All Hallows’ Eve

Today, of course, is Halloween – the time when many people put candles inside pumpkins, wear elaborate costumes, and go from house to house collecting candy from neighbors.  (We do some pretty strange things sometimes, don’t we?)  This is a festive time of year; it’s the last outdoor celebration we will have before the weather turns cold for the season.  It’s a time for neighbors to talk, laugh, share, and enjoy each other’s company.  It’s a time for children to put more sugar into their bodies than their parents usually allow.  All in all, everyone has a good time!

The name “Halloween” reminds me that this is also a time for spiritual reflection.  Halloween certainly isn’t a religious holiday, but it does have ties to a religious theme.  “Halloween” is thought to be a contraction of the name “All Hallows’ Eve,” which is the night before “All Hallows’ Day” or “All Saints’ Day.”  On November 1 (or, for some Christians, another day in the year), the vast majority of Christians around the world pause to remember those believers who have died in the past year and are now entrusted fully to the Lord’s care.  The night before All Saints’ Day is, in a sense, a time of preparation for the remembrance to occur on the following day.

Several years ago, I was worshiping with a United Methodist congregation while I was in graduate school.  On All Saints’ Day (or the nearest Sunday to it), we gathered for a regular worship service.  During the course of this service, there came a time when the pastor read the names of church members who had died in the previous year.  After each name was read, someone rang the large bell in the church tower.  Although I didn’t know any of these individuals because I had just moved to their town, I felt grateful to be part of a worship experience in which believers gathered to give thanks for the lives of their loved ones.

On this year’s All Saints’ Day – and today, on All Hallows’ Eve – I hope you can take a few moments to pause and give thanks for the gift of life, the ability to buy candy, the opportunity to wear costumes, the enjoyment of neighborly company.  And I hope you take a moment or two to reflect on the mystery of life and death:  that those who die in the Lord are entrusted to his care and will be raised to new life when Christ returns.  We as a congregation are well aware of those to whom we have said goodbye in the past few months.  Remember them as well, and give thanks that they are among the millions throughout history who have finished this earthly race in the faith.

Then be sure to enjoy this secular holiday and all its festivities, too!  For what it’s worth, my favorite part of Halloween is how the price of Halloween candy plummets on the next day.  Enjoy this introspective yet joyous season, church!

–Pastor David

Discerning God’s Call

Normally, I don’t like to talk about politics in the church.  That’s because any given congregation is comprised of people with varying political beliefs, and I don’t believe it is appropriate for a pastor to preach politics from the pulpit.  We gather together on Sunday mornings to give praise to God and to learn from him; Sunday gatherings should not be for political manipulation or persuasion.

Sometimes, however, the spheres of politics and religion overlap – perhaps more frequently than we realize.  In the past few months, our society has been observing and studying several different Republican candidates for President.  Some of these candidates have made a fascinating religious claim:  that they have been called by God to run for this office.

I have a personal history with experiencing God’s call on my life.  My call to ministry is something I share publicly, and if you don’t know my story, I would be glad to tell you someday.  So when I hear other people speaking openly about God calling them to one particular task or another, my ears perk up a little bit.  What does that call mean to them?  What does it look like?  What are the ramifications of that call?  How do we know if that call is valid?  Are we sure that this is an authentic call?

I do not doubt that God can call individuals to play certain roles in society.  Some are called to be teachers; others are called to be construction workers.  Some are called to be secretaries; others are called to be plumbers.  Some people are called to raise families.  Some people are called to exercise leadership.  And the way God calls people to these tasks may be quite different from person to person.

Perhaps you simply can’t conceive of doing anything other than this with your life.  Perhaps you have an internal sense, a drive within your spirit, that pulls you into this area of work or service.  Perhaps other Christians have identified strengths in you, and you have put those gifts to work in a particular field.  Maybe you have even heard God’s voice speaking to you, instructing you to move in a certain direction.

Whatever the case may be, I believe firmly that God’s call for individuals (a) must be consistent with the teachings of scripture and (b) must be validated and confirmed by other honest, integrity-filled members of the church.  That is, God doesn’t call people to do things that go against what the Bible teaches.  And God doesn’t call people to do things that nobody else agrees with.  (Even reformers like Martin Luther and D. S. Warner had supporters surrounding them.)

So what are we to make of presidential candidates expressing a call from God to run for this office?  My advice is this:  Don’t put too much weight on these calls.  Scripture teaches about the kind of character required of leaders in the church – and it would be nice if our national leaders had the same character.  But the office of President of the United States is a secular office which requires specific political, economic, legislative, and executive skills.  (And I should add that it does not require a specific divine call!)  We should be cautious of anyone who claims to be called by God to be our President – similar to how a congregation should carefully investigate anyone who expresses a call to serve as its pastor.

–Pastor David

The Joy of a Wedding

I have the privilege of performing the wedding ceremony for a couple at their home in our neighborhood later today.  These two aren’t part of a church family, but they wanted to be married in a religious ceremony rather than at the courthouse.  They called our church a few months ago and asked me to marry them, and I agreed:  they seem well matched for each other, and I am honored to play this important role in their lives.

Over the past few months, I have met with them on several occasions to get to know them better and to help them understand the Christian approach to marriage.  I’ve seen some of the difficult life situations they face, and I’ve learned their perspective on their relationship and what marriage means to them.  Last night, we had the official wedding rehearsal – which was followed by my first experience eating a deep-fried turkey! – and I was struck by the joy and excitement of all who were in attendance.

Weddings are (usually) such enjoyable occasions.  If all goes well, the uniting of husband and wife is a reason for everyone to celebrate.  All the stress and tension that goes into planning a wedding seems to disappear once the ceremony begins.  And certainly once the ceremony is over, the participants can look back on all the preparatory work and (hopefully) say, “All that work was worth it!”

We as believers in Christ are constantly preparing ourselves for a great wedding that will take place when Christ returns.  As Revelation 19:6-8 (NIV) says:

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

Brothers and sisters, we are in that season of preparation for our wedding day.  Let us continually work on clothing ourselves with appropriate wedding attire, so that when the Lamb comes and the wedding begins, we will be ready – and so that we will be able to say, “All this preparation was worth it!”  What a day that will be!

–Pastor David

Using the Body’s Gifts

Many of us were missing this past Sunday for various reasons, and those of us who were in the Lord’s house felt the difference.  Unfortunately, our recording device didn’t record the sermon this week, so we don’t have the usual sermon audio backup for those who were away.  Let me say, briefly, that while our sermon audio postings are helpful for visitors, distant friends, and church workers who are out of the sanctuary, there is no substitute for regular, consistent meetings with the people of God.  Simply put, we belong together, and we suffer when we are apart from each other.

This ties in directly to the sermon text from this past Sunday, Romans 12:1-8.  Take a few minutes to find and read that passage in your Bible.  We belong together, Paul says!  As part of the same body, the body of Christ, we have different functions, roles, and gifts.  And each of us belongs to all the others.  This is a type of lifestyle that differs greatly from the natural order of things, the way the world works:  normally, people (especially American people) consider themselves to be independent creatures, able to act as they please without regard for others.  In the body of Christ, though, we exist differently:  we are to live for the sake of the whole and for the sake of Christ.  Life in the church truly is an alternative community.

With this in mind, the issue of “spiritual gifts” becomes more clear.  We are given gifts by the Spirit of God not for our own sake but for the sake of the church community to which we belong.  On Sunday, we studied Romans 12 to see what Paul identified as gifts for everyone in the community, not just for its leaders:

  • Prophesying:  preaching, speaking words from God to edify the church
  • Serving: ministering, taking care of the details of the church’s life
  • Teaching: conveying the truths of the gospel for those who are learning
  • Encouraging: urging fellow believers to live the life of faith
  • Giving: contributing and distributing material goods for the church and for others
  • Leading: charting the course for the church
  • Showing mercy: visiting the sick, elderly, imprisoned, etc. (among other tasks)

These seven gifts were not intended to be comprehensive; neither were the lists of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4.  Instead, they are illustrations and examples; in whatever ways God has given you abilities and interests, use those gifts for the sake of the church.  And this applies to everyone, not just to the leaders of the church.  (Take another look at the list above; don’t those things sound like the job descriptions of the pastor and the church council?)  Paul is speaking to everyone in the Christian community in Rome (and to us!) when he writes these words.

We belong to each other.  We need each other!  God has blessed each of us uniquely to play important roles in the life of the church.  Let’s discover our gifts and use them for the glory of God and for the growth of the church to which we belong!

(For those of you reading this online, there are many free spiritual gifts inventories on the web.  Take a few minutes and explore this site or this site, and see what you can discover!)

–Pastor David

Unelectric Church

What an experience we had last Sunday! For those of you who were not in attendance here, we experienced a major windstorm in central Michigan on Saturday evening, and around midnight the power was knocked out at the church and at various homes throughout the neighborhood. Electricity was not restored until later on Sunday afternoon, so our Sunday morning meeting was somewhat … different than normal.

We met in the Fellowship Hall for worship, because its windows let in more natural light than the sanctuary. We sang from the hymnal, and we did well without microphones. The congregation sang with tremendous vigor and energy – the strongest singing I’ve heard since Tara and I arrived last August! Several people commented afterward that the service felt like campmeeting and that this was one of the strongest services we’ve had in recent months. I tend to agree: our worship was inspired and greatly energetic, at least partially due to our “extreme” circumstances.

How accustomed we are to the convenience of electricity! And how wonderful to be reminded that our worship of the Lord depends on us, not on the setting in which we find ourselves.

Just a few weeks ago, we focused on the story from John 4 in which Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well. In that passage, Jesus says that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23, NIV). I raised this question then: what does that kind of worship look like? In a fascinating manner, I believe the Lord gave us an opportunity to experience that kind of worship this past Sunday.

Does our worship depend on light bulbs in chandeliers, lyrics projected overhead by a computer, or amplification via microphones? Does our worship depend on radiated heat, flush toilets, or coffee machines?

What do we expect when we come into the house of the Lord? Do we expect to be comfortable, or do we expect to encounter the living God?

If nothing else, I think we can benefit from this lesson: The value of our corporate worship has more to do with the attitudes of our hearts rather than with the amenities of our facility. Perhaps we should shut off the electricity once a year to remind ourselves of this truth!

–Pastor David

Citizenship in the Kingdom of God

By now you are well aware of the news: Osama bin Laden has been killed. How should we respond as Christians? Much has been said in the past few days; here are a few more thoughts.

I am a citizen of the kingdom of God. This is due to the work of salvation that Jesus Christ began on the cross and has been completing in me since I accepted him into my heart when I was a child. One way our scriptures speak of this is being “born again” or “born from above.” This new birth marked my entrance into the kingdom of God, which Jesus proclaimed was breaking into the world but was not of this world. This kingdom is already present but not yet consummated. This kingdom is populated with human beings whose earthly mortality will not end their participation in the kingdom.

I am also a citizen of the United States of America. This is due to the fact that my parents lived in this country at the time that I was born. I am certainly grateful for all the blessings that accompany that citizenship – and I am sure that there are many of which I am not even aware. However, my citizenship in this country is only good for as long as my mortal body is alive. At death, this citizenship expires.

Why is this distinction important? I believe that I must maintain this distinction so that I can learn to react appropriately to events that take place in the world around me. When crime occurs in my neighborhood, I struggle with the presence of evil, but I attempt to forgive those who do me harm and pray for those who persecute me. When joblessness and poverty fuel each other in a vicious cycle, I encourage and share resources with (or ask for help from) people around me. When troubles, wars, famines, and plagues of all kinds strike my homeland, I trust in the Lord, who said these things must happen, and I offer a helping hand whenever possible.

How does a citizen of the kingdom of God react to the news of Osama bin Laden’s death? How should an American Christian respond? To be honest, I don’t know.

It is undoubtedly a good thing for the United States that bin Laden has been killed. His death signals a major victory against terrorist organizations, and it allows us to breathe a small sigh of relief after holding our collective breath for the past ten years. However, since my citizenship is primarily in the kingdom of God rather than in an earthly kingdom, my reactions to this event must reflect that identity.

One more person has died without having a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

This person’s death has elicited responses of satisfied revenge among many American citizens. King David praised God for how Abigail persuaded him not to seek revenge against her husband Nabal and the men of his town (1 Samuel 25:32-34).

This person’s death may usher in an era of peace for our nation; on the other hand, the future may hold more uncertainty and hardship. Jesus Christ’s command still stands: we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us – that is, those who persecute the church, not those who persecute the United States (Matthew 5:43-48).

Furthermore, we should agree with Paul, who says that “whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:1-12). However, this statement comes in the context of disagreements within the church. How we choose to relate to other believers is, I believe, of far greater importance than how we choose to react to the death of an international terrorist. Our unity is of extreme importance, because it points to the reality of Jesus Christ coming from God the Father on a mission of sacrificial love (John 17:22-23).

Osama bin Laden is dead; this may indeed be a very good thing for our nation. Yet the mission of the church is the same as it was a week ago – and ten years ago – and it will remain the same ten years from now. Our safety and national interests cannot take precedence over the interests of the kingdom of God.

–Pastor David

Don’t Leave the Light Switch On

When I was growing up, my brother and I had a bad habit of leaving lights turned on whenever we left our bedrooms, hallways, bathrooms, and so forth. Our parents had to remind us over and over again, for the sake of stewardship of electricity (not to mention the monthly electric bill), to remember to turn off the light switch when we left a room. Sometimes I would get all the way to the other side of the house before remembering (or being called back) to turn off a switch in another room.

We have just experienced the highest holiday of the church year: our annual remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord from the dead. What a tremendous high point to celebrate! For many churches, including Mt. Haley, Easter Sunday marks the highest Sunday morning attendance of the year. So not only do we have reason to celebrate in Jesus’s victory over sin and death, but we also might feel grateful and energized because the pews are slightly more crowded than usual.

I know that I am new to this role of “pastor,” and in fact this is my first Easter as a full-time minister, but I have a hunch that our attendance will be back to “normal” next week. Some folks choose to come to church once or twice a year, and they may have already reached their quota for the year. I observed something interesting on Easter Sunday this past week: it seemed that each visitor knew at least one of our regular members. The visitors were family, friends, coworkers, people who had grown up in the church as children, and so forth.

In last week’s article, I wrote that the darkness of Christ’s death must come before the light of his resurrection. Now that the light has arrived, we would be foolish simply to assume that the work of sharing the message of Christ has been completed. It’s like when I was a child: I left light switches turned on in rooms I wasn’t going to visit again. We have shared the light with our once-a-year visitors; we shouldn’t assume that the rest will take care of itself! And since we collectively have personal contact with most of the people who have passed through the church doors, we should find creative ways to carry the light of Christ into the places where our neighbors have gone.

On another level, I believe the same analogy can apply to our spiritual lives, both as a congregation and as individuals. We have experienced “Focus 40” – forty days of prayer and fasting – and now the joy of Christ’s resurrection has illuminated our hearts. Should we simply walk away from that light, leaving the switch turned on in the room we only visit on high holy days? I believe it is much healthier for us to carry the joy of the Easter season in our hearts throughout all seasons of the year.

With these two applications in mind, I invite you to read and meditate on the following passage of scripture:

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:1-6 NIV)

–Pastor David

Focus 40

The season of Lent, which leads up to Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, is nearly upon us.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on March 9.  Traditionally, this is a season of preparation, introspection, and repentance for Christians around the world.  This year, the Church of God is observing Lent in a unique way:  it’s called “Focus 40.”

For the forty days leading up to Easter Sunday, the entire Church of God movement is being encouraged to spend time in prayer and fasting for the sake of seeking the Lord’s direction for our movement and for our congregations.  This is an exciting opportunity for us to participate in a unifying event with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  To date, over 400 congregations in the United States and around the world have signed up to participate – including us!

Now, I’m not calling for any of us to spend the entirety of these forty days in prayer and fasting.  In fact, it’s not a good idea to go on a forty-day fast without your doctor’s permission, because that’s a long time to go without food.  But perhaps you would consider fasting for a day or for a meal, once or twice or three times during the 40-day period.  And certainly I hope you will consider praying consistently for Mt. Haley Church of God, for our sister churches in the area, and for the Church of God as a whole.

Prayer is a no-brainer for most of us.  But why fast?  Historically, prayer and fasting have been the means by which God’s people have expressed their deep desire to be in relationship with him.  Fasting occurred in the Old Testament during times of distress, confession, repentance, and seeking God’s will (Ezra 8:23; Nehemiah 1:4; Psalm 35:13; Daniel 9:3).  In the New Testament, prayer and fasting went together as a means of determining the will of the Lord in selecting missionaries and church leaders (Acts 13:1-3 and Acts 14:23).

When we abstain from eating food for a certain length of time, we are reminding ourselves of our weakness and our dependence on God.  Hunger pains remind us that we depend on God for life itself and for our daily bread; with that in mind, we can also remember that we depend on God for guidance, health, safety, leadership, and answers to prayer.  Fasting is a method of practicing deep spirituality that has stood the tests of time.

We also have the opportunity to practice our unity with fellow believers through a shared program of daily devotionals.  Each day during this 40-day season, we will share in a devotional thought written by someone in our movement to help us unite our thoughts and prayers around a specific request or idea.  These devotionals will be available on our church website and on Facebook in early March, and paper copies will be made available soon as well.

I invite you to join me and thousands of other Christian brothers and sisters as we ask the Lord to move mightily through our congregation, community, nation, and movement in the upcoming season of Lent.

–Pastor David

Rest for your souls

Have you ever stopped to wonder – in the sense of being amazed – at how the Lord provides rest for his people in all circumstances?  Surely our life situations are not always restful, and we might expect Christians enduring persecution in various parts of the world to wish for a little more rest every now and then.  But I truly believe that the experience of spiritual rest is crucial for our health as followers of Christ.

In one of Jesus’s well-known teachings, he said:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV)

These three verses fit into a larger context of teachings in which Jesus is challenging the status quo of “normal” religion.  The people wanted to see signs and wonders, but they were unwilling to hear the message of repentance and kingdom citizenship.  The Pharisees wanted to require church attendance and obedience to the law, but they were unwilling to understand how grace is more important than legalism.  And in the middle of all this, Jesus calls his disciples to come to him and find rest for their souls.  How amazing indeed!

I wonder – in the sense of being curious – how many people in today’s world are wishing for a little rest for their souls.  And I wonder how many of them are unwilling to darken the doorstep of any church because they feel it won’t provide them with the space to find that rest.  Brothers and sisters, our work as disciples of Christ should be oriented toward providing rest and refreshment to the weary, offering opportunities to encounter the Lord, making a safe place available for people to hear God’s truth.  Jesus did so without compromising his radical message:  that true forgiveness, healing, and eternal life are available only through believing in him.  We can do the same!

Notice, though, that this rest is for our souls, not for our bodies.  We find spiritual rest in the Lord, and we reach out to others to bring them into this rest.  But we cannot stop there; there is much work to be done!  This is, I believe, the truth of Jesus’s teaching: we can find rest for our souls in any circumstance, even the most challenging, even the most stressful.  Many believers throughout the centuries have endured physical persecution while maintaining an incredible spiritual calmness.  Today, the church grows the fastest where the message of Christ is dangerous and prohibited.  Rest for our souls is the internal foundation from which we perform the work of the gospel.

I pray that you will find rest in all of life’s circumstances.  And I pray that you will share that rest with those around you who are in similar (or even worse) circumstances.  In a prophetic passage denouncing the Israelites for their unbelief, Jeremiah wrote these words:

This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’ (Jeremiah 6:16a, NIV)

May your journey follow a similar path this week, and in the weeks to come!

–Pastor David