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

December 16, 2024 – Stuff That Needs To Be Said: Essential Words on Life, Death, Faith, Politics, Love, and Giving a Damn

“I refuse to be a Christian who lives in fear of people who look or speak or worship differently than I do. I refuse to be a Christian who believes that God blesses America more than God so loves the world.” (Pavlovitz, John. Stuff That Needs To Be Said: Essential Words on Life, Death, Faith, Politics, Love, and Giving a Damn (p. 72). John Pavlovitz. Kindle Edition.)

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:43-46

I grew up in Millersburg, PA. Our rival school district when it came to sports was Upper Dauphin – which incorporated people who lived in Elizabethville, Lykens and such. When I lived in Millersburg, we did not like people who came from that school district up the valley. Interestingly enough, the older I got and the more I lived and asked questions, the more I realized that I had ancestors who came from Elizabethville, Fisherville, and Lykens and the surrounding valleys. You would have thought my whole family only came from Millersburg…but that was not true. It was the unspoken truth in my house.

I watched some of the Ohio State and the University of Michigan football game – and there, the fans won’t even say the name of the other school they dislike each other so much. The Georgia and Georgia Tech football rivalry is called “Clean, Old-fashioned Hate.” It is no wonder there has been and continues to be a growing dislike of people who do not look like us, do not attend the same schools, and do not live in the same states.  

And yet this distrust and “hate” goes way back – even to the time where Nathanael famously says, “Nothing good can come out of Nazareth.” You can hear the distaste for people from Nazareth in the words and sentiment of Nathanael. And yet, when he meets Jesus, his attitude changes completely. Why? Because he goes to meet this person from Nazareth after Philip pleads with him to “Come and See.” It is the easiest sentence in the Evangelism playbook – come and see.

How differently we might feel about people if we actually took the time to meet them, have coffee with them, learn about their lives, and share our stories.

Pastor Dave