Styling And Profiling
Stories
What's Up This Week
It is vital for Christians to convey to the world the nature of our Lord. As Bryan Meadows relates in "Styling and Profiling," we are called to take on the love, mercy, and patience of Christ and display it to the world like a new suit. Those attributes can serve us well in times of conflict and crisis, as seen in Constance Berg's "Strike Three, You're Out!"
* * * * * * * * *
Styling and Profiling
By Bryan Meadows
Romans 13:8-14
I'm left scratching my head in amazement. Where did the summer go? Seriously! I've always been a fan favorite of the summer. Long days spent enjoying the warm weather. It's about playing ball, going fishing, kayaking, and the ever important family vacation.
This year we traveled 5,438.2 miles for our family vacation! Among other adjectives that could describe the trip that we took in a minivan with seven of us, it was great! Yeah, it was difficult at times, but for the record, this trip put our three children in 47 of the lower 48 states. One left to go. I'm thinking we'll nail it down soon.
Speaking of children, and the summer, and the fun that goes with it all, there's something very tragic about to happen. (This is of course my "take.") School is about to start.
It's hard for me to explain, but even now, having completed my formal educational training, I still get "butterflies" when school is starting for my children. Perhaps it's a fear that someone from some school out there somewhere will call and tell me that there's been a mistake and I have to go back to school. Let's just say I paid my dues in school, and I for one do much better in the field than in the classroom. I bet some of you can relate.
Yet, before the classroom bells begin to ring; before the kids start passing notes to each other; before the teachers start handing out homework... there is first the "back to school shopping." In case I've never told you, let me be real clear at this point: Shopping is not my cup of tea! It ranks right up there with... going back to school. Nevertheless, I begrudgingly go, only out of the spirit that I want to spend as much time as possible with the kids. With each passing year of school, I am reminded that they are in a continual process of growing up. If I blink, I'm going to miss something really important.
So we go shopping... on a pastor's budget. New shoes are a must. But what happened when you could buy a pair of "cross trainers" and get the best of both style and functionality? There are tennis shoes, dress shoes, and casual shoes. Three pairs of shoes with three kids and we're loaded with shoe boxes.
That's only the beginning, because then you realize they need supplies... lots of supplies. Reams of paper, antibacterial wipes, pencils, erasers, folders, dry-erase markers, backpacks, and other stuff that I can't remember.
If you're keeping track, that's still the small stuff. Now it's on to the actual clothing. Needless to say, there's always a little tension here. My wife and I think in terms of not having to conform to what the world says is fashionable. Our children are still working out the details on that godly directive. We're thinking in terms of modesty and what might be honoring, not to mention easy on the wallet.
My wife and I are continually giving that look to each other, the look that says, "We sure want to give our kids what they want, but perhaps it's not what they need, so can we find the happy medium?"
What do you think? Ralph Lauren? Levi Strauss? Tommy Hilfiger? Liz Claiborne? Does a name brand really matter when it comes to fashion? Would it make us any different people if we were to wear the name of the designer in a way that everyone could see it?
Allow me to be so bold as to say, "Yes!" Let me ask: Have you considered what it would look like to wear the styles of say, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John? What about Paul, James, or Peter? Let's just say that these designers have a heavenly appeal!
In his letter to the Romans, Paul urges us to "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ..." (13:14). So what would we look like if we made a conscience effort to truly clothe ourselves with Christ Jesus?
I can't help but think about how Paul addressed the Colossians, saying to them in chapter 3, "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And the let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (vv. 12-17).
How's that for a fashion statement?
What clearly grabs my attention between both of these statements, Romans and Colossians, is how clear Paul is on the common thread when dressing fashionably for our Lord and his kingdom. It is of course, love.
Going back to the Romans passage, Paul urges us to simply love. Comprehensively speaking, he drives the point home when he says, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law" (v. 10).
What if we were to make a bold decision that we would spend more time dressing in the wardrobe of our Lord? Can you imagine what it might look like, and how we might talk to each other if we committed to "putting on our Lord Jesus Christ," or "clothing ourselves with godly spiritual fruit"?
Think about these statements: "Hey, that mercy you were sharing looked great on you!" Or how about this: "I never knew humility exposed such an inner beauty in us!" Try this one on for size: "I need to find the best set of patience I can, for they are the hottest item this year!"
Trust me, I will never be accused of having a good eye for matching clothes, lest you forget that I am a product of the grunge scene from the 1990s, when all that counted for good fashion was faded blue jeans and tattered flannel shirts. Oh, how I miss those days!
That said, we shouldn't concern ourselves so much with the outside, as what we should with the inside. When it comes to dressing in the fashion of our Lord, it is truly an inside-out work. Once we start to get that part going in the right direction, the other stuff will start to follow. What we should wear on the outside will become much clearer.
Here's really the bottom-line truth. Dressing ourselves in the Spirit of the Lord is the pathway to true beauty. For as we all know, if only subconsciously, Old Man Time works steadily to steal away the outward beauty. No matter how hard we try to avoid it, it still happens. No amount of cosmetics, surgery, or exercise will change that fact. Old Man Time will just wait you out.
Contrast that with dressing yourself in the beauty of the Lord every day, and you'll begin to notice that with each passing day you'll grow more and more beautiful. And that my friends, is a beautiful thing. Yeah, real beauty is an inside-out job. When dressed in the wardrobe of our God, each day is a day to grow stronger, more elegant, more desirable... simply more of what God desires.
God stands ready to dress you in his wardrobe. If you'd like to experience what it means to dress in true fashion, try out his threads and watch how soon you'll find yourself styling and profiling... for all the right reasons and purposes!
Rev. Bryan Meadows has served as pastor of The Huntsville United Methodist Church since 1998, following his graduation from The Methodist Theological School. He and his wife, Alice, are the parents of three children: Caleb, Josie, and Hannah. Rev. Meadows enjoys photography, playing guitar, and bird hunting with his dogs.
Strike Three, You're Out!
By Constance Berg
Matthew 18:15-20
It was a difficult issue: LaTonya was a beloved woman who had been asked to watch the church nursery ten years ago when the church was desperate for help. She was paid well, both in money and in food, and she kept coming back. She seemed to enjoy the job and continued to watch the children every week. LaTonya thought it was a good situation.
But the new vicar had another view of the situation. Janna had been there only two weeks when she eyed two little children running in and around the education wing on a Sunday morning. She was about to preach her first sermon and had forgotten her notes in her nervousness. In her hurry to get the notes, she took a shortcut and ran through the deserted education wing. The children were in church now, and the nursery was at the end of the wing. It was quieter there, and there was a covered entrance where the children could be dropped off and picked up. Janna wondered where LaTonya and her young helpers were as she escorted the two two-year-olds back to the nursery. LaTonya said she hadn't even noticed them gone; she was watching television. This disturbed Janna.
Janna was in a hurry and needed to get back to the sanctuary; she would talk to LaTonya later. LaTonya was already gone by the time Janna had shaken hands, taken off her alb, and gathered her materials. The church was empty, and Janna walked through the education wing with the senior pastor. She shared her concerns with Ron, and he suggested she call LaTonya at her home that evening.
Janna thought it was a straightforward call, but the next morning two angry women were at the church door, insisting on knowing why Janna had questioned LaTonya's actions. A molehill had suddenly turned into a mountain. Some were calling it a racial issue. Others were calling it a personal attack. But Janna held strong and told them it was none of their business. She would take the matter up with LaTonya, Ron, and, if necessary, the church council.
Janna was understandably upset at what was happening. She didn't want to alienate this woman, but the church was on a busy highway in a marginal area of town. Someone could have taken one of the children, and LaTonya wouldn't have known it. One of them could have run out on the highway, and LaTonya wouldn't have known it. It made Janna very upset that LaTonya refused to speak to her. She would only speak to Janna through a friend who was a lawyer. Janna thought it was terribly blown out of proportion.
LaTonya was not doing her job well at all. Several mothers came forward to say their children came home with diapers that were never changed. Some children had not been cleaned up after a snack and others came home with permanent marker stains on their clothing. In all, five mothers said they had left the church because the nursery was inadequate. Janna never knew and neither did the church council. Unfortunately, instead of complaining and bringing the complaints to light, the families simply left. The church council called each one to express their concerns, apologize for what happened, and asked them to consider returning to the church. Other mothers shared that they took their children with them to church, although they would have preferred them to be in the nursery.
Indeed it was a big deal. Some sided with Janna and others sided with LaTonya. Ron suggested they fire LaTonya, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. LaTonya wanted a severance package before she left. Ron thought it was outrageous but knew the issue was getting out of hand and could pull some families away from the church.
Janna asked LaTonya to resign, but she refused. Janna approached the council and explained the situation in detail. LaTonya and her friends were also invited and gave their side of the story, saying Janna had been mistaken and the mothers who complained were exaggerating. In the end, the council felt the safety of the children was more important and fired LaTonya. They gave her one month's pay and asked her not to return the next Sunday. LaTonya was satisfied.
Two families left the church, but the council said if that's all it took for them to leave, then they weren't all that committed. They were concerned about LaTonya, but also relieved to know the children would be safe and watched over. And all this in Janna's first month of internship! It was quite an issue, but Janna handled it effectively, sharing it quietly, then with Ron, and then with the council. She was left with no alternative. And the church was left with better supervision of the children.
Taken from Constance Berg, Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit, Series III, Cycle A (Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 2001), pp. 153-155.
**********************************************
How to Share Stories
You have good stories to share, probably more than you know: personal stories as well as stories from others that you have used over the years. If you have a story you like, whether fictional or "really happened," authored by you or a brief excerpt from a favorite book, send it to StoryShare for review. Simply email the story to us at storyshare@sermonsuite.com.
**************
StoryShare, September 7, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
It is vital for Christians to convey to the world the nature of our Lord. As Bryan Meadows relates in "Styling and Profiling," we are called to take on the love, mercy, and patience of Christ and display it to the world like a new suit. Those attributes can serve us well in times of conflict and crisis, as seen in Constance Berg's "Strike Three, You're Out!"
* * * * * * * * *
Styling and Profiling
By Bryan Meadows
Romans 13:8-14
I'm left scratching my head in amazement. Where did the summer go? Seriously! I've always been a fan favorite of the summer. Long days spent enjoying the warm weather. It's about playing ball, going fishing, kayaking, and the ever important family vacation.
This year we traveled 5,438.2 miles for our family vacation! Among other adjectives that could describe the trip that we took in a minivan with seven of us, it was great! Yeah, it was difficult at times, but for the record, this trip put our three children in 47 of the lower 48 states. One left to go. I'm thinking we'll nail it down soon.
Speaking of children, and the summer, and the fun that goes with it all, there's something very tragic about to happen. (This is of course my "take.") School is about to start.
It's hard for me to explain, but even now, having completed my formal educational training, I still get "butterflies" when school is starting for my children. Perhaps it's a fear that someone from some school out there somewhere will call and tell me that there's been a mistake and I have to go back to school. Let's just say I paid my dues in school, and I for one do much better in the field than in the classroom. I bet some of you can relate.
Yet, before the classroom bells begin to ring; before the kids start passing notes to each other; before the teachers start handing out homework... there is first the "back to school shopping." In case I've never told you, let me be real clear at this point: Shopping is not my cup of tea! It ranks right up there with... going back to school. Nevertheless, I begrudgingly go, only out of the spirit that I want to spend as much time as possible with the kids. With each passing year of school, I am reminded that they are in a continual process of growing up. If I blink, I'm going to miss something really important.
So we go shopping... on a pastor's budget. New shoes are a must. But what happened when you could buy a pair of "cross trainers" and get the best of both style and functionality? There are tennis shoes, dress shoes, and casual shoes. Three pairs of shoes with three kids and we're loaded with shoe boxes.
That's only the beginning, because then you realize they need supplies... lots of supplies. Reams of paper, antibacterial wipes, pencils, erasers, folders, dry-erase markers, backpacks, and other stuff that I can't remember.
If you're keeping track, that's still the small stuff. Now it's on to the actual clothing. Needless to say, there's always a little tension here. My wife and I think in terms of not having to conform to what the world says is fashionable. Our children are still working out the details on that godly directive. We're thinking in terms of modesty and what might be honoring, not to mention easy on the wallet.
My wife and I are continually giving that look to each other, the look that says, "We sure want to give our kids what they want, but perhaps it's not what they need, so can we find the happy medium?"
What do you think? Ralph Lauren? Levi Strauss? Tommy Hilfiger? Liz Claiborne? Does a name brand really matter when it comes to fashion? Would it make us any different people if we were to wear the name of the designer in a way that everyone could see it?
Allow me to be so bold as to say, "Yes!" Let me ask: Have you considered what it would look like to wear the styles of say, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John? What about Paul, James, or Peter? Let's just say that these designers have a heavenly appeal!
In his letter to the Romans, Paul urges us to "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ..." (13:14). So what would we look like if we made a conscience effort to truly clothe ourselves with Christ Jesus?
I can't help but think about how Paul addressed the Colossians, saying to them in chapter 3, "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And the let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (vv. 12-17).
How's that for a fashion statement?
What clearly grabs my attention between both of these statements, Romans and Colossians, is how clear Paul is on the common thread when dressing fashionably for our Lord and his kingdom. It is of course, love.
Going back to the Romans passage, Paul urges us to simply love. Comprehensively speaking, he drives the point home when he says, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law" (v. 10).
What if we were to make a bold decision that we would spend more time dressing in the wardrobe of our Lord? Can you imagine what it might look like, and how we might talk to each other if we committed to "putting on our Lord Jesus Christ," or "clothing ourselves with godly spiritual fruit"?
Think about these statements: "Hey, that mercy you were sharing looked great on you!" Or how about this: "I never knew humility exposed such an inner beauty in us!" Try this one on for size: "I need to find the best set of patience I can, for they are the hottest item this year!"
Trust me, I will never be accused of having a good eye for matching clothes, lest you forget that I am a product of the grunge scene from the 1990s, when all that counted for good fashion was faded blue jeans and tattered flannel shirts. Oh, how I miss those days!
That said, we shouldn't concern ourselves so much with the outside, as what we should with the inside. When it comes to dressing in the fashion of our Lord, it is truly an inside-out work. Once we start to get that part going in the right direction, the other stuff will start to follow. What we should wear on the outside will become much clearer.
Here's really the bottom-line truth. Dressing ourselves in the Spirit of the Lord is the pathway to true beauty. For as we all know, if only subconsciously, Old Man Time works steadily to steal away the outward beauty. No matter how hard we try to avoid it, it still happens. No amount of cosmetics, surgery, or exercise will change that fact. Old Man Time will just wait you out.
Contrast that with dressing yourself in the beauty of the Lord every day, and you'll begin to notice that with each passing day you'll grow more and more beautiful. And that my friends, is a beautiful thing. Yeah, real beauty is an inside-out job. When dressed in the wardrobe of our God, each day is a day to grow stronger, more elegant, more desirable... simply more of what God desires.
God stands ready to dress you in his wardrobe. If you'd like to experience what it means to dress in true fashion, try out his threads and watch how soon you'll find yourself styling and profiling... for all the right reasons and purposes!
Rev. Bryan Meadows has served as pastor of The Huntsville United Methodist Church since 1998, following his graduation from The Methodist Theological School. He and his wife, Alice, are the parents of three children: Caleb, Josie, and Hannah. Rev. Meadows enjoys photography, playing guitar, and bird hunting with his dogs.
Strike Three, You're Out!
By Constance Berg
Matthew 18:15-20
It was a difficult issue: LaTonya was a beloved woman who had been asked to watch the church nursery ten years ago when the church was desperate for help. She was paid well, both in money and in food, and she kept coming back. She seemed to enjoy the job and continued to watch the children every week. LaTonya thought it was a good situation.
But the new vicar had another view of the situation. Janna had been there only two weeks when she eyed two little children running in and around the education wing on a Sunday morning. She was about to preach her first sermon and had forgotten her notes in her nervousness. In her hurry to get the notes, she took a shortcut and ran through the deserted education wing. The children were in church now, and the nursery was at the end of the wing. It was quieter there, and there was a covered entrance where the children could be dropped off and picked up. Janna wondered where LaTonya and her young helpers were as she escorted the two two-year-olds back to the nursery. LaTonya said she hadn't even noticed them gone; she was watching television. This disturbed Janna.
Janna was in a hurry and needed to get back to the sanctuary; she would talk to LaTonya later. LaTonya was already gone by the time Janna had shaken hands, taken off her alb, and gathered her materials. The church was empty, and Janna walked through the education wing with the senior pastor. She shared her concerns with Ron, and he suggested she call LaTonya at her home that evening.
Janna thought it was a straightforward call, but the next morning two angry women were at the church door, insisting on knowing why Janna had questioned LaTonya's actions. A molehill had suddenly turned into a mountain. Some were calling it a racial issue. Others were calling it a personal attack. But Janna held strong and told them it was none of their business. She would take the matter up with LaTonya, Ron, and, if necessary, the church council.
Janna was understandably upset at what was happening. She didn't want to alienate this woman, but the church was on a busy highway in a marginal area of town. Someone could have taken one of the children, and LaTonya wouldn't have known it. One of them could have run out on the highway, and LaTonya wouldn't have known it. It made Janna very upset that LaTonya refused to speak to her. She would only speak to Janna through a friend who was a lawyer. Janna thought it was terribly blown out of proportion.
LaTonya was not doing her job well at all. Several mothers came forward to say their children came home with diapers that were never changed. Some children had not been cleaned up after a snack and others came home with permanent marker stains on their clothing. In all, five mothers said they had left the church because the nursery was inadequate. Janna never knew and neither did the church council. Unfortunately, instead of complaining and bringing the complaints to light, the families simply left. The church council called each one to express their concerns, apologize for what happened, and asked them to consider returning to the church. Other mothers shared that they took their children with them to church, although they would have preferred them to be in the nursery.
Indeed it was a big deal. Some sided with Janna and others sided with LaTonya. Ron suggested they fire LaTonya, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. LaTonya wanted a severance package before she left. Ron thought it was outrageous but knew the issue was getting out of hand and could pull some families away from the church.
Janna asked LaTonya to resign, but she refused. Janna approached the council and explained the situation in detail. LaTonya and her friends were also invited and gave their side of the story, saying Janna had been mistaken and the mothers who complained were exaggerating. In the end, the council felt the safety of the children was more important and fired LaTonya. They gave her one month's pay and asked her not to return the next Sunday. LaTonya was satisfied.
Two families left the church, but the council said if that's all it took for them to leave, then they weren't all that committed. They were concerned about LaTonya, but also relieved to know the children would be safe and watched over. And all this in Janna's first month of internship! It was quite an issue, but Janna handled it effectively, sharing it quietly, then with Ron, and then with the council. She was left with no alternative. And the church was left with better supervision of the children.
Taken from Constance Berg, Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit, Series III, Cycle A (Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 2001), pp. 153-155.
**********************************************
How to Share Stories
You have good stories to share, probably more than you know: personal stories as well as stories from others that you have used over the years. If you have a story you like, whether fictional or "really happened," authored by you or a brief excerpt from a favorite book, send it to StoryShare for review. Simply email the story to us at storyshare@sermonsuite.com.
**************
StoryShare, September 7, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
