Tag Archives: Faith

Faith in Jesus Christ which comes through the presence of the Holy Spirit

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on December 13, 2015
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Practical Theology –Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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December 13, 2015
Sunday

“And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” Luke 3:10 – 14

“This is practical theology. There’s great specificity to this passage. John speaks directly to several groups, identifying specific good actions. DIY ABC with a complete to –do list. What should we do – consider the coats in your cupboard. Consider the chairs at the table. Consider the money in the bank. Consider the people you pass on the street. Consider your own actions. Don’t get tripped up on any of your expectations, but pay attention to the specific call of God. That’s a good Advent call. But it isn’t just the answers that are important – it’s also the question. Asking the question “what then should we do?” is letting God get internal. It’s letting our specific context become the location of the good news. Not claiming Abraham as an ancestor so much as asking God to birth newness through us. With asking hearts in these Advent days, we still await and celebrate God with us.” (Practical Theology and Subversive Advent, by Katie Munnik, In The Messy Table, December 10, 2012, Presbyterian Record)

Ministry in the church begins with asking the question “What should we do?” It is a question I try to get my congregation, at least I do with individual members, but I try to get them to ask this question often. What should we do as a church? What should you and I do as individual believers? If we do not ask this question often, we may find that over time our ministries become irrelevant if not ineffective. And when we ask the question, we have to trust that G-d will provide an answer, if not also the path. It is, as Katie Munnik says, “practical theology”. We look around us and see what we have, what we possess right at this moment, when we look to do ministry. The context of our church, our lives, and our surroundings will determine what we do and who we serve. And if we do not follow “practical theology”, we may be like the fire station that teaches fire safety, but has no fire engine.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on December 5, 2015
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Keeping Your Eyes on the Prize — Rev. David J. Schreffler

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December 5, 2015

“When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Matthew 21:1 – 9

“Sometimes I feel that the whole world is alive with G*d’s comings – quite literally. A close call on the interstate highway and I’m grateful that he provided the lull; a bathrobe catches on a door knob and rips – and what’s G*d got against me this morning? This if frivolous, self-centered, verging on the superstitious – I know that! But I wonder if it isn’t better than assuming that G*d speaks to us only in crisis, or only in scripture and in church. As if we could limit G*d so!” (From Death to Birth, Edmund A. Steimle, [1907 – 1988] “For All The Saints” volume III [p. 11 – 12]

It is easy to see G-d in the extraordinary, in the sacred, and in the beauty of the earth. It is not so easy to see G-d in the ordinary, the everyday, the dull, the dim, and the dank. Yet, if we proclaim that G-d is in all things, then we should see G-d in ALL things. I did not have a good summer this year. Many things were happening all at once that gave me a tsunami of feelings, and emotions and fears. It was not a good time for the everyday workings of my life, but G-d was ever present –alive in so many ways that it was easy to see the hope and the promise through the problems and tribulations. Just because I am having a bad spell in my life does not mean that Christ has abandoned me. What I have learned is, if I feel as if G-d has forgotten about me, then I need to pay more attention to G-d, and then I will see that Christ is still active, in the midst of the bad, and in the presence of the good, and in the mix of the mundane. Christ is always there, I just need to find ways to keep my eyes on the prize, yes when all is good, but also when the storms rage, and when the boredom is profound.

Pastor Dave