Service 8-22-2010

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Sermon: “Sabbatical Learnings: AND”
by Pastor Todd Buurstra

Job 1:21;
I Cor. 2:9

Probably 30-40% of the emergency calls–when I was on a 24 hour on-call shift at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital doing chaplaincy work for my sabbatical–were to help people to die. To start us thinking about the topic of facing our mortality, here is 60 seconds from 60 Minutes…

How do people of faith face death?

First let’s recognize that our whole culture fears death. We are even uncomfortable saying the word so we’ve come up with all kinds of euphemisms; i.e., roundabout ways to say death. Help me out here. I can think of kicking the bucket, giving up the ghost, meeting my Maker, passing away, an appointment with the Grim Reaper… Others strike you?… My RWJ supervisor, Rev. John deVelder would preach, It’s death! Say it: death, death, death!

Not only do we avoid death in speech, we avoid it in behavior. Even though we say we can’t avoid ___ and taxes; ____ being?… we do. We color our hair or take Viagra to mask our age. Why? To postpone dealing with death. (That’s a debate in our house. The wife wants me to color my beard, but I don’t because I have to face the Gray Reaper.) Which one applies? I don’t do hospitals/doctors/wakes… Why? Probably so I don’t have to deal with death. I learned even more how the healthcare professionals avoid death by having their default behavior be to hook a patient up to a respirator, or do CPR for an hour, or whatever, to avoid… Lastly, we’ll come back to this, most of us have not filled out an AD: healthcare proxy or living will.

And this fear of death is bankrupting our country in dollars and spirit. Three striking statistics from that 60 Minutes segment are:

• $55B are spent in the last two months of life;
• 20-30% of which is wasted! And,
• 30% of hospital stays are unnecessary because the system rewards admittance and procedures.

And the fear of death costs in dollars because it first costs in spirit. I came into the hospital room, noticed the patient tossing and turning and said, John, you’re restless, what’s up? I’m afraid. What are you afraid of, John? Didn’t I tell you what the doctor said? If you did, I don’t remember. What did the doctor say? They’re calling in hospice. I’m not going to make it. I’m sorry, John, so that makes you afraid? Yes. I understand. If I had a dollar for every time that happens in a 600 bed hospital like RWJ, I could pay my kids’ college in cash. Death is scary

And so we turn to the only medicine that can help this fear: trust in God. And here’s where the biblical story of Job is helpful. You may remember that Job was a rich man, with a rich family life (7 sons, 3 daughters; 7000 sheep, 3000 camels)—the Bill Gates of his day. As Job and his family were enjoying the high life, Job was also happy and humbled by his blessings. Important, because one day, in the blink of an eye, he lost everything. In a fit of understand-able grief and anger Job’s wife told him to curse God and die! But Job had a different reaction. Maybe it was shock, but certainly it was a profound spirituality. His reaction was, please read it with me (Job 1:21)… Wow! Now that’s the power of faith. Indeed one commentator wrote:
A man may stand before God stripped of everything
that life has given him, and still lack nothing.

And when we trust in God we trust not only for the present but for the future. So the Spirit inspires Paul to write beautiful poetry of heaven (I Corinthians 2:9)…

I remember walking into Eva Jane Mosko’s bedroom for her last moments. Her husband of approaching 60 years sat in the single bed with her with his arm around her. She was uncon-sciously struggling to breathe her last, and he was sending her on to Jesus by saying things like: Soon you’ll hear the angels sing. You won’t feel anymore pain. You’ll be praising God. You’ll see Jesus face to face… You know, if you’re around for my last breaths, send me that way.

And so I invite you to do one thing: AND. Allow Natural Death. On the ledge and on the back table is what we used at RWJ, called Advanced Directives. By filling one out you can name a healthcare proxy, complete a Living Will, or both. Don’t be afraid. Trust God. AND.

Once upon a time, twin boys were conceived. Weeks passed, and the twins developed. Soon they exclaimed: Isn’t it great that we were conceived? Isn’t it great to be alive! Together the twins explored their world. When they found their mother’s umbilical cord they sang for joy:
How great is our mother’s love, that she shares her own life with us!

As weeks stretched into months, the twins noticed how much each changed. What does it mean? asked the one. It means that our stay in this world is ending, said the other. But I don’t want to go, said the one. We have no choice, said the other. But maybe there is life after birth!

But how can there be? responded the one. We will shed our life cord, and how is life possible without it? Besides, we know others have been here before us, but none have returned to tell us of life after birth. No, this is the end. And so the one fell into deep despair, If conception ends in birth, life in the womb is meaningless. Maybe there is no mother after all. But there has to be protested the other. How else did we get here? How do we remain alive? Maybe she lives only in our minds. Maybe we made our mother up to make us feel good.

And so the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear. Finally, the moment of birth arrived. When the twins had passed from their world, they opened their eyes. They cried. For what they saw, exceeded their fondest dreams:
No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him.

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Sermon 8-15-2010

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What Worries Me Most About Returning as Your Pastor
Rom 2:1-11

You know the thing that worries me most about coming back from sabbatical? This word: RESPONSIBILITY. Now don’t misunderstand me, I’m not afraid of taking responsibility for myself and for the job that I do, I’m afraid of taking too much responsibility and letting others have too little responsibility. For instance, I’m worried about being at a meeting and then realizing that I’m the only person around the table that is looking five years down the pike because I haven’t prepared the group. I’m worried about tossing and turning in bed because I feel alone in a direction that I feel God calling us because I haven’t effectively shared where and why I feel called. How do I share the responsibility of leadership better?

Now I can’t be alone in feeling this.
Read more

Sermon 08-08-2010

Scripture: John 15:1-17

Sermon: “SABBATICAL LEARNINGS: Pruning” by Pastor Todd Buurstra

The purpose of sabbatical is to climb a mountain to sit on the front porch and overlook your forest so that you can see it for the trees. Looking down on my forest, the thing I most frequently saw was my orchard being pruned. The passage I’ve lived with was John 15. And my image has been God approaching us with pruning shears–yikes!

For instance, the sawing I hear on individual branches sounds like this:

FINANCES: 1) No honey, we’re going to eat home tonight—gotta save money.
2) Gee, my 401K has still not recovered after two years!
3) Year #2 of Staycation. Sorry!

FAITH: 1) Why do I have to go to church? All of my friends can sleep in!
2) Football for Billy; Church for all of us; Football, church. Football, church. Ah, church isn’t that important anymore anyway.
3) All the church wants is my money!

What is God doing with pruning shears in hand as he comes toward us?

Now there are at least two typical reactions of we branches to pruning shears:
1) lay low, keep quiet, and hope that the pruner misses you. In other words, try to avoid pruning. We usually do that by playing the victim. Or, if you can’t avoid being pruned,
2) then get grafted into another vine (which, in the spiritual realm, is usually sick already).

First, our natural reaction is to try to avoid being pruned by avoiding its lessons while playing the victim. Woe is me! The rotten bank is foreclosing on me. Or, my evil boss always had it in for me. Or, Pastor Todd’s sermons are boring so that I don’t get anything out of them anyway. Or… You tell me. Now, some, or even much of this may be true, but quietly stewing on our victimhood only helps us to die on the vine quicker. Honestly, I find myself playing the victim in this way, Why couldn’t I have been a pastor in the 60s/70s when people were still thronging to church?! I’m just not very good at this evangelism thing. Victimhood separates us from Jesus. Separated [from Jesus] you..

The second typical reaction is to get grafted into another vine. We call this idola-try or addiction. Grafted from church to porn, from money to booze etc. Newsweek says:

Rosalind Dorlen, a Summit, N.J., therapist who sees both Wall Street clients and patients unconnected to the financial industry, says she’s seen a growth of alcohol abuse among clients who have never had drinking problems before.

Jesus says, Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. Getting grafted into the vines of alcohol, etc., is a destructive obsession.

But we need to stop and take a good look at the Vine before we run. I AM the vine… is one of Jesus’ 7 (the number of fullness) I AM statements in John. His readers, many of whom had the OT memorized, would recognize the image of the vine as an image of Israel. So Jesus is saying, As your Messiah, I AM the true Israel. In other words, I AM your heritage and your destiny. I AM all you have been and ever can be.

So this Vine Jesus is life-giving to make us healthy. Nine times Jesus tells us to menein, translated as abide, remain, live in him. Living in Jesus means to draw on his word or guidance and power. Living in Jesus means to bring every problem or possibility to him in prayer. Basically its Jesus’ life flowing in and through us.

Then the pruning shears are to help us get more nourishment from the vine to bear greater fruit. How so? FINANCES Maybe Jesus is telling us to focus less on our 401 Ks and more on what money is for. Less on needs and more on wants. Less debt, more savings. And for those desperately seeking a job, to find some peace and support in your storm. FAITH Maybe Jesus is giving us stamina to go against the culture’s grain (easier to be a Christian when many more were). Or to share our faith so that the faith blossoms.

In other words, God prunes, which cuts us back for now, so that we can be more fruitful in the future. If we make good use of this recession, like we did the Depression, America can merge more prosperous in the future. If the declining church can learn to stand up and reach out, we may again become a powerful, positive force in America.

At RWJUH a pair of sisters taught me the meaning of God’s pruning for greater fruit. Thumbonella is a dying cancer patient whose sister Janice lovingly stands beside her. They lost their mother at 5. Then their dad worked hard to keep the family and his 10 kids together, but he got overwhelmed and took to drink. The courts forced the kids to go to an aunt in GA who mistreated them. They were black kids in the Jim Crow South to begin with, and she wouldn’t feed them! So Thumbonella would have to steal food from her aunt’s kitchen to feed Janice and the younger kids. Eventually the older brothers in NY could take in Thumbonella and Janice. Later the brother that took in Thumbonella suffered kidney disease so Thumbonella donated a kidney. Th married a loser though she tried real hard to make it work. Eventually he left her with two kids. Th worked hard for her kids all of her life, denying herself to put them through college. Th had a lot of pruning in her life!! But her life also bore much fruit. Th would always gather the family with J on holidays, and yet cook even more for the homeless. Th and J have a strong, strong faith in Jesus. One symptom of denying herself was that she never had insurance so she always went to free clincs. As she aged breathing became difficult. The clinic docs kept treating her for asthma, until finally they realized that the cause was cancer that had spread from her remaining kidney. J can’t bear to lose her, but the fruit of her pruned faith is that as we pray for Jesus to take her, J and Th say through tears, “Yes, Jesus.”

Service 08-01-2010

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Scripture: Daniel 5
Sermon by Heidi Butterworth

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Service 07-25-2010

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Scripture: Genesis: 18:20-32

Sermon: “God of the Old Testament” by Pastor Mark Swart

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Service 07-18-2010

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Service: 07/18/2010

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon: “The Cosmic Christ” by Pastor Todd Buurstra

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Service 07-11-2010

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Service: 07/11/2010

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon: “Whisper Down The Lane” by Anna Schwarz

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Service 07-04-2010

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Scripture: Luke 10:1-20

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Service 06-27-2010

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Scripture: I Kings 19:15, 16, 19-21
II Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Sermon: “Passing the Torch in the Wind” by Pastor Todd Buurstra

God gives every believer a torch, and Elijah’s torch was flickering. It was flickering because Elijah, like we, lived in a windy world. In Elijah’s world Israel’s King Ahab made a foolish choice. To make an alliance he married the wicked Queen Jezebel. Jezebel brought with her the fertility cult of Baal. And so Israel’s worship disintegrated into cavorting with temple prostitutes in order for families and fields to be fertile. While the goings on at the temple of Baal may have seemed exciting at first, What? I get to have sex in worship?, they became sickening (STDs) in the end. But this is what the wicked queen decreed, and this is the gale force winds that our prophet, Elijah, faced. And so he said, in effect, Lord, here I have served you for my whole career, and I have no followers to show for it! I just want to roll over and die. Take me, I’m worthless.

Indeed, it’s a depressing time to try to pass the torch of faith today, too. Just look at the history of the Somerville Reformed churches. 50 years ago there were four, strong RCA churches worshiping about 6-800 on a typical Sunday. Then 40 years ago Second Reformed merged with First Reformed to become United Reformed. Four years ago, Fourth Reformed folded, a few weeks ago Third Reformed sent a dozen, feeble seniors to merge with United, and now there are maybe 80 people, most close to 80, struggling to keep United afloat. Unless God does a miracle, what’s now 90% smaller than 50 years ago, may be 90% smaller yet in another 15 years. Passing the torch on a windy day.

How is the torch of faith passed on a windy day?

First thing to realize is that God wants the torch passed. So the lonely prophet Elijah is hiding in his cave—literally. And God beckons him out to the mouth of the cave. He steps out dejectedly to meet his Maker. And a strong wind blows up and rock is literally shattering all over, but God is not in the wind. Then an earthquake roughs up the mountain, but God is not in the earthquake. Then fire flares up, but God is not in the fire. And lastly, a still, small voice. Elijah, pass the torch: nationally to Jehu and spiritually to Elisha. And don’t worry, 7000 have not bowed their knees to Baal.

God wanted faith’s torch passed to you and me also. Who taught you about the faith? Was it your mother who brought you to Sunday School? Did a youth leader take you out to lunch and guide you? I remember my ministry mentor, pastor here 25 years ago, Bert Van Soest. Early in my ministry I would go to Bert’s house and we would walk and talk. We’d lap his development and I’d ask him questions. Bert, they say they don’t get anything out of my sermons. How do you get ready to preach on a Sunday morning? Todd, I pray it and preach it hot! What? On Sunday mornings, I get up, practice preaching my sermon, then I go for a walk, and I pray God’s power upon the people. So, I started, and I still do a rendition of pray it and preach it hot. You be the judge as to whether I am passing the preaching torch on from Bert. Have you passed on your torch?

Secondly, God passes the torch by gathering us close together. I’m thinking here of the skit our senior high youth group did for Youth Sunday. Remember how there was the devil figure in black and the Jesus figure in white, and other kids with their lit candles. And the devil figure weaved in and out blowing out the kids’ light, and Jesus weaved in and out relighting them, until finally Jesus brought them close enough together that the old devil could no longer get to them? Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna…

So Elisha got close to Elijah. Over the years Elisha watched what Elijah said. He watched what Elijah did. He observed his character when no one else could. So when Elijah neared his end, and asked, What can I give you? Elisha’s answer in this translation isn’t the usual double portion of your spirit, but more directly, Your life doubled in my life. Wow! Like most apprentices, Elisha wanted to measure up to his mentor.

When Laura Kroon came to me to start her mentoring ministry here at NBRC (which is starting with 12 people growing closer with God and each other so Satan can’t blow out their lights!) Laura named two transforming experiences with mentoring: her’s and Adam Clark’s! Since Laura has already mentioned her experience to us, I’ve asked Adam to tell us what God is doing in his life. Adam was part of the core group of Ignite.

So what happens if we get close enough to God and another through mentoring to pass the torch? Well, Elisha became such an effective prophet that, as God’s CIA agent, he was thwarting the plans of the enemy. So Aram wanted to capture him so their army surrounded Elisha’s town. His servant said, What shall we do? Elisha calmly said, Those that are with us are more than those that are against us. And the servant suddenly saw heaven’s army surrounding Aram’s army. The angels were protecting them!

What will happen as we get closer to God and each other to pass the torch on our windy day? I don’t know what God will do. But heaven’s army will defend us, and the church will advance, and God will be glorified. Who knows? Maybe there will be 5 RCA churches in Somerville in 50 years worshiping a thousand or more? That’s God’s power!

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Service 06-20-2010

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Scripture: Revelation 21:1-7

Sermon: “Don’t Be Afraid to Cry” by Dave Dzwonczyk

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