The minutes of the latest church council meeting are up. Click through to peruse them in their entirety.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The End Time and Generations
Another question came into the e-mail inbox today, this one regarding Sunday's Gospel from Mark 13 and the end times. At issue is Mark 13:30 when Jesus, after describing the suffering of the world and the Son of Man coming in glory, says:
Some folks over the years have used this verse as proof that the Bible is false. "The guy said that the end would come in the lifetime of those dudes. It didn't. He was wrong. End of story." Obviously this is a little unsatisfying.
In response others have opted out with the old, "Well...you don't have to believe every word in order to get the message." This is just as unsatisfying. If we're just going to pick and choose what we consider true in the Bible then why have it at all? Why not just consult our instinct or some other source that's easier for us to accept?
I would offer the caveat that this is probably not the most important thing that Jesus said. We could get along just fine never understanding its real meaning and we may have to! I wouldn't hinge my entire faith on this one statement. But neither am I willing to just throw it out or ignore it. Jesus said it. There has to be some reason and truth to it. What could that be? Is there a way this statement could be true and literal even if the world didn't end before 100 AD?
One approach involves personal experience. We haven't seen the end of the world yet as a group but plenty of individuals have seen the end of their world since Jesus spoke those words...as we all will sooner or later. What happens to us when our world ends? At the moment we enter eternity time ceases to be an issue for us. When we die the very next experience we have, blending seamlessly with our lives, is exactly the one Jesus describes: seeing him come in glory. To the living--those still on their journey--time passes in the interim. Therefore we say Jesus has not come yet. Not so for the departed. They don't have a "yet" anymore! Those who have died are touching eternity. They can see eternity. They are experiencing eternity. Therefore God has already come to them even though he's still in our future...or at least what we perceive as "future". (Eternity doesn't really have a future as we think about it, you see. All times are one when you touch it. Now...later...it's all the same.) This is a wicked pretzel to think your way through since we can't possibly grasp what touching eternity does, our current minds and eyes being so limited. But it does offer the possibility that what Jesus was saying to his followers literally came true for them, as it does for each of us. The world did end for them and it will for us, exactly like you have said in your question. This would also explain why he couldn't explain it better! He'd have just left us scratching our heads more!
A somewhat easier explanation is that Jesus was defining "generation" differently than we think. We tend to define generations--and indeed our lives--by two things: time and family. We say a new generation comes along every twenty years or so. We say that a grandfather is in a distinct generation from the father who is in a distinct generation from the son. Jesus defines generation by God's Word and grace instead of our own mortality or time limitations. When Jesus rose again after being crucified he changed the world...re-creating it every bit as much as Adam and Eve re-created it when they bit the fruit. Everything they ruined he redeemed. Everything they scuttled he saved. Therefore he inaugurated a new generation, or "age" if you will, of the world: the age when God's salvation was truly revealed, his Word fully explained, his victory truly won. Everybody before Jesus' time had been waiting for the Messiah. Everybody since has seen him! Therefore when Jesus says, "this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened" he means, "This is it! You've now seen everything you need to in order to understand God's plan. There isn't another age or another development to come after this except the end and the final coming of heaven."
This generation--this new age--created by his death and resurrection will never fail or die out up until the very last day. His Word will not fail. We will never know a time when it is not with us...when he is not with us. This was true of his followers and our great-great-grandparents. It was true of our own parents and it's true of us. It will be true for our children and for all the children that follow after until the roll is complete. We no longer belong to different generations. God's children are no longer divided by age or time. We are united in a single, larger family, one giant generation in the history of the world defined and united by his Word, his love, and his saving act for us. It's no accident that right after Mark 13:30 comes verse 31...
The promise Jesus made to his followers continues today, even when those particular followers are long gone. It's become much larger and stronger and truer than they ever could have understood or believed. And it will keep going until we all see the end together and get to celebrate its goodness.
Keep sending those questions along if you have them!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.The question at hand:
What does this mean? Doesn't this 30th verse mean that the end of times will happen in our lifetime, or--weirder still--back in their lives?Yeah...this is on my list of "What exactly did you mean here?" questions for Jesus when we see him. I wish he would have taken time to explain a little more clearly!
Some folks over the years have used this verse as proof that the Bible is false. "The guy said that the end would come in the lifetime of those dudes. It didn't. He was wrong. End of story." Obviously this is a little unsatisfying.
In response others have opted out with the old, "Well...you don't have to believe every word in order to get the message." This is just as unsatisfying. If we're just going to pick and choose what we consider true in the Bible then why have it at all? Why not just consult our instinct or some other source that's easier for us to accept?
I would offer the caveat that this is probably not the most important thing that Jesus said. We could get along just fine never understanding its real meaning and we may have to! I wouldn't hinge my entire faith on this one statement. But neither am I willing to just throw it out or ignore it. Jesus said it. There has to be some reason and truth to it. What could that be? Is there a way this statement could be true and literal even if the world didn't end before 100 AD?
One approach involves personal experience. We haven't seen the end of the world yet as a group but plenty of individuals have seen the end of their world since Jesus spoke those words...as we all will sooner or later. What happens to us when our world ends? At the moment we enter eternity time ceases to be an issue for us. When we die the very next experience we have, blending seamlessly with our lives, is exactly the one Jesus describes: seeing him come in glory. To the living--those still on their journey--time passes in the interim. Therefore we say Jesus has not come yet. Not so for the departed. They don't have a "yet" anymore! Those who have died are touching eternity. They can see eternity. They are experiencing eternity. Therefore God has already come to them even though he's still in our future...or at least what we perceive as "future". (Eternity doesn't really have a future as we think about it, you see. All times are one when you touch it. Now...later...it's all the same.) This is a wicked pretzel to think your way through since we can't possibly grasp what touching eternity does, our current minds and eyes being so limited. But it does offer the possibility that what Jesus was saying to his followers literally came true for them, as it does for each of us. The world did end for them and it will for us, exactly like you have said in your question. This would also explain why he couldn't explain it better! He'd have just left us scratching our heads more!
A somewhat easier explanation is that Jesus was defining "generation" differently than we think. We tend to define generations--and indeed our lives--by two things: time and family. We say a new generation comes along every twenty years or so. We say that a grandfather is in a distinct generation from the father who is in a distinct generation from the son. Jesus defines generation by God's Word and grace instead of our own mortality or time limitations. When Jesus rose again after being crucified he changed the world...re-creating it every bit as much as Adam and Eve re-created it when they bit the fruit. Everything they ruined he redeemed. Everything they scuttled he saved. Therefore he inaugurated a new generation, or "age" if you will, of the world: the age when God's salvation was truly revealed, his Word fully explained, his victory truly won. Everybody before Jesus' time had been waiting for the Messiah. Everybody since has seen him! Therefore when Jesus says, "this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened" he means, "This is it! You've now seen everything you need to in order to understand God's plan. There isn't another age or another development to come after this except the end and the final coming of heaven."
This generation--this new age--created by his death and resurrection will never fail or die out up until the very last day. His Word will not fail. We will never know a time when it is not with us...when he is not with us. This was true of his followers and our great-great-grandparents. It was true of our own parents and it's true of us. It will be true for our children and for all the children that follow after until the roll is complete. We no longer belong to different generations. God's children are no longer divided by age or time. We are united in a single, larger family, one giant generation in the history of the world defined and united by his Word, his love, and his saving act for us. It's no accident that right after Mark 13:30 comes verse 31...
31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.Our generation has Jesus and will never lose Jesus. Our progression will go: Jesus with us...Jesus with us...Jesus with us...Heaven! There won't be any gaps in between, even when there appear to be because we see the world suffering. That is a very nice thought. I also believe it's the most likely meaning for the 30th verse of Mark 13.
The promise Jesus made to his followers continues today, even when those particular followers are long gone. It's become much larger and stronger and truer than they ever could have understood or believed. And it will keep going until we all see the end together and get to celebrate its goodness.
Keep sending those questions along if you have them!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Christmas and Culture
We got our first question via e-mail today! Thanks to the person who wrote. We'll always keep questions anonymous so you can ask whatever you'd like. Most of the time I'll edit it down for clarity as well. But if you can live with that, fire off a question to the inbox and we'll talk about it.
Pastor Dave,Click through for our discussion!
I love and hate Christmas at the same time. How do you find the balance between the religious holiday and the secular celebration?
Monday, November 28, 2011
Theology on Tap Returns!
This Saturday Theology on Tap--our discussion of all matters theological over fine beer and wine--will reconvene at the house of Rich and Jennifer Parkins. They live on Eikum Road. You can call or e-mail for exact directions if you need them. The time is 7:00 p.m.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday Morning Sermon: November 28th, 2011
The Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent was Mark 13: 24-37, reading as follows:
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
You will notice right away that Mark's Jesus is far more direct than the guy we've been hearing about in Matthew for the last year. There's little explanation here, no extended prose. It's just...BAM BAM BAM! Heavens are shaken, Son of Man coming, end of an age, can't guess when it will be, watch out!
What are we to do with this? Click "read more" to find out...
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
You will notice right away that Mark's Jesus is far more direct than the guy we've been hearing about in Matthew for the last year. There's little explanation here, no extended prose. It's just...BAM BAM BAM! Heavens are shaken, Son of Man coming, end of an age, can't guess when it will be, watch out!
What are we to do with this? Click "read more" to find out...
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Church Service Recordings
Did you miss Pastor Dave's sermon on Sunday or do you want to hear the sermon again? Well you're in luck. Recordings of his sermons are being posted as they become available. Here is the list.
Weekly Devotion: Giving Thanks
Among many places in the Bible where we read about thanksgiving (the act, not just the holiday) stands Psalm 100:
Giving thanks brings several unique qualities to our world, without which our lives are impoverished. It acknowledges goodness...that there's something worth living for and reaching for today. It takes us out of ourselves, reminding us that we walk with, and are in need of, other people. It sets the tone for our relationships: giving, serving, helping, acceptance, gratitude, affirmation. The world needs more of all of those things. They're all wrapped up in those simple words, "Thank You". Giving thanks fills that all-important space in between us with love. That's a power far beyond the rote politeness we were taught as kids.
Take time to speak your thanks this week...first to God but also to all the people in your life. Remember what we've said about finding Christ in others? Enter their gates with thanksgiving too so that they may know goodness and love that endures. Send a note to someone who doesn't expect it. Stop someone by putting a hand on their shoulder and saying, "I've not told you this enough, but thank you for what you do." Remember someone who helped you in the past that you've lost contact with and send them a card. You'll be amazed how much life and energy spring up before you.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.Giving thanks is an integral part of our faith walk. We give thanks in worship and prayer, two of the most intimate moments of our journey with God. Our thanks is not hidden but spoken, shouted, or sometimes even sung, so that God and those around us can hear the truth of these words: God is good, we are his, our purpose is love and joy.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Giving thanks brings several unique qualities to our world, without which our lives are impoverished. It acknowledges goodness...that there's something worth living for and reaching for today. It takes us out of ourselves, reminding us that we walk with, and are in need of, other people. It sets the tone for our relationships: giving, serving, helping, acceptance, gratitude, affirmation. The world needs more of all of those things. They're all wrapped up in those simple words, "Thank You". Giving thanks fills that all-important space in between us with love. That's a power far beyond the rote politeness we were taught as kids.
Take time to speak your thanks this week...first to God but also to all the people in your life. Remember what we've said about finding Christ in others? Enter their gates with thanksgiving too so that they may know goodness and love that endures. Send a note to someone who doesn't expect it. Stop someone by putting a hand on their shoulder and saying, "I've not told you this enough, but thank you for what you do." Remember someone who helped you in the past that you've lost contact with and send them a card. You'll be amazed how much life and energy spring up before you.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Sermon Note Questions: Serving Others
This Sunday's sermon on Matthew 25: 31-46 brought out an interesting question from one of our Confirmation students:
The best way to answer this question is with a question: Who gets to decide what "serving" is?
When you say "some people are independent and don't want to be helped" you're implying that "serving" means doing something for someone else in a way that doesn't let them participate fully or take ownership of the work. It's almost like saying, "You just sit yourself down there, helpless person, and let me do this for you." Most people aren't going to want to be served like that! And you're right, some people hear exactly that message when we offer to help.
That's why the most important part of serving your neighbor is knowing your neighbor. Many people of faith make the mistake of making service all about completing tasks. This is understandable because service almost always involves some task or other. But service isn't really about tasks, it's about people! When we make service about tasks we're like a Boy Scout trying to complete his merit badge and not letting anybody get in the way of his goal. We're going to help that old lady across the street whether she wants to go or not because darn it, we need to serve her!!! Pulling grandma across the crosswalk isn't really service unless you know her, know she wants to go, and know that she appreciates the hand, right? Otherwise it's just selfishness ("I have to serve and earn my reward!") disguised as service.
Service to our neighbor is just an extension of loving our neighbor. Loving our neighbor means taking the time to get to know them and letting them define how we can serve them. Sometimes that might mean doing something for them while they sit and watch. But sometimes the best service we can give is to affirm that they are independent and strong, to encourage them and cheer them on as they do the things they want and need to do. Saying, "Your lawn looks so nice today!" can be as big of a service as going and raking all of their leaves ourselves. It just depends on the person and what they need.
To tell the difference all you need to remember is this: defining service by tasks makes it all about you and what you have to give, defining service by people makes it about them and what they really need. In the first case they have to shape their lives around you, to accommodate your need to serve and feel good about yourself. In the second case you change your life and your service to reflect them. Service defined by a task doesn't matter much after that task is completed. Service defined by your deep relationship with a person can lift someone's spirit for a lifetime.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
We talk about serving people but some people are independent and don't want to be helped. How do we serve them?
The best way to answer this question is with a question: Who gets to decide what "serving" is?
When you say "some people are independent and don't want to be helped" you're implying that "serving" means doing something for someone else in a way that doesn't let them participate fully or take ownership of the work. It's almost like saying, "You just sit yourself down there, helpless person, and let me do this for you." Most people aren't going to want to be served like that! And you're right, some people hear exactly that message when we offer to help.
That's why the most important part of serving your neighbor is knowing your neighbor. Many people of faith make the mistake of making service all about completing tasks. This is understandable because service almost always involves some task or other. But service isn't really about tasks, it's about people! When we make service about tasks we're like a Boy Scout trying to complete his merit badge and not letting anybody get in the way of his goal. We're going to help that old lady across the street whether she wants to go or not because darn it, we need to serve her!!! Pulling grandma across the crosswalk isn't really service unless you know her, know she wants to go, and know that she appreciates the hand, right? Otherwise it's just selfishness ("I have to serve and earn my reward!") disguised as service.
Service to our neighbor is just an extension of loving our neighbor. Loving our neighbor means taking the time to get to know them and letting them define how we can serve them. Sometimes that might mean doing something for them while they sit and watch. But sometimes the best service we can give is to affirm that they are independent and strong, to encourage them and cheer them on as they do the things they want and need to do. Saying, "Your lawn looks so nice today!" can be as big of a service as going and raking all of their leaves ourselves. It just depends on the person and what they need.
To tell the difference all you need to remember is this: defining service by tasks makes it all about you and what you have to give, defining service by people makes it about them and what they really need. In the first case they have to shape their lives around you, to accommodate your need to serve and feel good about yourself. In the second case you change your life and your service to reflect them. Service defined by a task doesn't matter much after that task is completed. Service defined by your deep relationship with a person can lift someone's spirit for a lifetime.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday, November 21, 2011
Thanksgiving Dinner!
Let everybody around Genesee know that we're serving Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Everyone is invited, come as you are! We'll have turkey and all the trimmings, more than you can eat. No cost...just come and eat with friends if you're inclined.
Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday Morning Sermon: November 21st, 2011
The Gospel for Christ the King Sunday came from Matthew 25: 31-46...
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Click through for thoughts on this description of Christ's ultimate reign...
Friday, November 18, 2011
Confirmation Student Questions: Hurt, Part 2
Last week we shared the first of two important Sermon Note questions from our confirmation students regarding the November 6th sermon on blessings and the Beatitudes. Here is the second question:
It's always dangerous to try and guess the mind of God, but my hunch is the answer to your question has less to do with punishment, justice, and will of any sort and more to do with love.
Go back way to the beginning of time. When Adam and Eve bit the fruit they ruined all creation. The world was imperfect. They were imperfect. You can tell this by all the things that came into existence the moment the deed was done: shame, blame, accusations, toil and thorns, pain and power struggles...all that yucky stuff you read about in Genesis 3. These things were well outside God's perfect design for his creation. The world was broken.
At that point God had a choice. He could have the perfect creation he had originally intended but he'd have to start over again to make it happen...or at least make it happen right then. In essence he would have had to crumple up this world and make a new one, complete with new plants, new sky, new animals, and a new Adam and Eve (perhaps Benny and Felicia this time). The new world would have been perfect but it would have been without the old Adam and Eve. They'd have been destroyed along with everything else in the re-start.
Despite how easy re-creating the world would have been for God--just a few words required--he didn't do it. Why? There's only one possible answer. He loved Adam and Eve too much to lose them. They weren't perfect anymore. The world wasn't perfect anymore. But he loved them anyway. So God decided to live with their mistake, to fix it in his own way over time, no matter how much pain he and we would have to endure in the meantime. Faced with a choice between perfection and us, he chose us.
If you could go back and interview God it might sound like this:
You: God, you can have a spotless, shiny world right now. It's right there for the creating.
God: Will [insert your name here] be in it?
You: Well, no. You'd have to wipe away all the descendants of Adam and Eve and the sin they bear.
God: Then I don't want it.
You: But God, you can have new people! Better people! People who don't make mistakes!
God: Don't want it.
You : But these people are going to keep messing up. This is going to cost lifetimes of suffering. You'll watch them struggle generation after generation, feel their pain, see them make horrible mistakes and hurt each other badly and undergo pain and hardship. They're not going to understand you. Sometimes when they suffer they're going to get angry at you, question you, hate you. They're even going to kill your own Son when you send him to help!
God: But I still get to keep them and call them my own, right? I still get to love them and be their father?
You: I guess.
God: Deal.
Now THAT is love, right? And when God made that decision to keep us he also made the decision to keep everything that we bring, good and bad. That means he chose to endure suffering himself and to walk alongside us when we endure suffering no matter how painful it got. In essence he chose to bless us during suffering instead of getting rid of it...and us.
Of course God doesn't let suffering have the final word. The end of all suffering is death. God sent his Son so that even the road to death would lead us back to him...to heaven. In heaven there will be no more suffering or tears. Things will be perfect again. So God does do what we ask...he does put an end to suffering. It's just in a little more roundabout way than we envision...a way that lets us live instead of wiping us away.
So you see, in an odd way the fact that God doesn't just eliminate our suffering shows that he is still keeping that promise, making that decision for us instead of against us. It's weird, but even suffering becomes a sign that he still loves us. He won't destroy us in order to make the world perfect. Instead he'll wait and walk with us until we've lived our lives--until however many generations are coming after us have lived their lives--and then he'll show us the true fulfillment of that promise by giving us his perfection at the end of our imperfect road.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
If God blesses us through hard times, why doesn't he just stop people from suffering altogether?It's a fantastic question, one which theologians have struggled to answer since the beginning of forever. If you ask most people today you're probably going to get some kind of unsatisfactory lecture on "free will" which will imply that suffering is all about your choices and not God's fault at all. We know this isn't true for a couple of reasons. First, people often suffer well beyond anything they've chosen. We don't live in a world where only good things happen to the nicest people and all the bad things happen to selfish jerks. Some of the most innocent among us suffer the most. Second, God just standing by while we exercise our "free will" puts us in charge of everything instead of him. That's never a good idea. God doesn't follow our will, we follow his.
It's always dangerous to try and guess the mind of God, but my hunch is the answer to your question has less to do with punishment, justice, and will of any sort and more to do with love.
Go back way to the beginning of time. When Adam and Eve bit the fruit they ruined all creation. The world was imperfect. They were imperfect. You can tell this by all the things that came into existence the moment the deed was done: shame, blame, accusations, toil and thorns, pain and power struggles...all that yucky stuff you read about in Genesis 3. These things were well outside God's perfect design for his creation. The world was broken.
At that point God had a choice. He could have the perfect creation he had originally intended but he'd have to start over again to make it happen...or at least make it happen right then. In essence he would have had to crumple up this world and make a new one, complete with new plants, new sky, new animals, and a new Adam and Eve (perhaps Benny and Felicia this time). The new world would have been perfect but it would have been without the old Adam and Eve. They'd have been destroyed along with everything else in the re-start.
Despite how easy re-creating the world would have been for God--just a few words required--he didn't do it. Why? There's only one possible answer. He loved Adam and Eve too much to lose them. They weren't perfect anymore. The world wasn't perfect anymore. But he loved them anyway. So God decided to live with their mistake, to fix it in his own way over time, no matter how much pain he and we would have to endure in the meantime. Faced with a choice between perfection and us, he chose us.
If you could go back and interview God it might sound like this:
You: God, you can have a spotless, shiny world right now. It's right there for the creating.
God: Will [insert your name here] be in it?
You: Well, no. You'd have to wipe away all the descendants of Adam and Eve and the sin they bear.
God: Then I don't want it.
You: But God, you can have new people! Better people! People who don't make mistakes!
God: Don't want it.
You : But these people are going to keep messing up. This is going to cost lifetimes of suffering. You'll watch them struggle generation after generation, feel their pain, see them make horrible mistakes and hurt each other badly and undergo pain and hardship. They're not going to understand you. Sometimes when they suffer they're going to get angry at you, question you, hate you. They're even going to kill your own Son when you send him to help!
God: But I still get to keep them and call them my own, right? I still get to love them and be their father?
You: I guess.
God: Deal.
Now THAT is love, right? And when God made that decision to keep us he also made the decision to keep everything that we bring, good and bad. That means he chose to endure suffering himself and to walk alongside us when we endure suffering no matter how painful it got. In essence he chose to bless us during suffering instead of getting rid of it...and us.
Of course God doesn't let suffering have the final word. The end of all suffering is death. God sent his Son so that even the road to death would lead us back to him...to heaven. In heaven there will be no more suffering or tears. Things will be perfect again. So God does do what we ask...he does put an end to suffering. It's just in a little more roundabout way than we envision...a way that lets us live instead of wiping us away.
So you see, in an odd way the fact that God doesn't just eliminate our suffering shows that he is still keeping that promise, making that decision for us instead of against us. It's weird, but even suffering becomes a sign that he still loves us. He won't destroy us in order to make the world perfect. Instead he'll wait and walk with us until we've lived our lives--until however many generations are coming after us have lived their lives--and then he'll show us the true fulfillment of that promise by giving us his perfection at the end of our imperfect road.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Bible Study Reflections: Transformational Eating
This week's Bible Study reflection comes from our Thursday night group which has been studying eating in scripture.
Last week we looked at four stories involving food. The first was 1 Kings 17: 7-16 wherein a widow in the town of Zarephath shared the very last of her food with Elijah during a time of drought. She was rewarded with a jug or oil and jar of flour which never ran out until the famine was done. Then we looked at 1 Kings 19: 1-8 when Elijah himself was experiencing serious doubt while sheltering beneath a wilderness tree, but an angel of the Lord came and fed him (twice!) for the long journey to meet God that lay ahead of him. We skipped ahead to Matthew 14: 13-18 and heard the story of Jesus feeding 5000+ people who had come to hear him in the wilderness. Finally we heard the story of Jesus' last meal with his disciples from Matthew 26: 17-30.
All four of these stories have a common theme. The people therein--the widow, the prophet, the followers, the disciples--start from a place of need. The widow was down to her last morsel for her and her son, then expected to die. Elijah actually asked to die in his moment of despair. Like sheep without a shepherd the 5000 men plus extra women and children had no food to eat in the countryside. The disciples suggested that the people be told to depart to buy their own food but what town could have supported that horde? Besides, these were not likely rich and well-fed people to begin with, else they wouldn't have had time to follow Jesus into the wilderness. At the Last Supper Christ's disciples were about to walk into the darkest moment in human history, losing their mentor and friend in the process.
In all of these situations God's answer was the same: Here...take, eat. This is how God chose to express himself...still chooses, really, as we experience him to this day through Holy Communion. Food brings life out of death, strength out of weakness, comfort out of insecurity, unity in the face of potential division, hope out of despair. Eating is a holy experience.
We understand some of this instinctively. There's a reason we eat following funerals, at birthday parties and weddings, whenever and wherever communities gather. This is an important part of God's work, as natural to us as breathing.
We need to be more conscious of our relationship with food and with each other through food as well. How many things do we eat daily that we don't even think about? How many opportunities for togetherness do we miss in our "grab and go" culture? How often do we reduce this holy experience to something common and mundane? In a way every meal should reflect these great meals that we read about in the Bible. Food fills the same functions for us that it did for those Biblical people. We need daily strength, hope, comfort, togetherness, and life. If you doubt that, try going without food for a week or so and see how well you fare! We should not take the power of eating for granted as individuals or a community. Every meal transforms us whether we notice it or not. Understanding that will bring us closer to God, each other, and the true meaning of the things we eat.
Next time you eat, stop and think about the great gift you're experiencing...how this connects you to the prophets and miracle-receivers of old. What a marvelous opportunity to enjoy God and the world he's given you. Don't miss it!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@genesseelutheranparish.org)
P.S. Not only is that e-mail working now, our blog now has comments activated!!! If you have thoughts to share or questions on a subject covered in a post, leave a comment below. We'll read them and respond.
Last week we looked at four stories involving food. The first was 1 Kings 17: 7-16 wherein a widow in the town of Zarephath shared the very last of her food with Elijah during a time of drought. She was rewarded with a jug or oil and jar of flour which never ran out until the famine was done. Then we looked at 1 Kings 19: 1-8 when Elijah himself was experiencing serious doubt while sheltering beneath a wilderness tree, but an angel of the Lord came and fed him (twice!) for the long journey to meet God that lay ahead of him. We skipped ahead to Matthew 14: 13-18 and heard the story of Jesus feeding 5000+ people who had come to hear him in the wilderness. Finally we heard the story of Jesus' last meal with his disciples from Matthew 26: 17-30.
All four of these stories have a common theme. The people therein--the widow, the prophet, the followers, the disciples--start from a place of need. The widow was down to her last morsel for her and her son, then expected to die. Elijah actually asked to die in his moment of despair. Like sheep without a shepherd the 5000 men plus extra women and children had no food to eat in the countryside. The disciples suggested that the people be told to depart to buy their own food but what town could have supported that horde? Besides, these were not likely rich and well-fed people to begin with, else they wouldn't have had time to follow Jesus into the wilderness. At the Last Supper Christ's disciples were about to walk into the darkest moment in human history, losing their mentor and friend in the process.
In all of these situations God's answer was the same: Here...take, eat. This is how God chose to express himself...still chooses, really, as we experience him to this day through Holy Communion. Food brings life out of death, strength out of weakness, comfort out of insecurity, unity in the face of potential division, hope out of despair. Eating is a holy experience.
We understand some of this instinctively. There's a reason we eat following funerals, at birthday parties and weddings, whenever and wherever communities gather. This is an important part of God's work, as natural to us as breathing.
We need to be more conscious of our relationship with food and with each other through food as well. How many things do we eat daily that we don't even think about? How many opportunities for togetherness do we miss in our "grab and go" culture? How often do we reduce this holy experience to something common and mundane? In a way every meal should reflect these great meals that we read about in the Bible. Food fills the same functions for us that it did for those Biblical people. We need daily strength, hope, comfort, togetherness, and life. If you doubt that, try going without food for a week or so and see how well you fare! We should not take the power of eating for granted as individuals or a community. Every meal transforms us whether we notice it or not. Understanding that will bring us closer to God, each other, and the true meaning of the things we eat.
Next time you eat, stop and think about the great gift you're experiencing...how this connects you to the prophets and miracle-receivers of old. What a marvelous opportunity to enjoy God and the world he's given you. Don't miss it!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@genesseelutheranparish.org)
P.S. Not only is that e-mail working now, our blog now has comments activated!!! If you have thoughts to share or questions on a subject covered in a post, leave a comment below. We'll read them and respond.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Weekly Devotion: Judging Your Actions
This week's devotional thought comes from 1 Corinthians 8:
1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Click through for the "meaty" lesson in this text!
1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Click through for the "meaty" lesson in this text!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Monday Morning Sermon Part 2: Pastor Dave's List of Non-Time Wasters
Yesterday we talked about Matthew 25: 14-30 and how it's perfectly possible to squander your God-given gifts by remaining busy with things that don't matter as much as you'd think. The post included a list of potential time-wasters. Today we look at the flip side with...
(click through now...)
(click through now...)
Monday, November 14, 2011
Monday Morning Sermon: November 14th, 2011
This Sunday's gospel was Matthew 25: 14-30. It's too long to post but you can read it here. The NIV version talks about "bags of gold" instead of "talents" but the story is the same. It's the famous parable of the servants to whom the master bequeathed resources in various amounts. The servant given five units of money made five more to return to the master when he came. The servant given two made two more. The servant given one buried it in the ground and did nothing. When the master returned the servant returned the single talent with a screed about not wanting to work for a harsh master who just takes the proceeds of your work...as if the talent was his to begin with and hadn't just been given to him by the master! The first two servants were favored and given even more. The third got yelled at and cast out for being lazy, wicked, ultimately un-inventive and unproductive with the gifts given to him...monetary and otherwise.
The message here is pretty simple: God doesn't like it when we squander our time and the gifts he has given us. This is tricky because the disease of the modern era is having too much to do. Our lives are rushed, stuffed like never before with options and demands.
Too often, though, we confuse being busy with being productive and doing well. Sometimes the things we're busy with--things which occupy our time and energy--are the equivalent of the un-inventive, unproductive servant's talent burial. Instead of being an avenue to good and the Kingdom of God they become a buffer between us and meaningful progress.
Reflecting upon all this in practical terms I came up with a couple of lists detailing things to embrace and things to beware of when deciding how to occupy your time. You can read the first after the "Read More" jump. The second will come tomorrow.
The message here is pretty simple: God doesn't like it when we squander our time and the gifts he has given us. This is tricky because the disease of the modern era is having too much to do. Our lives are rushed, stuffed like never before with options and demands.
Too often, though, we confuse being busy with being productive and doing well. Sometimes the things we're busy with--things which occupy our time and energy--are the equivalent of the un-inventive, unproductive servant's talent burial. Instead of being an avenue to good and the Kingdom of God they become a buffer between us and meaningful progress.
Reflecting upon all this in practical terms I came up with a couple of lists detailing things to embrace and things to beware of when deciding how to occupy your time. You can read the first after the "Read More" jump. The second will come tomorrow.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Church Council Meeting Minutes
Minutes from church council meetings are now being posted as they become available.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Confirmation Student Questions: Hurt
Today we continue our look at questions submitted by our church's Confirmation students through their sermon notes. This is the first of two questions we'll field on the sermon from last Sunday on blessings. (The Monday morning version can be found here.)
If God is with us and blessing us, why do we still feel hurt?
In the beginning of all things, back in the Garden of Eden, everything was perfect. Nobody knew pain or suffering or loss of any kind. Then Adam and Eve bit the fruit and brought sin into the world. The Bible tells us that sin didn't just break them, it broke the whole world and their relationship with it. Thorns came upon the ground, we experienced physical pain for the first time, people started blaming and accusing each other and hurting with words, death became a part of our reality. The world wasn't the way it was meant to be anymore. We made it that way through sin.
You don't have to look very far to see the world is still broken. People at school often fight and say mean things about each other instead of getting along. Some people in a community have plenty to eat, others have little or none. Nobody knows who to vote for in the presidential elections because all of the candidates seem self-centered and out of touch. Racism, war, famine, disease, natural disasters...these things afflict the world every day, causing people to suffer.
The hurt we feel is a response to this "brokenness". I don't know if you've ever known anyone whose nerve endings have been deadened. It happens sometimes either because of a birth condition or some kind of accident. Not having any feeling in a part of your body creates an incredibly difficult challenge. The biggest problem is that you can't feel pain. If you have no feeling in your foot you could step on a nail and it'll just drive right through you without you knowing. I've heard of people without feeling in a hand who actually burned it on the stove and only knew it when they started smelling their skin burning, long after the damage was done.
Imagine having that same thing in your spirit. If you never hurt you'd be viewing things like racism, poverty, illness, suffering from natural disasters and you just...wouldn't...care. Hurt is your indicator that something is going wrong, something you should pay attention to. When somebody calls you a name or treats you badly the hurt you feel tells you that this isn't right...the same way stubbing your toe on something tells you that you weren't walking right. Hurt reminds us that the world isn't perfect and that we need to change things for the better. Hurt reminds us not to do wrong things to each other or to put up with wrong things being done to us. Hurt isn't pleasant but it's necessary in this way.
Even the best things in life involve hurting. Giving birth to a child involves a fair amount of physical pain. No matter how much you love that child, they grow really quickly! From a parent's perspective the baby whom you were just cradling in your arms runs off to college in just the blink of an eye. Every time you look at your adorable three-year-old you realize that he won't be three forever--not even for long--and that all of these moments are temporary. Your best moments involve that kind of sadness. Realizing that nothing in this life lasts forever helps you treasure those moments though. That pain reminds you to make the most of every moment you have. Again, hurt fills an important role in our lives even though it's unpleasant.
The hurt that comes from this broken, temporary world also reminds us to look forward to God's ultimate gift: a return to life the way it was meant to be. We hurt now, but we won't hurt forever. God has promised us that we will be with him and every tear will be wiped dry. As it turns out, the good things in this life really are forever! Only the pain really passes away. But we have to hold on through a fair amount of that pain in order to see the promise come true.
Every time we get together in church to celebrate we also pray for people who are suffering. We pray for God to be with them and that he would use us to help them...not to take away their pain but to let them know that they're not alone as they deal with it. That's probably the most important message we can bring. I'd never take away your pain. That would make your life a real tragedy. But you don't have to feel alone as you bear it. Whether it's a passing pain like a fight with a friend or an enduring pain like abuse or having a loved one die, someone's here who cares about you and is willing to walk beside you and hold your hand through it. That walking and hand-holding is a little reflection of the heavenly healing to come. It's a gift we give to each other as people of faith until that day when God bestows his ultimate gift on all of us.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Bible Study Reflections: November 10th, 2011
This weeks Bible Study reflection comes from the inaugural edition of Theology on Tap. Last Saturday 14 formidable theologians got together and discussed the most appropriate question we could think of given the circumstances: Is drinking a sin?
Addressing this question necessitated a definition of sin itself. In the course of the conversation we managed at least six different criteria identifying sin:
1. The Word of God provides the foundation for our moral compass, our sense of right and wrong. There's no arguing that.
The Word of God is read by, and works through, people. People can't help but exist in a specific context which allows them to understand the Word. Therefore we brought up several contextual touch-points which aid us in discerning sin.
2. The effect on one's community helps identify sin. In some cases the Bible appears to say a couple different things about the same act. Proverbs, for instance, warns us about the dangers of drinking and compares imbibing to foolishness. But the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus created immaculate-tasting (and much appreciated) wine at a wedding festival. Place, time, and company seemed to determine the appropriateness of the act as much as the wine itself.
3. Effect on the self is a contributing factor. It's possible to harm or short-change yourself any number of ways, overeating otherwise good food being one of the more obvious. Drinking can be misused this way as well.
4. Pangs of guilt or conscience were mentioned as identifying factors.
5. A person's intent can be important, though we hastened to add that sometimes intentions can be good even for acts that ultimately turn out bad.
6. God's transformational power is a strong force, not to be put aside lightly. Thinking big-picture, if you gather for a good purpose and hold to that, can a few ounces of a fermented beverage overcome that good purpose and his intent for you?
Obviously not all of this came out in systematic fashion. We discussed, debated, shared stories and examples, asked questions of each other while exploring these things. And even after all of that we didn't come up with a definitive answer! "What?!?" you say. "Then what was the point???"
Find out by clicking "Read More" below...
Addressing this question necessitated a definition of sin itself. In the course of the conversation we managed at least six different criteria identifying sin:
1. The Word of God provides the foundation for our moral compass, our sense of right and wrong. There's no arguing that.
The Word of God is read by, and works through, people. People can't help but exist in a specific context which allows them to understand the Word. Therefore we brought up several contextual touch-points which aid us in discerning sin.
2. The effect on one's community helps identify sin. In some cases the Bible appears to say a couple different things about the same act. Proverbs, for instance, warns us about the dangers of drinking and compares imbibing to foolishness. But the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus created immaculate-tasting (and much appreciated) wine at a wedding festival. Place, time, and company seemed to determine the appropriateness of the act as much as the wine itself.
3. Effect on the self is a contributing factor. It's possible to harm or short-change yourself any number of ways, overeating otherwise good food being one of the more obvious. Drinking can be misused this way as well.
4. Pangs of guilt or conscience were mentioned as identifying factors.
5. A person's intent can be important, though we hastened to add that sometimes intentions can be good even for acts that ultimately turn out bad.
6. God's transformational power is a strong force, not to be put aside lightly. Thinking big-picture, if you gather for a good purpose and hold to that, can a few ounces of a fermented beverage overcome that good purpose and his intent for you?
Obviously not all of this came out in systematic fashion. We discussed, debated, shared stories and examples, asked questions of each other while exploring these things. And even after all of that we didn't come up with a definitive answer! "What?!?" you say. "Then what was the point???"
Find out by clicking "Read More" below...
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Weekly Devotion: Rejoicing
The final exhortations of the letter to the Philippians include these passages:
You could write 82 separate devotions out of those four verses but today I want to concentrate on Philippians 4:4 which gives us the repeated command to rejoice. Rejoicing is discussed plenty in the book of Philippians. Rejoicing is also the end product of our faith journey...our destiny through God. Yet it's a discipline we take for granted. In fact I'd wager most of us don't even think of it as a faith discipline at all!
Click through to read more about this tragic phenomenon and what we can do about it...
Philippians 4: 4-7
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
You could write 82 separate devotions out of those four verses but today I want to concentrate on Philippians 4:4 which gives us the repeated command to rejoice. Rejoicing is discussed plenty in the book of Philippians. Rejoicing is also the end product of our faith journey...our destiny through God. Yet it's a discipline we take for granted. In fact I'd wager most of us don't even think of it as a faith discipline at all!
Click through to read more about this tragic phenomenon and what we can do about it...
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Prepare for Cookies!
The holiday season is just around the corner. Among the many preparations you make we hope you set aside some time to help us with cookie distribution again this year. Last year we surprised friends and neighbors by taking plates of homemade cookies door to door, wishing people a Merry Christmas and sending them God's love through goodies. We'll do the same again this year, hopefully on an even larger scale. The dream is to get a plate of cookies to every household in Genesee. Many hands and willing bakers will be necessary! A little over a month from now we'll be delivering. Make your plans now to help.
It's no accident this event was a huge success. It has all the hallmarks of the gospel we're trying to spread and the ministry patterns we're trying to establish.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
It's no accident this event was a huge success. It has all the hallmarks of the gospel we're trying to spread and the ministry patterns we're trying to establish.
- It's inter-generational and cuts across boundary lines. Young folks and old love making cookies. Young folks and old love eating them too! And distributing them was so much fun that I've already got young people from our church coming up to us and saying, "We're going to do that again this year, right?!?" People expect a God who only talks to (and through) people who think, look, and act a certain way. This turns God loose!
- It's personal. The homemade aspect shows warmth, love, and a person-to-person care. So does the hand-to-hand delivery method. You see faces, smiles, taste hand-touched goodness. Mailing a bunch of pre-packaged, store-bought cookies wouldn't have nearly the same effect. People expect a predictable, one-size-fits-all message about the gospel, as you'd see on a billboard. This brings God back into our real relationships.
- It's freely given. Everybody expects to be sold something when you come to their door. Religious-based visitors don't alleviate this concern. Folks are accustomed to being told, "Convert to our religion" or "Give us money" or "Come to our church" or "Amend your life or you'll be in trouble when you die". All of them amount to, "Think like us and give us satisfaction or you're wrong!" What a message. A freely-given plate of cookies demonstrates everything they need to know about how God really approaches his children. Without words we've lived out the gospel.
- It's love. This is obvious!
- It's fun!!! People expect church to be all serious. What a relief that we can come together in near-carefree joy and celebrate! We're starting to do this in our Bible Studies and other meetings. That's a powerful discovery. It flows out to the town through those cookies. They show who we are, who God wants us to be.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday, November 7, 2011
Monday Morning Sermon: November 7th, 2011
Sunday was one of those days pastors dream about when the gospel, the festival theme (All Saint's Day), and the special use to which we put the day (first communion) all came together in a glorious, intertwined whole.
The gospel text was Matthew's Beatitudes, Chapter 5: 1-12
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Click through to read the saintly, communion-ish lesson in all this!
The gospel text was Matthew's Beatitudes, Chapter 5: 1-12
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Click through to read the saintly, communion-ish lesson in all this!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Theology On Tap Begins Saturday!
Reminder that Theology On Tap, our new study gathering, begins on Saturday at the home of Brent and Verna Studer. They live on Spruce Street in Genesee. Turn north from main street, two blocks up on the corner, white house, big yard. Call if you need the exact address.
Theology On Tap differs from our other studies in four key aspects:
1. It meets once a month, on the first Saturday, instead of weekly.
2. Each meeting is self-contained, featuring its own topic. Instead of reading through a book of the Bible we'll be discussing and debating theological questions in good-natured manner. It'll be a place to share ideas and experiences and learn from each other.
3. That good-natured attitude will be helped along by sharing a little beer and wine, including some homemade by the various brewers at our own church.
4. We'll be hosted in different house each month
In short, this is the perfect study for people who don't get into traditional studies all that much. Both conversation and friends will be good! Join us at 7:00 on Saturday for the inaugural edition!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
News About Kids
A couple of events happened this week involving young folks in the community.
First, a group of students from the school, including several from our church and affiliated with our youth program, came and raked up leaves all around the church grounds. They ended up with more bags than you could count! Witness:
And then, on that same day, some folks gave the church a gift for the youth. Now installed in a corner of our kitchen is our very own youth refrigerator for pop and assorted items. Take a look!
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this effort! The kids will be delighted to have cold pop and I'm sure those using the kitchen will delight in their increased counter space as well!
Both of these events made church a nicer place. It's neat to see that people care about our community in these ways.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
First, a group of students from the school, including several from our church and affiliated with our youth program, came and raked up leaves all around the church grounds. They ended up with more bags than you could count! Witness:
And then, on that same day, some folks gave the church a gift for the youth. Now installed in a corner of our kitchen is our very own youth refrigerator for pop and assorted items. Take a look!
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this effort! The kids will be delighted to have cold pop and I'm sure those using the kitchen will delight in their increased counter space as well!
Both of these events made church a nicer place. It's neat to see that people care about our community in these ways.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Bible Study Reflections: November 3rd, 2011
This week's Bible Study reflection comes from our Wednesday morning Women's Bible Study. Continuing our look at Acts this week we came across the following account of Paul's testimony before the priests and elders.
Acts 22:30-23:10
Click through to hear some thoughts on the significance of this story.
Acts 22:30-23:10
30 The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”
4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”
5 Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”
6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)
9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.
Click through to hear some thoughts on the significance of this story.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Weekly Devotion: God and Your Time
The other day I was making dinner in the kitchen as Derek held a phone conversation with his grandfather, my dad. Talking to grandpa is a rare treat and I heard Derek's little voice cheerfully chatting, filled with excitement. Suddenly Derek paused and asked a serious question:
"Grandpa, what do you like to do for fun? Do you like to play with toys or do you just like to get drinks and type all the time?"
Ouch.
Guess who he was describing with that "get drinks and type all the time" line? Bad dad alert in 3...2...1! Perhaps my son was being a little unfair, as typing is part of the way food gets put on his table and those Diet Mountain Dews help fuel the brain cells, but still I made a mental note to myself: "Play more with the kid."
Time management is one of the biggest challenges we face in the modern age. Everything moves faster than it used to. Where once you might have had six basic tasks in your day now it seems like you have 100, plus 32 more you're not going to get to, and those 132 things change from day to day. It's easy to get submerged in our checklists of things to do, happy that we're accomplishing so many tasks. We don't stop to think whether viewing life as a set of tasks is the best approach! It's all too easy to say, "I visited three people today, started on Sunday's sermon, met with the youth, cooked dinner, mowed the lawn, posted to the blog, took out the garbage, and fed the cats. Look how much I accomplished!" You don't realize that to little eyes that big heap of tasks all added up to, "Every moment dad was actually home he typed." If other tasks dominate the two hours where "daddy's home time" and "Derek's awake time" intersect, was this day really a success no matter how many things I got done or how well I did them? More to the point, am I managing my time and my list or is it managing me and, by extension, everyone who loves me?
Sometimes it's OK to be busy every moment of the day. Derek just has to wait on some days. Sometimes it's not OK. The point isn't that one or the other is better. Rather I'm wondering how long it's been since I even bothered to examine the issue.
If we don't even bother to question these things you know we're not bothering to ask God for help with them. Most often we pray about tasks or events. "Dear God, help me do this right" or "Dear God, help this situation I need to face" or even "Dear God, help me get through all the things I need to do today". It's like we're driving down the road and asking God to help us fill the gas tank and keep the car running. That's well and good, but every once in a while shouldn't we ask him whether we're actually on the right road? Fuel and repairs don't help when they're not getting us where we need to be. Your car's in tip-top shape, you negotiated every part of the road perfectly, and by virtue of all that great driving you're now on the opposite end of the country from where you needed to be. That, my friends, would be the definition of a "mixed blessing".
Asking God to help us make the best, most faithful, most holy use of our time is a way of making sure we're on the right road. Few of us do everything we need to do, let alone want to do. Asking God's guidance in prioritizing our time helps us understand which of our callings in a day are the most important and which can be set aside. The more conscientious about fulfilling our tasks we are--which usually translates into the more we think the world depends on what we do--the more we need this help.
The nightmare scenario that follows in the wake of not asking God's guidance in these things: waking up one morning and realizing that you're a good pastor, a fine blogger, a great garbage-taker-outer, but that you're never going to get to hold your little boy in your lap again because he's off to college and you don't even know him that well. Cue up that "Cat's in the Cradle" song now.
As you pray this week, ask God to guide and govern your time as well as your tasks. I know I will. Now I'm off to play race cars...which turns out to be the most important and holy thing I can do right now. Who knew?
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
"Grandpa, what do you like to do for fun? Do you like to play with toys or do you just like to get drinks and type all the time?"
Ouch.
Guess who he was describing with that "get drinks and type all the time" line? Bad dad alert in 3...2...1! Perhaps my son was being a little unfair, as typing is part of the way food gets put on his table and those Diet Mountain Dews help fuel the brain cells, but still I made a mental note to myself: "Play more with the kid."
Time management is one of the biggest challenges we face in the modern age. Everything moves faster than it used to. Where once you might have had six basic tasks in your day now it seems like you have 100, plus 32 more you're not going to get to, and those 132 things change from day to day. It's easy to get submerged in our checklists of things to do, happy that we're accomplishing so many tasks. We don't stop to think whether viewing life as a set of tasks is the best approach! It's all too easy to say, "I visited three people today, started on Sunday's sermon, met with the youth, cooked dinner, mowed the lawn, posted to the blog, took out the garbage, and fed the cats. Look how much I accomplished!" You don't realize that to little eyes that big heap of tasks all added up to, "Every moment dad was actually home he typed." If other tasks dominate the two hours where "daddy's home time" and "Derek's awake time" intersect, was this day really a success no matter how many things I got done or how well I did them? More to the point, am I managing my time and my list or is it managing me and, by extension, everyone who loves me?
Sometimes it's OK to be busy every moment of the day. Derek just has to wait on some days. Sometimes it's not OK. The point isn't that one or the other is better. Rather I'm wondering how long it's been since I even bothered to examine the issue.
If we don't even bother to question these things you know we're not bothering to ask God for help with them. Most often we pray about tasks or events. "Dear God, help me do this right" or "Dear God, help this situation I need to face" or even "Dear God, help me get through all the things I need to do today". It's like we're driving down the road and asking God to help us fill the gas tank and keep the car running. That's well and good, but every once in a while shouldn't we ask him whether we're actually on the right road? Fuel and repairs don't help when they're not getting us where we need to be. Your car's in tip-top shape, you negotiated every part of the road perfectly, and by virtue of all that great driving you're now on the opposite end of the country from where you needed to be. That, my friends, would be the definition of a "mixed blessing".
Asking God to help us make the best, most faithful, most holy use of our time is a way of making sure we're on the right road. Few of us do everything we need to do, let alone want to do. Asking God's guidance in prioritizing our time helps us understand which of our callings in a day are the most important and which can be set aside. The more conscientious about fulfilling our tasks we are--which usually translates into the more we think the world depends on what we do--the more we need this help.
The nightmare scenario that follows in the wake of not asking God's guidance in these things: waking up one morning and realizing that you're a good pastor, a fine blogger, a great garbage-taker-outer, but that you're never going to get to hold your little boy in your lap again because he's off to college and you don't even know him that well. Cue up that "Cat's in the Cradle" song now.
As you pray this week, ask God to guide and govern your time as well as your tasks. I know I will. Now I'm off to play race cars...which turns out to be the most important and holy thing I can do right now. Who knew?
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Ministry With Young Folks
I want to piggyback on something Rosanna wrote this weekend, expanding it into a larger discussion on youth and children's ministries. Her piece was simple, describing the theologically teaching moments in carving pumpkins. In one event and one essay she perfectly captured our strategy working with the younger folks of our congregation.
Since I started in youth ministry a couple decades ago I've been a proponent of conducting young people's ministries organically. There's a time and place for sitting kids down and telling them all about God using chalkboards and worksheets and traditional teaching methods. In our church this happens in confirmation and a little bit in Sunday School. But if that's the only way you teach them about God, if that's the only experience they have of "God stuff", then you have the unintentional consequence of divorcing God from anything they do in the rest of their life. You end up with young people who can recite correct technical doctrine in the classroom but who don't perceive God outside of it. Entire generations have been raised to think there's "God stuff" and then there's "real life" and the two don't mix. That, my friends, is an incorrect--OK, I'll say it--downright bad witness.
Organic ministry focuses more on finding God in the things the kids already do, how God is working in the lives they already have instead of how he's absent until they learn the chalkboard stuff. We teach them about a God who is with them everywhere and always and not just during the hour they're learning at church. The traditional message runs, "These things are holy, the things you do are not." We try to teach them how to do the things they normally do in a holy fashion, not giving them holy moments but helping them see how to live holy lives.
From the outside this looks like doing a bunch of odd stuff in church: carving pumpkins, playing games, sitting around and drinking pop and talking. Some will say, "How is that different than what they normally do?" It's not too much...and that's the point! Little by little these kids are learning how to play games and be friends with each other in a holy way, how to see and invite God into their cultural rituals like pumpkin carving, how to share God in conversation and refreshments. We're not happy with the kid who perfectly parrots our answers about the Trinity (which we do teach them) in class and then goes out into the world not caring about his neighbor. We'll go a little light on the doctrine and show them what the doctrine means first: sharing, caring, being together, getting over little bumps in our relationships and forgiving each other, celebrating this life God has given us, creating love and goodness in the world. That way when they hear the doctrine they are able to embrace it because they've really been living it all along.
Organic ministry doesn't produce as many of the tangible moments by which we've traditionally gauged our results. There aren't as many instances when we can say, "I taught the kids about this theological concept today!" In fact in a given moment one might say, "All I really did was carve a pumpkin or play a game. What really happened there?" But over the long haul giving up those single moments when we can be proud of ourselves as teachers in favor of multiple moments when we were integrating our lives and God's with the real, everyday lives of the kids really pays off.
In just a few years of doing ministry this way here I can point out case after case of young folks who have moved on coming back and touching base when they needed help, being concerned for the lives of their friends as much as their own, and bringing incredibly good things into the world. And that's not going to end. They probably didn't understand the significance of pumpkins and board games when they were 8 or 13, but when they're 35 or 40 they're going to look back and realize everything they got taught about God and life through this time together. They're going to smile as they realize it didn't seem like teaching at all, that it was so deeply ingrained that it slid right into their hearts and stuck, and that God has blossomed like a flower in their lives as naturally as breathing. We didn't give them a fish, we taught them how to fish, and that's going to affect everything they choose to do: jobs, marriages, faith relationships, and hopefully raising the next generation of children.
Thank you to Rosanna and the rest of the Sunday School and youth ministry folks for putting it so perfectly and getting it so right.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Since I started in youth ministry a couple decades ago I've been a proponent of conducting young people's ministries organically. There's a time and place for sitting kids down and telling them all about God using chalkboards and worksheets and traditional teaching methods. In our church this happens in confirmation and a little bit in Sunday School. But if that's the only way you teach them about God, if that's the only experience they have of "God stuff", then you have the unintentional consequence of divorcing God from anything they do in the rest of their life. You end up with young people who can recite correct technical doctrine in the classroom but who don't perceive God outside of it. Entire generations have been raised to think there's "God stuff" and then there's "real life" and the two don't mix. That, my friends, is an incorrect--OK, I'll say it--downright bad witness.
Organic ministry focuses more on finding God in the things the kids already do, how God is working in the lives they already have instead of how he's absent until they learn the chalkboard stuff. We teach them about a God who is with them everywhere and always and not just during the hour they're learning at church. The traditional message runs, "These things are holy, the things you do are not." We try to teach them how to do the things they normally do in a holy fashion, not giving them holy moments but helping them see how to live holy lives.
From the outside this looks like doing a bunch of odd stuff in church: carving pumpkins, playing games, sitting around and drinking pop and talking. Some will say, "How is that different than what they normally do?" It's not too much...and that's the point! Little by little these kids are learning how to play games and be friends with each other in a holy way, how to see and invite God into their cultural rituals like pumpkin carving, how to share God in conversation and refreshments. We're not happy with the kid who perfectly parrots our answers about the Trinity (which we do teach them) in class and then goes out into the world not caring about his neighbor. We'll go a little light on the doctrine and show them what the doctrine means first: sharing, caring, being together, getting over little bumps in our relationships and forgiving each other, celebrating this life God has given us, creating love and goodness in the world. That way when they hear the doctrine they are able to embrace it because they've really been living it all along.
Organic ministry doesn't produce as many of the tangible moments by which we've traditionally gauged our results. There aren't as many instances when we can say, "I taught the kids about this theological concept today!" In fact in a given moment one might say, "All I really did was carve a pumpkin or play a game. What really happened there?" But over the long haul giving up those single moments when we can be proud of ourselves as teachers in favor of multiple moments when we were integrating our lives and God's with the real, everyday lives of the kids really pays off.
In just a few years of doing ministry this way here I can point out case after case of young folks who have moved on coming back and touching base when they needed help, being concerned for the lives of their friends as much as their own, and bringing incredibly good things into the world. And that's not going to end. They probably didn't understand the significance of pumpkins and board games when they were 8 or 13, but when they're 35 or 40 they're going to look back and realize everything they got taught about God and life through this time together. They're going to smile as they realize it didn't seem like teaching at all, that it was so deeply ingrained that it slid right into their hearts and stuck, and that God has blossomed like a flower in their lives as naturally as breathing. We didn't give them a fish, we taught them how to fish, and that's going to affect everything they choose to do: jobs, marriages, faith relationships, and hopefully raising the next generation of children.
Thank you to Rosanna and the rest of the Sunday School and youth ministry folks for putting it so perfectly and getting it so right.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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