I had planned to share with you the ever changing saga of the Methodist Church’s continuing discussion of church doctrine centered on same sex issues, notably homosexuality, which is referenced in the church’s Book of Discipline, its governing document, which states that the “practice of homosexuality” is “incompatible with Christian teaching.” This journey has consumed at least 40 years of time at the cost of thousands of reams of paper, countless hours of labour and attention that could have been better spent doing the Lord’s work. According to Ashley Boggan PhD. Student, Drew University, in a list compiled May 2015 and I quote from the article:

“1964: Council on Religion and the Homosexual, an ecumenical organization founded by Glide Memorial Methodist and Rev. Ted McIlvenna, formed in San Francisco, CA: “Ministers acknowledged the role that religion played in the persecution of gays and promised to initiate dialogue in their denominations on the churches’ stand toward same-gender sexuality.”

So we began the journey. From 1964 until 2014 there were at my count thirty such instances that were brought forth for consideration about this issue and related concerns, presented in Annual and General Conferences. There have been numerous petitions also made to the General Conferences over the years. Trust me…there are so many different turns in this Journey To God’s Will and the road so full of well meaning people, I doubt one could hear any prayer for God’s guidance in this matter. Now to bring us up to date on the status of this debate, and that is being polite, it has intensified I believe because over time people have changed. Those who advocate a change see these past few years as being to their advantage, so in reality the church has been put in a no win situation. There are churches leaving the Methodist Church and doing so in increasing numbers. The Pew works hard to not let personal opinion overrule the scripture to advance or influence the advancement of certain agenda driven activities. Today I will step out of the Pew for a bit and share some personal thoughts with you. As I wrote, this debate about sexuality issues has been before the church for over 40 years now. Some years back a vote was taken to allow the Bishops of the church to appoint a commission to re-evaluate rules on gay, lesbian and transgender clergy and marriage. I think both sides were happy with this for various reasons. The vote to establish such was 428 for and 405 no. To me it was necessary not so much to arrive at an answer as just another way to kick the Can a little further down the road  and buy time to avoid the mess of imposing discipline on clergy and clergy candidates who disobey the current Book of Discipline which is the law of the governing body of the church published every four years or so.

Consider this…You simply can’t vote what’s right or scriptural correct and like it or not, a vote does not make a right or wrong correct on either side of this debate. We have kicked this can down the road so many times it has more dents in it than a car at Daytona after a NASCAR race. The progressives were happy with the vote the conservatives not so much. Make no mistakes both sides of the issue were exasperated the church is still arguing over it and seems to be closer to a split. 

Consider this…There seems to be this attitude that if you don’t agree, just ignore the Book of Discipline and do your thing. This is not that unusual in our current societal reasoning, too many people in all walks and areas of life have been able to elevate this type of behavior to a level that is noble…a means of expressing the worth of your argument…being a victim of unfair treatment. To me it is just another example of a man made law that is inadequate and lacks the divine wisdom of the God we serve. The United Methodist Church is the third largest worshiping body in the United States and claims over 12 million members worldwide. Let that number sink in for a moment. Just think with that number and the enormous resources it is capable of amassing, we are still unable to answer the questions surrounding the issue of how we as a church deal with the “practice of homosexuality” in the Church.There was sometime ago a song titled “Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places”. Stay with me now…what in the world could that possibly have to do with our problem?

Consider this…

Could it be more appropriate to perhaps change our focus and maybe even our position…perhaps we should spend more time on our knees instead of on a soap box. I believe the answer to the issue of same sex practices within the faith lies in God’s Will. I believe such a revelation is of a Divine nature…through prayer, a strong relationship with God in our everyday life and revealed to us through the Holy Spirit. Therefore I believe we have been looking in all the wrong places for the answer to this issue before the church. One web site, Bible Gateway, offers many different ways to study the Bible and has available over 150 commentaries on the OT and NT. For those of us who study and seek to share the word it is of great assistance. Modern day technology gives us a wealth of material with only a pressing of a key on any computer. You can also look to several other points of distribution. 

Consider this…The Holy Spirit does not function in turmoil, disagreement and disrespect of others opinions. The Holy Spirit does not accept opinions as fact….or better put…God’s Will. You will not find it in Rainbows, Clerical robes, Bishop’s robes or on the end of a clinched fist, raised in emotional frustration. God’s Will is available to those who earnestly seek it and we all will be closer to finding it when we are on our knees in humble prayer. So to wrap this up…back to some music.

“The answer my friend does not blow in the wind” It lies in God’s Will. What does God expect of us?

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly,

To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Life is Good

jk

Reference points 

Laurie Goodstein May 18, 2016 

The New Interpreter’s Bible

3  A voice cries:“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4  Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5  And the …The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has

spoken.”“Prepare the way of the LORD;

Who was John the Baptist? Short answer would be, a “lone voice in the wilderness”.The early personage to the modern-day evangelist as he unashamedly shared the good news of Jesus Christ. He is a role model for those of us who wish to share our faith and the good news with others. Consider these facts…

-He is usually overlooked as a significant figure in the Gospels

-His birth was meticulously recorded Luke. (1:5-25)

-His conception was marked by angelic proclamation and divine intervention. ( Luke 1:57-80 )

There are still more facts of interest that present the thought of the importance of this reasoning. John’s birth to Abraham and Sarah was the result of that Divine intervention.( Gen.17:15-22 ; 21:1-7 ) John most certainly has a place of importance in the salvation history. To keep this simple yet enlightening I will share some points of interest to an already well known story. We often just skim over the words not allowing them to travel from our mind to our heart. How beautiful is the intent of our God to place among us earthly saints to point us to His call to His people. John’s early life wasn’t easy, he lived in the mountainous area of Judea, between the city of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. He wore the typical garb of a prophet, his diet was locusts and wild honey. John lived a simple life as he focused on the kingdom work set before him… “prepare the way of the Lord”

John’s work and his enthusiastic faith soon drew the attention of others… There is scriptural note of this …

5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. (Matthew 3:5-6)

John’s message was simple… He is coming, prepare the way for the Lord, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Within Him is your salvation, repent and be baptized. Water was a symbol of cleansing in the biblical times…still is in our day. Interesting point here was as the people came and sought to be forgiven of their sins, this resulted in their being baptized by John, which added to the name some referred to him by…The Baptizer. Many people believed John was  a prophet of God… The Jews of the Temple and those of power in their community feared hm and his message. “5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.” 

(Matthew 14:5)

John knew what they were saying and responded in kind. In John 3:28 you may read his response. John says, “You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him”. We don’t often think this way but it has been said that what was to come was a miracle from God in the form of Jesus Christ. In secular vernacular John was saying… “Hey, I am just a messenger and my message is simple and direct,  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near”. The part John The Baptist played in bringing The Messiah forth is well documented but beyond these words we are given so much more. As written earlier the days and months and years ahead we will come to know of his earthly ministry and the gift He brought and offered to the whole world. He would challenge King Herod for his stubborn and evil ways and would pay for that with his life. Jesus spoke well of John, and also had this to say… Luke 7:28 “I tell you among those born of women there is no one greater than John…”

From John we can learn many things. He believed with all his heart, mind, body and soul that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. He spent all his days preparing to go forth and tell world of his coming…. “preparing the way” for the Lord’s coming. He focused on the mission God had given him. He told us of the importance of repentance and living a holy and righteous life. He was not afraid to speak the truth,   regardless the cost. John had a unique ministry but we must remember we too are called to share the truth of Jesus with the world. Stay focused on the word and the mission.

Life is Good

jk

Most of us are  familiar with the old question of which came first…The chicken or the egg? 

“(logic, philosophy) A supposed paradox concerning whether chickens or chicken eggs existed first. (by extension) A question to decide which of two interdependent things happened first. (wiktionary.org)”

Today’s Pew’s question is kinda a take on that. That question got me to the one which I wanted to know today, What came first… Church or Faith? That in turn led me to the next question. Is The Church in America declining? These figures from a Gallup poll seems to point to that. These numbers are from December 21,2022 and I share them below.

“Church membership held steady at around 70 percent of the U.S. population from the 1940s through the 1990s. Membership plummeted in the new millennium. The decline is largely driven by a surging population of “nones,” or Americans who claim no religion, at 21 percent, as of 2021, according to Gallup.Dec 21, 2022”

According to an article written by  Daniel de Visé | Dec. 21, 2022, the share of Americans who belong to churches dipped below half in 2020, an historically low number. Now admittedly I am throwing a lot of numbers at you from a variety of sources but I do so to preface the question of today. Is The Church in America declining? A 2021 survey says 31% of Americans never attend church or synagogue, compared to 22 percent of Americans who attend every week. One more set of numbers for you. There are many signs that America’s Christian majority is shrinking and has been for decades. As of 2020 it is about 64%. Fifty years ago it was 90%. Let’s set the numbers aside for a moment. If you are a person of faith and have membership in a church regardless of denomination your surely can attest to this. You can also verify this by an honest assessment of the current state of the world today. There is a direct correlation to the decline of civility, respect for law and a reasonable respect for the accepted moralities as determined by society in general; all of which are in a serious decline today. There are other polls that do present different more positive numbers, one of which is from goodfaithmedia.org .  

“Aug 8, 2022 — Weekly worship attendance among U.S. Millennials more than doubled from 2021 to 2022, according to a new Barna Group report.”

What is Faith? In the New Testament book of Hebrews 11:1-3 is this biblical assessment of faith.

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the  evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

I would ask you to consider a few things during this time of Epiphany. The church today has in many ways lost its place at the table, so to speak, more and more Christians and their faith are being marginalized by cultural and societal pressures and the mob mentality that exists today. It would also be fair to note that we, the church are also responsible to a degree for the state of the church, as we know it today. In Revelation chapter 3 verses 15 & 16 the Lord conveys these words to John to write to the church at Laodicea. 

15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” NKJV

Amen! We have become complacent and careless in our personal faith and strengthening the fidelity of the church and faith, that we might serve our Lord and God with all our hearts and minds, our presence and our gifts. These verses are from Isaiah 42:8-9 and they remind me of me of the importance of this season of Epiphany. 

8 

I am the Lord, that is My name;

And My glory I will not give to another,

Nor My praise to carved images.

9 

Behold, the former things have come to pass,

And new things I declare;

Before they spring forth I tell you of them.

The visit of the Wise Men introduced the world to the promise…hope is a powerful thing and here now was among us God’s promise to his people… and in the weeks, months and years ahead we will witness this mission of salvation for all who believe as scripture reveals Jesus Christ, The Messiah going forth to do the work of his Father in heaven. The intent of all this is to put before you the importance of faith as a renewable source, faith is the engine of the church. Which came first church or faith? Here in the Pew our answer would be FAITH. 

The year ahead will be one of many distractions, challenges that will turn us away from the real issues facing the church. My pastor last week put the importance of FOCUS before us as we journey to meet and know our Lord better. Immerse yourself in prayer…read the bible more every day. Be involved in the Lords work and remember this,

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Life is Good

jk

Last week we wrote of the coming season of Epiphany. Epiphany is the season from Jan. 7 through the day before Ash Wednesday. It may include anywhere from four to nine Sundays, depending on the date of Easter. Most denominations have a calendar of specific dates and times that people of the faith celebrate the important teachings and events within the Church Year. Epiphany is a time of joy, hope and the revelation of the Christ, Jesus the Messiah, the promised one of God.The word “epiphany” itself means manifestation or revelation. I always like to go beyond the words but this time I think we will go deeper. I am going to add a few verses to what we read last week in Matthew 2:1-12, this week add four more to those….Matthew 2:1-16.

Let’s spend some time this week with the Three wise Men, Magi, or Three Kings who travel from the East to visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. First who were they? Now I must be careful here to inform you that this account is one of many. But is very much similar to the others. I often go to biblestudytools.com, they are accurate and knowledgeable. Below I insert their information:

• Gaspar (or Caspar) wears a green cloak and a gold crown with green jewels. He is the King of Sheba. Gaspar represents the Frankincense brought to Jesus.
• Melchior has long white hair and a white beard and wears a gold cloak. He is the King of Arabia. Melchior represents the Gold brought to Jesus.
• Balthazar has a black beard and wears a purple cloak. He is the King of Tarse and Egypt. Balthazar represents the gift of Myrrh that was brought to Jesus.

About those gifts…

• Gold: is affiliated with Kings, and Christians believe that Jesus is the King of Kings.
• Frankincense: is used in liturgical worship in traditional Churches and represented that people would worship and praise Jesus.
• Myrrh: is a fragrance that is embedded on dead bodies to make them smell pleasant and represented that Jesus would endure persecution resulting in his death.

For your consideration and just as a thought to ponder, maybe even encourage you to read more I share the following with you.There are many in the theological and historical communities that hold with the theory that it was some time after the night of the birth of Christ that the The Three Wise Men found him in Bethlehem in a modest house. Some accounts say it was a room that Joseph obtained elsewhere after the crowds had gotten smaller. We do know that Joseph being from this area there is a good chance he might of had some relatives close by. So where does this leave us? Right where we need to be… Jesus was born and swaddled in cloths, and laid in a manger in Bethlehem. He is the Son of God, the Promised Messiah and as the Wise Men said, The King of the Jews. The Wise Men did bring him gifts and they did follow that star. We can go beyond the words, dig deeper and search the probabilities but I leave you this week with this thought. 

Our faith makes us strong and faith cannot be built on probabilities. We must pray and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, establish a relationship with God and live as Christ has instructed us to live. Don’t sweat the details… Long before the Star Isaiah spoke of these things to come. I invite you to read those verses…Isaiah 43:18-21. Christianity and faith are a constantly a time of preparing for the Kingdom to come into its promised state. Here at Epiphany the church prepares to welcome the Son of God, incarnate among us and our long awaited salvation.

Life is Good

jk