Author: Rev. Dr. Jarrett Banks

B.S. Wingate University, 1988 M.Div. Southern Seminary, 1992 D.Min. Gardner-Webb University, 2005 Served churches in Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and North Carolina Currently serving at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Lynchburg, Virginia

C’mon Jesus, Really!?!

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Sermons Year C1 Comment

really2Luke 16:1-9 NRSV

It is chapter 16 in Luke’s gospel, and Jesus is fired up! He has been telling parable after parable after parable. And we have to go back an entire chapter to remind ourselves what got Jesus worked up into this parabolic frenzy. That’s right, it was that familiar grumbling:  “And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Evidently, if you want to get Jesus started, if you really want to get him riled up, if you want to push his buttons, all you have to do is start grumbling about Jesus welcoming sinners to his table. All you have to do is question the height, depth, and breadth of God’s grace. All you have to do is suggest that someone—somewhere, somehow, someway—can be separated from the love God.

Jesus responds by telling four parables: one about a sheep that strayed, one about coin that was lost, one about a son who misused his inheritance, and one about a manager who misused his boss’ money.

Jesus used parables throughout his ministry to reveal a little something about the nature God. And in all parables, there is usually some action that takes us by surprise, and sometimes even confuses us. It makes us say something like: “Really?!?” “Faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain?” “C’mon Jesus, Really?!?” Really?”

And it is usually in that moment where we find that little something Jesus wants us to learn about the nature of God.

To go after and find that one lost sheep that did not have the good sense to stay with the flock, the shepherd is really going to risk the ninety-nine sheep that are faithful? He’s really going to leave them wilderness for who knows how many days and nights? Really?!? Alone in the wilderness? Really?!? The entire flock? C’mon, Jesus, Really?!?

To find one lost coin, a woman is going to sweep the entire house, search day and night, and when she finds it, she’s really going to invite all of her friends, the entire neighborhood to rejoice with her? Really?!? The entire neighborhood? For one coin? Really?!? Jesus, c’mon?!

After a son has the audacity to ask his perfectly healthy and fit father for his inheritance; after he spends all of it on who knows what, and having no other place to go, returns home; the father has even greater audacity to welcome him back home with open arms. “Really?!? C’mon Jesus, Really?!? And not only does he welcome him home, but does so with one, big, extravagant party. Really?!? With a robe? A kiss? And a ring? And a fatted calf? Really?!? C’mon Jesus, Really?!?” “Jesus?”

But Jesus does not answer. After all, his button has been pushed and he’s on a roll! He has one more story to tell and this one, well this one is a doozy!

A certain rich man gets word that the manager of his properties has been cheating him out of some money. So he calls him into his office, asks for the books, and tells him that he has to let him go.

Now, most employees who are caught in some sort of embezzling or swindling scam would be grateful that a pink slip was all they got; and thus, go home with a little bit of gratitude, but not this employee. This one is clever, crafty and conniving. After all, he did not get the job as manager by being a hard worker or by being handy with a shovel. This one has a plan. And it is a sneaky plan. It is a selfish plan. It’s fraudulent, even criminal. And it is more than a little risky. If his previous behavior did not land him in prison, this certainly should.

He goes out and one by one meets with his boss’s customers. “How much do you owe the boss man?”

“A hundred jugs of olive oil.”

“Here’s your bill. Take it and make it fifty. And do it before we change our minds!”

“And you sir, what do you owe the boss?”

“A hundred containers of wheat.”

“Here, take your bill and make it eighty.”

And this went on and on until he reduced the debts of all of the boss’s customers.

And when the boss man discovered what his dishonest manager had done, cheating him out of even more money, the boss man commends and applauds the little weasel for being so weasel-y. And all God’s children said, “REALLY?!?” Commends the dishonest manager? For being dishonest? C’mon Jesus, really?!? He does not take the weasel by the throat and strangle him to death? Or even call the law? He praises him? Really?!? I mean, c’mon now, really!?!

And it is here, in this action, that we find that little something that Jesus wants us to learn about the nature of God. And in this case, it happens to be a very big something.

When the height, depth and breadth of God’s grace is questioned, “This fellow eats and drinks with sinners,” Jesus responds:

Yes, I do. And for just one sinner who has lost her way, I am willing to risk ninety-nine religious people who think they have life all figured out. And I will not stop seeking and reaching out my hands for that one until she is found. I will sweep every room, move every piece of furniture, rip up the carpet and tear a house a part if I have to.

And I don’t care who that sinner is or what that sinner has done, there is absolutely nothing that they can do to be separated from my love and grace. He can squander my property, spend it all on who knows what, then come crawling back to me, only because he has no other place to go, only for reasons that are purely selfish, and I will not only welcome him back with open arms, I will throw one big, extravagant party!

So, yes, I really do eat and I drink with sinners, because God’s grace is really, really, really bigger than you think. It is more extravagant and more generous than you know.

And if you still do not believe it? If you still question the heights and depths and lengths I would go through to accept, love and forgive the sinner, let me tell you yet another story. And this one is one, well this one is a real doozy!

A rich man had a manager who was quite the scoundrel. When the master learns that he was cooking the books, although he could have had him thrown in prison or even crucified, the master very graciously lets him go.

It is then the manager makes what seems to be an extraordinary gamble. He meets with the boss man’s customers and says, “Christmas has come early!” And one by one he reduces their debts and puts the master in some kind of pickle!

What on earth is the boss man going to do now? Is he going to round up all of his happy customers and tell them that it was a one big mistake? Not only would they think that his manager pulled one over on him, but he would look like a miserly scrooge.

Or will he let the little swindle slide and receive praise for being a very generous boss man?  What does the boss man love more:  his money or his new reputation for having a gracious and generous nature? The manager was betting on the latter and the gamble pays off. He commends the manager for being a shrewd businessman. [i]

And we are shocked, asking, “really Jesus?!” “Really?!?”

But after hearing the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the gracious father who welcomes back his prodigal son, should we be surprised?

The shepherd searches until he finds the lost sheep not because of who the sheep is, but because of who the shepherd is. The woman searches until she finds the coin because of who she is. It is her nature to keep searching. The prodigal son is welcomed graciously back by the father, not because of anything that the son did, after all he only came crawling back because he had nowhere else to go. He is welcomed graciously back because that is the nature of his father.

And now, here is an unfaithful manager whose actions can only be described as selfish and self-serving. And the master, seeing all of this, is still generous because it is in the very nature of the master to be generous. The dishonest manager knew this, bet on this and won.

Therefore Jesus says, “If the children of God, who question whether I should be eating and drinking with sinners, would only believe in God’s grace the way the dishonest believe in grace, and try to exploit it, then the children of God would never question that there is absolutely nothing in all of creation that can ever separate them from the love of God.”

However, Jesus knew that it would take more than parables to convince us. There would need to be one more action, at a place called The Skull.

Luke writes: “They crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right side and one on his left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do know what they are doing.’”

C’mon, Jesus, Really?!?

The good news is: really!

Now listen to one more parable. There was this certain pastor who had served churches his entire adult life. He was far from perfect, but worked hard to love people and to serve the community.

One day, for many reasons, he just threw up his hands and walked away from the church. The fire that he once had for ministry was all but gone. He was even tempted at times to give up on organized religion all together. For three years he worked outside of the church and lived mostly for himself and his immediate family. He was no longer involved in his community. And he hardly ever even visited with his neighbors.

But then there was this church—this church that knew him when his hair was much darker, knew a lot of his faults, but recognized his gifts for ministry and believed that he still had much to give to the Lord and to their community—and this church welcomed this pastor and his family with open arms. They offered him grace and encouragement and rekindled that fire inside of him, which, at least today, burns brighter than ever!  And although he still has a lot of faults and flaws, they call him, “pastor.”

Really!?! C’mon First Christian Church, Really?!?  Really?

Really!

O God, forgive us for doubting, for questioning the stories of your amazing grace. Thank you for loving us freely and unconditionally. And give us the courage and the vision to share this good news in this community and throughout the world. Amen.

Richard B. Vinson, Luke, Smyth and Helwys Bible Commentary (Macon: Smyth and Helwys Publishing, 2008) 520-524.

Fred Craddock, Luke, Interpretation (Louisville: Westminster Press, 1990) 192.

R. Alan Culpepper, Luke, New Interpreter’s Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995) 306-311.

Why Me, Lord?

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville Enterprise, Memorials4 Comments

HospicePlace_lgEarly one summer morning, a very sick mother was on the patio enjoying the outdoors with her daughter at a hospice house for the terminally ill. Morphine has a way of erasing the memory, so the daughter was helping her mother recall some of the names of the friends and family members who had been so faithful coming to visit her.

Then they sat quietly on the patio listening to and watching nature wake up all around them: the birds singing, butterflies dancing and flowers bursting with color. After a few moments the daughter looked at her mother. Her heart broke. This one who had always been so strong, so vibrant and so active was quickly slipping away. Her body had never been more weak or more frail.

The mother looked at her daughter with eyes that began to fill with tears. And as tears began to stream down her cheeks, the dying mother asked a familiar question. It is a question that every human being living in this broken world asks at some time or another. Sometimes we ask it about others and sometimes we ask it about ourselves.  When life is difficult, when life is unfair we ask it. Sometimes silently, sometimes shouting, we ask it: “Why me?” “Lord, Why me? Why!”

After her mother asked the familiar question, the daughter, in her thoughts that were shaded with grief, understandably joined her mother.

“Yes, mother, why!  Why you!  Why do you have to have this stupid disease? Why do you have to leave all of your wonderful friends and family? And why do you have to leave us when you are still so young?  It just does not make any sense. You are such a good mother, such a sweet person. Why? Why do bad things happen to good people?”

She was a very good person. She was a compassionate mother, a very involved grandmother, a faithful sister and a devoted friend. She was the selfless type who lived to help others. Even after her terminal diagnosis she continued to put the needs and interests of others before her own.

In recent weeks, she made it a priority to spend time with her grandchildren. She told them not to worry because she knew Heaven was real. She said, “One day, you might feel a faint nudge on your shoulder. It will be me.” She told them if they found a penny, then they should always pick it up, because it was from her.

She possessed a special gift to love all people unconditionally regardless of what they looked like or where they were from. She could always see the good in others as she could in all circumstances. And as generous as she was with her love, she was also generous with grace and forgiveness.

This generosity spilled over everywhere she went. It is hard to count how many regarded her as a second mom. Even during these last difficult months, her generous spirit established instant relationships with all sorts of people. She made friends with her doctors, her nurses, with every caregiver, and even with those working in housekeeping at the hospital or hospice house.

It was said that the mother lived her life the way she cooked her meals. Her daughter would often tease her about her cooking. She would taste her food and say, “Mama, I think I know what your secret ingredient is! It’s sugar! Mama, you add sugar to everything, don’t you?!”

That is just what she did. It is who she was. Wherever she was and whomever she was with, she added a little bit of sweetness to everything she touched.

So, O Lord, why? Why do some of the sweetest, most pleasant, most loving and forgiving people we know suffer and die at an early age? Why her? Why my mother? Why, Lord, why?

As they sat outside on that patio, the daughter understood her mother’s question, “Why me?” It is just so unfair! It is so unjust and so unbelievable!  The wave of enormous grief was overwhelming. It hit her all at once: pain and sadness and anger and despair. “Yes,” the daughter thought, “Why you, Mama!  Why you!  Why!”

In that moment, the daughter wanted to say something to comfort her mother; however, before she could say anything, her mother had a big surprise for her.

Her mother simply finished her question.

As tears rolled down her face, the mother began to smile and continued to ask: “Why me? Why am I so lucky? Why have I been so blessed? Why me? Why do I have so many friends? What have I done to deserve such a wonderful family?” Sitting outside enjoying God’s beautiful creation, she was asking the creator of all that is: “Why have I been blessed with such a wonderful life?”

She understood the sheer grace that is in all of it, in all of this miraculous mystery we call “life.” And she was grateful for it.

And thinking about how grateful her mother had always been, the way she lived her life, the daughter smiled, for she knew that she should not have been surprised when her mother completed her question.

The daughter knew that there are basically two kinds of people in the world. There are people, like her mother, who are sweet and kind, generous with love and forgiveness. And then there are others are bitter and mean, stingy and selfish.

She now understood why, as she thought: “Mama was sweet because of gratitude. And folks who are bitter are usually ungrateful. They think that others and the world owe them something. Sweet people like mama have an understanding that all of life is but a gift.”

She was the mother, the sister, the grandmother and the friend she was because she understood all of life is but a free gift of God’s amazing grace. So, on that patio, when she asked: “Why me? Why am I so lucky?” none of us should have been surprised.

But that is what God’s grace does. It surprises us.

A few days later, the mother, who was at perfect peace, died.

Time passed, but the grief the daughter experienced did not. The immense grief that came in waves and overwhelmed her came less frequently. However, every time it came, if she was paying attention, she could feel a faint nudge on her shoulder, or she might look down and find a penny, and be reminded to pause and give thanks.

Instead of being bitter over the years the disease took from her mother, she became grateful for the sacred years she had with her. Thus, in what seemed very strange at first, each time the waves of grief would come, the daughter would stop and thank God for her grief. For grieving only meant that she lost someone wonderful–someone she did not deserve to have.

And although thanking God for grief seemed strange, instead of being surprised and shocked that she was being grateful to God for the pain, she would ask God, sometimes in silence and sometimes in a shout, but always with a smile:

“Why me, Lord? Why me! What did I do to deserve to be loved by and to love someone as special as my mother, a true gift of God’s amazing grace!”

And like her mother, the daughter discovered a perfect peace.

A re-telling of Ashley and Mandy’s  remembrances of their mother,

Nadine Petroff Martin, July 5, 1949 – September 17, 2013

Really!?!

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Just a ThoughtLeave a comment

reallyFrom C’mon Jesus, Really?!?

Luke 16:1-13 NRSV

. . .he reduced the debts of all of the boss’s customers without the boss’s knowledge. And when the boss man found out what his former manager had done, the boss man commends and applauds the little weasel for being so weasel-y!

And all God’s children said: “REALLY!?! Commends the dishonest manager? For being dishonest? C’mon Jesus, really?! He does not take the weasel by the throat and strangle him to death? He doesn’t even call the law? He praises him? Really!?! I mean, c’mon now, really?” “Really!?!”

And it is here, in this action, where we learn something about the nature of God.

October 2013 – Coming Home

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

DCF 1.0As I See It, FCC Newsletter, October 2013

This year, Homecoming at First Christian Church has a special meaning for me. As I shared in a recent sermon, during my three-year break from pastoral ministry, like many of us who have been a part of the church, I often felt the temptation to go solo with my faith.

On a Sunday morning run along the Tar River in Greenville, I would pray to God and enjoy being alive in God’s creation and think to myself, “This is the way to do church! There is no one to disagree with me or hurt my feelings. There is no one sharing their problems with me, making me uncomfortable, and taking up my time. And, I must confess, it was rather nice! However, I must also confess it was very selfish. It was arrogant, and it was self-righteous. The truth is: it was the very antithesis of who Jesus calls us to be as his disciples.

Someone recently told me that they quit going to church because they found church to be “depressing.”

I aked, “What do you mean?”

She responded, “Well, there I learn about people in town who are lonely, grieving, hospitalized, living in nursing homes, having financial hardships, struggling with daily life, and so on.” She then paused for a few seconds and said, “But I guess that is what being a disciple of Jesus is supposed to be about, isn’t it?”

I did not have to answer her.

So for me, this Homecoming means the rededication of my life to being a disciple of Christ. I am coming home. I am coming home to experience life with a family of faith where we are continually called upon to care for and even suffer for others. And I know of no better family to come home to than the First Christian Church of Farmville!

Like all families, there may be some disagreements, some hurt feelings, and even some resentments. Living life as a family can sometimes be burdensome and even depressing. However, we know it is where Jesus calls us to live and where we experience true life, abundant and eternal. We know, as I have discovered in recent weeks, it can be a taste of heaven.

Yes, this year, Homecoming has a special meaning for me. I hope it does for you too.

September 2013 – Expectations

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

change-architect-sign1As I See It, FCC Newsletter, September 2013

Change is always difficult due to the great amount of uncertainty involved. During the last few days, my family and I have wondered what the next twelve months would be like during this interim period, and I am quite certain that you have wondered the same.

I would like to help all of us by sharing a few of my expectations for you and some things I believe you can expect from me.

First of all, I expect you to feel free to ask me hard questions of faith and theology. That being said, I expect you to sometimes disagree with my answers. As Congregationalists who uphold the concept of the Priesthood of All Believers, it is our right to sometimes disagree with each other, even with the pastor. Notice that the title of my column is “As I See It” which implies that it may not be “as you see it.”

Secondly, I expect you to try your best to be the embodiment of the redemptive love of Christ in our broken world. As the Spirit leads us, even when we disagree, I expect us to lovingly and graciously work together in mission and ministry with the goal of using our gifts to be the family of faith that God wants us to be.

And finally, I expect you to feel free to call on your interim pastor whenever a need arises. Do not assume I already know. My cell phone will be published on the bulletins and in the newsletter.

And here are a few things you can expect from me. First and foremost, always remember that I am like most preachers, thus always expect me to never turn down anyone who invites me over or out to dinner!

More seriously, although I have been raised and educated as a Baptist, you a expect me to respect the principles and purposes of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). I have been very fortunate to serve with some wonderful, inclusive Baptist churches such as First Baptist Church here in Farmville. However, the Baptist churches with which I have served are quite rare in Southern Baptist life. Sadly, the Disciples of Christ statement of identity to “welcome all to the Lord’s table as God has welcomed us” is not a statement that is spoken in many Baptist churches. I have great affinity for this statement as well as all of the core values and principles of the Disciples of Christ, and you can expect me to uphold and share them with others.

Secondly, you can expect me to be there when a need arises. You can expect me to visit the sick and the homebound. You can expect me to be there in the hospital whenever a member has major surgery. You can expect me to visit prospective members and invite them into our fellowship. I am a pastor you can expect to visit and visit often.

You can expect me to work with and alongside the staff, committees, and the board of the church; not over or above them. You can expect me to preach well-researched, Christ-centered, biblical sermons. You can expect me not to have all of the answers to those hard questions of faith and theology. Sometimes my best answer will be: “I don’t know.” You can expect me to respect your interpretation of scripture and your views on certain issues. You can expect me to be human and make mistakes. Finally, you can expect me to rejoice with you and to suffer with you, to laugh with you and cry with you. You can expect me to love you.

I hope this helps us both as we embrace this wonderful change together. My family and I look forward to a loving relationship serving with you here in this community we call home. Oh, there is one more thing, if you are able and are in town, I expect to see you on Sunday mornings!

People Grumble but Angels Sing!

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Sermons Year CLeave a comment

Stain_GoodShepherd

Luke 15:1-10 NRSV

It is Consecration Sunday. To consecrate: it means to “set apart,” “devote,” “dedicate,” “commit.” Today, with our presence, prayers, and pledges, we consecrate First Christian Church to the selfless, self-denying, sacrificial service of God in this community and in our world. We set-apart, devote, dedicate and commit ourselves to the difficult journey we call discipleship, a journey that calls us to lose ourselves, empty ourselves, and pour ourselves out for others; a journey that calls us to lose our pride, our possessions, even our lives.

And as painful, as difficult, as taxing, and as costly as this journey is, Consecration Sunday is the day we claim it, and commit ourselves to it, believing it is the only journey that leads to true life, abundant and eternal.

And after being around you folks now for a couple of weeks, I believe with all my heart that the First Christian Church of Farmville is more than ready for this day of Consecration. And believe it or not, I can just look at you this morning and tell that you are ready.

I believe you are ready simply because you are here. Like all churches on the discipleship road, this church has experienced a few bumps, several pot holes, a little bit of mud, some rocky terrain, a couple detours, and although you have even gotten close to going over the cliff, you have somehow managed to stay on road. And in many ways because of that, you are more committed and more devoted than ever to seeing this journey through. I know you are ready to commit to this journey because you are here.

And let’s face it, you could have made the choice with the majority of Americans to stay home today and experience God on your back porch or patio with a cup of coffee or during a morning run or walk in the park. But you made the difficult decision to get up, get dressed and drive to this place this morning. Some of you came here to sit beside of people with whom you could not disagree more, with people who have at times made you angry or even made your cry, but you still came because you are committed to something that is much bigger than your feelings, your emotions, even your life.

Rev. Lillian Daniel, pastor of First Congregational Church from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, has said: “Any idiot can find God alone in the sunset. It takes a certain maturity to find God in the person sitting next to you who not only voted for the wrong political party, but has a baby who is crying while you are trying to listen to the sermon. “Community,” she says, “is where the religious rubber meets the road. People challenge us, ask the hard questions, disagree, need things from us, require our forgiveness. It’s where we get to practice all the things we preach.”

She continues: “I think a lot of those who can’t tolerate organized religion are really just frustrated by other people. They think, ‘If they could just kick all of the flawed human beings out of the church, we could really do this Jesus thing. Better do my spiritual life solo, where I don’t have to be disturbed by the amateurs.”[1]

I have a confession to make. During my break from pastoral ministry, I often felt the temptation to go solo with my faith. I would go for a Sunday morning run along the Tar River in Greenville. There, I would pray and enjoy being alive in God’s creation, and think to myself, “this is the way to do church! There is no one to disagree with me. There is no one sharing their problems with me, making me uncomfortable, and taking up my time. And I must confess, it was rather nice!

However, I must confess it was also very selfish. It was arrogant, and it was self-righteous. The truth is: it was the very antithesis of who Jesus calls us to be as his disciples.

One day, perhaps one Sunday at 11 am, Jesus decides to have some church. He gets the word out that he would be leading worship, preaching a sermon, and then afterwards having a covered dish or a nice catered lunch. And people from all over town came to the service. Of course, other religious leaders and people of faith came carrying their Bibles: Pharisees and scribes, deacons and elders, Sunday School teachers, and other respectable, well-dressed and well-groomed church people, even some from other congregations in town.

But then through the front door entered the other people. You know who I am talking about: the others—those who tempt us to find Jesus alone with a cup of coffee and a sunrise—those others, who are just so, well, “other.”

It was then that it came. It came in whispers and it came in murmurs and it even came in a few gasps the sound of grumbling. “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

The truth is that being the church that God calls us to be in this world is in itself a selfless, sacrificial, self-denying journey because it calls us not only to welcome, accept and love others; Jesus suggests that “others” is who the church is actually for.

Jesus asks, “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it?”

Well, Jesus, do you really want us to answer that question? Do you really want to know if we are willing to risk 99, forget about their wants and needs, just so we can go after one that has lost his way? And just how did he get lost in the first place? I hate to say it, but he probably deserved it. It makes more sense to make sure the more deserving sheep that have not strayed stay safe and comfortable. Do you really want us to risk losing the entire flock for one lost soul?

Then Jesus says, not only do I want you to risk the entire flock, put their needs and their wants last, but when you find the lost, I want you to put him up on your shoulders and throw one big party! Because, when one lost soul is found, that is exactly what the Father and the Holy Spirit and the Angels are doing in heaven!

Then Jesus asks, “which one of you women, having 10 coins, and loses just one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house and search until she finds it?”

Well, Jesus, it all depends. I might look in a few places, but I am not willing to move any furniture or tear the house apart. And I might look for an hour or so, but I am not going to waste an entire day. I think I’m better off to use my time and efforts to hold on good and tight to the on other nine. Make sure they stay safe and protected. Doesn’t that make more sense?

Jesus says, “It may make sense to you, but not to my Father and the heavenly host. I tell you again, when you exist and act on the behalf of the lost, on the behalf of the other, although it might cause some in the church to grumble, the angels are singing!

And if we are all honest this morning, we would admit that we understand the grumbling. There is something within all of us that would prefer to be a country club for the ninety nine. Deep down, we prefer to hold on to each other, comfort each other. After all, membership should have some benefits for its members. It is not easy consecrating the First Christian Church not for us here on the inside, but for all those others who are on the outside.

It is not easy consecrating ourselves to leave our areas of comfort and safety and venture forth into the world share the good news that Jesus came and died for all people. However, although we may want to grumble, there is absolutely nothing than can stop us from this consecration. We have been through too much, the road has been too long, too bumpy and too muddy, too rough, and we’ve been too close to edge of the cliff to turn back now!

I once belonged to a church that had beautiful stained glass windows that told the gospel story. The first window portrayed Jesus’ baptism; the second, the call of the disciples; the third, the feeding of the five thousand; and so on. And then they portrayed Jesus’ crucifixion the resurrection and the ascension. Each window was imprinted with an appropriate scripture verse for each scene.

We had a guest preacher one day who pointed out how the stained glass windows should be taken out, flipped around, and put back in so that the gospel story could be seen, the scripture verses read by the people outside of the church, instead of to the people who were already on the inside.

It was a great sermon illustration. For it not only illustrates why we need to fix our own windows here where they can be seen by those outside our church, and we need to do it sooner than later, it illustrates that Jesus wants the church to always, selflessly and sacrificially, exist for the other, the outsider, even if it causes some to grumble.

Fred Craddock, one of my all-time favorite preachers, who I have quoted for 25 years, who by the way just happens to be ordained as a Disciple of Christ, tells the story of a local church that had a lot of grumblers. Although their sign out front read, “A church that serves all people,” when all people would show up to be served, the grumbling became so intense that it continually drove the newcomers away.

“Would you look at how long his hair is? Do you see all of those piercings! Oh my word, how those children are dressed! He sure is odd. She’s certainly strange. Don’t tell me we are now going to be a church for those people?

About ten years went by. When, one day, Craddock was driving down the road where that church was located when he saw that the building that once housed that church had been converted into a restaurant. Curious, he stopped and went inside. In the place where they used to be pews, there were now tables and chairs. The choir loft and baptistery was now the kitchen. And the chancel area which once contained the pulpit and communion table now had an all-you-can-eat salad bar. And the restaurant was full of patrons—every age, color and creed.

Upon seeing the sad, but very intriguing transformation, Craddock thought to himself, “At last, God finally got that church to serve all people.”

It is Consecration Sunday and we have come too far to turn back now. So, today we set aside, devote, dedicate and commit our presence, our prayers, our pledges, our budget, our building our windows and our very selves to the service of God in this community and in our world NOT for the benefit of the 99, but for others.

The road has been long and the going has been rough, but because of that we are stronger and more committed than ever to see this journey through. Although this way is narrow and at times uncomfortable, we are still here. And while some may grumble, we have decided this day to exist for others and sing aloud with the Father, Son, Holy Ghost and Heavenly Host. Then, at the altar we are going to lay our pledges to continue this journey as we make our way to the fellowship hall sit down together at the table and enjoy one big party!

Going Solo

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville Enterprise, Short Articles1 Comment

run in the park

From People Grumble but Angels Sing!

This Sunday, we have a choice to make. We could make the choice with the majority of Americans to stay home and experience God on our back porches or patios with a cup of coffee or during a morning run or during walk in the park.  Or we could make the difficult decision to get up, get dressed and drive to a place of worship.  And there, we may sit beside people with whom we could not disagree more. We may sit beside folks who press our buttons, even drive us crazy.

In a recent interview, Rev. Lillian Daniel, pastor of First Congregational Church from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, has said: “Any idiot can find God alone in the sunset. It takes a certain maturity to find God in the person sitting next to you who not only voted for the wrong political party, but has a baby who is crying while you are trying to listen to the sermon. “Community,” she says, “is where the religious rubber meets the road. People challenge us, ask the hard questions, disagree, need things from us, require our forgiveness. It’s where we get to practice all the things we preach.”

She continues: “I think a lot of those who can’t tolerate organized religion are really just frustrated by other people. They think, ‘If they could just kick all of the flawed human beings out of the church, we could really do this Jesus thing. Better do my spiritual life solo, where I don’t have to be disturbed by the amateurs.”

I have a confession to make. During my break from pastoral ministry, I often felt the temptation to go solo with my faith. I would go for a Sunday morning run along the Tar River in Greenville. There, I would pray and enjoy being alive in God’s creation, and think to myself, “This is the way to do church! There is no one to disagree with me. There is no one sharing their problems with me, making me uncomfortable, and taking up my time. And I must confess, it was rather nice!

However, I must also confess it was very selfish. It was arrogant, and it was self-righteous. The truth is: it was the very antithesis of who Jesus calls us to be as his disciples.

Do You Really Know What You Are Getting Yourselves Into?

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Just a ThoughtLeave a comment

forest-gump1

From A Bunch of Losers

Luke 14:25-33 NRSV

One day, noticing the growing number of people following behind him, like a scene in Forrest Gump, Jesus suddenly stops, turns to the masses and says something like: “Do you people really know what this is all about? Do you really know what you are getting yourselves into here? Because I am not so sure the crowd would be this large if you really knew! Do you really understand what you are signing up for here? Do you really get this journey called, ‘discipleship’? Because, I have a sinking suspicion that most you do not have a clue.”

The truth is, this road we call discipleship is a difficult and sometimes painful road. There’s even a cross involved. And we are going to have to carry it.

Jesus in Vegas

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville Enterprise, Short ArticlesLeave a comment

Fallen Las Vegas Police Officer David Vanbuskirk laid to rest – www.ktnv.com.

From The Least of These or the Exalted of Us

Traveling across the country for business these last three years has taught me much about the local church and why so many people do not attend church and have all but given up on organized religion.  And I don’t believe it is because they have given up on Jesus.

This summer, one of my business trips landed me in the heart of Las Vegas, the city that people say represents everything selfish, greedy and depraved that is within us. Early one morning, I went for a run on the Las Vegas strip. The streets were already crowded with people. Some were shopping. Some were on their way to another casino. And others were on their way to do who knows what to fulfill their most indulgent, selfish desires.

As I ran, I noticed that the electronic billboards along the strip changed all at once. They each displayed a picture of a young man with words that read, “David Vanbuskirk. 1977-2013. Las Vegas Police Search and Rescue Officer. I later read that Vanbuskirk died while rescuing a hiker stranded in an off-limits area of a mountain northwest of Las Vegas when he fell from a helicopter hoist line.

I ran a few more blocks when I noticed that people walking up and down the busy sidewalks began to stop and peer down the street that was suddenly empty of traffic. The entire Las Vegas strip, which just a few seconds earlier was booming with the sounds of automobiles and of people enjoying themselves, became profoundly silent. Men began to remove their hats. A woman covered her heart with her hand. A little boy, sitting on his father’s shoulders, saluted. I stopped running. And with everyone else, my eyes turned toward the street where we watched and listened as a very long police motorcycle motorcade, at least fifty bikes in pairs, produced the only sound on the hushed strip. The motorcade was followed by a white police pick-up truck, lights flashing, in the back, a flag-draped casket.

After the processional, people remained silent and still for several more minutes. Some bowed their heads, obviously in prayer. Others were wiping tears from their eyes. Others embraced their loved ones who were beside them.

I believe there is something within all of us, deep within our most selfish, indulgent and decadent selves, even in the heart of sin city, that yearns to associate with those who love others more than self, with those who humbly, courageously and sacrificially serve, expecting absolutely nothing in return.

And I believe there is something within even the most devout church cynic, even within the ones who have all but given up on organized religion, that desires to be more like Jesus. And I believe they are still hoping that somewhere, somehow, someway, a church exists in this broken world that looks and acts more like Jesus serving others, than like a country club filled with the pure and self-righteous judging others.

Free to Be Free

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Sermons Year CLeave a comment

4th of July

(Sermon delivered to First Christian Church, Farmville, NC, on June 30, 2013)

Galatians 5:1, 12-25  and Luke 9:51-62 NRSV

For freedom Christ has set us free—and all God’s people here in America on this Sunday before the July 4th proudly and fervently say: “Amen!”

But what exactly does that mean?

I know the type of freedom that most Americans cherish, as I am one of them. We call it the freedom of opportunity.  Which is usually translated in our consumerist society:  the freedom to attain, to acquire, to amass and to accumulate as much as we possibly can.

We are free to go after the American dream. Buy a big house in the suburbs or in a small town, purchase two cars and a dog and raise our children by providing them with the latest smart phones and the trendiest clothes.

And we are free to pursue happiness. To be the people we want to be and to go to the places we want to go. We are free to fulfill our every desire and to meet our every need. We are free to get as much as we can out of this life and this world.

And we American Christians love to evoke Jesus to help us. We look to Jesus as our ticket to attaining the American dream.

In other words, Jesus, for many Americans, becomes just another commodity that we can get, so we can get some more.

I have seen Christian billboards, bumper stickers and t-shirts take the once popular slogan of the American Dairy Association “Got Milk?” and change it to “Got Jesus?”

Do you seek happiness? Want to fulfill your desires, meet your needs? Need help paying the mortgage? Need to build a stronger family? Then, just get you some Jesus!

Yes, God bless America that we are free to worship and get Jesus so Jesus can help us get some more!

The Samaritans had received word from the disciples that Jesus was on the way to visit their village. Can you imagine hearing such an announcement? Jesus is coming to town! Jesus is coming to Farmville! Jesus is coming to help us achieve the American dream, help us with the mortgage, help us strengthen our families, help us go to the places that we want to go and to be the people that we want to be!  Can you imagine the grand reception, the huge welcome that would await Jesus?  No doubt there would be parades, cook-outs and a lot of fireworks to celebrate his arrival.

Let’s read how they celebrated such a grand event early in the first century. In verse 53 we read, “but they did not receive him”…what? Why on earth not?  Because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

His face was set toward Jerusalem. Toward the cross. Toward sacrifice. Toward self-denial. Toward self-giving. Toward pain and toward suffering.  And the Samaritans, of course, were not interested.

So, Jesus goes into another village. Surprisingly someone cries out, “Jesus, I will follow you wherever you go!”

Jesus, assuming the zealot really did not know what he was saying, asks, “Are you sure you really want to do that? Do your really mean that? Do you really want to go with me? Don’t you understand that foxes have holes and birds have nests but the son of man has no where to lay his head.”

So much for Jesus helping us with the American dream of that big home in the suburbs!

To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Let me first bury and mourn my father.” Jesus respond, “Let the dead bury the dead, as for you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”

So much for Jesus helping us to meet our needs.

Another said, “I will follow you, but let me first go back and tell my family good-bye.” To which Jesus responds: “Those who look back are not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

So much for Jesus coming to help us build a stronger family!

In other words, Jesus says:

If you want to follow me as my disciples in this world, then you must let go of the things to which the world assigns so much value. You must abandon those things with which the world seduces you into believing they can be the fulfillment of your most profound desires.

Jesus also puts it this way… to truly live, we must first die to self.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed in a Nazi concentration camp for helping Jews escape to Switzerland insightfully wrote, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”

And the Samaritans wanted none of that. No wonder that night in their village there were no fireworks.

That was not the message they wanted to hear. If Jesus’ face is set toward Jerusalem, then Jesus better get himself to Jerusalem, and we will stay right here.

I attended a church growth conference a few years ago where the speaker talked about the importance of making sure that church members “feel satisfied.”  In other words, if you want the church to grow, the job of your pastor is to make certain that you are happy.

You know, the speaker is absolutely right. Just ask the Samaritans. If Jesus came to the Samaritans with his face set toward the pursuit of happiness, I am sure the pews would have been packed. The problem is that this is not the purpose of the church.

Jesus does not call us to go to church to get happy. Jesus calls to be the church, to be the body of Christ in a broken and fragmented world, with its face set towards Jerusalem.

And Jesus is not just some commodity that we can get so we can get some more…more happiness, more contentment, more fulfillment.  Jesus does not want us to get him, Jesus wants to get us. As William Willimon puts it, Jesus does not want us to get him to meet our needs. Jesus wants to get us and rearrange our needs. He does not want us to get him to fulfill our every desire. He wants to get us and transform our every desire.

Jesus is not interested in helping us to be the people we want to be and to go to the places we want to go. Jesus wants us to be His people and go to the places that he wants to go. And his face is set toward Jerusalem.

As one of my favorite writers, Henri Nouwen has said, sometimes Jesus calls us to places we would rather not go.  Sometimes Christ calls us into “unknown, undesirable and painful places.”

The truth is, that when we come here on Sunday morning, instead of finding ourselves surrounded by a bunch of happy people satisfied and content, we probably should find ourselves in the midst of a people who are more than a little anxious, apprehensive, and nervous for we never know where this Christ is going to lead us next.

This weekend as we Americans celebrate our nation’s birthday, may each of us thank God for our country and the freedom our country affords us.  However, as a church that is not seeking to get Jesus, but continually be in the process of allowing Jesus to get us, to rearrange our needs, transform our desires, lead us toward Jerusalem, toward the cross, toward suffering, self-denial, self-giving, may we be mindful that with our freedom comes a radical call to truly free ourselves of some things that many Americans hold very dear.  May we mindful that we are free to be truly free.

While it is true that we are free acquire and accumulate, to accrue and to amass, to meet our every need and to fulfill our every desire, it is also true that we are free, to abandon and relinquish, to let go and to leave behind.  We are free to be free from all of the material trappings and selfish desires that prevent us from following Christ wherever he leads.  We are free, not to get Jesus to meet our needs and fulfill our desires, but we are free to allow Christ to get us to rearrange our needs and transform our desires.  We are free to not only get to give.

Bonhoeffer did not have to help Jews escape Nazi Germany and flee to Switzerland.  After all he was safe and sound in New York in the early 1940’s. He was free to stay in America and preach the gospel from the safety of a free church pulpit or to teach New Testament in the peace and freedom of a university.  Bonhoeffer could have lived the American dream. But the gospel he preached and the freedom that he was granted compelled Bonhoeffer to return to Germany and stand against Nazi aggression.

Before he was executed by the Germans, he wrote the following words.  They are words that the American Church needs to hear again and hear loudly… “Cheap grace is the preaching of….forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession…  Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ living and incarnate.

“Costly grace is…the gospel which must be sought again and again. The gift which must be asked for, the door at which one must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.  It is costly because it costs us our lives. It is grace because it gives us the only true life.”

For freedom Christ has set us free—and all God’s people here in America on this Sunday before the July 4th proudly and fervently say: “Amen!”

Let us pray.

O God as we recommit ourselves this day to follow the Christ, give us your grace to let go, give up, and relinquish every desire, trait, and tendency that weighs us down or hinders our faithful work for you in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Commissioning and Benediction

We came here this morning to get a little bit of Jesus. To get him to help us meet our needs and fulfill our desires. Instead, Jesus came here and got us. Through Jesus, God the creator of all that is has spoken, saying, “I have some very important work to do in this world, and I am here to get you to help me.

Go now and do the work in this world to which you have been called.  You may have to leave friends and family behind.  You may have to give up some things that you hold very dear.  Even life itself.  But in so doing, you will gain the only true life. And may the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.