It is reassuring to know that Jesus laughed. The masterful storyteller who spoke truth to power in parables full of irony, satire, parody, and surprise endings. One can imagine the scene. Jesus, with a wry smile on His face, regaling people, including His own disciples, with tales of careless sowers, weeds that look like wheat, and mustard seeds. These were not dry theological lectures or boring sermons. Jesus used humor to make important and life transforming revelations of God’s Kingdom. And, to point out the hypocrisy, deception, and ultimate demise of the world made by human hands. The parables remind us that Jesus walked among God’s people as a human being. Yes, he laughed. He also argued with his unlikely band of followers, wept, prayed, and suffered. He is, of course, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, and the Savior of humankind. Yet, in Jesus’ humanity we have a Savior and Lord who not only knows the travails of human life, but experienced the very trials, tribulations, joys, and heartbreaks that play out each day on the canvasses of our lives. Now, that is a reason to smile and, perhaps, even laugh. Blessings, Pastor Tom Matthew 13: 31-33 & 44-52 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches. He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied. He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” We all know those storied lyrics. Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. True, absolute freedom is the absence of all ties that bind, define and/or illumine one’s life. No living person can ever experience complete freedom. Now there are those theologically minded folks who see ultimate freedom in the moment of death. I concur that the act of physical death presents a never before sensed feeling of rising above the constraints of suffering, human doubt, and fear. The Epistles speak a great deal about freedom. The Apostle Paul was very careful to avoid setting forth the idea that freedom in Christ implied a life without standards or clear codes of moral behavior. Freedom gained through the atoning work of the Cross is a different kind of freedom. A freeing of the soul from those things that impede and often fully deny a grace insured relationship with God. It is not an abandonment of personal communal responsibility. It is an opening of the human heart to the work of God’s Kingdom. That is genuinely Good News. Blessings, Pastor Tom Galatians 5:13-16 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. The tragic events in Uvalde Texas have wounded our national psyche. Wounds that are deep, pervasive, and inexplicable. Human reason simply cannot comprehend the death of innocents, particularly children. At times of unspeakable tragedy, the voices of partisanship and popular culture are quick to be raised. But, what about the voice of the Church ? We certainly cannot answer with any sure certainty why tragedies happen absent motive or rational. We can answer that we serve a God who fully understands human suffering, loss and even death. We can ensure that God’s hand will be felt through acts of compassion, generosity, and an unshakeable commitment to social justice. Most importantly, we can work to continue to build God’s Kingdom in this world. There are no easy answers. Yet, we must without exception stand against hate, and hate fueled actions. In truth we live in a Good Friday world. Yet, we are an Easter people. Now that is genuinely Good News. Blessings, Pastor Tom Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us This Sunday is Pentecost. In communal prayer, the Church of Jesus Christ celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the first Apostles. Amid the language of a mighty wind and tongues of fire an important message is often obscured. Put simply, the Holy Spirit works through human hearts, hands, and minds. Through all of Scripture, God’s message and God’s actions to renew creation are carried forward through the labors of women and men. Yet, we pastors rarely speak of the Holy Spirit in that context. Perhaps our reticence in that regard is derived from some faulty assumptions. Assumptions about what it implies when we say we are the Church of Jesus Christ. And, assumption about our own ability to witness God’s reconciling grace to the world. We no doubt hesitate to hear God’s Holy Spirit because we are afraid to fail. This Pentecost let us refocus ourselves as Church to be open and willing to experience the Holy Spirit. Most importantly, let us be willing to pursue God’s mission in this world. Now that is genuinely Good News. Blessings, Pastor Tom Acts 2:16-17 Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young will see visions. Your elders will dream dreams. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
October 2022
Categories |