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“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15).
Pastor Bob
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14
Jan '21
Are We Really Worshiping the Right Way?
14
Jan '21
It’s been far too long since the Christian Church in America has asked these questions. Church worship services have been going on in the world since the 2nd or 3rd centuries. Over the course of those almost 20 centuries, in many cases the worship service has evolved into a cross between an entertainment show filled with energy and emotion and a hopeful dose of instant gratification.
Indeed, many church attendees think of themselves in the worship service as “the audience.” (Don’t be like that!) And the people leading the service are seen as “the performers.” And just to be clear, the audience expects the performers to either entertain them or inspire them. After all, that’s why they get up early on Sundays and come to church.
I had a special God moment this past week when I opened up yet another used book I had recently bought, and out fell a stapled 2-page article from the 1994 edition of the Anglican Digest. I’m convinced that since it’s been more than 20 years since it was published, God wanted that very article to literally land in my lap. And, by God, it did!
So, in the interest of God’s will, I want to share some excerpts from the article with you, because I want you to be reminded why we really worship God like I was.
Excerpts from “Worship” (1994) by Rev. Samuel R. Todd, Jr. Rector, Church of the Reconciliation; San Antonio, Texas
- The first, most basic thing the Church has always offered to God is worship. The purpose of worship is to honor God, to pay Him homage. Worship is a service we carry out and speak of it as such.
- Who is it that we are serving? Clearly it is God and not ourselves. I’m not sure this fact is altogether obvious because I have heard so many people over the years speak as if the purpose of worship was to serve them. Some folk come to worship not to offer praise to God, but to “get something out of it.”
- At least the ancient Hebrew farmer, who walked to the Temple in Jerusalem with his grapes (the first fruit of his harvest) or the firstling of his flock, knew exactly what he was doing and why he was doing it. It would never have crossed his mind to say, “I think I’ll go to the Temple today to see what I can get out of it, or … I think I’ll go to the Temple and maybe I will be inspired.”
- I am not saying I never get anything out of worship; I am saying that I make a grave mistake if I go to worship with that as a goal. Good worship needs to be God-centered, not self-centered.
- We worship God because of Him, because of who He is. We worship Him also because we belong to Him and we are drawn to adore Him. We come into His house to do Him honor, not to be entertained or even inspired.
- Some people speak as if worship were a performance put on by the clergy and choir for the benefit of the congregation, who is the audience. I am not sure that a “performance” is a terribly good analogy for worship, but insofar as it is, all of us are the performers. You are not the audience. God is the audience. He is the One we are trying to please.
- What we want to do is offer God the very best that we have. I want the clergy, the choir, the organist, the acolytes, the lectors, the ushers, and everyone, to do his or her part to the very best of his or her ability: because nothing less does honor to God.
- Do we get anything out of worship? That depends on us and what we are looking for. But something is offered to everyone. We are offered the opportunity to draw apart from “the changes and chances of this mortal life,” to offer our hearts and minds to God and center ourselves in Him who is eternal.
See you this Sunday. And I can’t wait for all of us to perform for the audience of one – God!
Pastor Bob <><
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11
Jan '21
Becoming a Person of Spiritual Wisdom
11
Jan '21
Among the several books I read over the Christmas season was the story of an interesting journey about learning and living a different and deeper way: “The Teachings of Don Juan” by Carlos Casdaneda.
The author’s intent was to offer lessons on how to live a “Yaqui” way of life. The Yaquis are an indigenous people of Mexico who live in the valley of Rio Yaqui in the Mexican state of Sonora, and in parts of the Southwestern United States. They are a “Uto-Aztecan” speaking “nation” and are the only “non-native” Indians in Arizona. Some refer to them as the “Apache” of Mexico because of their strong resistance to “outsiders” coming onto their land. Others refer to them as the “Fighting Farmers of Mexico” due to their reliance on an agricultural economy for subsistence.
The Yaquis are indeed an interesting people with some compelling aspects to their culture and way of life. But as I read deeper and deeper into the story of Carlos Castaneda, I realized that his story had a much broader application. Many of the lessons Castaneda was teaching in his book were much more universal and spiritual then even he thought.
As an example of this more universal teaching, I am going to extrapolate from some of the lessons in his book and rework them so that non-Yaquis like me and you can actually come to understand better the challenges we face in our own quest for the spiritual life. Below are my words laid on top of Castanedo’s story so that the meaning and significance of his lessons become relevant and inspirational for our own stories. And, with that as an introduction, I present for you my first lesson on “Becoming a Person of Spiritual Wisdom.
Lesson 1: 7 Important Concepts in Becoming a Person of Spiritual Wisdom
If I haven’t explained it well enough to you yet, let me first say that all of my preaching and teaching and counseling and devotions are all about one thing: to show you, and me, how to become a person with spiritual wisdom. To me, this is the starting goal for anyone pursuing a Christ-like life and calling themselves a follower of Jesus. Without spiritual wisdom, it is not possible to absorb, interpret, or understand what the teachings of Jesus and scripture mean.
And, when we lack spiritual wisdom, we rely on our own, or another person’s, knowledge about these things. That leaves out the one and only “teacher” that Jesus says we need – the teacher He left for us as our new “friend” – the teacher that He says will teach us everything we need to know! You see, when we rely on our own knowledge, we leave out the power of the Holy Spirit.
Whether you have ever thought about it or yet realized it, your religious life is intertwined with, and dependent upon, your spiritual wisdom. Many religious leaders, churches, and denominational principles and practices minimize, or completely ignore, this amazing, transformative, enlightening teacher called the Holy Spirit. In its place, they substitute their own human knowledge, which again, as Jesus teaches us, is “foolish in the eyes of God” and to the way of Jesus. Maybe you’ve noticed that I feel so strongly about this as to call out at times the misguided and heretical view of Jesus and the Bible that so many human religious teachers offer.
My brothers and sisters in Christ: getting to know Jesus is not something you or anyone else is capable of without the power of the Holy Spirit. As humans, learning and accepting that truth is one of the simplest and hardest teachings in our effort to live like Jesus. We are not intellectually or emotionally equipped to accomplish what we so desire and need – a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Only when we submit to the power of the Holy Spirit can we begin to “see” all that God has done for us, and what that means for how we are called by Jesus to live. No one – only the Holy Spirit – can do that. And for that to happen, we must surrender our own need to understand these universal and eternal lessons so that the Holy Spirit can enter into our hearts and lead our intellect to these otherworldly truths that can save us, revive us, resurrect us, and make us true disciples! This is Lesson 1!
If we all can come to accept this as our first truth about God … our fundamental understanding of who Jesus is and what it all means … then we have made the most important discovery in our whole life. We (all of us) are spiritual beings created by God with a divine (otherworldly) capacity to live as a “Godly person” in this world. But nothing in this world is able to teach us that truth. It is beyond this world because it is directly from God. Your truth is not determined by the world. It is determined by God and consummated when we let go of our egotistical belief that we can figure it all out and be in charge of our own spiritual life. The truth is; God has already figured it all out, and God wants to be in charge of our spiritual life. Agree and accept that, and you are on your way!
I will end Lesson 1 with the 7 concepts that are critical to our efforts to become a person of spiritual wisdom … for the rest of our lives. Here they are:
- Becoming a person of spiritual wisdom is a matter of learning.
- Becoming a person of spiritual wisdom requires an “unbending intent.”
- Becoming a person of spiritual wisdom brings clarity to your mind.
- Becoming a person of spiritual wisdom is a matter of strenuous labor.
- Becoming a person of spiritual wisdom makes you a spiritual “warrior.”
- Becoming a person of spiritual wisdom is an unceasing process.
- Becoming a person of spiritual wisdom requires an “ally” – known to us as the Holy Spirit.
These are the themes of a person on the spiritual path. I wonder whether you relate to any of them, or all of them perhaps. Can you see these concepts working in your life … in your own quest to become a person of spiritual wisdom?
We will continue this journey into spirituality next week, when I will focus more deeply on these 7 concepts, so that we can better understand what the spiritual life requires of us and how we can best grow and flourish as we walk together toward Jesus and His truth.
Until then, spend this week thinking about this stuff! It may be the most important thing I have ever written … or at least written this year!
Blessings on your new year, and your new life. 2021 is here … and so is the Holy Spirit. The only question is how much of your life this year will be guided by the power of the Holy Spirit …
Pastor Bob <><
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11
Jan '21
Eight Days After the First Christmas
11
Jan '21
If you were to read “the rest of the story” about the baby Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, you would discover that on the eighth day after His birth, Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus to Jerusalem, to the Temple, to perform the ritual of sacrifice which is done for all new Jewish babies.
When Mary and Joseph arrived at the Temple with the 8-year-old Jesus, they found waiting for them there 2 elderly Jewish people … a man and a woman … whose lives were made complete with the appearance of Jesus in the Temple. Simeon and Anna become examples of righteous and devout believers who 1) knew that God was going to fulfill the promise of sending a Messiah in to the world; 2) knew that God would present the one who is the Messiah to them before they died; and, 3) knew that their lives would be made complete in some way for having seen and believed in this new Messiah.
And indeed, God gave to Simeon and Anna exactly what was promised. On the eighth day of Jesus’s life, Simeon and Anna, were both at the Temple in Jerusalem, honoring God by their presence there.
Simeon had been told by God that he would not die until he had seen the “Lord’s Christ.” And on that day, as Mary and Joseph carried Jesus into the Temple, Simeon went up to the baby and took Him into his arms and blessed God and exclaimed that God could now let his servant die in peace, for he has seen “the salvation of the world, which God has prepared before the face of all people … a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of all the people of Israel.” (Luke 2: 27-32)
Mary and Joseph marveled at what Simeon had said, and Simeon then blessed them, saying, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and a sign which shall be spoken against.” (Luke 2: 33-34) You see, though it is clear that Mary and Joseph still are not sure exactly what it means for them to be the parents of Jesus, Simeon does know exactly what it means. How is that? Luke tells us how. In Chapter 2, verse 25, Luke tells us that Simeon was filled with the Holy Spirit. And that, my brothers and sisters, makes all the difference!
After Simeon blesses Jesus and His parents, a woman who has been living in the Temple during her old age comes forward. Anna had been widowed for many years, and since then has served God in the Temple by fasting and prayers … night and day. Anna was not going to miss this day for anything. She would stay at the Temple here whole life if needed, just to see the new Messiah that God has promised. When that happened, Anna thanked God for this child, and she spoke to all who would listen that God has now sent his redemption for all people, and His name is Jesus of Nazareth.
Eight days after the first Christmas, Simeon and Anna have “presented” to them at the Temple the savior of the world, the Lord of all, the Messiah. And then, after the proper ritual of sacrifice, Mary and Joseph and Jesus return home to Nazareth. And we don’t hear about Jesus again until he was 12 years old and came back to the Temple, staying to question the Jewish leaders even after His mother and father had left town and mistakenly forgot Him.
The story of “8 Days After Christmas,” when Simeon and Anna make their gospel appearances to receive the new born Messiah at the Temple and to have their spiritual lives fulfilled through the keeping of God’s promise, raises some interesting questions about our lives, and whether or not we will be prepared to 1) know who Jesus is; 2) understand what it means for us and for all people; 3) see how God has worked in the world through this babe in the manger to redeem it and save it from itself.
I ask this of you because I know how religious people can sometimes lose their way in life by worshiping things other than God. Often, religious people worship their religion — and its practices and rituals. Or they worship their church — both the building and the congregation that attends there. Or they can worship a powerful preacher — who is NOT God and never will be. Or they can worship themselves — their standing in the community and their position of power and influence. Indeed, this problem of misdirected worship is an eternal and universal challenge for humans. Essentially, we want to know that God is out there and that God is on our side, but we surely do not want to give up and control over our own lives to God … we just want to be rescued when needed.
I don’t know how much of these challenges for religious people affect you, but I do know their very common, and perhaps none of us are completely immune from these conditions. Clearly, Simeon and Anna did not have these problems. But many of the Jews that Jesus would meet later in His life did. And they are the ones who would lead to his downfall and death … even as temporary as that turned out to be!
Most Jews were not like Simeon and Anna, who could immediately tell who Jesus was and what that would mean for the world. Even Mary and Joseph may not have been sure for some time. But it was the Pharisees in the gospel stories who would represent those that are blinded to God by their own religious devotion. Pharisees worshiped their customs, their traditions, their rituals, their Temple, their power, their standing in society, their lifestyle, their wisdom, their Holy Torah, their laws and rules, and so many other things about their religion. And in all that worship, somehow God gets lost, and fades away. And then it’s no longer God as the one being worshiped, but all these other things that humans attach to God (religion) that become the easy substitute for actually worshiping God and all that that requires.
The Pharisees were so deep into their religious worship that they couldn’t even see God Incarnate standing right in front of them. They couldn’t understand the teachings of Jesus because they were so attached to their own teachings … right or wrong! They actually became annoyed, then angry, then violent, with what God was doing in the world because it didn’t fit with their own form of religion that they had created. How dare God work in ways that we do not agree with? Indeed, the Pharisees concluded, God would never do that to us, so anyone who is trying to change our religion must be killed, for God’s sake!
Eight days after Christmas, Simeon and Anna — filled with the Holy Spirit — were able to see in Jesus exactly who He was and what that meant for all people. Some 30+ years after that first Christmas, the Pharisees were still so blinded by their misguided faith and their worship of themselves that they couldn’t see God when God showed up in person. They were not spiritually capable of seeing Jesus for who He was. Simeon and Anna: Had the power of the Holy Spirit and knew God when they saw Him. Pharisees: Had no Holy Spirit power and therefore couldn’t see God in all their religious zealousness.
Now, back to us … me and you. This Saturday, January 2nd, will be eight days after Christmas 2020. Eight days is a good time to reflect back on this past Christmas for you … and what, if anything, was received from God; what, if anything, became known to you about Jesus that is new; what, if anything, will be changed in your heart and in your life because of your Christmas experience this year; and what, if anything, has the Holy Spirit revealed to you about Jesus and/or yourself that can help you in your spiritual walk this coming year.
Simeon and Anna were very special people, with a very devout faith in God and the power of the Holy Spirit working mightily in their lives.
The Pharisees were very special people, with a strong and firm attachment to their belief system and their practice of religion.
And then there’s us. On Saturday, eight days after Christmas, what condition will you be in? Will you be closer to Simeon and Anna, or to the Pharisees? Is your faith life being driven by the power of the Holy Spirit that is a gift to you from God through Jesus Christ? Or is your faith life some combination of religious practice and customs and traditions, but no real life changing relationship with God. If you are honest in your reflection about your own faith life, would you end up closer to Simeon and Anna … or the Pharisees?
Is this the year you will come closer to unity with Jesus as your Lord and savior than you have ever been? Will you, like Simeon, be waiting to see Jesus every day, knowing that He is coming every day? Will you be like Anna, fasting and praying each day to honor God and to make the “church” your habitat — the center of your life for you and your family?
This year, let’s make it a Simeon or Anna year! No more Pharisee years! And let’s plan for Saturday now. Think of these questions:
How will you nourish your relationship with Jesus this year?
How will you strengthen your faith to the extent that Simeon and Anna had?
How will you know it’s Jesus when He stands right in front of you each day, waiting to be known by you?
How will 2021 become the greatest spiritual achievement of your life so far, as you trust God’s promises to come true in your life?
I once heard my favorite seminary professor give a rousing sermon about the need for leadership in the church, and how are spiritual heroes like Francis of Assisi and Augustine of Hippo challenged the status quo of the religion of the day and inspired people to turn from status quo religion to amazing incredible God! After the sermon, I emailed my professor on how he might suggest I become a leader like them. He told him, “Don’t do that!” Do not become like them, he urged me. We don’t need them anymore. Instead, become the spiritual leader God made you to be. Be your own version of Francis or Augustine … or, he could’ve said, Simeon. But be yourself.
With Saturday coming up let’s remember that God has already blessed us spiritually with everything we need to be able to do what God calls us to in the world. We don’t have to become like someone else. But, we do need to become the person God created us to be. That is the challenge for 2021. Let’s call it the “Simeon or Anna Challenge.” And let’s start it this Saturday, January 2nd, the eighth day after Christmas!
Pastor Bob
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