tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27091484162819119432024-03-13T20:49:14.031-07:00ReCentered Church Endeavoring to keep Christ the center of our faith communities, and a place to explore ideas for mission and its practical application.J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-35260256941034553942019-03-28T11:25:00.000-07:002019-03-28T11:25:44.315-07:00Worship: Are You Experienced? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I noticed that lots of churches today are calling their Sunday gatherings an “experience” rather than a “service”. Changing the names of doing things Christians have done for centuries is a peculiar characteristic of the American Protestant branch of Christianity. It is one thing that unites both liberal and conservative Christians in this country. It probably has to do with the fact that the United States religious landscape is characterized by competition and we are all trying to get an edge to help our congregations grow. I understand that changing the descriptor of worship from service to experience is usually done for evangelistic reasons. The idea of having an experience may seem less threatening than performing a service to people who have demands on their time coming from all directions.<br />
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However, worship is the primary action of the Christian community, so we should really take a step back and ask ourselves, is this a good thing? Does the word experience communicate what we are seeking have happen in our worship? We should also ask the same question of service. I would start by taking a looking at our sources and see what they say about what our worship should be.<br />
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St. Paul gave a quick model for worship in his dialog with the Christians in Corinth: <i>What should be done then, my friends? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. </i><i>1 Corinthians 14:26 (NRSV)</i><i><b> </b></i>So, is this experience, service or something different?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4LZN8W2J4cMeFTWM1YlJ60TDynXch0mN68k_TIehqHmQf4A9ncfInn21k5914rvC_1LrFdlVqsG0UKxA2pui23paNqIcFif3KMYUEqynMNHTcZiKP3kf1Lecm8YJO5mysNOk3ONwg28K/s1600/FriendshipCircle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="704" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4LZN8W2J4cMeFTWM1YlJ60TDynXch0mN68k_TIehqHmQf4A9ncfInn21k5914rvC_1LrFdlVqsG0UKxA2pui23paNqIcFif3KMYUEqynMNHTcZiKP3kf1Lecm8YJO5mysNOk3ONwg28K/s320/FriendshipCircle.jpg" width="320" /></a>To the Christians in Rome Paul would describe worship in the following way: <i>I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.</i> <i>Romans 12:1 (NRSV) </i>This one seems move us in the direction of service. One doesn’t just attend worship but presents oneself as a sacrifice. But still I think there is more than service going on.<br />
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In John 4, Jesus has a dialog about worship with a woman at well in Samaria: <i>But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24 (NRSV) </i>Do the words experience or service capture what Jesus is trying to communicate to this woman who was need of acceptance and healing?<br />
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If you asked me which term is more biblical overall, it would be the word “service”. Forms of the Greek verb <i>λειτουργια</i> are used about 15 times in the New Testament and it can be translated as “to serve” or “offer service” and used on several occasions to describe worship. The English word “liturgy” which traditional churches use to describe worship, is the loan word derived from this New Testament term.<br />
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Words that can translated to the English word experience occur 10 times in the New Revised Standard Version. The King James only uses them 4 times. No Bible translation uses the word to describe worship. So, calling worship “an experience” is obviously a modern innovation. That need not be deal breaker if we keep to the core of what our worship should be but does it?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8j4cnUM9awNII01Tk30lbLowJE8SYyndkJQKcLRMExsn80qMBrCKFT4DEhSbh7LjO1IdDQst4QrpievsBx0NcjhP1NbulAoH9BFlMOhs5-lVJcWsdT0kxSNJVGPaD_6BOej2d0BFZmd3/s1600/IMG_20180401_100630687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8j4cnUM9awNII01Tk30lbLowJE8SYyndkJQKcLRMExsn80qMBrCKFT4DEhSbh7LjO1IdDQst4QrpievsBx0NcjhP1NbulAoH9BFlMOhs5-lVJcWsdT0kxSNJVGPaD_6BOej2d0BFZmd3/s320/IMG_20180401_100630687.jpg" width="320" /></a>My gut reaction to using the word experience to describe worship is a negative one. The word is too passive. It has connotations of entertainment and its goal seems selfish and unfulfilling. It is too much like going to a concert or watching a movie and worship should be more. Yet, I must admit that as a pastor one of the blessings in my current ministry is “experiencing” the ministry of our worship leader and team he has assembled to lead our congregation in song. On countless Sundays over the years I have had to drag myself out of bed wondering how I could face the congregation I serve, only to have the worship inspire and encourage me to give. So yeah, part of great worship is the experience.<br />
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Even though the word service has a Biblical basis, I think it also is lacking. Worship is not just about what I can bring to God, it is what God can do with, for, and to me. If it is only about what we do, then worship can become drudgery. Unfortunately, I have witnessed this happen when we in the church make too many demands of those who attend. In summary, I suppose we should be careful about limiting the phenomenon of worship to the words we use to describe it or qualify it.<br />
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My choice for the congregation I currently serve is to let the word “worship” stand alone. I no longer use words like traditional or contemporary to qualify it. Keeping it simple helps preserve the idea of majesty and even mystery. For worship in Spirit and Truth that Christ describes will always be more majestic than our words. Worship should be “an experience”, but remember we are saved for a purpose which means it should be a “service” to live out our call. In all its unfathomable majesty worship should encourage, challenge, stimulate, comfort, heal, and all kinds of other things. For indeed our best worship is when we meet and come face to face with the unfathomable God.<br />
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As we come into the church’s great season of worship, I pray that worship in your congregation may be so wonderful as to be indescribable.<br />
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Be blessed,<br />
Pastor Knecht<br />
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J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-25836997781545341152018-06-21T07:08:00.000-07:002018-06-21T07:13:05.823-07:003 Misconceptions About a Pastoral Vacancy A church in a pastoral transition can be an exciting community with a sense of anticipation about how God will work to bring about a fruitful and blessed future, or it can be a place of foreboding where people worry about what has been lost. Some churches may find themselves stuck in the middle neither going forward or back. To keep your congregation healthy it is best to lay some myths about churches in pastoral transition aside. Here are three common ones I have seen over the years.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. We need to wait for our new pastor to do ministry.</span><br />
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The apostle Peter tells us. <span style="font-size: large;"> </span><i> But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 NRSV) </i>Each person in your congregation is called to his or her own discipleship path, each is given unique gifts by the Holy Spirit to use to help others and give glory to God. That does not change in a transition of leadership. Indeed, this can be a time when you can discover gifts you never knew you had. We can see this during our worship each Sunday. The word liturgy means <i>service of the people</i>, not just the pastor. Think if you had a hymn and only the pastor sung it. It would not be as beautiful as if the whole church sang it together. Education, Community Service, Evangelism and Stewardship work the same way. The work of the church belongs to all. The church that keeps up momentum becomes a more attractive church to potential candidates to be your pastor.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. We can't do anything new until we get our new pastor.</span><br />
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This is patently false. A congregation with its ear to the ground can start new initiatives at any time. For example, if you have previously relied on your pastor to follow up with visitors, the pastoral vacancy is an opportunity to become a more welcoming and hospitable church by having lay volunteers set up a process to welcome newcomers to your community. In addition if your church does not have a prayer group, a pastoral vacancy is great time to start one. A gathering of 5-6 people to pray for God to open the door for the right leader is a great step for any congregation in transition. Committing to prayer will help the congregation ask the right questions and be willing to look at new possibilities that God may provide for the best possible future.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. No one will join until we get a new pastor. </span><br />
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People join churches for many reasons, not just the pastor. People usually stay in churches because of the connections they make within the congregation. People that do not have two or three strong connections in the church usually drift away over time. A church in transition can attract new people to their community if they are hospitable and welcoming. If there is someone you don't recognize, just ask for his or her name and strike up a conversation. Your church may have the best location, size, worship style, Sunday school, youth group, or Bible study for a potential member. So this is a great time to invite a friend to church, they will meet the wonderful people of your congregation. A church that prepares to grow will more likely grow than a church that just sits back and does the same old thing.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A congregation needs to prepare for its new pastor.</span><br />
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While it is critical for congregations to look at their finances, the state of their parsonage, and paint the pastor's office to get ready for a new pastor, the most important way to prepare for a pastor is to tend to ministry. The more things that the congregation can learn to handle during the vacancy will help free up space and time for the new pastor to use his or her gifts for the benefit of the church when he or she arrives. <i>There is one final myth I would like to bust, which is: a new pastor will grow our church.</i> Churches grow when pastor and people work together to prepare an environment where growth can happen. There is no reason for the people of a congregation in transition to wait to do their part. The funny thing is s church preparing for the future is more likely to see blessings of the present. A pastoral transition can be a time of fun and excitement as the people pull together for the sake of the Gospel. J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-92220408723132416042018-01-03T12:49:00.000-08:002018-01-03T12:49:04.806-08:00The Bible Challenge <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXj28jOBSgLP0IW3-GPEp-Uw2zQE4zlP4lkEp9JxT0zm0JrPM9EF3QH_G4lHj4ldZW2tgK2Qy2IysyKR8G5wL_C3PVh45t_hD3pI6nBTiuhiw0vS5VywmP-JCEK5HbOy3MMrAEztq7zTP/s1600/Bible8.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXj28jOBSgLP0IW3-GPEp-Uw2zQE4zlP4lkEp9JxT0zm0JrPM9EF3QH_G4lHj4ldZW2tgK2Qy2IysyKR8G5wL_C3PVh45t_hD3pI6nBTiuhiw0vS5VywmP-JCEK5HbOy3MMrAEztq7zTP/s320/Bible8.jpg" /></a><br />
I challenge you to read the Bible in 2018. Not parts of the Bible, the whole thing. “<i>We must learn to know the Scriptures once again… as our fathers knew them. We must not grudge the time and work it takes. We must know the Scriptures first and foremost for the sake of our salvation. </i>(Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together)<br />
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To be a Christian is to be a person of the Word of God. We were called into a relationship with God through the Word. As we say in the Lutheran Church, it is the source and norm of our faith. It is the place we go to find out about how we should deal with the central issues of life. Contemporary culture may not hold the Bible in high esteem, but that is to its detriment; it need not be ours. We have the gifts of God given to us through the Word, we must not throw them away, or relegate them to dust covered bookshelves in the spare bedrooms of our lives. Our life and our salvation is the most precious gift we have, therefore the Word should have pride of place.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, the Whole Enchilada!</span><br />
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While every person of faith has parts of the Bible they like better than others, it is important to read the whole story so that we may know the strengths and weaknesses of our faith. We can at times place ourselves in a spiritual feedback loop, which constantly confirms long held beliefs without question or introspection. This happens often with devotionals that only use individual verses, or churches that only follow a lectionary with narrow range of the wider body of Scripture. Focusing on pieces of Scripture to the exclusion of the whole story of salvation can stunt the growth of a faith life or leave one ill equipped when life brings new challenges. <i>Holy Scripture does not consist of individual passages; it is a unit and it is intended to be used as such</i> (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together)<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Christians are People of the Book</span><br />
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To be a Christian is to be in relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We cannot do that without the reading of Scripture. “Consecutive reading of biblical books forces everyone… to put (oneself)… where God has acted once and for all for the salvation of (people).” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together) In other words, God’s story becomes our story, and yes vice versa our lives become part of God’s story too. Regular Bible reading changes who we are and that can be a blessing to others and even the entire world.<br />
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As one who reads history often I can tell you that so many of the blessings that we have today were inspired by those who steeped their entire lives in the biblical story. From things such as the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, child labor laws, to the freedom of individual conscience, the story of God’s salvation inspired those who fought for these things. “The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.” (Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451) I challenge you to be a Bible person (not a thumper) one who lets God’s story breathe through their life. As you will read in the Gospels, Jesus lived in exactly this way; just look at how many times he quotes the Hebrew Scriptures.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">How to Start</span><br />
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If you have not read the Bible regularly before, I encourage you to begin by reading 1-2 chapters continuously of the New Testament daily beginning with Mathew’s Gospel and ending with Revelation. By doing this, you will complete the New Testament in well under a year. As Christians, we read the rest of the Bible through the eyes of Christ, so this is the best place to start.<br />
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If you have some experience with the Bible, perhaps a chapter of the Old Testament read continuously, with a Psalm, and when you finished them, a chapter from Proverbs, followed by a chapter of the New Testament. You will not finish the Bible in a year, but will have read the majority of it.<br />
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To complete the Bible in a year you can google a plan, there are many available, or you might read 5-6 chapters of Scripture a day. It is important not to get bogged down when you get to those sections of Scripture that can seem monotonous, such as descriptions of the temple furnishings, genealogies, or obscure parts of the Torah. It is important therefore to have a mix of Old Testament and New Testament readings. It is also OK to skim these parts, as long as you aware of what you are leaving out. The goal is the familiarity with the big story of the Bible. I hope that this can be blessing for you in 2018 and you too can let the story of God breathe through your life.<br />
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Be blessed<br />
Pastor Knecht</div>
J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-27135372351647639602017-09-27T05:56:00.001-07:002017-09-27T05:56:53.869-07:00The Church at the End of Its Power<h3>
Does the Church Still Have Power? </h3>
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Like most of my colleagues in established so called mainline Christian denominations, I have bachelors and masters degrees, like many I have a doctorate. I also went through a gut wrenching multi year formal process to be ordained in order to serve the institutional church. The thing is that I now find myself serving an institution, which is seeing its power being diffused. The church up the road has multiple people who carry the same titles as I do, but without the training, degrees, background checks, and accreditation. Many weddings today are presided over by people who merely paid a fee through Paypal and received a pdf certificate to download. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, is not as important to me as answering the question, do we who serve the church still have power? If so, how do we use it to further the mission of the Gospel. How do we give hope to those who are hurt by the world if our power seems to be as sand running through our fingers.<br />
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The economist Moisés Naim in his 2014 book <i>The End of Power </i>explores the change in the nature of power in our current age. Power is not ending so much as being diffused through three trends going on in world today. The first is that there is more of everything, more nation states, more companies, more people, for us in the church there are more types of churches and sects. The second is that people worldwide are highly mobile. The growth in immigration to our own country is just a small part of this. Multicultural cities today are found in surprising places as a result. Who knew that Ft. Bend County in Texas would be just as diverse as Queens, New York? The result of this is that it is harder to appeal to cultural norms when people come from so many different places. The final trend is that there is a mentality shift going on in the world. Institutions once seen as a positive good are more and more viewed with distrust. The individual is more likely to be literate and have a higher education level than previous generations. Thus, many feel less need to have questions settled by institutions (like the church). The rise in "alternative facts" seen the past few years is emblematic of the downside of this trend. <br />
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Naim calls these three trends revolutions and maintains that they are indeed turning our world upside down by eroding traditional barriers to power. The upside is that groups that never had power before now have ways to advocate for their needs. The downside of this is less stability for society as a whole. People are becoming more distrustful of their government, corporations, schools, mainstream science, doctors, the media, and established religions. <br />
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Naim defines power as <i>the ability to direct or prevent the current and future actions of others. </i> He argues that traditional bastions of power still have it, they just have less of it, and they have more restrictions to using it. So how we use what power we have left is critical. Do we use it to protect eroding privileges? Or do we use our power to fashion a ministry that speaks to the current and future generations? Using the work of Ian McMillan of the University of Pennsylvania Naim argues that there are four channels of power that those who have power use to influence, guide or control others. I will outline how the church as I see it is able to use these channels for its remaining power for good or ill.<br />
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1. Muscle </h3>
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This is a channel of power that seeks to prevent people from behaving in ways the institution dislikes. It is coercion through either the use of physical force or application of law. Now there was a time when the church in the late medieval period would field armies to enforce its will, but thankfully those days are long gone. There was also a time when the church could regulate when people conducted business, or what they could eat and drink. Now churches have trouble getting even their most active members to show up on time. However, churches still have vestiges of this channel of power in their books. Most congregations that have constitutions have a provision for the discipline and even exclusion of members, as well as a process for removing clergy and staff. <br />
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Most clergy learn pretty quickly that the church has less access to this channel than past generations. When it is no longer a cultural badge of honor to be Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopalian, or even Christian, the threat of exclusion from a congregation means little. We live in a religiously pluralistic world where there is always another faith community down the road. Often those who are friends with the person excluded have little to hold them to the congregation after the conflict ends. So the price for a congregation to use this channel is steep. There are still times when people who are harming the community need to leave, but that has to happen in more delicate ways than it did in the past and that is a good thing. As communities in Christ we are called to protect the dignity of all, and that is always difficult when using raw coercive power. Scripture, prayer and conversation should always be engaged when thinking about how we use our power especially in times like these when cultural tensions are high.<br />
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2. Code </h3>
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The use of tradition and morality to check or influence behavior is one channel of power that the church continually uses to influence not only its members but society at large. When conservative evangelicals advocate for the abolition of abortion or abstinence from sex before marriage they are making an appeal to a moral code. When mainline Christian groups advocate for the rights of immigrants they are using the same channel of power by appealing to the moral rightness of their cause. When I was first ordained, the push for weekly communion was still going on in our denomination, this debate was really about the question of "is this the right thing to do?" Those who resisted weekly communion also appealed to a moral argument, the need for the local congregation to have the freedom to tailor its worship life to its local community.<br />
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As uses of power that attempt to restrict our behavior <i>code</i> and <i>muscle</i> often work together. For example when churches advocate for causes by organizing demonstrations, they try get as many people as they can to show up. Provocative signs with slogans designed to put the opposition off balance are carried and rhythmic chants to fire up the crowd may be devised. These demonstrations with some very rare exceptions are non-violent. This does not mean they are without some muscle. In order to get the attention of the wider community a little muscle is required. Remember even Jesus used <i>code</i> and <i>muscle</i> in combination when he overturned the tables at the temple.<br />
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While many Christians have qualms about the church using force, they may not see the dangers apparent in appealing to <i>code</i>. Sometimes the codes that our communities construct can damage the very people we are trying reach. Speak with those wounded by the church, and one will often find that it was the community's traditions, attitudes and arbitrary standards that caused the pain. Early in my ministry, I had console a low income mother who had just been accosted because her child wore beat up sneakers under the acolyte's robe. These were the only shoes he had. My unproven thesis is that more people have been pushed away from Christian community because the abuse of <i>code</i> than any other power channel.<br />
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It is clear that our communities need to appeal to a code of how to live a proper life within that community, but care should be taken in communicating what the code actually is. Any code we come up with has to be in line with the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. The Sermon on the Mount or John 8 come to mind as aids along with prayer and witness to help decide if our traditions and codes are clear, inclusive, and merciful. </div>
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3. Reward </h3>
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Sometimes when we need to encourage behaviors we like, we use rewards as a tool to make it happen. Parents teach their children to take out the garbage in return for an allowance; sales managers give bonuses and commissions. When death was more up close and personal for people the promise of heaven as the ultimate reward, could and did change behaviors. But in a time when people live longer and longer lives of increasing comfort, the spiritual rewards can seem less present than they have in past generations. <br />
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There is an old joke that goes: "What's an Episcopalian? A Lutheran with money." This showed that there were social, as well as material rewards in addition to the spiritual rewards for belonging to certain congregations. In the Puritan colonies of New England church leadership was a well trod path to political power. People still do join religious congregations for networking reasons and to be with the "right sort of people" but many of us are seeing this dwindle as the popularity cultural Christianity continues to wane.<br />
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Despite current trends, this channel for power is still used regularly by many pastors and their congregations. The most obvious, the "prosperity Gospel," which promises financial and material blessings for right belief and right behaviors. The church growth movement of the late 20th century used marketing tactics to offer rewards to congregants such as food courts, exercise classes, day care and the like to encourage people to attend and contribute to their community. Many mainline church startups geared towards immigrants use ESL classes as the hook to get people to be a part of their congregation. Every congregation can appeal to some type of reward for being part of their Christian community. The question is are these rewards given as grace? Or are they used to manipulate the faithful?<br />
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4. Pitch </h3>
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"Perception is reality" the old saying goes. Changing how people see things can give them new incentives to adapt behaviors or change directions. Advertisers can make a <i>pitch</i> to make us think that we need something and then we go and buy it. I really don't need a smartphone, but somehow I have come to think I can't live without it. I brought into the tech world's propaganda. <br />
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The more perceptive among us may argue, is this not what we do when we get up to preach every Sunday? Are we not working with a Biblical text to encourage our audience to see the world and God in different ways? Yes, we are. In fact, this is what I am trying to do by writing this essay. The goal of this piece is to consider what kind of power our communities have, and how can we use it in ways that help people. We are making a <i>pitch. </i> This is the most important channel of power we in the church have. St. Paul wrote in Romans 10:17 <i>So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.</i> (NRSV) We are using words to change reality. <br />
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As the Gospel does this, however so does the world. Part of the reason we are where we are is that people have made a <i>pitch </i>and many have believed it. People have heard the pitch men and pitch women of the world claim that only material matters, or only what is practical is important, or it's all someone else's fault, or they are not as deserving as you, or we are exceptional and others are not, or you can have whatever god you want. The devil knows how to make a <i>pitch</i>, he's been doing since the garden. The devil suckered Eve, and she suckered Adam. Viral marketing is much older than we think.<br />
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However, the Word that Jesus is Risen, changes things for real. The Gospel, that we can be part of the kingdom has the power to renew our lives for the better. Our most precious gift is the promise of the Gospel. There is a single common humanity. Jesus became human to prove God is with us in our humanity. Instead we believed the pitch of world and put him to death. God raised Jesus to prove, that we will not be let go so easily. God will love us no matter what. We can be with God and others in wholeness and peace, even into eternal life. We can love others by giving them hope.<br />
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Yes, the church still has power, but that power does not belong to us, it is the province of God. So our most important work is tending to life of the Gospel in our congregations. Proclaiming it to our neighbors, while living it out ourselves. Our preaching will continue to be vital. It must be sourced, prayed over, and worked at. Because we are are making the <i>Pitch. </i>This is not our <i>Pitch, </i>but God's and its heart is John 3:16-17. <br />
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We in the church will always have power because we have hope in the Gospel. We will need to demonstrate the truth of our <i>pitch </i>by living it ourselves, so we need to feed the hungry, pray for the sick, uphold the dignity of those despised by society. It is what the church has done at its best whether it has temporal political, economic, social power or not. Indeed the temporal manifestations of our power will wax and wane over time, but the power of the Good News of Jesus Christ never ends. I am advocating that rather than lament earthly power lost we embrace God's power won by the cross and resurrection. Indeed this is the day the Lord has made, and we are called to seize it.<br />
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Be blessed<br />
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J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-28255652983971258642017-09-07T10:54:00.001-07:002017-09-07T11:08:58.625-07:00What's your Luther Movie? Next Tuesday PBS will be presenting the film, <i><a href="http://www.pbs.org/program/martin-luther-idea-changed-world/" target="_blank"> Martin Luther: The Idea that Changed the World</a> </i>and I will probably stream it sometime after it comes on line. I have seen two previous films dramatizing Luther's life. I remember the countless screenings of the the Film <i>Martin Luther (1953) </i>in the church of my childhood. The reels were brought out with care and shown on the congregation's 16mm projector. In 2003, the film <i>Luther </i>starring Joseph Fiennes was released as an independent film with funding by Thrivent. We held DVD showings at the church I was serving at the time and for a few years we watched it during confirmation sessions.<br />
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These three films are all in the same genre. With wardrobes that that appear to be made from draperies that have come from the sale bin at Bed, Bath and Beyond, and a location that eerily looks like Epcot, the actors enthusiastically speak the dialog in British English to underscore the immense seriousness of it all. With my tongue firmly planted in my cheek, I would like immagine what a more creative reboot of the Luther story could be. <br />
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1. <i>Reformation: The Final Frontier</i> (space opera) </h3>
The Diet of Worms would be set on a space station in geosynchronous orbit of the planet Worms, which is named for the the giant creatures who burrow under the sands of its surface. House Habsburg holds the Diet in the Zero-G court room When asked to deny his writings Luther says "Here I stand!" Von Eck the papal cyborg with a positronic brain, in laconic inflection, simply states "Sir, you are floating"<br />
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Losing the debate on a technicality, Luther screams "Eck!" in his best Wrath of Kahn voice as he is whisked away by a recognizable action star and his fuzzy alien sidekick to the Wartburg system. When Luther expresses doubt about the structural integrity of the getaway vessel, the swashbuckling pilot replies "It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. I've outrun Imperial starships!"</div>
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2. <i>You've got Beer </i>(romantic comedy) </h3>
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Katie and Martin are set up on a blind date by a couple of colleagues from dissolved monasteries. Although he arrives with flowers, Martin's oafish nature grates on Katie. While Katie's concern for minutia drives Martain crazy as he with increasing intensity constantly tries to get her to listen. They leave the Bierstube despising each other. </div>
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Throughout the film they keep running into each other at awkward moments. As Martin and Katie go on series of dates with other prospective partners they begin they realize something is missing. Katie's fashion conscious male friend tells her to suck it up and get her man. After many ups and downs the film climaxes with a wedding montage scene with a romantic pop song in the background. The film ends with Katie, Martin and their golden retriever living happily ever after. </div>
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3. <i>West Saxon Story </i>(musical)</h3>
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Come on! If they can make a musical about the failed parisian revolution of 1830 why not the Reformation? The Sharks (Roman Catholics) and the Jets (the Reformers) battle it out in dance on the Wittenburg Markplatz. The forbidden love of Marty and Katherine gives plenty of opportunities for heart wrenching solo vocal performances. Can you say "Oscar and Tony!" </div>
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4. <i>Weekend at Marty's </i>(bromance farce) </h3>
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During an alcohol fueled party with loud Funk music in the background Phillip Melancthon storms into Charles Vth"s bedroom and startles Marty and Katie from their embrace to let them know that they can't wake up Fredrick the Wise. </div>
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With Fredrick dead the entire reformation is in jeopardy. Phil and Marty decide to grab a pair of sunglasses and a wheelchair and drag Fred from party to party throughout the Holy Roman Empire. With so much low brow humor, one countless acts of physical comedy, no one will remember the plot anyway. Would love to cast Vince Vaughn as Luther and Adam Sandler as Melanction, or we could just hand the project over to the producers and cast of <i>It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. </i></div>
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5. <i>Night of the Living Peasants </i>(zombies!) </h3>
The evil arch-villain Thomas Müntzer camps out in Southwest Germany and develops a potion that turns good Christian peasants content to serve both their temporal and heavenly masters into flesh eating zombies. Camped out in a Thuringian pub, Luther and gang crack jokes and kill zombies in all types of creative ways. When Luther sees zombie Martin Bucer riding in from Strasbourg, he tries baptizing his old friend in a desperate frenzy to save him. As Bucer regains his senses and returns to his normal annoying self, the gang breaks out the liturgy and some fire hoses. Germany is saved!<br />
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Ok, so you've seen these movies before. That is the point of this post. I have seen this Luther movie before. "That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; (Ecclesiastes 3:15 NRSV) The best way to commemorate the Reformation will be figure out how to be the faithful church in the future, because if you studied the Reformation, you know that is what it was all about. A Film about the diversity of our church today would be much more exciting.<br />
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Be blessed.J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-37413991288306452772017-06-29T09:29:00.000-07:002017-07-07T09:17:55.957-07:00Dave's 95 Theses <div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The 500th anniversary of the reformation is this October 31st. On that date in 1517, Martin Luther posted 95 theses for an academic debate discussing the fundraising practice of granting indulgences used by the Roman church at the time. The issue he raised in this debate was the spark that enabled the Reformation of the church to quickly spread throughout Europe and transform the theological, historical, political, sociological, economic, cultural and artistic landscape of western civilization. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As my way of commemorating this milestone, I decided to come up with my own 95 theses. <i>(A word of warning, mine are a lot more random and less focused than Luther's)</i> Basically, I tried to say 95 things about my faith. Each one is sourced with a biblical reference to show that the statements I made spring from up from the wellspring our faith and are not my mere opinions. I would not call them facts either, because other people of faith will read these verses and come up with different conclusions than I have. What they are is my humble attempt at a witness to the work of our Lord Jesus Christ and the challenges he calls us to consider. This was harder than I thought it was going to be, and I hope that by sharing it can be a blessing to you. </span><br /><br /><br /><br />1. Since Jesus is the way the truth and the life, Christians are called to act as if Jesus meant what he said and that his words truly matter. John 14:6 <br /><br />
2. Jesus doesn’t belong to me; I belong to Jesus. John 10:11-18<br />
<br /><br />3. Jesus understands me because he is human. Galatians 4:4-5 <br /><br /><br />4. Jesus can save me because he is God. Colossians 1:15-16 <br /><br />5. Jesus’ humanity means that God can identify with anyone’s life situation, classification or identification. Jesus’ divinity means that these things can be transcended. Colossians 3:11 <br /><br />6. God wills that we can rejoice in the life given to us no matter what happens. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 <br /><br /><br />7. God is acting in today's world. Psalm 121:4 <br /><br /><br />8. We are called to love God above all and to love all people as we love ourselves. Matthew 22: 27-40. <br /><br /> <br />9. Consuming religious services or products is no way to be confused with actual discipleship of Jesus Christ. Mark 8:34 <br /><br /> <br />10. There is a single common humanity created in the image of God. Upon this fact all teaching about salvation rests. Genesis 2:27 <br /><br /><br />11. Religious, political, cultural, gender and racial classifications do not affect anyone’s value in God’s eyes. Galatians 3:28 <br /><br /><br />
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12. Diversity is a tangible expression of God’s good creation. Colossians 1:16-17 <br /><br /> <br />13. Monocultures lead to destruction. Genesis 11:6 <br /><br /><br />14. Those who equate a political, cultural, gender, religious or other humanly created identity with actual faith in Jesus Christ betray the Gospel, divide the body of Christ and torture the consciences of the faithful. Revelation 7:9 <br /><br /> <br /><br />15. Those who hold a different political, cultural, religious or other identity than ourselves are to be treated with love, dignity, and respect. Matthew 5:43-48 <br /><br /><br />16. Using degrading or abusive language to put down or gain advantage over a person of different political, cultural, gender, religious or racial identity is in all circumstances sin. Matthew 5:21-26<br />
<br /><br />17. Followers of Jesus are called to love, care for, and provide acts of mercy for those of different, religious, political, cultural, gender and racial classifications than themselves. Luke 10:37 <br /><br /> <br />18. The church should care for its own as well as serving others. James 5:13 <br /><br /> <br />19. We are to witness Jesus Christ to all people without exclusion. Matthew 28:18-20 <br /><br /> <br />20. God understands your fears and will not discount them 1 Peter 5:7<br /><br /><br />21. People are always good and bad mixed up. Every individual has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 <br /><br /> <br />22. There is no such thing as a completely pure or innocent person. Psalm 51:5 <br /><br /> <br />23. If we claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, we must learn to forgive others as God has forgiven us. Matthew 18:21-35 <br /><br />24. If we are truly followers of Jesus Christ we must commit to living a life where we do not continue to sin. Romans 6:1-4 <br /><br />25. When we sin, followers of Jesus Christ are not to hide the truth, but bring our situation to God and other people for healing and forgiveness. 1 John 2:1-2 <br /><br />26. We are called not to kill because life belongs to God. When we make allowances for killing for any reason we subvert God’s will. Leviticus 17:10-12 &amp; Exodus 20:13 <br /><br />27. War, capital punishment and abortion are always expressions of humanity’s bondage to sin. Christians should work to minimize their occurrences while demonstrating love, forgiveness and mercy to both those who commit and are affected by these actions. Matthew 5:38-42 <br /><br />28. A commitment to God means providing for others in need at every stage of their lives. Luke 6:27-36 <br /><br /> <br />29. A commitment to God means a commitment to the poor. Galatians 2:10 <br /><br /> <br />30. A commitment to God means a commitment to the sick. Matthew 25:35 <br /><br /><br />31. A commitment to God means a commitment to the hungry. Matthew 25:35 <br /><br /> <br />32. A commitment to God means a commitment to the homeless. Isaiah 58:7 <br /><br /><br />33. A commitment to God means a commitment to the imprisoned. Matthew 25:36 <br /><br /> <br />34. A commitment to God means a commitment to the refugee. Leviticus 19:9-10 <br /><br /><br />
35. A commitment to God means a commitment to the immigrant. Deuteronomy 26:5 <br /><br /> <br />36. If you give to others to make yourself look better; you may be doing more harm than good. Matthew 6:2-4 <br /><br /> <br />37. No one is entitled to grace; it is always a gift. Ephesians 2:4-6 <br /><br /><br />38. Good works do not make good people. Galatians 3:10 <br /><br /> <br />39. People are created to do good works. Ephesians 2:10 <br /><br /> <br />40. People don’t get credit from God, only grace. Romans 3:21-26 <br /><br /><br />41. Debts to God are not satisfied but forgiven. Colossians 2:12-15 <br /><br /><br />
42. In the end, love and justice will amount to the same thing. Galatians 5:13-15 <br /><br /><br />43. In the end, Christ is the only judge who matters. Revelation 20:11-15 <br /><br /><br />
44. Good works may not save us, but they reflect our faith, spread the Gospel and let our neighbors know that they are loved. James 2:14-17 <br /><br />45. God is completely free to act in any way that God chooses. Isaiah 45:7 <br /><br /><br />46. God is not subject to any theology, interpretation, expectation or abstract concept. Isaiah 45:7 <br /><br /> <br />47. Collective human actions stand under God’s judgement as much as individual actions do. Amos 2:6-8 <br /><br /> <br />48. Only God decides what justice ultimately is. Isaiah 28:17 <br /><br /><br />
49. Worship without a commitment to justice is not worship at all. Isaiah 58:6 <br /><br /><br />
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50. How our actions affect the most vulnerable in our society is the most important criteria for making moral decisions.. Isaiah 10:1-2 <br /><br /> <br />51. Worldly prosperity or success is not necessarily a mark of genuine discipleship, evidence of faithfulness or of God’s special favor. Matthew 5:1-12 <br /><br /> <br />52. Our weaknesses, hurts and faults make room for God in our lives. 2 Corinthians 12:9 <br /><br /> <br />53. No individual has the exact same spiritual gifts as another. 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6 <br /><br /> <br />54. Exploiting the work, bodies or assets of others violates the will of God. Isaiah 65.25 <br /><br /> <br />55. Those who rejoice in the troubles of others damage their relationship with God. Proverbs 17:5 <br /><br /> <br />56. Suffering for remaining faithful to the teaching of Jesus Christ is a mark of genuine discipleship and evidence of faithfulness. 1 Peter 3:13-16 <br /><br /><br />57. Our practices of faith are virtuous when they seek communion with God and hope for our world. Matthew 6:1-16 <br /><br /> <br />58. Our faith practices are required to be understandable to all and welcoming to everyone so that each person we encounter has an opportunity to hear the Gospel. 1 Corinthians 14:21-25 <br /><br /> <br />59. Our houses of worship are to be called be houses of prayer and not market based institutions. John 2:16 <br /><br />60. A genuine life of faith is lived in community with other people. 1 Corinthians 12:27 <br /><br /><br />61. Disciples of Jesus Christ are called to be a blessing to the local communities where they live. Jeremiah 29:7 <br /><br /><br />62. Leadership in the body of Christ should be focused on service rather than power. Luke 14:10 <br /><br /> <br /><br />63. Leadership in the body of Christ is to be shared among all the faithful. 1 Peter 2:9-11 <br /><br /><br /><br />64. Leadership in the body of Christ requires exemplary conduct. 1 Timothy 3:1-12 <br /><br /> <br />65. Leaders of the body of Christ should expect to be called to pray for others at any time. James 5:14 <br /><br /> <br />66. Where your ultimate concern lies, there is your god, no matter whom you may confess to worshiping. Matthew 5:19-23 <br /><br /> <br />67. Like individuals, the church is both good and bad mixed up. Acts 15:1-11 <br /><br /><br />68. A complete Christian life includes worship, community, education, and service to those in need. Acts 2:42-47 <br /><br /><br />69. Faith belongs in the home just as much as the church. Acts 2:46-47 <br /><br /> <br />70. Government led prayer is not sanctioned by Jesus. John 18:36 <br /><br /><br />71. Praying for our government is commanded by scripture. 1 Peter 2:11-17 <br /><br /> <br />72. A disciple of Jesus is to be part of the public life of his or her country. Romans 13:7 <br /><br /><br />73. Demons cut off people from the rest of the people of God. Mark 5:2-5 <br /><br /><br />74. Healing requires social inclusion. Mark 5:19 <br /><br /><br />75. Sexuality should be expressed within a boundaried relationship 1 Corinthians 7:9,36 <br /><br /><br />76. Every follower of Christ is a priest. 1 Peter 2:9 <br /><br /> <br />77. Jesus was a victim of mob violence. Mark 15: 11-15 <br /><br /> <br />78. Jesus was killed with the help of the law of the land. John 18:30 <br /><br /><br />79. The Holy Family were refugees Matthew 2:13-15 <br /><br /><br />80. The Holy Family was homeless. Luke 2: 7 <br /><br /> <br />81. The Word of God is much more than Bible trivia. Hebrews 4:12-13 <br /><br /> <br />82. If it has to be proven, it can’t be faith. Hebrews 11:1 <br /><br /><br />83. Jesus was killed because people who knew better did not stand up for justice. Luke 23:24 <br /><br /><br />84. Jesus did not go to the cross because we were good; he went because we are loved. Romans 5:6-11 <br /><br /><br />
85. Compassion that leads to physical and tangible acts of assistance to the vulnerable and rejected is the norm for expressing our faith. Matthew 25:45 <br /><br /><br />86. Persecution is not an excuse for withdrawing compassion, if it were, then Christ would not have died for us. 1 Peter 2:21-25 <br /><br /> <br />87. One can’t love God without loving other people. 1 John 4:20-21 <br /><br /> <br />88. No one can count the number of all who are saved. Revelation 4:11-14 <br /><br /><br />89. Those inside the church need to hear the Gospel just as much as those outside of it. Revelation 22:16<br />
<br /><br />90. Of course divorce is a sin, which means it can be forgiven. Matthew 19: 7-9 <br /><br /> <br />91. Renewal through Christ is not a one time event, but a lifelong process. 2 Corinthians 4:16 <br /><br /><br />
92. Being wealthy is not evidence of competence or superiority. James 5:1-6 <br /><br /><br />93. Neglecting to address the physical and tangible needs of the vulnerable and focusing exclusively on the spiritual is sin. James 2:14-17 <br /><br /><br />94.The best prayers are when we pray from our inner voice. Matthew 6:5-6 <br /><br /><br />95.Jesus is inviting you to be in relationship with him. Revelation 22:16-17</div>
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J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-88648193578233811082017-03-30T07:58:00.000-07:002017-03-30T07:58:28.274-07:00Serving Christ in Polarized Times It is a sad fact that often the church can become bogged down in the political movements of the times. The reason for this is certain, churches are made up of people and people are political animals. One recent trend reported by sociologist Robert Putnam is that when there is a conflict between one's politics and the teaching of their religious community, most people will resolve the tension in favor of their political views. They will leave their congregation and find one where their personal political views can be affirmed.<br />
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As one who loves theology and talking about the faith, the fact that for this generation, politics seems to trump theology is distressing. Yet, looking at how people are coming together these days it is not surprising. We are all retreating into our bubbles where we all agree that the problems of world are someone else's fault. There seem to be few of us who want to learn why do other people think differently than us. Everyone seems to want to talk, prove and sell their point; few want to listen, learn, and change. Don't get me wrong there are people doing this but they seem not get much press.<br />
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Some will advocate that the church follow a hands off rule and never speak of politics ever and attempt to spiritualize everything. While I certainly understand the impulse, there are two problems with this. The first is a very practical one, by not speaking up one affirms the status quo. Now this certainly alright if the status quo is something you feel God is calling you to help maintain. However, if it comes merely from a wish to avoid any of the hard work of dialog or difficult conversation, one may be actually shut oneself off from where God is calling us all to be.<br />
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The second problem is that we are confessing that the Word of God has nothing to say about politics right or wrong. This reasoning ultimately confesses that God is about the world to come and not about the world we live in now. This is not what Scripture teaches us, God's Word speaks to our lives now, it has something to say about our world today. So how do we navigate these polarized times? We do what we always do; look to Jesus.<br />
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Historians know that the lists of the names of Jesus's disciples reveal a diverse group of people who likely held opposing political views. Judas Iscariot and Simon the Zealot may have been part of groups seeking the violent overthrow of the Roman occupation. Matthew was a tax collector working to uphold same said Romans. Phillip had a Greek name so may have been from a cultural accommodationist family. Johanna the wife of one Herod Antipas' (a Roman puppet ruler) court functionaries helped provide resources for Jesus's ministry in Galilee. Peter Andrew, James &amp; John were working class fishermen. What brought this diverse group of people together was Jesus and the promise that the kingdom was near.<br />
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As we enter into Holy Week and read the accounts of Jesus' last days politics are everywhere in texts. The council wants to get rid of Jesus out of fear of the crowd on one hand, and the Romans on the other. The Roman governor wants to appease the mob at their town hall meeting. The Pharisees and the Sadducees try to make Jesus a pawn in their fight for supremacy over each other. Jesus ends up rising above their pathetic petty power plays to reveal the truth about the love of God.<br />
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When Jesus enters into Jerusalem he is at first hailed as a political messiah and then condemned as a political sacrifice to appease the Romans, with an ironic political insult nailed on a sign above his head. But notice how many people Jesus ministers too along the way. He teaches in the temple about the true nature of God, he reminds the disciples on the last supper they will never be alone. He heals the ear of a man sent to arrest him, he makes sure John and his mother Mary have each other to rely on.<br />
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Jesus calls us not so much to rise above human politics as to move beyond them with love. The heart of the witness Christ is to help reconcile our relationships with God and each other. This politics can never do, because in the end it will be all about a competition for resourses, power, or fame. In the end we serve Christ in polarized times by holding to proper priorities. We hold to our relationship with God in prayer, we show love to those who differ from us, and we work to protect the vulnerable. This can be done by conservatives, as well as liberals, progressives, and libertarians.<br />
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As a pastor I can only advise that if your politics are grounded in prayer, thoughtfulness, respect for others, and love, it doesn't matter so much where you come out. It is the process the counts. It we have healthy ways of discernment, we can hold together a diversity of political views and identities under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The reason for this is if we are connected to Christ we will be humble, because Christ is humble. If we are humble then we are open, and if we are open, we may see the solutions God has for us staring us right in the face.<br />
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Be blessed<br />
Pastor Knecht<br />
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<br />J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-42412343329496053282016-11-18T15:38:00.000-08:002016-11-18T15:38:47.825-08:00An American Heresy: The Myth of Innocence and Abortion<span style="font-size: large;">The Myth of Innocence and Abortion</span><br />
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The so-called pro-life movement has always represented a contradiction to me. There is much advocacy for the rights of the unborn. I regularly see billboards with photos of babies in the womb along the highways and catchy slogans on bumper stickers on the backs of cars. My Facebook feed was filled with the so-called po-life telling me that if I didn't vote for Trump millions of babies would die.<br />
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But what I did not see was any compassion or concern for human beings once they were born. The political so-called pro-life movement is one of the most active opponents of providing health care for all in our society. They oppose the biblical mandate of helping the sick on the ground that it would enable the unwashed masses to get free abortions. At the same time many so-called pro-life advocates actively support the death penalty.<br />
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Only about one-in-ten (11 percent) Americans hold a “consistent ethic of life” position, opposing legalized abortion and capital punishment. In fact, in the general public, there is no significant correlation between attitudes about the legality of abortion and views on capital punishment. Fully two-thirds of Americans overall say they favor the death penalty for persons convicted of murder, compared to only three-in-ten who say they oppose it. Support for capital punishment is virtually identical to the general population among Americans who say abortion should be illegal (69 percent) and among those who identify as “pro-life” (69 percent). <a href="https://www.onfaith.co/onfaith/2011/09/15/like-rick-perry-most-pro-life-americans-ok-with-death-penalty/15543">https://www.onfaith.co/onfaith/2011/09/15/like-rick-perry-most-pro-life-americans-ok-with-death-penalty/15543</a></blockquote>
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Let me be clear at the risk of alienating my progressive friends, I believe that abortion is evidence of our bondage to sin. I would love to see a society where there are no abortions. But to risk alienating my conservative friends (I probably already done so have by the title of this post), I would also like to see a society where there is no death penalty and where the sick are cared for regardless of their ability to pay. I advocate that the centrist, historic, and apostolic witness of Jesus Christ calls for the consistent ethic of love for all that are alive. My biblical sources for this view are the red letter words of Jesus himself contained in Matthew chapters 5 and 25. </div>
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What troubles me most is the the result of the inconsistent ethic of life of the so-called pro-life movement, is a world where more abortions happen because of their actions. Abortion rates have long been linked to the health of the economy. </div>
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Abortion numbers go down when the economy is good and go up when the economy is bad, so the stalling may be a function of a weaker economy,' said University of Alabama political science professor Michael New. <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1346113/US-abortion-rate-rise-years-decline-economic-recession-blamed.html#ixzz4QN9znxBl">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1346113/US-abortion-rate-rise-years-decline-economic-recession-blamed.html#ixzz4QN9znxBl</a> </blockquote>
How is this so? This happens because by having a capitalist health care system that sees health care as a commodity rather than a public good; we give an economic incentive to abortion over childbirth. Most people who who hold a so-called pro-life view see no reason to change the nature of our market based health care system, but this is what the reality of it actually is:<br />
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Planned Parenthood estimates that in the United States a medication abortion costs <a href="http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-info/abortion/the-abortion-pill">between </a><a href="http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-info/abortion/the-abortion-pill">$300 to $800</a> and an aspiration abortion (in the first 12 weeks) <a href="http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-info/abortion/in-clinic-abortion-procedures">between $300–$950</a>. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/(http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/health-info/early-abortion-options">http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/health-info/early-abortion-options</a>/</blockquote>
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If you <a href="http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/insurance-basics/mandated-to-buy-insurance">don't have health insurance</a>, the average cost of prenatal care is about $2,000... The costs of childbirth can be steep. The charge for an uncomplicated cesarean section was about $15,800 in 2008. An uncomplicated vaginal birth cost about $9,600, government data show.<a href="http://www.webmd.com/baby/features/cost-of-having-a-baby">www.webmd.com/baby/features/cost-of-having-a-baby</a></blockquote>
If we care about reducing or eliminating abortions we would work to fix the economic incentives, instead the so-called pro-life movement works to criminalize women and those who feel called to help them. My suspicion is that criminalizing abortion will only drive it underground and put more people at risk. <a href="http://www.efc.org.uk/young_people/facts_about_abortion/unsafe_abortion.html">www.efc.org.uk/young_people/facts_about_abortion/unsafe_abortion.html</a> </div>
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There are two reasons the so-called pro-life movement behaves the way it does. One is just good old fashioned selfishness. By advocating positions that conform to the views of the majority of Americans regardless if they are biblical or not, they hope to obtain influence, political power and monetary donations for their causes. Cultural accommodation is good for the religion business, which sells things rather than change lives. Cultural Christians espouse the concerns of businessmen rather than disciples selling prepackaged cheap grace in the forms inane music and sappy devotionals at Walmart prices (see Bonhoeffer, <i>the Cost of Discipleship</i>).<br />
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The second reason is theological, as the so-called pro-life movement embraces a dualistic theology which sees human beings as being born innocent. This ideology maintains that while in the womb the baby is completely innocent. Once born the child can choose good or evil. If the child chooses evil then he or she is no longer innocent and his or her life is forfeit. According to this world view. criminals can be executed because they have chosen evil. If mothers abort a pregnancy they are killing the innocent and liable for judgment. If that same mother brings the baby to term but advocates the killing of criminals or enemies in war she is still considered innocent. The problem with this is that people who hold this view call it Christian. It is not: it is the ancient Iranian heresy of manichaeism. It has more in common with the ideology of the so-called Islamic state than it does the teaching of Jesus. The so called pro-life movement is really a pro-innocence or pro-purity movement. When humans attempt to usurp the Lordship of Christ and judge who is pure or not by their own criteria it always ends up being demonic.<br />
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A genuine Christian pro-life movement would advocate for the elimination of abortion not because babies are innocent, but simply because they are alive and that life is the province of God and not human beings. It would also realize that the mothers and fathers of these children are created in the image of God as well and have intrinsic value in God's eyes just as much as babies do. It would not seek to outlaw and criminalize abortion and its providers but to work with allies on all sides to help people avoid being trapped in situations where there are only bad choices.<br />
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For both Christian scripture and tradition teach that there is no such thing as innocence. From the womb to the tomb, people are always good and bad mixed up. Every individual has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (see Romans 3:23) Also, there is no such thing as a completely pure or innocent person, even babies. (see Psalm 51:5) War, capital punishment and abortion are always expressions of humanity’s bondage to sin. Christians should work to minimize their occurrences, while demonstrating love, forgiveness and mercy to both those who commit and are affected by these actions. (see Matthew 5:38-42) This call for love, forgiveness, and mercy will only have meaning if we address the structures in our society which make it easier for people to choose death over life. It will only embrace the truth if it realizes that people rarely get the luxury of choosing between good and evil in a broken world. Most times we make choices and hope they hurt as few people as possible. (see Romans 7)<br />
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Always expecting people to make the right choice while giving them no help or incentives to do so is cruel and unjust. A consistent ethic of life will provide for others in need at every stage of their lives no matter if they are considered pure or impure by society. (see Luke 6:27-36). Jesus did not go to the cross because we were good; he went because we are loved, and God chooses to forgive us despite our sin. (see Romans 5:6-11). A consistent Christ based pro-life stance would be based on building relationships of forgiveness and trust rather than winning elections and triumphing over political foes. A consistent ethic of life would also save more lives than the unjust system we now have. Not only babies, but mothers. Not only mothers, but the sick. Not only the sick but the imprisoned. Not only the imprisoned but the strangers. (see Matthew 25:31-46). A consistent ethic of life would also help our world look a bit more the way Jesus envisioned it could be than America does today. <br />
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J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-8108353876061987602016-10-21T07:25:00.000-07:002016-11-05T17:36:04.389-07:00The Only Point of the Church is the Gospel <br />
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<o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A World Undone?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis41JAwUehzK_iDXpsK-tPTrcJhVtK-nS-E7OK7AUohwCZ0swBv5ozAxKl1h3v6ia_8HWEKiDOr-tP-2Xs9RJKL_ajfgQGuBBKhn8UoSnZB4e6yPdThCZks2Ob_SMopHzdM25G81cidkzX/s1600/fiasco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis41JAwUehzK_iDXpsK-tPTrcJhVtK-nS-E7OK7AUohwCZ0swBv5ozAxKl1h3v6ia_8HWEKiDOr-tP-2Xs9RJKL_ajfgQGuBBKhn8UoSnZB4e6yPdThCZks2Ob_SMopHzdM25G81cidkzX/s320/fiasco.jpg" width="320" /></a>These past few months seem to be strange times for our church and Christians in general. As write this we are in the midst of a national election that is bringing up powerful emotions in everybody. Some of us fear a Clinton presidency will bring about the end of all that they hold dear. Others of us fear a Trump presidency will bring about a police state to our county that will be complete disaster. Indeed, others of us lament the loss of civility and the possible ending of relationships if people knew how we really feel. No wonder mental health professionals are speaking of “election anxiety”. Like the emotions generated by 9-11 and the economic meltdown of 2008, this anxiety seems to be affecting large numbers of us. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">What is a Christian to do?<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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Lots of voices in the culture are crying for me to as a pastor speak out. The caveat is that this is only if it is for their particular side, other opinions are greeted with disdain and if I disagree any legitimacy I may have is automatically called in to question. In North Carolina during the past few weeks both Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s purse who supports Donald Trump and ELCA Bishop Timothy Smith who criticizes Trump’s views on women, immigrants, and Muslims used the following quote to argue for supporting their respective views.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Because I was not a Socialist.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Because I was not a Trade Unionist.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Because I was not a Jew.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> -Martin Niemoeller<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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You know it gets serious when people quote a pastor who spent World War II in a concentration camp, worked with Dietrich Bonhoeffer to make a place a for Christians who refused to belong to a church that accepted the “Aryan Laws” and spent the postwar years trying to get Germany to grapple with how their society went so wrong. Both of these pastors from North Carolina are telling us Christians to be engaged and to speak out, but what should we actually speak?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I will answer with another quote, this one from missionary and theologian Leslie Newbigin:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“<i>The business of the church is to tell and to embody a story, the story of God’s mighty acts in creation and redemption, and of God’s promises concerning what will be the end. The church affirms the truth of this story by celebrating it, interpreting it,</i> <b><i>and enacting it in the life of the contemporary world.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/J.David/Google%20Drive/Ministry/Publications/Holy%20Cross%20Newsletters%20and%20General%20letters/Pastor%20Knecht's%20letter%20for%20the%20election%202016.htm#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">[1]</span></b></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In short, we exist for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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As scripture will tell us, this is whether the times are favorable or unfavorable. If Hillary Clinton wins the election and Donald Trump loses, we live out the gospel and help a wounded society. If Donald Trump somehow pulls out a surprise victory, we witness Jesus and work as Christ's ambassadors to a broken world. In addition to telling the Gospel story, Newbigin uses the word <i>embody</i> so the gospel does not devolve into a mere ideology. The actions he describes should look familiar to those who walk on the path of discipleship. <i>Celebrating</i> as when we gather for worship or fellowship in what the bible calls <i>koinonia</i>, it is God’s people gathering to live out the truth that we are one common humanity in relation to God. <i>Interpreting, </i>such as when we read the Bible and show how God’s story meets our story and the world we live in, and we grapple with how best to navigate all these relationships. Finally, he speaks of <i>enacting </i>the Gospel in today’s world, which means small acts of love which add up to become grace for the afflicted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">This is not just a Spiritual Thing about the Next Life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLr6NQ0sik78XAaHjTqcU3tir0x52UECuOu5BGGfLD5qHQZNYu1fGM0vICpnNh4KARcO-0qZJXoJ5c37jKM1iZEPhzCUBcYp3Dhl0WjrMSu1TdEHUaC55x51kOgyYm_XsMgcgXmz27QFj/s1600/MS+mission.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLr6NQ0sik78XAaHjTqcU3tir0x52UECuOu5BGGfLD5qHQZNYu1fGM0vICpnNh4KARcO-0qZJXoJ5c37jKM1iZEPhzCUBcYp3Dhl0WjrMSu1TdEHUaC55x51kOgyYm_XsMgcgXmz27QFj/s1600/MS+mission.jpg" /></a>When we <i>embody </i>the Gospel, we start to live as if the Kingdom of God is already here. We welcome those world deems as unclean, we feed the hungry, visit the sick and those imprisoned sharing words of hope and deeds of love that bring spiritual, emotional, physical and intellectual comfort. We do this because this is what Jesus did in the story of our sacred Scripture and because this is what Christ does today through those inspired by the Holy Spirit who serve their neighbors and world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Because the Gospel is holistic it will always be political. Jesus was political; handed over to the Romans and executed with a sign in three languages saying “the king of the Jews”. His interrogation in John 19 is all about politics, “so you are a king” replies Pilate. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There will be those extreme secularists who will argue we have no voice or are just a voice among voices. Fundamentalists will say that we have nothing to say outside of those who already belong to their tribe. Only if one becomes indoctrinated into their rigid culture and adheres to their litmus tests of purity is one given a voice. Christ will call us to a different situation outlined in Scripture in such places such as Matthew 25. Our razor to cut to the heart of the matter will be to ask questions such as how does the politics of the world affect God’s children? It asks also questions like, who has the most authority? Or, who is most vulnerable?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In Christ Alone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUBSpOUtF6SSvhOG8GMRwV3vgRKandCzvhy1ZcTAUmqihqLSRXMYKUIA_CUyvB67FqjuZrZaDGpBFFjh02LCKZed1l4Rk1ITHrfOkliLPVAcjf7ivoIYNe7eIN5UHcQDiwndfQPQpcS64/s1600/hope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUBSpOUtF6SSvhOG8GMRwV3vgRKandCzvhy1ZcTAUmqihqLSRXMYKUIA_CUyvB67FqjuZrZaDGpBFFjh02LCKZed1l4Rk1ITHrfOkliLPVAcjf7ivoIYNe7eIN5UHcQDiwndfQPQpcS64/s1600/hope.jpg" /></a>The real heart of the matter in this toxic emotional environment engendered by the power politics of today is to ask the question where does my loyalty as a follower of Jesus Christ ultimately lie? The biblical witness, and the witness of the faithful agree; it is to Christ. Faithfulness to Christ is not synonymous with patriotism, and is certainly not synonymous with loyalty to a political party. Conservative Evangelical leaders who have made political party loyalty a litmus test for authentic Christianity have created a pernicious heresy completely antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Liberal or progressive Christians who castigate those who espouse conservative views conform to the same worldly attitude. The prevalent attitude of our culture was captured succinctly by journalist Matt Taibbi.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“<i>Lie No. 1 is that there are only two political ideas in the world, Republican and Democrat. Lie No. 2 is that the parties are violent ideological opposites, and that during campaign season we can only speak about the areas where they differ (abortion, guns, etc.) and never the areas where there's typically consensus (defense spending, surveillance, torture, trade, and so on). Lie No. 3, a corollary to No. 2, is that all problems are the fault of one party or the other, and never both. Assuming you watch the right channels, everything is always someone else's fault. Lie No. 4, the reason America in campaign seasons looks like a place where everyone has great teeth and $1,000 haircuts, is that elections are about political personalities, not voters.”<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> <a href="file:///C:/Users/J.David/Google%20Drive/Ministry/Publications/Holy%20Cross%20Newsletters%20and%20General%20letters/Pastor%20Knecht's%20letter%20for%20the%20election%202016.htm#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">[2]</span></b></span></a></span> <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This is not the way of Jesus Christ; we are called to stand against such thinking. A person who has as their ultimate concern the furtherance of the Gospel will see the world differently than many. This person will also realize that my faith relationship with Jesus Christ may lead me to have different concerns than they do and that we can disagree in love. As I once heard Shane Claiborne say, it is how we disagree as Christians that really matters. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The world may not view this perspective as legitimate, but I have met many Christians who hold views that cross firm party lines. One can find a follower of Christ, who opposes abortion and the death penalty, who cares about the empowerment of women and worries that our jobs are going overseas, who is ready to welcome the refugee but worries about the size of government. In fact, if as a disciple of Jesus Christ your views conform perfectly to a candidate’s or political party's, I would ask you to go back to your Bible and think about things a bit more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Hope for the World<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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My hope is that like the group that gathered around Jesus our church will have people across the political spectrum who will work together for the love of God, neighbor and world. If you will vote for Trump, we invite you to be with us. If you will vote for Clinton we ask you to join us. If you are frustrated with the process, we really want to include you in our walk with God. We have no choice but to do this because we exist only for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Be blessed<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pastor Knecht<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/J.David/Google%20Drive/Ministry/Publications/Holy%20Cross%20Newsletters%20and%20General%20letters/Pastor%20Knecht's%20letter%20for%20the%20election%202016.htm#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[1]</span></span></span></a> Newbigin, Leslie, <i>Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt, and Certainty in Christian Discipleship </i>(1995, Grand Rapids MI Eerdmans) 76. <i> Emphasis added<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/J.David/Google%20Drive/Ministry/Publications/Holy%20Cross%20Newsletters%20and%20General%20letters/Pastor%20Knecht's%20letter%20for%20the%20election%202016.htm#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[2]</span></span></span></a> Taibbi,Matt <i>“The Fury and Failure of Donald Trump”</i> <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/the-fury-and-failure-of-donald-trump-w444943">http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/the-fury-and-failure-of-donald-trump-w444943</a> accessed 10-20-2016.</div>
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J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-13312702887236138632016-09-23T10:11:00.000-07:002016-09-25T06:09:24.155-07:00Fear and All its Friends <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hgYv4H3x8ll0YDw51PfvggJQXDj4wFM8JD-gONHZ9ay9wxRfKHfuK-m8zzqfJ07r4JXkjy0lgm3Vp3o7rfPnxrIexp7z_BNEVldUH4p60dyi-TMLe7aC-8AK8li6JO3nmk67gbLu98wM/s1600/fear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hgYv4H3x8ll0YDw51PfvggJQXDj4wFM8JD-gONHZ9ay9wxRfKHfuK-m8zzqfJ07r4JXkjy0lgm3Vp3o7rfPnxrIexp7z_BNEVldUH4p60dyi-TMLe7aC-8AK8li6JO3nmk67gbLu98wM/s1600/fear.jpg" /></a>Psalms 55:1-2<br />
Open your ears, God, to my prayer;<br />
don't pretend you don't hear me knocking.<br />
Come close and whisper your answer.<br />
I really need you. (MSG)<br />
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When I heard of the bombings in our area last weekend I felt afraid. Not afraid of riding the train, or what might happen to my children, friends or family. I had no fear of terrorists running amok. I was afraid of our reaction, what fear will change in us. So I gave thanks to God for the two homeless men who found the bomb at the Elizabeth train station and reported it to the authorities before anyone could be injured. Indeed, I was even more relieved when a suspect was arrested. It was blessing to move on before fear could be stoked further.<br />
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Listening to an interview with film director Antoine Fuqua later in the week, I heard him begin his remarks about the unrest and conflict over the shooting of black men by police officers by saying everyone is afraid, black men, the police, the rest of us as well. Mr. Fuqua is right, and a large part of the dysfunction in the relationships between the differing groups of our society is due to the fears that each group has.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWJijl-ZsqeQ1-EMpalA4PazvxLTRxlT-vjwPMdWRMn-rgwzuruXBMTzit-DCkusQC4RSHCvPBC4NRJ6t0FAvcCimW3J_cFNJjQwegcfacBNA5jGBeRCpnyNLgZQsPQ6RXMiQJIMO33xI/s1600/riot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWJijl-ZsqeQ1-EMpalA4PazvxLTRxlT-vjwPMdWRMn-rgwzuruXBMTzit-DCkusQC4RSHCvPBC4NRJ6t0FAvcCimW3J_cFNJjQwegcfacBNA5jGBeRCpnyNLgZQsPQ6RXMiQJIMO33xI/s1600/riot.jpg" /></a>These fears are real. Black men have a radically different experience of American life than I do, and these experiences have led to very real and indeed rational fears. It is not one incident that has sparked these fears but the repeated daily negative experiences people of color have in America. Police officers also have very real and understandable fears. Service in the police is a very dangerous calling in our country. They are repeatedly placed in the most stressful situations that happen within our communities. It seems however that in certain areas (particularly in regards to race) that we are unable to listen to and understand our neighbor's fears. The problem seems to be that dealing with our own fears crowds out our ability to grasp the fears of others. Therefore with our empathy blocked, situations escalate.<br />
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This problem is exacerbated by the fact that fear has seemed to become a preferred method of communication for many of us. Since the invention of the printing press, media has used fear to sell newspapers. What is different today is that in our social media age the boundary between the media and the general public has been blurred. If I post on my twitter or facebook account stories in the news, or my opinions of events, then I have effectively joined the media. We have met the media and it is us. So when I repost an article highlighting a particular fear, I am embracing, validating and spreading that fear. By embracing that fear I may be closing myself off to understanding the other. The more I broadcast my own fears, the less I am able to listen to you. The more I see other people's fears shouted from the rooftops the less able I am to feel that others will understand me. Perhaps this is why FDR famously said they only thing we have to fear is fear itself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg537XuHzVEzbENezX1N1nUksrdE-JDRsH75oyDil2spwmO_qhKlYohdjKNIa5DLAYy6IjeyGiOoWQa84oABmJHzz_rpJBlqaMIvOfUSXgtXo0LJGWXHObzz03aJaBkuLeYmymrU4schgE/s1600/prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg537XuHzVEzbENezX1N1nUksrdE-JDRsH75oyDil2spwmO_qhKlYohdjKNIa5DLAYy6IjeyGiOoWQa84oABmJHzz_rpJBlqaMIvOfUSXgtXo0LJGWXHObzz03aJaBkuLeYmymrU4schgE/s320/prayer.jpg" width="320" /></a>The only way I know to go forward is to follow the advice of St. Peter "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7 NRSV). Indeed it is in times like these that our faith matters most. When we trust in who is God good enough to offer us salvation without condition (grace), it gives us a foundation to stand upon when dealing with our fears. When we pray, the first work to be done is within our own souls. It is to remove the veil of fear so we are able to receive God and love our neighbor. If we cannot empathize with their fear, we cannot love our neighbors. Furthermore, if I cannot empathize with someone else's fears, why would I have the nerve to think that they would even stop to give me the time of day?<br />
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When we are better able to understand each other, we are better able to meet together and work towards solutions grounded in justice. So the idea is simple, ask God to help you deal with whatever fear you have today so you are more able to love others and understand that you are loved yourself. As with most simple ideas the practice will be harder than the concept. Perhaps you will be impatient or angry with me because I am really not offering a solution to anything, but just asking you to pray. Prayer is not a solution in and of itself, it is a means to work toward that solution hand in hand with God. Prayer is never the finish line, but is always the start.<br />
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I am hopeful because I know that around the country and around the world there are people of Christ who are in prayer about what is going on today. One of the underreported facts about what is happening in our country now, is that in every city where there has been unrest these past few years churches and faith communities have been on the front lines trying to do the very hard work of getting people together to work on ways to move forward towards mutual respect, dignity and justice. When these folks go to those front lines they are just as fearful as you and I, but their prayers help them move forward to build solutions. So answer the call to prayer perhaps all you have to lose are your fears.<br />
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Be blessed<br />
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<br />J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-78381358938380545612016-04-28T10:12:00.001-07:002016-04-28T10:12:54.060-07:00Why I Give: A Witness <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zwkwD8NFkd1twG-erS47MnI4gGsbne8RXA-7SpS0Zr1AH9qHQBhEqGJQAlVHi5Z67ywHDVV99tQZZIO2S8ZwkOeTxymHz_LyiDqIrrUSzrp8csP7haj5cD-6pBCAWO2WpQJ02YtmU8_6/s1600/check-for-web1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zwkwD8NFkd1twG-erS47MnI4gGsbne8RXA-7SpS0Zr1AH9qHQBhEqGJQAlVHi5Z67ywHDVV99tQZZIO2S8ZwkOeTxymHz_LyiDqIrrUSzrp8csP7haj5cD-6pBCAWO2WpQJ02YtmU8_6/s320/check-for-web1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Giving is spiritual act, it is also a deeply personal one. How and why we give is a critical part of how we relate to God and the world. People give for a variety of reasons. Sometimes I need to ask people to give, so think it is important for those whom I ask to know a couple of things about me. <br />
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First, is that I give, a Christian congregation is a community and as a servant leader I am called to do my part. Since our capital campaign Mei and I have been giving approximately 12% of our income to Holy Cross for the work of the ministry. We also help out in the wider community and give to causes and ministries outside the church. <br />
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Second, is why I give. This is helpful because we can all learn from each other when we share our stories and motivations for giving. So the following are some heartfelt reasons why I give.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. To Learn to Trust God </span><br />
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The most important reason I give is to remind myself that God is good, and that God will provide for me and my family when I take the risk to give. My witness is that so far God has proven faithful. While I would always want more financial security, more opportunities, and yes even more stuff, God has always met every actual need we have actually had. Often we have been surprised by a timely gift or opportunity that met a need we were worried about. It has not always been easy, a giving lifestyle means making intentional choices every day. My witness can also tell you that making these hard choices is not so bad in the long run. So what if my kids don't have smart phones and tablets, they read books, play sports, make art, and do well in school. Yes my cars are getting old, but they still work just fine. No we don't go out to eat much, but we like home cooking better anyway. Being able to give has deepened my relationship with Christ and I have had tangible signs that God is walking with me through both the good and bad of life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9T4Rms5ZGYJ05-Nle6T2nzaHRwIbliFyeuomFSRbZPZoTCuxvzCZl0IP3ondoJoxNjf_EEHLx1kbX-xPj-VYD9eJzoaaeIQVCkV_EtmgNkUmDx2FJZyPg9NNreUXoZS2ch9s5PuJpNvU/s1600/giving_banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9T4Rms5ZGYJ05-Nle6T2nzaHRwIbliFyeuomFSRbZPZoTCuxvzCZl0IP3ondoJoxNjf_EEHLx1kbX-xPj-VYD9eJzoaaeIQVCkV_EtmgNkUmDx2FJZyPg9NNreUXoZS2ch9s5PuJpNvU/s320/giving_banner.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">2. To Lead the Community </span><br />
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A key part of what I do is help people examine how to live a life in relationship to Jesus Christ. Giving financially has been a key discipleship practice since the formation of the first Christian community as recounted in the book of Acts in the Bible. In order to really teach something one must know how to do it. One of the things that helps lead and teach others is my own experience of giving. Over the years I have given in many different ways, these help remind me and show to others that everyone has a different situation. You may need to give in a different way than I do. I give financially in at least three ways: direct withdrawals from my bank account monthly, in kind gifts of things the church needs, and occasional extra contributions. You may need to give weekly, monthly or yearly and that is OK. The most important aspect of giving that I teach is that it be done in prayer. Lots of people have told me they do not electronically give because writing the check has become a prayerful act for them, and that is a beautiful thing. Financial giving should not be done in isolation but in combination with our other faith practices.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTE6lMzzNzstyZU_WGPwrgKNxuSqEP5vvFTDNLP9GnWxsFL-HHwX97wKKXl6qmX4IwKwA88jZFn9jr-sqJ1947dOcl9YMKDTFEdKD5_bYMgfy-aOnj3TJn7cI0qHb75cv-9RlexAfWHTNC/s1600/Marys_Anointing_of_Jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTE6lMzzNzstyZU_WGPwrgKNxuSqEP5vvFTDNLP9GnWxsFL-HHwX97wKKXl6qmX4IwKwA88jZFn9jr-sqJ1947dOcl9YMKDTFEdKD5_bYMgfy-aOnj3TJn7cI0qHb75cv-9RlexAfWHTNC/s320/Marys_Anointing_of_Jesus.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">3. To Live Faithfully </span><br />
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I don't know about you, but I have trouble asking people to give if I am not willing to do so myself. I would feel awful if I was merely taking from the community without contributing to it. I see the contributions of many faithful people at Holy Cross and I am inspired to serve. I am blessed to be part of community that is so generous, and I do not want to take that for granted. My giving makes me more of a part of the congregation because I have a stake in it. My giving also helps me take my faith life more seriously. I am more likely to pray, serve the poor, worship regularly, talk about my faith because I give. My desire to give comes from my faith, but it also reinforces it as well. God gives us the chance to give because it can strengthen faith and people can find joy and peace in doing it.<br />
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There will be times when we can not give financially, and it is important to remember that giving is not a goal in itself, the goal is a strengthened relationship with Jesus Christ, and that it will be blessing for us and the world. If giving gets in the way of this then one should pray about giving in different way. St Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:7-8:<br />
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<i>Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. (NRSV)</i><br />
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Faithful giving is motivated by a desire to be a blessing to others. Like the perfect love of God described in 1 Corinthians 13 it never demands repayment. It is not an investment that demands return, it is grace given freely. The model is God's own son Jesus Christ who gave it all for the sake of the world. This is something we are unable to give back, but that we are able to pass on.<br />
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So my only request is that you prayerfully consider your own financial giving so that you can bless others the way God has blessed you. We at Holy Cross will be asking people to support our work, but we hope that by doing so you can deepen your own discipleship walk with Jesus.<br />
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Be blessed<br />
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Pastor Knecht<br />
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<br />J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-38971845361149211782016-03-24T09:41:00.000-07:002016-04-07T13:15:10.324-07:00Who Bears My Cross? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Who bears my cross? How we answer this question will reveal much about what we think about God, the world and our own selves. Perhaps you have an obvious answer or you struggle to figure it out. maybe you have never even thought about it. This Holy Week and Easter I would like to wrestle with this question and see how different answers lead us in different directions.<br />
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Answer 1: Jesus Bears My Cross</h2>
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Perhaps if God has gotten you through a tough time in your life recently this is your answer. One looks at a situation that seemed impossible to overcome and yet by God's grace that person is still standing. One realizes his or her limitations and relies on the power of God to make up for one's weakness. The strength of this answer is that it can lead one to a powerful, daily, and living relationship with God. </div>
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The problem with this answer is that Jesus specifically excludes it. </div>
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<i>Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple. </i><i>Luke 14:27</i><i>(Message)</i></div>
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The way of Jesus Christ demands that we carry our cross behind him. In fact Jesus never tells us that he will bear our cross, he promises life eternal, forgiveness, healing, and hope, but not an escape. There is a way that the statement "Jesus bears my cross" can be used to justify not living out one's faith at all. One simply states "Jesus is my Lord and Savior" and "he took all my sins upon the cross" to justify a lack of transformation in one's life. Then that one can go on living the way they always have. </div>
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This answer can lead to a narcissistic focus on the self. Jesus becomes our personal servant to bear any on the hard spiritual work we should actually be doing. In this picture Jesus becomes "the help" and one barely knows his name and certainly little about what he is actually doing. </div>
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Unfortunately, using the answer that Jesus bears my cross is good business. It can be used to market a consumer friendly version of the gospel that makes no demands on life of the believer. Just accept a few words as true and drop a few bucks in the plate is all they will ask. This is what Diettrich Bonhoeffer called cheap grace, grace bought and sold on a religious marketplace. Seeing this picture in all its gory detail leads me to ask did Jesus really die for this? </div>
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Answer 2: I Bear it by Myself</h2>
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This answer seems to correspond to Jesus' call carry one's own cross in discipleship and follows the pattern Jesus himself set. Jesus carried his own cross after all. </div>
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<i>Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. John 19:17-18 (NRSV)</i></div>
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The strength of this answer is that it does place accountability for the spiritual life back onto the shoulders of the believer. One is taking up the cross head on. One is making the changes in his or her life that should lead to transformation. It confirms the truth of the the saying "we all have our cross to bear." It also recognizes the truth that Jesus' cross is different than mine. Jesus bore the sin of the world, I only bear an image of what he did. </div>
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However, as tempting to see this as the final answer it also has some serious weaknesses. If one focuses too much on our bearing the cross on one's own, one crowds out God. Bearing the cross on one's own becomes a path to self righteousness. It is all about what I do and not what God does. It also is over focussed on the self; the struggles of others have little meaning. This leads me to ask along with St. Paul the question "if I bear it myself then why did Jesus have to die?" (Galatians 2:21) </div>
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Answer 3: I Bear it with Help </h2>
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The simple fact of the matter is that when Jesus bore the cross he did not make it all the way on his own. </div>
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<i>As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. Luke 23:26 (NRSV)</i></div>
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Jesus the human couldn't do it all on his own, he needed the power of the Father and the help of others to carry the cross. This was all part of God's plan to show us the way of salvation and peace. A clue can be found on the night in which Jesus was betrayed when he gave a new commandment </div>
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<i>I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. John 13:34 (NRSV) </i></div>
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We are limited sinful human beings we can not always bear our cross on our own. One centered in the Gospel of Jesus Christ realizes that while one is accountable to carry one's cross and follow Jesus, we are not always able to do it, and sometimes we will even rebel from doing so. I have noticed in the churches I have served over these 20+ years that often when I ask for a deeper commitment to Christ or the congregation someone will not able able to make it. </div>
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Jesus realizes this and that is why he gave us the gift of church. By this I do not mean the institution but the Christ centered Spirit filled organic community that is the Body of Christ. We are called to help each other bear our crosses. Yes we all have our cross to bear, but that does not mean that can't help each other carry them. An individual can never separate his or her personal discipleship from the rest of the body of Christ. We are connected to each other. </div>
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When we focus exclusively on Jesus bearing the cross for us, or it's opposite, our carrying exclusively it on our own, we individualize and spiritualize the gospel. When we realize that we are called to not only carry our own cross but to help each other along the way the gospel becomes more tangible. My personal cross to bear has spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, and political hang ups. When we bear each other's cross we get involved in the reality of our world because we get involved in the reality of our fellow children of God's actual lives. </div>
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So this Holy Week and Easter I ask that we follow the advice of St. Paul: </div>
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Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2(NRSV)</div>
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Be blessed, </div>
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Pastor Knecht </div>
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J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-2394141565762009942015-12-11T08:24:00.000-08:002015-12-11T08:24:33.254-08:00Worship: the Gift of Christmas"Christmas" means worship, it contains the words Christ and mass. Christians the celebrate Good News of God becoming one of us and coming into the world the same way we came into the world, through a woman. We worship and give thanks to God because we know the end of the story that this baby would grow up to prove God's love and accomplish our salvation through the cross and resurrection.<br />
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Today we are living in oft broken world; a divided society, acts of terrorism, racial injustice, a changing climate, an inequitable economy and other seemingly intractable problems fill our consciousness with fear and loathing. With all the problems in our world these days perhaps you might wonder what worship can actually do? Worship is the first discipleship practice; it turns our hearts toward God, renews our minds, resets our emotions and gives us proper perspective. <br />
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Worship is central to the story of the incarnation found in the Bible. We find Mary in the midst of all of her challenges of becoming a new mother in impossible circumstances singing:<br />
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<b><i>for the Mighty One has done great things for me,</i></b><br />
<b><i>and holy is his name.</i></b><br />
<b><i>His mercy is for those who fear him Luke 1:49-50 (NRSV)</i></b><br />
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Zechariah the father of John the Baptist celebrates the work of salvation that is only just beginning by singing these words:<br />
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<b><i>"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,</i></b><br />
<b><i>for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. Luke 1:68 (NRSV)</i></b><br />
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The shepherds going about their normal work-a-day lives witness the angels worshiping so they can tell the Holy Family some Good News to help them through their challenges of being first time parents while far away from home. The angels sang:<br />
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<b><i>Luke 2:14</i></b><br />
<b><i>"Glory to God in the highest heaven,</i></b><br />
<b><i>and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" (NRSV)</i></b><br />
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The Magi take an arduous journey and dodge a murderous middle eastern despot all to engage in a a brief moment of worship for the newborn Savior of the Nations.<br />
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<b><i>On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:11 (NRSV)</i></b><br />
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All of these people and countless since have found, hope, promise, peace and inspiration through worship. This is all available to us through the gift of Christian community that gathers for worship.<br />
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<b><br /></b>J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-70870890507175219582015-11-18T10:03:00.001-08:002015-11-18T10:03:14.713-08:00Fight Terrorism: Teach GenerosityWaking Up to the Same Nightmare<br />
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Terrorism is nothing new. It has been around my whole life. In my childhood, headlines reported acts by the IRA, FALN and the Weathermen. Europe had the Bade-Meinhoff gang and Red Army Faction. Israel has suffered terrorist attacks its entire existence as a modern state. In the 90's Timothy McVeigh attacked Oklahoma City, a cult poured sarin gas into the Tokyo Subway. Then we lived through the rise of Al Qaeda with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, 9-11 and the London and Madrid attacks. Now we have ISIS. While much press is always given how we can prevent future attacks, surprisingly little is given to how do prepare to respond when attacks occur. Given the reality of human history this point should not be overlooked.<br />
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So I would like for us to think about how we can prepare spiritually for when attacks come. Terrorists like ISIS not only attack physical and human targets they intentionally target the spirit of the community in their cross hairs. By examining what Jesus teaches us, we will have the tools to strengthen and protect our own spirits and the the spirit of the community we serve.<br />
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The Terrorist's' True Target: Goodwill<br />
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The primary goal of a terrorist attack is to disrupt the target society by instilling fear. Part of achieving this plan is to disrupt those who work for a civil society, destroy goodwill, so people will feel they have nowhere to turn and are cowed into submission. For example, ISIS wants the flow of refugees to stop, just like the Communists did when they built the Iron Curtain ISIS needs people to kick around, children to conscript into its army, people with skills to keep the water running, the lights on, and most of all to sell crude oil. When people leave the conflict zones, ISIS loses human capital to continue its struggle for domination in the Middle East. Our goodwill starves ISIS of resources. Their goal: instil fear to stop generosity. Our fight: stand up for our identity as disciples of Jesus Christ and remain gracious.<br />
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The Jesus Way<br />
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People forget, but the scholarship is clear; Jesus lived in a time when terrorism was rife. On Epiphany we will read how Mary, Joseph and Jesus fled the state sponsored terror of Herod. Two of Jesus' own disciples may have been identified with groups that may have engaged in acts of terror, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. Jesus was killed using a Roman method to intentionally inspire terror. So when you read the words of Jesus below, remember that he was no pie in the sky dreamer, but a person who lived and served in a very violent society.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. ' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span><span style="color: #990000;"> "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:38-48 NRSV)</span><br />
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Refuse to Submit<br />
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For ordinary folks like us, the Way of Jesus Christ may seem hard, but I will ask you to pray and think deeply, and hopefully see the grace in it. When we succumb to fear and take revenge for ourselves in contradiction to biblical teaching, we play by the terrorists' rules. The core of radical fundamentalist Islamic teaching is that Allah needs the terrorists to take revenge on the infidel (btw doesn't that really say their god is weak?). When we seek out revenge, we will only give them new motivation for further acts of their revenge. We will also be submitting to the scenario they wanted all along.<br />
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Countless Christian Martyrs and the the great peace leaders of the 20th century such as Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. realized the gift of Jesus' teaching. They understood it for what it precisely is, a courageous, comprehensive, and effective strategy to stop evil. They would not submit to an unjust system. When we stand with them, we are refusing to submit, and standing up to evil. As Paul wrote when we are gracious, it is as if we are pouring hot coals over their heads. This is because by being gracious and generous we are disrupting their agenda of violence.<br />
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This struggle we have is not just with groups like ISIS, Al Qaeda, the KKK, Neo Nazi's or Anarchists. It is is spiritual struggle against powers at work within our very communities and homes. These powers are calling us to become hard hearted and fearful. If we submit to them we lose, not just to them, but indeed we lose our very selves.<br />
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When humanity killed God's only Son, God did not take revenge. He refused to submit and raised Jesus to new life. God refused to submit to death and stood for life. Countless Christians will continue to to do the same, by serving and helping those who the world says should be their enemies. When we aid the Syrian refugee, we are fighting evil, When we clothe and feed the homeless, we are fighting evil. When we greet and welcome the neighbor from the county we can't find on the map, we are fighting evil. When we affirm human dignity of every person, we refuse to submit to the world's agenda. If the headlines have shocked you lately, maybe it is just the time to stand with Jesus and be generous.<br />
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Be blessed,<br />
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Pastor Knecht<br />
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<br />J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-38293716204379841902015-10-15T10:27:00.001-07:002015-10-16T09:29:35.989-07:00How to Share Your Faith without Annoying People<span style="font-size: large;">Christian Life is Proclamation</span><br />
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Jesus started his ministry by saying "The Kingdom of God is near!" (Mark 1) Jesus teaches the 12 disciples (Mathew 10) and then later on 70 more (Luke 10) to do what he does and they report back some great stories. The disciples then proclaim the Good News of Jesus' Resurrection at Pentecost (Acts 2). The Apostle Paul travels around the Mediterranean proclaiming and building up communities of proclaimers. (The largest part of the book of Acts, Romans 10) Christian life is proclamation.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What Christian Proclamation is Not </span><br />
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Somewhere along the way some believers reduced the Christian life to a series of accepted facts. Evangelism was also thereby reduced to getting others to accept these facts. So some believers became argumentative and annoying so the world stopped listening. The real tragedy is that a relationship with the living God of Jesus Christ was lost to countless people.<br />
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This summer while on vacation in Virginia Beach as my 8 year old son and I were walking from our hotel to get some ice cream we encountered a group of believers who were trying to get patrons of a local bar "to accept the facts". They were doing this primarily by yelling condemnations through a bullhorn to try to get people to see that they were wrong. My son whose experience with Christianity is overwhelmingly positive and nurturing was quite bewildered at this circus. As we ate our ice cream, we talked about what was going on. I tried to be as gracious as I could about these street preachers and told him that they really thought they could help people. He said simply "I don't think it's working."<br />
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When I speak about evangelism or faith proclamation this is unfortunately is what most people have in mind. They actually think that when the church sends people out, it is to annoy other people, argue, and get them to submit to what we think. No wonder people don't want to evangelize. Who in their right mind would want to do this? Fortunately this is not what we are called to do when the Bible speaks about proclamation. Real faith sharing is much more meaningful and life giving.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Real Proclamation has Real Stories</span><br />
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Let me show you another picture by talking about how anyone can share the Good News of Jesus Christ in 5 steps without becoming another person's burden and without feeling guilt or shame.<br />
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<b>Step 1. Just share your good news! </b><br />
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The word evangelism originally meant "good news sharing". So we talk about the good things God is doing in our lives and in the world. Biblical evangelism should always be positive. So we talk about what God has done for us, how we came to know God, why a life in Christ is important for us. We can also share how we have witnessed what good things God has done for others. So we keep the "good" in the Good News.<br />
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<b>Step 2. Just talk about your experience!</b><br />
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No need to give a history lesson, or talk about someone else. We start with our own encounter of God. We might also include how we we encounter Christ anew through our community of faith. The most powerful witnesses are where our stories meet God's story in Jesus Christ.<br />
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<b>Step 3. Just relax!</b><br />
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Lutherans confess that it is the Holy Spirit who calls us to faith. You are not responsible for the outcome. Christians are called to share what God has done, is doing, and will do in the future. Whether another accepts this is not up to us. We just want to share some good news that might inspire or help people. We are not called to argue, convince, persuade or manipulate anybody. We can bless and help people no matter what they believe.<br />
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<b>4. Just listen! </b><br />
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This is where many times our proclamation breaks down. Effective faith sharing often involves more listening than speaking. When people are called to faith they are called out of their isolation into a relationship with God and other people. Effective relationships always involve both speaking and listening. One of the joys of faith sharing is that you begin to heat the stories of other people, you will get to know them, and build friendships with them.<br />
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<b>5. Just pray!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Our faith sharing must have its source in our own living relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit. If it does not than it is not really evangelism or genuine proclamation. We talk about God they way would would talk of others whom we are in meaningful relationships with. Prayer will help us see with eyes of faith where and how God is working in our life. Prayer can also frame our witness so that we are not hurting or injuring others through our words. Prayer is the most essential component of faith sharing.<br />
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My own prayer is that this clarification can help you have the wonderful blessing of being able to share God's story for your life with others. May God bless you as you share your story of the Good News.<br />
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Be blessed<br />
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Pastor KnechtJ. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-69245722998292037722015-08-13T08:04:00.000-07:002015-08-13T08:04:05.422-07:00Discipleship as Reprogramming <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiShyjNr-w7b6FoMli3twe8fqZpbhE0yzc27V5tPkzyYlPmaZKkEnlBGpb8hIdceaKrXloHwPz3xcte8VNknXLRyYXJ8LGIbprBCwZqnClZJKRRsmtMjPHrkhNJaHVlOD77CKqmxaIUpO/s1600/3376639_300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiShyjNr-w7b6FoMli3twe8fqZpbhE0yzc27V5tPkzyYlPmaZKkEnlBGpb8hIdceaKrXloHwPz3xcte8VNknXLRyYXJ8LGIbprBCwZqnClZJKRRsmtMjPHrkhNJaHVlOD77CKqmxaIUpO/s1600/3376639_300x300.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">As part of my summer reading I read Isaac Asimov's four classic robot novels. They are science fiction police procedurals. The main characters are a New York detective Elijah Baley and a humaniform robot Daneel Olivaw. They often engage in discussions about the how the programming of the robots affects the actions and decisions they make. As in most artificial intelligence stories, the moral dilemmas are highly intriguing . Asimov's fictional robots adhere to the three laws of robotics 1. A robot may not harm a human being, or through inaction cause one to come harm. 2. A robot shall obey all orders from humans that do not break the first law 3. A robot shall protect itself as long as it does not conflict with the first or second laws. The fun of the books is seeing what happens when the robots are put in situations where there are choices that cause a decision that brings a conflict in the programming. What these in fact are, are ways to discuss how people in the real world come up with the moral choices they make.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While real people may not have something equivalent to the three laws, we are programmed by our biology, environment, experiences, upbringing, culture and education. A great biblical example of this would be the wilderness temptation story found in Matthew and Luke where Satan tries to manipulate the basic human programming to have need for food (turn these stones to bread), power (see these kingdoms, they can be yours), and attention (throw yourself off the cliff and watch daddy come and save you!). In each case Jesus as God’s son shows he is not programmed as Satan would have liked. He demonstrates how the first commandment to fear and love God overrides the baser human instincts for food (man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God), power (worship the Lord and serve only him), and attention (Do not put the Lord your God to the test). The first commandment to love God puts things in proper perspective and allows Jesus to continue on with his ministry. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discipleship, a life of following Jesus Christ and being in a healthy relationship with Christ is a lot about allowing God to reprogram us or update our programming. Living in a sinful and broken world, our programming is often damaged. Value judgements of the majority are taken in and accepted without question, because it is easier to do so. Negative experiences put us on the defensive. Life conditions may cause us to become self-centered, or others may convince us that we have no self worth or dignity. The problem of race that America is dealing with at this time is essentially one of bad programming. Americans have been programmed with a set of beliefs and actions that are neither grounded in biology or the Word of God, which both clearly state we are single common humanity. So overcoming this dilemma will require each of us to examine how the world has programmed us and work to change those lines of code which draw us away from God and cause conflict with our brothers and sisters. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUBL5pZhHSJtL2Z6gY6H7ltllwfKEVTdRI4i4gV8JPDTS1kXqwsO-Mi_OZ0V8OJL1wTBCdQDwsx5aCqXaZTq9RPEhMK3mzPhpo8-ksxPcbYyCSIJMhhQnHY8JymP3G76plZDqh3z_Cw8w/s1600/New-Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUBL5pZhHSJtL2Z6gY6H7ltllwfKEVTdRI4i4gV8JPDTS1kXqwsO-Mi_OZ0V8OJL1wTBCdQDwsx5aCqXaZTq9RPEhMK3mzPhpo8-ksxPcbYyCSIJMhhQnHY8JymP3G76plZDqh3z_Cw8w/s320/New-Life.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This can be done; I have seen it. I have seen addicts use faith to help them deal with their illness and change their lives. I have seen people whose first marriages broke apart have wonderful life giving and healthy second ones. I have watched self centered selfish people turn around and start caring for their neighbors because an encounter with God led them there. I have seen hyper self-conscious people afraid to talk with any one come out of their shell and build a healthy and appropriate self esteem. In short, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 20.2399997711182px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in my ministry </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have witnessed countless people who have with the help of God altered their programming. The real joy of ministry is watching lives be changed for the better by the Holy Spirit. Jesus encourages to do exactly this when he says things like this spoken during the Sermon on the Mount “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NRSV). </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My favorite book of Asimov’s robot series was the last one “Robots and Empire” where two robots, the aforementioned Daneel Olivaw, and another robot Giskard Reventlov come to the conclusion that the three laws they are programmed with are inadequate. They begin to see that they actually cause moral outrages when strictly adhered to, like when saving one person will kill thousands. Their conclusion is that a fourth law is needed. Called the zeroth law, it becomes a preface to the other three, a robot may not do something that harms humanity as a whole. When the robots incorporate this law they become free and true moral agents. They are liberated when they show concern for the wider world. If you have not guessed by now I will tell you; Isaac Asimov really did not write about robots, he was writing about people. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When people allow God to help reprogram their lives with a concern for something beyond themselves they are set free. Adhering to the great commandments to love God with all your heart, soul, and might, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is not a constriction, it is a liberation. You become free to override all aspects of your cultural programming. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said “only the one who believes is obedient, and only the one who is obedient believes”. What I am arguing is that only the one who is obedient is free, and only the one who is free is obedient. Faithful discipleship</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> is </i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">liberation.</span></div>
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J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-58539584363683385472015-02-24T07:16:00.001-08:002015-02-24T07:26:23.934-08:00Discipleship Academy <br />
<i>I would like to invite you all to consider taking part in a new innovative program we are working on with the New Jersey Synod Discipleship and Witness Team. Please check it out below and contact me if you are interested in trying this out to help build up the life of your congregation. </i><br />
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Discipleship Academy<br />Build- Grow-Go</h2>
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The Discipleship Academy is a ministry designed to:<br />
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Equip congregations and their leaders with resources to fulfill their mission to grow the people of God in their location,<br />
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Work together and share the untapped wisdom found in our clergy, deacons and lay leaders,<br />
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Lift up publically those in our congregation who can be examples or mentors for others in a growing life of discipleship.<br />
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The Basics</h2>
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The Discipleship Academy is a series of 4 week courses to encourage deeper faith through practices of discipleship. The courses are created by participating congregations and will be designed so that they may be lay or clergy led. There are seven core courses that emphasize the building up of foundational discipleship practices. Elective courses on a wide variety of topics will also be offered as supplementary courses. All the courses will be found at a website linked to the synod’s site.<br />
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The core courses:</h2>
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Sacred Storytelling and Witness <br />
Bible Reading<br />
Prayer<br />
Community in Christ<br />
Generosity<br />
Our Lutheran Witness<br />
Serving Our Communities<br />
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Some Details</h2>
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4-8 minute videos will be posted on the web for each course via YouTube on the Discipleship Academy Channel.<br />
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Each course is offered in individual congregations according to the congregation’s schedule. The pastor reports those who complete the courses to the ministry’s synod representative of Discipleship. When people complete four courses they receive a certificate of accomplishment (What about Phase 1: Follower Milestone 1) and a public affirmation of their work in their home congregation. Names will posted on the synod website to celebrate and encourage them in their growth. A second certificate is issued along with another public affirmation when four more courses are completed (Phase 2: Disciple Milestone 2). A third certificate is offered upon completion of the seven core courses (Phase 3: Apostle (Sent One) Milestone 3). Those who wish to continue to grow are are encouraged to enroll in either Diakonia or some other theological study. It is our hope that those who do so will keep us informed of their further study so we may celebrate it with them.<br />
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We are recommending that courses have a small fee, which is used at the complete discretion of the participating congregation. This is to help the participants to understand that this is intended to be a commitment. Scholarships should always be given to allow anyone who wants to attend to come.<br />
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We are planning for this to be a living curriculum in two ways. First, we would ask each participating congregation to offer an elective course to the academy. Secondly as the courses are given, we will be asking for the input of the participants and leaders so that the courses can be edited over time and additional resources given. Together, we can grow disciples in New Jersey and make a difference in this corner of the world for the reign of God!<br />
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What’s the outcome? </h2>
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<b>The goal is to grow disciples</b>. As we are all at different places in our journey, we would like to celebrate and encourage disciples in their growth. We would like to encourage different milestones through Discipleship Academy. When an individual finishes 3 core courses and 1 elective, they reach Stage 1: Follower. When they finish another central course and any three additional courses, they reach Stage 2: Disciple. Stage 3: Apostle (Sent One) occurs after the completion of all the core courses. After that, we encourage the disciple to seek further theological training through Diakonia or other similar programs. <br />
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<b>How much does it cost?</b> The course is a FREE resource, we only ask that if you participate, you would create an elective course of your choosing that follows the structure of the core classes. It would then be posted on the site with all the other courses. We also recommend a minimal fee for each participant (to encourage commitment). The money gathered by the course is to be used with your congregation’s discretion. <br />
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<b>Who leads the course?</b> The course is designed so that anyone can teach it. Each course will include a brief video accessed through YouTube. Each congregation picks and chooses which courses to teach, working within the schedule and life of your particular congregation. <br />
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<b>Where can I get this course? </b>The Discipleship Academy courses will be available through the New Jersey Synod Discipleship and Witness page starting September 1st. We are currently beginning a test run in some congregations this March.<br />
<br />J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-55389378975003938162014-11-11T19:10:00.001-08:002014-11-11T20:00:09.165-08:00Seven Myths of Contemporary Worship <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhio2YlzZyUWdHVd165jdjJzbk6_ZWdlYsMma7Cz42BIgzOuAcDlFc-y5OUr928Ta9O5949xG_E50-UZTlOkBiAeQyuLDTGWL7hAv30p7zWTiaJwN0jC6h4QJGxK5WFaKY__Iuz0pVKI_Zv/s1600/Holy+Cross+Band+Spring+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhio2YlzZyUWdHVd165jdjJzbk6_ZWdlYsMma7Cz42BIgzOuAcDlFc-y5OUr928Ta9O5949xG_E50-UZTlOkBiAeQyuLDTGWL7hAv30p7zWTiaJwN0jC6h4QJGxK5WFaKY__Iuz0pVKI_Zv/s320/Holy+Cross+Band+Spring+2014.jpg" width="320" /></a>I began to preside over what is commonly called contemporary worship while serving as pastor of the Kaohsiung Community Church in Taiwan in 1994. In New Jersey, I worked with Messiah Lutheran in Oakland, to start their first contemporary service in 1999. At Holy Cross we only have this type of worship. Probably the only things these experiences actually have in common is the lack of a pipe organ, the absence of hymnals, and the projection of lyrics on a screen. The earlier forms were keyboard based with larger groups of singers and often called <i>worship and praise. </i>Then it moved on to styles that had a more melodic pop song style (think Michael W. Smith), later percussion and driving bass moved in heavily influenced by U2, these days country, southern rock, folk and roots music have also come into the picture. At Holy Cross today our songs come from artists such as Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and Hillsong. Songs that are very different than the Twilla Paris songs of the 1980's. This type of worship is always in flux as new styles come into being. As I attend our synod gatherings and meet with pastors I have always seen there there are lots of misunderstandings about this phenomenon. I will try to offer a clarification of the attitudes I commonly read and hear of.<br />
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1. The lyrics are bad theology</h2>
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This is the number one insult I hear and read of, and frankly, it comes across to me as a merely an unreflective, dismissive, and disrespectful attitude used to justify one's own comfort with their prefered style. Many songs written in today's popular styles have wonderful and moving lyrics. A large portion of these songs such as Petra's <i>We want to see Jesus Lifted High </i>are just reworkings of the lyrics of traditional hymns (ie. Lift High the Cross) made fresh for a new generation. Often the artists are trying to combine their own love of a great old hymn with the newer forms of music they like to make. Chris Tomlin's <i>Amazing Grace/ My Chains are Gone </i>and <i>When I Survey the Wondrous Cross/ the Wonderful Cross </i>are great examples from a few years back.<br />
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The fact is that lots of traditional hymns and songs have bad theology as well. So are there contemporary, or rock based worship songs with bad lyrics? Of course! Just as there are bad lyrics in medieval, baroque, victorian, gospel and other organ based hymnody. When one examines ancient Israel's songbook, the Psalms, one can also find words that one should not base doctrine upon. Don't believe me? Check out Psalm 137:9 imagine a congregation singing this. Hymns and Songs in my view are more akin to prayer than teaching and reveal the longings and yearnings of the community. <br />
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2. The music is simplistic</h2>
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At Holy Cross where I serve now, our Music Minister must work to get 4-7 instrumentalists to work in concert together every week. All songs are worked out to have multiple dynamics to to include the the entire worship team and better lead the congregation in song. The guitarists, keyboardists, percussionists, and others must come to rehearsal prepared in advance or else it does not work. I have been a member of various traditional choirs and choruses in my life and I can detect no difference in the amount of work involved to make good music whatever the style. Do some churches take short cuts? Yes they do, but lots of traditional church choirs just show up on Sunday morning and wing it too. Excellence is excellence, and it always takes work. <br />
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3. Less people are engaged in leading worship</h2>
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Sometimes in the summer you will come to Holy Cross and only see three people up on the altar leading the worship songs. However, there are always two more on the balcony, one running the sound board another operating the media software. Right now most Sundays we have 4-5 on the balcony and 5-7 up on the altar, so that is 9-12 people every Sunday. We also have a scripture leader, a prayer leader, a person to lead announcements, and 5 people to help with communion distribution. Like most churches we also have a couple of ushers to help with the offering. Doing the math that is is 19-21 people in addition to the pastor engaged to help make worship happen for a mid sized Lutheran congregation. Engagement of a good percentage of people to help lead worship is not dependent on a particular style but on the intention of the pastor and church leadership.<br />
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4. It is hard to find people to help lead the songs</h2>
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My experience over the years has been that it is harder to find effective traditional music ministers than effective contemporary worship leaders. I have found that it is relatively easy to find competent guitar players <i>from within </i>the congregation. One can often find keyboard players relatively quickly as well. The most difficult to find have been effective percussionists. In every congregation I have served we have had someone who played in a rock band, or had learned guitar or drums and was able to come forward and share their gifts. These people are in our congregations right now with these gifts untapped, it would be sad if we couldn't find ways to engage them. <br />
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Contemporary worship works best when it is firmly grounded in the congregation. When people from within the congregation are raised up to help lead the songs and make worship music, then the worship will have an authentic voice for the congregation. It will be "the work of the people" or a genuine liturgy. Any worship style brought in from the outside or imposed from above by arbitrary authority will work against this. Great worship works best from the bottom up, the congregation brings its best to the glory of God, if a traditional style does that for you, praise God!<br />
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5. Contemporary worship is not Lutheran (or any other <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is no legitimate reason why contemporary worship songs should be arbitrarily excluded from a Lutheran order of service. The grounding actions of our worship are proclaiming of the Word of God and administering the Sacraments. In the seventh article of the Augsburg Confession we read<br />
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<span lang="en-us"> </span><i><span lang="en-us">For the true unity of the church it is enough to agree concerning the teaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments. </span><span lang="en-us">It is not necessary that human traditions or rites and ceremonies, instituted by men, should be alike everywhere.</span></i>¹</blockquote>
<span lang="en-us">The contemporary worship services in Lutheran congregations I have served all have had weekly communion. We have always had a weekly rite of corporate confession, we confess the Apostle's Creed, proclaim the Great Thanksgiving, use the time honored Words of Institution. They may not be in the same order as they were in the 1970's but the pieces of our tradition are all there. </span><br />
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The format we use allows for an expanded time to proclaim the Word through the sermon. We have also tried to use technology including electronic presentations (PowerPoint & MediaShout), film clips, podcasts, and streaming video to enhance our proclamation of the Gospel. It helps us reinforce the message to those attending, reach those virtually who are unable to attend physically, and help both dig deeper by having the sermon on record for review.<br />
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One of the things I really enjoy about contemporary worship music is that it more closely resembles the music I listen to for fun. Our current music minister leads our team in a style that resembles the alternative music I might hear on WFUV or WXPN (alt-rock radio stations in my area). This serves a useful purpose for me; it helps bridge the gap between secular and sacred in my own life. It helps me to see that all of my life is holy. This should not be an alien idea to Lutherans (or other Christians). Luther himself used popular forms of music as tools to write hymns to help lead congregations in song. Ulrich Leupold writes in the introductory section of <i>Luther's Works Vol. 53.</i><br />
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<span lang="en-us"><i><b>The German folk song was the good earth from which all of Luther’s hymns sprang.</b> Its style textually and musically is evident everywhere, and its patterns are often clearly recognizable. The very first hymn by Luther, “A New Song Here Shall Be Begun,” is modeled after the folk ballads, which told the stories of important events and personalities. <b>Characteristic stock phrases and melodic turns of the folk song are found in all of Luther’s hymns.</b></i></span>²</blockquote>
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Luther translated the Mass into the vernacular, he made the Bible available to the people in the plain German language spoken at the time, and he used popular music to enhance worship. I would argue that those who endeavor to use popular and contemporary forms of music are trying to do some of these same things that Luther did himself. So there is no reason why would can not have faithful Lutheran contemporary worship. </div>
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6. Contemporary worship is attractive only to young people</h2>
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In fact, some young people actually prefer traditional worship and old style hymns, on the other hand, we have had people in their 70's specifically come to Holy Cross <i>because </i>we have contemporary worship music. The early baby boomers are approaching their 70's and many of that generation were instrumental in leading the church to embrace these more contemporary forms. At Holy Cross we have a wide variety of ages that embrace our style, just as in the churches with traditional formats have wide varieties of ages embracing theirs.<br />
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7. Contemporary worship will lead to an increase in attendance </h2>
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This is patently false. Churches that are alive and vibrant communities centered on the Gospel will have a worship that resonates and reflects the community gathered on Sunday. Many vibrant churches will use traditional forms, others will use contemporary ones. The keys for vibrancy are: passion for the worship the congregation currently provides, an intention to include all gathered in the worship in some way, a commitment to excellence (all giving their best for God), and most of all a grounding in the liberating Word of God. I am an advocate for contemporary worship because I believe that many congregations who are struggling to bring new life to their communities may actually find that they can present a more contemporary style better than they can their current one. The question for a congregation to decide is which forms best allow for excellence in worship for their community.<br />
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Worship Ought to Be Worship </h2>
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In conclusion I would say that I long for the day when modifiers like contemporary, traditional, relevant, emerging, ethnic and liturgical are simply omitted when speaking about the worship we bring. One of the things we do other people to degrade their dignity is to make judgements about them and place them in categories of our own creation. Call me crazy, (some have) but I believe really great worship ought to be contemporary and traditional, relevant and timeless, ethnic and universal, emergent and liturgical, profound and joyful all at the same time. Impossible you say? Well I don't think so. When a diverse people gather together at the foot of the cross of Christ and have an encounter with God, amazing things can happen with new things and old. Whatever worship style or tools you advocate, may they be blessings for you to help reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.<br />
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¹-Theodore G. Tappert, <i>The Augsburg Confession : Translated from the Latin</i> (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 2000, c1959), 32.<br />
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<span id="__spanCitationData">²-Martin Luther, vol. 53, <i>Luther's Works, Vol. 53 : Liturgy and Hymns</i>, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald and Helmut T. Lehmann, Luther's Works (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1999, c1965), 53:196.</span></div>
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<br />J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-81716899379726273432014-04-16T09:33:00.000-07:002014-04-16T09:34:30.880-07:00Technology and Resurrection <span style="font-size: large;">Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Immortality </span><br />
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I am sure by now you are aware that all types of data is being collected on each person everyday. The news is rife with stories of privacy issues, data breaches and eavesdropping. Every time you visit a website, purchase products online (or just with a credit card in a store), rate or write a review of something, or click that harmless looking thumbs up button on Facebook or Pandora that data goes somewhere. On top of that wearable tech such as Google Glass and the Samsung Dick Tracy watch are in their prototype stages. Will these be collecting other types of data? Could they be used to capture emotions and reactions to events and record them with the images the camera is collecting while tracking your location? If so, could someone then collect all his or her data and use it to create a realistic profile of her or himself. Could that profile then be combined with a process of artificial intelligence to create a newly regenerated virtual person? Can this person then be downloaded into a piece of tech that can communicate and interact with the world? If the answer to these questions is yes, have human beings found a way to be immortal through their own devices?<br />
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Not yet, but people are actually working on these very types of things.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hell </span><br />
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The whole problem with this is, that if we can construct an immortal life through our own efforts we would be simply carrying our broken pasts into a dark future. The traumas lived through would be carried on into eternity. There would still be pain, there would still be loss, there would still be evil. These experiences of our sinfulness wear us down and tinge our lives with sorrow. As we carry these burdens forward, time itself would loose all meaning, there will be no urgency to do anything, experience would pile upon experience. We would find that we were not damned to hell, but that we had created it ourselves for all eternity. It is the reason why the Bible portrays God as expelling Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:22) <i>Then the LORD God said, "See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"-- (NRSV) </i>This was not done out of spite or punishment, but as an act of grace so that no person would be condemned to unending suffering.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Forgiveness and Hope</span><br />
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While we may know the hope we have from a life of faith is an eventual eternal life, it is not the first hope we have. For the hope we have in Jesus Christ is first and foremost grounded in forgiveness. Forgiveness breaks the cycle of evil that has been built up in our lives over time. It heals the relationships we have with God, others, and the division within our own hearts. If not forgiven, we can not be healed, if not healed we are not prepared for eternal life. It is why when God sent Christ to the Cross it was first and foremost and act of forgiveness. Jesus would show his wounds to his disciples to prove that he had forgiven them. That the pain of Good Friday could be reconciled, proved that God can reconcile any division imaginable. If you don't think that one really needs forgiveness to live eternally, do this experiment. Review the major news stories of the last week, count how many are tragic or even evil. Then take that number and multiply it by 52 and get an idea of how much pain just one year exists in an broken world. Then think about that going on year after year with out end. Unless the cycle is broken there will be no hope; it is the ultimate blessing for us that God has chosen to break the cycle of sin with the cross of Christ. <br />
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Living out that hope in tangible ways is what we call discipleship. True disciples don't wait for the forgiveness to appear in some distant future, they work on it now. By advocating for the vulnerable, feeding the poor, encouraging the downtrodden, we provide signs of hope that point people to a God who wants to heal, restore, and forgive. In a life of Christian discipleship the best way to use technology going forward will be to use it as a tool of discipleship to do Jesus' work of being there for the least of the world.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Isaiah and the LORD's Mountain</span><br />
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One of the earliest references to resurrection in Scripture is comes from the prophet Isaiah. He gave us this vision of hope: (Isaiah 25:6-8)<i> On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. (NRSV)</i> Notice that God does not just give the eternal life alone. The promise is for the removal of tears (pain) and disgrace (shame). Before these gifts are mentioned, Isaiah destroying the shroud. The removal of the shroud or sheet is the removal of the division between God and people, it is this removal that makes a blessed eternal life possible. It is forgiveness that gives us hope. So as we live out the greatest three days in history, perhaps it is most healthy to move beyond a childlike desire to merely live forever to mature faith that hopes for forgiveness.<br />
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May all have a happy and blessed Easter<br />
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Pastor J. David Knecht<br />
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J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-7091959789367105342014-01-31T06:13:00.000-08:002014-01-31T06:14:31.833-08:00Thanks, Atheists!<i>This post comes from colleague Linda Thurston originally posted on her blog January 24, 2014 you can find this and her other posts <a href="http://03791bb.netsolhost.com/WordPress/2014/01/24/thanks-atheists/" target="_blank">here</a></i><br />
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I recently read an obituary for a wonderful, faithful woman. It spoke of her love for her family and detailed her work with a variety of community organizations; it outlined her volunteer commitments and the career she made working on behalf of the disadvantaged. But for the mention of Vacation Bible School and other church commitments and the fact that her husband was a minister, however, a reader might never have guessed that her life of service derived from her faith in Jesus. There was no mention of God or Jesus anywhere in the obituary – not even a God-invoking euphemism for death or a mention of Jesus among the things that she loved.<br />
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This struck me because I’ve been thinking lately about how we Christians talk (or don’t talk) about God.<br />
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Perhaps you’ve heard about this new movement out of the UK called Sunday Assembly, which one of its founders described as, “all the best bits of church, but with no religion and awesome pop songs.”<br />
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As a recent NPR story put it, “There’s little God talk at Sunday Assembly.”<br />
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The movement’s website puts it this way: “The Sunday Assembly is a godless congregation that celebrate life. Our motto: live better, help often, wonder more. Our mission: to help everyone find and fulfill their full potential. Our vision: a godless congregation in every town, city and village that wants one.”
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The oxymoron-ish idea of a “godless congregation” and the photos of earnest non-worshippers, singing Rolling Stones tunes together hands in the air, make Sunday Assembly seem ripe for ridicule. News of a recent schism in the New York assembly will, no doubt, only increase the urge for parody among believers and non-believers alike. (See, it really is just like church!!)<br />
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But I’m not interested in making fun of Sunday Assembly. Rather, I’d like to thank them for the opportunity to open some conversation about what it means to be church. You see, it seems like these atheists have a better understanding of what church is about than some church people I know.<br />
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One of the founders of Sunday Assembly started the movement because she wondered, “is it possible to have all the wonderful things that church does, like create community and help others and encourage thinking about the world, yourself and improvement, but without the God bit?”<br />
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One commentator described what those attracted to the movement like about church – “”They miss the community, they miss the music, they miss the multi-generational coming together with people that you might not otherwise be hanging out with.”<br />
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So often, when church people talk about why they go to church or what they love about their particular congregation, it is these things that they talk about – the music and the community and the opportunities to help others. At least in the Protestant mainline where I hang out, people seem much less likely to mention God or Jesus.<br />
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Now it could be that for many people church really is about all these other things more than “the God bit,” and perhaps these folks really would be just as happy at a Sunday Assembly as at their local Christian church. But it could also be that we leaders of the church haven’t done a very good job with the God-talk – both talking the talk ourselves and teaching and equipping people in our congregations to talk it.<br />
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When we don’t do the God-talk, to the outside world many of our congregations seem indistinguishable from other local community organizations that help people “live better, help often, or wonder more.” How is the church different from the Kiwanis or the Girl Scouts or even a health club that collects toys for impoverished kids at Christmas?<br />
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The folks at Sunday Assembly, at least, understand what makes church different from all these other organizations including their own. It’s not the ethical teaching; it’s not the service to our neighbors; it’s not the pastoral care; it’s not even the collective singing or the intergenerational fellowship (although these are harder and harder to find in our society). It’s the God-talk. Period.<br />
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While sometimes the problem may be that we’re simply lacking any God-talk at all, sometimes the problem is that the God-talk in various congregations doesn’t sound like very good news. <b>Our God-talk should be the “best bit about church,” the most “wonderful thing that church does.” </b><br />
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The church exists to proclaim the good news of God in Jesus Christ, to “preach the damn Gospel” in the immortal words of Dr. Timothy Wengert, to tell people that God knows them and loves them anyway, that they are beloved children of God, created with meaning and purpose and called to help do God’s work in the world.<br />
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This is what makes us distinctive. This is what we have to offer the world. When our singing and our potlucks and our good deeds overshadow our God-talk, then we stop being the church and just become one more Sunday Assembly.
So thanks, atheists and other non-believers for this important reminder of what makes the church the church.J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-66468307173199487372014-01-30T10:08:00.001-08:002014-01-30T17:03:29.551-08:00How do We Talk About Jesus and the Cross?<span style="font-size: large;">Who do we really promote? </span><br>
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The theme of one of Albert Schweitzer's most famous works of theology was that portraits of the historical Jesus often revealed more about the author than they really did about Jesus. Often how we talk about about Jesus in our congregations may in fact do the exact same thing. There are many images of Jesus in the New Testament, there are many more words used to describe him, there are even more when one takes into account hymns, prayers. and even motion pictures that have been compiled in the time since the writers of the New Testament left us their own witness to Jesus. The ways to describe Jesus are so rich and varied that we inevitably make choices about which words and images we use to describe him. What I am asking you to consider is, are you intentional about the choices you make to communicate Jesus to others? If not, how do you know whom you are really promoting? He may be named Jesus, but is the person we are describing simply be the reflection of our own biases and preferences, rather than who he really is? How do avoid falling into this trap? </div>
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In my experience, the first part of the way to avoid the pitfalls is to make sure we are always focused on the cross and resurrection. This time of year I often dust off my old copy of Gustav Aulen's <i>Chritus Victor </i>(Macmillan: NY, 1951), which deals with the very question of how do we talk about the work of God in Jesus Christ. The ideas below are all his, I will try to show how these affect our witness today. Aulen looks at how people have described God's work through the cross in history. He charts three main threads of speaking about the work of Christ. The term we use for this effort is <i>the</i> <i>Atonement, </i>which specifically deals with how Christ has resolved the problem of human sin through the action of the cross. Please know that faithful Christians hold each of these views; they may sometimes hold all three simultaneously. So while I have my own preference, I will try to treat each with respect, because all have their roots in Scripture and the experiences of the faithful.<br><br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pleasing an Angry God</span><br>
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The view of the Atonement that may be most prevalent in many American churches both Evangelical and Catholic focuses on the idea that because humans have sinned they must make amends. The strength of this view is it's condemnation of evil and commitment to setting things right. The scales of justice must balance out. Since we are so sinful, we need a perfect person to take our place to satisfy God, otherwise we are subject to God's wrath. Jesus because of his perfection, has an infinite amount of extra credit built built up, which he gives to sinners to rescue them from the judgement of God. The sinless human Jesus satisfied God's need for Justice. Catholics access Jesus' extra credit through penitential rites, Protestants through accepting Jesus into their heart and having strong faith thereafter. <br>
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A version of this view particularly popular in the United States is known as penal substitution theory. We deserved the punishment, Jesus takes our place, we get off scot-free. This view has its biblical roots in the sacrificial system described in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. This view is commonly known in theological circles as the "objective" view of the Atonement. God is the object of the sacrifice of the cross. This view was developed in the middle ages and became the basis for the medieval church to sell indulgences, which were basically notes of moral credit accumulated by Christ and some really good people who somehow had a positive balance. The medieval church, through a narrow interpretation of Jesus' words to Peter about the keys of the kingdom, believed that they had the power to issue these divine bank notes to get folk into heaven. This led to the Reformation which realized that this was a corruption of the original intent of the Gospel. <br>
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In Christians today I see this view played out in a number of ways. One way is that is that when bad things happen they beat themselves up and say "If only I believed more, God would not have sent me all this hardship." Prosperity and Self-Help preachers will describe struggles such as a loss of a job, depression, natural disasters as a result loss of faith. The argument goes, we are just getting our deserved punishment for being sinners; what do we have to complain about? It places the focus of the cross exclusively upon the individual sinner. Another weakness of this view is that it sets up a duality between Jesus and God the Father. It is the human Jesus alone who is able to atone for us in this view, so it also devalues the gift of the incarnation. Finally it may distort our picture of God, setting up a distant, angry, and scary <i>god </i>(lack of capitalization intentional). <br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fixing the Broken Person </span><br>
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There have always been Christians who have been uncomfortable in speaking about the work of Jesus in the terms mentioned above. They saw the weaknesses of the "objective" view and argued that their fellow Christians had it all backwards. God is the prime actor through the cross to heal and restore people. This view is known as the "subjective" view, because God is the subject who does the action and people are the objects of God's redeeming work. This view began to rise to prominence during the enlightenment and reached it's zenith in the liberal theological movement of the nineteenth century. God loves human beings so God will restore them through the sign of the cross. God, in this view, at all times only acts benevolently and graciously. The atonement therefore is not so much a work that does something, but a symbol of God's love for us. The sacrifice of the cross gets us to recognize our need to make amends, we give our faith over to God, we are born again and then are healed. There is much in the New Testament to justify this. The strength of this view is that it does restore some of the focus back to God and the act of love on the cross. It does not take God for granted and does guard against an entitlement mentality that can spring up in an un-reflective person with the objective view. <br>
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This view has been popular for many modern Christians. It has some very enticing aspects. We become the objects of God's love, evil is really explainable as an illness that can be corrected, God is safe. However the things that make this view attractive betray its weakness. First, it does a poor job of dealing with the reality of evil. Those who experience great evils like poverty, war, crime and abuse will find this explanation wanting. Secondly, it feeds into our narcissism, it seems to communicate that God just has to love us. This takes away God's free will and choice. Finally, by reducing the cross to a mere symbol it proclaims the powerless <i>god</i> (lack of capitalization intentional). Evil can not be assuaged by this <i>god, </i>people can only be persuaded to change. It is therefore easy to see how this can lead one who holds this view into either despair or apathy. It may soothe people in the short term, but once bad times come folks will see no need with the I'm OK, your'e OK vision of the subjective view of the Atonement.<br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Good Story</span><br>
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Both the above ways of talking about the atonement can help Christians in their faith life in certain situations. They both developed historically to help proclaim the Gospel to people of a particular place and time. That the views have weaknesses should not betray that both views have much truth embedded in them. God is committed to truth and justice, God is loving, that love has been demonstrated by Jesus. Luckily for us we do not have to choose between the subjective and objective views. We can choose what works in our situation to best be there for our Christian brothers and sisters, and thankfully there indeed is a third way. It is the story of the Gospel itself which should keep us all grounded. <br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Dramatic View</span><br>
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Aulen calls the final view the "dramatic view" of the atonement. Its focus is the Gospel itself brought home in its fullness with a powerful view of the biblical imagery in all its colors. It is also called the "classic" view in that it was formulated during the classical period not long after the writing of the New Testament. In this view the drama is this: people are captured and bound by sin, death, and the devil. Sin as in the writings of Paul, is a power that binds us, corrupts us, and most importantly is beyond our control to remove without the work of God. God sends Jesus on a special ops infiltration raid to rescue God's children from their prison to the three demonic powers mentioned above. (Luther, who also held this view speaks of God deceiving or tricking the devil). In this view, the cross sets off an explosion that establishes a complete new reality. The temple curtain torn in two, graves opened (in Matthew) earthquakes, black skies etc. In this view all the Biblical actions of God in the Gospel demonstrate their remarkable consistency. God sends Jesus as a human in the incarnation to deal with sin death and the devil, God defeats these on the cross (atonement), and finally God validates the redeemed by inviting them into a new freedom in life in communion with Jesus Christ (justification). God is loving, but also does not tolerate evil. Sin and evil are real powers that can hurt both morally pure and impure alike, but are never insurmountable by God. God is sovereign, powerful, and cosmic in this view, not limited to dealing with only personal concerns. This view has always been with us and has been promoted by many of the giants of the faith, Luther, Bonhoeffer, Barth etc. <br>
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The rise of the other two views happened because people sought to explain in rational terms how the cross worked. So in the other two views the most vivid imagery of the Bible is often discarded because it can't be explained. It may even be that in trying to explain Biblical imagery, people were led to see things they really did not want to see. This is because these remind us of our own powerlessness in confronting sin, death and evil when they plague our world. The truth is that Jesus is God, God is bigger than our words. All our efforts to explain what God does will always be incomplete. That is why I like the idea of accessing the truth of God's action through the Story. Everyone loves a good story, no matter your theological persuasion, your world-view, or your politics you can be moved by the Story of the Gospel to a new reality. We love stories because they usually work better in communicating deep truths than our efforts at explanation. Jesus taught us this himself as he used stories to teach about God's kingdom. Looking at the they way speak about Jesus, and critically examining how if our description may coincide, or deviate from the story will be helpful in our calling to be humble disciples. So to be intentional about speaking about Jesus, and to avoid the problem that we might only be promoting ourselves, we will need to tend to the story of the Gospel and let it speak. <br>
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J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-82326632978843818922014-01-09T09:42:00.000-08:002014-01-09T10:14:01.381-08:00Why Churches Fail<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje34eEHrfAoBeMxp_3v5RWMhs16CBSJwf4N1P0vfq2AwhVeM_c-sCxXiW9xXJM75IXZcKqO28aV4a9DX42aQ9gCPWNGDVldCbXCJLzYwc0rDcmcf_QAXWM-y4UfPZ-UNefg9MF-Zsmk8lv/s1600/broken+church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje34eEHrfAoBeMxp_3v5RWMhs16CBSJwf4N1P0vfq2AwhVeM_c-sCxXiW9xXJM75IXZcKqO28aV4a9DX42aQ9gCPWNGDVldCbXCJLzYwc0rDcmcf_QAXWM-y4UfPZ-UNefg9MF-Zsmk8lv/s1600/broken+church.jpg" /></a>My BA is in economics and from time to time I still like to read and think about it. I have recently been <i>Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty</i> by Daron Acemoglu and James A Robinson. It is a work of historical economics that uses history to formulate a hypothesis of why some countries like our own are prosperous and others fail to deliver even basic needs to vast numbers of their citizens. I found that much of the book was resonating with my experience in serving communities much smaller than nations, churches. While sociologists and economists would have to do a formal study to see if there are indeed parallels with micro-communities, the principles of <i>Why Nations Fail</i> seem to correspond nicely to my own theological orientation. This is merely an exercise of making connections, understand I could be totally off base. I am the kind of guy that is often excited about the last thing I read. <br />
reading the book <br />
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Extractive Communities<br />
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The authors' premise is pretty straight forward. Societies where an elite sets up the rules so that they alone can reap the benefits of its resources are doomed to a reinforcing cycle of poverty and zero sum conflict that will lead the nation to fail at some point. The authors call these extractive societies. The goal of those in power is get the resources out of the ground in any way possible and then to keep all proceeds of the resources for themselves. Even some of the poorest societies around the world have an tiny elite that is fabulously wealthy by global standards. The late Kim Il Sung of North Korea, where millions are repeatedly affected by famine, spent $800,000 per year on cognac alone. The reason for this is that society is set up exclusively for their benefit. The point the authors want to make is that without people working together to build up society for the common benefit of all, a country can only tolerate all this extraction for so long before it collapses.<br />
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This leads me to the introspective question about our congregations. Can churches become extractive? Are some set up for the benefit of a few insiders? Are things in others organized to give the pastor or key families the majority of benefits of the fruits of the congregation's life?<br />
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I am sure each of you has in mind a case where a pastor built a cult of personality around her or himself in some mega church somewhere. The ministry is set up around the pastor's life and becomes synonymous with it. Sometimes the pastorate is passed on to the children like in a monarchy. The worst cases are where the congregation becomes playground of predator. Remember Jesus's words against the religious leaders who devoured the property of the vulnerable.(Mark 12:20) Perhaps even more common, especially in smaller churches, is when an oligarchy of insider families take control of a faith community and set things up so that they are real power brokers and the majority of the congregation is on the margins with no real say. In both of these cases the congregations would be less resilient than healthier communities. <br />
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In congregations where people have the choice to go and worship elsewhere, people will not tolerate being used and abused by others for very long. Even those who may stay around and worship become less engaged, often volunteering and giving less. Is some of the decline in church participation witnessed in recent years due to the fact that too many churches are set up to be extractive for the benefit of a few? The argument of <i>Why Nations Fail </i>states that communities can grow for a while under extractive conditions, but they will always end up collapsing at some point. When religious observance is more socially valued perhaps extracive congregations can hang on much longer. When the prestige is ripped away how healthy the church is will really matter.<br />
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Inclusive Communities<br />
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The argument in "Why Nations Fail" continues that societies that are prosperous and resilient tend to be <i>inclusive. </i>By inclusive the authors mean that a diverse group of people has a stake in society; many can participate in the decision making process. Rights and obligations are well defined and respected. There is a clear rule of law and no one is above it. Particularly important for the authors argument is that their property rights are respected. All of this provides a stable environment where people will invest in the local economy, innovate new products and work hard to improve their lives. This tide raises the standard of living in the society. <br />
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If you think about what the authors mean by inclusivity, you will see is something deeper and more powerful than using the correct pronouns or having the right pictures in your brochure. At their core, inclusive communities protect the dignity and worth of all the community's members. In economies that dignity is symbolized by private property. It is a tangible measure of how a particular society values the dignity of its citizens. Notice that even in our own society, which is inclusive by world and historical standards, the poor are more likely to have their property rights abridged than the wealthy. Just think about how interstate highways are built, wealthy towns can usually get them diverted or even canceled, like what happened with the continuation of 1-95 in New Jersey. Poorer communities will not have as much of a say unless they can mobilize a broader support base to make their case. It is a blessing to live in a relatively inclusive society where this can happen. This does not mean our society is always just, but we do have tools to do something about it, unlike those living in many places around the world. <br />
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Each and every Christian should realize that inclusivity is a core virtue of the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. The church of the New Testament was a radically inclusive community by the standards of any time. The first Jerusalem church found in Acts 2-4, the types of communities Paul is trying to build as seen in his letters, and perhaps most importantly the church of Antioch, which we find in the heart of the book of Acts demonstrate a biblical view that places a high value on inclusivity. <br />
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Building an inclusive congregation is hard work and takes intentional effort. In micro-communities like churches, we do not have a reference like property rights that can quickly symbolize dignity, so we have to work harder to maintain it. It congregations dignity is maintained by being intentional about communication, extending trust, giving permission to follow one's true gifts , respecting differences. and most importantly active listening. Active listening and responding graciously to the people of our communities is how we show we value the dignity of those who comprise it.<br />
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Another key toward inclusivity is paradoxical. A certain degree of centralization is necessary for societies to become inclusive. People need a common bond in which to engage the community. In congregations that common bond is maintained by the twin pillars of mission and message. The message will be how the community uniquely proclaims the Gospel to its service area, the mission will be how it lives out the Gospel by serving the people where they are located. It is critical that both are in sync, right belief is right action. If our congregations are not clear about these two areas it will be hard for them to become inclusive because their members will be unsure of how to engage them.<br />
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Healthy Institutions<br />
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Acemoglu and Robinson argue that institutions matter for the health of society. Societies are less likely to turn extractive where institutions set limits on the exercise of power, protect private property, appropriately value labor, and most importantly allow for broad base of people to engage in making decisions. Good institutions are set up to promote inclusivity. <br />
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In reality this is really all about appropriate boundary setting, and healthy boundaries and limits are important for communities of any size. In congregations where boundaries are fuzzy bad things are more likely to happen, because those who wish to abuse power have nothing to stop them. So while we may at times lament that our structures and boundaries may give us some extra work, calling meetings, making reports, having one more conversation about an issue that was already settled, these actually help keep a wider group of people engaged in our congregation. The work of good boundaries in a congregation can be fruitful when they are constructed to draw out the ideas and contributions of the widest possible extent of the community's membership. <br />
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Fear of Creative Destruction<br />
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The real Aha! moment of the book for me was the premise that in extractive societies the leaders will always resist change and innovation for fear that it will upset the current power relationship and the leaders will will be less able to exploit the society. There is a fear of creative destruction. A dictator will not allow land reform because if the citizens had property rights, it would limit the power of the leader. A labor saving device like a back hoe would throw hundreds of peasants out of work. They would then have nothing to do except advocate for change which would threaten the dictator's hold on power. Extractive societies are set up for zero sum power struggles over resources, therefore any change is a threat.<br />
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In many congregations fear of creative destruction is palpable. When wanting to widen the circle of the community often some things have to die, and new things have to take their place. If a local congregation does not let those things which fail to reach the outside world die they risk stagnation and decline. Often people in churches participate because of the sense of empowerment. This is a good thing generally, but when the feeling of empowerment overrides the unifying mission the congregation will resist change because it will bring some destruction as well as new life. As Christians we should realize this, when the temple curtain was torn in two at the death of Jesus it was God's act of creative destruction. Replacing something that had become exclusive with a new reality that is inclusive. <br />
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In the end churches will fail when they are no longer able to that which they were created by God to do for Lutherans like myself that is to preach the gospel, administer the sacraments and provide a place for people to mutually care and support one another. <br />
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<br />J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-61210314381927691382013-12-13T08:10:00.000-08:002013-12-13T08:10:03.371-08:00Requiem for AdventLast year, as I posted a picture of my children on Facebook with the caption "getting ready for Christmas" I received comment post from my cousin Luise in Germany that said "Happy Advent." Hmmm, "Happy Advent, I like sound of that" I mused. "Whatever happened to Advent?" I wondered. Then the very same day I read an article by theologian Diane Butler-Bass called "The War on Advent," which makes the case for recovering the practice in our communities. Well, I hate to break it to Dr. Butler-Bass, but the war is over and it is a total rout (at least in the US). Advent is dead; wounded by a blow from the left as secularists stamped out the ancient and deeper meanings of the season as incompatible with modern political correctness. Right after this, it was maimed by the right waging the nihilistic "War on Christmas," whose rules of combat require the litmus test of saying "Merry Christmas" continually starting at 12:00 AM on the Friday after Thanksgivng. Finally it was finished off by the retailers, who once knocking it down pushed Christmas' border all the way to Labor Day. What was once 12 days is now four months. So Advent is dead. Its passing mourned only by a few liturgy professors and their seminarian acolytes. Too bad, because if you do not grasp Advent, you do not understand what Christmas truly is at all.<br />
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<i>Luke 1:45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”</i><br />
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God's Word of promise is more wonderful than any of us can imagine. It is the fuel which allows us not only to endure times of trial, but lets us breathe in every moment and realize that life is a gift. Advent is a time to rest in the promises of God. As we quickly learn in life, expectation is often more fun than fulfillment. The people of Israel look back continually as its most meaning time to when they were wandering in the wilderness and the land was only a "promised" one. Advent likewise, is a time to take delight in expectation. In the Bible, faith is always commended during a time of expectation, whether it is Abraham setting out into the wilderness in search of a homeland, or a young mother Mary receiving affirmation from her cousin at what must have been a confusing time. Faith thrives in an atmosphere of expectation. It is where it lives and breathes. It is why these times are so happy. <br />
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Advent should be happy (it is not Lent!) as it is focused on God. The sad thing is so many in my community are not happy at all. Their faces show the strain of the rush to get everything done, so perhaps Advent can be grace for you. You don't have to fulfill everyone's wish, or even your own, you can focus on God, and rest in a promise, stop worrying and be happy! The pressure to eradicate Advent comes from those both secular and religious who are just incapable of doing this. These are the folks who will not wait for the time to be fulfilled. They may even believe that it is thier responsibility to make the world right so God can come. Their actions say if things are prepared the right way than it will be all hunky dory. This is actually a pretty inclusive group including some end-time Christians, communists, environmental zealots, and most prevalent this particular time of the year home decorators trying to create "the perfect Christmas."<br />
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<i>Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.</i><br />
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When the Protestant Reformation began it tried to recover the faith reflected in the writings of the Gospels, Paul and the early church of the classical period. It began with a simple premise, the actions of God come first. So it is God who fulfills. The twentieth century theologian Paul Tillich called this "the Protestant principle". So Advent is deeply evangelical, it is nothing more or less than being expectant of the promises of God in Jesus Christ. While this may be a requiem, it is not a lament. I am a Christian, I know that resurrection exists. Every time someone expectantly looks for God to do something in her or his life, there you will find Advent. It will be ever eternal as it is a time of taking delight in the gift of faith, and it is certainly a time to be happy. <br />
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Happy Advent!!!!J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-35074783964902275992013-09-25T08:38:00.000-07:002013-09-26T06:30:33.720-07:00Function or Mission?<span style="font-size: large;">What's your Function? </span><br />
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If someone asked you what is the function of your ministry, how would you answer? Is it to bring new members to your church? Is it to instruct the next generation in the faith? Is it to make sure the people in your congregation are cared for? Is it to make sure that the corporation (yes, legally most congregations are corporations) continues to be financially viable?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What's your Mission? </span><br />
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Now what if someone asked instead what is your mission, how would your answer be different? I would hope that one would not merely search the files and old newsletters to pull out the mission statement ratified by the church council in the 1970’s, but give a ready answer about what his or her church feels called to do. The question I would like to explore is is there a difference between function and mission? Some of the corollary questions are: is there tension between the two ideas? Do we at time confuse them? What do you think? Let me know in the comments section.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Update: September 26, 2013 </span><br />
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Some helpful Distinctions:<br />
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In seeing some of the responses so far I have come up with these ways to help distinguish between mission and function.<br />
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1. Focus: Mission is outwardly focused on God and those God calls us to serve. Function is internally focused on the self or organization.<br />
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2. Purpose: Mission is concerned with tending to the relationships with those involved, God first and then those who God calls us to be in mission with. Function is concerned with the output. How good are the sermons the pastor writes, how many meals delivered by the soup kitchen etc. So function is accomplishment based while mission is concerned with the health of relationships and their interactions.<br />
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3. Scope: Mission is always open to new information, in fact helpful mission strategies are always look for new information to help see where God is leading. When thinking about function the scope is always limited to the task at hand so new information can even be harmful at times.<br />
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4. Nature: Mission is at its core an entire way of life. It relies on a holistic attitude to bring all areas on one's life into focus to follow God's call. Function is a component of this, but just a part. In the end our functions must serve the mission we have partnered with God to carry out. It is when we elevate our function to the level of the overall mission that our confusion comes.<br />
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By praying regularly and coming back to the cross through remembering our connection to it in our baptism, we can help remember our identity and focus our various functions on the overarching call to God's mission for our world. By staying grounded in God's Word contained in the bible we can help put the pieces our our lives together.
J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709148416281911943.post-59131433002912796402013-08-21T07:54:00.001-07:002013-08-21T07:59:35.769-07:00Where's My Hardware Store?A few weeks back my six year old son hung on the coat hooks next to the front door in our vestibule. He pulled the entire rack out of the wall. I told him he had help fix it and pay for the materials necessary to do the job, which amounted to a small container of joint compound to fill in the holes where the moly-bolts were. He got his allowance money and we drove to downtown Springfield to buy our supplies at our local hardware store. We parked our car in the back of the store and went to the door and saw that is was locked. We looked in the windows and all the stock was gone, and got in the car and drove to the massive Home Depot in Vauxhall. I know this is not the first hardware store to close in recent years, but this affected me deeply because something I relied on to be there was now gone.<br />
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I like going to the small store and knowing the proprietor. The people in Home Depot are usually pleasant and I do not usually have any complaints with the service or products, yet the anonymity and the scale are intimidating when all I need is something small to do a quick job. The economy these days has made the small scale hardware store a thing of the past, unless a store has niche it is doomed.<br />
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I began to obsess "is our congregation like that hardware store?" Have the economies of scale and the expectations of people in our our area that the church will provide high quality program with minimal commitment conspired to doom the midsize congregation to oblivion. Statistics seem to be leading in this direction. Large congregations are chugging along, many small congregations do wonderful ministry by using their intimacy as a strength. The midsize church seems to be most at risk. The small congregation seems to be analogous to the home based business and the large to the big box store or prominent franchise. Where does that leave the rest of us.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We Are Not a Store </span></span><br />
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The hope that I cling to is that the community I serve is not a store, but as Eugene Peterson writes a “community of sinners gathered week after week… the Holy Spirit gathers them and does his work in them." (<i>Working the Angles p.2</i>) Our task is not to be a purveyor of goods, services, or an experience, but to simply bring people together with God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer shakes us out of our stupor and fear with these explosive words, which open his masterpiece <i>The Cost of Discipleship</i>: “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjack’s wears.” If we are to be Biblically faithful (rather than market driven successful) we need to call people into a relationship with God and their fellow sinners to join in this movement, which is dedicated to following our savior Jesus Christ. This means we understand that we are part of a wider family than our congregation and hopefully realizing that we are not in competition with the other expressions of Christianity in our vicinity.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We Still Need a Niche </span><br />
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Yet we still need to recognize that how the people of our communities engage the world matters. In a recent Alban Institute post, Peter Coutts blogs<a href="http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=10279" target="_blank"> here</a> “We live in a fully democratized, consumer-oriented society in which people believe they have the autonomous power to make choices, including within the realm of religious belief, practice, and participation.”
So we have to use the tools of Law and Gospel to reveal the truth of God’s Word to the people we serve. The law is that every human choice whether to shop at the hardware store or home depot, or to go to the mid-size church in town or mega-church by the highway is bound by our innate sinfulness. The grace of God reveals that God makes himself available to be freely chosen. As Christian leaders we are called to help people make the right choice, the choice of Jesus, the choice of life. Hopefully if we really do it right, those who walk with Jesus will realize it really was not a choice at all.<br />
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The way for us who have more limits on our people and resources to begin to live out this calling is to help the communities we serve find their niche or place. This usually means leading people to prayerfully discern where their gifts lie, communities can then specialize according to the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to them. One community will allow people to see the grace of God through excellent and passionate traditional music, another will demonstrate it by serving the poor, another through good preaching, another through education, still another through support groups for people in critical phases of life, and even some that just provide a well rounded spiritual home. So yes my hardware store is gone, but our church still lives, breathes and moves to bring God’s love to our world.
J. David Knecht DMinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064337082903767039noreply@blogger.com0