I Believe in Love: Daring Right Relationship – December 6, 2020

Scripture:  “Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, And they will call him, Emmanuel (‘God with us’).” (Mathew 1: 23 and Isaiah 7: 14)

In both the Gospel of Matthew and Isaiah, a messenger appears as a sign from God, heralding a new era. In each passage, the words “do not be afraid” appear… offering a clue that the messenger–whether prophet or angel–was referencing something that induced fear in the recipient. A new way of being, relating and loving takes courage– eschewing the present order of things so that a new and better day can be born.

I Believe in the Sun: Hope for Tomorrow – November 29, 2020

Scripture: “Prepare the way…”

“Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news.” “Raise your voice… raise it; don’t be afraid” (Mark 1: 1-15 and Isaiah 40: 1-11)

This Advent, we are looking to hear some comfort, some challenge and some good news. The prophet Isaiah and the four Gospel authors were writing in a time when people needed desperately to hear all of these as well. This first week, Isaiah and the gospel writer who published first–Mark–reassure the people that good news is beginning and yet they both say, “make yourself ready!” Raise your voices, change your hearts, get ready to be transformed, because now is the time. Have hope that we can do what needs to be done to bring more light into the world.

Looking with Gratitude – November 22, 2020

Scripture: Acts 4: 32-35

The community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them would say, “This is mine!” about any of their possessions, but held everything in common. The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all. There were no needy persons among them. Those who owned properties or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds from the sales, and place them in the care and under the authority of the apostles. Then it was distributed to anyone who was in need. (Acts 4:32-35)

The end of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life is a joyful celebration of community and generosity and George Bailey’s thankfulness is infectious. At the heart of our relationship to money is living and giving with gratitude–whether the assets we have to give are monetary, or our own capital of time and energy for the sake of the human family. As a result of aligning our money practices with the courageous vision we see for ourselves and our impact on the world, we end our series by looking for the hope that has been cultivated and the possibility that we will transform fear to gratitude in the act of sharing.

 

Looking Out – November 15, 2020

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Tell people who are rich at this time not to become egotistical and not to place their hope on their finances, which are uncertain. Instead, they need to hope in God, who richly provides everything for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in the good things they do, to be generous, and to share with others. When they do these things, they will save a treasure for themselves that is a good foundation for the future. That way they can take hold of what is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19, CEB)

The difference between the Baileys and the Potters of the world comes both in the inner and outer worlds. Do we reap love and generosity or bitterness and resentment? This week we ask if the outer manifestations of our money practices align with our courageous vision. Are we creating the impact for which we hope? at least moving in that direction? When our practices–no matter how incremental or seemingly simple–are serving the vision, we live with a sense of wholeheartedness and wonder that energizes us, those around us, and the world. We “truly live.”

Looking In – November 8, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 6: 19-24

“Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how terrible that darkness will be! No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:19-24)

George Bailey gets a wonderful gift of seeing what he world would have been like without him in it. We live an “incarnational” faith–the belief that, like Jesus, our faith is not just an idea, but it gets lived out in our actions in the world. This week we integrate money and meaning by looking in at the courageous vision for our presence and impact in the world. This is the bedrock for how we “spend” our assets–time, energy, and money–so that we approach the life we have left with attentiveness and intentionality to making it a“wonder-full” life.

Looking Back – November 1, 2020

All Saints Day

Scripture: Matthew 22: 15-22

Then the Pharisees met together to find a way to trap Jesus in his words. They sent their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are genuine and that you teach God’s way as it really is. We know that you are not swayed by people’s opinions, because you don’t show favoritism. So tell us what you think: Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Knowing their evil motives, Jesus replied, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used to pay the tax.” And they brought him a denarion. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked. “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” When they heard this they were astonished, and they departed. (Matthew 22:15-22)

Our relationship with money has a history as long as our lives but also as expansive as the family systems and culture of which we are a part. Creating spiritual practices for how we deal money invites us to look back, to see with new eyes how and when our values and fears were initiated. Like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, we sometimes need some help in the midst of the discouragement that can come with being in the “whale” of our fear about money. We look back with a practice of compassion for ourselves and others and a faith that reminds us of our true worth.

Passing It On to the Next Generation – October 25, 2020

Scripture: Deuteronomy 34: 1-12

[Then Moses said,] “Israel, listen! Our God is the LORD! Only the LORD! Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. These words that I am commanding you today must always be on your minds. Recite them to your children… In the future, your children will ask you, “What is the meaning of the laws, the regulations, and the case laws that the LORD our God commanded you?” tell them: We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. But the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.” (Deuteronomy 6: 4-7)

God shows Moses the Promised Land, though he is not allowed to enter it. That honor is reserved for Joshua, who was ordained by Moses to follow him. It seems likely that as Moses died he held in his mind that vision of the Promised Land’s beauty. Israel mourned, and remembered their great leader. But Moses’ story wasn’t over. He reappeared centuries later in the Bible’s story. If anything, now he had a greater honor—he was encouraging Jesus, the LORD he’d served all his life, as Jesus prepared to face the cross on which he would save the whole world. Moses was a reluctant prophet, but set a course to follow God at all costs, a course we can still follow today.

Then and Now – October 18, 2020

Then and Now – October 18, 2020

Dr. Alex Shawn Preaching

Scripture: Numbers 14: 1-11

Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron; the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? (Numbers 14:1-11)

With the law given (and re-given) at Sinai, God instructed Moses to lead the people toward the Promised Land. As they got close, Moses sent out 12 spies, one from each tribe, to scout the land. After all, none of them had ever been there. They reported that yes, it was a good, fruitful land. But 10 of the 12 spies were also gripped by fear, and said they didn’t dare try to take the land. They seemed to utterly forget that God’s power, not their own, had brought them this far. The trek in the wilderness was important for the development of Israel. Where do we find ourselves in our own trek, and what is our response?

Living In a Tent – October 11, 2020

Scripture: Exodus 25:1, 8-9, Exodus 29:42-46

And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8)

The Exodus was so sudden. Practically overnight, the Israelites went from being slaves, struggling to survive making bricks without any straw provided for them to use, to being a free people, but out in a desert they had never lived in. Leaving an Egypt that worshiped frogs, cows, a river and the sun (among other “gods”), the Israelites had a lot to learn about Yahweh, the awe-inspiring LORD who had freed them. And God commanded Moses, “Build me a sanctuary”—a visible symbol that God was in their midst. What are the visible symbols that are important to us? What do we use to maintain a sense of God’s spiritual presence with us?

God’s Top Ten – October 4, 2020

God’s Top Ten – October 4, 2020

Scripture: Exodus 20: 1-20

Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:1-2)

After the shocking destruction of Pharaoh’s army, Egypt was definitively part of Israel’s past.Through Moses and the pillar of smoke and fire, God led the newly freed people to Mount Sinai. They knew who they weren’t: slaves to Egypt. Now God began the process of helping them understand who they were. As they reached Sinai, God gave them this divine purpose statement: “You will be a kingdom of priests for me and a holy nation.” How does Israel’s identity affect us in the 21st century?