Mwanafunzi

I had the opportunity to preach at Mwerongai MCK (Methodist Church Kenya) on Sunday. Here are my notes from the sermon:

22 Right then, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead to the other side of the lake while he dismissed the crowds. 23 When he sent them away, he went up onto a mountain by himself to pray. Evening came and he was alone. 24 Meanwhile, the boat, fighting a strong headwind, was being battered by the waves and was already far away from land. 25 Very early in the morning he came to his disciples, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” They were so frightened they screamed. 27 Just then Jesus spoke to them, “Be encouraged! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.” 28 Peter replied, “Lord, if it’s you, order me to come to you on the water.” 29 And Jesus said, “Come.” Then Peter got out of the boat and was walking on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when Peter saw the strong wind, he became frightened. As he began to sink, he shouted, “Lord, rescue me!" 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him, saying, “You man of weak faith! Why did you begin to have doubts?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind settled down. 33 Then those in the boat worshipped Jesus and said, “You must be God’s Son!”

                                                                                                                    ~Matthew 14:22-33

Peter is able to do what Jesus did. He is able to walk on water. What an amazing show of faith. He's doing it, he's actually walking on water. But then he notices the wind and the waves caused by the storm. He allows doubt and fear to creep in and he begins to sink. He doesn't keep his eyes (literally and figuratively) on Jesus and THAT'S when he begins to sink. Doubt and fear can be debilitating if we allow too much into our lives. e doubt as Peter did. We lose focus when doubts and fears come our way. It happens to all of us. 

When hearing the story of Peter walking on water we tend to focus on two things: 1) Peter walks on the water and 2) Peter fails when he walks he walks on water. But there's one other important aspect to focus on that makes Peter look WAY better. He's actually the only one present stepping out in faith before he begins to sink.

I learned a new word in Kenya: Mwanafunzi. Pronounced Mwa-nah (almost like Moana)-foon-zee. It's fun to say-you should try it. It means disciple. And Peter is the only Mwanafunzi that tries to do what Jesus did. Our spirituality is defined by our discipleship and Peter models that here. Now he went down in the water but while he was walking on the water in that moment he was not simply a fisherman, he WAS a disciple. 

How often might each of us not even try at being a disciple? Especially when it's tough.We shouldn't focus on Peter's failure but on the fact that Peter was stepping out in his faith. After Peter is rescued there's no mention of the disciples stepping out in faith and walking on the water. When Peter takes his eyes off Jesus, that is when he begins to sink. And Jesus admonishes Peter for his "weak faith" which I've often thought was harsh because at least he tried to walk on water. But the more I've thought about it the more I believe Jesus is showing Peter love here by telling Peter exactly what Peter needed to hear. Peter was bold but then lost sight of what was important. Yes, Jesus brings up Peter's lack of faith in this moment but the more important aspect in this moment is that Jesus rescues Peter IMMEDIATELY by lifting him up out of the rough waters. When the other disciples witness Peter being rescued they respond by worshipping Jesus and confessing that he truly is the son of God. And they had taken their eyes of Jesus as well by not taking a step out in faith.

There have been times when I have taken my eyes off Jesus and someone else, another Mwanafunzi, has lifted me up. For instance when I was struggling with doubt and self-criticism early on in the ordination process as a new pastor I got a simple message from someone I barely knew at the time telling me not to be discouraged because she wanted we around after she's gone. I hope she knows how much that meant to me (sidebar: she does now because I said it in this sermon in Kenya and she was there). And it's because of who she is as a person, as a disciple, that now she is a mentor and a mother figure in my life. 

And it's because of her that I leaped into uncharted waters and traveled here to Kenya six years ago and that I'm here again today for the fourth time. Coming to Kenya has truly helped me understand God fully on a deeper level and what it truly means to be a witness for Christ to the ends of the earth. You, the Kenyan people, truly know how to welcome us into your community and your church. On behalf of the entire team let me say that we are honored to be here and worship with you because my God do you know how to worship. You're praise of God, your singing, your dancing, and your heart and spirit led worship are truly awe inspiring.

It is clear in the scripture that Peter steps out in faith and we must do the same. When have you stepped out in faith for someone in their time of need? Even in the most troubled water we can be faithful to Christ. It won't always be easy but Christ is with you and will not abandon any one of you. When we step out as disciples-Christ is there to meet us.

It's important to remember what Peter forgot. He had doubts and took his eyes off Jesus. Throughout the storms in life if we keep our eyes focused on Jesus we will get them. Depend on other disciples to help you and help others.

Let's do what Jesus did. Jesus extended a hand to Peter so lets be like Jesus and extend a hand to others. And always remember that we love you simply because God loves you. As was mentioned in the children's Sunday School lesson this morning remember that we are made in God's image so let us love one another as God loves us. 

Bwana Asifewe

RevKev

Good Soil

4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ 11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 
                                                                                                                                    ~Luke 8:4-11

In this parable Jesus shares that the seeds that were sown represent the word of God. They represent Jesus to the world. Seeds that fall on the path are the people that hear the word but the devil steals it and they don't believe. The seeds that fall on rock are the people that receive the word of God joyfully but have no roots so when tempted they fall. The seeds that fall among thorns are the people who go about their lives and the word of God is choked out by the riches and pleasures of this world. But the seed that falls on soil are those people that hear the word of God and commit themselves to do good and they are able to bear fruit.

I remember an adult talk at one of our youth Discovery weekends about a decade ago where the adult youth leader gave a talk on this scripture. She did not want to do it but I #voluntold her she was doing it. (Sorry Suzy-I stole the word voluntold from you) I know it was a great talk because I remember parts of it all these years later. Suzy had a great relationship with all these youth and the volunteers. She's also one of the few people in my life who can tell me to do something and I actually HAVE to do it-no questions asked. Love you Suzy!! Suzy gave an impassioned talk about each of the youth being this good soil that Jesus was talking about in this parable. She looked across every corner of the worship center and told each of the youth that they were this good soil that Jesus talked about. It was very impactful. These youth hear the word of God and commit to spread the word of God and by sharing they bear good fruit. The more people that share about Jesus-the more people hear about Jesus. It's simple math, really. 

I love this excerpt from The Making of Methodism I have: "Worship is a gracious encounter between God and the church. God speaks to us, especially through scripture read and proclaimed and through symbols and sacraments. We respond, chiefly through hymns and prayers and acts of dedication. Worship is the work of the whole people of God: a congregation is not an audience or a group of spectators."

For something to grow it has to be cultivated. Whether it is in worship, in service to others, or in inviting others to church. In the church the word of God must be cultivated by the pastor AND the lay people-in fact the lay people can be more impactful in this because there are more lay people than pastors and research shows (or at least the facebook meme tells us) that people are more than ten times likely to come to church when invited by a friend than by a pastor. John Wesley understood the importance of the lay people and empowered them to lead effectively alongside the pastor. United Methodist pastors are itinerant then as they are now. But in Wesley's time it was different because pastors would travel from church to church on foot or on horseback so the church members would have to lead in the time between when a pastor would be present. 

In order for each of us to grow in our faith where we can influence and help reach others for Christ we must commit to being this good soil. It's a big part of our discipleship process. We can be taught by the pastor. Even as a pastor I am taught by other pastors and lay people alike so that I can improve as a Christ follower. It's past time that we all step up and show others that we are that good soil that Jesus talks with the disciples about: that we all hear about Jesus and we commit to doing good and sharing about Jesus.

Grace & Peace
Kevin

Nothing Else Matters

Today we visited the River Jordan, the place of Jesus’ baptism. I had the opportunity to remember my baptism thanks to Lisa being willing to go in the water with myself and Steve. 

There were a lot of people there and we were a little pressed for time before going to our next destination. We quickly put on the robes and went straight down to the river Jordan. It was busy and chaotic and we had to rush. There were people of many nationalities present to remember their baptism or be baptized. They were all disciples of Christ-as Tim so eloquently pointed it out in our devotion time. Did I mention there were a lot of people there? 

As we got into the water and Lisa said words for us to remember our baptism, everything else went away. As Steve put it at devotional tonight, in that moment nothing else matters. And it was true. We didn’t notice a small child sitting and watching at the edge of the water the whole time. We didn’t notice others taking pictures. We weren’t thinking about how we would have to rush and change and be back on the bus in ten minutes. In that moment it was simply the three of us and God. I’m not surprised that being in such a meaningful place that we were able to block everything else out.

Such an amazing experience to be in the presence of the God we serve. I know many others have had a similar experience in such a special place. 

Grace & Peace

Kevin

Magdala

Sometimes I go into something with preconceived notions and expectations of what I think is going to happen or what I’m going to experience. I try my best to not have have these expectations when I venture to places I have never been. But as I journeyed to the Holy Land I couldn’t help but look at the itinerary and see what sites we were visiting each day. I looked at the first day and got excited about visiting the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes, and the church of the fishes and loaves-which is the traditional site of the feeding of the 5000. The site on the itinerary about visiting the town of Magdala was really an afterthought when up against those other powerhouse locations from scripture. Well I should have known that it would be the most powerful because i didn’t think it would be that meaningful.     

Don’t get me wrong, all the sites were amazing but Magdala really stood out for a variety of reasons. We saw the ruins of a relatively newly discovered first century synagogue which included a rectangular stone from when the temple was standing. The chancel area in the chapel had a boat (yes-a not) that was uniquely positioned with a view of the Sea of Galilee behind it so it looked like the boat was on the water. It’s almost like it was placed that way on purpose. And the church on site was made in honor of Mary Magdalene, Old Testament women, New Testament women, and most importantly women of today. What a powerful message and representation of such a magnificent church.

My point is that sometimes we need to simply let go of our expectations and simply BE. Be in the presence of God and hear what God has to say through us through creation.

As Psalm 46:10 says: “Be still and know that I am God.” Do that and you might be surprised how God will speak to you.

Grace & Peace

What is Your Value?

Take a look at the picture of currency from different countries. They are from the United States, Kenya, New Zealand, and Fiji. Notice a couple things about them. First, the money has pictures of well known people on them such as presidents, gold medal winning rugby players, and of course-cool animals. Second, you'll notice two different looking Kenyan schillings. The 200 bill is almost out of circulation so it will have no value and is being replaced by the newer, fancier, cooler looking bill (which is shown by the 500 bill). Third, as awesome as the $7 Fiji bill is-it has no monetary value here in Texas. Likewise the Kenyan schillings have no value here. By the same token (pun intended)-the $2 bill would hold no monetary value outside of the United States. The $2 bill is worth two bucks but I value it more than someone else would because it includes a stamp on it that is the logo of a musician friend of mine. Years ago when I ordered one of his cds he sent the stamped $2 bill in the shipment as a thank you. Now the bill is my favorite bookmark. It begs the question, what is the value of money? It's all in the eye of the beholder. Here's a scripture that helps me understand value.

"Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, "Show me the denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?" They said, "The emperor's." He said to them, "Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's and to God the things that are God's" And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.    ~Luke 20:21-26

When Jesus is questioned about taxes he places value on the money but not much value on it. He recognizes something far more valuable than money. The people are trying to trick him into saying something that can get him arrested. When asked if it is lawful to pay taxes to the emperor (who was viewed as God by some) Jesus seemingly has two ways to respond. If he says yes it is lawful to pay to the emperor then he will lose credibility with his followers because as the son of God why would he be paying someone else who claims to be a God. If he says no it is not lawful then he could be arrested for going against the emperor. So naturally, Jesus cleverly comes up with a third better option. He simply asks whose face is on the coin and they respond by saying "the emperor's." Jesus then says to give the things to the emperor that are the emperor's and give to God the things that are God's. He has cleverly subverted their expectation with his answer and we all learn from it.

But what exactly does he mean when he says give to God what is God's? It's in direct opposition to giving money to the emperor. So what are we to give to God? We are to give ourselves to God. We are to give every fiber of our being to God. God doesn't want us to offer all the money and materialistic things we have, God wants us to offer ourselves and all that we are. And God values each and every person more than anything else and none of us can ever be replaced. Just my read on what Jesus is trying to say here.

Grace & Peace

Kevin

Why I'm United Methodist

I have been United Methodist since I was a child and I plan on remaining United Methodist. My experience in the United Methodist Church interacts with scripture and informs my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ. I appreciate the connectionalism of the UMC. There's a great metaphor from a book called The Lego Principle that speaks to this: 

"While LEGO bricks are so varied, they all have one purpose: to connect at the top and at the bottom....This is the LEGO principle: Connect first to God and then to one another." (The Lego Principle, page 3) 

I feel like sometimes we focus so much on connecting with God we forget to focus on connecting with others. As I said on Sunday, as a youth and college student I drifted away from attending church on a regular basis. During that time in the wilderness, I never missed an opportunity to go to summer camp at Ceta Canyon Methodist Camp. I struggled with the local church but unbeknownst to me-going to the Ceta Canyon kept me plugged in to my faith as I struggled with my own local church until a mentor invited me back. My struggle is more of a reflection on me than on the church I attended but being able to stay connected through conference camp ultimately helped keep me in the fold. I connected with other youth and other camp counselors and that helped to sustain my faith. I witnessed this as a youth director when busy schedules and excuses got in the way of youth regularly attending Sunday and Wednesday activities but they wouldn't miss a chance to go to summer camp or on a summer mission trip with youth they had met from other churches.

My reason informs me that I don't know or understand everything (as much as I might like to) and that I must witness and live out the gospel in a way that is thoughtful and respectful to everyone. I appreciate the diversity of the United Methodist Church. Not just a diversity of of race, and culture but a diversity of opinions. This diversity and difference allows for discussions with those different than ourselves. These discussions and relationships are how we learn and come to appreciate other people and other points of view. Although we are different "United Methodists as a diverse group of people continue to strive for consensus in understanding the gospel. In our diversity, we are held together by a shared inheritance and a common desire to participate in the creative and redemptive activity of God." (BOD paragraph 105) We don't have to be of one mind but can and should be of one heart and that heart is to lead everyone to follow Christ. We learn and grow when we are in conversation with those who are different than us. The church should be the model we see at the birth of the church in the book of Acts and that church is a church of diverse people.

Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God and the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor. And our neighbor is everyone. One of our foundational beliefs as United Methodists is our believe in grace. We are given grace as a gift from God-it is undeserved and unmerited. God gives us grace before we even know God and God loves us so much that God sent Jesus to die for us to atone for our sins. This grace is something we need to extend to everyone. Jesus didn't shut people out and neither should we. Jesus even gathered with his betrayer Judas knowing that Judas was responsible for his death. If we are to be like Jesus then we must show grace to everyone-even those we don't agree with.

Grace & Peace

RevKev

To the Ends of the Earth

Acts 1:4-8 (CEB)

To the Ends of the Earth

4 While they were eating together, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised. He said, “This is what you heard from me: 5 John baptized with water, but in only a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 As a result, those who had gathered together asked Jesus, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?” 7 Jesus replied, “It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

At the airport as we prepared to leave for Kenya, I told our team that my hope was that I would be able to bless the Kenyan people as much as they would bless me. Well, once again I failed at this goal-maybe. The Kenyan people are such a blessing. They welcomed us wherever we went. They smiled, they waved, they sang, they even danced. I wondered out loud to Steve (who was a team member) how the church in America could grow if we welcomed guests and people that were different than us like the Kenyans welcomed us? What would happen if we treated outsiders the way the Kenyans treated us.

One of the major projects we did while we were in Kenya was to build an AIDS orphan home. Building the home takes some adjustment as they are not built in the typical way we would expect. It’s a 10x20 house with two rooms, one for the males and one for the females.

The AIDS orphan homes are built through a partnership with the Maua Methodist Hospital and are put in the name of the youngest child, whether it's a boy or girl. The hospital even petitioned the government to allow land and homes to be in a females name. To date, over 300 homes have been built through this partnership. We built a home for a 13 year old boy named Tecklus and his grandmother Ruth. He has lost both of his parents. He was overcome with emotion at the house dedication because he was sad that his mother never had a house of her own.

So why is it important to do international missions when there is plenty to do close to home? When Jesus leaves the disciples he says they “will be his disciples in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” To put that in context for our time: Jerusalem (Joshua), Judea (Texas), Samaria (US), and of course the ends of the earth is the ends of the earth. The disciples were given instruction by Jesus himself to be disciples to the entire earth.

I think a major reason that missions outside of our own community is so important is not only about the work of service but also gives us the opportunity to be disciples of spreading Christ’s messages while at the same time experiences a perspective and culture that is different than our own.

For example, these homes cost 3 million Kenyan schillings to build which converts to $3000 US dollars. This amount includes the materials for the house, the pay for the foreman Charles and his team, insurance for the entire family for a year (which costs only $60 a year), two mattresses, two blankets. As I said before, it’s a 10x20 house with two rooms and has concrete floors, and four two windows on each side of the house for airflow. The US dollar goes a long way in Kenya-quite frankly-$3000 can change the lives and fortunes of an entire family in Kenya. And we can always send money, in fact St. John the Apostle gave $6000 (3000 of which was donated by the youth group) so that two homes could be built. We built one last week and another home will be built in the offseason when mission teams don’t visit Kenya by Charles and his team. Had we just sent money we would have missed out on so much more.

Charles continually had to tell me: pole, pole-which means slow down. Had he not told myself and the team to slow down from time to time we would not have been able to get to know the homeowner (who is 13) and others in the small community as well. During this pole, pole times I could be found building structures with the small pieces of wood or playing soccer with the neighborhood children.

 

You probably can’t tell by this picture but their soccer ball was a cloth bag stuffed with other cloth and plastic bags tied together with twine. In fact while playing the kids occasionally had to rewrap the twine. It didn’t matter that the kids didn’t have a soccer ball to play with-they made due with what they had and still had a lot of fun. It’s simply amazing how resourceful the Kenyan people are with their resources. They have Jesus and faith in their lives and continually praise God for what they have (no matter how little that is).

One instance of this praising God was when we were welcomed at the Karurune school where we assisted the hospital with a medical camp. The medical camp involved us giving the 900 plus people there deworming tablets as well as screening them for blood pressure, malnutrition, and checking their eye sight. When we arrived at this school we received a welcome like no other. We were welcomed with a young child singing a poem she had written about being an orphan and being rescued by God through the help of the Clark Early Education Center School which I have visited all three of my trips to Kenya. This school actually celebrated their 10 year anniversary yesterday and this young girl sang at the celebration to sing of her gratitude.

In fact there was a nine year old boy that visited the medical camp who had lost one eye and was couldn’t see well out of his other eye. He was able to get an appointment at the hospital on Monday and due to a $48 donation from the church was able to get screened and receive a specialized pair of glasses. Did I mention the American dollar goes a long way in Kenya?

There were so many moments that struck a chord with me and I’ll be sharing those on my blog over the next couple of weeks-I wasn’t able to do that on the trip due to spotty and often no WiFi but maybe that’s because God was telling me to chill, be in the moment with friends, and wait to share the stories once I got home. But I’d like to end with this.

The day we were finishing the house I was slowly carving my name into a block of scrap wood with my pocket knife. Tecklus looked me straight in the eye, smiled, and quickly ran off into a small house in the community and returned about a minute later with this tree branch that was hot to the touch that had a charcoal tip. It’s really a primitive pencil when you think about it. I quickly wrote my name on the piece of wood and gave it to Tecklus, he in turn gave me this small piece of wood from his house with his name etched on it.

Anytime I look at the small piece of scrap wood that Tecklus gave me, I will be reminded of three things:

1. The resourcefulness of the Kenyan people and

2. The time I got to spend getting to know Tecklus

3. Tecklus saw I was struggling and provided an easier and different solution for a problem.

I can only hope that each of us can reach out and show God’s love to people who might be struggling. To be able to reach out to those who are different than us. That’s what I would have missed out on had I just sent money and not gone “to the ends of the earth.” It’s important for us to serve those in and around Joshua AND throughout the world. When you have the opportunity to travel 1/2 across the world on a mission trip I encourage you to do so. Go so you can see how other cultures live and experience the blessings that other cultures have to help you grow as a disciple.

Grace & Peace
Kevin