Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 describes the nature of faith and illustrates faith through the example of Abraham. God promised Abraham both land and descendants, but Abraham never saw the fulfillment of either of those promises. And yet he looked forward to a heavenly city built by God. What does this have to do with hope in today’s world? How should we view heaven – and how should we view earth? Click here for Pastor David’s message on this passage.
Obscurity
A few weeks ago, our sermon text was Genesis 18:1-11, the story in which Abraham is visited by three mysterious guests. The text of Genesis is very clear: these were not simply ordinary guests, but in this encounter, God appeared to Abraham. This is very unusual, because throughout our scriptures, God does not make a habit of appearing to individuals. When God does show up, it is usually in the Old Testament, and even then the form used in Genesis 18 is unique. Only here does God reveal himself to someone in the form of three people.
Early Christian theologians jumped on the number “three” and concluded that this was an appearance of the Trinity in the Old Testament. They suggested that the three men could easily be the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The History Channel’s recent miniseries The Bible even portrayed this story with three actors, one of whom – though his face was always hidden from the camera – played role of Jesus later on in the program. (Remember, our church has a DVD copy of this series which you may borrow any time!) However, finding the Trinity in Genesis 18 is an example of “reading into the text” – that is, making scripture say something that it doesn’t intend to communicate.
Genesis 18 is ambiguous and vague about the identity of Abraham’s three visitors. This certainly is God visiting Abraham, but the story is intentionally obscure. What is important to the story is not who the three men are, but rather what the three men are there to do. (In this case, they are there to make clear God’s promise that Abraham and Sarah would have a son, Isaac, within a year.)
One of my Bible commentaries contains this quote in reference to the Genesis 18 story:
“Obscurity is story’s way of telling us the truth about this God with whom we daily have to do, by reminding us of God’s hiddenness, of the concreteness of God’s revelation, and of the impossible possibilities that are open to all who believe.” (quoted in Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18-50, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, 1995), p. 8)
God is far beyond our comprehension, and yet he has revealed himself to us in scripture and in Jesus of Nazareth. God is constantly among us through the Holy Spirit, and yet we sometimes have difficulty in discerning God’s presence in times of difficulty. God has power to do all things, and yet we can ignore what we consider “impossible possibilities.”
I am not theologically thrilled that The Bible miniseries used the actor who played Jesus to be one of the three guests who visited Abraham in its portrayal of this story. However, I am thankful that, at the very least, he was obscured from our view during that scene.
Let us always remember that we do not have God figured out. God is a profound mystery, one who chooses to reveal himself to us in specific ways for specific reasons. Let us lean into the obscurity of the Bible’s stories, because through obscurity we are reminded of how great and mysterious God is.
–Pastor David
Christ is Our Life
Today, Pastor David preached from Colossians 3:1-11 – and from inside the baptistry in our sanctuary. How does baptism relate to the presupposition of this passage, namely, that we have been raised with Christ? And how does this passage answer the biggest questions we face: those of identity and meaning and purpose? Listen in to today’s sermon recording here.
Old-Fashioned Hymn Sing
Last night, I had the privilege of leading a unique kind of experience to open this year’s 120th annual St. Louis Campmeeting: an “old-fashioned hymn sing.” Pastor Jim Sirks (from Battle Creek) and I played our guitars to accompany a crowd of over 100 that gathered in the old tabernacle on the St. Louis campgrounds. This event kicked off the campmeeting in stellar fashion, and I’d like to share a few reflections with you about the evening.
In the Church of God, we have a diverse collection of songs. For this event, I selected sixteen of our “heritage hymns,” songs written by some of the earliest people in our movement. I grouped these sixteen into four groups of four, each group revolving around a different theme: Songs of Praise, Songs of Gratitude, Songs of Testimony, and Songs of Commitment. There may be other types of songs in our heritage, but even these four groups reveal a wide variety of songs in our tradition that can be used for any occasion. (By the way, we sang all the verses of all sixteen songs, and the whole event lasted only an hour.)
In the Church of God, we have people who can sing four part harmony. The acoustics of the old tabernacle – a small, open-air, wooden building with lots of hard surfaces – added to the musical experience produced by two acoustic guitars and a hundred voices. These were songs that people knew and wanted to sing. And many sang the parts (alto, tenor, bass) they have learned and have known for many years. Singing in harmony is a gift from God, and it does something spiritually to connect people together in worship. Worship (including but not limited to singing) is a communal activity, something we do together and not alone. (Remember that electronic amplification is less than a century old – newer than many of the songs we sang last night!)
In the Church of God, we sing what we believe. In late 19th Century America, church music was an instructional tool that helped people learn the contours of our faith. So much of our early heritage music contains a tremendous amount of theology. While we did not reflect on the theology of all sixteen songs last night, I did highlight one hymn in particular: “The Bond of Perfectness” by D.S. Warner. One of my seminary professors, Dr. Gil Stafford (previously pastor of East Ashman Church of God in Midland), once said that this was the epitome of Church of God theology in lyrical form, because it blends together our understandings of holiness and unity so beautifully:
How sweet this bond of perfectness, the wondrous love of Jesus;
A pure foretaste of heaven’s bliss, oh, fellowship so precious!Refrain:
Oh, brethren, how this perfect love unites us all in Jesus!
One heart, and soul, and mind we prove the union heaven gave us.Oh, praise the Lord for love divine that binds us all together;
A thousand chords our hearts entwine, forever and forever.“God over all and in us all,” and through each holy brother;
No pow’r of earth or hell, withal, can rend us from each other.Oh, mystery of heaven’s peace! Oh, bond of heaven’s union!
Our souls in fellowship embrace, and live in sweet communion.
These reasons, and several more, are why I am committed to having us sing at least one of our heritage hymns in each of our Sunday morning worship services. Which are your favorites?
–Pastor David
Doing vs. Becoming
During today’s Wednesday evening small group meeting, I was reminded of a profound truth about the path of Christian discipleship. We are studying the devotional book “Extreme Love” which was the centerpiece of the Focus 40 (Lent) season earlier this year. In one of the daily devotional readings, we discussed the difference between “doing” and “becoming”: how we as disciples should be concerned more about who we are becoming rather than what we are doing.
Does that apply to your life at all? We all live incredibly busy lives; I have even heard many retirees wonder aloud how they ever managed to go to work in years gone by. Our society places a high premium on what you can do, accomplish, or achieve. But I think there is something meaningful in thinking carefully about who we are becoming instead. How is your character being shaped? What changes to your values do you notice? How does faith in Jesus Christ form you into a new kind of person – even if you have been a believer for years or decades?
And now: how does this apply to us as a congregation? It is easy for churches to be wrapped up in programs, ministries, and events – things that we do. Rather than expend all our energy (and use all our God-given talents) on “doing,” what if we focused on “becoming”? How is God shaping us as a church? How is the Holy Spirit moving among us, to create something new among us? What does our future look like as a congregation? What are we going to become?
Two reminders. First, we will have “Mission Conversations” throughout the fall season to address these very questions. And second, you may join in this small group discussion by meeting with us Wednesdays at 7pm. Take advantage of these opportunities for spiritual growth!
–Pastor David
August Youth Update
August already!! By the time you are reading this, we will have had a GREAT day at Michigan Adventure. As I am writing, we have 37 people going and I am just getting ready to order tickets. The month will go fast and kids will be back at school and our Sunday nights will be in full gear. We are planning on celebrating “Rally Day” at the church on Sunday, September 8, then the youth year will begin on Sunday night, September 15th @ 6:00 PM. It will be GOOD to see the kids every week.
Also, on the weekend of Saturday, September 7 through Monday, September 9, the youth will have a room full (about 75 plants) of mums for sale to kick-off the fundraisers for the International Youth Convention in Nashville next summer. We haven’t received the costs yet, but Kutchey’s promises the best selection of mums in the area. Hope you can support the youth and make your yards more beautiful. More details coming.
July was a busy month for Connie and I. We enjoyed the Mt. Haley Loons game night and were joined by several of the kids. Connie and I had an extraordinary opportunity in Oklahoma City for a week. We served as youth leaders & counselors at the Church of God Leadership Summit for a gathering of over 160 outstanding young people from more than 20 states. We had outstanding speakers, worked an afternoon of Tornado Disaster Relief in Moore, Oklahoma, and visited the Oklahoma City Bombing Museum & Memorial, plus many group sessions and interaction with some great young leaders in the Church of God. It was an awesome experience and was thrilled to be involved.
The St. Louis Camp Meeting is this week and we encourage everyone to attend. There will be great services every night and an opportunity to gather with Church of God people from all over the state. The Midland County Fair comes quickly after that and involves many of our youth. We invite you to get to the fair and see their pigs, goats, and other animals. On the weekend of August 23-25 we will be having our adventure in Mio at the Adam’s cabin & campsite. Our plans are to go tubing on the AuSable (costs will be coming soon), attending church at the Mio Church of God, eating out traveling there & back, and just generally having a good time together. Sign up will begin after Michigan Adventure. Every Sunday morning and with events we will continue to either have devotions or lessons on the “The Parables of Jesus.”
A major event we would like you to consider and pray about is Baptism on Sunday, August 18th. Baptism is an important step of obedience in a believer’s life, as an acknowledgment of the salvation experience already accomplished and a personal public testimony of your acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Savior. Pastor David or I would love to have the privilege and honor of baptizing you in the morning worship service on that Sunday. If you are thinking of being baptized or have definitely decided, please contact me about our service. We will help to answer all questions, concerns and thoughts.
There will be two introductory meetings we will be having soon. The first one is a Guatemala Mission Meeting on Thursday, August 22, 2013 to introduce the 2014 Mission Trip. We will discuss costs, purpose, what we do, etc for those who are interested in possibly attending in February. There is a $100 registration DUE by September 8th for this mission. In September (date to be determined) there will be a parent & student meeting about attending the International Youth Convention in July of next summer in Nashville, TN. A $115 Early Bonus Bird Registration is due by December 12, 2013. We will need to discuss purpose, missions, fundraising and other important details. We hope you will come and hear about this wonderful opportunity for your kids.
Parents and Church, your prayers, support and encouragement are greatly appreciated and we look forward every week to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our students through interaction, study, fellowship and relationship. Thank you for sharing your son or daughter.
We encourage everyone to come and be a part of our weekly Mt. Haley Worship every week at 11:00 AM and hope to see your kids the Sunday morning meetings and the summer activities.
Love God, Love People
Blessings,
Pastor Jerry
When God Comes to Visit
Once upon a time, Abraham had a surprise guest at his tent: three visitors who, as Abraham soon discovered, represented God. We can learn much from Abraham’s extravagant hospitality toward his guests – and Abraham’s belief in the strange promise they made to him and his wife Sarah. Listen to Pastor David’s message on Genesis 18:1-10!
The Gutsy Samaritan
In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells the well-known story of the Good Samaritan. What if we renamed that story to “The Gutsy Samaritan”? How does this story relate to the conversation about inheriting eternal life at the beginning of the passage? And what does this have to do with our lives today? Listen to Pastor David’s sermon on this famous parable.
The Institution of the Church
What does the title of this article mean to you? Does it bring to mind any images, people, or customs? Does it evoke feelings in your heart, either positive or negative? Or is it a foreign term to you because of the vagueness of the term “institution”?
When I use the phrase “the institution of the church,” I am referring to the necessary structure that develops among Christians of similar theology, history, and practice. Let me unpack that a little bit:
- “Necessary structure”: Just as people gather to live in neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, regions, and nations, so do all human organizations. Any organization, if it is going to maintain its identity and purpose, must develop some kind of structure to keep itself going into the future. Over the course of time, the earliest Christians developed a structure to keep themselves afloat in the world; today, we call this structure the Roman Catholic Church. Even our brand of Christian faith, the Church of God Reformation Movement, has developed structures and systems that support the identity and purpose of this movement. That development began back in the 1910s and really flourished during the mid-1900s.
- “Similar theology, history, and practice”: Christian groups vary widely in these three categories, and perhaps others. But when believers have these in common, they tend to stick together. They have campmeetings and conventions; they have unity services and missionaries; they trade pastors and, all too often, church people. They might even work together on joint projects, like we did in Guatemala with Meridian Church of God earlier this year, and like we did with two other Church of God congregations for the Global Gathering last month. The structures we develop support and protect our investments (material and spiritual) in our beliefs, our shared history, and our shared experiences.
This is all well and good. But many people today have been driven away from God because of the problems in the institution of the church – whatever its label. And this isn’t good. In our humanness, we create issues that cause people to turn away from God. We argue among each other; we criticize those who disagree with us on political issues. We discriminate against those who aren’t like us; we harbor jealousy of those who are successful. We distrust those in power; we fail to consider the needs of “the least of these.” And all these things can occur within one particular church group – I know, because I have seen them in the Church of God itself!
Yet I do not run away. I remain committed to the Church of God (and to the Mt. Haley congregation in particular) because I believe in the Church of God’s theology, history, and practices. I find the institution frustrating at times, but I also find it incredibly valuable because it connects me to something bigger than myself. And at the same time, I constantly work to remember that the Church of God is connected to something bigger than itself as well. We speak openly about salvation, unity, and holiness with Christians in our own fellowship and those in other backgrounds. We do so because we share “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:5-6 NIV) and we take seriously Jesus’s prayer that we might all be one (John 17:22-23).
With all this in mind, I invite you to read two more articles, these written by good friends of mine, Joe Watkins and Jael Tang. They are two of my “people” – the group I’ve mentioned to you before, my seminary friends who form for me a special community of support, inspiration, and challenge. Please take a few minutes to read what they have to say; I promise it’s worth your time.
Read Joe’s blog here: http://www.noggingrande.com/2013/07/10/three-reasons-its-cool-to-love-the-institution-of-the-church/
Read Jael’s blog here: http://akandatang-luke5.blogspot.com/2013/07/where-we-come-from-institution-and.html
–Pastor David
Small But Mighty
The story of how God healed Naaman, the Aramean army commander, of his leprosy is found in 2 Kings 5:1-14. Tucked into this story are a handful of minor characters who play crucial roles in helping this miraculous cleansing take place. What does this story have to say to our situation today? Listen in as Pastor David preaches on this Old Testament passage.