Monthly Archives: December 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on December 13, 2015
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Practical Theology –Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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December 13, 2015
Sunday

“And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” Luke 3:10 – 14

“This is practical theology. There’s great specificity to this passage. John speaks directly to several groups, identifying specific good actions. DIY ABC with a complete to –do list. What should we do – consider the coats in your cupboard. Consider the chairs at the table. Consider the money in the bank. Consider the people you pass on the street. Consider your own actions. Don’t get tripped up on any of your expectations, but pay attention to the specific call of God. That’s a good Advent call. But it isn’t just the answers that are important – it’s also the question. Asking the question “what then should we do?” is letting God get internal. It’s letting our specific context become the location of the good news. Not claiming Abraham as an ancestor so much as asking God to birth newness through us. With asking hearts in these Advent days, we still await and celebrate God with us.” (Practical Theology and Subversive Advent, by Katie Munnik, In The Messy Table, December 10, 2012, Presbyterian Record)

Ministry in the church begins with asking the question “What should we do?” It is a question I try to get my congregation, at least I do with individual members, but I try to get them to ask this question often. What should we do as a church? What should you and I do as individual believers? If we do not ask this question often, we may find that over time our ministries become irrelevant if not ineffective. And when we ask the question, we have to trust that G-d will provide an answer, if not also the path. It is, as Katie Munnik says, “practical theology”. We look around us and see what we have, what we possess right at this moment, when we look to do ministry. The context of our church, our lives, and our surroundings will determine what we do and who we serve. And if we do not follow “practical theology”, we may be like the fire station that teaches fire safety, but has no fire engine.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on December 12, 2015
Tags: Adversity   

Adversity Makes Us Stronger — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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December 12, 2015

“When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:34 – 40

“And so, when the Lord says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, from all thy heart and from all thy mind; and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” let the faithful soul put on the unfading love of its Author and Ruler, and subject itself also entirely to His will in Whose works and judgments true justice and tender-hearted compassion never fail. For although a man be wearied out with labors and many misfortunes, there is good reason for him to endure all in the knowledge that adversity will either prove him good or make him better.” Pope Leo I, (400 – 461) Sermon XII, “For All The Saints”, volume III (p. 49 – 50)

Life can really be hard. Life can be hard because of what we have lost: like the loss of a job, or the loss of a spouse or parent. And, sometimes life is hard because we just hit a series of misfortunes. Just because we have faith, and we live a G-dly life, and we attend church and Sunday school on a regular basis does not guarantee us a life without trouble. Trouble is inherent in the life of any person – we just won’t all deal with the same trouble. But as I have said this year in my devotions, the troubles in our lives help us to learn about ourselves, our faith, and our ability to keep moving forward. Some days we feel as if we are standing on the mountaintop. Other times we feel as if we are walking in a blizzard with our heads down, plowing forward, one difficult step after another. Life is not always about the places we end up so much as how we managed to get there. And every experience we have, no matter if it is good or bad, each experience helps to build our “faith muscles” where we learn to mount up the strength of Eagles to endure with the presence of the Holy Spirit leading the way.

Pastor Dave