Learning to be Loved (Excursion 2/Road Trip 12 - June 10, 2018)

This is the second message in the Excursion for June 2018. It's also message # 12 in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church. 

Title: "Learning to be Loved"

Message Summary:  One thing the Pipe metaphor does really well is point to the importance of having an “inflow” first. This is why the “Abide” icon has a circle at the top of the pipe, to focus our attention there. As it says in 1 John 4 “We love because he first loved us.” And Jesus teaches us this same thing in John 15 using the image of a vine and branches: fruit is the result of the sap flowing into the branches. Over and over again Jesus emphasizes that the most important thing for us to do is to “abide” in him. Stay connected. Stay open. Receive the flow. Let yourself be loved.

We do believe that God loves us, loves us all the time, and loves us just as we are. But how do we “tune in” to that realty?

The answer to that may be different for different people, and it may be different for the same person at different times! But a good starting point is to look at the beautiful moment of abiding between Jesus and his Father at his baptism. What we see there is Jesus simply listening, “soaking it in” as the Father declares three things to him: You are my son, I love you, and I’m pleased with you. (Mark 1:9-11)

Jesus abides constantly in the relationship declared in those three statements. That relationship is his source of strength and direction for all he does and endures. As followers of Jesus, we want to learn from his example and “find rest for our souls” (Matthew 11:29) So learning to be loved can begin by spending time listening to the Father just as Jesus did. Listen to the Father speak those same words to you. “Abide” in that love, and you’ll surely feel the flow pouring in from above.

Video: Click here to watch video of the message on Facebook.

Audio: Click here to listen to audio of the message.

Slides: Click here to see slides from the message.

Conversation Questions from the Travel Guide

• Does it feel important to you to spend time “soaking” and simply experiencing the reality of God’s love for you?  Or does that seem like wasting time when you should be “getting something done?”
• Sometimes people light a candle as a sign of God’s presence, or wrap a blanket around their shoulders to represent God’s loving “hug.” For many, tilting their head back – like we do to feel the sun on our face – brings a powerful sense of God’s delight in them. Are there abiding practices that you have tried or found helpful?
• Following Jesus’ example, we too can quiet our hearts and simply listen to the Father speaking to us. Which of the three things the Father says speaks most deeply to you? “You are my child”? “I love you”? “I am pleased with you”?
• For some people, trying to sit quietly might make it harder for them to feel loved! Is that true for you?  If so, what kind of activity does help you get filled up with God’s love?

Bible verses for Learning to be Loved:

• Romans 5:8
• John 15:16
• 1 John 3:1a
• Mark 1:9-11
• Matthew 4:1-4
• Matthew 11:29
• Zephaniah 3:17

A Helpful Way to Think About Life (Excursion 1/Road Trip 11 - June 3, 2018)

This is the first message in the Excursion for June 2018. It's also message # 11 in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church. 

Title: "A Helpful Way to Think About Life"

Message Summary: The way we think about life shapes how we experience it, and how we live. You’ll live very differently if you believe “Life is a test” as opposed to “Life is an adventure!”

One helpful way for followers of Jesus to think about life uses the image of an L-shaped pipe. In this metaphor, humans are built for relationship: for connection to God and to each other. Life is about “flow” as we receive love from God and release love to others. The inflow and the outflow are connected, and are actually just two parts of one thing. As it says in 1 John 4 “We love because he first loved us.” Blockage at either end shuts down the flow, both in and out.

Now, life is full of “plumbing problems” that disrupt the flow of love to us and through us. People can be wounded by others spiritually, emotionally and physically, and end up with “dents” in their pipe. “Clogs” of bitterness, anger jealousy and such can also form inside us. 

But healing can repair what has gone wrong. And human life finds meaning, joy and fulfillment again as we experience the flow of love moving through us.

Video: Click here to view video of message on Facebook.

Slides: Click here to view the slides from the sermon in a new window.

Audio: Click here for the sermon audio from Sunday, June 2, 2018.

Conversation Questions from the Travel Guide

• What other ways do people think about life?   “Life is a ___.”  “Life is like___.”  
• Do any of those ways of thinking shape how you experience life?
•  How well does the Pipe image fit with how you experience life?
•  Are there things about your life that don’t fit easily within the Pipe metaphor?
•  If you saw yourself as a pipe, then how would you see Jesus?
•  Are you aware of any clogs in your life right now? Any dents?

Bible verses you can explore using the Pipe:

• Matthew 6:12
• Luke 10:40
• Luke 15:11-32
• John 15:1-11
• John 7:37-39

Join the Conversation in June

For the month of June I'm inviting people into conversation - with each other and with me - around four weekly themes that I have found to be foundational in the way I understand and practice my faith. Would you like to join in?

The themes are part of a "Visual Catechism" I'm developing. The first theme is "Flow," which explores the idea that humans are designed to be like L-shaped pipes that receive and release goodness so that it flows through us from God to each other. The second theme, "Abide" emphasizes the importance of learning how to be loved since the inflow from God is what drives the outflow. "Rhythm" considers how we can order our lives so that this way of living is built into our schedules and not dependent on when we happen to be having a good day. Finally, the "Follow" theme looks at how we can hear and act on what God is up to in our lives which gives our outflow direction in the world.

To support conversation on those themes I've created a downloadable Travel Guide with scripture references and discussion questions, and a Facebook page that will follow along with the weekly message I will be preaching at St. Stephen's in West Saint Paul. The messages will be posted online here for easy access. All these resources are being collected on the Excursion tab on this blog, so that's the hub for pretty much everything you might want.

To participate, all you need to do is find someone else that you'd like to explore these themes with, grab the resource and run with it! If you'd like to be in conversation with me and others along the way, the Facebook page is the place for that.

I hope you'll come along on the Excursion! It's be a joy to have you in conversation and a real help to me as I continue to work on creating a resource that I hope can be valuable to many.

Tim

P.S. - Some of my icons are drawn from or influenced by the resources of the 3dm Movement. I HIGHLY recommend you check them out!

"Road Trip" Sermon #10 - "Pentecost"

Message # 10 in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church. 

Title: "Pentecost"

Summary: Pentecost is a game-changer, not because the Spirit was given, but because the Spirit was given to all. That is what gave birth to the Church were there is a radical mutuality described in the many "one-another" passages. For many, many centuries however, the Church has neglected one-anothering and focused on the old mode where the one speaks to the others. It's incredibly important for us as disciples of Jesus to begin relearning the mutuality of spiritual life that is at the heart of what Pentecost put in motion. The June "Excursion" is one small step we all can take in that direction.

Slides with Audio: Click here to view the slides with audio from the sermon in a new window.

Audio Only: Click here to listen to the sermon audio from Sunday, May 20th, 2018.

Find the whole series here.

"Road Trip" Sermon #9 - "The Learning Circle"

Message # 9 in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church

Title: "The Learning Circle"

Summary: A final look at the condensed version of the message of Jesus in Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe the good news!" Previous sermons looked at four key words: Time (kairos); Kingdom; Repent and Believe. This time I show how Jesus' message fits with the "big picture" of salvation history, as well as the "personal picture" of our own day-to-day lives. Uses a visual symbol to show the four themes working together as a representation of how we listen for God's leading and respond.

Slides: Click here to view the slides from the sermon in a new window.

Audio: Click here to listen to the sermon audio from Sunday, April 8th, 2018.

Find the whole series here.

"Road Trip" Sermon #8 - "Believe"

Message # 8 in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church

Title: "Believe"

Summary: Continues to unpack the condensed version of the message of Jesus in Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe the good news!" The focus this time is the word "Believe." Jesus' call to "believe" goes beyond just holding certain things to be true. It also calls for relationship, as in when we say "I believe in you." And it  calls for the belief to be realized in action. Put together, it's clear that belief in Jesus is a way of living based on trust.

Slides: Click here to view the slides from the sermon in a new window.

Audio: Click here to listen to the sermon audio from Saturday, March 3rd, 2018.

Video: (May be added later.)

Find the whole series here.

"Road Trip" Sermon #7 - Repent (Come and See!)

Message #7 in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church.

Title: "Repent (Come and See!)"

Summary: Continues to unpack the condensed version of the message of Jesus in Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe the good news!" The focus this time is the word "Repent." Although the word is strongly connected to risk and threat in our culture, it doesn't just refer to the need to turn from something bad. It can also be a call to turn towards something wonderful. In fact, every turning involved both a turn-from and a turn-towards. In the message of Jesus however, the emphasis is on the arrival of the Kingdom, which is not to be seen as a threat, but as "good news!" The message of Jesus is a turn-towards invitation, and adopting that perspective can change the way we experience our lives.

Slides: Click here to view the slides from the sermon in a new window.

Audio: Click here to listen to the sermon audio from Sunday February 11th, 2018.

Video: See the message here on Facebook Live.

Find the whole series here.

"Road Trip" Sermon #6 - Kingdom Come, Then and Now

Message #6 in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church.

Title: "Kingdom Come - Then and Now"

Summary: Continues to unpack the condensed version of the message of Jesus in Mark 1:15

"The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe the good news!" The focus this time is the word "Kingdom" and the phrase "Kingdom come." Looks at two meanings: the final arrival of the Kingdom when Jesus returns (reappears, really) and the idea that the Kingdom can come it various ways even now, in us and through us. For example, whenever something broken is fixed that's "a little bit of Kingdom come." So the message of Jesus is not only about the Kingdom to come in the future, but also an invitation to join in God's work to bring the Kingdom here and now.

Slides: Click here to view the slides from the sermon in a new window.

Audio: Click here to listen to the sermon audio from Sunday February 11th, 2018.

Find the complete series here.

"Road Trip" Sermon #5 - It's Time!

Message #5 in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church.

Title: "It's Time!"

Summary: Introduces Mark 1:15 which is a one-verse summary of Jesus' message. Four key words in that verse need to be "unpacked." In this message we look at the word "time." Other words will be the focus of future messages.

"Time" in Greek can be either chronos (chronological time - minutes, seconds, appointments etc.) or kairos (unscheduled time that arrives "when the moment is right" as when an expectant mother suddenly announces "The baby is coming NOW!")

Jesus points us to kairos time, to be attentive to the moments when God is up to something wonderful that we can take part in.



Slides: Click here to view slides in a new window.

Audio: Hear the audio from Saturday January 13th 2018 here.

"Road Trip" Sermon #4 - Balance

Message #4 in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church.

Title: "Balance"

Summary: Begins with a quick tip for abiding in prayer using a prayer posture that emphasizes receptivity and joy rather than humility. Main topic is observing how Jesus attends to three dimensions of life - "Up" with the Father; "In" with the disciples and his faith family; "Out" with the crowds. He works to keep a balanced attention on all three of these relationships. Introduces the Triangle as a simple graphic to help us remember this. As disciples, we seek to pursue the same kind of three-point balancing in our own lives.

Slides: Click here to view slides in a new window.

Video: View the video from Sunday November 26th here.

Announcement: Kevin McClure to Speak at Unfinished Business Conference

I'm so pleased to round out the speakers for the Unfinished Business with Kevin McClure who will be both a panelist and opening sessions speaker.

Kevin has been a Christ follower for nearly 45 years and a pastor for 39. Kevin and his wife, Laura, have been married for 42 years and they have four grown children and six grandchildren. His ministry has included church planting, pastoring, consulting, writing and more. Kevin's heart is to see God's Kingdom more fully materialize in each Christian's circle of influence. He loves to equip people to pray more effectively, believing that a church can't be stronger than its prayer ministry. He currently leads Family Room Church in Shoreview, MN.

Click here for more information about the Unfinished Business Conference, taking place on Saturday, November 18th in West Saint Paul, MN. If you are interested in the conference but unable to attend, sign up here for links to documents and video available after the conference.

Speaker Announcement for Unfinished Business Conference

I'm delighted to announce that my good friend Carol Coomer will be one of our speakers at the Unfinished Business Conference! Carol is one of the founding members of Liberating Spirit, a small independent congregation, organized in 2014, that very much resembles the kind of "Evangelical Order" community that Luther described. Carol will be one of our panelists and bring her experience of helping to lead a kind of "house church" that happens to meet in a funeral home! She is also a proud mother and grandmother, and is retired from her work as the office coordinator for a medical practice.

"Road Trip" Sermon #3 - Abiding is Job #1

Message #3 in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church.

Title: "Abiding is Job #1"

Summary: As disciples of (apprentices to) Jesus, we want to learn from him how to abide. A great example he gives us is in Luke 3:21-22 which tells about Jesus' baptism. We see him there, in prayer, having a moment of "quality time" with the Father and hearing the Father remind him; "You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." This is a simple, clear and direct practice that we can learn from him: find ways to "soak it up" as we listen to the Father declare the same things to us. The most straightforward way to do this is by having a moment of listening prayer every time you take a shower or bath.

Slides: Click here to view slides in a new window.

Video: View the video from Saturday November 4th here.

"Road Trip" Sermon #1 - The Great Commission

This is the first message in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church.

Title: "The Great Commission"

Summary: In a series of messages I will be taking the congregation on a "Road Trip" of sorts. We'll start and end with Matthew 28 where Jesus tells us to make disciples. Of all the good things that the church can do and does, the core task of the Church is to make disciples; not converts, not Lutherans, not churchgoers and not good, moral people, but disciples. On the Road Trip, we will be focusing first on what it even means to be a "disciple," and then build on that to explore what it means to make disciples.

Slides: Click here to view slides in a new window.

Video

"Road Trip" Sermon #2 - Go and Make Disciples - What Does This Mean?

Message #2 in my "Road Trip" series at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church.

Title: "Go and Make Disciples - What Does This Mean?""

Summary: A disciple is an apprentice to Jesus: we learn not just information from him, but we learn how to be human by walking and working with him. A very helpful tool for thinking about being human is the L-shaped Pipe metaphor. The Pipe describes how humans are built for connection in relationships with God and each other, and also for flow so that all that God pours into us naturally flows out of us to bless others. We do encounter a lot of "plumbing problems" in our lives, the worst of which is disconnecting from God and our neighbor to curve into ourselves. The most important thing is to keep a strong and healthy connection with God, which Jesus refers to as "abiding."

Slides: Click here to view slides in a new window.

Video

Special Speaker Announcement for the Unfinished Business Conference

I am very excited to announce another speaker confirmed for the conference. But I can't tell you who it is.

Seriously.

I was introduced recently to a woman who is a seminary student here in town. She was raised as an atheist in northern China up until the age of 12 when her mother became a believer. She herself came to faith later, and has attended House Church in China for many years. House churches are illegal in China, where only the state-authorized church bodies are allowed to gather openly. So to avoid putting friends and family at risk back in China I won't use her name or give her hometown online.

We will be greatly privileged to have her share her perspective with us at the conference!

Click here for details and to register.

Gina Mueller to Speak at Unfinished Business Conference

I'm beginning to get confirmations from the people who will be speakers at the Unfinished Business conference, and I'm delighted to introduce you to Gina Mueller. Gina will be one of our panelists, looking at the pros, cons and unanswered questions around Luther's house church proposal. Here's her bio:

"Gina Mueller is a national leader with 3dmovements. She trains leaders and teams how to create a culture of discipleship that results in a mobilized church. As a practitioner, she’s done the hard work of going first. Gina has led teams and served in various contexts - shifting the culture of a mega church as well as church planting. She is passionate about awakening the church to live into her sentness by activating the missional creativity of ordinary people. Gina has been building and multiplying extended families on mission called Missional Communities for almost 10 years. Gina loves hanging with her neighbors, her local coffee shop, and pizza night with her family!"

You can learn more about Gina's work with the 3dm discipling movement here. I have been working with 3dm materials and coaches for 5 years and HIGHLY recommend them!

Registration for the conference is now open. Come and be a part of the conversation!