The Right Kind of Trouble, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski.

The Right Kind of Trouble, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski. Series: Holy Troublemakers A Spacious Christianity, First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon. Scripture: James 2.15-17.

Curious about making a difference and living with purpose? Join us this Sunday as we explore what it means to be a “holy troublemaker” – someone who shakes things up for good. We’ll dive into stories of courage, love, and unexpected hope. In-person or online – you are welcome.

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.

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Keywords:

Faith, love, justice, action, extraordinary generosity, poverty, despair, holy troublemakers, civil rights, John Lewis, racial injustice, public service, forgiveness, courage, community., presbyterian, church, online worship, bend, Oregon

Featuring:

Rev. Dr. Steven Koski, Rev. Sharon Edwards, Becca Ellis, Brave of Heart, Guests

Transcript

Whitney Higdon: 0:00

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.

Unknown: 4:53

Our prayer this morning uses some words from John Lewis. He is a holy troublemaker that you. Be hearing about in the sermon today. Let us pray holy one, remind us again we are light. Prevent us from allowing any person or any force to dampen, dim or diminish your light in us, encourage us to study the path of wise ones, so our way may be more smooth and more abundant. Teach us to lean toward the whispers of our own hearts the wisdom your spirit places within us help us to discover her universal truth and follow its dictates. Release our need to hate, to harbor division and the enticement of revenge, release all bitterness. Empower us to hold only love, only peace, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Enable us to choose confrontation wisely, but when it is our time, may we not be afraid to stand up, speak up and speak out against injustice, and as we follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, may We shine like a beacon for all to see. Remind us the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers and faithful ones is ours to manifest in a community, a nation, a world, may we labor for and bring to fruition a beloved community that is finally at peace with itself and together, we say, Amen.

Steven: 7:13

The Book of James, one of the later letters in the New Testament, offers these words, suppose a brother or sister is without clothing and daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs. I mean, what good is that? In the same way, faith by itself, if it's not expressed in love, justice, action is dead. One of my favorite novels is called plain song by kentarouf. It's really a simple story about ordinary people who, on occasions, show they're capable of extending extraordinary generosity to one another, extraordinary grace. Now, Victoria is a 17 year old who has been kicked out of her home because she's pregnant. I mean, caught in this, this cycle of poverty and despair. Now, Maggie is a school teacher, and she's taken Victoria in but Maggie's caring for her father, who has has dementia, and the situation has become impossible. Now, one day, Maggie drives 17 miles south of town to the ranch of two elderly brothers, bachelors, Raymond and Harold mcpheron. Now the brothers were out feeding cattle in the winter pasture, and they were returning to the house, and Maggie was waiting for them. You're going to freeze yourself standing there. Harold said, You begged it better get out of the wind. Are you lost? Probably. Meggie laughed, and the three of them entered the modest bachelor farmhouse with stacks of magazines and greasy pieces of farm machinery on all of the furniture. I am here to ask you a favor. Maggie said to the brothers, there's a girl I know who really needs help. I mean, she's really a good girl, but she's she's gotten into some trouble, and I think you might be able to help her. She need money. Harold asked, no, she needs a lot more than that. She's 17, four months pregnant and all alone. She has nobody. Well, Harold said, I reckon, I reckon that's trouble. You say you don't want money. What do you want? Maggie sipped her coffee, looked at the two old brothers in. I want something impossible. I want you to think about taking this girl in, letting her live with you, caring for her. The brothers just stared at her as if she might be dangerous. I know it sounds crazy. Maggie said, I suppose it is crazy, but this girl, she really needs somebody. And she smiled at them, and she said, and you old Coots, you need somebody too, somebody or something besides an old red cow to worry about. Look at you both. You're going to die someday without having enough trouble in your life, not the right kind of trouble anyway. This is your chance. I absolutely, I really, I really love that line. You're going to die someday without ever having enough trouble in your life, the right kind of trouble. This is your chance. Tell me, do you have enough trouble in your life, the right kind of trouble. Having the right kind of trouble is actually really good for your soul. You know, I was taught growing up that being a good Christian meant believing the right things, behaving yourself, following the rules, staying out of trouble. Little did I know that following in the way of Jesus, taking your faith seriously always, always invites trouble, necessary trouble, good trouble, the right kind of trouble. I mean, Jesus was a troublemaker, breaking the rules, hanging out with the wrong people, making religious authorities angry, challenging preconceived ideas, standing up for those society rejected. Loving, so fiercely, loving, so inclusively, that Jesus would make people feel uncomfortable. Our new worship series over the next several weeks is called holy troublemakers. This is actually the title of a book written by Deneen Akers that she wrote for middle school kids. She told stories of holy troublemakers to inspire young people to think about maybe how they too, might change the world, recognizing the people who change the world are holy troublemakers, people who are willing to willing to shake things up, step out of their comfort zones, disturb the status quo, especially when the status quo is harming people. So as we ask ourselves, what is the work of love that is ours to do in this moment of history. What kind of holy trouble are we called to risk getting into? We're going to reflect on on the lives of some holy troublemakers over the next few weeks, hoping that it might, might inspire us, give us guidance. Today, I want to highlight the son of an Alabama sharecropper who became a six term United States Congressman, John Lewis. John Lewis had a favorite Bible verse. It guided his life. I shared it earlier from James. Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes, without daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, keep warm, well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs. What good is that kind of faith? In the same way faith by itself, if it's not expressed in love, if it's not expressed in justice action, that kind of faith is dead now, John Lewis was at the the epicenter of of the civil rights movement. He channeled his his outrage over racial injustice into a lifetime of humble public service in. John Lewis never backed out. He refused to rest until the dignity and worth of every human being was recognized. He said that if the beloved community that God intends for us is ever to be realized, we must find a way to get in the way and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. John Lewis was arrested more than 40 times, severely beaten on several occasions, including having his skull fractured by police batons when he led that famous march for freedom across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. You might remember that George Wallace was, was the governor of Alabama at the time, and George George Wallace spewed the kind of hatred and and racism that led to Lewis and many others being beat treated as if they were less than human. Toward the end of George Wallace's life, he actually sought the forgiveness of John Lewis. And Lewis said, If I refuse to forgive him, and if I chose to hate I would become the monster I have devoted my entire life to overcoming. Lewis believed that to follow in the way of Jesus was to be a holy troublemaker. Was to be willing to get in the way, to be willing to get into trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble. To be willing to stand up for the humanity of others without ever losing your own humanity? You know, I really believe that's the spiritual challenge of our day right now, to not allow our outrage to become hate, to stay to stay grounded in love, so that we don't become a reflection of the hate we're trying to disrupt. Here's how John Lewis put it, do not get lost in a sea of despair. Do not become bitter or hostile. Be hopeful. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. We will find a way to make a way out of no way. Here's what Barack Obama said at John Lewis's funeral. He said John's life was exceptional, but he never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country might do and should do. John Lewis believed that in all of us, in every single one of us, there exists the capacity for great courage. There exists a longing to do what's right, a willingness to love all people and to extend to them their God given rights to dignity and respect. John Lewis saw the best in all of us. He taught us that real courage comes not from turning on each other, but turning towards each other, not by sowing hatred and division, but by spreading love and truth, not by avoiding our responsibilities To create a better America, a better world, but by embracing those responsibilities with joy and perseverance, John Lewis reminded us that to live in the beloved community that God intends for us, we do not walk alone, and we need to be willing to get in good trouble for one another. Do you remember the two brothers, Raymond and Harold after Maggie had left and the sun had set? They talked. I know what I think Harold said. What do you think we should do about the girl? We take her in? Raymond said, maybe she won't be too much trouble. Look at us. Harold said, two old men alone, a couple of old bachelors out here in the country, 17 miles from the closest town, which doesn't amount to much when you get there. Come on, we're set in our ways. How are we going to change now at this stage of life? I don't know, Raymond said, but I'm going to, I'm going to, that's what I know. You ever have a girl living with you before Harold asked, you know I ain't, Raymond said, Well, I ain't either, but let me tell you, girls different. They need things. They need things on a regular basis. They got ideas in their heads. You and me can't even imagine. And darn it, there's the baby. What do you and I know about babies, nothing, not one thing Raymond said, but I don't have to know about babies yet. We'll have time to learn. Now, you going in on this thing with me or not? Because I'm going to do it. Harold turned towards his brother, he shook his head, and he said, All right, all right. I'll agree. I shouldn't, but I will, but I'm going to tell you one thing first, you're getting darn stubborn and hard to live with, Raymond, you're my brother, but you're getting flat ornery and difficult to abide. And I'm going to say one thing more, this ain't gonna be no Sunday school picnic. No, it ain't, Raymond said, but I don't recall you ever attending Sunday school either, friends, you don't ever want to die someday without having enough trouble in your life. The right kind of trouble. This is your chance, in the words of John Lewis, a holy troublemaker. Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Do not become bitter hostile. Never be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. The life you save may be your own. May it be so Friends, You don't ever want to die someday without having enough trouble in your life, the right kind of trouble. This is your chance, in the words of John Lewis, a holy troublemaker, do not get lost in a sea of despair. Do not become bitter or hostile. Never be afraid to make some noise and get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble. Go in the peace and love of the Holy troublemaker, Jesus, and May the love and good trouble you bring into this world, bring peace to others. Amen.

Whitney Higdon: 28:17

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 podcasts possible or support the many ways, first, Presbyterian seeks to serve our community, you can make a financial gift online at bend fp.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 in love. Go to our website, bend fp.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.