December 18, 2024 – Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13–17

“Stunned by what I’d heard, I told him that I had just completed a life-changing week of miracle and wonder in Jerusalem, and that it had come to me as a gift of light and balm, just as my life had taken a dramatic, painful turn after my wife filed for divorce. Ian nodded. He got it. That’s what Jerusalem, one of the thin places of the world, where the veil between the seen and the unseen is porous, does to you. “The first thing you feel when you get here is separation,” he says. “The things that separate us from our Creator, in Jesus, are the attachments we hold to the world. I was born in London, and coming out of London, everything is so worldly. Even if you’re born again, and you’ve given your life to Yeshua Jesus, there’s still that struggle with the things of the world pulling you back to it.” (Dreher, Rod. Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age (p. 6). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

What are the attachments of this world you would like to be released from? What holds you back in trying to clean your basement, or attic, or garage? What are the relics of your life? The things of this world that keep pulling us back – the material things that possess us – these are the things that weigh us down and hold us back – from many things. My father-in-law was a museum curator. He liked to “collect” lots of things. Much of what he collected was very valuable. And he found hiding places all throughout the house to squirrel the stuff away. He didn’t take it out to look at it. He didn’t display even five percent of his collection. But my father-in-law also had just as much stuff that was not worth a dime. And yet his home was piled high with so many relics. And he was not going to let go of any of it until he passed away.

Jesus came into this world to free us from so much – especially the things that separate us from G-d. The demons and the entities that come through the material world that cloud our thinking and make us hold onto “empty stuff” tighter and tighter are what separate us from our relationship with Jesus – or I should say a fuller relationship with Jesus.

Every once in a while we need someone to help us remove or let go of the relics of our lives. We need to give the expendable stuff to the local “resale” places, and make space for Jesus in our lives and our homes. When we free ourselves from the junk of this world we might just feel like Jesus coming out of the Jordan – renewed, reborn, and loved.

Pastor Dave

December 17, 2024 – Stuff That Needs To Be Said: Essential Words on Life, Death, Faith, Politics, Love, and Giving a Damn

“I believe we should protect the planet. I believe everyone deserves healthcare. I believe all religions are equally valid. I believe the world is much bigger than America. I believe to be “pro-life” means to treasure its entire spectrum. I believe whiteness isn’t superior—that it is not the baseline of humanity. I believe we are all one interdependent community. I believe people and places are made better by diversity.” (Pavlovitz, John. Stuff That Needs To Be Said: Essential Words on Life, Death, Faith, Politics, Love, and Giving a Damn (pp. 76-77). John Pavlovitz. Kindle Edition.)

“About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while it was being prepared he fell into a trance. He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” Acts 10:9-15

“What God has made clean you must not call profane.”

In Hebrew, “clean” is translated as “ṭahor” — and “unclean” is translated as “ṭame”. These words are particularly relevant in Jewish tradition, where specific laws regarding “clean” and “unclean” foods and practices existed and still exist today.  This teaching and understanding is so important and relevant for us today – in a world where we hear so many religious folks and politicians and others who want to draw a distinction between people. We dehumanize people so much because of the way they look, talk, and worship – especially when they do not look, talk or worship like us. Politicians tell us we have to keep “those people” out of our country – really making a distinction between a 21^st century idea of clean and unclean.

John Pavlovitz says in his book Stuff That Needs To Be Said that he believes that people and places are made better by diversity, not worse. I believe this is what Jesus teaches. He was always reaching out to people their society called unclean. He touched and healed lepers, dined with Simon the leper, healed a woman with a bleeding disorder, interacted with women and ate with tax collectors. All of these people were considered “Tame” (unclean) in their society. Jesus did not say that their society was better without the “Tame” – he welcomed them and made them whole. Why shouldn’t we do the same?

Why shouldn’t we do the same…..

Pastor Dave