February 2012

As a boy in elementary school, I would sometimes tussle with other boys. Generally we would not hurt each other, but sometimes it would result in a visit to the nurse’s office. One such incident I hit my head against the cement wall. It hurt some but I felt I was fine, however, the teacher did not believe me, but who would argue with a teacher that was allowing you to go to the nurse’s office and miss some of class, as we were just coming in from recess. The nurse examined me and asked questions. I was determined to be fine, diagnosis “boy.”

However, the last question posed was, “Are you seeing double?” My response worried her, as I stated, “No more than usual.” See I was seeing double often while reading and I just trained an strained myself to read both images simultaneously. The nurse concerned and curious, did some tests and discovered what I thought was normal; I saw double. What I also remember about her is she did not make me feel stupid for thinking that seeing double was normal and she did not make me nervous about this situation.

I went to the optometrist, and I must say that was an exciting experience. It was explained to me that everyone has a focal point in which when you get closer to the eyes, one will see double, but generally it is centimeters from the nose, not an arm’s length. This doctor prescribed intense exercises. I had various contraptions and ditto papers and spent one to two hours a day strengthening my eyes, so my focal point would be in a normal range. I was committed because reading which I greatly enjoy was much easier with only one image.

I share this story to emphasize the importance of the visioning process we are just starting here at First Christian Church of Durant. We are a great and loving church and God has a vision for us. The question is what is that vision? We cannot be church without doing the work that is necessary so we can truly sate and follow the Divine’s Vision for us as a local congregation. If we simply continue thinking we are, without exploring it, we will find we have poor vision. So please continue to pray for the visioning process and I encourage you to look to the programs and events the team will bring forth in the coming year, so we can do the work together to have vision and grow.

Let us pray as the Psalmist shares in Psalm 86:11:

Teach me your way, O Lord,

that I may walk in your truth;

give me an undivided heart to revere your name.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor JC

Time Fulfilled

1 Corinthians 7:29-31;  Mark 1:14-20

Paul writes some provocative statements to the Corinthians.  He is not advocating immoral behavior, he is emphasizing that this world has changed with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Time has been fulfilled, as Jesus states in this passage by Mark, and emphasized by the immediacy of the first disciples to follow Jesus.  Time has changed.

Originally time was determined by the sun.  This is clearly stated in Genesis with the creation of the first day.  The Jewish people of Jesus’ day, and today, determine the day based on the end of the day.  That is when the sun goes down the day ends, thus the next day does start, hence Sabbath starts at sundown on Friday.  For the original followers of The Way (Jesus) who were Jewish, they would go to the Temple, or a synagogue, or perhaps down by the river in a Gentile city, to worship the one true God, listening to the Torah and the prophets.  They would keep the Sabbath as well if they were able, but on Sunday morning they would be truly back to work (it would had been their Monday). These first Jewish followers of Jesus, would get up early on Sunday, before work and without an alarm clock, to celebrate the resurrection with communion, hymns, baptisms, and worship.  They would do this as the sun rose.  It was like an extra day to their week, empowering them for their work and their lives.  There was an idea that the perfect creation will finally go to the eighth day with the resurrection at the end of all time.  However, the early Christians were understanding that time had changed and the fulfilling morning of worship and sharing His meal was the eighth day. 

I love sunrises, and having been a baker and pastry chef I have seen many.  My favorite still was when I was a teen.  I knew there was a snow storm coming the next Sunday morning.  With 3-4 inches already on the ground it would be wonderful to get up early to watch the sun rise with the snow falling.  So up early I got, and trekked up to the top of a cliff at the edge of the woods.  I took a thermos of hot cocoa and was buddled up.  I found a log to took in behind to protect me from the wind and settled in.  Then it occurred to me I would really not see the sun through the snow.  It was still the most amazing sunrise, so quiet, both the woods and the town below, save the wind.  A few times I could make out a perfect white ball through the clouds. It felt like hours I was there, and it was a while since I remember dusting an inch of snow of myself when I departed.  I treasure that sunrise that I never saw.

Everyday the sun rises, even if we do not see it.  And it is equally true that everyday God’s Son Rises, even if we do not see it.  When Jesus tells us time has been fulfilled he wants us to act as if we are starting the eighth day.  Paul makes it quite clear that the new age started and our actions should match that of the kingdom of God. 

However, we do not live in a kingdom, nor is their one person or power that really has the power on us anymore.  Today we live where our cultures have power over us.  Cultures we choose, and cultures that sneak into our subconscious.  The culture of America, the culture of TV, the consumer culture, the culture of Rock music, the culture of drugs, the culture of politics, the culture of one’s family etc.  Some are very powerful.  Some more powerful than we want to admit.  So I believe time has been fulfilled by the culture of God being near.  We need to live as if we live in the culture of God, and not simply wait to live in heaven, for time has been fulfilled. 

Come & See

1 Samuel 3:1-10; John 1:43-51

Writing the article that is linked here, I realized that it worked well with the scriptures above.  Basically my son may not answer to his name, but he seems to answer to the Divine who calls one to love perfectly.  The article is not the sermon, but in written form it worked very well, and I thought it wise to simply link that written word in this week’s sermon jotting.

Many blessings, JC

 

http://dmergent.org/2012/01/18/autism-sculpts-divine-desire-asdd/

Unveiling

Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11

Luke writes of Paul’s experience in Ephesus, where he found people that were following Jesus, but without the Holy Spirit.  They did not even understand what Paul was talking about, so Paul asked then about their baptism and they responded with water, that is John’s Baptism.  Notice Paul did not denounce them for not getting it, rather he explained that John’s Baptism was in preparation of the one to come, Jesus.  They were thus baptized with the Spirit and all was well with these dozen believers.

So what is baptism to John.  Was it simply a preparation for Jesus coming?  Paul clearly explains it as a “baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come…”  This is confirmed by Mark in verse four as it says John was “…proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” In Matthew’s account John preached this:

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near (3:2)

That is not to be confused with repent to call heaven near, or repent to get into heaven.  It is repent for God’s realm has come near, and it was John’s job to prepare the way through proclamation of forgiveness.  There were other sects of Jews and even Pagans who utilized similar ritual of water and the idea of washing someone clean.  John makes it clear that his baptism is however not the baptism we are to live for, and Paul makes that clear to the dozen in Ephesus.

Even today there are Christians that emphasize John’s water baptism, over that of Jesus’ Baptism by the Holy Spirit.  Let me be clear, just as Paul doesn’t dismiss John’s baptism, nor do I.  There is great validity in the idea of being “washed clean” of sin (forgiveness), of “turning to God” (repentance), but John had people baptized of water in preparation of the Spirit.  They repented in the Jordan because God’s Kingdom was at hand.  However, to have the baptism act like a gate, such as babies getting into heaven, or adults for that matter, leaves baptism as an archaic earthly ritual and not a way to unveil the divine in our lives. 

We still use the water, but we believe it is an outward physical sign of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus’ own baptism changed the ritual forever.  The dove came down.  Now did John continue to baptize?  Did Jesus start baptizing?  Well clearly John’s ministry stopped shortly after Jesus baptism, and no where did Jesus baptize anyone, and actually according to Mark 10, He expected the disciples to be baptized in the future.  This came about when James and John approached Jesus with an awkward request, or so it seems to us who know the entire Gospel:

And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’ (Mark 10:37-40)

Were they baptized by John?  Does it matter, they obviously did not receive the Holy Spirit at that time.  According to Luke it would be at Pentecost after the Resurrection , or according to the disciple John in the upper room after the Resurrection. So when they ask about being part of Jesus’ power, His Glory. Earthly power was their model for His Glory, even though they had heard Him preach and heal.  Something else must happen.

As Jesus alludes to in His response to the brothers, baptism would be combined with the cup.  The cup representing the New Covenant, fulfilled by His blood on the cross.  Thus baptism is not simply repentance but participation in Jesus’ baptism, death, and resurrection.  For Jesus the cup and baptism are combined, and when we know that we accept the calling with the help of the Holy Spirit, who is unveiled in us and the entire church, the Body of Christ.