December 2, 2008 -- First Sunday in Advent

How comfortable are we when we travel far from home? For the six years we lived in Mauritius, we had more than enough opportunities to see tourists behavior in a foreign land. We observed South Africans, French, Germans, Chinese from Hong Kong, Japanese, and even a few Americans. To offer to big a stereotype of tourists would be unfair, but I did observe more than one time how people visiting foreign lands never leave home. It comes in the forms of comparisons. Too often I heard comments about how Mauritius was not like their home country. This was done most often in the negative, "How can they eat a baguette with flies on them?" or "They seem too slow to get anything done!"

Traveling into a foreign land is a bit disconcerting and will keep us off balance. Advent is a bit like leaving home if we take it at its face value. Advent asks us to be patient, expectant, look to the unknown for hope. The readings form the Old Testament ask us to think about a peaceable kingdom and a Prince of Peace. We hear this in a time of open warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Hidden war with the terrorists.

It is the Messiah that will come, unbidden, into our age and travel with us in this foreign land of waiting upon God's promise to be fulfilled before our eyes.

November 25, 2007 -- Christ the King

SOME THOUGHTS ON CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY

Jeremiah 23:1-6;
Colossians 1:11-20;
Luke 23:33-43

Christ the King is a "hinge Sunday." It stands as the hinge between the long series of Sundays from Pentecost to the end of the Christian year, and is the Sunday that "swings" us to the new season -- the season of Advent -- the season of the Incarnation.

Each of the three texts for this Sunday gives the Christ followers an elevated picture of the the rabbi, teacher, healer who walked from Galilee to Jerusalem and, the "babe" to be born in a Bethlehem stable yard. These texts show us the importance of a just and merciful King that will not reign from a throne of gold and precious stones, but will reign from a rough hewed cross stained with blood.

This Christ reigning from the cross rules with forgiveness. From Christ's vantage point, he speaks these words which are heavy for us to hear, "Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing." Do these words bring us to shame? No. They bring us to humility and grace. They are not meant to weigh us down but to lift us up.

This Christ reigning from the cross rules with hope. The good thief, Dismis (a name found in some non canonical books), makes a plea to the Christ who reigns from the cross, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Dismis wants the future to be a new reality. He calls it "Jesus' kingdom." The kingdom is the promise of hope. With no future there is no hope. With no future today disappears into the black hole of timeless misery. Dismis knows where the Christ on the cross is going and he is willing (and able) to go with the Christ.

Our faithful and good shepherd (contra the shepherds in Jer 23) does not scatter the sheepfold to fend for themselves. No, this good Shepherd/King rules with forgiveness and hope for the redemption of all -- the believer and the unbeliever.

(I do hold out hope for the "bitter thief" that he too would find himself, not along side Christ on the hill called "the Skull", but embraced through graciousness.)

Back to Galatians

Beginning October 14 I will be returning to a series of sermons on Paul's letter to the Galatians. Background material can be found at:

http://joesgalatianblog.blogspot.com/

The Art of Reading Scripture

The Scripture Project, “Nine Theses on the Interpretation of Scripture” in The Art of Reading Scripture, Ellen Davis & Richard Hays, eds.

• Thesis One: Scripture truthfully tells the story of God’s action of creating, judging, and saving the world.
  
• Thesis Two: Scripture is rightly understood in light of the church’s rule of faith as a coherent dramatic narrative.
• Thesis Three: Faithful interpretation of Scripture requires an engagement with the entire narrative: the New Testament cannot be rightly understood apart from the Old, nor can the Old be rightly understood apart from the New.
• Thesis Four: Texts of Scripture do not have a single meaning limited to the intent of the original author. In accord with Jewish and Christian traditions, we affirm that Scripture has multiple complex senses given by God, the author of the whole drama.
• Thesis Five: The four canonical gospels narrate the truth about Jesus.
• Thesis Six: Faithful interpretation of Scripture invites and presupposes participation in the community brought into being by God’s redemptive action — the church.
  
• Thesis seven: The saints of the church provide guidance in how to interpret and perform Scripture.
• Thesis eight: Christians need to read the Bible in dialogue with diverse others outside the church.
• Thesis nine: We live in the tension between the “already” and the “not yet” of the kingdom of God; consequently, Scripture calls the church to ongoing discernment, to continually fresh rereadings of the text in light of the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in the world.
  

October 7, 2007 World Communion Sunday and Peacemaking

Peacemaking -- Part 2

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

A French translation of this Beatitude goes something like this: "Blessed are the artisans of peace." From the first time I read this in French, I have felt drawn to the realization that being a peacemaker is an art -- not a science. The genesis of this is in seeing peace as rooted in the human imagination. Peace seeking defies biological determinism; it seems counter intuitive to seeking human self-interest. On this Sunday, I will be exploring the art of peacemaking and its roots in the human creative spirit.

To help us celebrate this Lord's Day, our youth and children will offer an art fair around the theme of peacemaking. This should be a joy filled time.

Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), offers the Lord's Supper to all who have been baptized in the name of the Triune God. At the Table we see Christ as our host, and Christ welcomes all God's children for this simple, yet generous banquet.

Sunday, September 30, 2007 -- 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Peacemaking--Part 1

The first Sunday in October is celebrated as World Communion Sunday and Peacemaking Sunday. This week will be "jump start" for next week. Thus, Part 1.

To help prepare for Peacemaking Sunday, I will be looking at 1 Timothy 6:2b-19 and Amos 6:1a, 4-7. This is a slight variation of the lectionary readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Teach and urge these duties. ³Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, ⁴is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, ⁵and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

⁶Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; ⁷for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; ⁸but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. ⁹But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. ¹¹But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

¹³In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you ¹⁴to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. ¹⁶It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. ¹⁷As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, ¹⁹thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

I have highlighted verses which at this time seem most provocative.

• What is the meaning of "contentment" in this passage and how does it fit into being godly?
• Further, what is "godliness?"
• The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil brings a familiar proverb to our attention. It is the "love" of money that is at issue -- not money per se.
• And, "all kinds of evil" is brought up -- what are the evils that arise from greed -- another way of expressing the "love of money."
• Verse 13 draws our attention to God as the Creator and later we see that Christ is the "King of kings and Lord of lords." This put everything in the heaves and the earth under the watchful eye of God. In visiting several Orthodox church I have seen the image of God portrayed as a solitary eye that keeps watch and rules.

Do you have some thoughts you would like to add?

If you would like to read the whole of 1 Timothy 6, click here.

Special Youth Service -- Hope in Our Midst

Sunday, September 23rd, our worship service will be lead by the six young people who went to the Presbyterian Youth Gathering this past summer. Many of the members of Chapel Hill helped send these young people to an event that has been "life changing." This worship service is a "thanks" for the congregation's support. The theme for the services will be the same theme as the Gathering, "Hope in Our Midst."

It is my hope that you will will come and be with us for this celebration of the gifts of God with our youth.

Yes! I get a Sunday off from preaching. Thank you, youth!