May 1, 2009 The Journey Continues...

Last weekend our son T.J. was home, so he and Nick and I took in a Pirates game Sunday afternoon.We all were filled with great anticipation of our first game of the season together. Even though the Buccos lost 11-1, we still enjoyed being together at the ballpark, eating hot dogs, filling out scorecards, singing Out to the Ballgame, and rooting on our favorite team.

A man sat next to me with his two young sons. Chris, the 5-year-old, was attending a game with his dad for the first time. The hot dog he held was the same size as mine, but it looked enormous in his hands! During the game, he got excited when his favorite player, Nate McLouth, stood up to bat.When a player reached base he went crazy! It was all new and fresh. It was great watching this young boy and his dad build their relationship together.

Sitting there with Nick & T.J. on one side and little Chris on the other, my mind wandered back to my own childhood. Growing up just an hour from Pittsburgh, we often traveled to the big city for events. Of all the things we did, there was nothing like coming to Forbes Field and later Three Rivers Stadium to root on the Pirates. There, as a boy, I bonded with my father and grandfather. Some of my best memories are of sitting between Pappy and Dad at the ballgame.They taught me how to fill out a scorecard and showed me the value of a good ballpark frank.We sang during the 7th-inning stretch, never left until the game was over, even if our team was losing, and listened to the post-game show on KDKA radio while we negotiated through the impossible Pittsburgh traffic.

We had such a good time that the tradition continues today with my own sons.While some may suggest it’s a mean thing to do, I am creating the next generation of Pirate fans in my own family!

Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “bonding” this way: “the development of a close relationship especially among family members.” I am in the process of bonding with the people I care about most.What a joy to develop a close relationship that will last a lifetime!

Last week I disappointed my best friend in West Virginia when I told him that our schedule wouldn’t allow us to vacation together this summer. In my text message to him I said, “Don’t give up on us.” His reply? “Are you kidding? We would never do that.”The statement reflects our bonding over the years.Without working at building a relationship, such statements would not be possible!

Recently an old friend from a church I served years ago contacted me out of the blue. In just a few minutes, we picked up right where we had left off years before. It was as if we had never stopped talking. We had created a relationship.

I have been privileged to be in Western Pennsylvania for almost five years. It seems like a long time ago that I donned that Steeler/Pirate stole during my Installation Service at Dutilh UMC and began building a relationship with you. I cherish the opportunities we have had to be in ministry together in the name of Christ. I told someone the other day that it will be difficult some day for us to say goodbye to this place.We so very much love being here.That’s because of bonding, developing a close relationship with people that you care about and love.

When I read the story of Easter, I reflect upon the heartache the disciples had when their friend and mentor left them. Jesus had bonded with these people, showed them the way to a greater understanding of life, and blessed them with possibilities they could never have imagined.While the resurrection renewed their joy and established a new standard for what God could do, Jesus still had to go from them. He ascended into heaven, leaving his friends with a mandate, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”(Matthew 28: 19)

What happened then was truly amazing! Their confusion was dispelled by the gift of the Holy Spirit, their unity led them to tell the story, and their story was so compelling thousands of disciples were made each day. Jesus’ story became their story and their story became the story of people in generations from that day until ours.

What made that possible was bonding. Jesus built a close relationship with his friends, the disciples.That bond was so deep that they held him in their hearts, remembered what he instructed them to do, and passed it on to others who needed what he had to offer.That bonding allowed the mantle to be passed to the next generation because they trusted the story, believed in the message, and loved the messenger.

Two thousand years later, the method remains the same. Our calling is to bond with the world, establish a close relationship that creates memories, builds trust, and establishes an environment where the story can be heard and the mantle can be passed to the next generation.

I do that with my boys at the ballpark. I believe that I have done it well enough that when I’m gone they will take their sons to the ball game, eat a hot dog, teach them how to fill out a scorecard, stand in the 7th inning to sing, and remember that they are giving to someone else what they once were given.

That same opportunity is ours as Christians.We are guardians of a wonderful story. Our calling is to build the relationships, tell the story, implant the tradition, pass the mantle and do all we can to make sure that the message we love is loved by others.

Take me out to the ballgame – the ballgame of telling others the wonderful story of Jesus and his love!

The Journey Continues ...