Start Living the Blessing! 7-25-10

Click here for the text this week--Colossians 2: 6-19

God, give us the grace to hear Your word—Your challenge—Your assurance.  We are sitting here in Your presence—speak and we will hear.  Touch us and we will be healed.  In Your name we pray.  Amen

Let’s put this somewhat complex passage in context:  This letter is addressed to a congregation at Colossae which was located east of Ephesus—the congregation that is mentioned in the Letter to the Ephesians.  It is clear from later passages in this letter that Paul had never actually been to Colossae.  As in many of the new congregations, trouble had popped up—in this case there were some who had unduly complicated the simple gospel message by bringing in ideas about angels and spiritual principalities.  The founder of the church, sent for the expert.  Paul was in prison so he wrote the letter from which our scripture passage comes.  Paul does not enter into the debate about spiritual beings and neither will we.  He simply says that Christ is all you need and that all other demands for specific behaviors are false.  Spiritual renewal through baptism, personal discipleship, and the practice of love for neighbor is all that Christ commands.  And we breathe a sigh of relief. Let’s look at the first paragraph of our text:  Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Savior; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. That’s it—that’s all we need to know.  You’ve received, you’re deeply rooted—well-constructed—start living the blessing!  And don’t forget to be thankful!  Paul sums it up in words that all of us can hear.  Let me tell you a story—you may have heard it—it hit the internet a while back—It seems that little Sarah had a cat.  Now Sarah’s family was very religious—going to one of those churches that places great emphasis on joining the church and being baptized.  Her mother looked out the kitchen window one day and smiled to see Sarah preaching to the cat, while the cat lay attentively beside her.  About 10 minutes later, her mother, hearing cat screeches and great hissing, rushes to the window.  She looks outside to see Sarah dunking the cat in the fish pond.  “Sarah”, her mother screamed, “Stop dunking the cat, the cat doesn’t like water!”  Sarah, barely missing a dunk, yells back, “well, he should have thought of that before he joined my church!” I think, for many of us, the same can be said of our past attempts at participating in traditional church.  When it dawned on us that many churches didn’t “like” what we are (and I realize I’m putting it mildly), their response when we asked for acceptance was—you should have thought of that before you joined our church.  And here is where Paul’s words bring such grace into our lives.  Listen to this—I love these words—Paul, responding to the claim that there were certain human traditions or laws that the young Christians had to obey says this:  “Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It's not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you're already in—insiders—“  And then, “Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, …They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are. They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as we are nourished by God.”  Paul is clear here as he is elsewhere—obeying laws and human traditions is not what makes us mature Christians—in fact, it’s not what makes us Christians at all! Through Christ, we are “put together in one piece…we can grow up healthy in God only as we are nourished by God” and we are put together in one piece as “insiders”.  I suspect that many of us are far more experienced, when it comes to church with a capital “C” with feeling like outsiders—but Paul says that, indeed, “we are already in” through Christ.  Even more importantly, we can grow up healthy in God only as we are nourished by God.”  Being insiders gives us access, full access—to the fullness of God and we are fully loved and accepted.  Now, I will tell you the truth, originally I thought that God would lead me to talk tonight about being released from all those old laws, throwing aside all those earthly expectations, and gathering as free people in this place to start living the blessing—a theme that we need to hear often—and, truly, I thought that was all God would lead me to talk about and then… I began to let God lead me to think about what it is we are doing here at Open Circle—what wildly new and wonderful ways God wants us to minister to all our communities and to the world…I began to think seriously about what it means to realize that God has made us insiders through Christ and given us a mission.   And the connection became obvious—God is calling us to create a new church, not a carbon copy of the churches and laws we left behind.  We are in bold new territory—a place where all churches were “once upon a time”, a place most older churches have forgotten—a place where we determine for ourselves what this church will be— a place where dos and don’ts will be replaced by “let’s give it a try”—a place where we can grow up healthy as a church when we are constantly nourished by God.  And so, it will up to us to choose. Therefore, I ask you: Will this be a church where— ~Whether you lift your hands in praise or fold your arms in quiet meditation—you will know that we all rejoice with you? ~Whether you know the words to the songs or don’t—you will know that we are all learning to sing together, rejoicing in both new and familiar ways to sing praise? ~Whether you are wealthy and have much to contribute to the basket or whether there are weeks when you have nothing at all contribute—you will know that you are a valued, treasured member of this community? Will this be a church where— ~Whether you live in Belleview, Ocala, Lady Lake, The Villages, or someplace else—you will know that this community is home to you? ~Whether you are gay, lesbian, bi or trans or straight as can be—you will know that this is a church where you can be who you are with no judgment and no condemnation? ~Whether you sing high or low, fast or slow, clapping or not on your life—you will know that this is a place where all voices are welcome to sing glory to God? ~Whether you are black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern or somewhere in between—you will know that you are welcomed and appreciated? And, will this be a church where— ~We value the health of the community more than being comfortable 100% of the time? ~We treasure new ideas and trust ourselves to try things out even if there is no guarantee that the ideas will work? ~We embrace people from all generations and seek the opinions of every person who enters our community? And will this be a church where— ~We live up to our name and open the circle as wide as God calls us to go? ~We support the ministries of this church and MCC worldwide with our time, our talents, and our gifts? ~We extend the radical hospitality of Christ inviting all “outsiders” to hear and live the invitation to be “insiders”? If this is to be a church where some or all of these things come to pass, we will commit ourselves to hear again the gospel of Christ—to celebrate again God’s perfect creation of our world, our church, our very selves.  We will push ourselves to be comfortable with fewer and fewer laws—those dos and don’ts that imprison our spirits and inhibit our praise.  Putting love for our neighbor first, we will reach out to love and to care.  And, we will focus on the simple gospel truth that God calls us to hear—that we receive Christ, that we are deeply rooted through discipleship and that we live Christ—letting our living become thanksgiving at every turn.   We will start living the blessing!  Are you in?  Say amen and amen!

Too Busy for Blessing--July 18, 2010

 Luke 10: 38-42

            Sisters, sisters—there were never such devoted sisters.…. remember White Christmas—Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen—the Haney sisters…..   

Many of you know that I have a twin sister and that was one of the songs my mother used to make us sing in talent shows, cute, huh?—well, let me tell you—having a sister is enough, but having a twin sister truly makes me an expert on sisterly bickering.  My late mother used to say we quit liking each other before we were two—what I think really happened is that we began to discover just how different we really were and we struck out on our own (yes, even at two) to prove just how different we were.  Now apparently, Mary and Martha weren’t twins, but it appears they suffered from some of the same “we’re different” arguments that my sister and I did.  If you have siblings, brothers or sisters, you can identify with wanting to be your own person and probably getting on your siblings’ last nerve while you were doing it.  So here may well be where the story picks up…

            Jesus, has gone a little farther in his journey than he was last week when the annoying attorney stopped him, asked him picky questions and was then treated to one of the most famous parables of all—“The Good Samaritan”.  Note with interest—that Luke tells the story of Mary and Martha immediately after our parable from last week—an interesting balance between doing and being—but I get ahead of myself.   This sisterly squabble goes far beyond a simple disagreement.  Jesus, in his firm, yet loving rebuke of Martha sets us to thinking about priorities and balance.  And this, in fact, IS the point of the story.  Priorities and choices and balance—a struggle for most of us, an impossibility for some. 

            Those of us who grew up in the south probably knew many “Marthas”.  Southern hospitality as it used to be defined required that the hostess never really sit down—or if they did, it should be on the edge of their seats so that they can rush to fill the sweet tea glasses or replenish the gravy before anyone even notices that the bowl is empty.  It has been said that one of the great mysteries of the South (capital ‘s’) is figuring out when those awe-inspiring hostesses actually ate.  The problem is they never really got the chance to experience their guests.  When I moved north (and I’m a strange mixture of Midwest hominess and southern hospitality) I was amazed at the different approach—food was prepared ahead of time or catered, and the proper host or hostess focused on the actual conversations and social needs of their guests—taking the time to actually get to know them. If the ice melted in the glass, it just did, there was always time to freshen the drink at the end of someone’s story—not in the midst of it.

            These two kinds of hosts are epitomized in our story today, but what exactly is Jesus saying to poor, harried Martha—stressed to the max and frustrated as can be at her sister for refusing to help.  Mary sits quietly at the Teacher’s feet with the others longing to know all that Jesus has to teach.  You can envision the scene—remembering that houses weren’t very big in Jesus’ day.  The clanging of pots and pans—Martha’s not so subtle attempt to get Mary’s attention, fails to have the desired effect.  Finally, Martha can’t take it anymore and stomps to the corner of the room where Jesus is speaking softly with Mary and all those who would listen.  Finally, Martha interrupts the entire scene demanding to know why Jesus does not make Mary do the “right thing”. 

            Jesus, surprises some of us, particularly in light of our parable of last week which focused on doing the right thing every time.  Instead of saying, “Oh, you are right, Martha—run along Mary and help your sister”, he seemingly reproaches Martha:  Can’t you just hear Him?  “Martha, Martha, you are scattered, frustrated and worried about all the things you think are important—but really they are not—Mary is focused on what is really important—what will never be taken from her.”  Can you put yourself in Martha’s place about now—even Jesus didn’t take her seriously.  And Mary wins again…we don’t have the opportunity to see what happens between these sisters after Jesus leaves—whether or not Martha truly gets what Jesus is saying or whether that’s a feud that lasts for weeks…as curious as we may be, it’s not important.  Jesus is really talking about priorities and choices—not an easy subject on which to preach—at least not if the preacher has any intention of staying honest. 

            What, then, does Jesus’ apparent rebuke of Martha mean for us today in a world where busyness is worn as some sort of badge of celebrity and we feel honored when even our good friends find time for us in their busy schedules.  John Jewell, a bishop in the 16^th Century says this:  It is important to note that this is not about who is better, smarter or more committed. It is about recognizing that which is truly urgent in the midst of living when "many things" seek the status of urgency.  Another one of my favorite quotes is from the reformer Martin Luther.  He says:  "I have so much to do today, I'd better spend an extra hour in prayer."  His priorities are clear—he understands that if he is going to accomplish all that he has laid out in front of him to do, he better start his day in the presence of the One who is the source of all our strength and courage. 

            And so, in the end, I don’t think that Jesus is scolding Martha—I believe that He is lovingly inviting her to make a choice that will bless her more than having the perfectly laid meal. He is inviting her and us to balance her busy-ness with her inner need for nourishment from hearing His words—to stop, if only for a moment, and listen to see if God is speaking.

            There is an old story, and I admit that I could not find the source of the story, but it’s a good one and fits here.  Long before electricity was widespread or when it was too expensive to be used when other methods sufficed, people in the northern climates used ice houses to preserve their food. Ice houses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, ice was cut from the frozen lakes and rivers and hauled to these ice houses.  Covered with sawdust, some of these blocks of ice would stay frozen well into summer.  One man, working in the ice house, lost a valuable watch that was very precious to him.  He searched and his friends searched—no one could find it. A young boy who heard about the missing watch slipped into the ice house during the noon break and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it. "I closed the door," the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still.  Soon I heard the watch ticking." One wonders how often we keep still enough to hear God’s voice ticking in the quiet.

            But there is good news for all of us in this story and this is it:  Jesus, the real host in this story, invites us all to sit and partake of what is important—what is life-giving and life-sustaining.  Putting things in the right order, if you will.  Partaking of what nourishes us at the banquet table prepared for us by God will enable us to go out into the world, refilled, refueled and refreshed.  And herein, lies the balance that we so badly need.  It takes courage to say “no” to constant activity: particularly if you are not comfortable with only the sound of your own breath.  For in that quiet God can speak and, in fact, does! 

            And herein lies the work of God’s church—universal and this church—church becomes the place of quiet and the place of doing—but it is up to us to explore how God wants to use us in balance.  My favorite tool is not a fancy power tool—it is a level—I love getting that bubble perfectly lined up so that I know the picture or wall or shelf or whatever is perfectly level—in balance.  God’s word is the level in our lives when we allow ourselves the freedom to tip this way and that until the bubble stays right in the middle—the level absolutely balanced.  God calls us to a life of  balance, for from balance comes health, and peace, and hope.  May this church model for all the world what it means to find balance and blessing!  Amen and amen.              

                       

"Go and Bless Likewise" July 11, 2010

Luke 10:25-37 

                                Most of us have heard the story of the good Samaritan so many times, we assume that we know what Jesus was illustrating when He told this story…and based on that assumed understanding—that Jesus wants us all to be good Samaritans—we now have hospitals named Good Samaritan, churches named Good Samaritan, and even a “Good Samaritan law” designed to protect those of us who take the risk of helping those who need help from being able to sue us if our efforts result in more harm than good.  But, let’s take another look at where the famous question “who is my neighbor?” comes from. 

                From Sunday School lessons, you may remember that Jesus was headed toward Jerusalem on one of His many ministry trips.  Stopping over to do some teaching, Jesus butted heads with a testy attorney who was having difficulty with some of what Jesus was saying.  He baited Jesus, apparently trying to make Him look silly in front of the crowds.  In what appears to be similar to a modern day cross-examination, the man asks Jesus, “exactly what do I have to do to inherit this eternal life you are so quick to talk about.”  Jesus, not willing to take the bait, says, “You’re the lawyer.  So what does it say in the Law?”  Now we know that Jesus is referring to the Torah, the ancient Jewish teachings.  The lawyer knows this too and is more than able to recite from memory:  “the law says ‘love God with all your heart and soul and strength and also love your neighbor as yourself.’”  Jesus responded, “You are exactly right, love God completely and love your neighbor as yourself and you will have life.”  Not satisfied, perhaps because he had failed to show Jesus up, the lawyer (and you can almost see him tugging at Jesus’ robe as Jesus turns to move on), the lawyer says, “Wait a minute, not so fast, you didn’t define your terms, Jesus—a little more precision is in order—who, exactly is my neighbor?”

                Jesus answers that question with the parable of the injured traveler and the Good Samaritan.   The first part of the story bears no surprises.  The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was treacherous in every way.  The road was steep and winding.  On top of that, it was notorious for the thieves that hid behind the rocks, just waiting for someone to pass by.  So the fact that the man—who was more than likely a Jewish man—travelling that road would be robbed and injured could have surprised no one—it is the next part of the story that causes surprise among Jesus’ listeners.  Two people, both religious, both supposed to be caring and trustworthy, come upon this injured man.   It’s like saying Martin Luther King, Jr. and Billy Graham come upon this man and do nothing.  Not only do they do nothing, they cross to the side of the road so as not to even get close enough to him to see if he is dead or alive.  So if the first surprise of the story is that people who should help don’t, the second surprise is even better—the very person who you would least expect to help the man—in fact, does.  This third man is a Samaritan and there was a bitter rivalry for centuries between Jews and Samaritans—and everyone listening to the story would have known that, so the significance of this part of the story would not have been lost on the lawyer or the rest of those listening.  No one would have expected this age-old enemy to help the battered Jewish man.  But not only does he stop and help, he takes the man to a hotel and pays for his recovery out of his own money. 

                While the surprise is still ripe in his mind, Jesus says to the lawyer, “So now you determine who would be the neighbor in the story I just told.”  The lawyer, unable to come up with a snappy response, merely whispers, “The one who showed mercy.”  Jesus in a final response, says “Go and do likewise.”

                Now, most of us have always assumed that the point of the story is simple—that Jesus wants us all to be helpful neighbors to those we encounter along the way.  There are a couple of problems with this—mostly the insertion of the identity of the merciful person as a Samaritan.  Jesus never did something for nothing and it is unwise of us to assume that this is the case.  If it mattered to Jesus that the one showing mercy was an arch enemy of the one that is injured, it had better matter to us.  This is not a simple two bad people, one good one—now go be good story.  It is much more complex than that.  The point of the story must be understood in the context of a rejected, unwanted, despised person stepping up to provide aid to one of the very ones who had formerly rejected the Samaritan.   Secondly, we have the problem that most of us are simply unable to risk everything and help our neighbors.  It is simply not who we are—left to our own devices.

                Many years ago, an experiment was conducted on seminary students—students who were studying to become ministers.  It seems that the experiment was set up like this:  researchers gathered the group into a room and told them that they were going to record a talk about the very parable we are studying today.  But the recording was taking place on the other side of the campus and they needed to hurry to get there on time.  Along the way, the researchers had planted a person in distress, slumped along side of the sidewalk, coughing and gasping for breath.  You can probably guess the outcome of this experiment.  Almost without exception, they rushed past the hurting individual, with one student actually stepping over the person when they got in the path.  As easy as it is to judge the actions of the seminarians, we should not.  Why?  Well, because most of us would respond the same way.  What Jesus wants us to see in this parable is that it is not enough to know right from wrong, we must chose the right action every time and that will require us to have a change of heart. 

                Other researchers have shown that those of us who are most likely to be compassionate and tend to our neighbors have, in fact, been tended to by someone in our lives—someone stranger or not, cared enough about doing the right thing to reach out and show us compassion when they didn’t have to and we never forget it.  For some that is enough to inspire us to reach out to others.  And yet, we have all been the one lying in the ditch when the Good Samaritan Jesus came along and offered us a hand.  Jesus, sent from God takes us into His healing arms and offers us solace and peace.  I invite you to remember when you may have been on the side of the road waiting for someone to stop their journey.  Who did God use to bring you to safety?  Is that enough to inspire you—when once you are healed from your bruises—to reach out and show compassion and mercy to those who would be your neighbor?

                Finally, it is important to note that the Samaritan put no limits on the mercy he was extending to the Jewish traveler.  After putting his trip on hold, he took the traveler to a hotel and pre-paid for his stay.  The story leads us to believe that he significantly overpaid for his stay and then told the innkeeper to put it on his tab.  Obviously, the innkeeper trusted the man enough to do just that.  Not only did the Samaritan do the right thing, he did it without placing limits on his willingness to care for his neighbor.  Is this not what God does for us in the welcoming, healing arms extended to us?  No matter what we need, or how many times we need it, God is there, bandaging us up again—transporting us to a safer and better place.  Just as the “Law” tells us we are to love God completely, God loved us first completely and without limits.  May we find the courage to love others like God loves us.  May we expand our definitions of neighbor to include all those who need our care and concern and may we truly be neighbors to all those who we pass on our journeys.  May we allow God, in Jesus Christ to lift us out of our brokenness and take us to a place of comfort and healing.  And may we allow that same God to use us to heal others.  Amen and amen. 

               

                

Blessed Simplicity Sermon preached on July 4, 2010

The Bread of Life  John 6: 26-35

In 1848, in the Shaker community of Alfred, Maine, Elder Joseph Brackett penned the following words to "Simple Gifts".

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

Along with our gospel lesson today, the message is short and simple.  In the Gospel, one of the most unadorned, yet most promise-full teachings is given: Jesus explained to them and to us: “I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry; no one who believes in me will be thirsty.” It doesn’t get any more unpretentious than that. Jesus, in His direct, way “cuts to the chase” for us, helps us set our priorities for our lives and the life of His church, including this church. That’s it, my friends—that’s all there is to it and hundreds of years later, we’re still looking for more, still trying to make the simplest teaching ever taught, theologically paradoxical, organizationally complex, and institutionally confounding. It reminds me of the very old story, you may have heard it, when the father and son are riding along in a car. The 5-Year-old child says, “Daddy, I get the part about our new baby being in mommy’s tummy, but I don’t understand how it got there.” Dad hmm’s and haws, tries various nonsensical explanations, until finally the boy says, “It’s ok, Daddy, you don’t have to make it up if you don’t know!” And it would sometimes seem that we are so uncomfortable with sharing the simple truth of it all, that we appear to be “making it up”.

The Shaker hymn links simplicity and freedom as special and unique gifts. This stripping away all the unnecessary trappings, both physical and spiritual, allows us to bask in the joy of what really matters. Our understanding of the true gift of simplicity and freedom leads us to the place where we ought to be…”the valley of love and delight”. I find myself wandering into the valley of love and delight and looking to see if “church” is found there--Church large or church small, and more importantly, this church? For many of us and for many good reasons, “church” carries a very complex negativity in our scarred emotional psyches. From those institutions of shaming and rejection, we turned away. But because of this church or some other welcoming community, we, nevertheless found this “valley of love and delight” when our focus stays on the simple, blessed message of Jesus. 

My friends, this is such a time as requires simplicity—the truth found in this simple and clear statement of Jesus needs no doctrinal development, no theological extrapolation—it just is.  In a world where hatred and discrimination against us and other disenfranchised people runs rampant, we miss what Jesus is saying to us—that He is the source and power of everything that we need to stand in the face of injustice—to create a sanctuary for all the hated, the “less than”, the different. He is the “bread of life”—all our hunger and thirst for self-acceptance and love by others is satisfied in Him. There are many of us, here in this room, who know the blessed truth of all that Jesus has to offer. 

What then, do we need to do? First, to share and embody the love of Jesus Christ, we must allow ourselves to experience it for ourselves.  Are you among those still hungering and thirsting for more even after you have come to Jesus? Many of us are. I invite you to make the journey again, look for the places in your heart that you have closed off, that you keep private—somehow believing that those parts are immune to the movement of the Holy Spirit in every nook and cranny of your soul. And in this journey, I invite you to be simple—to seek simple truths-- in the teachings of Jesus. A foundational process is this and probably not, as some faith traditions would insist, a one-time event. I know for myself, that there is a constant seeking for more truth, but that subsequent seeking takes place in the midst of an essential ‘fullness’—a primitive, if you will, knowledge that everything that I need is satisfied by Him who is the Bread of Life. Secondly, when I speak of the urgency of the message, I am not speaking of the same urgency of the early church or even of contemporary preachers who preach that Jesus is coming back soon.  We know that Paul and many early followers of Jesus believed that He was returning to the earth momentarily.  This has absolutely no effect on the urgency of the message. What matters most is this: few of us came to this place without experiencing the doubt, fear, and shame that the rest of the world bequeathed to us. But we know the truth—Jesus said, I am the bread of life—the fullness of life-- I will feed you and my people will feed you, you will not hunger or thirst again—not for acceptance, or love, or belonging. The amazing thing to me (and I place myself squarely in the same place as all of us) is that we can know this fullness and peace and keep it to ourselves. The actions of Jesus’ early followers clearly demonstrate that His message was not meant for us to keep to ourselves. And yet we do.   Much energy goes into conversations about church growth. And almost everyone has a different answer. Kinda reminds me of old minister story—Seems a traveling evangelist came into town. The preacher, upon arriving in a small town to be guest speaker at a local church, wanted to mail a letter to his family back home. He stopped a young boy on a bike and asked him where the post office was. The boy gave him directions, and the preacher thanked him. "If you come to church this evening," the preacher said, "I'll tell you how to get to heaven." "I don't think I'll be there," the boy said. "You don't even know your way to the post office." Sometimes it seems like we Christians “don’t even know our way to the post office” when it comes to building up the body of Christ. And we certainly don’t often agree.           In spite of all the differences, most all church consultants agree that we must have a way for every person—oldtimer or newcomer—who walks through this door to become involved—a special place of belonging to increase opportunities for significant engagement in our mission. Whether those opportunities are ministry teams, Bible study and prayer groups or develop from a new incarnation of an old idea, we must explore ways to increase those opportunities for people to become meaningfully involved. This will mean that we will need to enter into multiple conversations around what that might look like at Open Circle today. We may borrow from the past as well as make bold strides into the future. What avenues, as yet unexplored, exist to bring this “body of Christ”—from trusting member or wary newcomer—to inclusive and embracing circles of welcome.  One of the greatest teachers of simplicity in our own time, Mother Teresa, gave us this brief lesson on working together. She said, “You can do what I cannot do, I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things.”                 The message is simple, the call is loud, and the need is great. And, “together we can do great things!” We live in a time of turmoil, adversity, and challenge—it is time! Church developer, Dave Browning, challenges the church to engage in what he calls “what if” thinking. And, I want to challenge us to do these great things together, to move beyond “if only” thinking to “what if” celebrations of what God is willing to do in our midst.                If only we had more people, more space, more money, more leaders turns into what if we allowed God to work all the miracles that are waiting for Open Circle MCC, here and now? What if we open ourselves to new ideas, or old ideas whose time has come again?  What if we all become a part of those great things we can do together here at Open Circle and beyond. I want you to know I am prepared to do the work, lay the foundation, and share the news. I hope you are, too. Let us move boldly and proudly into the light of mission and welcome. Jesus is pointing the way, and He waits for us to follow. Amen and Amen!