October 6, 2016 – Words of Wisdom
Elie Wiesel

“When human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Whenever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe” Elie Wiesel

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.  “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” John 14:15-21
Wiesel was a Romanian-born American Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor. (Wikipedia)

Jesus is known as the “Word” in the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. And the Word became flesh and lived among us…” (John 1:1-5, 14)

So when we speak of the “Word of G-d” we need to clarify if we are speaking about the written word (the bible), or the Incarnation of G-d, Jesus Christ.

Elie Wiesel was a Holocaust survivor, and as such lived through one of the most horrific experiences of systemic murder, fanaticism, and evil this world has ever seen. As he continued his life, having lost a good portion of his family to the death camps of the holocaust, he and his wife established The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, to fight “indifference, intolerance and injustice”. As Elie so eloquently puts it, we must always fight for “human dignity” and fight against those people and regimes that seek to deny basic human rights. Jesus, the Word Incarnate, taught that we are to love all people, we are to cherish the dignity of all lives, and we are to be Spirit-led people of G-d. We become Spirit-led people by reading the Word, and by receiving the very body and blood of Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. It is through these means that we understand where our true identity comes, that we are people of G-d, not people of the world – but as people of G-d, we are sent out to right the wrongs of this world, no matter where we encounter them.

Pastor Dave

October 5, 2016 – Words of Wisdom
Confucius

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Confucius

“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

Confucius was a Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the spring and autumn period of Chinese history. (Wikipedia)

When was the last time you sat down in desperation, or confusion, or frustration and said something like “Why is life so complicated?” If you are like me, it probably was not that long ago. Life seems to go faster and faster the older we get, and many times it seems to also become more and more complicated. Is it possible that Confucius was right – that life is simple, but we make it complicated? The Pharisees and the Sadducees were not happy with the teachings of Jesus. They were steeped in the laws of Moses, and as such were religious “experts” in enforcing and following the laws of faith and life. For example, the Sabbath rules were established to give the people parameters for what they could and could not do that might be considered work on the day of the Sabbath. Here are just a few of the Prohibited Sabbath activities:

Writing two or more letters
Erasing two or more letters
Building
Demolishing
Extinguishing a fire
Kindling a fire
Putting the finishing touch on an object
Transporting an object between a private domain and the public domain, or for a distance of 4 cubits within the public domain.

So, when the Pharisees came to Jesus to ask him “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus does what he usually does – he tries to simplify his teaching. But, his answer is brilliant. He states what today we call the “Shema”, or one of the central teachings spoken still in Sabbath worship for Jews:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our G-d, the Lord is one ( the Lord alone). And you shall love the Lord, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your means.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5

My friends, our faith need not be complicated by “expectations” or “necessary understandings”. Jesus reminds us that faith begins with “Loving the Lord, and Loving your neighbor as yourself”. In other words, faith begins with love. When we start each day reminding ourselves that G-d loves us beyond all understanding, and then remember that we are to love all people with the love that G-d has for us, then the rest of the day and the rest of our actions will come from the angle of love. Yes, everyday life is complicated, but our faith need not be complicated with “right” doing or “right” understanding. We start from love, and allow that verb, that action “to love” lead us in all our actions, decisions, and our relationships.

Pastor Dave