Thank you!

This is, perhaps, a bit belated, but I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you in the congregation for your kind outpouring of gifts, cards, chocolates (especially those!), and warm wishes during the recent Christmas season.  It is an honor to serve as your pastor, and Tara and I appreciated reading each card, reflecting on each family, and giving thanks for such a group of people with whom we have the privilege of working.  So thank you, one and all, for your many thoughtful gifts in the past month or so.

photo by visualpanic
photo by visualpanic

The letter known as James, written so many years ago, communicates relevant truths about gift-giving that can be useful for all of us in such a time as this.  In the early verses of this short letter, the author encourages Christians to remain faithful to the Lord even in times of testing.  Of course, the earliest Christians – along with some Christians in certain parts of today’s world – faced much more serious persecutions and trials than we experience in contemporary Western culture.  Yet the first gift that James mentions as being worthy of requesting from God is the same gift for which King Solomon yearned in the Old Testament days:  the gift of wisdom.  (See James 1:5.)

Oh, that we might all be wise in our living!  I ask the Lord frequently for wisdom in my service as your pastor; I hope that you ask God for wisdom frequently in your daily vocations, as well.  As generously as Mt. Haley showered Tara and me with Christmas gifts and cards last month, so much more generously will our God shower wisdom on those who ask him for it sincerely and in faith.

For as James teaches us, “All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change” (James 1:17 NET).  How comforting to know that God’s character never changes:  that he is always generous, giving, and forgiving; that he is steadfast, consistent, and just.  The new life he has planted in us through Jesus Christ (see James 1:18) is perhaps the greatest gift God has given us, although it requires (and inspires) us to strive toward holiness and righteousness on an everyday basis.

God’s gift of life-changing wisdom causes the faithful to desire to live differently in ways that please the Giver.  In the same way, those who receive gifts from fellow human beings strive to honor their relationships so that the gifts do not fall empty and become meaningless.  Have you ever received a gift from someone and then worked diligently to strengthen that relationship because of that gift?  So should it be with our relationship with the Lord, in response to his gift of wisdom.

And so it will be in my relationship with you as Pastor of Mt. Haley Church of God.  In the new year, I pledge to renew my efforts to lead this congregation in ways that please God, the giver of all good and perfect gifts.  To God be the glory in 2013!

–Pastor David

 

The Importance of (Total) Bible Reading

Have you ever read the Bible all the way through?  Have you done that more than once in your life?  Do you make a habit of reading scripture every day?  Or perhaps some days?  Or maybe once in a while?  Maybe you have a Bible that’s good at collecting dust on the shelf at home.  Or maybe you don’t even have a Bible at home at all.

I don’t offer any of those possibilities as an attempt to make you feel guilty or unrighteous – or holy or super-righteous, either.  It’s simply true that everyone has a different level of engagement with God’s written word.  Some people are more inclined to make it part of their everyday reading experience.  Others really have no desire to do anything with the Bible at all.  And there are many options in between.

photo by abcdz2000
photo by abcdz2000

So why read the Bible in the first place?  We believe that this book is God’s complete, inspired revelation of himself in written form:  everything we need to know about the Lord is included in its pages.  The full plan of salvation in Jesus Christ is there; a complete set of expectations for how we live, behave, and make choices is there.  Answers to life’s deepest questions are there; even those questions which have no answers are there.  The history of God’s relationship with his people is there.  It is trustworthy, reliable, verifiable, meaningful, hopeful, encouraging, challenging, comforting, disturbing, intriguing, revealing, and enlightening.  For anyone in a relationship with God, or for anyone wondering who God is, the Bible is indispensable reading material.

So why read the whole Bible, then?  Surely there are parts of it that are less interesting or useful than others.  (All those genealogies in the Old Testament, come on!)  I agree, some parts of the Bible are more appealing than others.  That’s because the Bible is comprised of many different genres of literature:  history, songs, philosophy, poetry, gospel stories, letters, prophecies, and so forth.  And each book of the Bible was written by a unique author (or authors) from a unique perspectives.  There’s a wealth of material to learn simply by reading and studying this book.

Jesus is the most important character in the Bible, of course, but his story becomes richer, fuller, more powerful, more complete when we read all of scripture with him in mind.  The entirety of the Bible – from Genesis through Revelation – is necessary reading material for the disciple of Jesus.

So have you read the Bible all the way through before?  If not, why not begin now?  But I’ll caution you:  if you haven’t read the Bible from start to finish before, don’t read it like a regular novel, starting on page 1 and going to the end.  I guarantee it, by the time you get to Leviticus or Numbers, you’ll run out of steam.  If you want to read the Bible all the way through, there are a bunch of plans and translations available to help keep it interesting.  Come talk with me any time – we’ll work on it together!

–Pastor David

How to be a Levite

It’s 2013, and that means new things are on the horizon!  At Mt. Haley, that is very true in an interesting way.  This year, one of our focuses will be on learning more about the nuts and bolts of how and why we worship God.  Once a month, after our Sunday morning service, we will have an event entitled “How to be a Levite.”  Each of these events will give you the opportunity to learn about the various roles and responsibilities of different people in our worship services.

In Old Testament days, Levites were people of the tribe of Levi – the tribe of Israelites who were in charge of the tabernacle of God.  Moses and his brother Aaron were from the tribe of Levi, and Aaron’s descendants became priests and Levites, people who were designated for leadership in the worship of God at the tabernacle and, later, the temple in Jerusalem.  Levites play a major role in the Old Testament, beginning in the book of Numbers.  Take a look at 1 Chronicles 15 and see how important the Levites were when King David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem for the first time.

photo by Xavier68
photo by Xavier68

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an usher or a chairperson in our worship services?  Have you thought about reading scripture during the service, or perhaps have you wanted to improve your skills?  How about participating on a newly-forming drama team or singing with the praise team?  Why do we do all these things (and many more)?  And how do we do them well, so that God is praised by all who gather for worship?

Those are the kinds of questions that this series will address.  You are welcome to attend any or all of these sessions, regardless of whether you are interested simply in learning or in future participation.  Just stay after church on the announced Sunday, share in lunch with those who stay, and then enjoy learning about our worship services!

This month, on January 20, we will focus on our audio/visual systems.  How does our sound system work?  How does the projection system work?  Why are these systems vital to our worship experience?  How can we use these systems to help people worship well?  Stay after church on the 20th and we’ll discuss all these questions and more!

–Pastor David

A Pure Glass of Water

I was visited by two Jehovah’s Witnesses at the church this afternoon.  One of these two ladies has visited me several times this year, each time with a different companion.  I generally enjoy spending time with them, although I wonder why they visit me (will I convert? probably not!) and why I often feel on the defensive when they visit (do I have anything to fear? no!).

Jehovah’s Witnesses express faith in Jesus Christ, believe in his death for the atonement of sins, and generally try to please God with how they live.  (As a side note, they do not talk much about Jesus’s resurrection.  They say, quietly, that “God resurrected Jesus, but not as a human.”  This is an unorthodox and non-biblical belief.  If Jesus was not raised to life again as a real human being, then his power over sin and death is greatly diminished.  In my understanding, the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ mistaken beliefs about Jesus are, in part, what make them non-Christians.)

Yet the reason for today’s visit was to discuss the meaning of Christmas and how “pagan” (to use my friend’s word) many of our Christmas celebrations are.  She said that it is more important for God’s followers to live in ways that please him all year long rather than simply to remember Jesus for one day (or one season) of the year.  She said that true Christians should not celebrate Christmas at all because of its pagan origins – which is a standard Jehovah’s Witness belief.

photo by blmurch

To illustrate her beliefs about Christmas, she had me imagine a glass of pure water.  If you just add a little bit of cyanide or other poison to the water, it may still look like water – and it may not kill you.  Eventually, though, if you keep adding poison to the water, it will be deadly to someone who drinks it.  It’s best to stick with the pure water.  My friend said this is what “so-called Christians” have done with the Christmas season, especially by adding so many commercial and marketing and gift-giving events to the month of December.

Friends, this is exactly what these visitors from the Jehovah’s Witnesses have done:  they have gotten used to a certain amount of “poison” in their water.  Each time my friend visits, I am given another piece of literature from the Watchtower organization.  (I enjoy building up a library of works from all sorts of religions, such as Islam, Mormonism, the Witnesses, etc.)  Jehovah’s Witnesses must adhere to everything the Bible says – this they claim readily – as well as everything the Watchtower organization says, which often dictates how people should interpret the Bible.  You cannot disagree with anything found in these publications of the Jehovah’s Witnesses if you want to remain in good fellowship with that group.  And you must “work out your salvation” by going from door to door in order to spread the message of the kingdom of God – and, incidentally, to spread the Watchtower’s literature.

How much poison can a person get used to?  How many good works must a person do to please God?

As for us, “the Bible is our rule of faith, and Christ alone is Lord.”  All other resources outside the Bible can be helpful or harmful.  We are free to study the Bible, to question it, to test it, to doubt it, to live according to it.  But we must constantly be on the lookout for modifications to true biblical faith that put, in this case, too much emphasis on our own works for righteousness and too much emphasis on believing everything a human leader or organization says.

I don’t think my Jehovah’s Witness friend realized that her illustration applies perfectly to her very own life.  And that makes me sad.

–Pastor David

Go to Where the Water Is

Today, I took the afternoon (as I often do on Thursdays) to finish up the sermon for Sunday morning.  A good bit of my time in sermon writing is spent in thought, prayer, and meditation, and so I often find myself looking out the windows of my church office while I organize my thoughts.  Today, I saw something I haven’t noticed before, something that interrupted my train of thought, something I’d like to share with you:

The snow on the roof is melting in the sunlight, and water drops are falling off the edge of the roof onto the ground below.  Suddenly, a few birds – cardinals, from the looks of one of them – land on the edge of the roof, bend over, and drink from the water droplets as they trickle off the edge of the building.

photo by ccho

I think what struck me about this scene is just how odd of a drinking position that must be for the birds.  Can you imagine jumping into a stream of running water, facing downstream, bending over, and drinking until your thirst is quenched?  I suppose the birds found this water much more palatable than the running water in nearby Bullock Creek – a stream from which neither birds nor humans would drink willingly!

These birds went to where the water is, and they found satisfaction for their thirst.  Water is fuel for life:  nearly all species of plants and animals depend on water for survival.  So we too, in our daily lives, need spiritual refreshment and nourishment.  Where do we find water for the soul?

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7:37-39 NIV)

Friends, in your everyday walk of faith, go to where the water is:  even Jesus Christ, the one whose birth we celebrate this season, whose glory was revealed on the cross and in the empty tomb, whose Spirit dwells in those who believe, whose return we await with great hope and anticipation.  Drink deeply from this source of life, no matter if it seems like a strange thing to do from the world’s perspective.  There is no better way to live!

–Pastor David

Already and Not Yet

As people of faith in Christ Jesus, we celebrate this current season with special fervor and religious anticipation.  The Christmas season, while maddeningly materialistic and terribly self-centered in our American culture, still holds special meaning for Christians.  We want to encourage people in our community to “keep Christ in Christmas” – yet at the same time, we should remember why we celebrate this season and what it means for the faith.

photo by Per Ola Wiberg

We are people who believe in an “already and not yet” kingdom of God.  God’s reign over the universe broke into this world in personal, tangible form through the person of Jesus Christ.  This was the content of Jesus’s preaching (see Mark 1:14-15), and this was the reason that Jesus was born into the world (see John 18:33-38).  He reigns in our hearts in the present tense.  He conquers sin in our lives in the present tense.  His rule is already secure because of his nature, his work on the cross, and his empty tomb.

And yet the kingdom of God is not yet completely fulfilled.  We await Jesus’s return at the end of the age, at which point his kingdom will come in its completeness and perfection (see Revelation 22:6-21).  There will be no more suffering in the future tense.  The presence of God will fill us with heavenly light in the future tense.  We yearn for Christ to return even within our lifetimes so that we might witness his reign being made complete.

We are “already and not yet” Christians.  We believe in an “already and not yet” Lord, one who has already atoned for our sins but has not yet brought about the ultimate fullness of his kingdom.

This ties into our observance of the season of Advent, the season in which we celebrate the “coming” (“advent”) of Jesus Christ:  both his birth into the world and his second coming at the end of the age.  We are “already and not yet” Christians who celebrate an “already and not yet” Lord!

We tend to focus on the past tense story of Christmas, the birth of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem, during this season.  Let us always remember, though, that our faith points us toward a future tense story of Advent, which is the return of Christ in final victory and triumph.  Even as Jesus came to earth in the form of a tiny, humble baby, so he will return again as ultimate, undisputed, unmistakable King.

Who needs Black Friday sales, Cyber Monday advertisements, nonstop secular Christmas songs, and stereotypical American indebtedness to celebrate this season?  Let’s celebrate Advent, in word and in deed, as people of true faith.

–Pastor David

Was Jesus Ever Bullied?

This fall, I have the pleasure of working with a handful of fifth- and sixth-grade boys on a Boy Scout course entitled “God and Church.”  The course focuses on who Jesus is, what the church is about, and how we can plug in to the life and ministry of the church through worship and service.  So far, I have really enjoyed the time I’ve been able to spend with these boys and their parents on a weekly basis!

At our last meeting, we were talking about how much like us Jesus is – that is, how he is fully human and experienced things just like we do.  (The next session is about how Jesus is fully divine:  we believe both!)  During the course of our conversation, one of the boys asked me a very insightful question:

“Was Jesus ever bullied?”

photo by Eddie~S

That question made me stop and think for a while.  We often talk about how Jesus was tempted in every way, like we are, but never sinned (Hebrews 4:15).  We remember how Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).  We remember how Jesus had real human emotions like anger (John 2:12-22), sorrow (John 11:32-37), love (Mark 10:17-21), and many others.  But was Jesus ever bullied?

We don’t know much about his childhood; just a couple of stories survive about those years, and none of them apply to this particular issue.  So we can’t say for sure that Jesus was bullied as a child.  But certainly there were occasions when Jesus as an adult was ignored, made fun of, or treated unfairly by other people:

  • During his ministry, Jesus’s own family – his very own mother and brothers – thought he was crazy and out of his mind.  (Can you imagine?  At least his mother Mary should have known better!)  They tried to make him keep quiet, stop teaching, and stop performing miracles.  He responded by reminding everyone that obeying God’s will is his highest priority.  (See Mark 3:20-35.)
  • Jesus instructed his followers to expect to be hated by others because of their belief in him.  Being a Christ-follower makes a person subject to the ridicule of other people, just as it did for Jesus himself and all the prophets of God before him.  Jesus responded to the world’s hatred of him by speaking the truth, trusting in God, and remaining faithful to his calling.  (See Luke 6:22-23, Matthew 24:9-10, and John 15:18-27.)
  • When Jesus had been sentenced to die by crucifixion, he was flogged mercilessly and was handed over to the Roman guards.  They stripped his clothes away and began to mock him:  they put a royal robe over his bleeding shoulders, and they made a royal crown – made of thorns, not gold – and forced it on his head.  They made fun of him, spat on him, and hit him on the head over and over again.  He responded by not saying a word through the whole affair.  (See Matthew 27:24-31.)
  • Even while he was hanging on the cross, in his final moments, Jesus was mocked by the soldiers, bystanders, and other criminals.  All were saying that if he really was the King of the Jews, why didn’t he save himself?  Jesus responded by asking God to forgive those who were hurting him and by speaking kindly to a dying man who asked Jesus to remember him.  (See Luke 23:33-43.)

“Was Jesus ever bullied?”  I think the answer is “absolutely, yes” – even if bullying looks slightly different today.  Many young people today are bullied in school and in other places, for many kinds of reasons.  This is an awful truth, and we as people of faith must stand up against bullies on behalf of the children in our community.

Jesus understands that terrible experience, too, on a personal level.  What’s more, he shows us all how we should respond:  by trusting in God, by remembering the truth about who we are as God’s children, and by relying on his strength for every day’s challenges.

–Pastor David

Election Time

You may have noticed that it’s almost election time here in the United States.  Incredible amounts of attention, time, and money have been poured into this election season, and all of this will come to a climax on Tuesday, November 6.  How should we, as followers of Jesus Christ, approach the elections – and their results, whatever those should be?

photo by Mortimer62

I’d like you to look up and read a few different Bible passages today.  First, consider Romans 13:1-7.  Paul is writing to Christians in Rome – the seat of the Roman Empire which persecuted early Christians.  And yet he encourages them to understand the governing authorities as rulers who have been put in place by God; therefore, Christians are to pay taxes, give honor and respect, and submit to those who are in authority – even those who might persecute them for their faith.  How blessed we are to live in a country in which power transfers peacefully and without threat of imprisonment or bloodshed for those who disapprove of those in power!  How much more important it is for us to fulfill the call of Romans 13 as citizens of this country!

Next, look up 1 Peter 2:13-25.  Here, Peter is writing to Christians in various places in southwest Asia, who again were being persecuted for the sake of Jesus Christ.  Like Paul wrote in Romans, Peter encourages his audience to respect, honor, and be subject to all types of human authority – even those that would cause them harm.  Peter’s rationale for this type of behavior is that those who suffer for the sake of Christ are imitating Christ and are becoming more like Christ.  After all, Jesus Christ suffered terribly at the hands of the government; he even died by capital punishment, and yet he never sinned but committed himself to God.  How blessed we are to be free from the threat of bodily harm because of our belief in Jesus!  Pray for those in our world today who do experience such harm!  And put 1 Peter 2 into action in your relationship to those in authority over you!

1 Timothy 2:1-8 calls us to pray consistently – and to be thankful – for our local, regional, and national leaders.  Jeremiah 29:1-7 calls us to work diligently for the good of our society, even if that society is foreign to us and is not our true home, as Babylon was for the Israelites in exile.

Friends, let me encourage you to do three things.  First, make sure you are informed about all of the issues and individuals, local and national, that will be on Tuesday’s ballot (even if you are reading this after Election Day).  Second, make sure you find time to vote, because voting is the legal, peaceful, authorized, and best way for us to make our voices heard.  Third, and most importantly, once the elections have passed, pray for those who are or will be in authority over us.  Respect those who are in authority over us.  And give thanks to God that these decisions and transitions can be made in our society without threat of violence.

And pray for those places in the world where that last sentence is not true.

–Pastor David

Justice and Mercy

I recently had the opportunity to see the inside of a Midland County courtroom – my first such experience as a pastor.  This particular courtroom features a mural on the wall behind the judge’s bench; the mural depicts Native Americans coming together for a tribal council, a fitting scene to honor the history of the justice system in this part of the country.

photo by SeeMidTN.com

What struck me the most about the courtroom, however, were the words that were emblazoned across the bottom of the mural:

Justice and Mercy – the Alpha and Omega of Human Attainment

As you may know, on Sunday evenings we are studying the Book of Revelation together while our high school youth group meets with Pastor Jerry.  This study has been fascinating and challenging for us.  (Remember, it’s never too late to try it out!)  When I saw the courtroom’s motto displayed across the wall, I couldn’t help but think of Revelation 1:8 (NIV):

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; they are like our English letters A and Z.  To say that something is the alpha and omega means that it is before and after everything else in terms of its importance.  Anything else must be understood in relation to the “bookends” of the alphabet.  Nothing is more important than the alpha; nothing comes after the omega.

In Revelation, we read that Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega:  he is before all things, and he is after all things.  Nothing is more important than he; nothing will last longer than he.  Everything that we do as Christians must point to the supremacy of Christ in the universe.  Every one of our decisions, actions, reactions, and relationships should be influenced by the one who was, who is, and who is to come.

So back to the courtroom motto:  can justice and mercy serve as the alpha and omega of human attainment?  I like this as a slogan for our public justice system for a few reasons.  First, we uphold justice as the “alpha” of our court system:  those who have broken the law are to be held accountable for their actions.  Second, we also uphold mercy at the end of the day:  even though the verdict is “guilty,” the judge reserves the right to assign penalties (within the law) as he or she sees fit.  This may very well include true acts of mercy from the judge.  And third, holding justice and mercy together in dramatic tension with each other requires skill, patience, humility, and integrity.

I would suggest, however, that the tension between justice and mercy is not a human invention after all.  We find the perfect and original example of this tension in the biblical God, who demands justice against sinful humanity yet provides mercy through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

–Pastor David

On Being Ordained

Yesterday, I met with the credentials committee of the Church of God in Michigan.  This second interview was intended to determine whether or not the committee will recommend me for ordination at this November’s state General Assembly meeting in Lansing.  I received word last night that they, in fact, are recommending me for ordination, so this will indeed take place on Saturday morning, November 10.

This is a great honor for me, to be brought into the larger fold of pastors and ministers in the Church of God and in the Christian movement in general.  This comes as the culmination of a long process that began, for me, while I was in seminary in Indiana.  The process involved reading several books, taking a Bible content exam, writing theological statements on fourteen different topics, defending those statements in front of the credentials committee, and meeting with a mentoring pastor.  Also, in the next several months I will complete a LAMP (“Life and Ministry Plan”) with the help of my SHAPE (“Sustaining Health and Pastoral Excellence”) group – a group of five local Church of God pastors that meets monthly for support, encouragement, and growth.

These tasks only have meaning, however, because of the ministry that I am privileged to do with you at Mt. Haley Church of God.  It is because of this relationship between pastor and church that I do all these things – that I even pursue ordination.  The ordination of a pastor is not a rite of passage that simply makes the pastor look or feel good; it is a process that strengthens the pastor’s call, encourages him or her in the work of ministry, and validates the ministry of the local church in which he or she serves.  I will be honored to serve Mt. Haley Church of God as an ordained minister starting on Sunday, November 11.

We will host a special ordination service at Mt. Haley sometime after this November’s General Assembly meeting.  There is no rush for this; we may wait until our snowbirds return in the spring.  Just as we celebrated my installation as pastor at Mt. Haley two years ago, I will be grateful to celebrate with you my ordination as a minister in the Church of God sometime in the near future.

in Christ’s service,

–Pastor David