October 17, 2016 – Words of Wisdom
Tom Peters

“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” Tom Peters

“But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah…Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “… what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.” Acts 2:13-15, 32-41

Tom Peters is an American writer on business management practices, best known for authoring the book In Search of Excellence.

Of course, we know that the disciples who were first called by Jesus were men who may have excelled within their own personal lives – excelled as fathers, businessmen, fishermen, etc. But when Jesus called them to be disciples, they were entering into unknown and unchartered waters. So they would need time to learn what it meant to be a disciple. Of course, having known disciples who followed John the Baptist, and disciples who followed other teachers, they understood what it meant to have a Rabbi to follow. But Jesus what not your typical Rabbi. He not only would talk about scripture, but he would teach them about the true nature of the Father – how to live out the teaching. And because Jesus had a different understanding of the scripture, he would teach them different ways to live out the commands of G-d.

What they did not understand at the time was this – Jesus was not only teaching them how to be good disciples, he was also teaching them how to be good leaders. These same disciples who often fumbled the ball when Jesus handed it to them, who often did not understand Jesus’ parables, who fought among themselves about who was the greatest, and who scattered and hid when Jesus was on trial, these same men would become the leaders of the early church, responsible for the church growing tremendously in the first two generations after the resurrection.

The Christian Church of the 21st century needs leaders: men and women who are willing to listen to the teachings of G-d and transfer that into living the Christ-like life. Not everyone needs to go to Seminary to become a leader in the church. Yes, we need more men and women who are willing to follow the calling to be a Pastor, AIM or Deacon. But we also need lay people who simply want to help teach, help lead, and help to grow the Church of Jesus Christ. If we are going to see the Christian Church become relevant again, relevant in the lives of people, and relevant in the life of the community, then it is going to take the leadership of both “Rostered” leaders, and “Lay” leaders alike.

Pastor Dave

October 16, 2016
22nd Sunday After Pentecost Year C

“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:1-8

“Unfortunately…this passage is often interpreted to mean that we should petition God for the things we want. And that if we annoy God enough, we’ll receive whatever it is. So there’s the rich pastor pestering God for more riches. There’s the young woman worrying God for a lover or spouse. There’s the cancer sufferer insisting on God’s intervention and healing. So, if I wear God down, will God fix everything? And if not, how does this interpretation work through our congregations? If you believe that if you just ask enough, God will make you rich, what does your poverty say? If you believe that if you just ask enough, God will give you the desires of your heart, what happens when your heart is broken? And if you believe that God will heal your body if you only ask enough times, what happens as your body wastes away? Is this really how God works?” (The Relentless Widow: IS THIS REALLY HOW GOD WORKS?, October 13, 2013, Lia Scholl)

In our Gospel lesson from Luke Jesus is telling a parable about the need to pray constantly so that we will not lose heart. The Lord says, “Will not G-d grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?” What are you wrestling with right now? Who are you worried about – what situation or ailment is causing you pain – what is it that you are encountering today that will drive you to your knees imploring G-d to grant you knowledge, wisdom or courage? Whether we are praying for someone else or praying for ourselves, we need to persevere in prayer. Look, when life is beating us down, and we are wrestling with questions about life, those ups and downs of daily living that leave us feeling as if we are on a roller coaster ride, we are going to become frustrated and may even become despondent if we are not in daily conversation with G-d, through prayer. And, one of the ways that we can understand the power of prayer, and the mystery of prayer, is to have a good knowledge of scripture, a good understanding of G-d’s word to fall back on. And one of the truths we learn from scripture is not everyone is healed, not everyone follows Jesus, and not everyone is raised from the dead.

Prayer does not guarantee us that we will get all of the things that we pray for. But the more we pray, the more we persevere in prayer, I am certain we will all develop a more intimate relationship with G-d through Jesus Christ.

Pastor Dave