Prayer Day labyrinth to be ‘journey toward God’ by Darragh Doiron The Port Arthur News
While the whole community is invited to The Prayer Path labyrinth, Beth Faulk is confident of one RSVP.
“God is sure to show up,” Faulk said.
Providence Presbyterian Church will host the interactive event from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 1, which is the National Day of Prayer.
The path is designed to be a quiet time for busy people to experience God, Faulk said.
“That’s the purpose of the labyrinth. It’s a time to slow down, be with God and pray for our nation and government,” Faulk, parish associate, said.
Buddy Ware and Larry Hagen used chalk lines to mark where blue gaffer’s tape will mark the path on canvas spread across the gym floor. Booties will be provided for those who want keep their shoes on, or else they’ll have to sock-foot it, Ware said.
The labyrinth is not a maze. It has an entrance and an exit. Visitors will read as they go and stop at points, such as a stop with pebbles that will represent problems to drop into a bucket.
“They’ll let go of their worries,” Faulk said. “The journey is toward God.”
Walkers should forget about their grocery lists and meetings and use the time to focus on God. If they have a specific prayer or healing request, they should bring it.
“They should set aside any barriers from thinking about God,” she said.
Several religions have incorporated labyrinths into their faiths for 3,000 years, Faulk said. Members have walked a path that St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Groves provided, Faulk said.
“They loved it. They felt like they had a truly moving experience,” she said.
She said members, who are meeting at St. John Lutheran Church at 4600 Jimmy Johnson Blvd., hope to recreate that feeling and share it with others.
“Come and enjoy it with us and walk it expecting to experience God,” she said.
Church member Nancy Currie said excitement has surrounded the project.
“When Pastor Beth brought the idea to our Christian Education Committee, everyone caught the excitement bug and has helped pull it together. We think it is a unique opportunity to help our community celebrate the National Day of Prayer in a meaningful way,” Currie said.
Currie said Sue Hagen and her husband worked hard to find supplies for and finish up the project for visitors.
"What an opportunity, indeed, to be able to share this wonderful experience with the community,” Hagen, of Bridge City, said. “We have had an opportunity to walk the labyrinth in our church on a couple of occasions, and it was such a moving experience to be able to journey through the labyrinth and feel the presence of God. Being able to focus on our walk with God and spend time listening to what this soul-searching activity speaks to our souls is something that we are looking forward to immensely. We sincerely hope it will be a meaningful journey to many.”
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
For A Long Time, I Thought…
When I was a boy, I heard many sermons in the church where I attended. Time and time again, I was told that Jesus loved me and He was a wonderful Shepherd and Counselor and all those other glorious names. Therefore, I want to be a Christian. You know, I wanted Jesus to take care of me and be my protector. And I needed it. Why did I need a protector you might ask? No it wasn’t from the bully at school or from an older sibling whipping up on me. It was from the wrath of God the Father! Yes, I thought that God, you know, the old guy on the throne with the white beard (the God in the Old Testament)… was not happy with me because I was… a sinner!
For a long time, I thought this way and I was relieved when I learned that this concept was not something I just dreamed up. Other people, maybe even you, identified with this view as well. Theologian Baxter Kruger says, “The ideas that God, the Father needed to be appeased in order to accept us, and that Jesus became human in order to suffer the wrath of his Father on the cross so that we could be accepted, always struck me as terribly wrong. But, growing up in the deep South, such notions were all one ever heard, and heard repeatedly, and still do. In this atonement theory, the Father is in two minds about us, or, at the very least, there are two sides of the Father, the one being the righteous, just and holy side, the other being the graceful, merciful and loving side. The one thing we knew for sure about God was that he could not simply forgive us and accept us as his fallen creatures. The truth, we were told is that He could not even look upon us vile sinners. His holiness and justice and righteousness demanded satisfaction before forgiveness could become a reality. And so on the cross Jesus bowed as the Father’s holiness, justice and righteousness formed into wrath against our sin and was poured out upon him instead of us.”
The trouble with this understanding of God is that there is no forgiveness at all. The Father simply takes out His wrath against the Son. We are told that we should be glad it’s Him (Jesus) and not us! While Jesus can become human and live amongst us, eat with us, heal us, and love us, the Father is stuck on the outside because His holiness and perfection cannot look upon sin and we cannot be accepted because we are sinners. Thus, we have a Father who is of one nature and a Son who is of another.
Scripture teaches that God (The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit) is ONE God, yet three persons. This concept is called the Trinity. While it is not expressly stated in the Bible, it is specifically implied. Texts like John 14:9 “he who has seen me, has seen the Father”, John 10:30 “I and the Father are one”, and Hebrews 1:3 “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature” all indicate that, in Jesus Christ, God the Father is revealed as well.
In his book, On the Incarnation of the Word of God, St. Athanasius comments on this subject. He says, “As, then, the creatures whom He had created…were on the road to ruin, what then was God, being Good to do?” The old saint of the Church knew that God was of one nature God’s holiness, justice, and righteousness are in tune with His love and mercy. God refused to abandon His creation and decided before the beginning of time to let nothing come between Him and us, not even sin. Thus, Jesus is not the sacrifice to God on our behalf, NO… God the Father and Son are at work in tandem. God pronounces a mighty word of grace to us all through the cross. Romans 8 is trying to remind us of this truth when it says, “I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” The Father and the Son invite you (through the Holy Spirit) to enter into a love affair. They already have a crush on you!
For a long time, I thought this way and I was relieved when I learned that this concept was not something I just dreamed up. Other people, maybe even you, identified with this view as well. Theologian Baxter Kruger says, “The ideas that God, the Father needed to be appeased in order to accept us, and that Jesus became human in order to suffer the wrath of his Father on the cross so that we could be accepted, always struck me as terribly wrong. But, growing up in the deep South, such notions were all one ever heard, and heard repeatedly, and still do. In this atonement theory, the Father is in two minds about us, or, at the very least, there are two sides of the Father, the one being the righteous, just and holy side, the other being the graceful, merciful and loving side. The one thing we knew for sure about God was that he could not simply forgive us and accept us as his fallen creatures. The truth, we were told is that He could not even look upon us vile sinners. His holiness and justice and righteousness demanded satisfaction before forgiveness could become a reality. And so on the cross Jesus bowed as the Father’s holiness, justice and righteousness formed into wrath against our sin and was poured out upon him instead of us.”
The trouble with this understanding of God is that there is no forgiveness at all. The Father simply takes out His wrath against the Son. We are told that we should be glad it’s Him (Jesus) and not us! While Jesus can become human and live amongst us, eat with us, heal us, and love us, the Father is stuck on the outside because His holiness and perfection cannot look upon sin and we cannot be accepted because we are sinners. Thus, we have a Father who is of one nature and a Son who is of another.
Scripture teaches that God (The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit) is ONE God, yet three persons. This concept is called the Trinity. While it is not expressly stated in the Bible, it is specifically implied. Texts like John 14:9 “he who has seen me, has seen the Father”, John 10:30 “I and the Father are one”, and Hebrews 1:3 “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature” all indicate that, in Jesus Christ, God the Father is revealed as well.
In his book, On the Incarnation of the Word of God, St. Athanasius comments on this subject. He says, “As, then, the creatures whom He had created…were on the road to ruin, what then was God, being Good to do?” The old saint of the Church knew that God was of one nature God’s holiness, justice, and righteousness are in tune with His love and mercy. God refused to abandon His creation and decided before the beginning of time to let nothing come between Him and us, not even sin. Thus, Jesus is not the sacrifice to God on our behalf, NO… God the Father and Son are at work in tandem. God pronounces a mighty word of grace to us all through the cross. Romans 8 is trying to remind us of this truth when it says, “I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” The Father and the Son invite you (through the Holy Spirit) to enter into a love affair. They already have a crush on you!
Saturday, April 05, 2008
PA congregations share worship space
Article by Darragh Doiron for The Port Arthur News, PORT ARTHUR —
Good neighbors are sharing brotherly love.
The congregations of St. John Lutheran Church and Providence Presbyterian Church can’t get any closer. They’re sharing a building.
“It’s worked exceedingly and abundantly beyond our wildest imagination,” Buddy Blake, St. John pastor, said.
Clay Faulk explained how his flock moved into the St. John gym for a while as their new church is being built. Everything that filled the former church complex now fits in the host gym.
“Believe it or not, we fit in here,” Faulk said, moving a curtain to show stacks of chairs, books and office equipment. “We’re crashing on the couch, literally.”
An altar, piano, tables and chairs are arranged around the basketball goal. A clump of mismatched couches in the corner is where the young people gather at court-side services, he said.
Providence Presbyterian Church is the new name for Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, which just moved from Gulfway Drive. Members are camped out at St. John Lutheran on Jimmy Johnson Boulevard but will soon break ground on a new home on North Twin City Highway.
Faulk said the United Methodist District bought their former home on Gulfway Drive with plans to start a new church.
“It was difficult for people to let go of a building they loved,” Faulk said, but added that they’ve adopted a motto for the process: “If God leads you to it, God will lead you through it.”
“We’re so thankful to the Lutherans,” Faulk said.
The pastors have worked out a schedule that Blake refers to as a three-course feast. On Sundays, locals can catch a 9:30 a.m. Presbyterian service in the gym, a 10 a.m. Lutheran service in the sanctuary or an 11:15 a.m. Presbyterian service in the sanctuary.
Blake said he had faith the arrangement would work out. They aren’t charging rent, but the guests are making a contribution that helps St. John’s expenses. An added benefit is that there are now enough people for a full, blended Sunday School, he said.
“When the opportunity came up, it was something that I knew almost from the very beginning was going to be a tremendous blessing,” Blake said.
The groups plan to be merged neighbors for at least 18 months.
Beth Durham is part of the Providence congregation. She said the changes call for an attitude of adjustment. “It hasn’t been easy, in fact I think the more challenges we have faced, the more of an affirmation it has become, that Satan doesn’t want us moving forward. It’s very difficult to trust in the unknown, but that’s where faith comes in, and I think we’ve all learned that our faith needed to be kicked up a notch,” Durham said. “We’ve had to step out of the box, or out of our comfort zones. But God is seeing us through this move, and we anticipate many new ministry opportunities on the horizon.”
After all, they’ve changed before. Faulk said that in the early 1900s First Presbyterian came into being on Mobile Street, then in the 1960s moved to Gulfway Drive. In the 1970s, the Westminster Presbyterian church joined them and they renamed the congregation First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. With this move, members decided to create another new name with Providence Presbyterian Church.
Good neighbors are sharing brotherly love.
The congregations of St. John Lutheran Church and Providence Presbyterian Church can’t get any closer. They’re sharing a building.
“It’s worked exceedingly and abundantly beyond our wildest imagination,” Buddy Blake, St. John pastor, said.
Clay Faulk explained how his flock moved into the St. John gym for a while as their new church is being built. Everything that filled the former church complex now fits in the host gym.
“Believe it or not, we fit in here,” Faulk said, moving a curtain to show stacks of chairs, books and office equipment. “We’re crashing on the couch, literally.”
An altar, piano, tables and chairs are arranged around the basketball goal. A clump of mismatched couches in the corner is where the young people gather at court-side services, he said.
Providence Presbyterian Church is the new name for Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, which just moved from Gulfway Drive. Members are camped out at St. John Lutheran on Jimmy Johnson Boulevard but will soon break ground on a new home on North Twin City Highway.
Faulk said the United Methodist District bought their former home on Gulfway Drive with plans to start a new church.
“It was difficult for people to let go of a building they loved,” Faulk said, but added that they’ve adopted a motto for the process: “If God leads you to it, God will lead you through it.”
“We’re so thankful to the Lutherans,” Faulk said.
The pastors have worked out a schedule that Blake refers to as a three-course feast. On Sundays, locals can catch a 9:30 a.m. Presbyterian service in the gym, a 10 a.m. Lutheran service in the sanctuary or an 11:15 a.m. Presbyterian service in the sanctuary.
Blake said he had faith the arrangement would work out. They aren’t charging rent, but the guests are making a contribution that helps St. John’s expenses. An added benefit is that there are now enough people for a full, blended Sunday School, he said.
“When the opportunity came up, it was something that I knew almost from the very beginning was going to be a tremendous blessing,” Blake said.
The groups plan to be merged neighbors for at least 18 months.
Beth Durham is part of the Providence congregation. She said the changes call for an attitude of adjustment. “It hasn’t been easy, in fact I think the more challenges we have faced, the more of an affirmation it has become, that Satan doesn’t want us moving forward. It’s very difficult to trust in the unknown, but that’s where faith comes in, and I think we’ve all learned that our faith needed to be kicked up a notch,” Durham said. “We’ve had to step out of the box, or out of our comfort zones. But God is seeing us through this move, and we anticipate many new ministry opportunities on the horizon.”
After all, they’ve changed before. Faulk said that in the early 1900s First Presbyterian came into being on Mobile Street, then in the 1960s moved to Gulfway Drive. In the 1970s, the Westminster Presbyterian church joined them and they renamed the congregation First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. With this move, members decided to create another new name with Providence Presbyterian Church.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Paying Attention to the Crowd You Won’t See This Sunday
In the busy time of Easter week, I took a moment to sit back and listen to some music. I was drawn to a song by one of my favorite bands from the 90’s, INXS (Yes, I do listen to things other than Amazing Grace). One of their songs, The Stairs, speaks of how we all exist each day without really thinking about each other. A section of lyrics are, “Listened to by the walls, we share the same spaces, repeated in the corridors, performing the same movements. The nature of your tragedy is chained around your neck. Do you lead or are you led? Are you sure that you don't care? There are reasons here to give your life and follow in your way. The passion lives to keep your faith though all are different all are great. Climbing as we fall, we dare to hold on to our fate and steal away our destiny, to catch ourselves with quiet grace… we pass each other on the stairs.”
I think that these words speak to the human tendency to exist each day without really paying attention to the world around us. I think this song touches on the universal importance of seeing other people as… people just like… you and me.
It can be hard to value one another. Different ideas, different views, different political and economic situations make it is easy to overlook others who are not like us. While we live in an age of vast communication, internet, cell phones, (even my children text each other on their Nintendo game player), yet we are ever more isolated in a world of cyberspace. Real relationships are becoming less meaningful. It has gotten more and more difficult to know each other. Bible teacher Beth Moore commented that she finally realized how much time she spends emailing people she never even sees, yet ignores those people she sees everyday spending little or no time at all with them. Do you see people each day and yet really ignore them?
Yes, there are reasons here to give your life. Christians are called to rethink their lives. Once you become a Christian, then… suddenly… it’s not all about you and your needs. Life becomes something that is given away to those people that we pass on the stairs, or in the streets, or wherever you might go. The gospel of John 15:13 states “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” The Church that is only concerned about itself will not continue to thrive. The Church must teach its members to be passionately active in seeking to introduce Christ to others. Such churches work hard to make people who are “un-churched” feel welcome and provide a message in a context that is meaningful. Thus, today we live in a world where the people we pass each day generally live in the bondage of life without Jesus. Should we try to do anything about it or simply walk on by without thinking twice, too scared to speak and too afraid of failure? Jesus lived, died, and rose from the grave so that you and I can, through faith in Him, live with Him forever. That is “Good News!” That’s what Easter is all about.-not rabbits or eggs or baskets or lilies or pretty white outfits. Easter is about a God who refuses to let us remain in our bondage. Easter is about the passion of God that burns to reclaim us from sin and death. Easter is about once we know Jesus, we live to spread the news to those who are yet to meet Jesus. And in all of this, we might find our destiny (purpose) and live lives in the light of God’s grace.
I think that these words speak to the human tendency to exist each day without really paying attention to the world around us. I think this song touches on the universal importance of seeing other people as… people just like… you and me.
It can be hard to value one another. Different ideas, different views, different political and economic situations make it is easy to overlook others who are not like us. While we live in an age of vast communication, internet, cell phones, (even my children text each other on their Nintendo game player), yet we are ever more isolated in a world of cyberspace. Real relationships are becoming less meaningful. It has gotten more and more difficult to know each other. Bible teacher Beth Moore commented that she finally realized how much time she spends emailing people she never even sees, yet ignores those people she sees everyday spending little or no time at all with them. Do you see people each day and yet really ignore them?
Yes, there are reasons here to give your life. Christians are called to rethink their lives. Once you become a Christian, then… suddenly… it’s not all about you and your needs. Life becomes something that is given away to those people that we pass on the stairs, or in the streets, or wherever you might go. The gospel of John 15:13 states “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” The Church that is only concerned about itself will not continue to thrive. The Church must teach its members to be passionately active in seeking to introduce Christ to others. Such churches work hard to make people who are “un-churched” feel welcome and provide a message in a context that is meaningful. Thus, today we live in a world where the people we pass each day generally live in the bondage of life without Jesus. Should we try to do anything about it or simply walk on by without thinking twice, too scared to speak and too afraid of failure? Jesus lived, died, and rose from the grave so that you and I can, through faith in Him, live with Him forever. That is “Good News!” That’s what Easter is all about.-not rabbits or eggs or baskets or lilies or pretty white outfits. Easter is about a God who refuses to let us remain in our bondage. Easter is about the passion of God that burns to reclaim us from sin and death. Easter is about once we know Jesus, we live to spread the news to those who are yet to meet Jesus. And in all of this, we might find our destiny (purpose) and live lives in the light of God’s grace.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Lest We Forget Jesus’ Journey
Here are some questions to ponder this Easter Holy Week. Did the Son of God give up his Father to become human? Did Jesus step out of the circle of relationship with the Father and Holy Spirit when He was born in the stable? The answers to these questions are all “of course not.” In Jesus, the relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is lived out in a divine-human existence. Don’t fly past the importance of the Incarnation of Jesus as a human being in solving the problem of our estrangement from God. Thus the cross of Jesus is not the solution to sin, it is the answer to the God forged relationship with humanity. The cross can overshadow the birth, life, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.
Think of the situation when people are trapped in a burning building. The firemen may spray water on the blaze, but it is likely that they will have to attempt a rescue by actually entering into the burning building. Turn the scenario around, if the firemen never come out of the building then they too are lost. Today the firemen stay in contact with other firemen outside of the blaze and keep them apprised of the situation.
Theologian T. F. Torrance make this statement, “perhaps the most fundamental truth which we have to learn in the Christian Church, or rather relearn since we have suppressed it, is that the Incarnation (the life of Jesus) was the coming of God to save us in the heart of our fallen and depraved humanity… the Incarnation is the coming of God to take upon himself our fallen nature, our actual human existence laden with sin and guilt, and our diseased mind and soul in its alienation from the Creator.”
The same is true with Jesus. Jesus entered into our world in a rescue effort that would not be stopped. Jesus never lost contact with his Father and the Holy Spirit. The rescue attempt was painful and it looked as if Satan was going to be able to have the last word… but… then again, death was not the last word was it? In Adam and Eve, humanity was fallen, lost, and bound for death. In Jesus, He is the new Adam, the true human and the bonds of sin and death have no hold upon Him. He is the living atonement for all of humanity and we witness a God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) willing to die to bring us into a right relationship with Him. Was it because we deserved it? No, it was only by God’s choosing… His grace that enables us to join Him in the resurrection. John 11:26 says, “whoever lives and believes in me will never die!” I pray that you have a meaningful Holy Week and that you know that God loves you enough to give His life for you.
Think of the situation when people are trapped in a burning building. The firemen may spray water on the blaze, but it is likely that they will have to attempt a rescue by actually entering into the burning building. Turn the scenario around, if the firemen never come out of the building then they too are lost. Today the firemen stay in contact with other firemen outside of the blaze and keep them apprised of the situation.
Theologian T. F. Torrance make this statement, “perhaps the most fundamental truth which we have to learn in the Christian Church, or rather relearn since we have suppressed it, is that the Incarnation (the life of Jesus) was the coming of God to save us in the heart of our fallen and depraved humanity… the Incarnation is the coming of God to take upon himself our fallen nature, our actual human existence laden with sin and guilt, and our diseased mind and soul in its alienation from the Creator.”
The same is true with Jesus. Jesus entered into our world in a rescue effort that would not be stopped. Jesus never lost contact with his Father and the Holy Spirit. The rescue attempt was painful and it looked as if Satan was going to be able to have the last word… but… then again, death was not the last word was it? In Adam and Eve, humanity was fallen, lost, and bound for death. In Jesus, He is the new Adam, the true human and the bonds of sin and death have no hold upon Him. He is the living atonement for all of humanity and we witness a God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) willing to die to bring us into a right relationship with Him. Was it because we deserved it? No, it was only by God’s choosing… His grace that enables us to join Him in the resurrection. John 11:26 says, “whoever lives and believes in me will never die!” I pray that you have a meaningful Holy Week and that you know that God loves you enough to give His life for you.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The Dreaded Disease of Pietism
I heard the story of how there was once a pastor who was preaching a series on Jesus being the “perfect” human and still fully divine. The pastor was especially fired up in one of the sermons and challenged anyone in his congregation to tell him if they knew or knew of anyone who was perfect. To this challenge, one man stood up. The man said that, yes he did know someone who was perfect. The pastor stood amazed. Who could believe that there was anyone, other than Jesus who was perfect? The pastor pressed the man to explain and tell everyone who this person was who was perfect. The man replied, “According to my wife, her first husband who is now deceased was perfect!”
Who is perfect? Can anyone totally keep the law in both heart and action? That is the question the apostle Paul dealt with in the letter to the Romans 3. Paul says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one…no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin… righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
The reason that I bring out this point is that too many people think that once you become a Christian “you should be perfect.” Either the new Christian feels that somehow they have failed because they have suddenly not changed overnight or the non-Christian believes that Christians see themselves as perfect and others as imperfect and therefore, superior to those who do not attend church. Quite the contrary! Christians struggle with sin each day, for the rest of their lives.
I will never forget one particular Sunday in my early ministry. I had just preached a sermon on sin when a woman came to the door and proudly proclaimed that “she used to sin… but she grew out of it!” To this day I am still not sure just what she thinks sin is! In their book, Un-Christian, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons tell us that this pietistic understanding of Christianity is exactly one of the reasons non-churched people stay away from the church. Self righteousness is a result of a core belief that “good” behavior elevates an individual to a higher status before God. Ironically, that concept is totally wrong and is exactly what Paul says is the gospel. Good works do not matter if they are not a by-product of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
As a pastor, I find that there are people who think that I, not just Jesus, should be perfect. Not long ago, I got upset when a basketball game my son was playing in got out of hand and became overly physical and rough. When he was thrown to the ground for the third time, I stated that I thought the call resembled male cow manure… but I didn’t quite say it that way. Someone near heard me and acted as if I had slapped their mama! No, I was not proud. In fact, I apologized, but it didn’t seem to matter. I am a preacher, and for some people that means I should be very close to perfect. I wish that were true, but I and every other preacher out there is just like you… a sinner fallen short. If we in the church can come to grips with our own reality and decide that we have a lot in common with “those sinners” we might be better off and we might have a chance to see Jesus’ church grow.
Who is perfect? Can anyone totally keep the law in both heart and action? That is the question the apostle Paul dealt with in the letter to the Romans 3. Paul says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one…no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin… righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
The reason that I bring out this point is that too many people think that once you become a Christian “you should be perfect.” Either the new Christian feels that somehow they have failed because they have suddenly not changed overnight or the non-Christian believes that Christians see themselves as perfect and others as imperfect and therefore, superior to those who do not attend church. Quite the contrary! Christians struggle with sin each day, for the rest of their lives.
I will never forget one particular Sunday in my early ministry. I had just preached a sermon on sin when a woman came to the door and proudly proclaimed that “she used to sin… but she grew out of it!” To this day I am still not sure just what she thinks sin is! In their book, Un-Christian, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons tell us that this pietistic understanding of Christianity is exactly one of the reasons non-churched people stay away from the church. Self righteousness is a result of a core belief that “good” behavior elevates an individual to a higher status before God. Ironically, that concept is totally wrong and is exactly what Paul says is the gospel. Good works do not matter if they are not a by-product of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
As a pastor, I find that there are people who think that I, not just Jesus, should be perfect. Not long ago, I got upset when a basketball game my son was playing in got out of hand and became overly physical and rough. When he was thrown to the ground for the third time, I stated that I thought the call resembled male cow manure… but I didn’t quite say it that way. Someone near heard me and acted as if I had slapped their mama! No, I was not proud. In fact, I apologized, but it didn’t seem to matter. I am a preacher, and for some people that means I should be very close to perfect. I wish that were true, but I and every other preacher out there is just like you… a sinner fallen short. If we in the church can come to grips with our own reality and decide that we have a lot in common with “those sinners” we might be better off and we might have a chance to see Jesus’ church grow.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Lent… It’s More than that Stuff in Your Bellybutton
This year I have had more people ask me about Lent than ever before. So, I thought you might want to get a quick refresher on the season. Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. It originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a time of preparation for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. The early church of the New Testament observed Lent, believing it to be a commandment from the apostles.
Let me give you some other history. I begin with a celebration many of you enjoyed, Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras (also known as Carnival in some countries) is usually a period of celebration. It was originally a festival before the fasting during the season of Lent. It is celebrated in many places with parades, costumes, dancing, and music. Mardi Gras or Carnival, comes from a Latin phrase meaning "removal of meat," is the three day period preceding the beginning of Lent, the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday immediately before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the Lenten Season. The same three days are also known as Shrovetide ("shrove" is an Old English word meaning "to repent"). Shrove Tuesday is more popularly known by the French term Mardi Gras, meaning "Fat Tuesday," it contrasts the fasting during Lent by emphasizing the need to fill up before fasting. Many churches now observe Mardi Gras with a church pancake meal, eating together as a community before the symbolic fasting of Lent begins.
Ash Wednesday, the seventh Wednesday before Easter Sunday, is the first day of the Season of Lent. The name comes from the ancient practice of placing ashes on worshippers’ heads or foreheads as a sign of humility before God, a symbol of mourning and sorrow at the death that sin brings into the world. It not only prefigures the mourning at the death of Jesus, but also places us on the cross in Jesus’ place. We realize that He was the innocent and we are the guilty, yet grace has saved us from sin and death.
Thus, Lent begins in ashes and it journeys though darkness to the foot of the cross. It is a spiritual pilgrimage that lasts for 40 days (except Sundays). We pray and fast and think about all Jesus did for us. I have heard the passage in 2 Chronicles 7:14 quoted a lot: ". . .if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”Finally Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday as Jesus enters into the city of Jerusalem. The Lenten Season ends with Maundy Thursday (the Last Supper with the disciples), Good Friday (the day of Jesus’ crucifixion), and Holy Saturday (the day Jesus rested in the tomb). Forty days to contemplate the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… the one God who gives us joy, love, life, laughter, and salvation. Forty days to remember that we deserved the cross, not Him. Forty days to praise God and thank God for the radical love that is still with us now. Death has no sting, because God has claimed you as His own. Just so you know!
Let me give you some other history. I begin with a celebration many of you enjoyed, Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras (also known as Carnival in some countries) is usually a period of celebration. It was originally a festival before the fasting during the season of Lent. It is celebrated in many places with parades, costumes, dancing, and music. Mardi Gras or Carnival, comes from a Latin phrase meaning "removal of meat," is the three day period preceding the beginning of Lent, the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday immediately before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the Lenten Season. The same three days are also known as Shrovetide ("shrove" is an Old English word meaning "to repent"). Shrove Tuesday is more popularly known by the French term Mardi Gras, meaning "Fat Tuesday," it contrasts the fasting during Lent by emphasizing the need to fill up before fasting. Many churches now observe Mardi Gras with a church pancake meal, eating together as a community before the symbolic fasting of Lent begins.
Ash Wednesday, the seventh Wednesday before Easter Sunday, is the first day of the Season of Lent. The name comes from the ancient practice of placing ashes on worshippers’ heads or foreheads as a sign of humility before God, a symbol of mourning and sorrow at the death that sin brings into the world. It not only prefigures the mourning at the death of Jesus, but also places us on the cross in Jesus’ place. We realize that He was the innocent and we are the guilty, yet grace has saved us from sin and death.
Thus, Lent begins in ashes and it journeys though darkness to the foot of the cross. It is a spiritual pilgrimage that lasts for 40 days (except Sundays). We pray and fast and think about all Jesus did for us. I have heard the passage in 2 Chronicles 7:14 quoted a lot: ". . .if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”Finally Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday as Jesus enters into the city of Jerusalem. The Lenten Season ends with Maundy Thursday (the Last Supper with the disciples), Good Friday (the day of Jesus’ crucifixion), and Holy Saturday (the day Jesus rested in the tomb). Forty days to contemplate the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… the one God who gives us joy, love, life, laughter, and salvation. Forty days to remember that we deserved the cross, not Him. Forty days to praise God and thank God for the radical love that is still with us now. Death has no sting, because God has claimed you as His own. Just so you know!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Who Cheers for Goliath?
Next week the Super Bowl game will be played in Arizona. Already members of the media have descended upon the city in anticipation of writing or filming the stories, headlines, and special interest pieces. Whether you know it or not, the New England Patriots are playing against the New York Giants this year. The Patriots are undefeated on the season and have already broken the single season win total set by the 1972 Miami Dolphins and look to go 19-0 if they defeat the Giants. The Giants are the Cinderella team that has pulled off an amazing win streak with each victory being on the road. So who do you think has dominated the headlines and been the sheik pick to win the game over the past week? The New York Giants, of course! Why would anyone pick the Giants to win when the Patriots boast the juggernaut offense led by cover-boy Tom Brady and bad-boy turned good-guy Randy Moss? Because no-one cheers for Goliath, that’s why.
The story of the future kind of Israel, David, and his battle with the giant Goliath is told in 1Samuel 17. All the other warriors of Israel looked at the Philistine army and saw the giant Goliath ready to battle in hand-to-hand combat. All of the soldiers were afraid to go out and face this huge man. The Israelites were not “professional” fighters like we think of in today’s army. Many were farmers and merchants who joined in the fight against the enemy armies when needed. Here was Goliath. His armor probably outweighed most of the men. He looked unbeatable. A small boy who had experienced dangerous work watching his father’s sheep, realized that he could defeat the big man. He had killed both a lion and a bear with his own hands and now he could kill Goliath too, but he needed God’s help. He was sure God would help him. He picked up five smooth stones and when he went out to battle Goliath, he loaded his sling with one of the stones and hurled it toward the giant man. When the stone struck its target, it cracked Goliath’s forehead and sent him tumbling down to the ground. David even cut off the giant’s head with the giant’s own sword. All were amazed!
David was an underdog. We love underdogs in our society. Think back to all the underdogs who won big games or events. The USA men’s hockey team in 1980, Buster Douglas defeating Mike Tyson, the New York Jets defeating the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III (Joe Namath guaranteed it), NC State over Houston in men’s basketball in 1983 (my personal favorite), or even this year when division II Appalachian State defeated Michigan in college football. All of these events and movies like Rocky, Hoosiers, and even Star Wars have created a culture of people who cheer for the underdog.
While the boy David was an underdog, we see that throughout the Bible, God seems to be a fan of underdogs who look to Him for help. Moses, Nehemiah, the prophets, Paul, and the early church all were not expected to accomplish much. Even the mighty Roman Empire that put Jesus on the cross would come to worship Him less than 800 years later. Because of God, they all overcame every obstacle placed before them.
Do you feel like the underdog in life? Many people feel that they haven’t gotten the breaks or the opportunities that would make them better. That is a harsh truth in our society, but you have an advocate… God. God loves you dearly and while that might not get you a raise at work or a supermodel girlfriend or boyfriend, it will gain you release from the worries that any of that has any real importance. We give thanks for God’s love and mercy and know that it is by grace and not our actions that we are loved. We seek God’s will and not your own in an effort to know God and be obedient disciples.
If you like the Dallas Cowboys or any other team in the NFC East, how could you pull for the Giants? It is a difficult decision, but what choice do I have? So who cheers for Goliath? Next Sunday, it will be me…Go PATRIOTS!
The story of the future kind of Israel, David, and his battle with the giant Goliath is told in 1Samuel 17. All the other warriors of Israel looked at the Philistine army and saw the giant Goliath ready to battle in hand-to-hand combat. All of the soldiers were afraid to go out and face this huge man. The Israelites were not “professional” fighters like we think of in today’s army. Many were farmers and merchants who joined in the fight against the enemy armies when needed. Here was Goliath. His armor probably outweighed most of the men. He looked unbeatable. A small boy who had experienced dangerous work watching his father’s sheep, realized that he could defeat the big man. He had killed both a lion and a bear with his own hands and now he could kill Goliath too, but he needed God’s help. He was sure God would help him. He picked up five smooth stones and when he went out to battle Goliath, he loaded his sling with one of the stones and hurled it toward the giant man. When the stone struck its target, it cracked Goliath’s forehead and sent him tumbling down to the ground. David even cut off the giant’s head with the giant’s own sword. All were amazed!
David was an underdog. We love underdogs in our society. Think back to all the underdogs who won big games or events. The USA men’s hockey team in 1980, Buster Douglas defeating Mike Tyson, the New York Jets defeating the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III (Joe Namath guaranteed it), NC State over Houston in men’s basketball in 1983 (my personal favorite), or even this year when division II Appalachian State defeated Michigan in college football. All of these events and movies like Rocky, Hoosiers, and even Star Wars have created a culture of people who cheer for the underdog.
While the boy David was an underdog, we see that throughout the Bible, God seems to be a fan of underdogs who look to Him for help. Moses, Nehemiah, the prophets, Paul, and the early church all were not expected to accomplish much. Even the mighty Roman Empire that put Jesus on the cross would come to worship Him less than 800 years later. Because of God, they all overcame every obstacle placed before them.
Do you feel like the underdog in life? Many people feel that they haven’t gotten the breaks or the opportunities that would make them better. That is a harsh truth in our society, but you have an advocate… God. God loves you dearly and while that might not get you a raise at work or a supermodel girlfriend or boyfriend, it will gain you release from the worries that any of that has any real importance. We give thanks for God’s love and mercy and know that it is by grace and not our actions that we are loved. We seek God’s will and not your own in an effort to know God and be obedient disciples.
If you like the Dallas Cowboys or any other team in the NFC East, how could you pull for the Giants? It is a difficult decision, but what choice do I have? So who cheers for Goliath? Next Sunday, it will be me…Go PATRIOTS!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The Gospel Is Not One Bit Legalistic
How’s your New Year going so far? Are you feeling anxious because you know the credit card bill is coming in the mail? Did you do enough at Christmas… give enough… too much… did you give the “right” gift… did it all go well? All these are questions you may ask yourself after the holidays. All too often we expect a great deal out of ourselves. This sometimes leads us to question what we have done and what we have left un-done. Everyone has shortcomings and yet sometimes we simply wish we could do it all. And we feel guilty when we can’t get it all done. Even in our faith life, if we could just “do more” then it will be enough.
I recently read an article by Dr. Roy Gane. He addresses our overt need to live up to others expectations and our own. We live in a society where performing well is praised and failing is frowned upon. He says that from the time we are children, we are taught lessons about “getting it all done.” Many people fall into the trap of believing that their entire self worth is wrapped up in living up to “a standard.” It is likely engrained into our subconscious that we just aren’t doing enough. This is just another form of legalism. Jesus attacks such legalism in Matthew 5:17-18 by saying that He “has come not to abolish the Law but to fulfill the Law.” Also this in Ephesians 2:8 by saying, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
People of Jesus’ day and ours get caught up in legalism. In other words, rather than the Law protecting people and serving them, the Law was used to oppress some people.
Gane names two common ways that we get caught up in legalism. This occurs when there is a latching onto non-essential views and creating an elitist atmosphere for those who agree and condemnation for those who don’t. I am reminded of a story about a little girl whose Grandfather told her that Sunday’s were made for worship and she should be prayerful and slow. The child walked by a horse in a fence. The horse had his eyes closed and looked relaxed, the girl shouted, “Old fella… you must be a good Christian horse!” In other words, if you don’t act accordingly, you must not have the right faith. The second form of legalism is that of having works righteousness or what I call “a get-of- hell-free card” in your pocket (if you have ever played the game of Monopoly you know what I am talking about). That is when someone actually believes that if they are “good” God will be happy and welcome them into heaven. Obedience to God is not simply living by lots of rules.
The answer lies in the fact that we all, no matter what we do, fall short. But, we really don’t get what we deserve… God’s wrath. We get what we do not deserve and that is grace, forgiveness, and love. The problem with any form of legalism is that we hear a false gospel. God’s love is not dependent on our obedience or lack thereof. It is legalism that causes the Pharisee to be proud in the presence of a tax collector. It is legalism that causes a missionary in Africa to believe that God is more pleased with him than the businessman in America. It is legalism that causes the Christian in the pew to feel superior to the golfer on the tee. And it is legalism that causes the preacher to think God is more pleased with him than with the tatooed woman sitting in the bar.
The truth again… God loves you and is wholly and completely in love with you. You are the child God always wanted and God has made each of us pure, not by our work, but by the work of Christ on the cross. Christ’s blood shed for us all is the gospel. We are loved. That is why we want to be obedient, because God first loved us and we are so thankful. Examine yourself and rely totally upon Christ. May you be blessed and freed by reading this message! Until next time, in Christ!
I recently read an article by Dr. Roy Gane. He addresses our overt need to live up to others expectations and our own. We live in a society where performing well is praised and failing is frowned upon. He says that from the time we are children, we are taught lessons about “getting it all done.” Many people fall into the trap of believing that their entire self worth is wrapped up in living up to “a standard.” It is likely engrained into our subconscious that we just aren’t doing enough. This is just another form of legalism. Jesus attacks such legalism in Matthew 5:17-18 by saying that He “has come not to abolish the Law but to fulfill the Law.” Also this in Ephesians 2:8 by saying, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
People of Jesus’ day and ours get caught up in legalism. In other words, rather than the Law protecting people and serving them, the Law was used to oppress some people.
Gane names two common ways that we get caught up in legalism. This occurs when there is a latching onto non-essential views and creating an elitist atmosphere for those who agree and condemnation for those who don’t. I am reminded of a story about a little girl whose Grandfather told her that Sunday’s were made for worship and she should be prayerful and slow. The child walked by a horse in a fence. The horse had his eyes closed and looked relaxed, the girl shouted, “Old fella… you must be a good Christian horse!” In other words, if you don’t act accordingly, you must not have the right faith. The second form of legalism is that of having works righteousness or what I call “a get-of- hell-free card” in your pocket (if you have ever played the game of Monopoly you know what I am talking about). That is when someone actually believes that if they are “good” God will be happy and welcome them into heaven. Obedience to God is not simply living by lots of rules.
The answer lies in the fact that we all, no matter what we do, fall short. But, we really don’t get what we deserve… God’s wrath. We get what we do not deserve and that is grace, forgiveness, and love. The problem with any form of legalism is that we hear a false gospel. God’s love is not dependent on our obedience or lack thereof. It is legalism that causes the Pharisee to be proud in the presence of a tax collector. It is legalism that causes a missionary in Africa to believe that God is more pleased with him than the businessman in America. It is legalism that causes the Christian in the pew to feel superior to the golfer on the tee. And it is legalism that causes the preacher to think God is more pleased with him than with the tatooed woman sitting in the bar.
The truth again… God loves you and is wholly and completely in love with you. You are the child God always wanted and God has made each of us pure, not by our work, but by the work of Christ on the cross. Christ’s blood shed for us all is the gospel. We are loved. That is why we want to be obedient, because God first loved us and we are so thankful. Examine yourself and rely totally upon Christ. May you be blessed and freed by reading this message! Until next time, in Christ!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Will We Choose Jesus After Christmas?
By the age of twelve, both of my parents had died. Fortunately, I have two older sisters, both of whom were willing to take me in. I settled into life with one of them, Judy and her husband, Charles. I was not adopted, but to some degree that is what happened. There is a deep and abiding love when you adopt someone.
That had to be the way Joseph, the father of Jesus, felt. He knew the child was not his, yet he became the boy’s father. In the biblical account of Matthew 1:18-25, we find that Joseph is perplexed about how to handle his situation. At first he decides to divorce Mary. In those days, Jewish marriages had three stages. First, the families would have agreed to the marriage. Second, the marriage would have been made public (this is the stage Joseph and Mary are in at this point in the story). And finally, the marriage would have been completed with a ceremony. The text says, “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly” Had Joseph made a fuss, Mary might well have been accused of adultery and stoned to death. Even if he felt betrayed, he still cared enough for her to dismiss her quietly. It is likely that he would have continued through with the marriage and later gotten a divorce paper from a Pharisee or Sadducee as the Law required.
But God knew Joseph and wanted him to be Jesus’ earthly father. God sent an angel to tell Joseph about the miraculous birth and that Mary had been faithful to him. Would Joseph listen to his dream about the angel or would he do as he had planned. The Bible says, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Joseph did not hesitate. He listened to the angel and was obedient.
At our church, we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday celebration. It was festive and joyful as we sang Christmas songs, watched kids dress in bathrobes and sheets to reenact the birth of Jesus, and filled the sanctuary with light as we lit each other’s Christmas Eve candle. But… now what???
Just like Joseph, we must move forward. As any parent knows… having the baby is only the beginning of the work. Now comes the dirty diapers, feedings at 3 a.m., and overall care of the child. So too, the church, the body of Christ, must be cared for. There is worship to plan, education events for kids and adults, fellowship dinners, maintenance to do and so many other things that are not glamorous or always fun… but needed. I think about those who only attend at Christmas and Easter and I guess they don’t really get it. Caring for the Christ child isn’t simply done at His birth or the event of His death. It is a year round, life-long, commitment. Not one of drudgery, but a commitment of thankfulness for the new life and the joy that Christ brings. Our love for Him is slight compared to His love for us. Will you take Jesus into your home after Christmas?Will you love Him and care for Him? I pray that you will.
That had to be the way Joseph, the father of Jesus, felt. He knew the child was not his, yet he became the boy’s father. In the biblical account of Matthew 1:18-25, we find that Joseph is perplexed about how to handle his situation. At first he decides to divorce Mary. In those days, Jewish marriages had three stages. First, the families would have agreed to the marriage. Second, the marriage would have been made public (this is the stage Joseph and Mary are in at this point in the story). And finally, the marriage would have been completed with a ceremony. The text says, “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly” Had Joseph made a fuss, Mary might well have been accused of adultery and stoned to death. Even if he felt betrayed, he still cared enough for her to dismiss her quietly. It is likely that he would have continued through with the marriage and later gotten a divorce paper from a Pharisee or Sadducee as the Law required.
But God knew Joseph and wanted him to be Jesus’ earthly father. God sent an angel to tell Joseph about the miraculous birth and that Mary had been faithful to him. Would Joseph listen to his dream about the angel or would he do as he had planned. The Bible says, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Joseph did not hesitate. He listened to the angel and was obedient.
At our church, we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday celebration. It was festive and joyful as we sang Christmas songs, watched kids dress in bathrobes and sheets to reenact the birth of Jesus, and filled the sanctuary with light as we lit each other’s Christmas Eve candle. But… now what???
Just like Joseph, we must move forward. As any parent knows… having the baby is only the beginning of the work. Now comes the dirty diapers, feedings at 3 a.m., and overall care of the child. So too, the church, the body of Christ, must be cared for. There is worship to plan, education events for kids and adults, fellowship dinners, maintenance to do and so many other things that are not glamorous or always fun… but needed. I think about those who only attend at Christmas and Easter and I guess they don’t really get it. Caring for the Christ child isn’t simply done at His birth or the event of His death. It is a year round, life-long, commitment. Not one of drudgery, but a commitment of thankfulness for the new life and the joy that Christ brings. Our love for Him is slight compared to His love for us. Will you take Jesus into your home after Christmas?Will you love Him and care for Him? I pray that you will.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)