Golf and God

Many people know that I love to play the game of golf.  I have played this game since I was elementary school.  The quality of my game goes through a constant ebb and flow when it comes to my scoring average.  Much of this has to do with how much time I am able to play golf and more importantly how much time I can practice before ever getting on the course to play.  Regardless if you are playing the game with others, ultimately you are playing the game against yourself.

Golf is one of the most mental games of all.  If we have hit a great shot we say to ourselves, “why can’t I do that every time.”  Each swing of the club to hit the golf ball includes so many opportunities of the swing to go wrong.  Consider all that one must think about when hitting the ball: gripping the club, the backswing, the forward swing, keeping our left arm straight, the right cock of the writs, how well one’s hips swivel, the stance of our feet, our posture when swinging the club, where the ball is placed between our feet, the lie of the golf ball on the ground (flat surface, feet above the ball, feet below the ball, ball on a uphill slope, or ball on a downhill slope), weather conditions (wind, rain, sunny, cloudy), the slope and conditions of where we want the ball to land, and wondering if we chose the right club.

Golfers are crazy.  They play a game they will never truly win, but every once in a while something special happens.  We swing the club and everything goes exactly liked we hoped it would in terms of the best possible outcome.  I don’t remember the bad shots throughout my life, but I can remember vividly the best shots I have ever had playing Golf.  We remember those shots because there is this feeling that all is right with the world in that single moment.  One of my favorite memories of golf is when I played the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.  I was playing the par 5 fifth hole and had hit a great drive.  I hit my second shot to the green but was unsure of where it ended up on the rolling hills of the hole.  As we approached the green I discovered that my ball was only 6 inches from the hole.  I tapped in for an eagle (2 shots less that what is expected on the hole).  A man came over to me and said, “Enjoy the moment.  It does not get any better than that.”  We can hit countless of bad shots, and endure them, because we know there will come a time when we will hit a shot so good the game will beckon us back to the course again.  

The spiritual life is a lot like golf.  We can get all wrapped up in how we practice spirituality much like we can get overwhelmed with all that goes into swinging a golf club.  Am I praying right?  Do I read the Bible enough?  Does God think I am worthy?  Have I missed to many opportunities of caring for the “least of these”?  Do I attend thing enough at church?

We can get so wrapped up in the process of being with God that we simply forget to “be” with God.  Every once in a while we come across a moment in which there is this deep awareness that God’s presence is as close to us as the breath that enters and leaves our mouths.  We can cut the presence with a knife.  It is those moments that call us back to church, call us back to faith, call us back to be Jesus’ follower all over again.  I can spend my energy thinking of all the things I don’t do right, or I can remember those moments when I feel claimed and loved by God.  To  me, those are the moments we will never forget and will always shape our faith.

I guess that is why golfers return the course again, and why Christians continue to seek God’s presence.  Defining moments lead us forward into the next great adventure.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Dr. Christopher Wilson

Mortals Preparing for the Christ Child

We all have our favorite Christmas carols to sing.  I tend to lean toward the carols that highlight the mystery and awe of the coming Messiah.  I also like the music of a carol to match that same sense of mystery and wonder.  The carol, for me, that best captures this message and tune is “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”.  The opening verse says so much about our need as humans for a presence to help us that is beyond our own human capabilities.  The first verse reads:

           

            Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand;

            Ponder nothing earthly minded, for with blessing in his hand

            Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand.

The pending arrival of our Savior calls us to silence.  The arrival invites us to stop the noise of our lives to take the moments necessary to receive this gift from God that is not of this world but comes to this world to show us God’s unconditional love.  This message alone is worthy of our silence.  Our minds, when we think of the coming birth, urge us to consider that which is greater than what we find on earth.  The “holy other” that we worship is soon to be with us in human form.  This coming presence not only demands our full attention but as the hymn says our full homage, our full reverence.

The season of Advent and Christmas invites us to be at our very best during one of the holiest times of year.  The silence that the hymn invites us to claim is necessary to not miss the sounds of the holy one in our midst.

My hope for all of us as we enter this sacred season is to time moments to rest, to breathe, to be silent so we can fully embrace all that God desires for us.  My hope for us is to not get too distracted by the noise and pace of our cultural chaos during December.  If we are silent long enough we might just find ourselves thinking deeply about how God wants us to honor Christ with our daily lives.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Dr. Christopher Wilson

Let's Get Out and Play

I recently attended a workshop in Fort Worth that was entitled “A Theology of Play.”  The speaker for this workshop talked about her own reflection and observations about play and how play is understood and practiced in our culture.  If were to place the importance of play in our life where we would it rank as important or less important to us.

The typical understanding of play is that it is something we grow out of as we move from childhood, through puberty, and ultimately into adulthood.  Consider some of these quotes:

·         “That is child’s play” – conversational phrase

·         “When I became an adult I put away childish things” – 1 Corinthians 13

Is play something we need to grow out of?  The business world has over the past few decades instituted more play in the workplace: some businesses have built at their office buildings a weight room, a game room, or more comfortable lounges for the workforce giving them space in the day to play or rejuvenate.  The interesting thing about this kind of play is that the play in really only a means to an end.  Play is encouraged only so that the employee will work more effectively and be more productive to the profit margin of the company.  Play is only allowed if it has a larger purpose beyond itself.

Play for adults is harder to find these days.  We work longer hours, we have busier schedules, we have overcommitted our lives, and we barely have time for our families or ourselves.  When is play supposed to be a part of our life?

I believe play is an integral part of our well-being.  I think play should be just that -- play.  It fosters creativity and a sense of feeling alive to the world.  Play brings us joy because it resonates with our soul.  Play is more than recharging.  Play is more than a means to be more productive.  Play is intended to foster a healthy self. 

As a minister I recognize that the life and work of the church is about very serious things: deep questions of life and God, struggling issues of health, dealing with various forms of grief, considering all the problems of our world, and dealing with the hardships of life related to money, family, work, etc.  It can be very easy to get depressed and overly serious about life.

I put intentional effort into making play a part of my regular life.  Play for me includes the use of humor in my daily conversations (some might question the quality of my humor), it includes a round of golf with friends/family, and it celebrates fun time with my wife and kids.  I close with a quote from German theologian Jurgen Moltmann in his book A Theology of Play when he says, “We are playing in the world and with the world, and we are trying through free play to make ourselves fit for the totally-other.” 

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Dr. Chris Wilson

Will you tell the story of Jesus?

Every book in the Bible has a unique gift to the body of scripture.  The Gospel of Mark is unique in that it offers a fantastic narrative evangelism approach for the reader.  One of the primary intents is for this Gospel to influence you to be a disciple and teller of the Jesus story.  The reader is not just reading about things that happened but is to become a participant in the story.


If one reads the Gospel of Mark in one sitting you get a clearer picture of this narrative style.  Early in the Gospel everyone wants to be near Jesus to receive his teaching, healing, or simply be in his presence.  As the Gospel continues, being in his presence becomes more controversial when Jesus confronts religious and political leaders.  Upon Jesus' arrest even the close circle of disciples are no where to be found.  The women are our final hope as they make their way to the tomb to care for the dead body of Jesus on the day of resurrection.  When they are told the good news of Jesus the scripture tells us that the women left afraid and told no one.  If no person in the story of Mark's Gospel is left to tell the story of the resurrection, then how did the story get told.  Mark designs the story that you as the reader are the final hope of being the storyteller of Jesus.

The Gospel is a wonderfully crafted story that draws you in and compels you to go and tell.  We live in a day and time when it becomes hard to share story and not feel like you are pushing your faith to hard with another person.  At the same time, we are called to live the Gospel and share that story with our words and actions.
The tragedy is when we choose not to share the story of Jesus at all.  If we fall back into this mode of living our faith we reduce faith to a personal experience alone.  Jesus' ministry was about welcome, invitation, compassion, and telling the story of God's love.  Our faith should be no different.

The decision for us is if and when we choose to tell the story of Jesus' gift of eternal life.  We have to remind ourselves that we are the Easter people.  The angel at the time of the resurrection story tells the women and they choose to tell no one.  What will your response be?

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Dr. Chris Wilson

Discerning Our Discipleship

The Christian season of Lent is fast approaching.  The forty days of Lent are intended to be a time to focus on the final journey of Jesus to the cross and tomb.  The season is typically identified with words like repentance, prayer, humility, sacrifice, commitment, and service.  People in some traditions are invited to give up something as a symbolic gesture of how Jesus gave his life up for humanity.

I appreciate all that Lent seeks to accomplish for a person or church in our quest to be faithful followers of Jesus.  I may be a bit odd but I typically do just the opposite during the time of Lent.  Instead of giving up something I typically add something to my life.  Sometimes the additions to my life are weekly efforts that are intended to enhance my life as a disciple of Jesus.  One week I will add a particular prayer discipline to my day.  Another week will be to read a particular book of the Bible for study and reflections.  Another week is about sharing acts of kindness to others I encounter during the day.  These are just a few samples of how I seek to add value to my life and faith.  It is true that we can often add value by taking away things that distract us from the path of discipleship, but I have often found the act of "doing" helps me feel closer to God's presence.

The other component of this weekly process I engage in during Lent is a balance of introspective and interactive initiatives.  Some weeks are intended to be more personal and introverted.  Other weeks are intended to be more relational and extroverted.  I think this gives balance to my life and my quest to mirror the ministry of Jesus.

I say all this about how I approach Lent because I am simply one Christian who is seeking to discern what discipleship means in both a theological and practical way.  I am seeking to blend faith with works, and being with doing.  I am constantly seeking to move beyond "knowing" what I need to be as a Christian and "practice" daily how I live into my Christian identity.

I have often used the metaphor of a toolbox for discipleship.  Any mechanic is more effective with more tools in his or her toolbox.  The same is true for Christians.  The more Christian disciplines, acts of service, and ways of living the Christian life only enhance my abilities to be the more faithful in our task as Jesus' followers. 

For me, Lent is more about addition than it is about subtraction.  Maybe you will join me in the journey of adding to your life this Lenten season.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Dr. Chris Wilson

Seeing Ourselves in the Bigger Picture

The human tendency for us is to see ourselves as bigger in importance than is typically true.  Our resume or Facebook presence tends to put ourselves at our very best.  I have been working on a study of my church's denominational history.  In reviewing and preparing for the study outlines I continue to marvel at all that influenced the founders in their desire to start a new movement.  There is not some simple answer but a multitude of factors, personalities, and circumstances that combined together to allow that new Christian movement to be birthed.  An individual from this perspective is significant, yet is smaller than we want to imagine.


The famous quote "No man(person) is an island" is very true.  Each of us is part of something much bigger and grander.  The joy is that we get to take part in these bigger initiatives, programs, movements when they are presented to us.  Maybe it is being a part of starting a company from the ground floor.  Maybe it is being a part of a charitable organization that seeks to serve the least of these in our world.  Maybe it is joining a group of people that truly want to make a difference in this world.  The impact of our presence alone will never match the impact when joined together with others.

As we are on the heals of MLK day, this is even more clear.  Martin Luther King, Jr. sought to include as many people as possible in the rights for all people to be included and welcome.  He inspired people beyond himself to be a part of a cause of dramatic impact to our nation and world. 

This kind of thinking give us pause to consider the use of our time and who we spend out time when in our life.  Have I made the most helpful choices in how I want my life to be used?  Have I surrounded myself with the right people?  Am I humble enough to let the cause rise above my personal ambitions?

I have been preaching the past few weeks and will continue to preach from the Gospel of Matthew in worship.  I continue to be strengthened by the fact that Jesus is always pointing away from himself and instead pointing people to God.  Jesus simply wants people to reconnect with God and serve God's Kingdom with love and compassion over and above all the human limitations we put upon ourselves.  Jesus saw the big picture of God's desire for all of us.  The faithful are asked to consider that our work on this planet is for all of us.  The work is greater than me.  Jesus invites us to join the story and see ourselves in the bigger picture God has drawn for us to live.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Dr. Chris Wilson

The Power of an Invitation

As a child I always enjoyed receiving mail.  I must admit the best mail for me was when I received an invitation to a party.  The invitation meant that someone else wanted me to be at their special event.  The parties I attended were always fun because it felt like my presence was important for the celebration.  The special feeling remains the same for me as an adult.  I still like receiving an invitation in the mail: party, wedding, or special gathering.


The other interesting thing about an invitation is that people reorganize their schedules to be at events they are invited to attend.  The invitation is seen as something different or special that was not to be a part of their life before the invitation was made.

For years the church has taken for granted that people want to be a part of church naturally.  For the most part this has been true, yet our culture is changing quite a bit.  Our country has less people naturally coming to church on their own.  It still happens, but not as frequently.  It is not enough for a church to offer welcome and hospitality once people arrive, even though this is still vitally important.

We are now called in the church to be "intentional inviters".  Jesus invited disciples to follow him.  The church is invited to ask people to join them in the journey of faith and be co-followers of Jesus.  An invitation means that they are sought to be a part of a community that could increase its value by their presence.

Rush Creek has a long history of welcome and hospitality.  Rush Creek has a long history of being a place for people to heal and find renewal from a scarred church past in another location.  I am inviting us to add to that long history a legacy of inviting people to the events that means so much to us as a church.

Invite people to a Bible Study.
Invite people to join you in an outreach project.
Invite people to a fellowship event.
Invite people to join you in worship.

If you invite someone to join you go the extra mile and offer to pick them up and take them with you to the event with you.  Make 2014 the year of the "intentional invitation" to grow our church.  Our church has an awesome story of worship, study, service, and fellowship.  Share the story with others and let the love of God take over.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Dr. Chris Wilson