Tag Archives: G*d

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on June 18, 2015
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Evil Can Be Undone — Rev. David J. Schreffler

June 18, 2015

“There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.” Abraham said, “Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you many not be able….” Luke 16:19 – 26

“I do not think that all who choose wrong roads perish; but their rescue consists in being put back on the right road. A wrong sum can be put right: but only by going back til you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on. Evil can be undone, but it cannot “develop” into good. Time does not heal it. The spell must be unwound, bit by bit, “with backward mutters of dissevering power” — or else not.” “The Great Divorce” C. S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) “For All The Saints”, volume II (p. 102-103)

I was spending the weekend as the chaplain for a local youth event, when I was summoned to a small group with a young woman who had a question. She wanted to know if Hell was a real place. For her argument, she referenced this text from Luke 16 and the story of Lazarus to state that she believed in Hell. I took a moment to collect my thoughts, because I wanted to make sure I was clear in my opinion, because I had the same opinion as C.S. Lewis – at least in this manner of thought: that we must take some responsibility for the separation we experience from our Lord. If we ignore that relationship, then this separation can continue into the “age to come”. (I was also influenced by the writings of Rob Bell, and in particular the book “Love Wins”.) Because the text from Luke mentions the place “Hades”, Jesus is using a place that the Jews clearly understood as having two realms — the realm of bliss (Abraham’s Bosom) and the place of torment. I went on to explain that our lives are in torment when we separate ourselves from G*d.

Whether there is a place of eternal torment is yet to be determined (in my mind), but my efforts now are to be in relationship with G*d. I would never believe that this entitles me to eternal life, but I believe that Jesus has won that right for me. Any attempts I make to remove myself from a relationship with G*d places me in torment now, and when I come to myself and realize the road I find myself on, I rework my thoughts and actions to place my self back on the right road. It cannot be accomplished by wishes or “plans” — it takes the work of setting ourselves back on the right path.  Ultimately our work is not so that we will receive eternal life, but “because” Christ brings us eternal life now, and in the age to come.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on June 14, 2015
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The Weed You Cannot Control — Rev. David J. Schreffler

June 14, 2015
Sunday

“He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32

“What if the key to reading the parable of the mustard seed were to understand what a peculiar seed it actually is? The things about mustard seeds, you see, is that while some varieties were used as spice and others medicinally, in general they were considered at the very least pesky and often somewhat dangerous. Why? Because wild mustard is incredibly hard to control, and once it takes root it can take over a whole planting area. That’s why mustard would only occasionally be found in a garden in the ancient world; more likely you would look for it overtaking the side of an open hill or abandoned field. Looked at this way, Jesus’ parable is a little darker, even ominous. As John Dominic Crossan puts it:

The point, in other words, is not just that the mustard plant starts as a proverbially small seed and grows into a shrub of three or four feet, or even higher, it is that it tends to take over where it is not wanted, that it tends to get out of control, and that it tends to attract birds within cultivated areas where they are not particularly desired. And that, said Jesus, was what the Kingdom was like: not like the mighty cedar of Lebanon and not quite like a common weed, [more] like a pungent shrub with dangerous takeover properties. Something you would want in only small and carefully controlled doses — if you could control it (The Historical Jesus, pp. 278-279). Mission Possible, David Lose, June 10, 2012 (DearWorkingPreacher)

We spend so much time in the church trying to control everything. We want to control the service: the noise and the temperature and the time and the length of it all. We want to control the ministry: the places, the people, the frequency, and the cost. And here we are trying to control everything while Jesus says that the Kingdom of G*d is like something that cannot be controlled, will spread to places no on wants it, and that it will attract people we do not necessarily want. The question becomes, then what are we to do about it?

The answer sounds simple enough, but it is not easy to implement — and that answer, at least in my opinion is “trust the Spirit”. “So, Pastor Dave”, you may ask, “What is so difficult about that?” Well, the Spirit is unpredictable, uncontrollable, unexpected, and unbelievable — and yet it is the Spirit that builds faith, and drives ministry and worship. And, building faith, and doing ministry is not always simple. We have tried and tested models through which many are still trying to build faith (like traditional bible studies and Christian Education models) that don’t seem to be working anymore. Perhaps the Spirit is trying to tell us that we need to step out of our box of understanding and trust the Spirit to try some new models. This would also apply to doing ministry.

Trust the Spirit. How can you Trust G*d today to allow you to step out of the box and try something new?

Pastor Dave