Church Camp: The Long View (Camp Sunday)

1 Peter 2: 4-5

Roger Lynn

January 27, 2019

Camp Sunday

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It had been a full and rewarding week at church camp. We had just finished our last breakfast together and in a couple of hours we would be dissolving our temporary community and blending back into the larger Body of Christ. I stood up in front of 34 high school youth and 5 other adults with a guitar around my neck and began to sing. I had been leading them in singing several times a day for a week. My fingers were sore, my voice was shot, and I was very, very tired. But singing together was one of things which had helped to shape us into a community. So I put fingers to strings, opened my mouth, and began to sing. And what came out surprised me. It wasn’t even close to being perfect. But it was strong, and it was filled with more life and passion than I knew was there only moments before. We sang together and it was glorious. We sang “Micah 6:8” (God has shown you, O People, what is good), and we sang “How can anyone ever tell you you are anything less than beautiful?” We filled the sacred space of the dining hall with the beautiful harmonies of our blended voices singing “Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary...” And once again we became aware that we were the people of God woven together in community.

I’ve watched it happened more times than I can count. It was about 36 years ago at Camp Galilee in north central Arkansas when I did my first high school church camp with my friend Randy Kuss. I’ve done lots of camps since then, and they continue to be worth doing. Community is formed. Lives are changed. God is present. Church camp is like the Church in miniature. We have the opportunity to see what can happen when faith is taken seriously. And what can happen is nothing short of a miracle!

Beginning Where We Are

I Samuel 3: 1-10 & John 1: 43-51

Roger Lynn

January 20, 2019

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Samuel follows God’s leading. The disciples answer Jesus’ call. It is a pattern as old as God’s relationship with human beings. And such stories stand out for us as important touch points for understanding our own calls. But frequently we place the emphasis on the one who is responding. We hear about young Samuel’s encounter with God and we focus on Samuel’s words, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” (I Samuel 3:10) In the stories about the calling of the disciples, we often remember the ways in which they left what they were doing, confessed faith in Jesus, and followed.

All such responses, however, including our own, are made possible only because God first initiates contact and is then willing to begin with us where we are. Samuel may have ended up as one of the great heroes of the faith, but in the beginning he didn’t even recognize God’s voice when he heard it. It was only because God was willing to keep trying that Samuel had the opportunity to say, “Speak Lord...” Jesus had to overcome Nathanael’s skeptical attitude about “anything good coming out of Nazareth.” (John 1:46) Even rascals and scoundrels are not beyond the reach of God’s gracious patience. Eli, the old priest in the temple under whom Samuel served, was not exactly a model of faithful living. Under his leadership corruption had crept in to the affairs of the temple and his own sons were at the heart of the problem. And yet, when it comes to the important task of guiding young Samuel, it is old, tired Eli who understands the situation and offers the necessary advise. He got the chance to offer such advise because God did not give up on him.

Flesh And Spirit

Genesis 1: 1-5 & Revelation 21: 1-5a

Roger Lynn

January 13, 2019

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Creation! Something new is brought forth out of the void. Form takes shape out of formlessness. Order emerges out of chaos. From the very beginning, creation is what God does! We see it in the opening chapters of Genesis – “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). We see it in the closing chapters of Revelation – “And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” (Revelation 21:5). We see it in various ways and various places throughout scripture. And we see it evidenced in our lives. The creation story in Genesis informs us that human beings bear the mark of the creator. We have been created “in God’s image.” So it should not be surprising to find that creativity is one of the traits which we have inherited. From artists to builders to chefs to parents, we share in the creative process. It is, I believe, a collaborative process, in which God’s Spirit works with our spirits through the flesh and blood reality of our lives, bringing the ongoing power of creation to bear on the world.

But we do not always see it that way. One of the things which we seem to have inherited from our Greek ancestors (which I often wish they would have kept to themselves), is a view of life which tries to separate flesh and spirit. Sometimes more extreme than at other times, this view takes on a variety of shapes and forms. But one of the ways in which it often plays out is to place positive value on things related to the spirit and negative value on things related to the flesh. It becomes not so much a contrast between the two as it is a contest. In the Church, this has sometimes resulted in the belief that spirituality is incompatible with anything physical. In order to become more “spiritual,” (which usually means more in touch with and in harmony with the spiritual dimensions of life), the physical aspects of life must be denied, avoided, minimized, or banished.

I am convinced, at least for myself, that such a view is, at the very least, unfortunate. I tend to believe that in most cases balance is a healthier approach than extremes. Thus, in approaching the issue of physical and spiritual dimensions of life, focusing exclusively on the spiritual misses the mark just as much as focusing exclusively on the physical. Either extreme by itself lacks the wholeness which comes when both ends of the spectrum are embraced. 

A Light For The World (Epiphany)

Isaiah 60: 1-6 & Matthew 2: 1-12

Roger Lynn

January 6, 2019

Epiphany Sunday

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“It’s out there again, Balthasar.” “What are you talking about, Gaspar?” “You know perfectly well what I’m talking about. The star. The foreshadowing star which we observed at its rising. It’s out there again.” “So, Mr. Wise Man, what do you want me to do about it? We watched it rise. We know it means something important. I suppose now you think we ought to follow it.” “I didn’t say that. But since you brought it up, Melchior has been hinting around that we ought to go see what it means.” “If Melchior thinks it’s so important, let him risk going off on some fool’s quest. He always was the dreamer. As for me, I’m staying home where I’m warm and safe and comfortable. You’re welcome to join me.” “Thanks. I think I will. My wife wasn’t too happy about the idea of us going on a road trip anyway. I wonder if Melchior will go by himself? Oh well, I guess it’s not really our problem. It is, after all, only a star. How important could it be, anyway?”

Fortunately, such a conversation never took place. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the Magi did risk going off on a fool’s quest, because they dared to believe that the star really was calling them to something important and they were willing to respond. Had they been content to simply observe the star at it’s rising they never would have experienced the wonder of Christ’s presence. Had they decided the journey was too far, or too expensive, or too dangerous they never would have encountered Emmanuel, God With Us.