J. Michael Thurman

“Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do…”

Has there ever been a more beautiful prayer uttered by anyone? Of the many prayers uttered everyday… the Our Father (Lord’s Prayer), the Serenity Prayer, the Prayer of Jabez, and the many other prayers found in prayer and service books…can anything be more beautiful than our Lord and Savior crying out from the cross, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do…”?

Perhaps you have seen the motion picture The Passion of the Christ. I saw it during Lent 2004 with a group from church on a Sunday afternoon. I have to admit that it was a difficult movie to watch. The key for me was why it was difficult. I’ve seen scary movies. I’ve seen graphic movies. I’ve seen bad movies. Yet, this one was difficult for a different reason…I could see the whip hitting “Jesus’” back. I could see the horror portrayed in the faces of the women who had the strength and courage to stay with Jesus during that day’s journey. I could almost feel the gravity of that day.

That sense of “you are there” is why several of my companions had to close their eyes. They couldn’t watch the horror played out in front of them. Even to this day…four years later…there are one or two persons from that group who admit that they still can’t watch those scenes of the Anointed One’s journey to the Cross. One even admitted to tuning out many of my sermons during Lent. For some reason, she can’t contemplate the overwhelmingly horrifying torture her Savior endured for her as portrayed by that particular movie…

The interesting thing about that particular portrayal is that it is tame when compared to what really happened. Yes, the reality of that day is much harsher than portrayed on film. Jesus really went through much worse. Then…count the new experience of being separated from the Father.

We spend a lot of time talking about how the Word was “made flesh and tempted in all points as we are,” but consider this: for a being with an eternal outlook, the physical was as mild as the falling of an eyelash compared to the real horror of being separated from the Father for the first time in eternity.

The Orthodox Church teaches that heaven for those who love God is an eternity lived in his loving presence. For those who love God, then, hell would be separation from God. Jesus entered that place of separation for us…

…and he still prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

From my own life experience I know that forgiving is hard. “…Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…” is a prayer of self-condemnation except for the working of the Holy Spirit within us…that is, by the Grace of God. Yet, with nails in his wrists and feet… With the flesh stripped from his body… With the weight of his body hanging on his aching and bleeding arms… Jesus still prayed, “Father, forgive them…”

If Jesus is our Lord…your Lord and my Lord… If Jesus the Anointed One is our teacher…your teacher and my teacher… If Jesus is our Savior…your Savior and my Savior… How can we do other than imitate him?

Forgive us our sins, O Lord, as we follow your example and forgive others. Amen.

Blessings,

Do we?  Really?  Even in the Church?

I have noticed what I fear is a reality that breaks my heart.  Wherever people gather, it seems that at least one person wants to "increase his or her personal power and prestige."(Note 1)  It happens even among Jesus’ disciples…both in the 1st Century and in the 21st Century.  More’s the pity.

Many of us know "pushy people."  I’m not concerned about people who are assertive or just loud.  I am concerned about people among us who are actively abusive…verbally and psychologically.  Who knew that one could attend a committee meeting at a church and be verbally abused…even bullied?

Conflict…  Disagreement… Rigorous debate… These can all be constructive when they occur in the right place, at the right time, in the right relational framework and in the right spirit…er…with a right Spirit…er Holy Spirit, that is.  Remove any of those elements and the result can be anything from mildly damaging to catastrophic. 

Such damaging conversations occur far too often.  They occur at work.  They occur at sporting events.  They occur at home.  They even occur at church.  I remember  a sermon that I heard sometime in the early 1990’s about our attitudes and words and the impact they have on our families.  One of the points made that day struck me as sad…because it was both necessary and true.  We most often save our harsh words and our forceful conflicts for those we claim to love.

Frankly, if I claim to care about you and I frequently speak harshly to you (or worse), you’d be right to doubt my claim.  If I claim to care about you and I frequently start arguments with you, you’d be right to doubt my claim.  If I bully you, verbally or physically, you’d be right to know that I am a liar. 

Kindness, love, and consideration should be the norm within our families.  They should also be the norm within our churches, especially among more spiritually mature disciples.  How do I know?

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (Jn. 13:35, NIV)

If Jesus’ followers…er…disciples…that is, members of the Christian Church will be known by this one characteristic, then one important question remains:

ARE WE?

Blessings,

1. Thanks for this phrase go to Dr. David Krueger, a history professor at Arkansas Tech University."

The following posts are selected from a blog I wrote at www.lamarumc.org.

Blessings,

I’ve recently been doing quite a bit of reading on spiritual formation. This isn’t a new topic for me. I’ve had more than a few discussions with colleagues from the Methodist, Baptist, and Eastern Orthodox streams of Christianity. That list may seem to be a strange mix, but there seem to be quite a few laity and clergy among all three groups (as well as Roman Catholic, and many other Protestants) who are keenly interested in how our spiritual lives are formed.

Why my sudden renewed interest in this field? It’s simple…children and teens. In the United Methodist tradition, it is common for a lesson to be presented during worship just for the children. Unfortunately, I have been like a lot of other clergy in delivering children’s talks that were really a teaser for my sermon. It should come as no surprise that I didn’t communicate with the children very well. Though the elementary and preschool-school children will benefit, I pray, from my concern for spiritual formation, it was my work with the youth (ages 12-18) that really got the ball rolling.

It started when I had to teach Confirmation Class for the first time. As much as I enjoy teaching  the theology and history of Christianity, I realized that such learning wouldn’t do my confirmands any good unless I taught them how to live the faith. It just so happened that I was taking a couple of classes on the topic of spiritual formation at the time. As a result, I tried to fit a smattering of this and that about life as a Christian into our already over-stuffed curriculum.

We talked about different ways of being…contemplative, charismatic, sacramental, socially active…to name a few. We talked about how to pray, and to study the Bible, how to meditate, how to fast, how to serve others in the name of Christ, and how to experience the presence of the Triune God in the celebration of Holy Communion. Some things stuck…and I was happy.

For the last two years, we’ve been struggling together to form a real youth ministry. It is tough starting with only a hand full of teens…but that means that we get quality time together. Yet, the models of ministry profiled in the New Testament…and some in the Old…are about much more than ministry within one group. The lessons are about going out into the world and spreading the news of Jesus’ life and mission…and what that means for our lives now…and our lives in Eternity. After all, didn’t Jesus command his disciples (we are his disciples, aren’t we?) to “go and make apprentices to him among all kinds of people…baptizing them…and teaching them to do all that I have commanded you to do”? Yet, here we are…in our comfortable group.

August 2006 came and I was more determined than ever to learn all I could about ministry to and with teens. One of the books I picked up was Creating an Authentic Youth Ministry by Edward Fashbaugh, II. (www.discipleshipresources.org ) Rev. Fashbaugh’s main work area has been youth ministry…so…I wanted to know what he knows. I was stunned that in the midst of my learning about youth ministry I read that a church’s youth ministry will be a mirror of its ministry to and through adults. WAIT JUST A MINUTE!!!! I’m not reading this book to think about ministry to and through and with adults. I want to know about teens!!!!!

The more I thought about what I was reading, the more I realized that the real message was more like this: you can spend all of the time, energy, and money you want, and more, trying to tell teens how to be Christian…and they will listen to you…to a point. What they will really hear is the sermon St. Francis of Assisi recommended when he told his brothers to preach the Gospel everywhere…and to use words only if necessary!

Hmmm… So, Rev. Fashbaugh and St. Francis are telling us that children and teens will hear our message…the message that we live. If we are Christ’s disciples…they will likely also be. If we say that we are Christian and our actions don’t prove it, they will know that they can get away with that, too. And they will…at every turn.

The more I read the more the message is the same. It doesn’t matter whether I read Justin Martyr, St. Symeon the New Theologian, the Bible, contemporary writers who are serious about their faith, or any number of Christian writers in between. Justin wrote it in the fewest words, so I’ll give you his version: “Let it be understood that those who are not found living as He taught are not Christians-even though they profess with the lips the teachings of Christ.” (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1, p. 160) OUCH!

So, OUR task is clearly outlined: to teach the teens to live as Christ taught. To do that we, the adults, have to be living as Christ taught. That means…ughh!…that we have to be obedient to the One we call Lord…. This shouldn’t be a surprise given our vocabulary about God and Jesus. Father…Almighty God…Master…Teacher…Lord…

Throughout most of human history, anyone with the title of father, or master, or teacher, or lord, was obeyed without fail and almost without thought. The consequences were just too great to do otherwise. Now, we live in a world where consequences are out of fashion. I wonder…will God give us a free pass just because our culture says that actions no longer should have consequences?

If the Bible does indeed describe God’s interaction with humanity, the answer to that last question is a big, fat…NOPE!

Now I’m stuck with the reality that an effective ministry to and with teens and children is one led and modeled by an effective ministry to, with and through adults. It has to be a ministry that coaches adults to run the race living as apprentices of Christ…just as one might be an apprentice electrician, plumber…or student teacher.

To that end I keep praying, and reading, and meditating, and worshiping, and finding ways to serve others, and convincing myself to…eek…fast…(yes, that means to do without food)…and to celebrate the Great Thanksgiving that is Holy Communion every chance I get.

It’s a lot like learning to be a musician or an athlete. You have to know certain things…and then practice them…and the learn more by your practice. Dallas Willard writes in The Great Omission that, “Grace is opposed to earning, not to effort.” And so it is…we must put forth whatever effort we can…and trust God to do the balance of the work within us and then, to work through us in the world in which He has placed us.

I highly recommend all the books I have mentioned so far to anyone who wants to gain a new or renewed perspective on discipleship. Another book I recommend as a primer on the spiritual disciplines is Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline.  If you need a basic place to start learning…well…start with your Bible. Read what the people in those pages did…David, Samuel, Jesus, Paul…and many others. Then go to Foster’s book… 

I pray that your answer will be, “Yes, Lord. We are able!”

I’ve just barely brushed the topic of exercising for spiritual health. There is so much more to be learned…and practiced…learned again. I wish you Godspeed on your Journey with Jesus.

Blessings,

Merry Christmas!  I just re-read my blog post from last Christmas Eve. Wow…has it been that long since I blogged here? Has it been that long since “Dad” and the Arkansas National Guard returned from Iraq?  A lot has happened in the last year.  I’ve another post somewhere that I’ll share as soon as I can get to a network that isn’t “secured.”  I’ve been busy…too busy.The Arkansas National Guard is headed back to Iraq.Here it is… Christmas Day 2007.I am at the hospital where I work part-time as a chaplain.   No, I’m not with my biological family, but I am with family.  I am with the men and women who have dedicated their working lives to caring for others.   I can’t think of a better place to be on Christmas.  For now, I’ll say Merry Christmas.   Later, I’ll flesh out my thoughts on why working in a hospital on Christmas Day may just be my best Christmas ever.

Blessings,

For those of you who don’t know about "Annual Conference," here’s a brief primer.   The United Methodist Church is organized into regional groupings called "Annual Conference’s."   The best analogy to describe this unit of the Church is the diocese.  Like the diocese, the Annual Conference’s presiding officer is a bishop.  Like the diocese, there are several churches and clergy in each Annual Conference.  My Annual Conference is the Arkansas Annual Conference.  This unit encompasses all of the United Methodist Churches in Arkansas.  Every United Methodist clergy person must attend, as well as lay delegates from each church.  Thus, over 1,000 delegates descended on Hot Springs, Arkansas this week. 

So, what do we do at these "conferences"?  Well, when I started attending six years ago, we did business.  Sure, there were worship opportunities, but it seemed like the business was the focus of the week.  That has changed to the point that now the business is in a secondary or tertiary position.  In the primary position of the week is, as it should be, worship.   There is something powerful about people gathering from diverse places, with diverse views and beliefs, to worship the Almighty God.  

Sure, we did business.  Some of it was saddening as it involved removing clerical privileges from a couple of people.  We also discussed the recent revelation that the Conference’s long-time treasurer had been misappropriating funds.   These items weighed heavily on our hearts.   Other business was frustrating since it seemed to have nothing to do with our mission in the world.  Some business was important, yet contentious.   Some was just boring. 

The highlight of the week, for me, was one moment that was part of an important event.   On Tuesday night, many of the clergy donned black robes and red stoles to participate in the Service of Ordination.  About 400 hundred of us processed into the meeting hall at the beginning of this service. 

Bishop Crutchfield reminded us of our obligations and opportunities in his sermon.  But, the main event was commissioning and ordination.  

It has been my experience at ordination that most of the ordinands approach the kneeling rail respectfully, but with little more feeling than a commencement exercise.   One of this year’s ordinands reminded us that is not just a graduation exercise…  It is an individual taking sacred orders…that is being set apart for a particular ministry within the church. 

When Justin came to the kneeler, I saw in his face the same thing I feel when I kneel for communion.  I saw overwhelming awe at the realization that something special…sacred, holy, God-breathed…was happening and it was happening to him.  

In this moment of grace, he began weeping.  

Justin’s tears weren’t because he had come to a milestone in a journey that began over six years ago.  His tears spoke to the holy privilege and responsibility with which he was being vested.   His tears spoke to his awe at the work of God in his life. 

That moment…  That sacred moment washed away all the frustration of business sessions.  It washed away all the theological wrangling.  It left me knowing that I had seen the hand of God and the imprint it left upon one of my friends.   It reminded me of my own baptism.  It reminded me of my experience of communion.  It reminded me that my life is to be lived not for my own glory, but in service to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…and in love for all God’s creatures. 

I pray that all of God’s children experience something similar and that it leads us to rise from the altar and to go into the world to share that moment of grace with all people without regard to the color of their skin, the content of their bank accounts, or the manner of their dress.  

In that tear-filled moment, I could hear Jesus whispering to all of us: "Feed my sheep." 

Blessings,

I’m taking a break from wrapping Christmas presents. 

    It’s Saturday night…the 23d of December.   I will soon be finishing up two sermons…one for the morning services and one for the Christmas Eve service.  My reflections, as usual, focus not on the gifts I’ll give and receive, but on the Great Gift bestowed upon us by God.  That gift, as most of you know, is the Eternal Word become flesh (cf. John 1:1-18) in the person of the baby Jesus.  I won’t recount the whole tale for you now.  If you aren’t familiar with it, read the first few chapters of the Gospel according to St. Luke. 

     What a blessing, indeed!  In this one act, God…the Creator and Master of the Universe…continued His work (yes…God reveals Godself in masculine terms…I shan’t argue)…  That work is the reconciliation of the Triune God and humanity.   Think on that concept for a time………..

    A secondary part of Advent, the season when we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, is looking forward…not to presents on Christmas morn…but to the return of the King in final victory to bring an end to suffering and death…to bring a Peace that shall endure.

     Peace.  Healing.  Reconciliation.  These are all themes surrounding the birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension and return of Jesus.  The need for them was made once again painfully clear this week.

      It was Friday morning about 5 a.m.  I had just responded to an e-mail from a very dear friend who is stationed overseas in the Marine Corps when the telephone rang.  Who could be calling me at 5 a.m.?

      That call was from my friend in Okinawa.  As we laughed and caught up on the goings-on in our lives, I asked about his parents.  They are also very dear to me…so much so that I refer to them, with my own mother’s permission, as "mom" and "dad."   They are a wonderful couple in their late fifties…and live only about fifty miles from Lamar.  "Dad" is on active duty with the Arkansas National Guard…and has been on active duty in the regular army or national guard for almost thirty-five years.  His term of service had been only thirty-three years when he, and the Arkansas National Guard, deployed to Iraq as part of a cavalry division.

      Before you read further you need understand that this entry is not about the political or military decisions taken by the government of the United States.  It is about a man and his family and their trials…and our lives with God and each other.

     I knew that "Dad" had been slightly injured in Iraq.  I didn’t know the rest of the story. It seems that the physical injuries were to be the least of his worries.  Now, he has flashbacks that involve the family dog running off with his severed hand…or the are about him trying to put one of his friends back together again.  No, he has all of his limbs…but friend was hit by a rocket propelled grenade as "Dad" looked on…….  Now his dreams won’t allow him any peace….. 

   Peace.  It’s such a fleeting thing.  Whether it’s international relations, the family budget, or emotional stress, it seems that few of us know peace.   No, most of us aren’t haunted by horrible visions, but we still have a tough time finding peace in our families, our communities, our churches, our workplaces…or deep within us.  Saint Paul wrote about Christians know a "peace which passes all understanding…"  Where is it in our lives?

    Healing.  It’s a much needed thing.  Not just for soldiers with nightmares, but for abused spouses and children, for distraught relationships, for our minds, emotions and spirits.  Yet, it, too, seems far off most of this time.  St John Chrysostom wrote that the Church is "a hospital for sinners…"   I wonder…how many of us go to church looking for healing not just for our bodies or our finances, but for our emotions and our spirits?

      Reconciliation.  This, too, is a missing facet of many of our lives.  It’s not just for soldiers returning home…or for estranged children and parents…or for racial and ethnic groups.  Why is that God is working to reconcile us to himself and each other…yet…it is such a hard thing to effect?

      I have to wonder if peace, healing, and reconciliation are so hard to find because they are hard won prizes…or if we are just too distracted to work for them.  That’s right…we have to work for them.  No…that doesn’t detract from the enormous work of God’s Grace in our lives.  The "work" is no substitute…but it is the path by which we make room within us for God’s Grace to do it’s Work. 

    This Christmas my prayers are with many…but especially with all of you who long for Peace, Healing, and Reconciliation in your lives.  It is a work that only God can perfect.

      May God so strengthen us that we may do the work of clearing a place for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to live within us.

      May you have a blessed Christmas.

      May you find God before you, behind you, and within you.

     May the Light of God shine from within you so that you may be an agent of Peace, Healing, and Reconciliation wherever you may be in our Father’s world. 

Amen.