Keep Alert this Advent

During December, I find our kitchen filled with more baked goods than any month of the year.   As I write this I can smell a cake I have in the oven, and as usual my wife asked me how long it needed to bake, and as usual, I answered, “Until it’s done.”  I am aware that it is an annoying answer, but it may help to know that I was an artisan baker and a pastry chef, and so I know not to depend simply on a timer.  I remember giving the same answer to the interns that came from the culinary schools when they asked how long to bake something; I would never give even an approximate time until they understood that it is important to be able to use all one’s senses.  I found in the bakery and in the kitchen those that depended only on the timer were more likely to pull items early or late from the oven.  Thus I am not trying to be annoying, but true to my first vocation.

Now as a minister, I find some truths of baking to be relevant to understanding the Gospel.  Jesus even said, “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” (Matthew 13:33)  That parable is full of great meaning, especially the power of Christ’s Kingdom.  During December we are getting ready for Emmanuel, “God with us.”  The Christ Child will be born King of Kings.  Jesus comes into the world as a small baby, and yet with all the glory of His Kingdom.  This is a great miracle.

We hear about the number of shopping days and I know that children (and teachers) count the days until Christmas break.  We wait in lines and wait for packages.  We decorate our homes, our churches, our public spaces.  We bake and we eat.  All of this we do waiting for our Savior’s birth, every year during December. 

We are preparing ourselves for this great birth of this great King.  If we have an Advent calendar or wreath it seems we need to simply wait the specific number of days or weeks until December 25.  It is true that day will come if we are ready or not, but if we look at the wait simply as a means of getting there, we may miss the miracle.  Waiting and preparing requires us to be vigilant.

The season is about Jesus.  We are waiting for the incarnation and this does deserve the preparation and celebration each and every year.  However, our traditions can be like the timer in my kitchen.  If I depend on them alone I can experience the incarnation, but if I am vigilant in all ways I will certainly know Emmanuel, God with us.  Thus every year as I prepare for Christmas I am aware of the importance of keeping prepared to experience the reason for the season. “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” (Matthew 24:44) I will celebrate with my family and with all of you on December 25, but I will search with my soul for the miracle of the incarnation daily, and I will celebrate it whenever and wherever I find it.

God, Self, and Neighbor

Matthew 25:31-46

If you saw someone with a backpack on you may assume they are backpacking, but they also could be homeless.  Sure it may be easy to guess which by the quality of the items or where you see the individual, but you might be wrong.  The real difference between the two is there is a planned end to the hike and no certain end to one who is homeless.  However, when I hiked I did not take each step with the end in mind, it was assumed. 

Jesus reminds us that we are to think eschatologically; that is about the end.  In this passage He tells us the end will be like separated goats and sheep.  Well when I have been on farms where there are these animals, and I spooked them they would run in their respective groups.  At the end it will be easy to separate the two, but the judgment is less about then than it is about now.  For we have received unconditional boundless grace which we do not deserve, so I believe Jesus is not making salvation based on one’s action, yet rather is reminding those that do believe this would be their reaction.  They will run with the sheep.

For when Jesus adds himself as being part of the least of these, He is reminding us that love we do is to God, Self, and Neighbor.  We realize we receive this grace we do not deserve and feel very unworthy, but Jesus wants us to take care of those that are considered unworthy'; the least of these.  We are therefore to respond with love to ourselves, God and Neighbor as He states in  Matthew 22:37-40:

He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

This is the Law, according to Jesus and thus is where one would place judgment.  However, it is all wrapped in grace, so it is not what we do that saves us, but we respond as if we would be running with the goats.  We live as Christians doing what God commands for we do not live wandering, we live with the purpose of God.

‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

We know there is a final victory over all evil, and we live that way not simply with the feeling of “love,” but acting on love to God, Self, and Neighbor, for we know what fold we run with. 

Let Us Worship Together

November 18, 2011 Daily Democrat of Durant

There are numerous reasons to select a church: geography, family history, the people, programs, and many other reasons I could fill a book as they are as individual as the people in any one church.  Yet we all know there is only one Jesus whom we all worship at various times, various buildings, and in many various ways.  That is wonderful, for we can reach more people with the One Gospel.  We even know that truly the Body of Christ is still united as Jesus is the head and each of us and each church is part of the body.  This is truly an important fact of the church and Paul makes it quite clear with his metaphor of the church being the Body of Christ in 1 Corinthians.  Paul understands there are individuals and even different churches, yet his statement in Chapter 12 verse 12 still speaks to us today, even with different denominations, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”

If we concentrate on our differences we will me mired in a land of differing opinions and taste, most of all.  Yes, there are differences in theological and Biblical interpretation, but if we look for the differences, you will find more to talk about in how we worship; if you search where the churches are similar, you end up at Jesus.  We can agree with Peter’s response to Jesus asking “Who do you say I am?” when Peter proclaims, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:15-16)  This simple confession is what truly unites us and if we come together in Jesus’ name we will have more power to do what Jesus commands us, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

I believe when we gather at our respective churches we are truly part of a larger body, with Christ as the head.  It is wonderful we can gather together from the various different churches in our community to offer Thanksgiving together for the many blessings we enjoy living in our community.  We will give primary thanks to our Creator, to our Savior, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This tangible act of gathering as one church will be at the Community Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, November 20 at 6 pm at Community Christian Church (5325 University Boulevard).  I look forward to seeing everyone that confesses Jesus as the Anointed One, the Christ, Son of the Living God, so we can share how thankful we are Jesus provides salvation for all.

In Remembrance

Joshua 214:1-3a, 14-25; Amos 5:18-24

Joshua has gathered the people who crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land to reaffirm the covenant with God. Joshua is making it clear that the people must choice to follow God and thus the ordinances set before them.  Thus in response to God saving them from slavery they were to follow the statutes and ordinances and disregard the gods of of their ancestors beyond the river and the gods they picked up from the Amorites.  They said a resounding “yes” because of God’s Love (Grace).

Amos a wonderful prophet speaking to the Northern Kingdom.  The fact that at his time there were two kingdoms should expose there most be issues if the people are not united under the One God.  Well he writes very harshly that God is not happy with the festivals and sacrifices; God is not happy with the fulfillment of the ordinances and statutes.   It seems clear that the system has been used to control people rather than in response to God’s Love. Even those that want to respond to God, are now intertwined in this system of injustice.  Thus Amos is making it clear that it is not the rules, rather the covenant that is important. 

We Christians come to church every week (or try to) and we have ordinances and statues we follow.  For Disciples, we come to Jesus’ Table each week, thus the question is do we come because we are supposed to?  Are we doing church to fulfill a rule be it written or inherited by a parent?  Do we lose the meaning of the ceremony to the ceremony?  I hope to remind us that we are doing this “in remembrance” of Jesus.  We remember that He saved us from Sin and Death, not because we did anything, but because of God’s Love (Grace). 

It is clear in Luke 22:19 and in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, that we are to come to the Table “In Remembrance” of Jesus.  I believe this is what we need to do, just as Joshua wanted the people to renew their covenant, we do only if we remember our salvation. 

Jesus did say “in remembrance” according to Matthew and Mark as well, but not at the table, rahter,

  Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.’ (Mark 14)

Jesus tells us that the Gospel is proclaimed in remembrance of this unnamed woman that anointed Him.  Well He did.  We are to constantly make it clear that Jesus is the anointed one, and when we remember what He did for us with His love (Grace) we also remember all those that witnessed to us Jesus was the anointed one, the Christ, the Messiah. 

The Potter’s Clay

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:1-12

Language makes humans unique from animals.  That is a fine statement, but it is also true that animals do have communication that could be termed language.  Words are funny, they are powerful and flexible.  Paul writes of the word of God, but he is not referring to scripture.  Paul does refer to the written scriptures and their importance but hear it is the Word.  In Greek, it is Logos, which I explain is the meaning behind a word.  So if you take “chair” everyone will have a different, image, thought and yet an understanding of what it means.  It is powerful and flexible, and if we look for the meaning of the three letter word “God” we will spend eternity finding the powerful and flexible understanding; Logos.

Paul wrote before the Gospels were written and this idea of Logos was cemented in the tradition by the Gospel of John. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it….And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-5,14)

Jesus the incarnation is the Word of God; the Logos.  We know from John, that the Word is full of Grace and Truth; love that is given without reason and pure righteousness.  Of course these are simply words of our language to explain the great Divine.  Jesus himself is the meaning.

In the Gospel message, we are told to be humble and to do the work of you one Father.  We are not to be like the Pharisees who preach good work and do not do it, rather we are to follow the one teacher.  This one teacher is the Logos, the Word of God, and is truly humble.  Jesus went humbly to the cross to save us all that is the Word.  We have the word in our hearts as Paul writes thus we are to emulate His humility, His Grace and Truth.  We attempt to be the Word of God on earth, the Body of Christ.  That requires us to be powerful and flexible. 

We are to be like clay for the one potter, the one teacher.  We are to be molded by God.  We are not to be rigid and powerful nor flexible and weak nor rigid and weak.  We are to be the potter’s clay. 

For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. (2 Cor. 4:6-12)

We are to hold the grace and truth in us, the Word of God, and go out humbly in response to the Potter’s hand.