Book suggestion

I don't usually recommend books because people have a variety of different tastes. However, I wanted to recommend robert d. Lupton's book "theirs is the kingdom." it deals with urban ministry but, more generally it reminds those who follow Christ that we have a call on our lives to care for this world and the many people which inhabit it.

Christmas hymns

I have a very tenuous relationship with Christmas hymns. Note now, I said hymns not Christmas music like “rockin’ around the Christmas tree” or other such nonsense). Christmas and advent hymns have a strange pull, almost a magnetism about their melodious droning. For years I grew up with them playing in the background of the house while the thanksgiving meal was still being prepared. This no doubt led to my compulsive need to eat turkey when I hear away in the manger (kidding of course). But after some years of this and developing my own identity and Christmas traditions, Christmas hymns have taken an almost non-existent role and, I don’t hear them as much in my own life. Whereas I used to listen to them at church, at home, and sing them in programs, now my advent season is practically devoid of them save Sunday morning.

But, like I said before, there is a pull about Christmas hymns. And I discovered as recently as the beginning of this advent season. It has nothing to do with the music. Now, don’t get me wrong; I love music and can be as picky about it as anyone out there, but that is not the point I’m making. I don’t think the pull of Christmas hymns has much to do with the music but with the power of some of the poetry contained therein. Think about some of our best Christmas hymns: O Holy Night, speaks to the condition of humanity and the deep cosmic need that we have for the fulfillment of prophecy and the birth of the Messiah. O little town of Bethlehem has this wonderful line about how all the hopes and fears of all the years are met in the birth of Christ. Everything, Anything, material or not, wrapped up in a cave somewhere in backwater Israel. The book of Colossians has a verse about that where it says that all things hang together in Christ. This Christ that lays vulnerable in the city of David.

I guess sometimes with the repetition, things in our lives can lose their luster. Songs can become old, tired, beaten. But we sing time not because we like to “get down” but because they tell a story. As we sing them it is as if we turn to each other and say, “hey do you remember this Christ who came…all my hopes and fears are wrapped up in who this messiah is.” And we say back, “yeah I remember…I remember lying in sin and error but now I can say that Christ is the Lord and live in the one who sets the captives free.” We repeat this chant with the rest of creation that is groaning in this advent season. We repeat it over and over again to remember that we need this savior, this messiah, this Jesus. May you have a blessed Christmas season and consider dusting off those old hymns and join in the deep chant all over again.

health care reform

my paycheck or your paycheck?
"blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

47 million uninsured and pulling the plug on grandma
"blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

talking past, through, at, behind one another....
"blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

shouting, gun toting, arrogant....
"blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

free speech, public option, death panels...
"blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy."

hippie talk and red-meat radio...
"blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

socialism, nazi policies and fear mongering...
"blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."

cooperate puppets, democrats, republicans, lobbyists, farmers, the unemployed, single mothers and university professors...
"blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

justice is not an option

please note: when I use the phrase "the Church" in the following entry I do so in referring to the Church universal. I do so with pain because I love the Church. I believe in the Church. I believe God has called the Church to work by the power of the Holy Spirit for restoration. And, that is why I write this.

I wish I could put my finger on why justice always seems to be such a low priority for the Church. Over and over again when I am having conversations with other clergy, church leadership, or parishioners, and the topic of conversation turns to justice, I find that most people in the Church act like it's something nice to do when the budget works out or it's one of those things that the Bible gives us as a tool to "win souls for Jesus."
I will reveal a lot, perhaps, in saying that this is common attitude and one which I have suffered from most of my life. For me the passage in Micah 6:8 was always less of a battle cry and more of a befuddling mess. "O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with you God?" Do Justice? What does that even mean? How do I do justice? The enlightenment has taught me that Justice is an intangible, virtuous end that only an ordered, educated system can bring about. This isn't something that I can do. It's just something that we collectively hope for.
I am afraid that this toxic lie has found it's way into the Church. We have put it on the shelf. We have shoved it in the utility closet instead of bringing it to the table of the LORD's holy meal.
But Micah isn't just throwing in a nice phrase for us to remember when we see a person who needs our help. God is telling us that this is what being children of God means. This is what is required of us. No one understood this better than Jesus. He never let religion get in the way of what the LORD required. He healed on the sabbath. He looked with love at Romans. He gave food to hoards of people and even to a group of gentiles. And when Jesus talked about hell, (the two times he did), he spoke of people who did not feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give water to the thirsty, and set the captives free.
Justice is not optional. It's not a part of our faith that we can consider tacked on for our convince. It's who we are. When we say that Jesus is Lord, we confess that the LORD's justice is what we will work for as we walk humbly beside our creator.
When we were in Denver I saw people living this. It was costly. Some people got jumped in neighborhoods in which they were trying to help. Others gave up a housing opportunity to live in a converted hotel and befriend people that needed some good neighbors. Some people gave up jobs to serve meals. Others decided to buy an old synagogue and start new ministries for people in need.
Justice is not optional. Denver reminded me that it can't be.
Grace and Peace

the poor we will always have with us

I don't usually get that nervous when I preach anymore. I have learned to so completely lean into God that I don't consider it to be much about me. But, while we were in Denver I was asked to lead a one-hour bible study five minutes before it started. I didn't have anything. I didn't have words. But, I did have 40 hungry homeless that were in need of bread and something else that only God could provide. So I prayed as I was being introduced and then began to press into God. After we were fed by the word, we dined together at the table of conversation. And, over a bean soup I conversed with three others about something so profound I don't even remember what it was. They had words. I did not. As we said our good-byes and they hugged me like they really meant it, the women in the group said, "don't forget us." I have to confess, I shrugged it off. Who amongst us that have been on some kind of service trip haven't heard this phrase before? And we always give the same response..."I won't." But we do.

Don't forget us. I knew what she meant. Come back. Give more. I got the message.

But then something happened. I was reading in the gospel of Mark this afternoon and in chapter 14 there is this story of Jesus getting together with his friends for a meal a few days before passover and a woman breaks up the party. She strolls in with some perfume that cost way too much money (I see nothing changes), and she breaks it open and pours it over Jesus' head. she then gets scolded by the disciples who tell her and Jesus that it would have been better if the perfume would have been sold and the money given to the poor. But then Jesus says something I have always misunderstood. "The poor you will always have with you." Jesus loves what this woman did. And he reminds his disciples that the poor with always be with them. Now when I have read this in the past I have always assumed that Jesus meant that there would always be poor people. This is just the product of the broken system. The world is in need of restoration and until that happens we will have the poor. But, I think there is something more happening here. Jesus is with his closest friends. People who are to follow him. To do as he does. Jesus isn't saying well they will always be around. Jesus is talking about the expectation of proximity. It is as though he were saying to them, "The poor will always be with you, right? You aren't going to leave them are you?" Jesus is expecting the poor to always be amongst the Church. The followers of Jesus are charged with taking care of the poor. Those who love the LORD are to make sure that the poor are taken care of. That's our job. That's who we are called to be. The poor will always be with us. Or at least they should be.

So when this woman hugged me and said don't forget us and I said I won't. I think something else was going on. I believe I was being reminded of something. The poor we will always have with us. Or at least they should be.

I think James says it best: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Don't forget us...I won't

Grace and Peace

Back From Denver

After 2000 miles and 10,000 feet worth of elevation change, we are back from our service in Denver. It was a wonderful time in which the risen Christ was made evident in a number of ways. After spending some time thinking about these things, there are three aspects of the trip that I wish to share with you and these will come out over the next few days.

1. the poor we will always have with us
2. justice is not optional
3. the collapsing of time and space in the eucharist

Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts as we served...you sustained us through the power of the Holy Spirit

Grace and Peace

Off to Denver

Tomorrow morning I will be heading toward the mountains along with seven other of Rolling Acres faithful. We will be heading into Denver for a long weekend to do some mission work in the city. We pray for a good experience and that we will be willing to do whatever is required of us so that the grace and truth of the living God may be evident. We hope that this will be the first of many adult mission groups to go out from our Mason City church and we hope that God continues to work in the lives of those going this year and in the lives of those who are being called to a future experience. I will be sure to share more about the experience upon our return. Until then,

Grace and Peace

Prayer for Iran

The CRC office of social justice has put a prayer out for the people and country of Iran. I encourage all to read this article and to keep the people and country of Iran in our prayers as they forge ahead as a nation. Below is a link to the prayer and more information.

http://www.crcna.org/news.cfm?newsid=1406

grace and peace

pulpit

It stands solitary, front and center. To a new preacher it can be the single most intimidating construct they have ever seen. And, to veteran preachers it can be like an old friend. The same is true for the people on the other side of the stationary object to which their eyes are drawn every Lord's day. For those who are new to their expression of God and their search for faith it can seem foreign and scary. For those who have grown up in the same church or in church universal, it can seem like a family member who you love but also one whom you can take for granted.

The pulpit is one of the most fascinating things in church construction. It has intrinsic value that is tied to both the symbolism and to the actual practice of preaching. This, like most things in church construction, can look differently depending on the architecture of the church building. The pulpit can be a large wooden construct that rests central to all church furniture. It can be built right into the raised alter. In other churches this can be a lectern, music stand, or anything that holds notes, bible or glass of water. In all cases the pulpit represents something bigger than just itself. It's a pointer to something larger than itself. The pulpit points to the gathering of God's people to hear the word that has been prepared for that day, or the word that is spontaneously lead in people to be spoken. And, even if a particular preacher doesn't ever use the pulpit for preaching (I include myself here), the symbolism is the same. Preachers or teachers that don't have a pulpit are taught to preacher from an anchor position--a place where people can locate the speaker. A security blanket for speaker and for hearer.

The point of pulpit, or to be specific, the location of pulpit doesn't mean that the word of the Lord may only be spoken from a particular place in a particular building but, it is a place where people may gather to listen--to hear. It is a place where we can come in from the brokenness and the hurt of life and hear that God is still good. It is a place where we may gather and be encouraged and encourage one another. And, no matter how much fear or misunderstanding surrounds the pulpit, I can't help but appreciate larger truths to which it points us.

Grace and Peace

CRC Synod Passes Belhar Resolution

Last night the Christian Reformed Church passed the Belhar onto the Synod in 2012 to be voted on as our fourth reformed confession. They followed closely the Reformed Church in America who approved the Confession a few weeks ago. Check the link out below from the CRC website for more information.

http://www.crcna.org/news.cfm?newsid=1391

Grace and Peace

Font

To many people baptism is a mysterious thing. To even more people the font that holds the water is even more mysterious and an often troubling thing. Every church building runs into this in their own way based on their architecture. Some churches have the font at the doorway which is great because it serves as a reminder of baptism right when you walk in the doorway. You instantly remember who you are. Yet, it can also be like walking into a club with a secret handshake and, if you walk by the font and don't do the right move people know instantly that you are not in the club. Other churches deal with the font by hiding it. They place the font, or pool in this case, behind a window or under the floor. This is great because when it is time for a baptism, everyone is well aware that something is different about this service and buzz goes through the air. People are excited about this service. Yet, it can feel like these churches are ashamed of their baptism. They only break out the font when someone chooses to do something for their part, and then they put it away until someone else decides that it's time for them to do something for their part. And then there are those churches that place the font by the table. They have the font setup near the front of the sanctuary but it is usually small and portable and can be moved around. This is great because the proximity to the table reminds everyone how truly connected the sacraments are and how God speaks to us through baptism and also when we gather at the table. Yet, it can also seem like this font is decoration and when someone is born we take the cover off and pour or sprinkle some water on the child and then put the cover back on. It's like these churches are saying this week we remember we have grace and a promise in Jesus but next week, we are going to cover the font so we don't...



If you have ever been to Rolling Acres CRC you would know that the font sits right by the table. It rests, embedded in the woodwork as you ascend the steps to the table. This is a wonderful picture of the connection between font and table described above but do we ever find ourselves falling into the pitfalls of church architecture? Or, no matter how hard we try, do all churches find themselves struggling with the idea of baptism and the mysterious vessel that is the font? How does the Church come to grips with a part of our worship that is so simple in design yet, so complicated in meaning?

Maybe the hope here is that baptism does have a meaning outside of what we do with it. Maybe the hope is, no matter where we hide the font or no matter how it fits into our church structure, God is speaking through time and space when we gather around the font. God is reaching through the junk in our lives to call us home--to mark us as belonging to God. Maybe how we solve the problem of architecture is simply by remembering who is moving and active in baptism. Maybe if we do that, the excitement of baptism will never go away; even when we are not in close proximity to the font.

Grace and Peace

Bread

Earlier, I spent some time reflecting on the cup and the significance of that seemingly insignificant vessel. Now, I feel it is important to take the next logical step and speak about Bread.



It is simple enough. This combination of flour, water and dashes and pinches of other make up a large part of our diet. We marvel at the flavor and the necessity of it all and, we realize that there is power in bread. We toast it, we butter it, we peanut butter and jelly it, and we consume it bite after bite and, when we don't have it we notice that hunger too. Bread always seems to be on the grocery list as well. It is one of those elemental ingredients...milk, eggs, bread. Yet, when we take a walk down the isle in our stores we see that bread is not exactly bread. 12 grain, Cinnamon raisin, white, rye, pumpernickel. Hot dog buns, Hamburger buns, flat bread, dinner rolls. Bread fills in the gaps. A meal may not feel like a meal unless bread is on the table. Consider the phrase which goes back to our holy scripture, "breaking bread together." There is something elemental to who we are not just to the make-up of our menus. For, when we gather together walls are broken down by bread. Enemies are made into friends with bread. Rich and poor are equalized with bread. When bread is broken between people all that has been wronged has the possibility of being made right. When bread is shared freely, it suddenly doesn't matter whose bread it was in the first place. And, if we as followers of the risen Jesus gave bread to those who need it, there would be untold richness in experience that would follow. Bread is meant to be shared. Bread is meant to be broken. Bread is meant to be taken in with those we love and those we don't. Maybe that is why Jesus spoke about himself as bread. He gave himself up to live into God's plan of redemption for this world. He gave himself as the perfect sacrifice on the cross so that we might share the wonderful effects of that sacrifice with the rest of the world. Maybe we as the church could learn to be bread and take bread and give bread and eat bread and share bread and bake bread and break bread. Maybe the next time we celebrate the Eucharist we could experience the realness of the risen Jesus in bread so that we may be bread.



Grace and Peace

Cups

After I run there is nothing better than a cold glass of water. There is no greater refreshment than the simple elements of cup and water. I recently went out for a run on a rather warm day and returned to my office, cup in hand. As I moved through the doorway I took notice of the sun reflecting off the chalice I have sitting on the coffee table. I use this chalice and plate on the Sundays when we as a church celebrate the Eucharist. Next to that chalice sits a set of beautiful silver glasses that are designed for travel and serving communion in the hospital. On top of those are old, thimble size glass communion cups. Both those and the silver cups were given to me by my wife's grandmother, to whom I am deeply indebted.



I paused as the accidental still-life scene painted itself in my view. The cup of water that was currently refreshing my body suddenly took on a life much greater, and deeper than before I traversed into my office. The idea of cup, a simple device that has been around for untold millenia, stuck me as so profound. Something so simple that takes on so many forms and shapes and colors, often holds the very necessities of life. For the life of those whom profess Jesus this takes on an additional dimension. For, when we celebrate the Eucharist, we are given the cup in which holds the blood of Christ Jesus. The cup, whether it is passed down the pew, held by a priest or pastor, or placed into your hands only so you can be quenched and pass it on to another, holds something which refreshes us. Along with the bread, the cup moves us into a greater reality, a deeper union with our God. A union which empowers us to be the real presence of Christ in the world. A vessel as simple as a cup.

Spring?

If you were to walk by my office on a given day when I was typing up a section for this newsletter or when I was writing a post for my blog you probably would not see me at my computer. I have this strange fascination with the big south windows in my office. Actually it isn’t a fascination with the windows but what is on the other side of the windows that is usually grabbing my attention. Today is no different. I sat down, wheeled my chair over to the windows and watched the events of the morning unfold. I watched as rain showers fell from the heavens and bounced off buildings, and trees and a big, black tire that makes up part of our playground at the church. I watched as the birds went absolutely wild with delight as they bounced through puddles and stuck their beaks down the sodden earth. I watched as the grass began to reach out of its wintry casket and stretch toward the sky revealing it to be green once more.
Now even though this was a grey day with large clouds mediating between earth and sun, I thought it rather cheerful. A day like that puts me in a good mood. It puts me in a good mood because winter is vanishing, spring is coming. It puts me in a good mood because just as spring is arriving and helping us celebrate new life we too are given the opportunity in the church calendar to celebrate. Easter this coming Sunday and on that day we celebrate. We celebrate life and being. We celebrate the fact that Jesus climbed up from the grave to set the world right. And, we also celebrate the fact that when he did that he called us into a new life, a new creation, a new way to be people in this world. He showed us what life really looked like. And so, we celebrate together as a people who are ready to usher in life from God just like rain upon the earth ushers in spring. Now that is reason to celebrate.

Grace and Peace

Insults

Usually when I get to work I spend the first few minutes of my day on the Internet. I check my e-mail, I look at ESPN and then I take a look at the news pages. I have a few I go through on a daily basis: CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, to name a few, (yes, I have to go through them. It's a sick compulsion). On CNN today there was an article on church closings. Some diocese are having to close some parish doors around the country in places like Ohio, New Jersey and even Boston. This makes me sad, no doubt but what really startled me were the comments that followed. There was much rejoicing at the fact that these doors are closing. One individual said that he was glad to be witnessing the "end of Christianity." Another voice chimed in and suggested that it served the Church right for having priests who "sexually abused" parishioners.

I don't know why this bothered me so much. I know there are a lot of people in the world who don't care for Christianity. I know that there are people in the world who, in fact, hate the Christian faith. But, I guess what bothered me so much was the venomous tone in which the insults were being hurled. It "serves us right" or, "that's what you get for being a hate-filled, intolerant religion." I guess I'm hurt. I know the Church has made mistakes and I know that we have done some awful things in our history, even our recent history, and that is regrettable.

Maybe the issue though is that some of these insults are based in truth. Maybe that is what hurts so much. Maybe we have blown it as the body of Christ and, instead of bringing justice and mercy to the world we have brought judgement that isn't ours to bring. Maybe instead of Grace and Peace we have brought war. Maybe instead of being the force of God's Love in this world we have been content to look like everyone else and just get by.

Maybe I need to do a better job when I get up in the morning to really give people grace and peace and not just try to make it into work so I can write a sermon about grace and peace...maybe the harsh criticism and insults that we take for what we believe could ultimately lead us to be what we are really supposed to be. Church.

Grace and Peace

The Crux of the Matter

This Sunday and next Sunday I will be leading an adult Sunday school class on the Crucifixion and what it was historically, how it worked and what it meant historically for someone to be crucified. Now that I have spent a few weeks with books and articles on the matter, I'm not sure that I want to teach it anymore. It's far more terrible that I ever thought.

ashes to ashes

ashes to ashes...

dust to dust...

earth to earth...

...but alive in Christ Jesus.

Grace and Peace

Ash Wednesday

Today is the first day of Lent, a season which we seek spiritual renewal. In this season we seek right relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves. I pray that this season may be more than a cross on the forehead and giving up chocolate. I pray that this season may embed itself deeply in our lives to remind us of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. I pray that through exercises like prayer, fasting, and serving, we as people may be renewed in the living God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you can't make it to an Ash Wednesday service, or are not sure what you think about the whole lent, Ash Wednesday "thing," then I offer you this video that I first saw in my worship class in seminary. It's powerful but simple. enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sxKxGmLOf4&feature=related

Grace and Peace

crucifixation

In preparation for the Ash Wednesday service we are having here at Rolling Acres I purchased a crucifix from an online store. I bought it so that during the service people can have a visual of the sacrifice Jesus made for creation on the cross. Yet, I have to admit that there was an ulterior motive. For, the crucifix is currently hanging in my office by the door--a constant reminder to me of my Lord.

Yet, there are no doubt some good protestants reading this blog and saying to themselves, "crucifix? we protestants like our crosses empty." I have gotten a few such comments since the crucifix has been hanging up (no names or blames here), and I totally appreciate what lies behind those comments. I love the picture of the empty cross! I love that it reminds us that Jesus was taken down from the cross and put in the grave only to raise from the dead three days later! That is the best news I have ever heard, and in the words of a great new testament scholar, "it is the climax of human history!"

Yet, I have a question for us who prefer the empty cross to the crucifix: Is there such a thing as separating ourselves too much from the scandal of the cross? Does the empty cross that we have made into jewelry and bumper stickers create a little too much space between us and the horrid torture stake on which hung the savior of the world? The word for cross in the Greek and roman languages was as bad as any vulgar language we can think of today. The cross was a picture of everything evil and defeated in the world. The cross was torture. The cross was death. The cross was a failed messiah. The cross was a message from Rome to the rest of the world that they were in control. But something happened on that first Good Friday. Something happened that turned all that the world knew about the cross on its head--the whole of human history changed course. So then, the crucifix is a reminder that Jesus set about bringing us into union with God through that horrible sacrifice. Jesus initiated a new kingdom which was legitimized by the Living God on Easter morning. That's a powerful statement of Love and Grace.

So, maybe the crucifix separates us a little too much from Easter morning. Maybe the cross separates us from the sacrifice that was actually made and the monstrous beauty that is wrapped up in that image. Maybe no image is complete and it's impossible to get there. But, maybe the cross imagery and the crucifix imagery are both needed to give us a better picture of what we might never fully understand.

Just a few thoughts...what are yours?

Grace and Peace

Bring me your finest Creeds and Confessions

...taken from our February newsletter

I write this today in the middle of pouring over books and teaching manuals on the catechism. I have the privilege of teaching the senior high Sunday school this coming term. In that term I am planning to go over some aspects of the catechism and other doctrines of the faith. Sounds exciting right? Well, for me this stuff is amazing and inspiring but, I realize that not everyone seems to agree with me. In fact some of you might laugh when I use words like “amazing” and “inspiring.”

So, why the Heidelberg Catechism? Why the Belgic Confession? Why the Cannons of Dort? Why the Apostle’s, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, (And hopefully the Belhar Confession soon)? A short answer—they give us a place to stand. This term was coined by a giant of the reformed tradition—Cornelius Plantinga Jr. Plantinga started to speak about these creeds and confessions as simply a place to stand as he himself worked to give church members a digestible form of the creeds and confessions. We go through our lives constantly wading through some of the toughest questions that are known to our world. We wade through them using the Bible, talking about them faithfully with those whom we share this journey. Yet, sometimes these questions are hard to wade through, sometimes the questions go over our head and, sometimes we feel as though we don’t have a place to start talking about how wonderful and deep is our God.

This is where these confessions and creeds come in to the discussion. Throughout the centuries faithful men and women have struggled to put into the words the massive mysteries of the faith. From St. Basil, Gregory of Nyssa and St. Thomas Aquinas to Martin Luther, John Calvin and even more recently, N. T. Wright, people have tried to add to the faithful conversations of the biblical witness. And so, that’s where we find ourselves. These confessions that we sometimes find boring, these creeds that we think are over stated, these are faithful witnesses to scripture that simply give us a place to stand. They give us a foundation so we can enter more deeply into the loving mystery of the vast truth of our Lord. That’s why I find them amazing and inspiring, because they help us with the greatness of scripture and the vastness of our God. They give us a place to stand.

The Bible Says What??

People of many faiths have a holy book which they hold with very high regard. Christianity is no different with our scripture. We look on the holy words that have been passed down orally and in print from generation to generation and we marvel at the awe they inspire in us. We stand wordless in front of the text that is shaping and molding us and giving us life. They are the words of the very living God.



Yet, have you ever read something you wished wasn't there? Have you ever stumbled across a string of words that has tied itself around your heart and pulled? Have you ever paged through a story and then asked God why on earth that is in our tradition? Maybe you have read something and then found yourself reading it again, almost in disbelief, "the Bible says What?" Maybe this has never happened to you. But, I am not one of those people. This has happened to me on more than one occasion. The biblical witness is complex with tension and hard truths and things that seem to contradict one another. How do we deal with these things? How do we reconcile our deepest of urges with a text that we hold so highly?



I think of one passage in particular. In the gospel of John Jesus is talking to his disciples and says to them, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Now for a lot of people this passage is one of great comfort and joy. Jesus is the way that we connect with God. It is the way in which we have union with the creator. But consider yourself someone with no Christian memory. Consider yourself someone that might not believe. How then, do you see this passage? There is tension. There is conflict. There is hard truth. Scripture is full of these examples. It is full of the mystery and tension and complexity that we cannot even begin to fathom.



The comfort that I have when reading scripture is that it always leaves me in awe. I cannot finish reading a passage without considering all that scripture is. All that it has become, all that it communicates to me about who God is. Maybe we should take time to encourage the tension, to live in the complex, to dwell in awe. Maybe we will never have all the "right answers." Maybe we are not supposed to have all the right answers because that is not what is expected of us. We are not called by God to have the right answers, to have the correct postulations of God. Maybe we are just supposed to take scripture and love it. To see it for what it is, a testament of how much God loves the world and how much God is doing to reconcile the world to God's self. Maybe we just have to be faithful. Because after all, that is all theology is--faith seeking understanding. May we be faithful to God as we move forward with scripture, never searching for a right answer but a deeper relationship with our Creator.



Grace and Peace

Prayer for Gaza

We have been talking and praying together in the recent weeks for the end of violence in Gaza. Yet, rockets are still being fired and the boots of Israeli troops are still moving deeper into Gaza. Below is a statement from the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (of which we are a part). Please take a moment to read the statement and pray for both sides involved in this conflict. Let us hope that peace can be brought to the region. If you want to know more about the WARC. you can follow this link: http://warc.jalb.de/warcajsp/side.jsp?news_id=1731&part_id=0&navi=6


A CALL TO PRAYER AND ACTION TO END THE VIOLENCE IN GAZA From the World Alliance of Reformed Churches As the number of deaths in Gaza continue to rise, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) calls upon our member churches to be in prayer for those who suffer because of this violence and conflict and for a lasting peace with justice in this region of the world. We also call upon all parties involved in the fighting to bring an end to the violence and to agree to an immediate cease-fire. The borders of Gaza must be opened, and soon, to humanitarian aid and desperately needed medical assistance for the sick and wounded. To this end, it is imperative that the United Nations and the international community press the warring parties to bring an end to the violence. None of the violence is acceptable. The rockets from Gaza aimed at Israeli communities are destructive and the suicide bombing incidents cannot be condoned. They constitute a violation of the sanctity of life. We strongly condemn the air and ground assaults from the Israeli Defense Forces leading to senseless deaths and injury to hundreds of people. These must end immediately. While every effort must be made to bring an end to the immediate hostilities, we must also recognize that this violence in Gaza is only one symptom of the decades-long failure of the international community, the Israeli government and the leadership of the Palestinian community to achieve a just and lasting peace that ensures the security, well-being, and self-determination for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. As has been said often, peace is not only the absence of violence but also the presence of justice. We must all pray and work for an end to blockades, illegal settlements, suicide bombings, walls of separation, and all other conditions of oppression that prevent people in Palestine and Israel from experiencing the life in fullness that God intends for all. We yearn for an end to 60 years of uncertainty, violence and oppression, all of which has left its scars on all parties regardless of ethnic, religious or political identification. It is our fervent prayer for an end to this current violence in Gaza, recognizing that no real peace can be the issue of a cease-fire that is not followed by new determination by all parties that it is time for genuine commitment to a just peace. We call on all our member churches to pray for all those who have been affected by these callous developments and engage in actions to stop the carnage and build a just and lasting peace.

Clifton Kirkpatrick President

Setri Nyomi General Secretary

Thanks for taking your time...Grace and Peace

Happy Epiphany!!

That's right, today (January 6th, I'm writing this a day early because I'm having surgery tomorrow) is Epiphany. A day when Christians celebrate the revelation of Christ Jesus in human form. Wait...wasn't that Christmas (I sense the wheels in our minds turning)? Actually, Epiphany is the day when the Church celebrates a few things related to the revelation of Jesus. The first is the revelation to the gentiles, which is represented by the visit of the Magi (wise men). The Magi coming to Christ child is a representation of the fact that this good news is for all people. For, these magi were not from Jewish decent but, were foreigners.

Another aspect of Epiphany is the revelation of Christ at his baptism. We get our word Epiphany from the Greek language where it means to show or manifest. Therefore, when Jesus is baptized his nature is shown; the identity of Jesus is revealed to the world. When Jesus comes up from the water, Heaven breaks open and the voice of God comes down and a dove descends (these are symbols of the Trinity), and Jesus is shown to be the Son of God.

A good way to think about this Epiphany is the theme that we have been talking about through Advent. This idea of Darkness to Light. Epiphany is a celebration and commemoration of the light that has come into the world to rid it of darkness. Epiphany is the day when we take the time to understand just who Jesus is and we continue to celebrate the awe inspiring mystery that is God among us.

I pray that you sense the realness of Christ; that you feel the warmth of the light of Christ wherever you are today. I pray that the revelation of God may be real to you even if it feels oh so far off. May the light of Christ Jesus shine on you this day and always. Happy Epiphany!

Grace and Peace

clean slate

I am sure many of us are familiar with the concept that a new year gives us all a "clean slate" with which we may have a "fresh start" in the coming year. A new year is a time of new possibilities and new opportunities and, we can forget about the old year and what has happened in that year.

Such thinking is somewhat problematic for me. I don't really believe that it is ever that simple. I hope that we don't just forget the past year and that we just don't forget whatever has lead us to the places in our lives. Scripture is like that too. If we don't know where we have been in the story of God we have no idea where we are heading. The story that is told in the Bible is a story that is working toward something. From the void that precedes creation in Genesis to the New Heaven and New Earth that are portrayed in the revelation to John, the Bible is pointing us to a larger story of how God is working toward the redemption of the world.

Yet, if we just hang out to the hope of redemption without ever taking a look at our history as people, then we will lose our memory of why we need to be redeemed. Redemption will lose all of it's power, mystery and loving energy.

We all have history. We all have a story. Where we are right now is directly related to where we have been.

There is no college without high school

There is no death without life

There is no marriage without courtship

Likewise, our relationship with God follows a similar pattern:

There is no Exodus without Egypt

There is no need for Messiah without our Bondage to sin and death

There is no redemption without Exile.

Redemption is a force of the living God that is working within a world that is in exile. We have seen the grace and truth of Jesus and we want more of that. We want Christ to come back. We want that full revelation of the Kingdom of God. But if we don't have our history, our years before this one, we will miss the wait.

Redemption is tied to remembering. We have advent to remember the coming of Christ. We have Christmas to mark a celebration of his birth. We have lent to remember we are ashes and dust without the breath of God. We have good Friday and Easter to remember the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Redemption is tied to remembering. If we don't know where we've been, we can't understand where we are going.

So as we look at a new year, many of us will say, "I need a clean slate." "It's time for a fresh start." Yet, when we embark on a new year that is full of fresh ideas, possibilities, and opportunities, don't forget to remember. Don't forget that redemption is tied to remembering. Don't forget that the scriptures are a story that are pointing us somewhere. Many of us might be in messy places or have been in messy places the past year. But out of Exile come Redemption.

Happy New Year!

Grace and Peace