The Longest Night Service

One of the services we are going to offer this year is on December 21st at 7:00.  It is called "The Longest Night," and it isn't your typical service.  Frankly, it won't be for everyone.  So allow me to offer this explanation.

During December, the nights get longer and the daylight far shorter.  Then, when we hit the 21^st, we find ourselves at the shortest day and the longest ‘night’ of the year.

The name of this special service takes its cues from that fact.  But more than that, it also applies to the feeling that a number of us have about this season.  It is a time of joy for most, but for many this time of year is difficult.  The 21^st in particular is the longest night, perhaps the longest night in a symbolic way that catches hold of the difficulty this season brings for many.  It is a season when memories of past experiences, the pain of present experience, and worries of the future can become overwhelming.

For some, this time of year is the most difficult time of all.  To be honest, not everyone can understand or appreciate that.  This service, though, is meant for those who do understand that feeling all too well.

This service is specially designed for those persons for whom this time of year is not especially joyful.  We gather to remember that we are still called to be in community with one another in good times and in times of difficulty.  More importantly, we gather to remember that God continues to be with us no matter where we are in our journey in life.

So at this service, we will sing.  Those songs might bring tears.  They might cause emotion to well up within you.  We will hear passages from Scripture that might bring feelings of pain or strong emotion.  We invite you to recognize the pain these words might bring and offer that pain to Christ our Lord, who comes to offer comfort.

Most of all, we want you to know that as long as this night might be, you are not alone.  We welcome you, we cry with you, and we offer all we have to give, which is one another through the grace of Christ our Lord.

The Longest Night

December 21^st, 2014 at 7:00 pm

Advent 2014

Despite what the stores and the television commercials would have you believe, it isn't Christmas yet.  In fact, the Christmas season doesn't begin until December 25^th.  We are, instead, in the season of Advent. 

Advent is something of an unusual time.  On the one hand it is the time of preparation for Christmas and the stories of the nativity, Joseph, Mary, Jesus’ birth and so forth.  On the other hand, Advent is a time of reflection and hope for the second Advent, or the second coming of Christ.  In that respect it is a time of not merely remembering Christmas, but looking forward in hope for the fully realized Kingdom of God.

In the middle of those two understandings of Advent, there is the tension of seeking to encounter the present reality of Christ.  In other words, we continue to seek the presence of Christ in our own lives, not merely looking back at what was and hoping for the future.  Advent is when we stop to reflect on the reality of the unfolding Advent of Christ in our own lives. 

Since Advent is such a tremendously important time in the life of the Church, I hope that you will take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to ‘drink in’ the season to its fullest. 

Over the next four weeks, we will be exploring and encountering Advent through words and music.  This morning, I wish to offer a challenge to us as to how we think about this time of year and what it could mean (vs. what it seems to have come to mean).

The next two Sundays, I want us to listen closer to the stories of Joseph and Mary.  We often assume we know them – their stories are short in the Gospel narratives, and we think we have it down pat in our minds.  But there is always more information available should we seek it out. 

Then, on the fourth Sunday, we will be blessed to hear and watch a recounting of the Christmas story in a pageant put together by our own J.C. Smith.

Also on that Sunday, we will be having a special service, “The Longest Night,” which is not a traditional service of worship, but is designed to be a service for those who find this season a very difficult time emotionally.

Finally, on Christmas Eve, we will be holding our Christmas Eve Communion and Candle Light service at 6:30 pm.

Advent is a tremendous time in the life of the church.  It is full of joy, expectation, and life.  It is also a time to reflect and remember that the reason we even gather at all on Sunday is because of the story that begins today.

Come and be a part of the life of the church, and let the church be a part of your life.

Towards Christ the King

The next two weeks I am going to be building off the theme of Christ the King, which is to be recognized on November 23rd.  

Christ the King Sunday is the end of the Christian Year and November 30th begins Advent which also signals the beginning of a new Christian Year.  

But Christ the King Sunday is one that can slip below the radar if we aren't paying attention.  That has to do with the fact that it is overwhelmed by the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  It is nonetheless an important day in the life of the church.

That has to do mostly with the phrase "Christ the King." Christ the King Sunday sets up the dual nature of Advent: we look towards the celebration of his birth, but also to the celebration of his second advent. 

But there is something else to it, besides celebration.  Christ the King.  Can you hear the subversion?  Can you sense the defiance and the difference those words make?  Maybe, maybe not.  But in the context of the culture in which the Gospels were written, you might very well be able to hear it.

In Roman writings, we find that the Emperor is referred to as the savior, the bringer of peace.  The Emperor was called ‘Lord’; The Emperor was called “The Son of God.”  Caesar is Lord.  In fact, there is an inscription that was written about Caesar that began with these words: “The beginning of the good news to the world on his account.”  This is an inscription written about Caesar.  Caesar the king, the Lord, the Son of the gods (which is how Caesar was often viewed in the Roman Empire).

But here comes the subversive part.  The oldest Gospel, the Gospel of Mark, begins with the words, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.”  The early Christians were saying and writing, “Jesus is Lord.”  Not Caesar.  Are you beginning to see the trouble the church was making?  Can you hear the subversive message?  Caesar is Lord.  No.  Jesus is Lord.

As such, when we talk about the judgment of the king, or the Day of the Lord (sometimes called judgment day) we are talking about the judgment of both God and Christ the King.

I would propose the idea that we cannot understand the judgment of the King until we begin to understand what the demands of the King are, and who we are supposed to be in the Kingdom of God.  Only when we begin to understand the Kingdom can we work to be citizens, and then we more clearly understand the judgment of the King.  

So for the next two weeks, I want to offer some observations on what it means to talk of the judgment of the King - Christ the King.  Because when we speak of the King, we move directly into Advent which once again sets the stage for Christians to talk of whom it is we encounter in the person of Jesus.

Come and join us.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Charles

The Monsters are Coming (Conclusion)

This is a short excursis (which is a discussion of a particular point in a book, usually in an appendix - or can sometimes be defined as a digression) in which I wish to offer further thoughts on one or more of the ideas I offered on Sunday.

I utilized the idea of monsters because they provide a representation of so many other things.  The Mummy, vampires, zombies, and Jekyll and Hyde - they are scary in and of themselves, but they also point to larger realities. 

A few years ago, I was in a conversation with a friend and mentioned a particular video game that I enjoyed.  In explaining what I enjoyed about it, I said that I liked the clarity of tasks it offered.  I knew my choices and I saw their ramifications.  I also enjoyed fighting monsters.

They asked, "Why don't you do that in real life?"  I answered, "Because zombies don't exist."

"Not like that, but there are real monsters to face."

I have pondered that for a long time.  I think they were correct, too.  There are plenty of monsters out there - many of our own creation.  And we need to be able to face them, because if we don't, they will get the best of us.

When I was very young, my parents read a story to me called (to the best of my recollection) "The Whatsits."  If that wasn't the name of the story, it was the name of the characters.  It was a story of a young child who was afraid to go into a dark basement because of the monsters he believed were down there - the Whatsits.  

The artist depicted them as giant creatures.  But as the story progressed and the child learned to face his fears, the Whatsits got smaller and smaller until he was no longer even able to see them.  My father used to let me know when my fears were getting the best of me by saying "You're letting the Whatsits get bigger."  Perhaps as those who seek to do the will of God, we might also find ourselves letting our fears get too big to face.

One of the great songs of the church is "How Firm a Foundation."  I would use the second and fourth verse to close this series out:

"Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give the aid; I'll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."

"When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie, my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine."

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Charles

The Monsters are Coming - The Offer of the Vampire (appendix)

This is a short excursis (which is a discussion of a particular point in a book, usually in an appendix - or can sometimes be defined as a digression) in which I wish to offer further thoughts on one or more of the ideas I offered on Sunday.

I briefly mentioned in the sermon just how much depictions of vampires have changed over the years - in particular on film.  Dracula (made most popular by Bella Lugosi) used to have to wear a cape and formal wear.  Before that, though, in the 1922 movie Nosferatu, the vampire was a very scary, shadow dwelling creature (that movie, by the way, was an adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, but the names had to be changed due to copyright issues).  Even the far from scary Count from Sesame Street dressed like the stereotypical vampire - and so does Count Chocula (remember that cereal?).  Now, though, vampires dress very much like teens of today, because many vampires are presented as late teens, early twenties.  That says something.

There is an effort to 'modernize' characters (look at Batman, for example) to make them have some kind of relevance to the intended audience.

Hmmm.  That sounds very much like something the church struggles with on a regular basis - how do we maintain our relevance.  If vampires get a makeover and, in the process, gain soaring popularity, what is it that the church needs to consider to bring our witness into the hearts and minds of the current generation?

This is an issue that we are going to be dealing with here at Harrison in early 2015.  Until then, I would draw your attention to the following titles:
You Lost Me by David Kinnaman
The Answer to Bad Religion is not No Religion by Martin Thielen
Adventures in Missing the Point by Tony Campolo and Brian McLaren

The deal with the issues facing mainline churches today.  What do we need to do to not be seen as a caricature of ourselves, but as a vital and engaging congregation?

It is a difficult question, and one that is easily ignored and overlooked because the church is notorious for fighting and fending off the idea of change.  And we may continue to fight and fend, but we might fight and fend off change and push ourselves right out of the minds of the next generation of people who won't hear the good news because the see the church as an irrelevant building that has no bearing on the lives of the people on its outside.

So, the changing vampire might be an interesting study to point out that what was old can still be relevant.  Give it some thought.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Charles

The Monsters Are Coming

When I was in 1st grade, Lincoln Elementary had a story teller come to entertain we children.  The story teller was Jackie Torrence.  She was, at least in my recollection, a stellar story teller.  And she told some ghost stories that still make me shudder - mostly because I remember her letting out one of the scariest cackles I had ever heard.

She told the stories well, and they stuck with me.  Usually around October, I find myself thinking of that afternoon, sitting around this woman as she told my classmates and I ghost stories and legends.  And, usually around late September, the stores start stocking their shelves with costumes, decorations, and (of course) candy.  And ghost stories start popping up on television, radio (I know..."Radio?  What's that?"), even on the Internet.

I have to admit that I have some strange fascination with ghost stories.  I love to hear them in broad daylight, but later at night I wish I hadn't!

So I began to think about the idea of ghost stories and monster stories.  Some of the finest ones aren't really monster stories at all, but are instead a commentary on the world, on the time, or on some aspect of life.  I also began to think about what kind of monsters we find ourselves facing in life - not the Hollywood kinds, but the monsters that steal our lives, that put us in danger, or beckon to us alluringly.

This month I decided to talk about monsters (I would encourage you to read the newsletter article to learn more about it).  But I am talking about them only to use them as lenses through which we can see larger issues.  Here is a brief summary of the next four Sundays.

October 5th - Jekyll and Hyde - We all have a dark side.  Actually, we all have multi-faceted personalities.  How does that enhance or diminish who we are and how we relate to God?  The scripture for this week is Mark 8:27-33
October 12th - Zombies - With the tremendous popularity with zombies in our country at the moment, what is it that they represent?  Are the a critique of corporate America, lifeless faith, the absence of critical thinking, or the devaluing of human life?  The scripture reading for this week is 1st John 2:7-14.
October 19th - Vampires - What is it that steals our life?  What offer looks so good that we give ourselves over to it, only to find that the consequences are far greater than we thought?  The scripture for this week is Luke 4:1-13.
October 26th - The Mummy - What happens when we seek to live in the past?  Does turning back the clock advance the Kingdom of God, or just prevent us from having to deal with the present?  The scripture reading for this week is Numbers 11:1-6.

I will offer some additional observations here on this blog as the weeks go by during this month - to add a little more to the ideas I am going to be sharing on Sundays.  I look forward to it, and I hope you will come and join us during the month of October for the series, "The Monsters Are Coming."

Grace and Peace
- Oa

Galatians (an introduction)

During the month of September I am going to be drawing our attention to Paul's letter to the Galatians.  Of all the letters attributed to Paul, this is perhaps the most passionate.  So I would offer in this blog post a short introduction to the letter to the Galatians.

The letter to the Galatians is an extremely defining letter when it comes to understanding the theology and person of Paul.  To begin with, Galatians is a letter where Paul’s teachings concerning Christ, as well as his view on earliest Christianity are laid out.  Paul makes it clear that though the law could not provide salvation, its moral and ethical dimensions were not diminished in the face of the message of the Christ.[1]

Galatians is also a tremendous indication of divergent theologies.  It is evident from the content of Galatians that by the time of the letter, Christianity was already developing factions and divisions.  These factions and these other opinions that were apparently contrary to Paul’s understandings are what have forced Paul to write a response.  In the letter to the Galatians, Paul appears to be attempting to not only legitimate his claims to his message and his apostleship, but also to discredit the words of his unnamed opponents.  “As we have said before, so now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.”[2]

The issue of the apostleship of Paul, the fact of the divisions, and the claims of the Pauline opponents are the setting for the message of the letter itself; a message that centers itself on ones justification in the sight of God.  Justification in the sight of God, according to Paul, comes through an acceptance of the free gift of God’s grace and love as demonstrated through the death of Christ on the cross.[3]

What Paul also seeks to elucidate (perhaps again to the original readers, but perhaps also with more force) is that the distinctiveness Judaism once claimed through the Law was not removed through Christ.  Likewise, the promises of God, once reserved for the Jews, now applied universally.[4]

Now before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed.  So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith.  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.[5]

Newness of life is through Christ for, as Paul writes, “neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”[6]

Galatians is also an attempt at a revision of Israel’s history, by explaining in its third and fourth chapters how Abraham’s faith presupposed Christ as well as offering allegorical interpretations of Abraham’s wives.[7]  Paul writes this in order to lead the readers to the conclusions he is proposing – that salvation is through faith, like Abraham had, and in that faith one might have life in the Spirit.  Also, no longer being bound by the law, the reader is to understand that the old self has died to sin, and it is now Christ who lives in them.

Yet while Galatians should be understood as a critical recapitulation of the basic Pauline themes, there are also pastoral concerns being addressed as well.  Too critical an approach tends to miss the deep concern Paul had for the Galatian church.  Not only was he apparently being discredited, the people he had worked for and with to develop a community of faith were moving away from him.  It should not be overlooked that the letter to the Galatians is a letter of anger, reproach, and heartbreak from the spiritual father of the Galatian church. 

While Paul is certainly writing to convince, he is also writing to remind the Galatian readers of that which he has already proclaimed to them.[8]  Galatians begins with Paul asking the remarkable question of who had caused the people to turn away from that which he proclaimed.[9]

---

[1] White p. 125; Hunter p. 10; Rogerson p. 102; Borg p. 252; Betz p. 30

[2] Galatians 1:9

[3] White p. 125; Duncan p. xv

[4] Ibid

[5] Galatians 3:23-26    

[6] Galatians 6:15

[7]  See Galatians 4:27-31.  Mack states not only that this is what Paul is doing, but that this may well be the first instance of this reinterpretation of Jewish scriptures and traditions in the New Testament(pp. 115-116).  This would not be the first biblical instance.  For example, Chronicles sets out to retell the story of David and some of the Kings from a very different theological standpoint than was found in the books of Samuel and Kings.

[8]  It should be noted here that the term, “the Galatian readers” I utilized is, at best, ambiguous.  Hans Dieter Betz, in his commentary on Galatians, goes to some length to explain that the location of the Galatian churches is "scarce" (p. 3).  Duncan also explains that in the time in which the letter to the Galatians was written, the province known as Galatia included the old kingdom of Galatia as well as parts of Lycaonia, Pisidia, and Phrygia (Duncan p. xix).  So to whom is he writing?  While Duncan presents the arguments well, I would draw the reader’s attention to Betz for a very detailed discussion as well as Richard N. Longenecker (p. LVI) for a tremendous referencing of the discussion to which there appears to be no consensus.

[9]  Galatians 1:6-9; 3:1-4;  This eye-opening problem provides us with tremendous insight into the tumultuous beginnings of Christianity.  While the book of Acts provides us with a very clean, centrist portrayal of early church development, the letter to the Galatians implies (rather overtly) that all was not without difficulty and division.  The fact that Paul feels the need to reiterate his argument lets the reader know that there were other messages being proclaimed, possibly in the name of Christ as well, that were not only drawing adherents, but were drawing Paul’s converts away from him.