Monthly Archives: August 2013
The Perfect Church?
4 You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. 5 You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness. Ephesians 4:4-6 (MSG)
I once believed that there could exist a perfect church, where the doctrine was correct, but in a way it wasn’t the focus. Where the missio dei -Christ sending us out as He was sent out, was not the focus of the church, but as natural to it’s life as breathing air. Where people wouldn’t sin against each other, where people wouldn’t betray each other, where sin wouldn’t be so pervasive, where illnesses and anxieties would simply be healed, not as a visibly demonstrated as simply fact.
I have a lot of friends it seems these days, critical about the congregation or the denomination they belong to, heck after our convention I am as guilty of that as any. There is a sense of where do I go? Heck, some of us actually talk about what such a church would look like. Robert Webber called it “convergence”, others called it three streams..but drawing the best…of all.
The best simple Christ-centered sacramental and incarnational theology
Humble wise leaders (say like Francis)
Awesome music that is written for all the people of God to sing
An atmosphere where people of every tribe, tongue and language fit in together.
A place where people just enjoyed worship and Bible Studyies.
The question then is…since we can’t find that church and interject our ownsin…what do we do? Do we give up, do we reorganize our priorities? Do we just settle for something that is comfortable?
Or do we trust God, forgiving as we are forgiven and work it out?
Big questions…
Hope found… in the simplest of places.. EC XVII
9 Then they climbed the mountain—Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel— 10 and saw the God of Israel. He was standing on a pavement of something like sapphires—pure, clear sky-blue. 11 He didn’t hurt these pillar-leaders of the Israelites: They saw God; and they ate and drank. Exodus 24:9-11 (MSG)
The Church is most herself when she celebrates the liturgy, and especially the Eucharist, for at Holy Mass, the Church in the world is in touch with the Church of the saints in a unique way. The Eucharistic liturgy makes present the eschatological Christ— the Christ who, coming in glory, will draw all peoples to himself [cf. John 12.32]. In that holy presence, the Church experiences herself as the bride of the eschatological Bridegroom, the Christ who is to come and establish the Kingdom of the Father: “Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him” [Matthew 25.6]. (1)
The more I work in the church, the more I see ministry as working with those who are broken, those who need hope of a kind that goes beyond life. We struggle so much in our lives, with family issues, with health issues, with our jobs/careers, with not knowing what tomorrow brings.
I think that is why the previous generations were so enamored by the messages of a Norman Vincent Peale, or Robert Schuller. Why those in the 80’s and 90’s were enraptured by the enlightenment induced hysteria regarding end-times – hoping and praying that life wouldn’t get worse. That God would somehow rescue this generation from the suffering that has plagued every generation, and yet resulted in some of the greatest visible acts of faith.
In the late 90’s and even into the present, there is a desire for something more solid that our thoughts, more tangible than a rapture, more sustaining than a promise that we won’t suffer. We saw the likes of Robert Webber and his theories about ancient/future church. We’ve seen Campus Crusade types turn to orthodoxy, we’ve seen scholars like Scott Hahn turn to Catholicism.
Each stating that they are looking for somehting deeper, something more providing hope. We’ve seen churches of every type re-discover the sacraments, and try to make them their own. We’ve seen conservative denoms claim to go back to tradiational worship…
The search is on for hope. The search is on for something more.
The Israelites, leaving captivity behind find that kind of hope in a meal. Not just any meal, but one eaten in the presence of God. A meal where they entered His Holiness, even as He came to them. A meal in a glorious place… not because of the vistas but because God gathered to Himself a people.
We see that meal as a foretaste of the upper room, and another meal – one which we continue to celebrate regularly. One that pictures a meal that will welcome us to the place where hope is no longer needed, where we not have to “expect” what is to come, or dread life until then.
A piece of bread… less than an ounce of wine… yet life, and hope and joy and peace… for just as then, God and man feast together…celebrating God rescuing them from slavery, and bringing them into His presence.
Hope – real hope – that shows us we can and will endure, for we dwell in HIm. Hope that takes us past our own limitations, past our own issues, past our own mortality and fear of trauma.
Real hope – for we taste and see we have a real savior.
This isn’t about head knowledge, it’s deeper than theological reason can grasp. It is a matter of our souls – deeper even than the emotions that often are mistaken for our heart and soul. This isn’t about the rapture, even though it is about the end.It is not odd to think that renewal will start sacramentally – but talking about it doesn’t lead us to that point.
Experiencing it does. Knowing He is here, given and shed and resurrected and ascended, yet here… for us.
That changes everything – that gives us hope.
This is God
Weigel, George (2013-02-05). Evangelical Catholicism (p. 153). Basic Books. Kindle Edition.
The Challenge of Christianity…to Love
StJohnsAshfield StainedGlass Baptism (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. 20 If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? 21 The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both. 1 John 4:19-21 (MSG)
Jesus will enable you to have a great affection for everybody you meet, without taking away any of the affection you have for him. On the contrary, the more you love Jesus, the more room there will be for other people in your heart. (1)
In my opinion, the greatest challenge to Christianity in America today comes down to one word: Love.
We struggle with it, we avoid it, we avoid the very challenge of it, because it is universal. It is not just loving those who love us. Jesus says even the worst sinners can do that. But it is loving people – and letting God love us when we are at our worst.
Loving others is a threat. A threat to our self-determination, a threat to our independence, a threat to our sin. It is uncomfortable, for it demands that we sacrfice ourselves, before we realize that in that sacrifice, we find ourselves fulfilled. Loving others is not a command of law, where our failure brings condemnation. Loving others is a command of gospel – wherein we find the deepest levels of grace, and the greatest fulfillment. Even so, it is difficult.
But that is where God’s love comes into play. He doesn’t allow us to wallow in our sin, to hide in our independence, and self-determination and self centeredness. He invades our life, calling us to a transformation that comes from being in His presence. We can try and run from our relationship with Him, as Jonah ran from the people God called him to love- to love by sacrificing his life that they would know God’s love and mercy. Even so, we are much better off in every way by receiving the love He invades with, the love that He invades by.
Don’t avoid His love – it will make loving the others He has brought into our lives so much easier!
Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 3094-3096). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Related articles
- Why I don’t hate “religion”, because it is His One, holy, catholic/christian and apostolic church (justifiedandsinner.com)
- What’s in you? (justifiedandsinner.com)
Vacation?
26 If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. 27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. 1 Corinthians 12:26-27 (NAB)
I am sitting here, after driving 10 plus hours (somehow getting through Soledad took more time than taking the 91-405-101 during morning drive-but that is another blog)
I am beginning to rest, the camper is all set up….and I finally think back to our church services yesterday. I think about our Taiwanese congregation, who are in those challenging days where they are looking for their new pastor….I think about the guests we had in our multi-cultural service, friends of friends. I think of our people suffering through cancer, through depression, through work issues and family issues. Sunday was my 5th anniversary with these people…we have been through the ringer…and have come out all the more dependent upon God’s love and mercy!
It was a little strange as so many of my friends, my parishoners said that I needed some rest that I needed to get away…. as if it was them that I needed to escape from! Be assured…we will get physical rest. But spiritual rest for me comes as we sing together, as we praise the God who brought us together, the God who is with us. When we witness God working through each other, even those whom those who don’t know God’s love and mercy would consider the weakest. Especially them, for they are the most amazing to watch God work through! Watching the people of God trust in Him…watching that trust grow and build…it does a pastor’s heart good!
The verse above perhaps explains my rambling a bit better. We are the people of God. We belong to Him, and therefore are bonded to each other. Distance can’t separate us.. lack of cell phone service or internet…( bahahahaha,,,,the campground has wonderful wireless!) can’t separate us. We’ve dined together with God.
There is nothing better….
Now to go and rest… knowing my people are in God’s hands…for that is not just my desire…it is His!
And my dear people at Concordia know this…above all….The Lord is with them! ( And also with me!)
And also…with you.
Related articles
- Some thoughts on Church Leadership. EC XVI (justifiedandsinner.com)
Your Life, what is the Return on its Investment?
English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
What is our ROI?
Luke 12:22-34
† In Jesus Name †
May you be have the power to comprehend how wide, how long, how high and how deep the loved of Christ for you…
Introduction: Will we look back and say… we got our bang for the buck?
As we look at the gospel passage this morning, I have a question I want each of us to ask ourselves.
At the end of our lives, as we look back over them, will we think we spent it well? Did we get, as the saying goes, “the biggest bang for our buck”? Or as businessmen and investors would describe it, did we get the largest possible return on investment?
What would happen if we looked at how we have spent our time in the last month? What about our talents – have we used them well? What dominates our thoughts, our time, our career choices?
Is our investment of our lives done wisely? Is it in something that will truly pay off in the end? The man in the parable did things that the world would consider wise. He did things that made sense. Yet, in the end, the value of his invested life faded. This parable today asks a hard question of us, especially in the culture of these days, where the rich’s man’s situation is more than common. That question strikes at the root of what is ours, and what is.
As we look at our lives…two questions we will face
“Where and how do we invest our lives?”
“What do we do when we realize we’ve been wasting them?”
The challenge of where to invest
Solomon’s cry of “worthlessness”
Jesus responds to the man’s request by telling him a story with a clear lesson. The businessman is all business! He does what any normal executive would do, the profits are soaring, work is going well. It is time to expand! The very same conclusions one would make if they were a graduate of Harvard or Pepperdine’s MBA program. He plans and puts his money where his mind is, looks to a future relaxing on the long-range investments he makes, and then, Jesus’ point is driven home.
“Life is not measured by how much you own.” We do not measure our lives by our retirement portfolios, or by our investments, or our fame. Remember the context; the man calling out from the crowd wanted Jesus to force his brother into liquidating the inheritance – that he could have his share. He was willing to break a relationship up over something as fleeting as money. He was willing to divide his family over what he thought he deserved.
So it was with the man in the parable. He did not get to fulfil his plan of eating and drinking and being merry. He did not see the results of how he invested his money, his prophets, or his life. Just like Solomon in the Old Testament passage, he realized that all is vanity; all is worthless. The difference is Solomon comes to that realization prior to death, and the businessman in the story learns it in death.
His life was judged worthless! He did not reach His goal. At the end, there was nothing, someone else enjoyed what was supposed to be his dream. Yet this is the very attitude so many people in our world have today. What is there at the end?
In hoarding his wealth, in chasing after bigger and better things, how many people in need did he ignore? How much time did he spend with the for whom he cared, or should have cared. Did he obey the Bible’s commands to love God and love his neighbor? Could he have made a difference in the lives of his family, teaching them about what is important in life? Could he have enjoyed himself a little more?
How would we have a different life, if we regularly evaluate them by what matters? What does matter?
What matters when the day is done???
The relationship
Back to the original question– what will Christ judge?
Verse 21 of the gospel tells us, “21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Solomon said it similarly in the Old Testament reading,
“24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? 26 “
hear the last verse again,
25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? 26 “
There is the key, this relationship we have with God, This rich relationship we have with God. The fact that He is present in our lives, that He cares about us, that He is willing to invest in us, the people of His kingdom. He is unlike the businessman in that His investment doesn’t serve just His pleasure, but He shares that with those He calls to be His children.
He invests in us…. So He can share with us eternally the joy He has from seeing that which He invests in return gloriously. People of every nation, of every language, of every culture, of every time, gathered as His family, even as we are gathered together now. Gathered to feast together as we celebrate the union of Christ and His bride the church. That is why our feast, this communion, this celebration of the Lord’s Supper can be so precious. It is a foretaste, a sampling of the feast that is described in Scripture.
It is a feast worth investing our lives in, even as Christ did, making sure others will be there. So the church is called to go out into the world, into our homes, our workplaces, our gyms, the places we go to, and invite others to share in that feast to come, and yes, this feast we share in here.
To build relationships, to serve each other, and yes, to even invest our time and our talents and treasures so that others can come to know God’s love, to enjoy the relationship.
What about our bad investments?
My final question then is, what do we do when we take a look at our lives, and realize that we have not chosen wisely with how we’ve spent our lives?
The answer to that question is answered by how we see God investing in our lives. For His investment covers our poor investing. His choice corrects our bad choices. For that is what forgiveness is, and the transformation He made in us, when we were baptized.
He guaranteed to forgive our life-debt when Jesus was sent to die on the cross. Matter of fact, the word Jesus uttered on the cross, saying “it is finished” is an accounting term. The debt is paid, the books are closed. Your mistakes, the bad investments of your words, your thoughts, your time, your talents, all of those negatives were erased when Christ died for you.
That is how God invested His son’s time and talents. Because He loves you, because He wants a relationship with you. That is what this is all about… and that love binds us to each other, and our sins against each other are forgiven as well.
All we have to do, is what we did earlier – we ask God for forgiveness, and rest in His promise that it is so.
Knowing this love, knowing this relationship God has invested in, may you find your hearts and minds at peace… for you dwell in Christ, who keeps you in God’s peace!
AMEN
A Most Precious Gift….to receive often..
15 I assume I’m addressing believers now who are mature. Draw your own conclusions: 16 When we drink the cup of blessing, aren’t we taking into ourselves the blood, the very life, of Christ? And isn’t it the same with the loaf of bread we break and eat? Don’t we take into ourselves the body, the very life, of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, our many-ness becomes one-ness—Christ doesn’t become fragmented in us. Rather, we become unified in him. We don’t reduce Christ to what we are; he raises us to what he is. 1 Corinthians 10:15-17 (MSG)
828 Have you ever thought how you would prepare yourself to receive Our Lord if you could go to Communion only once in your life? We must be thankful to God that he makes it so easy for us to come to him: but we should show our gratitude by preparing ourselves very well to receive him. (1)
Question: Who, then, receives such a sacrament in a worthy way? Answer: Of course, fasting and other physical preparations are excellent disciplines for the body. But anyone who believes these words, “Given for you,” and “Shed for you to forgive sins,” is really worthy and well prepared. But whoever doubts or does not believe these words is not worthy and is unprepared, because the words, “for you” demand a heart that fully believes. (2)
For it is just this incomprehensible overflowing of God’s goodness, showered upon us through Christ, that moves us above all to love him most ardently in return, to be drawn to him with fullest confidence, and, despising all else, be ready to suffer all things for him. Wherefore this sacrament is rightly called “a fountain of love.(3)
English: The Lord’s Supper. Christ standing at an Orthodox altar, giving the Eucharist to the Twelve Apostles. Frescoes in the upper church of Spaso-Preobrazhenski cathedral. Valaam Monastery Русский: Алтарная апсида верхнего храма Спасо-Преображенского собора Валаамского монастыря. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
ing normal, not special, reduced in its meaning. And so we celebrated it once a month, or even worse, once a quarter.
I would later be told that it was the devotion given prior to celebrating the Lord’s Supper that would stop this from happening. THe weight of preparing those devotions then became crushing, as we believed that what we said could diminish this precious gift of God.
Luther and Escriva both knew well the miraculous nature of the Lord’s Supper, the incredible blessing of communing with Christ, of His giving Himself to us. The treasure of that moment, stilled in time, where life gets its proper perspective, where our eating and drinking aren’t just about our physical bodies needing nourishment, and its not about just our spiritual nature getting a ” holiness booster shot.” It is about us, and Him, every part of us, all of Him, being united in a way that has been planned from before the foundation of the world. It is the feast that is now – and not yet, – a full sampling of our eternity, a full revelation of the relationship of God and His people.
We see it even in the Old Testament, this feast of the covenant, this meal of God’s love and mercy;
9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain again. 10 There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. 11 And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence! Exodus 24:9-11 (NLT)
God’s plan, a most precious gift, that isn’t about the strength that we do draw from it, nor is it about the transformation that occurs to us, as we live in the presence of God. it is about the relationship that He has created, the blessing that He wants us at His table. Though we do not deserve it in our eyes, or in the world’s. Yet it is for this reason that Christ dwelt among us and died, and rose, and gave us this way to know Him and His love.
So do not fail to gather together with others who know and trust in God’s love, feast together, know He is with you… as you take and eat His body, as you drink His blood. Taste and see the goodness of God.
AMEN
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 2940-2942). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
(2) Luther’s Small Catechism: Developed and Explained.
(3) Luther, M. (1999). Luther’s works, vol. 36: Word and Sacrament II. (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.) (Vol. 36, p. 46). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.
Related articles
- Luther on Frequency of Eucharist (talkingdonkey.wordpress.com)
- Why I don’t hate “religion”, because it is His One, holy, catholic/christian and apostolic church (justifiedandsinner.com)
- Would you like a better life? (justifiedandsinner.com)
Am I really battling suicidal thoughts again? How can that be after all God has done for me?
Decided not to write a blog today, but simply to link to a dear friends.
The very honest and blessed writing of a friend of mine. Many of us have such thoughts, such a challenge to keep focused on Christ’s love. And yes – we need to pray for each other, worship with each other, even just silently be there for each other… when the answers are beyond us.
Thanks for your honesty Debbie …and know you are in our prayers as well!
Am I really battling suicidal thoughts again? How can that be after all God has done for me?.
Conflict: Fight or Flee, is there a third choice?
Is the glass half empty or half full? The pessimist would pick half empty, while the optimist would choose half full. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Devotional Thought of the day:
14 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. 15 Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. 16 Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody. 17 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. 18 If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. 19 Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.” 20 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. 21 Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. Romans 12:14-21 (MSG)
An optimist looks at a 20 oz beverage container holding 10 oz of fluid and calls it half full. A pessimist looks at the same container and calls it half empty. I walk over drain the mug of beer, ticking off the optimist and the pessimist simultaneously. It was a good beer, the container served its purpose, and I caused opposing sides of an argument to be united. (against me – but that is cool) That’s a very good day! – Rev. Dt Parker
I have been thinking about conflict for a few days, as its come up in ministry to others quite frequently recently. Some are dealing with it at work, others in their homes or extended families, and yeah, some are dealing with it at church.
Normally, people deal with it (and indeed in any stress) in one of two ways – they fight or they flea. Some situations may seem to call for us to flee – to wait unti we are stronger, or we have all our resources marshalled. Others may call for us to fight. There are all sorts of works that teach us wisdom of each – I tend to lean to the classics – Musashi’s Book of Five Rings and Sun Tzu’s Art of War were books given to me read in a leadership program I was once in.
But I have to wonder, is there another way. Are we stuck in a binary choice, with no other option?
Can instead of engaging in war…can we try to engage to live in peace? Can we work with those we would rather fight or flee from – even if it means our being crucified? Perhaps the answer is in remember we have been nailed to the cross already with Christ? Therefore it is our old adam – our self before salvation – it c–n die and we can live humbly, serving those the world would tell us to knock out. And if their antagonism does cause us harm, we can cope, because Christ coped and even chose to die, that those who crucified him would live.
This is a hard road – no matter if we stick with the normal binary choice – fight or flee, or if we realize the conflict isn’t about the ratio of liquid to container, but there is something deeper at stake… eternity.
What do you think? Really want to know!
