February 28, 2024 – Where’s The Beef?

“All the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.” (Nehemiah 8:1-3)

“Where’s the Beef?” is a catchphrase that comes from a 1984 commercial for the Wendy’s Hamburger franchise. It starred an elderly woman named Clara who was disgusted with the tiny burger served with her huge bun at the “Home of the Big Bun” restaurant. It was a hilarious commercial that become a social phenomenon before social media existed.

In our text from Nehemiah the people wanted to hear the word from G-d – so Ezra decided to read — and read, and read, and read. And the people wept – but not for the reasons we 21st century Christians would weep. If I preached for six hours, people would weep, but not for their hungering for the word. They would weep because of the smallness of our attention span today. People would shout things like “He never preaches six hours, why now?”. But the people in Nehemiah’s time were so hungry for the word that they stood and listened because they didn’t want just a nugget– they wanted the whole beef. And Ezra gave them the whole beef, and they were filled with so much joy, they wept.

We need to have that same hungering for the Word of G-d. We often look at the process of beginning a bible reading plan as drudgery, as something we “have to get done today”. This is not the attitude to have when reading the bible. We have to hunger to read, hunger to study, and hunger to know more. When Jesus came to his hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4) and entered into their Synagogues to read, teach and preach, the people were anxious to hear what he might say about the word of G-d. And when he read from Isaiah, they were sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to hear what he might have to say. And when he said “This scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing today”, they were also weeping – crying out in anger.

Reading the word should promote some amount of reaction from us – joy, sadness, hope, anger, trust, and longing for more. As you read G-d’s words, expect to be moved to many different emotions.

Pastor Dave

February 26, 2024 — Hair, Hair, Great Wonderful Hair

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”  John 12:1-5

There is so much happening in this story about Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  And there are so many questions we can ask: “What was Mary thinking using this expensive perfume?”, and “Is this what discipleship should look like?”.  I have a question for us to consider: “What is so important about hair?” Doesn’t it seem odd the thing that Mary does with her hair? Why her hair, and why so soon after applying the ointment?

Well, it really isn’t about the hair, is it? What Mary does is a spontaneous, outpouring of love and “worship” with Jesus that it doesn’t matter what others think — and it shouldn’t matter what we think about Mary today.  What matters is what we think about Jesus — and then how we hope to respond to Jesus, today. Hair up, hair down, a lot of hair, no hair, wacky hair, rainbow hair, who here cares about hair? Too many people today worry about their hair – but it is a cultural expectation – just like women wearing their hair up in public was a cultural expectation in Mary’s day.  But Mary doesn’t care about public expectations in this moment because she does care intimately about Jesus, and so she responds to Jesus by letting her hair down. This is what we must ponder today — and how will we, all of us, offer some kind of response to Jesus, today – spontaneous, simple, honest response to the love, mercy and Grace of Jesus.

If Mary would have worried about what others thought, or would have worried that she would be compared to a “prostitute”, we never would have had this marvelous, wonderful outpouring of devotion recorded for us that happened over 2000 years ago.

What can you do today to express your love for Jesus?

Pastor Dave

February 27, 2024 – Being the Body of Christ

“But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.” (1 Corinthians 12:18-25)

Glenn Fry, co-founder and guitarist/singer for the 70’s band The Eagles passed away at the age of 67 in 2016. They stated his death came as the result of losing a long battle to rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and additional complications from pneumonia. From What I know of rheumatoid arthritis, it is a disease that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body’s tissues. In addition to causing joint problems, rheumatoid arthritis sometimes can affect other organs of the body — such as the skin, eyes, lungs and blood vessels. From what we know about the body, it is amazing to us that it might attack itself — it is counter-intuitive to think it would do this. The body usually works so well together it is like a symphony of motion, flow, and coordinated effort. In fact, Paul used the body and how it works together to describe the church: “God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.” But, of course, as in the case of Glenn Fry, the body can turn on itself – to destroy.

And this was Paul’s concern as well – that the people of G-d, working together like a body and its individual members, would work in concert rather than against one another to destroy. Once again, this is why we read the bible, because there is so much wisdom to be found within its pages. Where else might we read in such eloquent terms how we are to live, act and treat one another with such a clear analogy – we are the body of Christ, and as such, we are to work together, not against one another. The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need for you, nor the head say the same to the feet. As the body of Christ, we are stronger together than we might ever be as individuals. And when we read these words written by someone as wise and intuitive as Paul, it gives us courage to put these words into action.

Continue reading the word of G-d found in the bible my friends. There is wisdom in its pages – true wisdom.

Pastor Dave