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Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2012-02-15T21:02:00.002-07:00

Okay, here's the problem.

On Sunday I posted the sermon topic as a sermon on the Prodigal Son. I had worked out what I would do with the younger son who strayed and the older brother who stayed and was going to suggest that, in one way or another, we represent either of those prototypes. Great idea.

Then Reverend Eakle preached his sermon in which he covered some of the same area with the same text. He did a great job with it and I have had to regroup and reconsider what I will do with the sermon.

These sermons, since I announced my retirement, have been directed to some phase of what a transition means to us since we are in a transition.

The sermon Sunday will feature the text in John's gospel where Nathaniel says, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

The sermon will deal with bias and prejudice. What do we do when we are the object of the presupposition?

In a real sense the person who comes in as Senior Pastor will be judged and juried immediately. We will learn who he or she is and will visit the church they are serving's blog or web page. We will read their sermons and their newsletter articles and we will have formed impressions about who they are.

The new pastor will, just as much, have formed presuppositions about our church. Are we conservative or liberal? Are we progressive or traditional? Are we open minded our confirmed in our belief? Do we read the bible literally or do we ignore it altogether?

The sermon will address the issue of presuppositions and bias; how we face it when we are prejudged and how we avoid prejudging other people.

Have you ever experienced prejudice against you that was unfair? What did you do about it?

Have you ever been biased against someone only to discover that you were wrong? How did you discover your mistake and how did you repair the situation created by your prejudgment?

If you have thoughts about this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2012-02-12T08:13:00.002-07:00

"The High School Reunion"

I'm going to do something with this sermon I have never done here. I want the sermon to come in the form of a parable and the parable will be an adaptation of Jesus' "Parable of the Prodigal Son".

The methodology to get into the parable will be Garrison Keillor who had a way of telling a story that could bring into the story the human element plus a degree of depth of meaning. I hope to be able to use his suggestion, "My home town where all the men are strong, where all the women are good looking, and all the children are above average."

What might have happened to the younger son and the older brother in their later life? What might the younger son have learned as he came back home having realized he had wasted his life chasing after things that were superficial? What might have happened to the older brother who stayed home and enjoyed the benefit of his parent's hospitality but who never ventured out on his own?

The text is found in Luke 15:11-32

Do you see yourself as the younger child who went away and came back or the older child who never left? What are the consequences of being one of those? I think we are one or the other.

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

PS
Theologians believe the whole purpose of this parable is Jesus' way of telling us about the nature of God. God is like a forgiving father who looks forward to the return of his wayward child. I think, for our purposes today, it has a greater meaning about who we are as children and how that influences the person we become.

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2012-02-06T06:47:00.002-07:00

Currently, we have been a little depleated in the number of clergy we have on our staff. Nine years ago there were four full-time clergy on the staff. Rob White, Joyce Curtis, Don Bird, and Jim Cowell. A year ago we had three full-time clergy (myself, Rebecca McFee, and Megan Ryan) and two part-time clergy (David Dalke and Ray Miller).

This past year with Megan leaving in July we added a Youth Minister and have had two part-time clergy and two full time clergy. When Ray left this past month to go to Guatemala we added Lonnie Eakle to the staff to work in pastoral care and help with some of the other areas we aren't able to cover.

This coming Sunday Lonnie will be our preacher. He is a competent colleage who has brought much to our staff in a short period of time. He has served some of the largest churches in the Rocky Mountain Conference and has been a District Superintendent. Until his retirement we was Senior Pastor of Greeley First United Methodist Church.

We are pleased to welcome Lonnie to our pulpit and look forward to his wit and wisdom.

In a very short time he has proven to be insightful and helpful to the ministry at First Church. I know you will enjoy hearing him preach this Sunday.

If you have observations about the church in general or any particular program please email me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2012-02-03T08:02:00.002-07:00

In Deborah Tannen's book, You Just Don't Understand, we find this explanation concerning the difference between men and women:

"Much of what has been written about women's and men's claims that males are competitive and prone to conflict whereas females are cooperative and given to affiliation. But being in conflict also means being involved with each other. Although it is true that many women are more comfortable using language to express rapport whereas many men are more comfortable using it for self-display, the situation is really more complicated than that, because self-display, when part of a mutual struggle, is a kind of bonding. And conflict may be valued as a way of creating involvement with others.

To most women, conflict is a threat to connection, to be avoided at all costs. Disputes are preferably settled without direct confrontation. But to many men, conflict is the necessary means by which status is negotiated, so it is to be accepted and may even be sought, embraced, and enjoyed."

In the sermon Sunday I will explore the "satisfaction of a man". Men have a long view of things and like to imagine a legacy being left. We love to write books and put our names on the books we write. We name buildings after ourselves so that we can achieve a degree of immortality. Women become immortal through the birth of children.

The satisfaction of Abraham was the idea that his people would carry his name and would populate the earth. Many men like to think of themselves as mentors for those who follow us.

Women have children to carry for them an immortality beyond their lives. Men mentor young people who will carry the knowledge they have gained and that enables men, somewhat, to defeat finitude.

How do these ideas strike you? Are they true? False?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2012-02-01T14:04:00.002-07:00

One of the most difficult things about men is our silence. Men tend to be more stoic and sullen at times. Of course, this doesn't apply to every man but to the idea of "men in general".

What makes us so quiet? Why is it we most often think what we believe before we say what we believe instead of saying what we want to say and then determining what we think by listening to our words?

In every man there is a degree of uncertainty. We live in a world that has changed and many of us haven't caught up to the change. We were told how we should respond to women but find our response being taken as condescending and paternalistic. We thought we understood what it meant to be successful but then have discovered that success is not measured by the power of our force but by the subtlety of our interaction. Especially, this is true for Caucasian men. We are lost in a world of rising expectations with people of other races being given honors and awards we have expected to come to us.

We are confused about gender roles in a world where women often take on the pose of men and act in a manner that is unexpected and aggressive/assertive.

When it comes to spiritually is become very confusing to us. We are like Abraham who had the idea that sacrificing his first born son Isaac was the right things to do and he was prepared to do it.

Male spirituality begins with the importance of silence. We are not speaking because we don't have that much to say. We are looking deeply into our souls trying to figure out who we are and what our role is in a world that has changed and the change is beyond our capacity of know what to do.

Do the women who read this blog understand this about the men in their lives? Do the men who read this blog grasp the truth in these observations?

To understand male spirituality we have to begin with an understanding of the silence of a man and the reasons for it.

What do you think?

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2012-01-30T08:26:00.002-07:00

The sermon for Sunday will get us into an area we rarely travel; "male spirituality". The church has had a terrible history in terms of its treatment of women. We have failed miserably until recent years to recognize the important contribution women are making in the field of religion and have consigned them to roles that are subservient.

It wasn't that long ago that we ordained women into ministry. It wasn't that long ago in the Rocky Mountain Conference that Bishops were willing to appoint women to churches as sole pastors.

The church has worked really hard to correct its oversight. It has encouraged women to go into ministry and they have responded. Over half the seminary students presently are women and that has been true for the past decade or more. There are more women than men clergy in the Rocky Mountain Conference. Our Episcopal leader is a woman.

We have been encouraged to have "Women's Ministry Sunday" so that our churches could experience women preachers.

Overlooked in all this is male spirituality. What does it mean to be a man and a Christian these days when we have so much focus on women?

Using some of the thoughts of Robert Bly and the story of Abraham and Isaac I want to explore how it is for men to be spiritual and what is the difference between male and female spirituality. As much as I understand the equality of the sexes I also acknowledge the differences. I am hoping the sermon will reveal some important issues so that the "war of the sexes" will become more of the dance it is supposed to be.

What do you think the difference between men and women is spiritually?

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the "comments" box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Thursday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2012-01-26T08:16:00.002-07:00

We can be impressed with the anonymous Egyptian midwives whose job it was to find Hebrew babies and have them killed by order of the Pharaoh. They did their job slowly allowing some of the babies to escape. Moses was one of the babies who escaped because of the Egyptian midwives who carried out an act of civil disobedience.

There are times when we get ourselves caught up in systems that have control over us and there seems to be not very much we can do. This sermon will try to raise the question, "What do we do when there is nothing to be done?"

I'm going to suggest three things:

1. We can search for excellence. We can do what we do with a degree of excellence. If we are forced to living within a system that we cannot escape we can find a way to excellence.

2. We can find a way to innovate. Whatever we have to do we can find a way to do it creatively. We can find a way to do what we have to do in a way that it has never been done.

3. We can discover the means to anticipation. Nothing lasts forever. Sometime things will change. We may see the change or way may not. If we see it coming we can help bring it about. If it doesn't happen in our lifetime we can make the preparations for it to happen for those who follow after us.

Excellence

Innovation

Anticipation

That enables us to take the worst and make it better.

Have you ever been in a situation when you had to do something like that? How did you deal with it?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2012-01-23T08:24:00.002-07:00

This sermon will try to deal with something we all wonder about; how do we make a difference when it seems there is little difference to be made. The Biblical texts that will drive this sermon are:

Exodus 1:8-20 This is the story of the unanimous midwives who saved Moses' life. Had they not done what they did history would have turned out in a very different way. There would have been no Moses, no exodus, no exile, no messianic hope, no Jesus, and no Christian faith.

Romans 12:1-8 In this text Paul is urging his readers not to be conformed to the world. We are encouraged to live in the world but not be of the world. We are told that we don't need to participate in systems that are destructive, dishonest, and unjust.

How do we stand up to that which is beyond our control?

What do we do when we sense there is little we are able to do?

I'm guessing every one of us has had or is having some sense of a lack of control. This sermon will attempt to address that.

I maintain there is never a situation that completely shuts us down. There is always something that we can do to make it better. There are subtle changes we can make in every environment and if we cannot make changes in our outward circumstances we can make changes internally; attitudinally.

What is the most impossible place you have ever been in your life? How did you get through it or out of it?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2012-01-20T11:06:00.002-07:00

There is a concept that Whitehead offers suggesting the God is a process and that we can sense this in our lives. It comes to us as an invitation not a demand. It lures us but doesn't coerce us. It invites us to participate rather than force us.

Whitehead writes, "It is as true to say that God is permanent and the world is fluent as that the world is permanent and God is fluent. It is as true to say that God needs us as it is to say that we need God. God does not create the world. God saves it or, more accurately, God is the poet of the world leading it by the vision of truth, beauty, and goodness."

What I want to do with this sermon is to talk about how God works in the world in the context of a theology that doesn't put God up as a force or coercive power, but as the subtle influence that works in our lives and in our world to save it and to save us.

What I plan to have us consider is three elements; "the poet and the rhyme"

What is the impact of truth? We knew it when we hear it and it will set us free, but it may disturb us first.

What is the impact of beauty? When we see beauty we are inspired by it. The sunrise on most of these mornings will inspire us to a better day. The beauty of the a breath taking painting will drive us to be a better person.

What is the impact of goodness? When we encounter a person who is so completely good we cannot walk away from that person without some of that changing the way we act.

"God is the poet of the world leading the world by a vision of truth, beauty, and goodness."

Let there be no doubt that there is God as long as we can experience or sense the influence of something that is within us and beyond us that lures us to be a person better than we ever imagined but within the direction of a greatness that we were able to attain for the good of all.

How do you experience God through TRUTH, BEAUTY, AND GOODNESS?

If you have some thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2012-01-18T13:14:00.002-07:00

There is something important for us to consider as we think about what gives our lives meaning and wholeness. It has to do with the difference between existence and getting by on the one hand, and living and thriving, on the other.

One of the more interesting texts is Ezekiel 37. Ezekiel is trying to help his people face the hard times and is asking the question, "Can these bones live". Portions of the prophet's text come before the fall of Jerusalem and portions come after the fall.

Chapter 37 was written after the fall of the city and at a time when the people pondered their future and wondered if there would be one. Could they ever recover what they had lost? Ezekiel is trying to tell them they would survive and those bones would live. They would thrive.

How do we come to a point in our lives when we discover what it means to truly live even when there is adversity and grief?

Alfred North Whitehead wrote, "To experience faith is to know that in being ourselves we are more than ourselves: To know that our experience, dim and fragmentary as it is, yet sounds the utmost depths of reality: to know that detached details merely in order to be themselves demand that they should find themselves in a system of things: to know that this system includes the harmony of logical rationality, and the harmony of aesthetic achievement: to know that, while the harmony of logic lies upon the universe as an iron necessity, the aesthetic harmony stands before it as a living ideal moulding the general flux in its broken progress toward finer, subtler issues."

We are not unto ourselves and we are not the first of all but in a long line of every thing that has been. Fullness of life and happiness will be found when we discover the context from which we come and the end toward which we are moving and can discern the way in which everything is related to everything.

People like Loren Eiseley open up the option that puts us into a context and enable us to live out of that context to the point that we can find meaning and wholeness through it.

What is your context? What does your life have to do with birds of the air and fish of the sea and the beauty of the world?

How do you find meaning in your life in the context of your life? If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your response click on the 'comment' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2012-01-16T08:15:00.002-07:00

"A New Pair of Glasses"

My grandfather had a huge influence on my life. When my father died I was nine years old and we moved from Miamisburg, Ohio to Morgantown, West Virginia and into my grandparent's home.

Charles Baker was a judge, a lawyer, and a poet. He ran for Congress in 1942 and was defeated by Jennings Randolph by less than 200 votes. He could have asked for a recount but he didn't.

My grandfather introduced me to the writing of Loren Eiseley. Loren Eiseley was a naturalist, who was lived in Nebraska. Eiseley's book The Immense Journey will be the subject of the noon study beginning next Wednesday.

I wanted to introduce the congregation to the thinking of Loren Eiseley through the sermon this coming Sunday.

The sermon will promote the idea that the best way to convey the Christian faith is not through conversion but through the method of conversation. Christianity is a way of life and a way of looking.

I want to share with you a method of looking and, if I do it successfully, it will lead to a new way of seeing. I think it was this approach that Jesus had when he said, "Consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air."

How we look determines what we see. Christianity is a way to look that leads to a new line of sight that leads to a new way to live.

Have you ever looked at the wonder and beauty of nature and had thoughts that were profoundly religious? Did you see the sunrise yesterday? Did it give you the inspiration that there is God?

What do you think? If you have some insights about how we look and what we see write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2012-01-13T09:43:00.002-07:00

This sermon will try to explain one of the concepts of Paul Tillich.
He said, "Nonbeing makes God a living God. Without the "No" God has to overcome in God's self and in God's creation, the divine "Yes" to God's self would be lifeless...

Where there is nonbeing there is finitude and anxiety.

If we cay that nonbeing belongs to being-itself, we say that finitude and anxiety belong to being-itself...

The infinite embraces itself and the finite, the "Yes" includes itself and the "No" which it takes into itself, blessedness comprises itself and the anxiety of which it is the conquest."

The words seem confusing when you first approach them but, on further study, they have a depth that speaks to our world with clarity and wisdom.

This is some of what it says and this is what I will try to get across on Sunday.

There are those factors and forces that put us down. We need to deal with them but more than that, we need to take them into ourselves. Most of our external problems have an internal source. People of faith have the courage to know that and to deal with the internal source that is causing the external problem.

The forces of nonbeing are not enemies to our lives but are resources that can lead to our growth if they are dealt with.

The Biblical narrative is Job. The particular text is Job 1:1-12. That text points out the mythic story between God and Satan and the bet that Job's faith would fail him if bad things happened.

How would you interpret Tillich's statement?

One of the goals I have for my life is to write a book that takes some of these theologians and to interpret them in a way people can understand. I can break their code and make their ideas available to people who are not accustomed to reading heavy theology.

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have your response available for the congregation to see and respond to click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2012-01-11T14:36:00.003-07:00

How do we confront the power of nonbeing? What do we do to put the things that put us down?

I have thought there are four things to consider. I wonder it this is helpful because when we are in the battle with nonbeing these answers may appear to be too easy.

First of all we have to confront the power of nonbeing. We have to see it for what it is and we have to own it. We have to face it. We have to realize how much a part of ourselves it is.

Secondly, we have to embrace it. Not only do we have to see what it is we have to see what our part has been in our having it. Much of the problems in our lives and a whole lot of what puts us down that seems to come from beyond us actually begins within us. We have to face it and embrace it.

Thirdly, we will want to grace it with God. No issue that is our issue is our's alone. We look for God's part of the problem and how God is involved in our finding a solution to it. God does not send us nonbeing but nonbeing is a part of being and God is the creator of being. We can grace what happens to us and bless it and put it into perspective.

Finally, we will be able to erase it. There will come a time when it no longer has power over us. It may take a whole lifetime before it happens but when it happens there is no liberation like it. We can erase it and we can be done with it.

Nonbeing has no power over us if we face it, if we embrace it, and if we grace it with God, and if we erase it. There is nothing, in nonbeing's power we ever have to be afflicted with; ever.

What do you think?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have the readers of the blog see your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2012-01-08T07:23:00.002-07:00

Sunday, January 15th is Martin Luther King weekend and I thought an appropriate time to think about one of the important ideas of the theologian Paul Tillich.

Tillich believe that we encounter the forces of, what he called, Non-being. I want to preach a sermon on what those forces of non-being are, how they hurt us, and how we can confront and defeat them.

Of course, it will be different for each of us but what are some of the forces of non-being?

I think there are people who judge us and who will put us in their box and won't let us become who we are. Those are the factors of non-being and they must be confronted.

I think there are circumstances beyond our control and they continue to put us down. For some of us it is something that happened in the past that we cannot overcome. For some of us it is the fear of the future. We have no control over those things unless we confront them but when we confront them we can defeat them and they must be confronted.

What are the factors in your life that deny you your fullness of being? Is it the past or the future? Is it a job that's dehumanizing or a bias against you? Is it your own insecurity or fear that is a factor that defeats your sense of being?

How do we defeat those forces?

I think we name them and we look beyond them?

What do you think about this?

What are the forces for non-being in your life?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your ideas with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments" box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2012-01-01T08:35:00.002-07:00

Sunday, January 8th Reverend Rebecca Mcfee will preach in the 8, 9:15, and 10:45 Sanctuary services. I will post her theme later this week.

We will be involved in a look at the United Methodist Church's issues with homosexuality at 9:15 each Sunday for the next four Sundays. We are looking at the issue in terms of the "Wesleyan Quadrilateral" (Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience).

My task next Sunday is to look at the issue with respect to "Tradition". We will look at the question of ordination, appointment, and holy unions. What does our church say about the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy? What does it say about the responsibility of clergy to do holy unions in the church?

Does the church affirm gay and lesbian people and grant that human sexuality is a God given gift?
I have been invited to look at the tradition as it has developed from the decisions made by the General Conferences of the church that meet every 4 years. I have been a delegate to those conferences since 1988 and have been a voting member for 6 of them. I was elected as a voting alternate to the General Conference in April in Tampa, Florida. Will look at the same issues we always do and consider making changes in our Book of Discipline.

Our meetings will take place at 9:15 and will meet in the parlor. I am given the responsibility of speaking on tradition. We have engaged a medical doctor to look at reason. David Dalke will speak on experience and Rebecca Mcfee will speak on scripture.

Each week a different resource of faith on the same issue. United Methodists do not conform to a common creed but we employ the resources of the quadrilateral to help us deal with issues such as this.

I invite you to join us in this four week discussion. It should be interesting.

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday and I hope you will write your opinions on this subject to me or to the readers.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-12-26T09:31:00.002-07:00

Sunday, January 1st we will have just one worship service at 10:30. This past Sunday, Christmas Day, we had a good number of people at worship and the spirit of the congregation was great. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas. I anticipate the same next Sunday.

What is even more special about January 1st is it gives us an opportunity to say "goodbye" to Reverend Ray Miller. Ray has been a member of the staff for the past several years and has contributed greatly to the church's ministry. He has taught classes, has led in worship services and preached. He was helped us put together very successful stewardship campaigns and has been a valuable member of the church staff.

Ray's general belief that the church is designed to serve humanity and that the best measure of ministry is in terms of how the church's focus shifts beyond the walls has been, truly, an inspiration. He will be moving the Guatemala for the next year and will return to Fort Collins in August. He will be missed.

Ray has been a trusted staff member, a competent professional, a visionary leader, and a friend. We are very fortunate to have had the chance to work with him and we applaud his decision to take this next step in his life.

Ray Miller is an example for all of us of what it means to see life as a journey and to understand that every age and stage is a potential learning experience.

Join us Sunday as we bid Ray farewell and as we express appreciation for all he has done for us.

If you would like to add your words of appreciation for Ray's ministry write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you would like to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

2011-12-20T21:55:00.002-07:00

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT AND COMMUNION SERVICE
11:00 p.m.

Title of Message: "Mary, Did You Really Know?"
Scriptures: Isaiah 7:10-14 and Matthew 1:18-23

This service of celebration and worship is a meditative time for reflection and contemplation. There will be wonderful music from Ashley Greathouse (harp), Trever Bonnema (handbells), Stacy Miller (vocal soloist) and Karen Stoody (organ).
The sounds of I Wonder as I Wander, Ave Maria, Mary Did You Know?,Still, Still, Still, the traditional Christmas hymns and the lighting of candles and sharing communion - all make for a time to remember once again who Jesus was and is and forever will be - in our lives.

Station KJOY will follow Mary, Joseph and her family and friends as they journey on the dusty road to Bethlehem to ignite Christmas, and to address the question "Mary, did you really know?" Or, to ultimately ask the more pertinent question, "What do we know?" about the now grown child of the manger.

I welcome you to our service. The lights will be low and the Sanctuary warm in the glow of the Christmas spirit. Come and join us.

Blessings on you.

David ddalke37@cs.com

5 and 7

The sermon seeks to bring together two conflicting idea; both of which are important to us as Christan people. First is the idea that we are special; unique; chosen. Secondly the idea that we are a part of the mass of humanity and common; every day; ordinary; united with the masses.

We are special but we are common. We are somebody but so is everyone else.

Where does this leave us?

It leaves us with a confidence to know we can do all things and with a humility to realize that we are give what we have been given so we can do the things we can do for the people with whom we come in contact.

If you would like rough drafts of the Christmas Eve sermon and the Christmas Day sermons indicate that and I will email them to you.

If you have thoughts about the sermon write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the reader of the blog click on the 'comments' box.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-12-18T07:45:00.002-07:00

I'm going to run two "Build a Sermon" themes into this section this week. I may be able to include Rebecca and David's themes as well. Here is the Christmas Eve schedule

3:00 Rebecca and the Family Service

5:00 and 7:00 I am preaching the sermon and the bell and adult choirs are included. The themes is "What Would Adam and Eve Have to Do With Christmas?"

9:00 Rebecca will preach

11:00 David will preach

The theme related to Adam and Eve and Christmas is an interesting one. This is something I have never noticed until this year and it is an important part of the Christmas story.

If you look at the genealogies in Matthew and Luke you will find some interesting differences. Matthew traces Jesus family tree back to Abraham. Luke traces it back to Adam. I think the gospel writers are trying to tell us something.

I think Matthew is telling us Jesus was related to Abraham and Sarah and is tied into the Jewish tradition. He, and we, are special, unique, and we have an important tradition. The tradition goes back to the people of Israel, the Chosen People. It is a good thing to realize we are important and to claim our heritage. It gives us a sense of identity. Christmas does just that. It gives us a sense of being "chosen" of being "special" and Matthew wants us to understand that about Jesus.

Now, look what happens when we think about Luke's view of Jesus' genealogy. It goes back to Adam and Eve. It incorporates the entire human race. Our sense of specialness yields to the fact that we are, as Christian people, part of the human family. Our uniqueness and our chosenness is not an exclusive claim that we are better than other people or that we deserve merit or privilege. It means that our chosenness calls for us to recognize how we have responsibility for the whole human family. Jesus is related to Adam and Eve according to Luke. That means Jesus is heir to the entire human race and so are will.

The Christmas Eve sermon will claim our uniqueness and will move us toward inclusion.

Christmas Day sermon
December 25th
10:30

We will have only one service on Christmas Day this year. The sermon theme comes from the angel voices and the words, "Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth, peace, good will to those with whom God is well pleased".

What I'm struggling with is the concept that there are some with whom God is not "well pleased". I don't know who those people are or what we have to do to become one of those who does not "please God". This sermon is in its formative stage but it is posing an interesting question.

If you have thoughts on any of these issues write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

If you would like a "rough draft" if either of the sermons indicate that and I will email them to you. I have both sermons in a "very rough draft" state currently. I've been off a week and have had some time to work.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-12-13T22:06:00.002-07:00

David Dalke is preaching on some of the dynamics of Jesus family tree. David is looking at who the grandparents of Jesus were and how they fit into the Christmas story.

David is preaching this week allowing me to be a grandparent for our daughter who had a second child on Monday. She and Andy have a two year old and Kathy and I are taking care of him since he has a respiratory infection and the doctors didn't want him around his infant brother.

I appreciate David's willingness to step in. I need to be a grandparent while David is preaching about Jesus' grandparents.

If you have advice for David write him at [ddalke37@cs.com].

I will be back at church on December 20th.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-12-09T10:50:00.002-07:00

The three concepts I am trying to help develop:

1. The greatest gift of Christmas is God's gift to us in the Christ Child who was born in Bethlehem.

2. The most important thing for us to realize is the idea that "Love came down at Christmas" and is still with us.

3. The most important idea that came with Christmas is the idea that "The Word Became Flesh". Incarnation is more important than "virgin birth" in terms of the power and effect of the Christmas story on us.

If you would like me to send you a rough draft of the sermon I can do that either by Friday at 4 or early Sunday morning beginning at 6:30. Let me know you want it and I can send it to you.

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-12-07T15:13:00.002-07:00

The Christmas message is so simple and yet so complex. The complexity is in its simplicity. We can say things about Christmas and what it means but we may or may not understand what we are saying.

For example, we would be apt to say, "Love came down at Christmas". What does that mean in a tangible or pragmatic way? What do we mean by saying that? Love came down from where? How do we see love coming down? How do we deal with the fact that love has come down?

We might say, "The greatest gift of Christmas is God's gift to us?" The implication is that God, somehow, gave us Jesus. In what way does that speak to us? How are we to understand that gift from God? How do we receive the gift of God?

We might find a text like the one in John's gospel that says, "Christmas means the word became flesh". Theologians call this "the incarnation". How does the word become flesh? How do we experience the word becoming flesh?

The sermon will explore the meaning and apprehension of the "incarnation". I intend to do this with some stories. The stories will share the depth and meaning of the ideas.

How do you explain the "meaning of Christmas"? What do you think it means to say, "Love Came Down at Christmas"? or "love came down at Christmas"?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-12-04T07:11:00.002-07:00

"Who Changed the Sheets In the Manger?"

The pragmatics of Christmas and the details seem to hit us as we strive to get from our day and time to the time back then. We do everything possible to reenact that. He put up our miniature Nativity Scenes, we participate in live Nativity Scenes with animals and people standing out in the cold. We do this to try to change our frame of mind and to get into the setting that happened.

This sermon I want to try to get us into thinking about how we move from here to there. Maybe it is with the Christmas Pageants. Is that how we do it? Acting out the parts. The shepherds and the magi, and Mary and Joseph and the Innkeeper and the angels singing.

We do this for our children. We allow them to take their role in the play so they can see it from the inside. Who will be the baby Jesus? Will it be a real child? Will it be a light that shines? Will it be a doll baby? Will the baby be white or brown or yellow or black? Remember the day they put an African-American baby in the manger and people thought about that and said, "That's exactly right."

How do we move ourselves from here and now to there and then? What do you do to put yourself in the scene so that Christmas becomes real for you?

I'd like to hear from you about this. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-12-02T06:06:00.002-07:00

The work on this sermon has pushed me into an interesting thought. If there was an Innkeeper who put Mary and Joseph in the barn/cave in the back of the Inn did they act in a manner what was responsible and respectful? Were they appropriate in that they gave what they had or were they inappropriate in that they could have done more?

Furthermore, were there other Innkeepers who absolutely rejected Mary and Joseph when they came into Bethlehem? If so, the Innkeeper who took them in was a hero? It least he did what he could.

What about the owner of the donkey who gave the disciples the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday event? Should he have given them a more appropriate means of conveyance? Why a donkey? Why not a champion steed? Was the stable owner a hero or a jerk?

What about the owner of the house that was used for the Last Supper? Someone owned the Upper Room and that person willingly surrendered his house of the disciples when he was asked to provide a space so they could celebrate Passover. Why did he open his home to them? What did he charge? What did he get out of it?

The Innkeeper, the stable owner, the home owner of the Upper Room demonstrate varying degrees of giving.

We can give but we might have done more?
We can deny what people are asking and do nothing?
We can give knowing the recipient deserves better?
We can give the best that we have?

What does this say about Christmas and giving?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have the readers of the blog see your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

If you would like a draft of the sermon indicate that and I will send it to you Friday.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-11-30T13:53:00.002-07:00

What strikes me about the Christmas story in Luke is the Innkeeper and the ongoing debate as to whether he did what he could have or should have or if he had done what he would have if he had known the child of Mary and Joseph was the Christ Child.

The sermon has me moving off in two other directions and it is beginning to come together slowly.

1. The Innkeeper gave Mary and Joseph a room in the back because there was no room in the inn. Basically, Jesus was born in a stall fit for animals according to the Gospel of Luke. 'The Innkeeper only looked at the clothing of the couple and saw them as a peasant couple.

2. The owner of the stable when the disciples came to the village opposite Bethpage gave them a donkey for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem. It could have been a quality horse and it might have been a triumpal entry. Instead Jesus came into Jerusalem riding a beast of burden. The stable owner looked at their hands and the disciples were working class people.

When we look at the clothing and when we look at the hands and when we make decisions about people on the basis of these superficialities we will not feel good about what we do for them.

We must find a way to look beyond the externals this Christmas when we consider what we can do for each other. We've got to find a way to get beneith the surface or our Christmas will be filled with guilt and emptiness.

What should we consider when we think about the people in our lives and what we have to give to them? Is it the way they look or the work they do or is there something internal/essential?

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-11-27T12:08:00.002-07:00

To suggest there was a stable boy in Bethlehem requires a stretch or a fling into a fantasy world. We don't know there was a stable boy. If there were a stable person it might have been a girl so can we say something about someone who may or may not have been present when the Christ Child was born?

The bigger question calls for us to think about adding to the story knowing that most of the story is simply a tale told/written by a Gospel writer to explain what people needed to know; that Jesus Christ was once a child like any other child; that he was born like any of us have been born; and that there were common ordinary shepherds who attended to him.

The larger question still has to do with the kind of world Jesus was born into. Much is made about the indifference of that world and the anger of the world and the hatred of that world. Was there any kindness?

Did the Innkeeper do a kindness in welcoming the Holy Family? Was that an act of compassion that greeted the Christ Child in Bethlehem?

Some of us have made much of the fact that there was no room in the Inn. Of course, that is wrong. There was room in the Inn. It wasn't a master suite. It wasn't "business class" but the Inn Keeper allowed them to stay in the only place he had available. We don't know if there was a charge. We are not given to understand if they received acts of kindness while they were temporary residents of the Inn in Bethlehem. I assume they were treated kindly.

What do you think?

If you were to tell the story of the Innkeeper's son and how he took care of the couple and their new-born child, what would you say about it?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the "comments box" below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-11-25T08:18:00.002-07:00

Just a thought I had yesterday, Thanksgiving Day, driving on the way a family event in Longmont there was a parking lot and a Best Buy Store. It was 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I think the store opened at midnight. There was a long line of people waiting to get in. Some of them had tents and obviously were planning to be there into the night.

I am preaching a sermon on "preparation" for Christmas. Advent is four weeks preparing, spiritually, for the birth of the Christ Child. I am in favor of preparation and I believe the people waiting in that line were thinking about preparation as well.

But something seemed over the top with people who were camping out and waiting to get into the store at midnight on the day when we were poised to be thankful for the what we have. Here were people on the day of thanksgiving where we were to be thankful for that we have, waiting in line to purchase gifts and items so that people could have more. That doesn't quite add up.

I know part of the preparation for Christmas involves shopping. Gift giving is a part of the season, but if that is the primary thing it is it seems to be missing the point.

The preparation we need to consider is not quantities if gifts but qualities of experiences and it seems if our focus is on the gifts to buy and the time to do it instead of the relationships we might miss because of the stress of shopping then, something is out of balance.

The Census Taker in the story and the institution that established that institution may get an absolutely accurate count of the people who come to Bethlehem, but they will not have, in any way, a true picture of the people who are there. What's one baby among thousands of citizens? One baby doesn't count for any more than one unless that one baby is the Christ Child (or your child, or your grandchild).

How do we prepare for Christmas Spiritually? This will be the focus of our worship services each Sunday in Advent.

How do you prepare for Christmas spiritually? How does that involve shopping? I believe it can involve shopping. Is there a way to shop spiritually?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward from hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-11-23T08:52:00.002-07:00

I don't hold the Census Taker as an enemy in the Christmas Story. I don't see him or her as an evil person or a misguided soul; nothing like that. But I do see that persona as a problem for Mary and Joseph and all the poor souls who were forced to come to be counted.

Luke wants us to understand that there were extreme requirements put on the Holy Family when the Christ Child was born. Luke, the Gospel writer, continually emphasises the idea that Jesus conformed to Roman and Jewish law. Luke sees Christianity as something that fits into the structures and powers of society. Luke wants us to understand there were severe demands made and those were adhered to by the Jewish people and the Christian community that arose from it.

There is a bit of the Census Taker in each of us and that is what I wish to address with the sermon the First Sunday of Advent. Nearsightedness will often blindside the farsighted. The unwillingness to look will preclude the inability to see. In the evolution of the season of Advent one of the most important things we want to be prepared to do is look and be prepared for the unexpected.

What can we expect? What might come to us that is unexpected?

Henri Nouwen wrote, "It seems that there are more and more people in our society who have less and less influence on the decisions that affect their own existence. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important to recognize that the largest part of our existence involves waiting in the sense of being acted upon. But the life of Jesus tells us that not to be in control is part of the human condition. His vocation was fulfilled not just in action but also in passion, in waiting."

Sunday we begin the process of waiting. We take the time to look at life from the perspective of expecting the unexpected.

Census Takers reduce people to numbers; reduce situations to what can be counted upon.

The "census taker" in each of us will have to step back and take a serious look at what is happening. Otherwise, it Christmas will come and go and it will be like all others when, in fact, this year Christmas will be different.

What do you anticipate will happen this Advent? What might surprise you?

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-11-20T07:03:00.002-07:00

Sunday, November 27th is the first Sunday of Advent

I want to take a look at the Census Taker as it says in Luke 2 there was some kind of enrollment and Mary and Joseph were forced to make the trip to Bethlehem where Mary, eventually, had a baby; Jesus.

I don't completely trust this story as historical but I do understand there are people who go around taking names and numbers. There are people who want to reduce qualities to quantity and there have always been people like that.

We will light the Candle of Preparation. Can we ever prepare for Christmas to the point that we are completely ready for it to come? Has the world ever been prepared for someone, like Jesus, who came to deliver a message of peace, and hope, and joy? Has the world ever had an easy time with people like Mother Teressa, or Martin Luther King, or Gandhi who suggested that the weak are powerful and the powerful are week?

They ignore people like that and, sometimes crucify them.

We prepare ourselves for the birth of the Christ Child as we think about the census taker who was concerned about numbers.

What does it take to prepare for Christmas?

What advice do you have for this question?

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments box' below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-11-17T21:45:00.002-07:00

"We Are....First Church"

It seems to me the most important thing we need to hear about our church on Commitment Sunday has nothing to do with a budget; nothing to do with our dreams; nothing to do with a sense of concern; and nothing to do with a motive driven by guilt.

I am going to try to say something about our church; its character and its essence. What is our church? Who are we at First Church?

This is what I see:

I see incredible generosity. I see people giving to the church's ministry with enthusiasm and without hesitation. We name a need in the church and before long someone meets the need. We list a problem in the church and someone steps forward to solve it.

I see an amazing sense of hope in our church. People who have suffered loss who refuse to give up typify the kind of spirit that exists at First Church. You can never count our people out. You will not see us give up the idea that tomorrow will be better than today. When our members go through some of the darkest times in their lives we witness a tenacity and strength of character to rise above adversity.

I see our people working as hard as I have seen any congregation anywhere I've been to try to reconcile differences between each other and in the world where there are so many serious problems created by misunderstanding and confusion.

I see a congregation that is willing to do the hard work it takes to improve and grow. We have witnessed progress in the past but we have the idea that there is a future for us that we can hardly imagine.

Is this a congregation that deserves our financial support? That's what we will have to determine this coming Sunday.

What do you think about First Church? What is your sense of its strength?

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net

If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

If you would like me to send a rough draft of the sermon let me know by tomorrow afternoon and I am happy to send it to you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-11-16T13:22:00.002-07:00

It has seemed to me for some time that stewardship and Commitment Sunday are reflective of something deeply personal and deeply spiritual. I find the Sunday when we bring our pledges to the church to be one of the most important Sundays of the year.

Some may want to do a comparison between this year and last year to see if we have advanced; assuming if the pledge total does not exceed the previous year we have retreated. I begin with the assumption that we are getting positive responses each time we receive a pledge and the amount doesn't matter at all. Each pledge is a vote that we continue for another year; all we have to decide is how much we get to do with what we have.

The congregation is very generous. The level of giving is remarkable when considering the state of the economy. We increased last year's budget from the previous year. In fact the budgets for the past five years tell a remarkable story. This is what I mean:

2007 $893,783

2008 $957,226

2009 $962,321

2010 $938,976

2011 $1,062,200

The budget proposed for 2012 is $1,352,609.

We are...First Church.
We see our task as making a difference in the world and moving our church forward by reaching beyond our doors. In a very tight economy we have increased our budgets because we believe in the future of the church. We have ended most of the years with surpluses.

How do you see Commitment Sunday?
Is it a time of heavy pressure to pledge or is it a privilege?

What do you think about that?

If you have thoughts you'd like to share write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have the readers of the blog see your response click on the "comments" box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-11-13T06:52:00.002-07:00

"We Are --- First Church"

"We are the church. I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together."

I don't think there is any ministry setting I've known where that is any more true than here in Fort Collins. There is a high degree of ownership in this church and the future of the church. Put simply, people care about First Church and are invested in its ministry and future.

When our Administrative Council met a several weeks ago we thought about our dreams. What would we like to think about the future of the church? Where are we headed?

The dreams were widespread. Some wanted to be sure all the members of the staff had health insurance. Some wanted to add staff members to make our ministry more effective and efficient. Some wanted to look into pod-caste of the worship services and up-grading the technology of the church in a variety of ways. Some want to have a Kitchen Coordinator who can open up the use of the kitchen in new ways.

The dreams of our church are telling us that we haven't arrived where we want to be but that we have moved forward in good ways. The dreams do not cause us to look with despair at the basic and foundational aspects of ministry as if it were missing, but encourages us to enhance our ministry; to move it forward.

We are the church. The strengths of the ministry here are many.

There are no weak ministries in this church. The youth, children, and adult programs are as good as any church in Fort Collins. The senior ministry is one of the best in the state. The church library is award winning. The music program is powerful and the diverse. The women's ministry holds a strong United Methodist Women's ministry as well as a concern for the role and status of women in the church.

We are the church, together.

Sunday is our Commitment Sunday.

We have the privilege of supporting our church once more and ensuring its future. What good fortune we have to do that for a church that is as strong as it is and as full of potential.

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments box" below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Tuesday's thoughts

2011-11-08T07:15:00.001-07:00

Rebecca McFee will be the preacher Sunday, November 13th. Her sermon will focus on the theme "You Are the Church"

Monday's thoughts

2011-11-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-11-04T09:25:00.002-06:00

"I am the Church"

There are stages we might be going through in our relationship with life and the church we love.

1. There are times when we have failed in so many ways and we feel unworthy. Peter, for example, was a joke most of his life. He was impulsive and confused and inappropriate.

2. Jesus told him he was "the rock" and upon "the rock" he would build the church and he gave him the "keys to the Kingdom". What an incredible turn of events. If Jesus would have been looking for a less obvious leader he couldn't have found one less deserving than Peter. But it gave Peter status. He didn't immediately change his life or his attitude.

3. Jesus called Peter and the other disciples to the table and he gave them the cup and the bread and he said to them, "Take this in remembrance of me". That was what Peter needed. Again, he didn't immediately change his life. He would disown that he knew Jesus after that. He would run for his life when Jesus was arrested, but, in the end, he did come to realize and remember Jesus was present to him and he died giving witness to his faith. He was one of the great leaders of the church. The church made him a Saint. The church built its largest cathedral in Rome to Peter.

What does it take for us to move from a sense of our unworthiness to a sense of our competence?

We, like Peter, can learn it at the table.

We, like Peter, can leave the church with an understanding that says, "the church isn't the leaders or the clergy, or the ushers, or the choir; the church is each of us.

And as we think about it if someone asks us, "Who is the church?" We have a good reason to think about it and to speak of it and to say in response to it, "I am the church".

To what extent are you the church?

Do you ever think to yourself, "I am the church?" The church belongs to me? You have a right and a reason to think it. The church began with one person and the church exists one believer at a time.

What are your thoughts about this? Do you feel ownership in First Church? If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net.

If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-11-02T14:54:00.002-06:00

When Jesus told Peter he was a rock and upon that rock he would build the church it would come as a surprise to the other disciples but not any more of a surprise than it would have come to Peter himself.

He was no rock. He was impulsive and irresponsible. He was the one who cut off a man's ear with a sword. He was the one who insisted that Jesus wash him all over when Jesus wanted to wash his feet. He was the one who said he would never deny knowing Jesus and when Jesus was arrested it was Peter who denied knowing Jesus three times.

Peter was an absolute joke when he was told by Jesus he was a rock and upon the rock Jesus would build the church.

The parallel with this is as it is with each of us. We are often given major responsibility and we are sure we cannot handle it. We know our flaws and faults and we are aware of our failures and yet we are called upon to do some things we know we cannot do.

Peter rose to the occasion and was one of the most important forces in the early church. He was not a rock when he was chosen but he became a rock and was foundational as a figure in the church to move it forward.

What are we being asked to do that we know we cannot do? We are the church each of us. The church will rise or fall depending on how we carry out our lives in relation to it.

"I am the Church" is a frightening proposition but each of us is presented with it. We each are the church and it is up to us.

What do you think you are being asked to do if you are the church?

Do you have thoughts about this? If so, write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net.

If you are willing to have the readers of this blog see your response click on the 'comments' box below.

If you would like a rough draft of the sermon on Friday let me know and I will email it to you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-10-30T07:03:00.002-06:00

"First Church; Where Everybody is Somebody"

The first of three sermons will have us think about the church and what it does for us and what we do for it. We are beginning to think about our commitment to the church and we will have our Commitment Sunday on November 20th.

Sunday, November 6th we will think about how the church is a part of each of us. In a sense we each have a reason to say to anyone who will listen, "I am the church" because each of us is the church. Each of us is invested in the church and its future. Each of us will determine how the church will carry out its program and ministry.

When we each take our place in the mainstream of life we represent the church we serve. We are a reflection of the church and by the things we say and the things we do people will form an impression of the church to which we belong.

The first Sunday of the month we will celebrate the Last Supper as we always do the first Sunday. The first Sunday of the month the college students who attend the church will serve sandwiches to the homeless people in Fort Collins. We, who are nourished spiritually at our church, wish to reach out to those who could use some nourishment of a different sort.

The college students represent us. Each of them will be the church next Sunday and they will represent us in such a way that we will be, as we always are, proud of them and what they are trying to do. The sandwiches they are giving out is important because the recipients of the food will receive a kind word and encouragement.

We are involved in the shoe box project. We take empty shoe boxes and purchased items for the shoe boxes that will be sent to children all over the world providing a Christmas for some children who would not have Christmas. We are giving hope and the Christian message that God is love.

I am the church and everybody is somebody at our church.

How does this idea strike you. Do you feel a sense of ownership of our church? Do you think of this church as yours?

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-10-28T08:08:00.002-06:00

We are looking at two important aspects of the Christian faith in the sermon Sunday and we are thinking about what makes us concerned to live a life-style that lives out "social justice".

The first element of that is Jesus' belief that every person is a child of God and has something for us to learn. Every human being is a gift from God to us and deserves our attention and respect. We can learn from every man and woman we meet. They have a gift for us and we will need to take them into account as we think about how fortunate we are to know them and to encounter them. Jesus' concern for the people on the margins is well known. He understood what gifts they give. He knew they must be given opportunity to give what they have. The woman who anointed his feet prior to his death is a prime example. The disciples wanted to use the costly oil for their purposes but Jesus wanted to allow her to give what she had. This is an important aspect of our faith tradition. Every person has something for us.

The second element is like the first in a way only it looks in the opposite direction. Paul in Philippians writes, "Have the mind of Christ." If we do that we realize that every person we meet has needs we can meet and our job is to determine what we can do to help meet those needs.

We look for ways of being helpful and following beyond that commandment that says, "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you" to a higher commandment that says, "Do unto others what they would have you do unto them." The focus is on others and what we can do for them. If there are social systems that are foul and destructive we must act to repair them. It's not just the right thing to do ; it is the Christian thing to do. To "have the mind of Christ" means we do it.

Our congregation is interested in Social Justice. We know what is being asked of us and we respond.

What do you think about the basic obligation we have as Christians? Are there other things we need to be thinking about?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you would like to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-10-26T09:43:00.002-06:00

What do we discover once we find ourselves without a church having come under the influence of the church?

What does the church teach us? What is the byproduct of the church and our participation in it?

Obviously, this will not be the same for everyone and the circumstances that come to us from having left the church will vary.

Ten years ago I took a Sabbatical three months away from my church appointment. Actually, we are supposed to take one of those every 7 years we are in ministry and it is a good idea. In the time I was away I knew I should not go back to my appointment (which was Arvada at the time) and some Sundays I didn't go to worship anywhere. Often we would find another church to attend.

I discovered something about the church I had not known. I began to look differently at the people I met in the stores and on the streets and in the places where people congregation.

Church people remind us that everyone has a story to tell and every story is interesting and important to hear. Sometimes when we are located in a church we forget that there are people out there who have a story to tell as well.

I began to look at everyone I met in a different way.

When I left church for that summer I began to think, as John Wesley thought, "the world is my parish".

What was learned in church I applied beyond it and found it was an enriching experience.

What do the people you pass by and do not notice have to give you? If we start asking that question we will begin to discover a resource that is more vast than we can possibly conceive.

Have you ever had the occasion to be without a church and to discover the gift the church gave you to apply to your situation? What did you learn? What did you see?

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-10-23T07:15:00.002-06:00

The sermon for Sunday, October 30th, centers around an interesting idea put forward in Barbara Brown Taylor's book, Leaving Church.

What is interesting about this book is the idea that comes from the experience she had. She is an Episcopal priest and was in a small rural church when she was invited to leave her church appointment and take a job as a professor at a small college. In the book she shares her struggle with the decision and her response to having made the decision.

The most interesting, and I think relevant, part of her story is her reflection on the church after she leave it. She didn't leave because she was burned out; she left because a different challenge was offered her. There were things about the church she missed and some things about the church she realized after she was gone.

It pushes us to question for ourselves what would we miss about the church if we left it?

What in the church is special to us that we would not have were we to walk away from it?

Would it be the sermons? The community? The ritual? The music?

Would there be some way to express our spirituality or to grow theologically if we were not involved in a local church?

What do you think about this?

Where do you think there would be nourishment of soul were it not for the church?

If you have ideas about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with others click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-10-17T07:42:00.002-06:00

Sunday, October 23rd will be a very special day for our church. It will be the unveiling of a new piece of art created by The Reverend Greg Dawson in honor of the music program of the church.

Reverend Dawson has created the beautiful stained glass windows that adorn the East hallway. That project took over 10 years and has produced one of the most beautiful walkways in Fort Collins. Each window represents a season of the church year or a concept from the bible or theology. They windows are as profound in their meaning as they are beautiful to behold.

The most recent project will be placed over the stairway leading into the choir room. If you ask Greg what he was trying to create with this beautiful tribute to music he will not give you a direct answer. He wants us to interpret the piece for ourselves.

The Dawson family has been an integral part of the music program for many years. Alex Dawson is a very skilled guitar musician and has shared his talent in worship services over the past years. Emily Dawson Peterson has sung solos, led hymn sings, and been a part of the adult choir. Her husband Cory is a music teacher in one of the local high schools and has been generous with his talent and has provided special music with his trumpet especially in the Christmas/Advent seasons of the year. Karen has been a member of the adult choir for many years and has been soloist on various occasions and has led worship for the 8 o'clock congregation with powerful and inspiring vocal music.

Greg will preach in the 8 o'clock, 9:15, and 10:45 services in the sanctuary. The choir will sing an anthem at the end of the service and the unveiling of the art work will happen at the end of the 10:45 service.

This is an especially important day for the church. We have just learned that our Choir Director, James Kim, will be leaving our church in June. He has elevated the quality of worship and church music to an amazing level of excellence.

It is appropriate that we honor all those who have helped make our church music program one of the most outstanding in the Rocky Mountain Conference.

See you Sunday.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-10-14T11:43:00.002-06:00

Something about religion that does for us what is most important. Forester Church said religion is what reminds us of the fact that we will die and awakens us to the parallel fact that we are very much alive. We are caught in the tension between knowing our finitude and expanding our magnitude. We soar like a bird and we shrink like a dry sponge in the sun.

Something about religion that reminds us how we live in the moment. We have things we acquire but religion reminds us that we can want what we have and worry less about what we can't acquire.

Something about our faith that takes us to the very edge of our possibility and encourages us to do what we can do and not to worry about what we are unable to achieve.

Something about our belief that awakens us to the fact that we each are unique human beings and we are put here on this earth to be the best at who we are that we can be. When we discover to be who we are we don't need to concern ourselves with what other people want us to be.

Which of these is the most difficult to achieve? If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

If you wish an email copy of a draft of the sermon email me before 4:30 Friday afternoon.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-10-12T13:34:00.002-06:00

"How Do We Say, 'Goodbye'?"

We are pushed up against this question when we realize there will be a time when we will have to say it. It could come sooner than later. It could be a long way off. It could be when we have family and friends surrounding us around our final port of departure.

It might happen after everyone we know has gone before us and our final words will be but a faint echo barely noticed and hardly heard.

Forrest Church thought about this. He thought about how to say 'goodbye' to his church congregation. He chose that occasion to give them and us some good advice. His suggestions will direct my thinking for the sermon.

Three things we will want to understand:

1. In life we learn to want what we have. There is little room for extraneous things in life when life is on the line and there is little time left.

2. In life we learn to do what we can. There comes a time when we have to be realistic about our capabilities and to realize there are limits. Once we accept our limits we can live a realistic life that honors the good we can do and focuses that in ways that expand upon it.

3. In life we learn to be who we are. The possibility of the terminal time makes us put away pretense. All at once there are no games and there is no need to play them. We put away the pretence and learn to live with authenticity.

When we want what we have, and when we do what we can, and when we be who we are we have found peace of mind and then, what happens to us, good and bad, doesn't matter.

What do you think about these three directives?
If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-10-09T07:10:00.002-06:00

"How Do You Say 'Goodbye'?"

Forester Church was pastor of a large Unitarian Church in New York City. His father was Senator Frank Church. Forester remembers when his father was dying and how gracefully his father dealt with his death.

When he realized he had a terminal illness he wrote a book entitled Love and Death; My Journey Through the Valley of the Shadow. I want us to look at and think about our own death and how we say 'goodbye'.

Life is a process of saying, 'hello' and 'goodbye'. How we deal with the pivotal points of life defines us and gives us the best chance at meaning and health.

We all, probably, know people who have died and how they have chosen to address their finitude. We all know there will be a time for us to do the same.

This sermon topic is not morbid although it is rarely discussed. It is life-giving and, I hope, empowering.

Do you have thoughts on this or experiences with it? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-10-07T08:21:00.002-06:00

There are two ways, at least, we will want to think of aging with grace on Senior Sunday. They will constitute the two points to the sermon and I think what is suggested goes way beyond aging.

First of all it is important to know we have a past and to enjoy it without dwelling on it. The experiences we have had have made us what and who we are. Some of those happenings have been destructive and some have been wonderfully positive.

We have a past and we celebrate that but we do not live in it.

Secondly, we have options given us to fulfill our lives by finding the creative aspects of our being. We are creative beyond what we realize and we have an opportunity to move forward in areas we have neglected. Every stage of life is an opportunity to develop a part of ourselves we had ignored.

For the elderly there is gerontology and there is generativity; the history of where we have been and the creativity of what we can do.

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your reflections click on the 'comments' box below.

If you want a draft copy of the sermon let me know by 4 o'clock today and I can send it to you.

I look forward to your observations.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-10-05T08:32:00.002-06:00

There is this old prophetess, Anna, in the Nativity Story. Luke gives us the only glimpse into her existence. We don't know anything about her other than she appears in the story and sees the child, Jesus, as the hope for her people.

She is said to be 84 years old. Her husband died when she was young. She is reputed to have worked in the temple. She made a contribution. She is one who saw Jesus as the Messiah and proclaims it.

Luke likes to bring in women in roles that are almost equal to men. That is a unique feature of Luke's approach.

The story of Anna is so brief you wonder if there is enough of a story there to do anything with it or to trump it up into a sermon. Maybe not. But it could be the better story is the brevity of the story itself. Anna is not featured. She is peripheral and incidental and yet her proclamation is a remarkable addition to the narrative. Her role is authenticating and important even in its brevity.

What is the role of the aged in our world? Is it incidental? Is it vitally important?

Why would we have a Senior Sunday at our church and a week after we have Children's Sabbath if we didn't value our senior members as much as our children?

Truth is, if we are ever going to have a society that measures up to the strength is had within it we are going to have to value every part of it.

What do you think?

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have your thoughts read by the other readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-10-02T13:18:00.002-06:00

"The Fountain of Age"

This Sunday will be "Senior Sunday". It is a time to celebrate the active and vital ministry our senior church members are doing.

I will pursue the idea that there is healthy and unhealthy aging. There are ways that look at aging that involve denial. There are ways that look at aging that consider what is appropriate and helpful.

I will use a number of resources but primarily a book by Betty Friedan and her book The Fountain of Age.

She writes:

"The unexpectedness of this new quest has been my adventure into age. I realized that all the experiences I have had--as daughter, student, grandmother, teacher, leader, friend, lover, confronting real and phantom enemies and dangers, the terrors of divorce and my own denial of age--all of it, mistakes, triumphs, battles lost and won, and moments of despair and exaltation, is part of me now: I am myself at this age. It took me all these years to put the missing pieces together, to confront my own age in terms of integrity and generativity, moving into the unknown future with a comfort now, instead of being stuck in the past. I have never felt so free."

That is our goal. To put together all our experiences and to move forward with them and to become who we are and to be comfortable with that.

Ultimately, to find ourselves at a point in our lives when we have never been so free.

What does it take to get there?

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-09-30T10:04:00.002-06:00

There is a tension between our idea that "children belong to the Kingdom of God" as Jesus said and "When I was a child I spoke, though, and acted as a child, but when I became adult I gave up childish things" as Paul wrote.

There is a tension between the innocence of a child and the childishness of a child; some of it we praise and some of it we try to fix.

Children are silly

Children are suggestible

Children are self-centered

Adults are realistic

Adults are rational

Adults are reducible

Children live out what it means to "take the leap of faith"

Adults live out what it means to "live through the dark night of the soul"

Soren Kierkegaard's two basic concepts were the leap of faith and the dark night of the soul.

We need our children to remind us of the leap of faith but we need adults to help us through the dark night of the soul. Both are important and on Children's Sabbath we will see both being carried out.

If you want a copy of the sermon let me know and I can send it to you. If you have suggestions for the sermon write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net . If you are willing to let your ideas be read by the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-09-28T19:24:00.002-06:00

"You Have Got To Be Kidding"

The ideas of Soren Kierkegaard lend themselves to Children's Sabbath. Kierkegaard was often called "The Dismal Great Dane". He followed closely the idea that life was basically absurd and meaning in life was to be found in the moment because the moment is all we are truly sure we have.

The text I plan to explore comes in Mark's Gospel (the 10th Chapter) where Jesus is in the midst of children and the disciples speak sternly to him about that. They really didn't want children around and Jesus said, "Let the children come to me for to such belongs the Kingdom of God."

So far my sermons on this text have attempted to defend Jesus and his, evident and right, position that children are to be honored. In this sermon, on Children's Sabbath, I am exploring the text in a completely opposite direction. I want us to understand why the disciples would want to exclude children. They have a point and it is a point that ought to be made. I will attempt to make it this Sunday on Children's Sabbath.

Do you think children should be seen and not heard? How do you feel about children in church? Is worship not a place where children should be? We have made a commitment to have children in church every first Sunday. There are many less young families coming to church and worship the first Sunday. Did we make a mistake with this decision? Are there ways we can change the worship services to make them more children friendly without making them insulting to adults who are looking for something more sophisticated?

What do you think?

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to allow the readers of the blog to see your response click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-09-25T07:02:00.002-06:00

Children's Sabbath -- October 2nd

I'm going to do something that really puts preaching and worship to the test. I'm going to use a respected and pivotal theologian on a Sunday when we are celebrating the importance of our children and the importance of building a world that makes it safe for them.

Children's Sabbath is something we have had here at the church for years. It is an important day in the life of our congregation. We have made some changes in our worship structures. Actually, we have 12 Children Sabbaths. The first Sunday of every month we have our children in the sanctuary as we celebrate communion. We do this so our children can experience worship and so that families can have communion together.

What is rather bold about next Sunday is the use of the theologian Soren Kierkegaard. He is an existentialist thinker who writes about the importance of "the leap of faith" and "the dark night of the soul".

Kierkegaard is one who struggles with his soul and with what it means to be a person of faith and a Christian.

How do we merge Kierkegaard's struggle with our children's faith journey? What better approach to the issues children bring that to take a look at the absurdity of the world and the need to make our world safe for children to grow in faith!

We will look at the faith struggles of a child; the will to believe and the importance of disbelief; the confidence in the world as a place of love and the reality that sometimes the world is cruel and dangerous.

I will invite us to think about what it was to be a child and how we have evolved in our faith to the point, as Jesus said, "children; to them belongs the Kingdom of God".

What do you remember about your childhood faith? How has it changed today?

If you have thoughts about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-09-23T12:00:00.002-06:00

What leads us to excellence? How do we get to the point that what we do is reflective of the greatness in us. How do we avoid settling for less?

I think there are three approaches we have to take:

1. We have figure a way to WAKE UP!
There is something in us that requires that we realize the brevity of life and the importance of all the time we have. No matter how long or short we are not exempt. On our last day alive and in our last hour and no matter what our physical or mental condition something is being asked of us. We have to wake up to that.

2. We have to figure a way to SHAPE UP!
Preparation is the key to accomplishment and, if we are in pursuit of excellence, we have to spend our whole lives preparing for what is or will be asked of us. There are many ways to shape up and some of that is physical but most of it is spiritual. We have to hone our skills, to plot our approaches, and to prepare ourselves spiritually. We have to know what we are up against and we will want to understand what it takes to face the challenges and what is required to avoid the temptations.

3. We have to figure a way to SHOW UP!
Sometimes the most difficult thing about life is finding a way to overcome our hesitations and fears and to find a way to insert ourselves where we need to be at the time when we are required to be there.

There will be forces and factors that will want to deny us our chance to be where we need to be and to do what we need to do.

What is called upon from us in our pursuit of excellence:

Wake up --- Shape up --- Show up

If you have thoughts about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the other readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

If you would like a rough draft of the sermon I will email that to you. My home email delivery system isn't working so it will have to come from the office but I am happy to do that if I receive an email direction me to send it before 4pm Friday.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-09-20T21:05:00.004-06:00

There is that about us that strives. When confronted with failed attempts we are apt to give into the less than rather than hold in the back of our minds the complete. But still there is that about us that strives.

We know we can do better than we have done and thus we try and sometimes we succeed. We understand that there is such a thing as the best that can be and when we see it we recognize it and strive to participate in it.

There is this idea in Methodism called, "moving on to perfection". It was John Wesley who spoke of it in many of his writings. He has a sermon entitled "Christian Perfection".

It is this view of the perfect that will direct my thinking as I try to put together an idea that does drive the way we live and the way we think as individuals and as a church.

The sermon will say something to any of us who understands what it means to settle for less and be disappointed by it. It will address the whole matter of striving and working to better ourselves and our world.

Are you "moving on to perfection"? If not toward what are you moving?

Are you intimidated by ideas of perfection as a goal or objective? There are people who are perfectionists whose lives are not whole or healthy.

Is the idea of Christian perfection viable today?

What do you think?

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. I look forward to hearing from you.

If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

Good luck moving on to perfection.

Charles Schuster

2011-09-20T21:05:00.001-06:00

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-09-14T14:55:00.004-06:00

I welcome you to our services of celebration this Sunday. Our theme will be Opening our Doors to all who knock. Title of the message of faith will be "Welcome Home, O Wayfaring Stranger", based on the scriptures Deuteronomy 10:12-19, Matthew 25:31-46 and Romans 12:9-13.

We will look at the importance (a moral imperative) of welcoming strangers in our midst, regardless of gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Moses and Jesus will be our resources....it doesn't get any better than that!

We will also be receiving several new folks into our community of faith. I hope you will find the energy and time to worship with us this Sunday.

Please free to write me at: ddalke37@cs.com

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-09-12T07:45:00.001-06:00

David Dalke will be preaching in the 8:00, 9:15, and 10:45 services.

Jim Gulley will be preaching in Crosswalk on Sunday, September 18th

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-09-09T09:34:00.002-06:00

What have we learned in the past 10 years?

What has 9/11 taught us about our world and ourselves?

Two things I think:

A. We have to be able to use our common sense. Some have gone overboard with security issues. Some have wanted to assume security wasn't at all important. We have to find some common sense. There are radical Muslims but not all Muslims are radical. There are dangers in the world but the world is not all dangerous. Common sense requires that we be able to live without bitterness and without the need for revenge.

When Joseph's brothers realized Joseph was alive, had thrived, and was in a position to rule over their lives they were fearful he would be angry with them and try to hurt them or kill them. Joseph replied that he was not God. It was not his task to judge. He forgave them. He used common sense. (Genesis 50)

B. We have learned to find a common source. We do not worship God in the same way but that doesn't mean we all have a different God. Paul urged his readers to honor all people. Some think dietary requirements are important but others do not practice them. Paul writes that gentiles and Jews worship the same God but in different ways. (Romans 14)

Maybe the most important learning of the past 10 years is how we search the commonality of our faith traditions. Islam, Judaism, and Christianity come from the same Abrahamic source. We really do have more in common than we realized.

Hopefully, in the past ten years we have learned to find our common source and we have learned to use our common sense.

How have the past ten years changed you.

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-09-07T10:06:00.002-06:00

It is important for us on September 11th this year to give some thought to how our lives have changed since those awful events of 10 year ago. Reliving the tragedy will not be sufficient. How have our lives been changed?

Jim Wallis suggests that we have lost our innocence as a nation and have acquired a sense of vulnerability that the rest of the world generally knows. Has that made us more suspicious or more generous? Has that caused us to withdraw or venture forth?

How have we changed in 10 years?

One of the enduring images of the original 9/11 was the sense of togetherness that we experienced as a nation. Obviously, we have lost that. Politicians play to our selfish interests and our competitive nature and have succeeded in pitting us against each other. Tragically, we view each other as much a threat as the people who wish to do us harm. That is a sad eventuality and, I think, a mockery of the sacrifices made by the heroes of 9/11.

We are put in a position to reassess who we are as we look back to the events of 10 years ago and to think about our future as a nation.

I believe we can repair relationships and we can rebuild a national sense of trust without having another tragedy to bring us together. I certainly hope that is true.

What do you think we have done in the past 10 years to honor those who died?

How do you think we have done well by them?

How do you wish we had acted differently?

I look forward to your responses. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your response click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-09-04T07:10:00.002-06:00

"Ten Years Later"

The images are still so vivid if we were at all connected to what was happening in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. The rising smoke and dust, the towering infernos, the frantic telephone calls, the national alarm, the tears and the questions. What happened to us ten years ago? What has happened to us since?

On Sunday, September 11th we will want to look back to what happened and there are some things we will want to remember and celebrate. I think of the courage of the police and firefighters. I don't want to forget that. I think of the bond of love between people whose last words are held in precious memory to this day. We don't want to diminish the importance of that. I think of the coming together of our nation and the dedication to overcome this overwhelming tragedy. We want to hold onto that. I think of the rise of concern about the role of religion in this sad turn. How can someone kill innocent people in the name of God? What kind of God would allow or encourage such a thing?

There is much to remember 10 years after the event at which everything changed. It is our personal task to reflect on this and to come to some conclusions but it is our corporate responsibility as well.

What does, "Ten Years Later" mean to us about who we are and how we are to live our lives? Have we invested enough in security? Too much?

Will the religions of the world ever come together?

I invite your thoughts on this. Where were you ten years ago 9-11? What did you see and how did what you saw change your life?

I really value your thoughts. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-09-02T09:28:00.002-06:00

It seems one of the most serious problems people have in the world is a sense of low self-esteem. People put themselves down and feel negative about who they are and what they do. Despite some theological approaches that suggest we should be filled with guilt and we need a savior to rescue us from ourselves, most of Christian theology is built around the idea that we are basically filled with God likeness and we have the potential to fulfill our purpose and destiny.

Jesus spoke to us about being the "salt of the earth" and urged us not to lose our 'savor'. He spoke about how we are the light of the world and how we must not put our light under a basket.

There is great optimism in the Christian faith and a high sense of our potential and the a respect for the goodness in our hearts.

We are living in a time when many people have lost their jobs and many more are in jobs they have had to accept doing work that is not rewarding. The possibility of self-doubt and a lessening of self-worth is high.

This sermon will seek to remind us of those words of our faith that hold us to the things that are important once we realize that our work is not just what we do but how we do it, that our payment is not the amount of dollars we are given but the sense of fulfillment that comes in doing it, and out pension is living out our days in such a way that we save our soul in the process.

The sermon is about the value of work, the value of integrity, and why it is important to live a holistic and holy life.

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-31T14:47:00.002-06:00

What is the most important job in the world? How do we measure the work we do?

I want to write a sermon for any of us who have lost our jobs. I want to have us look at what we do and why we do it if we haven't lost our jobs.

Why do we do what we do and how do we get along after what we are supposed to do we can no longer do?

The sermon will look at aspects of our work:

1. We each have a profession. We are, all of us, professionals. Maybe it is that we clean floors or wash windows. Perhaps our job involves driving a car or a truck or a bus. Maybe we are professional teachers; in the classroom; in the boardroom; in the aisles at the grocery store, but we teach even when we are not aware of it.

Maybe our job as a parent is bringing up a child to be a socialized and productive adult.

2. There is compensation for the work we do. There has to be compensation because no one works for free. Maybe the compensation is the satisfaction that we have done a good job. Maybe the compensation is the result of the influence we see we have had on other people. Maybe the compensation is the salary they pay us and the things we can do with it.

3. The pension is a part of our work and it causes us to ask what our job does for us personally. What kind of person are we becoming because of the work we do?

We may have lost our employment but we never lose our job as long as we know what our job really is. We will never lose our profession, our compensation, or our pension if we consider that we are "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world".

What is your profession?
What is your payment?
What is your pension?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have readers of the blog read your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-28T07:29:00.002-06:00

Sermon for Labor Day Weekend

"The One Think That Matters"

The sermon will try to help us focus our lives around what we do, why we do it, and how we can find ourselves through work and play.

Sometimes we can get overboard on the importance of our work and sometimes we can lose track of how important it really is.

Labor Day weekend is a time to reflect upon what we do and why and how that is an expression of the essence of who we are. But when our identity is tied up in our work we will have to ask ourselves, "Who are we when our work is done?"

What is the best job you ever had?

What is the worst?

When did you feel most fulfilled in our work?

When did you begin to see your work was overtaking your life?

These are great questions and I'd like to hear from you.

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-26T09:04:00.002-06:00

When I think of the Gospel of John I am struck by image of Jesus that is provided that comes to us in extreme forms.

I have always been aware that John gives us a Jesus who is quick to talk about how he is the "way" the "truth" the "light of the world". I have always been aware of the strong and declarative Jesus who talked to people with a high degree of certainty. He was portrayed as one who seemed to know what other people never knew and he said things other people never thought.

There was that about Jesus that was confronting in John's Gospel and that is presented to us in such extreme fashion that there is a hard aspect to his presence.

But the more I think about it there is another side to Jesus as we find him in John's Gospel. He is also the one who offers sympathy to his disciples before his death on the cross. He tells them not to let their hearts be troubled nor to be afraid. He tells them he will send a Paraclete; a "comforter' to be with them.

There is a soft side to Jesus in the Gospel of John as well as the hard side. He is both confront er and comforter.

John was the last of the Gospels written. It was written 60 years after the crucifixion. It was written after the early church had realized Jesus was not returning as a judge at the end of time or the Parousia and the Christian believers had to get on with their lives.

The Gospel presents a contrasting image of Jesus and that is probably the way it is. He was more complex that we are thinking and John gives us a reason to think of Jesus in such a way that we cannot pin him down to our presuppositions. He was more than we thought.

Do you relate to "Jesus the confronter" as much as "Jesus the comforter"?

What do you think? If you have some ideas about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have other read your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-24T13:10:00.002-06:00

The Gospel of John presents us with a very strong Jesus and that wraps us around the psychology, the theology, and the politics of Christianity. It is strong and not for the faint hearted.

The psychology of Jesus
The dialogues in the Gospel are almost, rude. Jesus is telling people, "Get up and walk", "feed my sheep", "I am the light of the world." This is not a diplomatic Jesus who seems to want to know what people think. This is a strong willed, confident Jesus who is quick to say what needs to be said regardless of the result and most of the time he is talking past the people in conversation with him.

The theology of Jesus
The images of John give us a sense that Jesus and the Word are one and the same; that the creator and the created are one. Jesus is the way the truth and the life. No one comes to God but by him. Jesus and God are parts of the same substance. Jesus' theology in John's Gospel is bold and unapologetic.

The politics of Jesus
The confrontations of Jesus in John's Gospel are also abrupt. There is something in him that does not back away from the imperative to be his followers. He washes the disciples feet at the last supper (only in John's Gospel) and he commands his followers to be servants.

The politics, the theology, and the psychology of Jesus present some things that are exciting but a little frightening.

I don't think Jesus was really as John depicts him. What do you think?

If you have alternative ideas I am happy to read them. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with others click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-21T07:26:00.002-06:00

Sermon for Sunday, August 28th

The final Gospel that will focus the sermon is the Gospel of John. It was written at least 70 years after Jesus' death on the cross and it was not influenced by any of the other gospels. It stands alone.

John gives us Jesus who is bold and clear about who he is and what he is about with his life. He speaks with certainty saying such things as "I am the way the truth and the life" and "nobody comes to God but by me."

John was written at a time when the Christian movement was not threatened by Rome and it was a time of relative peace except for the fact that other religions and movements had their messiahs with stories and legends about who they were and what they were capable of doing. John had to present us with a very strong Jesus who was able to be as bold and sure of himself as John made him seem.

We have a great deal to learn from the Gospel of John. We learn about the strength of faith and the power of God. We learn about the boldness of the Christian Community and the persuasive power of words.

We learn about the meaning of Logos; the Word. We learn that the Word was before the world was and there was a truth about the faith the predated Jesus.

We contrast that with John's view that nobody comes to God but by Christ and how God so loved the world that God have this only Son.

The conflict in John's Gospel is important. Is John telling us that there is a truth that existed prior to Jesus' appearance on earth and therefore the truth transcends Jesus? Is John telling us that the only path to the truth is through Jesus and all other paths will not lead to eternal life?

It's an interesting problem because both impulses are in the Gospel of John.

What do you think?

I'd love to hear from you. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net if you have some thoughts on this. If you are willing to have your ideas shared with the congregation click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to your responses.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-19T09:08:00.002-06:00

The Gospel of Mark lifts up for us some features about Jesus that none of the other Gospels seem to understand. Our grasp of who Jesus was would be limited were it not for this wonderful, first document that gave us the story of his life.

There is some question in my mind whether there would have been a church or a future for Christianity had it not been for Mark's Gospel.

From the texts I have come to see two aspects of Mark's "Jesus" that speak to us.

First of all I think it tells us we may not know what were are doing but we are on a path and it has a destination and the destination is good; it leads to the eternal. If we don't know what we're doing we can keep our "eyes on the prize" and we can endure the hard times because we know something good awaits us. Mark believes the crucifixion, which was a humiliating event, was prelude to the resurrection and it was part of a plan.

We might question whether there are these kinds of "plans" for life, but religion is more an attitude than an answer and we can learn to trust life wherever it leads us to take us some place where we can bear our burdens and suffer our trials with confidence that God is with us.

Secondly, Mark speaks of a Jesus who tried to make changes in the world and when it appeared he had failed he actually had achieved his goal. Albert Schweitzer said it this way, "Here comes Jesus and in the knowledge that He is the coming Son of Man he lays hold of the wheel of the world to set it moving on that last revolution which is to bring all ordinary history to a close. It refused to turn, and He throws Himself upon it. Then it does turn; crushes Him. Instead of bringing in the eschatological conditions, He had destroyed them. The wheel rolls onward, and the mangled body of the one immeasurably great Man, who was strong enough to think of Himself as the spiritual ruled of human kind and to bend history to His purpose, is hanging upon it still. That is His victory and His reign."

We do more than we know we do as he did more than it looked he did. He shifted the "wheel of the world" just slightly and it can make all the difference in the world.

When we wonder what have we done with our lives we can take comfort in the fact that we have done more than we know and we are not called upon to do great things but little things that will result in greatness.

Do you ever feel lost on the path? Is there a destination to your life?

Do you ever sense you aren't accomplishing much with your life? Is there more you are doing than you realize?

If you have thoughts on these questions email me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with others on the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

If you would like a rough draft of the sermon let me know and I will send it to you by email.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-17T10:38:00.002-06:00

The Gospel of Mark was written in a particularly difficult time in history. It was written after the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. The Romans were reacting to several insurrections led by Jewish militant leaders. The Romans effort to establish order was driven by the fear of total chaos and they weren't too concerned whether a person was a Jew or a Christian at that point in time. They considered Christianity to be a sect of Judaism and treated the Christians with equal impunity.

The writer of Mark put together the first narrative on the life of Jesus. It was a brilliant piece of writing when you consider there was nothing before it. The presentation of Jesus was clear and attempted to present Jesus as someone who was not engaged in any kind of military struggle. The Jesus of Mark was one who went to his death not entirely sure what his mission on earth was about but thinking about the resurrection as the outcome of the crucifixion. In other words the writer had to answer two questions:

1. Was Jesus and were the followers of Jesus in any way compliant in the uprisings that were happening in the Jewish world against the power of Rome. The answer was clearly, "no".

2. If Jesus was the Messiah how do you explain the fact that he was treated as a common criminal and put to death on a cross? The answer, again, is clear. Jesus had to die. It was part of the plan that led to the resurrection. The events were scripted and were carried out as they should have been.

Do you think Jesus' death was necessary or tragic? Do you think it had to be that way or was a terrible mistake made by people who really, "didn't know what they were doing?"

Do you have thoughts on this subject? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-14T07:26:00.002-06:00

The Gospel of Mark will be the focus of the sermon next Sunday, August 21st.

This is what we know about the Gospel of Mark.
It was written about 70 AD or about 40 years after Jesus' death on the cross. It was written at the time the Romans had become aggressive and had destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem.

Mark was the first Gospel written and it was the first narrative story of Jesus ' life and teaching. Mark saw Jesus as unsure of himself and of his mission.
When the disciples made claims about him he invoke them to secrecy. He proposed a Jesus who was no threat to the state.

He suggested that the Romans were not enemies of the Christian Church and that the Christian fellowship was not a part of the Jewish faith. At the end of Mark it is the Roman soldier who claims Jesus as the Son of God.

The writers of Matthew and Luke had the Gospel of Mark and they rewrote portions of it and cast it into a new meaning through their interpretation. For example, Mark wrote that Jesus was crucified and it was a part of a plan. Matthew and Luke had a different view of that; feeling that the arrest was contrived, the charges were false, and Judas was a villain.

In Mark's Gospel Jesus is unclear of his role. He was unsure what he was put on this earth to do.

Do you think he knew? Do you think he understood his responsibility of he just kind of fell into it?

Do you like the Gospel of Mark; giving us a timid Jesus who wondered the earth looking for his position in life?

What do you think? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-12T06:09:00.002-06:00

There are three concerns about religious people that always need to be addressed and the Gospel of Matthew helps us address them. They are as follows:

1. Religious institutions aren't what they ought to be. Sometimes religion does more harm than good. Sometimes you might think it would be best for humanity if there were not churches. Wars and killing and general societal problems are often made worse by the religious institutions that seems to make things worse and often justify bad behavior.

Matthew tells us the church is of God and it will withstand the gates of hell. Matthew implies a permanence to the church but I think the Gospel writer is implying an imperative to the church suggesting that "if" the church is of God it will prevail. If it is not it will not prevail.

2. Moderate religious people are so timid they allow the extremists to hold their positions that actually hurt people. Therefore, moderate religious people are accomplice to the dangerous extremists.

If you look at the Gospel as implied in Matthew you see that we are given imperatives and that our job is not to sit back but rather to get up and take our stand and often we must take our stand against the extremists who are giving us a bad name.

3. So much religion is myth and therefore beyond belief. For example, did Jesus rise from death or did the disciples steal the corpse. Matthew tells us the rumor, to that effect, is false. Beyond that we have to say that mystery is one of the most important aspects of life and it is the unexplained that inspires us. We don't have to accept the unreasonable to realize that some of the most important truths in life are beyond reason.

How would you answer the challenge to religion or the church posed by many who are critics?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-10T11:10:00.002-06:00

The sermon Sunday will be a response to an opinion piece in the Coloradoan this past week. The article was written by Richard Kaplan. This is a summary of what he said:

"Time after time, religion stands out front as the variable most apparent, be it 911 or Norway this summer. While by 2011 'faith-based' religion should have been relegated to the bookshelves as mythology, it continues to permeate our politics, lead public debate and fuel division...As ingrained as faith-based religions are in the questionably evolving human experience, they are not simply the innocuous and beloved traditions that make holidays worth celebrating. They are responsible for the death of our children and only serve to stand in the way of progress and prosperity...

The argument that extremists do not represent the whole and therefore moderates don't share responsibility for their actions is a cop out. It's an exhausted defense. It is the moderates that allow for the extremists through shared ideology. The moderates embrace what is convenient and abandon what is not...

The only difference between moderates and extremists is that moderates make excuses for their coreligionists while fundamentalists have the courage of their obsolete convictions. Moderates should have the courage to discard these out-of-date belief systems as a whole relegating them to the mythology section of the bookshelf."

Richard Kaplan has something for us to think about. How do we respond? Is religion obsolete? Does it need to be put back as mythology -- I think he implies that it is untrue?

Is religion dangerous and do moderates and extremists basically say the same thing and perpetuate the same problem?

The sermon will attempt to answer this.

That do you think? If you have some defense to the charges Richard has offered write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

These are important questions.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-07T07:24:00.002-06:00

The Gospel of Matthew

The way the Gospel of Matthew is put together is as follows.

Matthew had the Gospel of Mark and rewrote it.
Matthew had sayings of Jesus that people shared with each other (it's called Q)
Matthew has some stories no one else had such as the birth narrative in Bethlehem and the Magi who came to see baby Jesus.

Matthew was probably written by a committee so there isn't just one author. Matthew was interested to show how the church was built and the Gospel has Jesus speaking of "The Kingdom of God". That became a phrase that led to the concept that became the institution.

Because of Matthew's emphasis on Church the people who put the New Testament together put Matthew first. It is the church's Gospel.

The image of Jesus in Matthew is that of a teacher. Jesus is like the new Moses. He went to the Mount and brought the "beatitudes" like Moses went up to the mountain and brought the 10 Commandments.

Like Moses who came out of Egypt, when Mary and Joseph heard that Herod was trying to kill children two years and younger they fled to Egypt and when Herod died the Holy Family came out of Egypt (as Moses had) and traveled back to Bethlehem.

This Gospel positions Jesus as a Royal figure, unlike Luke who saw Jesus as a person who was open to common people.

The Gospel was written about the same time Luke was written and I put that date at 85 AD (50 years after Jesus' death on the cross).

It is an interesting thing to look at the Gospels in a comparative way. They do not portray Jesus in the same manner and often contradict each other.

Which is your favorite Gospel; Matthew or Luke? Maybe it's Mark or John. I really don't care for the image of Jesus in the Gospel of John; he seems almost arrogant.

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-05T09:59:00.002-06:00

There are important themes in the Gospel of Luke we shouldn't overlook. Two of them involve Jesus' birth and Jesus' Last Supper.

The fact that Luke begins his Gospel with the name Theophilus. Why does Luke write his Gospel to Theophilus?

The birth story of Luke is a story of how the Christ Child was attended by common ordinary shepherd who came to pay him homage. The common and ordinary people were the one who were attendant to Jesus and the Christian faith, according to Luke, was open to those considered outsiders. There was an inclusiveness to this writer as he portrayed Jesus in a unique way.

The Last Supper in Luke's Gospel raises another important theme for Luke. First of all the writer wants us to know that the Risen Christ is still visible and is visible in two ways. We see the Risen Christ in the stranger on the road and when the stranger explains the Biblical truth and in the breaking of the bread. Communion happens to us when we welcome strangers and when we understand ancient truth as relevant in new ways and in the breaking of the bread.

Luke believed in the importance of the sacramental meal and he believed that all were invited to is. Life is a banquet and Christ is present.

He wrote to Theophilus. They Theophilus? The word means "lover of God". He wrote to all of us who love God.

If you have thoughts about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you would like a rough draft of the sermon I am pleased to email it to you. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-08-03T14:57:00.002-06:00

Any sermon on the Gospel of Luke has to take into account the portrait of Jesus Luke uniquely presents. For Luke Jesus was born in Bethlehem and then Mary and Joseph travel with him back to Bethlehem.

For Luke Jesus was one who related to common ordinary people and who was able to reach into the lives of the outcast and the unnoticed in society.

For Luke it was stories like the Road to Emmaus that symbolizes one of the central themes of the Gospel. You have the Risen Christ appearing to some of the disciples on the road and they are visiting with him and don't know who he is.

The Risen Christ explains to them the meaning of the scripture and then the stranger serves them bread. The disciples who don't know who he is until they think about how he showed up as a stranger on the road and how he broke the bread just as Jesus had done at the table when they met for the last Supper.

The story awakens us to the importance of three things:
1. Pay attention to the stranger; that's the form Christ will take in our day
2. Listen to people who have unique ways of helping us understand scripture because there is more to it than we know. There are levels of depth we often never reach. There are people who can help us see what we often miss.
3. They knew him in the breaking of the bread. We will always want to pay attention to the sacrament. As United Methodists we do not believe the bread is actually the body of Christ. We see the bread and the cup as symbolic of the New Covenant and the body of Christ. They remind us of him and call us to join him at the table.

If you have thoughts about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with others click on the 'comments' box below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-31T06:14:00.002-06:00

I'm going to begin a sermon series on the four gospels and I'm beginning with the gospel of Luke. The first Sunday of the month we have communion and Luke is the gospel writer who is most concerned about ritual.

In Luke's gospel the disciples recognize the Risen Christ when they see him on the beach while he was breaking the bread and inviting them to eat. Luke is one of the two gospels holding out for the idea that the Risen Christ appeared in a physical form. Luke is trying to dispel the idea of the Gnostic Christians that the flesh is unimportant so, for Luke, the Risen Christ comes in the flesh.

Luke is also the gospel that has Jesus most connected to the concerns of women. You might even call Luke the "feminist gospel".

Finally, Luke portrays Jesus as relating to common, ordinary people. It is the common shepherds who come to the birth of the Christ Child.

Luke is a fascinating writer; maybe John is as good, and has given us an interesting picture of Jesus.

Luke was written 50 years after Jesus' death on the cross and had Mark as a base for his writing. We really don't know who the writer is. Some think he was a physician but most scholars will not support that theory.

Luke wrote the gospel narrative about the life of Jesus but he also wrote the Acts of the Apostles about the development of the church.

Most people, when I ask which is their favorite gospel will select Luke.

What do you think? Do you ever wonder about the different images of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Which one do you like best?

If you have thoughts on this or suggestions write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-29T10:07:00.002-06:00

There are some important aspects of Lincoln's presidency and his approach to government and life I'd like us to consider.

He had a sense of destiny in this life and he realized there was much about his love over which he had no control. There was much chance in his life but that didn't stop him from taking on the problems that he was handed. He refused to become a victim. His sense of chance led him to make his choice to carry out what he thought he was destined to do.

His choice was driven by the compassion he had for the pain others felt. He knew such pain in his own life and could relate to the pain in other people's lives.

Once he said, "Each (north and south) looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not lest we be judged. The prayers of both could not be answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes."

The compassion of Lincoln and the sense of choice led him to take the action he took and led him through the most difficult time in American history.

He had a dream about a week before his death. He dreamed there was sadness in the White House. People were weeping. When he asked, in his dream, who had died, he was told, "It is the President. He was assassinated."

Unfortunately, that dream came true.

What is your understanding of Abraham Lincoln's life and legacy? If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your ideas click on the 'comments' box below.

If you would like a draft of the sermon as it is on Friday indicate that to me and I am pleased to forward it to you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-27T13:26:00.002-06:00

There is something that strikes me about Abraham Lincoln that is so much like others who have tried to create change in society by being a bridge between waring factions.

Abraham Lincoln lived a tortured life. He was physically ill. He had a disease that would have taken his life in the near future in the event John Wilkes Booth hadn't shot him. He had a wife who was abusive to him and mentally unstable. He lost two of his children and one of them in the White House when he was president. He had to deal with one of the most troubled periods of American history in the Civil War. I'm guessing he was bi-polar and he had these fits of depression.

Paul, the Apostle was attacked by his own people and his family. He was rejected by the religious people of his time. He wrote about the "thorn in his flesh". We don't know what that was but we realize that he has some personal issues he was struggling with all his life.

He wrote about how he had "a great anguish in his heart" and how he felt "an outcast" and cut off from his own people.

Both Paul and Lincoln had their personal problems. I think it was the pain in their lives that enable them to understand their adversaries to the point they could work with them. They had compassion because of their passion. They were able to move from compassion to change. They had a choice to make with all the bad things that happened to them and they decided to act on those things in a positive way.

What negative things in your life are you able to transform into something positive? If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-24T06:52:00.002-06:00

The Gettysburg Address

I have preached sermons on the Lincoln's famous speech at Gettysburg before. This time I want to recapture the mood of the country then and what that speech attempted to address.

We admire how Lincoln crafted his speech but what was he trying to do in the context of the speech itself.

I have several sources to help with the research on this subject,

Stephen Oates With Malice Toward None
Mario Cuoma Why Lincoln Matters
Thomas Craughwell Stealing Lincoln's Body
Gary Wills Lincoln at Gettysburg

The sermon is a challenge and it is important to know how our country got through the darkest period of its history. There is much for us to learn from this as we apply it to our day.

What do you think we need to hear these days? What would Lincoln say to us today?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-22T09:35:00.002-06:00

And the hero comes along...

Here's what heroes do for us:

1. They help us by showing us their accomplishments. They are something else.

2. They help us by showing us that there is a hero in us. They show us that we are something else.

3. They help us by pointing us to something beyond ourselves. They show us that there is something else; God.

Some have suggested that there are no heroes around these days. I think there are heroes but we have to know where to look and we have to be able to see the heroic in ourselves.

What do you think about this?

Where do you think the heroes are today?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-20T11:27:00.002-06:00

Jack, an African-American officer in the United States Army refused to move. The year was 1944. It was Texas and Jack and his girl friend were on a bus and they were sitting in an area where white people are supposed to sit. He refused to move.

The bus driver became abusive and told him if he didn't move he would be arrested. The bus driver told him he wouldn't move the bus until Jack moved.

Jack was arrested by Military Police and the rest is history.

Rosa Parks refused to move. She was on a bus and she refused to stand up when the bus driver demanded she surrender her seat on the bus to a white man. She refused to move and was arrested. The result was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. That got the attention of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and that led to the Civil Rights Movement in this country.

Nothing much happened to Jack after he was arrested. The charges were dismissed.

Branch Rickey was in a Church and Society Meeting at a Methodist Church and thee was a speaker on the subject of integration. Branch Rickey's first name wasn't really Branch. It was Wesley. He was a Methodist.

Branch Rickey put Jack on his payroll as a member of the Brooklyn Dodger baseball team and Jackie Robinson transformed American life.

Jackie Robinson and Rosa Parks are heroes because they refused to conform to the racism of society. They moved the world in their refusal to move from the bus and in their willingness to be an example for others.

Do you know heroes like this?

If so write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-17T06:35:00.002-06:00

The sermon Sunday, July 24 brings into focus a book written by Rosa Parks. The title of the book is My Story. It is an autobiographical account of the singular event that set off the civil rights movement in this country.

What I want to have us consider next Sunday is the hero. What makes a hero? How do people choose to stand up against pressures and inner doubts to become heroic in their words and actions?

I will look at different ways to be heroic. I will have us think about the way we can all be heroic.

Have you known heroic people? What have they taught you about doing something to make a difference in the world?

How do we become heroic in our lives? How do we do this on a scale that fits something that is appropriate to us?

If you have thoughts about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments" box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-15T13:29:00.002-06:00

How do we move from a crisis to a cause?

Assuming most of our early years were somewhat peaceful and acknowledging that for some people that was not true we begin to realize how we have been protected by life as a young person. People looked out after us. We were loved and sheltered. We were nourished. In many ways we were appeased. We came to think that life was supposed to be this way.

We experience a problem or a crisis in our lives and we begin to think that life isn't what we thought it was. Life isn't fair or just and we are appalled by the incongruity of it. It is disillusioning and it sets us up to do something about it.

Once we get over being personally offended we can see ourselves as appointed to take on the task that nobody wants to do. We accept the appointment of the problem and it becomes our cause for life.

If we find a cause in life our lives have meaning and if we carry out that cause the best we can we will achieve something important. The cause could be great or small. The cause could give us reason to hope or bring us to despair.

What is your cause? Do you have one?

If you have some thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the box below.

If you would like an advance draft of the sermon let me know and I am happy to send it to you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-13T10:49:00.002-06:00

It makes you wonder how some people can pick up a cause that becomes a movement. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were a part of a movement that gave women the right to vote and started the country thinking about gender equality in this country. How did they begin?

One of the observations you could make if you were to do research into their childhood is they both came from very stable homes. There were not victims of abuse. They did not have sad childhoods and came into their adult years embittered and prepared for a fight. They were not angry young women who felt unjustly treated in their formative years.

I think it was the calm of their childhood that gave them a sense of how life was supposed to be. They ran into some things in their lives that seemed wrong and they found no way to overcome those things so they turned to a cause that would benefit themselves and other women.

The ultimate question for us to think about is this: "What cause have we each found for our lives?"

Causes can be small things or large. Many large causes began as small things that turned big.

What is your cause? What is the passion in your life?

Could it be to make a better life than you had for the children in your life? Could it be to confront the things that are wrong in our world in terms of injustice for the poor?

Is your cause homosexuality? Do you think there is discrimination that we ought to confront? Is it the economy and those who have become victimized by the recession and the lack of services for people who really need help?

Is your cause CSU students? or the elderly?

What is your cause?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have the readers of the blog see your thoughts click on the 'comments" box below. I look forward to hearing from.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-10T06:04:00.002-06:00

I have wanted to do a sermon on Elizabeth Cady Stanton the reformer and the advocate for women's rights.

There is one story about her that gives some idea of her spirit.

"At a women's rights convention in Rochester, a married clergyman rebuked Mrs. Stanton for speaking in public. "The Apostle Paul enjoined silence upon women," he said. "Why don't you mind him?"

"The Apostle Paul also enjoined celibacy upon the clergy," retorted Mrs. Stanton. "Why don't you mind him?"

The struggle of women for equality has been an important part of our nation's history. Sunday, July 17th, we are going to look at what the women's movement and feminism have done for our nation on a number of levels.

What is your experience with the struggle of women for equality? If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-08T10:47:00.002-06:00

This is where the sermon is on Friday afternoon. If you would like a copy of a very rough draft of this sermon email me and I will send it to you.

The parable of the "Sower and the Seed" provide the direction for the sermon. Jesus said, "A farmer went out to plant seed and some of it fell out."

Three points:

1. There is always a hole in your bag and stuff will drop out. Life isn't perfect and there are always problems. Things don't work out. We don't need to be pessimistic but we need to be realistic.

2. Some of the seed falls on good soil. If there is a hole in your bag; if there is a brain in your head and some common sense you can get through it. We are not without resources. God have us minds to think and ways to imagine better days and things evolving into being the best.

3. There is a hole in your bag, and if there is a brain in your head, there is a way in the world. It's never as bad as it seems and it's always possible to turn the worst thing into a better thing. The parable of the Sower and the Seed is a story about faith. That's what Jesus was saying; that there is depth of faith.

What are your thoughts about this? Do you think there is a hole in your bag and seed dropping out and things going wrong? What do you do about it?

If you have some ideas about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with other readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below. If you would like a draft of the sermon I am happy to send it.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-06T14:48:00.002-06:00

Thomas Paine wrote the pamphlet, "Common Sense" which was a statement read by many colonists and helping justify a separation from England.

It is important to note that his writing influenced George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. He was able to convey the idealism of what it means to establish government given from the rights of the people and it helped people move toward democratic processes of ruling and back away from monarchies like the British. It enabled the colonists to stand on their own and to stand up to the powers over them.

He writes, "I have heard it asserted by some, that as America has flourished under her former connection with Great Britain, the same connection is necessary toward her future happiness, and will always have the same effect. Nothing can be more fallacious than this kind of argument--We may as well assert that because a child has thrived upon milk, that it is never to have meat, or that for the first 20 years of our lives is to become a precedent for the next twenty. But even this is admitting more than is true; for I answer roundly, that America would have flourished as much, probably much more, had no European power taken any notice of her."

We can look at what could be as compared with what has been but it is not necessary to conclude that we have seen the best in what has been satisfactory and over look what could be in the unknown future we have know experienced.

How do we address the future? Do we imagine a continuation of the past or do we risk the future that has yet to be understanding that, just as it could get worse, so it could also get better.

The sermon looks the present and future straight on and thinks about how we move from the "times that try our souls" to the time that our will has found a way.

It is a mistake to romanticize the present and it is a mistake to give up on it. We must understand that life is never perfect but it is perfect able.

How do we gain the common sense to challenge the present and look toward the future?

What attitude do we have?

What direction do we take?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you would permit others to read your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thougths on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-03T06:26:00.002-06:00

"Thomas Paine Had No Common Sense"

One of the writers who provided energy and inspiration for the American Revolution was pamphleteer Thomas Paine. His writing was circulated in the colonies and his readers began to pick up on the idea that we have rights as a people and we need not put up with the unfair practices of the British government and their exploitation of the colonies through taxes and other imposed and arbitrary rules.

The title of his pamphlet was labeled "Common Sense".

I plan to explore what it was that was so inspiring about what he had written and to look at Paine's life. While he urged his readers to respond to the dictates of his "common sense" his own life reflected a complete lack of common sense.

Often it is the truth that what a person proposes for others that person cannot live in their personal life. Richard Nixon portrayed himself as the "law and order" president and yet he so blatantly violated the law that he was forced to resign in disgrace because of the Watergate break in and cover up.

What makes us become the advocate for the very thing we cannot live out? How do we find a way to look at our words and match them with our actions and how do we work out of the pattern of action that will more closely line up with our words?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-07-01T08:21:00.002-06:00

"Jefferson's Declaration; Our Rebuttal"

This sermon is one that will try to bridge the gap between religion and patriotism; the church and state. I am moving toward an understanding of Jefferson's idea of God. He was a deist in thinking. By that he understood God to be present in creation but having moved out of the universe that God set in motion. He believe in a God who is found in the order of nature and it is our task to build a world that conforms to the creator God.

His approach is a "my country tis of Thee" perspective. He took his religion and laid it into the "self-evident" aspects of what the human spirit should expect such as "inalienable right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness".

Jefferson's declaration is a "Tis of Thee" document.

Communion Sunday brings to us a rebuttal to the "Tis of Thee" perspective when Jesus took the bread and broke it and took the cup and offered it he was asking "will you remember me"? The Biblical scholar Pelikan says there is that unique feature in the Christian faith that carries significant impact. Unlike other prophets who were the recipients of the Word of God and who simply passed it on, Jesus was seen as the incarnation of God and who lived it through. If we remember him, we are recalling what he was essentially.

"My country Tis of Thee" is put up against "Take this and Remember Me" and we have the tension and the cohabitation of religion and politics, church and state. They go together but they are not completely compatible together. They are in tension with each other and should always be.

"Remember me" confronts "tis of Thee" and we become Christian Americans rather than American Christians. It is an interesting and important tension.

This sermon has been recipient of the assistance of a local professor and expert on Thomas Jefferson. I was introduced to Dr. David McKibbin this week and have been in email conversation with him. I am grateful for his help.

If you would like a copy of a draft of the sermon email me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net or if you have thoughts about the subject I am pleased to receive your ideas. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comment's' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's reflection on Sunday's sermon

2011-06-29T09:51:00.002-06:00

In the research on Jefferson and the "Declaration" the sermon has taken some interesting turns. When you look at the words, "We find these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights and among these life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", you begin to get a picture of Jefferson's religion and his idea of God.

Unitarians claim Jefferson as one of their own although he never joined a Unitarian church. He was an Episcopalian but in his later years did not attend worship.

Jefferson believed strongly in the separation of Church and State. I doubt he would approve having flags in our sanctuary even on the Fourth of July because he realized danger when the state and the church were united and producing a coercive doctrine that was required to be maintained and sworn.

In thinking about Jefferson's idea of God we find he believed in the humanity of Jesus but not the divinity. He did not believe in an intervening God but felt that God or The Creator had put the universe in motion but that it was our responsibility to build the world as it should be built.

It was that kind of attitude that empowered Jefferson and the others to launch a statement of independence so filled with idealism that it seemed beyond a sense of reality.

How do you feel about Jefferson's God? Do you think God intervenes in human life? If so, how? If not, what is the function of prayer?

Do you agree with Jefferson that Jesus is a moral example and not a divine being?

What do you do with Jefferson's view of the separation of church and state?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thougths on Sunday's sermon

2011-06-26T07:16:00.002-06:00

"Mr. Jefferson's Declaration"

I am doing a series of sermons in July on some of our nation's most important documents beginning with Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence.

I want to take a look at what that says to us today as I try to take it from the context in which it was written. Clearly, it was a bold statement and very dangerous for those who signed it. Also, as a piece of writing, it encapsulated the essence of our struggle for freedom.

It speaks to the best that is in us. It calls us to a higher appreciation for the freedom we have and refuses to allow us to take it for granted.

I want to explore what such a declaration might be if we were to write one for our day. What would we declare ourselves free from and free to? How would we want to stand up against the forces, powers, trends that threaten our freedom.

What do you think the Declaration of Independence means for us today?

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thougths on Sunday's sermon

2011-06-14T09:03:00.002-06:00

I will be at Annual Conference from Thursday until Sunday. Ray Miller will be preaching Sunday, June 19th.

David Dalke will be preaching Sunday, June 26th.

I will be back in the pulpit on July 3rd.

Sermon Themes for July

Our Political Heritage

July 3 Thomas Jefferson "The Declaration of Independence"

July 10 John Locke "Common Sense"

July 17 Susan B. Anthony "Failure is Impossible"

July 24 Rosa Parks "My Story"

July 31 Abraham Lincoln "Gettysburg Address"

While I am out of the pulpit and at meetings I can receive emails. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-06-10T08:09:00.002-06:00

Suggesting that "you look tired" and "you need a vacation" takes into account the whole use of time and what it means to "get away from it all".

Pentecost fits right into the use of time issue.

The disciples ran from the cross and the arrest of Jesus and went back to their home towns and back to their former lives; lives they hadn't been back to since they picked up and followed the Galilean three years before.

Some of them went on vacation and through the whole mix of events and circumstances there were three time lines they followed.

There was the "chaos time" after the arrest and trial and crucifixion.

There was the "chronos time" (ordinary time) when they ran away and got back to their lives and there is no record of what they had done or what they are doing.

There was the "Kairos time" (God's time) when they gathered in the Upper Room for the celebration of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit came upon them and there was a turn around in their attitudes and their lives.

They had to get away from it all to deal with the chaos in their lives; we all do. They had to get away from it all to be able to come back to it and to be inspired and renewed by this rebirth of purpose and direction.

The church literally grew out of the passion of the disciples and the Pentecost celebration or some sense that there was something for them to be doing and the presence of the Risen Christ was with them.

What is the value of vacation if not to reacquaint us with our purpose and passion? Where will you be going this summer to get away? How do you anticipate coming back?

What do you think? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-06-08T17:09:00.002-06:00

Last Sunday I made an observation in a sermon that has caused some conversation. I observed that most church directories as such that the pictures in the directories don't look as good as the people being pictured.

Some church directories are so bad that the picture on our driver's license is better than the directory picture.

Some church directory pictures are worse than the picture taken by the police photo van when we are caught violating the law.

Our church directory pictures are better looking than the people being pictured. It isn't that our people are unattractive or less photogenic than other places. It isn't a criticism of the way our people look to suggest that the pictures in the directory are better than the people being pictured.

I think the members of the church look tired. I think, as I stand before you every Sunday, you need a vacation. You need to get away from it all.

I've been thinking about Pentecost and that time when the church was born; when the disciples who were discouraged came back together. After Jesus' death on the cross the disciples disappeared and really didn't reappear until they attended the Thanksgiving celebration which is what the Jewish Pentecost celebration was. They got away from it all and then when they met together the Holy Spirit descended upon them and they were enlivened once more.

I think the members of the church need to get away; to take off. Otherwise we will run ourselves down to the point we can't recover.

That's what I meant when I said I thought the pictures in the directory were better looking than the people being pictured.

Do you need a vacation? Where are you going and when are you going to take it?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-06-05T07:29:00.002-06:00

The sermon for Sunday, June 12th is not formed in my mind but it is Pentecost Sunday.

This is the occasion reported by Luke in Acts of the Apostles chapter 2 that suggests the disciples got together for a thanksgiving festival and the Holy Spirit came to them and the result was the formation of the church.

The text reports there were tongues of fire, there was a dove descending, and everyone spoke in their own language but everyone was understood.

It was reported that the disciples and the people there were in some kind of ecstatic state of mind and spirit.

It was the birth of the church and from there the disciples moved out into the world and began to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah with the anticipation of the Second Coming. And from that point in history they began to form Communities and they were called "The Way" and from that point in history there developed structure and organization. The Second Coming of Christ did not happen and the church was established to be in place to help teach the children who had not heard of Jesus. The Gospels were written since they began to believe Jesus was not coming back and they wanted to document some of his teaching for those who had not heard him when he walked the earth.

Sunday is Pentecost Sunday and it celebrates the birth of the church; organized religion.

Do you think the church has done more good than bad; created more kindness than chaos? Was it a good thing that the church was born?

Do you see the church as corrupt and having done great harm over the centuries?

Has organized religion given us something we can be proud of or ashamed to identify ourselves as part of?

What do you think?

If you have ideas about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-06-03T09:16:00.002-06:00

"It Takes a Child To Raise a Village"

Sermons have a mind of their own and all the preacher can do is try to follow along and not get in the way. That is certainly true of the sermon I am trying to write for this coming Sunday.

I think I have found in Moses, Jesus, and John Wesley an important similarity and, through that, some important insights into life and the best way to live.

All three of those men when they were children were said to be under the threat of death.

Moses had to be put in a basket in the bull rushes by his mother or he would have been killed by the authorities.

Jesus was taken to Egypt by his parents or he would have been killed by the king.

John Wesley was pulled out of a burning house when he was a child by a farmer or he would have been killed by a mob that was angry with his father.

What we learn from this:

From Moses we learn striving. Striving we will discover our identity.

From Jesus we learn waiting. Waiting we will discover the presence of God

From John Wesley we learn thinking. Thinking we will discover that every person has something to teach us.

We have to have open doors like Moses, open hearts like Jesus, and open minds like Wesley.

If we have open doors, open hearts, and open minds we will find a way to rise above whatever is trying to put us down. It takes a child to raise a village.

Which is these is the most important.

If we are United Methodist we embrace all three.

That is something to be proud of don't you think?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-06-01T14:20:00.002-06:00

"It Takes a Child to Raise a Village"

Something of the corporate nature of our faith can be found as we explore how our faith is formed. Part of how our faith is formed is the exploration into the young people who have formed it.

We are Judeo-Christians and our lives have been influenced by the Jewish tradition as well as the Christian interpretation of Judaism.
The importance of the young people stands for us a reminder of the way in which youth is directive in our faith.

Moses led the people on the Exodus and is considered the founder of the Hebrew people. Moses was threatened as a child by the king and we put in danger when there was a price paid for the murder of infant children. His mother put him in a basket and floated him down the river in order to save him from the Egyptians. Moses grew up with the attitude of striving. He taught his people what it means to strive to be better and what it means to search and find the "Promised Land" and what it means to become "The Chosen People".

Striving is an important element of faith. We have to be able to move beyond what we are in order to discover what we will be.

Jesus was a young man who had a price on his head and instead of going out of Egypt to find the Promised Land he went to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod the king. He found safety in Egypt and Matthew tells us that Mary and Joseph brought their son out of Egypt after Herod died. In a sense Moses and Jesus both came "out of Egypt".

And Jesus offered to the world what it means to "Wait". His life was a life of "waiting for the God who is with us". He saw God every place he looked, and he urged his listeners to look for the incarnate God who comes to us in the flesh.

Jesus was the incarnation of God but he believed in God incarnate in life and we can discover this as we learn the art of waiting.

It takes a child, Moses and Jesus, and who else?

If you have thoughts about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's Sermon

2011-05-29T07:34:00.002-06:00

"Corporate Communion"

Alfred North Whitehead has had a major influence on my theology. He is one of the original modern "Process Theologians" and I have been helped by his idea that God is present among us and not a force that stands beyond us.

But there is one thing Whitehead wrote I want to challenge. He suggests this about religion. "Religion is what we do in our solidariness".

He see religion as solitary; singular; each person to themselves. I think that is quite wrong. Religion is corporate; it is what we do in our union and reunion.

No place is more evident of this than Communion. At the table we become the Body of Christ. Alone we are not "the Body of Christ". Now, we can and should be "Christ to each other" but it takes all of us to have Christ materialize in the world.

Next Sunday is communion Sunday and we will celebrate the corporate nature of the Christian faith.

Never do we feel as strong in our faith as when we stand with each other to sing or as we kneel at the rail to receive the elements.

That's how it seems to me.

What are your thoughts?

I'd like to know how you work out the singularity and corporate nature of religion. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-05-27T08:43:00.002-06:00

Thinking about the influence of one of us on others of us brings to mind the call of the disciples. Jesus simply saying, "Follow me" yielded a group of disciples who heard what he said and live out what he said to do.

Some did not hear it well. Judas seems to have rejected the message of peace and love and that led to a crucifixion. The others were caught up in the resurrected Christ event and that formed their lives. They remembered him and that was decisive for them. In the end that remembering became an eternal remembrance what we are the recipients of today.

We can take a cause and make it a calamity; Judas did.

We can take a calamity and turn it into a cause; the disciples did.

We can see how a cause has the power of continuance; we are the carriers of the cause.

Whose cause have you carried?

What calamity has become your cause?

How has the cause been continued in your life?

Whose name is on your bracelet?

What names have influence on your life and how have they influenced you?

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comment's" box below.

If you would like a rough draft of the sermon let me know and I will send it later today or tomorrow morning.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-05-25T18:29:00.002-06:00

Whom we follow says much about who we are becoming. When Jesus said to the disciples, "Follow me", they made the most important decision of their lives.

This sermon, on Memorial Weekend, seeks to have us think about how we remember the people who have had influence over us. Sometimes the people we revere take us in some dangerous or destructive directions. We can think about and remember people who have been a bad influence on us and we can get lost in our effort to focus on their influence.

For example, Charles Manson spent his life thinking about a mother who really wanted nothing to do with him. The result was his need to assemble a group of psychotic people into a "family" he could manipulate into murder and mayhem. Since he received no love from his mother he surrounded himself with women whom he dominated and controlled with his hypnotic power. He killed Sharon Tate and her unborn child and several others who were living in that house. Then they murdered another couple.

Charles Manson's life of crime and serial murder was initiated by his searching for a mother who would not love him. He had a compelling and controlling personality and had formed professional relationships with the musical group the Beach Boys, and Doris Day's son.

Because of his obsession with his mother his tragic life became even more sad and impacted many others. He was convicted and will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Whom we remember and how we remember them will determine who we are and how we will live. What are some of the positive memories you have and who are some of the important, helpful influences in your life?

Whose memory do you hold onto to the point of "following them"?

If yo have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's Thoughts On Sunday's Sermon

2011-05-23T15:40:00.004-06:00

It was something Elie Wiesel wrote about the holocaust that I has stayed with me and it was several years ago I read it.

Wiesel is a survivor of one of the darkest chapters in human history. As a child he was taken from his home with his family and put into a concentration camp by the Nazi's during the Second World War. It was part of what was called "The Final Solution" to bring the nation together by ridding it of Jewish people.

Wiesel wrote that he can forgive the people of his village for a number of things. He can forgive their cowardice. He can forgive their indifference to what was happening. He can forgive the fact that some continue to deny that it happened. What he cannot forgive is the fact that people, who knew, have now forgotten.

In his writings and his public speeches Elie Wiesel has spent his life doing everything possible to make people remember what happened to the Jews in those terrible days. If we forget we will allow it again. If we remember we will know to watch for the signs and it must never happen again.

This coming weekend includes Memorial Day. Memorial Day is the last Monday in May and originally set aside a time to honor the fallen soldiers, North and South, who died in the American Civil War. It was made an official holiday in the 1970's.

The purpose of Memorial Day is remembrance of all who have given their lives in service to our nation.

We seek to remember their sacrifice.

At the church we will do just that and at 12 noon we will conclude our service in the Columbarium where we will remember those who have died this past year who were members of our community of faith.

We must never forget the gift we have received from those who have gone before us. Sunday will be our time to remember; it will be our Corporate Remembrance.

Who are the people you will think of this weekend?

If you have thoughts write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts click on the box below.

Remembering the sacrifice of others is a sacred duty.

We value the opportunity to do it.

Charles Schuster

Monday's Thoughts On Sunday's Sermon

2011-05-23T15:40:00.001-06:00

Monday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-05-15T15:42:00.000-06:00

Rebecca McFee is preaching on May 22nd.

Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

2011-05-13T10:37:00.002-06:00

The sermon has now evolved into something that we might like to think would speak to high school gradutes as well as the rest of us who are wondering abou the problems we face in our world and wondering if there is anything we can do about them.

The text from Acts reminds us how the early Christian community was able to face its problems and how it changed the world in its own way.

Acts 2:41-47
"And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all people. And the Lord added to their number day by dayt those who were being saved."

Let's think about what we might say to a high school graduate about the problems of our time. These problems include catastrophic diseases, natural disasters, and global warming.

1. First of all we must never underestimate the value of the power of one.

2. Secondly, let us put our worry into words.

3. Thirdly, let us let the word become flesh and dwell among us knowing that nothing can defeat all of us together.

What would you say to a high school graduate?

What advice would you think they might need to hear?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thougths with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.

If you would like a rough draft of the sermon let me know and I am happy to email it to you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster