A Mother’s Lesson

I had a great Mother’s Day weekend… I hope the Mom’s who are reading this had a great one as well!

I spent Friday night at Presbyterian College, where I had the privilege of preaching at their Baccalaureate Service.  (Check it out at http://www.presby.edu/newsroom/baccalaureate-2012/)  On Saturday I drove to Nashville, TN, to spend the rest of the weekend with my parents, and to celebrate Mother’s Day with my mother.  What a treat! 

I missed being in Roswell for our children’s musical, but I’ve heard incredible things about how well the musical went, in spite of the mishap with the riser.  Make sure and congratulate Betsy Homer (our Director of Children’s Music) and our children when you see them!

I’m not sure what prompted the memory, but as I was driving home I was remembering the first time I met Zablon Kuria’s mother in Kenya.  It was the summer of 2002, and a group of us were making our first trip to Zablon’s hometown of Nakuru, Kenya.  At the time, Zablon was our church’s Facilities Manager.  Since then, we’ve commissioned him as a missionary to build bridges between Kenya and the US. (http://www.rockbridgeministries.org/)

We were all nervous in that summer of 2002.  9/11 was still fresh in our minds, and things were still so unsettled that British Air was refusing to fly into Nairobi.  We were strangers in a strange land, uncertain about what we would discover.

Zablon’s mother lived on a farm a number of miles out in the country, and our visit to her was one of the highlights of our trip.  She spoke on Kikuyu, her native tribal language, and through a translator, she told us about when Zablon left to come to America four years earlier.

“I knew how dangerous it is in America,” she said.  In our embarrassment, we realized that the tables were turned.  She was perfectly comfortable in Kenya, but thought of America as this place to be feared.  We, on the other hand, were still trying to convince ourselves that we would be safe in her country.

“I knew how dangerous it is in America, but I also knew that the God who watches over Zablon in Kenya would watch over him in America.”  Then in her quiet voice, she said, “So I let him go.” 

“The God who watches over Zablon in Kenya would watch over him in America.”  What a powerful lesson from a woman from rural Kenya.  It’s a lesson I hope I never forget.  It’s a reminder I carry wherever I go… the God who watches over us today will watch over us wherever life takes us. 

Sometimes it’s a mother who knows best! 

Dr. Lane Alderman
Roswell Presbyterian Church
www.roswellpres.org

Graduation!

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.. ..  So Abram went, as the LORD had told him… Genesis 12:1-4

It’s graduation time again!   A couple of weeks ago in worship we recognized 27 high school seniors who are preparing to graduate; all over the church we have college students in the midst of graduation; we even have preschool graduation next week!  This Friday I’ll have the privilege of offering the Baccalaureate Sermon at the graduation of Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC.   It’s graduation time all over the place.

We’re proud of our graduates, and it’s appropriate that we express our congratulations to them.  Graduation… whether it is from preschool, high school, college, or graduate school… is a significant step, and it’s exciting to celebrate with the folks who have accomplished this milestone.

But a comment made to me yesterday from one of our graduates has caused me to stop and reflect on this important step.  This young adult, who is preparing to graduate this week from college, said to me, “I’m not all that excited. I have no idea what I’m doing next.”

Graduation celebrates where we have been.  It celebrates our accomplishments which are now in the past.  But by definition it also means that my life is now in a state of transition.  Things are changing.  What has been my norm for the past several years is no longer part of my life. 

And let’s be honest.  That can be frightening.  Closing one chapter and beginning another can be overwhelming. 

But it doesn’t take an official school graduation for us to face changes in life.  A change of health can mean a move from one place to another.  A divorce, or a broken relationship means closing one chapter and beginning another.  A relocation, a change of churches, in truth, a change of any kind is a type of graduation.  We’re moving from one stage to another.  And that can be overwhelming.

In a far more dramatic way, God called Abram to leave his homeland and venture into a new land.  It was, if you will, a graduation of sorts.  He was closing one chapter and beginning another.  But it worked, because Abram knew that the God who was with him in the past would be with him in the future.

Like our young college graduate, we may be closing one chapter without knowing what the next chapter will look like, but we can be sure of one thing.  The God who has been with us in the past will not abandon us in the days to come.

In yesterday’s sermon I referred to a hymn by Isaac Watts, and whether you are facing a joyous graduation or a disappointing moment of grief, or any time of change, I invite you to hang on to these important words:

To paraphrase Watts, “The God who has been our help in ages past will most certainly be our hope for years to come.”

Dr. Lane Alderman
Roswell Presbyterian Church
www.roswellpres.org

What’s so special?

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you…”   Philippians 1:3-4

What would happen if the Roswell Presbyterian Church suddenly disappeared?  Other than the fact that I would be out of work,  what would our world be missing if RPC closed its doors?

I’ve been thinking about that question as I prepare for this coming Sunday’s sermon.  This week we’re going to conclude our three part sermon series in which I have been examining the “Adam Hamilton” questions.  Hamilton,  the pastor of the largest United Methodist Church in the country, suggests that every Christian should be able to answer three questions… “Why does a person need Jesus?  Why does a person need the church?  Why does a person need my particular church?”

This week we’re turning our attention to the third of those questions.   Why does the world need the Roswell Presbyterian Church?

On the one hand, the world would go on without RPC.  There are other churches in which we could get involved.  There are other places to worship and serve.  I’m confident the world wouldn’t fall apart if our doors were closed?

But on the other hand, we do have something unique to offer to the world.  We have our own unique perspective, our own culture, our own calling.  What do you think makes us special?  What do you think makes us unique?

Among other things, in this Sunday’s sermon, I’m going to be talking about our great diversity of ages.  I can take you to plenty of churches where it seems no one is under 65, and likewise I can take you to plenty of churches where no one is over 40.  I love looking out on a Sunday morning at RPC and seeing young children sitting on the same pew with older adults.  That’s just one of the traits that makes us special.

I don’t want to give away the rest of my sermon… and I genuinely would love to hear from you!  What about it… what do you think makes RPC unique?  If you’re reading this blog and you’re not a part of RPC… what is it that makes your place of worship unique?  I’d love to hear that as well!

Of course… if you’re reading this blog and you live in the north Atlanta area, and you don’t have a place to worship, we’d love to have you come join us at RPC!  You can find out first hand what makes this place so special!

I’ll see you Sunday.

Dr. Lane Alderman
Roswell Presbyterian Church
www.roswellpres.org

Questions, Part II

In the middle part of the twentieth century, George Buttrick was the Pastor of the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City.  In his now famous conversation, Buttrick was once confronted by a man who said he no longer believed in God.

“Tell me about the god you don’t believe in,” Buttrick said.  “I probably don’t believe in that god either.”  It was a reminder that many people reject, not the God of the Bible, but a figment of their imagination.

I thought about that conversation as I was preparing for my upcoming sermon.  This coming Sunday I’ll be addressing the second of the “Adam Hamilton questions”… “Why does a person need the church?”  Adam Hamilton, the pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas, asked these three powerful questions… “Why does a person need Jesus… why does a person need the church… and why does a person need your particular church?”   In my sermons this month, I’m addressing those three questions from a personal and autobiographical perspective.

As I thought and read about the role of the church in our world, I kept being drawn back to Buttrick’s conversation.  I’m convinced that the criticism many have about the church is valid.  The fact is, the church deserves its share of criticism.

Down through the ages, terrible things have been done by Christians in the name of the church.  The brutality of the Crusades and the Inquisition, the defense of slavery and segregation, and the bigotry and harsh judgmentalism of many in our day are just a few of the examples of the church’s flaws.

It’s easy to bash organized religion these days, and to be honest, much of the criticism is valid.  Did you see the recent cover story of Newsweek?  “Forget the Church… Follow Jesus” it blared across the cover.   And some days, I’m sure that sentiment is tempting.

But despite the criticism, the church of Jesus Christ still has a place in this world.  This is the place where God is at work.  This is the group God has called to serve and to care for this broken world.  Now more than ever is the time for us to commit ourselves to the work of God through the church.  Now more than ever is the time for us to be honest about our mistakes, to ask forgiveness for our shortcomings, but then to open ourselves up to the life changing power of God which is at work through the church.

Some are saying that the church is in the midst of a reformation not unlike the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, and that the church is rediscovering its calling to be the people of God in a broken world.

If that’s the case… if there really is a reformation going on around us, I don’t want to miss it!  Why am I still in the church?  Because even in this broken, human organization, God is at work.  I, for one, don’t want to miss out on what God is doing!

What about you?  Why do you think people need the church?

I hope to see you Sunday as we struggle with that question.

Dr. Lane Alderman
Roswell Presbyterian Church
www.roswellpres.org

Questions

I love it when people ask me questions. Questions make me think. Questions force me to re-examine myself. Questions help me grow.

One of the things I’ve always loved about being Presbyterian is that we tend to be a people who aren’t afraid to ask questions. I especially love questions which don’t have quick, simple answers. There are the classics… “Why do bad things happen to good people?” And “If Jesus is the only way, then what happens to the people who never hear about Jesus?”

But questions of all variety intrigue me as well. The men in my Bible study know that it’s easy to get me off topic. Just ask a question, and off I’ll go. I can’t resist a good question. I even did a series of sermons called “Hard Questions.” We struggled with issues like, “Why is the world such a mess?” and “Why is God testing me?” Wrestling with those problems makes rethink my sometimes simplistic and naive affirmations. Struggling with those questions helps me to grow in my faith and in my life.

Jesus used questions in his ministry. “Who do you say that I am?” His answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” led to one of his greatest stories… the story of the good Samaritan. And it was on the cross that Jesus asked one of the most powerful questions of history. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

My love for questions has led to my upcoming sermon series. Beginning this Sunday, and for the two weeks after that, I’m going to deal with three questions which Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor in Kansas, has suggested that every Christian should be able to answer. The questions Hamilton asks are, “Why does a person need Jesus?; Why does a person need the church?; and, “Why does a person need your particular church?”

Over the next three weeks, I’m going to offer my answers to those three questions. But here’s my real hope. My prayer is that each of you will be answering those questions in your own life as well.

As much as I love questions, I love finding answers. The answers can’t be superficial or simplistic… those just lead to more questions. But answers do exist.

So help me out with my sermons. Why do you think people need Jesus? Let me know what you think.

Dr. Lane Alderman
Roswell Presbyterian Church
www.Roswellpres.org

Heard a good joke?

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” I Corinthians 15:57-58

Heard a good joke lately?

In some Christian traditions, today is a day dedicated to laughter and joke telling.  The message of the day is this… On Friday, Satan thought he had won the battle.  Jesus was dead, and it appeared that evil had triumphed over good. 

That opinion continued on Saturday, a day which must have been a discouraging and depressing Sabbath for the disciples.  For the first time in three years, they were celebrating the Sabbath without their leader.  It couldn’t have been much of a celebration.

But on Sunday morning, the discovery by the women of an empty tomb literally changed the course of history.  What the disciples thought had happened… that Satan had won… was, in fact, wrong.  The tomb was empty because, as the angel announced, “He has been raised!”

By the way, a number of commentators point out that the angel’s pronouncement was in the passive voice.  In other words, being raised was not something Jesus actively did for himself.  Jesus didn’t just look like he was dead, and then after a couple of days of deep sleep have a personal reawakening.  The fact is, he was completely dead… “crucified, dead, and buried,” the creed says.

The good news of the day is that Jesus was raised by the power of God.  When Jesus was killed, Satan though he had won the day.  What could be stronger than death?

But on Sunday morning, God played his trump card, and demonstrated for all of eternity that the power of God is stronger than even death itself.  God had the last laugh.  Death, the final enemy, had been defeated. 

So go ahead and laugh!  To be sure, we can’t ignore the pain and the hurt of this world.  And we certainly don’t want to minimize the struggles that many are facing right now, today.  We still need to be involved in the world, reaching out to bring comfort and peace and justice to those around us.  There are still hungry to be fed and homeless to be sheltered.  There is still grief to be comforted and worry to be calmed.  We still need to be involved sharing the love of Jesus Christ.

But as we share that love, we share it with confidence.  God will have the final word!  When all is said and done, God will be victorious. 

The pain and the hurt and the disease and the greed and the sin of this world will be defeated.  Satan may think it is still Saturday, and it looks for all the world like God has been defeated.  But we know that Sunday has arrived, and God’s victory has been assured.

So keep working for the kingdom!  Keep bringing hope and healing to those around you.  But reach out with confidence and with assurance!  God will win the war.

It’s okay to laugh, even in the midst of pain.  It’s our way of showing Satan that he hasn’t won after all! 

It’s Easter Monday… a day of victory.

Have you heard the one about…

Dr. Lane Alderman
Roswell Presbyterian Church
www.roswellpres.org

Holy Week

This is Holy Week, and perhaps no words express the sentiment better than this great hymn by Isaac Watts. Written in 1707, this hymn was originally intended to be sung at a communion service. Charles Wesley, the prolific writer who himself penned over 6000 hymns, is said to have told a friend that he gladly would have given up authorship of all of those hymns had he written this one hymn.

Spend some time during this Holy Week reflecting on the message of Watts’ hymn.

Pay special attention to the final verse, which expresses so well our response to God’s amazing love.

When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the cross of Christ my God:
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

May God’s love touch us all on this most holy of weeks.

Dr. Lane Alderman
Roswell Presbyterian Church
www.roswellpres.org

Foundations

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.”  Matthew 7:24-25

The house I grew up in has just gone on the market.  In his online listing, the owner has posted 27 pictures of both the interior and exterior of the house.

When I was young, my father’s Naval career kept us on the move.  I lived in six different homes by the time I was in second grade.  In the sixth grade, we moved to McLean, VA, and stayed in that house until I was a senior in college.  That’s the house that is now on the market.

It was fun this weekend to look through those online pictures and reflect on that house in which I lived so many years ago.  In many ways, that house is a paradigm of my life.  It was clear from the picture that many things have been changed.  They’ve added on to the house, they’ve updated many of the rooms, and in many ways it is a completely different house.

But it didn’t take much for me to recognize the basic plan of the house.  There was the lawn I mowed for so many summers, and there was the driveway where I played basketball in the summer and shoveled snow in the winter.  The basement where I hung out with my friends still looks the same, and the basic layout of the house hasn’t changed.

Yesterday in worship forty seven of our students were confirmed as members of the church.  Last Monday they shared their faith statements with our Session, and yesterday they were formally confirmed during worship.

As I watched our confirmands in worship, it dawned on me that when I was their age I was living in that house in McLean.  Since then, just like my house, there have been some additions to my life, a few renovations, and, hopefully, a little updating from time to time.

I’m sure that for these students the next forty years will bring similar changes.  Who knows what challenges life will bring to them?

But I also know, just like my house, the foundation that was set years ago in my life is still solid.  Some of the rooms of my life may have been reconfigured, but the basic layout is still the same.  The values and the faith that I claimed years ago have sustained me through the years.

My prayer for our confirmation students is that over the years, the foundation which has been set in their lives will remain secure and solid as well.  As their lives change and mature, I pray that the basic foundation will remain sound. 

I hope you’ll join me in that prayer.  God has set a strong foundation in their lives… and, I pray, in yours.  As the winds of life blow and the storms of life rage, may that foundation keep you secure in the presence of God’s love.

Dr. Lane Alderman
Roswell Presbyterian Church
www.roswellpres.org

Even Me?

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord;” I Corinthians 12:4-5

Can you imagine a world without jealousy?  Can you imagine a world in which everyone does his or her part in making the world a better place? Can you imagine a church in which everyone is invested in the ministry of the church?

I can.   And joining with others in allowing God to build that world is an important part of our mission at Roswell Presbyterian Church.

Paul’s picture of the church as a body has always been an important image for me. In the twelfth chapter of his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul reminds us that we each have an important role to play in the overall ministry of the church. Some are hands, some are feet, some are eyes, some are ears.

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you,’” Paul says in verse 21 of that chapter. We all need each other. Each person has an important role to play.

That’s the implication of our current “Every Member… Even Me” campaign. We’re challenging every household to make a financial pledge for the work of God through the church in the upcoming year. Specifically, we’re asking those who have never made a pledge to join us by making a pledge of at least $10 per week, and we’re asking those who do currently pledge, if they are able, to increase their pledge by at least $10 per week.

Paul pictures a place where each person offers his or her gift, whatever it may be. Two important things happen when we step up to Paul’s challenge. First, the church is a stronger place. When each person is involved and serving, the overall body becomes stronger.

But secondly, our individual lives are enriched as well. When I’m serving and giving and sharing the way God calls me to serve, I have the joy of knowing that I am being used by God to make the world a better place. I experience the joy of the life for which I was created.

Each of us has a role to play. I don’t need to be jealous of the gifts you have, and I don’t need to downplay the gifts God has given to me. We need each other, and the work of the church needs us all.

That’s the challenge. That’s the call. Every member… even me!

Dr. Lane Alderman
Roswell Presbyterian Church
www.roswellpres.org

Even Me… Even You!

As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 
I Corinthians 12:20-21

Flyers are going out in the mail this week introducing people to our “Every Member – Even Me” campaign. It’s a short, three week season challenging every member of our congregation to make a financial pledge for the work of God through Roswell Presbyterian Church.

On or before Easter Sunday, April 8, we’re hoping that every household will make a commitment to join in the work God is doing through the ministry of our congregation.  Make sure and check out the flyer… there are some great stories about life at RPC, and there is a powerful challenge that involves every one of us.  “Every Member – Even Me.”

I didn’t come up that slogan, but I think it’s a clever one.  It communicates the message we’re hoping to send… every household is important.

But I’ve been thinking about another important message as well.  Along with our financial pledge campaign, I want to promote the “Every Member – Even You” campaign. 

I was off this weekend without about 60 other men at our annual Men’s Retreat (it was an outstanding experience… men, make sure to join us next year!).  As part of my preparation I re-read I Corinthians 12, that great chapter in which Paul reminds us that the church is like a human body… one body with lots of different parts.  Each part, in its own way, is important to the whole.  As Paul says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you.’”

I looked out at the diversity of men at this retreat, and I gave thanks to God for the health of Roswell Presbyterian Church.  RPC is a place in which we recognize not only our own responsibility (Every Member – Even Me), but we also are able to celebrate the work of others (Every Member – Even You!). 

In too many settings I’ve seen jealousy and envy destroy an organization.  Someone else gets credit for something and I’m hurt because no one recognized my accomplishments.  Someone else gets praised and I’m disappointed because I didn’t get singled out for my work.

I’ve decided a healthy church is one in which we can each recognize our personal responsibilities to serve and to give (Every Member – Even Me), but we can also celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of those around us (Every Member – Even You!). 

Given that definition of health, I can honestly say that RPC is one of the healthiest churches I know!  Every day I give thanks to God for the opportunity I have to serve with these wonderful people!

What about you?  What signs of health do you see at the Roswell Presbyterian Church?

Dr.Lane Alderman
Roswell Presbyterian Church
www.Roswellpres.org