts to loom on the horizon. A season of additional worship experiences, more preparation, and greater participation. So, the pastor-preacher buckles down, invests the hours, reaps the benefits—and all of a sudden it’s the Wednesday after Easter. The adrenaline has been released. The season has shifted. The load has lightened and the intensity subsided.

So my preacher friend, what to do now? Take it easy? Coast perhaps? A  late-spring vacation maybe? As tempting as each of these options might sound it is, after all, only April. What we do now may be less intense but practices we cultivate during the less stressful times of ministry help to provide the fuel and the foundation for the rest of the year. I would recommend several practices which will help streamline your processes for the rest of this year. 

Review

This year’s preaching calendar is now, depending on exactly how you organize your work, somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 complete. This is a good time to review what you have preached, taught, and written so far this year. You can ask yourself whether there were some blind-spots in this year’s preaching that you did not anticipate. Did I miss something? This also is the time to asses any departures you have made from your preaching plan. 

Revise

There are two kinds of revisions to consider this time of the year. Do I need to revisit the whole plan and change it. During 2020 this became necessary because of the unfolding pandemic. While much of what I intended to preach was still usable there needed to be an ongoing process of revision to make sure that I addressed the various circumstances and scenarios which were playing out in society.

The second kind of revision you can think about is a matter of your on-going ministry and what use you can make of all of the study, preparation, thought, and writing you are doing. Some of what you preached can be preached again. Some of it can be revised and condensed for lessons, newsletter articles, and devotions.. Some of it can be revised and expanded for lectures or even publication. We tend to write and use without curating the materials we produce. This a season for that curation. Some material will need to incubate for a while and some of it can be marked for use in the near future. Revival sermons and messages for external preaching engagements can be constructed from sermons or parts of sermons. You can divide what you once brought together or combine what was once used in multiple messages. 

The point is you have, even at this point in the year,  read alot. You have thought a lot. You have processed information. You have analyzed and categorized, you have written and re-written and then preached. That material is yours! Your legacy of studying scripture and proclaiming it to others. Curate your own collection of material and revise it how you will.

Recalibrate

A final preaching practice for the next few weeks—recalibrate. Tune up some study, preparation and presentation matters which have been neglected during the busy seasons of Christmas and Easter. Maybe you need to spend some time looking at your workflows. What have you been reading lately? Have you been reading? I know that busy times tend to enlarge my “to-read” list. Maybe this would be a good time to look at what you intend to read and recalibrate what books need to be at the top of the pile. Look over your upcoming sermon calendar. Are you working a week or weeks of Christian Service Camp? Why not get a start on your preliminary preaching for the next 6 weeks so that when you have to get ready for camp you have room on your schedule.

I have tried to use this Blog to provide helps for preachers, basic Biblical insights and an overview of what is going on in my life and ministry. The irony of the Pandemic and slowdown is that for some of us ministry has gotten busier during the year where we mostly preached to empty auditoriums. As we moved much of our content online and to a streaming format we have needed to add opportunities to try and meet the needs of the body of Christ. 

This year…we Eastered! We gathered and worshipped. We celebrated. Then Monday arrived and it was “back to work.” How you organize your time during the next 2-4 weeks will help determine the flow for the rest of the year. It is my hope that your preaching practices are tip-top as we all go into what will be a new and exciting season of ministry. For those of you who read this blog and who are not preachers I hope that this provides you with some information about how you can pray for your preacher and provide support and encouragement for him. Ask him what he’s up to. Ask him about what he is reading and studying. He might be a little winded after a strange year and the busiest ministry season of all. Encourage him to do his best and you will find that both his preaching and demeanor improve! 

We are all in this together. We have different roles and responsibilities. We were given different gifts and allocated different tools. Yes, 2020 was difficult. We still worshipped every Sunday. The word was still proclaimed. And as we enter this new season it remains to be seen what harvest will be collected. 

A Year of Resurrected Life. 4.1.2021

This morning I spent some time looking through some old calendar materials to refresh my memory on some issues. This is pretty good practice to engage in from time to time. We need to consider past actions to help calibrate what we are doing right now and to plan and prepare for what we intend to do in the future—both near and long term. One thing I noticed was a calendar entry from April 3 2016: Trial sermon @ Grayville. It seems like just yesterday that Mrs. Beckman and I made that first trip to what would become our new home in south-eastern Illinois. I can truthfully say that though five years have passed we are still as happy as when we first met these wonderful people. I am blessed with a trove of good, godly, capable leaders who love the Lord and who are able to articulate the faith and lead with wisdom. 

Which leads to another memory the one which actually provoked my treck down memory lane. It has been a year since the perils of pandemic became known to us. In March our congregation first took precautions to insure that when we gathered for worship we were able to do so safely with proper precautions and no person-to person handling of communion elements or offering trays. Before we could even perfect that style of worship it became necessary for us to suspend all onsite public gatherings. Through the next weeks and months our nation and the entire world suffered. Large numbers of people became infected and died—numbers which seemed inconceivable at the time but which sadly, have now become statistics. 

Throughout the long year we started meeting again, stopped, began again and then stopped once more. During this long and trying time both Easter and Christmas came and went without the traditional celebrations or larger crowds. There were no extra gatherings, parties, meals. No holiday emphases whatever. Truly it was a long, strange year.

We have been holding public, on-site worship since February. We do not anticipate needing to adjourn again. As more people are vaccinated and the threat continues to subside we will slowly add programming, educational, and social activities. For some, it cannot come fast enough. Others will continue to be wary for some time. Our church, is like countless others who have to consider the circumstances of our own flock, the impact of the pandemic on our community, and the fatigue we all feel from the forced-march of inactivity. Which reminds me once again of the men I mentioned earlier. I cannot think of a group of men I would rather have discussed these difficult times and with who I would have rather made these hard decisions. I have been blessed. I also know that some have not been so fortunate. 

This time of reflection gives us a chance to consider some essential questions.

• Have we done more growing or groaning?
• Have we contemplated the opportunities or complained about imagined oppression?
• Have we learned more than we lost?
• Have we been faithfully focused or fretful and feckless?
• Have thought more about how to serve others or how we have personally suffered?

When we look back on 2020 how will it linger in our memory? Will we think of it as a year filled with regrets and remorse or will it be a year of renewal and resurrection hope? 

That is no empty, rhetorical question. The choice was always yours, and mine. Even in “normal”  years with no pandemic, no unrest, no turmoil you were not in control of the circumstances. And if you thought you were that presumption came from naiveté or ambivalence. Circumstances are always unforeseen and unknowable; till they are upon us. We always choose. We always react. We always respond. 

I hope that you consider this entire period from last Easter until this Easter a grand opportunity to live the Resurrected life of a Kingdom-focused disciple. We have had opportunities to learn and change and evolve and adapt that we may never see for the rest of our lives. We have had an entire year of Resurrected Life to live in a crisis environment of undetermined duration. Never since the opening era of Christian history has so much been so unsettled nor has so much been so secure for the faithful who survive the darkness of the cross to live in the light of the empty tomb.