all in

With All That I Am

Posted on by Betsy

Wedding season is upon us and I am remembering all the weddings I have officiated in the past. Couples really want to put their own stamp on the ceremony, but most will request the more traditional elements of the wedding such as Scripture, prayers, and vow exchanges. In our United Methodist wedding service, we actually do vows twice. The first is the standard “I do” sayings of commitment, and the second are the ring vows taken as the couple exchanges wedding rings. The ring vows get me EVERY TIME. Even though I have officiated hundreds of weddings, (this is where you end up when you are 1. old and 2. live in a popular wedding destination) I still tear up every time I instruct the couple to repeat this after me: “I give you this ring as a sign of my vow and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.”

With all that I am.

With all that I have.

Those simple phrases contain a tremendous pledge of commitment, stating that the couple are head over heels, completely sold out, one hundred percent, IN.

Our scripture today is known as the Shema in Hebrew. Shema means “to hear.” It is a declaration that the Lord is the only one true God and we are instructed to be all in with God and God’s Word. With all of your heart, your entire being, every ounce of strength, you are commanded to be solely dedicated to God and God alone. Like a poker player pushing all his chips across the table, there is no turning back.

Deuteronomy 6 (Common English Bible)

4 Israel, listen! Our God is the Lord! Only the Lord!

5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. 6 These words that I am commanding you today must always be on your minds. 7 Recite them to your children. Talk about them when you are sitting around your house and when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol.  9 Write them on your house’s doorframes and on your city’s gates.

Teaching the children about the Lord is an important part of this passage. It is good for parents to realize that the task of educating their kids about God’s Word is not just the work of the church, but must be done at home every day. Parents, are you doing that?

In the Jewish tradition, the instruction to tie God’s words to your hand resulted in the use of the phylactery, a small leather box that contained a parchment of Scriptures that was tied with leather straps. Similarly, the mezuzah was created to post Scripture on the doorpost of the house. It was a long leather box with a parchment rolled up inside. These are intended to be visible signs of a household dedicated to studying Scripture every single day. It was God’s intention that the words be inscribed on the head and heart in such a way that the student would never stray from them. Constant repetition is how we learn, and the Shema is recited twice a day for this reason.

This passage reveals the very nature of God. God is love, and so God’s children, made in God’s image, are commanded to love. Jesus called the commandment to love God with all your heart the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-38. And the second greatest commandment naturally follows: Love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:39)

When we learn to love as God loves and love whom God loves, then we will truly be all in. How about you? Do you love the Lord with all that you are and all that you have? May we grow deeper in our understanding of this commandment.

All In by Kathy Schumacher

Flattery Will Get You

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever tried to soften a difficult conversation by complimenting the person first? It is a common personnel management tactic to do exactly that. I had a friend who used the Thanksgiving Dinner analogy. Rather than start with the complaint about the burnt, dry stuffing, you should first mention how lovely the table looked, acknowledge how hard the cook worked, remark about how delicious the gravy was, and then drop the bomb about the stuffing. It’s known as “buttering someone up.”

Softening the blow when a difficult topic has to be discussed can be appropriate, but flattering someone just to deflect attention away from your real agenda is not. That is just straight up deception. Such is the case in today’s passage where the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus into saying something that would get him in trouble with the government. See how they first try to praise him with their empty, hollow words:

Matthew 22 (The Message)

15-17 That’s when the Pharisees plotted a way to trap him into saying something damaging. They sent their disciples, with a few of Herod’s followers mixed in, to ask, “Teacher, we know you have integrity, teach the way of God accurately, are indifferent to popular opinion, and don’t pander to your students. So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Of course Jesus would not fall for that. It was the first time this group had ever said anything positive about his ministry and he instantly knew something was up. He didn’t fall for it, and neither should we when our enemy is trying to get us to say something controversial.

18-19 Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, “Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it.” They handed him a silver piece.

The subject of their inquiry was tithing. In Jewish tradition, one tenth of one’s income was to be presented to the Lord. These men are trying to set up an either/or scenario, but Jesus is not playing.

20 “This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?”

21 They said, “Caesar.”

“Then give Caesar what is his and give God what is his.”

Yes, we have to pay taxes. That is a given in life. But if we follow Scripture, we also have to offer God ten percent of what remains, right off the top. The Pharisees weren’t pleased to hear this.

22 The Pharisees were speechless. They went off shaking their heads.

The Scripture challenges us to consider our own giving. Truly everything we have comes from God. Everything we have belongs to God. Jesus is clear when he says, “Give God what is his.” Do you do that? Do you need to catch up? Jesus was all in for us. Can we be all in for him?

Taxes and tithing aren’t an either/or situation. This is a both/and thing. May we be faithful to the word.

All In by Michelle Robertson

With All That I Have

Posted on by Betsy

I have done my last wedding for the season. It was a beautiful fall day on the beach in Corolla, and I was blessed to marry a “sister of the cloth” to a very nice man. She is a retired United Methodist pastor from the Michigan conference, and their small family came to stand with them as they exchanged vows.

It is uncommon anymore for people to want to write their own vows. Nowadays, folks seem to be content with the traditional ones, or perhaps don’t want the stress and worry of writing something and having to remember it on a day that is already fraught with anxiety. Indeed, it is easier on the nerves to rely on the pastor for the ”repeat after me” vows. But this couple wrote their own vows and they were stunningly beautiful.

As we progressed to the exchange of the wedding rings, we got to a “repeat after me” moment. I have a tender fondness for the ring vows in the United Methodist wedding service. Truth be told, there is one phrase that makes me tear up every time:

I give you this ring
as a sign of my vow,
and with all that I am,
and all that I have,
I honor you;
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

There is something very poignant in the words “With all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you”. To make that commitment is a bold and audacious thing. It tells the other person that you promise that nothing will ever be withheld from them. It affirms that there is no part of your personhood that will be shared with anyone else. It says that you are “all in,” and they can count on you for the rest of their life. It is a precious commitment.

In our passage from Mark today, notice how a poor widow demonstrated to Jesus that she was “all in”:

Mark 12 (The Message)

38-40 He continued teaching. “Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery, basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function. And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they get. But they’ll pay for it in the end.”

41-44 Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.”

Are you all in for Jesus? Are you willing to say to him that with all that you are, and all that you have, you will honor him? Have you committed your time, your talent, your resources, your giving, and your future to the furthering of his kingdom?

Jesus calls us to a covenant relationship that will outlast even our earthly ones. Are you all in? He is.

Nothing Withheld by Michelle Robertson

All In

Posted on by Betsy

There was a time in the late 1990’s when the World Series of Poker took over people’s imagination. It was a clever production on ESPN, with under-the-table cameras revealing people’s cards, overhead cameras showing the entire table and chip count, flashy graphics, and lively play-by-play commentary. It was where viewers learned the phrase “all in.” All in refers to when a player with a great hand pushes all of his or her chips across the table at once, betting their entire winnings on one single hand in a go-for-broke moment.

We continue our study of John 13 today as we dive deeper into the Last Supper. The moment has arrived when Jesus decides to wash the feet of his disciples. It was a shocking moment for them. Foot washing was a common practice of hospitality in that time. Hosts would often offer this service with a basin and towel to travelers who had walked long, dusty roads. But for Jesus, their teacher, rabbi, and master to perform such an act was startling, to say the least.

What exactly was Jesus doing?

John 13 (The Message)

13 1-2 Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end. It was suppertime. The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.

3-6 Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, “Master, you wash my feet?”

It was a lesson in both humility and leadership. Jesus was setting the example of servant leadership by kneeling before his followers and performing this act of grace. He was teaching them that their role in the kingdom would be to do likewise…to love his followers, to care for their needs, and to never let their position overshadow the mission.

7 Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later.”

8 Peter persisted, “You’re not going to wash my feet—ever!”

Jesus said, “If I don’t wash you, you can’t be part of what I’m doing.”

9 “Master!” said Peter. “Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head!”

Peter comes out of his initial confusion with a proclamation of wanting to be all in for Jesus. Once he figures out what is happening, he pushes his chips across the table and wagers his entire being on that single act of grace.

How about you? Are you all in for Jesus? Or are you withholding something?

Many of us want to live lives that are sold out to his mission, but truth be told, there is some withholding going on. We hold back our resources, ignoring the call to tithe. We hold back our service, busying ourselves with pleasure pursuits. We hold back our openness to the marginalized. We hold back our unconditional love and judge others who offend or frighten us. In the end, very few of us are truly all in.

Today is a day to change that. When you figure out what it is that you are withholding from God, let go of it in the name of Jesus. It is never too late to push it all across the table and give it up for the kingdom.

Jesus calls us to be part of everything he is doing.

A Gift From My Mother