Easter and the Tyrannosaurus Rex
April 9, 2023
This is my sermon from Easter Sunday, April 9th, 2023
Introduction
There are some very high and holy moments as a preacher. Ash Wednesday, Christmas Eve, and Easter Sunday. You want to make sure you get every word just right. You do not want to waste a single moment.
So I would like to take a moment and tell you about some scientific views of the Tyrannosaurus that have changed recently. A recent article from the AP was titled Has T. rex lost its bite? Menacing snarl may be wrong.
“The Tyrannosaurus rex is often shown baring massive, sharp teeth, like the ferocious creature in “Jurassic Park.” But new research suggests that this classic image might be wrong.
The teeth on T. rex and other big theropods were likely covered by scaly lips, concludes a study published Thursday in the journal Science. The dinosaur’s teeth didn’t stick out when its mouth was closed, and even in a wide open bite, you might just see the tips, the scientists found.”
As a child who was traumatized by seeing Jurassic Park as a kindergartener, this is really big news. There was one major flaw though. The science was done by a professor at Auburn University in Alabama…
Now, I do not know what this has to do with the sermon. I just wanted you to know about this development.
Why Does the Resurrection Still Matter?
Today, I want us to ask, why does the resurrection still matter today? We heard the Easter story read at the beginning of the service. What happened 2,000 years ago was beautiful, remarkable, and shocking. But what does it matter for Christians today? Is it about nice pictures, egg hunts, or pictures?
The early church was working this out also. One of the leaders of the early church was the Apostle Paul. If you were to do a poll of the followers of Christ asking, “Who is the least likely to convert to Christianity?” I would argue Paul would win it hands down. Even after hearing about Christ’s resurrection Paul went around trying to murder Christians and stop Christianity. But God, in His grace, saves Paul. And Paul becomes a leader, defender, and champion of the church.
As part of Paul’s ministry he wrote letters to church to encourage them.
Today, we are going to look at one portion of a letter where Paul is discussing why the resurrection still matters.
We are going to look at selections of this argument in 1 Corinthians 15 (3-8, 12-14, 51-57)
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
2 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Death Still Has a Sting
The end of the passage here is usually read at funerals. Death, where is your sting? Paul is most likely remixing a passage from Habakkuk. And let’s be honest. Death still has a bit of a sting for all of us.
Pastor Rick Warren, in the Purpose Driven Life, talks about this:
You have an inborn instinct that songs for immortality. This is because God designed you, in his image, to live for eternity. Even though we know everyone eventually dies, death always seems unnatural and unfair. The reason we feel we should live forever is that God wired our brains with that desire.
Most of us do not want to die or look forward or look forward to the dying process. All of us love to hear we look younger or haven’t aged. Yet, everything in this life is wearing down and dying. That feeling of dread of dying is from God because we are made to last forever.
The good news is that Jesus’ death on the cross and his power over death show us we can enjoy God forever! As one theologian says, “To Christians death is still an enemy, but it is a beaten enemy.”
It is Easy to Forget This
For believers we celebrate this on Easter… yet we also need to remember this each and every day.
One of my favorite stories from a former church was about one of the young ladies in the church as a child. After Easter she enjoyed all her eggs. Her mistake was she left one of her boiled eggs in her bedroom and forgot about it. Several weeks later her mother made the stinky discovery… the forgotten egg made a rotten mess.
This is what happens when we forget… we can make a rotten mess of our lives when we forget what God has done for us. I can make a rotten mess of my own life when I forget what God has done.
How?
O.k. preacher, how can I remember this? How can I live as someone walking in God’s grace?
The first step is to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is a simple and easy process to start. It is a beautiful journey for the rest of your life. Romans 10:9 says: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
If you would like to make that decision today, nothing could make me happier. You may also need to rededicate your life to God. You may have made that decision long ago but have not lived like that… today you can reconnect with God.
My other challenge is to consider the rhythms of your life. Having a regular rhythm of scripture reading, devotions, and church are helpful.
We would love for you to come back next week for the start of the Video Game Fever series or mark your calendar for vacation Bible school.
Conclusion
Friends, today is a day of Good News. Christ the Lord is Risen. As Paul says, “Our Labor is not in vain.” Death is an enemy. Still scary, yes. But you have a God who loves you and cares deeply for you. That will be with you even in your death…
Death is a lot like a T-Rex… it is very menacing. I would never want to encounter one… but maybe a T-rex is not as scary as we once thought.
Happy Easter.
Scripture and the Life of Ministry
March 27, 2023
There is a crisis in pastoral confidence in ministry. The Barna Group has documented this in one of their latest studies. It has shown a steep decline in the confidence of ministers in the confidence in their calling and satisfaction in ministry.
Most preachers do not need to see this graph to know this is happening. Almost every pastor I know has played the “what would I be doing if I wasn’t in ministry” game over the past few years.
So what should we do if we find ourselves in this situation?
An Answer for Me
This is not a silver bullet prescription for everyone but rather a personal testimony of one practice that works for me. Here is what I do, I try to realign with scripture in my life and ministry.
Recently on the Firebrand Podcast Dr. Joy Moore said something that has always resonated with me. In describing her advice to students learning to be pastors she says, “Let the text do the heavy lifting.”
The moments I am most whole in my ministry is when the text is doing the heavy lifting. The time when I have the most clarity is when I feel God is at work not myself.
I really appreciated recently reading Mike Bird’s book Seven Things I Wish Christian Knew About the Bible. There some great things in here.
Kindle told me I made 130 highlights. Mike Bird talks about scripture and the role it should play in our life:
“Knowledge of God begins with knowledge of Scripture; so the more you know of Scripture, the more you know of God. This knowledge is necessary if we are to have a relationship with God, to be in covenant with him, to be his children, to know his Son, Jesus Christ, and to experience the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit. A lack of knowledge is not just ignorance; it is alienation from God, estrangement from God’s love, and separation from God’s offer of reconciliation.”1
Bird does make sure to clarify:
“I think it is important to stress that knowledge about God is not enough; it is knowledge of God in tandem with faith in God that matters.”2
For me, this goes back to looking at my life and asking some questions.
The first two questions are about my spiritual rhythms and come from John Wesley’s questions for spiritual formation:
- Did the Bible live in me today?
- Did I give it time to speak to me today?3
The other has to do with my thoughts (and theology) about scripture. Does my life really look like I believe “the Old and New Testaments are the primary rule and authority for faith, morals, and service, against which all other authorities must be measured”?
The times in the life of my ministry where I am the most fresh are when I am putting into practice and thinking about these disciplines.
Conclusion
Do I think these will automatically make the declining trends turn around in the opposite direction? I am not sure. However, for me, this is always a good place to start by checking in with my thoughts and rhythms.
As Isaiah 40:8 (NRSV) reminds us, “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever.”
Sources
1Bird, Michael F. Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible. Zondervan, 2021. page 150
2Bird, Michael F. Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible. Zondervan, 2021. page 153
3Goshorn, Ted. Prayer Changes US. South Carolina United Methodist Advocate Press, 2022. page 115
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ChatGPT on the Challenges Facing the Global Methodist Church
March 23, 2023
I asked ChatGPT to write me an article on the challenges facing the Global Methodist Church.
What is Chat GPT?
Here is what a CBS News Article Said:
“ChatGPT is designed to understand and generate human-like text. It’s been trained on a massive amount of data, including books and websites. A person can ask it questions, seek advice, or simply have a casual conversation with it. Right now, Chat GPT—short for generative pre-trained transformer—is exploding in popularity because anyone can use it. Also, it can answer almost any question. For example, a person could use it to write press releases, legal briefs, or to complete homework assignments.”
So here were a couple of Chat GPT responses I put together:
The Essay
The Global Methodist Church (GMC) is a newly formed denomination that split from the United Methodist Church in 2021. As with any new organization, the GMC faces several challenges:
- Establishing a new identity: The GMC will need to differentiate itself from the United Methodist Church and establish a clear identity and vision for the future.
- Building a strong organizational structure: The GMC will need to create a strong organizational structure that can effectively govern the denomination and support its ministries and missions.
- Attracting and retaining members: The GMC will need to attract new members and retain existing ones, which may be challenging in a religious landscape that is becoming increasingly diverse and competitive.
- Managing finances: The GMC will need to manage its finances effectively to support its ministries and missions and ensure the sustainability of the denomination.
- Building relationships with other denominations: The GMC will need to establish relationships with other denominations and determine how to work collaboratively with them on issues of common concern.
- Addressing diversity: The GMC has a diverse membership, with differing theological beliefs and cultural backgrounds, and must find ways to respect and integrate these differences while maintaining a clear identity and sense of unity.
- Addressing social issues: The GMC must address social issues in a way that is faithful to its beliefs while also being responsive to the needs and concerns of its members and the broader community.
- Adapting to changing contexts: The GMC must be flexible and adaptable to changing social, cultural, and political contexts while staying true to its theological beliefs and identity.
Overall, the GMC faces significant challenges as it seeks to establish itself as a viable and effective denomination in the global religious landscape. However, with careful planning, strong leadership, and a commitment to its mission and vision, the GMC has the potential to thrive and make a positive impact on the world.
Conclusion
What do you think? Does Chat GPT have an accurate view on the challenges facing the Global Methodist Church? I see it said the GMC started in 2021 when in reality it was founded in 2022. Anything else you find interesting?
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David Donnan 