January 2025

Listening for Sunday’s Promise, Love Is The Binding Agent of  The Church Submitted to Red Rock News for Jan 31th’s edition Rev. Dona Johnson |January 28, 2025 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 is known as the “love” chapter or hymn of love. The entire chapter is devoted to defining what love looks like in the body of Christ. It is often used in weddings as a declaration of love between two people vowing to pledge their lives to one another and you see it printed on programs and napkins. But Paul’s description of love, his intent, although it has poetic undertones in weddings, has an altogether different meaning and purpose.       Paul is addressing the community of Christians in Corinth who may be worshiping Jesus but who are lacking love for one another. His message is not for secular society but for Christians. He inserts his description of love in 1 Corinthians between chapter 12 in which he describes the diversity of spiritual gifts and the need for unity and chapter 14 where he resumes his discussion on worship, Christians who love the church will seek to edify it, not gain personal advantage or compete with one another for importance.       The Corinthian Church was not a homogenous body. Its members were not all the same in faith, in ethnicity, status, rank and life situations. Many of its members were of a lower class. There were widows and orphans, married and unmarried men and women, Gentile converts, Jewish members who still practiced many of their Jewish rituals and Jewish leaders who had held leadership positions in the synagogue and who asserted their power.       For church diversity, love is indispensable. It is the norm by which we use the Spirit’s gifts and celebrate love’s eternal permanence. This behavior builds up the church and prepares its members to see God face to face (1 Cor 13:12). Paul asserts that even if he has the gift of prophecy, of all knowledge and understands all the mysteries of God, without love all his intellectual pursuits are useless. William Barclay, renowned New Testament scholar suggests, There is a permanent danger of intellectual snobbery. “Preaching which is all threat and no love may terrify but it will not save.”       One important attribute of love is patience. The Greek word makrothumein used in the New Testament always describes patience with people and not with circumstances. This type of patience endures however unkind and hurting are the behaviors of others. This is the same eternal patience God exercises with us. What this means for Christians is we are not to compete and one-up one another, we are not to narcissistically fixate on ourselves and our own accomplishments. Instead, divine love sees God’s goodness in others. It gives people the wiggle room to be who they are— different. In fact it looks past the differences of others; it deflects quirky personalities and the odd habits of others without being miffed or frustrated. It sees differences in others as strengths and not weaknesses. There is no sin, no problem or crisis in the church that can shatter or sever God’s love for us and the body of Christ!      Although diversity in the church is a nonnegotiable for Paul, love is greater. So, chapter 13 is a call to action. A call to every Christian community to celebrate and be grateful for its diversity and to get along within it. Thus, Paul’s letter is a holy intervention in the life of every congregation. Love is the binding agent of the Church—it holds together our differences. And its main ingredients are trust and truth. Love thrives and flourishes in communities that take God at his word and where people trust God working in each other, see the best in each other and lift up the good. Faith, hope and love are the only way the Church moves itself into the next generation. Love trumps everything. It is the heart of the Gospel—it is Christ himself. Amen. Rev. Dona Johnson |January 28, 2025

Knowing God And Knowing Yourself  Are Intimately Linked Together Submitted to Red Rock News Jan 15, 2025 Rev. Dona Johnson |January 19, 2025 Christian spiritual directors often get asked questions like these: “Who am I?” What is my purpose? Why am I here? Regardless of age, race or religion, we have all pondered these questions from time to time. In fact of all God’s creatures, we are the only ones that have the capacity to grapple with such soul-searching questions.       Aristotle said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” St. Augustine after his conversion strived to know himself. He prayed, “Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know you, and desire nothing save only you.” He came to realize that knowing God and knowing himself were intimately linked together. Augustine learned that he needed to have a truthful idea, of who he was, both his strengths and weaknesses and also his blind spots.       For people who journey in the way of Jesus, it is vitally important to take the time to explore who you are. Self-knowledge does not mean you are self-absorbed nor narcissistic, it means you are aware or reflective of your thoughts, actions and attitudes. You can grow in self-awareness, when you are able to sit still before God, not talking, but listening and asking God to scan your life. It is about getting real about your fears, anxieties, joys, thanksgivings, and your sin. All of life is a reflection of our beliefs, attitudes, habits (good ones and bad ones) and our fears and taking into account how all these things shape our perception of God, ourselves and others.Through prayerful meditation, God brings us into our true self, which is the way of Jesus Christ—love, gentleness, confession and forgiveness.  This is the way of love. When we are working out of our false self, our hyper-sensitive egos produce forcefulness, self determination and an aggressiveness to have things our way and take advantage of our privilege over others.      We all have self-concepts of ourselves that may not be reliable. In many cases, if not explored restricts us from living a spacious life of freedom and acceptance of who we are. C.S. Lewis said, “The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become – because He made us. He invented us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be. . .It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.” Thus, we were created and belong to God.      In the Gospel of John 8:31-32, Jesus says to the Jews who believed his message, “If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Paul also states, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor 3:17). When we come to trust God’s love for us, when we live into his teachings. No its not easy, but life goes better for us. It not only brings a new quality of life, but it also gives us an interior freedom – that no matter the circumstances, God’s love casts out all fear (1 Jn 4:18). Rather than live restricted in our own sinfulness, shame and guilt, God’s love releases us from the weight of sin, so we can live into the largeness of God’s promises and the unforced rhythms of his grace.      Learning to love ourselves correctly is often a slow process. “What often blocks the action of God’s grace in our lives,” says Jacques Philippe, “is less our sins and failings, than it is accepting our own weaknesses. The most important thing in our lives is not so much what we can do as it is leaving room for what God can do. The great secret of all spiritual formation and growth is learning to let God act—let God love you. The person God loves with the tenderness of a Father, the person he wants to touch and transform with his love, is not the person we’d have liked to be or ought to be. It’s the person you are.” Amen. Rev. Dona Johnson |January 19, 2025

Out Of The Waters Of Baptism  You Are Called God’s Beloved Submitted to Red Rock News Jan 10, 2025 Rev. Dona Johnson |January 13, 2025        All four Gospels, even though they may  differ stylistically, tell the story of Jesus’ baptism by  John the Baptist. This fact in itself indicates that it  is a very important mile marker in Jesus’ spiritual  life, as it remains so in the life of every Christian.  Baptism is a Christian sacrament in almost all  denominations. The Latin word sacramentum which meant “oath” was applied to Baptism in  connection with it’s establishing of a “new  covenant” between a human being and God. Now,  different Christian faith traditions emphasize the  different ways people are baptized. Some  denominations emphasize the person being  baptized must be submerged under water, while  being able to make that decision for themselves— commonly called adult baptism. While other  denominations believe that God’s grace is imparted  to the infant through baptism and confirmed at the  age of twelve through the pouring water over the  head of the child or adult being baptized. But  whether you were baptized as an infant or adult,  whether you were baptized with a little water or a  lot, what all baptisms have in common is Jesus.  Jesus was baptized and so we who follow Jesus are  also baptized. By faith, a Christian is baptized in the  name of God the Father, Jesus the Son and the  Holy Spirit—the Trinity. Their names are written in  the palms of God’s hand (Isa 49:16).          Since God chooses us and not the other way  around, God gives us the faith to come to the  waters of baptism (Eph 1:4-6), and that is the true  mystery of the faith. Baptism also brings many  gifts. First, baptism is an entrance into the body of  Christ, the Church. Secondly, it gives the baptized  the gift of eternal life through the forgiveness of  sin. Thirdly, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the  baptized imparting spiritual gifts to be used in  building the Kingdom on earth, enabling one to  understand the scriptures, live them out through  fidelity to Jesus Christ and sincere desire to love all people.          Many people are perplexed by why Jesus  who was co-equal to the Father, one without sin  would ask to be baptized by John the lesser. And  this is a great question because the answer reveals   the mystery of Jesus. As the poor, the broken, the  sick and hurting people gathered on the shores to  be baptized by John, Jesus wades into the same  water and takes his place beside them. This is an  amazing moment. Jesus, creator of the universe  openly and without hesitation and unashamed,  stands shoulder to shoulder with sinners. He did  not identify with the pious and smug religious  leaders. No, he identified with the weak, those who  were plagued with fear and anxiety. What other  gods would do this?          As Jesus went down below the waters of  the Jordan, “…as he was praying, heaven was  opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in  bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from  heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I  am well pleased” (Luke 3:21-22). In that moment,  God affirmed the divine love and goodness he had  for his Son. God also claims and affirms us as his  sons and daughters in our baptisms. In baptism,  the church declares what has always been true,  that each of us belong to God, and only to God.          In our Western culture, there are many  malignant forces that try to name and claim us. But  through our baptism, God claims us as his own. We  don’t belong to our illnesses, successes or failures.  We don’t belong to our sinful pasts, the hurts and  traumas we have endured. We don’t belong to our  poor choices. And our souls don’t belong to the  advertising moguls of popular culture. We belong  to the God its that simple and yet that profound!  In the name of Jesus who claims us. Amen.  Rev. Dona Johnson |January 13, 2025

Each Of Us Have A Wide-Open Space  Only God Can Fill Submitted to Red Rock News Jan 2, 2025 “He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved” Psalm 18:19, The Message Rev. Dona Johnson |January 5, 2025 As we step into a new year, we must learn, says Henri Nouwen, “To live each day, each hour, yes, each minute as a new beginning.” Imagine living each day with a day full of promises, a day of second chances, pregnant with new ways to live life, new friends and new adventures. Whatever lies ahead for us in the new year, Christians know that God holds their future. They also know that God’s promise of protection for his people is limitless and can take many forms. Thus, we move into the new year unafraid, for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of sound mind (2 Tim: 17). Whether we find ourselves low in a valley or high on a mountaintop, God has given us courage to actively engage and not retreat from our convictions. Rev. Jacques Philippe, retreat leader and member of the Community of the Beatitudes in France states, “We were not created to lead drab, narrow or constricted lives, but to live in the wide-open spaces.” Christians especially are called to take countless risks, we are not to avoid suffering, but we are called to meet God in the wide-open spaces where salvation waits for us.       David in Psalm 18:2, expresses a beautiful prayer of gratitude for deliverance and victory. David characterizes God’s care for him as a rock that cannot moved, as a fortress, a place of safety where the enemy and evil cannot penetrate, as a shield of protection that comes between us and those who want to harm us and a horn of salvation, a symbol of God’s power and might. David then describes that while hardship and enemies surround him, God’s love brings him out into a spacious (wide-open) place, and he stands there saved, not defeated (18:19).        Spiritually speaking, if we know God is for us, what do we really have to fear (Ro 8:31)? How often do we constrict our lives for fear of the unknown, for fear of failing, for fear that if we confront some truth about ourselves, it might be too painful and open up a can of worms? For many of us the real harm is not outside but inside us – many addictions, relational issues and illnesses have their source in unexplored hurts and unresolved conflict. Chuck DeGroat, a psychologist and pastor believes this may be the year you find out who you really are. Like David, it may be the year that God rescues you from all that constricts you, the false identities and false sense of independence, and place us in a wide-open space where you can see things more clearly—our souls long to be free of our blind spots.Maybe you’ve been living a life of luxury and security, never venturing out beyond the fringe of your comfort zone where things are unpredictable and unfamiliar.             Maybe you’ve been living your entire life through someone else’s successes or expectations, and you suddenly realize you’ve not truthfully lived your life to the fullest. Maybe rather than resist your hardship, you will consent and open yourself to it—welcome it, it’s an amazing teacher. Maybe this year you will find out who God really is—a God who frees you and does not constrict you, a God who leads you away from the crowed path of ego and self-will that leads to stress and strife and instead leads you on the narrow path of Jesus whose grace offers freedom.       What wide-open space will God call you to explore this year? What fear does he want you to confront in order that you might be free of it? What clarity of purpose and clearness in the direction God is calling you to go? Despite the most difficult situations that restrain and restrict our freedom, each person has deep inside a place of freedom, a wide-open space that only God can fill, and no external power can take it away, because God himself is the source. May your new year be blessed with wide-open spaces filled with the spacious grace and favor of God. Amen. Rev. Dona Johnson |January 5, 2025