I, for one, miss the old church pews. Those time worn vestiges of an earlier age firmly bolted to sanctuary floors. Sadly, modern church sanctuaries resemble movie theaters. Cushioned seats that neatly recline spaced to ensure that the faithful are appropriately separated. Make no mistake, wooden pews can be exceedingly uncomfortable. Given a long-winded preacher or an organist intent on singing all 18 verses of the original Charles Wesley Hymn, “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” the experience can be quite discomforting. Perhaps God’s Spirit was sending us a message in those hard wooden pews. Church is not about sitting down and listening. It is about leaving the pew to witness and proclaim the Good News. In those uncomfortable pews, disciples were nurtured, and prepared to be sent forth. Today, we rest in our comfortable chairs; we need to rediscover that “pew mentality.” Now that is genuinely Good News. Blessings, Pastor Tom Matthew 28:16-20 Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally. Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” Let us be honest. We all secretly harbor an unforgivable act. It may not be a matter of criminality. It could be a simple error born of arrogance, fear, or unbridled anger. Or it is the never absent memory of the emotional pain that we inflicted on someone we claimed to have loved. The act may be remembered only in the recesses of our consciousness. But the consequent guilt can never be stilled. It is that insidious guilt that keeps us from experiencing the fullness of God’s grace inspired forgiveness and mercy. That sense of unspeakable peace that flows from Jesus Christ. We seek to justify, to nullify, and to subjugate our guilt. Sadly, our human condition renders it impossible to believe that God has already forgiven our transgressions. Yet, to enter that freeing sense of divine mercy, we need to own our guilt. To substituting charitable deeds or empty rationalizations for an honest relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Then and only then can we stand before the Cross and allow God’s grace to fill our hearts. Now that is genuinely Good News. Blessings, Pastor Tom Psalm 46:1-3 & 10-11 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Mercy is a word that we use so often when we are describing our God. “He is merciful”. “Grant us mercy”. “May the Lord have mercy upon you”. The word mercy is used 174 times in the Bible. Mercy relates to forgiveness or withholding punishment. In Psalm 52 we are told that the mercy of God is not only an encouragement to trust, but the object of it, that is the grace and goodness of God in Jesus Christ which endures continually. The spiritual works of mercy address the needs of peoples’ minds, hearts and souls. We can show mercy in the following ways: 1. Admonish the sinner (give correction to those who need it) 2. Instruct the ignorant (share our knowledge with others) 3. Council the doubtful (give advise to those who need it) 4. Comfort the sorrowful (comfort those who suffer) 5. Bear wrongs patiently (be patient with others) 6. Forgive all injuries (forgive those who hurt us) 7. Pray for the living and the dead Psalm 52:8-9 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the faithfulness of God forever and ever. I will praise You forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones. 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. Some come to kneel and pray. Others simply stand transfixed by immensity of human
suffering played out on the Wall. No-one who visits the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C leaves unaffected. Countless names etched in stone. A solemn tribute that eloquently, though silently, memorializes the rare human virtue of self sacrifice. Personal sacrifice offered in defense of liberty, self determination, and country. Sacrifice offered not to idealize death or lionize the exigencies of war, but to protect and preserve the foundational principals of liberty and justice. Memorial Day is a time to remember the idea of sacrifice. And, to do so in ways that honor the totality of human sacrifice that war evokes. For each combatant felled on the field of battle there is a continuum of loss that transcends an individual life. Indeed the sacrifices of war are never isolated. The loss of a single woman or man due to the ravages of human conflict burdens the psyche of an entire nation. This Memorial Day we need to honor our fallen heroes. We need, as well, to consider the true meaning of sacrifice. Sacrifice is the willingness to offer one’s life in pursuit of a greater universal good. No reasonable human being desires war nor welcomes the prospect of death. Yet, those we honor on this Memorial Day were willing to accept the enduring possibility of death as a consequence of their service. Each time I walk through Salem Cemetery I am humbled by the number of veterans who rest on that solemn ground. Salem Cemetery is the final resting place for veterans from the War of 1812 to the present day. One can only imagine the sacrifices that these individuals and their families made to defend our nation and affirm the rights of all people to enjoy the privileges of democracy. It is often said that faith and war should never intersect. Perhaps that is true. However, it is not unreasonable to see within the ministry, suffering, death and Resurrection of our Lord the purest example of self sacrifice. It is, no doubt, that glorious example that instills the virtue of sacrifice in the hearts of women and men. Amid the festivities of Memorial Day weekend take time to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for those who were willing to face death to preserve the freedoms that we embrace today. Take a walk through Salem Cemetery to reflect on the courage of those veterans and their families who now rest in eternal peace. Finally, pray that God’s Holy Spirit will guide the leaders of this world to seek peace, to do justice and to walk humbly with God. Blessings, Pastor Tom We have all said the Lord’s Prayer countless times. So often, in fact, that those storied words of praise, petition, and challenge may have become simple rote repetitions. However, within that prayer there is a radical affirmation. God’s will is to be lived on earth. Right here, right now in each of our lives God’s will is to be witnessed. That is the fundamental and inescapable call on the heart of every follower of Jesus Christ. To be builders of God’s Kingdom on earth. That is no easy task. How is the divine will to be experienced within the context of contemporary life? Perhaps an apt starting point is to look at the world through God’s eyes. What does one see that is contrary to God’s good creation? And, how does one respond? Only God’s Holy Spirit can answer that question. But, God’s Holy Spirit will. Now, that is genuinely Good News. Blessings, Pastor Tom Luke 11:1-4
For the Apostle Paul, recognizing and accepting the difference that Christ makes in one’s life is a fundamental underpinning of discipleship. Unless Christ ushers in radical and transforming change in an individual life, then Christianity is either ancient history or mere platitudes. We can’t abide either. Scripture reveals that Christ makes a true difference. Yet, if we accept that premise, what difference do we make? Are we prepared to emulate Christ? Is our world view formed not by partisan politics or normative cultural values but by Christ and Christ alone? If we affirm that Christ makes a difference then are we not called to make a difference as well, After all we are the body of Christ. Now that is genuinely Good News, Blessings, Pastor Tom John 13:31-35 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
October 2022
Categories |