Sunday, May 29, 2011

Suggestions

We are really excited about this summer! We are working on creating a discussion series for Zoe. We would love to hear any questions that you might have on theology, faith, spiritual life, etc. If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to discuss this summer please leave a comment and it will be sent to Brian's email only. Also, if you have any suggestions on places that you would like to go to or things you want to do this summer, please send that in the comment as well. We look forward to great summer!

Bigger Than We Imagine, Closer Than We Think

Sermon on Memorial Day – May 29, 2011 - (to view video, click here)
Acts 17:22-31 (click on citation to view text)

The morning was full of excitement and anticipation. No one really knew exactly what to expect, but somehow everyone knew it would be great.

The entire group had been preparing for nine months. They had explored, studied and discovered together. They had thought and dreamt about this very moment. And here they were. They had traveled to a new city, a new country together and had a full day ahead of them. As they walked down the street in the early morning sun, the energy was high and the chatter was lively. This was to be the first day of a ten day journey of faith.

The group was handed their tickets and they began the climb up the magnificent hill. As they took the long walk up the hill the group had no idea what is in store for them when they would finally reach the top. I walked in the front of the group and stopped to face them. I wanted to see the looks on their faces. As each individual made the last turn in the path, they came face to face with the grandeur of the historic acropolis in heart of Athens, Greece. Their eyes widened to take the entire scene in as their breath was momentarily abated. There they stood surrounded by the monumental glory of ancient Athens.

Athens…a city named for Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom; a city filled with memories of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; a city noted for its fantastic architecture and beautiful Classical Greek art. Located in this city were the Academy of Plato, the Lyceum of Aristotle, and the Areopagus. Ancient Athens was a tribute to the abilities of human hands and a testimony to the wonders of the human mind.

All of the students had seen it in pictures and movies. They had learned about it in history class. But this was different. As they walked through the
Propylaea, a magnificent columned gate reaching to the heavens, each was overwhelmed by the majesty of the entire scene. Just inside the gate the students came face to face with the Parthenon in all of its glory! At the top of the hill one could see the entire city laid out at their feet.

After experiencing the acropolis, the group then went to what is affectionately called
Mars Hill, the location of Paul’s famous speech to the Areopagus which we read this morning. While there the group of students saw a glimpse of what Paul would have seen in the first century during his visit to Athens. There to the left was the temple of Hephaestus and off in the distance was the famous Stoa, from which Stoics derived their name. This was the site of many great debates and trials in the history of ancient thought. This was the hill of Aristotle and Socrates, the Epicurians and the Stoics. Of the Areopagus, the author of Acts wrote, “Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there would spend their time in nothing but telling or hearing something new.”

This is the cultural context of our text this morning. In the shadow of the acropolis – the center of the religious life of the Athenians – and just above the bustling agora – the Athenian marketplace – Paul was brought to speak to the Areopagus about this, “new teaching…” As he spoke about his faith, Paul could look down and see the statues and the temples to various gods scattered about the agora.

So who was this God about whom Paul was invited to speak before the learned of Athens? In this famous speech in Acts 17, Paul masterfully speaks of a God that is beyond our imaginings and human ideas of what God might be like yet is simultaneously closer than our own breath. To the Athenians, a very religious people by Paul’s own admission, Paul declares that this God whom they worship as “unknown” can be known and is at the same time both transcendent and immanent.

Paul declares to a people who built wonderful statues and awe inspiring temples to their pantheon of gods that God transcends or is beyond definition, description or category. To the learned of Athens and to our listening ears, Paul proclaims, this unknown god is “the God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything” (Acts 17:24,25 NRSV). God is beyond the creative thoughts of our minds and the artistic creations of our hands. God is beyond. God transcends our understanding of who we imagine God to be. In his Institutes, reformer John Calvin wrote, “God’s infinity ought to make us afraid to try to measure God by our own senses. Indeed, God’s spiritual nature forbids imagining anything earthly of God…as God is incomprehensible” (
Calvin 1.1.8.1). There is nothing to which we can compare the glory and majesty of God. God is wholly other than us. God is transcendent.

Yet, God is not, as Aristotle once posited, an “unmoved mover” distant and unengaged in the happenings of the world which God created. The God of Paul, the God of our faith is transcendent, yes, but ALSO immanent. God is closer to us than we are to our very selves. The First Testament prophets and poets understood that God was not only the creator of all things seen and unseen, but this God was also engaged in the world and each in person’s life. It was a psalmist who famously wrote, “Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast…For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb” (Psalm 139:7-10; 13 NRSV). God is present in creation and active within our lives. God is actively engaged in the happenings of the world in which we live and is not simply a distant unmoved deity unconcerned with the ways of the world. And indeed, God’s immanence, God’s proximity is most evident in the mystery of the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. One commentator wrote, God “is at once transcendent yet personal, sovereign and fully engaged in human life” (
Wall 248).

This is a challenge to us as people of faith. Do we have the courage to allow God to be all that we can imagine and then even more still? Will we allow the God of the universe to be closer to us than we are to our very selves? Of this delicate and often difficult balancing act theologian Stanley Grenz wrote, “On the one hand, God is transcendent. God is self-sufficient apart from the world. (God) is above the universe and comes to the world from beyond…On the other hand, God is immanent in the world. This means that God is present to creation. God is active within the universe, involved with the natural processes and in human history…In short, the God we know is immanent and transcendent. (God) is that reality who is present and active within the world process. Yet (God) is not simply to be equated with it, for (God) is at the same time self-sufficient and ‘beyond’ the universe. In conceiving of God, therefore, we dare neither place (God) so far beyond the world that (God) cannot enter into relationship with (God’s) creatures nor collapse (God) so thoroughly into the world processes that (God) cannot stand over the creation which (God) made.” (
Grenz 81).

We tend to err on one side or the other. We either conceive of God in such as fashion as to keep God distant and disengaged from the world in which we live or we bring God so near that God becomes equated with our human experience and reality. As people of faith, we must find a way to allow God to be a God who transcends definition and yet is closer than the air we breathe.

In less than two weeks, another group of students from Second Presbyterian Church will walk up to the top of Mars Hill. They will sit together in the shadow of the acropolis and in full view of the agora. They will take their place where the Areopagus once met some 2000 years ago. They will add their names to the list of over 210 young people from Second who have stepped foot on that very hill over the last 11 years. They will hear the words of the Apostle Paul and ponder who this God is about whom Paul is speaking.

What difference does it make that this God is both transcendent and immanent? I think you can find evidence of the importance in the lives of these young people. You see, some of the students who have sat on that hill have lost a parent or a sibling. It is vitally important for them to believe in a God who is bigger than their experience but close enough to walk through it with them. Some of the young people who have sat on that hill struggle with depression or physical illness. There is no question that they long for a God who is beyond their pain and yet familiar with their struggle. Some of the recent high school graduates who have made that trek have walked a path through life that is more difficult than anything I can imagine. Indeed, their belief in a God that is simultaneously transcendent and immanent has sustained them along the way.

And what about you? Through your most difficult moments, unexpected diagnoses, trying treatments, and painful experiences is it not your conviction that God is big enough to be beyond your circumstance and close enough to walk through it with you that allows you to carry on?

A covenantal God must be immanent as well as transcendent. Without God’s immanence, we are left with a God who transcends all things yet is not engaged in lives of God’s people or their world. Without God’s transcendence, we are left with a God who is engaged in the world but not sovereign over all things and events.

“True to the core biblical idea, then, God is transcendent yet personal, vastly superior to some detached deity that consigns humankind to the vicissitudes of fortune. God is not some provincial deity, the God of a few; nor is God unmoved and unconcerned about the struggles of real people in particular places” (
Wall 250). This is a God who is truly worthy of worship; a God whose transcendence and immanence are held in tension, held in one God. This is the deepest mystery. God is bigger than we imagine and closer than we think. Amen.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Journey of Faith Video



I uploaded this for my family and friends who make up my "great cloud of witnesses".  This is the video version of the Great Cloud of Witnesses post below. 

Thank you to all the saints, friends, students and colleagues who have been such an important part of this journey.  I praise God for you all.

This was filmed at First Presbyterian Church, Anderson, Indiana.  It was immediately following my examination on the floor of presbytery - Whitewater Valley Presbytery - on Wednesday, May 11, 2011.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Discovering the Power of "Yes"

Everyone I know is stretched beyond their limits.  There are so many things that need to be done.  There are so many people who want something from us.  There are so many plans to be made and opportunities on which to follow through.  There are assignments to complete and people to please.  There are so many...

Our lives can get so out of whack because of all of these demands.  As the people we love see us running around trying to complete every task and accomplish other people's goals, they will often offer this sage advice, "You know, you really need to learn how to say, 'No.'" 

If only it were that easy, but it isn't.  Sometimes it feels as though it is impossible to tell people "No." 

So, what about a little different take on the situation?  What if the problem isn't that we don't know how to say "no"?  What if the problem is that we haven't clearly defined that to which we are compelled to say "yes"? 

Let's be clear right from the start. I am not talking about the easy yeses that are quick to come by.  Neither am I talking about the yeses that can prove to be harmful or injurious at times. The yeses under discussion are the yeses to which time, deliberation and intentionality must be given. 

Take a moment to consider your yeses. 

What are the things to which you feel called to respond in the affirmative?
What are you willing to commit to?

Say yes to...
Faith
Hope
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Gentleness
Faithfulness
Self-Control
Life
Forgiveness
Justice
Healing
Hope

Things like these do not come easily.  They take commitment and intentionality. 

However, they also have the power to transform and frame that to which we must say "no".

To what will we say "yes"?

Monday, May 16, 2011

Great Cloud of Witnesses















The following are the words I shared on the floor of presbytery on Wednesday, May 11.  This was the day on which I was examined and voted on as a candidate for Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA).  I am humbled and thankful for all that has transpired over the last several days.  This is my way of saying "Thank you" to all of those who made it possible.
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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us”

A small giant of a man, William James was born March 29, 1908 in a tiny Texas town. WJ, as he was called early in his life, became an itinerant minister in the Assembly of God Church. He faithfully served churches in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana for over 60 years. I was privileged to call this man “Grandpa.” The birth and life of William James have impacted and continue to impact my life in ways that I may never fully understand.

In his early 30’s William James committed his life to Christ and to ministry on nearly the same day. He enrolled in Central Bible College and was soon ordained to ministry in the Assembly of God Church. Brother James, as most would call him, was the patriarch of faith for the Shivers family.

Grandpa was my earliest example of what it meant to be a minister. He lived his call on a daily basis before family and his parishioners. His influence and the ripples of his ministry and life have touched four generations and will touch many more.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…”

From as early as I can remember, Beulah Mae Shivers, my grandmother and wife of William James, had a habit of introducing me to friends and congregants alike as “her little angel, who was going to be a minister one-day.” And from as early as I can remember, I HATED IT! In fact, at sixteen years of age, Jennifer, my wife, and I began dating. When I brought her along with me to a family get together to meet the extended family, my grandmother, with all sincerity and candor seized the opportunity and asked her, “Honey, what do you think about being a minister’s wife?” I wanted to crawl into a hole! And poor Jennifer would have run home if she thought she could find the way. I still find it hard to believe that Jennifer stayed with my sometimes wacky but always entertaining family.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…”

My father, James Shivers, a preacher’s kid, carried the torch of the faith into my immediate family. His faith and his life shaped my own faith development in ways that I am still discovering to this day. His willingness to ask the tough questions of himself and his faith, the kindness of his eyes, the passion in his life, the love in his words, and the compassion in his hands challenged me to grow into a faith that is alive and vital.

At seventeen, my father, in typical fashion, asked me a question that has continued to help form and inform my faith and the calling on my life. His question was “What difference does it make that you are a Christian?” I am not sure how I answered that day, but I have never forgotten the question and it has never forgotten me.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…”

This may seem to be an unusual way to tell the story of my journey of faith. However, I can think of no better manner in which to tell it. In fact, I would be kidding myself this morning if I thought that my faith and calling into ministry is not inexorably linked to these wonderful people and the way in which they lived out their faith and life.

I was at a wedding not long ago when the minister asked the bride and groom to turn and face the congregation during the meditation. She then said, “Now imagine that these pews before you continue out onto the horizon line as far as your eyes can see. Then imagine those pews filled with people. These aren’t just any ordinary people. These are the people who have been a part of your life. These are the people who have nurtured you.” So today, I encourage you to do the same. Turn and look toward the doors of the sanctuary. Imagine the doors being open and the pews continuing out onto the horizon as far as the eye can see. And these pews are filled with people. These aren’t just any ordinary people. These are the people who have taught you about faith. These are the people who have cultivated your call into ministry. And the pews go on and on and on. This is your “great cloud of witnesses.” Do you see them?

When I consider this day and all that it means, this is what I see; row upon row of people who have had a hand in getting me to this point. I wish that time would allow me to mention each one by name, like Jerry Pattengale, my youth minister from College Wesleyan Church. This man of faith helped me, a high school athlete, understand that the grace of God in Jesus Christ is for everyone, even a confused teenager from Marion, Indiana; or Dr. Gary Newton, who encouraged me to get involved as a youth director at Westminster Presbyterian Church in my hometown. Following college, I was led to accept a call to Second Presbyterian Church as the Director of Youth and College Ministries after much prodding and more than a little prayer by my friend and mentor, Dr. Robin Chaddock. Throughout the succeeding twenty-one years, this congregation and staff have supported, encouraged and influenced me as God continues to reveal a more complete picture of the call placed upon my life. Faith and ministry examples like Dr. Howard Stone, Dr. Ray Bowden, Dr. Tom Walker, Dr. Joan Malick, Dr. William Enright and Dr. Lewis Galloway have played a more than significant role in helping me understand myself, my gifts and the God who has called me to serve. All of this and I haven’t even mentioned my seminary professors, my colleagues and the hundreds of youth with whom I have had the privilege of working; row upon row upon row.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…”

The call on my life to Ministry of Word and Sacrament is one that has involved a lot of time (too much time according to many), a lot of different voices, and a significant amount of prayer. Through this process I have come to understand that the expression of God’s call on my life is continuing and will continue to unfold.

One might ask, "Where do you sense God calling you now?" Since age seventeen I have sensed God’s call on my life to ministry with and among young people. Throughout this process this call has only deepened and grown. I cannot tell you exactly where it will lead in the future, but I can tell you that this is where it has led me in the present. I am called to minister to and with the youth of the church. I believe this to be a lifelong call, but I also know that it will continue to develop as the mystery of my life does the same.

I know that I will never fully “arrive” at a complete understanding of the call that is placed upon my life nor will I ever completely understand myself. There will always be a certain mysterious quality about both. However, I humbly and fearfully step into the depth of these mysteries relying on the strength and grace of the One who has called.

I am humbled by this day and by this time spent with you. I am grateful to the great cloud of witnesses who have led me to this place at this time. And yes, somewhere in the back of my mind, I admit that I can still hear my grandma say, “This is my little angel, who is going to be a minister one-day.”


Thank you!

Laying on of hands at Brian Shivers' Service of Ordination