February 15, 2023 — “Satisfaction is the Foe of Progress”

“Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near…” Isaiah 55:1-6

“A dozen imperative verbs give verses 1-7 an urgent tone—but a happy urgency. These verses invite the listener to eat and drink (vv. 1-2)—to listen and live (v. 3)—to experience an everlasting covenant and steadfast love (v. 3)—to be glorified (v. 5)—to find the Lord (v. 6)—and to receive the Lord’s mercy (v. 7). It sounds too good to be true, like the promises of a carnival barker or a Madison Avenue ad agency—but these offers come, not from someone who is trying to exploit our weaknesses, but from Yahweh, who wants to save us. These promises have the backing of the one who created the universe—who is willing and able to fulfill his promises. Moreover, he waits longingly, like a loving father waiting for an errant child to return—hoping for the opportunity to give—to satisfy—to love—to save.” (sermonwriter.com)

Can our satisfaction in Jesus make us poor Christians? If we are happy in the Lord, and content with our faith, then does satisfaction mean we have no work to do here and now? No! In fact, our satisfaction in Jesus should make us bold Christians. If we are satisfied with Jesus, then by extension, we should be dissatisfied with the state of the world – for although our faith and trust in Jesus will gain us the Kingdom of Heaven, we are nowhere near the Kingdom as it will be one day.

If you think about it, dissatisfaction is the mother of progress. If people would have been satisfied with candles lighting our homes, or gas lanterns being the norm, then we would never have sought out the need for electricity. If people were grateful for the wagon wheel, and satisfied with horsepower by real horses, then we would never have had a need for the automobile.

Dissatisfaction is the mother of progress – it has always and will always be. As such, as we grow in our faith, and begin to internalize the teachings of Jesus, then we should begin to grow dissatisfied with the direction the world is heading – in terms of care for creation, in terms of how we treat the strangers among us, in terms of how we treat the elderly and the homeless, and in terms of how and whether we offer forgiveness and offer love to all people. In other words, we have to be careful not to rest comfortably in our satisfaction of unlimited Grace that comes through Jesus Christ, while there are so many in this world who will never know such satisfaction.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, it is good to find satisfaction in you, but that should not lead us to complacency in the world. Lead me to action in my community and my world while I have my fullness in you. Amen.

Pastor Dave

February 14, 2023 – Valentine’s Day

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes (and) endures all things. Love never ends.” 1 Cor. 13:4-8

On this day, February 14, 269 a young man named Valentine was executed in Rome for his faith (maybe). If he was in fact executed on this day in February, it was the day before the pagan festival to the goddess Februata Juno – a ritual that involved sexual promiscuity between boys and girls. So the question we must consider for this holiday we celebrate called Valentine’s Day is: was the legend of Valentine modified to replace the pagan holiday?  Probably. The church has done this before. The truth is that there may have been two or three martyrs named Valentine who died in different parts of the Roman Empire at around this time. Here are some examples:

“…the Roman Valentine… A city gate on the Flaminian Way and a chapel near it were named for him. Several ancient Christian writers mention his name. There is no doubt he lived and was tortured before being beaten with clubs and beheaded. And yet we have no sure account of why.  Some say this Valentine was a young man with a tender heart who aided Christians who were undergoing martyrdom. He was not even a Christian at the time. Arrested for his activities, he converted to faith while in prison and would not renounce it. Knowing he was going to die, he wrote letters to his friends saying “Remember your Valentine.” Another legend says that the Roman Valentine was a priest who defied the Emperor Claudius’s temporary order and secretly married couples so the husbands wouldn’t have to go to war. Claudius desperately needed more soldiers and did not appreciate this interference.  A third legend says the Roman Valentine was a priest who refused to sacrifice to pagan gods. Imprisoned for this, he gave testimony in prison and through his prayers the jailer’s daughter was healed. On the day of his execution he left her a note signed “Your Valentine.” (Christianity.com website, Martyrdom of St. Valentine, Dan Graves)

During the Middle Ages it was a popular belief that birds paired up in mid-February. This may also be a reason that romantic love was associated with Valentine’s name. Whatever the truth behind the legends, St. Valentine’s Day has become a day we connect with romance and friendship. Here is a poem by E. E. Cummings for you to consider and ponder on this Valentine’s Day.  It is titled love is more thicker than forget:

love is more thicker than forget — more thinner than recall

more seldom than a wave is wet — more frequent than to fail

it is most mad and moonly — and less it shall unbe

than all the sea which only — is deeper than the sea

love is less always than to win — less never than alive

less bigger than the least begin — less littler than forgive

it is most sane and sunly — and more it cannot die

than all the sky which only — is higher than the sky

This poem by Cummings is not easy to understand. Love is as hard to understand as this poem. But that is the point. To love is to open ourselves up to hurt, loss, and pain – but also endless fulfillment and joy. I believe this is what Paul is saying about G-dly love: G-d’s love endures until the end, it never ends – and nothing is greater than that. More importantly G-d’s love for us transcends the sky. So when we can share love with others that is grounded in G-d’s love, then our love will be genuine and long-lasting.

Pastor Dave