Jordan - Psalm 18

A song my siblings and I used to sing went like this:

I will call upon the Lord 

Who is worthy to be praised

So shall I be safe from my enemy

I will call upon the Lord

The Lord liveth!

And blessed be the rock!

And may the God of our salvation be exalted.

I had no idea that came from Psalm 18 (and, I guess Samuel 22 is similar)!  This psalm is so interesting.  From verses that bring me back to childhood to verses that make me cringe and want to rebuke the psalmist.  The psalm is in a few parts (from what i can tell):
1-6: Opening/intro
7-15: Power of God
16-24: God favors the psalmist and delivers him from enemies
25-36: God's power and favor gives the psalmist perceived power
37-45: Psalmist abuses power to beat the living crap out of people
46-50: Psalmist loves God and thanks God

One of these parts is not like the others, can you tell?  In verses 41-42 there are sentences like "They cried for help, but there was no one to save them...I beat them fine, like dust before the wind."  I mean, seriously??  Its one thing that God gives us protection and power to defend ourselves, but does God really give us the power to smash our enemies and pursue them even as they flee and cry out for help?

Just reading those verses spoils the rest of it for me.  People who combine the love of God with the ability to have power and conduct violence have no idea what love is.

Jordan - Psalm 17 (sort of)

Today I had a one on one meeting with a person 3 levels higher than me in the organization.  He asked what could be done better and I spoke about managing people, not projects, process and resources.  As usual, with these psalms of persecution, I couldn't really relate.  But while I was reading this psalm this morning with my meeting on the brain, a very odd thought crossed my mind; God is the ultimate manager of people.  He both allows us to autonomous while challenging us and listening to our problems.  The early church and Jewish law tried to convince everyone that God ruled by process.  Do these billion things and you will find God and your eternal reward.  Jesus came to challenge the Jewish law and then Martin Luther came to challenge the early church (and no, I am not equating the two).


Managers can hide behind process and it covers up real issues.  God's accessibility gives people like this psalm writer freedom to ask for protection.  God will battle for us when we need it and will sit in the background when we think we can do it on our own.

The faith of a teen

Speaking of milestones, every year we have our youth select a Bible verse that fits their faith. The last verse of today's Psalm and the last verse of tomorrow's were recently selected...

"Now you've got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I'm on the right way."

"And me? I plan on looking you full in the face. When I get up, I'll see your full stature and live heaven on earth."

A song and a prayer. I'm hopeful for the future with youth grabbing onto the faith like this.

I got a bunch of calls this weekend. Please keep these folks in your prayers:
Jean is in the hospital. Phil is dying. Rob and Wendy are joining this morning, but Wendy will be home sick.

Kelly - Psalm 16

Today is Benjamin's birthday...and next week he begins 2nd grade. Something about these milestones makes it seem like I'm leaving small children behind. More than last year - - it now seems like I am entering a new phase of parenting - - where my responsibilities are less about keeping them alive and more about helping them develop into the people they are created to be.

Psalm 16 is written as a prayer for the author - for us to read about ourselves. But it is a good representation of all I pray for them. It hinges upon a relationship. And I can't give them that, I can only offer it. And pray that they will grab ahold of the promise.

Faith is a verb

Today's Psalm made me think of Micah 6:8, "Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly."

"Walk straight, act right, tell the truth."

Practical advice to make our faith come alive.

The last chapter of Hebrews gives us more of this type of instruction. See you in worship tomorrow.

God-expectant, God-ready

When I was in one of my first senior high Sunday school classes on my first call, I posed the question, "Is there any absolute truth that is true whether we or anyone else on the planet believes it or not?"

No one could think of anything. I suggested, "God is love." They argued me down. Kids who had been in church all of their lives.

Part of the problem is since the vast majority of us only interact with God at most once per week and then we mainly just interact with God's people, we wouldn't recognize him or his ways if they hit us in the face. The most passionately spiritual thing we can probably do is promote our 9 am education hour.

I learned something from Rock on Wednesday about an appropriately named business, out in the world reminding people who need to hear about God's presence.

The 99 restaurant trains folks who have been in prison and would otherwise be homeless to work with their company. "God turns life around."

I love how this psalm ends. Most of being God-expectant, God-ready is facing the right direction...toward him and his ways. When we do that, we will "sing laughter".

Kelly - Psalm 14

My bible notes that in v. 1 the Hebrew word for "fool" implies moral difficiency.

So my mind went racing off along lines of the interplay between morality and faith. I spent a semester in college reading and discussing John Stuart Mills' theses on Utilitarianism: the belief that there is no absolute morality - that the moral worth of action is defined by the degree to which it provides happiness to the sum of all beings. If an action causes more good than pain, then it is a moral action.

I must admit to never being the type of person who revelled in philosophy classes...even in college I could not discuss this stuff into the wee hours of the night.

But our faith teaches an absolute morality. Good and evil are defined by the Word of God. And sometimes that Word runs against the easier road of utilitarianism. And we still hit that roadblock today in our faith. Jesus' actions weren't always (weren't often?) about bringing the greatest good to the greatest number of people. He upset the leaders of the day for precisely that reason.

Jesus would leave the 99 sheep defenseless in the wilderness in order to go looking for the one lamb who wasn't smart enough to stay with the group. In our world, the Word of the Lord makes the majority of us decidedly UNcomfortable - demanding radical service and sacrifice, that we become the "least of these."

Good and Evil are absolutes in our world...but they aren't always obvious. We are asked to act on the Word of God, even when that runs counter to our common sense.

Long enough

About this time last year, I had had enough. It's fun to read my journal from those days. God's fingerprints are all over it.

We had "thrown ourselves headlong into his arms" and were starting to "celebrate our rescue".

Now, we're "singing at the top of our lungs" (Heidi even joined the choir), "so full of answered prayers".

Most of the time, the answer has been, "I am here. I will not leave you or forsake you."

Thanks for being the community that surrounds and upholds us in joy and sorrow. Sue, how is your friend's family doing?

Kelly - Psalm 13

This psalm, like my faith, is a constant struggle between raw human emotion and human intellect and rationality. It begins with pure pain. "How long?!" The anguish makes sense to me...it's not lack of faith, not denial of our role in God's world, but a very human plea for relief.

The end of the Psalm shows intellect taking over. It doesn't delete or diminish the pain, but it reminds me that there is more to faith than the way I "feel" about it. Trust and Remembrance. God has been good to me, I remember. I trust God.

One of the reasons I love the church is that we are all meshed in here together. And when one cries out in pain, another may be in the midst of joy. And we remind each other that there is more to the story than what we are experiencing right now. We hear the stories of each other, we remember our own stories over the years, and we learn from the stories of those around us...and the corporate history of the church.

When I cry out in pain, I stand in awe of people like Vic and Elsa - who have had strong faith for decades. Who have weathered many storms of faith, have cried out on their own and together, have been through upheavals of church before. I do not know their full stories, but I know that they are here...that they come each week because they know the truth of God. They have felt anguish, joy, and have understanding and trust in God.

And in the midst of those people, even when I cry out "How Long?!" I can stand in the church and "my heart can rejoice in my salvation"

Jordan - Psalm 12

I know people like this psalmist, relatives even.  Pessismists who think the devil has consumed everyone and the world has gone bad when it used to be so glorious "back in my day."  I saw that there was a study that concluded that bad memories fade quicker than good memoried which is why nostalgia sets in as we grow older.  I find it hard to take this psalmist's melodramtic whining seriously.  Whining and putting the worlds situation on God is a cop-out.


Yes, there are bad people, but I do not feel that "the faithful have disappeared" (v 1) and that "vileness is exalted among humankind" (v 8).  We are imperfect, yet we are still made in God's image and we should hold eachother accountable for our roles in this creation.  Whining about how awful people are only gives an excuse to give up on the world and certainly isn't what God wants!

Mighty to save

The imagery in these psalms is fantastic!

Since Donna Crosta put the one page article about the 12,000 homeless students in MA on the bulletin board, I've had them on my mind.

"Into the hovels of the poor, into the dark streets where the homeless groan, God speaks: 'I've had enough; I'm on my way to heal.'"

Heidi and I celebrated our anniversary last night in the rain (will it ever end?), but what if you were in elementary school and had to sit under a bridge to do your homework. Would you ever really be warm without a home?

The parents of these kids have got to be thinking, "God, are you coming?!?"

Jordan - Psalm 11

Right now I am reading a book called The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet.  The novel is set in the middle of the twelfth century where knights, lords, queens kings ruled.  The death of a king meant trouble and wars were fought between rivalling families.  This psalm and a number of the other psalms that we have read keep making me think of these ancient times.  These times were violent and life was incredibly difficult.  The church played a huge role in people's lives and yet the majority of the people had no idea what was said during mass.  God was mysterious; one who hated sinners and blessed the righteous (v 5-7).


Still, I can't help but be reminded of my naive american lifestyle.  There are still places in this world where life is more than difficult.  Where war is an every day part of life.  What would these psalms say to those people?  Will they feel that God is testing them relentlessly from his holy temple or will they feel that God and heaven are mountains to which they can flee? (v1)   

Testing, testing, one, two

Smack dab in the middle of this psalm, we hear, "God tests the good and the bad alike."

When we go through something that tests our faith, we must remember that these type of things happen to us all.

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." We have (often untapped) reserves of strength to rely on and a community to uphold us. Not everyone does. Everyone should, just not everyone does.

We pray, "Lead us not into temptation." God tempts no one. That's the devil's job. God does test us though, like a good teacher would do for the benefit of a good student.

We are students (disciples) of God's way. As we draw closer to Christ, we will go to the next level.

After 14 years of marriage, I hope I'm a better husband now than I ever have been.

Let's take this family we call faith to the next level.

Jordan - Psalm 10

"But you do see!" the psalm writer says of God in verse 14.  Sometimes, it almost seems that these writers are convincing themselves when they put these words down.  Writing can do that and its why people take up journaling.  It makes our thoughts real.  If I write something on this blog, it is likely going to be read by someone and now my opinion isn't just a musing, but a representation of me.

God, though, knows our hearts.  The psalmist asks in the first verse "Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?"  Yet, God is closer than we can imagine.  Sometimes, God seems too close, when the guilt of our imperfect hearts weighs heavy.   Still, this notion of God being with us is sometimes just too intagible to feel true, so we practice our ways of making God more real.  This is how this blog works for me.  Just like the psalmist, when I write about God, I get excited and my thoughts become deeper than the day to day stuff I do at work.

There is a God and God does see!!

Psalm 10

This Psalm starts out asking why God is hiding himself in times of trouble? I wonder why we think that. Sometimes I think that people feel because something bad has happened God is not there. I believe that we need to look for God's presence at all times, he is always there, he has a plan we just don't always see it.

This weekend I found out that a friend lost her battle with cancer, she died peacefully at home on Friday morning. She was only 50 and has 5 children and 2 grandchildren. I can see how her family is probably asking themselves why did she have to die? She was a good person, she helped others, was always volunteering her time for different organizations, it does not make sense.

I think that is during times like this that we need to grab onto our faith and believe that God has a plan, that there is a reason. We are not going to understand it but our faith can guide us through the most troubling times.

In the Psalm today it talks alot about being led astray by the wicked, the non-believers. There are times in everyone's life when we are more vunerable to such people. It is during the hard times when we may be led astray. Stay strong and hold onto your faith. There is a reason for everything.

God is NOT dead

When outsiders say that we are unChristian in our approach to faith (see my last sermon), we have only one way to refute their claims: Be like Jesus. At times, we will not be "little Christs" in every way, but we can certainly strive for that.

When people say, "God is dead," we can live and breathe in such a way that it becomes apparent to all who are paying attention that God is indeed alive and well. We know Satan is.

God won't let us down if we give him the time of day. God's grace does win.

Here's my favorite verse today, "Orphans get parents, the homeless get homes." Faith can be a place where all are welcome and I mean all.

That might change some people's opinions of how anti-homosexual, judgmental, and/or hypocritical our church is.

Heidi and her uncle were discussing the Muslims who want to build a 13 story mosque right next to the World Trade Center grounds. Is it freedom of religion or insensitivity to other Americans? Danny thought that it would be great PR for them to accept the land 3 block away and build there. They would actually be building relationships with their neighbors that would go a long way toward healing the breach.

What could we do in our neighborhood and the world if the Faith Center sale goes through and we tithe on the proceeds? Haitians get food, the homeless get homes.

It's not about me!

I have read through the Psalms three times, but several things caught my eye today:
"I'm singing your song, High God."
"God holds the high center."
"Tell his stories to everyone you meet."

Other than being the singer, worshiper, and story teller, I'm not in there anywhere. God is the main actor in this story and I am privileged to be in on it.

Exciting things are happening at Faith. I am honored to be a part of a healthy church, getting healthier every day.

"God's a safe-house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times."

Even if you're in worship this morning, please come to Sue Grassey's house from 3-7 pm tonight. There will be a pool party, potluck meal, and worship time with the newest ELCA church in the area: Sanctuary.

You are the famous one!

The bookends to Psalm 8 remind me of the Chris Tomlin song, "The Famous One":
"God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name."
"God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world."

There's a lot in the 7 verses in between too:
"I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, moon and stars mounted in their settings."
"Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, 'Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?'"

The 300 Calumet campers and the 65 VBSers came away with the fact that God loves us soooooo much. God also loves the entire world.

Let us not miss this verse:
"You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge." Responsibility, not domination.

9 or 10 youth and adults are down in the Youth Room right now packaging thousands of meals. They will be there again at 7 am tomorrow. They have learned these lessons well.

When we ship the almost 40,000 meals to Haiti on Monday and after Sunday School starts again on Sept 19th, where will we package meals then? We need a space alternative to the church, unless someone can creatively think of a solution within the existing walls. Our kids and youth at Faith LOVE Feeding the Future.

Remembered

One word struck a chord with me and colored the rest of the reading: unremembered.

"Do this to remember me," says Jesus. We all want to be remembered, to leave a legacy. However, we don't do this alone.

When we have communion, we are re-membered as the body of Christ for the world. We come together in order to further God's kingdom.

At camp, the adults read a book called Have a Little Faith by the Tuesdays with Morrie guy. Reb's main concern is that he be remembered, so that he doesn't have to "die a second death".

New Englanders have an expression that is new to me. If someone visits someone else that the congregation knows and loves, during parish concerns they will say, "So and so wants to be remembered to you." I like it.

Jordan - Psalm 6

What is clear to me from these Psalms is that I do not know suffering.  I have never been weary from moaning having flooded my bed and couch with tears (v 6-7), nor have I comforted someone that ill and grief stricken.

Psalm 6 feels very lonely to me.  Not only is the writer sick, but the writer does not seem to have anyone but God.  I know that I would be truly horrified to be on death's door alone.  God provides that constant companion even if the world has turned its back on you, but I hope (pray) that I will never have to be that courageous.

Out back behind the woodshed

My two favorite verses today:
"Please, God, no more trips to the woodshed."
"My prayers are answered."

I watched a movie last night called Letters to God. I was about an 8 year old boy who had cancer. Yesterday, we mourned the loss of Bob Blake, who was 88.

Tyler's prayers are answered, but the enemies ravaging his body are not delivered. He spends most of the movie out back behind the woodshed.

When we trust, love, and follow God, sometimes the mystery of his provision surprises us.

Jordan - Psalm 5

These psalms must be comforting to people who are being persecuted.  Personally, though, I cringe at some of the language where David asks God to cast out his enemies and make them bear their guilt.  The God here, is a God of justice; one who both protects the innocent and punishes the wicked.  But who was persecuting David and what were they praying about him?

If everyone prays to God to cast out their enemies, and God grants those prayers, then we are all on the outside looking in.

Scripture reading Scripture

I love it when you do your daily Bible reading and it connects with something you've just read/experienced somewhere else. The Bible comes alive right in your hands! It happened to me twice today.

Sunday night I was up past midnight writing my funeral homily (for Bob Blake today at 1 pm). Last night, I was at it again, this time for Sunday's sermon.

Our 2nd reading talks about God being a consuming fire. As a supporting Scripture somewhere along the line, I referenced Romans 12:1-2, "I appeal to you, sisters and brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God."

Then this morning, I read, "Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend." Living sacrifice. Spiritual worship.

I shared my faith story yesterday and emphasized the importance, the centrality of forgiveness and love.

Then this morning, I read, "You'll welcome us with open arms when we run for cover to you. Let the party last all night!" I couldn't help but think of the prodigal Father.

Psalms 3 & 4

I am unsure of whether we are on 3 or 4 as I am behind in my reading because of VBS, so I read both this afternoon.

Psalm 3 made me laugh as my image of the 60 or so children we have running around our church right now sprang to my mind, as I read about how many are my enemies. (Not that they are enemies but with all those kids sometimes you feel overwhelmed.) So then a few verses later it says "I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on either side." I couldn't help but think about registration that morning as everyone always arrives at once and has a million questions that it seems only I can answer so I am going in a thousand directions!

God is with us though as he helps to smooth out the rest of the week. We trust in him to give us strength each day to deal with the children and enough energy to make it through the week. Each year we pray for the families that attend and hope that someone will join our church as a result of this week. Today a mom approached me, one who has been coming for the past 3 years now, and told me that she is thinking of looking for a new church as she is unhappy in her current one. I of course went on to expound Matthew's talent, especially with the children. She may come to church this Sunday!

Keep us in you prayers and thoughts all week. And give a little cheer, a group of us finished packaging the meals this afternoon. They will be leaving on Monday for Haiti!!!

More than enough

These Psalms are like bite-sized.

"Why is everyone hungry for more? 'More, more,' they say. 'More, more.' I have God's more-than-enough."

David is referring to joy, a fruit of the Spirit.

Instead of going after more in the world, we go deeper with God and receive this gift of joy.

"You, God, have put my life back together."

More than once, in my experience. God is always putting me back together.

"All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."

God, give me strength to continue to do your will in the midst of life's struggles.

Jordan - Psalm 3

This weekend we learned that our daycare provider's dog, Pepper, was hit by a car and killed.  One of David's first words was "Pepper" (or "Peppa").  Today, when Erin told him, he cried for nearly ten minutes.  His first question was whether the cats were still there..

Enemies aren't always people trying to get you.  Many times, enemies are the challenges you face or the vices you contend with.  Each night we go to sleep with the challenges on our mind, but we get up in the morning because God sustains us (v. 5).  Tomorrow morning David is going to Kathy's for the first time in his life and not be greeted by a little black dog who was constantly in hyper-drive.

To the Fitzgerald family, our hearts are with you as you grieve the loss of a family member.

Rest in peace, Pepper!

Starting rough, ending well

David's Psalms interest me. The heading in The Message is "A David Psalm, when he escaped for his life from Absalom, his son."

He ends it with, "Real help comes from God. Your blessing clothes your people!"

Did I miss something?!?

Your son is trying to kill you and you're praising God.

A lot of things in life are like that though. They start rough. People don't know what to think. But then the impact of them sinks in and all the pain (i.e. read growth) becomes worth it in the end.

In 8 days, we need to select the next book(s), so that we can include them in the newsletter. I would suggest some OT history (like David's story) or a major prophet. Thoughts?

Now is the time to worship!

We just read this in Hebrews 10:
"So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. God always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on."

18 of us were together at Camp Calumet less than 24 hours ago. 8-10 of us will be in worship this morning. Our children and youth seem a bit over-scheduled.

Today we hear:
"Worship God in adoring embrace, celebrate in trembling awe. If you make a run for God, you won't regret it!"

Our campers are primed to make a run for God, but do we model a worshipful life, especially in July and August? Do we lose our Sabbath rhythm without Sunday School?

Vacation Bible School starts tomorrow. I hope that we've got a bunch of VBSers in worship today and next Sunday.

Worship is central to our lives, no matter what time of year. It needs to be or we soon get off track. Life becomes more about us and less about God.

Psalms: a prayer book

Kelly, we are reading the first 30 Psalms, starting today.

The page and a half intro in The Message explains that "Most Christians for most of the Christian centuries have learned to pray by praying the Psalms."

Here are some other thoughts:
"'Help' and 'Thanks!' are our most basic prayers."
"Prayer is elemental, not advanced, language."
"It is the means by which we get everything in our lives out in the open before God."

My hope is that prayer becomes more natural to the members of Faith, simply because we do it more, out loud. Tonight, please pray for Cindy Blake. Her father, Bob, died this afternoon.

Given this news, I was humbled by the 2nd to last line in Psalm 1, "God charts the road you take."

Bob had 88 great years. We celebrate his life this week. The 18 of us at Calumet this past week were drawn closer into God's presence. Here are some song lyrics for you to enjoy:

Jesus, Lover of my soul,
Jesus, I will never let you go
You’ve taken me from the miry clay
You've set my feet upon the Rock, and now I know

I love you, I need you,
Though my world may fall, I’ll never let you go
My Savior, my closest friend,
I will worship you until the very end

Kelly's confusion

Are we going on to 1 Peter or are we starting Psalms?

Jordan - James 4

Yesterday, our Thrivent advisor came over to talk to talk to us about our goals.  Erin and I came to the realization, that we have some goals, but we don't really have plans.  That sorta happens when two cool-headed, low maintenance people get married and have a family.  We just figure we'll make stuff happen when we need to.  That's not exactly a good financial strategy though.  At some point, we'll outgrow our house (if we haven't already), need a bigger car, have a good rainy day plan in case one of us loses our job etc.  James warns against planning without God.  "You do not even know what tomorrow will bring.  What is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (v 14)

Our little plans are silly in the grand universe, but they are important to us to be happy.  The point here is that plans shouldn't be "get rich." Plans should be made with God.  What does God want Erin and I to do 5 years from now, or 10?  Puts a new perspective on it.

God, if you would like to leave a comment on this post, feel free..

Jordan - James 3

"Hey, teacher!  Leave those kids alone!" -Pink Floyd

Our thoughts and actions are guided by the values and words that were instilled in us over time.  Teachers have a powerful influence over young minds.  I just read a study in popular science that shows a correlation between strict/abusive phys ed teachers and a lack of athletic ability later in life.  In chapter 3, James talks about how the tongue is a powerful thing that can control people like a small rudder controls a large ship.

I play both roles in my life, as most people do I imagine.  I am both a teacher and a student depending on the context.  I teach my children things every day.  Sometimes consciously, but most of the time, they pick up on things that I wasn't even aware of.  At work, I lead some teams, but I am also very aware of what my managers and co-workers are trying to teach me.  What's important, and I am not sure how well I do it, is that we acknowledge that we play these roles.  More importantly, when we teach we must be honest and have the best intentions.  As a student, we need to filter and find truth, otherwise we'll just become another brick in the wall.

Kelly - James 3

Oh, the tongue.

I've just returned from spending a week with my little sister and my father's family...between those two temptations I've found that my tongue is not behaving the way I'd like it to. (Yeah, it's my tongue that's at fault, why would I take personal responsibility for it's behavior?)

My grandmother taught me to recite "Solitude" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox before I was 10 ("Laugh and the world laughs with you...). But her overwhelmingly cheerful attitude is coupled with the belief that brutal honesty can be a virtue. It's not something you find in New Englad very often...she informed us all in a very loud voice that I was looking tired, my sister was putting on weight, and my dad was getting really old and starting to bald. She also taught Benjamin a birthday song inolving the phrase "Horse's A**". She's cultivated 3 generations of people with rather thick skin.

I also spent 8 days with my little sister. And though we're adults now, 8 days is long enough to fall back into all the snide judgements we made about each other for 16 years.

When I'm around my family I'm a much quicker wit...the jokes come freely, I laugh a lot (often at myself). But once loosed a little, my tongue goes a little crazy. I can be hurtful. And I've noticed since returning to Boston that I'm generally more negative. My thoughts and words are generally "snarky."

My cousin has figured out how to work this world. She's moved back to Denver to raise her daughter around family. She laughs and celebrates with this crowd all the time, but is one of the most generally kind and supportive people I've ever met.

Jordan - James 2

How do you celebrate [financial] stewardship?  Earlier in the year the Stewardship team was thinking about how to somehow publicly recognize those in our congregation who give generously.  In this chapter (v. 1-7) there is a hint of warning against becoming partial and making distinctions among those who come through the doors of the sanctuary.  I see the wisdom in this, and yet, there is a basic human need to be appreciated and acknowledged for making sacrifices whether big or small.  Where is the balance?

James 2

I have to be honest I was really confused by this chapter. What James is saying seems to go against Martin Luther's teachings of faith and works. James appears to be saying that faith apart from works will not save you. Didn't Martin Luther state that Faith alone is all you need, you will not be judged by your works? Then in Roman chapter 3 Paul states 'for we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.'

Now possibly they are talking about two different things although it certainly is confusing. If you read really hard into James he does say in verse 18 'I by my works will show you my faith.' So is he saying that if you have faith you will work for the kingdom of God? That's how I am going to take this chapter.

Kelly - James 2

Can faith without deeds save you? (v. 14b)

I've recently been involved in a facebook discussion began by my brother-in-law Dave (Pastor at an ELCA church near Houston) and several of his clergy friends whom I have never met. He started it by jabbing out the recent Jon Stewart quote on Methodism.

If you missed it, the Daily Show episode on Chelsea Clinton's wedding included a remark that Methodism was "like the University of Phoenix of religions....just pay your money and hit 'submit'". Dave thought that was hilarious. But the truth is that lack of standards is hardly unique to the UMC in Protestant circles.

John Wesley taught triune grace - and the 3rd facet of God's grace in our lives is "sanctifying grace" - that grace that makes us holy - that gives us the power to be who God created us to be. It is the grace of deeds, of works.

We all have parts of scripture that mean more to us than others. I have a strained relationship with Paul and the letter to the Hebrews makes me squirm. I have participated in, and witnessed, many feats of "preaching gymnastics." One of my favorites is the ways in which we have come to interpret "It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven."

It's also interesting to watch and see whether a Lutheran Pastor will preach on the Epistle lesson whenever this verse from James shows up in the lectionary....Luther's sola fide is hard to work into James.

Are we the University of Phoenix?

Jordan - James 1

In the last couple days, James (our James) has started to wave hi.  Only occasionally, mind you, to myself or Erin.  But, he'll do it every time when he sees himself in the mirror!  Obviously, I couldn't help but notice verse 23 today that says "For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in the mirror.."

At 9 months, James is allowed to be completely into himself.  For the rest of us, though, we are called to serve.  In verse 25, the author of James talks about the "perfect law," which is what Jesus says is the greatest commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Its that simple..but is it?  When was the last time you have seen your neighbor and broken bread with them (or a beer)?  Erin and I have a hard enough time juggling our own schedule to really engage with the people around us.  Thats probably more of an excuse than anything..

James 1

'If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God'. Funny to read that as I ask God for his wisdom everyday, to do what is right, to let him lead me, to make the right decisions... Then here in James it's one of the first directions he is giving. The second part of that tells us to ask without doubting, have faith. That may be a little harder.

In world where everything is instantainious we are not a very patient generation. We do not want to wait for God's timing, which is a lot slower than ours. We want everything done yesterday. This has actually been something that I have been struggling with, patience.

A few verses down James tells us that following our own desires will lead to sin. How true is that. Many of us are living for ourselves, following our own desires and path. It's hard in the world today not to live like others, to be different. I know that since coming back from the mission trip I have felt out of place with some groups of people that have been friends for a long time. My priorities shifted after the trip, something changed for me. I am putting trust in God and letting him lead me. My friends and some family members don't really understand that.

Verse 22...'Be doers of the word and not hearers only'. How are we at Faith going to be doers? What actions are we taking to fulfill God's plan for our church? Next week we will have around 60 children attend VBS at our church. Pray for us and for them that we can pass along faith to these children and that they may see God in a different way. My wish is that we make doers of these children.

Where the action is

"Let's go where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders."

"Share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of "sacrifice"—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets."

"All we care about is living well before God."

"May God provide you with everything you need to please him."

If you have an outreach mindset like Sue, these verses excite you. This is not the way institutional churches run, but my focus has always been on what's good for the kingdom and outsiders, not for those of us who are insiders.

I will spend the week ministering to 300 world-changers. Enjoy James!

Hebrews 11 - FAITH

"Now faith if the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear". WOW

After reading this chapter I spent the day waiting to blog about it. Never got there as life got in the way, so here I am now. The word FAITH kept coming up here and I kept thinking of our church. All of the people mentioned in this passage had faith in God to provide for them. They did what was asked of them because they had faith in God and his plan.

I can't help but wonder do we at 'Faith' feel that way? Do we have faith in God's plan? Do we have faith in each other? It doesn't always seem so.

Our church is in a new era. We have a new pastor with new ideas and new views on how we as a church can express our faith and live out our mission. Some of our members are 'all in' (as we have said on our mission trip), others are skeptical and still others are pretty neutral.

How do we create a congregation that wants to live out it's mission and make a difference in the world. Not just in the Quincy area.

The excitement that you get when you go away on a mission trip or a youth event can easily get squashed when you come back and are hit with negativity. Some say 'why not do that here in our area'? 'Why go so far?' "We have people here who need our help."

We have been helping people in our area for as long as I can remember. There have been many programs that our church has been involved in over the years helping out the greater community. Now is the time for our youth and adults to branch out and see that there is a great big world out there. When we branch out we meet people we would not in our immediate community, we have experiences we could not have in our own backyard.

After going on the mission trip I am a firm believer that everyone who is able to should have that experience at least once in their life. They would see things differently I believe.

Faith is the assurance of things hope for the confiction of things not seen. What are we looking for?

Discipline in a Long-Distance Race

That's the heading for this section in the Message. We have been talking a lot about how this "race" at Faith is a marathon, not a sprint. Churches move notoriously slow. A lot of us aren't even jogging in our faith.

But I have heard that if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. We are trying to re-create ourselves as a healthy church that goes together...jogging, not sprinting, not plodding.

The Faith Center is well on its way to being leased (mid-month, not at the end of the month like our last announcement stated) with the intent to be sold. We will officially vote about this as a congregation on Rally Day.

We need to be together in ministry and mission. If you hear me refer to MY Mutual Ministry Team, correct me. Its OUR team, building relationships and eventually scanning the congregation and community for how we can do the above, together, sharing the ministry at Faith.

Put on your seat belt, not because we're going fast, but because we're going far. How do we do that?

"Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way..."

What do we do when things don't seem to be working? Blame our leaders? I'm not sure how helpful that is. Sometimes we're just getting a side ache, because we're running and may be out of shape. Faith hasn't gotten a young, new pastor for 40 years. We may need to walk for 100 yards (or a mile), but we certainly aren't dropping out of the race. This is a life-long journey, having faith, living with God and our sisters and brothers in Christ.

"Why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God."

That's my long-term dream for Faith. I'd like to seem us train together for years and then use that strength and health to build up the kingdom.

"No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!"

When we were on first call, Heidi did a 100 mile St Jude's run from Champaign to Peoria with 19 others. They always ran together (at least two at a time). She ran 23.2 miles, one woman ran 50 of them, others ran far less, but they were all in shape and they all did it together.

Jordan - Hebrews 10

As soon as I read verse 20, the curtain brought me back to the crucifixion:

Hebrews 10:19-20 : "Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh."

Matthew 27:50-51: "Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom."

 That curtain verse has always stood out to me when the passion is read.  It seems so oddly placed.  An event that probably gave people telling the story a physical connection to the listeners of the time.  Everyone knew the significance of the curtain in the great temple!  But what did tearing the curtain mean?  My Lutheran Study Bible has a note in Matthew that says "the tearing of the curtain is a sign that God is no longer present in the temple, God is present in Jesus, forsaken by God and crucified by human beings."  The author of Hebrews seems to be saying the same thing.  This physical barrier was as human as the hands that killed Jesus.  The triune God can't be hidden, God is.

I am really amazed at the depth of this book.  This author was a very intelligent scholar and I am sure the subtleties in this book are flying over my head so fast I should be sitting on a phone book.

 

A perfect 10

"It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people."

Say that five times fast.

The other P word that was all over this reading was promise.

"Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going."

"You need to stick it out, staying with God's plan so you'll be there for the promised completion."

There's another P word: plan.

What is God's plan for Faith?

Christ's prophecy (another P word!) speaks to that:
"I'm here to do it your way, O God, the way it's described in your Book."

In order to get a grip on a big picture plan for Faith, we need to read the Instruction Manual.

Regarding the promise, "God always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching."

Lastly, "We're not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We'll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way."

Amen. Amen. Amen.

Kelly - Hebrews 10

Today's chapter begins with some more or less rhetorical questions about ancient rituals. Paul states that rituals were repeated year after year because they were ineffective..."For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near in worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshippers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins." (vv. 1b-2)

These words got me stuck on the power of ritual in our lives. I've become more aware of it since hanging out with Lutherans - partially because of the greater role of ritual, and partially because of the familiar Methodist rituals that are no longer part of my daily life.

We do repeat our rituals endlessly - and not because they are ineffective. We take communion week after week - and its effectiveness in our lives does not cause us to no longer need the ritual. We sing the same songs, say the same prayers. And these bring us comfort and peace.

Our rituals are not the same as our faith...but I need them. I have fallen into the habit of singing "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" in the car on Mon. and Wed. nights...not sure why I began, but the personal ritual keeps me grounded. It is my own "call to prayer" at a time in the week when I usually need one.

I repeat my rituals, and we repeat ours together, not because we are waiting for them to be effective....but because we know that they are. They do not change the world around us, or God's relationship with us. But they change us. They allow us to pray when we are overcome with sorrow. They bring us focus when we are scattered. They put us back in our place when we wander into conceit or self-doubt.

Jordan - Hebrews 9

I concur with Sue. What I find most appealing about Hebrews is how much it seems to relate to the way I see Faith right now. We are like the Jews in this chapter who know a certain way and we are comfortable in it. Its not perfect, but it is who we are. But there is whisper of change, we can all feel it, but we aren't really sure about it because its different, unsettling and it all happened so fast.

Jesus and these disciples took these people by storm. Can you imagine how one day you had all of these rules on how to worship and the next day people are telling you that those "rules" are the "first tent" and "the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary has not been disclosed as long as the first tent is still standing" (v 8). Not only were their rules flipped on their heads, but they weren't even in the right building.

What speaks to me is that these ancient people were changed. It took a lot of time and a lot of leaders, letters and debate, but they changed. The history of our religion is an amalgamation of events that changed the institutionalized faith of the time. Despite our best efforts, we'll change too because the Spirit will move us when we least expect it.

Hebrews 9

As I was reading this chapter I couldn't help but think about how hard it must have been for the people in Moses time to follow all of the laws God put before them. There were so many specific actions they needed to take before worshipping, so many rules and regulations. It's no wonder they had trouble following all those rules. How would we do if we had to do the same?

Luckily we have Jesus and his sacrifice so we do not have all the rituals of Moses' time. I know the word they used in the Bible was 'necessary', but maybe it wasn't so much necessary, for Jesus to be sacrificed, as it was a gift to us. God knows us and he knows how hard it was for the people to follow all of his rules. So he made it easier for us to worship him and to follow him. ????

I know that I am thankful for Jesus' sacrifice. Without that where would we all be?

Kelly - Hebrews 9

Confessions of a non-Lutheran....to be erased from your memory if they cause more harm and confusion than good.

While I've worked out a solid soteriology than can hold up to theological inspection and interviews, the "party line" that we find here in Hebrews has always been a problem for me.

The concept that Jesus had to sacrifice himself for us in order for us to be forgiven is a hurdle I just cannot leap. As Hebrews puts it, Christ's sacrifice was "necessary" for our salvation. To my mind, nothing is "necessary" for God except to be fully Godself - to be fully Love.

Paul's tells us that God requires sacrifice for the forgiveness of original sin. And this argument is based on the sacrifices of the Law. But God is God - and is not constrained by "necessary" and "requirements." I believe God chooses to forgive us our sins (individual, corporate, original...whatever) out of Love.

Christ is our Savior because he came to live among us - was incarnate - and taught us who God is and taught God what it is like to be us (as a cube cannot understand a square).

This rambles a bit...and it is incredibly arrogant to refute not only Paul, but a large part of traditional belief. But I'm not the first person to be obnoxiously arrogant in a blog post.

Priestly work

The priesthood of all believers. Do we really buy into that? Or does Faith have only one priest/pastor? When it comes to praying out loud in public, you would think so. =)

I shared a little bit of my faith story last Sunday, but we all have the moment of our baptism, when we were anointed with oil, marked with the cross, sealed with the Spirit. We are all priests in this church.

"The assigned task of a high priest is to offer both gifts and sacrifices." God give us gifts and we are to sacrificially use them for the sake of the kingdom.

One of the main themes in the Old Testament is "I'll be their God, they'll be my people."

I love the part right before that, "This new plan I'm making with Israel isn't going to be written on paper, isn't going to be chiseled in stone; This time I'm writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of their hearts."

God knows us better than we know ourselves. Deep within us is the perfect place to plant faith. We can set aside papers and stone tablets. It's hard to get away from a God who is within you.

I'm really looking forward to Calumet next week. It'll be a time for the 18 of us from Faith to consider our souls and tend to them. Please pray (out loud if you'd like) for Cassie & Erik who are there this week only (along with Andrew, Tori, Tina, & Julia, Rose, and Emily) and Miranda & Marcus who will be there later in the month. Oh, and it's Tina's birthday today...to become a teenager at camp!

Kelly - Hebrews 8

I'm back. And very uninspired by today's reading.

I will say, though, that after spending a week around Pike's Peak (Elev. 14,115 ft), Cheyenne Mountain (which houses NORAD), Garden of the Gods, and hiking in the fossil beds at 9,000 ft ---- my Colorado heart has remembered the freedom and power and excitement of Mountains.

Moses didn't climb to 14,000 feet to meet God on the mountain - but he climbed. He got a better vision and a different perspective. And growth in faith requires new perspectives from time to time.

Hebrews 7

Here I am back from a wonderfully, restful week in the most beautiful place on earth (in my eyes anyway). We could not have asked for a better week. Perfect weather, great company and lots of time to relax and enjoy God's creation. I watched the moon rise over the mountain and marveled at the shear beauty of this. Watching this is one of the highlights of my summer, no matter how may times I watch this I can't get enough. I thanked God everyday for the opportuntity to be in Maine and enjoy his creation.

Today's reading was lots of that history stuff that does not make a lot of sense to the lay person. I have been reading my bible, Revised Standard Version, and then reading the same passage from The Message Bible. It is interesting to read the different versions and also to see how the more modern Bible translates the reading. Many times The Message Bible makes the reading a little more clear for me.

Today what I take from the reading is that Jesus is the perfect priest, one who is perfect and the one we should follow. Since returning from the mission trip I have had a renewed sense of purpose and a sense of peace. I am making small changes in my life so that I can follow Jesus and do his work. After all why are we here on earth? To please ourselves or to please God? Following Jesus is not always the easy path but it is the one I have chosen and am sure is the correct one.

Melchizedek

In Genesis 14:17, Melchizedek comes onto the scene, literally out of nowhere. His name is synonymous with permanent. Other than once in the Psalms, he is mentioned only in Hebrews. We will not hear about him again.

I always thought it was strange that Jesus didn't come from the line of Levi. In Ephesians 4, gifts and roles are detailed out for God's people:
preachers
teachers
evangelists
prophets
apostles

While Jesus was a great preacher (see Matthew 5-7, the most powerful sermon ever preached) and teacher, he didn't come from a long line of them. The prophets came before him, the apostles after him. He commanded us to evangelize, each in our own way. Jesus is something completely other.

Yesterday in worship I said this after the confession, "Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all of our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life." Jesus doesn't have to use the word "us".

"So now we have a high priest who perfectly fits our needs: completely holy, uncompromised by sin, with authority extending as high as God's presence in heaven itself. Unlike the other high priests, he doesn't have to offer sacrifices for his own sins every day before he can get around to us and our sins. He's done it, once and for all: offered up himself as the sacrifice."

Thanks be to God!

Grow up in Christ

Hebrews 5 ended with talk of mother's milk and solid food. Once we have internalized that we are precious children of God with a purpose on this planet, we are to eliminate the distractions and get to work.

"So come on, let's leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ."

"Parched ground that soaks up the rain and then produces an abundance of carrots and corn for its gardener gets God's "Well done!" But if it produces weeds and thistles, it's more likely to get cussed out."

John and Erica's wedding was in a garden. Their original location experienced some unintentional burning of spots of the grass. It was beautiful...until you looked down where the bride would be walking. Dry, brown grass.

Instead, we went to a more suitable place. Lush, green grass near a windmill. We used the place that was ready to be used. God does the same.

"God knows perfectly well all the love you've shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it. And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don't drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them."

Amazing things will happen in and through Faith (they already are). We just need to be fit and ready to accept the challenges God drops in our lap. The Faith Center is in the process of being sold. What will we do with all of those blessings?

It goes back to what I posted a few days ago. "Today, please listen."

Are we on the edge of our seats, waiting for God's Spirit to speak to us? Are we ready to respond?