PASTOR’S CORNER NOVEMBER 2009
The Apostle Paul was the father of missionary work; that is sharing the Good News of Christ with people from a different culture. He reached out to spread Christianity to non-Jewish, Greek people. The problems he encountered were: they had different ways of doing things, they had different beliefs, they used the language differently ( though Paul and most people could speak Greek ) and they had a different way of thinking and understanding the world.
What made Paul most unique among Christians was that he entered their culture and way of thinking and realized God could work in that culture just as well as God could work in his Jewish culture. He taught people about Christ without forcing them to become Jewish. The rest of the Church had real problems with this. They insisted that new Christians “be like us.” It is a conflict that continues in the Church to this very day. Our human nature calls us to find people who act, talk and think just like us and to call them “good”. God, however, calls us to share Christ with people who may be different than us and see the goodness in them also.
Today we continue experiencing cultural change. One example is the prediction that in 10-20 years the majority population, at least in New Jersey, will be Hispanic. This was most obvious when I watched the Yankees on cable channel 9 broadcast in Spanish. Next someone sent me an email explaining birth rates in different cultures. It predicted in 20 years our nation could be predominately Moslem! We live in a multi-cultural world. All people are not like you and me.
The biggest cultural challenge that is happening for me is not with Hispanics or Moslems. It is generational and technological. I now have clergy colleagues who are younger and generationally different than my oldest children. They have a different technology. They think differently, communicate differently, and understand things differently.
Paul quickly learned that evangelism does not mean spreading the Jewish culture. It means sharing the good news of Christ. For us today it means looking carefully at how people behave and not seeing their differences as bad. Things like emails, text messages, video presentations may be beyond our understanding. That does not make them evil. They can very effectively be used to spread the Good News in a new culture.
Recently I have been alerted that some of you are sharing thoughts about our worship by text messaging while I am preaching. I appreciate that it is far better than my generation who are talking out loud during the sermon or trying to pass notes across the sanctuary. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to join in on your conversation while I’m preaching. In the meantime I pray for tolerance from those who are buzzing past me with their technology as well as those who never got my email because they don’t know what email is. And I pray the next time I see someone looking at their cell phone during my sermon I will be impressed that they are sharing thoughts about the sermon with others. Finally I pray for the Church, which has survived so many cultural adaptations throughout its history and will continue to grow as each new culture adds to the past.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Dave
The Apostle Paul was the father of missionary work; that is sharing the Good News of Christ with people from a different culture. He reached out to spread Christianity to non-Jewish, Greek people. The problems he encountered were: they had different ways of doing things, they had different beliefs, they used the language differently ( though Paul and most people could speak Greek ) and they had a different way of thinking and understanding the world.
What made Paul most unique among Christians was that he entered their culture and way of thinking and realized God could work in that culture just as well as God could work in his Jewish culture. He taught people about Christ without forcing them to become Jewish. The rest of the Church had real problems with this. They insisted that new Christians “be like us.” It is a conflict that continues in the Church to this very day. Our human nature calls us to find people who act, talk and think just like us and to call them “good”. God, however, calls us to share Christ with people who may be different than us and see the goodness in them also.
Today we continue experiencing cultural change. One example is the prediction that in 10-20 years the majority population, at least in New Jersey, will be Hispanic. This was most obvious when I watched the Yankees on cable channel 9 broadcast in Spanish. Next someone sent me an email explaining birth rates in different cultures. It predicted in 20 years our nation could be predominately Moslem! We live in a multi-cultural world. All people are not like you and me.
The biggest cultural challenge that is happening for me is not with Hispanics or Moslems. It is generational and technological. I now have clergy colleagues who are younger and generationally different than my oldest children. They have a different technology. They think differently, communicate differently, and understand things differently.
Paul quickly learned that evangelism does not mean spreading the Jewish culture. It means sharing the good news of Christ. For us today it means looking carefully at how people behave and not seeing their differences as bad. Things like emails, text messages, video presentations may be beyond our understanding. That does not make them evil. They can very effectively be used to spread the Good News in a new culture.
Recently I have been alerted that some of you are sharing thoughts about our worship by text messaging while I am preaching. I appreciate that it is far better than my generation who are talking out loud during the sermon or trying to pass notes across the sanctuary. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to join in on your conversation while I’m preaching. In the meantime I pray for tolerance from those who are buzzing past me with their technology as well as those who never got my email because they don’t know what email is. And I pray the next time I see someone looking at their cell phone during my sermon I will be impressed that they are sharing thoughts about the sermon with others. Finally I pray for the Church, which has survived so many cultural adaptations throughout its history and will continue to grow as each new culture adds to the past.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Dave
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER:
During September we have been looking at different aspects of our prayer life. We began with praying in the Spirit, then Praying with thanksgiving, praying for one another, and praying for hope and salvation. We have placed a stone on the altar for each of these points. Last week at our church conference, our District Superintendent, Rev. Renee McCleary, added the fifth stone; praying our confession of sin and the assurance of forgiveness we receive.
Sunday, October 4th we finish our prayer theme. It is World communion Sunday. We will pray for people around the world and our global community; a community in which we are bound together through Christ. It is also a challenge to remember that we are called as Christians to live in relationship with God and with others. Jesus summed it up in what he called the two most important commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul” and “Love your neighbor as yourself”.
Relationships and community are a strange thing. Sometimes they are so difficult you want to become a hermit. Other times when no one is around, you feel the hunger and thirst for the community that you often try to avoid. I recall how I felt the year I spent 4 days canoeing on the Delaware in October by myself. I was so eager to talk to anyone I could after four days of almost no human contact.
Our global community of faith begins with small communities like our church congregation. And our congregational community begins with smaller relationship circles. Building a relationship with God begins with building a relationship with a few other people. This is why belonging to a small group of Christians is often important in one’s Christian growth. It is why our practice of confirmation also involves becoming a member of a congregation.
As we come to the table on World Communion Sunday, let us remember our connection to believers around the world. Let us also remember those in our local community, and our church community. Finally don’t forget those closest to us who challenge us to be in relationship, to live for those relationships, and to discover in the process our relationship with God.
This week I especially lift up Frances Hotalen, a member of our community and church. She was also a member of my Bible study group and a special lady to all of us. At times I’m sure this community thing was difficult for her. I also know she worked hard to fulfill her commitment to her neighbors, church, family and God. Friday October 2nd we celebrated her life, death, and entrance into a oneness with Christ that is reserved for each of us. May we know, as she now knows, that each of our relationships is a gift to draw us closer to the heart of Christ.
Yours in the fellowship of Christ,
Pastor Dave
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” I Peter 2:5 This month, as we prepare for Church Conference, we will be focusing on prayer and being built as a “holy priesthood’ dedicated to God.
Our Church Conference this year will be held during Sunday morning worship on September 27, and is designed to draw us closer to one another and God through prayer and by God’s grace. We will be using rocks as symbols for the building blocks of our prayer life. We will also be challenged to grow through different prayer topics, while always framing our prayers in the Lord’s prayer.
The Steps of our weekly prayer focus are:
This week Praying in the Spirit.
September 6-12 Praying our thanksgivings.
September 13 -19 Praying for one another
September 20-26 Praying that our Church might be a place of hope and salvation
September 27-October 3 Praying for renewal of our commitment and compassion as a community of faith
October 4-10 Praying for unity of all Christians around the world.
As you Worship with these themes each week and focus your prayer life in these directions, each day meditate on a part of the Lord’s Prayer and the different ideas in that prayer. Ask yourself how each phrase proclaimed in the Lord’s prayer is lived out or could be lived our in your life. For example:
On Monday—What does it mean “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”?
On Tuesday—What would it be like for “Your Kingdom come, your will be done”?
On Wednesday—How does God “Give us this day, our daily bread”?
On Thursday—What is involved with “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”?
On Friday—How does God “lead us not in to temptation but deliver us from evil”?
