Hi Everyone,
For this week's devotional, I have simply attached the Creation Reflection that I plan to have the kids do next week at VBS. However, I think it is an excellent reflection for all of us to do as well. So, I encourage you at some point in the next week to find a nice place away from everything and everyone else and read through it. As we are busy preparing for next weeks VBS, don't forget to find some time to rest in God's grace and acceptance.
Blessings Everyone!
~P. Jesse
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Go, therefore! Part 3
 
Hi everyone,
 
Go Therefore, Part 3, is pretty simple. Essentially, this video makes me smile:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arxfLK_sd68
 
As based upon the great commission and other similar passages, the church must always be looking outward, beyond itself. It must never become too insular and self-focused that it looses sight of those beyond its borders.
 
Related to this, I actually think our ministry with students is in many respects a ministry beyond our own, personal borders. We adults have the tendency to look after ourselves and the needs of the adult community over-against the needs of the young, (the most dependent and in need of our time and effort). But, when we both share and live out the amazing Christian story in the midst of our students, in the context of authentic Christ-centered, loving relationships, then we are truly fulfilling our mission to "Go!"
 
Blessings Everyone,
P.J.
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Hi Everyone,

As we have been working through the Great Commission line by line, I wanted to look once again at what to means to “GO!” Jesus our king sends us out as ambassadors, but what exactly does this mean? What does this look like?

I therefore wanted to look once again at the word incarnation. As Christ came, we go! God came to earth in the form of a frail human, Jesus Christ. And, he was rejected, abandoned and murdered upon the cross. As such, he was raised to the place of highest honor. Our task, as his ambassadors, is to imitate our Lord, to be willing to go and do likewise. At this point the disciples became the apostles, sacrificed the comfort of their familiar life as 1st century Jews and went out into the world, beginning the mission of the church, a mission of which we are still a part.

In my view, the most profound and beautifully poetic exposition of this concept is found in Philippians 2 where Paul writes,

1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: 

6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a human being,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (NIV)

 In fact, I really like the NLT (New Living Translation) version as well, so I also wanted to share it with you!

  1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 

6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
 
Jesus Christ, though he was God, did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave.

 Therefore, as Jesus came, we go! As his followers, we go down as everyone else goes up. As the world struggles to climb higher and higher up the latter of success, fortune, power and prestige, we Christ followers go down the latter. Our place is amidst those for whom life has placed at the bottom. Our honor comes later. We are sent out that we might become the incarnate witness of Christ, “sharing not only the gospel, but our lives as well” with the broken world, that all might be reconciled in Christ (1 Thess 2).

What then does this look like for ministry?

To begin, it involves meeting the children at their level. We must go to them, to speak with them in their language, in the “culture of childhood”, in ways they understand. Kids must first be led from where they are, based upon who they are. In missionary circles, another word for incarnational ministry is contextualization. I therefore want to share a passage with your from a book I have been reading, Children’s Ministry in the 21st Century, which says:

“As a leader of children, you have the opportunity to contextualize the message of Jesus and the truth of the Scriptures for the culture they've grown up in. Don't just teach from the front of a classroom; develop authentic relationships with them. Instead of simply lecturing, enable the children to participate in, experience, and discover the truths of Scripture. Take advantage of opportunities to touch your children through images and artistic expression. [Y]our commitment [to incarnational ministry] will draw children into a deep, rich relationship with Jesus.”

Thus, rather than “embracing only those who show up and conform to our expectations, the Great Commission demands an incarnational mission to go!” Here disciples are grown because we move incarnationally into their world. We step out of ourselves, and into their world. The apostle Paul once wrote, “To the Jew, I became a Jew. To those under the law I became like one under the law. To those not having the law, I became like one not having the law. To the weak, I became weak.” (1 Corinthians 9). I wonder if he would have also become like a child to the children.

Of course, children grow up and of course they always need boundaries and protection. So, we help them, discipline them, model adulthood for them, keep them safe and guide them in their process of maturation. But as Christ comes down and walks alongside us in our spiritual journey and in our process of growth, this is our calling to those whom we serve.

 

Blessings everyone,

P. Jesse
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Teacher’s Devotional: "Go, Therefore!"
Part 1
 
"All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age."
 
Last week I wrote a rather long (and somewhat rambling) devotional on the topic of the Kingdom of God, exploring further what it means that ALL authority on heaven and earth has been given to Christ Jesus. I have also been preaching this topic to the children, in much more concrete terms, of course! This week, I want to further explore what it means to be SENT, as Christ proclaims, "Go!"
 
As Jesus came, we go! Just as God has a mission, we have a mission. As Christ came to the world, we are sent out into that world to proclaim an amazing message of salvation.
 
Before I explore this further, however, I want to emphasize the fact that we as followers of Christ, as the Church, CAN’T EVER separate mission from the Kingdom of God. All authority on heaven and earth has been given to Christ. Therefore, we go! We can’t ever understand evangelism apart from the authority and kingship of Christ. To do so would simply result in proselytism, or the act of just trying to get more people to join "our side." This doesn’t take into account the radically profound and transformative implications of the Kingship of Jesus, that when we proclaim Jesus as King we automatically reject Caesar as King. (Look to the stories of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel, or study the history of Christian martyrdom, to see the radical implications of such loyalty).
 
Furthermore, we are citizens of the perfect Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. Imagine a life free from fear, free from guilt, free from shame, free from pain, free from war, free from poverty, free from sin. This is the promise of the Kingdom of God as proclaimed by the Old Testament prophets and fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
 
In Luke, Jesus Proclaims:
Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice in that Day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

 
Changing his audience, Christ continues in judgment:
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
-Luke 6:20-26
 
This is our great hope and the promise we have in Christ. Yet, look at the world as it exists. There is a lot of ugliness. It can be quite painful and demoralizing as one attempts to reconcile the promises of Jesus 2000 years ago and the contemporary state of affairs. We ask, "Where is your Kingdom, God?" I don’t see it.
 
But, I want to assure you that God is active in the world. God is here and He is working hard to close the gap. He has a mission, which is none other than the salvation of humankind and the transformation of the world, to heal broken relationships (with Himself and with others), to restore justice, and to eradicate sin and the suffering caused by sin.
 
But, the amazing thing is that he asks US to participate with Him in that mission. He gives to us, his followers, a great responsibility. Thus, WE are sent. We become God’s workers. We are the hands and feet of God. We are the Body of Christ and we continue the mission of Christ. Even in the face of hopeless odds, we work to make God’s kingdom a reality on earth, even if it won’t fully come until Christ once again returns. We work to close the gap between the promise and the reality. Thus, you find the followers of Christ preaching the gospel of salvation and of a loving and caring God across the planet. You see the followers of Christ at the soup kitchens and homeless shelters. You see the followers of Christ working with the disabled and handicapped. You see the followers of Christ working for peace and justice between both individuals and nations. You see the followers of Christ working to heal internal psychological wounds. And, you see the followers of Christ working with and loving society’s most vulnerable and dependent, namely children.
 
As such, to employ a well-worn yet nevertheless accurate metaphor, we are very literally Christ’s ambassadors on earth. We live here, yet we are "Citizens of Heaven" (Philippians 3:20). We are, as theologian Stanley Hauerwas writes, "Resident Aliens." But, we are much more than resident aliens. We are truly the ambassadors and representatives of God’s perfect Kingdom to this world. So, we carry with us the message of Christ, a message of promise and hope as well judgment. This, ultimately, is how we are sent into the world and this is why we "Go!"
 
So as I wrote last week, God is on a mission to set things right and that mission is fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus and God's Kingdom. Thus, everything we do is in acknowledgment of the absolute authority, kingship and sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ over all existence, who has gone before us, remains with us in his Spirit, and is coming again in victory. We merely seek to partner with Christ in His work, in His present and coming Kingdom, and in His mission of reconciliation, restoration, and transformation. It is upon this foundation that we are sent into the word and participate in ministry. And, as we are sent, it is our mission to make manifest the tangible signs of God's Kingdom.
 
Once again, how can we bring about the very real, healing signs of God's kingdom as we are SENT amongst the children and families of Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church?
 
More to come!
Blessings everyone,
Pastor Jesse
 


Teacher's Message/Devotional 5/13/10 05/27/2010 0 Comment(s)

(I try to send out a weekly message/devotional for the Elem teachers. I re-posted them here!)

Hi Everyone,

Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes it’s miserable. Sometimes it just plain sucks. Sometimes our circumstances and/or our insecurities overwhelm us and sometimes we are overrun with grief. Yet, I learned long ago that we Christians far too often gloss over the difficult times of life, slap a smile on our faces, and pretend that all is great all the time, as though we were meant to walk around “24/7 on a spiritual high,” as the song declares. The song is cute for the kids, but it is a far cry from the realities we all face at various times in our lives. And, it is just plain unhealthy. Working with children, we can be especially prone to focus only on the good and ignore the bad in the way we both interact with and present scriptures to the students.

Yet, God knows hard times. Our scriptures are filled with misery. The Psalms contain many verses, specifically known as the Lamentation Psalms, which are all about crying out to God in pain, questioning life, and even questioning God Himself. Christ, in-fact, IS God humiliated, God abandoned, God shamed, and God murdered upon the cross by his beloved creation. He knows pain, he knows OUR pain, and he is God with us in the midst of that pain. Nevertheless, in the midst of life, in the midst of our pain, God is sovereign. Christ is king. He is the king of the universe and he is ultimately in control. He is NOT the author of our pain, but he fully sees it and He is much, much bigger than it.

Thus, I leave you all a message of hope from the Prophet Jeremiah. In the midst of hard times we can get down on ourselves. We can challenge our own sense of self-worth, forgetting that each of us bears the divine stamp of our Creator. We are His beloved children, formed in his image. We forget that he has created each and every one of us with a unique personality, a unique purpose, a unique gifting, and a unique calling, or vocation in life. The king of the universe knows us. He is with us. And, he has a destiny and a plan for each and every one of us. So, I leave you with God’s message to Jeremiah, delivered on the eve of Judah’s destruction by the Babylonian army:

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
5‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’
6Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ 7But the Lord said to me,
‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
8Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.’
9Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,
‘Now I have put my words in your mouth. 10
-Jeremiah 1:4-9

Like Jeremiah, each of you is a beloved child and an intentional creation of our God most high. Each of you has been called to an amazing vocation, even if you are presently unsure as to what it may be. Please, remember this passage at those times in your life when you need to know who you are to God. 

Blessings,
Pastor Jesse 


Teachers Message/Devotional 5/22/10 05/27/2010 0 Comment(s)

“All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”

Hi Everyone,

Having grown up in the Church, I have heard the Great Commission read, preached upon, and cited many times. This, of course, is as it should be. The Great Commission is the essential mission statement of the Christian church and the last thing Jesus commanded his disciples in the book of Matthew. Yet, I have almost never heard it preached in it's entirety, to include the phrase, “All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me.”

“Go, therefore, and convert people.” This is what I was essentially taught time and again. Thus, my mission as a Christian was to save souls such that when someone died they would go to heaven and to fill the church with people on Sunday morning. Our job as Christians was to convert people to go convert more people to go convert more people so that when everybody died they would all go to heaven. Is there anything wrong with this? Not necessarily. But, it is profoundly incomplete! Nothing was ever mentioned of the individual person's life circumstances, their relationships with other people, their internal emotional/psychological health, and nothing was ever mentioned concerning the Kingdom of God. (I just picked up the book “The Hole in our Gospel,” by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision. I haven't read it, but the title is quite appropriate).

However, the number one message of Jesus Christ throughout the Gospels is the message of the Kingdom of God. The Old Testament continually looks forward to the “Yom Adonai” or the “Day of the Lord”, when God, through His Messiah, would radically break into history and set all things right. God would rule as King. All tears would be wiped away; all poverty would be eradicated; political, economic, and social injustice would be gone; depression would be a thing of the past; fear would be wiped out; there would be no more hurt, no more pain; war would be a thing of the past, all broken relationships would be restored, and “the lion would lay down with the lamb.” God would establish His Kingdom on earth. This is what the people were looking forward to when Jesus came. The people were crying out for a savior, quite literally, from their very present situation.

And, when Jesus came, he proclaimed that this day was “at hand,” that he was their promised Messiah! The Kingdom of God was present in and through the ministry of Jesus Christ! He, however, defied everybody's expectations, explaining the true nature of the Kingdom of God, that in His Kingdom “the first would be last and the last would be first.” His Kingdom would be truly seen in a broken, rejected, humiliated man dying upon a cross. Christ's Kingdom is hidden, yet it is nevertheless very real and very present. As described in the Parable of the Yeast, the Kingdom of God is like yeast, hidden yet spreading throughout the world as yeast spreads throughout the dough, transforming everything it touches. This Kingdom remains present in and through the Church, the very literal, very real “Body of Christ,” which continues the work of Christ in the world, healing, reconciling, and transforming, until that work is brought to completion the day our Lord returns. The Kingdom of God lays claim to ALL life, not just our individual souls. Christ demands our complete allegiance, an allegiance which claims our souls, hearts, minds, bodies, time, pocketbooks, relationships, political loyalties, family loyalties, etc. Christ cares about our WHOLE selves AND he cares about the WHOLE self of those persons to whom we minster.

Of course, we remain broken and sinful people, always falling short of our ideal. Yet, God is working amongst us and through us and we have a great hope that one day he will come again when, as we read at the teachers meeting, there will truly be “no more tears.” We have this hope, and thus we continually work in the present, even if the fruit of our labor is not always immediate or visible.

Therefore, God is on a mission (Missio Dei) to set things right and that mission is fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus and God's Kingdom. Thus, everything we do is in acknowledgment of the absolute authority, kingship and sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ over all existence, who has gone before us, remains with us in his Spirit, and is coming again in victory. We merely seek to partner with Christ in His work, in His present and coming Kingdom, and in His mission of reconciliation, restoration, and transformation. It is upon this foundation that we are sent into the word and participate in ministry. And, as we are sent, it is our mission to make manifest the tangible signs of God's Kingdom.

How then can we bring about the very real, healing signs of God's kingdom to the lives of those children to whom we minster and to all the families at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church?

Blessings and Peace,
Pastor Jesse

(It's 12:00am and I am still at the Church! Time to go home).  

Teachers Message/Devotional 5/5/10 05/27/2010 0 Comment(s)

Hi everyone!

I hope your weeks are going great, aren't too stressful, and are filled with joy. Also, thanks so much to everyone who helped celebrate Nimer's baptism with us this past weekend. It was a very special day for us and for our whole family! 

This week, I want to look once again at John 13, the passage in which Jesus, king and creator of the universe, takes on the role of servant by washing the feet of his disciples. We, as individuals, often forget our call to serve others and instead look only to the self-centered fulfillment of our needs, wants and interests. However, today I want to focus less on us as individuals and instead look at how the institutions and programs we create also fall into the habit of often ignoring the needs of those for which they were created, in favor of its own particular needs, wants and interests.

Therefore, I really want to share with you a number of passages from a book I recommend to anyone involved in work/ministry with children and/or youth. The book is “HURT,” written by an old seminary professor of mine, Dr. Chap Clark, whose teaching has been very influential to me in my ministry. (You may find me quoting from him a lot).

Dr. Clark writes,
“Sports, music, dance, drama, Scouts, and even faith related programs are all guilty of ignoring the developmental needs of each individual young person in favor of the organization's goals. The voices are few that encourage society to focus on the individual [student] when it comes to the creation of systems and structures. There is a tremendous momentum of self-protection and self-promotion for institutions and organizations (and even individuals), and this makes it increasingly difficult for even the best [ministry worker] to 'waste' the time it takes to walk alongside an individual [student], much less create an environment in which each one is uniquely nurtured and led.” (Hurt, 47)

To which he later adds,

“It takes little for a student to feel as though the program matters more than he or she does.” (186) 

As your pastor, I never want to see the needs of “GSPC Elementary” or even GSPC Church ever overshadow the personal, relational, and spiritual needs of each individual student. We exist to serve and incarnate/manifest Christ's love in the lives of each of our students. Our goal is never to simply teach bible lessons (as important as they are) or to fill time until the parents themselves are done with their church activities. Our job is to love, care for, walk along side of, listen to, and introduce the love of Christ to our students. And, sometimes just “being there” is the best thing you can ever do. Each of you therefore has an amazing, holy ministry in the lives of your students! 

Of this, Dr. Clark writes further, (I have compiled a collection of important quotations from HURT),

“The young of every village, town and city in America are in need of the same thing: a community of people, organizations, and institutions that have their individual needs and interests in mind.” (172)

“The notion of social capital, that individuals must receive vital relational and social resources to understand who they are and where they fit, is now viewed by many as a central element of [healthy] development.” (60)

“This help is at its best when an adult or, better, yet a community of adults seeks to truly understand what life is like for contemporary [student] and then lovingly surrounds them with support, nurture, and authentic care.” (70)

Ultimately,
“The biggest need every student has is satisfied in one adult who is there for him or her. [We must] encourage a wide variety of adults to take part in the lives of the young. Nothing else will make a difference-not more baseball fields, more programs and events, or more jobs to to.”

Once again, I want to remind you all, that you each have an amazing, HOLY ministry in the lives of your students! YOU ARE THE HANDS AND FEET OF CHRIST TO THE STUDENTS OF GSPC ELEMTARY! Keep up the amazing work and blessings in your endeavors.

God Bless,
Pastor Jesse  


Teacher's Message/Devotinal 4/29/10 05/27/2010 0 Comment(s)

 Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all doing really well. I had a lot of fun last Sunday at our VBS planning meeting/Chinese dinner! I look forward to seeing you all on Friday and/or Sunday and at Nimer's Baptism. For this week's devotional/message I wanted to simply remind you once again of my overall vision for our VBS retreat, which I read at our meeting this last Sunday:

"There is little as effective as removing a student from his/her cultural and regional context, such that they are confronted with and able to experience the vastness and beauty of God's creation. Such experiences have the tendency to inspire within the student a sense of wonder. This wonder opens the student up, even if they are unable to voice it, to a sense of transcendence, that there exists something beyond themselves. Wonder then moves to awe, the recognition of how small one is is comparison to God. Here, it is our prayer that the Holy Spirit chooses to take hold of and move within the student such that this initial spark would eventually grow into a blaze for Christ." (Inspired by Dr. Chap Clark)

We have an amazing opportunity at our VBS. What we are doing is so much more than putting on a fun camp for kids. We are providing space for the Holy Spirit to move in our student's lives. VBS could potentially be a life changing moment for any number of our students, and the moment one of our students offers his/her life to God. Be reminded, therefore, that the work you are doing is truly amazing, holy work in the lives of our students.

Blessings everyone,

Pastor Jesse  


Teacher's Message/Devotional 4/22/10 05/27/2010 0 Comment(s)

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. -John 13:3-5

Hi everyone,

I love this passage in that it explains so well the nature of authority and power as experienced in God's Kingdom. Christ is our king. All authority on heaven and earth have been given to him. And yet, he takes upon himself the role of a servant and washes the feet of his disciples. Such an action represents a radical subversion of our human, worldly values and it explains one of the many reasons I love our God. It illustrates once again the topsy-turvy Kingdom of God where the first become last and the last become first.

Thus, to become a follower of Christ is in so many ways a radical act, an act with profound personal, moral, social, and even political consequences. Following Christ is an act representing the commitment to live life in such a way so contrary to the wider world around us, most especially concerning situations of power, wealth, honor and social status. If the whole world is trying to go up up, we as followers of Christ, go down. As others serve themselves and their own interests, we serve others. As others seek to enhance their own image and status as seen through other people's eyes, much like the Pharisees in the days of Christ, we as followers of Christ strive to look good only through the eyes of God. As others build walls of social exclusion, we strive to cross boarders, tear down barriers and seek the reconciliation of all things. As Jesus Christ, Lord of the universe, washed the feet of his disciples, we wash the feet of others.

I want to conclude therefore with a line I love from an old Switchfoot song which captures the Christian life so beautifully when it reads: “Painfully Uncool.” Not only are we 'uncool,' this is the life to which we aspire when God calls us his own. We are indeed “Painfully Uncool”!

Blessings Everyone!
~Pastor Jesse  

Teacher's Message/Devotional 4/15/10 05/27/2010 0 Comment(s)

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone is doing really well this week. Happy Birthday T. April! (Don’t forget to wish T. April a happy B-day this Friday!!) For this week’s devotional I didn’t really want to say much. In reflecting upon this upcoming Saturday’s homeless ministry, I just wanted to share with you what I consider to be the most moving passage in From Brokenness to Community by Jean Vanier about the L'Arche ministry amonst disabled persons, the same book from which I have been quoting. It is a beautiful exposition of Incarnational Ministry, modeled after the ‘Incarnation’ of our Lord who “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his advantaged, but rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2: 6-7). I think Vanier says things so well that I don’t really need to elaborate. I recently read this passage to a very close friend of mine, David, who is himself confined to a wheelchair, and he was visibly moved. I just wanted to share:

“When someone has lived most of his or her life in last place and then discovers that Jesus is there in the last place as well, it is truly good news. However, when someone has always been looking for the first place and learns that Jesus is in the last place, it is confusing! Our people (the L'Arche community) have their doubts, temptations and inner struggles, of course, but in their poverty their whole being cries out to God. The beatitudes are in some way closer to their reality. There is a holiness and a wholesomeness in them. In all their littleness and poverty, God is close. I am touched by another man in my house who is quite poor and fragile: Didier. I still have difficulty understanding him when he speaks. One time, however, our whole house went to a monastery for a weekend. On the last evening, I asked everyone what had touched them most. Didier said, “When Father Gilbert was speaking, my heart was burning.

“Yes the broken and the oppressed have taught me a great deal and have changed me quite radically. They have helped me discover that healing takes place at the bottom of the ladder, not at the top. Their cry for communion has taught me something about my own humanity, my own brokenness-that we are all wounded, we are all poor. But we are the people of God; we are all loved and are being guided. They have taught me what it means to be with brothers and sisters in communion, in community. They have revealed to me the well of tenderness that is hidden in my own heart and which can give life to others.

“The broken and oppressed are teaching me what the good news is really about.

“One of the most moving moments for me in the gospel is the meeting of Jesus with the woman from Samaria. The Samaritans were a very rejected people. The Jews despised them. And this Samaritan woman was rejected and marginalized by her own people as well, for she had lived with five men; she was not living according to the laws of God. This woman is perhaps one of the poorest, most broken women of the gospels.

“When Jesus meets her, he does not tell her to get her act together. Rather, he exposes to her his own need. He says to her: “Give me a drink.” It is good to see how Jesus approaches broken people-not from a superior position, but from a humbler, lower position even in his fatigue: “I need you.” In fact Jesus seems to be more “at home” with the leper, the publican, the poor and the weak, the children, than with the Pharisee and the rich and the wise. So you can understand a bit better what a gift it is for me to live in community with Didier, Raphael, Marie-Jo, and each on in L’Arche. 

“However, there is still a paradox. Those with whom Jesus identifies himself are regarded by society as misfits. And yet Jesus is that person who is hungry; Jesus is that woman who is confused and naked. As I carried in my arms Eric who was blind, deaf and with severe brain damage, I sensed that paradox: “Whosoever welcomes one of these little ones in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me.”

“Wouldn’t it be extraordinary if it were true? Wouldn’t it be extraordinary if we all discovered that? The face of the world would be changed. We would then no longer want to compete in going up the ladder to meet God in the light, in the sun and in beauty, to be honored because of our theological knowledge. Or if we did want knowledge it would be because we believe that our knowledge and theology are important only so long as they are used to serve and honor the poor.”
 
Amen!! Our Lord is truly amazing. I am excited for this weekend’s homeless ministry.

Blessings All,
Pastor Jesse  


Teacher's Message/Devotional 4/7/10 05/27/2010 0 Comment(s)

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy!” -1 Peter 1:8

Hi everyone! I just wanted to send out another devotional this week. After 40 days of Lent and Holy Week leading up to Good Friday, days of reflection, contemplation, sacrifice, even sadness, we are suddenly reminded once again of the GREAT JOY we have in Easter. In celebrating the resurrection of Christ, we are united in great joy with followers of Christ across the world, and we are once again reminded that our God is very much a God of Joy. In him we have new life, not just eternal life to be experienced beyond the grave, but we are given and invited to participate in that great, heavenly joy here and now. We are invited to celebrate, or put another way...to party!

The best parties I have ever been to, in all honesty, have been Arabic Weddings. I have never been to a Korean wedding (at least not yet), so I can't compare, but there is so much joy, fun, and genuine celebration at an Arabic wedding. As I see ALL ages eating, dancing, eating some more, dancing some more, (maybe enjoying some wine, shhh) and laughing and loving TOGETHER, all in celebration of this amazing new love between bride and groom, I am reminded of what scriptures describe as the 'heavenly banquet.' And, I am reminded that we are invited to participate in such a banquet here and now. Arabic weddings are a family, or rather community, celebration. They are fun AND they are healthy.

I was reading through “From Brokenness to Community,” by Jean Vanier (I previously read a portion of it to you at our last teacher's meeting a few Sundays ago) and I came across a great section concerning celebration. Since he says it so much better than I can, I wanted to share it with you. He writes:

“We must learn to celebrate! I say learn to celebrate, because celebration is not just a spontaneous event. We have to discover what celebration is. Our world doesn't know much about celebration. We know quite a bit about parties, where we are artificially stimulated with alcohol to have fun. We know what movies and distractions are. But do we know what celebration is? Do we know how to celebrate our togetherness, our being one body? Do we really know how to use all that is human and divine to celebrate together?

"[O]nce I was looking in a nightclub in Paris for a fellow who was lost. I had been told that he was there, so I went into the nightclub and watched the people dancing. It was amazing; there was no togetherness. They weren't even holding each other; each one was doing his or her own thing. It seemed as if each one was jogging up and down all alone! Somehow we need to rediscover what dance and celebration are, what song is, what food and wine are about, what it means to put on special clothes to special events.

“[Often] there is little sense of being being called together by God to love and nourish each other. We need to rediscover celebration. That is what community is all about.

“[C]elebration is to share what and who we really are; it is to express our love for one another, our hopes, and to rejoice in being called together as parts of the same body, [the Body of Christ]. As we go from singing, dance and laughter into silence, there will be a sense of presence. Somewhere at the heart of celebration there is consciousness of the presence of Christ. Christ is the one who is our cornerstone, the one who has drawn us together, and we rejoice because he is present with us!”

Therefore....Happy Easter! Go celebrate! Go learn to experience God's great joy! Go experience the amazing joy of the resurrection, the joy of New Life offered to us here and now!! Go experience the Good News!

Peace and God Bless,
Pastor Jesse  


Teacher's Message/Devotional 3/31/10 05/27/2010 0 Comment(s)

(I try to send out a devotional/message for the GSPC Teachers each week).

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As God's coworkers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, 'In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you NOW is the time of God's favor, NOW is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 5: 16-6:2)

Hi Everyone! I hope your week is going really well. I wanted to share with you this devotion. I was reflecting upon last Sunday's sermon, how the temple veil separating God from His people was torn from top to bottom upon Christ's death, and I wanted to share with you the above passage from 2 Corinthians. Paul explains God's mission of reconciliation and healing to a divided, broken and hurting world so well. Through Christ, God is reaching out to us across the great divide which has thus far separated us and Him, on account of our sin. Although we have sinned against God, sinned against ourselves and sinned against each other, we are forgiven on account of Christ's actions and are once again reunited with God. We have been reconciled with God and now, as Christ's ambassadors, we are given the ministry of reconciliation to one another.
We have no better example of what this “ministry of reconciliation” looks like in practice than in the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the same way that sin acts as a wall or barrier between us and God, our sin creates divisions, boarders or boundaries between us as people. However, our Lord in his earthly ministry continually and scandalously CROSSED the boarders which cause division between people and which divide communities. He does this in order that he might bring healing and reconciliation to once divided and alienated peoples. Christ crossed boundaries, and he encourages us to do the same. Therefore, I want to share with you a passage from a book I read recently, Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, edited by Darrel Guder:

“Jesus came as a stranger, as one who had no place to lay his head (Matt. 8:20), and in his ministry he crossed conventional boundaries and propelled himself into the lives of strangers. As Rodney Clapp has observed, 'Jesus spoke parables honoring such despised ethnic groups as Samaritans, thereby ignoring racial boundaries. He scandalously taught women and conversed with them in public, thereby trespassing sexual borders. He included among his disciples Simon the Zealot and spoke words of new life to Nicodemus the pharisee, thereby opening himself to the array of people who were strangers to one another by virtue of their politics. He called the adulteress from the estrangement of the stoning circle back into the circle of community, thereby crossing moral borders. And he invited the ritually 'unclean' to his table, thereby breaking religious taboos.'
“We too often forget the radical nature of Jesus' life and work. Religious insiders challenged him not because of his doctrine but because of those to whom he extended God's gracious and loving hospitality.[T]he church is called to cross society's boundaries, to eat as Jesus ate, to be a people of openness and acceptance, of gratitude and generosity” (Guder, 178).

Christ says it best when he asks us to “forgive others as we have been forgiven.” Or more precisely, “Love God; Love Neighbor; Love Enemy!” Therefore, remember this: All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

At this time, I would like to invite anyone who has any thoughts, comments, questions, or reflections on this devotion to feel free and respond. Consider this is an open forum for reflection and discussion.

Blessings to you all,
Pastor Jesse
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