"Life began for Abraham at age 70", writes Eugene Pederson in The Way of Jesus. I know I don't want to wait until I'm in my 70's to do something significant with my life or to have some kind of impact in the Kingdom of God, but Pastor Harley says we have to ask the right question. It's not what can I do for God, but what is God doing and what's my part? You might say, God is a 'live-stream' and we jump into it and get involved with what God is accomplishing. And it's more than positive-thinking says Pastor Harley, it's thinking Godly.
Paul is reviewing the life of Abraham, on his journey into faith, who was not alone in his quest for faith. One time God intervened, and alerted an agnostic king who was about to sleep with Abraham's wife. Abraham lied, and told the king, Abimelech, that Sarah was his sister. In spite of his doubts, God used Abraham mightily - he was a father of many nations. What is remarkable about this is that Sarah was childless until she was very old, past her child-bearing years. Actually she was at least 90 years old when she bore her first son, Isaac. For Abraham, having his own family looked impossible, it was impossible. But God promised the impossible and made good on it.
"Plug into the success of all eternity."
Excerpts from Pastor Harley's sermon 3.18.11 Romans 4:1-5; 13-17
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Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Ways and Means
You might say the Ways and Means Committee gives us a charge in Matthew 28:
“Go out and train everyone you meet far and near in this way of life.”
When you read an instruction manual, sometimes you might have trouble understanding the next step - it just doesn't make sense, and you wonder, "Did I miss a step?" Or you may have trouble hearing the person giving you instructions over the phone. But it’s very different when you have a person right next to you, in the flesh, going through each step. Here is Jesus who shows us the way, who is The Way. He is the center.
We are all very different and unique – extremely unique, and God speaks to every one of us, in every different culture. He has a way for us. There are so many possibilities and ideas within cultures throughout the world, but we can watch Jesus because He has A Way. He uses concepts everyone can deal with and understand. For example, He tells stories using water, a rock, a fish, and grain.
Now Jesus says to think of Him as the Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7). And He also tells us how to treat the world – there’s hunger, so take what you have and feed them (Mark 8:5). When people came to try and trap Him and get him into trouble with the law, Jesus said, “Give me a coin.” And there was Caesar, so Jesus said to give Caesar what’s his and to God, what is His (Luke 20:25).
Jesus also said not to get caught up in critiquing the different ways of expression, when He said, “If they’re not against us, they’re for us!” (Mark 9:40)
Beginning this past Wednesday, for 40 days, Christianity denies themselves to try and remember what God did for them. It is the way of love.
This is an excerpt from a sermon dated 3/06/11
“Go out and train everyone you meet far and near in this way of life.”
When you read an instruction manual, sometimes you might have trouble understanding the next step - it just doesn't make sense, and you wonder, "Did I miss a step?" Or you may have trouble hearing the person giving you instructions over the phone. But it’s very different when you have a person right next to you, in the flesh, going through each step. Here is Jesus who shows us the way, who is The Way. He is the center.
We are all very different and unique – extremely unique, and God speaks to every one of us, in every different culture. He has a way for us. There are so many possibilities and ideas within cultures throughout the world, but we can watch Jesus because He has A Way. He uses concepts everyone can deal with and understand. For example, He tells stories using water, a rock, a fish, and grain.
Now Jesus says to think of Him as the Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7). And He also tells us how to treat the world – there’s hunger, so take what you have and feed them (Mark 8:5). When people came to try and trap Him and get him into trouble with the law, Jesus said, “Give me a coin.” And there was Caesar, so Jesus said to give Caesar what’s his and to God, what is His (Luke 20:25).
Jesus also said not to get caught up in critiquing the different ways of expression, when He said, “If they’re not against us, they’re for us!” (Mark 9:40)
Beginning this past Wednesday, for 40 days, Christianity denies themselves to try and remember what God did for them. It is the way of love.
This is an excerpt from a sermon dated 3/06/11
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Quest For Freedom
Egypt isn't the only place struggling under the chaos of oppression and the inspiration found in the pursuit of freedom. I watched an extraordinary production of Les Miserables this week-end and was stirred to think similar events of revolutionary proportions are occurring around the globe.
Peterson describes revolution as "holy" - to sum it up: something spiritually blazing and extravagant and glorious. He was talking specifically about the French Revolution, even though he had little idea of what was involved in an actual revolution. After he had been pastor for a few years, it came to him after observing people in his congregations that holy was to Christian what revolution was to the French in the 18th century, the energy that created a community of free men and women plunged into a new life.
Apart from the death and all the suffering, revolution looks inviting especially if it creates a new community. But it's not without cost.
Peterson describes revolution as "holy" - to sum it up: something spiritually blazing and extravagant and glorious. He was talking specifically about the French Revolution, even though he had little idea of what was involved in an actual revolution. After he had been pastor for a few years, it came to him after observing people in his congregations that holy was to Christian what revolution was to the French in the 18th century, the energy that created a community of free men and women plunged into a new life.
Apart from the death and all the suffering, revolution looks inviting especially if it creates a new community. But it's not without cost.
Monday, February 28, 2011
A Corinthian Lifestyle
Paul has written a letter in 1 Corinthians, chapter one, to a church he began on a small, 4 mile isthmus, connecting the north and south parts of Greece together. It was small in size, but Corinth had a big reputation for serving up a good time to rich merchants and sailors. Every nation in the civilized world, Arabia, Phoenicia, Libya, Babylonia, Cilicia, Lycao and Phrygia all had reason to visit this small, but very important piece of property, because it linked them to Rome. Instead of sailing around Italy, sailors saved 202 miles by hauling boats and their goods across Corinth, and launching them on the other side of the island. Corinth had much to offer a tired, hungry and lonely sailor. There was the temple of Aphrodite that loomed above Corinth, on the hill of the Acropolis, home to the goddess of love and her 1000 sacred prostitutes. But there was nothing sacred about their evening journey to work their sex trade on the streets of Corinth.
Paul is addressing certain actions that are everywhere evident in our culture today. I don’t know about your town, but we have more bars than grocery stores, only 50% of our teens graduate from high school (CASA 2010), and there are a host of habits and addictions keeping us from holy. I like the way Eugene Peterson decribes holy in Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, as something blazing - a community bonfire. But is there a desire to be holy in our culture today? We want heroes and idols, but do we want holy?
Paul is addressing certain actions that are everywhere evident in our culture today. I don’t know about your town, but we have more bars than grocery stores, only 50% of our teens graduate from high school (CASA 2010), and there are a host of habits and addictions keeping us from holy. I like the way Eugene Peterson decribes holy in Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, as something blazing - a community bonfire. But is there a desire to be holy in our culture today? We want heroes and idols, but do we want holy?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
History Repeats Itself Again
It’s not the first time Egyptians have been oppressed. Possibly, sometime between 1300-1200 BC Moses was given charge over approximately 1.5 million complaining people. They were oppressed by Egyptian leadership. The book of Exodus describes a God who saw this evil oppression and was intensely personal in His response. He hears their cry in the midst of their oppression and comes down to rescue and deliver them from the power of the corrupt Egyptian leadership. God also gave them a picture of where they were going – into a land that was already occupied. They will have to fight to get it back. It could be described as a '12-step' plan. This didn't happen overnight. Like an alcoholic who has given over the land of his mind, body and soul to consumption, he must fight and battle his way back to possess the territory of his heart. Once again, Egyptians are fighting oppression and I hope and pray they receive their land.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
"Write With Precision and Restraint"
This week on PBS Newshour, Art Beat, Journalist and Author, Roger Rosenblatt talked about his new book, Unless it Moves The Heart, The Craft and Art of Writing. He believes that what we write must be useful to the world, and it’s important, because what we write can make suffering endurable, evil intelligible, justice desirable and love possible. He is teaching the craft of writing because he wants to give himself to others for an hour or two each week, and encourages others to do the same – give to others.
The noun he says is important. Emerson said the noun carries its own power, and Twain said a writer must find the right word, because it’s the difference between the lightening bug and the lightening. And so Rosenblatt tells his students that they are in the lightening business, and so, strive for anticipation rather than surprise, imagination rather than invention and make the world better. He calls this the ultimate definition of useful.
The noun he says is important. Emerson said the noun carries its own power, and Twain said a writer must find the right word, because it’s the difference between the lightening bug and the lightening. And so Rosenblatt tells his students that they are in the lightening business, and so, strive for anticipation rather than surprise, imagination rather than invention and make the world better. He calls this the ultimate definition of useful.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
God At Work
It was a small, intimate gathering of fellow bloggers. We meet monthly to be encouraged and enriched in our blogging endeavors. We learn about various tools our instructor explains and sometimes demonstrates for us, giving us examples about writing inside our blogs. And we are introduced to ideas, lots of ideas about why we blog, the importance of sharing our passions, and even serving the community with the writing in our blogs.
But tonight was special. We were wrapping it up, going past our 2 hours which is easy to do, even with busy schedules and other priorities screaming for our attention. And then it happened. Our attention was brought to something higher than ourselves, way beyond this drive to write out the surf on our creative edge. It began when our instructor just wanted to be thankful. She reviewed how God spared her daughter from harm after she had been mugged recently. She was not injured, and after finding some of the cards in her purse that were thrown on the ground, accounts were closed and nothing was lost. Even though she was quite shaken, there was someone at work on her behalf that night that brought hope to a rejoicing mother. When her daughter ran back to the restaurant for help, one of her customers had given her daughter a hand-written note containing $50, announcing that it was the help of God that brought her back safe and unharmed. We were all recognizing God at work in different ways in our lives, and then our attention was turned to confessions of our fellow bloggers’ practice of praying. She talked of her preoccupation of communing with God in the mornings. Often after her morning prayers, she would hover in the silence during the next moments, waiting and listening for a response spoken in a language only her heart could understand, telling her that God did indeed hear her prayers. When she mentioned a list of names she had a habit of praying for everyday, our instructor asked if her name was on that list. Oh who wouldn’t want to be on her prayer-list! It was like listening to Mother Teresa revealing secrets to partaking in the divine! And then as some of us were heading for home, I was struck by this rare phenomenon. I wish it wasn’t so uncommon, but how often do we hear people rejoicing over the things that God is doing? It was sweet and holy and very special.
But tonight was special. We were wrapping it up, going past our 2 hours which is easy to do, even with busy schedules and other priorities screaming for our attention. And then it happened. Our attention was brought to something higher than ourselves, way beyond this drive to write out the surf on our creative edge. It began when our instructor just wanted to be thankful. She reviewed how God spared her daughter from harm after she had been mugged recently. She was not injured, and after finding some of the cards in her purse that were thrown on the ground, accounts were closed and nothing was lost. Even though she was quite shaken, there was someone at work on her behalf that night that brought hope to a rejoicing mother. When her daughter ran back to the restaurant for help, one of her customers had given her daughter a hand-written note containing $50, announcing that it was the help of God that brought her back safe and unharmed. We were all recognizing God at work in different ways in our lives, and then our attention was turned to confessions of our fellow bloggers’ practice of praying. She talked of her preoccupation of communing with God in the mornings. Often after her morning prayers, she would hover in the silence during the next moments, waiting and listening for a response spoken in a language only her heart could understand, telling her that God did indeed hear her prayers. When she mentioned a list of names she had a habit of praying for everyday, our instructor asked if her name was on that list. Oh who wouldn’t want to be on her prayer-list! It was like listening to Mother Teresa revealing secrets to partaking in the divine! And then as some of us were heading for home, I was struck by this rare phenomenon. I wish it wasn’t so uncommon, but how often do we hear people rejoicing over the things that God is doing? It was sweet and holy and very special.
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