May 7, 2023 Sunday’s Listening for The Promise Rev. Dona Johnson
The Road
Jesus is the stone that makes us stumble, a rock of offense, says this week's epistle.(1 Peter 2:8). In our politically-correct culture, few opinions provoke more hostility than the words of Jesus in this week's gospel: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Or consider Peter's words: "There is no other name [than Jesus] under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
These uncompromising words not only provoke controversy; they raise honest questions. In his World Christian Encyclopedia (2001), David Barrett identifies 10,000 distinct religions, 150 of which have a million or more followers. Is it reasonable to believe that Jesus is the only way and that the other 9,999 religions are false? What's a Christian to think?
Many people today favor some version of "pluralism" — the belief that no one religion can or should be normative for all people.
Pluralism insists on a radically unrestricted perspective that grants parity and equal validity to all religions. Many people today believe all religions today connect to the same divine reality. Even though by all outward experiences they are vastly different.
What do you think? What do you say when someone says to you all roads lead to the same God?
Jesus says in John 14:7 “I am the road, also the Truth and also the life. No one gets to the Father apart from me.” This one claim by Jesus is what rocks many people’s boats. In a pluralistic society Jesus’ statement excludes, places limits on and boundaries around the truth—the definition of God.
No teacher has ever told us the truth, and ever embodied the truth as he or her has taught. There is one important thing about moral truth. If an adulterer teaches the necessity of purity, or a stingy person teaches about generosity, or a domineering person teaches about humility or an embittered person teaches about the beauty of love—all these teachings are bound to be
ineffective. You see, a person’s character does not really impact the teaching of geometry or astronomy or Latin verbs. But if someone proposes to teach moral truth character makes all the difference.
New Life Clinic says of character, “If you genuinely want to strengthen your character, you need to build closer relationships with people who want to do the same. That’s why fellowship with like-minded believers should be an integral part of your life.” Resolve to be a trustworthy, encouraging, loyal friend to others. And make sure that you appreciate the genuine friends who, by their presence and their love, make you a better person. Don’t travel the road of faith alone—make a friend and be a friend to others.
Jesus said, “I am the truth, the way and the life.” What a claim to make. No
one has ever embodied the truth more perfectly and authentically than Jesus. Many could say I have taught you the truth about this or that. But only Jesus says, “I am truth. I am the road. I am life.” And this one statement if embraced leads to the ultimate abundant LIFE.
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
April 30, 2023 Sunday’s Listening for The Promise by Rev. Dona Johnson
LIFE Through THE Gate
Have you ever thought about the function of a gate? Gates keep people out and/or let people in. We will walk through all sorts of gates in a lifetime.
- We sit at the gate in the airport waiting to board a flight.
- We walk through security gates in courthouses, government buildings and airport check-in.
- We drive through a gate at the entrance to a gated- community.
- Gates allow livestock to move in and out of protected areas.
- And then there are the prison gates. In John 10:7-10, Jesus specifically
speaks about himself as the gate, the entryway, to eternal life. Jesus is the doorway to life with God—total communion.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.... I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Today, many people stumble on this passage. Jesus’ “I am the gate” statement refutes all other claims that people have about god and eternal life. All the countless gods that people put their faith and trust in may provide some intellectual comfort for a while, but those gods have no power to save anyone from spending an eternity separated from the Creator.
In Sedona, I often hear of gods who are described as “metaphysical forces” or “astral planes”— a supernatural plane of existence consisting of the spiritual world of the celestial spheres—a philosophy that has its roots in classical, medieval and eastern philosophies. But the astral plane assertions are just that, false assertions about god. And there are so many false teachers (thieves) in the world, more so now than ever before. And all are competing for your allegiance—social media apps, websites, politics, coworkers and even your family and friends.
In the name of God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God through Jesus (the gate), offers us the fullness of life—a life without end. God offers us a life of abundance. An eternal life of joyful contentment. An irresistible life where we are finally at peace with ourselves and we have peace with God. And tell me, who does not long for that?
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
April 23, 2023 Sunday’s Listening for The Promise by Rev. Dona Johnson
Longing for God
One of several questions we need to ask ourselves from time to time is: What do you and I truly long for?
On the way back from Jesus’ crucifixion, Cleopas and another disciple were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They are very disappointed. They watched their hope for Israel’s redemption die on a cross. They can’t see a way out. They have lost hope. We’ve all been there before. Unanswered prayers or some things you had hoped for in life never happened or fell apart.
While they are walking, a man appears and joins in on their conversation. They share their grief with him and he listens to them. He listens to every word. So often our souls long to be listened to—no advice, no should or shouldn’t and no judgment. What we carry in our hearts needs to come out. Sometimes the best gift we can offer someone is our presence. Find someone who can in love and concern bear witness to your story.
The three men’s conversation was so deeply meaningful they did not want the moment to end. When they reached the place they were going, the stranger walked on. But the two disciples called out to the man and invited the man to stay with them—please stay with us. Please don’t leave.
While sitting at the table, the man took the bread, lifted it up and gave thanks to God. Then he broke the bread. At the moment the bread is broken, the disciple’s hearts, their souls were opened. The man, the stranger who had filled their hearts with a burning desire for more, who restored their hope, the man who held their story and their woundedness was God himself— Jesus.
We have a burning desire for so many things in this life. And these things we so desperately crave only “shallowly form” who we are. We are superficially formed by our false selves, the highly manipulated social media and a value system that determines worth based on accomplishment, possessions, efficiency and intellectual acumen. We consume so much from these things but still lack genuine connection—with God and each other.
In closing, I return to my opening question. What do you truly long for? What is it you and I truly hunger for? Until Christ is formed in us there will always be this open gap that only God can fill. Ask God today to help you find the way back to yourself...Amen.
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
April 16, 2023 Sunday’s Listening for The Promise Rev. Dona Johnson
Doubts
We all have our doubts about things. And it isn’t anything new that we have to have physical proof of something before we believe. How many times have you or I said to someone, “How do you it’s true—did you see it, are you sure?”
After Jesus’ resurrection on Easter, that same evening he appeared to his disciples in the upper room. There huddled behind the door, frightened and afraid, listening for the tiniest sound and every footstep were Jesus’ disciples. The Jews had an intense hatred for these men and they feared they feared for their lives.
Suddenly without warning, Jesus appears to them and blesses them with His peace. Then he breathes on them and they receive the Holy Spirit. Much like God breathed life into Adam. ‘Then the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed life into his nostrils the breath of life’ (Gen 2:7). While all of this was happening, Thomas who was not present now appears. Thomas is filled with doubt. He wants to have absolute proof that Jesus who is standing right in front of him is the real Jesus. So Jesus invited him to touch his wounds.
For his doubting, Thomas takes a lot of flak from many of us. But two things are for certain: 1) He absolutely refused to say that he understood what he did not understand, or that he believed what he did not believe. There is raw honesty about him. He was not the kind of man who would rattle off a creed without meaning what it said or understanding what it was all about. 2.) Thomas’ other great virtue was that when he was sure, he went the whole way. When he touched Jesus wounds he said, ‘My Lord and my God!’ There was no half way for Thomas. He was not airing his doubts for the sake of mental acrobatics; he doubted in order to become sure.
Lee Strobel, a famous journalist for the Chicago Tribune was an atheist. And so was C.S. Lewis, a scholar of the faith. Both doubted the whole Jesus movement and Christianity itself. But through their doubts, intense research and a dogged determinism, both men whole-heartedly gave their lives over to Jesus—in complete submission.
Sometimes, those people who fight their way through their doubts to the conviction that Jesus is Lord, they have attained a certainty that those who are afraid to doubt or wrestle with gospel or accept things without thinking them through can never reach or reach them halfway.
Augustine in 400 A.D. coined the phrase Fides quaerens intellectum which means "faith seeking understanding" or "faith seeking intelligence". Faith is always in the mode of seeking to understand itself. And our doubts can be a gift that prompt us to dig deeper and go further in the gospel! Amen.
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
April 9, 2023 Listening for The Easter Promise
Living In Resurrection Power
In Last week’s Wall Street Journal article, it sadly reported that in America, faith, family, morality and serving one’s neighbor are all in steep (fast) decline. This confirms many of our sneaking suspicions that something is drastically wrong and out of order. It seems like there are so many things unraveling at the same time and because of the complexity, praying for a miracle, God’s divine intervention seems like the right thing, the only thing to do.
And so it was in Jesus’ day—political undermining, false accusations, religious infighting—the law of God being used as a club and suffering without mercy was everywhere—all under the control and watchful eye of the Jewish leaders and Rome. God had only one choice to remove the sin and strangle hold that pervaded then and still does the human heart. God was caught between a Rock and a hard place. His love and loyalty for his Son and his endearing love for his creation. I can’t imagine having to make that choice. Our rising debt of sin became a mounting deficit that continued to accumulate and take us farther and farther away from God—our immorality, our selfishness, self-centeredness and lack of genuine love for each other. So God the Father, had only one choice. Another flood was not in the picture. He chose to give up the person he loved the most—His only Son. On Good Friday, before the Sabbath, God let him die. God watched his only Son die on a cross. Tell me, what parent could endure that? But God had another plan for his Son and for us. Out of Jesus’ suffering, humiliation and betrayal, God created something entirely new and beautiful. God the Father reached into the dark cold tomb of death and raised and breathed new life into His Son. As far as God was concerned sin, death and the devil would never have the last word. And God will breathe new life into you and I. We will also be raised like Him!
No matter what happens in this life, no matter the rate of moral decline we face as a nation, no matter the suffering, struggles and persecutions we personally endure (and we all have had our fair share), for those who trust and believe Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, God is forever at work behind the scenes in the good and what seems to be bad and unbearable. God is always creating beauty and goodness from our ashes.
You see, our true country, our home is not here but is heaven. And we await our passport home. Paul said, “But our citizenship is in
heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Phil 3:20-21).
And so, every day in every way, we worship Jesus. Jesus who was raised on Easter morning to the glory of His heavenly Father. Jesus who sits on the mercy seat at the right hand of the Father, now pours out his endless love, grace and forgiveness on each of us and all of creation. Eternity is ours for the asking! God has set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Eccl 3:11:. Rejoice! We are living in the hope and power of the resurrection - God is making "all" things new. Amen
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
Palm Sunday April 2, 2023 ~ The Passion of Christ
Jesus’ teachings, his actions and miracles brought him into escalating
conflict with Rome and the religious authorities. A conflict that ultimately led them to crucify him. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7), he instructs his new community to love their enemy, to turn the other cheek, to not judge and forgive one another. Jesus’ was ushering in a radical new Kingdom. His chasing out the money changers and turning their tables over in the temple courts, the raising of Lazarus were all a threat to the Jewish religious leaders.
Now the Romans knew the intensity of Jewish religion and the unbreakable character of Jewish belief, and very wisely had always dealt with the Jews with kid gloves.
After Jesus’ arrest, he is brought before Pilate. Pilate was clearly impressed with Jesus. But plainly he did not take the King of the Jews claim seriously. In the interchange with Pilate, Jesus said only a few words. He did not defend himself. He did argue. He did not debate. He was like a defenseless lamb being led to the slaughter (Isa 53:7). Jesus’ dignified silence made Pilate feel that it was not Jesus but he himself who was on trial. Pilate was a man who felt the power of Jesus--and was afraid to submit to it. Pilate sought some way of escape. It appears to have been the custom at the time of the Feast for a prisoner to be released. In jail there was a certain Barabbas. He was most probably either a robber or a political revolutionary.
Pilate washed his hands. A sign that he had made up his mind. He was not going to make the final decision. If Jesus was the Son of God, he sure did not want blood on his hands. So, he gave Jesus over to the mob.
Pilate sought an escape, but the crowd chose the violent criminal and rejected the gentle Christ. They preferred the man of violence to the man of love.
In every age, there are still those who are afraid of God or are afraid to be too much of a Christian—they want their cake and eat it too or maybe they are a little embarrassed to be too much a Christian.
Today many of us feel the push and pull of political forces. Those forces want to upend the goodness of God, upend God’s truths about almost everything. We feel as if something is afoot but it’s way too large for any one of us to tackle. But! we also know that in the passion of Jesus Christ, in his death and resurrection, we are not to fear. We are not to let our hearts be so troubled, for we know the end of the story. We know that though Jesus’ death and
resurrection God conquered sin and death (John 16:33)—He indeed rose victoriously to give us an eternal future which is ours by faith!
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
March 26, 2023 Sunday’s Listening for His Promise ~ Is It True?
Fredrick Buechner, a well-known pastor, exceptional theologian and author of the 20th century said, “The Word of God and the word of Man still moves me after all these years with its picture of people coming to church Sunday after Sunday with a single great question so deep in their hearts that sometimes they are hardly even aware of it. ‘Is it true?’”
Is it true, this talk of a loving and good God, who is much more than one of the friendly idols whose rise is so easy to account for, and whose dominion so brief? What people want to find out and thoroughly understand is, “Is it true?” Is it true that Lazarus was dead four days when Jesus spoke his power and authority deep into the darkness of that dank tomb, waking Lazarus from his death? It is true, that the God who created the vast universe, the God who created each one of us and our 37 trillion cells, is also the God who weeps tears with us, who in the fullness of His divine nature stoops to personally feel our pain and take in our grief? It is true, when we lose someone we love to an illness, to a separation or to death, the God who really needs nothing from us, cares and takes into his own heart our plight?
In this 5th Sunday of our Lenten journey, we come to the story of the raising of Lazarus with the question, “Is it true?”. Maybe you fully trust this story, maybe you are half-bought in. Or maybe you have many nagging doubts. I have no problem with doubt. The most devoted and informed Christians throughout the eons have had their share of doubts. And I will not be the last one to admit, some of Jesus miracles move way beyond my own ability to fully understand and grasp. But I will not be the first to say, that faith does not have to see to trust and believe. If it did, it would not be called faith.
When Jesus raised Lazarus, he also went on to raise Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:49-56) and the woman from Nain, her son (Luke 7:11-17). Through the raising of Lazarus, God gives us a foretaste of what is to come—the death and resurrection of Jesus himself, which ushers in two things: salvation for all humankind and the final victory where death, the last enemy of each of us is finally itself put to death!
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
March19, 2023 Sunday’s Listening for His Promise ~The Lord Looks At The Heart
Some of you have had echo cardiograms, where the doctor is able to see deep into the chambers of your heart—blood flowing through the ventricles and valves opening and closing. From all outward appearances you look fine, but until the doctor looks inside your heart muscle, you really don’t know how your heart is functioning.
God too, has little concern for our outward appearances. Instead God likes to look into the human heart to see how we are truly functioning. The Greek word “Kardia” means heart (cardiac). It does not refer to the physical organ but is always used figuratively in Scripture to refer to the seat and center of human life. The heart is the center of the personality, and it controls the intellect, emotions, and will. It is the seat of all human and spiritual desires and appetites. No outward obedience is of the slightest value unless the heart turns to God. Ancient Greeks thought of the heart (the kardia) as the "control center" of our entire being.
In 1 Samuel 16, we learn that the rugged, strong and tall man named Saul whom God had chosen as Israel’s first king after caving into the national hankering to have a human king. He turned out to be a poor choice. If one looked into the heart of Saul, one would find Saul’s heart riddled with problems both spiritual and psychological. Eventually God and Samuel looked at the situation and concluded, “This is never going to work.”
So God moves to Plan B. Samuel gets dispatched to Bethlehem to the home of a man named Jesse. Jesse had seven sons—each-more-impressive- than-the-next. Some had big abs and strong pecs. From Jesse’s seven sons God was about to choose Israel’s next king. And boy howdy, these lads were quite impressive! After viewing the sixth son, God said to Jesse, “What about that young kid you have out in the field wading in the sheep dung, send him in.” And so Jesse sent for his young son David. Although David was small in stature and his complexion ruddy, as soon as he walked into the room, God said to Samuel, “He is the one! Anoint him with oil.” God continued, “You see Samuel, “I am looking into the heart of each son. I could care less about their pecs and abs and wavy locks of thick hair.”
In this 4th Sunday of Lent, we learn that although we judge others by their outward appearance, God cares less about our looks and is more concerned with our hearts. God is not focused on the superficial or the best looking or the best behaved. God is not looking for perfection. That we know does not exist. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. And in God’s eyes we are all beautiful! God’s heart, His grace, His mercy was, is and will always be open to every human being.
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
March12, 2023 Sunday’s Listening for His Promise. Is The Lord Among Us Or Not?
Years ago, we were camping along the shore of Lake Superior. Beautiful country by the way. In the middle of the night, a cold front blew and in a violent storm with it. The friends we were camping with, left their camper and came over ours. A ranger came through warning campers to head for the restroom facilities for safety. It rained for days. Everything was wet and then to top it off, I came down with a head cold. So, we all decided to pack up and head for home. To this day, we call that place “Misery Corner.” And often when planning a trip, we say remember “Misery Corner”—don’t want to go through that again.
In the Old Testament, certain places were given a name. Most of the time they were given nice, respectful names. Jacob has a dream and named the place “Bethel” or “God’s House.” On a monument of stacked rocks, where God helped his people, they called it “Ebenezer” the “Stone of Help.” God comes through in the nick of time to prevent the sacrifice of Isaac on Mt. Moriah and so Abraham names it “Yahweh Yirah” or “The Lord Provides.” These are nice names that evoke happy memories and celebrate God’s goodness.
In Exodus 17, Moses and the Israelites find themselves in a place like Misery Corner. Nothing for them is going right. Oh it’s not the end of the world. But it sure is no fun. They are deep-knee in the wilderness when they run out of water. They are thirsty. they are tired. They are cranky. We’ve all been there. We expect our trip to go one way and it goes another. They so quickly forgot the manna and quail that the Lord provided in Exodus 16. Did they really think God called them into the wilderness to suffer and die?
Amidst all the complaining and quarreling, God told Moses to go to Mt. Horeb and there he would find a rock. He was to take his staff and strike the rock. Moses did what the Lord had instructed and sure enough water began to flow.
Moses didn’t commemorate the miracle that God provided but instead he highlights the rotten attitude of the people. He could have named the place “Rock of Living Water.” But no, Moses named the place “Massah” and “Meribah” which means the place of “quarreling” and “testing.”
We all get tired and cranky. And God doesn’t respond to our complaints with irritation in his voice. No. God responds with empathy and long-suffering love. The Israelites were asking: “Is the Lord among us or not?” And God responded with water gushing from a rock. He quenched their thirst! Isn’t that the only question that really matters? Don’t we all long for the absolute assurance, proof that the Lord is among us?
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
March 5, 2023 Sunday’s Listening for His Promise “The Inner Geography of One’s Soul”
One of the most powerful images of Scripture is the one where Abraham is standing before God and looking up at the multitude of stars. It is here where Abraham receives an inheritance of a lifetime. Through this one man, and the one nation Israel, God made Abraham "the father of us all" (Romans 4:16–17). In one particular person God enacted his universal embrace of all humanity.
Go!
God’s first word to Abraham. And it sets up what will become a curious dynamic for the people of God forever after. The people of God are a traveling people. Wherever “home” might be for us, it is as often something still up ahead of us rather than something we already possess.
God called Abraham to leave his country and his family and go to the country in which God was calling him. And in faith Abraham obeyed. He not only had to leave his geographic place. He had to leave behind his narrow-minded, small- minded, parochial vision, the tendency in all of us to exclude the strange and the different and hold tight to our own personal preferences.
The longest and hardest journey in the world is not the journey without but the journey within. The geography of ancient Canaan pales in comparison to the complex geography of the human heart.
Lent, then, is not merely about giving up chocolate, meat, or alcohol. Those are only external reminders of an internal transformation that we seek. Our ultimate journey is to move from a self-regarding heart curved in on itself to an other-regarding openness to the love of God, a love for others, and a love for all His creation. That journey lasts a lifetime. The truly good news, writes pastor Craig Barnes, is that "all of the roads belong to God," and that "the Savior can use any road to bring us home."
One way to come home to God is to join others in worship this Sunday either at your place or our ours!
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
Feb 26, 2023 Sunday’s Listening for The Promise ~ Lessons from the Desert
In this first Sunday of Lent, we are taken into the desert wilderness to witness how Jesus responded to temptation.
Since the time Adam and Eve were tempted to eat of the forbidden fruit which hung on the tree of knowledge of good and evil, humankind has suffered from a very great loss, the loss of being at peace with God and peace with themselves (Gen 2-3).
So the temptation to hide our sins from God and disguise our pain and brokenness from others is nothing new.
Jesus’s temptation in the desert pulls back the curtain on his own struggles with the tempter. Although Jesus hurled Scripture at every one of the three temptations and won that battle, the war against the devil would not be finally won until Calvary—his death and resurrection.
In a conversation I had this week with some folks at The Gathering Place, we talked about our propensity, like Adam and Eve to hide from our sins—ignore them. And the more we pretend they are not there, the deeper the sin or the loss gets buried in our lives robbing of us of both joy and peace.
But, knowing God’s word, the power of confession and repentance to quiet our restless souls is a very real threat to Satan. To name our sin and losses out loud to God and one another takes the power out of them. And the Holy Spirit then replaces them with God’s peace.
I love Lent—the Scriptures, the intentional focus on our sin and brokenness. Lent, the 40 days before Easter has been in existence since 325 A.D. It reminds me that I don't need to be stuck in old ways of thinking and acting. Renewal is possible. I can wipe the smudge off my glasses and hit the reset button.
In a culture that glorifies excess and indulgence, hubris and bravado, Wednesday's ashes signify an outrageously counter-cultural act of humility. Lent is the most brutally realistic liturgical season of the year—it's a time when we are led into the desert with Jesus to tell the truth about ourselves, our brokenness, our mortality, and nevertheless trust in God's redemptive love. We celebrate the gift of life with all its blessings and sorrows.
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
Feb 19, 2023 Sunday’s Listening for His Promise “Coming Down Is Harder Than Going Up”
Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain, and suddenly his appearance changed in their presence. His face shone like the brilliance of the sun and his clothes became a blinding light. Then they saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. Next a mysterious cloud formed around them and a voice from heaven spoke—"This is my beloved Son whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
No Jew could watch this taking place without thinking of the shekinah—the glory of the Lord. The cloud was part of Israel’s history. The pillar of cloud led Israel through the wilderness. The cloud covered the tent of meeting. The cloud also descended Mt. Sinai when God gave Moses the tablets.
It is interesting to note Peter’s quick response to this mountain top experience. He wanted to get busy. He felt he had do something. And so he thought building Moses, Elijah and Jesus a house was a good thing. I guess he thought they were going to camp out there for a while. But sometimes we have to stop. We have to stop talking. We have to stop the urge to fix. And instead, just sit still. Sit in wonder, sit in the mystery and listen for the Lord to speak - to bask in shining light of his glory!
And I get it. There are times when we experience the glory of the Lord and we just don’t want it to end. Asbury University in Kentucky knows what that feels like. This Wednesday’s chapel service is still underway...it’s been going on for days. People don’t want to leave the chapel. It is a revival! The presence of the Holy Spirit is there in a mighty way. People are praying, singing and confessing their sin. Now people in other states are coming they want to see and experience this for themselves.
Eventually, though the revival at Asbury will die down. And they will come down the mountain from that high place. You can’t stay up on the mountain top forever. But those who were there will take that spiritual momentum with them. We too are called to take our worship into the valleys where we live. To infiltrate the culture where we live. In the valley, we love the lost, love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable. Yes, it’s often harder going down the mountain than it is going up. But we don’t go it alone. God in Christ Jesus goes with us and the Holy Spirit anoints us with His mercy, His grace and
empowers us with protection from on High.
Susann Wesley (mother of John and Charles Wesley) had a prayer that speaks to our wanting to stay on the mountain, “Help me Lord, to remember that religion is not to be confined to the church or closet, nor exercised only in prayer and meditation, but that everywhere I am in they presence.”
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
Feb 12, 2023 Stepping Out of Anger Sermon on the Mount-Matthew 5:21-37
In today’s world, displays of anger and rage have been normalized. Road rage, parents enraged at their child’s sports event and politicians whirl derogatory comments at one another—anger is everywhere. It is on display in
politics, religion, schools and in the workplace. In recent years, anger seems to quickly escalate and is easily magnified at the smallest infraction. In Greek there are two words for anger. There is thumos which explains a flame that comes from dry straw. It is anger which quickly blazes up and quickly dies down. Then there is orge, which is described as an anger that is deep-rooted. It is a long-lived anger. It is the anger that nurses it resentment and keeps it warm. It is the anger that continues to seep into one’s mind and conversations keeping it alive so it never dies. And then there is the anger that is silent. It is the anger that speaks no words but passively leaks out in subtle ad more subversive ways.
Dallas Willard founder of Renovare says, “It is very rare to find people who don’t feel their anger is justified. Moreover, they feel their anger justifies what they do. In other words, their anger is righteous in the moment. Anger is a feeling. And all feelings when they come they don’t raise the question, “Am I right?” Thoughts and beliefs tend to do that. But feelings seem to stand in your face and say, “I want this, I want my way.”
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses the topic anger (Matt 5:21-37). Jesus forbids the anger that broods, the anger that will not forget and the anger which seeks revenge. It is a warning to remember that we cannot call ourselves Christian and lose our temper because of any personal wrong
which has been done to us. And our anger, if left unchecked, can murder someone’s reputation. Jesus goes on to say, If you bring a gift to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there and go be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Jesus is quite clear about this basic fact—we cannot be right before God until we are right with one another. We cannot hope for forgiveness until we have confessed our sin, not only to God but also to others. And unresolved anger causes undue stress within our faith communities. Anger if not controlled can be very destructive.
And please know when we do get angry, we always have the option to reconcile with those we are angry with and that puts us in a very good place with God and each other. It also brings peace to one’s soul.
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
Feb. 5th 2023 You Are The Salt
N.T. Wright writes, “God had called Israel to be the salt of the earth, but Israel was behaving like everyone else, with it’s power politics, its factional squabbles coupled with its combative behavior.”
Jesus was trying to launch a revolution, a different sort of revolution than all the others that were bubbling up in his day. To succeed, Jesus had to do two things: First, he had to show that this new movement was the fulfillment of Israel and all she had ever longed or hoped for. Secondly, Jesus had to demonstrate that he and his followers were living by (and dying by), the new way of life that he was announcing. And this was no easy undertaking. You better believe there was pushback. And at times this tension grew fierce. Change in any organization, institution or emotional system will bring disruption.
But Jesus was able to hold these two tensions together. He was utterly revolutionary and faithful, while at the same time, calling Israel to embrace its new life and its traditions as a fulfillment of the law. Israel had lost its saltiness. Its light had grown dim for a lack of love and too little mercy.
As we all know, salt purifies, salt preserves and most important salt flavors things. Food without salt is bland. Christianity is to life what salt is to food. Christianity lends flavor to life. So many people today standing outside Christianity, who don’t understand it, believe being a Christian takes the flavor out of life. And maybe we have a part to play in that perception. Like the Pharisees, we too can become too legalistic and dogged. Out of fear, we are often tempted to defend the gospel and right every wrong. But God can defend himself. God doesn’t need us to defend his truths, when we ourselves have a difficult time living them out. And doesn’t this type of behavior take the flavor out of our witness?
Jesus, opens his Sermon on the Mount with “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13-20). He doesn’t say you are like salt. He says, “You are salt.” Our saltiness purifies, preserves, and flavors the world when we love. When we show the upmost respect for each other. When we genuinely without a tinge of resentment forgive the sins of others all because we are aware that that very same sin is in all of us. To be salt means to be kind and love the lost. To be salt means to always err on the side of love and grace. To be salt means to hold the law and the gospel in the same hand. It is not “either/or” but “both/and.”
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
Jan. 28th 2023 What Does It Mean To Be Baptized?
The call of Christ begins in the waters of Baptism and it never ends until in death, the promises of Baptism are complete. You see on the day Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened up, the Holy Spirit descended from the throne room and then penetrated Jesus’ heart. And then the voice of his Father spoke to the world, “This is my Son whom I love, with him I well pleased.” And immediately the Spirit led Jesus into the desert where his faith was tested and the devil was defeated. Immediately after Jesus’ baptism and testing, he went out and hand- picked his disciples. The Twelve as they are known, would shadow his every move and every word. From the get go, Jesus was preparing them to take on his mission. Had they known that fat the start, they would have probably quit before they got started.
Out of the waters of Baptism, God also calls us—his sons and daughters. And he doesn’t leave us there standing alone in the water. He calls us out of the water, to be tested, to go into places we don’t want to go and to do things that are unfamiliar, things that make us uncomfortable. He calls us out of the
water and guides us towards full discipleship.
What does it mean to be baptized? It is a full blown, out in the open confession of your faith before God and the church. It is a monumental moment! It is the doorway into Christ’s Church. And for every person who is baptized, the heavens open up, the Godhead speaks and all the saints in heaven rejoice. It is truly a Life-giving moment in the life of every one who takes the plunge.
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
Jan. 22nd 2023 The Ways of The Alongsider
If you have a love for fishing, someone probably taught you how to fish. You might have had several fishing trips with a parent or grandparent and they patiently baited your hook, taught you how to cast and when you felt the bob of your line, helped you reel in the fish. Much of this knowledge that was passed onto you is called “tacit”knowledge—knowledge and wisdom we gain
from living the experience of fishing.
Jesus before beginning his public ministry, selected twelve different men to be part of his team. In other words Jesus, the Rabbi, the teacher discipled twelve men for three years. And much of the knowledge he passed onto them was tacit knowledge. They listened to Jesus’ parables. They watched him heal the sick and bring the dead back to life. They were in earshot when he pushed back on the Pharisees. For three years, Jesus’ disciples ate with Jesus, slept with him, was corrected and challenged by him and encouraged by him.
In my third year of seminary, I had to leave the textbooks behind and
apprentice under a senior pastor for one full year. I watched him preach and teach. We had weekly spiritual direction sessions. I watched him handle conflict with parishioners. He and his wife had me over for dinner. And we took walks together—talking about life, troubles and joys. There is something good in being mentored and trained well.
To make disciples, you first have to be a disciple. And as I have written in the margin of my Bible next to Matthew 28:19, disciples are slowly hand-tooled. They are not mass produced. It’s life-to-life one day at time. Discipling is not about the numbers. Like Jesus with his disciples, it takes the power of Baptism and the Holy Spirit, it takes the daily experience of your faith being tested and it takes a faithful mentor to walk alongside you through the day-to-day experiences where one gathers wisdom and intuition about the dynamics of people, where one has to deal with conflict and suffering and learn how to respond to challenges and celebrate victories while adhering to the will of God.
I am sure the disciples while they were fishing were a bit taken back when Jesus said, “I am going to make you fishers of men.” They probably were questioning “Fishers of men, what’s that?” Jesus was offering an invitation. Follow me. Follow the ways of the Alongsider. I will walk with you. I will love you to the very end. I will teach you everything I know and in time you will be teaching others!
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
Jan. 15th 2023 What Are You Looking For?
After Mike and I were married, we went searching for a new church. We tried several churches. On one particular Sunday, we tried a large community church. After service, we stood in the receiving line and we shook hands with the pastor. The pastor asked me, “What are you looking for?” The question caught me off guard. Without thinking, I responded, “I am looking for a church where people know my name? What I was trying to say but didn’t was: “I am looking for a Christian fellowship that exhibits a real and a genuine love for God and love for each other. I am not looking for a big or small church. I am not looking a particular style of music, or if the church has a children’s program. I am not looking for a particular church denomination or style of preaching. What I am looking for is real genuine relationships, a place where I can feel fully known and fully loved—without judgment. Why was I looking for that type of church, because as the gospels reiterate over and over again, if you have love, if you have warmth and affection for each other, you have it all! And I will say, I have a fondness in my heart for GracePointe and The Gathering Place ministries—because I find God’s love there, in all the different types of people who minister and come to visit.
Our Gospel reading this week is drenched in the language of looking and seeing. “I saw the Spirit,” John says after a dove descends on the newly baptized Jesus. “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” he tells his disciples the next day. Jesus “turns and sees” those same disciples, and invites them to “come and see” where he’s staying. Later, Andrew tells his brother Simon that he has “found” the Messiah. The passage ends with Jesus looking at Simon and renaming him Peter.
Looking. Seeing. Finding. John 1 opens as John the Baptizer sees, testifies, and humbly gives his disciples a holy nudge to leave him so that they can follow Jesus. Jesus then invites those same disciples to keep looking (“come and see”). But first he asks them a zinger question about seeing, a question we would do well to ask ourselves: “What are you looking for?” It’s the first recorded question Jesus asks his disciples, and I believe it’s a question for the ages. What are you looking for? In your heart, in your secret and quiet places, what are the hungers that drive you forward in your life of faith? Why do you still have skin in this game we call Christianity? As you say goodbye to an old year and welcome a new one, what are you hoping for, asking for, looking for, in your spiritual life? Do you know?
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
Jan. 8th 2023 What Star Do You Follow? Traveling new roads.
As a child, I loved to visit the planetarium. Sitting in the half dome room, as the lights slowly dimed, thousands of tiny points of light would appear. Then the narrator would locate with a lazar pointer the North Star and show us kids how to locate it from the Big Dipper.
In Jesus’ day, the magi, who were mystics and astrologers searched the skies and read the stars for predictions of the future. Scripture says, the Magi discovered an unusual star rising in the sky. It marked the place where Jesus and the holy family were—Bethlehem. And so they set out to follow this one amazing star. On their way, they met Herod, who frightened by the news, inquired about Jesus. He asked the Magi to report back to him after they found the child. For Herod wanted to kill the child. The Magi followed the star and found Jesus and the holy family. Immediately their hearts were changed. They worshiped him and laid gifts at His feet. Upon their return home, they bypassed Herod and never returned to him. They had been so overwhelmed at what they had witnessed—the Son of God, they refused to tell Herod anything about the child and chose to take a new road home.
What new road is God calling you to take in 2023? Maybe it’s the road that makes you more open to new challenges. Or maybe it’s the road of taking full responsibility for the decisions you make in life. Or maybe it’s the road of less codependence in your relationships and more interdependence. Maybe it’s the road of less instant gratification and more discipline spending. Or maybe it’s the new road of forgiveness and self-sacrifice towards other. What star are you following right now—power, prestige, control, fame or fortune? There are millions of roads we can take and trillions of stars we can follow, but all of them will lead you to a dead end and an unfulfilled life.
There is only one road and one star that leads and points to LIFE. And that road and star is Jesus Christ. Jesus is our North Star. He is fixed. You can guide your life by him. You can filter and base all your decisions in life through his love, his Word and promises which keep you going in the right direction. If life is coming up short and leaving you more discouraged than at peace, why not try a new road this year. What do you have to lose? You have everything to gain. Like the Magi, you will be amazed!
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona
Jan. 1st 2023 God’s love carries over into the new year
The capacity of the human race for darkness and evil is a reality we constantly face in this life. At times we are tempted to think that evil and darkness win. We may not win every battle, but we who live in Christ will win the war. For the message of Christmas still reminds us that the light of Christ cannot be extinguished. The birth of Christ does not change the reality of our human propensity for sin, but it offers us the hope and promise that God is with us.
Soon after Jesus’ birth, God warned Joseph and Mary to take their newborn from Bethlehem to Egypt. Herod was threatened by this tiny baby. As he should be. The ride was arduous. Mary and the infant Jesus riding for miles on the back of a burdensome beast. But what Mary carried in her arms was the most precious cargo that the world had ever known—Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Light of the world, a light unlike any other light we’ve ever seen. A Light of truth, justice, grace and purity. And we too, carry Christ’s light in our hearts.
A new year is upon us, but we are not alone, God is with us. And so as we move into the new year, looking back at 2022 asking: What are some of the lessons we learned about God? About life? How did we grow? What within us needs to change? What do we need to let go of and what to we take with us into the new year?
There is a bit of darkness in every human heart, because we are sinners. But God’s light, his grace is so much greater. What will the new year hold for each of us? We don’t know for sure. And so we look towards the new year with great faith and anticipation. We don’t have to fear or be afraid. Living our lives for Jesus Christ and for each other, we know that our very best days lie ahead of us. God who is gracious and full of mercy will give us new opportunities, second chances to love him and serve our neighbor. And so, we look ahead into every new year, with hope, expecting our current circumstances will get better. For God’s love carries over into 2023 through us—in the words we speak (both truth and grace) and the actions we live out towards each other (repentant hearts and forgiveness). Amen.
In His abundant and unconditional love,
Pastor Dona