This week our church visited the homeless shelter in our area for the purpose of providing an evening meal; something we do on a regular basis. I always come away from these visits with more questions than answers, some having been with me a long time. I have never in my life had to wonder where my next meal was coming from or if I would have a safe, dry or warm place to go to if the weather got bad. People don’t move to avoid standing or sitting next to me. I have always had sufficient clothing for my needs. What I am trying to say is, it is so hard for me to understand how these people got to this place in their lives and what keeps them there. Here I believe is where you have to ask yourself, why? The why is not the usual “why” but a realization of “why does it matter?” Sometimes we let the “why” get in the way of that which we are called to do. Is John 12: 8 the answer for us? I don’t think so….and sometimes when we pull just part of a verse or verses to make a point that supports our reasoning, we miss the depth of the scriptures as written. Jesus many times referred back to OT scripture in his ministry. Here are two that are used in some of his teachable moments. Both are from Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 24: 19-22
19 “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do. 20 When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don’t go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. 21 When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don’t glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. 22 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am giving you this command.

Deuteronomy 15: 10-1
10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. 11 There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.

It is suggested that John 12: 7-8 is one of the most often pulled scriptures and Jesus did not need to elaborate on it here at this time, because of past teaching to the disciples they knew the rest “of the story so to speak.” You see because the poor will always be among us does not make it an acceptable condition. It is here we often miss the “Command” found in our two scriptures today. Caring for the poor among us is a call that has been and will be ongoing and forever. Nowhere do we find the need to ponder “why” or ask ourselves if “they” deserve such, for God places no conditions on caring for his people. While it might not be a popular line of thought our first thought should be . How might I help you, what do you need? In Luke 10: 27-37 the lawyer tried to get Jesus with the question “who is my neighbor?” Jesus uses a Samaritan to teach him his duty and answers him….. “Go, and do like him.” Note, It is the duty of every one of us, to give aid according to our ability.

Most of us here in the pew do not have the resources to meet all the needs of those less fortunate than us but when we come together as a community of faith, all things are possible. With our gifts, tithes, prayers and presence we can do much good.

Thank you for stopping by the Pew…..Do good whenever and wherever you can…..

Life is Good
jk
 

Culture…a :the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. (Merriam Webster)

I do wonder at times due to the events of our recent days if maybe we as Christians are failing to meet the definition as written.   Continuing from Merriam….. The customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also :the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time. It continues on with the following. The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization a corporate culture focused on the bottom line the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic. To make this simple we could say it’s about “who we are and what we believe.”

There can be no doubt that over the years the way we do church has more and more been defined by the culture of the society we are living in at the moment. Church today has little if any influence in our society as it scrambles to establish relevancy in today’s world. Christian faith has always had a of set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes and sets it apart. Yes, you could say there is a “church culture” and it is changing. We see every day how the influence of societal changes are responsible for the changing church culture, those things we hold to be emblematic of christian faith and behavior. Would it be proper to state that we as Christians have a responsibility to influence “church” culture, not the excessive swings of societal pressure that drive the culture outside the church?

Let’s go back a few years, really? Is this going to be another story about how I walked two miles to school in all kinds of weather and had cardboard in my shoes to cover the holes in the soles? No, but it is about a time when Biblical values, established by the “word” were common place in our society. Our culture (church) was a major factor in the formation of society’s culture. Some of you will remember, there were no stores open on Sunday, that included gas stations. There was no need for a movie rating system that had more than three labels. Nudity was consigned to under the counter or, if on display in the magazine rack, had a brown cover over it. I could list a lot more things but the point is that culture changes and it is usually people driven. The big difference was these were not the norm of the day and usually stayed in the dark recesses of the day.

It is here that I began to struggle and have a hard time trying to express my line of thought. As a layman if you are not careful, you can be caught up in a web of doctrinal beliefs that can be confusing to most of us in the pew. Here is my dilemma. Doctrine, what exactly does that mean? Better still, what is this doctrine?

a: particular principle, position, or policy taught or advocated, as of a religion or government: Catholic doctrines; the Monroe Doctrine. 2. something that is taught; teachings collectively: religious doctrine.
(www.dictionary.com/browse/doctrine)

What is church doctrine?

1. church doctrine – the written body of teachings of a religious group that are generally accepted by that group. religious doctrine, creed, gospel. … doctrine, ism, philosophical system, philosophy, school of thought – a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school.
(www.thefreedictionary.com/church+doctrine)

What are the 22 doctrines of the Bible? Whoa, where did that come from?

The church lists 22 doctrines of their beliefs: the Holy Bible, the Godhead, Virgin birth of Christ, total depravity, Repentance, Restitution, Justification, Water baptism, Lord’s supper, Sanctification, Holy Ghost baptism, Redemption, Personal evangelism, Marriage, Rapture, Resurrection of the Dead, Great Tribulation, …
Deeper Christian Life Ministry – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deeper_Christian_Life_Ministry

I believe that doctrine has been modified in some areas due to the ever-changing pressures of societal cultural changes. What do you think? I believe we as the church have allowed the pressures of cultural correctness to impede our defense of the faith.

The Bible is a collection of sacred texts or scriptures that Jews and Christians consider to be a product of divine inspiration and a record of the relationship between God and humans. Many different authors contributed to the Bible. (Wikipedia)

The church has become a victim of the “The Culture Trap.” If you have decided that I am “old school”, you would be correct. Yes I understand that there is a whole field of academics, theologians and others who have spent a life time studying the meaning and intent of the scripture as written. Here in the pew things are a lot simpler. We are limited to what we read and hear, trusting those sources to be correct and it is only when we return to the written word, seeking guidance by praying and letting the Holy Spirit lead us that we are at peace with an issue. I could stumble from point to point all day long, however it is time to wrap this up. We people of the church have allowed this “culture thing” inside and outside to become a distraction that weakens the faith and marginalize the true calling of God’s people. We must stop looking to the current direction of societal culture or changing “church” culture to be relevant with the direction of the society we live in. SO WHAT DO WE DO?…….

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

How do I do that…….Each must answer that on their own, me I will do the following. Pray, seek the Holy Spirit, read and study God’s word, always searching for the “Good Way.”

Be back in the Pew next week….Stop by

Life is Good

jk

We will start with the dictionary (Merriam-Webster)

Definition of faith

a :allegiance to duty or a person
b (1) :fidelity to one’s promises (2) :sincerity of intentions acted in good faith :belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) :belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion :something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially :a system of religious beliefs the Protestant faith

What is this “faith” we as Christians speak of so often? Does the traditional definition apply here? Would it be fair to say it is a blind faith, needing no justification? I don’t think so. I think blind faith resides only in politics and sports. My contention is Christian faith is provable in God’s word, through the scriptures.

Hebrews 11
1  Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

We have a list of people who relied on their faith in God and were blessed for it.

John 20: 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

I do believe that the bible is the inspired word of God. I also believe that it is a record of God’s people as they lived their lives and sought to serve their God. Faith is an important component of Christian life. There is no better way to understand Christian faith than as written in Hebrews Chapter 11. There is evidence that because of their faith Israel’s elders were blessed by God for their faithfulness. We have in a sense a catalogue of faith expressed in these Patriarchs and written about in Hebrews Chapter 11. We know because God created all from nothing he can do whatever he chose to do. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah shows us that God’s blessings comes to those whose faith is strong, even if they are weak. Theirs was a simple faith that embraced a lifestyle that affirmed their faith through Holy living, trusting God to do what he said he would. It does not stop here, we can add to that catalogue the names of the Patriarchs such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Then of course there was Moses, because of the uncompromising choices he made, which had a great effect on the children of Israel, he was able to lead them out of Egypt, even in the face of great obstacles. There were many others whose unflinching commitment made a difference and this is a good place to point out the difference between faith and Christian Faith. The Christian Faith is an unflinching commitment to the faith, the ability to stay faithful in the face of the cruelest opposition and persecution. Their faith was unbeatable! They did not have the gospel promise that we have today. We have received something better……a clear promise through the gospel of Jesus Christ, strengthen by the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives.

Where is our “blind Spot”? What part of our faith commitment do we not see. Sometime the stress of every day life requires us to make a choice. Will we be unflinching as the patriarchs of so long ago, or will we allow the pressures of this world today to compromise our faith?

God Bless, Life is Good

Jk

During bible study last Tuesday, one of our group asked if we knew the true story about the hymn “Stand-Up, Stand-up For Jesus.” He told us the story and It gave me some thoughts about recent events. Last week we were left speechless by the horrific event in Las Vegas. There are really few words that can adequately express the evil of this act or why it happened. We can only speculate why the shooter did this and the sad thing is the only real facts we have at this point really is that we are left with 58 dead, the possibility of more and 500 injured. The shooter is dead, having taken his own life. I will ask that you go to the following URL either now or after you have read the blog.

http://www.hopeinthehealing.com/2015/10/25/stand-up-for-jesus-the-story-behind-the-hymn/

There will be many well-intentioned people and some also that have only the advancement of their agenda or special interest, that will come forward in the weeks to come with what they believe to be the solution to this type of violence. I will go out on the limb here, seems like I have been doing that a lot lately but this time I will take a saw with me. They all will be wrong! Guns, trucks, vans, knives, hatchets, explosives, just to name a few, are just objects that can do nothing without the irresponsible intervention of human action.

Oh, it’s a “hearts and mind thing.” No, It’s a God Thing! There will be laws passed and a lot of “pats on the back” for those involved, no matter how it turns out and many of us will feel a great deal of self-satisfaction having addressed this issue. The real issues will remain because we refuse to deal with the real enemy. Pogo a cartoon strip of not that log ago had a panel I have always remembered. Pogo in a moment of reflection simply says: “we have met the enemy and he is us.” Sure the guns, trucks, vans, knives, hatchets, and explosives are part of the problem of insane violence that is becoming a recurring event of life here in America. It is time we faced the fact, do a “Pogo” so to speak that none of the forgoing items listed can do anything without human intervention or assistance perhaps a better way of putting it; straight up in your face reasoning….we are part of the problem. We have created a society whose changing values have led us away from God and into a world that no longer values human life.

We have as a nation allowed ourselves to become desensitized to the violence, cruelty and the sufferings of others. The things we read, the movies we watch, the endless violence that is displayed each day within our homes and society, the opportunity to see and read such is just a button away in this digital world of today. Make no mistake about it, even the best of us are in some way influenced by such. I realize that we can’t detach ourselves from our daily routines in the world but the time to face reality is now. If we enter this debate about guns, focusing on worldly solutions, we will again have missed the “Pogo” and will continue to ignore our responsibilities as Christians. People of faith must step up, or better yet….Stand-Up For Jesus. We must re-establish the Christian values that have guided so many for so long as they built this nation we call home. Hey! We have failed in the past not just in today’s world. Two examples would be slavery and civil rights. Oddly enough both are still a problem to some degree in society today. Why?…..Because both were subject to a political and a social agenda. They were not a matter of the heart or an honest assessment of that popular phrase “what would Jesus do?” For us in the church the question is how do we do this? How do we as people of faith present a totally different approach to this violence prone society we live in? How do we present a different path that embraces all people and welcomes them not with a list of “do not” and replace that with a list of possibilities. How do we as Christians become more aggressive presenting and protecting our beliefs to a society whose values are constantly changing, driven by social demands and the changing of personal values to meet societal changes? Why do we as a church expect immediate change in a person, should we not allow our prayers and God and the Holy Spirit to do the work in an individual’s life? Let’s take a moment to ask a simple question that we may have overlooked. How can we expect others to understand something they can’t see? Remember this from John 20: 25

25 The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.”

And of course the Lord’s Answer to Thomas, John 20:29

29 Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.”

Please give this some consideration . Thomas was with Jesus, he had seen the miracles and had a relationship with the Jesus, so what happened?Thomas allowed the death of Christ on the cross to also become the death of his relationship with Christ. Thomas found it hard to accept the resurrection, he never doubted Jesus, it was that resurrection thing. This is taking the long way around to say….we need to tell the story. We must divest ourselves of becoming involved in every social issue that comes along and instead invest in telling the “story”, living a Holy Life, so that  “Thomas” out there can see and believe. We, the Church, must become part of this debate by the way we live our lives. We must be vocal in our beliefs, not condemning but lifting up, reaching out……so that they might see. We need to again sit at the table, re-establish our place in society. After all, how will they know the Lord, if someone doesn’t tell them.

There is always room in the pew, thanks for stopping by……..jk

Right off I wish to start with a brief note to the reader. I have relied heavily on a book I am reading to prepare this Blog. “From The Pew, a Layman’s View of The Gospel” is just that. Every now and then I step outside the pew and acknowledge other opinions and writings, this today is an example of that. Today’s Blog used material from the book:

“Homiletical Theology
Preaching as Doing Theology
The Promise of Homiletical Theology
Volume 1 EDITED BY DAVID SCHNASA JACOBSEN FOREWORD BY DAVID BUTTRICK

This may be more than I can handle but it is interesting and will require stepping out of the pew for a few. Antithesis, interesting word that’s not exactly in my everyday conversation or writing. I am what I call a rotational reader. The rotational thing comes about because I go back and forth between books, odd but interesting. I usually have two books going at once and read whichever one I happen to pick up when there is time. This week I picked up Homiletical Theology, edited by David Schnasa Jacobsen, and dug in at page 68. This particular segment is written by John S McClure. Mr McClure led off with the word Paradoxism, of which according to Merriam is not dictionary word worthy. He then followed up with the word Antithesis and that folks is how this blog came into being. Please stay with me as I set this up. I will start with a direct quote from the book, from Mr. McClure’s writings.

“In my assessment, the Liturgy of the Word in the Western church tradition bears within it four paradoxisms that seem relevant to transforming human communication to make it adequate to this larger task. Paradoxism is a term used by literary and cultural critic Roland Barthes to describe an “alliance of words” or an “unusual figure” designed to “transgress” or overcome a seemingly unsolvable conundrum or “Antithesis.”
Excerpt From: David Schnasa Jacobsen. “Homiletical Theology.”

Today we will look at part of these. First thing let’s take a look at a brief definition of a couple of these words from Merriam Webster.

“Antithesis.”

a :the direct opposite Her temperament is the very antithesis of mine.
b (1) :the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences (as in “action, not words” or “they promised freedom and provided slavery”)

Definition of paradox
1
:a tenet contrary to received opinion
2
:a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true

I will be quick to point out that this type of subject is not a prevalent concern and is not commonly communicated in the pew. Communication, now that is a concern in the pew and in a rather novel way today’s post speaks to that. “Between Heaven and Earth” do we have a distance for that? From a Christian point of reference how far is heaven….and does that “human-divine” communication make traveling the distance possible? The author writes that there are four paradoxisms that hinder “human-divine” communication. Now we can communicate in many different ways which each other, we will for now look at the spoken word, preaching so to speak. who’s in the conversation? Preacher, Pastor, Priest, worship leader are terms we use “to set apart in relation to divine power within a religious or ritual context.” (page 70 Homiletical Theology) The author refers to these people as “God-persons”. Some ordained some not. I interpret this to mean they make overcoming the distance between divine and human a little more plausible. Now I am out on a limb here but it does seem that at times the distance between God and humanity seems so far. Seeing one of our own in that position enables us to remove the “Antithesis” of a human-divine relation. We see a human-divine communication that represents an authentic and active relationship. We can see the possibility of breaking through that wall and having that relationship.

Next we look at Intercession another bridge to this human-divine relationship.

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 1 Timothy 2:1-6”

“The second paradoxism in the Liturgy of the Word is the figure of the worshiper as “mediator between heaven and earth” in prayer, especially intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer is a unique and unusual figure in the liturgy and it seeks to transgress what might be called the Antithesis of human/divine mediation. Beyond establishing relation, mediation implies activity: a way of acting within the divine/human relationship.”

Excerpt From: David Schnasa Jacobsen. “Homiletical Theology.”

Have you ever considered yourself as a Mediator……we all know that Christ is our mediator before the Father, that he intercedes for us. When we come together to pray for the needs of others we too become mediators or go-between, taking the concerns of this world to God. It is an active part of the human-divine relationship which brings the things of God to this world. (page 72 Homiletical Theology) We willingly assume the role of intercessor, a go between if you will, between heaven and earth. Again we find ourselves working through that wall of “human-divine” relationship by taking an active part within the “human-divine” relationship in which we then become an active participant. As would be said in the secular vernacular, we now have a stake or ownership in this relationship.

Next we consider scripture, what language will we speak? This puts us face to face with the Antithesis of human/divine language. Is there a code, a specific language, rituals in words, what is the language that brings the scriptures to life? How is the word made flesh? As a layman I don’t find it hard to become confused about certain things, church wise. The Liturgy followed by the liturgical practices opens up a whole new set of words and practices in the world of “human-divine” language. We find a whole new way as the author says of “speaking with God.” Again I return to a direct quote from the book…

“These first three liturgical practices within the Liturgy of the Word in the Western church tradition, interpreted from the perspective of the task of human-divine communication, surround preaching with significant assistance in its task—helping us as preachers and worshipers to be (1) in an authentic relation with God, (2) competent (empathic, intercessory) communicators, and (3) christologically repositioned in relation to language. We might say that these three practices establish the unique kind of intersubjectivity needed in order to speak now to/with/for/on behalf of God—which is the paradoxism figured by what we commonly call “the sermon.”

(Excerpt From: David Schnasa Jacobsen. “Homiletical Theology.”)

If you made it this far, thank you! I encourage you to seek out this book. It is an interesting read and opens up a whole new perspective of what, why and how we believe.

We will be back in the pew next week.
Life Is Good

jk