Welcome to Pastor Jack Buckley's weekly blog and podcast.
You have three ways to hear his weekly message:
- Read Pastor Jack's GODblog.
- Listen now to an audio of the scripture reading and Pastor Jack's sermon.
- Listen anytime. You choose the time and place. Download Pastor Jack's GODcast to your MP3 player.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Agreeing With God
Psalm 130; 1 John 1:5-2:2
A good friend of mine just hates the song "Amazing Grace." He chokes at the thought of singing "...that saved a wretch like me." He says, "I'm a pretty nice guy, thank you." This message says we can't make the truth go away by denying it. Instead, we embrace the truth and open our hearts to an even bigger truth -- that God's love can never be defeated, even by our sins.
Listen to the GODcast!
posted by Jack Buckley at
2:15 PM
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
The Gospel of the Secret Pal
Seventy of us retreated last weekend to the Sonoma County redwood forest.
It was our church's tenth annual getaway to St. Dorothy's Rest, a lovely little hideaway that easily lives up to its name.
Kids had their own program of fun and learning; teens helped lead the kids' activities; we adults wrestled all weekend with the Parable of the Prodigal Son (you'll find it in Luke 15). All 70 got together several times to sing, play games, eat, and just plain hang out.
Can you say, "Aaaahhh"? Contented sighs and extreme grinning ruled.
Then there was the Secret Pal Thing.
Each of us drew a name, obligating us to spend the weekend anonymously attending to that person. A kind thought here, a little prayer there. Slip them a little gift or message when they're not looking. Or send it by a third party all too eager to aid and abet your mischievous mission.
The idea, of course, is to bless 'em by surprise. You're blessed, too, knowing your pal has to accept your kindness just as it is, no strings attached, with no idea where it came from.
That's all well and good. But on reflection I discover some interesting tension in this Secret Pal Thing.
1. Most obvious tension: You're always anonymous...
Your beneficiary mustn't know that you're the nice person doing all these nice things. The good feeling of doing good has to be enjoyed entirely on the sly, no praise allowed or expected.
2. Less obvious tension: Your pal is less than perfect...
You might notice that he talks too much and way too loud. Or that she tries too hard to be liked. Or, horrors, that your carefully chosen gift doesn't score very high on his applause meter.
3. Least obvious tension: You're role-playing God's way with the world...
Like the father in the Prodigal Son story, you've chosen to be generous to someone who may or may not appreciate what that costs you. Even so, you stick with the choice and hope for the best. It's not really about the other guy, but about your decision to bless him -- or her.
The Bible word for this is "grace." From that root we also get "gratitude."
How great a gift it is when someone recognizes unexpected, unearned generosity and says a hearty "Thank you!" And that gift keeps right on giving when that person graciously repeats the process, blessing another by surprise just for the joy of it.
See what you can do today to be a secret agent of God's grace in somebody's life. Go ahead, make their day!
posted by Jack Buckley at
4:31 PM
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Careful Listening: The Bible in Our Worship
Psalm 119:9-16; Hebrews 4:12-16
A few months ago I preached a message on why the Bible is so important to us Presbyterian types. It was part of a series on "Why We Worship The Way We Do." Our church family appreciated the reminder of scripture's value and authority. I hope you will, too. Here it is in MP3 format.
Listen to the GODcast!
posted by Jack Buckley at
11:23 AM
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
They Came as They Were
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"Show Me The Money"
Psalm 99; Matthew 22:15-22.
Jesus' religious opponents put him on the hot seat. Again! "Is it lawful," they asked, "to pay taxes to the emperor?" (Just whose law did they have in mind?) His answer: "Show me the money!"
Listen to the GODcast!
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First in line for a wedding in our newly restored Sanctuary, Tag and Shelley tied the knot last Saturday morning.
The room's beauty sparkled as midday sunlight streamed through stained glass, highlighting the freshly painted walls, rich red carpets, and refinished fir flooring.
To say nothing of the bride's beauty in her snow-white gown. The groom was very dapper, and the whole wedding party glowed with contentment.
Well over 100 people were there to cheer them on, and to party the afternoon away in our Fellowship Hall. Good vibrations from start to finish. I was pleased to be their pastor for the day.
Just the Sunday before, I'd preached on God's intention for us to be a "come as you are" church. How timely....
For a dozen or so of Tag and Shelley's guests parked their Harleys in our lot and doffed their leathers before spiffing up for the ceremony. Tag had told me about their motorcycle club's two great loves: for riding, and for charitable work in the East Bay community.
He and Shelley said the loudest "amens" of all every time I ended a prayer in the wedding ritual. Their faith commitment is even stronger than their biker bodies, and everyone could sense the presence of Christ within and between them.
The music was provided by CDs. As people were seated a nice mix of pop, jazz, and blues played softly. Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" gently moved the bride and her attendants through the processional. At the end, everyone fairly danced back up the aisle to "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison.
Somehow, to my mind and heart, the mixture of traditional church architecture, contemporary unchurchy music, and nontraditional lifestyle felt just about perfect. I think Jesus would have been grinning ear to ear if he'd been there.
In fact, each of our own smiles reflected that he really was there. ("Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them" [Matthew 18:20]).
posted by Jack Buckley at
10:30 AM
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Y'All Come
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Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23; Matthew 22:1-14
Listen to the GODcast!
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We aim to be a "come as you are" church.
No dress code. No secret code words. No secret handshake known only by the initiated elite.
We even had a Bible reader one Sunday morning who wore some totally unstylish shorts. Know what? The ceiling didn't fall in! Nobody ran for the doors in panic, either!
Now, most of us do tend to spit-shine our shoes, and some our hair, on the way to worship. Folks used to talk about "Sunday-go-to-meeting" duds. But it'd be a sin and a shame if anyone stayed away because they worried about their looks.
In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus tells a story about a king throwing a huge banquet to honor his son's wedding day. But the people he invited stiffed him! "Thanks, but no thanks. I've got work to do. I'm really very busy." To the king they said this! Duh.
Next thing, he sends messengers out to beat the bushes, inviting anyone who's halfway interested to come and party. "The bad and the good," they showed up in droves. The prince and his princess had a royal blast. Each guest got a special robe to wear, so nobody cared what their street clothes looked like.
But the king, working the crowd, found one guy out of uniform. A wedding crasher. He yelled, "Who let you in here?" And he had him tossed out.
So maybe God wants dress codes after all?
I don't think so.
The wedding robes are symbolic. (Remember, parables are earthly stories with a heavenly meaning. Visible everyday things stand for invisible spiritual truth.) The apostle Paul writes more than once about "putting on Christ," meaning: Let Christ's spirit transform you from the inside out, so that others will recognize Jesus when they meet you.
So -- not only was the guy rude, but he absolutely contradicted the party's spirit of honor and celebration. No wonder he got 86ed.
I guess the point is: When you accept God's invitation to come as you are, make sure you come as you really are! God throws the doors wide open, warmly welcoming "whosoever will." Once inside, if our hearts are equally open, we do our best to say "Thank you, God" every which way we can.
I'll say it again. We want to be a "come as you are" church. Please, when you can, come visit us just as you really are!
posted by Jack Buckley at
4:03 PM
Friday, October 07, 2005
Hello, GODcast
 Today we begin something new for the GODblog -- the GODcast!
Every week I plan to post something good and fresh in MP3 format, so you can tune in right here or download it for easy listening at your own pace.
Today's message is "God's Architecture." As we reopened and rededicated our Sanctuary, we were reminded that God majors in building lives of dedicated service. (Pastor Myong Bae Choi of Alameda Korean Presbyterian Church and I served Communion to both of our congregations who meet in the beautiful Sanctuary every Sunday.)
Listen to the GODcast!
posted by Jack Buckley at
10:20 AM
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Winding Roads, Crooked Lines
She told the truth. But not the whole truth.
Ashley Smith's story seemed the perfect true-life illustration for an Easter sermon. And I told it.
She'd been taken hostage in her own apartment by Brian Nicols, who'd killed four people in cold blood the day before. When the initial terror subsided they settled in for the long haul. Over the hours they talked at length about life and death, bad decisions and eternal values. She even read to him from the religious best-seller The Purpose Driven Life -- which had actually transformed her own life. She'd become a Christian. Finally, Nicols let her leave the building. He must have known she'd call the cops. He just sat by himself until they came.
Did I mention the pancakes?
Ashley Smith cooked him pancakes in the middle of her ordeal. I believe he thanked her kindly. And then they continued their discussion of spiritual things.
Amazing, but true. And yet, not the whole truth.
Last week Ashley Smith went public with another piece of the truth. Which does complicate matters somewhat.
She confessed that, along with the pancakes, she fed Brian Nicols a helping of her methamphetamine stash. You see, she hadn't quite kicked that habit in her new life of faith. But now she's determined to tell us the rest of the story. Confession is good for the soul.
Do you suppose the drugs helped Nicols decide getting arrested wasn't such a bad idea after all? I imagine he wasn't very worried about a lot of things -- except maybe what to do with all that happy energy doing the two-step inside his skin.
You may be having second thoughts about Ashley Smith's spiritual sincerity.
I'm not. And here's why:
1. Christians are sinners. What makes grace "amazing" is that God forgives us instead of punishing us. Admitting our utter failure to measure up on our own is the first, basic, step out of death into life.
2. Christians are works in progress. We're on the journey of faith, traveling a long and winding road towards our spiritual home. Along the way, we learn about and grow into God's ways with the world. By trial and error.
3. Christians are accountable. We answer to God, to each other, to the whole wide world for everything we say and do. That's part of "not taking the Lord's name in vain." God's reputation is at stake in the way we behave -- or misbehave.
I wonder what prompted Ashley Smith to come clean now. Police interrogation? A subpoena? Counsel from her pastor? A plain old guilty conscience?
Whatever it was, she showed up and told us more of the truth. At last. God bless her for that. And God be with Brian Nicols as he pays for his crimes.
An old proverb says, "God writes straight with crooked lines." Beware of bending things in hopes that God will be good anyway. But give loud thanks that God doesn't need perfect people to get good things done!
posted by Jack Buckley at
10:26 AM
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