Grace United Methodist Church - Franklin, IN - Blog

Courage to be First - Philippians 3:10-16

1/26/2021

In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul throws out some very important “stuff” to “take hold” of Christ, because he knows how Christ has taken hold of him.

When Christ took hold of Paul on the Road to Damascus and called out to Paul, he could not help but take hold of Christ. He could not but seek to imitate the One who took the “form of God, but did not count equality with God as something to be exploited, but instead emptied himself, and became human, a humble servant, obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-8).

In Paul’s way of thinking, the reason we can take hold of Christ is because Christ has taken hold of us and called us, and this is what it looks like – a giving up and a letting go, a pressing on and straining forward.

I believe it was my seminary professor, Fred Craddock, who called this message a message of downward mobility: Jesus comes from the very heart of God, from all that was good in God. He came from the ivory places of glory, possessing all that was wonderful, and he tossed it all, becoming human, like you and me, obeying God, even unto death.

And what Paul says is, “If this is who Jesus is, then how can I still seek upward mobility? How can I keep all that I have – good and bad – and follow some other cause or movement, or leader, and remain faithful? How can I run this race with any sense of purpose?”

More to the point: How can any of us? How can I? How can I claim to be a follower of this “God in human form” and keep my own agenda, my own pride, my own stuff, and just add on “church” as it may or may not fit into my schedule, or my plans? How can I tack on my faith around the edges, and keep my life intact, when I run toward the One who gave it all up and tossed it all out, and came down here, to become a servant, for me? What kind of courage do we need to put this first? What kind of grace does God provide to reach this goal?

Because we are running the same race, aren’t we? Aren’t we? The same race? Running toward the One who has taken hold of us? If so, let’s run this race together, having the mind that was in Christ Jesus.

Pastor Andy Kinsey

Courage to be Gracious - Philippians 1:2-14

1/19/2021

A mother changes the way she views the boy who shot and killed her little girl. Parents ask for a lesser sentence for the two men who beat their son and left him for dead. A man spends years trying to save the life of the man who shot him point blank with a shotgun. These stories illustrate the point that we have a choice to make. It is the same choice believers have had to make since the early church. It is the same choice churches have had to make from their beginnings until now.

In the wake of the attack on the Capitol building and in light of the unrest, division, and turmoil that continues to wreak havoc on our nation, you, we, the church, have a choice to make. You can choose to allow all of it to eat away at your emotional core; pretending you are o.k. and pressing on, all the while it devours you from the inside out turning you into a vessel of bitterness, pain, and apathy. You can choose to let it fester within you, feeding it the energy fueled by propaganda and media hype until it spews out of you like poison or accelerant on a fire. You can choose the path of least resistance, buy your time, lay low, and hope not too much of the filth and mess touches your life or stains your mental and emotional clothing. You can choose to retaliate, throw judgement and hatred around, and seek vengeance in the name of justice. OR you can choose to be gracious.

On the one hand it should be the easiest choice in the world. On the other hand, we know in reality, it is often far more complicated and takes far more courage.

In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul addresses the need for the believers there to remember who they are and what they are to be about. The Phillippian church was perhaps Paul’s favorite church. They were a people he had come to love; a people who loved and encouraged him and made him proud. They were a community of believers who were about doing ministry. They were an active church. They were known in their community for their actions and outreach. You might say they were a church that left the building.

So what was the problem? The problem was they allowed disagreements, opinions, ideas, and issues to come between them that could potentially fracture what they were about and who they were to be. Paul calls them back to center. From his own prison cell he tells them it is the grace of God that brought him and them this far, the grace that forgives and empowers believers to carry on in unity. It is the grace of God that meets us in our own darkness, trials, and grief and brings us together into the light of Christ - the light of mercy, forgiveness, and unity. It is that grace that allows us to then have the courage to be gracious to others. We can’t do it of our own accord - maybe you can, I can’t.

I admit, I don’t always want to be gracious. I grow weary of watching our world self destruct and denominations self-implode. I am tired of people hurting other people without seeking to listen or even try to understand the issues; tired of people thinking that canceling out each other’s ideas, beliefs, experiences, insights, and thoughts is how to live in community. I told the staff the other day I felt like the flag outside the church, flying at half staff. I mourn what has happened in this country - in the past and in the last couple weeks. I mourn all the pain and loss I have seen over the years and sat through with people I come to love, all of which seems magnified right now. My heart hurts for those who feel isolated and forgotten in their own homes. I feel for those who haven’t been with family. It can be difficult to show grace.

I can see how it would have been easy for Paul to become bitter. To withdraw into his cell, come to hate those who imprisoned him, and perhaps even come to resent the day God’s grace changed his life. It would have been easy for him to come to the conclusion that he deserved his punishment. Afterall, before his own change of heart, he punished and persecuted Christians, even ordered them to death. It would have been easy for Paul to quit, to give up.

But it's not about Paul is it? It's not about me. It’s about Jesus and this incredible mystery of divine and holy love-filled grace that we can never fully understand or grasp. A grace that is incomprehensible; a love that is unconditional, and a hope that is everlasting.

What will our choice be? As followers of Jesus, will we give up? Will we turn away? Will we allow emotionally charged issues, political differences, hot topics, systemic injustice, fear of the other, or racial tension to divide us? Like the church in Phillippi, we must remember who we are in Christ. We must remember it is by grace, God’s grace, we are here to begin with. It is by God’s grace that we are loved and can give love. It is how and why we do what we do. It is God’s grace that can do far more than we can. We must remember it is because of that grace, and not anything we do in and of ourselves, that we can have the courage to be gracious; to live a gracious life; to love and love well inside and outside the walls of this building.

Dear Jesus, may it be so.

Pastor Jenothy Irvine

Courage to Be Changed - Philippians 2:1-5

1/12/2021

In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul writes: “Do not do anything out of selfish ambition or conceit. Regard others better than yourself. Do not look to your own interests, but keep in front of you the interests of others” (2:3-4).

Note Paul’s assumption: we share in a common life, in a common good together. When we act out of selfish ambition or conceit, when we fail to act with humility (thinking we possess the whole truth), when we think we can act as if our actions and words don’t matter – we fail to serve the common good, the “interest of others.”

And what Paul says in this passage is that it doesn’t have to be this way.

The English translation here is a little misleading, for what Paul is really saying in Greek goes something like this, or sounds like the following. It should sound more like since we have encouragement in Christ (and we have); since we have consolation, since we share in the life of the Spirit; and since there is compassion and sympathy in Jesus – we can receive joy! We can share in unity.

After all, God gives us the grace to be changed to live in this particular way! Not as some ideal, but as the “real” body of Christ, sharing the light of Christ!

Therefore, if we understand what Paul is saying, by practice and by attitude, we can really resist, and not succumb to, the “spiritual forces of wickedness.” Indeed, as Christians, we know that these “forces” are preventable! After all, they have been defeated. There is a more excellent way, and it is the way of Christ, of love and righteousness (I Cor. 12:59)!

As John Wesley and so many others have taught us, God’s grace, working on the human heart, can prevent us from such behavior. After all, once God’s grace moves in us, we can truly confess and realize our need to be changed.

How may we walk as Jesus walked in humility? How may we have the mind that was in Christ Jesus?

How may we allow God’s grace to change us to be more like Christ?

Pastor Andy Kinsey

Courage to Be Vulnerable - Philippians 2:5-11

1/5/2021

Even before my boys were born, while I was pregnant, I started a notebook of letters to each of them. Others were messages about what we had done that day or as they grew, how we celebrated a particular milestone. Poem, song lyrics, and prayers are scattered throughout as well. Any of the longer letters you find there, usually contain a section of what I would call, “the heart of the matter.” A section that speaks a truth I want them to know and remember. Something that tells them, no matter what else you read in this book of letters, THIS is what matters most.

I believe that is what we read in Phil. 2 It is Paul’s “what matters most” section of his letter to the church in Philippi. And what matters most is that the believers not only act like Jesus, but think like Jesus as well. They are to have the same mind as Christ - to be united in how they think and in how they act. To do that they must have the courage to be vulnerable and show the world around them there is another way.

Most people think courage is being strong, resolute, and it is, but at its core, is vulnerability. We can probably all think of someone in our lives who has shown courage by being vulnerable. Someone who spoke the truth when no one wanted to hear it. Shared personal stories never said before. Maybe we have done so ourselves. Yet, the world often tells us that being courageous involves being tough handed or hard hearted; that it requires superhero strength.

In the Roman Empire, divine and human power were asserted through strength, dominance, and war. Being “courageous” meant winning out over one’s opponents; showing power over others and using that power and control to gain more power and control.

Jesus on the other hand, showed ultimate courage through his vulnerability; humility, compassion, and servant leadership. It was not what people expected but it was exactly what was needed to turn ideologies, paradigms, and systems upside down in order to establish a kingdom, a church, a community, of hope, love, and peace.

This passage talks about how Jesus, who is God (“in the form of God,” “equality with God”), did not assume to be better than everyone else. Instead, he became humble, gave up the privileges of his divinity, “emptying himself” - made himself vulnerable in human existence.

That is the reality we remembered and celebrated just last week, with Christmas. Immanuel - God with us. It doesn’t get more vulnerable than a baby born in a feeding trough smack dab in the middle of our human mess. That is where courage and strength prevail - in vulnerability. Jesus became vulnerable to reveal God’s strength. Jesus became vulnerable to identify with our vulnerability - to show us we too find strength in him and in ourselves when we have courage to be vulnerable. In vulnerability there is healing, restoration, and growth. There is a comfort in knowing we are not the only ones struggling, empowerment in sharing our truth, and solidarity in journeying together.

Paul used this hymn to teach those early followers who were in conflict among themselves and with outside groups. Paul is advising them to have everyone’s interest in mind, as Jesus did, rather than trying to prove themselves right or better than anyone else. It’s not about you and me, it’s about we. It’s not about us and them, it's about all.

Paul is telling them and us to have the courage to be vulnerable. Courage to remember what we are about as a church and people of God. Courage to be united when being divided is easier. Courage to admit when we are wrong or don’t have all the answers. Courage to accept, even welcome the strangers among us. Courage to love and let love. Courage to surrender control sometimes. Courage to say, “me too,” and trust God anyway. Courage to fall down and to let someone help you back up. Courage to allow brokenness to reveal God’s wholeness. Courage to say, “I am only human.”

Here comes the scary but exhilaratingly beautiful part. Having the courage to be vulnerable is risky - vulnerability wouldn’t be vulnerability if it didn’t involve risk. It’s been said that courage is showing up in the arena of life - whatever arena it is: work, school, church, family, relationships, zoom calls, new beginnings, and old barriers. Courage is showing up in those places and moments not knowing what the outcome will be and doing the hard thing anyway.

I wonder what God could do with 20 seconds of your courageous vulnerability? I wonder what it would look like to live each day with courageous vulnerability? What would your relationships look like? How would you grow and change? Where would God take you? I wonder what more this church could do with those who have the courage to be vulnerable? Finally, I wonder what your faith could do with courageous vulnerability?

Are you willing to find out? May it be so. Amen.
Pastor Jenothy Irvine

Emmanuel - Isaiah 9:2-7

12/29/2020

The Good News of the Gospel and especially the Good News of Christmas and the Christmas Season is that God knows you very well! And more that: God loves you deeply and dearly. God knows you by name!

This is the glorious message of Christmas, and it is in line with what we read in the Gospel of Matthew: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet Isaiah – ”Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be ‘Emmanuel,’ which means God is with us” (Matthew 1: 22-23).

That’s Christmas! At Christmas, we celebrate the birth our Lord Jesus Christ, the One whose name, in addition to Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace – is Emmanuel or God with us. It is a name that speaks to a God who, instead of keeping his distance, comes close, very close, in Jesus Christ, and thereby comes close to us!

Charles Wesley, the prolific hymn writer of Methodism rose to his greatest height of creativity in expressing this message when he wrote these words:

Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord:
Long-desired, beyond him come, Finding here his humble home.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, Hail the Incarnate Deity!
Pleased as men with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.

Hark the herald angels sing! Glory to the newborn King!

Instead of keeping at a distance, God has come to dwell with us in the form of a baby – the Word made flesh in Jesus (John 1:5).

During these days of Christmas as we move into 2021, how may we cherish God's closeness, even while many are physically distant? How may we celebrate God's presence with us in a world that seems far from God? May we discover that God's grace is closer to us than we might have imagined!

Pastor Andy Kinsey

Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:2-7

12/21/2020

As Christians, we are not to live in denial – of anything, whether it is about living in peace in our families, or between siblings or spouses, or between political parties, or among nations. Peace does not look past reality! Rather, it faces reality.
In fact, I can remember so well the class I had in seminary (at Emory University) when another president by the name of Jimmy Carter came and spoke to us about the risk of attaining peace between Egypt and Israel. There was nothing fanciful about it. It was messy, and it was costly.

In many ways, it speaks to what the prophet Jeremiah was saying to the people and leaders of Israel in the 8th century BC, when he warned them about peace when there was no peace (6:14). Jeremiah was like a doctor delivering bad news to a patient. His diagnosis was that, unless the patient took measures to turn to God, the patient would die.

However, the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day gave a “second opinion.” They said, “Don’t listen to Jeremiah; what he is saying is not true; we are going to be just fine.” Jeremiah, however, said otherwise. He said:

“From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.
They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.”

Translation: We cannot fake peace. We can only have peace when we recognize God’s presence, when we affirm the image of God in ourselves and in others, even our enemies, when we face the reality of our condition (Matthew 6:24).

As we celebrate Advent, we need to remember that there is a cost to following the Prince of Peace; there is risk. But there is also hope: there is hope in the One who will fulfill God’s promises – promises that remind us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13): like breaking out of old habits and patterns, or like focusing our attention on the One who make all things new, or like living in truth, no longer captive to what is false, but open to what is real: to God’s grace. How may we receive what God wants to give us in our world? How may we now practice peace in our lives and so share it with others?

Pastor Andy Kinsey

Everlasting Father - Isaiah 9:2, 3-7

12/16/2020

This may come as a surprise to you, but when the boys are with their dad, the house is empty, and it’s just me and the dogs, I love to cook. For me, there is nothing like whipping up a mean bowl of raisin bran crunch or special K chocolaty delight. Nothing beats a hot bag of popcorn I don’t have to share, or as was the case this particular night, a hearty bowl of maple and brown sugar quick oats. Cereal after all, is a complete meal. Popcorn is an appetizer, main course, and desert all in one. Oatmeal is, well, oatmeal. It’s called comfort food. Food that fills me up, reminds me of simple pleasures, helps me feel better, soothes the emotional chaos inside, and seems to settle the dust of the moment.

I wonder what your comfort food is? I wonder what would be comfort food for the soul? What would fill the emptiness inside you? What would warm our hearts when the world around us seems cold and indifferent? What might soothe our hurt places, light up the shadowy places, and offer hope when we are weary or frustrated. The prophet Isaiah has the answer

We can’t get much better, more fulfilling, or hope-filled words than Isaiah 9:2, 3-7; these words of proclamation warm your heart when the world is fractured. They soothe our hurt places, shed light upon the shadows, and offer hope in the midst of confusion and despair.

The prophet Isaiah lived in the southern part of Israel, during a time when the northern part was being chewed up and forced to live under Assyrian rule. It was a scary, uncertain, and dark time in Israel's history. God needed someone to speak a word of hope. The people of God needed someone to remind them of who was there for them from beginning to end and everywhere in between. What was the name given to the one who loved Israel beyond measure even when they wrestled against that love? Who stuck by Israel’s side through the wild places; through trauma, uncertainty, persecution, famine, illness, oppression, and defeat? God, the Everlasting Father.

The people of God were living in chaotic times and needed something they could count on; someone they could depend on to guide them. A father figure if you will. God in Jesus became that figure and more. How can the one to come - the child to be born be a father? Jesus carried on the father figure image. He was the connecting link between God and God’s people. As he grew, he cared for people. He nurtured the sick. He prayed for people. He was there for all people, even the ones no one wanted or cared about. He was wise in counsel, mighty in love, and modeled how we are to live with and for others.

As we take another step toward the manger, may we find comfort, hope, and peace knowing who it is we will meet there. From everlasting to everlasting. Amen.

Pastor Jenothy Irvine

Mighty God - Isaiah 9:6

12/8/2020

In ancient Israel we learn how a new king was to strive to protect the people in battle, and was called to ensure success in the realm of the economy; this person was to promote justice and righteousness, especially toward those who were on the margins or from different countries. Such a ruler was to deliver victory, not just as part of a military campaign but as part of God’s greater work for good – a reminder that this person was always dependent on God and God’s purposes (vv.18-19).

Indeed, the adjective “mighty” refers to such power, or to the ways the king will execute it on behalf of God and the people, meaning that if the king were acting only for himself, or only thinking about protecting or promoting his own self-interests, he would face God’s wrath or God’s judgement. Such a leader is not a leader in the biblical sense.

Rather, when we think of leadership with respect to the Bible, or to the kind of “power and might” Jesus will demonstrate during his ministry, we face a “power and might” that goes the very heart of God – or to the very identity of the kind of Messiah Jesus will be. More often than not, such “power and might” will run counter to what the “Romes” or “Assyrias” of the world consider as powerful and mighty.

Jesus’ “might” is not a “might” that comes out of manipulation or violence. No, the power Jesus will display is a power over sin and death itself, as he engages these powers, not on their terms but on his terms – which means out of the power of love and grace. Jesus will subvert the powers of this world by imploding them from within, revealing that they are nothing. In Jesus’ kingdom, there is a reversal of power, where the weak are strong, and strong serve others. The first are last, and the last are first. The proud go away hungry, while the hungry eat. The naked receive clothing, and those in prison released. Forgiveness comes to us from a cross, while life comes out of a grave. It all seems so backwards!

How might we receive such power and might today? What does it mean for us to worship and serve such a "mighty God"? Let us pray that during Advent we will learn what this means?

Pastor Andy Kinsey

Wonderful Counselor - Isaiah 9:2-7

12/1/2020

“What is it you want?” What would make you happy? Not what would make things easier or make the hard stuff go away, but what do you want that would make you happy - bring you joy? What would bring you that deep down center of your soul kind of happy? The kind of happy that gives you a sense of being centered / grounded, no matter what comes your way.

In the midst of what has become our “new normal” what do you seek? With frustrations mounting, disappointment being a regular thing, patience growing thin, the pressure to do what is best, changes and updates happening every day, numbers, stats and projections swirling around like winter wind, what do you want? In the midst of keeping kids on track with school, making yet another adjustment to holiday plans and travel, juggling what is, what isn’t and what might be, canceling this and avoiding that, wondering if you have been exposed yet again, and living in the tension between being safe, cautious, and responsible and just not caring anymore, what do you want?

Afterall, that is the question of the season now upon us. You have probably been asked or have asked someone else, “what do you want for Christmas?” If not and if you have young kids or teenagers in your life, you have probably been given the annual Christmas wish list.

What about you? What do you want? How about the assurance that life over the last eight months will be worth it for the joy that awaits you? How about the promise that in the midst of every sigh, disappointment, heartbreak, argument, election speech, or medical report, there is something bigger? How about the absolute that despite the anger, blame, fear, or uncertainty, love will prevail? I am talking about the undeniable hope that comes at the sound of the greatest proclamation ever penned or spoken; ever put to music or ever recorded. It is nothing less than the assurance that God is up to something far greater than any of us could imagine, expect, or anticipate: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light ; those who lived in aland of deep darkness - on them light has shined. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forward and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” - Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

These words have been spoken, sung, put to music, and proclaimed since the 8th century BCE, when the prophet Isaiah uttered them. They were often used to announce the birth of a royal prince in Jerusalem or the coronation of a new king. Words of a leader that would far surpass every expectation and make good on every promise.

The title of Wonderful Counselor refers to the exercise of governance, the capacity to administer, to plan, and to execute policy. In this text, Isahah praises God for assigning in a new human king who is expected to devise plans and policies for the benefit of the entire realm (not just the wealthy and powerful). The term wonderful suggests that the new king will not only have extraordinary wisdom and foresight about planning but that the royal plans and policies will be of exceptional quality, a big surprise that goes beyond all the usual conventions of political power and practice.

In other words the new king will have wisdom beyond their years and a wisdom that flipped existing systems, standing operating procedures, and traditional expectations end over end. Luke 2 tells us Jesus was exactly that. “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him...and Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”

Jesus did not do things the way people were used to or in the way the Roman authorities had forced upon them. His teachings contradicted all usual assumptions. He confounded the authorities; he engaged the powerless crowds, he recognized the value of the marginalized, he bridged the gap between what we call the Old Testament way of the Law and the New Testament way of community. He did not abolish, dismiss or deny the law but rather he fulfilled it in ways no one expected; with love and compassion rather than hatred and violence; with humility and freedom rather than arrogance and oppression.

Jesus, as Wonderful Counselor, articulated a world under alternative governance that did not conform to old patterns of abuse and exploitation. His was a regime of peace and well being that went on to displace the older order of violence and extortion. Jesus opened the world to the impossible and gave hope that things could be different; that there was a better way and that way was to live in service to one another, to stand up for and speak out for those who have no voice, to draw strength, courage, and comfort from a faith rooted in the God who loves so much so that God’s own son gave up everything so that all would have something wonderful.

This Advent season, prepare your hearts to encounter God in ways you might not expect. Prepare and be open to the possibilities God places before you even now. Prepare your heart to be transformed in ways you

Pastor Jenothy Irvine

What's In It for Me? - Mark 10:17-31

11/24/2020

In the story of Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler, we hear how Jesus offers to the rich young ruler and to us a new way of living, not one more new rule. We read a story about how Jesus changes the question from “What is in it for me?” to “What is God asking of me in light my God-given talents and abilities and in light of our shared mission together – to give, to share, to contribute?”

Throughout the Bible, God gives to prosperous and poor people great responsibility. Thank God, for example, that the Good Samaritan had the financial resources to help his neighbor (Luke 10:25-37); and that Aquila and Priscilla had the resources to support the work of the early church (Acts 18:1-2). Such people displayed great strength in how they gave to others. They understood Jesus’ words that to whom much is given much is required (Luke 12:48).

Surely, one of the most widespread misunderstandings of our day is how we think giving means “giving up” something, or “being deprived of something,” typically, something “I want” or something “I feel I need to have,” this sense of entitlement, which only perpetuates an attitude of self-impoverishment, a smallness of heart and mind.

Surely, we ask ourselves that there must be another way; and, of course, if you are a follower of Jesus, there is! There is another Way: it is the Way that asks us to examine ourselves to see what we may be lacking: what is the “one thing” that I need to address that prevents me from giving or serving, or from committing myself to Christ? What do I need to let go of?

That is the question we want to invite you to ask: what do I need to confront in myself to walk faithfully with Christ?

Pastor Andy Kinsey