BREATHE

Today we all have gathered for worship and to mark an occasion in my ministry journey. This past Tuesday marked the 30 year anniversary of my ordination as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). So much has changed since I first answered those ordination questions all those years ago.

My first call

Hair style is just one of them.

I am truly humbled that you would join with me in celebrating this thing that God has been doing in, with, by, to, for, and through me. It’s a thing we call ministry. But the story began so much earlier than 30 years ago. I want to share that story with you, but not for my glory but that you might see how God has been working from the beginning and continues to work to this day in our lives shaping and molding us to serve and bring Him glory. It starts with questions.

?

In every family there are those stories that get told over and over again, and mine is no different. Apparently God has been molding me and shaping me since very early in my life. My venture into theology began at an early age, perhaps kindergarten, when I came into the house after a big jet had flown over and promptly asked, “Mom, if God lives in heaven and heaven is in the clouds, then how come when the planes fly over they don’t knock him off?” I have no idea how they answered, it didn’t matter.

Fast forward a couple of years and my mom’s high school friend would move in next door, and her son would invite me to come to cub scouts. Thus began my connection with the church as I entered through the back door on Wednesday nights for our Pack meetings and later Scout meetings.

I had great success in the Boy Scouts, achieving the rank of Eagle at 13. And God continued to shape and mold me for what would come. I wasn’t ready to drop out of scouts as many boys do after achieving Eagle, so I was looking around for another award to earn. Our troop was offering the God and Country Award in partnership with our sponsoring church. I had lots of questions and knew nothing going in. Looking back I feel sorry for our leader who I imagine dreaded when in fairness he had to call on me to read one of my answers. I didn’t know what the other guys knew so I would share it all. Their answers were a paragraph or two, mine were pages.

IF Steve Finley is present recognize him.

Fast forward a year or two to High School. I began attending Young Life at the invitation of one of our school’s sports stars. Monday nights I was at his house learning about this relationship I could have with Jesus. Looking back I would later describe it like this: “I knew a lot about God (or at least thought I did), but I didn’t know God.” That’s the state that so many find themselves in today. Later that year I would attend a Young Life camp where I sensed God calling me into that relationship and I stood up and proclaimed a new faith and my desire to follow Jesus.

Just weeks later I preached my first “sermon” in a makeshift worship service on a charter bus in Washington, D.C. to our Boy Scout troop attending the National Jamboree. And so it began. Throughout high school I would lead several of my friends to Christ. Still, I had so many questions. I’m so thankful to church leaders, my young life leader and others who listened and sometimes answered those questions.

I had dreamed of Medical school - that quickly changed when I flunked a general chemistry course in college. After 8 majors I would land in Speech Communication, that started with a class I took because I got so nervous speaking in public. I led several Bible studies in my dorms throughout college and attended several Mission Trips where I witnessed God doing amazing things. I knew that somehow some sort of ministry would be in my future, but I had no idea what. Even my academic counselors thought so. I graduated in 1987 from the University of Washington.

During one of those mission trips our pastor asked if I would be interested in an internship after I finished college. I was interested and when I graduated from college I swore I’d never go back to school. I would do my first internship in youth and young adult ministry in 1988, and within months of graduating I was applying to seminaries because I still had so many questions. I recognized this is what God created me to do and I wanted to know a lot more to do it well.

I entered Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA in January of 1989 and graduated as a Master of Divinity with an emphasis in Youth Ministry in August of 1992.

In 1993 I stood before the presbytery of Seattle to be examined for ordination as to matters of my faith, theology, biblical understanding, and ministry. Many of you have served as elders and perhaps had the opportunity to examine candidates. My exam lasted a bit longer than most because the presbytery meeting I was examined at was a called meeting with only my examination on the docket.

I was ordained 30 years ago this past Tuesday, April 25, 1993 at West Side Presbyterian Church and would go on to serve in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Federal Way, WA; Parma, Idaho, and now here in Milton. Throughout my ministry career there have been intermissions filled with serving in Young Life, and of course the Y.

So that’s what a recap, albeit brief of where I’ve been or perhaps better put, the adventure that has brought me this far. So what have I learned along the way. First and foremost, it is not about me - it never has been.

If one looks at any ministry or for that matter any of our lives in relationship to God it’s not about us, it is all about God’s glory. It is about what God is doing in, with, by, to, for, and through us.

So with that in mind and to move the focus from myself back to God and our relationship with our Creator I want to share this acronym:

B.R.E.A.T.H.E.

In the Bible we read many times about breathing. In Genesis, 2:7 we read: Genesis 2:7

Genesis 2:7 ESV

then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

In Ezekiel, the prophet is commanded to prophesy over the dry bones:

Ezekiel 37:5 (ESV)

Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.

Jesus breathed on the disciples and they received the Holy Spirit:

John 20:22 ESV

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Years ago we sang a song in youth group, “Breathe deep, breathe deep the breath of God.” We need to breathe to have life. So with that, I want to jump in to our Acronym Breathe:

B = Bible

The bible is the Word of God. We can go to the creation narrative where 9 different times God speaks in the 6 days of Creation. In the Hebrew we read the words vayomer elohim, “and God said.”

Eugene Peterson wrote of this,

Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity II: Praying by the Book

The word that God speaks originates, initiates, shapes, provides, orders, commands, and blesses.

God’s word is not an afterthought, it is primary. It comes before everything. In the beginning God said, “Let there be light...” and there was light. This is no less true of God’s parallel work in the redemption. We read from the Gospel of John:

John 1:1–5 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

And this Word became flesh as Peterson so famously put it:

John 1:14 (M:BCL)

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.

And throughout Jesus’ ministry we see Him, like His Father speaking salvation into being: teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

God’s Word always has the first say. Everything beyond that is secondary. That leads us to our response:

R = Response

How we respond is important, and God’s Word requires a response. It doesn’t sit there without a result. God’s Word does not come back void.

Our prayers are a response to God’s Word.

Our actions are a response to God’s Word.

Our lives are in response to God’s Word.

Our ministry is in response to God’s Word.

Our Worship is gathered around God’s Word so that we can respond to God’s Word.

Our acceptance or rejection of the Creator God are in direct response to God’s Word.

The truth is God’s Word requires a response.

God invites us to respond. Come, follow me…Jesus said. He invited a response.

Deuteronomy 6:5 ESV

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Requires a response - one way or another there has to be a response. In the last decade or so I’ve become overwhelmed by Jesus response to the disciples when he was at the well with the Samaritan woman and they brought him food. They’re trying to get him to eat and he says,

John 4:34 ESV

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

That is our response to God’s Word.

E = Educate

Educate yourself. Keep learning. Keep digging. Keep striving. Keep growing. Keep seeking. Keep wanting more. Keep asking questions.

It’s not about earning degrees. Look around you - the glorious sunshine, all creation cries out of the glory of God. Take it in.

Learn, learn, learn of how God is working, where God is working, and seek to join in those endeavors.

Study God’s Word - apply to your lives. How does it fit? How does it not seem to fit? Ask questions. Seek answers.

A = Accountability

You and I are called to live in community. In the Creation narrative God living in community says, “Let us create man in our image,” and later, “It is not good that man should be alone.”

We are created for community.

Hebrews 10:24–25 NIV84

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

It is in community we spur one another on, and encourage one another. It is in community where James reminds us:

James 5:16 (ESV)

Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

T = Tithing

Learning to have a giving heart is … well, it’s hard. When I speak of tithing here I’m speaking of time, talent and treasure. It’s not one or the other thought, it’s all of the above. For decades I struggled to be able to give as I wanted to…or at least said I wanted to. It really is a matter of priorities. I always wanted to be able to tithe which literally means 1/10 to the church. It was a goal but it always seemed when I got to the end of the month it wasn’t there. I’d give as much as I could.

Then, I was challenged to not wait until the end of the month, but have it be the first priority - the first thing each month. Before my rent, groceries, bills, the first thing. It changed everything. Because by putting it first it was clear where my priorities were. I’m not not only able to tithe to the church, but to be generous with other charities as well.

H = Heartbeat

Like any athlete, you need to check your pulse. How are you doing? We need to self-reflect. Something that I don’t think our culture does much of anymore. We’re never quiet, we’re never bored, there is always something more to do. Our media devices from televisions, radios, computers, cell phones, tablets, streaming devices, etc. insure that we are never left with time to reflect.

There’s a reason to take a walk, a drive, or even a nap. Take time to quiet yourself and listen. Reflect.

We read in Lamentations 3:40-41

E = Encourage

Encouraging others to grow makes me happy and I think it makes most people happy. When you have something you have learned, sharing that with others is one of the best ways for you to get better and to help others do the same.

This is really what evangelism is - simply sharing about who you know and what you know.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

30 years has been a long time in ordained ministry. God willing, I will continue for many more. Throughout this entire time it’s been a process and a progress of learning to breathe.

B - Bible

R - Respond

E - Educate

A - Accountability

T - Tithing

H - Heartbeat

E - Encourage

I thank God for the opportunities I have had throughout my ministry to share about Christ. My hope is that I can continue to share Christ with those around me and encourage them to do likewise. Not for my glory, but for His.

to God be the glory! AMEN