“Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me so my feet did not slip.” Psalm 18:35-36 Last Thursday I wrote about the bill signed by Governor Mike Pence. I was fairly heated, and I wish I had given the moment some time. I feel everyone has reacted too soon. One of the comments I made was about consumers and producers: I love how conservatives can get all up in arms because a musician doesn't want their music played by a specific Conservative personality. They make the valid point, that it is legal for them to play that music with or without the band's permission. As long as they pay the proper fees, the song is theirs to use. Meanwhile, they can't see how two-sided it is that a wedding cake (Produced by a baker) can be purchased by anyone (the consumer.) The baker doesn't like it? That's not how goods and services work. A product is put out into the world to be purchased by whatever consumer wishes to consume it. So the very next day I'm listening to Glenn Beck. (Yes, I listen to Glenn Beck. Yes, I have moments where I strongly disagree with him. Like I said before, I'm tired of boycotting things.) The point is, he said something that almost sounded like it was a direct response to my argument. Let me sum it up for you: When a gay person comes into a bakery and wants to buy a cupcake, you have to sell that person a cupcake. You have to sell anyone a cupcake. It is discrimination if you don't. When someone wants to purchase a product to use in a religious ceremony, and that person is doing something counter to your religious beliefs, you have the right to say no. He also said, if the baker was part of the PCUSA, they don't have the right to say no, because their religion has said yes. Now, I'm not going to be so arrogant as to believe Glenn Beck, a man who has millions in his audience, takes the time to read here, where we have hundreds in our audience. What I am saying, is this has to be the best argument against my initial argument. I'm going to use this to expand on the argument: I think the Christian witch hunt is reprehensible. While I believe there are same sex couples who just want their favorite bakery or flower shop to make a good for their event, I think there are others that personally seek out Christians to set them up and destroy them. This is wrong. As someone who believes in radical love, these kind of actions are not loving. I feel Indiana (and dozens of other states) signed their own versions of religious freedom laws because they were reacting to these witch hunts. Going to the parable of the North Wind and the Sun. A story is told about the North Wind and the Sun. I seems that each claimed to have the greater power over mortals and a dispute arose. I feel both the Left and the Right, are so beaten and hurt. We are strong arming on both sides. We are being the North Wind, instead of the gentle Sun. This is my greater problem with boycotting. Honestly, if you tell me not to do something, I'm more likely to engage it or them to learn. I'm far more interested in learning how to disarm our enemies, and invite them to the same table to share the Lord's Supper. In fact, to stop calling them enemies, because they are not our enemies. They are our brother's and sisters in Christ. (And yes, our brothers and sisters can still make us pull our hair out.)
A secular store has to live within the secular rules. If a church were to open a bakery for their congregants and those who were getting married within the church, we would have an argument. A bakery, outside of the institution of church, is selling a product to a customer. Yes, I get it. It's more than just a cake. Yes, I get it. Personal love is put into the product. So are many products. Books. Music. Movies. Paintings. It sometimes sucks to be a creator. You never know who is going to want your creation. My view on gay marriage. If Fig Tree loses people over this, then they haven't really been following what has been going on here. You can disagree with what I am about to write. This is about stitching the Body of Christ back together. We are not all going to think the same. We are not all going to agree. This isn't about what I believe, this is about getting to your belief using education and faith. I believe the scripture against gay relationships were written with two understandings in mind: "Be fruitful and multiply," and the health issues surrounding these kind of relationships. Today, we don't really have an issue with population. In fact, we might need to slow down on the multiplication. Secondly, there are ways to have sexually safe relationships. Therefore, I believe the biblical mandates were written for a specific time and place, not now. If two males or two females love one another, good for them. I'd officiate a marriage for a gay couple. 7 Moses took the tent and pitched it outside the camp, far away from the camp. He called it the meeting tent. Everyone who wanted advice from the Lord would go out to the meeting tent outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand at the entrance to their tents and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would come down and stand at the tent’s entrance while the Lord talked with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the column of cloud standing at the tent’s entrance, they would all rise and then bow down at the entrances to their tents. We are not comfortable with empty holes, or missing pieces. I know I'm not. When I was a kid I had this puzzle that was always missing a piece. I would put it together time and time again, and feel bummed knowing I couldn't complete it. Eventually, I got out my art supplies and re-created the missing piece. It never looked right, but I could definitely finish my puzzle. In other ways, we know we need to fill those holes because they can be dangerous. We want to guard others against empty space, because we don't want a wandering person to fall into them. (We don't have Lassie to come and save Timmy from that well anymore. We have to be safe.) In other places, a missing pieces just looks lazy. Sometimes we can see how a group or person just didn't care about the project, so skipped steps to get to the final product. We can all name those projects or people, where it just seems they didn't really try. A piece of their project is either missing something obvious, or something we just can't name. Then there is Fig Tree Christian. About four months ago I was trained in Children's Worship and Wonder. (This is the Disciples of Christ version of Godly Play. If you don't want to click the links, it takes the liturgical calendar and finds holy and creative ways to teach the bible to kids in their own worship setting. The above video is our scripture for today. I highly recommend you take 8 minutes and watch it.) Part of the training was seeing the stories in action. As students, we became the figurative kids, while the teacher became the storyteller. One of those stories that captivated me was a desert box story: the Tabernacle. Using the Priestly account, the storyteller slowly built the tabernacle where the Ark of the Covenant resided while the Israelites were in the wilderness. Now, I have a degree in divinity. I've worked in churches since 2000. I've volunteered my time to Christian camps and churches since I was a kid. I've lived and breathed church. Four months ago my eyes were filled with wonder. I could see the story, and process what it was. Every time I had learned about the Ark and the Tabernacle, it had always been as the finished product, covered in Kragle. (Krazy Glue, for those who are not in the know.) When all the pieces are in order, and everything has a purpose, supergluing tradition can be a good thing. It has worked really well for the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches. This is probably why these traditions have grown while Protestant traditions have declined. Whether I believe the reasons or not, everything they do has a purpose. If one were to ask, "Why are you doing that?", they would have a real and honest answer. For every tradition, there was a time when it was pieced together. Even the tabernacle, where the ark was kept, was put together in a process. It wasn't thrown together and superglued. It took time. This is where I want to get to the point. When Fig Tree first started I was given a few "How to build a new church" kits. Each of these kits came with pieces to a puzzle. If I had put the pieces together it would created a complete picture. With each of these kits I had a problem: I didn't know what the pieces meant anymore. If I, someone who had spent my entire life congregating, volunteering and working in the church, didn't know what the pieces meant, why would I use those pieces? I've had people ask me, "Oh! You are the minister of an online church? Do you have [this piece of the puzzle]?" They are physically uncomfortable when I tell them there isn't a weekly worship service, as we understand worship. They don't know what to do when there isn't a choir or praise team. They see those holes, and step away. Meanwhile, I see those pieces and can't put them down on the puzzle. It's not saying there won't eventually be pieces there. It is saying, I'm intentionally leaving them blank because I haven't found what fits there yet. We shouldn't be gung ho to fill in the blanks just because there are blanks. Just filling in the blanks leads to traditions we don't understand, and don't mean anything. New plants should be intentional about allowing space to be space. Do things when they make sense and have a purpose, not because they need to be filled. Look at it with the eyes of a child (with worship and wonder) and you might see the wondrous ways God has been acting in that empty space, preparing something to fill it up.
-Matt Have you ever tried to build something without the proper tools? Perhaps you wanted to hang a picture on the wall, but you had no nails. I used to go camping when I was a teenager, and it was a pretty normal occurrence for something to get forgotten by someone. So we had no “proper” tool to do what we needed to do. We had to find some way of doing what needed to be done without the right tools. So, stones were used as hammers, a screwdriver was used as a fork and, one time, we even had to try and fix someone's engine with a pocketknife. It worked well enough to get the car to the next gas station too. These memories are what pop into my mind when I read texts like Isaiah 40.3-8: “A voice cries out: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.' A voice says, 'Cry out!' And I said, 'What shall I cry? All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God shall stand forever.'” We often hear the phrase „”prepare the way of the Lord,” but it seems to me like we forget the full context of that verse: “IN THE WILDERNESS prepare the way of the Lord, make straight IN THE DESERT a highway for our God.” The wilderness and the desert are integral parts of what this voice is crying out. And this is why it reminds me of camping when I was younger. But have any of you ever tried to build a highway in the desert? I can't imagine it must be a lot of fun. I mean, it's a DESERT. Is it a sandy desert? Where do you lay the firm foundation for the road? What do you do when the wind covers the road with sand? Is it a rocky desert? Well, you have a foundation now, but what do you do about the rocks? Do you go around them? Build over them? Or, perhaps you blast through them? And temperatures in the summer can rise well above 100 degrees. In Utah the temperatures actually, on occasion, caused the pavement itself to buckle with the heat. Then there's little or no shade and don't forget all the hot machinery you're working with. And, if all that is starting to warm you up on a winter's day, then here's another bit of trivia for you: Many people don't know that Antarctica is considered a desert as well. Imagine trying to build a highway there. But the voice crying out in Isaiah doesn't stop with just preparing a road. Valleys get lifted up, mountains are made low, uneven ground is made level and rough places are made plain. This is a total re-ordering of landscape. I grew up not far from the world's largest open-pit mine, Kennecott Copper Mine. This mine is so large that it is visible from outer space. The mine was first opened in 1906. In 108 years, they have managed to dig a hole a little less than one kilometer deep and four kilometers wide. This mine has radically re-ordered the landscape around it. To the point where the mining company has had to spend over $400 million to clean up the affected areas. But basically, with all of this work during a little over one hundred years, miners have been able to remove ONE rather small mountain. All of a sudden, repairing a car engine with a pocketknife seems easy. Perhaps it is no wonder then that Isaiah's next words respond to how overwhelming this vision is: "What shall I cry? All people are grass... surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades...“ When we stand before the task that God calls us to in Isaiah, making a road in the desert and levelling the land, we can find ourselves feeling completely inadequate. Like grass. If we are “in the desert,” then how can we possibly even begin to prepare anything for the coming of God? Perhaps some of us are in the deserts of pain, loss, hopelessness or even depression. I think now of Elijah wandering off into the desert with nothing to eat or drink, wanting to just die. What shall we do when we feel as Elijah felt, as dying grass in Isaiah's desert? How can we prepare ANYTHING for the Lord? The Lutheran pastor Wolfgang Bittner illustrates how deeply this verse connects with his words that: “Theology without a deeply affected life simply does not exist in a biblical perspective.” That is, our faith goes beyond merely thinking the right things. Our faith deeply affects our entire lives. Many folks are living in deserts. Either stranded out there by people they thought of as friends, or chased out, or just wandered out in despair like Elijah, or perhaps even those (like Jesus) who have been led by the Spirit into the desert for a time. How can we act as the Voice of the Lord in Isaiah asks us to? How can we prepare a way? I think we first have to think about or remember what life in a wilderness is like, especially thousands of years ago. You didn't just wake up to a pretty landscape, then turn up the air-conditioning and turn on the kitchen tap for a glass of water. The wilderness was a place where such luxuries did not and could not exist. A place of hardship and trial. We can see this from the forty years the Hebrews wandered in the desert, as well as from Jesus' temptation when he was in the desert. We can also see this from studying desert biology where plants and animals have evolved without plenty of resources. Spines and spikes are normal for many plants. There's a basic survival need to maximize the potential of every ounce of energy and water. To slightly change the title of a famous Heinlein book: The Desert is a Harsh Mistress. But that's exactly the POINT. Most folks like to be comfortable. We surround ourselves with veritable luxury—heating, air-conditioning, electricity, wlan, smartphones, etc. But the wilderness is a place that is decidedly un-luxurious. Think along the lines of a real life post-apocalyptic scenario. Mad Max, Waterworld, Salt Lake City, that kind of stuff. But in the Bible, the wilderness is a place where Israel had to come to rely totally and completely upon God. In other words, the desert was a place to deeply experience God's grace and salvation. Because that was ALL that could be relied upon. In that sense, the desert can be our friend. It will never really get comfortable. But it can be a place that reminds us of our need for fellowship with each other, and fellowship with God. It can be a place that reminds us of our need for God to come to US. And it can, hopefully, cause us to re-think how we interact with each other. Because, while competition may work on certain biological scales, the best way to survive a desert is through cooperation. Cooperation is something that can be the difference between life and death when it comes to camping or hiking trips into the wilderness. Almost every year there is a story of some hiker who has gone missing and no one knows where s/he has gone because the hiker never bothered to tell anyone where they were going or for how long. The chances of finding such a person are, sadly, slim. But tell someone what you're doing, where you're going, and you have far better chances of survival in case something happens. Cooperate with another person just a little bit, and increase your chances manifold. The desert is uncomfortable and it should keep us uncomfortable. Because, as one of my favorite Frank Herbert quotes goes: “Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, 'I am not the kind of person I want to be.' It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied.” Of course, no one likes being uncomfortable. Myself included. So I think it's a constant process of consciously allowing yourself to be open to be made uncomfortable. Of trying to appreciate the times you are in the desert, for whatever reason. (Note: Saying that we should allow God to make us uncomfortable is not the same as saying that all uncomfortableness is from God.) So, I guess it's rather paradoxical that I love the desert so much. It doesn't make much sense. But, in the words of the extreme marathon runner Mauro Prosperi who was lost in the Sahara for ten days: “I can't live without the desert. Desert fever does exist, and it's a disease that I've absolutely caught. I'm drawn back to the desert every year to greet it, to experience it.” Matt grew up in Utah, but now calls Europe home. Matt has a master's in theology. Matt is Pansexual and Genderfluid. Matt is fascinated by Augustine, likes Britney Spears, Mastodon, and finds theology everywhere.
I believe in God,the Father almighty,Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell;on the third day he rose again from the dead;he ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and life everlasting. Amen. For members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the closest we probably get to being credal is reciting the Lord's Prayer. Anyone who is credal knows, the Lord's Prayer is not a creed. It begs the question: What can I, a minister in the Christian Church, have to say about the Apostle's Creed? Let me begin by saying, I don't plan to dismiss or patronize the creeds. I believe they have served as a valuable tool in the progression of the Christian faith. Even those who claim to not have creeds have been influenced by the creed constructed during the first council of Constantinople, which is the earlier version of the Apostle's Creed. The Problem:When the early church Fathers got together to discuss what was important to the Christian faith it began: "We believe in one God." Back then, this statement was directly against those who believed in more than one god, a polytheistic belief. Do you realize, in today's culture, how many leaps of faith must come to many before we even get to a 'one God' dialogue? The creeds are great, and help us understand our faith. In today's culture, it's no longer the starting point. Where We Need to Begin Today:We believe in something beyond our realm of reality. You want to talk to someone about the wonderful relationship you have in your Christian faith. That is great! It's wonderful! It can no longer start with God. This isn't saying God isn't the most important part of the equation. God is. This is saying that Christianity is now a different language than the culture it is part of. Therefore, we must start as basic as possible. How simple? We believe existence, our perceptible world, is bigger than we realize. At this beginning we can discuss atoms, light waves, and things most high schoolers learn about in their science class. Maybe, just maybe, this universe still has mystery and expense to it. Eternity exists within an atom. There will always be space to see it closer, there will always be room to move away from it. Maybe what we are able to perceive is actually there and exists. We can then follow it up with a discussion of our arrogance. Did you know, as recent as the 1970's scientists believed we were in the middle of a global cooling? It wasn't a collective theory, but it gained traction because of the slight cooling that happened in the 70's. There was even discussion of tarring the ice caps to heat things up. There was a time we believed the earth was the center of the universe. There was a time when crack cocaine was considered medicine and bleeding someone out was an appropriate method to help someone with a headache. Every generation we get so caught up in what we know, our arrogance gets the better of us. We think our way is the right way, even though so many generations before us thought the same thing and they were so wrong. For a Christian, it is our humility that says there is something more. Really, it is in our humility where we really start. We believe there is something beyond our understanding that we are mostly blind, mute, and deaf to. It's a reality that cannot be measured, and is greater than ourselves. In our humility we say, "We believe."
James McCormick is a Dallas-based software developer, consultant, and Orthodox Christian, though he was raised Methodist on the outskirts of Houston and spent some time in New Age syncretism that embarrasses him to talk about today (for an idea of what it was like, go watch Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai). He’s struggled most of his life with the demon of noonday. Psalm 90 (91 Masoretic Text) (Modified variant of the King James Version) He that dwelt in the help of the most high shall abide under the shelter of the God of Heaven. He shall say unto the Lord, Thou art my helper and my refuge; He is my God and in Him will I hope. For He shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunters and rom every troublesome word. He shall overshadow thee with His shoulders, and under his wings shalt thou trust; His truth shall compass thee with a shield. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor the arrow that flight by day; nor the thing that walketh in darkness; nor for the mishap and demon of noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and see the reward of sinners. Because Thou, Lord, art my hope. Thou hast made the Most High thy refuge. There shall no evils befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bare thee up in their hands, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the asp and basilisk, and the lion and the dragon shalt thou trample underfoot. Because he hath set his hope in Me, I will deliver him; I will shelter him, because he hath known My name. He shall cry unto Me and I will harken unto him; I am with him in affliction, and I will deliver him, and glorify him. With length of days will I satisfy him, and shew [sic] him my salvation. As an advanced warning to all readers, when I cite psalm numbers, I have a tendency to use the Septuagint numbering. It’s how I know and pray the psalms in my daily life, being of an Orthodox persuasion. Also, it’s the copy of the psalter I have on hand. I’ll provide more familiar Masoretic Text verse numberings when the psalm number is different. Psalm 90 (91 Masoretic) is quite familiar to me. As a part of the twelfth kathisma (a collection of psalms—there are 20 of them, each read at a certain point of the week), I often find myself reading it for Vespers on Wednesday nights at church. Once I get a couple verses into it, I can remember the rest. In this psalm, David speaks of the refuge of God from all that afflict us, enemies both corporeal and bodiless. I know a thing or two about the noonday demon. For me, there’s more than one. The one at my right hand is Depression. He usually claims the mantle of the “noonday demon” today. I’m told Andrew Solomon has a decent book on the subject, but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. He will contort happiness, joy, and pleasure into a boring hollowness. He will repeat every bit of bad news I receive into my ear. He will show me the things I don’t want to see. The one at my left hand is called Anxiety. He tells me that I’m not good enough, that I can’t do anything, that no matter what I try, it won’t work. He tells me that others judge me all the time. On his account, I spend a lot of time alone, avoiding other people. The one behind me is called Loneliness. He works with the other two, attempting to prevent me from taking refuge anywhere. He tries to convince me that I’m truly alone out here, and that not even God is with me. Of these demons, he’s the biggest liar, but he’s the most effective when working in concert with the other three. However, in my darkest moments, like the ones I’ve been having in the last week, I have begun to take efforts at making God my refuge. I’m spending a bit more time at the altar at church, to the point of not leaving it at all during services. I’m redoubling my efforts with my sadlyneglected prayer rope. These things have helped. They don’t stop the pain. No, there’s no escaping the pain I’m in, both physical (seriously, depression brings on monster headaches) and emotional. There is no enemy God can’t handle. Even when it seems to you, as it does to me, that those that afflict you are multiplied, look for refuge in God. When you seek refuge in Christ, clinging to the Holy, Life-Giving Cross, you’re hanging on to the greatest ally that you have. After all. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39 (KJV) Of course, I’m a practical guy. I can’t just have someone sermonize and meditate. I need a plan of action. So I won’t leave you without one, either, should you find yourself in a situation like mine. After all, it’s one thing to say that you can claim victory over the demons. It’s another to have a fight plan.
Matthew 22:33-40 CEB 33 Now when the crowd heard this, they were astonished at his teaching. 34 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had left the Sadducees speechless, they met together. 35 One of them, a legal expert, tested him. 36 “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 He replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” A reflection for you: I like baseball. I'm really the only one in my house that does. As a Kansas City native, I am watching the World Series this year. True, the Giants destroyed the Royals perfect post-season record in game one, but the Royals destroyed their own dry spell just making it to the World Series. Plus, they did come back to win game two last night. I can't complain. In baseball, I like the "three strikes and you're out" rule. It's simple; easy to understand. If only the Pharisees had baseball back in biblical times. Before verse 33 in our scripture today, the Pharisees had struck out three times. They wanted to trick Jesus. They wanted to make him fall for a trap that would get him killed. They should have considered themselves out, and given up. No, instead, they try one last time. Maybe they just fouled that third hit, so they had one more go at it. There question was deceptively sinister. "What is the greatest commandment?" It was sinister because there really wasn't a good answer. Choosing one commandment over the other would negate the other commandments. Like he had just done, he could have given an easy out: "They are all equally important. No commandment is greater than another." Instead, I believe throws the Pharisees a pitch straight down the middle. Instead he says, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself." This actually is all ten commandments. The first five commandments are related to worship of God, and the second five are related to how we treat one another. In giving the teachers of the law the answer in this way, he gives them ammunition. It wasn't the ammunition they wanted, a way to destroy Jesus. It was the ammunition they needed, a way to destroy their own destructive behavior. The answer is love. The greatest commandment is love. Love God. Love self. Love others. Let go of these dark and unhealthy attitudes and love. Now a personal reflection: Normally, this is the point where I would pull out my journal and write. You would be surprised what I journal out instead of sharing. (It's a healthy process for anyone who openly writes online. So many opinions are really better left between the writer and God.) Today is different, and it is different because it needs to exist on something other than a journal page. I'm going to participate in the NaNoWriMo this year. (National November Writing Month) Normally, I wouldn't see a need to openly announce this, but this year I've decided to write out my experience at my ill fated call three years ago. Depending how it turns out, it might just be added to the stacks of written text, or I might seek publication. It really matters how the process goes. As a minister, I would only be able to publish if I could maintain a certain confidentiality between myself and the experience. If I can do that, I want to share my road to healing with others. After meditating on the text this week, I truly believe Jesus was attempting to help the Pharisees. He was helping the very people who would get him crucified using the most disarming weapon we have: love. Therefore, before I can write a single word for NaNoWriMo, there is something I must write publically first. It's something I have journaled and prayed. Now it needs to be openly said: - - - To my previous call, I've forgiven you. I forgave you when I didn't believe it. I forgave you in the car on the way to a retreat. I forgave you in my darkest nights when nothing was there but God and myself. I do not see you as spiteful or ill-intentioned. I see you as broken. It was in your brokenness you broke me. I cannot be angry or vengeful in that. I can only be sad you haven't found healing. I am also sorry. I'm sorry it didn't work out. I'm sorry the type of minister I am was not the right fit for the type of church you are. I'm sorry it ended with people leaving the church. I personally talked with some of the families and suggested they stay at the church. They couldn't do it. I know they are ultimately where God wants them to be, so I'm happy for them. As I have found peace and healing over the past three years, I hope you find the same. Rev. Melissa Fain
Matthew 22:15-22 CEB 15Then the Pharisees met together to find a way to trap Jesus in his words. 16 They sent their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are genuine and that you teach God’s way as it really is. We know that you are not swayed by people’s opinions, because you don’t show favoritism. 17 So tell us what you think: Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 18 Knowing their evil motives, Jesus replied, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used to pay the tax.” And they brought him a denarion. 20 “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked. 21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” 22 When they heard this they were astonished, and they departed. This is the sermon given to Marietta First Christian Church on 10/19/14 Imagine with me a gigantic cardboard box, being held up with a long stick. Coming from the stick is a rope. Where does the rope lead? The rope goes from the stick to the brush where the disciples of the Pharisees and supporters of Herod or quietly giggling, “Tee Hee Hee!” It’s a trap! To Jesus, it’s a clear trap. Wiley Coyote, using Acme products, could lay a less obvious trap! Let me explain just how obvious this whole thing is. First of all, you have the followers of Herod who really don’t care what the Law allows, just as long as you pay the tax. By this time, Romans had ceased most taxes to their own citizens because they could tax occupied countries, like Israel, instead. A few of the rulers would try to be as generous as possible with the people, trying to keep the taxes down. The Herodians were not one of these groups. Herod and his family in general, kinda had an ego complex. For goodness sake, he named at least three children after himself. Most people would stop at one, not Herod. He often played both sides of the field. On one side he rebuilt the temple, but on the other he put at big Roman Eagle at the entrance. Jesus would have known what the followers of Herod wanted to hear, and that they didn’t really care what the law had to say about it. If you think the Herodians played both sides, well so did the Pharisees. Privately they loathed the temple tax. They weren’t too happy about that eagle either. They didn’t think it was biblical in the least. However, if one were to stand up against the tax it would label them a traitor to the Roman government and they most likely would be executed. They were hypocrites because they would rather allow the widow to put her food money into the pot and starve than stand up for her and face the consequences. Jesus would have known what the Pharisees wanted to hear, and the repercussions for saying it. The trap was as simple as a box being held up with a stick. If Jesus called the tax unbiblical it would mean almost certain death. If Jesus suggested we should pay our taxes it would anger his supporters, possibly putting them into frenzy. They would possibly kill him for being a false prophet. What’s the son of God to do? Surely not walk into an obvious trap? No. As he had done two times before this moment, he disarms the trap laid out by the Pharisees. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and Give to God what is God’s.” BOOM! Mic drop; Jesus out. He leaves the Pharisee’s speechless, scratching their heads, and wondering what just happened. Now this is the moment many ministers talk about taxes and whether the government does or does not fit into the church. Many more ministers use this scripture to launch a stewardship campaign to urge congregants to give more. You’re not going to get that today. Today, I want to talk about the Herodians and the Pharisees. The question of whether one pays their taxes wasn’t posed to get an honest answer. I repeat my initial statement: It was a trap! When we look at scripture it’s always important to consider two things:
God acts from what we mean, not what we say. The Pharisees and Herodians were saying they wanted hear what Jesus thought about taxes. They were meaning to get Jesus killed. These are two very different things, and Jesus acted into their meaning rather than what they were saying. If Jesus was acting in what they were saying I imagine he would have pulled them aside and engaged in a dialogue. They might have explored the subject together over a meal. (That was kinda Jesus’ thing, talk over a meal.) Instead, he gives a one sentence response and moves on. That’s where it is. That’s the point. When we seek to engage God in the world and in prayer, it really matters whether we are authentic with our words, because God is going to know the truth in our heart. I remember working through the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector from Luke 18. If you remember, they were both praying. From first glance you would think the Pharisee was being arrogant and the tax collector was being humble. In researching what the Pharisee was doing, I learned the he was going through a ritual to show humility. They were really doing the same thing, even though it looked different. It was their meaning behind their action that differentiated them. The tax collector was truly acting in humility, and the Pharisee was arrogant. Where does that leave us? Y’all are in the process to find the next step in your spiritual journey. If you are finding that journey, it's going to help you rediscover what FCC Marietta is, and can get you on track to find a new senior minister, you will met with an important objective. It will not be good enough to say you want to go through the process. You must mean what you are saying as well. This is where many church revitalizations get derailed. They say one thing and mean another. God will not help you find your future, unless you are bold enough to act like you want to get it. That’s where the celebration comes in. True, if we don’t mean what we say, we are likely to just get disarmed and nothing changes. But, if we mean what we say, we could get something real and substantial. Living water, if you are the woman at the well. Relationship, if you are Zacchaeus. Baptism, if you are the Ethiopian eunuch. What do you think God could give you if you ask for revitalization and mean it? There’s only one way to find out.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 CEB From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. To the Thessalonians’ church that is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to all of you. We always thank God for all of you when we mention you constantly in our prayers. This is because we remember your work that comes from faith, your effort that comes from love, and your perseverance that comes from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father. Brothers and sisters, you are loved by God, and we know that he has chosen you. We know this because our good news didn’t come to you just in speech but also with power and the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know as well as we do what kind of people we were when we were with you, which was for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord when you accepted the message that came from the Holy Spirit with joy in spite of great suffering. As a result you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The message about the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place. The news about your faithfulness to God has spread so that we don’t even need to mention it. People tell us about what sort of welcome we had from you and how you turned to God from idols. As a result, you are serving the living and true God, and you are waiting for his Son from heaven. His Son is Jesus, who is the one he raised from the dead and who is the one who will rescue us from the coming wrath. Of all the letters written by Paul, no two letters are written exactly the same, because no two communities were exactly alike. This becomes a good thing for us because we gain from the diverse insights Paul shares with multiple communities. As Paul gets the chance to explain multiple theological issues, we are the winners. Now, a little bit about Thessalonica. If you wanted to visit this city today, well you are in luck! It is the only Pauline city still in existence and going by its original name! However, if you are an archeologist you are really out of luck. Because a bustling city actually exists on top of the former ancient city, it is near to impossible to find ancient ruins of the original Thessalonica. It means we cannot know certain aspects of how this city lived when Paul wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians. We cannot base our knowledge on pot shards or ancient murals, because they just don't exist anymore. There are a few things we can know based on writings at the time. First, it was the largest city in Macedonia. They had 200,000 residents at the time of the letters. We know Paul frequented the area because he also preached to another Macedonian city: Philippi. Now, here is the usual order of things when Paul visits a city:
This is not the case for Thessalonica. Paul comes and shares the word which is embraced by the people. Just like every other place he would visit, all was going well when something happened. Apparently there was a group in Thessalonica that did not like Paul's message. They could have sent him death threats, they could have told him he would be jailed. We are not sure. We are sure whatever happened was enough to get Paul to leave quickly without saying goodbye. Now, the people who had embraced Paul's message in Thessalonica were confused. Had they done something wrong? Why did Paul leave so quickly? They decided to find out and sent messengers to find Paul and ask what they did wrong. (In many ways this is the perfect setup for a comedic movie, right? Comedic movies always start out where everything is absolutely perfect and then some unforeseen event happens which throw all those involved into hijinks. If this wasn't a life or death matter, it could be humorous.) When word finally reaches Paul he is astounded. First of all, he doesn't think they have done anything wrong in the least. They embraced the message and things were going well. So instead of chastising the people, part of the reason he drafts 1 Thessalonians is to clear the air and explain what really happened. Secondly, they ended up finding him in Corinth. You might remember Corinth, it is the place I directly related to Las Vegas: the crazy place where anything goes. I bet he was thinking very fondly of Thessalonica while trying to work with the Corinthians. You know, it might have been fortuitous the Thessalonians found Paul in Corinth. Something ended up coming out of 1 Thessalonians we often attribute to 1 Corinthians. Maybe Corinth inspired his writing 1 Thessalonians or maybe Thessalonica was in his memory while drafting 1 Corinthians, we cannot know. But, for the first time, before 1 Corinthians was ever penned, Paul tells the Thessalonians about faith, hope, and love. Now, to be clear, in 1 Thessalonians the concept is slightly more vague than it became in 1 Corinthians 13, but it is there. Just to remind you, here it is again as Paul wrote it: We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s delve into that, shall we? I submit this early version of faith, hope, and love can be viewed in a temporal, or time related way. Faith, hope and love can become a way we can be Christians who live for the past, the future, and the present. More importantly than ever it is something we need to be aware of. Work of faith: eventually every past event will need to be taken on faith. History truly becomes history when there are no physical people to vouch for the actions written on paper, or to explain the relics left behind. At that point we must have faith in what is being taught to us whether it is the bible, the family tree, or U.S. History. In many ways what we do in life is dictated by what we learn from our past. Science is pushed forward by the theories and works of previous scientists. We can keep from repeating the mistakes of our ancestors or learn from their accomplishments by recalling their story. However, we cannot simply live in faith. As Christians, simply having faith in God through recollection will only keep us in the past. We need to look towards the future. Steadfastness of hope: if we cannot hope for something than what do we have to live for? Hope is a positive outlook towards what will be. We have hope in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and what that will mean when we finally pass on. We live in that anticipation and our actions can lead us towards that future goal. Hoping for the future, in general, can lead to innovation and a better life for our children's children. But, by itself it is empty because reason to hope comes from faith in what has been. It makes me think of Camping and his various apocalyptic predictions. He is that guy who made an apocalyptic prediction back in May based on calculations using the bible. It didn't happen in the 90's and it didn't happen this past May. It will not happen this month as he had changed the prediction to. Living only in hope, whether that hope is for an end times in our lifetime or a utopia on earth, without history (aka faith) to back it than it is not a worthwhile endeavor. So what ties these two things together? Labor of love: Bringing faith and hope, past and future, together is work. Labor is a beautiful word to describe it. In childbirth the parents are the past, the child is the future and labor is what brings it all to fruition. Love is something that happens now. Love lives in the present. Love, more than faith and hope, takes work because it brings about the finished product. Our faith and hope in Christ are only the tools to live out love. I believe this idea can be expanded by looking at the concluding verse of 1 Cor 13. After all, Corinth could have had an impact on what Paul said to Thessalonicia or visa versa. “Faith, hope, and love abide these three, but the greatest of these is love.” Have faith in what you learn, study and pray. Have hope in what is yet to come. And, go out, with faith and hope to live the gospel in love.
Exodus 32:1-14 CEB The people saw that Moses was taking a long time to come down from the mountain. They gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come on! Make us gods who can lead us. As for this man Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t have a clue what has happened to him.” Aaron said to them, “All right, take out the gold rings from the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took out the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He collected them and tied them up in a cloth. Then he made a metal image of a bull calf, and the people declared, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf. Then Aaron announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!” They got up early the next day and offered up entirely burned offerings and brought well-being sacrifices. The people sat down to eat and drink and then got up to celebrate. The Lord spoke to Moses: “Hurry up and go down! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, are ruining everything! They’ve already abandoned the path that I commanded. They have made a metal bull calf for themselves. They’ve bowed down to it and offered sacrifices to it and declared, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” The Lord said to Moses, “I’ve been watching these people, and I’ve seen how stubborn they are. Now leave me alone! Let my fury burn and devour them. Then I’ll make a great nation out of you.” But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, “Lord, why does your fury burn against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and amazing force? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He had an evil plan to take the people out and kill them in the mountains and so wipe them off the earth’? Calm down your fierce anger. Change your mind about doing terrible things to your own people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, whom you yourself promised, ‘I’ll make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky. And I’ve promised to give your descendants this whole land to possess for all time.’” Then the Lord changed his mind about the terrible things he said he would do to his people. This post is for all those congregants wanting to revitalize their church. With so many, "Why is the church dying?" posts, let me explain why the church is dying in relation to revitalization.
Commandment 1: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery," Commandment 2: "you shall have no other gods before me." Commandment 3: "You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them." The Israelites make an idol, use nearly the same line from commandment one, and follow it up with putting another god before their eyes. (Now, there is question whether they were attempting to force God down by creating an idol, or giving their worship to another idol. The issue is still wrong.) In their impatience, the people took a seed of truth from the commandments and used it to follow the wrong path. Those who shake their heads, wondering why transformation didn't take, usually are dealing with a situation where impatience or fear take root and the people begin to craft their own plan. Not dealing with their real problem, they paint a the false reality of transformation over their bad habits and choices. Church revitalization requires letting go of the past and working hard over time. Finally, it requires faith that God will be there. It's really kinda easy to understand. Unfortunately, it's not so easy to follow. I would love to hear from you. There are several ways to communicate and connect:
Join Fig Tree's Communication Board Join Fig Tree's Subreddit Follow our Pinterest page Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter I am a nomad from a family of nomads. I have lived all over the world and across America. In the words of the great Johnny Cash, “I’ve been everywhere, man!” For the last three years, I have been blessed to call Ames, Iowa my home, where I am the minister at Westside Church of Christ. I also joyfully bear the title of husband to my wife and, as of this July, father to my infant son. If you would like to contact me, you can send an email to milesinchrist@gmail.com. When I was a boy, every time my class had a group picture taken, I was always in the front row. I was something of a short little kid and had to be in front so I wouldn’t be blocked out. I would never get to stand on the top bleachers with the tall kids. Though I now stand at an imposing five feet and nine inches, I have always felt like I could relate with that one person in the Bible that perhaps could be considered the patron saint of the vertically challenged: Zacchaeus. We read his story in Luke 19: Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. There’s no denying that Zacchaeus was short—his shortness is big part of the story! However, there’s more to him than that and if we simply associate Zacchaeus with his physical stature, then we miss out on a lot of what this story is saying. Zacchaeus may have been short and I’m sure people may have even made fun of him for it, but definitely not to his face because he was a man of great importance. He was the chief tax collector and as a result, he was quite wealthy. He would have also been in a position of power and recognition, and though being a Jew, he was working alongside the Roman officials. Still, while Zacchaeus had money and power, he probably didn’t win a lot of popularity contests. Even today, people aren’t huge fans of the tax man, but imagine if the person collecting your taxes was giving them to a government that had taken over your homeland and you had no choice but to give them that small chunk of your paycheck every time they asked. Many Jews would have seen him as a traitor to his own people. It didn’t help their reputation that many tax collectors were corrupt, often “skimming a little of the top” and fattening their own wallets. There’s nothing to indicate that Zacchaeus himself did that, but I’m sure that the people there at least assumed that he did. But despite this, Zacchaeus, just like everyone else, is curious about this Jesus guy. Everyone had heard of Jesus at this point. He was a rabbi with some extraordinary teachings. Unlike the other teachers, he spoke with a voice of authority. He had even performed several miracles, healing the sick and casting out demons in the name of God. Everyone had heard of Jesus, which explains why such a large crowd gathering around him when he entered the city of Jericho. Hundreds of people from all over the city and the surrounding towns were drawn to see what was happening. Zacchaeus was short and he could not see over the crowd. Not only was the crowd blocking him, but it was sure that the Pharisees would have kept him away. To them, he was a sinner and was to be cut off from society. If it weren’t for the Romans in charge, the Pharisees would likely have had their way, too. They would have seen Zacchaeus as an embarrassment and wanted to keep him away from this well-known visiting rabbi. Then he sees the sycamore fig tree. It would be a big risk, but Zacchaeus doesn’t have much time to think. The crowds were no doubts going to grow larger and Jesus would be going to someone’s house to eat dinner, soon. And so he climbed. Leaving his pride and dignity on the ground, he shimmied his short legs up that tree. With each branch, his view expanded more and more. But it was then that he noticed something: Jesus was heading right towards him! A voice called out, “Zacchaeus, get down out of that tree.” Zacchaeus looks down and cannot believe his eyes. It was Jesus! He was standing right there below him. Somehow, Jesus knew him by name…and he wanted him to get down out of there. In fact, Jesus continued on, “Zacchaeus, can I stay your house today?” Zacchaeus, in this moment, is completely overwhelmed. For years, he had been shunned because of his job. He was used to it, by now. It came with the territory. And yes, it came with it also great wealth, but I’m sure that Zacchaeus often found himself lonely and without friends. Jesus’ gestures moved him powerfully, and Zacchaeus’ response reflects that. He gives over half his possessions to the poor, and even says that if at some point he had ever cheated anyone out of their money, he would give them four times that amount back. His life was going to be turned around and he was going to repent of his sins. It was going to be different now…all because Jesus had called his name. This is the beautiful imagery of this story: Jesus seeks out the lost. He was on a mission that day, and whether or not Zacchaeus had climbed that tree, Jesus would have found him. He was looking for him. But Zacchaeus did climb that tree, and in doing so, he demonstrated great humility on his part. He wanted to see Jesus and was willing to drop his pride and climb, even if it only meant a quick glimpse. In the end, his reward was much greater than what he ever could have expected. There were a lot of reasons why Jesus should have picked someone else, and there were plenty of people in the crowd who would have loved to point these reasons out. But Jesus didn’t care. It didn’t matter what Zacchaeus had done or who he was or who liked or who didn’t like him. All Jesus saw was a child of God who needed helping finding his way. That’s the beauty of this story, because this is our story, too. We are all like Zacchaeus, striving to see God over the crowd, but struggling with our own limitations. We, too, have our sins and our reasons why we don’t deserve to see him face to face. But when we seek out Jesus, we just might hear that voice calling out our names. We may look down from our tree and see the face of Jesus, asking us if he can eat at our house tonight. We may just find that it turns out that while we were looking for Jesus, Jesus was looking for us. This is the gospel, the good news that we are spreading: no matter who you are or what you’ve done, there is room in His kingdom for you.
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