tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77354325379640962922024-03-05T15:14:08.221-08:00Rev. Peter C deVries, Ph.D.I'm the pastor of a smallish to mid-sized Presbyterian congregation just north of Pittsburgh. I hold a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, I'm passionate about mission work in Ghana, and I've been an adjunct professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. I've collaborated with friend on "Supermom in Galilee," a novel about a modern woman in Jesus' time, with commentary for reflection and discussion. You'll find some miscellaneous ramblings and musings here.Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-51261318573896732732021-02-15T14:17:00.002-08:002021-02-15T14:17:25.344-08:00Preparing for Worship<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Worship is the
most important thing that we do as humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it, our chief end
is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We worship God individually and as families, but our weekly gathering to
worship together is central to our lives as Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When something is important to us, we want to
prepare well for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, we put
more time and effort into preparing the Thanksgiving dinner than we do for a
typical lunch on a typical Tuesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the same way, it’s important for us to prepare well for our Sunday worship.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">So, what do you
do to get ready for worship?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course,
there are practical, down-to-earth things to take care of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are joining us in-person for worship,
you have to get dressed and drive to the church in order to arrive in
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you join us by livestream, you
have to log in to Facebook on your computer, notebook, or smartphone, go to our
group page, and hope that everything works as it’s supposed to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you join us by phone, you need to dial in,
enter the access code, and hope that I remember to start the conference call.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">But preparing
for worship involves much more than the mechanics of getting yourself to
worship, in-person or virtually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worship
preparation includes the important work of preparing your heart and spirit to
enter into the presence of the Almighty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you are worshiping at home, preparation may include creating a
mini-sanctuary space of your own, free from distractions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may want to include something like a
candle or a cross to help focus your attention on the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are worshiping in the church, preparation
for worship may mean taking time to sit quietly in the sanctuary and direct
your thoughts toward God’s presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
matter where you are, your worship preparation may include praying for those
about to lead worship and for those who are worshiping with you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may include disciplining your mind not to
wander toward other demands in your life for the next hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may want to read the Scripture passages,
prayers, and words of the songs that will be part of the service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may want to review the names of the
people for whom we will be praying, and to consider any prayers that you may
want to share during the service.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Our ancestors
in the faith understood the importance of worship preparation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psalms 120-134 are known as the “songs of
ascents.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traditionally, they were sung
by pilgrims as they ascended the hills surrounding Jerusalem in order to gather
at the temple for festivals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can find
inspiration in their words to help our spirits “ascend” into the Lord’s
presence ourselves as worship time draws near.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Entering into
the Divine Presence for worship is nothing to be taken lightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not only our duty, but our honor and
great privilege, possible only because of the redeeming work of Christ, who has
made us worthy to come before the Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-39234965666060685322020-11-30T07:11:00.003-08:002020-11-30T07:11:29.503-08:00A Season to Prepare<p> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">While the rest
of the world thinks that this is Christmas-time, we Christians believe
differently.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">And because we’re the ones
who created this holiday, our opinion ought to count for something.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The church
actually has a whole calendar of its own, complete with seasons, to guide our
worship of the Lord throughout the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Christian year begins with Advent, the season we’re in right now, to
guide our expectation and hope of the Lord’s coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Advent is followed by the Christmas season,
which begins on Christmas day and ends on Epiphany, the holiday celebrating the
visit of the three wise men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(The
“twelve days of Christmas,” by the way, are the twelve days from Christmas to
Epiphany.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next season is Lent, 40
days of reflection and repentance leading up to Easter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Easter lasts for 50 days until Pentecost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the rest of the year is known by the
lackluster moniker of “Ordinary Time.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The name of our
current season, Advent, is derived from the Latin word for coming or
arriving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone around us is singing
that “Santa Claus is coming to town,” while we declare that the Lord Jesus is
coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My recent series of sermons and
devotions considered the promise of Christ’s return that we find in the book of
Revelation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our world may be a crazy,
messed-up place that brings heartache and grief (especially in 2020!) but we
look to the time when Christ will return to destroy the power of evil and death
and to gather his people to himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
day is coming, but in the meantime we wait.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We find
guidance for our worship and devotion to the Lord as we await his second coming
by revisiting the words and events of those who awaited his first coming so
long ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isaiah and other Old Testament
prophets declared the message of the coming Messiah, and individuals such as
Mary and Joseph displayed great courage and faith in the events leading up to
his coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sermons during this
Advent will focus on John the Baptist, the person God sent to prepare the way
for Christ’s coming.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Our observance
of Advent suggests a reflection on two questions:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">1. How am I
preparing myself for Christ’s coming?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike Santa Claus, Jesus does not keep a
naughty list and a nice list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He offers
his grace and love to all who open their hearts to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem for us is that after we’ve opened
our hearts to him, we close them again so easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Repentance, or turning our lives to Christ,
is not a one-time event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a
continual act of preparation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">2. How am I
helping others prepare for Christ’s coming?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We each in our own
ways share in John the Baptist’s work of preparing people to receive our
King.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one but the Holy Spirit himself
can bring a person to Christ, but he does his work through us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can make the most of the opportunities and
gifts he sends our way to help others discover “the wonders of his love.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-6037254034804890542020-10-21T08:25:00.001-07:002020-10-21T08:25:07.491-07:00Perspective<p> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It’s time for
us to reset our sense of perspective.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Perspective, literally, is when nearby objects seem larger to us than
those that are far away.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I demonstrated
perspective to my granddaughter recently by holding up my thumb and asking her
to compare its size with some cars in the distance.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We both knew, of course, that the cars were
bigger than my thumb, even though from our point of view my thumb seemed
larger.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">One of great advances of the
Renaissance was the use of perspective in art.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Before then, artists portrayed everything as the same size, regardless
of how far away they were.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Many things in
our lives appear to be bigger and more consequential than they really are,
simply because they happen to be what’s right in front of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An everyday household chore may seem to be
more important than our relationship with a distant friend, because we see the
sink full of dirty dishes but the friend is only somewhere in the back of our
mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is good, of course, to have a
tidy kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But friends are more
important than plates and bowls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know
that, but somehow we struggle to find the time to make the phone call or send
the email.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">As we travel
through this month of October, the upcoming election is going to loom bigger
and bigger in our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As rancorous
and divisive as the political battlefield has become, it’s hard to imagine how
things could get worse, but that very well may happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Already, political disagreements have caused
tensions in families and have strained once-close relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Angry interactions can no longer even be
considered to be debates, because no one listens to anyone who doesn’t already
agree with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All we seem interested
in doing is yelling at people from “the other side.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cars are bigger than thumbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friendships are more important than dirty
dishes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And people are more important
than politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not just my
opinion: this is what our Lord Jesus himself demonstrated in his atoning death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ died for people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In doing so, he not only revealed the
incalculable preciousness of each person, but he increased our value by raising
us up to be the children of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psalm
49:7-8 tells us “No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom
for them – the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What had not yet been revealed to the
psalmist is that there is only one payment that is ever enough for a person’s
life; 1 Peter 1:18-19 proclaims “It was not with perishable things such as
silver or gold that you were redeemed … but with the precious blood of Christ.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing on the face of the earth in the minds
of people could ever compare to that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Christ died for
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did not die for institutions
or ideologies, for politics or positions of power, for countries or constitutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As important as each of these may seem to us,
they cannot compare to the value of each person’s soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your life, and the life of that person whom
God wants you to touch with his grace and love, matters more than all the
kingdoms of the earth or all the wealth of Wall Street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I encourage you to keep this perspective in
mind as we draw closer to November 3.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-38992105260770019152020-09-21T06:39:00.000-07:002020-09-21T06:39:00.008-07:00The God of Disruption<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I love it when things
go well and everyone gets along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll
take smooth sailing over choppy seas any day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But if you’re like me, I wonder if this prevents us from experiencing
the fullness of God’s plans for us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We
Presbyterians are often accused of considering 1 Corinthians 14:40 to be the
most important verse in the Bible: “All things should be done decently and in
order.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We prefer to cross all the t’s
and dot all the i’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At times we may
focus more on the <i>way</i> things are done and pay less attention to <i>what</i>
needs to be done.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The God who
inspired the words of 1 Corinthians 14:40 is the same God who overturned the
money-changers’ tables in the temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That was hardly something done decently and in order!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scripture is full of times when God used
times of disruption and chaos in order to transform people and nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He uprooted Abraham and Sarah from their
comfortable home in Haran to establish a new nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He used Moses to lead the Israelites for
forty years in a desert wasteland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
inspired prophets to speak jarring and sometimes offensive words to the
nation’s leaders and people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tossed
Mary’s world upside-down by turning her into an unmarried pregnant
teenager.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knocked Paul to the ground and
struck him blind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The list goes on and
on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus himself did not accomplish our
salvation by making sure not to make waves or offend anyone.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">It’s no
coincidence that our nation’s awareness of racial injustice and calls for
action have arisen during the unprecedented disruption we continue to
experience because of COVID-19.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may
be yet one more example of God’s transforming activity happening during disturbing
times.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I learned a
similar lesson a few years ago when I earned a certificate in executive
leadership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the experts,
change only happens in an institution (such as the church) when there’s an
optimal amount of discomfort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If everyone
feels happy and comfortable, no one is motivated to do anything different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if tensions are high and everyone is on
edge, you can’t find the common ground you need to work together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if we find that happy middle ground of
just enough disruption and tension, we’ll want to act and we’ll be able to work
together as we do so.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">At our
denomination’s recent national General Assembly, some people wanted to propose
some positive and significant actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But what they were proposing, and the way that they proposed it, didn’t
align with the procedures in place to make the meeting run smoothly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they were silenced, and we’ll never know
if God wanted to use them to lead our denomination in a new direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder how many times and in what ways I,
and we as a congregation, fail to follow God in bold and unsettling directions
because we “just want everyone to be happy.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Are you ready
for God to shake up your life?<o:p></o:p></span></p>Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-88145820251925539592020-07-28T14:45:00.000-07:002020-07-28T14:45:12.191-07:00The Men from Mars<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">For roughly two
decades, beginning in 1958, Old Union Presbyterian Church was home to a men’s
gospel quartet known as The Men from Mars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The group was very well-known in our region, and even today most people
from that generation continue to speak of the group with fondness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Men from Mars performed on the radio and recorded
two full-length albums and a 45 (for those of you under the age of 40, a 45 was
a small record that only had a couple of songs on it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The group received national attention and had
the potential to become a professional group if its members had wanted to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speak with me if you would like a CD or mp3
recordings of their music.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">As you listen
to their music, it’s easy to pick out the high notes sung by first tenor Ross
Karnes, who had been the church’s pastor when the group began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can also appreciate the deep bass voice
of George “Jiggs” Fiel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of course you’ll
enjoy the fine voice of lead singer and soloist, Lester Knox.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otto Kalmeyer provides the piano or organ
accompaniment to their songs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">One voice that
is very hard (at least for me) to recognize in their rich harmonies is the one
surviving member of the group who is still part of Old Union: baritone Ray
“Zeke” Knox.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a couple of songs
in which his voice comes out for a line or two, but otherwise he blends in with
everyone else’s voices so well that I can’t pick him out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">One might be
tempted to think “Well, if we can’t hear Ray in the songs, he must not have
mattered much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The group could have done
without him and been a trio instead.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Were you to think along these lines, you’d be gravely mistaken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I told Ray at his brother Lester’s funeral
earlier this year, he had the most important part of all to play in the
quartet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without Ray, nothing would have
held together the voices of the other three members of the quartet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He provided the glue or the backbone that
held all the singers together in a way that enabled them to create such
beautiful music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lester and Ross and
Jiggs may have gotten praise for their individual voices, but that’s all they
would have been without Ray.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Life in our
church can be similar to the Men from Mars music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are certain prominent,
easily-recognized roles that some people play: pastor, committee chairs, musicians,
session members, deacons, and so on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
are the “Lesters” of the church who get the attention and the notoriety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the most important roles in our church
are the ones like Ray’s part in the quartet: rarely noticed or recognized, but
critical for the group to keep together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like him, they are the glue or the backbone that allows all of us to be
able to work together as a church family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Without the contributions and presence of those who blend us all
together into a marvelous harmony, the life of our church would be empty and
fractured.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">
When you see Ray next, thank him for his gift of music, and for the model he provides
for unnoticed but powerful ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-74775084217040990522020-07-28T14:29:00.000-07:002020-07-28T14:29:24.326-07:00How Does God Guide You?<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">How
does God guide you? I suspect that we often
don’t even seek his guidance. We may not
admit it, even to ourselves, but we function from what one author has called
“functional atheism.” In spite of our
professed belief in God, we forget about him completely when it comes to the
practical, ordinary events of life.
Instead, we trust our own intuition or ability to think through a
situation. Or, we may turn to a trusted
expert (let’s check the forecast before scheduling the family picnic). Other times, we’ll rely on superstition (wear
those lucky socks for the Steeler game!) or blind chance. Our first challenge, therefore, is to become
more aware of God’s active presence in even the most minor aspects of our
lives, so we can seek his guidance and instruction more fully.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">But
even when we have resolved to seek God’s guidance, we run into a second
challenge. How can we discern the Lord’s
guidance so that we can follow faithfully?
Scripture, of course, is the “witness without parallel,” as the
Presbyterian Confession of 1967 puts it.
The Bible, above all else, provides God’s authoritative instruction for
life and faith. Unfortunately, however,
the Bible frequently does not include clear guidance for specific decisions you
may be making. It’s clear, for example,
that you shouldn’t punch your neighbor in the nose when you’re angry with
her. But the Bible won’t help you decide
how to manage the family budget or if you should trade in your car this year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We
are also able to discover God’s will for us through prayer. And unlike Scripture, prayer is a means for
God to provide us with tailor-made instructions. Problem solved, right? “Take it to the Lord in prayer,” as the old
hymn puts it. Well, not so fast. God’s instructions through prayer may be
specific, but our ability to recognize his instruction leaves a lot to be
desired. We easily confuse the Lord’s
voice with what we think the answer “should” be, or with what we want the
answer to be. We often fail to recognize
his voice in the midst of all the others that vie for our attention. To complicate matters even more, God often
guides in startling ways, challenging us to view our situation completely
differently. If we’re not prepared to be
surprised, we may dismiss what God has to say.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">In
addition to the authoritative but general guidance of Scripture, and the
specific but easy to miss guidance of prayer, God blesses us with a third means
of guidance: the wisdom of other believers.
Even though we are all imperfect followers of the Lord, he often uses
others to point us in the right direction.
Last winter I had two conversations that illustrated this point for
me. The first was with a member of our
congregation who wished she could attend church, but is unable to because of
her health. As she put it, “I need the
church to correct errors in my thinking.”
An hour or two later I spoke with another congregation member who was
planning a dangerous course of action.
He told me, “I feel this is what God wants me to do, despite what others
say.” The first person appreciated how
God “corrects our errors in thinking” through the wise advice of fellow
Christians. The second person refused to
accept such guidance, and did so at his own peril (although I’m happy to report
that he is safe).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Scripture, prayer, and the counsel of fellow
believers. With these tools at your
disposal, may you be able to follow God more nearly this month!<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span>Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-27260915326352699202020-02-25T07:22:00.003-08:002020-02-25T07:22:25.080-08:00What the World Needs to Hear<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
a church, we have a radical message to proclaim to the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may be easy, particularly for those of us
who’ve been part of the church our entire lives, not to realize how shocking the
gospel is, and to fail to grasp the enormity of the challenge that we proclaim
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve recently encountered two
examples of how the gospel undercuts the messages in the world around us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“God
loves you.”</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This simple statement can sound ridiculously
simple, even trite, for those who have lived a long time with an awareness of
God’s love for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in my work as
a pastor, I frequently encounter people who don’t believe it, or who can’t
comprehend, as Ephesians 3:18 puts it, the width and the length and the height
and the depth of the love of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Far
too often, when I ask someone if they know that God loves them, they’ll respond
with a comment such as “I hope so” or “I wish I could believe that.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recently spoke with someone who believed
that God would reject her because of a deep-seated pain from her past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I recently spoke with another person who
thought that God was angry with him for failing to meet a goal that was beyond
his ability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And these were both people
who grew up going to church!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never make
the assumption that people can conceive of, let alone believe, the fullness of
God’s love for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The burden of our own
sense of guilt, or of criticism we have received from others, or of the need to
“measure up,” hinders many of us from realizing the power of grace: God doesn’t
need a reason to love us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He just
does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, this good news is often
undermined by well-intended church leaders who feel it necessary to emphasize our
sinful condition apart from God’s love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
don’t feel the need to point this out because in nearly 31 years of ministry, I
have never met someone who was not already fully aware of their
sinfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’ve met plenty who
doubt God’s love for them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“God
desires unity.”</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve attended
worship at <a href="http://www.oldunionchurch.com/">Old Union Church</a> even once during the past two months as we’ve been
studying Ephesians (or if you’ve listened to my sermons on the <a href="http://www.oldunionchurch.com/listen-on-line.html">website</a>), you
know that this is a pervasive theme throughout the letter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this concept is not limited to one book
of the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, 2 Corinthians
5:19 tells us that God has given us the “message of reconciliation,” and Jesus’
final prayer with his disciples was that we may all be one (John 17:20). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We look forward to the day when all of
creation will be united under Christ’s lordship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No exceptions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone who heard me preach this recently
took great offense at this concept of unity for all people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She proceeded to pepper me with outlandish claims
about what “they” were doing, and that I am deceived if I don’t think we should
do everything we can to oppose “them” with everything we’ve got.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even if “they” are guilty of everything
she claimed, Christ is nonetheless calling us to work for reconciliation toward
the goal of unity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think she’ll
be listening to any more of my sermons, but unfortunately I suspect that she
may find preachers who will support her divisive spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">God
loves you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God desires unity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such simple but profound truths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world needs to hear these words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our community needs to hear this message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of your friends and family members may
need you to help them wrestle with the reality of the gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-65264509843637298532019-12-09T06:58:00.001-08:002019-12-09T06:58:05.687-08:00Radical Hospitality<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Our
church session is reading and discussing the book “Five Practices of Fruitful
Congregations,” which our temporary pastor used during her time at Old Union earlier
this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In November, we talked about
the first of these practices: “radical hospitality.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We commented on how important hospitality was
in the culture that the Bible comes from, and as we prepare to celebrate
Christmas we considered how scandalous it was that no one in Bethlehem shared
hospitality with a woman about to give birth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“Radical
hospitality” means more than providing a warm welcome and helping someone feel
at home, although it certainly includes that as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hospitality becomes “radical,” or out of the
ordinary, when we take the initiative to reach people, rather than waiting for
them to come to our doorstep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
example of such “radical” hospitality is the team of people from our church who go to a local foodbank each week to share conversation with the patrons as they
wait for their food package.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Question: In
what other ways can we initiate hospitality”?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Hospitality
often includes an invitation; think of the invitations you are receiving for
holiday gatherings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without the
invitation, you wouldn’t know when to show up!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As the number of people who have never been inside a church continues to
grow, our invitations can include a sense of what to expect, especially for
those who don’t know a doxology from a benediction, or who may have had
negative church experiences in the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Question: Imagine
walking into our church for the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Would you know where to go and what to do?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">When
an invitation is given with a sense of obligation (“you should, or you ought
to”) it describes a duty to follow, rather than hospitality to receive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good basis for an invitation is a
conversation about how the church has made a difference in your life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Question: What
excites you about our church?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do
you most appreciate about it?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Once
someone responds to an invitation and comes to church, radical hospitality
means taking the extra steps to let them know they are welcome and
appreciated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, someone
recently moved from her regular seat to sit beside a guest during worship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Question: How
were you welcomed the first time you came to your church? What could have made
the experience better for you?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hospitality
continues once the guest becomes a part of the church family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some churches (and families!) send subtle
messages to those who have recently joined, letting them know that they’re not
part of the in-crowd yet, and that they must conform to our expectations,
instead of being their true selves, before they are accepted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Question: On
a scale of 1 to 10, do you expect newcomers to conform to our ways of doing
things, or do they change the character of our church with their unique
contributions?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-43265685170448891762019-10-23T12:28:00.001-07:002019-10-23T12:37:43.185-07:00Taking Pictures of Squirrels<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As part of my
sabbatical earlier this year, I spent two weeks visiting national parks in
Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hiked
for a week in the backcountry of Canyonlands, then spent a day each at Capitol
Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Lake Powell, and Canyon de Chelly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I am a Pennsylvania boy through and
through, and I love the beauty of the Keystone state, I saw breathtaking
scenery that filled me with awe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br />
Maybe too much awe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Scenery that,
at the beginning my trip, seemed majestic struck me as mundane and ordinary toward
the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found myself looking at majestic
mountains and amazing rock formations and ancient petroglyphs, but my only
reaction was “eh.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had already taken
hundreds of photos of breathtaking scenery; why did I need to take one more?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I realized that
I was experiencing what I dubbed “awe-fatigue.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s similar to “compassion-fatigue,” which generous people feel after
they have responded to one desperate need for help after another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a while you simply run out of the
ability to respond with compassion to the victims of the latest disaster,
because your tank of compassion has run dry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the same way, my ability to have my jaw drop in wonder and say “Wow,
isn’t that amazing!” had reached its limit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVRT4rH6l_T-OoZHsQuxZZ_wfkT2R5nUz0ZglvPftY4icr1pLKXBvmLsDS6UNs7eZgM3mdMrY6BDe-HDItFxxKXHPCOBDD5GYuJgNekThR6aN9cmUgSw09mg1n4D5Y1Zu3WyxvZppKc0/s1600/6157873742_58a25c8eb5_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="511" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVRT4rH6l_T-OoZHsQuxZZ_wfkT2R5nUz0ZglvPftY4icr1pLKXBvmLsDS6UNs7eZgM3mdMrY6BDe-HDItFxxKXHPCOBDD5GYuJgNekThR6aN9cmUgSw09mg1n4D5Y1Zu3WyxvZppKc0/s320/6157873742_58a25c8eb5_z.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Then I saw it,
as I was walking along the Virgin River in Zion National Park, swollen with flood
waters from the melting snows in far-away mountains and surrounded <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">sheer cliffs
towering 2000 feet over my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
fellow park visitors were captivated by the squirrels who scampered and begged
for food along the footpath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They oohed
and ahhed, called their friends over to see, and stopped to take pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of squirrels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Regular old gray squirrels, just like the ones you’ll find in any city
park or backyard tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were blind
to the extraordinary because they were focused on the ordinary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">How often are
we like tourists in Zion National Park, taking pictures of squirrels while
ignoring the majesty around us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has
placed us in an incredible world and has surrounded us with amazing
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He constantly lavishes
unbelievable love and blessing and grace upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we respond with “awe fatigue” of our own,
noticing only the problems and difficulties, focusing upon the trivial when God
thrusts the astounding right under our oblivious noses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOx8twu1sOoYv9wNwx9eC4CIoDU4KJaJSHMmofm4hGCV8LHyVo9Cy3o5NiagoZSVyqo9DFxB_7QTZ0zInhG7m4KoREuD-smFYQYpK_8DLMx-wRCc2u_A1pC7KgxEU2sZEaHgG_Q8p6utI/s1600/curious-rock-squirrel-in-zion-national-park-bjorn-velander.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOx8twu1sOoYv9wNwx9eC4CIoDU4KJaJSHMmofm4hGCV8LHyVo9Cy3o5NiagoZSVyqo9DFxB_7QTZ0zInhG7m4KoREuD-smFYQYpK_8DLMx-wRCc2u_A1pC7KgxEU2sZEaHgG_Q8p6utI/s320/curious-rock-squirrel-in-zion-national-park-bjorn-velander.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Today, take a
moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clear your mind of the clutter
of everyday living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Close your eyes,
take a deep breath, and look at your life again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice the astounding beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Appreciate the blessings around you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And most importantly, pay attention to the
people in your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice how amazing
and profound they are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">And give thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-13739586380129555572019-09-23T07:21:00.002-07:002019-09-23T07:21:54.834-07:00Guerilla Blessing<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">How
would you like to be a secret agent for God, involved in a clandestine
operation to fill the world with his blessing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here’s your opportunity to begin sending the Lord’s grace into people’s
lives without them ever knowing about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s easier than you may think, but it sends more of the Lord’s power than
we can understand into the lives of people who need it more than they realize.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">During
my recent sabbatical, I was introduced to the practice of “Guerilla
Blessing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All that it requires is a
belief in the power of prayer, and the ability to care about other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine that you find yourself among a group
of strangers: other shoppers in the store, other drivers in traffic, other fans
at a sporting event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Randomly choose
someone to look at, preferably without them even knowing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you do, silently pray, “May you know
joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May you know peace.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then shift your gaze to another person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“May you know joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May you know peace.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“May you know joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May you know peace.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
you spend those few seconds holding someone before the Lord, something will
happen within you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly that
stranger will become a real person to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are no longer “that white truck in front of me,” but a man whom you
can imagine is tired after a long day’s work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You may begin to wonder what kind of job he has and what sort of family
he is going home to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is no longer
that person with a shopping cart full of groceries in front of you in the
check-out line, but somebody’s mother or daughter or sister or wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is her heart full of happiness, or is she
going through the drudgery of a monotonous routine?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has she just had an argument with a friend,
or will she get unexpected good news the next time she checks her email?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Your
prayers of blessing, “May you know joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May you know peace” are effective, because they do not depend upon that
person accepting them, or even knowing about them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They make a difference because their potency
depends not upon their awareness, or upon your knowledge of that person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They depend upon the grace of the Father, who
sent his redemption into the world through the death and resurrection of his
Son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sent his redemption to us when
we were not only unaware of it, but actively resisting his love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your “guerilla blessings” are a way for that
redeeming grace to touch another person in a new way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
learned about “guerilla blessings” while I spent a week in Chicago with a
community of Roman Catholic sisters who spend their days praying for a city,
nation, and world in need of God’s mercy and grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each Friday they pray for a safe weekend in
Chicago, painfully aware of the gun violence that takes so many lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Monday they grieve when they hear the
number of shootings have taken place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I am convinced that without their own form of “guerilla blessing,”
that number would be so much greater.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-79296256001712413382019-09-09T11:40:00.000-07:002019-09-09T11:40:17.498-07:00Unseen Footprints<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Your
path led through the sea, <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>your way through the mighty waters, <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>though your footprints were not seen.”
(Psalm 77:19)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One
of the things I enjoy about live theater, perhaps more than the actors
themselves, is the stagecraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Maybe
it’s because I was on stage crew in high school.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People work behind the scenes to pull off
audience-pleasing effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They dart
out, dressed all in black, when the lights are darkened between scenes, to
reset the stage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good theatrical crew
member is invisible, never seen or noticed by the people in the seats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Similarly,
movie production crews don’t want you to be able to tell the difference between
live action and computer-generated images (or CGIs).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the dragon seems as real as the Hollywood
superstar riding on its back, the animators have accomplished their goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t want people to realize that
they’ve done anything at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Just
like God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
author of Psalm 77 describes his distress about feeling separated from the
Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He remembers his “songs in the
night” and joy that God had brought into his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now that joy is gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had God forgotten him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had the Lord rejected and abandoned him in
anger?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually he finds consolation
by remembering “the deeds of the Lord,” and his miracles from long ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recalling God’s faithful actions in the past gives
him the confidence in God’s continuing care and guidance that he needs to
persevere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though he can not feel
the Lord’s power in his life, he knows that it is real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Psalm
77 offers an encouraging perspective for those times when God seems
absent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the psalmist considers
God’s powerful actions in the past, he remembers how he parted the Red Sea to
lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As the 19<sup>th</sup> verse puts it, God’s path led through the sea,
even though his “footprints were not seen.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
I read this verse, I recognize how God is invisibly at work during the times
when he feels distant from me, and when his love seems as remote as a favorite
song from long ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has not rejected
me or abandoned me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is not too busy
keeping the universe spinning to remember little puny insignificant me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am never puny or insignificant or forgotten
in the eyes of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And neither are you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is working mighty deeds and powerful
actions all around us, all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
blessings are present every moment of every day, and he pours his love upon us
like the waters of Niagara Falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
does great things, but his footprints are not always seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">You
may not see God’s footprints in your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But he is acting in power to show his love and to change your life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-11638988995381003232019-04-19T04:39:00.000-07:002019-04-19T04:59:28.149-07:00A Day in the Life of Pontius Pilate<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He awakes, with his tongue hot and dry and his whole chest
raw like a wound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So even before
breakfast he makes his first major decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While still in his pajamas, he walks downstairs to the closet where he
keeps his extra cigarettes, takes out the two and a half cartons that he finds
there, and puts them out with the trash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are the remains of a pack in the pocket of his suit coat and some
loose cigarettes lying around the house in various places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these he carefully destroys, slitting
them with his thumbnail and flushing the tobacco down the toilet, so he
wouldn’t be tempted to fish them back out of the garbage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After dinner the evening before, the talk had
turned to politics and they had been up for hours, talking and smoking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This morning he is paying the price for
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows all about the surgeon
general's warning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has seen the usual
photographs of a smoker's lungs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has
been a three-pack-a-day man for over thirty years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So his prebreakfast decision is a decision
for life against death, and he sees it as his death that he slits open with his
thumbnail and flushes away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He is Pontius Pilate, of course: the procurator of
Judea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His day is starting out well, and
he feels better for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has just
taken a step to become a new man, a better man, a man who can handle whatever
the world brings without relying his tar and nicotine. Not even the morning
paper, filled with stories of poverty, crime and corruption, upsets him as he
leafs through it in the back seat of the limousine that carries him through the
city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the car rolls along he glances
out at the world from time to time through the tinted windows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children are playing in the dirt, heavily
armed policemen patrol the streets, and beggars crowd the temple gates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other people could carry on about how rotten
everything is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Pilate's business is
to keep the ship afloat from day to day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And he is not doing a bad job of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are no major complaints from Rome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Jews are content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he
himself, if not exactly happy, is happy enough.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When he was a young man, he dreamed of greater things than
being a provincial procurator, but he could have done a lot worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His sons had the best education money can
buy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His wife keeps having troubling
dreams, but she is in the hands of a good therapist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their marriage isn't what it used to be, but
he keeps looking forward to the day when they can retire to the villa outside
Ostia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That will be relaxing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in the meantime, he has appointments to
keep, and he keeps them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he arrives
at the office, the sitting area is full of people waiting to see him, texting
and tweeting on their phones, and reading old copies of Time Magazine.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The chief of the occupational forces is in a sweat because a
Jewish festival is upon them and he expects trouble from the fanatics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Jewish God, not knowing which side his
matzoh is buttered on, wants Rome out; he wants the peace that passeth
understanding instead of the peace of Rome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pilate starts to reach for a cigarette, and then remembers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He picks up a pencil instead and starts to
chew on its eraser.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What passeth his
understanding is the Jews themselves, who have never had it so good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What passeth his understanding is how they
can knock themselves out for a God who supposedly runs history, when history
has run over them and left them as beggars in this strip of rock and desert
that they call the Promised Land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
orders the guard doubled around the temple and the whole garrison put on alert
until the Passover passes over.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the appointments continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tax people are full of excuses for why
the quota wasn't filled last quarter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
man has a scheme to solve the city's water problem, which so happens to include
Rome buying his property to build an aqueduct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>An epidemic is raging through the old slave district, and there are
complaints about packs of orphans scavenging on the streets for food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few days ago there had been some kind of
demonstration at one of the city gates with an up-country preacher at the
center of it, and the Jewish leaders want to handle this troublemaker before
things get worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But of course, because
of some arcane religious requirement that Pilate really doesn’t understand,
they can’t come into his office to speak to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a grunt and a grumble, still clenching
the pencil in his teeth, Pilate gets up from his desk and walks out to meet
with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once outside, he takes the pencil out of his mouth and asks
matter-of-factly, "What are the charges?"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the ringleaders stands up and said,
"If he wasn't a troublemaker, we wouldn't have brought him
here!"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pilate sighs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day may have started out well, but these
pesky Jews are enough to drive anyone to distraction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With all of their strange customs, Pilate
never comprehended the things that get them worked up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he didn’t particularly care, either. Now
they bring a man in, someone who was supposed to be a messiah, whatever that
is, and they won’t even tell him why he is such a menace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Pilate agrees to see the man if that’s
what it will take to keep the peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
they want him to see their God, he will see him too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more the merrier.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Pilate walks back to his office, he gets a call on his
cell phone from his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s had
another night of bad dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As she goes
on, he can hear that she's crying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
Pilate can picture her, sitting there with the phone cradled between her ear
and her shoulder so she can light a cigarette like she always does when she
starts to cry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can almost smell the
smoke as she lights it and then starts talking again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tries to distract himself, to keep from
thinking about the cigarette. As his wife talks, he stares out the window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Down in the courtyard a ragged child is
talking to a soldier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the windowsill
a pigeon preens her feathers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally
his wife hangs up, and he swings back to the desk.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While he was talking, they had brought in the up-country
preacher for questioning. Pilate is caught off-guard, and before he knows what
he is doing he takes a cigarette from the box on his desk and lights it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The man stands in front of him with his hands
tied behind his back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can see that
he's been roughed up a little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His upper
lip is puffed out and one eye is swollen shut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He looks unwashed, and he smells unwashed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pilate is not sure if the man looks
ridiculous, or if he looks pathetic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
it were just the two of them, he would give the man busfare and send him back
to the boondocks where he came from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
the Jews think he’s trouble, so Pilate stands up and takes a good look at the
man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can't quite explain it, but even
with the swollen eye and torn clothes, the prisoner seems to carry himself with
dignity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There seems to be more to this
fellow than there is to the ordinary fanatic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLi6aN0XHWNLtjurmPszFzTvtC61HldzoeEbg3Bx0OjTjoUXupiT6FENZFovcCPouR3U2itGD9ApyWHWcF19VBxKsJxk9c8xFoW0GVQ192gZwtN1B_xcXbRUv6mFPtySCLobTK3ksTF0/s1600/170316155803-finding-jesus-david-gregory-pontius-pilate-stone-00002302-super-tease.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1100" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLi6aN0XHWNLtjurmPszFzTvtC61HldzoeEbg3Bx0OjTjoUXupiT6FENZFovcCPouR3U2itGD9ApyWHWcF19VBxKsJxk9c8xFoW0GVQ192gZwtN1B_xcXbRUv6mFPtySCLobTK3ksTF0/s320/170316155803-finding-jesus-david-gregory-pontius-pilate-stone-00002302-super-tease.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
"So," Pilate says, "You're the king of the
Jews."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He almost doesn't understand
the man's reply, between his thick country accent and the split upper lip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Is that your own idea, or did someone
else tell you that?"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pilate flicks
the ash off the end of his cigarette into the ashtray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trouble with these Jews is that none of
them are willing to give a straight answer to a simple question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This backwoods preacher is making him
uncomfortable, as though he belongs in this office and Pilate is the
prisoner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he tries to regain control
with a more straightforward question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>"What have you done?"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the man with the split lip doesn't give him an answer to that question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, he answers Pilate's first question.
"My kingdom is not a part of this world."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He isn't sure what the man means by that, but
he did catch the part about being king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, one of these Jews said something that he can understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Oh, so you are a king, then!"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the man replies, "You could say
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have come to bear witness to the
truth."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pilate has to sit down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The day had started out well, but now everything is giving<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>him a splitting headache.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe at a different time, in a different
place, with a different person, Pilate would enjoy talking about truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Philosophy is one of his hobbies, after
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But not with this fellow, who
doesn't act the way prisoners are supposed to act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why talk about truth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where did
this guy get the idea of talking about truth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pilate takes a long drag on his cigarette, and with narrowed eyes and a
cynical smirk he sneers, "Truth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What is truth?"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asks it
half because he would love to hear an answer to the question, and he hopes this
man has one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asks it half because he
is certain that there is no answer, and that would mean he has one less thing
to worry about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this man with the
split lip gives Pilate no answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
answer except, with his one good eye, he stares Pilate straight in the
face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pilate cannot match his gaze, and
he hurries out to speak with the Jewish leaders again, leaving the man with the
swollen lip and unsettling presence behind in his office.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He finds the Jewish leaders just outside the lobby,
impatiently pacing on the sidewalk in front of the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they see Pilate come out they gather
around with angry, challenging expressions on their faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Well,” they ask, “are you going to crucify
him or not?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crucify?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who said anything about crucifying this
fellow?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They save that kind of
punishment for the worst of the worst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At most, he needs to be gotten rid of quietly, not be made into some
spectacle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But no matter what he says,
Pilate makes no headway with these stubborn men who surround him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They demand nothing less than crucifixion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It occurs to Pilate that perhaps it was not the best idea to
leave the prisoner alone in his office, so he hurries back inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this running back and forth takes a toll
on him, so he pauses a moment to catch his breath before going back into the
office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it’s because of what all
those years of smoking have done to his lungs, or maybe it’s because he simply
doesn’t want to have to face the man again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What was it about him? Not even Caesar himself could unnerve Pilate the
way this – what was his name? – Jesus – did.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When he enters, Pilate finds the man staring out of his
office window at the city below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
looks sad, but oddly not for himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
seems to be more concerned about the people below than he does for what might
happen to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He turns to Pilate as he
closes the door, with the same piercing, inscrutable gaze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By now Pilate is beside himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He desperately wants another cigarette to
calm his nerves, but he knows it won’t do any good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Exasperated and frustrated, he shouts at the man, “Who are
you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where did you come from?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the only reply the prisoner gives is that
unsettling look, before he turns to stare out the window once more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Don’t you understand?” Pilate practically
screams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Don’t you know that I could
have you crucified if I wanted to?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
man turns back, with an amused look on his face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The only power you have over me is what God
has given you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people who brought me
here are worse criminals than me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
then again, he goes back to looking out the window.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
In his younger days, Pilate had fancied himself an
athlete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But all these years of smoking
cigarettes and sitting behind desks have taken a toll on his health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wheezing and breaking into a sweat, he makes
the trip back to the elevator, down to the lobby, and out the door again to
confront the pompous fools who were making today such a nightmare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Fine!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you want to string this man up, go right ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here he is!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t care what you do, just get that man out of my office!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And under his breath he adds, “And get him
out of my life.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back in his office, some time and several cigarettes later,
Pilate gets out of his chair to look out the window: the same window that the
mysterious man had been looking out of earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By now, he supposes, the troops are probably done beating the man and
are on their way out the city to crucify him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sure enough, in the street below he sees the procession going outside of
town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is surprised to see how many
people are following behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently
this Jesus is more consequential than Pilate had given him credit for.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His mind goes back the question he had asked earlier in the
morning: “What is truth?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not truth as
in “what is right and wrong?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But a
different kind of truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth that
shapes reality and brings meaning to existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What is truth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What really
matters?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is at the center of what
makes life worth living?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What gives
purpose to governing a province, or trying to quit smoking, or saving up for a
retirement villa in Ostia?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Pilate continues to look out the window at the man being
led to his execution, he is startled to see the man pause, for just a moment,
and look up at Pilate as he is watching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is that look, one more time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The gaze that penetrates to the depths of Pilate’s soul that he does not
even know that he has.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, it
drops Pilate to the ground, sobbing in tears.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At that moment he realizes that he had asked the wrong
question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of asking “What is
truth?” he should have asked “Who is truth?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now he knows the answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he has sent him out to die.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-57113882202261491062019-04-01T07:19:00.001-07:002019-04-01T07:19:57.867-07:00Saved from and Saved for<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We are saved by
Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This basic declaration of
our faith takes on powerful significance this month as we remember how he won
our salvation through his atoning death on the cross and his victorious
resurrection from the grave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many minds
much wiser than mine have pondered exactly how Christ saved us, and what this
salvation means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although it ultimately
is a glorious mystery that lies beyond full human comprehension, we celebrate
this salvation, and we honor and worship the God who provides it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">As we prepare
for the Easter season, I’d like to ponder three questions what arise as we
consider our salvation in Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">1. AM I
SAVED?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, many people worry about
their salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have I done what it
takes, or believed what I need to believe, in order to be saved?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This form of thinking probably arises from comparing
the salvation that Christ provides with other desirable things: we have to earn
them or deserve them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entire point
of Christ’s self-giving love is that there is nothing we need to do receive,
other than simply to open our lives to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you want what Christ has to offer, it is already yours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">2. WHAT AM I
SAVED FROM?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The simplest, most obvious
answer is that we are saved from sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But that simply leads to another question: what is sin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We commonly understand sin to be the acts of
disobedience and destruction that we commit: those things that hurt God,
others, creation, or ourselves, or which violate God’s will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ has saved us from punishment for these
actions, even if we still must face their consequences in our world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Bible also portrays sin as the force
that opposes the reign of God in our lives and in our world: it is the power of
evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ’s death and resurrection
has freed us from sin in this sense as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are saved from broken relationships, from isolation from God, from
fear and despair, and so much more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">3. WHAT AM I
SAVED FOR?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may not ask this question
as often as we ask the others, but it may be the most important question of
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ has saved us for a purpose,
for a reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In salvation he equips
each of us uniquely to serve him each in our own special way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We Presbyterians in particular are aware that
God has a plan for our lives: that our salvation is the beginning of a life
lived for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s love for us extends
beyond rescuing us from the terrible situations we find ourselves in, and which
we often bring upon ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves
us so much that he wants to include us in the great work he is doing to
establish his kingdom and to bring all creation into the glory that he has
prepared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves us so much that he
has chosen each of us, individually and as a community, to play our part in his
great plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">As we travel
together from Palm Sunday through Maundy Thursday and Good Friday to Easter, I
invite you to contemplate not only what Christ has saved us from, but what he
has saved you to do in his name and for his glory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-41425520263753781622019-03-20T09:07:00.002-07:002019-03-20T09:07:14.457-07:00Spiritual Nutrition<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
4 year-old granddaughter is learning about good nutrition in preschool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is now very good at pointing out what is
“good” food (chicken, milk, vegetables) and what is “sometimes” food (ice
cream, pop, cupcakes).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Sometimes” food
is, as the name suggests, food that you can eat every now and then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if you make a habit of eating only these
foods, you’re not going to grow big and strong….just big and fat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What’s
true about physical food for our bodies is also true about spiritual food for
our souls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sorts of spiritual
influences you surround yourself with will affect the health and condition of
your soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what are you feeding your
soul?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Some
people enjoy the spiritual equivalent of twinkies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They look appealing, taste good, and go down
easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they provide only empty
calories that fail to support and active and healthy body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spiritual twinkies are the feel-good messages
that surround us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They tell us that
someone else is the problem, and that “somebody” ought to do something about
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They tell us that we are perfectly
fine just the way we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of challenging
or stretching us with new ideas to ponder, they simply spit back out at us what
we already believe, so that we can remain comfortably ignorant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">At
the other end of the spectrum we find the spiritual equivalent of tofu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While tofu may have its fans, most people
find it as appealing as library paste…only not as tasty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no doubt that it’s healthy, but most
of us find it so unappealing that we’d rather take our chances with greasy
hamburgers and French fries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spiritual
tofu has no interest in winning over friends: just speaking the hard-to-accept
truths of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They convey the message
that in order to be spiritually healthy, you must live a bland, harsh life
devoid of any joy or excitement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
good for you, but it’s not very good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Fortunately,
God loves us too much to allow us only the choice between twinkies and
tofu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wants us to enjoy the goodness
of the life he’s given us, and he wants us to find that enjoyment in what
fulfills and strengthens us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The spiritual
nourishment that he offers is more like chicken soup: healthy and satisfying at
the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will challenge and
stretch us, but also provide us with joy and peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just because something feels good does not
mean it is God’s message of comfort for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, just because something sounds challenging and difficult does not
mean that it is God’s message of guidance for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Unfortunately,
however, spiritual food doesn’t come with nutrition labels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So how can you tell twinkies and tofu from
chicken noodle soup?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, to quote 1 John
4:1, how can we “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because
many false prophets have gone out into the world”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can find a hint in John 10, where Jesus
tells us that the sheep learn to recognize the voice of their shepherd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more time we spend listening to and for
our Shepherd speaking to us, the easier it will be for us to recognize his
words of guidance in confusion of the many messages we receive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-55529805205347400872019-01-21T13:58:00.001-08:002019-01-21T13:58:29.620-08:00Finding a Balanced Self-Understanding<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Do not think
of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober
judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you
(Romans 12:3).<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Worship
at Old Union Church each Sunday includes a Confession of Sin and Assurance of
Pardon, because of the important message they give.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They bring to our awareness the key aspects
of our relationship with God, which we can so easily slip away from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Confession and Pardon provide us with an honest
appraisal of who we are in the eyes of God, when our own self-estimation or the
messages we get from people and influences around us can easily lead us
astray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is our way, each week, to
heed Paul’s advice to the Romans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On
the one hand, as Paul puts it, at time we “think more highly of ourselves than
we ought.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The human psyche does a
wonderful job of glossing over our own faults and shortcomings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may be quick to point out how others are
at fault, but we can usually find a convenient explanation for our own
actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, we simply forget about the
error of our ways or the faults of our character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We surround ourselves with people who will
puff up our ego and make us feel good about ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Confession
gives us a healthy correction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
become aware in worship of the majesty of God, our self-pretension becomes
exposed for the fraud that it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Confession
reminds us, each week, that we are not holy and perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not as wonderful as we think that we
are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Confession knocks down our pride,
especially when it is based on an over-inflated view of ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On
the other hand, Paul encourages us to think of ourselves “in accordance with
the faith God has distributed” to each of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just as our human nature may blind us to our faults, it can also magnify
them to the point that we are overwhelmed by our inadequacies and faults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Confession, if it is not balanced by an
assurance of pardon, only drives us more deeply into the pit of self-doubt and
shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Voices around us and from our
past far too often accuse us of our sinfulness, and the guilt that we bear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Assurance of Pardon helps us to see ourselves in a different light: in the
light of the faith that God has given to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The assurance declares that we are valued and honored in God’s
eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are precious and beloved by the
Creator of all things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is so much
to us that fills God with delight and joy when he considers us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The assurance reminds us of the great lengths
to which God went so that we may enjoy the fullness of his love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Confession of Sin and Assurance of Pardon steer us safely between the dangers
of pride on one side and of shame on the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you think too highly of yourself, the Confession of Sin will humble
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you believe you are
worthless, the Assurance of Pardon will proclaim the goodness that God finds in
you.</span></div>
Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-6781101972877931802018-12-02T11:18:00.003-08:002018-12-03T13:48:02.833-08:00Keep Christmas Real<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Last
month our church youth group took part in “Alive Pittsburgh,” an outreach to homeless people
held on the North Side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hundreds of
volunteers and hundreds of guests spent the day together, meeting each other
and enjoying the festivities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The event
included clothing give-aways, competitions and prizes, vision and hearing
testing, haircuts, music, and food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
group was assigned to the prayer team, which meant that we got to spend time
talking with the guests, getting to know them, hearing their stories, and
offering to pray with them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Of
the dozens of people that my partner and I got to know, one couple touched me more
deeply than the others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would guess
that they are in their mid to late twenties, and if I had met them anywhere
else I wouldn’t have had a clue that they are homeless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are living in a tent in a homeless camp
in the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I asked if there was
something they’d like to pray about, they told me that they are expecting a
baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We prayed for the baby and
mother’s health, a safe delivery, and that they would find a place to live
before the baby was born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t
tell underneath her heavy winter coat how far along the woman was in her
pregnancy, but the odds are that the baby will arrive long before the return of
warm sunny weather.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
I reflected later upon my encounter with this couple, soon to become a family,
I realized that the Christmas story isn’t so warm and fuzzy after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary and Joseph were much like the couple I
got to know: worried about finding a safe and warm place for their child to
come into the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reality of
Christ’s birth was much harsher than what is portrayed in the nativity scenes
we’ll enjoy this month, complete with stables, friendly animals, adoring angels
and worshiping shepherds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When
we sanitize the Christmas story and convert it into heartwarming tale, we miss
the entire point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus did not come to mingle
with the satisfied, with those who will give and receive frivolous and extravagant
gifts, with those who will gain ten pounds in December because of all the good
cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus came to share life with
parents giving birth in the cold, with families driven from their homes out of
desperation or violence, with those whom everyone else ignores or reviles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And
when Jesus comes into our hearts, he turns them toward the “least of these,” as
he called the suffering and abused people of the world in one of his parables
(Matthew 25:31-46).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we are
transformed more and more into the image of our Lord, we are drawn more closely
to those whose lives he came to share: those whom the world would rather throw
away than acknowledge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As we seek the
coming of Christ during this Advent, may we care more about homeless parents
than Christmas carols, more about refugees than tinsel and lights, more about the
mistreated than a new pair of fuzzy slippers.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83Pw0IKda6bWjF3L64CXOaRpcHDoisRgoXEw07m4lmkVPqAR0eEZq-NqPay-FG9CBSNjZSQ8D_mbzWJlAD64BabmxZfijVmUhBR0oREMGxxAWu3a2S_jUpOHlenLcdfPGPX-I4YcXqkM/s1600/The+Nativity%252C+Gari+Melchers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83Pw0IKda6bWjF3L64CXOaRpcHDoisRgoXEw07m4lmkVPqAR0eEZq-NqPay-FG9CBSNjZSQ8D_mbzWJlAD64BabmxZfijVmUhBR0oREMGxxAWu3a2S_jUpOHlenLcdfPGPX-I4YcXqkM/s320/The+Nativity%252C+Gari+Melchers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">"The Nativity," by Gari Melchers</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">in my opinion, the most realistic depiction of Christ's birth:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">an exhausted mother and a worried father</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">[PS: If you want to make a difference for the homeless in Pittsburgh, such as the couple I met, I encourage you to connect with <a href="https://www.livingministry.org/">LIVING Ministry</a>.]</span></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-85800855002016254602018-10-29T09:35:00.000-07:002018-10-29T09:35:19.894-07:00A Proposal to Reduce Hateful Speech<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I said in my sermon on Sunday, “Hateful words spawn
hateful deeds and violence….<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill on Saturday proved that
we cannot afford this kind of talk anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is too dangerous, it has real-world consequences, and it literally
kills people.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I see a great deal of hateful speech on Facebook and other platforms for communication, much of it
motivated by politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suggest the
following strategy for us all to confront and challenge hate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From my time in Ghana, I’ve come to appreciate how
Christians and Muslims work and live together with mutual respect and
care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the days after 9-11, some Islamic
extremists tried to incite hatred against Christians in Ghana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Christians did not have to respond or react
to it all, because the Muslim leaders immediately and strongly condemned the hatred
that these extremists displayed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we
follow their example in our political disputes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s natural for us to condemn hateful speech coming from
the other side of the political divide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Doing so, however, only fans the flames of anger and division.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, let’s police the extremist language
coming from our own political tribe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Conservatives, call out the hateful rhetoric of the alt-right and other
right-wing extremists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Progressives and liberals,
oppose dangerous words coming from the far left.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s much easier to notice and point out the excesses of
people with whom you disagree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s much
more productive, and advances the cause of peace and justice, to correct those
who share your overall perspective.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is one way in which we can honor those who died on Saturday,
by doing our part to improve how we debate and disagree with each other.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-33945208457517689402018-10-24T07:46:00.002-07:002018-10-24T07:46:48.373-07:00Christian or Church-ian?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Peanut butter
and jelly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Salt and pepper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bread and butter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Milk and cookies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Macaroni and cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pancakes and maple syrup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spaghetti and meatballs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My goal is not to make you hungry, but to
think about things that naturally go together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some less delicious combinations include lock and key, socks and shoes,
needle and thread, nuts and bolts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
sure you can come up with many more examples!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">However, we’ve
lost the connection between two other things that go together as naturally as
pencil and paper: church and faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From
the very beginning of Christianity, it was impossible to imagine one without
the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who put faith in Christ
were part of the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And those who
were in the church put their faith in Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">On the one
hand, the experts tell us that increasing numbers of people claim to be able to
live out their Christian calling individually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They want no part of the complicated, demanding, and sometimes
frustrating issues that come working together with other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These believers are quick to point out the
many obvious flaws with “organized religion” and claim that they don’t need
other people to follow Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we
do have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, that
relationship constantly draws us into relationships with others who call him
Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By my count, Scripture offers
about thirty “one another” commands: what we are to do together, and how we are
to treat each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without any
exception in the Bible that I can find, when God calls someone he calls them to
share life with others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">On the other
hand, however, are the people whom I’ll call “Church-ians.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They care deeply about their congregation and
their fellow members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the
faithful who attend church regularly, give sacrificially, and show up at all
the special functions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want the
building to be good repair, the pews and Sunday School classes to be full, and
the church accounts to run in the black.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As commendable as such values may be, they are merely empty husks if
they are not motivated and empowered by a love for the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Just as the
Bible encourages to live out our faith in community, it also condemns empty
deeds of religiosity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isaiah railed
against those who come near to the Lord with their lips, while their hearts are
far from him (29:13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeremiah mocked
those who celebrated in the temple of the Lord while their lives were utterly
divorced from his teaching (7:1-11).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus
himself offered a tongue-lashing against those who maintained and promoted
religious institutions and practices but utterly missed the mark when it came
to love and devotion (Matthew 23:13-39 and Luke 11:37-52).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">If you count
yourself as “spiritual but not religious,” I challenge you to investigate how
the Bible teaches us to live out our faith together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you are devoted to the health and
well-being of the church, I challenge you to consider what motivates that
devotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either way, you will discover
a joy of living that’s better than hugs and kisses, healthier than soap and
water, and more inspiring than the sun and moon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-29749595631530065492018-10-03T12:06:00.000-07:002018-10-03T12:06:26.119-07:00Biblical Authority?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Most Christian groups claim the Bible as
our ultimate authority for understanding God and his will for our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we don’t always act that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not speaking about the fact that studying
the Bible is more like a good idea than actual practice for many of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s true, unfortunately, and for decades
pundits have bemoaned the decline of Biblical literacy in our churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is another, subtler issue at work in
the way we study the Bible, when we actually take the time to crack it open and
read it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Philosopher
Hans-Georg Gadamer compared the way we read the Bible, or any other book, to
how we play a game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to play a
game by its rules, or you just won’t get the point of the game. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, you can’t tackle someone during a
basketball game, and roll a six in Monopoly and move five spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same way, when you read the Bible you
need to enter its world, so to speak, to get at its meaning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">That’s
harder to do than it sounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We often
come to the Bible with our own ideas, values, and priorities, to find out how
it answers our questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if the
Bible truly is an authority for us, we ought to go one step further and allow
the Bible to teach us what really matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The questions and issues that we think are so important may not really
matter for the way that the Bible describes life and faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">For
example, many people wonder if we will recognize our loved ones in heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We miss them terribly and hope to be reunited
with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible, however, is
frustratingly vague about this issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Apparently that’s not a big deal in heaven, no matter how important it
seems to us here on earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Many
churches consider homosexuality to be a foundational issue upon which
Christians must take a stand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Congregations have left denominations over this issue, and many churches
include it on the “What We Believe” page of their website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, this topic is barely footnote in
Scripture, only mentioned a handful of times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If the Bible truly is our guide, why would we get bent out of shape over
something that it treats so trivially?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And why do we blithely ignore other concerns that the Bible discusses
often and in great detail, such as economic justice for the poor and observing
the Sabbath?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Such
fascination with arcane trivia in the Bible jumps into overdrive when it comes
to questions about Christ’s return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“End-times” topics such as the mark of the beast, the rapture, and
millennialism arise from brief, and my opinion often misunderstood, allusions
in Scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are certainly not the
central themes in the Bible’s description of our future hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I’ve
even heard people say that the key to understanding all of Scripture can be
found in an obscure verse in Genesis that describes how the “sons of God” had
children with the “daughters of humans” and gave birth to the Nephilim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God did not give us Scripture as a puzzle or
mystery to solve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His desire is for us
to submit ourselves to the Bible’s own priorities and values, and reflect on
how we can live them out in our lives and in our world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-16188578085256489792018-08-20T07:23:00.002-07:002018-08-20T07:23:37.544-07:00How Was Your Day?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“How
was your day?” That’s the question my wife and I often ask each other in the
evening as our days wind to a close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve noticed that my answer to that question each day focuses on how
many tasks I accomplished, or on the quality of the work that I’ve done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a good day I may tell her about a
meaningful hospital visit, and on a day that didn’t go quite as well I may
describe how I’ve fallen behind on the things I want to get done that
week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, I evaluate the
quality of my days according to how much and how well I worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And because my life is composed of the days
that I live, this means that I consider how good of a life I am living based on
how productive I am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
grace of Jesus Christ sets us free from “works righteousness:” the belief that
in order to be set right with God we must obey his law perfectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we read in Ephesians, “It is by grace you
have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (2:8-9).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The redeeming work of Christ, through his
death on the cross and his resurrection from the tomb, has opened the way for
us to enjoy the fullness of a loving and blessed relationship with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do not need to prove ourselves to God, and
we do not need to earn our salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
need simply to put our trust in Jesus, and God sees us as righteous and holy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
is the core of our Christian faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
yet, I find myself slipping into a sort of works-righteousness that is based
not upon how well I follow the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law, but
upon how well I am able to make progress on my to-do list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A “good day” means that I’ve scratched some
things off the list, and a “bad day” means that I’ve fallen behind and wasted
opportunities to achieve the goals I’ve set for myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the theoretical, spiritual level I
wholeheartedly believe that my worth comes from the loving favor of Jesus
Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But on the day-to-day practical
level, I live as though my value as a person depends upon what I’ve done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Certainly,
God wants us to be productive and hard-working, just as he wants us to follow
his commands and obey his will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he
considers us to be “precious and honored” in his sight (Isaiah 43:4), and to be
his beloved children (1 John 3:1) because of what Christ has done on our
behalf, and not upon anything we have done or ever could do for ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His love for us does not depend upon what we
do, or upon how much we do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If
you’re like me, it’s time for us to redefine what makes for a “good day.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of evaluating our lives by what we
have accomplished, we can consider instead how much of God’s love we have
experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a “bad day,” our
struggles and preoccupations may cloud his glory from our sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But on a “good day,” we recognize his
goodness in every whisper, in every shadow, and every stirring of our hearts.
On a good day, we realize how deeply our Father loves us, and we know the
presence of the Spirit within us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-46892344757194788002018-07-18T09:57:00.002-07:002018-07-18T09:57:33.463-07:00Ready for a Change<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
church has changed dramatically over the past decade or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These changes have happened not only at Old
Union, but in churches within our community, across the Presbyterian Church,
and throughout our nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The church is
no longer the respected institution it used to be, and participation in a
church is no longer a common expectation and regular part of people’s
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the definition of a “regular
attender” has changed from someone who might miss one or two Sundays a year, to
someone who is in church three out of four Sundays a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here at Old Union we’ve seen worship
attendance decline, and the average age of worshipers increase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, we are just like most
churches in our nation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Old
Union is moving into uncharted territory, as we seek to be faithful to the
mission God has given us in a changing society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We could wring our hands in despair, or we could try to swim against the
stream to bring back the “good old days.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’d like to suggest instead that we work together to pay attention to
what God is doing, what he continues to call us to do, and how we can respond
in faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The challenge is to adapt: continue
to be who we are as we enter a strange new world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">From
the reading and research I’ve done on this issue, I’ve realized that Old Union
has all the pieces in place for us to do this well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The experts say that for churches to adapt to
new situations, they need several things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1.
TRUST: We are church that recognizes its leadership to be faithful, competent,
and capable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">2.
STRONG RELATIONSHIPS: We connect our lives with each other in harmony and
compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we easily include new
people into our church family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">3.
SENSE OF PURPOSE AND VISION: Our theme verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, gives us a
clear understanding that our mission as a church is to “encourage one another
and build each other up.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hear people
repeat this phrase often (and just at the conclusion of worship!) as we talk
about the work and life of our church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">4.
ACTIONS THAT MATCH MISSION: We do not merely say that our purpose is
encouragement and up-building; we live out these goals individually and as a
congregation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">5.
PRAYER: The life of our church, and the lives of its members, are bathed daily
with healthy doses of prayer for God’s guidance, mercy, and strength.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">No
one, other than God, can tell us what the future will hold, because our present
situation is completely unlike any that we can remember from the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The way forward for Old Union is not to try
what worked a decade or five ago, or to attempt quick fixes or to tinker with how
we do the things we continue to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
is calling us into a future that we know nothing about, by remaining true to
what makes Old Union what it is, as we trade the comfortable and customary for
the difficult and unfamiliar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Do
we have the courage to seek and to follow where God is leading us?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-9253866703168690972018-05-29T07:04:00.001-07:002018-05-29T07:04:51.507-07:00The Too-Big Mortgage That Got Paid in Half the Time<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Lord said
to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or
Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’” (Judges 7:2)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">By
the time you read this message, Old Union Church will have paid off the
mortgage for our new building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a
meeting on May 13, the session voted to cash in the building fund
investments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This money, together with
the money in the building fund checking account and the expected profits from
the garage sale and car cruise, are enough to pay off the final $26,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generous donors and eager helpers at our
fund-raising events enabled us to reach attain this goal far ahead of schedule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Some
background information may help you appreciate this accomplishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a congregational meeting on June 2008, we
voted to take on a $300,000 loan to build our fellowship hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The total cost of the project was $750,000,
and we had raised $450,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not
an easy decision to take on this loan, and many of us worried that it was more
than our church could handle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Construction began in October 2008, at the worst possible financially
time for more than a generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
financial crisis that began the Great Recession took away a third of the money
we had saved for the project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In December
we had to increase the loan by 50%, from $300,000 to $450,000, in order to
complete what we had already started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What had begun as a daunting challenge now seemed insurmountable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet here we are, less than ten years into
a twenty-year mortgage, making our final payment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
would be easy to congratulate ourselves on what we have been able to
achieve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if we do, we would fail to
see God’s mighty action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I wrote in
this column after we had to increase our loan, “If we could complete this building
project on our own, where would the faith be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But if we are brought to our knees and realize that the project will
indeed succeed only with God’s blessing, then we are well on our way to living
out our faith.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When
God called Gideon to battle the Midianites who had invaded the land, he
mustered an army of 32,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God told
him that these were too many soldiers, and he whittled Gideon’s army down to
only 300 men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did so in order that
Gideon and his countrymen would realize that the victory came not from
themselves, but from the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
same way, when God called us to build, he whittled away our resources so that
we would realize success could only come from his hand and not our own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now we see how God has provided for us
beyond what we thought possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Paying
off the church mortgage is only the most recent example of the astonishing
things that God does in our congregation and through its people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is only the latest reminder that God is at
work in his church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we make plans for
the future of our church, and as we face challenges and opportunities in our
personal lives, remember the lesson of The Too-Big Mortgage That Got Paid in
Half the Time.</span></div>
Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-11674238301587230022018-03-25T12:08:00.002-07:002018-03-25T14:44:16.815-07:00Christmas and Easter Christians<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
It’s just about that time of year again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The faithful worshipers who show up at church
every Sunday morning will once again be joined by “C & E Christians:” those
who come to Christmas Eve and Easter services, but are notably absent the other
50 weeks of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They make an easy
target for clergy and for regular attenders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These are the people who keep the church’s ministry and outreach going
throughout the year, who deal with all the messy and complicated parts of church
life: from Bible studies to community service to paying the electric bill to
making sure the grass is mowed and the snow is shoveled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can almost hear the voices now: “Where are
all these people the rest of the year?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why do they think they can just show up a couple times a year and assume
that the church will be here for them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We could really use some more help to keep this church going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If faith really mattered to them, they’d be
here every week.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so on.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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To some extent, these complaints are
warranted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, a healthy and meaningful
faith in God leads us to deeper commitment and involvement in his work in the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is eager to learn more, to
worship more, to serve more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, the
church is an institution (among other things) that requires the participation
and contribution of people to keep it going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even more importantly, however, is the message that is rarely spoken but
underlies the cynical jokes made at the expense of the C & E Christians: we
miss them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoy having them with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The life of the congregation is meaningful and
exciting for us, and we want them to share it with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Somehow, however, we tend to overlook the
times and ways that people have been hurt, angered, or ignored in the life of
the church.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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As true as all this is, however, sharing pews with
twice-a-year worshipers is a testimony and a reminder for the regulars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes we may get lost in the trees and
fail to notice the forest that we’re in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We become so accustomed to the ins and outs of our faith and of
congregational life that we fail to remember the most important parts of
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We gather to worship a God who took
on flesh to share our humanity with us, and to redeem that humanity through his
death and resurrection.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Christmas is meaningless without Easter, and
Easter is irrelevant without Christmas.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Christmas is a celebration of God appearing in
human form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the person of Jesus, divine
and human are joined together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the defining
words from the council of Chalcedon in 451, we worship Jesus Christ “at once
complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man… recognized
in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without
separation.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a divine mystery that
theology can point to but never fully explain: how Jesus is both fully and
completely God while at the same time being fully and completely human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps uniquely among all religions (with
the possible exception of the Hindu god Vishnu), the God of Christianity fully
and completely shares our human experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We worship a God who knows personally the joys and struggles of what it
means to be human.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Easter is a celebration of the redemption of
humanity through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One traditional way to understand redemption is
that Jesus reconnects sinful humanity with its loving God; theologians have composed
several “theories of atonement” to explain exactly how this happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find meaning in the metaphor of a bridge:
Jesus is the “bridge” that spans the gap created by our sin between humanity
and God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He reconciles the relationship
between God and us that was broken by our sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But a bridge is only helpful if it is firmly anchored on both sides of
the gorge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bridge that takes you only
halfway across is no bridge at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Jesus
was only God and not human, or if Jesus was only human and not God, he would
leave us stranded halfway across the span to reconcile God and humanity, and would
not have accomplished the redemption we find in him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Christmas and Easter Christians may be on to
something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By adding their presence and
their voices to these two special worship events each year, they help us to
recognize their importance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without Christmas,
the incarnation that it celebrates, Easter would be an action by God that never
touches human existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And without
Easter, Christmas would celebrate the creation of a “bridge” with no purpose.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So if you are a “Christmas and Easter” Christian,
welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look forward to the testimony
you will share, simply by being with us, about the importance of who Christ is
and what he has done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are a “regular”
church-goer, make room in the pew and in your heart for those whom you only see
twice a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have something
valuable to offer to us.</div>
Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-8891696694572933592018-03-23T12:38:00.000-07:002018-03-23T12:38:38.023-07:00A Letter from the Apostle Paul<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Archaeologists
have recently discovered the following lost letter from the apostle Paul.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Paul,
a servant of God who enjoys the status of education and Roman citizenship in
the eyes of the world, but who finds his greatest worth as a child of the
Father, chosen and beloved long before I could claim to have achieved this
identity, and who is driven by the spirit of Christ within me to live as a
citizen of his kingdom and to proclaim the joy of the good news of the
redeeming love of Christ Jesus to a distracted and fault-finding world: to the
church that seeks follows and enjoys his will, greetings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
thank God every time I remember you in my prayers for the deep compassion you
embody, not only within your fellowship but with all those in need whom you
encounter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thank God for your
generosity that is aroused in times of need, and for the joyful cooperative
spirit you share as you work together in the name of Christ. Many lives far
beyond the reach of your fellowship have experience the love, hope, and
encouragement of God because of you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
call of God the Father upon us all exceeds the imagination of any human mind.
The exhortation of the Spirit upon our hearts seeks even greater compassion and
engagement than we could know from our own sinful nature. And the actions of
Christ Jesus are not limited to the deeds recorded in the Scriptures, but
continue to move the mission of us, his beloved body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For
Christ did not set for us the example of a comfortable devotion marked by personal
prayer, weekly gathering, and care for those close to us and similar to us. As
commendable as these things may be, they are only the beginning. Your piety
must lead you to action. Your awareness of needs that are close to home must
drive you to seek out those whom no one considers to be close to them. Your
study of my teaching must grow legs to carry you into a broken world so beloved
by God that he left the glory of heaven to bring healing. And that healing
comes almost always through his work mediated by the church he has established.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Look
up from what is comfortable to see the uncomfortable path that God has opened
before you. For God has not called you to a life of complacent worship and
fellowship. He has already equipped you with all you need to be a beacon in the
world, not only in in your community but wherever sinfulness and
unrighteousness, injustice and impoverishment still dominate the lives of those
whom Christ wills to share the blessings of new life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Open
yourself to the leading of the Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do not be controlled by your sense of inadequacy, for all the riches and
power of Christ are yours. Focus your attention not upon what cannot be done,
but upon what God calls you to do. As you act in faith, he will accompany and
empower all that you do in his name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
commend to you my brother Peter, who carries this letter to you. Listen to what
he teaches, but always with an awareness of his own imperfect understanding of
The Way. Challenge one another as you progress more and more to the perfect knowledge
and practice of the way of Jesus Christ, which will be realized on the day we
will all encounter him face to face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Greet
one another with a holy hug or handshake.</span></div>
<br />
Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735432537964096292.post-62031213531363383852018-03-05T07:25:00.002-08:002018-03-05T07:25:39.428-08:00Stronger Than You Think<br />
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To paraphrase the classic children’s song, “We are weak, but He is
strong.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can never outgrow those
words and the message behind them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
never truly experience the power of God’s work in our lives until we
acknowledge our weakness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, we
keep pushing God out of the way and try to take control ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we abandon our prideful conceit that we
have what it takes to manage our lives, we have opened ourselves for his power
to work within us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Paul told his
friends when he struggled with an infirmity in his life, “His power is made
perfect in my weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It is God who makes the sun rise, not us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is God who guides the course of planets
and nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we try to take matters
into our own hands, we generally make a mess of it all, and eventually ask the
Lord in humility to clean it up for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Let go and let God,” as the old saying goes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t try to do for yourself what is
ultimately in God’s hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surrender
your life to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put yourself in his
hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Trust in the Lord, and lean not
on your own understanding,” as Proverbs puts it (3:5).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would all do well to live by these words<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Perhaps, however, at times we learn the lesson too well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While it is true that we depend upon the Lord
for all things, and ultimately are powerless over the affairs of our lives,
this does not mean that we should sit back helplessly and await God’s
activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God will act; have no doubt
about that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But how?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’m convinced that God prefers to act through his people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He works his power by bestowing it upon the
faithful, who then act in God’s name to do incredible things that no human on
their own would be capable of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may be
a great societal injustice, or a character flaw within themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God could use them to turn their community
upside-down, or to bring hope to a single person.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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If you look at what God has placed before, and if you have
heard his call to do something about it, you have several choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can laugh at God and how absurd his plans
are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can look around you for someone
else to take care of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can
collapse in a pile of despair and depression, overwhelmed by the impossible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Or, you can stand up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can claim the
ability and the strength that God is giving you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can look the situation straight in the
eye, and know that you can handle it with the Lord’s power at work in you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Don’t ever hide behind the excuse that “I’m only human.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are a child of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has given you, and all of us,
responsibility to change the world, to change the lives of people around you,
and perhaps most difficult of all, change yourself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are weak and he is
strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that is not an excuse to
hide behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a reminder that our
weakness is irrelevant when we accept the strength he gives to us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Peter de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696042385226531368noreply@blogger.com0