God is Still Speaking

 "Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days God has spoken to us by a Son, whom God appointed heir to all things...."  Hebrews 1:1-2 

Each Sunday, we hear God speaking through the words of the prophets and others from the Old Testament, and the words of Jesus, the deciples and early Christians in readings from the New Testament.

We receive additonal insights into God's messages in Continuing Testaments, selected readings from recent writings as other sources of revelation. Some of these are included here.

CONTINUING TESTAMENT

from Henri’s Mantle

by Chris Glaser

The root word of hostility is hostis: stranger, enemy. The root word of hospitality is hospes: host, guest. Hospitality means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Receiving strangers as welcome guests, without an agenda, is a manifestation of a mature spirituality.

An Episcopal guest house I frequented used to awaken guests in time for Matins, early morning prayers. Then the brothers of the order realized this contradicted their intent of hospitality. What had initially been viewed as an invitation for guests to participate in the life of the community, seemed now like a subtle invitation to adopt the life style of the host.

In the harsh environment that spawned the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions, hospitality was not simply a courtesy, but a moral obligation. Water, food, and shelter were hard to come by in the wilderness. According to Jewish scripture, the whole city of Sodom was destroyed because of its inhospitality to strangers. Yet when those same strangers previously were welcomed by Abraham and Sarah, they were able to reveal the promise of a child that would be born to them....

Welcoming guests allows them to reveal their promise, because as guests, we will never believe that we have anything to give unless there is someone who is able to receive.

June 22, 2008

CONTINUING TESTAMENT

from Conversations with God

by Neale Donald Walsch

All human actions are motivated at their deepest level by one of two emotions - fear or love. In truth, there are only two emotions - only two words in the language of the soul....

You have been taught to live in fear. You have been told about the survival of the fittest and the victory of the strongest and the success of the cleverest. Precious little is said about the glory of the most loving. And so you strive to be the fittest, the strongest, the cleverest - and if you see yourself as something less than this in any situation, you fear loss, for you have been told that to be less is to lose.

Yet I teach you this: when you choose the action love sponsors, then will you do more than survive. Then will you do more than win, then will you do more than succeed. Then will you experience the full glory of who you really are, and who you can be.

June 15, 2008

CONTINUING TESTAMENT

from Think Globally, Preach Locally by Sally A. Brown

…The countercultural congregation can feel very safe to its members: they share a common language and common practices. A tight web of friendships provides stability in the face of the vicissitudes of life. Members sense there is a safety net of care in crisis.

Despite its appeal, however, this way of imagining the relationship between the congregation and its environment has limitations….

We run the risk of producing hothouse believers who can survive only when surrounded by the like-minded. The stability zone can therefore lead to congregations with little idea how to deal with the religious and cultural diversity of their neighborhoods, schools, or work places, and even congregations who become nervous about diversity within their own ranks….

Still more importantly, the person who is religiously “other” remains largely a stranger to such a community, categorized as the unbeliever or even remarkably enough, regarded as “unchurched.” The woman at the next desk at work who wears the veil and the turbaned shopkeeper down the street from the church may be objects of evangelistic concern, but they may be little known and regarded in their own right as individuals credited with a coherent worldview or genuine love of God.  

Dr. Sally A Brown in: Think Globally, Preach Locally: Constructing Vision in Twenty-first Century Congregations, Princeton Theological Seminary Bulletin, XXVIII (3) 2007, pp. 314-315.

Listen to Pastor Dave

The text of Pastor Dave's recent sermons are available here for your reading and comtemplation. We hope this will help you along your growth as a Christian. We invite you to hear Pastor Dave preach in person on a Sunday morning at the Brecksville United Church of Christ. We are confident you will find it to be an uplifting, provocative experience.

The complete Orders of Worship for these Sundays are available on the "Sunday Worship" page.

Giving and Receiving
[Text - Matthew 10:40-42]

Pastor Dave Shackle
June 29, 2008

Matthew was a tax collector who not only collected taxes but who also collected stories about Jesus. As a tax collector, Matthew knew how to read and write and keep a ledger. He was a gatherer and an organizer, who arranged his Gospel account in a particular order. Matthew put most of Jesus’ teachings in chapters 5,6 and 7, which we now call "The Sermon on the Mount." He included many of Jesus’ miracles in chapters 8 and 9. And in chapter 10, Matthew lays out many of Jesus’ teachings about the call, the actions and the cost of discipleship. In the 10^th chapter of Matthew, we find the essential tasks which Jesus expects his disciples to do as they take his message to various communities within Israel. They are to preach and teach and heal. They are to live simply and travel lightly. They are to gladly receive any hospitality extended to them, and to also be prepared for any hostility directed their way. As we heard in last Sunday’s gospel reading, they are to "take-up their cross" and follow Christ.

As Jesus sent the disciples into the countryside and villages, he told them that whoever welcomed them, welcomed Jesus himself. And whoever welcomed Jesus also welcomed the God who Jesus represented. We can better understand this when we think about an ambassador of a nation. Whoever welcomes the ambassador is essentially welcoming the leader of that nation and the core values that the nation represents. As people welcomed the disciples into their homes and communities, they received the peace, the wholeness, and the Good News of God’s love, which was embodied in Jesus Christ himself. So not only were they extending hospitality to the disciples, they were also receiving the hospitality of Divine love and grace.

Whenever we practice genuine hospitality, the blessings that result are richly multiplied. Those of us who have participated in our Interfaith Hospitality program, or will do so this Tuesday, will understand how this works. Not only do those people who receive our gifts of food and time and attention benefit from our efforts, but we ourselves are also truly blessed. We get to know people who we would otherwise not. Oftentimes, they will share with us their hopes and dreams and struggles. They remind us of how fragile life can be in these uncertain economic times, and how fortunate we truly are. It’s an experience that shows us the wonderful nature of the Divine gift of giving and receiving - demonstrating in a very concrete way that the blessings really are a two-way street.

For Jews, Christians, and Muslims, hospitality has always been a core part of one’s practice of faith. The call to welcome the stranger is echoed throughout our scriptures and is really an authentic measure of our faithfulness to God. In the ancient Middle-East, when travelers came to town, they waited by the well - the center of the community - and it was incumbent upon the townspeople to feed and house those visitors for the night. Those travelers were usually unknown to the community. They were often strangers or foreigners, people who had different clothes, different languages, perhaps even different gods. So opening one's home may have been a bit risky. Today we'd describe such a thing as downright dangerous or foolish. Just as the human need for hospitality is a constant, so it seems, is the human fear of the stranger. But open and generous hospitality was central to the ancient believer’s identity, because they knew that such hospitality was central to the nature of their God.

One of my great privileges and responsibilities as Pastor of this church is to welcome those strangers who stop by or call the church seeking help. In your name and in the name of Christ, I try to assist them in ways that are both appropriate and discerning. There are some who seek to take advantage of our hospitality - who concoct elaborate stories about critically ill relatives, unreasonably mean landlords, or dire life-situations that make the bubonic plague seem like a picnic. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out whether I should give them help, or give them an Oscar for best actor in a Dramatic Performance. The important thing for me to keep in mind though, is that the majority of these people really do need help - even those who are trying to scam us; and that it is better to err on the side of grace, rather than to give in to skepticism.

Chris Glaser’s comparison of hostility versus hospitality is a good reminder of that. He says, "Hospitality means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Receiving strangers as welcome guests, without an agenda, is a manifestation of a mature spirituality."

The clear call of Christ is that you and I joyfully give and receive gracious hospitality; and that our response to those around us, particularly the stranger, should be one of love and compassion rather than fear and suspicion. When I remember that each and every person I meet is nothing less than a beloved child of God, then my response must be gracious, even if it is to say, "No, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with that." The majority of times, I am able to help - in large part because of your generous donations to our Pastor’s Discretionary Fund. And those who receive our help will often say that they’ll try to "pay it back" some day. And though I thank them for that, I usually ask instead, that they try to "pay it forward" - that when the next opportunity arises for them to do something helpful for another person - no matter how small - that they go ahead and do it. And it’s like a light comes on, and they realize, "Yes, that I can do!"

Jesus says, "Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones...will not lose their reward." Even the smallest gestures of hospitality and compassion do not go unnoticed. And when the response to an act of kindness is to carry that kindness forward, then the ripple effect of those blessings can be greatly multiplied.

It may sound cliche, but the benefits of practicing "Random Acts of Kindness" truly are remarkable. And if each one of us here today make a concerted effort to do so in this coming week, I guarantee that life will go better for us, and for those around us, and even for those unknown to us, who will reap the on-going benefits. And I firmly believe that the God of love, compassion and hospitality will no doubt be pleased as well. Amen. May it be so.

Family Values
[Text - Matthew 10:24-39]

Pastor Dave Shackle
June 22, 2008

Today’s Gospel reading is a tough one, particularly on a day when we receive new members into our BUCC family and for the Sunday after Father’s Day. Jesus says, "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Those are highly volatile words - words that don’t quite sound like what we would expect to hear from Jesus - yet there they are.

Jesus is saying that sometimes, in order to follow him, we must be willing to let go of our old family or social allegiances. And sometimes, in order to follow Jesus, we must be willing to suffer a crucifixion of our own. Now, some scholars think that this reference to taking up ones cross, is a Post-Resurrection addendum inserted by Matthew. Matthew is writing to a predominately Jewish-Christian community - to people who, by following Jesus as their Messiah, probably faced rejection from their own Jewish family members, and persecution from their former family of faith. So for Matthew and others like him, following in the Way of Jesus Christ was truly a costly venture. What Jesus is saying to them, and to us is, "Don’t be so surprised!"

Jesus himself faced condemnation and rejection from many within the Jewish family of faith. There were even some Jewish leaders who said that Jesus could cast-out demons only because he was the son of Beelzebub - the Lord of the Flies - the Devil Himself. And if Jesus, the teacher and master, was thus rejected and persecuted, then Jesus’ followers can also expect more of the same - even from those within their own families or former faith communities.

It is truly strange to hear Jesus say, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword!" How un-Christ-like is that! However, this "sword" of which Jesus speaks, isn’t a sword of War; it is a dividing sword - one that may separate father from son, mother from daughter, brother from sister. This is not to say that Jesus comes with the intention of dividing families or communities - it’s just that following Jesus as the Messiah - God’s Chosen One - can be a costly journey, particularly for those whose own families hold to a different value system. The "Family Values" which Jesus teaches, do not include hatred or violence, bigotry or judgement; therefore, if we come from families or communities which espouse such things, we must be prepared to be persecuted and rejected - just like Jesus was.

So, where is the Good News in all of this? In spite of the difficult words within this text, there is also a hopeful message which surrounds them:

"Have no fear...do not be afraid...fear not!" Three different times, in three different ways, Jesus reassures his followers that, in spite of how other people may see us or treat us, our Heavenly Parent will watch over us and keep us secure. And we can experience that security when we stop listening to the voices of fear and condemnation, and listen instead to the voice of our Loving Heavenly Parent - the One who cares for each of us and all of us - the One who is even aware of the falling of the smallest of sparrows.

Basically, this is what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ. It means that you and I trust that we are completely loved sons and daughters of our One Heavenly Parent; and therefore, we can love one another fully, freely, and fearlessly. Our fears tell us that if we extend ourselves too far, we may end up falling or failing. If we give too much to others, we may not have enough for ourselves. If we love too deeply, we may end up being hurt or rejected. Jesus tells us, and shows us, that this is a very real possibility.

Jesus himself was maligned and mistreated, because of his undying willingness to reach out to the poor, the outcast, the rejected and hurting people around him; yet Jesus doesn’t stop proclaiming the Good News of God’s love for all people. Even when those who feared him had him nailed to a cross, Jesus still spoke words of forgiveness, love, and hope. The ultimate message of Jesus Christ is, that there is nothing that can ever separate us from the Love of God; and the ultimate sign of that message is the Resurrection.

"Do not be afraid," Jesus says, "for even when things look bad or seem hopeless, your Heavenly Parent is still watching over you, and will see you safely home."

There’s a story about a man who got lost in the wilderness. After wandering for several hours in the intense heat, he came upon a small, muddy water-hole. It wasn’t much, but it was wet, and it would keep him from dying of thirst. The man decided that he would stay there and hope that someone would find him, rather than moving on and risking dehydration or death. For two days he stayed by that muddy water, not really liking it, but afraid to leave it, lest he not be able to find it again. On the third day, a particularly hot one, the puddle dried-up. There was nothing left but mud.

The man began to curse his bad luck, curse the hot sun, and curse God who had allowed that puddle to evaporate. Then he realized that, rather than feeling sorry for himself, he had better move forward. After traveling only a few hundred yards, he heard a noise in the distance, so he quickly followed that sound over a hill, and saw below, a stream of clear, fresh water. He ran down the hill, plunged into the stream and drank his fill. Then, he followed that stream, until it ran into a river; and following that river, he found his way to a town, and finally was able to return safely home.

Sometimes, you and I will cling to those things that we hope will bring us safety and security. We get stuck in the mud, not fully living, yet afraid to move forward. Jesus says, "Those who would find their life will lose it, and those who will lose their life for my sake will find it." The truth is, that some day we will all lose our lives. The mortality rate of the human race remains 100%. And while we may or may not extend our days by living cautiously, guardedly, fearfully - we certainly will not experience the full joy and wonder of truly living, as long as we allow fear to rule our lives.

Listen again to these words from our Continuing Testament:

"When you choose the action love sponsors [rather than fear], then will you do more than survive, then will you do more than win, then will you do more than succeed. Then will you experience the full glory of who you really are, and who you can be."

Who you really are, is a beloved daughter or son of our One Heavenly Parent. Who we really are, are brothers and sisters to one another, and to every other person we may ever meet. As you and I journey together in this loving and welcoming family of faith, we can learn to let go of the fears that would keep us from truly living. And by letting go of our fear and judgement, we are then free to take hold of the loving hand of Jesus Christ - the One who calls us to die to the false securities that this world offers, and to live in the Holy Realm of Love, Compassion, and Peace. And that certainly is Good News! Amen.