tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49800904553615406482024-03-08T17:09:22.007-05:00Laurelton SermonsI hope this blog will be a forum for reflection and discussion of sermons from Laurelton.
I welcome your thoughts whether you heard the sermon or not. You can also listen to several of the sermons below. Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-19192660045536019052014-04-02T16:18:00.000-04:002014-04-02T16:17:59.329-04:00seeing God's kingdom clearly, 3.30.14John 9:1-17<br />
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As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.<br />
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8The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”<br />
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13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.14Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” <br />
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18The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”<br />
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24So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” 25He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”26They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” <br />
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27He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” <br />
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30The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.<br />
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35Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him.<br />
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39Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.<br />
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Before we really dive into this story, let me say a word about John’s Gospel in general. The way John talks about Judaism is a stumbling block for many people and has even encouraged anti-Semitism at different points in the church’s history. John often talks about “the Jews” in his writing. What he really means is the religious leaders. <br />
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John isn’t opposed to Judaism. He wasn’t prejudiced against Jewish people. After all, Jesus and most of the early church leaders, including John himself, were Jewish. John does have a bone to pick with the leaders of the religious establishment. The religious leaders opposed Jesus from the beginning. They had Jesus arrested and executed. Religious leaders later persecuted the church. When you hear John talk about “the Jews,” substitute “Religious leaders,” and you’ll be on the right track. That keeps us from getting hung up on what sounds like anti-Semitic language. <br />
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It also helps us hear Jesus’ challenge to the leaders of his faith community as a challenge to us as well. People who are committed to the church, like us, face some of the same temptations the religious leaders in Jesus’ time faced, so we need to hear Jesus’ words today too. If we’re honest with ourselves, we fall into some of the same traps the religious leaders in this story fall into. This is a story about healing, but it’s also a story about how we get stuck in our point of view. <br />
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Let’s start by being fair to the religious leaders. They get a bad rap because they oppose Jesus, but they deserve to be heard too. The Sabbath commandment isn’t some tiny detail in religious life. It was one of the major things that set Jews apart from their pagan neighbors. Also, like the way Sunday dinner unites many families in the US today, the family rhythms of the Sabbath tied families and communities together in Jesus’ time. <br />
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Under Roman occupation everything that supported Jewish community life was crucial. Without the ability to rule themselves politically, the religious rules were more important than ever for the people of Israel. Leaders worried about all the pressures that encouraged Jews to leave their uniqueness behind to fit in with society. This day set apart for worship, family and community strengthened the Jewish community in a challenging time. <br />
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The Sabbath isn’t just a human tradition either. God commanded Israel to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. The Sabbath was a big deal. Jesus wasn’t just disrespecting the Pharisees: he seemed to be trampling on God’s law. <br />
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The religious leaders are faced with a difficult situation. On the one hand, Jesus has obviously performed a powerful miracle. He’s freed a man from blindness and from a life of begging to survive. On the other hand, he has completely disregarded God’s commandment to rest on the Sabbath. The leaders feel confused; they don’t know what to make of the situation, but they feel threatened. <br />
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I imagine these leaders worrying that this disobeyed commandment will be the first step on a slippery slope. If they allow this traveling rabbi to heal on the Sabbath, other people will start ignoring the commandment too, and little by little the religious structure that held the community together would be worn away. Jews would start acting more and more like gentiles, and God’s chosen people would stop being the unique and blessed community God called them to be.<br />
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For many Christians same sex marriage is a lot like the Sabbath commandment was for the religious leaders of Jesus’ time. For many, the Bible is clear about sexuality, and same sex relationships are not included. Like the Sabbath in the story, marriage is crucial to the structure of the family and society, so the stakes are high. <br />
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Opponents of same sex marriage worry it will weaken heterosexual marriage and thus weaken the family structure as well. They also worry that marriage equality is one more in a seemingly endless string of changes that weaken the influence of scripture on the church and the church on society.<br />
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I can see where that fear comes from. Society does feel unsettled. We see so many families torn apart by divorce. We see shocking levels of crime and violence and poverty that break down our communities, and we know families are important in the health of a community. The world feels unpredictable, and that makes us nostalgic for a past we imagine, a past that looks like a Norman Rockwell painting. The church has an important perspective to offer society in terms of love and family and grace, and for many Christians, supporting marriage equality is a compromise of Christian values to fit in with society.<br />
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For the leaders in our story, even though they could see something special about Jesus’ power to heal, he didn’t fit into their understanding of how God worked. His actions didn’t fit the rules, so they had to oppose those actions. In the same way, for a lot of Christians they see that gay and lesbian couples love each other, but homosexuality doesn’t fit the rules as they know them, so they have to oppose it. There’s a conflict for many people about love that seems good in one way, but in another way doesn’t follow the rules. <br />
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Jesus turns things upside down. He doesn’t reject God’s Law, but he makes us look at law and faith and scripture very differently. In this case Jesus isn’t rejecting the Sabbath, but he is rejecting any religious observation that stands in the way of healing and justice. It’s not about observing or not observing the Sabbath; it’s about loving our neighbor. Everything is about loving our neighbor and loving God.<br />
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Supporting same sex marriage isn’t about rejecting traditional marriage; it’s about expanding marriage so it can be liberating and life-giving for more people. Marriage is a covenant of love, and love knows no boundaries. LGBT couples getting married will not weaken the family; they will broaden the range of families blessed by the church. Families today don’t all look like the Norman Rockwell painting. They are often more complicated than a father, mother, 2 kids and a dog. But every family built on love is holy and beautiful and blessed by God, no matter what the church says. <br />
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Of course, this passage isn’t about sexuality; it’s bigger than that. Jesus invites us to look beyond the easy answers in every part of our life, both together as a church and individually. I believe that adults in loving relationships should be free to marry regardless of their sex. I believe in marriage equality both for civil marriage and marriage in the church. <br />
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I also believe that you don’t have to agree with me on that or anything else, for that matter. There are many areas where faithful people disagree, and one of the great blessings of our Presbyterian system is that we seek God’s will through prayer and conversation together. We need different opinions and perspectives to hear God’s will clearly. I promise to respect and protect your right to express you opinion in a loving and respectful way regardless of whether I agree.<br />
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The real problem with the religious leaders in this passage isn’t that they took the Sabbath too seriously. It’s not that they disagreed with Jesus. The problem is that when they felt threatened they settled the problem with power. First they bullied the man who had been healed; then they kicked him out of the community. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but he was raising questions that made them uncomfortable. Instead of sitting with that discomfort and reasoning together, they used their power to silence the question.<br />
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That temptation isn’t a conservative temptation; it’s a universal temptation for people in power who feel threatened. For instance, many liberal academics protested at the University of Minnesota and Rutgers University because those schools invited former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to speak. They didn’t like her viewpoint, so they tried to silence her. In communities like this one, we’re much more at risk of silencing a conservative viewpoint than a liberal one. If we truly value diversity, that should include theological diversity as well. If everyone is welcome, all voices need to be respected. <br />
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That’s a delicate balance because discussions of sexuality can feel like an attack on LGBT people very easily. This community needs to be a safe space where all people are valued. It especially needs to be a safe space for LGBT people and others who are not always heard and respected. But with grace and love, there can be space for honest discussion, even when it’s hard.<br />
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This summer our denomination will debate two overtures about same sex marriage. The realist in me expects that the discussion will be predictable and without much grace. Conservatives will make a biblical case against marriage equality. They will talk about the dangers of following secular culture too closely. At worst, they will say ugly things about LGBT sisters and brothers. <br />
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Liberals will make a case for same sex marriage. They will talk about the power of love and equality. At their worst they will equate conservative theology with bigotry. Both sides will basically dismiss the other position; both sides will leave the debate more convinced than ever that they are right and the other side is wrong. By a few votes either way we will have a narrow decision for or against same sex marriage.<br />
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I hope and pray for something better. I pray we will listen to each other. I pray we will actually discuss what the Bible says and what it means for us today. I pray we will talk about real couples and what marriage means for them. I hope we will actually seek God’s will for the church because both sides have something to offer. <br />
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Conservatives are right that the church isn’t always careful enough about following God. We are not supposed to mirror secular society; we are called to bear witness to God’s loving kingdom with our words and our actions. Liberals are right that love makes a family, and that discrimination has no place in the church. If we actually listen and learn from each other we will come out stronger and more faithful, still perhaps with a narrow vote, but with deeper love and respect for people with whom we disagree.<br />
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The truth of this passage for us goes far beyond marriage or theological discussion. The heart of this passage is that Jesus wants to open our eyes, because we’ve all got blind spots, and we all need healing. The more we are convinced that we see clearly, the more convinced we are that we are right or righteous, the more likely we are to have it all wrong. <br />
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Where do you need Jesus to clarify your vision? <br />
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Are you closing your eyes to some uncomfortable truth in your own life? <br />
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Where are you refusing to see a different point of view? <br />
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What easy answers are you still clinging to? <br />
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Jesus wants to help us see a righteous kingdom full of love and grace, but we can’t see it if we’re already sure we see it all.<br />
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Thanks be to God.</div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-87102357520680972802014-04-02T16:16:00.000-04:002014-04-02T16:20:24.251-04:00Hope for a peaceful kingdom, 3.2.14Isaiah 11:1-9<br /><br />A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. <br /><br />6The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.<br /><br /><br />Revelation 22:1-7<div>
<br />Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; 4they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.<br /><br />6And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” 7“See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”<br />---------------------------------------------<br /><br /><br /> Revelation and Isaiah were written about 800 years apart, but they have a lot in common. Both are prophetic books, which means they were written by someone called by the God to challenge and encourage the people. They both interpret the events of the author’s time in the light of God’s calling. These two passages especially have a lot in common because they lift up a vision of how God will bring the world to its conclusion, and they use that vision to inspire God’s people.<br /><br /> The Prophet Isaiah lived more than 700 years before Jesus in the Kingdom of Judah, which was the southern half of what had been Israel. He wrote to a nation that was doing pretty well on the surface but inside was very sick. On the outside Judah appeared economically strong and religiously active. <br /><br /> Speaking as an insightful observer and as a spokesperson for God, Isaiah sees a very different nation. He sees the powerful oppressing the poor. He sees religious leaders acting as cheerleaders for the nation’s sin by blessing leaders who turned away from the divine call for justice. Isaiah, like other biblical prophets, saw the problems in his society clearly.<br /><br /> He also saw hope for the Lord’s redemption, not only of Israel, but of the whole world. Our passage for today is a vision of God’s kingdom, a kingdom of peace, justice and wholeness where love would guide all relationships and all that was wrong would be made right.<br /><br /> John, the author of Revelation wrote in very different times. He probably wrote between 70 and 90 AD, more than 40 years after Jesus was killed. He wrote to a Christian community that was small and surrounded by threats. Christians were a distrusted minority. Their fellow citizens thought they were unpatriotic, even a threat, because they didn’t worship the Roman gods or the emperor. <br /><br /> While the Roman Empire hadn’t started persecuting the church actively, the Emperor Nero twenty or thirty years earlier had tortured and killed many Christians. John expected the near future to bring more persecution because the Roman Empire claimed divine power. That ultimately put it on a collision course with the church because the church believed only Christ was Lord.<br /><br /> As many of you have seen, Revelation is a collection of strange images through which God and John remind the church that God truly is in charge. No matter how strong the powers of empire appear, God’s kingdom of love will triumph in the end. The passage we read today builds on the last week’s description of God’s heavenly kingdom: a new heaven and new earth with its center in a new Jerusalem that comes down from. In this holy city God will be right in the middle of human life. <br /><br />A restoring river of life flows from God’s throne through the street. That river brings new life to the world. We see a strong tree of life on both sides of the river and its leaves bring healing not just to Israel, not just to the church, but for all the nations. <br /><br />There are all kinds of ways Revelation has been misused. The violence of other parts of the book have sometimes fueled an “us versus them” mentality in the church. The image of a new heaven and a new earth has made some Christians careless about the earth with which we have been entrusted. But the book as a whole is a powerful reminder that God is in charge, no matter what it looks like some days.<br /><br />Both passages give us a vision of hope, and we need that. We need that as individuals and as a congregation. There are times that life feels overwhelming. Whether it’s family struggles, trouble at work, political turmoil or health challenges, there are so many things we feel we can’t control. When we look at the violence in Syria and the instability in Ukraine, the world feels like a threatening place. When we worry about our bills or a loved one’s illness, it can be hard to believe that the story has a happy ending. <br /><br />Laurelton has been through a lot. The last three years have been better financially, but we’re not out of the woods yet. This year’s budget is challenging. Facing the end of our time together is sad and a little scary. We worry about our future as a community of faith. Many of the people you care about are not here anymore. There are so many things that are unsure about the world we live in.<br /><br />Isaiah and John’s visions remind us that in the end all will be well. We are part of a bigger story. We’re part of the God’s restoration of creation. Our loving witness in this community for justice is part of the movement that one day will make a place for everyone. <br /><br />In Isaiah’s vision the lion and the calf, the wolf and the lamb all live together in harmony. Our witness to justice now is part of God’s peaceful kingdom. Community is nurtured through worship and the Saturday Cafe. Laurelton’s welcome for neighbors is part of how God’s welcoming, inclusive kingdom is built up. The teaching ministry of this church whether in Sunday school for a few children or through preaching or through casual conversation over a cup of coffee is part of how the knowledge of God spreads so it can eventually cover the world with grace.<br /><br />I don’t know what the future holds for Laurelton. I don’t know what the future holds for Calvary or for the Presbyterian Church. A big part of our future will be shaped with other churches, especially through Urban Presbyterians Together. I know that the One who calls us is faithful. I know that God’s grace is eternal and that God cares for each of us deeply. <br /><br />I trust these visions of a righteous kingdom. I trust that one day God will make everything new, that injustice and oppression will be defeated and all people, in fact, all creation, will have abundant, peaceful, joyful life in a restored universe of harmony. I trust that future, even though I can’t see it clearly. <br /><br />Because we believe that one day God will make all things right, we are free to work for justice now without worrying about our successes and failures. We can try new ministries in our life together and in our individual lives. Ultimately, it’s not about me and it’s not about us. We are part of a bigger story with a magnificently happy ending. <br /><br />No matter what happens, Laurelton is part of the amazing tapestry of divine love. When this neighborhood was first being established, Rev. Harrison was visiting new neighbors, welcoming them to something new. Changing times have taken a toll on this congregation, but each chapter has been a new chance to share God’s love. Whether through the Living Nativity, the Get out and Play ministry, Christmas baskets, Cameron or Café, this church finds new ways to remind our neighbors that God loves them. No matter what happens, that legacy of love, creativity and faithfulness will remain. <br /><br />The last few years have brought some exciting hope. The Café has deepened our engagement with the community. Supper and Scripture has grown. New members have joined the church and our finances are better than they have been. UPT is working together to support congregations and reach out to the city more effectively. God is doing something exciting here<br /><br />God isn’t finished yet. She’s not finished with Laurelton, not finished with you personally, and not finished with the world. The story ends with wholeness, peace, community, abundance and welcome for all creation. The story ends with creation renewed and restored, free from pollution and oppression and death. The story ends with God’s love powerfully present among us, so obvious that no one can miss it. The story ends like it begins, with creative love weaving a beautiful new world.<br /><br />The chapters between now and then are not yet written. We don’t know all the twists and turns. We don’t know the victories and setbacks. We don’t know what we will learn about ourselves and our city. We do know that we are part of something bigger, something beautiful and righteous and true. We know that God has called us, that Jesus has gone before us, and that the Holy Spirit is with us, surrounding and filling us. <br /><br />We know too that our efforts, our love, our welcome are precious to God. The Holy One has been part of our journey from our first steps. God feels our sorrow and our fear. She mourns with us and sympathizes with our worries. No matter what happens, we are not alone; you are not alone. Each moment of your story is part of the Creator’s loving story, a story that is more beautiful because it includes hardship and challenge. The work we have to do together is important, but the weight of creation is not on our shoulders. No matter what happens the good news of divine love will shine through our story as we follow our calling.<br /><br />Thanks be to God.</div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-57319888705019121742014-02-24T21:59:00.000-05:002014-02-24T22:05:40.761-05:00judgment and a new creation, 2.23.14<br /><br />Revelation 19:11-21<br /><br /><br />11Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.12His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed that no one knows but himself. 13He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, “King of kings and Lord of lords.”<br /><br /><br />17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and their riders—flesh of all, both free and slave, both small and great.”19Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against the rider on the horse and against his army. 20And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.21And the rest were killed by the sword of the rider on the horse, the sword that came from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.<div>
<br /><br />Revelation 20:11-15<br /><br />11Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. 13And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done. 14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; 15and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.<br /><br /><br />Revelation 21:1-8<br /><br />Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.2And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” 5And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” <br /><br />Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. 7Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”<br />-------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><br /> These are strange and scary images. We see Jesus riding out to judge and make war. The armies of the world line up against him, led by the beast and the false prophet. Jesus and his followers defeat the powers of the world. The key weapon is the sword of Christ’s word.<br /><br /><br /> The Bible often calls God’s word a sharp, double edged sword. That image totally fits my experience. When I’m not doing the right thing, I feel the word cut into my conscience. It’s that sword that levels the opposing armies. The battle scene reminds us that even though all the power in the world might seem to be against us, ultimately even kings who stand against God will be food for the birds. <br /><br /><br /> The war scene fades out and God’s throne room fades in. Jesus sits on the throne to judge everyone. We see books of people’s lives, and another book that is the book of life. Everyone who has ever died is judged based on their life. </div>
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<br /><br /> When we think about God’s judgment sometimes we think about rules. We think about rules and laws and getting punished for doing something wrong. Many people grow up thinking religion was about what not to do. Don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t have sex. Don’t talk out of turn, respect your elders, give money, go to church and so on. <br /><br /><br /> Those are the rules and we think of sin as breaking the rules. A lot of people, whether they go to church or not, believe that God will add up our good deeds on one side and our sins on the other side. We will “pass” or “fail” judgment based on which pile is bigger. If you read just this passage you might get that idea too. Does that kind of sound like an idea you’ve picked up? <br /><br /><br /> When kids are young, they need concrete and specific rules. At first, they also need clear rewards and punishments to reinforce the rules. It’s appropriate and necessary to train little kids like that, but even then, it helps to explain what we’re doing. As they grow up, we help them think about the consequences of their choices. The goal of childhood rules is to develop adults who can think for themselves and understand how their choices impact others. <br /><br /><br /> By the time your son is 17 he should clean his room (at least a little bit) because he wants to live somewhere decent, not because you’re giving him cookies. Your teenage daughter should choose not to say mean things about her friends because it will hurt their feelings, not because she’ll get grounded. The rules and discipline you’ve given them early teach them moral and practical principles that will be useful their whole lives, even when the specific rules don’t matter anymore. Ultimately you want them to understand the reason behind the rules instead of just thinking about the rules themselves. <br /><br /><br /> When it comes to faith, a lot of people get stuck in about fourth grade. That’s true of whole faith systems as well as of people. We often think religion is about rules, punishments and rewards. So we approach our faith like reluctant students: “What’s the least we have to do to make it into heaven?” “What’s the worst we can do and still not end up in hell?” <br /><br /><br />That’s not a recipe for a vibrant and joyful faith, but it’s how many people feel. Many of us end up feeling like faith is irrelevant because it’s a bunch of rules we can’t understand or live up to. When we think about faith that way, usually our first emotion is guilt or fear. <br /><br /><br />A big part of the problem is trust. We can’t see God, and a lot of the things people tell us about God are confusing. When we see God through the religious rules we learn, often we imagine a strict teacher with rules that don’t make any sense to us. Talking about judgment is scary because the stakes are high and we’re not sure we can trust the judge. When our religious organizations focus on rules they reinforce this damaging image of God and the actually get in the way of people’s faith.<br /><br /><br />Instead of thinking about rules, think for a moment about Jesus, because he’s the one who’s going to be our judge at the end. Jesus loved all kinds of people regardless of what the rules said. When it comes to rules and punishment, Jesus took the beating, went to the cross and said, “Father, forgive them.” That’s the God who is going to judge us on the last day. <br /><br /><br />We can trust him to be fairer and more merciful than we can imagine. We don’t have to worry about being misunderstood. Jesus knows each of us completely, and he loves us dearly. The early images in Revelation of Jesus as a slaughtered lamb are so important because they remind us that the one who will judge us is the same one who suffered for us. We can trust Jesus.<br /><br /><br />We know that evil is powerful. We know that from scripture, from our experience, and from the news. We also know that evil is inside us. God wants to redeem the world from injustice, oppression, hunger and hatred. God wants to give us a beautiful, peaceful, kingdom to share. God will be right in the middle, close enough to wipe our tears away. John’s image of a new heaven and new earth and the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven like a bride helps us imagine the beauty of the new thing God is waiting to do in our world.<br /><br /><br />The trouble is that our selfishness and desire for control keep getting in the way of God’s plan. God created a beautiful world for everyone, but we get so carried away with possessions and convenience that we destroy creation with thoughtless consumption and wasteful living. God gives us a world with plenty for everyone, but we concentrate wealth and resources while the vulnerable starve. God keeps trying to get us to change our ways, but we have not. <br /><br /><br />To bring the peaceful kingdom into existence, God has to defeat the forces that stand in the way. The power of God’s redeeming word rides out to break down the lying words of our world that claim some people are better than others, that some deserve to suffer, that there is not enough for everyone. <br /><br /><br />To bring the peaceful, blessed kingdom to earth, God defeats the evil powers of the world, including the evil powers inside us. When God shows us this vision of a final judgment it reminds us that our choices, our actions have consequences. It’s not about rules and requirements; it’s about living our calling and responsibility in the world. God calls us to love each other, so at the last judgment we will be faced with how we have responded to that calling.<br /><br /><br />In the end we will stand before Christ on the throne. The book of our lives will be open and so will the book of life. We will stand before Jesus and account for our lives. <br /><br /><br />How are you doing? This is not about guilt trips or inadequacy or pride or fear. We’ve been given an amazing gift: the chance to be part of the beautiful kingdom God is bringing into the world. Each day, each interaction with someone else is a chance to be part of God’s kingdom. How is your life contributing to that kingdom? How are your actions blocking God’s kingdom? <br /><br /><br />Jesus is on the throne. He knows us inside and out. He knows our secrets, our struggles and our shame. And God loves us no matter what. We can cover it up all we want, but when the dead are raised and the books are open we will have to face how we have used this life. One day we will each be judged and evil will be defeated.<br /><br /><br />On the other side of that judgment is a beautiful city, a new creation of love and peace and justice. God doesn’t need us to build that kingdom, but she invites us to be part of it. We catch glimpses of that kingdom even now. We see it when we hold an infant and think only about that new life. We see it when we take the time to listen to someone’s story. We see it when we open ourselves up in prayer. <br /><br /><br />We feel God’s peaceful kingdom in simple moments. In a meal shared with friends and family when we rest in the joy of relationships without worrying about the future. We feel it in the kiss of the sunshine on our face and the comfort of a beloved pet. We taste the kingdom in a favorite song or painting or a run along the river, in a hug from a friend, or a hot cup of coffee shared with a spouse.<br /><br /><br />God invites to use those moments to lead us forward. God invites us to throw off the chains of selfishness and fear. We may not see God’s kingdom arrive completely in this life, but the more we commit to God’s love today, the more we will live in that kingdom even now. See the kingdom, and let your life be a part of building it each day.<br /><br /><br />Thanks be to God.<br /><br /> <br /><br /></div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-34976610007012429142014-02-24T21:57:00.000-05:002014-02-24T22:08:06.835-05:00Alas, Babylon, 2.16.14Revelation 17:1-7, 18<br /><br />Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great whore who is seated on many waters, 2with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the inhabitants of the earth have become drunk.”<br /><br /><br /> 3So he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; 5and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of whores and of earth’s abominations.” 6And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. <br /><br /><br />When I saw her, I was greatly amazed.7But the angel said to me, “Why are you so amazed? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her… 18The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”<br /><br /><br />Revelation 18:1-3, 9-20<br /><br />After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor.2He called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul and hateful bird, a haunt of every foul and hateful beast. 3For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxury.”<br /><br /><br />9And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; 10they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas, alas, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.” <br /><br /><br />11And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble, 13cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, choice flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, slaves—and human lives. 14“The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your dainties and your splendor are lost to you, never to be found again!” <br /><br /><br />15The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, 16“Alas, alas, the great city, clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! 17For in one hour all this wealth has been laid waste!” And all shipmasters and seafarers, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?” 19And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in one hour she has been laid waste. 20Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints and apostles and prophets! For God has given judgment for you against her.”<br />---------------------------------------------<br /><br /><br />A friend of mine recently lent me a book called “Alas, Babylon,” and reading that was part of the impetus for this series on Revelation. The title comes from this passage, and it is a great story set during the nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union that, fortunately, never happened. <br /><br /><br />The white main character in the story and his brother grew up in a small town in Florida. They remember a childhood visit to a local African American church where the sermon cried out God’s judgment on the comfort and power of this world. <br /><br /><br />As the brothers grew up, the repeated phrase from that sermon, “Alas, Babylon” stood, half jokingly, for anything that went wrong. As they got older and one of the brothers started to rise through the ranks of the Air Force it became a code they hoped they would never use that meant, “Nuclear war is coming.”<br /><br /><br />The African American tradition has generally had a different view of political power and judgment than the white church. That’s because our nation’s history has been twisted by racism since the beginning. White people and institutions have controlled most US political and economic power through out our history. <br /><br /><br />When the pilgrims came to this continent they thought of themselves as a new Israel, a city on a hill where God’s light of liberty could shine. From that beginning, the mainstream white American religious tradition has linked the calling of God with the growth of the nation. While white Christians in the US have different ideas about how to improve our nation, the overall story is one of gradual change guided by God, leading to greater justice and righteousness.<br /><br /><br />When Africans brought here in chains learned the Bible stories, they saw America as Egypt, not Israel. They imagined themselves like the Israelites in slavery, oppressed by a wicked nation and longing for freedom. That means for African American Christians, stories of God’s judgment against the powerful make perfect sense. African American Christians know first hand that American power is a mixed blessing at best. <br /><br /><br />Other oppressed groups have also found good news in the Bible’s words of judgment. The Bible was mostly written by people without power, so it is skeptical of human power. Israel was a chosen nation with a special mission and a special place in God’s heart, but even they stumbled and sinned more often than they succeeded. King David, the standard by which all future kings were measured, fell into the temptation of power himself. <br /><br /><br />Other empires receive much more negative judgments. Egypt’s king and army are drowned in the Red Sea. Assyria’s army is nearly wiped out by God while they besieged Jerusalem. Babylon becomes God’s tool for judgment against a sinful Judah, but they also fall under God’s judgment because of their arrogance. <br /><br /><br />The relationship between Christianity and political power has always been complicated. Paul tells his readers to pay taxes and obey the Emperor, while John clearly saw the Roman Empire as a threat and an enemy. Later, Rome became a supporter and enforcer for the church, which brought new opportunities and temptation. While political power can strengthen or weaken the institution of the church, our calling is to follow God regardless of what political leaders say.<br /><br /><br />For us the issue is less intense, but more complicated. We take freedom of religion for granted. The separation of church and state and freedom for religious minorities are key ideas from the foundation of our nation. At the same time, many people think of the US as a “Christian nation,” and ideas of faith and patriotism are often woven together. <br /><br /><br />Sometimes that combination is a good thing. Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts learn the importance of devotion to God and to country. Our national history teaches us about the importance of freedom and equality, both of which are important in the Christian faith and provide a good foundation for life. Our nation has much to be proud of including helping other nations, supporting democracy and encouraging innovation. <br /><br /><br />Faith teaches us to make our lives: our work, our study, our activities, an expression of faith and values. Those values shape who we are individually and as a nation at our best. That’s why programs like Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts that focus on service and character building are so important. The best values of faith and the best values of our nation are worthy of respect and fit together in many ways.<br /><br /><br />Patriotism also has a darker side, so the combination of religion and patriotism can be a problem. For instance, misguided patriotism and Christianity fueled racist movements like the Ku Klux Klan. Even some Christians who supported Martin Luther King Jr. on civil rights, felt he was being unpatriotic when he opposed the Vietnam War. Political power and faith have a complicated relationship.<br /><br /><br />What are Christians like us who live in the most powerful nation on earth supposed to make of a passage like this where the power of empire is destroyed? There are two messages here: a word of hope and a word of warning. For John’s readers, the word of hope would be the main one because empire was a threat to them, so the hope that in the end God would throw down the evil power and vindicate them gave them the strength to hold firm to their faith. It gave them the courage to bear witness, knowing that God’s love would triumph in the end. <br /><br /><br />We need that hope as well. We need that hope when we struggle for a better world. We need that hope as we minister to kids trapped in poverty and limited by racism. We need that hope as we care for those who have fallen through the cracks of empire. We need the hope that the forces of evil, of ignorance, of oppression that seem so strong, so insurmountable will one day be defeated. <br /><br /><br />One day the evil that prowls our streets and devours our young men will be judged and thrown down. One day the silence that allows domestic abuse will be broken, and the light of God’s truth will break through. One day the forces of violence and corruption that allow children to starve in Central Africa and girls to be shot instead of educated in Pakistan will be defeated by the power of God’s love.<br /><br /><br />We need that hope today. One day God’s power will prove stronger than all the forces of evil and hatred.<br /><br /><br />But we are part of the empire as well, so we need a word of warning from John’s writing too. The merchants’ memories of the good times of prosperity and trade ring in our ears. We remember when the economy was stronger, and we long for that comfort. We see the TV ads for flashing gadgets and shiny cars. We feel the temptation of empire, especially the empire of the mighty dollar.<br /><br /><br />For many of us there’s also a longing for the imperial church. We remember when the church was at the center of culture. We remember when no one would organize school activities on Sunday. We remember when people automatically looked for a church when they moved to a new area. We miss the old connections between the church and culture. We fear the competition of other ideas; we worry that as we lose our power over culture the culture will slide further into chaos.<br /><br /><br />We are also tied into the workings of our culture and our empire. When our nation sins, we are a part of it. Our hands are bloody when the innocent die in drone strikes. We are not innocent when families are locked in poverty. We are guilty when the nation cares more about luxury than about vulnerable people in need.<br /><br /><br />Even when we act for justice we need to remember that all human movements face the imperial temptation: the temptation to trust ourselves too much and to seek our own power. That means we need to examine ourselves and our organizations, including the church, to resist that temptation. <br /><br /><br />When we long for power and the security of empire we need John’s warning. When we are complacent and comfortable we need John’s warning. God reminds us through John’s strange vision that all empires fall, the United States included. Human power is important, but it is not ultimate. We can’t find salvation in political influence, organizational success or financial prosperity. We find salvation in God alone, and that is a gift.<br /><br /><br />We need the hope and the warning of this passage. We need to know that our small efforts for justice matter, because they are part of building God’s kingdom. We need to know that our small sins of indifference matter because they tie us to the sins of Babylon. <br /><br /><br />We are connected to the persecuted saints and the ruling empire. We benefit from the system and we long for freedom from its oppression. John calls us to choose God over empire. God calls us use whatever power we have faithfully, to act for justice, to protect the weak, to grow in faith, hope and love, to change the world for the better. No matter how things look, the powers of evil cannot last. The empire cannot stand against God forever. Ultimately, the empires of the earth will crumble and God’s kingdom of peace will come. <br /><br /><br />May that day come quickly. Thanks be to God.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-33820521129264235772014-02-24T21:56:00.002-05:002014-02-24T22:09:41.778-05:00witnesses for Jesus, 2.9.14<br /><br />Revelation 6:9-11<br /><br /><br />9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; 10they cried out with a loud voice, “Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?” 11They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed. <br /><br /><br /><br />Revelation 11:1-13<br /><br />Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Come and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months.<br /><br /><br />3And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth.” 4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5And if anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this manner. 6They have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. <br /><br /><br />7When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is prophetically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. <br /><br /><br />9For three and a half days members of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb; 10and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to the inhabitants of the earth. 11But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and those who saw them were terrified. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watched them. 13At that moment there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.<br />-------------------------------<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
Revelation
talks a lot about witnesses and testimony. From the very beginning of the book
the words echo over and over again. John introduces himself as a servant “who
testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ.” He offers
the churches receiving his letter grace from Jesus Christ, “the faithful
witness.” In chapter 12 we’re told Christians conquered Satan, “by the blood of
the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Clearly bearing witness is an
important part of the Christian life for John, and testifying has the power to
defeat Satan.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
does it mean to be a witness? First, a witness has to experience something;
they have to know it directly. Second, to be useful, they have to share that
testimony with someone else, and they have to do it honestly. The two witnesses
in the second passage probably represent the church, the people of God
following Jesus. Testimony is the job of the whole church, not just people who
we think of as preachers or prophets or evangelists. The church bears witness
that God is love and Jesus is Lord.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
passage doesn’t say much about the words the witnesses say, but we see that the
message isn’t popular. To bear witness to Jesus as Lord means to go against the
empire, to live life against the grain. These prophets are described as a
torment to all the inhabitants of the earth. People are so glad to see them
killed that they give each other presents to celebrate. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Shared
values define communities. For community to work smoothly, most members of that
community need to agree to live by the same rules. In the Roman Empire pagan
ritual and worship of the emperor expressed and reinforced the values people
lived by. People believed that worshiping the Roman Gods insured the Gods’
blessings of peace and prosperity. Worshiping the emperor reminded people of
their unity under Roman rule. Even though there were many differences
throughout the vast empire, everyone followed one ruler, so there was unity. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christians messed up that unity by
refusing to worship the Gods and refusing to worship the emperor. Some people
worried Christians would encourage others to ignore the Gods as well and the
Gods would respond by withholding their blessings or even cursing the empire. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
Christians followed the law and obeyed the emperor and his representatives,
they didn’t worship him, so people felt they couldn’t be trusted. They were
seen as outsiders within the empire. Maybe that wouldn’t have been a big deal
if Christians kept their faith to themselves and tried to fit in, but John is
encouraging them to stand out and speak up. That is seen as disruptive and
threatening to empire, so people get scared, angry and violent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>John
encouraged his readers to be faithful witnesses like Jesus. That same calling
is ours to since we are also disciples of Jesus. The hardest part of this
calling for many of us is imagining ourselves as witnesses in the first place.
We were not alive when Jesus walked the earth, so how could we be witnesses? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>John
wrote Revelation late in the first century, probably around 80 or 90. That
means many, even most of John’s readers hadn’t been alive during Jesus’ life.
Very few of them met Jesus in the flesh. In some really important ways John’s
readers were like us: they trusted in Jesus even though they had never met him.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
how could they be witnesses for Jesus? How could they testify that he was Lord?
The key to John’s readers being witnesses is that they experienced Jesus as
their Lord. They each had a moment when they chose to let Jesus run their life.
They made that decision in a community that had made the same decision, a
community full of people following a different path than the path of empire. In
that community they learned about Jesus’ life. They heard from his original
followers and from people those first disciples taught. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
They practiced living based on
Jesus’ teachings. They tried to love their neighbor and their enemies. They
raised their children in the faith, even though they knew that was risky and
strange. They read scripture, prayed together, sang hymns, listened to people
interpret God’s word and shared stories of how God was working in the world. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As they lived in that community,
Christ’s lordship became more and more real for them. Caesar still ran the
empire; the world around them didn’t change, but in their lives individually
and as a church, Jesus was Lord. The more they trusted that, the more real it
became for them. And the more they allowed Jesus to be their Lord, the more the
world made sense. As they lived it, it became almost obvious that at the end
Jesus would judge the world with love and defeat the power of evil. One day
everyone would see the truth they already knew, and the world would finally be
at peace.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
They testified for Jesus because
they believed he truly was Lord. They had seen for themselves that life was
better when they let Jesus lead. So they wanted others to experience that same
peace and joy that they had. </div>
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I can testify to the same thing in
my life. The more I try to follow Jesus the more sense the world makes, even
when the world doesn’t make sense. I see that life really is better if we
forgive other people. I truly am happier if I look out for others instead of
just myself. My ministry works better when I let go of the steering wheel and
trust Jesus to lead the way. </div>
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I also understand the story more
the more time I spend with it. The more I watch human power, both religious and
political, the more I understand why Jesus had to die. I see why the religious
leaders and political leaders saw him as a threat, because he refused to live
by their rules. It makes sense that religious and political leaders felt the
same way about Jesus’ followers since they followed Jesus’ example. As they
reached out to outcasts and ignored the rules about who was clean and unclean,
they undermined the whole religious system. </div>
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The more I try to follow Jesus, the
more things fall into place. I don’t get it right all the time. That’s how I
know that grace is stronger than sin, because Jesus keeps picking me up and
forgiving me when I fall down. And I see Jesus at work in this community. I see
people who feel like the whole world is against them find a place of refuge
here. I hear people say they have been accepted here. I hear stories like Bob’s
story last week about the healing power of a visit from Santa. I listen to
Donna talk about her new ministry caring for people at the end of life. I see
the healing of Jesus taking place in this community, so I know that healing is
real.</div>
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I also see people struggling. I see
our church and other churches mess up. I see myself make mistakes. I see
children left behind by society and let down by their families, so I know the
power of evil is still at work. I know the dragon and the beast are still
leading people astray. I feel the struggle of sin inside me and around us, so I
know that struggle is real. </div>
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I know bearing witness to Jesus
Christ can still cost us a lot. Caesar is still strong. It’s easier to fit in
with the values of our time of everyone for themselves and bigger is better.
It’s easier to ignore poverty when it doesn’t touch us. It’s easier to let kids
in the city continue to fall further behind in school. It’s easier to turn away,
lock our doors and decide it’s not our problem when gun violence claims another
young life. It’s easier to believe the polarized left or the polarized right
when they tell us they have the solution. It’s easier to keep our faith to
ourselves and let Caesar be lord in the world around us.</div>
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But instead we are called to
proclaim the truth: Jesus is Lord. We are Christ’s witnesses, or at least
that’s part of our calling. Here’s the challenge. Most of us have witnessed
something, some moment or word or experience that makes us believe that Jesus
is Lord. But we’ve also seen things that make us wonder. Maybe we have a hard
time really believing. Maybe we have the right combination of a little doubt
and a little fear so it’s easier for us to live our faith quietly. Maybe we
want to hedge our bets and keep peace with the empire around us.</div>
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There’s so much baggage attached to
our faith that it’s hard to know what to believe. People say there’s only one
way, that God is going to wipe out everyone who doesn’t believe the way we do.
That doesn’t make sense if God is love. The Bible has terrible stories of
violence, genocide, rape and murder. That doesn’t make sense if Jesus is the
prince of peace. The Bible is our best witness to God’s story, but it’s so
troubling. Does bearing witness to Jesus mean condemning people who are gay?
Does it mean supporting the oppression of women?</div>
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There’s a lot to sort out in our
faith and the guidance can be murky sometimes. I love the Bible like crazy,
which means there are some parts of it I really dislike. And I’m pretty sure
Christians are a bigger stumbling block for faith than atheists ever could be.
The path of faithful witness isn’t always easy to see. But Jesus walked that
path before you. God sent the Holy Spirit to us to help us know the truth so it
can set us free. There’s no such thing as a perfect witness, but people need to
hear the truth as you see it. They need to hear that you don’t have it all
figured out, but you’re discovering what it means to follow Jesus and here’s why
they might want to follow too.</div>
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The world needs your witness. The
kingdom of peace and love grows stronger as we share the story of Jesus. The
empire of indifference and injustice loses a little bit of ground when we act
like Jesus is Lord. People are hungry for good news; will you give it to them?
Will you seek in your heart to see what you really think is true so you can
bear witness? Will you pray for guidance to experience the graceful rule of
Jesus so you can tell others? Will you take one step today to let Jesus rule in
your heart? I’m not promising you an easy road, but I can promise that the one
who calls us is faithful. So open your heart, lift up your voice and follow
with your actions as the chorus of witnesses grows stronger each day.</div>
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Thanks be to God.</div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-78910450446899613592014-02-03T10:15:00.000-05:002014-02-03T10:15:14.055-05:00A call for faith and endurance, 2.2.14Mark 13:21-27, 32-33<br /><br />21And if anyone says to you at that time, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘Look! There he is!’ —do not believe it. 22False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23But be alert; I have already told you everything. <br /><br />24“But in those days, after that suffering,<br />the sun will be darkened,<br /> and the moon will not give its light,<br /> 25and the stars will be falling from heaven,<br /> and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.<br /><br /><br />26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven… 32“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.<br />------------------<br /><br />As you’ve probably noticed, Revelation is a strange book. It’s visually stunning; it’s also highly symbolic. One of the books I’ve been reading warns that it’s not meant to be read literally as a textbook for how the world will end. And while some figures in Revelation refer to historical people or places, we shouldn’t limit the book to those meanings. Sometimes one symbol stands for several differet things. And sometimes the main point isn’t exactly what happens, but the overall feel and atmosphere. <br /><br /> <br />Last week Carl talked about the Revelation Christmas story. Satan in the form of a dragon tries to snatch Jesus from his mother as soon as he’s born. The woman is Mary, but she’s also the church and the force of new birth too. The dragon is Satan and the serpent from the Garden of Eden and the force of evil in the world.<br /><br /> <br />Last week we also read about the defeat of Satan in heaven and how Satan was then cast down to earth where he would unleash persecution and terror against God’s people. In today’s passage we’ll find out more about that. As we read along jot down anything that confuses you. I’ll get to some of it as we read, but then I’d love to hear your questions and stumbling blocks before we get into what the passage says to us today. <br /><br /> <br />Revelation 12:18-13:18<br />(12:18) Then the dragon took his stand on the sand of the seashore. (13:1) And I saw a beast rising out of the sea having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. 2And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority.3One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. <br /><br /> <br />Let’s take a quick pause for a little explanation. We met the dragon, Satan, last week. Today his ally appears. The beast that comes out of the sea looks bizarre with ten horns and seven heads. The main thing John’s readers would have thought of when they heard the beast described was the Roman Empire. <br /><br /> <br />Later on in the book (Chapter 17 to be exact) an angel reveals to John the mystery of the beast by saying the seven heads are seven mountains on which the beast sits. Rome was known as a city sitting on seven hills. The different animal features John notices reflect the beasts Daniel saw in his visions from 400 years earlier. In Daniel’s vision, the different animals symbolized different empires, so this fits the same trend. <br /><br /> <br />Chapter 17 says the seven heads are not only seven mountains, but also 7 kings. One of those heads had a deadly wound that had been healed. The Emperor Nero, who ruled about 30 years before Revelation was written, was the first Emperor to persecute Christians. He killed himself, but there was a widespread belief that he had or would return from the grave. The beast’s wounded head is a reference to Nero. <br /><br /> <br />Scholars say when John uses symbolic language about the rulers of his time the point isn’t to communicate who they are, John’s audience already knows who the rulers are. His point instead is to show what they are in the spiritual and cosmic sense. The Roman rulers are not just political overlords. John argues they rule by Satan’s power and authority. That why John sees the beast (Rome) receive its throne from the dragon (Satan). The blasphemous names John talks about on the beast’s heads probably refer to the Emperor’s claims to be divine. And now, back to the story.<br /><br /> <br />In amazement the whole earth followed the beast. 4They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” 5The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. <br /><br /> <br />It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered. 9Let anyone who has an ear listen: 10If you are to be taken captive, into captivity you go; if you kill with the sword, with the sword you must be killed. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.<br /><br /> <br />11Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. 13It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all; 14and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived; 15and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. <br /><br /> <br />16Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.<br />----------------------------------------<br /><br /> We’ve got a dragon and two strange beasts in our story for today. We talked about the dragon as Satan and the first beast as Rome. One writer points out that from where John lived in Asia, Roman power would come from the sea since Rome was across the Mediterranean from Asia Minor, so the first beast rises up from the sea. The second beast comes from the land because it is local power. <br /><br /> <br />We talked a few weeks about how the Roman Empire used religious language and ritual to support its power in the provinces. Asia was an especially important area for emperor worship. The second beast, also know as the false prophet, would be the local rulers, both religious and political, who supported the religious worship of the Emperor. <br /><br /> <br />When we read this passage we don’t need to imagine an actual image with the power to speak and kill. Instead, think about the power of images to shape thought, and enforce common belief. Likewise, we don’t need to imagine an actual time when people will be forced to tattoo a number on themselves to buy or sell. Instead, we can think about how hard it would be for Christians to participate in the economy since many economic and social events happened along with pagan worship. <br /><br /> <br />Is there anything you want to know about the passage? Any part of it that makes you say, “I don’t get it,” or, “what is John trying to say?”<br /><br /> <br />The point of the passage is to show the world as a battleground. Both God and the devil claim authority over every people and nation and language. Both God and empire claim to offer peace, but only one claim is true. You can belong to God or belong to Satan and the Empire.<br /><br /> <br />This passage shows how powerful, and therefore how tempting the Empire is. He says the whole world worshiped the beast for its power. There’s a sense that the global superpower has to be obeyed. In a hard world, people are drawn to power. <br /><br /> <br />The beast and its false prophet demand worship. John knows the temptation to take part in emperor worship is already strong. He imagines a time when the temptation will become force. He sees persecution coming so he warns the churches. He doesn’t sugar coat the reality: the beast will try to kill those who stand against it. The empire will make war on the church, to kill its enemies. <br /><br /> <br />John thinks most people in the empire will worship. Whether from the desire for power or wealth or the fear of persecution, most people will go along. Those who will not are those who truly belong to Christ. He calls them those who are written in the slaughtered lamb’s book of life. We can either be in the lamb’s book of life or the beast’s list of approved buyers and sellers. John reveals the truth he sees: worse persecution is coming; the saints will need endurance and faith to stand firm.<br /><br /> <br />John’s prediction was accurate. Rome went from occasional harassment to a fully organized and devastating persecution of the church in the third century. As he hoped, many Christians did stand their ground and bear witness to God’s loving rule even in the face of death. <br /><br /> <br />Then, something surprising happened. In 313 Christianity was legalized by Rome, then favored; in 395 it became the official religion of the Empire. From then on, Christianity and empire went together in the West. The first major ruler in Europe after the fall of Rome was crowned by the Pope and called the Roman Emperor. <br /><br /> <br />Empires, conquering nations, have a strong sense of their importance. Often, they imagine themselves bringing peace to the world by spreading their values and civilization. That’s part of why they are so powerful: they think they are doing the right thing, so forcing others to fall in line is ultimately doing them a favor. Peace will come when everyone accepts the empire’s way of doing things. <br /><br /> <br />The Greek Empire of Alexander the Great felt like it was blessing the areas it conquered with philosophical thinking, education and enlightened culture. Rome saw itself as continuing the virtues of Greek civilization. Later empires saw themselves as spreading the blessing of Christianity and civilization as they increased their reach.<br /><br /> <br />The Bible has a consistent message about empire: every empire eventually falls. History tells the same story: no human power lasts forever. Whether it’s the Roman peace or the “thousand year Reich” of Hitler’s Germany or the British Empire on which the sun was said to never set because it was so big, every empire falls.<br /><br /> <br />No matter whether the empire is pagan or Christian, empire is empire. The more people and groups and nations pursue power, the more likely they are to ultimately stand against God. We can be a part of several groups at the same time: nation, church, family, football team, etc. But when anything pushes for ultimate allegiance, when it demands the sacrifice of integrity or justice or faith, it stands against God. In the end, only God’s power and rule are ultimate, and in our lives there can be only one Lord.<br /><br /> <br />In our time many things demand our attention, and that’s OK. Work hard, but don’t compromise your principles for a promotion. I don’t mean quit your job if they make you to work Sunday; I mean quit your job if they force you to treat people like objects. Be dedicated to your family, but don’t sacrifice the lives of other children to push your child ahead. Serve your country, but remember it is not always right, and God’s kingdom is where we ultimately belong. <br /><br /> <br />There will be times it feels like you can’t hold all your commitments together. There will be times when the world tries to take first place in your life and make your forget your faith. That’s one of the reasons we come together. That’s why we come to Christ’s table, to remember that true love and power are made perfect in sacrifice. We remember where we truly belong, and we are given strength for the journey. We live in challenging times, but the gospel still calls us forward. No matter how the beasts and dragons roar, we are written in the Lamb’s book of life; we are invited to the Lord’s table. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. <br /><br /> <br />Thanks be to God.Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-10273567553207745172014-02-01T14:26:00.001-05:002014-02-01T14:26:58.838-05:00A lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, 1.19.14<b>Ezekiel 1:4-6, 26-2:2<br /><br />4As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually, and in the middle of the fire, something like gleaming amber. 5In the middle of it was something like four living creatures. This was their appearance: they were of human form. 6Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like burnished bronze…<br /><br />26And above the dome over their heads there was something like a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was something that seemed like a human form. 27Upward from what appeared like the loins I saw something like gleaming amber, something that looked like fire enclosed all around; and downward from what looked like the loins I saw something that looked like fire, and there was a splendor all around. 28Like the bow in a cloud on a rainy day, such was the appearance of the splendor all round. <br /><br />This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of someone. He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. 2And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me.</b><br />
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We’re digging into a pretty crazy book today. The Book of Revelation, also know as the Revelation of John or the Apocalypse of John is a powerful and bizarre read. It catches our attention with strange and dramatic imagery. <br />
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The more I’ve studied the book, the more I like it. It is violent, which I don’t love, but in scripture as in everything else, context is critical. When John was ministering, the church was under threat. There wasn’t the organized persecution the Roman Empire would unleash later, but Christians often faced discrimination, ridicule, official and unofficial harassment, and some scattered persecution. The late first century was a difficult time to be a Christian. <br />
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John’s ministry was in what he called Asia and we know today as Turkey. The provinces of Asia were an important part of the Roman Empire. One of the ways the Roman Empire connected with and controlled outlying parts of the Empire was through religion. People in areas that had conquered by Rome were allowed to worship their traditional Gods, but they were also strongly encouraged to worship the Roman gods as well. <br />
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That wasn’t really a problem for many people. Most religions at the time welcomed the worship of many gods, and since the Roman gods had been victorious, they seemed like good gods to worship. This arrangement worked well for Rome. Different parts of the empire kept their own religions and traditions, which let them feel true to their history and in some ways independent. The shared religion of the empire helped provide a sense of unity to a very diverse group of people.<br />
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The Roman Empire also used religious language for the Emperor himself. This was a slow development, but it was most active in the eastern part of the Roman Empire, especially in John’s part of the world. There were temples and shrines to the emperor and people called him King of Kings or Savior. The message throughout the Empire was that people had lots of freedom, but Rome was still in charge.<br />
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In that setting, worshiping God alone as God was a challenge to the Empire. Those who participated actively in emperor worship had an easier time advancing socially and economically. Those who didn’t participate made things harder on themselves. And those, like John, who actively spoke up about God being the only God and Jesus ruling the universe risked persecution, exclusion and death. <br />
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When Revelation begins John says he is writing a letter to the churches in Asia. The letter begins with John on the Island of Patmos, a small island off the west coast of Asia Minor. It seems John had been exiled there for his faith. In his vision he sees Jesus, and Jesus tells him to write down what he sees to send to the churches. After that Jesus gives specific messages to each of seven churches in the area. The messages offer encouragement to stay strong in hard times; they also offer challenge to do even better. After the seventh message, the revelation continues with the vision we’re about to see. <br />
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We’ll talk through the vision as we go, since there’s a lot to unpack. I’d encourage you to open your Bibles so we can read and discuss together.<br />
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<b>Revelation 4:1-4, 6b, 8b- 5:10<br /><br />After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! 3And the one seated there looks like jasper and carnelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. 4Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. <br /><br />Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind…Day and night without ceasing they sing, “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” <br /><br />9And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, 11“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”<br /><br />Revelation 5<br />Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; 2and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. 4And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. <br /><br />5Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. <br /><br />8When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.9They sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; 10you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth.” </b><br />
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The Book of Revelation was written to comfort, encourage and challenge the church. In hard times, we need the good news of Revelation most. The main idea keeps being repeated because it is important: God is in charge. Our passages for today shows us that by giving us an image of God’s throne room in heaven. God’s throne is surrounded by strange creatures and elders on thrones of their own. This heavenly congress sings praise all the time to God because God created the world and rules it for ever.<br />
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The second point is connected to the first: Jesus is Lord. We read last week from John’s Gospel in which Jesus says God has entrusted all judgment to him. This passage shows us that same good news in a visual way. God holds a scroll that only Jesus can open. When Jesus starts opening the scroll the judgment of earth starts to unfold. As each seal on the scroll is broken different disasters shake the earth to its core and bring down the rulers of earth. <br />
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We’ll get deeper into that judgment in the weeks to come, but the purpose of judgment is building God’s righteous, loving and peaceful kingdom on earth. <br />
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The reason John’s churches needed this passage so much, the reason God gave this vision to John to share with them, was that they needed encouragement that God really was in charge. They needed to know that Jesus really was Lord. The needed to know because the facts around them every day said something different. <br />
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Roman soldiers were everywhere, announcing with their armor and banners and weapons that Caesar was in lord. Roman temples and priests and shrines shouted the same message with religious symbols. Rome’s power was always on display, and the message was clear: Rome is strong, Caesar rules and resistance is futile. For the Roman Empire power came first: Rome conquered territory and then, when the local leaders were subdued, the blessings of Roman culture and rule were given to the people, but power and victory came first. <br />
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With the constant reminders of Roman rule around them, John’s churches faced powerful temptation to fit in. A little emperor worship here: a small statue in the office or a touch of incense might go a long way in helping someone’s career by showing others they were part of the club.<br />
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In our time the symbols of empire are different but still constant and still powerful. People talk half-joking about the almighty dollar and the bottom line. Our stars and celebrities are fantastically wealthy and lottery advertising promises that we could be next. TV ads show the blessings of the empire of cash: success means beauty and wealth; it means dressing right, driving the fanciest car and buying the newest gadget. <br />
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We certainly see military power on display as well. We’ll be treated to a fighter plane fly over at the Super Bowl to remind us how important military strength is. We see frequent articles about the dangers of terrorism and how we have to put everything else aside to stay safe. Never mind that drone attacks kill civilians, including children; we’re told that is the sad but necessary cost of freedom. Military power and financial power, we’re promised, will mean we get a piece of the pie.<br />
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That’s not the message of God. There’s only one person who can open the scroll of the future. There’s only one who can reveal the secrets of the end of history. The powerful Lion of Judah is the only one worthy to judge and redeem the world. How has this roaring and mighty lion earned the right to judge the world? Through power and the strength to conquer? <br />
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No, the Lion of Judah is a slaughtered lamb. Jesus conquers the world’s powers by weakness; he overcomes the mighty with love that is willing to die for the world. Jesus rules because he was killed by the empire, but his death was not the end. Still showing the marks of his execution, the lamb of God is standing at the throne. Death doesn’t have the last word, and the power to kill isn’t the ultimate power. Instead, love, sacrifice and witness win the day. No matter what Rome or the United States or Babylon or the stock market say, Jesus is Lord and judgment is in his hands. <br />
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That means your paycheck can’t judge you. Your bills and your credit score can’t define your value. Your popularity and your looks are not the true story. Jesus is Lord, no one else. Jesus is our judge and our redeemer. Jesus is the one who holds the future his hands. Jesus rules the universe. <br />
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Jesus knows what it means to be pushed down by the people who think they’re in charge. He knows that the hypocrites will make a show and the haters will hate. He knows the kings of the world will strut around feeling on top of the world, and they will crush whoever stands in their way. <br />
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But at the end it’s God on the throne and the Lamb at God’s side. At the end love and sacrifice and weakness are strong. Power and violence are ultimately fragile and they will collapse under their own weight in the face of love. In the end it’s worship and love and justice that are victorious. <br />
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It’s fitting to remember the way of the lamb this weekend as we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. In city after city the forces of fear and segregation unleashed the power of the law, the dog, the fire hose against crowds of non-violent marchers, non-violent followers of Jesus. The bodies fell, some broken, but the spirit of justice rose up in righteous victory. <br />
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King’s legacy isn’t just about segregation; King stuck his neck out for poor people of every color. He risked his popularity to oppose a war he knew was wrong. His last campaign was a strike for fair pay and working conditions for sanitation workers. King bore witness to the way of the lamb, slaughtered and yet victorious. <br />
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That’s the way God calls us to follow too. God calls us to love, no matter what the cost. God calls us to serve, to speak out, to care. John shows us this vision to remind us of the truth no matter what it looks like on TV. God is on the throne, the slaughtered, conquering lamb is there too, and all creation sings praises. Worthy is the lamb who was slain; let us follow in his way.<br />
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Thanks be to GodSam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-63231964055720942412014-02-01T14:26:00.000-05:002014-02-01T14:26:06.891-05:00"To judge the living and the dead..." 1.12.14Daniel 12:1-4<br />
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“At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. 2Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil shall increase.”<br />
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John 5:15-30<br />
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15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath.17But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” 18For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God. <br />
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19Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. 20The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. 21Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. <br />
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22The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. <br />
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25“Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; 27and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 30“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.<br />
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As long as I can remember, I have loved the Bible. I think I finished reading the whole book for the first time in 7th grade. A lot of it didn’t make sense, but the overall story did make sense and something about it captured my attention and my heart. <br />
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I have also struggled with the Bible a lot in my life. The Bible is challenging and it comes with lots of baggage. I’ve especially struggled with John’s Gospel because it makes such strong claims about Jesus. Favorite passages like John 3:16, that express the amazing love of God in Jesus are followed by the idea that those who don’t believe in Jesus are condemned. I struggled; I still struggle with the image of God condemning people because they don’t believe in Jesus.<br />
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I’ve always had friends who don’t believe in Jesus. Whether it was Jewish and Muslim friends in my elementary school or atheists in high school and beyond, there have always been people close to me who don’t accept Jesus as their Lord. These are people who take their responsibility to other people seriously, people who want to make the world better. It has never made sense to me that God would send them to hell because they didn’t understand God the same way I do. I thought of John’s Gospel as the center of this exclusive way of thinking about Jesus, and that kept me from paying much attention to John.<br />
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I took another look at John during my seminary internship. During Bible study a great saint of the church I was serving said that her favorite Gospel was Luke but she thought John was most likely to make someone become a Christian. That made me take another look, and what I discovered was the welcoming grace of Jesus I love in all the Gospels in more poetic language.<br />
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When we read John or any other part of the Bible we have to understand the passage we’re reading as part of a bigger book. You don’t have to read all the latest scholarship or take a college course about it. But you do need to know what’s around the text. The Bible doesn’t make sense if we read one verse by itself without reading the story it is part of.<br />
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The John’s Gospel is about the eternal word of God that was with God from the beginning of creation becoming a human being in Jesus. Jesus came to his own people to show them a different perspective on God. In John’s Gospel Jesus does signs or miracles so people will believe he is the Son of God. When they believe in him as the Son of God they will see more clearly who God is and what God wants. That especially means they will see that God is love: God loves us deeply, and God wants us to love each other. <br />
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In all the Gospels Jesus and almost everyone he interacted with was Jewish. When John says, “The Jews,” he means religious leaders who shared Jesus’ faith but generally opposed Jesus. Over the church’s 2000 years we’ve done a lot of harm because we blamed Jewish people for resisting Jesus. For Jesus, he was talking to his own community, not a different group. As much as Jesus and the religious leaders argue, they are part of the same faith community. <br />
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When this passage begins Jesus has just healed a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years. Like many of the healing stories in the Gospels, this one took place on the Sabbath, the religiously commanded day of rest. The religious leaders get upset because Jesus broke the Sabbath. They get even more upset because Jesus says God is his Father, which they think is disrespectful to God. <br />
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The argument between Jesus and the religious leaders here is about the relationship between God and Jesus. The religious leaders think of God as holy and totally separate from humans. The way to connect with God for them was to follow God’s commandments faithfully. The commandments strengthened the faith community and connected people to God. Since Jesus wasn’t following the commandments, they figured he couldn’t be following God.<br />
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Jesus responds that he’s following God more closely than they can imagine. God sent him with a specific mission: to do God’s will and even to judge the dead. God has given all these powers and all this responsibility to Jesus to so people will be able to understand God more clearly. <br />
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The leaders see God in the commandments, and that’s right, but not the clearest image they could have. Imagine a preschool child. The child learns when school starts to find Jevon, his morning partner, so they can share markers and start the day with drawing. The “commandment” the child learns is about finding Jevon, but the point is learning how to share and developing a routine. The commandment isn’t wrong, but it’s part of a bigger picture. You can share without finding Jevon and sharing is the bigger purpose.<br />
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The same is true in this story and in Jesus’ ministry as a whole. The commandments teach us how to love God and love our neighbor. The Sabbath commandment is a part of loving God; we set the Sabbath aside as a day specially dedicated to God to help us be more dedicated to God in the rest of our lives. Keeping the Sabbath is also a part of how we love ourselves and other people because we all need rest and a break from our work routine. The Sabbath isn’t the point in itself, but it teaches us about honoring God, and caring for ourselves and other people. <br />
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In the strict sense Jesus is breaking the Sabbath, but he’s not going against God’s law. Instead he is showing the people an even clearer picture of love. We can learn what love means even more perfectly by watching Jesus than by obeying the Sabbath commandment. When we’ve faced with a choice between breaking the Sabbath and caring for another person, the more loving, more faithful choice is to care. So Jesus heals on the Sabbath. That’s not something the religious leaders can take in; they can’t accept Jesus because he is too different from what they expected.<br />
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The religious leaders are stuck. They think about God as a lawgiver, so following God for them means following the law first and foremost. <br />
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Jesus came to set them free from that limited way of thinking and feeling. Of course, God gave the law, and Jesus wants to be clear he comes from the same God. Jesus’ ministry fits into the same story as God’s creation of the world, the call of Abraham and Moses, the Exodus and the law. But God is much bigger than that. Following God is much bigger and simpler than following rules. <br />
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More than anything else, God loves the world and every one in it. The way we follow God is by loving others. Jesus came to show us that. <br />
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The commandments also teach love, and rules are part of how we learn love, but they can also get in the way. Rules are easy to twist to support our power instead of pushing us to do our best. On the other hand, without rules sometimes we let ourselves off the hook too easily and forget to make love the center of our life. The religious leaders Jesus argued with had more trouble letting the rules get in the way of a vibrant and open relationship with God; our culture has more trouble getting lazy about love and substituting some vague, wishy-washy idea about being nice for the demanding work of love.<br />
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Judgment is similar. When we think about judgment as a matter of living up to rules, we will be afraid, but worse than that, we’ll be selfish about following the rules. In other words, we’ll approach life as if it’s a test where the most important thing is for us to follow the rules. That makes it about us. <br />
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When we know that judgment is about Jesus, and really, about love, that reminds us above all else to love. That’s why Jesus says that those who honor him and believe that God sent him will escape judgment. Believing in Jesus doesn’t give us a get out of jail free card. Instead, if we actually believe that Jesus is the Son of God and we honor him, we will live as if love is the most important thing in the world. We will actually, in our everyday lives treat people with love even when it is inconvenient or even dangerous. When we do that we will do the right thing consistently and contribute to God’s loving kingdom. So when the dead rise and Jesus judges us, we will have nothing to worry about.<br />
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The key to the whole passage, the whole series we’re about to begin and to thinking about judgment in general is the closing line of our passage: Jesus says, “My judgment is just because I seek to do not my will but the will of him who sent me.” The Bible teaches us that God is love, which means love is the heart and foundation of all judgment. At the end of the day that is what matters more than rules or even believing something about Jesus. <br />
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God is love; Jesus shows us that love by becoming human, welcoming outcasts and dying for us. It is that active, courageous, loving Jesus who will judge us when the world ends, so we can trust him to judge justly and mercifully. In the end, all will be well because love is in charge.<br />
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Thanks be to God.</div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-37069726813768006442014-02-01T14:25:00.001-05:002014-02-01T14:25:55.441-05:00Reflecting on the new year, 1.5.14Lamentations 3:21-26<br /><br />21But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. 26It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.<br /><br /><br />Psalm 90<br /><br />1Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.<br /><br />2Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.<br /><br />3You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”<br /><br />4For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, <br /><br />or like a watch in the night.<br /><br />5You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;<br /><br />6in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.<br /><br /><br />7For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.<br /><br />8You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.<br /><br />9For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.<br /><br />10The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; <br /><br />even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.<br /><br />11Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.<br /><br />12So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.<br /><br />13Turn, O Lord! How long? Have compassion on your servants!<br /><br />14Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,<br /><br /> so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.<br />---------------------------<br /><br /> One of the greatest strengths of the biblical faith we share with our Jewish neighbors is the ability to take in trouble and still rest in God’s care. We don’t read from Lamentations very often. As you might guess from the title, it’s sort of a depressing book. <br /><br /><br />Lamentations is a series of poems reflecting on the defeat and destruction of Jerusalem. It is heartbreaking poetry because the poet’s heart is broken. His city, not only his home, but the center of his religious and national life has been destroyed. The city lies in ruins. Many of the poet’s friends and family have probably been killed. The dead are still lying in the street. <br /><br /><br /><div>
The poet takes it all in and pours out his grief openly, mournfully and honestly. But right in the middle of this tragic book come the words we just read together: “But this I call to mind and so I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”<br /><br /><br />There’s no covering over the shame and pain and grief. There is no disguising or pretending about the hardship that is still to come. And yet, there is still hope. God’s mercies never end; God’s love shines through even in the darkest night. We fail and fall, we suffer and we grieve, we get sick and we die. Through it all, God is faithful. Through it all, God loves us.<br /><br /> <br />God is with us when things are going well, even though sometimes we’re too busy to notice. God is with us when things are just plodding along, when things are neither great nor terrible but just status quo. God’s faithfulness is great; God is steady and constant.<br /><br /> <br />At the same time as God is constant, God’s mercies are new every morning. Each morning brings new joys and new challenges. There are new places we need God’s help, new failings and hurts that need God’s mercies. So every morning, every moment, God is finding new ways to show grace and love and care; we just have to open our eyes, open our hearts and receive.<br /><br /><br />The Bible teaches us about God. It also teaches us about ourselves. The new year is a natural time to reflect on our lives, on how we’ve done in the last year and what we want to do with the year to come. Psalm 90 is a great New Year’s passage because it invites us to that reflection. <br /><br /><br />God is eternal, but we are not. We ignore that fact at our peril. Our culture is so scared of death and illness that we are unable to face those things honestly or well. Instead, we rush around trying to cram as much as we can into our time while almost denying the reality of death. I’ve seen families in the hospital refuse to admit that their loved one is dying even in their last days. Most patients don’t take full advantage of the extra care available through hospice services because patients, families and doctors keep battling death long after the outcome is clear. <br /><br /><br />The psalmist encourages us to count our days so we can gain wise hearts. That means that we need to think about our life, our days and weeks and years, knowing that they are limited. Our time on earth is precious because we don’t have forever. <br /><br /><br />The trouble is, sometimes when we think of our time as precious, it makes us stingy with it, and that’s different than taking it seriously. We want to be generous with our time, like with our money and energy. We want to give freely, partly because that means we enjoy them (our energy, time and money) more than if we clutch them with white knuckles. At the same time, we don’t want to throw away our days because we can’t ever get them back. <br /><br /><br />Having a wise heart is not just about being generous with our time either. It’s about knowing our time on earth is precious and limited, but also that our impact is limited. We are fragile and, in the grand scheme of things, nothing we do will last forever either. The psalmist imagines us returning to the dust from which we came and pictures our days like grass springing up in the morning and withering away at the end of the day. Our lives, our accomplishments, the things that seem so important in the moment are fragile and temporary. <br /><br /><br />At first that sounds discouraging; it almost makes us think, “Why bother?” But ultimately it is liberating. We tend to get caught up in ourselves, caught up in our work or our family struggles or our decisions. The stakes feel so high; everything feels like an emergency, so we rush around constantly trying to manage situations to keep them from getting out of hand.<br /><br /><br />Thinking about life from the perspective of God’s time frame reminds us of that in a thousand years, whatever we are so worried about now will not matter. No one is going to remember why we were so mad at someone else. No one will care about the church budget or the rent or the election.<br /><br /><br />The moment at hand is both precious and ephemeral; both important and fleeting. That means taking our time, our decisions, our work seriously because they are precious. It also means taking them with a grain of salt because none of it lasts forever. It seems like those two things are opposites, but they aren’t. Holding on to our time and decisions lightly actually helps us make the most of them because it helps us see them more clearly, while treating every issue like a crisis makes us more likely to mess up. In almost everything we do, humans perform better if we are relaxed.<br /> <br /><br />That’s where our passages come together. Our lives are temporary and precious. God is trustworthy and loving. God is faithful in hard times and in good times, and, while our lives are short, we also have the chance to be part of the work of God’s kingdom, which is eternal. God calls us to share in building up community, in making life better for others, to work for peace and reconciliation. That can be as involved as starting a hospital and as simple as saying a kind word to a stranger. Our calling as disciples of Jesus touches every part of our lives. We’re freed from the anxiety of our own lives because it’s really not about us in the end.<br /><br /><br />The new year is a great time to step back and take a look at our life. How are we doing at trusting God? Are we spending our time in a way that fits with our true priorities? Are we treating others kindly, like their lives and feelings are precious? What do you want to do differently this year?<br /><br /><br />The new year is also a time to think about our life and future as a church. As you probably know, I’m leaving this coming summer. That’s sad for me to think about because I love serving with you; this is a wonderful church. We have been a good fit for each other and we have grown together. There’s going to be a time to say goodbye to each other, but now isn’t that time.<br /><br /><br />Now is the time to think about how to use the time we have together to get ready for what’s next. We’ll be talking about that the next couple of weeks, including right after worship. Pastoral transition has not always been kind to Laurelton, but here we have time to do it right. So think about what do we need to work on together to help you take the next steps with courage and confidence.<br /><br /><br />A church is not about a pastor. It’s about a community making God’s love real through relationships and ministry. It’s about finding ways to make God’s eternal faithfulness make sense to people in everyday actions and words. It’s about growing together in trust, in faith and in love. It’s about learning to trust each other, to be honest and open with each other and to treat each other like the precious children of God we are. It’s also about having fun together because the message of faith is good news for all people. <br /><br /><br />This church has so many of the gifts the wider church and the world needs. You are relaxed and able to absorb change, which equips you well for the world we live in. You are open to all kinds of people, so you can welcome the community and invite them in to God’s story. You are committed, generous givers of time and money and energy. You have the gifts you need to thrive in ministry. This next six months we will work together to consolidate and polish your gifts and to discern how God is calling you in the next step of your ministry.<br /><br /><br /> In our lives as individual disciples and our life as a church, a new year is a new beginning. It’s also a small part of the great tapestry of God’s love. God has been faithful in the past and God will be faithful in the future. This moment is full of potential for joyful, exciting ministry. So let us number our days, gain a wise heart and rest in God’s endless grace as we spend the precious time God has given us.<br /><br /><br /> Thanks be to God.</div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-21350022295833866592013-12-30T18:13:00.000-05:002014-02-03T10:32:06.435-05:00Full time faith, 12.29.13Matthew 5:13-19<br /><br />13“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house.16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.<br /><br /><br />17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.<br /><br /><br />John 15:9-17<br /><br />9As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. <br /><br /><br />12“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.<br />------------------------------------------<br /><br />A lot of the ways we talk about Jesus focus on big moments. If you read the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicean Creed, two landmark statements of faith not only for the Presbyterian Church, but for the church universal, all they say about Jesus’ life is that he was “conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.” <br /><br /><br />Those are all important things, but they are not the whole story. Jesus lived a whole life between those moments. His incarnation, his becoming human for us was not just his birth. His sacrifice for us was not just his suffering and death on a cross. His life also tells us about God’s priorities and it shows us what it means to live a life in sync with God. That whole life is our example, not just the highlights.<br /><br /><br />There’s a feeling about our lives too that can go along with the highlight reel Jesus. We can think of our life mostly in terms of big moments too: our birth, graduation, our wedding, the birth of our children, et cetera. We might think of our faith journey in moments too: memories of Sunday school, confirmation, when we first claimed our faith, the moment we were “saved.” The big moments are important, they provide the outlines of our lives and give shape to something that often feels pretty squishy, pretty nebulous, but they are not the whole story or even the most important part.<br /><br /><br />The biggest part of our lives, and Jesus’ life is the little stuff. While the major moments are easier to pick out, ultimately, the day to day direction of our life is more important. While we can call single episodes defining moments with some honesty, the day to day details are what make the definition true or false. If I say I’m a Christian, then not just the big moments, but also the small, even unnoticed details should say the same thing. Otherwise, I’m a hypocrite, not a Christian. <br /><br /><br />Jesus didn’t just appear to die, and he didn’t just come to free us from sin in a flash so we could have a ticket to heaven. He came to show us what a faithful life looks like, to show us how to live here and now in this troubled, but also sacred world. If we follow Jesus, our goal is for our lives to match his life, not perfectly, not exactly, but in general. If Jesus is light in the darkness for us, we are called to be light in the darkness for others. As the Father sent Jesus into the world, Jesus sends us into the world now.<br /><br /><br />One thing we see when we look at Jesus’ life is that the whole thing fits together. In other words, Jesus lived with integrity. His birth in a barn was strange, but it wasn’t disconnected from the rest of his life. His birth was about taking a step from heaven to earth, and choosing to step into human history in a particularly humble way. <br /><br /><br />The rest of his life showed the same concerns; he lived a humble life and focused his ministry on the poor. His teachings talked about putting God first, about the last becoming first, about the care of others in all our decisions. He died a humble death like a slave or a rebel, hung between two thieves, one of whom he was welcoming into God’s kingdom. The big moments and the consistent teaching in Jesus’ life speak the same message: love God and love others. <br /><br /><br />Our goal is the same: not only to speak the faith of Christ but to live it as well. Not only to live our faith in our worship, our “saving moment,” but in our everyday choices, at work, at the bar, taking our kids to activities, in our family relationships. <br /><br /><br />The point of everything we do in church is not a moment when someone says, “I believe, sign me up.” The point is to produce and nurture lives of faithfulness that will touch other people with God’s love and grace. The goal is the overall trajectory and integrity of our lives. The goal is day in and day out loving faithfulness.<br /><br /><br />Our passages don’t use those words, but they do share that idea. Jesus tells his disciples they are the salt of the earth, which means they have to stay salty; they can’t just be salty at the beginning. He says they are the light of the world. That means they need to shine their light so people can see their good deeds and give praise to God. That means they have to do good deeds regularly, not just when people are looking. They need to shine light for others all the time, not just when it’s convenient. <br /><br /><br />The key word in the passage from John is “Abide.” That means, stay or remain. Jesus tells his disciples to abide in his love by keeping his commandments. That means we’re not just supposed to feel Jesus’ love at Christmas and Easter; we’re invited to rest in Christ’s love all the time. Along with abide, we see the word commandment; in other words, resting in Christ’s love isn’t passive, we don’t just receive love, we also actively seek it out through a life of obedience.<br /><br /><br />The other key idea is matching Jesus’ life of love. Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I love you; love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus invites the disciples, he invites us, to take his life as an example for our lives. We see something special in Jesus. There’s something compelling, something inviting about his life; his story catches our attention. We’re called to be filled and transformed by his love, and to live that love for others in our own lives. <br /><br /><br />Jesus lets the disciples know that the love he’s talking about isn’t a warm fuzzy feeling, but full of courageous and sacrificial action: “No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” He’s right up front with them that their love for others, like his love for them, is going to cost them dearly. The disciples at that table won’t all die for their faith, but they do all put love into action as the guiding commitment, the consuming passion of the rest of their lives. <br /><br /><br />That means we can expect hardship to be part of our life too. Our faith is going to cost us something. The life we live as Jesus’ disciples is not a spectator sport, but an active engagement with other people in a loving way. Different Christians live that out in different ways, but true discipleship can’t be just a small part of our life.<br /><br /><br />When I think about Christians laying down their lives for their friends I think about Christian Peacemaking teams. These are groups of Christians trained in non-violence, who go to unstable places in the world to support people there. Christian Peacemakers from the US travelled to Iraq before and after the US invasion to put themselves where US bombs were going and show that the church in the US cared. <br /><br /><br />Similar ministries happened in Columbia at the height of the violence there. Christian accompanists stood alongside Columbian peacemakers to show that they were not alone. These folks risked their lives to show the love of Jesus for those in harm’s way.<br /><br /><br />I think also about civil rights protestors in the American south who put their bodies on the line for freedom and dignity. I think about the women’s prayer movement that took to the streets to protest the Liberian civil war and to pray for peace. Through Christian and Muslim women praying, marching and working together, the Liberian dictator Charles Taylor was thrown out and hope for peace under a democratically elected president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is alive and well. <br /><br /><br />These are examples of Christians laying down their lives to put their faith into action. In many of these cases the ministries were not only moments of courage and risk, but also consistent commitment to a faithful struggle. The women of Liberia sang and prayed publically for peace for more than a year. Many of the civil rights leaders in the US put the rest of their lives on hold to commit to the movement. Accompanists in Columbia trained extensively and then moved to Columbia for months or even a year.<br /><br /><br />More to the point, these actions are the fruit of lives of committed discipleship. Even if they are highlights, they rise out of preparation and practice so that the Christians are ready to lay down their lives when the moment comes. The lives of true disciples are consistently about love; remarkable episodes of faithfulness are part of the wider story, not disconnected moments.<br /><br /><br />All that sounds very heavy, and discipleship is serious, life-changing business. It’s also joyful. Jesus says he’s giving his disciples this commandment to love so that their joy may be complete. Following Jesus is hard sometimes, but it’s also wonderful and freeing. When we decide to follow Jesus we are set free from chasing worldly success. We’re set free from the stress of measuring ourselves against other people in terms of wealth or accomplishments. We’re free to simply love other people, to serve other people, to listen, to care. We’re free to rest in the love of Jesus and to let that love shine through us to the world.<br /><br /><br />You and I have somehow been drawn to Jesus. Something about his story and his love attracts us, so here we are. In some way we have all decided to follow Jesus, but maybe we haven’t really committed to that yet. Maybe we’re still trying to follow with part of our life. If that’s the case for you, if you think of your faith as one small part of your life you probably feel stress and tension. You probably feel unsure about how your life fits together, and phrases like “complete joy,” don’t describe how you think about your faith and life. <br /><br /><br />Jesus calls us to follow, not as one activity we do, but as the core and meaning of our whole life. When we truly live as disciples that discipleship shapes everything else we do. Jesus tells us that’s going to demand sacrifice, but also that it’s going to bring us joy. So today I invite you to take another step in your commitment and choose to follow Jesus with your whole life. I invite you to bow your head and pray with me for a new birth of Christ within us, a new Christmas of commitment and discipleship and joy. Let’s pray:<br /><br /><br /><br />Loving Jesus, you came to us as a baby born in a manger. Your whole life told the story of love and commitment, commitment to the world and love especially for the outcasts. You taught your disciples that love through your example and you invited them to follow. Help us follow you today and every day. Help us commit fully to your example of love, courage and sacrifice. Fill us with the joy of discipleship, the joy of community, the joy of an integrated life wholly dedicated to love. Guide our steps and claim our heart for your own. We pray these things in your precious name as we seek to truly make you our Lord, amen.Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-41505223661341652822013-12-24T21:26:00.000-05:002013-12-24T21:26:09.250-05:00The light shines in the darkness, Christmas Eve<div class="kappa" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Isaiah 9:2-7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="indent" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">2</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The people who walked in darkness have seen a great
light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-on them light has shined…. <sup>6</sup>For
a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his
shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace. <sup>7</sup>His authority shall grow continually, and there
shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will
establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time
onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="kappa" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="kappa" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Luke 2:1-14 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="index" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">1</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In those days a decree went out from Emperor
Augustus that all the world should be registered. <sup>2</sup>This was the
first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. <sup>3</sup>All
went to their own towns to be registered. <sup>4</sup>Joseph also went from the
town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem,
because he was descended from the house and family of David. <sup>5</sup>He
went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a
child. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="index" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="index" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">6</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">While they were there, the time came for her to
deliver her child. <sup>7</sup>And she gave birth to her firstborn son and
wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was
no place for them in the inn. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="index" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">8</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In that region there were shepherds living in the
fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. <sup>9</sup>Then an angel of
the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and
they were terrified. <sup>10</sup>But the angel said to them, "Do not be
afraid; for see-I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: <sup>11</sup>to
you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the
Lord. <sup>12</sup>This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped
in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." <sup>13</sup>And suddenly
there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and
saying, <sup>14</sup>"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth
peace among those whom he favors!" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="index" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="index" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">15</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">When the angels had left them and gone into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see
this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." <sup>16</sup>So
they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the
manger. <sup>17</sup>When they saw this, they made known what had been told
them about this child; <sup>18</sup>and all who heard it were amazed at what
the shepherds told them. <sup>19</sup>But Mary treasured all these words and
pondered them in her heart. <sup>20</sup>The shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
lot of the time we feel like God is far away. Sometimes we’re glad for that
because, honestly, we kind of want to be left alone. We have plenty to do
without thinking about God. The kids need to go to basketball and cheerleading
and Scouts. The deadline is Friday, the mortgage is almost due and mom’s having
trouble with her nurses again. We’ve got enough on our plate without staring
off into heaven looking for meaning when we know the world is really about
cold, hard facts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sometimes
we feel like there should be something more, but there doesn’t seem to be. When
we lose a relative or a relationship or a job we feel this emptiness that
doesn’t fit with the idea we heard long ago about a God who loves us deeply.
Maybe we try talking to God and all we hear is silence, or we pray for a
miracle and no healing comes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Maybe
you used to believe, but now we’re not sure. Maybe you’ve been sitting in the
same pew or one that looks like it for thirty years, but the words just don’t
have the impact they used to. The promises you learned when you were young seem
so hard to believe now because the world is hard and the nights are long. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Maybe
you want to believe but you’re carrying a burden that keeps you away from God.
Maybe there’s something in your past you’re ashamed of. Maybe someone hurt you
so badly you can’t let it go and the anger eats away at your soul. Or maybe somewhere
along the line you got the message that Christianity is for good people, or
successful people or straight people. Maybe someone told you you didn’t fit in,
didn’t belong. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sometimes
the small words are the most important. Isaiah says, “To <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">us</b> a child is born.” He says, “The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">people who walked in darkness</b> have seen a great light.” The angel
tells the shepherds he is bringing, “Good news of great joy for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">all </b>the people.” “To you,” not to the
rich, the famous, the powerful, but to you, the ordinary, the struggling, the
outcast…. “To you is born a savior.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jesus
didn’t appear for the folks who have it all together. He didn’t come because
heaven was boring and he wanted a change of scene. He didn’t come to reassure
the folks in power that they were doing ok and that keeping people down was
fine. Jesus came for us, for you. He came for everyone, and especially for
those who sometimes feel like no one is on our side. The people who walked in
darkness now see a great light.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
There have been dark times this last
year. Right across the bay a year ago two brave firefighters were murdered and
two more were injured as they tried to do their job. Many people have lost
jobs, lost family or lost relationships. Others have recently seen great light:
a new job, a new baby, a deepening relationship. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In all the ups and downs, Jesus
comes into our world, into our hearts to save us. To save us from despair and
loneliness, to save us from complacency and self-satisfaction, to save us from
spending our whole life chasing success instead of following love. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jesus
came to bridge the gap between God and the world. He came to show us a whole
different side of God, a whole different side of power and of love. The story
of Jesus is all about God stepping out of power, taking on our weakness and our
trouble and jumping into the middle of everything hard about human life. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Even at his birth Jesus tears down
boundaries. The radical move of becoming human wasn’t quite enough for Jesus.
He chose to be born in a barn to parents who weren’t married yet. The rest of
his life follows that pattern too. Jesus keeps reaching out to people who are
on the outside, people who are looked down on, people who have to struggle to
survive. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Jesus is a savior for everyone. Whatever
is keeping you away from God, keeping you from feeling at peace, keeping you
from being who you are meant to be, Jesus came to save you. That doesn’t always
mean he’s going to take the burden off your shoulders, but he can transform it
and transform you. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The illness isn’t cured, but the
stress of care giving is redeemed by a deepened love for your mom. The job
doesn’t change, but as you trust God’s love more you find space for joy in the
small moments of your work. The relationship isn’t healed, but you find a way
to let go, to lay down the burden of the past. The shepherds return from the
stable to their work, not free from struggle, but free from struggling alone. </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
us a child is born, for us a son is given. Good tidings of great joy for all
people. Come to the stable and be renewed by the light of God’s love in the
darkness. Thanks be to God.</div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-63187583765742726012013-12-23T15:33:00.000-05:002014-01-16T21:13:02.837-05:00the light of hope, 12.22.13Isaiah 55:1-13<br /><br />Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. <br /><br />3Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.<br /><br />6Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; 7let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. <br /><br />10For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. <br /><br />12For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.<br /><br /><br />Romans 5: 1-5<br /><br />Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.<br />----------------------------------<br /><br /> There’s a big part of me that hates Christmas. I hate shopping, anyway; and I pretty reliably leave things to the last minute. That makes it much harder to find joy in choosing the right gifts for people, because the choosing and the shopping happen under pressure in stores full of people.<br /><br /> Christmas shopping brings out a whole range of feelings in me, many of them unpleasant. First, there’s worry about not knowing what to get, and combined with that all kinds of worries about forgetting someone, spending too little, spending too much.<br /><br />Then I feel guilty. I feel guilty because I didn’t plan ahead so the gifts I chose aren’t as thoughtful as I want them to be. I feel stretched financially and then I feel guilty about that because I know I have it easier than most people. I alternate between feeling like I should be a more generous gift giver and wishing the people in my life didn’t exchange presents at all because many of us feel similar stresses about the whole thing.<br /><br />Shopping brings me face to face with the enormous amount of stuff we as a society want, buy, sell, give and return. I think a big part of our consumption, frustration, stress and depression has to do with a constant barrage of messages that things are the way to happiness. We feel overwhelmed by the things our TV’s and our children tell us we should buy. There is never enough time or money or energy for us to feel caught up in a world that’s always asking for more.<br /><br />Regardless of the source of our stress, we have a deep fear that something big is at stake in the shopping and celebration that surrounds Christmas. Too many things depend on us and too many things are out of our control. We are scared that no matter what we do it won’t be enough. We shop, and plan and run, to fend off the hopelessness we feel threatening to overwhelm us.<br /><br />Isaiah had never been to Walmart or Target, but he knew a lot about communities trying to establish security through their own efforts at any cost. He saw Judah plan and fight and oppress the poor because they thought wealth showed God’s blessings and that, as God’s chosen, they would not be defeated. Then after exile, the people felt lost and hopeless. The land and God’s promise went together, so they couldn’t imagine how to rebuild after the fall of the Holy City. Desperation, despair and hopelessness set in and they didn’t know how to seek God again.<br /><br />Like Judah adrift after exile, we spend our money for things that aren’t nourishing and our labor for things that don’t satisfy us in the deep sense. We buy and buy (or wish we could buy) because at some level we think consumption is our only way to satisfy our desires. If we get the right gift, maybe we’ll be loved. If we don’t we risk our loved ones’ happiness. Maybe the longing we feel can be satisfied with the latest things advertised on TV.<br /><br /> But things don’t give us value and, ultimately, they don’t make us happy. Love, community, peace, faith: these things make us happy. God’s love gives us value.<br /><br /> Isaiah shows us what really nurtures and satisfies us. The image is of God welcoming everyone to clear springs of water, refreshing and pure. Beyond the water, God also offers rich wine and milk to drink. Not only are people’s basic physical needs met, God offers a celebration with only the best food and drink.<br /><br /> God wants to nourish us: body and soul. God wants to satisfy us, not only giving us what we need, but what we deeply want. And God doesn’t just want to satisfy the chosen few, the people of Israel or the church or the successful; God wants to renew the world in peace and joy. To a people drowning in fear and stumbling in the darkness, Isaiah brings a word of hope.<br /><br /> My ways are not your ways, God says. As high as heaven is above earth, so are my ways than your ways. Our attempts to secure meaning through hard work or shopping or cooking might not be getting us anywhere, but God’s word accomplishes its purpose. It doesn’t return empty, but instead it nourishes the ground and brings forth a harvest of joy and peace.<br /><br /> I spent the last two days feeling pretty trapped in Christmas stress. Even some of the ministries I love made me feel stressed instead of joyful. I love dropping off the Christmas baskets, and I finally got the gifts wrapped for my two Christmas angels and was excited to drop them off. When we got there the youngest child in the house was the granddaughter, so she wasn’t on my list and I didn’t have anything for her. I walked out of the kitchen feeling like a failure and I had disappointed a little girl.<br /><br /> I wasn’t even looking forward to the living nativity. The weather was lousy and I kept feeling like things weren’t going quite right. But then I got excited because everyone was pitched in. Karen, Karen, Tedd and Mike took care of hospitality; Sally and Al lent a portable stereo; Karen, Lea, Donna and Kelly got everyone dressed and a cast of actors from twelve to seventies (along with a loud donkey and other animals) brought the story of Christ’s birth to life. It was just what I needed, and from the grateful shouts and honks I wasn’t the only one. God’s word became flesh in Jesus, and for the twenty somethingith year Laurelton brought that story to life for the community.<br /><br /> As the evening went on and the cold and rain started to make me wish for 8:30, a young woman I’d never seen before started taking pictures from the sidewalk. I thanked her for coming and she said, “This is so beautiful. I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this. I’ve wanted to see a living nativity for years and I’ve never managed to go to one. This year my husband surprised me and brought me here. I’ve got tears in my eyes.” Truly, God’s word never returns empty, but it accomplishes God’s loving purpose.<br /><br /> Advent and Christmas is about hope in the darkness of despair. It’s about seeing a peaceful kingdom, even though the world around us is still full of violence. It’s about a vision of bread and wine, milk and food for everyone with no one worried about how they are going to pay for it. It’s about a dark night in a strange city with no room at the inn somehow becoming the entry for God to come into the world as a baby.<br /><br /> There’s a lot of confusion about hope, especially when we talk about the biblical hope for God’s peaceful kingdom. Hoping for God’s kingdom isn’t wishful thinking. It’s not ignoring or escaping from reality. It’s not putting on a cheerful face and pretending things are better than they are. It’s also not the false wisdom of the jaded cynic who says things are the way they are and nothing is going to change.<br /><br /> Hope is keeping our eyes on God’s vision of wholeness, peace and community and moving towards it. It’s also seeing clearly the problems of the world and the dangers that surround us. One theologian says it something like this, “Wishing is like drifting in a gondola; hoping is steering a ship through a gale.”<br /><br />Thinking about hope like steering a ship helps us see the difference between short term and long term. We hope for the kingdom of God; that’s the far shore we trust we’re heading towards, the goal of our journey. Between that shore and us there are lots of waves, sharp rocks, and sand bars. In the big picture, we steer towards the far shore, but the moments and days of our journey are more about avoiding dangerous obstacles and sometimes seeking shelter for a few days.<br /><br />The kingdom of God gives us our general course; the details of the current world in all its joys and sorrows determine what route we take to our destination. The journey takes courage, creativity, clarity and flexibility. Sometimes we think we’re going to go right around an obstacle, but the wind leads us left instead. Sometimes we need to shift course suddenly to avoid a rock. No matter what route and deviations we need to make, we keep a sense of the goal in mind all the time, and that destination shapes how we get there.<br /><br />We can’t simply wish ourselves across the ocean, there’s a lot of work to be done. Just imagining a world at peace won’t create a peaceful world; there are all kinds of steps from relationship building to policy to collaboration, to prayer that have to take shape along the way. If we’re going to travel successfully, we need to be clear and honest about the challenges.<br /><br />Paul’s words fit right in. He writes: "We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”<br /><br />When we suffer and hold on to our love and faith we learn how to endure. As we learn to endure faithfully, our character: our courage, our integrity are strengthened. As our character gets stronger we see how faithful God is through it all, so our sense of hope grows. If God walks faithfully with us through divorce and death and financial struggle, we learn that a joyful kingdom for everyone can be real too. If God can bring this community of different people with all our scars and quirks and baggage together, we have reason to hope for a world where people come from east and west and north and south to sit together in the kingdom of God.<br /><br />We’ve all been let down and hurt. So has God. The people God created in love have been hurting each other from the beginning. The special people God called by name and freed from slavery kept turning away from God and oppressing the poor, even though every part of their law reminded them that God loves the poor. Through prosperity, prophesy, exile and return, God’s heart broke to see his beloved children suffer and sin.<br /><br />God had been burned over and over again, but God doesn’t give up on us. So God sent the son in human flesh, as a vulnerable baby to scared but faithful parents. Jesus knew fear and sorrow. He knew poverty and rejection. He knew suffering and death. All for us; all for love. In Jesus we see God’s kingdom: a kingdom of welcome, righteousness and love. We see where this crazy story is going and we know the powers of the world do not like it, but they can’t stop it. So come to the waters, come to the stable, seek the Lord, hope for the kingdom and steer through the storm. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.<br /><br />Thanks be to God.Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-3518324935819619502013-12-17T11:53:00.000-05:002013-12-17T12:13:11.270-05:00The light of Christ's truth, 12.15.13<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br /><br />1 John 1:5-10<br /><br /><br />5This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.<br /><br />8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.<br /><br /><br />1 John 3:14-19<br /><br />14We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. <br /><br />16We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.17How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 18Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him<br /><br /><br /><br />John 1:14, 16-19<br /><br />14And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth…16From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.<br /><br /><br />John 8:31-37<br /><br />31Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” <br /><br />34Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.35The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word.<br />--------------------------------------------<br /><br /><br /> We’re talking about truth and falsehood, truth and lies today. As I was figuring this sermon series and the scripture lessons out, I was not quite sure if the darkness here would be ignorance or lies. The Bible talks a lot about wisdom and knowledge, so there’s no shortage of insight we could look for in terms of overcoming ignorance and coming to know God.<br /><br /><br /> There are many things we don’t know. We don’t know how long the world is going to last. We don’t know why bad things happen to good people. We don’t know how long we are going to be alive. We don’t know how to cure cancer or Alzheimer’s Disease or HIV. There are lots of important areas where we need more knowledge to conquer our ignorance and make the world a better, brighter place. <br /><br /><br /> There’s a difference between ignorance and lies. My mom taught me when I was a kid that what makes a lie a lie is that someone says it on purpose. There’s a bad intention at the heart of a lie. A little beyond where our last passage ends, Jesus calls Satan the father of lies and says lies are Satan’s native language. Lying isn’t just incorrect, it’s wrong in a moral sense too. <br /><br /><br /> Lies aren’t just a problem in our individual relationships. There are also lies deep in the fabric of our national beliefs that distort our vision of the world. Sometimes we know these lies aren’t true on the surface, but we hear them so often that they seep into our consciousness and mess us up without our even knowing they are there. These kinds of lies are sometimes the most dangerous, because we don’t even realize we’re being deceived. <br /><br /><br /> So today we’re going to look at a few of the big lies that distort our life in the light of Jesus. Jesus comes as light in the darkness, bringing the light of truth into a world darkened by Satan’s lies. <br /><br /><br /> Lie: “We’ve got it all together.” This lie comes up in many different forms. The heart of it is that we are doing fine on our own. One way we see this lie at work is in our instinct to put our best foot forward in church. When people ask how we’re doing we say we’re doing fine. We keep conversations at a surface level because we don’t want people to see what our real struggles are. <br /><br /><br /> This lie is especially tricky, because we usually know it’s not true. We don’t feel like we have it all together, but we think maybe, if we work hard enough at looking like we have it together we’ll get by. That means we stress and struggle to present the right appearance while we’re terrified our whole life will collapse or someone will figure out that we are not who we appear to be.<br /><br /><br /> We imagine too that real sin is something outside. We think about murderers or famous people whose moral failings are obvious. Sometimes instead of that we think about the things we imagine we have no control of. We think about the fact that we don’t have enough time or money, and say to ourselves that those things keep us from being the people we feel like we should be.<br /><br /><br /> Truth: “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We can’t be healed if we aren’t honest about our disease. We’ve got time each worship service to open up to God in silent prayer about where sin is tying us up. What do you ask God’s healing for? Are you keeping your relationship with God too safe? Are you just “confessing” things like, “I wish I had more time.” Or I’m sorry I said that word I shouldn’t have said.” <br /><br /><br /> Are you really letting God into the places of your life where you need deep change? “God, I’m trapped by my need to be a good guy.” “Lord, I’m so caught up in having the right things and finding the right presents for my kids that I’m forgetting what your birth is really about.” “God, open my heart to the people I’m having trouble truly accepting as my brothers and sisters.” “Jesus, help me trust that you are real, that you really love me and that I can build my life on your teachings.” “I need your grace to free me from my guilt about the past.”<br /><br /><br /> If we confess our sins, if we stop dancing around the edges of the real problems in our life and let God in, God will forgive us. Not only that, the blood of Jesus, the pure, loving sacrifice he made for us will cleanse us from all our sins and free us from what’s wrong with us. If we let him, Christ will change us, slowly maybe, but surely, more and more into his image.<br /><br /><br /> Let’s shift gears a little bit; how about this lie: “Faith is what we believe. As long as we believe the right things, we’re OK with God.” A variation on this is when we struggle with our faith because we aren’t sure we believe the right things and we let that struggle distract us from what our faith calls us to do. Maybe you aren’t sure how much you “believe in” the Bible since it was written by humans so long ago. Or maybe the miracles Jesus did just seem so hard to believe that they block your engagement with the rest of the story. Or maybe you’re just not sure about heaven and hell. Because you’re not sure about those beliefs you can’t commit to following Jesus.<br /><br /><br /> Truth: “We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” <br /><br /><br /> The Christian faith is about love more than anything else. That means, first,you can struggle all you want with the beliefs of Christianity. Honestly, if you keep working on living your faith, putting your values in action, while you read or listen to scripture, those beliefs will either become clearer to you or they’ll become less important. <br /><br /><br /> My biggest struggles with my faith were about biblical truth. I worried that I couldn’t be a Christian if I wasn’t sure about everything the Bible says. The more I focus on the heart of the gospel, which is God’s amazing love for us, the less I worry about the details of whether Jesus really fed 5000 people with loaves and fishes. Interestingly too, the more I read the Bible and practice my faith, the more I see that the Bible speaks the truth even if I don’t think everything necessarily happened the way the Bible tells it. <br /><br /><br /> God’s word speaks truth about what love means. It tells how a community should work. It reminds us that God wants to bring the world back to wholeness and peace. Don’t let your questions about what the Bible says distract you from what you know scripture calls you to do. Honestly, it’s not that complicated: Love God, which basically means open yourself to the creator, higher power, savior, Spirit, and make those deep values the actual priority in your life instead of just a side note, and love other people in a real and meaningful way. <br /><br /><br /> God shows us the best image of love in Jesus’ life and death for us. That doesn’t mean we’re called to act like martyrs, but it does mean we are called to sacrifice our comfort for others. The more we do that, the more we will find freedom and grace in community.<br /><br /><br /> What we believe is important, but it’s always evolving. Where our faith really matters is in how we put it into action. The details are less important than the center. Do your actions, the day to day way you live your life, reflect that love is the center of the universe? Take one step closer to that goal today and another tomorrow.<br /><br /><br /> Lie: “I’ve got to get mine/I worked hard for what I have. So people who don’t have much need to work harder.” There are lots of variations on this one, but the basic idea is that our economic success is what gives us value or shows our value. Related to this is the idea that hard work is how we succeed and get ahead in the world. Like most deeply destructive lies, this one has some truth to it. Hard work is important and good, but there are people who work harder than you do who are much less successful. <br /><br /><br /> Also related to this lie are other lies about how our society values people. One lie is that our society is a level playing field. In fact, prejudice and injustice are still alive and well. Women are paid less for the same job as men. Racial and ethnic minorities face serious barriers to success that white people don’t even have to think about. The people at the top in society make the rules, and those rules almost always benefit the people who make them. <br /><br /><br /> Truth: “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” It sometimes seems easier to just go along with the rules of the world that we have learned. It’s easier to let prejudice slide or allow the unpopular people to be bullied or ignored. The powers in the world we see are too strong, so it’s easier to just go along to get along. <br /><br /><br />The truth is that God loves all of us. Each of us is equal in God’s sight and at the same time, there is a special place in God’s heart for the poor and oppressed. That’s a big part of the story of Christmas. God didn’t choose a palace or a wealthy family for Jesus’ birth. Instead, the Lord of creation was born to poor parents in a stable. The truth of the gospel is that God sees the world differently than we do. God sees each of us truly, no matter what lies we tell others or even ourselves. God loves each of us and wants us to repent and be free from the lies that keep us enslaved to the world’s injustice, hatred, prejudice and fear. <br /><br /><br />God calls us to put our love and faith in action by reaching out to others. We’ve got some great opportunities to do that with our angel tree and Christmas baskets. We can also do that by supporting our work with Cameron and by supporting the work of the church as a whole. Laurelton is not the most efficient charity in the world, but we are a place where people can come together from different backgrounds to form real community. That community needs resources to function and we can all be a part of that. <br /><br /><br />Amidst all the lies that we tell ourselves and that our culture tells us, Jesus breaks in as light in the darkness. He says as we continue to follow him, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” As we break free from the chains of false expectations and false demands, we step into the truth of loving community and a world being made whole by God’s amazing love. This Advent we prepare for the coming of God’s perfect love in the form of a baby. So with trust and honesty, let us make space in our hearts to welcome the Christ child.<br /><br /><br />Thanks be to God.<!--EndFragment-->Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-20624814995037715802013-12-17T11:52:00.002-05:002013-12-17T12:10:05.647-05:00Christ, the light of justice, 12.8.13<br /><br />Isaiah 5:1-10<br /><br />Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? <br /><br /><br />5And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!<br /><br /><br />8Ah, you who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is room for no one but you, and you are left to live alone in the midst of the land! 9The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing: Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.10For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield a mere ephah. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Isaiah 10:20-23<br /><br />20On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on the one who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 22For though your people Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in all the earth.<br /><br /><br /><br />Luke 1:39-56<br /><br />39In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”<br /><br /><br />46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” 56And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
spent the six weeks before Advent talking about suffering and how our faith
fits into that. Suffering is part of the human condition. It’s part of the
darkness that hangs over our lives and makes it harder to see each other and to
see God. Related to suffering, there are other forces that make our lives
darker than they should be: injustice, oppression, lies, despair, and doubt, to
name a few. </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
incarnation, the conviction that in Jesus, God became human and lived with us,
is all about God stepping into our dark world as a light of hope, love, joy,
peace, comfort, and truth. During Advent we wait and prepare for Christ’s light
to come. Carl started us on our Advent journey last week by introducing how
Christ comes as light in the darkness. In the three weeks to come we’ll look at
some of the specific areas of darkness we face, and how Christ brings light to
those places. As usual, the areas we’ll cover are not the whole story; there
are more dark places in our lives than the three we’ll talk about, but by
digging deeply into these, we should gain the insight we need to imagine how
Christ can lighten other areas of darkness too.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>First:
a word on Advent. Advent is a season of preparation. The mystery of the
incarnation, the mystery of God becoming flesh is too amazing to take in just
at Christmas. The reality of God’s kingdom, which we see in Christ and trust
will totally transform the world one day, demands preparation. We have to get
ready to embrace the Christ child. We have to get ready to embrace God’s loving
kingdom by giving our hearts and lives space to be transformed by grace. </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
big part of that is repentance. The forces of darkness are so strong that they
have warped all of us. Even though as people of faith we know better, we are
still part of the darkness that fills our world. We need to change, we need to
repent and let go of that darkness so we can be ready to welcome God’s kingdom
in Christ. </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
week we’re focusing on preparing for Jesus as the light of justice in a world
darkened by injustice and oppression. Justice is one of the most important
themes in the whole Bible. It’s closely related to the idea of judgment, and
also, maybe surprisingly, related to God’s love. The prophets of the Old
Testament were tireless voices for God’s justice in their society, and they
often suffered for it.</div>
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When we set up communities, whether
that community is a church, a city or a nation, there will be people with more
power than others. That’s not a problem if the people in power are committed to
making sure that everyone is treated fairly, has a voice and has what they
need. The trouble comes when the people in power look out for themselves at the
expense of others. As a community becomes more unjust, the people in power not
only neglect the needs of others as they pursue their own interests, they also
take advantage of weaker members of the community to get further and further
ahead. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
That process means the darkness of
injustice is closely tied to the power structure in a system, so it quickly
gets imbedded in the status quo. When prophets criticize, the powerful people
who benefit from that injustice counter by accusing the prophets of attacking
the community’s values and being a threat to society. The prophet Jeremiah was
locked up and almost killed for criticizing the leadership in Jerusalem. Amos
was told to leave the holy city of Bethel because he spoke against the King of
Israel. Protest against injustice is often seen by people in power and by
others as unpatriotic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
No matter what the response, true
love is honest. Prophets see what a community could and should be and use that
vision to challenge where the community falls short so it can become better.
Nelson Mandela is a great example of that kind of prophetic love. He imagined a
South Africa for all its citizens, where everyone would have the right to vote
and the chance to succeed. With that vision he criticized the apartheid state
that deprived the black majority of their rights and their voice. For that, he
was condemned as a traitor to his nation and jailed for 27 years. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As the world and nation came more
in line with Mandela’s vision, he and other political prisoners were released.
Not long afterwards, democracy came to South Africa and the “traitor” was
elected president, because his criticism was about building a better nation,
not tearing the nation down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Israel and Judah were special
nations because they were formed by God’s calling, not just by human political
processes. Their constitution was God’s law, which meant that a deep concern
for the wellbeing of all, especially the poor and vulnerable, was right at
their heart from the beginning. The light of God’s justice was a key part of
their guidance system. At the same time, Israel and Judah were like every other
nation because the powerful used their power to make life better for them,
often at the expense of the poor. The darkness of human selfishness started to
spread over the chosen people of God.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Isaiah was one of God’s prophets
sent to call Judah back to God’s path. The parable Donna read was one way
Isaiah tried to help the people see where they were going wrong. The parable
talks about God building up the nation, giving it everything it needed to
thrive and produce a just society. Despite all God’s care, the nation produced
injustice and oppression instead of righteousness and faithfulness, so God sent
Judah into exile.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The good news is that exile isn’t
the end. Some of the most profound insights in scripture are the fruit of exile
or other times of trouble. Many of the Psalms were written in exile as were
many of the most powerful passages of the book we now call Isaiah. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Like Israel and the prophets, the
church is called to embody God’s justice and love, which is good news
especially for the poor. Mary’s song of praise is a great example of God’s
calling for the community of faith. We are called to be part of God turning the
world upside down. That’s not going to be comfortable, but it is going to give
us a new opportunity to fulfill our calling as God’s people. Like Israel, the
church can find great power in losing the power we cling to today. At the end
of exile we may be only a remnant, only a small part of what we once were in
terms of size, but we will be a faithful remnant.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
We can’t come into the light unless
we recognize that we’re standing in the darkness. Isaiah’s words, Mary’s words
and Advent itself call us to see the dark places in ourselves and our
community. We are tempted by the selfishness we see around us. We’re tempted to
fit in with a culture that measures people’s value by their possessions. The
economic comfort we might have is connected to the injustice that poisons our
community. We all need to repent, and Advent is a great opportunity for that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Even as we repent, while we still
struggle with our role in injustice, God calls us to be honest and bold in
seeking justice for all. We all have different gifts, different ways to follow
God’s calling today. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
We saw one example in Nate
VanLoon’s campaign for family court judge. Nate saw an opportunity to use his
gifts to be a voice for justice for kids and families. Even though the election
didn’t turn out the way he had hoped, God can still use the conversations he
had to plant seeds of justice. Sally’s work for justice in New Orleans is
another good example of using our gifts to bring God’s light in dark places. So
is the work we do with UPT on issues of urban poverty, education and gun
violence. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Ella, Karen Kingsbury, Bob Hicks,
Marino and Joyce have or will have a hand in a grant we’re working on with
Cameron to improve church collaboration on hunger in the city. That complements
our existing service with Cameron that many of us participate in here. Our
ministries in our neighborhood, especially Café and our new clothing ministry:
Simple Blessings Boutique, connect us directly with people who are often left
in the darkness. As we continue and strengthen those ministries we’ll learn
more about how injustice works in our society and how we can follow God’s
calling to be the light of justice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Mary heard God’s call to bear a
child, a savior for Israel and the world. She heard that call and knew this new
life growing inside her was part of God’s plan to lift up the lowly and bring
down the powerful. She saw God’s just kingdom shining like light in the
darkness, and she opened herself to all the danger, joy and pain that comes
from lining ourselves up with God’s calling. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
With Mary, Elizabeth and Isaiah, we
hear God’s call to justice. This Advent time of prayer, singing, prayer and
candles gives us space to prepare our hearts for God’s kingdom. Take time this
moment, this afternoon, this week to seek out the darkness of injustice in
yourself. Take time to look for the ways societies warped priorities have
gotten your soul out of joint. Ask God to come into your heart, to lighten your
darkness and give you strength to repent. With penitent hearts and courageous
faith we can be open to the light of God’s justice shining like a star over the
barn in Bethlehem. </div>
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<br />
Thanks be to God.</div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-10105294894293978102013-11-18T10:45:00.000-05:002013-11-18T10:45:14.204-05:00Why do the wicked prosper? 11.17.13<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Psalm
73:1-18<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Truly God is
good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But as for
me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For I was
envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">4</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For they
have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">They are not
in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">6</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Therefore
pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Their eyes
swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">8</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">They scoff
and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">9</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">They set
their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">10</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Therefore
the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">11</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And they
say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">12</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Such are the
wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">13</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">All in vain
I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">14</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For all day
long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">15</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If I had
said, “I will talk on in this way,” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I would have
been untrue to the circle of your children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">16</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But when I
thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">17</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">until I went
into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">18</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Truly you
set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">John
12:23-33<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">23</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Jesus
answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. <sup>24</sup>Very
truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it
remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. <sup>25</sup>Those
who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will
keep it for eternal life. <sup>26</sup>Whoever serves me must follow me, and
where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will
honor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">27</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Now my soul
is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is
for this reason that I have come to this hour. <sup>28</sup>Father, glorify
your name.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Then a voice
came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” <sup>29</sup>The
crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An
angel has spoken to him.” <sup>30</sup>Jesus answered, “This voice has come for
your sake, not for mine. <sup>31</sup>Now is the judgment of this world; now
the ruler of this world will be driven out. <sup>32</sup>And I, when I am
lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” <sup>33</sup>He said
this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">John
16:1-10, 33<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">”I have said
these things to you to keep you from stumbling. <sup>2</sup>They will put you
out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will
think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. <sup>3</sup>And they
will do this because they have not known the Father or me. <sup>4</sup>But I
have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember
that I told you about them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“I did not
say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. <sup>5</sup>But
now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you
going?’ <sup>6</sup>But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has
filled your hearts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Nevertheless
I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not
go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to
you. <sup>8</sup>And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and
righteousness and judgment: <sup>9</sup>about sin, because they do not believe
in me; <sup>10</sup>about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and
you will see me no longer; <sup>11</sup>about judgment, because the ruler of
this world has been condemned…<sup> 33</sup>I have said this to you, so that in
me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I
have conquered the world!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">---------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
think we’ve all been in the psalmist’s situation. He describes looking at other
people, especially selfish, arrogant people, and seeing that they have it easy.
Sometimes it seems like everyone has it better than we do. Sometimes it seems
like doing things the right way is a disadvantage because people who cut
corners seem to have more time free and less stress in their lives. Sometimes
it seems like the rules of the game aren’t fair and the only ones who get ahead
are cheaters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
see corrupt Wall Street folks making millions on questionable deals. Even when
they get caught, the penalty doesn’t seem very high. We’ve had coworkers who
somehow skate by doing a shoddy job and letting others pick up their slack. We
see sleek and strong professional athletes only getting more famous as they
pile up episodes of bad behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
a world like ours it sometimes feels like you need to cheat just to keep up. It’s
tempting to fall into a take what you can mentality, to envy those folks who
are visibly successful and strive for success like theirs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jesus
is honest about the challenges that face us. He warns his disciples that they
won’t only face trouble like everyone does; they are going to be persecuted
because of their faith. It’s not just our perception: the world is actually out
of whack. Greed is rewarded and compassion has an uphill battle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jesus
even suggests that evil is in charge in the world as we know it. We see the
same idea when Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness. Satan tells Jesus he will
give him all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus worships him. Satan says all
the world’s power is his to give away as he chooses, and Jesus doesn’t
contradict him. There’s no doubt about it, evil is powerful in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
makes it harder to be good, harder to make the right choice. The more twisted
things get, the easier it is to fit in and the more we adjust ourselves to an
unjust reality. For instance, our politicians may have gone to Washington or
Albany to work for justice, to improve our political life. But once they are
there the power of the polarized environment makes it almost impossible to
treat opponents like humans. The constant deceit of the campaign rhetoric makes
any kind of compromise sound like weakness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
attitude filters down to regular voters too. We hear so much venom on the
airwaves that it shapes the way we think about politics and people deeply.
Words like “bigot” or “illegal” start rolling off our tongue and before long we
start thinking of people who disagree with us as enemies instead of fellow
children of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
Jesus talks about the persecution his disciples are going to face, he is much
fairer than we usually are. He says things are going to get so bad that people
who kill Christians will think they are serving God. We know that’s how Jesus’
opponents thought about him too. Many of the religious leaders who worried
about Jesus were afraid he was leading people away from the traditions given to
them by God. They weren’t trying to be evil; they were just trying to protect
their faith in a situation where the stakes were so high that disagreement
seemed threatening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our
world, like theirs, feels threatening. The economy is fragile, so we think of
human beings crossing a border to escape poverty as a threat to us. Relationships
are challenging, so we close ourselves off from others. Faith and politics are
full of important, difficult questions, so people with different opinions make
us feel threatened. Money is tight, so we pursue it with hard work and clutch
it tightly when it comes in. The world is tough and we become hard to protect
ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jesus
calls us to a better way. Thinking about his approaching death and the coming
of the Holy Spirit, he claims that the ruler of this world is cast out. In
other words, in Jesus’ ultimate love on the cross and his triumphant
resurrection, God’s love conquers Satan’s power. Even though it doesn’t look
like it, even though it still often seems like Satan rules the world, he does
not. Even though love looks weak against the hard “facts” and callous actions
we see every day, love will have the last word. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
psalmist has a similar revelation when he goes into God’s temple. I’m sure it
wasn’t the first or last time he went into the sanctuary, but for whatever
reason, one day he saw things differently. Maybe today will be the day we see
things differently; maybe today will be the way we see things from God’s
perspective like the psalmist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even
though it looks like wicked people have it all; even though success seems so
assured for them; the truth is quite different. He says he sees that God has
set their feet in slippery places. When people put their trust in money or
success or popularity or power, their feet are in a slippery place. In a second
all of those things can disappear because they are things. A stock market crash
can make a huge fortune disappear in a day. An illness can take away looks and
popularity overnight. One picture on a website can bring power crashing down.
Nothing we have is going to last.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
means people who have built their lives around pursuing things have no real
foundation. When things go wrong, they will fall, and since their focus has
been on things and on themselves, they will not have the relationships and
faith to sustain them through hardship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Is
money a bad thing? Not unless it becomes our god. Likewise with all the other “good
things” in life. It’s fine to enjoy good food, a comfortable home, and a
rewarding career. But those things are not ultimate; they are not what life is
about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
psalmist doesn’t say what it was in the sanctuary that revealed the truth to
him, but I wonder if it was the community at prayer. There’s something amazing,
transformative and sacred about a community of faith. When we really open
ourselves up and pay attention to each other it’s hard to stay trapped in the
world’s oppressive definition. When I sat with Sue Dargavel on Thursday I
couldn’t help but think how fragile life is, how easy it is to let time slip
away without visiting, how quickly someone can go from being independent to the
border of life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
we spend time eating and talking and praying with people whose whole financial
life is different from ours we see both how important and how unimportant money
is. Everyone feels stress about money sometimes, but that means different
things to different people. When folks who are fairly comfortable financially
become close with those for whom a tank of gas can make or break the month,
they are reminded of how much they really have and invited to clutch it less
tightly and fearfully. When those who worry about how they are going to pay the
heating bill spend time with folks who drive a newer car they see that more
money doesn’t solve all their problems. It doesn’t create more time, it doesn’t
solve family stress, it doesn’t eliminate fear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
we commit to life in a diverse community of faith we have brothers who never
touch a drink and others who can’t put the bottle down. We have sisters who
long for a husband and those who have escaped unimaginable abuse. We have family
who have been here all their lives and those who grew up somewhere very
different. We know people who can’t imagine life without a computer and others
who remember life before TV. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When we really get deeply involved in a
community we see life from so many different perspectives that we see the
limits of our experience and the breadth of God’s grace. We learn from each
other and realize that we have a lot in common despite our differences. We know
that we all suffer; we share many fears and joys. We are all human, all God’s
children and we all have something to share. That breaks us free from the rat
race of measuring ourselves and each other by outward things and being captive
to the powers of this world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When going into the sanctuary changes us,
when being with our brothers and sisters and hearing the word of God transforms
our hearts, we see suffering and prosperity differently. We not only see that
the wicked are not really secure, we also see that they aren’t really happy. And
when we’ve practice loving a wide range of people through the community of
faith, we can have compassion for those we used to envy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Being part of God’s amazing community doesn’t
give us a better job, or help us afford a bigger house. It won’t cure our
physical diseases either. Christians suffer like everyone else. Jesus says it
as clearly as possible: he tells the disciples that the faithful path will be
hard. He also says that if they follow him, they’ll find a deeper peace, a
deeper satisfaction that comes from trusting God, not things or situations. “I
have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face
persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In suffering and in joy, in celebration and
sorrow we have peace in Christ. We offer and receive that peace from others
through a caring community of faith. Suffering is real; evil is powerful, but
love has the last word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thanks be to God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-32060452564575029602013-11-11T11:17:00.000-05:002013-11-11T11:17:08.950-05:00suffering and free will, 11.10.13<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Deuteronomy
31:15-20<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">15</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">See, I have set
before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. <sup>16</sup>If you
obey the commandments of the <span class="sc">Lord</span> your God that I am
commanding you today, by loving the <span class="sc">Lord</span> your God,
walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances,
then you shall live and become numerous, and the <span class="sc">Lord</span>
your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">17</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But if your
heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other
gods and serve them, <sup>18</sup>I declare to you today that you shall perish;
you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter
and possess. <sup>19</sup>I call heaven and earth to witness against you today
that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so
that you and your descendants may live, <sup>20</sup>loving the <span class="sc">Lord</span>
your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and
length of days, so that you may live in the land that the <span class="sc">Lord</span>
swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Romans
7:14-25<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">14</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For we know
that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. <sup>15</sup>I
do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the
very thing I hate. <sup>16</sup>Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that
the law is good. <sup>17</sup>But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin
that dwells within me. <sup>18</sup>For I know that nothing good dwells within
me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. <sup>19</sup>For
I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">20</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Now if I do
what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within
me. <sup>21</sup>So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good,
evil lies close at hand. <sup>22</sup>For I delight in the law of God in my
inmost self, <sup>23</sup>but I see in my members another law at war with the
law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. <sup>24</sup>Wretched
man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? <sup>25</sup>Thanks
be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I am a slave to
the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">--------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Theology
is the study of God, and for people who like philosophy and Bible study it is a
great area of study to really immerse oneself in. It’s important too, because
without theology we don’t really know what we believe about God, but those
unconscious beliefs have a big impact on how we live our faith. So it’s
important to be thoughtful about what we believe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
also been important historically in the church. Last week was Reformation
Sunday, a day to reflect on our history as a church founded on bringing the
church back to God’s calling. The reformers saw problems within the
institutional church, ways that the teaching and structure of the church were
actually getting in the way of people’s faith. Their close attention to
scripture made the whole church stronger and more faithful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
trouble is that anytime we think or talk or write about God, we’re trying to
capture something that is beyond our ability to understand. We can approach
truth about God, but we can’t capture it all. We can’t grasp the height and
depth and breadth of God’s love and holiness and power. God is limitless and we
are limited. So our attempts to express the truth of God will always be
imperfect and incomplete. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Classic
reformed theology teaches that God knows and determines the way things are
going to happen; that’s where the idea of predestination comes from.
Predestination expresses an important truth: God is really in charge of the
world and we aren’t, and salvation is a gift, not something we earn through our
actions or choices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like
everything else, too much of a good thing isn’t good. While a lot of power in
the Protestant tradition comes from knowing we’re saved by grace instead of by
works, we have sometimes let that truth take over so much that we forget how
important individual choice is. So today, I’m talking about choice, human free
choice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
is the most intellectual of the sermons on suffering because I’m taking my best
shot at explaining why God allows suffering. It’s in the middle of the series,
because I don’t think, “why “is the most important question to ask about
suffering. I think the more important questions about suffering are the ones
we’ve talked about over the last few weeks: How can we stay faithful when the
world is a mess? How can we be good friends to those who suffer? What are we
doing that contributes to other people’s suffering? What do we need to change
in our life? How can we help those who suffer. Those are the most important
questions. And the best response to the problem of suffering is the one Sally’s
going to work through on November 24<sup>th</sup>. God responds to suffering by
joining human suffering in the life and death of Jesus. God is not distant from
our suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But it’s impossible to avoid the “why”
question. So I need to take a shot with my best answer, even though it’s
incomplete. When we see the enormous suffering in the world our first reaction
is to ask why God allows it. That leads many people to doubt either God’s
existence or God’s love, because we feel like a loving and powerful God should
do something to prevent the terrible suffering we see. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
God created people God decided to give us free will. It would have been simpler
to just program us to do the right thing all the time, but God chose instead to
let us make our own decisions. I guess that’s part of what it means for God to
love us. God wants us to have the freedom to choose how we will live. A lot of
our suffering comes from human choice, and God loves and respects us too much
to take away our freedom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Our first passage is Moses’ farewell sermon
to the people of Israel. He’s been God’s appointed guide and leader to bring
the people out of slavery into freedom. Along the way God has tried to teach
the people how to create a just, loving, holy society through rules that
structure community life. Moses knows he’s not going to be with them as they
build that society in their land. God has given them great laws, but the
crucial question is: will the people follow the law? Will they chose the way of
God or not?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
each face that question every day. When we get up in the morning are we going
to choose love or chose defensiveness? Are we going to treat our coworkers with
respect and care or suspicion and contempt? Are we going to respond to
negativity with hostility or forgiveness? Are we going to build community
despite our differences and the difficulties created by everyone’s issues or
are we going to retreat into the isolation of only letting the “worthy” into
our lives? Are we going to choose caring for those in need or caring only for
our family? What will we choose?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Paul
gets at the difficulty of that choice as he thinks about the law of God. He says
he wants to do what’s right; his soul, his best self delights in the ways of
God. He loves the grace and peace that comes from loving others. He feels joy
at the contentment that comes from controlling our urges through reason and
restraint. In his depths he wants to follow God’s will.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
it’s not as simple as that. The word he uses is flesh, but that’s not really
it; a better word for our time might be temptation. The power of temptation is
strong. It’s so tempting to respond to a cruel comment from a neighbor with
biting sarcasm. It’s tempting to put aside our resources for what we need and
want instead of sharing with others. It’s tempting to simply check out and turn
away when a coworker is acting in a way that is hurtful to the team instead of
confronting them with love and honesty. It’s tempting to look out for ourselves
and let others do the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s
why God gave the law, because our good intentions aren’t always strong enough
to overrule the temptation we face. The law, the rules remind us of the
obligations our best self wants to fulfill. They put a fence between us and our
temptation so it’s harder to make the wrong choice and easier to make the right
choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
crazy thing is that temptation is so strong, the power of evil is so strong in
our world and in us that even those laws can be used in the wrong way. If the
law says we have to care for the poor, we can take that law, do the bare
minimum and feel justified carrying on with our own selfishness. We can hear
the law against murder and see only that killing a person is off limits without
also seeing that it’s our duty to protect those in danger. And, like any system
of rules, clever, unethical people can use that system to take power over other
people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
see the suffering that comes from free will in the devastation of the Congo
where violence, pillage and rape are rampant. We see it in the rule of warlords
in Afghanistan and central Africa. And we see it in the hesitation of the rest
of the world to find a way to address that suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>God
calls us to love, to work for peace, to take care of others. Temptation pushes
us the other way. When temptation overrules our best nature we make others
suffer and we suffer ourselves. So what will we choose, and how will we give
strength to our choices for good? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
lot of our suffering comes from free will, but human free will doesn’t do much
to explain the natural disasters: the typhoon that just killed a thousand
people in the Philippines, the earthquake that devastated Turkey last year, the
hurricanes that flooded New Orleans and destroyed villages throughout Haiti.
And free will doesn’t do anything to explain the enormous suffering of someone
dying of cancer or Alzheimer’s or HIV. It doesn’t explain the suffering of a
wife or husband or child watching someone they love suffer either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Part
of me wonders if God’s gift of free will extends to the turning of the earth
and the out of control growth of cancer cells. Maybe God’s decision to give us
free will includes setting the physical and natural processes of the world free
to create and destroy. Maybe the balance of water and minerals and a molten
planetary core that enables life to flourish on this globe goes hand in hand
with earthquakes and devastating storms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Maybe
the freedom for us to make bad choices and pursue our interests and desires
instead of the flourishing of others is the same freedom at work in the
renegade cell that divides until it is a metastatic tumor. Maybe the freedom
for humans to pile up wealth instead of distributing it is the freedom of a
virus to seek out new cells to take over as it expands its empire. Maybe the thoughtless
greed of bacteria killing its host and thus itself is the same as the freedom
for us to destroy the environment we count on for survival. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Maybe all free will is the same. I don’t know;
there are things about the universe I will never understand. We can’t change
the laws of climate that lead to hurricanes; maybe if we could it would mess up
something even bigger. But we can reach out to those who suffer. We can try to
comfort those who mourn. We can pray for those in need, and feed those who are
hungry. And we can work together to make this community a home for some who are
lonely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Like the people of Israel standing at the
border of the promised land, each day, each week, each moment brings us a
possibility and a challenge. Are we going to choose life, community, love,
nurture, faithfulness, welcome and gospel life? Are we going to do the good we
see before us or allow the temptations surrounding and inside us keep us down?
We are free to choose, free to love, free to risk and dare and act. So choose
love and stick fight for that choice no matter what.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thanks be to God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-744797691077731292013-11-09T14:10:00.002-05:002013-11-09T14:10:51.071-05:00suffering: a call to repentance and action, 11.3.13<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Luke
13:1-9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At that very
time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood
Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. <sup>2</sup>He asked them, “Do you
think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners
than all other Galileans? <sup>3</sup>No, I tell you; but unless you repent,
you will all perish as they did. <sup>4</sup>Or those eighteen who were killed
when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse
offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? <sup>5</sup>No, I tell you;
but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">6</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Then he told
this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came
looking for fruit on it and found none. <sup>7</sup>So he said to the gardener,
‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and
still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ <sup>8</sup>He
replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put
manure on it. <sup>9</sup>If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if
not, you can cut it down.’” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">John 9:1-7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As he walked
along, he saw a man blind from birth. <sup>2</sup>His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” <sup>3</sup>Jesus
answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that
God’s works might be revealed in him. <sup>4</sup>We must work the works of him
who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. <sup>5</sup>As
long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” <sup>6</sup>When he
had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread
the mud on the man’s eyes, <sup>7</sup>saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of
Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Luke 3:1-11<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the
fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was
governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler
of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, <sup>2</sup>during
the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of
Zechariah in the wilderness. <sup>3</sup>He went into all the region around the
Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, <sup>4</sup>as
it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one
crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths
straight. <sup>5</sup>Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill
shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways
made smooth; <sup>6</sup>and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">John said to
the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who
warned you to flee from the wrath to come? <sup>8</sup>Bear fruits worthy of
repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our
ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children
to Abraham. <sup>9</sup>Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees;
every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into
the fire.” <sup>10</sup>And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” <sup>11</sup>In
reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has
none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">----------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
spent the last two weeks talking about Job’s story. We talked about Job’s
courage in suffering holding faith and honesty together. We also talked about
being a good friend for people who are suffering. Today’s sermon builds on that
as we look at suffering as a call to repentance and a call to action. Our
reading from John reminds us that repentance has to lead to action, so the call
to action and the call to repentance are tied together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the first passage Jesus is told about Pontius
Pilate murdering worshipers at the temple in Jerusalem. It’s a shocking story
and we might expect Jesus to offer some explanation, but he doesn’t. Instead, Jesus
uses this event and an even more random news item: a tower collapsing and
killing 18 people, as examples of how unpredictable life is. He rejects the
idea that the people Pilate killed or the folks who died in the tower collapse were
killed because they were particularly sinful. Jesus says that everyone is
sinful, and we all need to repent. We all need to change our lives. And we need
to do it now, because today could be our last. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are lots of times we don’t understand suffering and death. In this passage
Jesus doesn’t even bother to speculate about the cause of suffering. He just
reminds the crowd that life is uncertain, so we should change our lives for the
better now. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, so now is the time to repent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Any time we delay getting our life right with
God we are rolling the dice. The same is true with leaving love unspoken or
conflict with friends and family unresolved. If you die before the day is over,
what would you truly regret? What crucial words have you not said? What is your
conscience uneasy about? Do something to change that situation before the sun
goes down today. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our
passage from John takes things in a different direction. The disciples ask
Jesus how sin is related to suffering. They assume that suffering is a result
of sin, but they’re not sure if it was the man or his parents’ sin that lead to
his blindness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jesus
says sin has nothing to do with it. The man isn’t suffering because of his sin;
instead, his suffering is an opportunity to show God’s power. People don’t
necessarily suffer because of sin, and it’s not really our role to try to
assign blame for suffering anyway. Instead, suffering is a chance to show God’s
love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Again, Jesus mentions that the time available
to us might be short; it certainly was for him. That means now is the time to
do good. We often don’t know the reason for suffering, but we can figure out
some ways to help. If someone is hungry, we can share a meal with them. If
someone is lonely, we can spend time with them. If someone is afraid, we can
show them they are not alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Why
did Superstorm Sandy devastate the New Jersey and New York coasts? We could say
something about it from a meterological perspective: something about low
pressure system hitting a high pressure region in just the right way to cause a
particular storm. Some people might say something about climate change. We can
talk about building codes and suburban sprawl and urban crowding. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
more than that, more than answers or speculation, God calls us to respond to
suffering by putting our love in action. Our calling isn’t to assign blame;
it’s to roll up our sleeves and help. That’s what our wider church is doing
through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and that’s what members of our church
and our presbytery did through a recent mission trip to New Jersey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We’ve
seen a few pictures and there will be more to come. We’ve heard some stories,
and I’ll bet members of our team would love to share more at coffee hour. When
people are hurting, it means the world to know that someone cares. It means so
much for homeowners to see regular Christians showing up at their house to
help. It reminds them that they are not alone. It reminds them that even though
the world dissolved into chaos for them last year, God hasn’t forgotten them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
never know what God is going to do with our help. There are times we feel helpless
because our efforts seem so small against the enormous suffering of the world.
We can sweep debris and hang new drywall, but there are other houses still in
ruins. We can tutor a child, but there are still hundreds more who are falling
further behind each day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">There is always more to do, but God can do
amazing things even with our smallest efforts. Maybe the neighbor of your
homeowner in New Jersey had a bad experience in church that left her bitter
about Christianity. Maybe now she has a new image of what Christians are like.
Maybe next year she will wander into a church and hear a message that will move
her to faith. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Maybe the spouse of one of the people on the
mission trip felt stifled in his faith because he has never seen a connection
between the Bible and his work. Maybe his wife’s story of transformation
through the trip will lead him to ask deeper questions about his career. Maybe
that will lead him to change his focus in a way that opens up a new world of
faith and vocation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Maybe Jesus’ death and resurrection never
made sense to you before. Maybe you thought it was a bloody tragedy you wanted
nothing to do with or a fairy tale ending made up by people two thousand years
ago. Maybe one of the pictures of devastation and recovery catches your eye in
a way that troubles your heart. Maybe you’ll be stuck with that image this afternoon
in a way you can’t quite put your finger on. Maybe you’ll have your mind on
something else entirely Tuesday morning when a voice inside you whispers that
death has to come before resurrection and that new life can appear where you
least expect it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Friends of mine gave me a toolbox for my 21<sup>st</sup>
birthday. That toolbox is in my closet at home like it’s been in the closet of
each of the eight places I’ve lived since college. When they gave me the box
they put a poem in it that is still there now. It was written by R.L. Sharpe in
1890 and it’s a great fit today: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Each is given a bag of tools, A shapeless
mass, A book of rules;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And each must make, Ere life is flown, A
stumbling block Or a stepping stone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Suffering can be a huge stumbling block for
our faith. We wonder why such terrible things happen. We can’t figure out how a
loving God allows such tragedy. That question can stall our faith. It can trip
us up and keep us from reaching out to God. Or it can be an opportunity for us
to reach out to our suffering neighbor with love, remembering that Jesus
reached out to those who were suffering. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Suffering reminds us that life is uncertain
and that the material things we collect in this world will not last. It invites
us to examine our lives, and turn to God. John’s forceful preaching reminds us
that repentance isn’t just a spiritual exercise; it’s got to bear fruit our
lives visibly. The main way we change our lives is by reaching out to someone
else to make their suffering more bearable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We aren’t going to have all the answers we
want, but we have the tools we need for our first step. So please, don’t wait.
Make peace. Reach out to your neighbor. Tell your sister you love her. Feed
someone who is hungry. Repent and believe the good news that God is love. Make
that love your mission in the world. Now is the time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thanks be to God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-19294871405846592842013-10-27T15:07:00.002-04:002013-10-27T15:07:46.578-04:00Job: trust and comfort in hard times
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Job 13:1-12</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Look,
my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and understood it. <sup>2</sup>What
you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. <sup>3</sup>But I would speak
to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God. <sup>4</sup>As for
you, you whitewash with lies; all of you are worthless physicians. <sup>5</sup>If
you would only keep silent, that would be your wisdom! <sup>6</sup>Hear now my
reasoning, and listen to the pleadings of my lips. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">7</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Will you
speak falsely for God, and speak deceitfully for him? <sup>8</sup>Will you show
partiality toward him, will you plead the case for God? <sup>9</sup>Will it be
well with you when he searches you out? Or can you deceive him, as one person
deceives another? <sup>10</sup>He will surely rebuke you if in secret you show
partiality. <sup>11</sup>Will not his majesty terrify you, and the dread of him
fall upon you? <sup>12</sup>Your maxims are proverbs of ashes, your defenses
are defenses of clay. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Job 15:1-6</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered: <sup>2</sup>“Should the
wise answer with windy knowledge, and fill themselves with the east wind? <sup>3</sup>Should
they argue in unprofitable talk, or in words with which they can do no good? <sup>4</sup>But
you are doing away with the fear of God, and hindering meditation before God. <sup>5</sup>For
your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty. <sup>6</sup>Your
own mouth condemns you, and not I; your own lips testify against you. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Job 16:1-5</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Then Job
answered: <sup>2</sup>“I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are
you all. <sup>3</sup>Have windy words no limit? Or what provokes you that you
keep on talking? <sup>4</sup>I also could talk as you do, if you were in my
place; I could join words together against you, and shake my head at you. <sup>5</sup>I
could encourage you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would assuage your
pain. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Job 19:1-6, 19-27</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then Job answered: <sup>2</sup>“How long will you torment
me, and break me in pieces with words? <sup>3</sup>These ten times you have
cast reproach upon me; are you not ashamed to wrong me? <sup>4</sup>And even if
it is true that I have erred, my error remains with me. <sup>5</sup>If indeed
you magnify yourselves against me, and make my humiliation an argument against
me, <sup>6</sup>know then that God has put me in the wrong, and closed his net
around me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">19</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">All my
intimate friends abhor me, and those whom I loved have turned against me. <sup>20</sup>My
bones cling to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my
teeth. <sup>21</sup>Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the
hand of God has touched me! <sup>22</sup>Why do you, like God, pursue me, never
satisfied with my flesh? </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">23</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“O that
my words were written down! O that they were inscribed in a book! <sup>24</sup>O
that with an iron pen and with lead they were engraved on a rock forever! <sup>25</sup>For
I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the
earth; <sup>26</sup>and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh
I shall see God, <sup>27</sup>whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall
behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Job 40:6-14</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup>6</sup>Then the <span class="sc">Lord</span> answered Job
out of the whirlwind: <sup>7</sup>“Gird up your loins like a man; I will
question you, and you declare to me. <sup>8</sup>Will you even put me in the
wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be justified? <sup>9</sup>Have you an
arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup>10</sup>“Deck yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe
yourself with glory and splendor. <sup>11</sup>Pour out the overflowings of
your anger, and look on all who are proud, and abase them. <sup>12</sup>Look on
all who are proud, and bring them low; tread down the wicked where they stand. <sup>13</sup>Hide
them all in the dust together; bind their faces in the world below. <sup>14</sup>Then
I will also acknowledge to you that your own right hand can give you victory. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Job 42:1-8</div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Then Job
answered the <span class="sc">Lord</span>: <sup>2</sup>“I know that you can do
all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. <sup>3</sup>‘Who is
this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did
not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. <sup>4</sup>‘Hear,
and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.’ <sup>5</sup>I
had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; <sup>6</sup>therefore
I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">7</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">After
the <span class="sc">Lord</span> had spoken these words to Job, the <span class="sc">Lord</span> said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My wrath is kindled against
you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me what is right,
as my servant Job has. <sup>8</sup>Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams,
and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my
servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with
you according to your folly; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my
servant Job has done.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">------------------------------------------------</span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
talked last week about how hard it is to hold together the truth of faith with
the challenges of the world. Today we dig a little further into that in two
different directions. In the passages I just read, Job argues that his friends
are tormenting him, pursuing him like God to make him suffer. He puts the blame
for his suffering squarely on God’s shoulders.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At
the same time, even while facing all the horror of his suffering and the sense
of being pursued instead of cared for by God, Job also longs for God to be his
redeemer. He trusts that despite everything going on, despite all the suffering
he has to deal with, one day he will still see God face to face. Even though
God has tormented him, Job trusts that God will build him up in the end. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s
an amazing act of faith. Even though Job didn’t know anything about the cross,
his faith fits right in with our faith that centers on Jesus and the cross. On
the cross we see Jesus, innocent and suffering for us by God’s command. Jesus
says in the same scene, “God, why have you forsaken me,” and, “Father, into
your hands I commend my spirit.” The true faith of Jesus, the faith of Job, and
the faith of the church at its best is a faith that can absorb great suffering
honestly and still cling to the hope of God’s love triumphing in the end. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s
not a rosy, cheerful faith that denies trouble or suffering. It’s not a cynical
faith that just gives up on the world and on grace as the ultimate truth. Instead,
it’s a strong, honest, durable faith that sees all the pain and trouble of
life, and still holds on to love.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Job
has been wishing for an opportunity to confront and question God for much of
the book, and in the last few chapters he finally gets his wish. God appears
and questions Job. God points out the unimaginable scope of his power and
knowledge. On one hand, this discussion doesn’t really answer Job’s question
about why God is making him suffer. That’s frustrating from a perspective of
justice and fairness. We want God to explain why Job has suffered so much, but
God doesn’t deliver. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On
the other hand, the discussion does give us one important answer, which is that
there are some things, many things even, that are simply beyond our understanding.
The human hunger for understanding is an important part of our make up; we need
to seek the truth in many areas of our lives, including in our spiritual life.
At the same time, we are not going to understand everything. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>More
importantly than that, God vindicates Job against his friends’ accusations.
Instead of condemning Job for asking questions, he condemns Job’s friends for
blindly defending God’s justice. God does want us to ask our questions. And God
values our honest engagement more than saying what we think God wants to hear.
We’re called to love God with all our heart and mind and strength; that means
we can bring all our questions and fears and emotions to the altar.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our
lesson from Job’s part in this passage is that he’s right to bring his full
honesty, his unfiltered feelings to God. He also shows us how to trust even
when he’s angry and sad and confused. Those are all lessons we need to hear,
because there are plenty of times we are sad and angry, confused and afraid. We
can bring all those feelings to God without worrying that he will reject us for
that. We can learn to trust even when we don’t understand.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
other important lesson in these passages is how to be a friend when someone is
going through hard times. We get this lesson especially from Job’s argument
with his friends. Job’s friends argue that Job’s extreme anger and his harsh
words threaten faith in God. Job, on the other hand accuses them of being
dishonest in their defense of God. Instead of listening to Job’s version of the
truth, they are saying whatever they think will make God look good. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
I’m honest, I know I sometimes do the same thing Job’s friends. I try to make
God look good. God doesn’t need us to defend him. We don’t need to talk people
out of being angry with God. When people are suffering we just need to be with
them, to be compassionate and show that we care. That will do more to help
people see God’s love and justice than any amount of intellectual defense of
God we could ever do anyway. More importantly, it will help our friends get
through hard times and know they are not alone. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Job
says if he were in the place of his friends and they were suffering it would be
easy to condemn them, but instead he’d use his words to build them up and
comfort them. That’s our calling when people we know are suffering. We can’t
always help in a practical way: we can’t take away the pain when someone’s
child or parent dies; we can’t hire them when they lose a job or cure them when
they face a terrible illness. But we can comfort them. We can sit with them and
hold their hand. We can listen to them cry or scream or complain. We can pray
with them, if they want, or we can just be quiet and remind them that they are
not alone. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Suffering
isn’t so much an intellectual question to be figured out; it’s an emotional
situation to be lived through and cared for. When someone asks, “Why does God
let me suffer like this,” in some ways they are really asking, “Am I alone when
I suffer?” We often don’t know the answer to the “Why” question, but we can
show them that they are not alone. As Job points out, the isolation that goes
along with suffering is as bad as the suffering itself.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s
why our care ministries in the church are so important. Illness and aging can
both be very isolating. As people get into their late 80s and 90s, they lose
friends to death and often lose some of their independence in terms of driving
and being able to do the activities that have meant a lot to them. As people
stop being able to do things, they also see fewer people and feel more alone.
It takes more energy for them to get to church, and so they manage to get here
less often. That means they miss major opportunities to see people and their
relationships weaken. That, in turn, makes them less likely to make the effort
to get to church and a vicious cycle begins. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Extended
communion, home visits, cards and phone calls to our members who have a hard
time getting to church helps keep them connected. It reminds them that they are
not alone, that their community hasn’t forgotten them. That’s a critical part
of being the church in the world and being a friend for someone who is
suffering.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
same is true for our Saturday morning café and other ministries of fellowship.
Our society today is very isolating in general. Many of us drive to do most of
our errands, park in a drive way or garage and go right from our car to our
house. That means we don’t often interact with our neighbors, so those
relationships are pretty weak. For those who live in less safe neighborhoods
than this one, there are even more reasons to stay in the house, but the less
people know their neighbors the more crime. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Imagine
your life without family, without work and without a church. First, you might
say, “Wow, that sounds relaxing; think how much free time I’d have.” But
imagine the isolation of giving up those relationships. Now imagine the extra
financial pressure to stay home created by unemployment. Many of our neighbors
feel these pressures, and they feel alone as they face that uncertain future. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Our Saturday Café steps into the
picture by offering people a safe, warm place to hang out. We offer friendly
faces and good food. For some folks the meal makes a big difference, but more
importantly, it provides real community for many people who spend much of their
week alone. Community is so important, especially when we suffer, and of
course, we all suffer.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
see a vision of the church emerging as we look at what Job and his friends do
right and wrong. The church is called to be a community where people are
supported to explore faith. Even when we don’t agree with how someone sees God,
we’re called to give them space to express and explore their faith. As we
explore openly, even expressing anger, confusion and pain, we see glimpses of
God’s truth and we grow in faith. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We’re
also called to be friends to those who suffer. We do that at Laurelton through
ministries of care, through outreach and fellowship activities and through
direct service ministries like mission trips, tutoring, Habitat, serving at
Cameron and sharing Christmas baskets with neighbors in need. A lot of our best
care happens informally as we simply get to know each other better by spending
time together. As we deepen our relationships we’ll move from sharing polite
conversation to sharing deep concerns with one another.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
more we truly engage with our neighbors and with our brothers and sisters in
Christ, the more we will deepen our own faith. That will enable us, like Job,
to trust God even when everything is going wrong. From that place of deep faith
we can bear witness to our hope in God even as we listen to people in deep pain
without trying to defend God or talk them out of their sorrow. With Job, we
will be able to say, “I know that my redeemer lives.” And we will be able to
share that redemption with a community in need of love.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thanks be to God.</div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-69875695966347841632013-10-20T14:50:00.000-04:002013-10-20T14:50:12.870-04:00Job, suffering, faith and truth, 10.20.13
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Job
3:1-7, 10-11, 20-22</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After this
Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. <sup>2</sup>Job said: <sup>3</sup>“Let
the day perish in which I was born, and the night that said, ‘A man-child is
conceived.’ <sup>4</sup>Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, or
light shine on it. <sup>5</sup>Let gloom and deep darkness claim it. Let clouds
settle upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. <sup>6</sup>That
night—let thick darkness seize it! let it not rejoice among the days of the
year; let it not come into the number of the months. <sup>7</sup>Yes, let that
night be barren; let no joyful cry be heard in it… <sup>10</sup>because it did
not shut the doors of my mother’s womb, and hide trouble from my eyes. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">11</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Why did I
not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?... <sup>20</sup>“Why is
light given to one in misery, and life to the bitter in soul, <sup>21</sup>who
long for death, but it does not come, and dig for it more than for hidden
treasures; <sup>22</sup>who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they find
the grave?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Job
4:1-11, 5:12-19</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Then Eliphaz
the Temanite answered: <sup>2</sup>“If one ventures a word with you, will you
be offended? But who can keep from speaking? <sup>3</sup>See, you have
instructed many; you have strengthened the weak hands. <sup>4</sup>Your words
have supported those who were stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble
knees. <sup>5</sup>But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; it
touches you, and you are dismayed. <sup>6</sup>Is not your fear of God your
confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope? </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Think now,
who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off? <sup>8</sup>As
I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. <sup>9</sup>By
the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.
<sup>14</sup>They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at noonday as in
the night. <sup>15</sup>But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth,
from the hand of the mighty. <sup>16</sup>So the poor have hope, and injustice
shuts its mouth. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">17</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“How happy
is the one whom God reproves; therefore do not despise the discipline of the
Almighty. <sup>18</sup>For he wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his
hands heal. <sup>19</sup>He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no
harm shall touch you.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Job
21:1-14</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Then Job
answered: <sup>2</sup>“Listen carefully to my words, and let this be your
consolation. <sup>3</sup>Bear with me, and I will speak; then after I have
spoken, mock on. <sup>4</sup>As for me, is my complaint addressed to mortals?
Why should I not be impatient? <sup>5</sup>Look at me, and be appalled, and lay
your hand upon your mouth. <sup>6</sup>When I think of it I am dismayed, and
shuddering seizes my flesh. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Why do the
wicked live on, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? <sup>8</sup>Their
children are established in their presence, and their offspring before their
eyes. <sup>9</sup>Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon
them. <sup>10</sup>Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and never
miscarries. <sup>11</sup>They send out their little ones like a flock, and
their children dance around. <sup>12</sup>They sing to the tambourine and the
lyre, and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. <sup>13</sup>They spend their days
in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">14</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">They say to
God, ‘Leave us alone! We do not desire to know your ways. <sup>15</sup>What is
the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to
him?’ <sup>16</sup>Is not their prosperity indeed their own achievement? The
plans of the wicked are repugnant to me. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">--------------------------------------------------</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Job
is a challenging and wonderful book. It’s got a beginning and an end to tell
the story and the rest of the book is basically poetry. The different characters
argue with each other, or rather, Job’s friends argue with him. They come to
comfort him, but they can’t take the raw emotion of Job’s grief and they worry
that his claims of injustice go against God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Religion
taught that good people were rewarded and bad people were punished. We still
generally think that in some way. We may call it Karma or say “what goes
around, comes around,” but some part of us wants to believe that good things
happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. It’s not just a
religious belief, but a cultural one as well. We know it’s not true all the
time, but we still want to believe it will all get sorted out correctly in the
end.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Job
and his friends all make good points. They all make good points that echo other
parts of the Bible and resonate with our own experience. I remember the first
time I really read Job was in college. I wrote down a quote from almost every
page. There’s some really wise stuff being said in this book and powerful
poetry to go with it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s
the irony of the book: each speaker makes good points, but they never come to
an understanding. That’s the irony of suffering in general and why it’s so
difficult for us to deal with. It just doesn’t make sense. We can’t understand
it; we feel like serious, innocent suffering makes a mockery of everything holy
we want to believe in. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>People
of every religious background and level of commitment get hung up on this
question. How can God be all-powerful and loving and still allow such terrible
suffering? It doesn’t make sense; we can’t wrap our heads around it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
we try to figure it out. We come up with explanations like Job’s friends. Maybe
your kids sinned, so God punished them. Maybe God is using this experience to
lead you away from sin and make you even better. Maybe it’s a test of your
faith. Maybe you’re not as innocent as you claim to be, after all, everyone
sins. Everything happens for a reason.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There’s
truth in all the discussion. Scripture often talks about how God’s correction
and discipline leads us to greater faithfulness. And we know the best of us
still fall short sometimes. Job’s friends have their heart in the right place.
The first seven days they spent with him they simply sat with him in silence to
comfort him. Even in our second passage, when Eliphaz responds to Job for the
first time, we can see that he wants to be encouraging and comforting. He tries
to be gentle, but he’s also afraid.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He’s
afraid because grief as powerful as Job’s is hard to face. Job is in such
despair he not only wishes he were dead, he wishes he had never been born and
wants to erase his birthday from the universe. It’s hard to face raw emotion
like that. More than that, Job’s deep suffering threatens the theological order
of the universe. There are a few questions like that, questions that have the
potential to shatter our understanding of the world or God or faith. Questions
like why is there suffering? Is God real? Is the Bible true? These questions
shake the foundations of our world, so we turn away from them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It’s much easier to face the world with
certainty. It’s much easier to get up in the morning if we understand the basic
rules. For Job’s friends one important rule of the world was that living a
righteous life led to success. And that rule had been working really well for Job
too; he was very righteous and very successful. He was someone a parent could
point to and tell their children, “If you follow God’s commandments and treat
other people with justice, God will take care of you like he takes care of
Job.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
when all that falls apart; when Job’s world collapses, what is the parent
supposed to tell the child? What are the friends supposed to tell themselves?
It’s much easier to look for a reason for Job’s suffering; so Job’s friends
keep looking for a fault in Job with increasing desperation. Without a reason
for Job’s suffering they are faced with a world that doesn’t make sense. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Job refuses to accept those answers. He says,
“Look at me and be appalled.” He is exhibit A. As much as his friends want
Job’s suffering to make sense, he hasn’t gone off the path of God’s
commandments. The narrator confirms it too; right from the beginning we’re told
that there was no one as righteous as Job. Even God lifts up Job as an example
of what a human should be.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now,
of course, in real life Job’s claim is dangerous because none of us is perfect.
And Job’s friends are on to something: the first thing we should take a look at
when things go wrong for us is how we might be contributing to the problem. But
the truth of Job’s complaint is inescapable too; sometimes terrible things
happen to people for no good reason. Sometimes suffering is simply unfair,
unjust and incomprehensible. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Too
often the wicked do prosper. We see so many examples of people getting ahead by
cutting corners or taking advantage of other people that it doesn’t even
surprise us anymore. We see companies profit by destroying the environment. We
see corrupt leaders who live out a comfortable retirement even when they are
removed from power. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Too
often the innocent suffer. Ask the mother whose two year old was killed by a
random bullet through the window. Ask the children starving in the mountains of
Syria or the toddlers growing weak from malaria in South Sudan. Too often the
innocent suffer, and too often the wicked thrive. The easy answers don’t do
justice to the heartrending facts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
what are we supposed to do with all that? Honestly, I don’t have a great
answer, at least as far as airtight logic goes. We can sympathize with Job’s
friends who try so desperately to uphold the rules of religion as they have
been taught. They are afraid of offending God, so they argue on God’s behalf,
defending God’s justice. They are also afraid of the possibility Job’s
suffering represents, afraid that if the rules they trust of reward and
punishment aren’t really true, then maybe the whole foundation of their life is
false too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
fear leads to rigid faith. It leads to a fear that if we allow any questioning
of our core beliefs, we will lose everything. It’s a fear of looking closely at
the world because we’re afraid what we will see is not what our religion tells
us should be there.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On the other hand, we can imagine a universe ruled
only by the laws of physics and biology but no moral law. We can imagine a
universe where evil goes unpunished and good goes unrewarded. There’s a logical
appeal to that too because then what we see is what we get. There are no
mysterious forces at work and no ruler at all; we’re on our own. That view can
easily lead to cynicism, resigning ourselves to the worst possible view of the
world to protect ourselves from disappointment. We can give up our sense that
the world should be better.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
trouble is those theories don’t do justice to the moral light we know is in us.
We can’t prove it, but we feel deep down the desire to do good. We feel better
when we help each other than when we hurt each other. We have a sense of right
and wrong at our core, and our instinct tells us that moral intelligence
reflects our creator. When we read in scripture that God is love, it strikes a
chord in our soul; it makes sense to us. We long for it to be true and it is.
We see that love in the goodness of creation at the beginning, and in the full
redemption of the world promised at the end. We see God’s love especially in
the amazing, grace-filled ministry of Jesus and in his courageous, innocent
death on the cross. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Instead
of being rigid in his faith and refusing the evidence or being cynical about
the world and giving up faith’s power, Job takes a brave middle way. He sees
the world as it is, but also as it should be. He proclaims that what is
happening isn’t right. He calls out for justice and refuses to be silenced even
by his friends telling him he is wrong.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Job
wrestles with the painful uncertainty of not understanding. He doesn’t resolve
the tension by letting go of his faith or his grasp of the truth. He doesn’t
understand why these terrible things have happened to him, but he knows they
are. He refuses to adjust his sense of reality to religious teaching to make
things clearer. Instead he demands truth and justice from God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He
holds on to his faith and to his sense of right and wrong. Even as voices his
rage about the wicked at peace, he goes on to say that the way of the wicked is
repugnant to him. Even if it does work, even if evil isn’t punished and good
doesn’t profit Job, he holds on to good and turns away from evil. Whatever
happens, he knows God calls him to be righteous. That’s who he is; that’s the
character he has build on a foundation of faith. It’s not the rigid foundation
that needs to be right and fit reality to it’s vision. It’s not a soft
foundation that goes along with whatever is going on, right or wrong. Instead
it’s a firm foundation flexible enough to absorb that the world is not always what
it should be, but solid enough to push away from cynicism or relativism.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Job’s
courage is a model we need now. It’s the courage to face the world without
having all the answers. It’s the courage to hold on to faith and to hold on to
truth. It’s the courage to speak out against injustice even without having all
the answers. Job’s courage doesn’t free him from trouble, and our courage won’t
either, but it will allow us to face trouble with integrity and to stay
faithful even when the way isn’t clear. That’s a courage we need today and
always. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thanks
be to God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-57668289391203654532013-10-07T19:40:00.000-04:002013-10-07T19:40:00.229-04:00The body of Christ: breaking down the walls, 10.6.13
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<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ephesians
2:11-22<br />
<sup>11</sup>So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called
“the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” —a physical
circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— <sup>12</sup>remember that you
were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in
the world. <sup>13</sup>But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have
been brought near by the blood of Christ. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">14</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For he is
our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down
the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. <sup>15</sup>He has
abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in
himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, <sup>16</sup>and
might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting
to death that hostility through it. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">17</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So he came
and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; <sup>18</sup>for
through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. <sup>19</sup>So
then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the
saints and also members of the household of God, <sup>20</sup>built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the
cornerstone. <sup>21</sup>In him the whole structure is joined together and
grows into a holy temple in the Lord; <sup>22</sup>in whom you also are built
together spiritually into a dwelling place for God. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1
Corinthians 10:15-17, 11:17-34</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">15</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I speak as
to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. <sup>16</sup>The cup of
blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread
that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? <sup>17</sup>Because
there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one
bread. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">11<sup>17</sup>Now
in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come
together it is not for the better but for the worse. <sup>18</sup>For, to begin
with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among
you; and to some extent I believe it. <sup>19</sup>Indeed, there have to be
factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine.
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">20</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When you
come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. <sup>21</sup>For when
the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one
goes hungry and another becomes drunk. <sup>22</sup>What! Do you not have homes
to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and
humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend
you? In this matter I do not commend you! </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
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<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">23</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on
the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, <sup>24</sup>and when he
had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do
this in remembrance of me.” <sup>25</sup>In the same way he took the cup also,
after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as
often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” <sup>26</sup>For as often as you
eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">27</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Whoever,
therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner
will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. <sup>28</sup>Examine
yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. <sup>29</sup>For
all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment
against themselves. <sup>30</sup>For this reason many of you are weak and ill,
and some have died. <sup>31</sup>But if we judged ourselves, we would not be
judged. <sup>32</sup>But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so
that we may not be condemned along with the world. <sup>33</sup>So then, my
brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. <sup>34</sup>If
you are hungry, eat at home, so that when you come together, it will not be for
your condemnation. About the other things I will give instructions when I come.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">-------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Paul’s words can come across as harsh, and I
think and hope that my sermon is going to be challenging. To set the stage for
that I want to remind you that when I’m preaching to you, I’m also preaching to
myself. We all have room to grow together. Another thing to remember about Paul
with the Corinthian church and about me with you is that I love you. Challenge
is meant to help us all grow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This sermon
series is about the church. The Bible uses different images for the church
because it’s a community that’s not quite like anything else. Susan preached
about how the church is a family two weeks ago. Last week I preached about the
church as an ambulance base or a mission station where we get what we need for
our calling in the world. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This week we’re
talking about how the church is the body of Christ. That means that as
different as we are, everyone around the world who belongs to Christ is part of
one body. We are united and connected to people we will never meet. And
together we are not just a community, not just an organization, but the living,
breathing body of Jesus Christ. That is amazing and mysterious. It means the
church is much greater than any one of us, and it means we owe more to our
fellow members than we might think because we are one, holy body together.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Raise
your hand if you’ve been a part of the church, this church or another church, for
as long as you can remember.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Now, raise your
hand if being part of a church is pretty new to you. Great.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
the first century, when Jesus walked the earth and the church first began Jews
and gentiles were about as far apart as they could be. The passage from
Ephesians that Donna read talks about how the gentiles who became Christian
once felt. Before they came to faith in Christ they were separated from God.
The way people connected to God was through the rules and rituals that defined
the Jewish community, and they were not part of that community.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then
Jesus came, lived, died and rose again, and everything changed. The wall
between Jews and gentiles was torn down. The Old Testament rules and rituals no
longer defined who was in and who was out of God’s community. Now Christ’s call
and Christ’s cross define the community of faith. It doesn’t matter where we
come from, it only matters that Christ called and we answered. All people who
follow Christ are one. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That means we
have no business looking down on other Christians. The divisions that used to
matter are overcome in Christ. Christ died to reconcile the division between
Jews and gentiles. He took two very different communities and made one
community in his body, putting the hostility that divided them from each other
to death on the cross. That means when we are hostile towards other Christians,
we’re going against the cross of Christ, and frankly, that’s not something I
want to do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
course, the early church’s division between gentile and Jewish Christians isn’t
really an issue now, so for this passage to speak to us we have to think about
other divisions that the church faces today. Maybe the best comparison is old
and new members. As we saw a minute ago, some of us are new to being members of
the church and others have been part of the church their whole lives. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our
experiences and differences shape us, and the different perspectives that come
with being a life long church member or a brand new Christian make this church
stronger. At the same time, those differences do not define us, and none of us
has any right to look down on anyone else. Jesus Christ himself welcomes
everyone here today. Jesus’ welcome and grace is the only ground any of us has to
stand on, not our background, not our parents, not our pledge or our tenure or
our volunteer hours. Whether know it or not, without Jesus we are lost. We are
found now because of his love, whether we accepted that love 40 years ago or just
this minute. We are all one and no one is better than anyone else.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
doesn’t matter if you’re liberal or conservative; if you’re black, white,
Latino or Asian, if you know the Bible well or are just reading it for the
first time, if your faith is rock solid or you have lots of doubts and
questions. It doesn’t matter if you have a PhD or a fourth grade education. It
doesn’t matter if you’re Presbyterian, Baptist, Catholic or agnostic. Christ
has broken down every dividing wall that threatens to separate us and he is the
one who makes us the church. We are one in his body with all our differences
and all our unique personalities. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
our passage from Corinthians Paul focuses on class divisions, which continue to
challenge churches, including ours, today. Of course, class isn’t just about
dollars and cents. Class is about culture and expectations and experience. The
social and economic group we grow up in shapes how we see the world in ways we
can’t even see. Unless we have some experience that moves us out of the class
in which we grew up, we don’t even know how limited our perspective is, because
however we grow up seeing the world is normal to us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>People
who grow up in the middle or upper middle class probably have parents who put a
high value on education. Those parents probably succeeded in school and a big
part of their parenting was helping their kids succeed in school too.
Throughout their life they saw a connection between education and success. In
middle class culture there’s often a strong sense that people control their own
destiny and that they are responsible for what they do and what happens to them.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
people who grow up in a family struggling to make ends meet the world looks
very different. Often, they grow up without knowing many people who have
succeeded in school. That means parents don’t emphasize school because they
haven’t seen any benefit from education in their own lives. Sometimes they
believe that education is the school’s job, and the parent’s job is surviving,
not helping with school work. Since people who have struggled to survive have
had a lot of things go against them, it often feels like success is more a
matter of luck or fate than education or choice. The world feels threatening
and totally beyond their control.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Obviously,
there are plenty of people who straddle those two worlds and I’m
oversimplifying things to make a point. The point is that where we come from
impacts how we see the world in ways we don’t even recognize. For example, for
an upper middle class person it makes sense to take out student loans because
they believe education is a good investment that will allow them to succeed and
pay back the loan. For people who grew up struggling to survive, the risk of
that loan feels too threatening to make sense and the benefit seems uncertain
at best. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For working
class families it’s often obvious for adult children to stay with their parents
because that makes it easier to survive together. For many upper middle class
people the expectation is that when children grow up, they move away from home.
For each group those decisions can seem obvious, while for the other they seem
strange. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
some ways rich people and poor people live in different worlds. Society
separates us from each other, and we don’t often even have the chance to see
the world through different eyes because we spend most of our time with people
like us. And like most social organizations, the church is often divided along
the same lines. There are black churches and white churches, country churches,
suburban churches and city churches, wealthy churches and poor churches.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Paul
reminds us that that is not how it should be. In Jesus Christ all human
divisions are conquered. The divisions that matter so much to people don’t
matter at all to God. The church is the body of Christ, so however different we
might look or seem, we are one in Christ. That means when we allow human
divisions to divide us in the church we are tearing Christ’s body apart. When
we look down on people because they don’t act how we think they should act, we
are spitting on Christ’s body. When we resent someone because they see the
world differently we are rejecting part of Jesus. We are one body, and when don’t
act like it we turn away from our Lord.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
easy to talk about unity and equality, but it’s hard to live it. We say we
believe that people are equal and that everyone is welcome, but we don’t always
truly believe it in our secret hearts and we don’t experience it in our lives. We
won’t know how deep our differences go until we start overcoming them in real
life behavior. It will be harder than we think, but we can do it because we are
already one in Christ. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Paul’s
argument is theological; he’s talking about what the ritual of the Lord’s
Supper means in a spiritual sense, but he’s also talking about the practical
nuts and bolts of sharing a community table with people who are different. In
Paul’s time the Lord’s supper was both a religious ritual and an actual
community meal, think sacrament and potluck rolled into one. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The rich people
in the church could start the meal whenever they wanted, and they didn’t have
to worry about having enough to eat and drink. The poor members of the Corinthian
church couldn’t get to the gathering until their boss let them go, and by the
time they got there, there wasn’t anything for them to eat. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Paul
says that we aren’t really eating the Lord’s Supper unless we’re eating it
together as equals. It is the responsibility of members of the community with
more resources to look out for those with less. It’s everyone’s responsibility
to make sure that everyone has enough, that everyone can share at Christ’s
table. The church is Christ’s body and the communion meal is Christ’s body. If
we allow our differences to divide us we tear Christ’s body apart. When we do
that, this amazing meal that is a sign of Christ’s love and death and salvation
will condemn us instead of bless us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
church is one of the few places where we have the chance to build genuine
community with love, honesty and real sharing among people who are very
different. Our community is more diverse now economically, politically, and religiously
than it was 5 years ago. That’s going to be challenging sometimes. There are
times when we are not going to understand each other, times we get frustrated
because some one else just doesn’t see things the same way we do. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But difference
is an invitation to a conversation. It’s an opportunity to see the world from another
perspective. For this to work, for us to really be the community we are called in
Christ to be we need to be willing to question ourselves. Paul tells us to
judge ourselves, to examine ourselves to see if our mind is in sync with God’s
truth. I guarantee if we really start learning about each others experiences we
will learn some uncomfortable things about ourselves, but real growth is often
uncomfortable. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When we don’t
understand someone we should ask them about their perspective, and listen to
each other without judgment or defensiveness. We need to open our hearts to
each other and really treat each other as beloved brothers and sisters. That’s
the way God sees us, that’s who God calls us to be not only when we are in this
space but, most importantly, when we leave this building. We are one because we
are Christ’s body together. As we let that spiritual vision shape our real life
together we will have uncomfortable moments and holy transformation. As we
share life with each other, we’ll discover what it really means to be the body
of Christ. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So taste and
see, the Lord is good. Happy are all who are called to God’s table. Thanks be
to God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-31809239119037264252013-09-29T14:47:00.000-04:002013-09-29T14:47:26.176-04:00The church as ambulance base
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<i>Matthew 5:1-16</i></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When Jesus
saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples
came to him. <sup>2</sup>Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: </span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<i><sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Blessed are
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. <sup>4</sup>“Blessed
are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. <sup>5</sup>“Blessed are the
meek, for they will inherit the earth. <sup>6</sup>“Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. <sup>7</sup>“Blessed
are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. <sup>8</sup>“Blessed are the
pure in heart, for they will see God. <sup>9</sup>“Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God. </span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<i><sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">10</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Blessed are
those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. <sup>11</sup>“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you
and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. <sup>12</sup>Rejoice
and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you. </span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<i><sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">13</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You are the
salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be
restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled
under foot. <sup>14</sup>“You are the light of the world. A city built on a
hill cannot be hid. <sup>15</sup>No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the
bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. <sup>16</sup>In
the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your
good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. </span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<i>John 1:35-51</i></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<i><sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">35</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The next day
John again was standing with two of his disciples, <sup>36</sup>and as he
watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” </span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<i><sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">37</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The two
disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. <sup>38</sup>When Jesus
turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you
staying?” <sup>39</sup>He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where
he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock
in the afternoon. </span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<i><sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">40</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">One of the
two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. <sup>41</sup>He
first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah”
(which is translated Anointed). <sup>42</sup>He brought Simon to Jesus, who
looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called
Cephas” (which is translated Peter). </span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<i><sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">43</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The next day
Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” <sup>44</sup>Now
Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. <sup>45</sup>Philip
found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law
and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” <sup>46</sup>Nathanael
said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him,
“Come and see.” </span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<i><sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">47</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When Jesus
saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in
whom there is no deceit!” <sup>48</sup>Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get
to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called
you.” <sup>49</sup>Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are
the King of Israel!” <sup>50</sup>Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I
told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than
these.” <sup>51</sup>And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see
heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
Man.” </span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">--------------------------------------------</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We’re
unpacking different ways of thinking about the church in this sermon series.
Last week Susan talked about one of the images we think of most often, the
image of the church as a family. We’re all adopted sons and daughters of God
through Jesus Christ. In the church we get to know each other as brothers and
sisters and we take care of each other with love.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
week we’re looking at a very different image, which is suggested but not
spelled out in the Bible. The image we’re exploring this week is the church as
mission station. In John’s Gospel at the last supper Jesus says he is sending
the disciples into the world in the same way God sent him into the world. After
he rose from the dead he repeats the same message to the disciples: “As the
Father has sent me, so I send you.” The church continues the mission of the
first disciples, so at our core we are sent into the world like Jesus. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mission
means “sending.” We are a community that is defined by mission, defined by
being sent. One theologian says it like this: “God’s church doesn’t have a
mission, God’s mission has a church.” Another says, “The church exists for mission
like a fire exists for burning.” If fire stops burning it isn’t a fire anymore,
and if the church stops going out into the world it isn’t really the church.
The church’s mission is its purpose. It’s not something we do, some extra thing
that is a nice part of the church’s activity; our mission is the whole reason
for our existence. The church is meaningless without our mission.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
church is defined by mission, and the mission of the church is defined by
Jesus. As the Father sent Jesus, so we are sent into the world. That means we
are called to heal the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and invite
people to be reconciled to God. We are called to be ambassadors for Jesus, to
introduce people to him and to let them know that they are loved and they are
not alone. Like Jesus, we are called to be powerless and called, sometimes, to
suffer for the message. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s
not just a calling for a few of us, the professionals or the religious elite.
It’s not a calling just for extroverts or for elders, but for everyone. It’s
not an optional, extra credit assignment; it’s a fundamental part of who we are
as the church. We have different ways of following that calling based on our
gifts and abilities and occupations, but we are all called to mission.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are two major parts of that mission we share: there’s the part we do together
and the part we do on our own. We have a mission together: Laurelton has a
mission on this corner to share the love of Jesus through our words and our actions.
We do that through café and worship, through Christmas baskets and supper and
scripture. We do it through supporting other partners in mission, like Cameron
and People’s Ministry in Christ and the Community Food Cupboard.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
point isn’t getting people into the building; it’s using the building to get
the message of love into the community. The point of the building is to give us
space to welcome people, space to learn for our mission, space to cook and
share fellowship to welcome others and strengthen the community. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We
all have a part to play in that by using our gifts and possessions to build up
the church for our mission. Maybe you love to cook: come on out on a Saturday
and help make breakfast for your neighbors. It’s a great way to welcome people practically
to a warm space and remind them that they are not alone. Maybe you like to
visit: there are so many people in our community who are hungry for fellowship,
hungry for someone to listen to them, desperate to know that they matter. You
can do that just by sitting down and listening while you eat breakfast.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We
do mission together not only as a congregation, but with the wider church as
well. We are not a big enough church to send a missionary to another country,
for instance, but together the Presbyterian Church sends many missionaries to
countries around the world to share God’s love through Bible teaching, healing,
building schools and providing clean water. We take part in that wider mission
of the church through our gifts to the denomination and through our prayers for
the church around the world. We also take part through going on short term
mission trips like Bob, Karen, Karen, Susan, Carl, Linn, Charlie, Sue and
Allison are doing this week in New Jersey.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That’s
the part of the church’s mission that we do together, and that’s an important
part of the story. Maybe even more important than that is the mission we each
do on our own. We all spend more time outside the church than inside it. Your
main mission is in your everyday, Monday through Saturday, world. The best way
to get the church’s message into the world is through you, because you are part
of the church and you spend most of your time in the world. The church’s job is
to prepare and equip you for that mission. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When
I go to work at Rural Metro I start my shift at base, that’s 811 West Ave. At
base I check in, get my gear and my truck and make sure everything I need for
the day is on the truck. At base we have a big parking area for the ambulances
as well as a bay to wash them at the end of the shift. There’s an equipment
room where we replace the supplies we’ve used. There’s also a training room to
learn and practice skills and a dispatch center where the calls come in. That
base is where we go to get prepared for the mission of providing emergency care
for the people of Rochester. But our main work obviously isn’t at base, it’s on
the road in the city, so we only spend a small part of our shift at base. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
church is a base for mission in the same way. It’s an important place to come
to be refreshed and equipped for our mission, but it’s not where we spend most
of our time, and it’s not where we do our most important work. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When
we come to church we gather to share stories of what we’ve seen in the mission
field, new things we’ve learned, new challenges we’ve come across and new
questions that our work in the world has brought up. Together we give thanks
for the week of ministry, for all the things God has done through us in the
world. We praise God in song and prayer for what we’ve seen and experienced. We
encourage each other like my coworkers encourage each other for our work and
you and your coworkers encourage each other.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We
dig into scripture together for new wisdom for our work in the world; that’s
our training room. In worship and in education, we bring our questions to the
passages and we find new things to try out. My job as pastor is to study
scripture and other resources to equip you for your ministry in the world. I
can do a better job with that if you actually bring your questions to church.
If you tell me what you wonder about because of your work and ministry, I can
do a better job figuring out what kind of equipment you might need. Without
your insight about your unique ministry and unique experience, I can only guess
what will help you. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If
we keep the image of the ambulance base, I’m the equipment manager and training
coordinator. I’ve got tools and equipment for you, but I need you to tell me
what kind of things you need for your mission. Then you go out and live out
that mission in the world knowing the church will support you.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Maybe
your weekday ministry is teaching kids. For that mission you’ll need stories
about Jesus to remember how Jesus reaches out to kids and to others who have
trouble in the world. You’ll also need some biblical tools for thinking about
how education and justice are related. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Very
specifically coming up, there is a special UPT evening on October 17<sup>th</sup>
at Trinity Emanuel about educating the traumatized child. There you’ll meet
others who are excited about education and you’ll hear some of the unique
challenges of urban education. That’s important for all of us because we are
all invested in the city, so we’re all invested in our city’s children. It’s
also important because even if you teach in a suburban school with lower rates
of poverty and violence than the city, some of your kids bear the scars of
different traumas, so those insights will make you a better, more loving, more
Christ-like teacher. You will be better equipped for your mission in the
school.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Maybe
you spend a lot of your time caring for children in other ways. That gives you
different opportunities for ministry for which you need equipment. Part of what
you do is working with the kids in your care, so like teachers, you need to be
reminded that Jesus loves the little children, especially for the times they
are being difficult to love. You also have opportunities at the playground and
elsewhere to interact with other parents and caregivers. That means you have
opportunities to share the love of Jesus with people who might not know they
are loved. Maybe some training around faith sharing will help you in that
mission.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Maybe
you spend a lot of time in a challenging workplace where everyone feels
constant deadline pressure. Your mission there as an ambassador for Jesus is
first, to do your job well so you can help your team perform. You can also
create a better atmosphere by remembering that no matter what happens, God
loves you. The more you remember that the more you’ll be able to stay calm
under pressure and help others stay calm as well. You can also share love by
treating others kindly. You need to be equipped with biblical wisdom on
handling stress, or responding to bad behavior in the workplace. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Wherever
you go and whatever you do, you are on a mission from God and the church is
there to equip and support you for that mission. Our passages give us three
different ways to look at that mission. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus
pronounces blessings on different kinds of behavior like gentleness,
peacemaking, and humility. Do those things wherever you are and you have God’s
approval. Jesus also instructs us to be salt and light wherever we go. In
little ways and big, at home and at work and at play, our job is to shine the
light of God’s light so others can see God. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In
our passage from John we see it a different way. We see John, Andrew and
Phillip all introducing people to Jesus. It’s not our job to convince someone
to believe in Christ, we just help make the introduction. We invite them to
“come and see.” People everywhere need to see the truth: that God is love and
that they matter to God. We can show them that. We can show them by treating
them like precious brothers and sisters. We can show them that by being kind
even when it’s unexpected. We can show them by being calm under pressure
because we know our meaning in life isn’t what we produce but our being as beloved
sons and daughters. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That
is our mission: love God and love others. This church, this building, this
community is the place we go to get equipped, encouraged and prepared for our
mission. Your brothers and sisters are team members and blessed companions. So
let’s enjoy the time we have together and get excited to go back out in
service. Be peacemakers; be salt and light to a world that is often bland and
dark. Serve and love, introduce people to Jesus and do your part to make the
world just a little more like heaven. Jesus sends us in his name today and
every day.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thanks
be to God.</span></div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-45772798748668952172013-09-01T13:09:00.000-04:002013-09-01T13:09:02.841-04:00different roles, one faith, 9.1.13Today's sermon talks about Paul's arrest in Jerusalem,
but more than that, about the tensions of different identities we share
in the light of our faith. It's heavily influenced by listening to the discussion of a likely US
military intervention in Syria. So, if you're interested in reading a
few Presbyterian resources on that situation they are also linked <a href="http://www.pcusa.org/news/2013/8/30/stated-clerk-issues-statement-wake-escalating-viol/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.pcusa.org/news/2013/8/30/church-has-do-something/">here</a>, the most important one is linked <a href="http://officeofpublicwitness.blogspot.com/">here</a>. The sermon is below:<br />
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Acts
21:17-26</span></div>
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<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">17</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When we arrived
in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us warmly. <sup>18</sup>The next day Paul </span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">went
with us to visit James; and all the elders were present. <sup>19</sup>After
greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the
Gentiles through his ministry. <sup>20</sup>When they heard it, they praised
God. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Then
they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are
among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the law. <sup>21</sup>They have
been told about you that you teach all the Jews living among the Gentiles to
forsake Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children or
observe the customs. <sup>22</sup>What then is to be done? They will certainly
hear that you have come. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">23</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So do what we
tell you. We have four men who are under a vow. <sup>24</sup>Join these men, go
through the rite of purification with them, and pay for the shaving of their
heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told
about you, but that you yourself observe and guard the law. <sup>25</sup>But as
for the Gentiles who have become believers, we have sent a letter with our
judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and
from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">26</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Then Paul took
the men, and the next day, having purified himself, he entered the temple with
them, making public the completion of the days of purification when the
sacrifice would be made for each of them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Acts
21:27-34, 22:22-30</span></div>
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<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">27</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When the seven
days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, who had seen him in the temple,
stirred up the whole crowd. They seized him, <sup>28</sup>shouting, “Fellow
Israelites, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against
our people, our law, and this place; more than that, he has actually brought Greeks
into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” <sup>29</sup>For they had
previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed
that Paul had brought him into the temple. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">30</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Then all the
city was aroused, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged
him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. <sup>31</sup>While
they were trying to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all
Jerusalem was in an uproar. <sup>32</sup>Immediately he took soldiers and
centurions and ran down to them. When they saw the tribune and the soldiers,
they stopped beating Paul. <sup>33</sup>Then the tribune came, arrested him,
and ordered him to be bound with two chains; he inquired who he was and what he
had done. <sup>34</sup>Some in the crowd shouted one thing, some another; and
as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be
brought into the barracks.…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(quick
bridge to Paul’s defense)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">22</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Up to this
point they listened to him, but then they shouted, “Away with such a fellow
from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” <sup>23</sup>And while
they were shouting, throwing off their cloaks, and tossing dust into the air, <sup>24</sup>the
tribune directed that he was to be brought into the barracks, and ordered him
to be examined by flogging, to find out the reason for this outcry against him.
<sup>25</sup>But when they had tied him up with thongs, Paul said to the
centurion who was standing by, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who
is uncondemned?” <sup>26</sup>When the centurion heard that, he went to the
tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? This man is a Roman
citizen.” <sup>27</sup>The tribune came and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a
Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” <sup>28</sup>The tribune answered, “It cost
me a large sum of money to get my citizenship.” Paul said, “But I was born a
citizen.” <sup>29</sup>Immediately those who were about to examine him drew
back from him; and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a
Roman citizen and that he had bound him.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">----------------------------------------------------</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Each of us plays different roles in our life.
We are parents and children and spouses. We are employees and retirees and
Christians. We are Americans and Republicans and Democrats. We are brothers and
sisters, friends and swimmers, walkers, readers, workers. We are alumni of East
High and East Ridge, Syracuse, Fredonia, Ithaca, Penn State and MCC. We have
different roles and influences in our lives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
Paul it was the same thing, and like us, sometimes that was complicated. Paul
was a Jew and a Christian. He was a Pharisee and an evangelist to the gentiles.
He was born in Tarsus, raised in Jerusalem and a citizen of the Roman Empire.
He was a tentmaker, pastor and prophet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Paul is a man of different worlds. He never
stops being Jewish, regardless of persecution. He also holds his Roman
citizenship tightly as it gives him the right to speak and be protected. When
he is speaking to Roman officials, he talks about his rights as a citizen and
how the charges against him have nothing to do with Rome. When he speaks to
Jewish crowds he talks about the Law and the Prophets and how they predicted
Christ. Even while he is in prison, he continues to be a pastor; in fact
several of Paul’s letters were written during his final imprisonment in Rome.
So, while as a prisoner he defends himself, as a pastor he also advises
communities and coworkers on questions of ministry. In all he does, he seeks,
first of all to be faithful to his ministry as an apostle of Christ. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As Christians, we live different roles in
different parts of our lives, but in every part of our life we are called to
live faithfully. That doesn’t mean that we are inconsistent or hypocritical,
just that we do different things based on the situation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In my role as a pastor, I lead with others,
specifically the elders. That means we make decisions together. As a paramedic,
I control a scene. A medical emergency is not a democracy; I tell people what
to do. If I did that here, most people wouldn’t appreciate it, and if I invited
people to share different ideas and vote about how to treat a cardiac
emergency, I wouldn’t be an effective paramedic. I lead in different ways
depending on the situation, but in every situation I strive to treat others
with respect, compassion and love.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I imagine it’s the same for you. You do
things differently at work than you do at home. You speak differently with your
kids than with your friends. But in that diversity, there can be unity and
consistency, because in everything we are called to follow Jesus. That means
loving our kids and helping them to learn to be loving. It means doing our job
at work conscientiously and treating our coworkers kindly so that even if we
don’t talk explicitly about our faith, people can see love shining through.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Paul talks about citizenship in this passage,
because as a citizen of the empire, he is entitled to a fair hearing in court.
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about being a Christian and a citizen
because of news and history. It’s been a blessing this week to hear excerpts
from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream speech,” because this week was
the fiftieth anniversary of the March on Washington. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Like Paul, Martin Luther King was a citizen
and a minister of the gospel. When he read the scriptures, it was clear that
God created all people equal and calls us to treat each other with kindness and
justice. That faith commitment led King to oppose the injustice of segregation
and economic oppression. He spoke for justice because his humanity and his
faith told him segregation was wrong.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As a citizen of the United States, King saw
his calling and responsibility in the same way. King’s speech from the Lincoln
Monument reminded America that equality is in the very foundation of the nation
by quoting the Declaration of Independence. Sometimes we need to challenge our
community to live up to its own best values, which is what the civil rights
movement did. As a citizen, King quoted Jefferson; as a Christian, he quoted
Amos, but in everything he sought to be faithful to his calling in Christ. That
calling and the struggle for justice and equality continues today for us
because it is part of our faith. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Syria has also been on my mind a lot this
week, which is especially relevant as we think about what it means to be a
Christian and a US citizen. Paul claimed his citizenship to give him the
protection he needed to continue to preach. He never imagined that citizens could
shape their government. We live in a democratic society, which means we have
more political freedom than Paul could have imagined as well as a
responsibility to use our political voice faithfully as disciples of Jesus. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That can be a hard thing to do, because
followers of Jesus do not always agree on political questions. At last summer’s
General Assembly in Pittsburgh I served on the committee on Middle East
Peacemaking. Our committee talked about Syria, because the civil war there had
already been going on for a year and a half at that point. On this question the
General Assembly passed a resolution to pray for Syria and to urge the US and
others not to intervene militarily in the conflict. This resolution passed by a
vote of 621 to 19 with five abstentions. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Chemical weapons are terrible. The
international community is right to condemn and oppose their use in any
situation, and we need to find ways to work together to pressure both sides to
respect civilian life. It’s hard to stand by and not respond to such a gross
violation of human rights, but if we have learned anything from the last 12
years of military engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan it must be that there are
always unintended consequences. The Bible teaches that there is a time for war
and a time for peace. Jesus says that those who live by the sword will die by
the sword. There may be times that military action is necessary, but Christians
should always have a strong bias towards peace. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As citizens and Christians we speak in
different ways, but we must always try to be faithful to Jesus. We have the
blessing and responsibility to use our voice to encourage love, peace and
justice. Faithful Christians disagree on how to handle issues like Syria. It’s
not my role to tell you what you should think. I never want this to be a bully
pulpit. I’m not an expert on foreign policy or the Middle East by any stretch
of the imagination. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">One of the blessings of our Presbyterian system
is that the pastor doesn’t rule. Instead, my job is to help you think about
your life in the context of the faith we share. In this case, that includes
sharing an overwhelming agreement in the General Assembly that the US should
not intervene in this civil war. Our wider church is speaking for peace today
as we spoke as a body for peace a year ago. Our partner churches in Syria and
Lebanon have called on the church to oppose military intervention as well as to
pray and care for the victims of this enormous suffering. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
I can say clearly and with conviction is that your faith should be a big part
of how you think about what it means to be a US citizen (and how you think
about being an employee, parent, spouse and so on). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our job as Christians is not to change the course of history,
though sometimes we will. Our job is to be faithful to our calling regardless
of fear, danger and opposition. For me, that means writing to our president and
encouraging the denomination to pick up what we have already said about this
conflict. I don’t know what it will mean for you; if nothing else, I hope you
will be praying for peace and for wisdom for our leaders as they struggle with
difficult decisions. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Paul’s
strategy in the last years of his life is interesting. He asks the Roman leader
for permission to speak to the crowd and begins what he calls a “defense.” The
goal of his defense isn’t to escape death. Instead, it is to tell the truth
about his calling, regardless of whether that makes Jewish leaders accept him
or reject him. His job is to tell God’s message, no matter what. And this wasn’t
the only part of Paul’s calling. Sometimes we get sucked into thinking one
thing defines us, or on the opposite side, that we have to do everything. The
truth is we have to use our gifts and our time faithfully for our ministry. The
question isn’t our success, but our faithfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
in the footsteps of Paul and Martin we take our place as voices for God’s love
in a challenging world. We take our place as people who live in many roles at
the same time, united by faith in a God who loves us and, mysteriously, works
all the chaos of life into a story that makes sense. We believe that God comes
to us not with overwhelming force but in the cry of a child in a manger, the
cry of a body broken on the cross, and the Spirit of love speaking truth
through Christians in every age. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As we gather at Christ’s table to share the
feast of love, this ancient symbol of the peaceful kingdom to come, we remember
our brothers and sisters across history and around the world. We break bread
together with scared families in refugee camps and in churches rattled by
bombs. We break bread to find strength to live faithfully now in the tensions of
life as we pray and hope for God’s new heaven and new earth where nation will
no longer raise up sword against nation and we will study war no more. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Come, Lord Jesus; quickly come.</span></div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-22128700860464390392013-08-11T12:11:00.003-04:002013-08-11T12:11:50.686-04:00tent making ministry and the future church, 8.11.13
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Acts
18:1-11</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After this Paul</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">left
Athens and went to Corinth. <sup>2</sup>There he found a Jew named Aquila, a
native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla,
because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, <sup>3</sup>and,
because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked
together—by trade they were tentmakers. <sup>4</sup>Every sabbath he would
argue in the synagogue and would try to convince Jews and Greeks. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from
Macedonia, Paul was occupied with proclaiming the word,</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">testifying
to the Jews that the Messiah</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">was Jesus. <sup>6</sup>When they opposed and
reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his clothes</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">and
said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I
will go to the Gentiles.’ </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Then he left
the synagogue</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"> </a></span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and went to the house of a man named Titius</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"> </a></span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Justus, a worshipper of God; his house was next door to the
synagogue. <sup>8</sup>Crispus, the official of the synagogue, became a
believer in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the
Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized. <sup>9</sup>One
night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak and do not
be silent; <sup>10</sup>for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to
harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.’ <sup>11</sup>He
stayed there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1
Corinthians 9:3-7, 11-18</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3 This is my defense to those
who would examine me. <sup>4</sup>Do we not have the right to our food and
drink? <sup>5</sup>Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing
wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? <sup>6</sup>Or
is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a
living? <sup>7</sup>Who at any time pays the expenses for doing military
service? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its fruit? Or who tends
a flock and does not get any of its milk? …<sup>11</sup>If we have sown
spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits? <sup>12</sup>If
others share this rightful claim on you, do not we still more?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Nevertheless, we have not made use of
this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of
the gospel of Christ. <sup>13</sup>Do you not know that those who are employed
in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at
the altar share in what is sacrificed on the altar? <sup>14</sup>In the same
way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their
living by the gospel. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">15 But I have made no use of any
of these rights, nor am I writing this so that they may be applied in my case.
Indeed, I would rather die than that—no one will deprive me of my ground for
boasting! <sup>16</sup>If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for
boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe betide me if I do not
proclaim the gospel! <sup>17</sup>For if I do this of my own will, I have a
reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. <sup>18</sup>What
then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel
free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">____________________________________________</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
first church I served was Beacon Presbyterian Church. Beacon had about 30
members in inner city Philadelphia. I I was an intern there during my second
year of seminary, and became their pastor the next year. Throughout the fifteen
months I spent as Beacon’s pastor I learned a lot. I preached almost every week
and I led a weekly Bible study, but with 10 hours a week around the edges of a
full time job, I could never do as much as I wanted to. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When we moved to Rochester, I felt certain
that I wanted a full time position so I could do more. When I heard about
Laurelton, it sounded like a great fit, except that it was half time instead of
full time. So I prayed about it, met with session, and ultimately started here
on February 1, 2009.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
I learned from that whole process, and this is really going to surprise you, is
that God knows better than I do. I was sure I wanted a full time position but
as it has turned out, not only is this church the right fit for me, being half
time has been a blessing in ways I couldn’t predict. God is teaching me a lot
about ministry for the twenty-first century, and God is using our work together
to remind the church of Paul’s model of tent-making. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
Paul moved to Corinth he met Aquila and Pricilla and stayed with them because
they were all tent-makers. In letter after letter Paul talks about how he works
with his hands so he won’t be a burden to the church. He wants to make sure
that financially supporting him isn’t a barrier to people hearing the gospel. At
the same time, he reminds the church that the people who dedicate their life to
serving the gospel should be able to survive by preaching, even though he doesn’t
want financial support himself. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
a challenging balance. The church benefits from having people who can spend
most of their time working for the church. People who can travel to spread the
gospel, people who can dedicate years to studying and teaching, people who can dedicate
their full time to building up the church. At the same time, professional
church workers are expensive, and we don’t want money to keep people from
hearing the gospel or growing in faith. That was a challenge Paul saw then, and
it’s still a challenge now.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Most
churches in our denomination are shrinking. Churches that employed two pastors
ten years ago now have one, and many churches that have had a full time pastor
are finding that harder and harder to maintain. Along the way, many churches
cut basically every other kind of spending before even considering letting go
of their full time pastor. For those of you who have been here more than 5
years, this is a very familiar story. Many of our neighboring churches are
facing the same process now. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
sounds like a lot of bad news, but ultimately, I don’t think it is. It is going
to mean some really hard transitions for a lot of people and churches, but it
is an opportunity to reexamine how we do ministry in the church.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
early as Paul’s time, there was a place for paid people in the church; it was a
good investment to allow some people to dedicate themselves fully to ministry
in a way they couldn’t do if they were working. There are churches now that
need full time pastors and other leaders. The question to answer is what we
want to pay for and why. I think there are two main ways we can look at paid
ministry in the church: doing ministry for us or doing ministry with us. When a
pastor does ministry for the church, that means the church is paying the pastor
to do things they know the church should be doing. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Doing
ministry with the church is different, and I think that’s most of the real
calling of a pastor. Paul’s line is, “equipping the saints for the work of
ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” What that means is things like
teaching, leading Bible study, having individual conversations, and moderating
session meetings. It means working with members of the community to help people
find and strengthen their spiritual gifts so they can grow in faith through
ministry. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So,
if we think about visiting homebound members of the congregation, doing
ministry for you means I go and visit those folks on behalf of the church.
Doing ministry with you, equipping you for ministry, means that I work with
people who feel called to a ministry of visitation to help you feel comfortable
making visits. It means helping you (through the care team) organize a system
so people are being visited regularly and talking with you about how visits go
and what questions they raise for you.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
terms of welcoming visitors, doing ministry for you means it is my job to be a
friendly, welcoming face and to follow up with visitors to help them connect
with the church. Doing ministry with you means helping you develop skills and
confidence to welcome people and helping you develop ways to follow up with
those visitors. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There’s
a role for both ministry with and for you, but the ministry with you is more
important. In a church this size, I should know everyone at least a little and
it’s important for me to stay connected with our homebound members, so I need
to visit. I also need to welcome visitors. Whether right or wrong, there is
something special for many people about meeting the pastor that makes them feel
more comfortable and connected. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At the same time, the more important work is
equipping you to visit and to welcome. After all, the real point is connecting
people to the community of faith, not to me. If I am the only person a
homebound member knows, they won’t feel very connected to the church. And if I’m
the only person a visitor knows they might like me or not, but they won’t be
connected with the congregation as a whole. Pastors come and go, but the
community lasts. And feeling connected to a faith community is a blessing that
far outweighs anything I can do through personal welcome and charm.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The last century the church absorbed a lot
from the culture, some good, some not so good. Like in other professions we
have absorbed the idea of paying a specialist to do something for us. We pay a
mechanic to work on our car, a doctor to treat physical problems and a school
to education our children. Sometimes we see church the same way: we pay a
pastor to take care of our spiritual needs. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This creates a cycle where church members
feel that many things that are a basic part of being Christian are the
responsibility of the pastor because the pastor is an expert. That attitude
affects things like prayer and scripture reading as well as visiting,
welcoming, teaching and sharing faith. Even though the pastor’s real job is
equipping the church for ministry, a lot of the way we have done ministry ended
up having the opposite effect, making people feel less empowered to do ministry
themselves and more dependant on paid clergy.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">All Christians have a calling to live our
faith in every part of our lives. My job is not to do that for you, but to help
you do it better. In a church our size I think the first limit we reach is the
time and energy the members have for ministry. It wouldn’t even make sense to
have a full time pastor, because that would mostly increase my ability to doing
more ministry for you, and the congregation would actually do less ministry. I
think for Laurelton now, half time is about perfect. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are other benefits to our part time arrangement too. Of course, the financial
piece is an important one. A part time pastor is challenging financially; full
time wouldn’t be sustainable. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">One of the hardest things for churches and
pastors is to get out of the building and connect to people who aren’t in
church. I spend half of my working time as well as my social time outside the
church, so I automatically make those connections. That not only gives me more
opportunities to share my faith, it also keeps me from getting tunnel vision
and it keeps me connected to the wider community. Paul doesn’t talk about how
the tent-making part of his time provided ministry opportunities, but I’m sure
it did. My ambulance work is the same way, as is your teaching or cleaning or childcare.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
also reminds you and me that we are the same. I am not some ivory tower
professor or a spiritual champion. I am a person with faith and questions and other
work obligations like you. I think knowing that I have another job makes it
easier to remember that. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It also means that we can be more open about
money. When we talk about the budget, my salary and benefits are a big piece of
the puzzle, which means we need to be able to talk about it. When a pastor is
the biggest financial obligation and you know they depend on the church, it is
hard to discuss the budget honestly because the pastor’s livelihood is tied up
in that. Since half of my income comes from somewhere else, I am less dependant
on the church financially, which means we can talk about the whole budget more
openly, at least, I hope we can.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The church of the future needs to be more
flexible and more nimble than the church of last century. That’s because
changing membership patterns make the big budgets and funding structure of the
past unsustainable, and also undesirable. For some congregations, that will
mean sharing or getting rid of their building to be more flexible. For many
having a tent-making pastor or sharing pastoral leadership with another church
will be part of the equation. In UPT we’re thinking a lot now about how our
churches can share resources so we can all be more efficient and effective in
this new century. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Whenever I think or talk about what it’s like
to be a tent-making pastor I have to give you credit as a congregation for
making this work well. A big part of changing from full time to part time is
changing expectations. When Laurelton had a full time pastor, the pastor did
more things: both more ministry with and more ministry for the congregation. You
have done a great job realizing that I will not be able to do the same things.
You will have to do more or let some things go, and you’ve done both. I very
rarely hear complaints about what I’m not doing. Your flexibility and openness
make Laurelton a really great place to work. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The flip side of that is that I count on you
to let me know what I am missing, what you need more of. I make the best
decisions I can about how to use my time, but if there are areas you feel need
more attention, I’d like to hear that so I can reevaluate. One of the strengths
of the Presbyterian tradition is that we lead together. I need you to help me
be a good pastor.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The church thrives when we are all living our
faith and sharing our gifts at church and in the wider world. We all have a
role to play, and my role is helping your grow in faith and ministry. For
Laurelton, tent making ministry is a part of our flexibility and life together.
As we work together to make our church stronger, more engaged in the community
and more faithful to God, we can all use our gifts as we grow in faith.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thanks be to God.</span></div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-73191022772085507942013-08-11T12:11:00.001-04:002013-08-11T12:11:44.317-04:00tent making ministry and the future church, 8.11.13
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Acts
18:1-11</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After this Paul</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">left
Athens and went to Corinth. <sup>2</sup>There he found a Jew named Aquila, a
native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla,
because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, <sup>3</sup>and,
because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked
together—by trade they were tentmakers. <sup>4</sup>Every sabbath he would
argue in the synagogue and would try to convince Jews and Greeks. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from
Macedonia, Paul was occupied with proclaiming the word,</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">testifying
to the Jews that the Messiah</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">was Jesus. <sup>6</sup>When they opposed and
reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his clothes</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">and
said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I
will go to the Gentiles.’ </span></div>
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<sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7</span></sup><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Then he left
the synagogue</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"> </a></span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and went to the house of a man named Titius</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"> </a></span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Justus, a worshipper of God; his house was next door to the
synagogue. <sup>8</sup>Crispus, the official of the synagogue, became a
believer in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the
Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized. <sup>9</sup>One
night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak and do not
be silent; <sup>10</sup>for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to
harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.’ <sup>11</sup>He
stayed there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1
Corinthians 9:3-7, 11-18</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3 This is my defense to those
who would examine me. <sup>4</sup>Do we not have the right to our food and
drink? <sup>5</sup>Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing
wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? <sup>6</sup>Or
is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a
living? <sup>7</sup>Who at any time pays the expenses for doing military
service? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its fruit? Or who tends
a flock and does not get any of its milk? …<sup>11</sup>If we have sown
spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits? <sup>12</sup>If
others share this rightful claim on you, do not we still more?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Nevertheless, we have not made use of
this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of
the gospel of Christ. <sup>13</sup>Do you not know that those who are employed
in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at
the altar share in what is sacrificed on the altar? <sup>14</sup>In the same
way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their
living by the gospel. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">15 But I have made no use of any
of these rights, nor am I writing this so that they may be applied in my case.
Indeed, I would rather die than that—no one will deprive me of my ground for
boasting! <sup>16</sup>If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for
boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe betide me if I do not
proclaim the gospel! <sup>17</sup>For if I do this of my own will, I have a
reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. <sup>18</sup>What
then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel
free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">____________________________________________</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
first church I served was Beacon Presbyterian Church. Beacon had about 30
members in inner city Philadelphia. I I was an intern there during my second
year of seminary, and became their pastor the next year. Throughout the fifteen
months I spent as Beacon’s pastor I learned a lot. I preached almost every week
and I led a weekly Bible study, but with 10 hours a week around the edges of a
full time job, I could never do as much as I wanted to. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When we moved to Rochester, I felt certain
that I wanted a full time position so I could do more. When I heard about
Laurelton, it sounded like a great fit, except that it was half time instead of
full time. So I prayed about it, met with session, and ultimately started here
on February 1, 2009.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
I learned from that whole process, and this is really going to surprise you, is
that God knows better than I do. I was sure I wanted a full time position but
as it has turned out, not only is this church the right fit for me, being half
time has been a blessing in ways I couldn’t predict. God is teaching me a lot
about ministry for the twenty-first century, and God is using our work together
to remind the church of Paul’s model of tent-making. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
Paul moved to Corinth he met Aquila and Pricilla and stayed with them because
they were all tent-makers. In letter after letter Paul talks about how he works
with his hands so he won’t be a burden to the church. He wants to make sure
that financially supporting him isn’t a barrier to people hearing the gospel. At
the same time, he reminds the church that the people who dedicate their life to
serving the gospel should be able to survive by preaching, even though he doesn’t
want financial support himself. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
a challenging balance. The church benefits from having people who can spend
most of their time working for the church. People who can travel to spread the
gospel, people who can dedicate years to studying and teaching, people who can dedicate
their full time to building up the church. At the same time, professional
church workers are expensive, and we don’t want money to keep people from
hearing the gospel or growing in faith. That was a challenge Paul saw then, and
it’s still a challenge now.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Most
churches in our denomination are shrinking. Churches that employed two pastors
ten years ago now have one, and many churches that have had a full time pastor
are finding that harder and harder to maintain. Along the way, many churches
cut basically every other kind of spending before even considering letting go
of their full time pastor. For those of you who have been here more than 5
years, this is a very familiar story. Many of our neighboring churches are
facing the same process now. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
sounds like a lot of bad news, but ultimately, I don’t think it is. It is going
to mean some really hard transitions for a lot of people and churches, but it
is an opportunity to reexamine how we do ministry in the church.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
early as Paul’s time, there was a place for paid people in the church; it was a
good investment to allow some people to dedicate themselves fully to ministry
in a way they couldn’t do if they were working. There are churches now that
need full time pastors and other leaders. The question to answer is what we
want to pay for and why. I think there are two main ways we can look at paid
ministry in the church: doing ministry for us or doing ministry with us. When a
pastor does ministry for the church, that means the church is paying the pastor
to do things they know the church should be doing. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Doing
ministry with the church is different, and I think that’s most of the real
calling of a pastor. Paul’s line is, “equipping the saints for the work of
ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” What that means is things like
teaching, leading Bible study, having individual conversations, and moderating
session meetings. It means working with members of the community to help people
find and strengthen their spiritual gifts so they can grow in faith through
ministry. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So,
if we think about visiting homebound members of the congregation, doing
ministry for you means I go and visit those folks on behalf of the church.
Doing ministry with you, equipping you for ministry, means that I work with
people who feel called to a ministry of visitation to help you feel comfortable
making visits. It means helping you (through the care team) organize a system
so people are being visited regularly and talking with you about how visits go
and what questions they raise for you.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
terms of welcoming visitors, doing ministry for you means it is my job to be a
friendly, welcoming face and to follow up with visitors to help them connect
with the church. Doing ministry with you means helping you develop skills and
confidence to welcome people and helping you develop ways to follow up with
those visitors. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There’s
a role for both ministry with and for you, but the ministry with you is more
important. In a church this size, I should know everyone at least a little and
it’s important for me to stay connected with our homebound members, so I need
to visit. I also need to welcome visitors. Whether right or wrong, there is
something special for many people about meeting the pastor that makes them feel
more comfortable and connected. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At the same time, the more important work is
equipping you to visit and to welcome. After all, the real point is connecting
people to the community of faith, not to me. If I am the only person a
homebound member knows, they won’t feel very connected to the church. And if I’m
the only person a visitor knows they might like me or not, but they won’t be
connected with the congregation as a whole. Pastors come and go, but the
community lasts. And feeling connected to a faith community is a blessing that
far outweighs anything I can do through personal welcome and charm.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The last century the church absorbed a lot
from the culture, some good, some not so good. Like in other professions we
have absorbed the idea of paying a specialist to do something for us. We pay a
mechanic to work on our car, a doctor to treat physical problems and a school
to education our children. Sometimes we see church the same way: we pay a
pastor to take care of our spiritual needs. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This creates a cycle where church members
feel that many things that are a basic part of being Christian are the
responsibility of the pastor because the pastor is an expert. That attitude
affects things like prayer and scripture reading as well as visiting,
welcoming, teaching and sharing faith. Even though the pastor’s real job is
equipping the church for ministry, a lot of the way we have done ministry ended
up having the opposite effect, making people feel less empowered to do ministry
themselves and more dependant on paid clergy.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">All Christians have a calling to live our
faith in every part of our lives. My job is not to do that for you, but to help
you do it better. In a church our size I think the first limit we reach is the
time and energy the members have for ministry. It wouldn’t even make sense to
have a full time pastor, because that would mostly increase my ability to doing
more ministry for you, and the congregation would actually do less ministry. I
think for Laurelton now, half time is about perfect. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are other benefits to our part time arrangement too. Of course, the financial
piece is an important one. A part time pastor is challenging financially; full
time wouldn’t be sustainable. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">One of the hardest things for churches and
pastors is to get out of the building and connect to people who aren’t in
church. I spend half of my working time as well as my social time outside the
church, so I automatically make those connections. That not only gives me more
opportunities to share my faith, it also keeps me from getting tunnel vision
and it keeps me connected to the wider community. Paul doesn’t talk about how
the tent-making part of his time provided ministry opportunities, but I’m sure
it did. My ambulance work is the same way, as is your teaching or cleaning or childcare.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
also reminds you and me that we are the same. I am not some ivory tower
professor or a spiritual champion. I am a person with faith and questions and other
work obligations like you. I think knowing that I have another job makes it
easier to remember that. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It also means that we can be more open about
money. When we talk about the budget, my salary and benefits are a big piece of
the puzzle, which means we need to be able to talk about it. When a pastor is
the biggest financial obligation and you know they depend on the church, it is
hard to discuss the budget honestly because the pastor’s livelihood is tied up
in that. Since half of my income comes from somewhere else, I am less dependant
on the church financially, which means we can talk about the whole budget more
openly, at least, I hope we can.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The church of the future needs to be more
flexible and more nimble than the church of last century. That’s because
changing membership patterns make the big budgets and funding structure of the
past unsustainable, and also undesirable. For some congregations, that will
mean sharing or getting rid of their building to be more flexible. For many
having a tent-making pastor or sharing pastoral leadership with another church
will be part of the equation. In UPT we’re thinking a lot now about how our
churches can share resources so we can all be more efficient and effective in
this new century. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Whenever I think or talk about what it’s like
to be a tent-making pastor I have to give you credit as a congregation for
making this work well. A big part of changing from full time to part time is
changing expectations. When Laurelton had a full time pastor, the pastor did
more things: both more ministry with and more ministry for the congregation. You
have done a great job realizing that I will not be able to do the same things.
You will have to do more or let some things go, and you’ve done both. I very
rarely hear complaints about what I’m not doing. Your flexibility and openness
make Laurelton a really great place to work. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The flip side of that is that I count on you
to let me know what I am missing, what you need more of. I make the best
decisions I can about how to use my time, but if there are areas you feel need
more attention, I’d like to hear that so I can reevaluate. One of the strengths
of the Presbyterian tradition is that we lead together. I need you to help me
be a good pastor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The church thrives when we are all living our
faith and sharing our gifts at church and in the wider world. We all have a
role to play, and my role is helping your grow in faith and ministry. For
Laurelton, tent making ministry is a part of our flexibility and life together.
As we work together to make our church stronger, more engaged in the community
and more faithful to God, we can all use our gifts as we grow in faith.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thanks be to God.</span></div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980090455361540648.post-83813300862792356502013-08-10T14:59:00.000-04:002013-08-10T15:00:05.315-04:00Reaching out in a secular culture, 8.4.13<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Acts 1:1-8</div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote
about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning <sup>2</sup>until the
day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy
Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. <sup>3</sup>After his suffering he
presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them
during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. <sup>4</sup>While
staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there
for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from
me; <sup>5</sup>for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now.” </span><br />
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">6</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the
time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” <sup>7</sup>He replied, “It
is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own
authority. <sup>8</sup>But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Acts 17: 14-34</div>
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">14</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Then the believers immediately sent Paul away to
the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained behind. <sup>15</sup>Those who
conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and after receiving instructions
to have Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible, they left him. </span><br />
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">16</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was
deeply distressed to see that the city was full of idols. <sup>17</sup>So he
argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and also in the
marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. <sup>18</sup>Also
some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers debated with him. Some said, “What does
this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign
divinities.” (This was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the
resurrection.) </span><br />
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">19</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">So they took him and brought him to the Areopagus
and asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? <sup>20</sup>It
sounds rather strange to us, so we would like to know what it means.” <sup>21</sup>Now
all the Athenians and the foreigners living there would spend their time in
nothing but telling or hearing something new. </span><br />
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">22</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said,
“Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. <sup>23</sup>For
as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship,
I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What
therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. <sup>24</sup>The God
who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth,
does not live in shrines made by human hands, <sup>25</sup>nor is he served by
human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all
mortals life and breath and all things. </span><br />
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">26</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit
the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the
boundaries of the places where they would live, <sup>27</sup>so that they would
search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not
far from each one of us. <sup>28</sup>For ‘In him we live and move and have our
being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his
offspring.’ </span><br />
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">29</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think
that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art
and imagination of mortals. <sup>30</sup>While God has overlooked the times of
human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, <sup>31</sup>because
he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a
man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising
him from the dead.” </span><br />
<sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">32</span></sup><span style="font-family: Cambria;">When they heard of the resurrection of the dead,
some scoffed; but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” <sup>33</sup>At
that point Paul left them. <sup>34</sup>But some of them joined him and became
believers, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and
others with them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">------------------------</span><br />
<div style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">The pattern we
see over and over is that Paul and his partners reach a new city and begin
their ministry in the synagogue. Paul makes his case for Jesus based on the
prophets his audience would be familiar with, because Jesus is the Messiah God
promised through the prophets. Some people believe and some do not. In some
places Paul is persecuted, locked up or even attacked with stones. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
Athens, things are a little different. Paul does begin in the synagogue, but
Luke doesn’t say much about that at all. Instead, the focus is on where Paul
goes next, which is into the streets. Now the streets of Athens were famous for
a few things: art and philosophy. Apparently, throughout the city there were
statues, especially of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. For the Athenians, these
images were symbols of their religion and their artistic achievements. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
other thing that happened in the street was philosophy. One of the important
movements in philosophy in Paul’s time was stoicism, which focused on
self-control. The name actually comes from the fact that the main teachers of
stoicism taught in the street. The streets and marketplaces were full of people
and ideas. People swapped news and stories, argued about philosophy, and
generally engaged with each other. Paul steps into that mix with the good news
of Jesus Christ. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The key to sharing our faith with
other people is that we have to understand where they are coming from first.
Before he starts preaching, Paul does some research. He looks around the city
and examines the statues he sees. His first reaction as a committed Jew is to
be upset about all the idols, but he doesn’t let that reaction get in the way
of understanding and caring about the people of Athens. So he pushes through
his first reaction to try to see the idols in a better light, which we see when
he starts talking to the crowd. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Instead of attacking them for idolatry,
which would put up walls against the message, he looks at the statues like they
do, as a sign of their religious curiosity. So when he starts his speech, he
starts by saying that they are a very religious people. Instead of seeing them
just as misguided, he sees their statues as evidence that they are looking for
God. That search for God is a good place to tell them about the God he knows
about. Paul starts with what they share, a quest for truth and for God, and he
works from there to explain the message of the gospel.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Paul assumes that whatever
differences there are between him and his audiences, they share enough in
common that the message will matter to them. Sometimes we think about the
things that separate us from the culture around us. We lament the fact that
people don’t go to church like they used to. The truth is, people still need
the gospel and people still search for meaning in their lives. What unites us
is greater than what divides us; we just need to find ways to make the
connections between what people are looking for and what the gospel offers the
world.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Paul explains his message in a way
that will make sense to his audience. When he’s in the synagogue Paul talks
about the Bible and uses prophesies about the Messiah to explain who Jesus is.
In Athens, he needs to do things differently because his listeners don’t know
the prophets or the law or the story of Israel’s relationship with God. Instead
he talks about creation and different ways people have tried to find God.
Instead of the Messiah, Paul talks about God’s calling; instead of scripture,
he uses quotes from Greek poets. Paul adapts his message to his audience so it
will make sense to them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
we share our faith we have to keep in mind that, like Paul’s audience in
Athens, many people don’t know the story of the Bible. We live in a pretty
secular culture so we can’t assume that people have a background understanding.
The things that are obvious about Christianity for us if we’ve grown up in the
church, are not obvious to those who haven’t. What’s even more challenging is
that, unlike Paul’s audience, many people in our culture have negative
impressions of Christianity we need to overcome to allow them to hear the real
message.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Recently, I was out with a few
friends. One guy said that most religious people he had encountered tried to
push religion down his throat. He said talking with me made him want to learn
more about Christianity because I didn’t do that. He likes that I listen to his
questions and answer them without getting defensive and without trying to talk
him into anything. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
That’s not really about me; it’s
also one of the greatest gifts a church like ours has to offer the world. We
are open to lots of ideas at Laurelton. We don’t all understand the faith in
the same way and we aren’t trying to force people to see things our way.
Instead, we create space for people to read the Bible and be part of a
welcoming community where we can learn together what it means to follow Jesus.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
For a lot of people when they think
about Christianity they think about judgment, condemnation, rules and
hypocrisy. That’s not fair, it comes from people’s experiences. When we talk
about our faith the most important thing we can share is that God loves us. For
many people their experience with Christianity is all about what you can’t do
or what you have to do without enough focus on the big picture. The big picture
of Christianity is love, grace, acceptance, forgiveness and community.
Everything flows from that. The more people hear that, the more they might want
to hear more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
When we share our faith, we need to
start with our audience. We need to have a sense for what is important to them
so we can connect that to the message of faith. To share faith effectively we
have to know the person we’re sharing with. We have to understand them, to know
what their fears and hopes and priorities are. That doesn’t mean twisting the
message to make it fit, but it does mean looking for points of contact between
our audience and our faith.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Most of all, we have to care about
the person we’re sharing with. Sharing our faith with other people isn’t about
building a bigger church, it’s about inviting people we care about into a
relationship with God. The other key is why faith matters to us. Why do you
come to church? Why do you care about faith? If you think about that and about
the person you’re talking with you will do a good job sharing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Of course, the most important way
we share our faith is by living our faith. When people see us living good
lives, they are more likely to want to find out why we live the way we do and
more likely to believe what we tell them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
It’s OK to be scared. Anytime we
share anything as personal as faith, it’s scary. The only way through that is
practice. So, I want to give you some homework. This week share your faith with
one person. Pray about when to do that and look for an opportunity. I bet if
you look for an opportunity with prayer, you’ll find the right person. Maybe a
friend or coworker. You don’t have to share faith in any particular way, but
however you do it, listen to the other person and connect that with why you
find meaning in religion. As you do that this week, I’d love to hear how it
goes, so feel free to email or call me during the week to share the experience.
Any questions about the “assignment?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As we share we grow, and God can
use our simple story for amazing things.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Thanks be to God.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Sam Picardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03614944598380914948noreply@blogger.com0