EMPOWEERING LIVES THRU TENacious DISCIPLESHIP

Before I talk about the sermon topic, I want to make a promise and a request. We are going through a time of transition. During the last few years our membership has been declining. It is not just our church that has been losing members. It is a national and international phenomenon. About 4000 churches are being closed every year in the USA. In many European countries, churches have been turned into museums.

The bottom line is that we cannot afford old ways of doing church. Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

So, I think we need a paradigm shift.

Paradigm shift means a “fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions.” An “important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new or different way.”

Let me give you a example. Let's say you are sitting in the waiting room of the ER at Coral Springs Medical Center. You are sitting there looking at the TV or reading a book, or just trying to close your eyes. You notice two small children running around the room, climbing on chairs, spilling water from the water cooler, being noisy and disruptive. And the mother of this children is sitting in the corner, with her head down, and not paying attention to the unruly kids. She is not paying any attentionr to her children. And you are fuming. You are totally irritated. Under your breath, you are cursing the kids and judging the mother.

And then you find out that the young mother was sitting there processing the bad news that her husband had died in that hospital. That explains everything.

When you become aware of that new piece of information your thinking suddenly changes. You undergo a paradigm shift from a judgmental and irritable mind to a compassionate and loving mind.

Paradigm shift in religion is something like that. It is also called awakening or enlightenment. In the coming weeks and months, what I am going to propose is a paradigm shift in the way we think about God, and Jesus, bible, church, salvation, prayer, heaven, hell and christian spirituality in general.

And I know change is hard. And it will be harder if what I say challenges you to re-examine what you may have heard in a baptist church or a Lutheran church or Calvary chapel or from a TV preacher.

There could be some confusion and sense of loss. For example, if what the pastor says about God in Calvary chapel is right, then, what I say in this church might be wrong. If what I teach about heaven and hell is different from what Pat Robertson is teaching about the same topics, then one of us have to be wrong. Robertson is on TV, he wears expensive suits, he has millions of followers. I have none of that. So he must be right and I must be wrong.

Not necessarily. Let me tell you why. There are 30,102 verses in the bible. They were written about 3000 years ago, in a language neither me, Pat Robertson or any living pastors speak, in a culture none of us has lived in, from an era far removed and foreign to what we are living in today.

So it is not a question of who is right or wrong but how you interpret it. According to World Christian Encyclopedia, there are more than 33,000 Christian denominations in the world. That means there are 33000 different interpretations of the bible. If there was only one interpretation, there should only be one church.

There is no way we can examine the rightness or wrongness of the theology of that many denominations. We don't have to. What I am interested in is how to live by the one and only commandment of Jesus...love god and love your neighbor. How can we become loving, compassionate, joyful, peaceful human beings who experience the abundant life that Jesus promised and how to share that life with everyone we come into contact with. That is all I am concerned about.

So to prepare you to be open to new ways of being church, and to make sense of life in the midst of so many competing claims and contradictory interpretations, I promise you one thing: that everything I propose and implement will be based on three basic criteria.

Number one, it will be based on the New Testament especially the gospels because that is what our denomination, the DOC focuses on.

Number two, it will be fully faithful to the mind of Jesus. If anything I say here is against what Jesus would have said, I want you to challenge me.

Number three, everything I say and do will be in keeping with the theology of our denomination which is spelled out in this little book which I have studied. The more I read about the theology and practice of the Disciples of Christ the more I like it.

Along with my promise, I have a request of you. If you feel challenged by what I say, please come to me directly. Don't stand in the corner and complain. I am one of the most approachable people you will ever meet. Approach me via phone, text, messenger or face book. I will be happy to sit with you here in the office, at your home, at my home, at Starbucks, or anywhere else, to explain and clarify what I said. May be you will teach me something. May be I will return the favor. Let us grow together spiritually as one community.

Every successful organization has a vision. As proverbs 29.18 says: “Without a vision people perish.” Not having a vision is like driving without a map in a foreign country. You have no idea where you are going. Usually a clear vision can be often captured in one phrase of sentence. For example, our founding fathers envisioned the essence of this nation in just one powerful phrase: E Pluribus Unum (from many one).

15 minutes could save you 15%..you know which company that is without even mentioning its name. “The Ultimate driving machine” for 40 years BMW has thrived on that vision. “The happiest place on earth” (Disney) “All that is fit to print (NYT) “Democracy dies in darkness (WAPO)

In this day and age, when people have short attention span and no patience for more than 140 characters, we need a short phrase to express and explain, what we are about as a church.

After a lot of praying and meditation, I came up with this phrase:

Empowering lives through TENacious Discipleship.

A lot of Christian messaging I have heard about over the years, is about enslavement not about empowering. We are described as unworthy, wretched, sinners living in depravity.

Our plight is to somehow endure life on earth which is a valley of tears, and aim for salvation after we die. In that paradigm, we feel like victims, so powerless to do anything about our plight in life.

That is not what God wants for his children.

The primary purpose of the incarnation of Jesus into this world is not to die for our sins, but to empower us to be children of of God. That is what today's reading says: (Read John 1: 10-13)

To those who believed in him, Jesus gave them, the right, and the authority and the power to be children of god, children born not of human descent, but born of God. Jesus is saying to you today that you are born of God...either we don't pay attention to its meaning, or it is too much to bear...to think about ourselves as born of God.

Last week I told you of the story of Jim who found it extremely hard to believe that he was created in the image of god.

Today, let me tell you the story of another person who finds it hard to claim his divine potency. This happens to be my brother in law, John, one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. Two weeks ago, I had posted a message on face book requesting blessing for my new role as interim minister. And this is what my brother in law wrote:

You certainly have my prayers. As a layman, I don’t know if I’m qualified to give you a blessing unless you sneeze, so I’ll assume you did. Bless you Paul!

John is operating from the hierarchical system of the Catholic church where you have the Pope on the top, then you have the cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons and lay people at the very bottom. The lay people have no merit, or status or capabilities. In that thinking you feel less than the priest or the pastor, personally unworthy and spiritually powerless.

Jesus did not call his followers lay people or servants. He called them friends (John 15:15). Jesus made no distinction between clergy and laity.

Jesus told his disciples to follow him. In order to follow somebody, we have to have the basic capacity within us to do that. For example, a cat cannot follow a bird, because the cat does not have the capacity to fly. For the same reason, a fish cannot follow a cow.

Let's say I have to take my car for repairs to a dealership in Coconut Creek. So I tell my wife Judy to follow me to the dealership. I don't expect her to walk behind my car. It is assumed she will drive her car because she has the capacity to do that.

When Jesus asked his disciples to follow him, he knew that they are capable of doing it. They did it with the power that God gave them to do it. That is what made Apostle Paul to proclaim: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13)

We can do it too, but we have to engage in tenacious discipleship, which means, persistent, tireless, steadfast, untiring, unwavering, unyielding discipleship. In addition to that meaning, I have used tenacious as a play on words.

Tenacious discipleship has to be a conscious discipleship. We have to make a conscious choice to follow Jesus, through consistent practice of prayer, meditation, scripture reading and communal worship. There are ten principles that will make our discipleship tenacious and conscious. That is why TENacious is typed with TEN in capital letters. I hope to explain each of those principles in ten upcoming sermons.

Let me end with these parting words of Jesus: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12)

Jesus wants us to do greater things than he hid. And we say, no way, that is impossible, because we are sinners. And Jesus says, yes way, because I am going to empower you to do that.

This week, I like you to repeat these words several times, every day:

I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.

YOUR DIVINE DNA

Today I like to talk to you about the meaning of that sign at the entrance to our sanctuary. Welcome Home. If you came here looking for God, realize that God arrives when you walk thru the door.

Understanding, believing and living the meaning of those words could change your life...it changed mine.


Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Haven as a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, in his joy, he went and sold all he had and bought the field (Mt.13:44). It took me 45 years to find the treasure and buy the field. Life has never been the same.


Notice the words: it is a treasure; it is hidden and you have to find it. Until you find it, you will never let go of what you are holding on to.


Until about the age of 45, I was like that man holding on to things I had—lesser quality treasures like occasional happiness, transient peace, momentary pleasures, temporary satisfaction etc. Peace and joy were not default settings of my life. I was cutting and pasting them depending on daily experiences and events. Everything would be okay, until something bad or negative happened to me or around me. Then my world would fall apart. And I would go into this depressive mood of being under the spell of a pervasive sadness and irritaton about life. And it would last for a few hours or few days depending on what had precipitated it. Then I would be happy again, until the next shoe of negative experience drops.


That changed when I became aware of the divine DNA within me. I am now mostly joyful and peaceful all the time, regardless of the circumstances in my life. Just like you, I am exposed to the misfortunes and tragedies of the world such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fire, poverty, gun violence , wars, racism, terrorism, and everything else on cable channels. I can think of at least half a dozen personal things in my life that should erase the smile on my face and drain the joy out of my heart, and cause me stress and anxiety. But I am not stressed out. I m not anxious.


I am talking about having the peace of Christ that passeth all understanding, the joy that supersedes the sorrows of life. It comes from a deeper place where my inner being is connected to the Supreme Being. Where the divine spark within me removes the shadow of sadness. Where the power of the Higher Self snubs out the sinful inclinations of my lower self. Where my individual soul is intimately connected to the Universal Soul. In that scenario, nothing can wrong because I am living from my soul, not from my ego.


It is available, and attainable to all of you. I like to teach you how to unlock the power that is already within you by acknowledging, accepting and celebrating the divine DNA. You don't have to work hard to attain union with God, because you have already got it. You don't have to establish a relationship with God, you only have to be aware of it. You don't have to go to god, you are already there.


It won't happen with one Sunday sermon. For some it might happen, but I will be here Sunday after Sunday talking about this at least for a year, and if you are open to the Holy Spirit, one day it will hit you and your life will never be the same again. The welcome sign was designed with that goal in mind. It is an invitation to come home to yourself, the dwelling place of the Holy.
So how do the words of that welcome sign radically change your life? Before I get to that, let me tell you how excited I am about it. As part of articulating my vision for this church, it was the first thing I talked about in our elders meeting, and I was not officially the interim minister yet. Alice knows about it because I put a little pressure on her to get the sign done before my inaugural Sunday, and she made it happen. When I texted Alice, thanking her for her efficient work, she texted back: “don't get used to it.”


The elders approved it on a Monday night, Alice sent it to Steve Sikora on Tuesday morning, and Steve delivered it Thursday after noon and Thursday evening Alice and Daryl put it up there.


I am so excited about its meaning because it tells you that you come to church not to meet god who is waiting for you here, but to awaken and celebrate the god who is already within you. It is a reminder that you are a part of god, not apart from God.

In John 10:34, Jesus answered them, “is it not written in your Law, “I have said you are gods?”

In the 4^rd century, St. Athanasius, a Father of the Church said this: “God became man so that man might become God.” German mystic Meister Eckart calls it deiformity, the conformity of our lives to that of God's.

There are many people who think that it is a minority opinion bordering on blasphemy. In our elders meeting Mike brought it up. He said, that is a tall order. I cannot see myself as part of god, because I know my sinfulness and my weaknesses. Mike is not alone in this. In fact 99 percent of Christians feel like that.


Let me tell you a story to illustrate how difficult it is for people to acknowledge and accept the truth that they are part of God.


Yeas ago, I needed to make a personal website and being computer illiterate, I had no idea how to do that. I heard about this guy, his name was Jim, who had this special affection for married priests like me and he offered to design a website for me as a favor. I was so appreciative of it and so I invited him for dinner to our house. So Jim and his wife Maria came for dinner. Jim was a retired engineer and Maria was a retired high school teacher.


We had a great visit, during which we talked about faith, family, church, religion, bible, spirituality. Both of them are former Catholics but called themselves NPCs. Non Practicing Catholics. I gave them a copy of my book titled God is Plural and that generated a discussion of its own. They were very curious about that title because they always thought that there was only one god. That is a whole new sermon I have to preach one day. At the end of the dinner, Maria asked me: “So how do we see God's image in everyone, especially in people who irritate us, such as bad drivers or annoying neighbors?”  I told her that she had to read the whole book!

So my dinner guests thanked us, gave us big hugs and went on their merry way.  The next day, I got a nice e-mail from Jim thanking me for the sumptuous dinner and the warm hospitality.

I wrote back, once again expressing my gratitude for designing a free website, and I ended the email with these words: In my thinking, Maria and you are two more images of God consciously added to my collection, to make my image of God larger and more complete.


I was sad and surprised by Jim's response the next day: He wrote: I never thought that Maria and I or ANYONE for that matter, could be images of God--although I have heard that phrase, “Made in God's image--my whole life...thinking about that brings a smile to my lips.


Here is a 67 year old man, very intelligent and highly accomplished. He was a systems engineer at IBM for 29 years, and a senior engineer at Boeing for 15 years; married for 46 years with three children and ten grand children. He has traveled extensively and lived in several cities due to job related transfers.  Born and raised Catholic, he was baptized as a baby, received first communion at age 10, was confirmed at 14, and attended Mass faithfully every Sunday. He has listened to thousands of sermons, read the bible a few times, and read several spiritual books. We are not talking about an “average religious Joe” here.


And yet, and yet, he never thought or believed that he could be an image of God! You know what?  If you don't consider yourself an image of God, you are unlikely to see people around you as images of God because what you see out there, is a reflection of your inside! Like philosopher Nietzsche, if you believe that “hell is other people,” you are likely to see hell in front of you, and create hell for others. If you believe that other people are images of God, you are likely to treat them with respect and compassion.


Why didn't Jim who is a very religious man, a life-long Catholic, never thought he or his wife or anyone could be images of God? He admits to hearing it thousands of times. Why didn't he believe it?  Why is it so hard to believe that, for many people?


One reason is that many pastors don't believe it or preach about it. The fact that we are part of God is too good to be true. It is a frightening possibility because they are focusing on the mighty God of Moses who appeared in the burning bush, refusing to show his face or reveal his name. They are not thinking of the God of Jesus who is a loving father who shares his divine genes with us his children.


To prove that we are weak sinners, unworthy of god, they quote Augustine's theory of “original sin.” They quote Calvin who talked about our “total depravity” or Martin Luther who wrote: “Humans are like piles of manure, covered over by Christ.”


I am not denying the existence of our sinful self or discounting our propensity and capacity for doing evil things. There is definitely an aspect of our humanity that is weak, dark, frail, fickle, faithless and faint. But there is another aspect to our humanity that is beautiful, wonderful, magnificent, something that is “fearfully and wonderfully made.” I invite you to focus on the latter without ignoring the former.

Your primary identity is not that you are a sinner; your primary identity is that you are a saint; Awaken to it, own it; manifest it; your life will change.


Almost every letter of Apostle Paul begins with this greeting:
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:
To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi:
To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse:


Paul could have addressed them “my brothers in Christ,” or “my fellow disciples,” or “my dear servants of Christ,” or “my dear Christians.” But he didn't. He called them saints. Paul knew that there were bad people in those communities. In Corinth for example he had to deal with people who were idol worshipers, institgators, liars and cheaters. He still called them saints...


If apostle Paul were to write a letter to us today, it would begin with these words: To all the saints at Royal Palm Christians Churh in Coral Springs, Florida. It is an aspirational title. We are not there yet...but we should not stop from aspiring to get there. Believing that you are callled to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect, is the first step of that journey.


So you can focus on your sinful humanity and live like a victim, feeling badly, struggling endlessly and suffering needlessly. Such a life will be largely devoid of joy, and filled with irritations, frustrations, and lack of fulfillment.


Or you can awaken to your innate divinity, acknowledge your identity as a spiritual being and celebrate that divinity displayed all around you. Then you will be living the abundant life that Jesus promised.


Christianity is not the only region that teaches the unity of god and man. According to the Hindu scriptures, there is no duality between divinity and humanity. The Hindu phrase Aham-Brahmasmiti (Brahman is within me) points to that truth.


I like to end with the words from a letter that Rabindranath Tagore wrote to a friend after his visit. Tagore was an Indian poet and mystic, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913. He wrote to his friend: “After you had taken your leave, I found God’s footprints on my floor.”


So, the question this morning is this: Do you leave God’s foot prints where ever you go?

IF YOU HAVE JESUS IN YOUR HEART, NOTIFY YOUR FACE

My heart is filled with gratitude this morning..gratitude to God...gratitude to all of you for coming. Every one of you have touched my life and impacted my soul in unique ways and varying degrees, going to back 25 years. Each of you have a special place of joy and affection in my heart. And I thank you all for coming today, to bless me and this church as we transition to a new phase.

After selecting me, the search committee gave a report to the church board. They wrote:

Finding the right man for the job has been a laborious process. We interviewed the following candidates, and checked their references. Here is our confidential report.
 
ABRAHAM: Good man but he was accused of child abuse. He also lied to authorities that his wife was his sister.

MOSES: A modest and meek man, but poor communicator; even stamers a little. Sometimes blows his stack and acts rashly in business meetings. Some say he left an earlier church over a murder charge.

DAVID: The most promising leader of all until we discovered the affair he had with his neighbor's wife.

SOLOMON: Great preacher, a wise man, but serious woman problem.

JONAH: Told us he was swallowed up by a fish. He said the fish spit him out on the shore near here. We hung up.

JOHN: Says he is a Baptist, but doesn't dress like one.  May be too Pentecostal. Tends to lift both hands in the air to worship when he gets excited. Sleeps outdoors, has a weird diet, and provokes denominational leaders.

PETER: Too blue collar. Has a bad temper, even said to have cursed. He's a
loose cannon.

PAUL VELIYATHIL: He is from India. He is a hospice chaplain; Totally bald. His wife is nice.

We recommend him. Besides, from the above list, he is the only one alive.

So here I am one flawed human being, standing in the shadow of the giants of salvation history. Despite their perceived weakness and shadow side, God sleeted them and used them to accomplish God's purposes for humanity.

So it is with deep humility and a little trepidation that I assume my role today as interim minister of this church today. What gives me strength is that God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called.

I thank the search committee for choosing me, the church board for approving me and the congregation for accepting me...at least for now. Who knows what the level of acceptance will be down down the road? I have heard stories of congregations turning against the pastor few months after calling him. That happens because churches often insist on denominational rigidity, and resist trying new ways of being church. Such thinking brings churches to the level of worldly entities like a city hall, or a condo board. I am grateful that our church is nothing like that. We have a wonderful congregation that is open to change and growth.

I believe that church should be a place of joy and laughter and unity in Christ. We have enough worries and cares, divisions and disharmony out there in the world. I intend to build a congregation of joyful people, who can experience the peace and joy of Christ, a peace that can transcend the troubles of the world, a joy that can supersede the sorrows of life.

A joyful congregation does not mean a group of silly people goofing around. It does not mean that we don't take the gospel seriously or live our lives intentionally. Just the opposite. A joyful congregation is the replica of the kingdom of heaven on earth. I like to dispel the misguided notion that we have to die before we can experience heaven. In that scenario, life before death is felt as a chore and a struggle, joylessly carried out in the valley of tears. In such a life, the promise of Jesus that he came that we may have life and have it abundantly is not appropriated at all.

Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding feast where he changed water into wine so that people can have a good time. The kingdom of God is about joy and happiness and fun and celebration. And we should not wait to have all that after we die and go to a far away location beyond the clouds. Jesus came to earth so that we can and should have it now, during our earthly life. It was in his birth announcement. The angel said to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy.”

That is what apostle Paul reminds us in today's reading: He says, “rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice. Do not be anxious about anything.” Is it possible that we have not believed in the good news?

One of the signs that you are a joyful person is that there is a smile on your face. Your face is the window of your soul. If your soul is at peace, it will show up on your face. I have seen church members walking around with serious faces, worrying about the salvation of non-Christians or, judging those who don't attend church. They are concerned about doing church rather than being church. In church circles, they are called the frozen chosen.

We don't want to be such a church. That is why today's message is titled “If you have Jesus in your heart, notify your face.” SMILE, is acronym for Soul Manifesting Its Life Energy.

A lack of smile on your face is a pretty good indication that your soul is dormant or absent. That is why you never see a dead person smile because the soul has departed. I walk into funeral homes few times a week, and when I approach an open casket, I look, but has never seen the person lying in it smile. They look so serious. That is where the phrase “dead serious” comes from.

So don't take yourself too seriously. GK Chesterton said that angels can fly because they take themselves lightly. If you can smile, a lot of life situations will become less stressful. For example, you cannot smile and be angry at the same time. You cannot smile and shoot another human being. You cannot smile and yell at somebody at the same time. You cannot smile and be afraid at the same time. A wise man once said that “If you are not using your smile, you're like someone with a million dollars in the bank and no check book.”

One place you don't smile is when you go through airport security. The facial recognition technology doesn't want you to smile because, when you smile 43 muscles on your face will move, which will make it hard to match your face with the photo on your passport, which by law, has to be a non-smiling photo. So it is a security issue. And security is always about fear..fear of terrorism.

So don't smile when you go thru TSA checkpoints. You won't anyway, because you are tense and scared. But please don't live a TSA life. In this case, TSA stands for Tense&Scared Always.

I believe laughter is an important sign of spiritual health. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” says proverbs 17.22. “Laughter is wine for the soul, a hilarious declaration made by man that life is worth living,”said Lord Byron. According to theologian, Karl Barth, “Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.”According to cultural anthropologist Mahadeve Apte “laughter occurs when people are comfortable with one another, when they feel open and free. And the more laughter there is the more bonding occurs within the group.” So I envision joy and laughter as a hallmark of our congregation. For starters, let me tell you the story of a new pastor.

It was his first Sunday at an aging congregation. He told them that, instead of wine, he would be using prune juice for Holy Communion. When asked why he would do that, he said,"If the Holy Spirit won't move you--the prune juice will!"

I won't do anything like that. But I have plans to do a lot of other things during my term as interim minister. But before I get to that, let me share with you what brought me to this moment.

As most of you know, I was a catholic priest for 13 years. I got married in 1988 which I was not supposed to do. Our 30^th wedding anniversary is coming up and Judy has asked for expensive diamonds. So I need this job. Just kidding.

When I got married, I was kicked out of the church because priesthood and wife are not compatible. I blame Judy for tempting me and getting me out of priesthood. No, I am kidding again. She tells me that she did me a favor by getting me out of there. What I missed the most about leaving priesthood was that I lost the privilege to preach and teach. I was depressed. There is a saying that “you can take a man out of priesthood, but you cannot take the priesthood out of a man.” We attended some local churches but no pastor would give me a chance to preach. But this church was different.

16 years ago Judy and I walked into this church with our two boys, Johnny and Tommy. We were welcomed with a warm embrace and we felt instantly at home. I liked the name of the church—Disciples of Christ—a name that is scriptural, inclusive and devoid of denominational divisions. This church is the best kept secret in Corals Springs, and I hope to change that.

Another thing that attracted me to this church is the vision of its founders. Barton Stone and Thomas Campbell, who lived in the 19^th century were both Presbyterian ministers. They became frustrated with the tribal rigidity of their denomination, and started a reform movement and called it the 2^nd reformation. Barton Stone had a following in Kentucky and Thomas Campbell had one in Pennsylvania. The two groups joined forces and founded the Disciples Church.

What fascinates me is that how these two men agreed to join together. They did it with a gentleman's hand shake. There were no elaborate discussions about rules and regulations, rituals and rubrics or creed. As a matter of fact, this church has no official creed. “No Creed but Christ” is the phrase that rings across the history of this church. The bible is taken seriously but not literally. It is not faith in the book that we hold, but faith in God as revealed through the book.

Stone and Campbell decided that the one principle that should guide the life and deliberations of the Disciples Church should be this: “In essentials unity, in non essentials liberty, and in all things charity.” I like that.

So I liked the people of this church, the name of this church, the theology of this church and its guiding principle. It was a perfect fit. So during our second visit, we placed membership.

A month after that, Pastor Craig asked me, “Paul would you like to preach?” I could not believe my ears. So I asked him if he needed permission from the pope of his church to let me preach, and he said: “I am the pope here.” But I said, I am a married priest, I have a wife and kids. And he said, that is great. You can keep the wife and start preaching. Judy was relieved. I was delighted. I am eternally grateful to Pastor Craig for his graciousness and generosity.

During the past few weeks, some friends have asked me why do I want this job. One person told me it is more difficult than I think. People are needy. Church board members can be critical of every move you make and unforgiving of your shortcomings. When the honeymoon ends, approbation will become aggravation and adulation will turn into tribulation. You are retirement age. Why don't you get Medicare, collect Social Security and go to the beach on Sunday mornings. Besides, churches are getting empty or being closed everywhere.

I told him that members of RPCC are the nicest people I have met. The board here is the best. They will treat me nice. Right? But seriously, why do I need this job when I have an amazing job as a hospice chaplain? First of all, I don't see it as a job, and secondly, I don't need it. It is a passion.

My friend is right. Every year, about 4000 churches are being closed in the United States. Half of the churches in the US did not add any new members in the last two years. Each year, nearly 3 million previous church goers join the ranks of “religiously unaffiliated.” About 40% of the millennial describe themselves as “nones.” Religion is waning, churches are closing and the faithful are floundering.

It doesn't have to be that way.

While the number of people affiliated with religion has diminished, the number of people believing in God has not. Similarly, while the number of people attending church has declined, their love for Jesus has not. Why?

THEY LIKE JESUS BUT NOT THE CHURCH, a book by Dan Kimbal explains this phenomenon well.

I think the image of God/Jesus/heaven/hell/salvation/prayer, etc. and the identity and role of the christian, portrayed in churches are not appealing to the people of the 21^st century? I like to change that without compromising the message.

The traditional Christian narrative is about a God who is separate from us, who lives in heaven which is a location beyond the clouds. We are created to praise, worship and obey that God. We are born with original sin. As humans, we are unworthy, weak, and wretched. God sent his only son to die for our sins, and to grant us eternal life in heaven, after we die. He saves only those who confess his name. This Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God, and would come again as a triumphant king to take into heaven those who are “born again” and the rest will be dispatched into hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This narrative fosters a self-loathing, breast-beating religious portrait, a spiritually-slouchy selfie, coupled with a heart-sinking feeling and a soul-searing experience of life. It postulates a needy god with a giant ego that has to be stroked with sublime songs, an angry god that needs to be appeased with the blood of his son, a stingy god from whom blessings have to be slavishly beseeched. That narrative sounds like “good news” to me.

However, the good news about God, and Jesus and us is nothing like that! Is it possible that most Christians don't even know what the good news is about? Our country is 80 percent christian. That is nearly 250 million Christians. Had that many people lived the good news of Jesus, this country would be heaven on earth. But we know, it is anything but heaven these days.

I have explored this issue in detail in my book titled, WHY GOOD NEWS PEOPLE LIVE BAD NEWS LIVES.

The new narrative is focused on the life of Jesus rather than the death of Jesus. It is about following Jesus rather than admiring him, and about witnessing to Jesus than worshiping him. It is more about transformation into Christ during this life, rather than salvation through him in after-life.

The new narrative is about empowering our minds, enriching our souls and enhancing our lives based on the awareness of the divine within. It is about experiencing the intimate impact of the Image of God on a cellular level. It is about the exciting and life-changing discovery of the “hidden treasure” and “fine pearls” that Jesus talks about regarding the Kingdom God.

The good news about the new narrative is that it is not “new” at all. It is as old as the bible. It is contained in the bible. Once again, the key is to discover it and shape our lives based on that narrative.

It can be an exciting faith journey that will liberate us from merely meandering through the meaningless monotony of a largely lethargic life. It will awaken us from the slumbering state of a wonder-less wanderer to the magical mind of a marveling mystic. It will empower us to experience the abundant life that Jesus promised.

In the coming weeks and months, I invite you join me in a spiritual adventure, to be transformed by Christ-consciousness, and to become the best version of ourselves.

To be open to the surprises of an amazing God who can work wonders through his people.

I invite you to build a spiritual community tethered together in God's love, to create a “slice of heaven” in Coral Springs.

ONE APP...ENDLESS AWESOME

I have two sons. The oldest is autistic. His name is Johnny. He is this 3 year old child in the body of a 25 year old man. He is one of the most loving, innocent, joyful human being you will ever meet. Johnny does not have capacity for abstract thinking. He has a very limited vocabulary. His favorite word is awesome. When he was very young, every time he did something like putting on a sox, or button his shirt, his mother would say: “Johnny that is awesome.” So he knows awesome stands for something good.

Awesome is Johnny's greeting and goodbye word. Awesome is the word that settles his world.

So we bought him several T-shirts with the word awesome on them. “The definition of awesome: you are looking at it” “So awesome, it hurts”, “Anybody can be cool, but awesome takes practice”, “I brought the awesome, what did you bring?”

His favorite fast food place is Chick-fil-A. Every Saturday we take him there. It is part of his routine. Few months ago, we were eating our french fries and I noticed a phrase on the side of the paper container: ONE APP...ENDLESS AWESOME

This is what a senior manager for digital experience for Chick-fil-A said about this app:

“We know time is valuable, and we’re excited to offer this new convenience that will empower guests to order what they want, when they want it and exactly how they want it, all from their mobile device,”

So the whole purpose of this app is to make your visit to the chick file, an awesome experience.

And do you know how many apps are out there promising to do exactly that in various aspects of your life?

As of June 2016 Android users can choose between 2.2 million apps. Apple's App Store has about 2 million apps.

So we have access to millions of apps to make our life easier in ordering food, communication, education, transportation, banking, etc. You name the need. And there is an app for that. Let's say you are watching a movie in a theater and but you want to go to the bathroom so badly. But you are afraid to miss part of the movie. There is an app to help you choose the best time to go without missing the story. It is called Run and Pee.

But is there an app for life itself? Is there an app for for an awesome life?

I believe there is, because why would God create us and put us on this planet unless it is to have an awesome life? Why would our birth be for anything less than that? Why would a loving God want us to suffer and struggle?

Think of a human parent. I will share my experience. When we were pregnant, I was hoping and dreaming and praying for an amazing life for our children. Never for a moment, I said: “I am going to bring this child into this world, so that he can suffer and struggle. I can't wait to watch him writhe in pain, I can't wait to see him fall off the cliff and break his leg...I can't wait to see him depressed and kill himself.”

If o sane parent would ever want such disastrous fate for his children, then why do you think God, the source of all goodness would want us his children to live half baked lives? Why would God want us to marinate in our misery while dragging our feet thru the valley of tears and end up with a miserable existence?

God doesn't; like the owners of Chic file, God has created an app for us to have endless awesome. But where is it? How do you download that? Is it free or you have to pay for it?

Yes it is free and it is available to all of us. But you cannot download it from the App store.

The One App that can give you endless awesome is not among the 4.2 million apps that humans have created. It is not out there in the Icloud. You don't have to download it because You came into this world, pre-installed with that App.

Everybody has one. But there are 3 problems associated with this app. Denial, disregard, and ignorance. It is not the fault of the creator of the App. It is our fault. Some people deny that it exists in them; others know they have it, but don't pay any attention to it and most people don't know how to activate it.

Lets face it. You can have the best app on your phone. But if you don't switch on the phone and activate the app it is of no use.

Do you know what is the App that is already installed in you? The answer is in Genesis 27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

The divine image within you is that amazing App that can provide you with endless awesome. God has installed it. But we have to activate it.

Humans are smart in so many ways. But when it comes to activating the divine app, they are ignorant immature, lazy, careless, clueless, bored, tired, and too busy. People have all the excuses not to activate this app and plenty of time for everything else...then they wonder they don't have an awesome life?

Nicodemus in today's gospel is such a guy. He was a pharisee who belonged to the ruling council. He was a religious man. Yet he felt he was missing something in his life. He was not having an awesome life. If he had, he would not have come to see Jesus...he was looking for something more...and he knew Jesus had the key to that.

And Jesus says to him; No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. It is important to notice that Jesus does not say, no one can enter the KG...we have this notion that KG is a place some where up there, where we can enter after we die. We rarely think of of KG as something that we can experience right now, on this earth, during this life. Jesus said; The KG is within you; but we forget that don't take it seriously.

Now Nicodemus takes those words literally and wonders how he could enter his mother's womb and be born again.

Actually the correct phrase is not “born again,” but “born from ABOVE” which means born of God...which we already are. We are all born of God. We are imprinted with the image of God at birth.

So born again means, remembering who you were at the time of your birth...a beautiful, innocent child, unaffected by the worries and cares of the world, untarnished by the shenanigans of the ego, uncontaminated by the temptations of of flesh, unattached to material possessions, untouched by the darkness of anger, envy, jealousy, pride, and greed, but with an unvarnished sense of security and an unlimited supply of love, peace and joy. That is what born again means.

So what happened? We grew up and we lost all our innocence.

Jesus wants us to go back to that sate of being...and it is possible even tho we are all grown up and in our 40s 50s or 60s. “It doesn't matter how old you are chronologically, what matters is how old you are Christologically.”

How alive is the Christ within you? How active is the Holy Spirit within you? How shining is the light within you? How tangible is the image of god within you? How vibrant is the breath of God within you? How visible is the peace within you? Those are the questions I want you to ponder today.

Let us see, you wake up in the morning and you pick up your phone to check your messages or go on face book or whats app. You press on that button, but guess what...the screen is not lighting up..phone is dead... What do you do? You don't throw the phone away...you don't blame the manufacturer. You may be little irritated, but like a responsible person you immediately go for the charger and plug it in...and viola in a few minutes, the screen comes alive...and you can use it again.

This is exactly how the divine app also works. It is inside you. But you have to activate it. For most people the battery is never charged...they are living their lives with an App inside that can provide endless awesome, but the battery has been dead for years or it was never charged.

How do we regularly charge and activate this divine image? Meditation is the best way to do it.

Another thing you have to do is inspirational reading. If you read only the National Inquirer, The People Magazine, Danielle Steele novels and social media postings, your divine image is not going to be charged and activated.

Another way to charge this divine image is weekly communal worship.

We are doing it and that is why we are here every week.

Let us pray that the whole humanity acknowledge the divine app, activate is on a daily basis and experience endless awesome every day....which is the fullness of life that Jesus promised.

DISCIPLESHIP IN DIFFICULT TIMES

Orlando, Florida — the “happiest place on earth” became the bloodiest and unhappiest place in America, last Sunday morning. All it took was a man with deep hatred in his heart and an assault weapon that gunned down 49 people.

The atrocity sends shock waves through the nation. The populace becomes angry and afraid. Some take to the social media to express their anger and frustration about these horrific events happening repeatedly. Others run to gun stores to store up ammunition to “protect” themselves.

The event evokes feelings within us — feelings of sorrow, sadness, anger, pain, revenge, hate, helplessness, hopelessness, and ultimately, fear, a lot of fear. Fear for our safety, fear for the safety of our loved ones; Fear for the future our country.

You can feel the anxiety of the people and the angst of a nation expressed through thousands of social media postings and blogs. You can read them in editorials; you can hear them in political speeches. In a week or two, the rantings and ravings will stop. Memories of the horrors of Orlando will recede into the back of our minds and we will get busy with life — until the next incident happens.

It is not a prediction, but stating a reality. Unless the leaders of our nation think seriously about combating domestic terrorism, lower the tone and temperature of our political discourse, and enact common sense gun laws, it will be only matter of time before another mass shooting occurs.

In this context, what is a Christian supposed to do? How are we disciples of Christ supposed to think? Should we join the crowd and hate Muslims? Then what happens to our discipleship which calls us to love our enemies? How does Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek” make sense in this situation?

Is God on our side when we fight the enemy? Are our national interests and divine interests the same? If they are different, how do we conduct ourselves as citizens and disciples at the same time? Jesus says: “Let not your hearts be troubled; trust in me and trust in my Father.” Can we trust Jesus to protect us or should we go out and buy some guns? Jesus says: “Be not afraid.” But the truth is that we are afraid. How do we live as fearless followers of Jesus among fearful citizens? These are difficult questions for a disciple.

Let us turn to the first disciple, Peter, for some guidance in this matter. Peter was not a courageous man; in fact he was a fearful man. That is why he denied Jesus three times, in front of a maid. Peter was also a narrow minded Jew. He was not open to the Gentiles, and he did not want to associate with them. He thought he was specially chosen by God and the Gentiles were outside the love of God.

Then Peter went through a transformation of consciousness. An awakening happened in his life that changed his whole perspective about Gentiles and the so called outsiders. Today, we call them immigrants, Muslims, Mexicans or any one who is outside our tribe. Peter’s awakening is described in chapters 10 and 11 of the Acts of the Apostles. I strongly encourage you to read it.

Let me summarize the experience that opened Peter’s eyes. Peter was staying in the house of a man named Simon, the tanner, in a town called Joppa.

At noon, Peter went to the roof of the house which was a terrace, to pray and he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open and a sheet being lowered in front of him, by its four corners. Inside it, were all the four legged creatures of the earth, and reptiles and birds of the sky. A voice said to him: “Get up Peter, kill and eat!”

Peter replied: “Surely not, Lord. I have never eaten anything unclean or impure.” The prospect of eating unclean food was against his religion. It was a horrifying thought for Peter. But then, he hears the voice a second time: “Do not call anything unclean, what God has purified.” This happened three times and then the sheet was taken back to heaven.

While Peter was still thinking about the meaning of this vision, he hears a knock on the door. He finds two men standing there. They had come to invite him to the house of Cornelius. Now, you have to remember that Cornelius was a gentile and Jews and gentiles are not supposed to mix and mingle. Peter was a bit confused, but went with them anyway.

When he arrived, Peter said to Cornelius: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or to visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. That is why I have come in response to your invitation without raising any objections.”

And then Peter said these words to the people gathered in the house: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism. But accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

God shows no partiality. God does not love one nation more than another. God does not love one group of people over another; God does not favor one religion over another religion. God is not a partisan. He wants all his children to be united, beyond borders, beyond nationalism beyond religions.

If you want to be a Godly people, you need to think and act like God. You cannot claim to be a Godly person and be prejudiced and discriminating towards any group of people, be they from other countries or other religions or have different pigmentation or sexual orientation.

That is what Peter, the first disciple realized; that is what, we as today’s disciples need to realize. It is a difficult lesson to learn. We will learn that lesson only if we transform our lives through Christ-consciousness. Remember, the tag line of our church is “ Transforming lives through Christ-consciousness.” Our narrow, selfish human consciousness will not change our attitudes. It will not allay our anxieties or remove our fears.

All us have different identities. I can think of 8 deterrent identities for myself: I am a husband, a parent, an Indian citizen, an American citizen, a hospice chaplain, a minister, a Christian, and a disciple. (Now you may wonder isn’t “Christian” and “disciple” the same? Not always. You can be a good Christian and a bad disciple at the same time. I won’t go into that now, because that is a whole new sermon)

So, I am this one individual with 8 different identities. Each one of them involve differing loyalties and allegiances. Some more than others. For example, there is very little conflict between my identity as a parent and as a husband. Similarly, my identity as a hospice chaplain and minster are very compatible.

But during crisis situations like the events of 9/11, or terrorist attack in Orlando, or a heated election season like we are having now, we may feel conflicted about our national identity and our religious identity. Your loyalties may be questioned. Your allegiances may be challenged. Your faith may be tested.

What is your primary identity? Are you an American first and a Disciple second?

Let me answer that question by using the story of Abraham, who is the called the “Father of Faith.” It is a long story that spans a total of 9 chapters in the book of Genesis (12–21). Please read it: It is a fascinating story of fear and courage, despair and hope, struggle and surrender, the possible and the impossible, of losing and finding, and ultimate transformation of his identity. Let me summarize it.

First of all, Abraham was not his original name. He had a different name (anyone knows?) His name was Abram which means (exalted father). “The Lord called Abram and said to him: “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” (Gen.12:1)

God has already asked him to give up 3 of his identities: His national identity, his cultural identity and his family identity. Leave your country, leave your people, leave your household!

Abram was 75 years old. He takes his wife Sara, his nephew Lot and leaves his land called Haran and is headed for Canan. It was a long journey full of dangers and risks. He had to deal with famine. He had to face enemies. There were quarrels between Abram and Lot and they had to go separate ways. But God kept on reassuring him: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (15:1)

After 24 years of grueling journey, when Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him again and said: “As for me, this is my covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram, from now on, your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” (17:4–6)

You have to remember he was 99 years old. Fatherhood at that age is impossible by human standards. Yet we know that he became the father of Issac and through him the father of the chosen people. Remember he also had to deal with God’s command to sacrifice his only son. So, on the one hand is the promise of a great nation through his progeny, but on the other hand he had to sacrifice that progeny. It made absolutely no sense. Yet, Abraham complied with God..and we know what happens when we comply with God against our human calculations. It is hard to do, but it pays off all the time.

Abraham became the “Father of Faith” through his single minded faithfulness to God. Fear and faith are related. Your fearfulness is directly proportionate to your faithfulness. The more faith you have, the less fearful you are and, vice-avers. To remain faithful to God, Abraham had to leave behind several identities behind: his national, cultural, and family identities, and finally he had to even give up his name. He relinquished his identity as Abram to become Abraham.

How many identities do you have? If you had to give up all your identities and choose just one, what would that be?

Would you choose “Disciple” as your primary identity? It is a difficult question to answer, but we must honestly answer that, especially in trying times like these.

If you dare to assume “Disciple” as your primary identity, then you may have to rethink your view on people of other religions like Islam, and other countries like Mexico. Do I support banning Muslims from entering this country and building a wall to keep the Mexicans out? You may have to re-examine your views on guns. “What is more important to me — the 10 commandments or the second amendment? The Bible or the Constitution?” These are not easy questions.

But who said discipleship is easy? Listen to Jesus telling his followers. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”(Luke 9:23–25)

Jesus is asking you to deny your identity, your own very self, the self that you may be jealously safe-guarding. He is asking us to shed our personal ignorance and national arrogance. He is asking us to leave behind our national loyalties and worldly allegiances and make discipleship our priority.

Do you know what is the pay-off for doing that? It is huge. It is something we should all want.

Let us see what was the pay-off for Abraham for giving up so much, including his name. God said: “I will make you a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great; you will be a blessing..I will bless those who bless you..and all people on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen12:2–3)

God stretched his name from Abram to Abraham. He expanded his name from Abram which meant, “exalted father” to Abraham which meant “father of nations.”

If you really want to be a Godly people, and true disciples, you have to be willing to undergo some “stretching and expanding” — stretching your mind to include all people in your circle of concern and expanding your heart to embrace them with love.

All “stretching” causes pain at first, but is rewarding at the end.

If you really want to be blessed by God and be a blessing to others, choose “Disciple” as your default identity. Make sure that your thinking, feeling and acting are sifted through the spiritual sieve of “Christ-consciousness.”

Any other way of living will be compromising your Christianity, diluting your discipleship and faking your faith.

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