What is Your Why?, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski.

What is Your Why?, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski. Series: What Makes A Good Life? A Spacious Christianity, First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon.

About the Series, What Makes A Good Life?: We spend our lives pursuing what we perceive to be 'the good life'. We pursue the things we believe will make us happy, bring us joy, make us fulfilled. What do you believe makes for a good life? This worship series will invite us to consider what makes for a good life through the lens of faith.

Join us each Sunday, 10AM at bendfp.org, or 11AM KTVZ-CW Channel 612/12 in Bend.  Subscribe/Follow, and click the bell for alerts.

At First Presbyterian, you will meet people at many different places theologically and spiritually. And we love it that way. We want to be a place where our diversity brings us together and where conversation takes us all deeper in our understanding of God.

We call this kind of faith “Spacious Christianity.” We don’t ask anyone to sign creeds or statements of belief. The life of faith is about a way of being in the world and a faith that shows itself in love.

Thank you for your support of the mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Bend. Visit https://bendfp.org/giving/ for more information.

Keywords:

church, jesus, homeless, smell, hungry, love, serve, father, life, law school, cared, place, good news, began, daughter, people, haiti, margins, resurrection, woman, presbyterian, church, online worship, bend, oregon

Featuring:

Rev. Dr. Steven Koski, Rev. Kally Elliott, Tyler McQuilkin, Becca Ellis, Brave of Heart, Guests

Transcript

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Welcome to worship at First Presbyterian. We at first, Presbyterian practice a spacious Christianity, which means no matter where you are in your faith journey, you belong and there is space for you at the table. There is space for your doubts and questions. We believe doubts and questions are a gift that invite us into deeper conversations and a more authentic faith. We believe diversity is a strength every story is sacred and everybody matters. We do our best to live the spacious and radical love of Jesus so that all might have a chance to flourish in this world. We are so glad to connect with you in this way. We would also love to worship with you in person if you're ever in the neighborhood on Sunday mornings at 830 or 10am and never hesitate to reach out to us to learn more about us or how we might support you. I hope you enjoy this worship service welcome a prayer for who you might become by Kate bowler? God I'm haunted by the shadows of the old me the one who's tried every promised elixir every five step plan every guru solution to what ails me. Nothing seems to stick. I'm the same me with the same problems and the same quiet hopes. Is it my lack of discipline? Or am I just a lost cause? What new beginnings are possible? Blessings? Are we the incomplete standing at the edge of what could be in this perpetual season of waiting and looking and longing for the fulfillment of hope? Bless it, are we the restless, grieving what's over? But isn't done. What is gone? But isn't finished? Lesson are we in our midnight struggle with past and future? While the President has already arrived outside our door like flat packed furniture with missing parts? God what can we do with what we have now? And who we are and who we might become? Blessings are we in the place where desire and will are beginning a conversation about what this day this moment is for? And for whose glory bless it are we who suddenly find that while we weren't looking, the Lord appeared, saying peace. Be still. This is the clearing where the light shines through where the new can begin. Never doubt it. God is writing you into the story of the world's healing and your own. Oh God, hear us as we pray as your son taught, saying Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever Amen. We Willimon was a chaplain at Duke University and one day he got a phone call from from an irate father. He was underage because his his law school bound daughter and Duke student informed her parents that no she's not going to law school. And she's going to in the words of her father, throw it all away and go do mission work for two years with Presbyterians in Haiti, caring for orphans. This is absurd shout to the Father. She's top of her class accepted to the best law school in the country. And she's going to be foolish and change diapers and Haiti instead. Will admitted her enough. And he said, No, look, sir. Weren't you the one who had her baptized? Didn't you take her to Sunday school, encourage your confirmation? support her going with her youth group on a mission trip? It's actually your fault. She believes all that stuff. About being a child of God. It it's your fault. She wants to follow Jesus. You know, follow the one who said the best way to find your life is to be willing to give yourself away in love. It's your fault that in your words, she's throwing it all away on Jesus. Because you're the one who introduced you to Jesus. It's not my fault. Your daughter has taken her taken this invitation to follow him so seriously. And there was a long pause. And the father said but all I ever wanted her to do and be was a Presbyterian. Ouch. And Willem and said, you know, sorry. You messed up and nurtured your daughter into becoming a follower of Jesus, a world changer whose life is centered in love. Soren Kierkegaard once said, you know lots of people believe in worship, praise, sing about and admire Jesus. But very few of us accept his invitation to follow him. It's it's a whole lot easier to believe in Jesus than to follow Jesus. You know, I personally, I personally think God has all kinds of grace for us. When we get the theology wrong if we get the believing part wrong. I think it breaks God's heart. When we get the loving other people seeking justice, choosing mercy part of living raw. Now, in the words of Wendell Berry, our job is to practice resurrection, creating a ruckus for good. Our lives are intended to be evidence of the good news that love wins. How is your life? Good news for those around you? How is your life good news? For those who are struggling, how is your life good news for the poor in the hurting? How is your life? Good news. For those who have given up hope. St. Francis said preach the good news at all times. And use words only if necessary. In his book, change the world make slaughter road. True Church Growth is not about how many people attend worship each weekend. The true greatness of any local church is measured by how many people serve the marginalized. You know, I need to say that I'm humbled and and really in awe of how many people at First Presbyterian are focused on serving the needs of others, right here in Central Oregon, and in places like Guatemala and Burundi. Like slaughter rites. Jesus had a church of only 120 members, not by most church growth standards, this this membership would be deemed an utter failure. But Jesus used a very different measure. The followers of Jesus understood that that the mission was not to get the world into the church. But to get the church into the world. You know, our greatest fear should not be that that people leave our church. Our greatest fear is that they stay in our churches unchanged. and unwilling to give themselves away in love. We don't leave our comfort zones and go out to the margins to make a difference, as if somehow we are superior or a savior. We don't go where there is need to make a difference. We go where there is need, so that we will be different. We go to the margins and practice resurrection, bringing life where there is death, hope, where there is despair. Because where there is need is where we will find Jesus. Jesus makes this I have to confess he makes this uncomfortably clear in Matthew 25 When he says I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. I needed clothes, and you clothed me I was I was sick. And you looked after me. I was in prison, and he did not leave me alone. And he was asked when did we see you hungry and feed you thirsty and, and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and, and invite you in? Or even close and close you? When did we see you sick or in prison and cared for you. And Jesus said Truly, truly I tell you, whatever you did, for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine. You did for me. In my previous church I served in Chicago, we would go to the south side of Chicago once a month, bringing a meal to serve the hungry and the homeless. The feeding program we supported what was led by a woman by the name of Mary Glover. Now Mary herself had been homeless and and she knows what it is to be hungry. And she always always prays with those who show up as volunteers be before the doors open. And trust me this woman, this woman pray like someone who personally knows the one to whom she's talking with a long, long line of hungry, needy, cold people waiting outside in all kinds of weather. At first we would hold hands before serving. And Mary would always lead us in prayer. And Mary would always pray the same thing. Jesus, Jesus, we know you'll be coming through the line today. Because we know you're hungry. So Jesus, help us to see you today. And when we see you, help us to treat you well. And with the dignity you deserve. Now that's what it means. The practice resurrection. One of my all time favorite, absolute favorite stories is told by Father Greg Boyle, who's the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program in the world. And Father Boyle tells the story of a church he served that that opened their doors to allow homeless immigrants and undocumented workers to to sleep in the church at night. You know, I'm really grateful that we at First Presbyterian opened our doors as an emergency relief shelter when needed. Here's how Father Boyle tells his story. Once the homeless and unknown undocumented workers began to sleep in the church at night, there was always the faintest evidence left in the church that they had been there. Come Sunday morning, we we flew through the place as best we could we'd, we'd spray for breeze everywhere. And we'd strategically place popery and an air wick all around the church. To combat the lingering, pervasive reminder that nearly 100 homeless man had spent the night sleeping in the pews. But still try as we might. The smell remained The grumbling began, people began to spoke of withdrawing their money and churching elsewhere. One man came to talk to me he, he wax nostalgic about the past, having been baptized confirmed in that church, how he had paid for the new carpet. That he takes in the scene all around him. Gang members gathered by the Bell Tower, homeless men and women were being fed in great numbers in the parking lot. Folks were arriving for the AAA and NA meetings in English as a Second Language classes. It really looked like a who's who of everybody who society thinks is a nobody. gang members, drug addicts, the homeless prostitutes, the undocumented. The man looks around and he sees all of this and he and he shakes his head disgusted and says, you know that this, this used to be a beautiful church. A holy place. I responded, you know, some people think it's finally a church and the holiest place. They know. More and more people expressed unhappiness with what was going on. So I decided to address it in a sermon on Sunday. I began I began my sermon. What's that smell? What's the church smell like? People are mortified by context sees people, people pretend to read their bulletins. So I ask again. What's the church smell like? After a pause, smells like feet. Don Raphael yells out he was he was really old and never cared about what people thought. Excellent, I said. But why? Why does the church smell like feet? Because a lot of homeless men slept here last night as a woman. Well, why in the world? Would we let them sleep here in this beautiful, holy place? It's what we're committed to do. It's what Jesus would do says another. Well, that I said, What's the church smell like now? A man stands up and shouts. It smells like commitment. And the place cheers. And Guadalupe, Guadeloupe. He waves their arms wildly for quiet. No, no, she says. It smells like roses. The pack church roars with laughter. And Don Raphael. He yells out again. Smells like Jesus. Smells like love. Friends Imagine. Imagine if we began each day with that prayer of Mary Glover to in a minute. Jesus. Jesus, we know if our eyes are open. We know that that if we're willing to leave our comfortable places and open our hearts to wherever there is need. We're going to meet you today Jesus. We're gonna meet you in unexpected ways in unexpected places, and unexpected people. Help us to see you and welcome you. Help us to treat you well. And with the dignity you deserve. May our life be good news? Friends preach the good news that love wins us words only if necessary. May it be so friends remember we don't leave our comfort zones and go where there's a need to make a difference. We go where there is a need to practice resurrection. Bringing life whether it's death bringing hope, where there is despair, so that we will be different. We go where there is need because that's where we will find Jesus. Go into peace of Christ. May your life be good news. May your love bring peace to others. Thank you so much for joining us and we hope you enjoyed this worship service. If you would like to make a donation helping make these broadcasts possible or support the many ways First Presbyterian seeks to serve our community. You can make a financial gift online at bend F p.org. Every week we hear from someone thanking us for the gift of these broadcasts and what a difference they make. Your support makes that possible. Our church is committed to reach beyond our walls bringing hope where there is despair and love where it is needed the most. Your generous support helps us to be generous and love. Go to our website bend F p.org and click on the link give online. Your support is really appreciated and makes a difference in people's lives. Thanks again. I hope to see you next week.