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Today is the first Sunday of a three week sermon series Im sharing called, Traveling in the Presbyterian car. For three weeks were going to look at the history of the Presbyterian church, some foundational beliefs and some of the current issues within our denomination. As a result of this series I hope that all of us will be more informed and ultimately inspired about traveling in the Presbyterian car. The purpose of Chain of Lakes New Church is not to make anyone Presbyterian. Our purpose is to follow Gods call to be an authentic Christian community where strangers become friends; friends become disciples, disciples impact the world. The word, Presbyterian is not mentioned in our Purpose Statement. This is the first time since weve started that Ive given a sermon series about being Presbyterian. However we are a Presbyterian congregation. So its important to have a basic understanding of what it means to be Presbyterian. Why not even be proud of being Presbyterian. Ive been Presbyterian my entire life. Ive shared before that if you cut me open I will bleed Presbyterian. I think we Presbyterians have something special to share with the world, and through this series Im going to share some of what makes us special. The metaphor Im sharing in this series is a car. All of us here are on a journeyits the journey of faith. A congregation is like a car. We travel on this journey in different cars. There is a Presbyterian car and a Methodist car, Catholic car and Baptist car, Lutheran, Episcoal, UCC. Theres a non-denominational car. If were not comfortable with our car the journey is going to be harder. Right now I drive a Ford EscapeAmy and I have had this car for eight or nine years. I drive the car, and Im comfortable with it. I know how hard to hit the brakes; I know where the windshield wipers are and how to turn on the high beam lights, and how to operate the radio. I

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know it so well that I could almost operate the car blindfoldedmaybe even text in it. The other car in our family is a Toyota Camry. Amy drives that car. Im not as comfortable in that car because I dont drive it as much. When I drive the Camry I have to hit the brakes differently, I have to look around for the windshield wiper, the radio is different and the steering is different. The journey doesnt go as well because I dont know the car. The same is true with denominations. To travel on the journey well we need to be comfortable with the car. During this series Im going to change up the devotional. For the next three weeks Im going to give you quotes from famous people from Presbyterian history. These will teach us some of the traditional beliefs about being Presbyterian. In this weeks devotion Ive given you six quotes that John Calvin wrote in his book The Institutes. I encourage you to read these quotes daily. In this brochure you also have a place to take notes and a place for prayer requests. SLIDE I also encourage you to ask me questions that you would like to have answered in

this series about being Presbyterian. On my Facebook page this week I asked what questions about being Presbyterian would people like to have answered. I was amazed at all of the responses I received. I encourage you to read it. I worry a bit that this series might seem a bit dry as Im sharing a lot of information. I want to keep it light by sharing some Presbyterian jokes Presbyterians like to do things decently and in order. How many Presbyterians does it take to change a light bulb? One to move it, one to second it, and one to moderate the debate. A Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian preacher went to a movie. Suddenly a fire broke out. The Methodist shouted out fire, fire; the Baptist preacher cried out water, water.

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The Presbyterian looked at the chaos around him and shouted out, get a committee and lets figure this out. Who started the Presbyterian church? The answer is John Calvin. Let me share some stories about John Calvin. SLIDE First story is when John Calvin was born. He was born in the first century, July

10, 1509 in the French village of Noyon. All sorts of events were happening in the first decade of the 16th century that would change Europe. SLIDE In 1502 Christopher Columbus left on a journey for the Americas During the decade King Henry VIII married Catherine. The two of them werent able to have a son and that started one of the breaks of the Catholic Church in England. In 1507 Martin Luther was ordained a priest. Here is a map of Noyon. It was located sixty miles northeast of Paris. He was the

fourth childtwo of his older brothers died. Johns mother died when he was three. His father played an important role in his life. His father was Gerard; he was a lawyer for the local cathedral. John was very intelligent boy and his dad sent him off to the University of Paris in 1523 at the age of 14. His dad wanted his John to be a priest. But over time Gerard was at odds with the cathedral and told John he should study law. More change. SLIDE At the time Pope Leo X was building St. Peters cathedral in Rome. It was a

magnificent structure, but the church didnt have money to pay for it. So the church started a practice called selling indulgences. Anyone who paid something towards the building of the cathedral would receive a certificate saying the persons sins were forgiven.

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This practice raised the ire (to put it mildly) of a man by the name of Martin Luther. Luther was serving at the University of Wittenberg in modern day Germany. SLIDE In 1517 when John Calvin was eight years old Martin Luther nailed 95 theses on

the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The Protestant Reformation was started. First storyit was an age of exploration and the primary branch of the church was starting to split. Second story. John Calvin was 24its 1533. His father who had wanted John to study law had died. John had a conversion experience. Theres not a lot of information about this. In a commentary on the Psalms he wrote this. SLIDE God by a sudden conversion subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame, which was more hardened in such matters than might have been expected from one at my early period of life. Having thus received some taste and knowledge of true godliness, I was immediately inflamed with so intense a desire to make progress therein, that although I did not altogether leave off other studies, yet I pursued them with less ardour. John Calvin decided to study religion Next story. Same year, 1533, a friend of Johns Nicholas Cop delivered a speech in Paris which he pleaded for reform and renewal in the Catholic Church. Friends warned Nicholas Cop that he needed to flee the city for his life. He did. Most people think that John Calvin wrote the speech. The king found out this out and sent bailiffs to Johns residence to arrest him. As the bailiffs came to his front door Johns friends detained them as John escaped through the back window using a rope of bed clothes. What a different time this was. Can you imagine having to flee for your life because of your views about the church?

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Next story. Now its March 1536when John was 27 he wrote a letter to the King of France explaining his views. It really was a small book made up of six chapters and a catechism. This book became known as the Institutes of Christian Religion Calvin wrote five editions of this book. Its these two books. It is perhaps the most orderly presentation of the beliefs about the Reformation that exist. Its easily one of the five greatest religious books that have ever been written. I read the Institutes in seminary. Its not a hard read, but its academic. Three years ago a group at Princeton seminary encouraged pastors to read through the Institues again. I tried it, but I was too busy but had to stop. In this book is the basic, traditional beliefs of the Presbyterian church. One idea that Calvin advanced in the Institutes was the Depravity of humanity. You can read one quote in the devotion this week. Calvin believed that humans were created good, but because of the fall humans are incapable of goodness. No human work is good before God and all of us are in a state of ruin that merits our eternal damnation. We as humans are helpless and hopeless. We are infected with sin. Calvins view about the nature of humanity has been debated ever since. Think about this yourself. What is the state of human depravity? Are we deeply infected with sin incapable of goodness? Are we both good and bad? Are we good? What is your view? Presbyterians have different views about human depravity. Its good to know where this conversation started. A lot of this conversation started with John Calvin. Calvin believed that because of our fallen condition we have to have a Savior. Humans are incapable of justifying themselves. Because of Christ we have a connection to God. Christ

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gives us salvation. Because of the gift of Christ our hearts burn with love for God and others. We still are not good, but with Christ we can approach God. There are many more stories about John Calvin. He eventually went to Geneva. He changed that city and really changed the world. Ill talk about this next week.

All of the churches in one small town were located on the same street. The town's ministerial association had gathered at a coffee shop for their monthly meeting when suddenly, a fire broke out. There were only seconds to spare.

The Catholic priest ran into his church and grabbed the consecrated hosts The Lutheran pastor ran into her church and grabbed the cross The Episcopal rector ran into his church and grabbed his vestments and altar cloths The Presbyterian pastor ran into the Presbyterian church and grabbed the Book of Order

Each week in this series Im going to share one foundational belief in the Presbyterian Church. You dont have to agree with this belief to be part of Chain of Lakes New Church. However to be part of this church means youll see this foundational belief discussed and lived out. Since we celebrated the baptism of Lillian the foundational belief I want to teach about is infant baptism. For some of us who have grown up in the Presbyterian church weve seen so many infants baptized that we might have forgotten that there is even a debate about why infants should be baptized. I know that some of us have come from traditions where babies are not baptized but instead are dedicated. I have a feeling that more people than not in our congregation have come from a tradition where babies are baptized. Let me ask you this question. Why do we baptize infants? If someone came up to you and said,

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SLIDE Case against Infant Baptism Jesus was baptized as an adult and not an infant. There are no stories of children being baptized in the Scriptures Children should have a choice about whether they are baptized Imagine that you believe in Infant Baptism and a close friend of yours who you love made these arguments to you. What would you say to that person? Lets try something. Find someone and have a conversation. Share with that person how you would response to these arguments against infant baptism. I would say many things, but Im going to share two ideas right now. First Jesus loved children deeply. We remember the gospel story where some people wanted to bring children to Jesus. The disciples wanted to prevent the children from coming to Jesus. In Jesus day children were not viewed as fully human; they were viewed as property. The disciples believed that the children didnt deserve to come to Jesus. But Jesus would have none of it. He wanted the children to come to him. Jesus told the disciples, Let the children come to me for to these belongs the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus willingness to confront the attitudes of his day on behalf of children. Jesus believed that children belonged to the community. Baptism is a sacrament we believe that children should be baptized. Jesus would want children baptized. We define baptism as a sign and seal of grace. Jesus would want to share this gift of grace with children. We believe that Jesus would not want children separated from something as vital and dynamic and important as baptism The second point is remembering the focus of baptism. Who is baptism aboutis it about God or is it about the person being baptized? Ultimately baptism is about God. Baptism is a gift that we do nothing to earn. The only criterion for being baptized is being born into the world.

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The person being baptized doesnt need to make a choice because grace is a gift. The decision about baptism was made by Jesus when he died and then when Abba God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus is willing to give grace to anyone even if they dont deserve it. I think the fact that Lillian didnt choose to be baptized makes the point even more dramatically that grace is a gift. Lillian received the gift of grace todayit was eternally sealed into her spirit. She will carry this gift with her for the rest of her life here on earth and the life is to come. This past Monday night I visited with James and Lena. I shared that someday Lillian will choose to become a disciple or follower of Jesus Christ. Im looking forward to that day to happen. I hope to be the pastor of this church when that happens. But today was not about a choice it was about celebrating the amazing grace of God, which is freely given. One final idea about being Presbyterian before I close. But first another joke. Three churches - Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian - worked together to sponsor a community- wide revival. After the revival had concluded, the three pastors were discussing the results with one another. The Methodist minister said, "The revival worked out great for us! We gained 4 new families." The Baptist preacher said, "We did better than that! We took eight adults to the river and they were baptized. The Presbyterian pastor said, "Well, we did even better we organized a committee to study the history of revivals. People have asked me where does the word Presbyterian come from? The word Presbyterian comes from the Greek word Presbuteros. Presbuteros is the Greek word for elder. When Paul started the church he would enter a city and train a group of people called the elders who would run the church when he left. An elder is not an old person. An elder is someone who has been chosen to lead in a congregation. In the Presbyterian church the pastor does not have

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the sole authority in the congregationthe elders or the Session does. The Session (in our case the Steering Committee) or the elders have the authority over every decision. The only decision the Session or Steering Committee or elders dont make is the selection of the pastor or the decision to purchase property or take on debt. Those decisions are made by the congregation. One of the reasons I love being Presbyterian is that Presbyterian congregations cant be successful unless they work together well. The pastor and the elders and the congregation have to be a unified team. We have to be a team to work together. We had an example at Chain of Lakes this past week of teamwork. On Wednesday we had about 15 people at the Lovell office. WE are making plans for our New Beginnings worship service. We had so much fun together. We had energy and enthusiasm and all sorts of ideas. We were working together well. When we work together amazing ministries will happen ministries that surprise us. . This makes me proud to be Presbyterian. The world needs churches that are dependant on people working together and is not dependant on one person. I am proud that we are a church where one person cant make decisions for the whole church; I am proud that we are church where grace is shared with every person in the congregationhow powerful it was today to see the sign of grace when Lillian was baptized. Im proud to be Presbyterian because we have an ancestor who was willing to risk his life based on his own beliefs and who wanted to establish a city that looked like the Kingdom of God; and Im proud to be Presbyterian