Including excerpts and a story inspired by Brother Benet Tvedten, a monk at Blue Cloud Valley monastery in South Dakota, in his book,                                                        “The View From the Monastery.”  

Back in the 6th century, one of the greatest Popes of all history reigned over the church in what became one of the church’s brightest eras. Pope Gregory was known as “The Great,” and was so beloved by all Christians, especially Italians, that when he died, he was immediately given the honor and title of “Saint.” 

But, going into his religious achievements is not the goal here. Instead, I will be presenting Saint Gregory as the “character” he played in many legends and fables of his day. Whenever a discussion would bend into the direction of miracles, this Pope Gregory story about Saint Benedict often came up. Here’s how it goes.

The deacon Peter, a long serving and trusted assistant to Pope Gregory the Great, asked the Pope: Were St. Benedict’s miracles “worked by prayer, or at the drop of his hat?”

Pope Gregory had just completed a biography of Benedict, the famous monk and abbot who wrote the primary book of “rules” for many monasteries, even to this very day. In that biography, Gregory, being a “big fan” of Benedict, spun many yarns about the miracles that Benedict had performed in his life. 

For instance, in Gregory’s biography, St. Benedict brought back to life one of his brother monks; also raised from the dead the child of a local farmer; cured leprosy and insanity, cast out devils, etc. … well, you get the idea. If Benedict had indeed performed all the miracles attributed to him by Gregory in his biography, then Benedict would most likely be sitting at the right hand of God this very moment. And perhaps he is.  

So, now that we know a little backstory, let’s return to the question deacon Peter asks his Pope: Were St. Benedict’s miracles “worked by prayer, of at the drop of the hat?” 

Gregory responded to deacon Peter by stating that “holy men can undoubtedly perform miracles in either of the ways you mentioned.”

Obviously, Pope Gregory was a big believer in miracles. During his reign, Italy was in a state of despair due to the constant invasions from barbarian armies. The Pope wanted to lift the hopes of the people, so he reminded them in the best ways he could, that indeed, miracles are possible, and miracles are happening every day. Gregory loved to tell his miracle stories whenever he got the chance. 

The Pope brought light to the people in some very dark times. He used their own faith to lift their spirits, by reminding them who they were and whose they were. He told them what they had forgotten; that Italy was a land of saints, and a land favored by God. 

These were deeply faithful people – think about it for a minute: these people are the 6 century spiritual descendants of Jesus Christ and his original followers. They were still mighty robust in their faith and solidly grounded in the church. They were ripe for miracle stories! They believed all of them, and were better off for their belief. 

Now, back to the story of deacon Peter and Pope Gregory. After the Pope tells his deacon that holy men could perform miracles any way they wanted, Peter had a follow-up question. 

He asked the Pope:                                                                                   “How is it that we cannot find people of this type today?”

And, as the old story goes, Pope Gregory says, “I believe there still are many such people in the world, Peter. One cannot conclude that there are no great saints just because there are no miracles. The true estimate of life, after all, lies in acts of virtue, not in the display of miracles.” The Pope concluded: “There are many, Peter, who without performing miracles, are not at all inferior to those who perform them.”

I have shared this story with you because I worry that the people of the church today are ready and willing to write off miracles. Many Christians believe that “miracles” are not an option anymore. They have faith in modern human capacities to solve all problems. They scold some of us miracle believers for not thinking rationally or worldly. Of course, I am tempted to respond with the modern cliché: “And how’s that workin’ for ya?” 

But this is very important. It’s a faith check. To me, writing off miracles is like writing off God. I define a miracle as “anything only God can do.” And, by my definition, miracles are happening all around us. Starting with you. Only God could create you, and all that you are. So, that makes you a miracle! Me too! All of us!!

Let’s get back to some basics, and let’s start with the faith and trust that God really is still happening here, and because of that, unceasing miracles are all around us. And we, as the people of God’s church, should be, and can become again, God’s miracle workers. 

That’s really what I love most about the church – when I get to be a part of a worship service or an outreach ministry or a bible study or whatever – that turns into a miracle right before my very eyes. Trust me, I’ve seen you there too! 

So, for this week, as we approach the back turn toward the end of Lent, let’s lift up our faith to the point of miracle believing, and miracle working. Then, when we get there, we will most certainly experience the miracle on Easter in a brand-new way. 

“How to Welcome Young People to the Mainline Church”

Rachel Held Evans (above) was just 37 years old when she died unexpectedly in 2019 of brain swelling. She was one of those contemporary “movers & shakers” in the arena of dragging Christianity in America into the 21st century. Rachel was an Episcopalian, although she soon tired of the culture wars that the church seemed to be continuously fomenting, so she stepped out on her own and discovered her path with Jesus … her calling in this church renewal movement that we are all a part of. 

Rachel was a writer and speaker with an important voice for the church. Rather than focus on judging others who are not like us and figuring out how best to exclude them, she instead took the Jesus approach. It still sounds crazy, but Rachel wanted the church to love everyone just as Jesus loved the church. So, she would say, her ministry was trying to figure out how to reach out to all the outcasts and unwanted based on the current Christian church approach, and make all of those left behind the focal point of the church’s love. 

I think we all know where she got that idea. It’s just that we’re not used to someone standing up for Jesus like that, and scolding the church for what it had become. Bottom-line: in many cases, in a variety of ways, that church today in America does not look like the Body of Christ in the world. Rather, the church often looks more like the Pharisees of the 1st century, instead of the Jesus followers of the 21st century. 

Rachel Held Evans was a hero to many, and she shined lights on the dark corners of the modern-day church that exposed it for what it was … a human led organization that claims Jesus as Lord, but really uses self-made beliefs and truths about Jesus as the principles they live by. And, unlike Jesus, that ends up leaving many of God’s precious children outside the walls of the church. If today’s church could only build bridges to all of the left-out populations they’ve created, we would be doing Jesus a great service to begin building back His church. 

Today, let’s start with one of those left out groups: How to welcome young people to the mainline Christian church today. In May 2015, Rachel wrote an essay for her blog that offers 7 ways to attract and keep young adults and parents of young children. Here are her 7 suggestions for us. Let’s consider how these ideas could impact our plans at Vine Street Christian Church as we prepare to move beyond the COVID-19 era and into our new future together.

We are now entering the next phase in our growth as a church. The circumstances in the world this past year have created a great opportunity for us to make leaps and bounds in becoming who Jesus is calling us to be. That opportunity does not come along very often in a lifetime. I say, let’s grab this opportunity we have and embrace it together, whole-heartedly. 

Let’s do now, what in the future, the participants of Vine Street Christian Church will say was the turning point in the history of our church. 

Loaves & Fishes, Pastor Bob <><

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

The very first time I was in Arthur, Illinois, I was meeting with the search team of Vine Street Christian Church so that we could best discern God’s wishes for their vacant Minister position. You might not be surprised to know that the visit went very well. I wasn’t surprised.

All the previous phone interviews were truly spirit-led, and I and the members of the search team were being spirit-fed. God was working in our midst in a tangible way that we could feel, and hear, and see. And, after my first visit, God continued to show us the way of His will, and ultimately God brought us together. 

But there is one thing about that trip that has continued to stay in my heart; the drive out to The Great Pumpkin Patch to meet Bruce Condill. Seems the search team thought it might be a good idea for me to meet the man who serves as the “wise sage” farmer in the field of spiritual harvesting. They were right. 

The visit to the Patch to meet Bruce further affirmed to me that God had a vision for me and for your church to be joined together. 2 specific things I remember about meeting Bruce. 

One, he showed me some of his book collection, and I immediately noticed a Wendell Berry book on his shelves – Wendell Berry being an old country farmer from Henry County, Kentucky, just like me … kinda. Another sign to me from God.

And two, Bruce offered me a copy of an essay written by Paul Tillich, a name I’m willing to bet none of you know. Except for me and Bruce, that is. You see, Paul Tillich, a great theologian of the 20th century, came directly into my life during seminary, when my senior seminar professor assigned Tillich to be my “conversation partner” for my final thesis paper. 

It’s not that I actually got to talk with Paul Tillich, and have a real conversation with him. No, being a conversation partner meant that I was expected to read every word Tillich had ever written, and then use that immense knowledge to help support my arguments in my thesis paper. How did that work for me? Let’s just say … I survived!

That Paul Tillich essay that Bruce gave me, was read by me within a few hours. I remember that now because I pulled out that essay this week and it was filled with my underlining and margin notes. That essay is called, “You Are Accepted,” and Bruce professes that this essay made a significant impact on his own spiritual walk. You may have heard him talk about it. 

Like I said, I pulled it back out this week and noticed that I should probably give it a re-read for Lent. And I did. And now the essay has many more underlines and margin notes than it had before. You see, that essay that was given to me by Bruce some three and a half years ago, was actually meant to be read by me this past week. All in good time … All in God’s time. 

The essay is a tad scholarly and a bit deep (unlike this essay, you’re probably not thinking!), so it’s a pretty good slog through the 6 pages for most of us. But it was worth the effort. The essay aged like fine wine, and filled me up with the presence of God as I drank in every drop it had to offer. 

I learned all over again that sin is not something I do, but rather part of who I am. I learned that sin is what causes me to be separated from God … as well as from other people and from myself. And I learned that deep down, we all have this feeling that we are missing something important in our lives, something that would fill our emptiness and remedy our separation issues. 

Then, after that gut check, the miraculous cure was revealed! Grace! I learned, all over again about God’s soul-saving Grace. That’s the part of the essay that had been waiting from me since I was first given it. Tillich reminded me that real grace is not what many of us think it is. 

Here’s how he defines grace: “Grace is something overcome; Grace occurs in spite of something; Grace occurs in spite of separation; Grace is the reunion of life with life; Grace is the reconciliation of self with self; Grace is the acceptance of that which is rejected; Grace transforms fate into a meaningful destiny; and, Grace changes guilt into confidence and courage.

Next, I learned about the paradox between sin and grace, which we all struggle with as individuals, and as community. Tillich quotes the Apostle Paul to reveal to us whether sin or grace wins. And the sacred truth is that “in spite of all the sin in our life and in the world, grace abounds even more.” (Rom. 5:20)

For us, a good and honest Lent can stimulate more of God’s grace in our lives. Since sin never wins in the end, we don’t need to be afraid about spending some honest “me” time with God, to talk with each other. Lent is a “right now” opportunity. When you decide, then it starts. Listen to a Lenten Veteran like me, the time you put into Lent will not be regretted. I assure you. I promise you. How do I know? Because in the end, grace always abounds more. 

See you on the Lenten path,

Pastor Bob <>< 

While it’s still early in our Lenten Season, I thought it a good time to review again some of the basics of Lent. The more we understand what Lent is about and what it means, then the more we become able to commit to Lent as a vital part of our faith life. 

This week, I’ve borrowed an article about Lent by Norton Herbst from the website “exploreGod.” And along the way, I have inserted a few Lenten cartoons (almost seems like an oxymoron, doesn’t it?) to keep reminding us that while Lent is a very solemn and reflective time, it doesn’t necessarily need to be a dark or depressing time. Hope you enjoy!

Pastor Bob <>< 

“A WILDERNESS JOURNEY” By Norton Herbst

The idea of Lent began during the third and fourth centuries. The number of days is based on the biblical significance of the number forty—specifically, the forty years the Israelites wandered in the desert and Jesus’ forty-day fast in the wilderness.

Thus, Christians describe the forty-day Lenten season itself as a journey in the wilderness. Lent represents a time of searching for God amidst the brokenness of life, a season of intentional fasting before a time of feasting. Historically, Christians have given up something during Lent as a symbolic way to mark their journey and refocus their energy on their relationship with God.

  Most often, this includes fasting from certain foods or drinks. Some skip a meal each day or give up specific things such as meat, caffeine, alcohol, or sweets. Others give up more modern luxuries such as the Internet, social media, or e-mail; reading books, magazines, or newspapers; shopping; watching television; or listening to music.

It is important to remember that none of these things are inherently bad, sinful, or evil. Yet any of these pleasures can easily become overly important in our lives. We likely have all experienced that.

The idea of a Lenten fast is to abstain from these subtle but powerful influences in our lives in order to become less distracted and better equipped to give one’s full attention to the spiritual journey. It is an occasion to relinquish something one typically enjoys in order to identify with Jesus and the sacrifice he made on Good Friday.

Significantly, “Lent should never be morose—an annual ordeal during which we begrudgingly forgo a handful of pleasures.” Lent should be considered an opportunity to realign ourselves with God and pursue a renewed relationship with him.

Many Christians adopt something new during Lent as well. They choose to pray at fixed times each day, read the Bible, serve the poor, observe moments of silence and meditation, or engage in habits that enrich the soul.

On Ash Wednesday, some Christians attend special church services and place ashes on their foreheads as an outward symbol of the repentance and fast they are undertaking. The day before Ash Wednesday has become known as Fat Tuesday, or more familiarly, Mardi Gras. The day is considered one’s last chance to indulge in rich foods, intoxicating drink, or anything else one is giving up for the following six weeks.

    A STRANGE RITUAL?

This yearly ritual may sound strange to anyone who has never observed Lent. But the point of Lent is not to do something “religious” to somehow impress God. Nor is it about drawing attention to what you are doing. Jesus himself warned his followers about fasting or praying in a public and prideful manner.     

Rather, Lent is about recognizing the regular seasons of life and embracing the rhythm of fasting before feasting. And this fasting—however one chooses to observe it—is a journey of faith. A journey of reflection and self-examination. A journey that provokes repentance and transformation.

Lent is a journey that culminates in the hope of Easter morning.

Tonight,is the beginning of your Lenten journey for 2021. Lent is just another one of the amazing opportunities for spiritual growth that God continuously puts in front of you. But for many of these opportunities, one of the first barriers we need to overcome is commitment. Many of us have trouble making the personal commitment to our own spiritual growth, and thus we end up missing opportunities from God to grow in our faith and live closer to the Way of Jesus. If you’re like me, you’ve probably missed more of these opportunities than you care to count. 

Starting tonight, and for the next 40 days of Lent, we have again, an opportunity to renew our commitment to God and to our own spiritual growth. I want to encourage you to not miss this one! I believe that in your heart, you are ready for this, and indeed, you are needing this. So, I urge you; Do not miss this opportunity.

Allow me to suggest some things that might help you get out of the starting gates. First, as with anything that has to do with God, you must be honest with yourself about where you are today in your spiritual life. After all, God already knows all about it. Like right now … God knows your fears and weaknesses about making a commitment to Lent 2021. God knows exactly what your needs, and God will help you all along the way by putting opportunities constantly in front of you. God will also be your personal mentor known as the Holy Spirit, and will help you hear things, see things, or find things, that you could not have done by yourself. 

Once you honestly reflect upon who you are today, and where you would like God to take you, then surrender the complete journey to God. The whole thing … none of this “co-pilot” stuff. Let God pilot and take your seat back in coach. 

God’s will is the only way to go, but we have to surrender our self-will for God’s will to have a chance. And even with all that about God’s will, you still have the most important role in this spiritual process, because God has made a promise to all of us that God will not intrude into our life uninvited, nor will God force any decision on you that you are not willing to make. 

So, you see, God and you … need each other. Think about that for a minute! The almighty and all-loving Creator of the universe and maker of all things in it, needs you to help build his Kingdom – whether that be in Arthur or your local community, or at Vine Street CC or your local church, or in your family, or in any area of your life that is in need of help from above. If you become willing, then God’s will can impact every single part of your life, and the more God’s way becomes your way, then the better your life is becoming. 

After honest reflection about where you are on your spiritual path; and after a sincere and intentional effort to surrender to God the things that you need help with (no limit!); now the time comes to take the leap. And that requires a decision, made by you, to sacrifice your instinctual urge to mold your own life, and instead, put all your trust in God. But whether it happens or not is all in your hands. God will come to your door, but you have to open it. God cannot, and will not, do this alone. 

Sometimes I stop to reflect on where I am spiritually by comparing a “religious person” with a “religious thinker.” So many of us start out by being a religious person … that is, a person who comes to know a great deal about religious things – like the Bible, the church, the members, the hymns, the prayers, and even the pastor! As for me, I didn’t start out that way, but I know many of you did. The church, with all its things to know about, was your religious life. 

The danger of being a religious person is that you become susceptible to “growing” comfortable with all the things you know so much about, and thus “change” becomes very challenging for you. The truth is, God is a constantly changing revelation in our world. God is always revealing himself to us in new ways, each and every minute of our lives.  Many of us miss God in our midst because we haven’t developed the eyes to see or the ears to hear. And encountering God is encountering change. Alas, many religious people close their doors to change, and thus to spiritual growth and the revelation of God in their own lives.

For all of us religious people out there, the message that God has is to take the leap … to make the transition from being a religious person to becoming a religious thinker. Look at it this way: Knowing about things is not the same (not even close) as knowing things. Religious thinkers know about what most religious people know about, but on top of that they know, through their own personal relationship with them, what all these religious things mean for them in their daily life. It’s a personal thing … there’s a spiritual relationship with them.  

So, for example, religious folks know about the Bible in some detail, but they may not know how to read the Bible with the Holy Spirit. Thus, they probably don’t see that they have a personal stake in the words of the Bible, nor an understanding that the Bible they know about, is really about them, and that it’s telling their story on a daily basis. When you know the Bible personally, then it becomes “living word” to you, and it meets you right where you are at, on any given day. 

Still, the most important difference between religious people and religious thinkers is their relationship to Jesus. Religious people claim to know a lot about Jesus, while the thinkers have a personal relationship with Jesus. They don’t just have knowledge about Him, but they receive His wisdom in their hearts.  Jesus truly becomes their Lord, and their God, and their Shepherd. They’re not so much focused on knowing about the gospel sayings of Jesus as much as they are reliant on what Jesus says to them personally about gospel things. Big difference! 

Vine Street Christian Church is in spiritual transition. All Jesus-centered and religious thinking churches are. Unlike many denominational churches, Vine Street asks of everyone, to step out and take the leap. Could it happen that every member, and nonmember for that matter, jumps into a new way of life based on having a personal experience with all the religious things in your life … starting with Jesus. 

All of us need spiritual growth. No one ever reaches the final destination in this world. And Lent is the ideal time to take this leap. So … Let’s all, in our own way, with God, make a personal commitment to Jesus that wherever our relationship is with Him today, we will spend the next 40 days with Him personally, each and every day, surrendering to His Father’s will and to His Way – the Way of Jesus. 

No, you can’t do it alone. Yes, you need to embrace Jesus as a personal friend to take even the first step. But try it. Make this Lent your “Leap of Faith Lent.” And if you commit to that, then 40 days from now, when Jesus rises from an empty tomb, and looks you in your eyes, he will call you by your name, because you’ll be best friends! 

In last Sunday’s message, I offered an abbreviated walk through the Gospel of Matthew. 

First, we learned about the man born blind as Jesus taught us that in the Kingdom of God there are no preferences among people. We are all welcome equally into His Father’s grace – no one earns, no receives, more than anyone else.

Then we learned about the attendees at the wedding banquet hosted by the King. Jesus taught us that the Kingdom of God is open, and available, to everyone. No invitation needed. Come just as you are. Nothing about you, not one thing, will keep you from feasting at the banquet table.

But, it’s the third lesson that tells us how we are called to live in the world. Jesus simplifies it for us! We either live like sheep, or live like goats. Only the sheep receive the spiritual gifts of God and enter into an eternal life now. And what is it that the sheep did, that the goats didn’t do? Jesus summarized how we’re supposed to live in 6 simple (but not easy!) ways:

When we become willing to let Jesus help us with our fears, then we gain a new way to see. In fact, the ones we were most afraid of become Jesus to our new eyes. And when that happens, then our journey with Jesus has become our primary way of life. Worldly and cultural values are now seen for what they are; illusions to keep us in our place. 

Jesus never wants us to stay the way we are, even when we’re following Him. Walking with Jesus is a new revelation every single day. And you can rest assured, Jesus will bring those He calls you to help, right to your doorstep. They’re all around you every day. That’s why every day with Jesus is a mission trip experience! 

Valentine’s weekend at Vine Street Christian Church will be a big step forward toward becoming a Matthew 25 church. Some members of our church will be taking clothes that the congregation has donated to the Hour House recovery center in Charleston – giving clothes to those who need them. Some members of our church will be taking food donated during our Advent “Place for Kids” to our local food pantry at the Methodist church – giving food to the hungry. Some members of our church will be delivering or sending Valentine’s gift bags to those in nursing homes, to those in the military, and to local neighbors who may not even know us – giving gifts of love to those who may be sick, strangers, or just good old neighbors. (And every gift bag will have a Valentine’s Day card created by our precious Vine Street kids!) 

And trust me – those who reaching out and giving to the neediest this Valentine’s weekend will be the ones most blessed, for they will be the ones finding Jesus all around them, in every person they give to. 

Wouldn’t it be great if every member or friend of VSCC found a way to be part of the Matthew 25 effort? Let this be my personal invitation to you to find a way to join in the giving. I promise, if you say yes, then we will find a way to meet you where you’re at in life and either hook you in to something already started, or create a new way for you to be a part of the blessings. 

If you are even interested a little bit, then text me or email me (859-351-9585; bobsilvanik@gmail.com). It’s not about me wanting you to help the church, but about Jesus wanting to change your life in a way only He could. Pray about it. Think about it. Reflect upon it. Then reach out to me. 

Just imagine if we had a spontaneous explosion of giving and serving whereby every one of us was on board. Think about what that would mean to the least of us … and even more so, to each and every one of us – including you! 

Blessings along the Way … and may the peace of God fill your heart,                            

Pastor Bob <><