The straitjacket that is “congregation”

Church leaders and pastors admonish Christians to find a congregation, join one, become involved. Congregations provide support, a place to learn and grow, accountability – they say.

I agree that belonging to a Christian fellowship and meeting together regularly is valuable, that it does accomplish at least some of the things that are often touted as beneficial and necessary. At the same time, the cynical part of me thinks, “And it’s a way to make sure leaders get their paychecks and validate their calling and their work…”

As someone who does have a regular church family, but also one who frequents other churches, I’ve noticed a dark side to congregations.

Congregations can become a straitjacket for Christians – both individually and their churches.

What do I mean? A congregation can become narrowly focused. It can come to think that it is self-sufficient. It can become suspicious of other churches and Christians. It can come to believe that it is the most “right” or the only “right” church in the community. It can come to think that they have a special calling for God that no one else has, and that if they don’t follow through the community will be lost.

You might look at the above and think how could anyone, least of all you, think that. Maybe not consciously, but the insidious nature of fellowshipping exclusively is that subconsciously Christians and congregations may take on some of all of the above beliefs about themselves.

When it happens Christian witness is weakened. Those on the outside, instead of seeing a single Christian Church, see a bunch of little churches doing their own thing, trying to grow their own little domains. I’m not accusing churches of intentionally doing such a thing, but it’s what people outside the churches see that matter.

I think that if Christians spent a few days each year worshiping with congregations that aren’t their own, it could vastly improve the strength and unity of the Church within a community. Christians would see (not just in theory, but in practice) that God is working through more than just their home congregation. They would see that differences in theology, differences in orthopraxy, and all the other differences aren’t so important to the mission of caring for the hurts of the world. They would see that “right” is often a matter of tradition and perspective. They would see that there can be great good in working together.

Or, maybe I’m just speaking for myself in this whole essay (or some might say, rant).

These past six months or so I’ve spent most of my Sunday mornings at a single church, offering my musical services. I’ve personally felt less connected to other churches as a result. I feel more isolated.

I need to take some occasional Sundays off from serving to reconnect with other congregations.

From what I’ve seen of the earliest churches and their practice, they met in small groups but their association was more fluid. They would meet together as larger groups, and individuals would go from one group to another. I think we need more “moving around”.

I’d like to encourage individual Christians to make intentional effort to visit other congregations, even ones that differ considerably from your usual tradition, and ones that may believe quite differently from you.

I’d like to encourage pastors and church leaders to encourage their church members to take two or three Sundays away from their home churches and spend time worshiping in another church in the community.

New study series on 1 Corinthians

Since we finished our study through Revelation, our next destination is 1 Corinthians. You’ll find discussion materials here.

Good Friday Service 2012

Last night the Petersburg Christian Ministerial Association held its annual Community Good Friday service at the Lutheran Church. This year we read the Good Friday account from the gospel of Mark (chapter 15). It was divided among six pastors who read the passage and gave a brief thought based on it.

I was asked to be the pianist for the congregational singing and also provided a vocal solo, “Embrace the Cross.” The opening song was the hymn “Were You There.” The closing songs, “I Come to the Cross” and “O Mighty Cross,” were co-led with Pastor Tony of the Lighthouse Assemblies of God

The passage I read and talked about was Mark 15:33-41.

Here is the text of my devotional thought:

The crucifixion account in Mark forms one bookend of the gospel account. Jesus' baptism at the beginning is the other bookend. These bookends feature similarities in thematic material that introduce, at the baptism, and recap, at the crucifixion, key ideas about Jesus that Mark wants his audience to know.

First the baptism account in Mark 1:9-11...

[9] In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. [10] And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. [11] And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

And now the very end of Jesus' life in Mark 15:37-39...

[37] And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. [38] And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. [39] And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

There are three parallels found in these bookends:

1. First, at the baptism the heavens were torn open showing God, as Spirit, coming down to earth. At the death of Jesus the temple curtain was torn. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that this curtain depicted a panorama of the heavens. The common belief too, at that time, was that God was in some ways confined to the temple. The baptism was a foreshadowing of God's grace and salvation being offered to everyone through Jesus. The crucifixion seals that offer. It shows that no religious forms or traditions of man can confine God's grace.

2. The second parallel is in regards to the words Spirit and breathed. Both derive from a common Greek word, pneo, meaning “to breathe.” At the baptism, Jesus received the Spirit. At his death, he breathed his last. This symbolizes Jesus as the source and giver of life. Without Jesus there is no life. Jesus willingly gave up his own life so that he could become a life-giver to all.

3. Finally the third parallel is the witness at each bookend event to Jesus as the divine Son of God. At the baptism, the Father himself testifies to Jesus' identity, “You are my beloved Son.” At Jesus' death, Mark does not find his witness among the Jews, but in a Gentile, and a most reviled one at that – the centurion supervising the crucifixion who said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” This symbolizes once more that salvation from God is available to all humankind, to anyone who is willing to see the Christ.

Who and what do you see in the crucified Jesus?

Some Definitions from Romans

Our church group is working through the epistle to the Romans. We are making effort to set aside definitions and concepts that have been handed down to us and see what Paul really meant when he employs words that form part of the Christian vocabulary. As one commentary points out, we must not let nearly 2,000 years of Christian history and tradition obscure what Paul has written.

This is a post that will be updated during our time in Romans.

Here are the terms and some working definitions associated with them.

(All texts from the New English Translation unless otherwise indicated.)

Gospel

The dictionary definition of gospel as it is commonly used today is that it is mainly about the teachings, i.e., doctrine. However, Paul defines gospel as follows:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel  from faith to faith,  just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” Romans 1:16-17

For Paul then, gospel is primarily about the power of God to save people because God is righteous. Gospel is not simply a body of knowledge and teachings, but rather gospel is the acts undertaken by God in relation to humans.

Righteousness (and Unrighteousness)

The dictionary definition of righteous (righteousness is the state of being righteous) gives the impression that righteousness has primarily to do with virtue and moral quality. Paul does not directly give a definition for righteousness in the first chapter, he does define its opposite, unrighteousness:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. Romans 1:18-21

Unrighteousness is not acknowledging or not honoring God. Therefore righteousness must be acknowledging and honoring God, giving thanks to him. Righteousness is not virtue, but a positive relationship with God.

Wrath

The dictionary definition of wrath most commonly assumed is the vengeance and punishment aspect associated with intense anger. Paul defines wrath in chapter 1 as follows:

Therefore God gave them over… Romans 1:24

For this reason God gave them over… Romans 1:26

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over… Romans 1:28

For Paul in Romans, wrath is God giving people up to the natural and logical consequences of unrighteousness (as defined above). All of the immorality and depravity, the evil attitudes that are catalogued in the last part of chapter 1 is not unrighteousness itself but its results. Just as the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is singular, for Paul the fruit of unrighteousness is singular (c.f., Romans 2:1 where Paul writes that anyone who judges is guilty of all the evils mentioned just prior).

Judgment

The dictionary definition of judgment is mostly accurate in terms of usage in Romans. What appears to have happened is that Christianity has overloaded and expanded the definition of judgment beyond its proper use. In Christianity judgment has the added connotations of condemnation and punishment, where properly used it simply means a decision. Paul defines judgment as follows:

… On the day when God will judge  the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus. Romans 2:16

For Paul, judgment is simply God confirming the decision that each person has made because God knows a person through and through. God does not need to condemn or punish because each person’s sentence is a natural consequence of their decision in relation to God. Psalm 139 could be read as a judgment psalm in which the psalmist is requesting God to examine his (the psalmist’s) life and to point out anything that might be wrong in their relationship.

Sin

Sin is where the dictionary definition truly falls away from what Paul intends in Romans. Like righteousness, sin is defined in moral and behavioral terms. As was already discussed, morality or immorality is the result of how one relates to God.

Then what about the “definition” of sin often heard in Christian circles? What about the following text?

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4 (KJV)

It is an unfortunate translation choice. What it really says (and is found in all modern translations) is “sin is lawlessness,” i.e., sin is living without knowledge of the law and/or living as if there is no law. Paul writes in Romans 4:15,

For the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression either.

However, Paul has already shown (in chapters 1-3) that sin and unrighteousness exist apart from the law (c.f., Romans 2:12); therefore, sin cannot be the transgression of the law. Again, transgression of the law is a fruit of unrighteousness.

The first use of sin in Romans is found in Romans 3:9.

What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin…

Paul’s definition of sin is not that of immorality, or deeds, or behaviors but in regards to power. Sin is the power that enslaves people so that they have no choice but to bear the fruit of unrighteousness. Sin is the power that is exerted over people who choose to not acknowledge God, not honor him, and not give thanks to him.

It was mentioned earlier in this post that the gospel is the power of God to save.

With that we able to determine the central thesis of Paul in Romans: There are two powers present in this world – the power of the gospel and the power of sin. Each person is under one or the other; no one can remain independent. Everyone enters the world under the power of sin. The power of sin is so pervasive that it confuses the thinking of everyone so that wrong seems right and vice versa. If human thinking is that confused, how can God break through with his power to overcome sin if people don’t even recognize it as good news? That is where grace and law come in. Grace is present so that everyone has some recognition of God in the power present in the universe, in the created order; the beauty that still remains in the world; in the love that is still found among people. Law provides another aid to help people see that their thinking is confused – law identifies fruit of unrighteousness and also identifies responsibilities of the righteous. But the law must not be confused with the gospel –

For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20

The opposite of sin is not virtue, but faith. Then the definition of sin must be faithlessness:

But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin. Romans 14:23

City-wide Youth Rally

The Ministerial Association had talked about holding a city-wide youth rally for some time now. The impetus that finally kicked it into reality was the realization of how bad alcohol and drugs were becoming among middle and high school kids. We wanted to contribute to efforts by Petersburg Mental Health to prevent and combat substance abuse.

Close to four weeks ago we began making concrete plans, setting dates, etc. to make this youth rally a reality. A couple of Mondays ago there was a Town Hall meeting during which the community was made aware of the problems right under our noses. The newspaper printed a front page article on the Town Hall meeting. A small lead-in guest editorial was placed on the front page, continuing on the second, with the editorial ending right next to an ad for our youth rally.

We weren't sure how all the pieces could fall place in such short notice, but God worked to bring businesses, organizations, and individuals together to be able to put together an event that was both fun and spiritual. Our guest musician and speaker was Nathan Lopez, now living in Wasilla, but born and raised right here in Petersburg.

We had plenty of games and prizes. Petersburg Indian Association lent us the use of couple of their games: padded sumo wrestling suits and a bungee run game. During the middle of the event we were able to hold a $250 half-court basketball shot challenge through a generous donation from the Elks. Many other businesses and organizations donated large and small. We gave away coffee gift certificates and coins, a small TV set, a portable DVD player, and the final big drawing was for a iPod Touch. Pizzas and drinks were provided for reduced cost, and cookies were provided by the various churches.

Nathan spoke on pursuing one's dream, no matter what others may say. He connected it to finding one's ultimate purpose in a life devoted to Christ. We handed out nearly one-hundred New Testaments to the youth present. The count of the door-prize ticket stubs after the event showed that there were probably around one-hundred twenty kids at this event.

Album: PSG Youth Rally Nov 2010

October and Fall is Here

If September was unusually warm and sunny, October makes up for it. Fall is definitely here and with it plenty of rain and wind. There have been quite a few stormy days with heavy rains and strong winds. There have been occasional breaks and some drying -- enough for me to go out on the bike for an hour or so.

Our church group completed our study of the book of Acts and we are now into the Epistle to the Galatians. This is my third time through this epistle in about as many years and I feel like I am finally starting to understand it. It is a short letter but I suspect we will be in it for quite some time.

Yesterday I baked my first Meringue pie - a Lime Meringue Pie - for the Pie Social at the Medical Center's Long-Term Care. Prior to the pies being consumed by residents, staff, and visitors, voting was held for "The Prettiest Pie." When the votes were tallied it turned out that my pie had won! You can view the pie below...

I'll be doing more cooking later this week for a potluck gathering of the ministers and their families.

What's up...

So what has been going with us the last month?

We returned from our Lower 48 vacation. The weather in Petersburg has been quite warm and dry for much of the time. We've had a few showers here and there but not a whole lot. Looking at the forecast though, it looks like we are headed into a cloudy and showery stretch, and perhaps will remain that way until mid-Fall.

The church group that meets together, after meeting in our home since early Spring, has moved to the Presbyterian church. This is to accommodate some of our older members who have difficulty with mobility. Our home has stairs leading up to it unless a person goes all the way to the back. The path to the back is narrow and cannot accommodate motorized wheelchairs. The Presbyterian church has a ramp going up to the front entrance. We are working our way through the book of Acts as a weekly Bible study.

The group also comes together every Tuesday evening for supper at our house. Being in my own kitchen allows me to put together more interesting menus than when we held this at the church.

The group has also grown by a few people. We now have two younger girls who joins us regularly and their mother, when she is available.

Shelley has started work at Papa Bear's pizza, though it appears she is experiencing some difficulties there. We are encouraging her to stick with it a while longer. Shelley has also been baby sitting a couple nights a week. The mother goes to work and Shelley stays overnight in case someone is needed.

I continue to spend time fishing. I caught my fifth pink salmon today. I had been out there over an hour and I was packing it in, casting out for the last time when the fish hit. It fought valiantly but in the end I prevailed. The hook was quite securely set in its mouth. It turned out to be a 24.5 inch male. The photo below shows his spawning hump starting to develop.

Plug: Thoughtless Faith

I think that perhaps a thoughtful atheist is closer to the Kingdom than a thoughtless Christian.

Full article at http://www.battlefortruth.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=389

"Too often, I encounter thoughtless Christians who, frankly, know little or nothing about what they believe and why they believe it and, worse, have little interest in changing their condition. I am not sure they ever even give these larger questions a second thought. Instead their faith, it seems, is often based on a common set of popular assumptions that fall under the banner of Christianity with which they agree. In other words, they believe in God, Jesus, the Bible, conservative values, and so on, but they scarcely know or demonstrate how these beliefs should impact their lives...

"I respect this friend because he takes seriously the ultimate questions of life and he is endeavoring to make sense of the world... While I disagree with my friend’s worldview, I cannot condemn it as being thoughtless. He has invested tremendous energy and effort into trying to understand and work out his perspective of life and the world. More so, I fear, than many professing Christians."

McCarthyism and Salem Witch Trials in the Adventist Church

Browsing updates at another blog site, I was directed to a new anonymous Adventist web site that popped up recently, encouraged by Ted Wilson's election. It smacks very much of McCarthyism and the communist witch hunt as well as the much earlier Salem witch trials. See site at http://adventisttruth.webs.com/


I continue to be troubled by the polarization, dogmatism, and inflexibility that I increasingly observe being manifest within Adventism. The path I see this particular branch of Adventism taking is one that does not fit into what I believe comprises Biblical Christianity.

ATdoay: State of Adventist Church in Japan

http://www.atoday.com/content/adventist-sun-setting-land-rising-sun

Dennis Hokama writes the above article in which he relates the decline of Adventism in Japan and how that may be a portent - a "canary in the mine" - of Adventism in other developed nations.

ESV Online Study Bible

I’ve been using the ESV (English Standard Version) Online Study Bible for a couple of months now and I am quite pleased with it. Crossway, the publisher, just upgraded the site and added some new features, including the ability to invite five people to share the purchase. Yes, it does cost $19.99, but it is a lifetime purchase and not a subscription. Or you can purchase a print version of the ESV Study Bible and the online version is included.

The purchase provides access to the full Study Bible notes, articles, and maps. It also allows you to add your own notes and highlights. You can access the Bible text and reading plans without a purchase.

The site is currently not compatible with iPad/iPhones because it uses Flash, but the FAQ says that they are working on a mobile product.

I find the $19.99 purchase cost to be a bargain for what you get. More information on the ESV Study Bible can be found here. The online study Bible can be viewed here.

Against Fundamentalism

Here are a couple of links responding to a resurgence of fundamentalism. The first is a sermon, and the second uses the first as a launching point for further comments on the topic.

1. Answering Fundamentalists from Adventist Today
2. The Adventist Myth of the Bible Only

Psalm 69:19-28

Reflecting back over the past six to twelve months, Psalm 69:19-28 expresses my feelings quite precisely. The words are harsh, but I do not apologize for how I feel and continue to feel.

¹⁹ You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you. ²⁰ Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. ²¹ They gave me poison for food,      and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink. ²² Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. ²³ Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. ²⁴ Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them.
²⁵ May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents. ²⁶ For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded. ²⁷ Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you.
²⁸ Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

Plug: Time to take back the Adventist Church

In light of some of the events that transpired at the General Conference session last week, I found a blog post that is particularly relevant: Time to take back the Adventist Church. It begins --

A while ago the following article was submitted to Adventist Today who appear to have rejected the article for publication so in fairness I thought I would publish it here as it almost seems prophetic when we consider the events of the recent General Conference selection of President and his sermon this last week.

Other comments, editorials, and perspectives regarding the session from non-official sources can be found at

• Spectrum Magazine blog
• Adventist Today web site

Official reporting can be found in the Adventist Review online archives.

Using iPad for a sermon

I got the iPad I ordered last Thursday and have been playing with it. It really is a cool little device.

I had earlier been asked to provide the sermon at the Presbyterian Church on Father’s Day Sunday. This provided me with an a timely opportunity to see if I could give a sermon using just an iPad.

I used Idea Sketch (free) to draw up an outline.

I used Instapaper Pro ($4.99) to download Wikipedia’s Father’s Day article (I did examine the referenced primary sources, just to be sure the article was correct) from which I would provide a brief history of Father’s Day.

And finally I used OliveTree’s BibleReader (free) and the ESV Study Bible ($39.99). With the combination I could see both the Bible text and associated commentary, plus I could pop up my own personal notes that I had made earlier.

Armed with these three components, with flicks and taps, I delivered the sermon. Overall it worked out quite well.

Law of Unintended Consequences

Over at the Spectrum blog an article was recently posted, Citing Apostasy, Michigan Conference Removes La Sierra University From Employee Subsidy.

I am not going to debate or opine whether or not they have or don’t have the right to do that, nor whether they were right or wrong in doing so. I am going to discuss a possible unintended consequence of the action.

For probably as long as the denomination has existed in an organized fashion, I’m sure people have questioned actions of its organizations and leaders. One of the few ways in which ordinary, individual members have any say is through tithes. Of course any church member knows the official position on the giving of tithe: The Conference is the “storehouse” and it is mandatory for members to give tithe to the Conference. All of us know that this has been disregarded throughout history, in greater or lesser numbers; perhaps greater in more recent years.

What the action of the Michigan Conference does is grant official legitimacy to withholding promised funds in order to express displeasure towards and to attempt to coerce change from an official denominational entity. It sets an official precedent that monetary means may be used by one church entity against another. It provides justification for all the members and churches in the past, present, and future who don’t approve of official policies and actions to withhold tithes and offerings.

Is it okay to take a break from religion?

When religion, its routines, traditions, and the whole culture around it becomes a source of negative stress, is it okay to take a break from it? What if God becomes so hopelessly intertwined with the sources of stress? Is it okay to let God go for a while?

This is basically where I am at now. I think that in order for spirituality to return to something healthy in my life, I may need to cast off all the religious traditions that have negative associations. I may need to start in a new place where I can view my past religious experiences as an outsider. Is it possible to get to a place where I no longer have any emotional attachments to religion?

I am well on my way to fearing daily living: interacting with people, phone calls, talking, sleeping. I want out of this misery and pain.

Spiritual leadership != business leadership

Mike Bonem over at LeadershipJournal.net writes in his article “Good to Great to Godly”:

"We need more structure in our decision making. Without that discipline, we'll never accomplish anything."

"We're a church, not a business. We need to rely on God. We can't operate like the corporate world."

Ever been on one side or the other of this argument? Or perhaps in the middle? The tensions are present in most churches in America today. As corporate "best practices" are applied to church life, church leaders struggle to make sense of it all.

…

In the church, the "bottom line" is life transformation, which defies simple cost-benefit analysis. We wonder whether it's better to see one new convert or five believers who grow significantly in their faith. Or whether the dollar spent on children's programming produces more fruit than one spent on youth ministry. Or how to make the trade-off between music ministry or benevolence. So we wrestle with priorities and resource allocation, trying to make the right choices as we pursue a goal that is sometimes vague and elusive. What kind of leadership is needed to move from blurriness to clarity, from seeing through simple business lenses to seeing more as God sees?

…

My experience is that church leaders—senior pastors, other staff, and laity—need a style that transcends both of these, a leadership approach that is spiritual and situational (sometimes legislative, sometimes executive). Even as we create structured processes for making important decisions, we must allow time and space for God to speak into the hearts of leaders. Sometimes it's the pastor who hears God most clearly; at other times one or more lay leaders may have a divine insight. In other words, the "best practices" from business have much to offer regarding decision making, but they omit the greatest asset available to congregational leaders—the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

…

Jim Collins' monograph Good to Great and the Social Sectors has an interesting line before the title: "Why Business Thinking Is Not the Answer." Is Collins right? Yes and no. It's clear that the unfiltered, wholesale adoption of best practices from business is not the answer. The church is not a business, and if we run it like one, God might end up as just one of the constituents to be considered, not the One for whom the whole thing exists.

Easter Sunday

It was a frigid morning. Right at the freezing point. But unlike yesterday afternoon and evening, the clouds broke and the rains stopped. It was quite a picturesque morning.

There were perhaps close to 100 people at Sandy Beach Park, looking out over Frederick Sound and to the Horn Cliffs. It was mostly cloudy, but enough breaks in the clouds to let shafts of sunlight through onto the mountains and the water.

The sunrise service (okay, technically not sunrise since that is about 6 a.m. and the service started about 7 a.m.) was a reading of the resurrection account of John 20 with singing between passages.

I got to provide the reflection at the end of the service. Here is the text of what I spoke.

• I'm sure we've all had our times of disappointments and discouragements
• Losing a job, or not getting the one you really wanted
• Receiving notice that, regrettably, your application was denied
• A word from the doctor: I'm afraid there is no cure
• Losing a home, car, a boat to an accident, or even worse, to someone else's negligence
• Watching your child suffer; bad enough if they made the wrong choices that got them into it, but worse when it appears there is no good reason, or because of someone else's malice
• Or how about when you're hoping and praying God will work things out and things don't turn out that way? When things seem to go from bad to worse?
• Have you ever felt like hope died?
• I wonder what kinds of emotions and thoughts the women watching the crucifixion and burial had
• Disbelief that it even happened…
• Grief that their loved one was no more…
• Anger at those that caused it: Judas, the Jewish leaders, Pilate, the Roman soldiers…
• Anger at God for not stopping it?
• Sense of betrayal by God…?
• Sense of betrayal by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus for not stopping it…?
• Discouragement…
• Depression…
• Emptiness…
• Loss of hope…
• After all, this was the Messiah, the Christ, the One that they had pinned their hopes upon
• Hopes for a brighter future -
• A future free from foreign occupation and oppression
• A future where nothing bad would happen again
• A future where righteousness and justice would reign
• In their minds -
• All of that died when Jesus died
• All of that was buried when Jesus was buried
• All of that was sealed away when the Roman seal was placed upon the tomb
• Yet something brought them back to the tomb on Sunday morning, in the wee, twilight hours
• What was it?
• A sense of duty, of needing to finish the burial rituals left incomplete?
• A feeling that they, the long-time, public followers of Jesus ought to perform the final burial honors, instead of those secret disciples who hurriedly buried the body on Friday?
• Simply the Jewish tradition of mourning at the burial site for three days? Perhaps
• But perhaps it was because they wanted to be with Jesus again, even if just his body…
• A hope that being near his body would bring back good memories -
• Of being loved and accepted,
• Of having worries and anxieties banished,
• Of receiving a sense of confidence and courage
• That somehow being reminded of Jesus and his presence
• Would bring back hope, and meaning, and purpose
• As the women approached the tomb they are stopped in their tracks by an earthquake
• "This can't be good," is probably the thought that goes through their minds
• Their fears are confirmed when the tomb is open and the body is gone
• "Who stole the body? Who would dare take away from them the one last reminder of Jesus?"
• The little bit of hope they had left is quickly extinguished
• Then they encounter an angel
• "Don't be afraid," he says, "Jesus is alive, just as he said he would"
• "Look inside and see where he was laid, then go tell the disciples about what you have seen"
• One by one, the women examine the tomb
• It is empty, except for the burial cloths and the face cloth
• No grave thief would unwrap the body before taking it…
• Could it be true?
• Is Jesus truly alive?
• A breath of fresh air seems to bring life to the dying flames of hope
• With cautious expectation, the women leave the tomb and hurry to tell the other disciples
• But before they are even completely out of the grove, they come upon Jesus
• "Greetings," he says and they recognize him immediately
• They rush up to his feet and clutch it, afraid to let go, afraid to lose him again, afraid that their hopes might be dashed again, afraid of being afraid again
• Jesus knows what is going on in their minds, in their hearts
• "Don't be afraid," he says
• "Go on and tell the disciples and I will see them - I will see you"
• Jesus had never lied to them
• Even his death, they now realize, he had spoken about it many times before it happened
• Confidence is recovered
• Faith is restored
• Hope is renewed
• Prior to the resurrection, the women had hoped for a particular future of their own understanding
• A faulty hope
• Even though the object of hope was based on Jesus
• After the resurrection, the women begin to understand that Jesus is the hope, that Jesus is enough
• The cross served to crucify false hopes and expectations, to tear away facades and masks
• The resurrection gave birth to genuine hope
• Genuine hope is -
• A hope that is as much about the present as it is about the future
• A hope where the future outcome is absolutely certain
• A hope where we are free to live in the present because we have no worries about the future
• A hope where we are able to overcome suffering, struggles, and trials of the moment because there is no question about the final result
• A hope where even if things don't get better in this life, even if we don't understand the why's of this life, we don't give up because being with Jesus is enough to give us ultimate meaning, purpose, and direction for all that happens
• A hope that frees us to really live
• "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Pet 1:3

The problem I have with tech support

Yesterday, the cable Internet connection was not functioning correctly for a couple of hours. All I wanted to know was if the company was aware of the problem.

I call up the toll-free support number and go through the multiple menus to get to tech support. The response I get is, “No, we aren’t aware of any problems.” That was exactly what I expected, but not what I wanted to hear.

At this point, support has two options: 1) go find out if this is a widespread problem, or 2) assume the problem is with my connection and go through the scripted steps to try to resolve it.

Of course the support side has no idea that I used to be a professional in the network and PC security business and I don’t call support unless I’ve exhausted the obvious and not-so-obvious solutions and workarounds. I don’t call unless I’m pretty certain the problem is not with my end of things. (After all, I hate wasting my time with support – and their time too…) But support opts for option two, when I would much rather have them go with option one and call me back. Even an, “I don’t know. We’ll look into it,” would be more welcome than patronizing the support rep and pretend to go through the useless steps.

Yesterday’s example is with the network connection, but I’ve also experienced similar things time and again with other pieces of hardware and software. The assumption is that if I am experiencing a problem, then the problem must likely be with me.

On the other hand, with less experienced and knowledgeable customers, it probably is helpful to look for some obvious failure points: Is the cable connected and secure? What are the status indicators? Did you make any changes recently? Does the Cable TV work?

In my ideal world, when someone calls tech support, the support person would already know the background and experience of the customer and can begin at an appropriate level. They would have already seen me going through troubleshooting procedures so they won’t ask me to repeat them. But it isn’t an ideal world and customers and tech support don’t have an ongoing relationship (well, I hope they don’t…) where that base of knowledge is learned.

I write this because it seems like there are some applications from this experience and these thoughts that might carry over to the arena of church and spiritual communities and life. And that will be left as an exercise for the reader, because I don’t have answers and some of the ideas I have, I haven’t fully thought through yet.