I drove down to Kerrville, Texas for our family Thanksgiving gathering wearing my “Chicago Cubs World Series Champions 2017” jersey. That’s right; the shirt read “2017” not “2016.” It was a gift from Howard Martin back in early September at the celebration of First UMC Stephenville’s 100th anniversary. At the time, the Cubs were in a battle with the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals over who would win the Central Division of the National League.
The last time any team repeated as a World Series Champion was back in 2000 when the New York Yankees won for the third straight time. Between 2010 and 2014 the San Francisco Giants won every other year but never two years in a row. The theory is that, with the addition of first the Division Playoff Series, then the League Championship Series added to the World Series, teams that get into the World Series have roughly played a month more than the rest of the teams. The extra time playing especially at a hyper elite level takes a toll on the pitchers especially. Statistically there is usually a distinct drop-off (since the addition of the League Championship Series) in the pitching performance of World Series teams the following year.
With that as backdrop, I confess that I wasn’t too disappointed that the Cubs didn’t win the World Series this year. In fact, I was proud that they won the Central Division and the Division Playoff Series. Even more, I was delighted that the Astros won the World Series. After all they have been through, our neighbors down South needed a big win! I was quite willing to settle for less this year after last year’s championship.
It was a conversation with Dr. Clifton Howard (Assistant to the Bishop) that got me thinking differently. Casually I commented to him that I wondered why I was willing to settle for less. I opined that if it had been a year ago, I would have been deeply disappointed. But, the year after a championship it was okay to settle for less. Clifton challenged me by asking me to think about that spiritually. Would I be willing to settle for less in terms of missional outreach to the poor or professions of faith? He added, “Churches that grow tend to be churches that don’t settle.”
As I mulled all this over while driving, Oswald Chambers famous devotional classic “My Utmost for His Highest” came to mind. 
I think I have read his great classic of Christian spiritual guidance and devotion three times in my life (including one year as a Bishop). There is the line from the movie As Good as It Gets where Jack Nicholson says, “You make me want to be a better man.” The Christian faith does more than that for me, for us all. It actually makes us better people. Chambers’ book serves as a great devotional guide to help me be a better man, a true Christ-follower.
In less than a week Advent is upon us. This season of the Christian year calls us to prepare for the coming of the Savior. (Advent means literally “coming” – out of the Latin.) I have written before about how the season of Advent, and especially Christmas Eve worship, is special time when non- or nominal Christians are unusually open to the hearing the gospel of God’s saving presence with us in the person of Jesus the Christ.
I write to invite us as a church and as individual Christians not to settle for less. Use this time as a special opportunity to reach out to those eager and receptively open to hear the gospel. Offer the love of God by deeds of justice and mercy but don’t stop there; don’t settle for less. Fuse word and deed with a worship that offers new life in Christ.
As a basic first step, make sure that your website prominently shares worship times and especially the time of your Christmas eve service. Make sure greeters and ushers are prepared to offer truly radical hospitality in welcoming. Don’t miss the opportunity to register attendance for both members and visitors that all might share in grace-filled follow up.
One of the ways the infant Christ-child is referred to by the theological fathers and mothers of the faith is as a baby where Word and deed are one. Think about it. In Christ and Christ alone, Word and deed are one. During this Advent season follow the model of his life witness. Don’t settle for less. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light” (John 1:5). Share the gospel, the good news of a God who loves so lavishly that the Lord of all life comes to us in the person of a helpless baby. Let John 1:14 infuse your living as an individual; let it saturate your witness, actions and sharing as a church.
I think I have read his great classic of Christian spiritual guidance and devotion three times in my life (including one year as a Bishop). There is the line from the movie As Good as It Gets where Jack Nicholson says, “You make me want to be a better man.” The Christian faith does more than that for me, for us all. It actually makes us better people. Chambers’ book serves as a great devotional guide to help me be a better man, a true Christ-follower.
In less than a week Advent is upon us. This season of the Christian year calls us to prepare for the coming of the Savior. (Advent means literally “coming” – out of the Latin.) I have written before about how the season of Advent, and especially Christmas Eve worship, is special time when non- or nominal Christians are unusually open to the hearing the gospel of God’s saving presence with us in the person of Jesus the Christ.
I write to invite us as a church and as individual Christians not to settle for less. Use this time as a special opportunity to reach out to those eager and receptively open to hear the gospel. Offer the love of God by deeds of justice and mercy but don’t stop there; don’t settle for less. Fuse word and deed with a worship that offers new life in Christ.
As a basic first step, make sure that your website prominently shares worship times and especially the time of your Christmas eve service. Make sure greeters and ushers are prepared to offer truly radical hospitality in welcoming. Don’t miss the opportunity to register attendance for both members and visitors that all might share in grace-filled follow up.
One of the ways the infant Christ-child is referred to by the theological fathers and mothers of the faith is as a baby where Word and deed are one. Think about it. In Christ and Christ alone, Word and deed are one. During this Advent season follow the model of his life witness. Don’t settle for less. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light” (John 1:5). Share the gospel, the good news of a God who loves so lavishly that the Lord of all life comes to us in the person of a helpless baby. Let John 1:14 infuse your living as an individual; let it saturate your witness, actions and sharing as a church.
“The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)