Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, and a happy and blessed new year!

Conviction in an Age of Compromise

In January I'm going to be preaching a series of messages called "Conviction in an Age of Compromise: How to Live with Integrity when the Heat is On."

Today I read an interview with a Christian who went to war as a way of living out his faith. What he found there changed him, and led him to a life-changing decision. His story may change your life as well.

You may agree or disagree with the choices Josh made, but I hope you will be as moved as I was by a young man who had to decide what it means to be a disciple of the "Prince of Peace" when the cost is higher than most of us can imagine.

The Story of Josh Stieber

If you come across other stories of Christians who have had to put their faith on the line - or if you have one of your own - please pass them along.

Feliz Navidad,
Jeff

The True Christmas Spirit

How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when God’s people live together in harmony! Psalm 133:1 (TNIV)

We are entering a time of year that I think of as “family time.” In a few weeks Christmas will be upon us. With Christmas come Norman Rockwell images of a family around the tree, a proud mother smiling at her gathered children, Dad wearing a silly Santa hat, trees dragged through the snow, cookies on the table, and visions of sugar-plums dancing in heads.

The truth is that for most people the reality is somewhat different from the dream. In some families such gatherings never take place, and in some they are a time of stress, not joy. Christmas becomes a shop-fest with ever increasing pressure to “get done” before we crash and burn.

So where does this image come from?

Somewhere, deep in our souls, we know “how wonderful it is, how pleasant, when God’s people [including families] live together in harmony!” We may not know how to reach it, but oh, how we long for it! But this precious, fragrant anointing isn’t found around an overstuffed Christmas stocking.

You see, the problem with families is that we’re all made up of broken people. We’re full of hopes, but we’re full of hurts. Some of those hurts are even caused by the people we love.

It’s true of church families, too.

Broken people can’t be healed with Christmas carols or fancy new clothes. Broken people can be healed only by grace—the grace of God poured out in Jesus Christ. Grace allows us to forgive and to be forgiven. Forgiveness allows us to build intimate relationships that go beyond seasonal trimmings—within our families, within our churches, and with our neighbors.

God is calling us to be a grace-filled church. This year, during the “family season,” I’d like to encourage you to focus less on the symbolism of the season and more on the substance of God’s grace. Ask the Lord how you can be a vessel of grace in your family. Ask God how you can give and experience grace in your church.

May the grace of God fill our hearts and lives throughout this season, as we learn to live together in harmony.

Evangelicals and Gay Marriage

It's been a long time since I've written here, and now I post an article written by someone else?  Well, if I can't say it better myself, then let it be said by the one who says it best.

Below is a link to an article by our friend Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action, as he considers the subject of "Gay Marriage."  It is long - but well worth reading every word. Whatever you're thoughts until now, it's likely to challenge your thinking.

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2010/11/bearing-better-witness

Congratulations!

Congratulations, Dunellen Destroyers Football Team.
Winners of the 2010 Blue Division Crown of the GMC!

Great going!

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Believe it or not, yesterday was “National Talk Like a Pirate Day.” It really was. And somewhere in the nation there were scores of people running around growling “Arrrrrrr, ye land lubber,  Shiver me timbers,” and “Avast me hearties!”

Don’t believe me? Check out www.talklikeapirate.com!

I even did a little pirate talk in my home (much to my children’s embarrassment), but chose to refrain during Sunday worship.

I’m not sure that pirates even talked like pirates. Truth be told, they were rather ruthless and cruel human beings, despite their cult status in popular culture.

And I got to thinking…

Seems to me that we should have a national “Talk Like Jesus Day.” That doesn’t mean using  a lot of “thee’s” and “thou’s” or using lots of God-talk such as “Praise the Lord,” “Glory to God,” and “Thank you, Jesus.” If you listen carefully, Jesus himself didn’t pepper all of his speech with religious language.

(And have you ever wondered why in the movies, Jesus always seems to speak with a British accent?)

Rather, on “Talk Like Jesus Day,” “Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Eph 4:29

Come to think of it, sounds like a good plan for every day!

I’m in.  How about you?

Florida Fires

Everywhere I turn I’ve been encountering stories about the pastor in Florida who plans to burn a bunch of Korans on 9/11. A few thoughts come to mind:

1) As so many other Christian leaders have said, this is a decidedly un-Christlike act. Even if we accept the premise that Muslims are our enemies, we should follow the words of Jesus when he said, “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies^[9] and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Matt 5:43-45 (NIV). This teaching is reinforced by the Apostle Paul when he instructs believers to “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Romans 12:14 (NIV)

My belief is that Muslims are NOT our enemies. Some radical Islamists are, but most Muslims I’ve met are no more or less our enemies than the followers of any other religion. What most Muslims ARE is people who have been created by God, are loved by God, and who following a religious system that will ultimately lead them to a godless eternity. They are in desperate need of the grace of God, purchased through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and offered freely to all who will receive him as their savior and Lord.

So tell me, how many of these lost and hungry people will be attracted to the love and grace of Jesus by this angry and disrespectful act?

2) When anyone who is publically identified as a Christian does something cruel, hateful, evil, intolerant, or just plain wacky, the world will jump all over it. Seriously, how hard is it to get the press to cover all of the good, kind, compassionate, sacrificial, and loving ministries that are being carried out by Christians all over the globe? But let one misguided pastor send out a press release that he’s going to burn a bunch of Korans, and the news travels the globe in a heartbeat.

Pastor Jones may have ignited this controversy with his intent to burn the Korans, but the press could have simply ignored him. If they’d done so, American troops wouldn’t be facing increased danger, Christians around the world wouldn’t be fearful of violent repercussions, and this whole firestorm would have burned out in days. Instead, the press have acted as coconspirators, doing everything in their power to inflame the masses.

(Come on. If he’d threatened to burn a pile of flags, wouldn’t the people who are screaming in anger from the top of the mountaintops have been defending his rights of free speech? He’s wrong – dead wrong. But the crisis is only partly of his own making.)

Friends, we must never forget that the eyes of the world are upon us. Therefore, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Gal 6:9-10 (NIV)

3) As we approach the ninth anniversary of 9/11, let’s take a moment to honor the memory of our two church members who lost their lives in the twin towers – Kermit Anderson, and Al Kapplemann, and uphold their loved ones in our prayers.

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.  Matt 5:9 (NLT)

Ask a different question

Most people ask the question, "What do we have to do to make our church grow?" The answer most of us expect is to add something - more prayer, a better Sunday School, increased advertising, more small groups.

A better question is, "What's keeping our church  from growing?"

Growth is the natural process of living things, and growth is God's will for his church. God doesn't desire that anyone should perish because they don't know Jesus Christ as their savior. So, if we're not growing, we need to ask, "what's blocking us?" Is it our attitude toward guests? Is it an inward focus? Is it that we're focusing so much on doing lots of good things that we're not really doing the best thing?

The answer may be that we need to stop adding, and start taking away some good things that are keeping us from doing the most important thing well.

I'd be interested in your answers to the question. Care to chime in?

General Assembly

Presbyterians for Renewal has provided a pastoral letter regarding this week's General Assembly.  I don't think I can say it better, so I'm copying it here.

Grace and Peace,
Jeff

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,   Grace and peace from God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.  The 219th General Assembly is now adjourned.  This Assembly faced an overwhelming amount of business.  Like their predecessors throughout our history, commissioners responded faithfully and well in several decisions and faltered in others.  Throughout these ten days there has been much evidence of God's continuing grace and power.  Now it is our turn, as Jesus' followers within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), to understand and respond appropriately to the Assembly actions that most directly impact our ministry and our witness, and to honor and serve Jesus Christ both in our congregations and in our communities.   If you were looking to this Assembly for a "win" you will be disappointed by some actions and elated by others.  This Assembly voted to change the wording of G-6.106b and, in so doing, change our ordination standards. This action gives us the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman and chastity in singleness as a standard of behavior for Deacons, Elders, and Ministers of the Word and Sacrament.  While it is unfortunate that we must face this challenge again, face it we will in joyful obedience.  When Assembly actions come before your presbytery, we urge you in the strongest possible terms to see to it your congregation is fully represented and your voice is clearly heard. Proposals for non-geographic synod or presbytery structures that would allow congregations to maintain more rigorous standards for membership and leadership while remaining united in ministry within the PC(USA) failed, along with the request to form an additional non-geographic Korean presbytery.  Clearly there is continuing misunderstanding of the term "inclusive" among Presbyterians.  These conversations are far from over, however, and we are already initiating next steps. The Assembly did not approve a potentially catastrophic action that would have granted local option for the solemnization of same-gender marriages to pastors and sessions in states where this is now legal.  This action came to the Assembly as a request for Authoritative Interpretation.  Had it passed, the decision by the Assembly would have taken effect immediately without the possibility of consideration in the presbyteries.  We commend the Assembly for their action not only in defeating this attempt to circumvent the essential deliberative nature of our polity, but by reaffirming their convictions by an even stronger margin when a call was made to reconsider the initial vote. Perhaps the most alarming action the Assembly took was to urge the Board of Pensions to extend benefits to the same-gender spouses and domestic partners of non-ordained church employees.  If this request is implemented by the Board of Pensions, it will result in a projected 1% increase in pension and medical payments across the board.  Please remember that the Assembly can only make this a request to the Board of Pensions.  A request has also been made to the BOP for some form of relief of conscience. No matter the outcome on any single vote, we who follow Jesus must remember that "wining" and "losing" are matters of the body politic, not the Body of Christ.  For every "win" in a divided body, there are brothers and sisters who suffer loss, and the Scripture we love and affirm reminds us that, when one part of the body suffers, we all suffer.  Jesus Christ has already attained the final "win."  Conveying that truth in biblical faithfulness and missional justice is our central calling.     If you are looking for signs of hope and progress, you can find them.  The Assembly: corrected misguided language in the statement of the 218th General Assembly (2008) on the relationship between Christians and Muslims, affirmed the continuing project to re-translate the Heidelberg Catechism in a healthy and exciting partnership with the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America, improved 27 key sections of the proposed new Form of Government which will now be considered by the presbyteries, took a reasoned stand in speaking to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, and sent the full witness (majority and minority reports) of the Special Committee on Civil Unions and Christian Marriage to congregations and presbyteries for study. If you are looking for an opportunity to be a clear and faithful witness for Jesus Christ, we have it! Efforts to uphold biblical standards were once again defeated in part by the assertion that unity and health in the denomination will be achieved the moment we get past our current debates.  To suggest that condoning gay sex among members and ordained leaders will bring unity and peace to the Body of Christ is like saying pre-marital sex will stabilize adolescent dating relationships or an extra-marital affair will help heal a broken marriage.  It is a lie, and people on all sides of the issue know it.  We are called to be witnesses to the transforming truth of Jesus Christ.  Will we rise to the challenge with gentleness, determination, compassion, conviction, and abundant grace? Voices that speak with authority including, but not limited to, advisory and advocacy groups, are not met with a substantive challenge when they mislead or misguide the thoughts and actions of commissioners.  This happens at every level in our denomination, largely because many of us have opted to disengage from conversation and debate.  We who are attempting to speak with the orthodox Church throughout history and the majority Church today are being perceived by some as a dwindling minority in the PC(USA) because we are staying away or staying silent when we have the God-given opportunity, the Christ-given commission, and the Spirit-given power to speak. Will we take these opportunities and be silent no more? Now is not the time to lay low or even to consider leaving the PC(USA).  This Assembly has forestalled many overtures and committee revisions that could have had devastating consequences in many of our congregations.  Now is the time for truly evangelical voices to speak and lead us toward revival in the name and in the spirit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   Oswald Chambers once wrote,  Thank God that he does give us difficult things to do.  His salvation is a joyous thing, but it is also something that requires bravery, courage and holiness.  It tests us for all we are worth...  God's grace produces men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not pampered, spoiled, weaklings.  It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the worthy and excellent life of a disciple of Jesus Christ in the realities of life (and we add, of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)).  And it is always necessary for us to make an effort to live a life of worth and excellence.  My Utmost for His Highest devotional reading for July 7th    When the PFR General Assembly Team convened on July 1st, it was with these familiar words.  As we close this letter, we commend them now to you:   "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."     Philippians 4:4-7   Presbyterians for Renewal is committed to helping you continue in biblically faithful, missionally minded leadership within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  Look to us for continuing resources to understand, interpret, and navigate the opportunities we have before us, and to help build networks of faithful witness across the denomination in the strength and love of our Savior Jesus Christ.

presbyterians for renewal Mobilizing leaders of congregations within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to be biblically faithful and missionally minded in their service to Jesus Christ   For information on the ministry that is PFR visit www.pfrenewal.org

Memorial Day

This blog is actually written by my good friend, retired military chaplain John Groth. For the last several years of his military service he was stationed at Dover Air Force Base, which is where the remains of all soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan are flown into the United States to be returned to their families. John's ministry was to care for those who cared for those remains.

Memorial Day - We'll talk about those who paid the last full measure and who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. As a chaplain who served in Dover's mortuary through eight years, I can see how it's tempting to describe our fallen heroes that way. Some would come to Dover without a visible mark on them, others would come back unrecognizable, but they all came having given their lives. They had paid it all and had no sacrifice left to make.

But . . . . . I think about the young Marine's wife struggling to raise a child now, the parents who grieve deeply having lost the race to the grave to their Army Specialist daughter, the ball turret gunner's son whose own son never got to crawl up into the lap of his grandfather, the daughter whose uncle must walk her down the aisle because her Air Force dad never did come home, the friend who longs for the Navy friend she lost in a terrorist attack on his ship. I remember Laura, an 84-year-old woman in the last church I served who had never been married. She said to me, "the only man I ever loved died when the prisoner-of-war ship he was on went down in the Pacific in '45." I think of the lifetimes of sacrifices and full measures people like this are making.

In Church on Sunday, I will not ask the Veterans to stand to be honored for their service. They surely deserve it, but this is not their holiday. Instead, I will ask to stand those whose have loved ones whose names are forever linked with places like Bataan, Normandy, Chosin, Cam My, Beirut, Fallujah, Baghdad, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Years ago, I watched a young woman reach out and touch the name of her father etched into a war memorial. I watched her crumple to the ground sobbing. This day is just as much for her and all like her who carried and will continue to carry the sacrifice through the years. This day is for those who, like her, continue to pay into the last full measure.

Last, and least of all, this day is for those of us who didn't lose a loved one, who don't have the memories, who are not feeling the sacrifice or paying the price - it is ours to honor those who have. Go online and look at rows of gravesites, go to a town square and find a war memorial, walk into a place of worship and find a framed list of names and note the ones with stars alongside, google "gold star mothers" and read the stories, watch a you-tube clip of a solemn twenty-one gun salute at a lonely gravesite, then find one who is still paying the price and feeling the sacrifice and tenderly, sacredly, thank them and honor their full measure!

 

Ch Lt Col (Retired) John W. Groth, USAF

Three cheers for Phil!

Three cheers for Phil!

If you are a golf fan, you were probably riveted to the TV yesterday as Phil Mickelson strode up the hill to his third victory at “The Masters” golf tournament.

If you’re not a golf fan, you were probably still aware of the event because of the return of Tiger Woods. After a self-imposed exile from golf following the revelation of his numerous episodes of adultery, Tiger returned to the course determined to reestablish his reputation as the world’s greatest golfer.

Tiger did ok as far as his golfing, coming in a respectable fourth-place. But, to tell you the truth, he didn’t look happy. Apparently nothing short of victory on the golf course could satisfy. Maybe not even that.

On the other hand, Phil won the day – not only as a golfer, but as a husband and father.

You see, about a year ago, Phil’s wife, Amy, was diagnosed with breast cancer. His mother has been fighting the same disease as well. As a result, Phil Mickelson, arguably the world’s second-greatest golfer, also took a hiatus from the game. He stepped away from golf to care for his wife and children while she was undergoing chemotherapy. This weekend was his big return too.

Even on Saturday night, as he prepared for the final round of this major golf tournament, Phil placed fatherhood above golf. He was up until 1:00 in the morning in the emergency room with is daughter, who had fractured her wrist falling off a skateboard.

I found myself choking back tears yesterday afternoon.  I’ve long been a fan of Phil, but when he won the tournament and ran to the sidelines to hug his wife – and held her and held her and held her, tears running down his cheeks and hers – I went from being a fan to being a raving fan.

God’s Word says “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.” Eph 5:25 (GW)   I’m grateful that for a moment, at least, the cameras were turned on a champion who is doing just that, and pray that I may do the same.

Crucify

I recently read about an experiment conducted on French TV. The subjects, believing they were contestants on a reality TV show, were instructed to administer shocks to a man seated in an electric chair, whenever the man in the chair made a mistake. Although there was no real electricity, the man in the chair (an actor) would shake, and writhe, and cry out in pain whenever a “shock” was given. The audience, also actors, would laugh and cheer. Remember, the subjects of the experiment had no idea that this was fake. They really believed they were giving electric shocks to another human being. (For details, see below.)

The object was to see how far the subjects would go. Would they really torture another human being? Would they take it even to the point of apparently causing that person’s death?

Eighty percent of the subjects administered the shocks, despite their victim’s screaming, some to the point that they believed they had caused the victim’s death.

Unbelievable?

The amazing thing about life on planet earth is not that people do cruel things to one another. As this experiment and many others like it prove, the savagery of human nature lies close beneath the surface. Just ask six-million Jews who suffered the Holocaust. Just ask millions of Iraqis who lived under Saddam. Just ask Jesus.

It took so little for the cries of the crowd to change from “Hosanna,” which means “save us,” to “Crucify him.” Jesus wasn’t surprised. He knew before he was even born. That’s why he came. To save us from our own sinful nature. To save us from ourselves.

I know that it’s fashionable to believe that people are basically good, but that our environment and upbringing draws us into sin. Rubbish! Since when has anyone had to teach a child to be selfish, defiant, or cruel? The truth is that we’re all born with a propensity to do evil. It’s only God’s grace that restrains us and the world from living it out. Those terrible moments of cruelty in human history (and there are so many) are glimpses of what life would be for all of us if God stepped back, turned away, and left us to our own devices.

But God didn’t do that.  Jesus came to give us a better chance, to give us hope of a new life, and the promise of redemption for all eternity.

All of this reminds me that it’s not just other people who need Jesus. I need him too.  “Lord, thank you for giving me hope of being a better man than I can possibly be on my own. Forgive me when my sinful nature breaks through into my thoughts and actions. Help me, every day, to become more and more like Jesus.  Amen.”

NPR Story - Fake TV Show Tortures Man

Thought for Today

Thanks to Vicky Patsourakis for this great quote:

“Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps; we must step up the stairs.”

-Václev Havel,  first president of the Czech Republic.

Creating Raving Fans

Yesterday, I was shopping at Costco. Usually I try to go late in the afternoon - after all of the moms have left to pick up their kids from school. But yesterday our schedule just wouldn't cooperate (that will be another blog), and we ended up there about 1:30 in the afternoon.

Purchases in hand, I headed to the front of the store, where I encountered the longest lines I've ever seen in the store. Every register was open. Shoppers were backed up into the aisles of the store, baskets overflowing. My heart sank. I just hate waiting in line. Don't you?

And here's where something extraordinary happened. Out of the snack stand came a "Costco Lady," hair still in her sanitary net, carrying a tray. It was filled with tasty snacks, which she started handing out free to everyone in line.

She didn't say anything, but this is the message I received: "We're sorry that you're having to wait in line. We know it's an inconvenience to you, and we really value you as a shopper. We doing all we can to speed up the process, but in the meantime, we hope this little gift will make the wait more pleasant."

That's what I call extraordinary customer service! For the cost of $10 in snacks, they bought pounds of good will.

That's the same attitude that we need to bring to people in the church - especially our guests. "Thank you for being here. We know you could have made lots of other choices on how to spend your Sunday morning. We appreciate you, and we're going to do everything we can to make sure that you're greeted lovingly, treated with respect and care, seated in the best seats. God loves you, and so do we. Let us show you what that means."

How can we show the love of God to our guests (and our community) in practical ways?

Grace and Peace,
Jeff