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"Overcoming Resistance to Change"

5/15/2018

Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3)

This guy gets a parrot but it's got a bad attitude and foul vocabulary. He tries everything to change the bird's attitude and clean up its talk but nothing works. Finally, in a moment of desperation, he puts the parrot in the freezer. For a few moments he hears the bird squawking, kicking and screaming and then, suddenly, all is quiet. He opens the freezer door. The parrot steps out and says, "I'm sorry that I offended you with my language and actions. I ask for your forgiveness. The guy's astounded at the bird's change in attitude and was about to ask what changed him when the parrot continued, "By the way, may I ask - what did the chicken do?"

We've been talking about change, how life is a process of change and growth. One of my favorite characters in the Bible who is asked to change is Jonah. God asks Jonah to go to Nineveh (Assyria), and call them to repentance, or face the consequences.  But Jonah doesn't want to do this --- he hates Nineveh, and would love nothing more than see God overthrow the Ninevites. Jonah runs away -- as far as he can go. He causes the ship he's traveling on to almost break apart. He's thrown overboard. He's swallowed by a big fish. He finally begrudging does what God asks, and the Ninevites repent. This angers Jonah even more! And he throws another hissy fit. The story ends, and Jonah's attitude hasn't changed. But God' s did. God changed his mind about destroying Nineveh when they repented. God cares for all people -- even the people we don't care too much about. People who have hurt us. So change is messy!

We often fight change, like Jonah. Even when we resist God's call to change, God is persistent. God loves us too much to let us be less than we can be. God will even work through our resistance, our rebellion, to help us see the bigger picture. We may struggle like Jonah. But thank God -- God uses us, and doesn't give up on us even when we have a bad attitude! God knows, change is a choice. Will we accept it?

Listen to:  Change,  by Tracy Chapman, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drXwsVYrd20&feature=related

PRAY:  "Help me to with my resistance to change "

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"Time to Change"

5/1/2018

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"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, s/he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Corinth. 5:17)

What did the Dalai Lama say to the hot dog vendor?
Make me one with everything.

The hot dog vendor said "that will be $2.50" and the Dalai Lama handed him a five.
And waited. The Dalia Lama said "Hey where's my change?"
The hot dog vendor said "ah, change must come from within....!

The Christian life is a life of transformation and change. Change is written on each page of the bible. It is written in the fabric of our bodies: While we are sitting here we are changing. During this message about ½ million cells in our body are going to die and be replaced with a half a million new cells. Our skin replaces itself every month. Change is natural. Our families change. our societies change. Our churches change. Everyone changes. We are not alone.

Ideally as we change, our emotional and spiritual responses begin to change too. We learn to know God is in charge. We learn to trust. We respond to change in more healthy ways. We learn to handle the sadness and fear, and through it, with God's help, learn to hope and embrace a new future.

Our Church is entering a time of accelerated change. So we're going to spend some time talking about change; understanding and recognizing it, responding in healthy ways to it, supporting each other and growing in faith together. So think about your changes around you, in you, and in the church. Begin to name them, make a list. Think and pray about how change is affecting you. What's troubling you? What gives you hope?

For now it is good for us to remember the prayer of change from the great Reformer, Martin Luther:

"This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness, not health, but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it, the process is not yet finished, but it is going on, this is not the end, but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified.”

Listen to: The Change" by Steven Curtis Chapman,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiPYalVTPGM

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"Overcoming Resistance to Change"

"Time to Change"

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