December 11, 2024 – A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community

“Awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” Acts 2:43-47

“Churches get leveled and relationships are severed, all because we didn’t want to do the messy, costly work up front of sharing everything and admitting that maybe we’re all family precisely because of our junk, that we’re all in equal need of mercy, and that God is more benevolent and patient than we ever are with one another.” (Pavlovitz, John. A Bigger Table, Expanded Edition with Study Guide: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community (pp. 52-53). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.)

“We are family. I got all my sisters with me. We are family…come on everybody sing….Everyone can see we’re together, As we walk on by

(And) And we flock just like birds of a feather, I won’t tell no lie

(All) All of the people around us, they say “Can they be that close?”

Just let me state for the record, We’re giving love in a family dose”

Oh the words of the song “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge. Can they be that close? It seems the early believers from our reading in Acts 2 were just that close. They worked together, offering their collective belongings and money for the good of the community and the ministry of Jesus. These points suggest that where G-d is especially at work and where G-d’s presence is especially experienced, such giving and sharing is the natural Christian response.

I like to think that our churches still function in a similar way, though it does look very, very different. The only groups today who give all of their belongings and money to a so called “divine purpose” are members of cults. Jim Jones and the People’s Temple is a good example. I do not mean this as an indictment but merely as a recognition. But where there is such a calling to share openly and with generosity, our response should be one of celebration rather than suspicion.

What we should be sharing in a communal and individual manner are our own experiences of G-d’s grace and mercy and love in and among us. What message do we send to the world about G-d by our own attitudes and deeds concerning how many possessions we need to accumulate? How can our own lives better reflect what G-d has done for us and the living presence of Christ in our midst?

Pastor Dave

December 10, 2024 – Stuff That Needs To Be Said: Essential Words on Life, Death, Faith, Politics, Love, and Giving a Damn

“[Jesus said] Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”—Jesus (Matthew 7:15-20)

“The Christianity of Jesus left people with more dignity and greater care; with healed wounds and fuller bellies; with calmed fears and quieted worries. It left people seen and heard and known. It left a wake of kindness and generosity and goodness and compassion.” (Pavlovitz, John. Stuff That Needs To Be Said: Essential Words on Life, Death, Faith, Politics, Love, and Giving a Damn (p. 70). John Pavlovitz. Kindle Edition.)

By their fruit you will know them. I want to be proud to say that I am a Christian, but there are people out in our world and in our community who will meet you with derision if you claim to be a Christian. Why? Because their experience with Christianity has been negative and exclusionary – not welcoming and uplifting. When they come to the church and ask for help, they are met with frowns and requirements to join. When they seek a community of prayer and support, they are met with a community who is generous with damnation and stingy with Grace. When the community wants to know why churches of different denominations do not have joint worship or shared ministry, all we can do is shrug our shoulders and mourn the state of the church.

When we are forced to admit that the decline of the “institutional church” is endemic, perhaps we also need to admit that G-d is grieving the behavior and the teachings of so many Christians. I do not believe that G-d wants us to hate more than to love. I do not believe that G-d wants us to offer someone a stone who is asking for a loaf of bread. I am certain Jesus does not want me to give someone a snake when they ask for a fish to eat. (Matthew 7:9-11) But the more that the “institutional church” is offering the derision of snakes and plates filled with stones, the more we deserve the same condemnation. And good people of G-d, that is not a church I want to be a part of. I want people to know us by our fruit – not our snakes.

Pastor Dave