St. Patrick Presbyterian Church, Epc

So the waiting, the longing, and build up is almost over. This Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Advent and it just so happens it is on the eve of the Great Feast of the Nativity in which we celebrate the incarnation of God. There are some things in life I can’t get to the bottom of, fathom, or wrap my brain around and we have arrived at one of them again during this season of Advent. Every time I start to write about God coming into the world and taking our flesh I feel like I have run out of words, metaphors, and stories to “get at it” in all its fullness, wonder, and glory. It is truly one of those things that “passes understanding.” So that which my brain can’t fully take in and describe in words—my heart sort of grasps in awe and wonder.We are at the time of year of which T. S. Eliot says,“Signs are taken for wonders. ‘We would see a sign!’The word within a word, unable to speak a word,Swaddled with darkness. In the juvescence of the yearCame Christ the tiger” (Gerontion)We will ponder Revelation 12 in wo

I opened my Twitter account on Monday to discover a popular sentiment, the spirit of which you may well recognize. It read, “Merry season of holidays to you and those with whom you identify and celebrate with in the way in which you’ve grown accustomed to based on your upbringing and personal convictions whether they be religiously based or secular.” While I could not have written a tweet like that without it being taken as a mean-spirited parody, I believe the author would stand by the message. This is a woman who is honestly searching, grasping, for language that can acknowledge something wonderful humans share (the seasonal celebratory impulse) while maintaining her commitment to a diversity of meanings (Postmodernism). She’s saying, “What’s fundamentally important to me is that I want everyone to feel like what they are doing is special and good.” Hers is the tweet version of basically every child’s holiday special out this season (trust me, I’ve seen them all). Each lighthearted cartoon short is carefull

What does real peace look like? It is a profound question and one that we talk about during Advent. I think what most people mean when they talk about peace is a sort of subjective peace, you know, “that peaceful easy feeling.” A sort of calm in the midst of the storm. That is a good thing and most of us crave that—especially during Advent when the pressure is on to throw parties, buy presents in the midst of traffic jams, or to deal with armies of family who maybe come along only a couple of times a year. But that kind of peace comes and goes, doesn’t it? It is here one minute and gone the next, especially if you have children or are in traffic.But the Bible imagines something deeper and more lasting and not just an individualistic kind of thing. The main way the Bible talks about peace is in an objective sense—peace with God. The whole story of the Bible is that the world is not the way it is supposed to be. Because of sin, people are not at peace at all and, in fact, the message of the Bible is that becaus

We begin Advent this Sunday. I am excited about talking about Advent through the book of Revelation. We are calling this series Advent Apocalypse. I know many people approach the book of Revelation with fear and trembling because it is, well, bizarre! But what brings Revelation down to earth is that it is a letter to a bunch of churches that are losing their way because the circumstances of the world are not going the way they thought they should. Sound familiar? So, in a real sense, John the author is first and foremost a pastor, and Revelation is a letter to help shepherd his people through the sin-soaked landscape of dragons, beasts, and things that can really hurt you––and hurt you bad.This week John peels back the veil and we see into heaven, and we see God’s perspective on how things are going in the universe. Along the way, we see truth God can and will use to electrify his people who are losing heart. I know for me personally, having lived in Revelation, marinated in Revelation, and having just been c

I suppose it is fitting to end the church calendar year with Christ the King Sunday. I mean, after the year we have had it is fitting that the church father’s set aside Sunday to knock us in the head and remind us that the kings that reign over super power nations are accounted by nothing by the King of all Kings. I don’t know about you but I am glad that the final word in history is not written by the rulers around us!This Sunday we are starting to think about Advent as we think about Jesus as our King. We are going to be looking at the book of Revelation for the next month! Yes, you heard me, Revelation. Most of us are afraid of Revelation except to note that it is the last chapter of the great story of God and as we peek ahead in our fears and anxieties we are comforted to know that God and his people win in the end.Another thought has occurred to me lately as I have studied in this bizarre world of slaughtered lambs, dragons, thrones, and beasts; this book has strangely pastored my soul well. Yes, this bo

Thank you.It’s not hard to feel grateful right now. We’ve received a third of our Setting the Table pledges back already and our project is 40% funded. This means that, provided we have full congregational participation, we should be able to move forward as planned to make room for both the current and anticipated growth of our family here at St. Patrick. Your generosity is such a faithful witness to God’s own self-sacrifice for us, setting a table for those who are far away.I’m deeply grateful looking over the past year to see how graciously you’ve welcomed my family and the Weirs into your tribe and on your staff, not to mention 60 new church members, as well as all our homemade disciples (my community group alone has seen three new babies this semester!). In years past when Jim and the leadership cast vision for Future Thriving, this is what they were dreaming of: our present. I’m thankful to be here.But we’re not always enjoying a season like this, and we certianly have no reason to feel entitled to such

We are at the conclusion of our “Setting the Table Generosity Initiative”. For several weeks, Josh and I have cast the vision as to why we believe that God is calling us to enlarge our building space so we can “make room” for more people at the table. I have often asked myself, “Is this the right time?” “Couldn’t we better spend the money on something else?” “Why not use the money and plant more churches?” These are all questions I have pondered. I don’t take it lightly to ask people to sacrifice creature comforts, or put off large purchases, so they can invest in what God is doing at St. Patrick.I had those same questions four years ago when I asked a much smaller congregation of St. Patrick folk to give a lot more money per capita than we are asking for now. Was it worth it then? Was it wise a few years ago to raise money for the present facility we are in? Well, you be the judge. We have almost doubled the number of people we minister to on a weekly basis. We give twice as much money to church planting as

The Bible uses a lot of different metaphors to describe the people of God as they relate to God and to each other. Jesus said the church related to him like a vine to a branch. Which suggests that we are deeply connected to him and apart from him there is no life. It is a powerful picture of how we abide in him. The people of God are also likened to a holy temple and together we form a place where God dwells in and through us. Another image is that we are a “holy people,” that is, we are like a commonwealth with God as our king.All those metaphors move my soul and suggest something of privileges and responsibilities we have as being part of the people of God. However, the one that moves my soul when I am very, very low and also very, very joyful is that God calls us his family. “We are members of his household.” But also the astonishing truth that we have been adopted into God’s family. I mean, it is one thing to be forgiven for your sins, and it is perhaps a greater blessing for God to say not only do I pard

I think one of the things my wife, Allison, does best – and she’s multi-talented for sure – is to set a beautiful table. Whenever we host people in our home, she will transform our biggest room into a majestic banquet hall with one long table in the center, featuring all kinds of crystal and silver and pewter, complete with seasonal accents and vibrant, overflowing centerpieces. Care will be taken to ensure everyone’s place is well thought out, that the menu accommodates everyone’s needs, and that the mood and lighting are cozy. My job is generally to set up the table and chairs and then get myself and the kids out of the way for a while as she casts her spell, transforming our humble toy-encrusted domicile into this otherworldly temple, where the lines between the temporal and eternal seem to waver just a bit.Jim says all the time that the family dinner table is the most formative place to the human soul. The manners and social cues we pick up there have profound effects on our everyday interactions with the

This Sunday we will be talking about money, buildings, and generosity. We start a four week conversation about our vision and values, and how these are fleshed out by brick and mortar. The way we are going to talk about money and the buildings we need will be in the context of our values. There is no reason whatsoever to build and to ask people to make huge sacrifices and investments if it is not to fulfill the family values of St. Patrick. So we will talk about grace, family, feasting, and making heaven local. It ought to be fun.The place we always start is grace. Grace is everything! We are the people of grace, we are saved by grace, we serve God out of grace, and everything we have is because of the grace of God. When you look at the cross and the whole context of what God was doing in the death and resurrection of his son Jesus—you are talking about a God who is not just generous but the most generous! This Sunday we are going to look at how a group of people called the Macedonias pondered the cross and G

You know what’s not my favorite part of a movie? The credits. Studios will sometimes put effort into getting people to stick around for them by interspersing bloopers, running bonus footage, featuring a great pop song, or even placing trailers of coming attractions afterward. But mostly they just run them as quickly as possible across a black background; fulfilling their legal obligations while embracing the fact that no one cares that it took hundreds of highly skilled craftsmen working thousands of hours to make this magic happen. Viewers may pause to acknowledge the handful of star-power names at the top, usually A-list actors and directors, then resume kicking their empty popcorn buckets down the aisle and out the exit before the “best boy grip” has his time to shine.I used to have a similar contempt for lists of names in the Bible, too. I’m pretty sure I grew up thinking the genealogy in Matthew was just in there to ensure the Christmas Eve service wasn’t too much fun. Then my friend Jason decided to do

The debate has always raged in the Christian community about what our involvement in the world should look like. Some seem to think the world a dangerous place and our best hope of survival is to retreat from it, keep our children safe, and wait for the new heavens and new earth. Others seem to think we should charge recklessly into the world, and become like the world in order to save it. Thus, some of us are more eager to shelter our children and others more eager to expose them to the world. Even in a healthy church family opinions differ. My wife and I have forever had discussions about equipping our children for life in the world and we have often disagreed about what that looked like and at what age we turned them loose.The world and the culture we live in is a dangerous place, not because it looks so bad, but because it looks so good. Sin always looks attractive and, by most accounts, offers short term pleasures. What advertisers don’t show you is the long term consequences. Sex sells, so lets get all

Christianity has often been said to be “subversive.” I take it what we mean by that is that the gospel will, when lived out in a robust manner in a particular place, tend with God’s help to undermine the established cultural order. The genius of Christianity is in fact that this is the way God works. The frontal assault is not usually the way God works. He did with the Apostle Paul, but then again most of us are not in that league. Usually God’s way is slow and indirect, planting a seed that might not germinate for a long, long time.I think about this a lot. I want to see the gospel change things sooner rather than later. I have reminded God a lot this week that it actually looks to the human and untrained eye that we are losing the culture wars and people in general are increasingly finding it hard to believe in the divine, let alone Jesus and the cross. And then God reminds me of mustard seeds and parables and farming and feasting. God obviously doesn’t have my time table. His method is not usually direct b

Last week, a new barista at Starbucks asked me what I do, and before I could think, I heard myself say, “I’ve been set apart as a conspirator for human thriving.” This is why I typically preach from a manuscript: I never know what’s about to come out of my mouth. It’s true, though - I really do think of my vocation like that. Words like “pastor” and “preacher” seem to obscure rather than illuminate what it is I actually do. At this time in history, there are too many connotations and so much baggage to go along with words like that, and none of it matches. I might as well say I’m an ecclesial engineer for all the clarity it would provide.This weekend, after a year of preparation and written examinations, I will stand before an assembly of Evangelical Presbyterian elders at one of our Central South Presbytery’s seasonal meetings. There, they will publicly examine me on my knowledge and views according to Scripture and the Reformed tradition.  If they are satisfied (Lord, let them be satisfied!), then they will

Paul says we ought to be “heavenly minded.” I confess that I don’t like that language. I suppose it is because so many people accuse Christians of being “so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.” I get that. I see that. I am ticked about those kinds of people too. I know Jesus is as well. It is easy to just make Christianity an ethereal thing that doesn’t relate to this world in any shape, form, or fashion.However, I think what Paul is trying to say about being heavenly minded is that the more heavenly minded we are the more rooted we will be in a robust life on earth. Paul would say that the more “awed to heaven we are” it will come out as being radically concerned about the here and now in the places we live a common and ordinary life.So, on Sunday we will look at how the more we ponder the heavenly rule and reign of Jesus, the more we will be able to do as Paul says later, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through hi

In the South when you get really ticked and you just lay into someone tooth and claw, you might describe that as “losing your religion.” It is a statement that means you have lost all civility, grace, and decorum—you are in a bad place and out of control. R.E.M made that popular and the writer was learning a new instrument when he come up with the lyrics. The same might be written by me when I am learning a new shot in golf.While losing one’s religion is typically not a good thing, this Sunday we will be talking about ‘losing your religion’ as a good thing! In fact, in the South the best thing that can happen to most people is to lose their religion. It might just be that religion is keeping more people from Christ than irreligious activity is! Jesus actually hated religion! Most of what Jesus had to say in the gospels is not setting up a contrast between true faith and irreligion, but true faith and religion. He said to the religious leaders, “You have heard it said, but I say…” So I hope to see you Sunday a

I keep thinking about those who will grieve the devastation that unveils as their sense of shock recedes with historic floodwaters this week. I’m not so taken with the colossal damage to the infrastructure of a major city, although that too is of significant concern, but with the everyday people who will have to face the irredeemable remains of their once meaningful work. A flower garden planted with delightful botanic wisdom and fanciful aesthetic hope, now undone by an unthinking, unfeeling force of nature. A backyard fort ingeniously, painstakingly assembled over the summer now disheveled, its pieces carried and strewn about the neighborhood by a meteorological bully. A decent home that once represented years in equity earned in an otherwise entirely unsatisfying job now robbed of its value, utterly uninsured.I keep wondering what that old Biblical character Lamech was thinking when he named his son Noah, (which means “rest”), saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us rel

In the movie, “The Lion King” we have the story of a young lion named Simba who, by lion standards, is not exactly living well as he grows into an older lion. He was, in time, to succeed his father Mufasa as the king of the Pride lands. As a cub he lost his father, his homeland, and his identity. It was stolen by his uncle Scar who murdered his father. Shame overcomes Simba as he thinks he is responsible for his father’s death and flees into exile. He finds, or thinks he finds, his identity (who he is and his purpose) in the company of two rascals—a meerkat and a warthog. Essentially, they become his parents and teach them a philosophy of life.Meanwhile, because Simba has been held captive by a “no worries, no responsibilities” lifestyle, his homeland is being destroyed. He only learns this because a hungry lioness almost eats his best friends but from her he learns where he came from and what is happening to his home. Nala, this young lioness, insists that he come home and do something. He refuses to leave b

“I saw, early in the morning, the sun diminish against a backdrop of sky. I saw a circular piece of that sky appear, suddenly detached, blackened, and backlighted; from nowhere it came and overlapped the sun. It did not look like the moon. It was enormous and black. If I had not read that it was the moon, I could have seen the sight a hundred times and never thought of the moon once. (If, however, I had not read that it was the moon—if, like most of the world’s people throughout time, I had simply glanced up and seen this thing—then I doubtless would not have speculated much, but would have, like Emperor Louis of Bavaria in 840, simply died of fright on the spot.) It did not look like a dragon, although it looked more like a dragon than the moon. It looked like a lens cover, or the lid of a pot. It materialized out of thin air—black, and flat, and sliding, outlined in flame.” – Annie Dillard, “Total Solar Eclipse”My wife has a way, like the ancient magi, of knowing when certain celestial events will occur and

It is exciting because we are talking about one of the most important passages in the Bible, Colossians 1:15-23. It is important because it is a poem about Jesus—Jesus as the true King of the universe. Christianity sort of rises or falls on this sort of passage. This passage leaves no doubt that Jesus is not just a good man who was done wrong, a prophet who found a bad end, or a would-be Messiah who was killed. No, this passage portrays Jesus as the one to whom all creation owes allegiance because of his Deity and also because of his death on the cross for sin.To say Jesus is the true king has staggering implications for us today just as it did for the community who first heard these words. These words about who Jesus was took such hold in the imagination of this church and many like it, that slowly those who came under Jesus’ kingship subverted the throne that dominated their lives—Rome! This Sunday we are looking at Jesus’ rule and reign and then, for the rest of the book, we will look at how this works ou