Author: Les Shultz

Thoughts from here and there…Lawncare Christians?

Who doesn’t desire a beautiful lawn? Lawn care is a time-consuming task that may lead to less than optimum results.

“Minneapolis pastor Leith Anderson tells of calling ChemLawn to take care of his suburban weed-infested lawn, only to have them reject his lawn as a client because it was so bad. One member of his church volunteered to totally remove his old lawn and start a new one, an offer he was almost ready to accept when a former farmer gave him some advice: ‘Don’t worry so much about getting rid of the weeds. Just grow the grass, and the grass will take care of the weeds.’

“The Anderson’s took his prescription and did all they could to grow ‘the good stuff.’ After a couple of years, the lawn looked just as good as everyone else’s

“The Anderson’s had to ask themselves what would be their primary focus – growing grass or killing weeds? Like the householder from the Gospel parable, the Anderson’s decided to concentrate on the positive – on growth – instead of pouring their time, energy and resources into killing off weeds.”

The Gospel parable is the story told by Jesus comparing the kingdom of heaven to someone who sowed good seed in his field. It goes like this:

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn,'” (Matthew 13:24-30, NRSVA).

In lawn care you don’t call Chemlawn, you sow good seed. Eventually you will have a beautiful lawn. Does the same principle hold true for our Christian life? If you sow positive thoughts, will the negative ones be diminished? If you sow good deeds will the bad ones eventually be overcome.

The answers are a resounding, “Yes!” It takes time and effort, but it is worth it, isn’t it?

Thoughts from here and There…The Church Isn’t a Country Club!

“I will not go to that church, it is full of hypocrites!” a person declares.

And to that I say, “Thank God the church is full of hypocrites.”

Do you find this strange? Let me explain.

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up, left everything, and followed him.

Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them.

The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance,” (Luke 5:27-32, NRSVA).

The church is not a country club for saints but a hospital for sinners.

But then you have to admit that you are a sinner.

Sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. It refers to any offense against God or against a religious or moral law. Sin can be an action, thought, or word considered immoral, selfish, harmful, or alienating1. It is a failure to conform to the moral law of God.

That may not be an easy thing to do, but it is the necessary thing.

Without this admission one is excluded from God and the benefits of relationship with God.

Why would a person want to do that?

Thoughts from here and there…Biblical Conflict Resolution

I am neither a hawk nor a dove. Sometimes war is necessary, but I have come to believe that national or international conflicts will not be solved by “war.”

There are two biblical citations that come to mind: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good, (Romans 12:21, NRSVA), and When Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword,” (Matthew 26:52, NRSVA).

This leads me to share with you a thoughtful and insightful observation that I discovered in Homiletics Magazine on line:

“As the world’s only superpower, the United States bears grave responsibilities of leadership. Sometimes we must use force, and sometimes restraint. Sometimes we must act against world opinion.

“Popular psychiatrist M. Scott Peck makes an intriguing observation:

‘It is notable that two hundred years ago this new nation spent virtually no money and no energy attempting to control the behavior of the other nations of the world. Yet one by one, almost ten by ten, the peoples of these nations followed our spiritual and political example to seek the same freedoms for themselves. It is hard to escape the conclusion that in the years since, our political and spiritual leadership has declined in inverse proportion to the increasing amounts of money and effort we have expended to manipulate other countries…I wonder, if we in the United States were to concentrate—as our overwhelmingly major priority—on making ourselves the best possible society we can be, whether the nations of the world might once again, without any pressure except the influence of example, begin to emulate us.'”

This just might work, if we work at it.

As Historian of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC), I was asked by Mrs. Ann Kuester, Moderator of the NACCC to write a Covenanting Service that could be used to open the 2000 Annual Meeting of the NACCC in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

I looked at the Covenant of the NACCC that was affirmed at the first Annual Meeting of the NACCC held in Wauwatosa, WI on October 25, 1956, and at the original Salem Covenant of 1629 and the Enlarged Salem Covenant of 1636. Drawing on these resources I wrote a Covenant. Then working with the Rev. Gary Pierce, Pastor, Pilgrim Congregational Church, Green Bay, we modified that original effort and finalized the Covenanting Service which follows.

If you take the time to read through it, you will discover the principles that ought to be in a Church Covenant, the principles what bind members of a congregation together in the Word and Service of Jesus Christ. What applies to a congregation may also apply with modifications to citizenship in America. This month we celebrate the Fourth of July, the anniversary of the founding of our country. What better way to affirm our membership in church and country than by re-owning the covenants which bind us together.

COVENANTING SERVICE

In the old covenant, God chose Israel to be a special people of faith, and to obey the law. Our Lord Jesus Christ, by his death and resurrection, has made a new covenant with all who trust in him. We stand within this covenant and we bear his name.

On the one side, God promises in this covenant to give us new life in Christ. On the other side, we are pledged to live not for ourselves but for God.

As gathered Congregational Christian Churches we affirm this covenant God made with us. Historically we have been a covenant people, both with God and with each other.

We who are present here today, members of the National Association of Congregational Christians and the congregations we represent, having found by sad experience how dangerous it is to take lightly the covenant we have made with our God and with one another: and how prone we are to wander into other paths, even to the relaxation of our first love in entering into fellowship: Do therefore solemnly in the presence of the Eternal God, both for our own benefit, and the benefit of those which shall be or may be joined with us, renew that covenant that was accepted at the beginning of our National Association:

“Therefore We, the churches by our delegates here assembled in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, this 25th day of October 1956, do covenant in this National Association of Congregational Christian Churches to walk together in the ways which God anciently revealed to our fathers, and in such further ways as He may yet reveal to us, the present form and purposes being hereinafter stated.”

And we do more explicitly in the name and reverence of God, profess and formally affirm our determination to walk as followers of God through the power and grace of our Lord Jesus.

1. We affirm the Lord to be our God, and ourselves his people.

We do so covenant

2. We give ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the word of his grace, for the teaching, and sanctifying of us in matters of worship, and conversation, resolving to be united with him alone for life and glory; in polity, and in worship.

We do so covenant

3. We promise to walk with our brethren and sisters in this association of churches with all watchfulness and tenderness, to follow the rule of the Lord Jesus, and to bear and forbear, give and forgive as he has taught us.

We do so covenant

4. In public or in private, we will willingly do nothing to offend the reputation of the association, but will be willing to take advise for our selves and ours as occasion shall be presented.

We do so covenant

5. We bind ourselves together to promote the advancement of the gospel in all truth and peace with our sister churches, using their counsel as need shall be:

We do so covenant

6. We hereby promise to carry our selves in all lawful obedience to principles and practices that we mutually cherish, knowing-how well pleasing it will be to the Lord, that men, women and children should have encouragement in their lives.

We do so covenant

7. We resolve to establish ourselves in the Lord by using our particular gifts of the Spirit to create harmony and community as sister churches.

We do so covenant

8. We also promise to our best ability to teach our children and one another the knowledge of God and his purposes, so that all may serve him by the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection sealed the new covenant with us.

We do so covenant

The following is not part of the Covenanting Service but is the preamble in a book in which the delegates may sign their names.

In acceptance of these principles upon which our covenant relationship is founded, we sign our names in this book to be shared with all of the congregations of National Association of Congregational Christian Churches who are not able to be present here this day.

Prepared by Rev. Leslie Shultz and Rev. Gary Pierce, Modified from the Salem Covenant of 1629 and the Enlarged Covenant of 1636

Thoughts from there and there…Our Promised Land

They stood at the place disappointed, discouraged and defeated. It was their own fault. They had refused to believe that what had been promised could be accomplished with the help of the god who had led them to this place.

From where they stood they could see the land, the Promised Land; the land promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. It was a country that was described as “flowing with milk and honey.” This was the fulfillment of a dream that would soon turn into the people’s worst nightmare.

Spies had been sent out to investigate the land and to gather intelligence and to bring back some representative produce and products. The spies had been gone for forty days. There were many excited people who eagerly awaited their report. What a report it was!

The majority of the spies could only see the negative. It was a good land, productive and fruitful, but the people in the land were strong. The towns were large and well-fortified. There was a race of giants who invoked great fear.

One voice was heard encouraging immediate possession. The majority said it was impossible. As the word spread the people raised a loud cry of dismay and complaint. The intensity o their disappointment was readily observed.

No matter how loud was the one voice, the people would not listen. They believed the negative majority. The whole assembly questioned the leadership and the purpose that had brought them to this place. In a short time they decided to appoint another captain and return to the slavery from which they had been rescued.

So often we stand at the place of promise. We seek information and understanding, and that is as it should be. Too often we all our humanness to defeat the power of divine intention and purpose. Too often we remain as we are disappointed, discouraged, and defeated. God would not have it so.

If our founding mothers and fathers had possessed the same attitude as did Israel at Kadesh–barnea, this land would not have been settled, the Revolution would not have taken place, we would still be under the yoke of English rule and authority.

The founders did not listen to the voices of the majority, neither should we, that is and unless, those voices herald the will and purposes of God.

We can accomplish what needs to be done if we trust in the God who loves and guides us. Let us go up and possess the land!

Staying Power!

There is no question about it. Its hard. Its tiring. Its discouraging. The tendency is to give up and walk away, to disengage. It is essential to stay engaged.

The following insight from the personal experience of the apostle Paul provides important and logical information.

“Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one, (1 Corinthians 9:24-25, NRSV).

You and I are not Apostles. Does the counsel still hold true? The obvious answer is, “Yes!, It does indeed!” We are running a race, actually, the one race is divided into many parts, all of them leading to the same conclusion.

Part of our race is our family life. We create and sustain families based on the biblical model that we have received.

Part of our race is our church life. It is to be a community created and sustained by the acceptance of our Church Covenant and understood and sustained with the help of the Holy Spirit. Here we are to run and not grow weary.

Part of our race involves our community. We are to be witnesses to the grace and glory of Jesus Christ. And, we are, as it were, running towards eternity.

We cannot afford to lose sight of the imperishable crown of life. This is because there is a complementary element that also must be considered

“Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith, (Galatians 6:7-10, NRSV).

We reap what we sow. It sounds trite. It is true. Do now grow weary in doing what is right for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. There is no question about it. Its hard. Its tiring. Its discouraging. The tendency is to give up and walk away. It is essential to stay the course.

These principles work for us in many varied or conflicted situations. It works in parenting as fathers seek to nurture and discipline children. It works in families as the values and principles of the family are maintained. It works in congregations to resolve conflict and to set goals for a constructive future. It works in communities where politics can be a bane on developing vision and creating harmony.

“Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right,” (2 Thessalonians 3:13 NRSV). What is right? Paul in the above citation from Galatians provides us with a purpose. “So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for the family of faith.” Let us work for the good of all. You cannot do this is you have withdrawn and given up. You cannot do this is you are constantly engaged in criticism. You can only do this if you hold in mind the needs of the family of faith and how in Jesus Christ those needs may be met. So the questions might be, “How is you stamina?”

“When you are lonely, I wish you love. When you are down, I wish you joy. When things are complicated, I wish you faith. When things look empty, I wish you hope.” (Author Unknown; via Donna Lambert, Albuquerque, NM)

Thoughts from here and there…Reflections for a Father’s Day

A young pastor was visiting one of his church families. The father launched into a long lament about how difficult it was to be a good parent in our high-pressure, high-speed society. Finally the pastor said, “You are right, but there is only one thing harder than being a parent today, and that is being a child.”

The young daughter, who had been listening immediately responded, “You’re right!”

It’s tough being a father. It has always been tough to be a father. Fatherhood does not end when our children become adults. You may decide to relate to your children on an adult-to-adult basis, but you never stop being a father. You continue to be a fatherly role model all the rest of your life.

As a pastor I truly know how tough it is. Very often, when my children were small, I served a three or four point charge. One year I drove 60,000 miles attempting to provide pastoral services and care to three churches in the lower third of the Sate of Vermont. Most of the time the children were in bed asleep before I got home. I still took a day off a week for family activities.

I have tried to do a better job with our grandchildren. On occasion Helga and I have had one of them stay with us for a night or two. We have done the usual grandparent things: trips to the zoo, to the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, McDonald’s or Chuckie Cheese. On one occasion we decided to take Danissa to Karl Ratsch’s Restaurant. Helga explained a little what our granddaughter would find in the restaurant.

One of the most satisfying and rewarding experiences has been to read a story at bedtime. To say goodnight with a kiss, and “I love you.”

It is important to stay connected. In a scene from the summer 1991 movie “The Doctor”: William Hurt portrays a cynical, successful heart surgeon whose life attitude is turned around by his own bout with cancer. When he comes home unexpectedly in the middle of the day to be with his family, his wife calls to their young son playing outside, “Come in and say hello to your father.” The boy races into the room without even noticing his father standing at the other end. Automatically his son picks up the phone, “Hi Dad…hello, hello…” Then turning to his mother, he says, “Well, Mom, we must have got cut off…” Stay engaged and stay connected. It’s worth every minute of it.

A story that impressed me comes from Mother Theresa.

Mother Theresa remembers one of the sisters, who had just graduated from the university. She came from a well-to-do family that lived outside India.

She writes: “According to our rule, the very next day after joining our society, the postulants must go to the home for the dying destitute in Calcutta. Before this sister went, I told her, ‘You saw the priest during the Mass, with what love, with what delicate care he touched the body of Christ. Make sure you do the same thing when you get to the home because Jesus is there in a distressing disguise.’

“So she went, and after three hours, she came back. That girl from the university, who had seen and understood so many things, came to my room with such a beautiful smile on her face. She said, ‘For three hours I’ve been touching the body of Christ!’

“And I said, ‘What did you do? What happened?’

“She said, ‘They brought a man from the street who had fallen into a drain and had been there for some time. He was covered with maggots and dirt and wounds. And though I found it very difficult, I cleaned him, and I knew I was touching the body of Christ!’

“She knew!”

What kindness! What compassion! What love! What delicate, yet powerful love. What would happen to you and me if we could develop the delicate, yet powerful love that is expressed in this story. How our relationships would change. What impact would that have upon our community of the faithful? Well, you know the answer to that question just as well as I do. And when you stop and think about it, isn’t this that to which Jesus is calling us? Of course it is. And, given the opportunity, he can help us produce it.

Thoughts from there and there…Defining Purpose

I was asked what was the purpose of the “Christianity?” In answer to the question I said, “The purpose of Christianity is to recreate in human beings the image of God in all its fullness, and to prepare us for immortality.” The church and family are the primary places where this purpose is realized.

This I might also ask you to consider this question: “What is the purpose of the family?” I use the word “family” in its broadest context. The question might be answered in this way: “The purpose of the family is to provide a place where adults and children may grow and realize human maturity in all its fullness, and prepare them for life.” But and this is a rather large “but,” who decides the meaning of maturity?

In the context of the Christian, this question is answered by God. The Apostle Paul writes about the gifts that are given to the people in the church by saying “that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (Ephesians 4:11b-15a, NRSV).

This demonstrates that only God can define maturity. We cannot because we do not have the wisdom nor the skills to be able to do so. I know that there are people who will argue with me on this point, but consider this: Only God can clearly evaluate who and what we truly are, and God has a lot to say about the limitations of human mind and will.

If we are going to help our children to grow up to be children of God, responsible citizens, realizing their fullest potential for mental and physical growth, there is an important principle that we ought to keep in mind. One of the most important understandings that may be achieved is this: That there is no one fixed point when a human being may rest and say I have arrived. John Powell in “Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am,” draws this conclusion:

“There is no fixed, true and real person inside of you or me, precisely because being a person necessarily implies becoming a person, being in process. If I am anything as a person it is what I think judge feel value honor esteem like love hate fear desire hope for believe in and am committed to. These are the things that define my person, and they are constantly in process, in the process of change. Unless my mind and heart are hopelessly barricaded, all these things that define me as a person are forever changing.”

If we will embrace it, this defines the purpose of the family. It helps us to better understand parenthood. It takes a lot of wisdom, insight, and good old fashioned hard work to be a parent, not only in 2004, but at anytime before now.

This is the point that Morris L. West attempted to make in his famous book, “the Shoes of the Fisherman.” He wrote:

“It costs too much to be a full human being that there are very few who have the enlightenment or the courage, to pay the price…One has to abandon altogether the search for security, and reach out to the risk of living with both arms. One has to embrace the world like a lover. One has to accept pain as a condition of existence. One has to court doubt and darkness as the cost of knowing. One needs a will stubborn in conflict, but apt always to total acceptance of every consequence of living and dying,” Morris L. West in The Shoes of the Fisherman.

Rather than seeking to protect our children from that which we believe to be harmful to them and detrimental to their growth, we should seek to equip them with the knowledge, and role models that will help them to be able to successfully meet the challenges that they will face.

The way of God is from closed to open. Ronald M. Paterson of Dayton, Ohio writes that he heard a woman talking about her fears for our nation. “One of the things she said was that the loudest and most painful noise she hears in our beloved country is the sound of minds snapping shut all over America. Her point was that too many of us are becoming people whose minds are closed and whose opinions are set in a sort of fatal concrete which threatens to sink the fragile nature of our democracy. She pointed out that this beloved ship floats on the willingness of diverse people to work with one another despite their differences of opinion, to find ways to get along with one another.

Do you remember Jesus seeking out strangers and the outcast? Do you remember the unconditional love which he showed and which he commanded of those who followed him? The way of God is the path which leads people to work together for the common good.”

I believe the point to be made is that openness is not fickleness or being flighty. Openness is openness to ways in which the spirit of God is seeking to lead us to a broader understanding of Christian principles and ideals than we may have at the present moment. To be closed-minded to have one’s mind made-up and nothing, education or experience can open it.

During May we observe important days of commemoration or remembrance including: May Day, Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, National Maritime Day, and Memorial Day. Rather than hardening minds and opinions, let us recognize the benefits that have been ours and instead of focusing on our differences, celebrate our common joys.