Prologues to My Prefaces™

The parable of the Good Samaritan was offered in conjunction with the Great Commandment in the Gospel According to St. Luke. The Great Commandment was also given in Matthew 22:36-40 in response to the challenge of a trick question, as several opponents were trying to trip Jesus up with his words. Much like in modern politics, they wanted to get Jesus to say something they could then take a little soundbite from, twist it around and turn it into a controversy.

Jesus was teaching after the disciples had returned rejoicing from their missionary journey. A lawyer asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life. Jesus responded by asking the lawyer what his thoughts were, and the lawyer answered with what would become known as the Great Commandment, to love God and neighbor. These laws came from the ancient times, from the same Law of Moses people quote so emphatically about all kinds of other issues. Jesus elevated these to the most prominent position of all the laws in the Bible.

Jesus later emphasized, in the Temple on Tuesday of Holy Week, that these two commandments are the most important of all. Even though many people often prefer and argue others, these are the ones Jesus says provide the basis for interpreting “all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). Two days later Jesus took this commandment to an even higher level. On the way to the Garden where he would be arrested, Jesus gave the New Commandment, for us to love each other as he has loved us. This view encompasses much more territory. Christ has loved and accepted us with all our baggage and so we are also expected to love and accept others along with whatever that may entail.

The love and acceptance illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan is what makes it so popular among people of all different religious views, and even many who claim no religious affiliation. The lawyer had a follow-up question, like in press conferences, “Who is my neighbor?" We may decide we will love our neighbors, but then we might also want to limit our definition of who that means. We might be tempted to have a narrow view, confined to those who think and act like us to the point we are picking only those who resemble the image we see in the mirror. Jesus had a much broader view, calling us to consider everyone as our neighbor and to love accordingly.

One characteristic of the neighbor in this parable is that the Samaritan did not pick the neighbor, but rather met him in an entirely chance encounter. Most of the people we know have been met by chance. Many different circumstances come together in the crossing of each other’s paths. We had no choice in the places or the families into which we were born, or the cultures in which we were raised. Many factors about our lives and the people we know are completely outside of our control. So it was with the Good Samaritan. Jesus used that very phrase, “by chance,” in reference to the first passerby (Luke 10:31). None of the characters in the parable are presented as having been in this situation by anything but chance.

Another characteristic, according to this parable, is that the concept of neighbor includes everyone without exception. The parable sets the standard for inclusive acceptance of everybody regardless of who they are, what they believe or how they practice their faith. God expects us to find it in our hearts to love and accept everyone into our fellowship as fully and freely as Christ has accepted us.

For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Those are very inclusive words in that verse. Any words we might choose to replace “world” or “whosoever” with anything less inclusive would diminish what the Bible says. Jesus did not narrow his concept in the least. When Christ gave his life at Calvary it was for all, without exception. If we exclude anyone at all, our view is narrower than what God had in mind in sending Christ to be our Savior. No one is excluded, as communicated in the words of this famous verse. As Christ died for all, so we live for all, extending the same love and grace Christ has extended to us.

Unconditional love is characterized in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The victim was not assisted because of his merit or to compensate him for any good works. Nor was he helped because of his ability to repay. Jesus had several other teachings and parables illustrating the importance of loving even those who would never be able to return the favor. Not even was there a limit placed on the extent of need required. The parable concludes with the Samaritan promising to compensate the inn keeper for whatever other expenses might accrue in meeting the needs of this neighbor, no matter what they may be. There were no restrictions, and there were no conditions.

Think about the characters in this passage. The robbers left the traveler for dead, but so did the religious people who perpetuated his circumstances when they went by and left him in the same condition. Those who actually helped included the donkey who served as an ambulance and the inn keeper who provided hospitalization and served as medic. The issues raised by Jesus in choosing a Samaritan as the main character of this parable bear striking resemblance to our current events in terms of race, religion, marriage and other timeless issues people argue about today in church and society.

"Let us go and do likewise, regarding every [person] as our neighbor who needs our assistance. Let us renounce that bigotry and party zeal which would contract our hearts into an insensibility for all the human race, but a small number whose sentiments and practices are so much our own, that our love to them is but self-love reflected. With an honest openness of mind let us always remember that kindred between [person and person], and cultivate that happy instinct whereby, in the original constitution of our nature, God has strongly bound us to each other." John Wesley, Notes on the New Testament (1755), on Luke 10:37.

The parable of the Good Samaritan invites us to unite with those of every age before us in forwarding to the next generation God’s plan of salvation through acceptance and love. The definition of the word “neighbor” provided by Jesus in this parable encompasses everyone without exception or limitation. We are invited to address the issues of our day with the same response Jesus indicated to the lawyer at the conclusion of the parable, “Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke 10:37).

Sunday, May 1, 2016

John 14:23-29 -- Home in the Heart

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words:

and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him,

and make our abode with him.” John 14:23

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Continuing their walk from the Upper Room to Gethsemene, the conversation between Jesus and all the apostles except for Judas had taken a heavenly turn. Jesus spoke to them about his spiritual home as he centered himself in preparation for the events surrounding the Crucifixion. Importantly, he talked about this eternal dwelling place as a home to be shared by all who love him and cherish his words. With such people, he promised, God the Father and the Son would come and make their home. Charles Wesley reminded us of where this home is, concluding his lengthy hymn, O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing (1739) with the words

Anticipate your heaven below,

And own that love is heaven.

Jesus promised the Father would send the Comforter in the name of Jesus. He identified this Comforter as the Holy Ghost, who would teach us and bring the teachings of Jesus into our remembrance. He also promised us his own divine form of peace. His peace is different than any other peace, the types with which we are familiar. The peace of Christ is the kind that stills our hearts and vanquishes our fears. This is the centering peace Jesus demonstrated on that very evening as he made his way to Gethsemene to be arrested. It is the peace of one who is at home in a loving heart.

Jesus wants to share this heavenly home with us even now, and during every moment of our life in this world and extending throughout the life of the world to come. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20 NIV). At the beginning of this same chapter fourteen, John reported how Jesus told the apostles about the many dwelling places in the Father's house, and his promise to take us there. The Bible concludes with a description of the City of New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,

Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,

and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,

and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;

and there shall be no more death,

neither sorrow, nor crying,

neither shall there be any more pain (Revelation 21).

Home.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

John 13:31-35 -- Mandate to Love

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." John 13:34

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Jesus and eleven of the Twelve were walking from the Upper Room to Gethsemene on the night he gave himself up for us. Judas was off making arrangements to betray Jesus with a token of love, a kiss. They had all been celebrating the Passover. Jesus had instituted the Lord's Supper and washed his disciples' feet. As this group of friends walked, they talked and sang hymns. Soon they would arrive at the Garden, where Jesus would pray, "not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). He would be arrested and spend the night being tortured in mock trials before his crucifixion the next day. As they walked along, Jesus told several parables and summarized his teaching and ministry.

The New Commandment is the core and apex of the Gospel. By precept and example, Jesus had demonstrated love and had elevated the Old Testament commandments about love for God and neighbor to the most prominent place among all commandments. On this night of his betrayal and suffering, he fulfilled the meaning of the ancient commandments, bringing them together in his relationship with all who love him. Our mandate is to love as Christ loves us. This way of living out the commandments to love, Jesus revealed, would be the mark by which everyone would be able to distinguish his true followers.

Loving as we have been loved makes love personal. We each have experienced something we are expected to faithfully share with each other and the world. Together, our relationships formed through the bond of this shared authority reflect God's infinite love for all. Our commission is to love everyone into fellowship with Christ.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

John 10:22-30 -- The Voice of Love

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27

The shepherd knows the sheep.
Photo courtesy of Free Bible Images.

The religious leaders complained that Jesus wasn't being clear with them about his identity. From the beginning Jesus had been clearly stating his mission. They seemed to be using their constant challenges to undermine him. He said that his works bear witness to the truth of his words. Jesus concluded the Good Shepherd analogy he had been using, having declared himself "the Good Shepherd" (John 10:14), by comparing the response of those who hear his voice to that of the sheep who recognize the voice of their shepherd. He had emphasized that with the right kind of shepherd, the sheep are safe and free to come and go as they please. The Twenty-third Psalm, best known since a thousand years before Christ, continues to communicate the message of God's love and protection through the pastoral imagery of a shepherd. Jesus stated plainly enough, "I and my father are one."

God communicates with believers. We hear God's voice, and God hears ours. "In the rustling grass I hear him pass; He speaks to me everywhere" (Maltbie D. Babcock, This is My Father's World, 1901). Elijah testified that his encounter with God occurred not in the wind or earthquake or fire, but in a "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:11-13). God hears everything we say, but how much of what God says do we hear? We each have a personal relationship with God. With any relationship, we enter into friendship, cultivate growth and explore the infinite mystery we discover in each other. As the sheep learn to trust and follow the shepherd, so we learn to trust and follow the leading of Christ.

We are invited to listen to Christ as our Good Shepherd. Listening begins with a sincere desire to know what God wants to communicate. Our intentional effort to concentrate on hearing and recognizing God's voice is required. Cheryl and Kelly and Ryan have a contest every year for who is first to hear a whippoorwill. If they want to hear, they have to know what one sounds like and be listening for the call. Another part of hearing God speak is to implement what we have already heard. Collectively, we are invited to share what we are hearing. This we do by listening to each other's testimonies, coming to a common understanding of what God is saying to and through us, and following Christ in consensus. We are also invited to help the world learn to listen. We are invited to be the messengers and to communicate God's love through our good works. We demonstrate what it means to listen to the Good Shepherd by listening to those around us.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Flourishing Spiritually

The Cabernet Sauvignon grape
growing at the Cascia vineyard.
Credit: M. Cascia, nasa.gov

The Bible invites us to lay aside any unproductive works we might be engaged in, and rather to cultivate beneficial works, bearing spiritual fruit. Paul listed nine types of spiritual fruit in the King James Version: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Three more included in the Vulgate are generosity, modesty, and chastity. These twelve fruits of the Spirit have traditionally demonstrated the kind of results we can expect from living and walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; Catholic Church 1832).

Jesus gave several examples to illustrate the importance of bearing good fruit. One was about knowing false prophets by the fruits they bear (Mathew 7:15-20). Another was about the seed landing among thorns and being choked out by the distractions of life, “and bring no fruit to perfection” (Luke 8:14). On the night He gave Himself up for us, after instituting the Lord’s Supper, He gave the parable about the vine being pruned to bear more fruit and said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The first fruit Paul listed, love, is how Jesus said everyone could tell whether or not we actually are His disciples (John 13:35). Some are also included in the attributes of love in his first letter to the Corinthians. Others exemplify the types of growth we can expect as our faith matures. Like “the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month” along the banks of the river in the city of New Jerusalem, God invites us to flourish spiritually, bearing all kinds of good fruit in our lives (Revelation 22:2).

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Revival of Love

We need a revival to break out! For the next few months, our Sunday morning worship services at Briensburg will be themed “A Revival of Love.” The sermons will each address a different aspect of agape, framed as a series on First Corinthians 13.

The revival should be contagious, transcendent and transformative. We pray the sacred flame of love will “leap from heart to heart” as we share the renewal experience with each other and the world around us. Respect for each other’s cultural, religious and political differences must enable us to put “Christ Above All” as we freshen our commitment to the more excellent way (1 Co. 12:31). Remember all the changes we identified during Lent? Well, now is the time to implement them!

The kind of love Jesus demonstrated is what we are expected to emulate in fulfillment of the New Commandment, empowering us to love even our enemies. This is the true evidence by which everyone can know for sure whether we are actual followers of Jesus or simply impersonating discipleship for lesser motives. Love not only completes the joy of our salvation but effectively addresses our problems.

The world needs love now as much as ever. Strife, poverty and despair are rampant among so many people, sometimes in nearly hopeless situations. God’s love has the power to overcome so many of the challenges confronting humanity on every level. Individuals and whole populations are suffering due to causes that could be eradicated by a revival of love “spreading scriptural holiness throughout the land.”

This revival includes a comprehensive altar call. Encouraging each other to surrender anew to our first love, we are inviting everyone to begin or to reaffirm a personal saving relationship with God in Jesus Christ, to allow the Holy Spirit to work within and among us in new and fresh ways, and to continue in the sanctifying grace toward perfection in love. All who want to share in this revival may do so first by praying as we have been for those in our “72+U” lists of Family, Relatives, Associates and Neighbors. You may also participate in our online ChurchSchool version, where we will have study notes, worship videos, discussion groups and other resources. We would love to have you attend the 11 a.m. worship services any Sunday. Please pray for the church as we reorient our efforts in this direction. Pray for a “Revival of Love” to break out across our community.

Revive us again;

Fill each heart with Thy love;

May each soul be rekindled

With fire from above.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.

Hallelujah! Amen.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.

Revive us again.

(William P. Mackay)

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Let’s Update Our Discipline

Photo by Kathleen Barry, UMNS

Our Discipline is written by all of us together, either actively or passively. United Methodists share our Book of Discipline as part of our covenant with each other. At times we may prayerfully identify needed changes to spread the Gospel more effectively, bolster our resistance to oppression, and fully implement the teachings of Jesus. We may seek improvement in some paragraphs by advocating their greater conformity to our understandings of Scripture.

Whenever we want to make revisions to our Book of Discipline, it is because we are prayerfully compelled by the love of Christ to stand in agreement with some sisters and brothers, albeit in disagreement with others. We all share similarly motivated yet sometimes divergent views. Modifications should be meaningful and important to the mission of our church “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” They should clarify our united purposes, strengthen our ministries, and empower those who are unjustly marginalized in the life and service of the church.

Any United Methodist member and organization may petition General Conference for changes to our Book of Discipline. The process for updating this complex instrument requires humility, patience, and unity. If we are willing to blend our thoughts with others toward a more harmonious view, engage our persuasive influence on the common intellect, and forego personal interests in the pursuit of spiritual wholeness, then we can augment the conversations that shape change.

One way to participate in the work of updating our Discipline is to write petitions. Another way is to support, through our conversations and writings, the petitions submitted by others. We can all engage by following the news, preparations, and other developments related to the next General Conference session. We should pray for our delegates and the votes they will be making on our behalf. What a wonderful opportunity for all United Methodists to contribute to the future of our Christian faith!

Related:

· The article “Instructions for Submitting petitions to the 2016 General Conference” provides detailed information for creating the petitions for submission between April 1 and October 13, 2015.

· General Conference 2016 information page on UMC.org tracks news, legislation, and preparations leading up to the event May 10-20, 2016.

· The United Methodist Book of Discipline, free online edition

Friday, February 20, 2015

3D Lent

Photo by Kathleen Barry, UMComm

Lent is a multidimensional spiritual journey. A variety of religious dynamics converge during Lent to make it a uniquely powerful opportunity for renewal and growth. The blessings, drawn from each discipline, are multiplied by blending them into a mixture of private reflection and public engagement.

One dimension of Lent is our quietly secretive withdrawal from normal activities to make room for fasting, prayer and alms-giving. Lent invites us to give up some of our normal daily habits to make room for more sacred enterprises, some of which may become enduring changes in lifestyle. Spending extra time in prayerful devotion heightens our awareness of the divine presence and freshens our personal relationship with God. Charitable contribution of our time and resources bends our focus toward the needs of family, friends and neighbors, clarifying our success and failure in loving others as Christ has loved us. The more secretive we are about these aspects of our spirituality, the more our Heavenly Parent who sees us in secret rewards us openly (Matthew 6:4,6,18).

The public dimension is also an important part of Lent, empowering personal and corporate growth along with a witness to our faith. The Transfiguration reminds us of the importance of shared experiences, even of prayer (Matthew 17:1-9). While Jesus cautions us not to be hypocritical, warning that anything done in public has the potential of limiting the benefits, most of the events in the Gospels and Acts took place openly. Additional worship services, Bible studies, retreats and other group programs the Church emphasizes as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection serve to unite the faith community, strengthen our witness together, and enrich our individual discipleship.

Spiritual housecleaning is another crucial dimension of Lent. Through the year, our schedules fill with all sorts of things that diffuse our attention and detract from our discipleship. Many of these are intrinsically good and wholesome, but they crowd out our calling like the proverbial seed that fell among the thorns (Mark 4:7). Our lives can easily become cluttered with thoughts and feelings as with material objects. Annual renewal includes sorting and divesting of unnecessary burdens, liberating ourselves for holiness and service. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). ” (Romans 12:2).

Lent equips us to face ourselves honestly and make the inward and outward changes required for reviving our spirits. At the end of these few weeks, our self-examination leads to celebration of the new life we share in Christ. Some of the changes we make during Lent will be lasting, while others will fade as the year unfolds. We are reminded of who we are, where we have come from and where we are going, as we repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15).

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Teach Us to Pray

Photo by Mike Dubose,
United Methodist Communications

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Matthew 7:8 & Luke 11:10

Jesus invites everyone to pray. Prayer is the most ecumenical, interfaith, intercultural enterprise of humanity. No one is excluded from the promises associated with prayer as envisioned and taught by Jesus. All people everywhere are invited to turn to God in whom “we live, and move, and have our being,” and to communicate with God as children of our divine parent (Acts 17:22-31). We each are invited to pray according to our best understandings. With the liberty of this invitation comes the responsibility to learn more about prayer, and the assurance of its increasing effectiveness as we implement the practice.

Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father, as a gift to those who want to know how to pray. One great feature of this enduring prayer pattern is that it consolidates so many prayer principles from throughout the Bible in general, and specifically those taught by Jesus Himself. Each part of the Lord’s Prayer unpacks a whole dimension of spirituality, leading to boundless exploration and infinite application.

Prayer has always been offered as a practical element of solution to any and all challenges. Jesus pointed out that some forms of prayer are empty and void, and in Paul’s words, “having the form of godliness, but lacking the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). Yet, Jesus also promises that sincerity, persistence and diligence will transform our prayers from empty words into powerful and effective contributions. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b).

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Briensburg UMC is launching our new Online Church School & Learning Center with “Teach Us to Pray” as an ongoing peer learning group for sharing information, prayer concerns, news and discussion about prayer. The study is offered in conjunction with the similar Pastor's Lenten Study on the Lord's Prayer (starting tomorrow, a couple of weeks early). Everyone is invited to participate.

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