Just a Year ...

Philippians 4:6-7   Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul wrote this to the church in Philippi while he was in prison. His letter to the Philippians is full of joy and thanksgiving and hope – not attitudes one would expect from someone suffering in a first century prison. In spite of his circumstances, Paul believed that we can have peace and joy in the midst of suffering and hardship if we find our joy in Christ; if we have the peace of God which transcends any and all circumstances.   

I love Paul's letters. He believed. He walked the talk. I studied Paul and his writings in seminary. I read them on a regular basis. I preach from them. I too believe that we can be thankful in all circumstances. I have felt the peace of God in times when I should not have felt at peace. Yet, this past year, I did not live as I believe.

A year ago, I was in a very difficult job situation that was pulling me down.  I was empty because I was not serving a church and I began to believe that God had ended my call to pastoral ministry. I felt stuck and questioned God."  Why, I asked?"  "Where are you," I wondered. I knew in my head that this was just part of my journey but I stopped believing in my heart. The negative voices took over and instead of hearing God speak into my life, I heard old recordings. I did not have peace. I stopped feeling thankful.

God did not desert me. He was with me – protecting me from accepting the wrong call; serving the wrong church. He provided for my needs. He encouraged me through friends and family and a city that I missed when I was away. He sat with me as I wrestled with my faith. He held me while I cried. He gave me courage to speak out about the work environment.  I saw His face in my daughters as they spoke truth into my life. And then, when the time was right, he opened a door for me to walk through.

A year later, I can look back and say with certainty - “Yes! That was just part of my journey. God did not end my call; he put it on hold until the right call was available.” Now, I can see why [some] of the things I experienced, happened. Of course, I think. I should have been thankful in everything. I should have rested in God's peace that is beyond understanding. I should have trusted; I should have had more faith.

But I've learned that the should-haves will bury me. God already knows I'm human. He knows that my faith is like a roller coaster. Sometimes it's strong and I feel like I'm on the highest track. I'm excited and ready for the next thrill. He knows that sometimes, my faith wavers; that sometimes I feel like I'm in the front car, racing to the bottom trying not to vomit. God knows. He loves me anyway.

I wish I could say that I learned my lesson and in the future will have joy and peace in all circumstances but if I'm honest, I know myself. My faith will falter again. I will doubt and sink to the depths.  But I trust that, Praise Be to God, he will not desert me – again.

“Doing the Right Stuff”

Rev. Debbie Cato

Matthew 19:16-24

Peace Presbyterian Church

October 26, 2014

“Doing the Right Stuff”

I like rules. Rules help me know what’s expected of me. I like to be sure that I know what I’m supposed to do. I like to know what’s O.K. and what’s not O.K.

While I was in seminary, I would drive from Tacoma to Seattle 2-3 days a week – often during rush hour. For those of you not familiar with Seattle traffic, let me just say that its a mess. It is 23 miles from Tacoma to Seattle and it could take over 1 ½ hours depending on how bad traffic was. To help with traffic, there are carpool lanes most of the distance. I never used the carpool lane if I was driving to seminary by myself. The rule is – the carpool lane is for 2 or more drivers. I would see people driving alone in the carpool lane and feel pretty righteous. Even though I was sitting in traffic, I was doing the right thing and they were doing the wrong thing. I was following the rules.

Monday night I stopped at Safeway on my way home from meeting to pick up a few things. I had 16 items in my cart so I stood in a long line rather than go through the express lanes that say “15 items or less.”

You see, I’m a rule follower. Are you a rule follower? I think it’s probably fair to say that most of us like to do the right thing. Most of us try hard to follow the rules. Even when we don’t agree with the rules, most of us still follow them – after all, they are the rules!!!

Sometimes as Christians we can be too rule focused. Rules can become how we “measure our religion.” Doing the “right thing” is what Christians do. After all, Christians have THE most important rules in the world – we have rules from God. The Ten Commandments. Rules given to the Israelites by God himself. There is no better – no HOLY-er rule maker than God.

For the Jews, The Ten Commandments – or the “law” as it is called is how they stayed in relationship with God. The “law” was how they measured their faith. The more strictly they followed the law, the more righteous they were. The Pharisees are an extreme example of this. Not only did the Pharisees strictly follow the law given by God – they made up more laws more rules; that made righteous living even harder – nearly impossible. Jesus was critical of the Pharisees because of their excessive laws.

So imagine yourself a Jew in 30 A.D. You live following Jewish tradition and your only scripture is the Old Testament. Ever since you were a young child, you learned and lived by the law given to the Israelites. You follow the purity laws and the laws about food. This is the only way of life you know and you have always tried to live a godly life. Now this Jewish man – Jesus - comes on the scene and teaches a different way of living and being. Many of your Jewish neighbors – maybe even family members are drawn to his teaching.

You go to hear this rabbi teach and this idea of eternal life appeals to you. Wanting to gain eternal life, you get up the courage to go speak to Jesus. And you ask him, “What good thing must I do to achieve eternal life?” What good thing must I do.

This young man – faithful to a religion that is all about doing the right thing – the good thing, logically wants to know what good thing will give him eternal life. Jesus response is important – “There is only One who is good.” Jesus corrects the young man’s thinking that doing things makes us good. Only God is good. Only Jesus is perfectly good. And all the goodness in us, comes from God! Jesus makes that clear at the very beginning of the conversation with the young man.

But then Jesus goes on to answer the young man’s question: “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” Which ones the young man asks? Jesus lists six of the commandments. “All these I have kept. What do I lack?”

Perhaps Jesus knew that this young man – so eager to gain eternal life – was a good Jew. Perhaps Jesus knew this was an opportunity to teach this young man about the difference between doing and being. Whatever the reason, Jesus challenges him in a way that even now surprises us.

“Go and sell all your possessions and give to the poor. Then, come follow me.” Sell all my possessions? Now, I don’t have much – I’ve never had much. But – sell everything and then give the money to the poor? Whoa! That’s radical.

The young man must have felt the same way, because he went away sad. He couldn’t do it. Jesus was asking too much. This eternal life Jesus talked about wasn’t worth it.

Although we don’t have a lot of details, the title of this passage – The Rich Young Man – paints a picture for us of a young man who has it all. Youth, money, and morality. Since we are told he is young, we could even presume that his life has been easy. Maybe his family has always had money. Maybe he has never had to work hard for money and the stuff money buys. Yet even though he is young and has money, he comes to Jesus with a sense that something is missing. In spite of all he has – all the stuff he owns, something is missing in his life.

What did he lack? What else does he have to do? I’m sure he expected Jesus to give him one more commandment – one more rule for him to complete. One more check-mark on his list of accomplishments.

Jesus understood what was behind the young man’s question. He thought that knowledge alone was all he needed. He thought that whatever needed to be done he could do on his own. This rich young man thought he could do something to have eternal life. He was preoccupied with having. But, eternal life is not another possession. This young man is concerned with doing while believing needs to come first. Discipleship in the kingdom is more than just obeying commandments, it requires 100% commitment. Being a part of God’s Kingdom requires sacrificial discipleship.

Jesus knows this rich young man is most vulnerable when it comes to his possessions. He knows that for this young man, sacrificing his wealth is necessary for him to be 100% committed to God. Jesus knows that we must treasure God more than we treasure anything else. But the young man is so attached to his possessions that he is unwilling to part with them. His possessions mean more to him than the gift of eternal life. This young man – so eager for eternal life – treasures his wealth and possessions far more than he treasures God. As long as he could obey the rules – as long as he could do the right stuff, he was good. As long as he could DO, he was in control and eager to please. But Jesus was asking him to BE a certain way. To be sacrificial, to be 100% committed to God.

If he gave everything away, he couldn’t rely on himself anymore. Giving everything away would require him to be totally dependent on God. Giving away his possessions would force him to put all his trust in God rather than in his money & his stuff. Giving away his possessions would be giving away control. I don’t know about you but for me – that’s scary.

True, he had not murdered. He had never lied or stolen anything. Presumably, he honored his mother and father. But had he in fact “loved his neighbor as himself”?   He thinks so. Perhaps he was a kind and thoughtful guy. Perhaps he showed respect to other people.  But, Jesus knows that many people in his community were poor and hungry. This young man standing before him, wanting the key to eternal life had great wealth. Jesus is aware of the unequal distribution of wealth. Jesus asks him to “go and sell his possessions and give the money to the poor.” This would be loving his neighbors! Jesus tests this young man because he knows that he cannot “love his neighbor as himself” while his Jewish brothers and sisters have nothing. But the young man can’t do it. Jesus is asking too much. As a result, this rich young man fails the test. He really doesn’t love his neighbor as himself. This young man – so confident that he successfully obeyed the commands – so sure he did the right stuff – realizes he has fallen short. He misses out on eternal life. He walks away sad.

At this point many of us might be feeling pretty good. Few of us have great wealth. We don’t store up expensive possessions while people in our community go without. We give money and time and resources to help our neighbors. This story in Matthew doesn’t have much to say to us. This lesson doesn’t apply to us. We aren’t like the rich young man. We don’t have anything to worry about. Don’t’ we wish!

Jesus isn’t telling a parable that applies to everyone. He isn’t talking to a crowd. Jesus is talking to the man who asked the question about eternal life. Jesus is talking individually to this young man. The rich young man is being called to follow Jesus in one particular situation. Because of his situation, Jesus asks him to give up his wealth and follow him.

But this is a challenge to each one of us. For this particular young man, it was his wealth. What is it for us? What is it in our life – yours and mine - that requires radical change? What is it in your life; in my life, that gets in the way of our relationship with Christ? What is it that we depend on more than God? What do we need to give up in order to follow Jesus and gain eternal life?

The catch is that God calls each of us into unique situations. Each of us is called into faith in a way that is unique to who we are. We aren’t all asked to do the same thing because we each have unique circumstances – unique barriers to giving everything up for God. But each one of us is challenged to let go of things and give up control so that we can truly rely on God alone.

Today’s passage from Matthew reminds us that discipleship in the kingdom is more than just obeying commandments, it requires 100% commitment. Being a part of God’s Kingdom requires sacrificial discipleship. What is God asking us to give up so that we are totally dependent on Him? What radical change do you need to make in your life to fully follow Christ?

It’s probably safe to say that like the young man, most of us have not murdered. Most of us don’t steal and cheat. But are we really, truly loving our neighbor as we love ourselves? Are we focused on “doing the right things” or “being in a relationship with Christ so that we can have eternal life?” If you are like me and you like to follow rules – this is hard. It’s uncomfortable. Just like the young man, we can make a decision. Are we going to take a risk and follow Christ or are we going to walk away sad?

May His kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.

Use Your Talents Well

Rev. Debbie Cato

Psalm 123 and Matthew 25:14-30

Peace Presbyterian Church

October 19, 2014

“Use Your Talents Well”

This is the third of four stories Jesus tells about the implications of the impending but unscheduled end times; the second coming of Christ. All four stories center on the return of the master or the bridegroom or the king.

All four stories warn about the judgments that will come when Christ returns, and how those who wait for His return, ought to spend their time. Jesus teaches us that there is a right way to wait, and a wrong way to wait. This story give each of us a chance to consider: Will we wait the right way; or the wrong way?

In today’s parable a wealthy man prepares for a long journey by entrusting his property to his servants. The return of the master is certain, but the timing is unknown. There are three servants and the man divides up his property between them according to their ability. The first servant receives five talents, the next servant two talents, and the third servant is given one talent.

Although the first man receives five times as much as the last, each receives a significant sum of money. A talent is equal to about 6,000 denarii. Since one denarius was a common laborer's daily wage, a talent would be roughly equivalent to 20 years wages for the average worker. Five talents, the largest amount given to any of the servants, is comparable to one hundred years’ worth of labor, an astronomical amount of money.

After being away for a long time, the master comes back and discovers what each servant has done with his property while he was gone. The first two servants use the master's talents wisely and as a result they double his money. Although the first servant earned more than the second, each has done remarkably well with what he has been given. They have performed according to their potential and they have been faithful in doing what the master required of them. 

The master's response to each is the same.

He commends the men for being good and faithful servants;

He entrusts them with more authority; and

He invites them to share in his "joy."

“Enter into my joy,” he tells the first two slaves.

Enter into my joy.

The third servant is not so fortunate. He admits that he was afraid to lose the master's money. To protect himself, he buried the talent in the ground. Although this may seem odd to us today, burying treasure was quite common in Jesus’ day. Sort of like us hiding our money in the cookie jar or under our mattress or in our underwear drawer.

Now, it’s important to notice that this third servant is not a bad man. He is prudent and careful with his master’s money. He’s not about to take chances. He doesn’t want to lose any of the money. It’s all there when his master returns – every penny of it He is proud of himself. “Here it is. All of it is safe and sound.” When I read this it seems like something I would do. Guard my bosses money carefully. Make sure I return every bit of it.

Yet, the master is furious.  He trusted this servant with a portion of his property.

He expected that the slave would use his abilities –

Abilities that had helped the master in the past –

In order to turn a profit; make more money for his master.

But this servant was too afraid to take a risk -- even though risky behavior was part of the master's business. Because he was afraid, he focused on his own well-being. In the end, his unfaithfulness to carry on the master's work cost him severely.

The master expected the servants to continue his business, to take risks, and to imitate his behavior. The point here is not really about doubling your money or about accumulating wealth. In fact, it’s really not about money at all.

It is about living.

                  It is about investing yourself.

It is about taking risks.

It's about Jesus himself and what he has done and what is about to happen to him in the last days of his ministry and life on earth. But mostly, it is about what He hopes and expects of his disciples – then and now – after he is gone. It is about being a follower of Jesus and what it means to be faithful to him. It's about continuing the business of the Master; taking risks, and imitating His behavior. And so finally – it is about you and me.

This parable provides a poignant picture of the divine generosity of the kingdom of heaven. A talent was originally a monetary term, referring to a particular unit of gold or silver. Historians of language believe that the modern understanding of a talent as a gift or ability was derived directly from this parable.

But in Jesus’ day, a talent was a unit of money approximating 20 years of earnings by a day laborer. Thus each of the gifts the master gave to each servant was enormous! To be entrusted with 5 talents was to be entrusted with more than a lifetime’s worth of average wages; an amount equivalent to nearly 100 years of earnings by a day laborer. This is a very generous master!

Then, the master goes away, to provide both the distance and the room needed for his servants to lead and grow and take chances and flourish.

The exceptional love of God is shown by the generosity of entrusting talents to his people;

It is also demonstrated by God’s willingness to self-limit so that we may exist and live creatively, in the image of God.

God offers gifts and space so that we may be beings who have a hand in shaping lives, communities, and futures.

It is as if there are times when God demonstrates love, not by doing things for us, but by letting us learn; by letting us use our talents.

It’s interesting that despite having been given no instructions, two of the servants know what to do once their master leaves. Using their own enthusiasm and energy, they multiply their talents for their own delight and blessing, as well as the master’s. The third servant neglects the opportunity and does nothing but bury the talent in the ground.

Faithful living is not static; yet like this third servant, we are good at knowing without doing. We are adept at holding on to a talent, knowing what we should do with it, but not doing so. We know what faithful living looks like, but we hesitate to live it. It’s risky. It’s uncomfortable. It's scary. It’s exciting!

So instead, we bury too much goodness,

Too much time,

Too much love,

Too much treasure, and

Too much talent in the ground.

In this parable, it is fear and distrust that paralyzes the third servant. His view of the master, who in giving him even just one talent keeps him fearful to the point that he rejects the master’s graciously given opportunity.

What we think about God and do in response to our master’s gracious trust is neither trivial nor incidental. We have real choices and power, with genuine consequences resulting from the ways we use our gifts and talents. What we do or fail to do shapes this world and our lives.

God gave each one of us different talents. Each of us must use them rather than bury them. Perhaps some of us feel our talent is too small to make a difference. But God doesn’t give talents that aren’t important; that aren’t needed. God gives us talents to bring about his kingdom on earth. God gives us talents and resources to benefit OUR master. We are to use our gifts, our abilities, our resources, to be faithful while we wait for our master – Jesus Christ to return.

This year when you receive your pledge package in the mail, it will include a survey asking each of you what skills; what talents; what gifts you have that can help us live into our Ministry Plan for 2015 – the plan we started to share last Sunday. The Plan that you will be hearing a lot more about in the weeks ahead. The Ministry Plan that your leadership believes is a reflection of the joy of the Spirit’s presence here at Peace. A Ministry Plan that needs your involvement; your talents.

What are the gifts, resources, talents, and abilities that God has given to you? How are you using them in a way that pleases God? That continues the work of Jesus? How will you using them as we move forward into this next season of life here at Peace?

What does faithfulness look like in a time of waiting for Jesus? In Matthew's Gospel, faithfulness is emulating the ministry of Jesus. Jesus has announced the arrival of God's kingdom by feeding the hungry, healing the sick, blessing the meek, and serving the least. Perhaps we are to do the same.

We will be asked to give an accounting of our use (or non-use) of our talents. Those who are found faithful will share in the Master's joy and hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

             What will you hear?

May His kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.

Rejoice in the Lord!

Rev. Debbie Cato

Matthew 22:1-14 and Philippians 4:1-9

Peace Presbyterian Church

October 12, 2014

Rejoice in the Lord!

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice.” This is Paul's call to contemporary faith communities on this Sunday.

Remember, Paul is writing from prison to the church at Philippi. Longing to be with his favorite church, Paul is well into long,-difficult days between his last visit to Philippi and when he will again feast with his brothers and sisters there. The Philippian church, like Paul, is also suffering. The joy that energized the community when Paul first proclaimed the gospel in their midst is waning, partly because of his prolonged absence.

As sometimes happens during uncertain times, tensions have surfaced within the Philippian community. Paul urges Euodia (Eooda) and Syntyche (Sydeehe), co-leaders of the church who seem to be at odds with one another – or perhaps even with Paul, to “Be of the same mind as Christ.”

Paul knows these women well. They struggled beside him in the work of the Gospel and even though Paul is in prison, he has heard that they are not getting along – they are disagreeing. Euodia (Eooda) and Syntyche (Sydeehe) are long-time friends and co-workers. They are leaders in the believing community in Philippi, most likely heads of house-churches who have fallen on some bad times in terms of their “doing the gospel.” Most likely their disagreements were not even substantial. Perhaps they had more to do with what projects to take on, how to worship, which activities to be involved in. But because they are leaders, their unresolved disagreements are having a negative impact on the worshiping community in Philippi. “Have the same mind as Christ,” Paul tells them. “Stand firm in the Lord. Rejoic in the Lord.”

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Paul uses the language of rejoicing to both encourage and remind his beloved brothers and sisters. Paul reminds them that they have a story of faith. They have experienced God's presence in their midst. This Greek city is home to Paul’s first church – the Holy Spirit formed a Christian church out of a bunch of pagans in the middle of a Roman controlled Greek city. Women were the head of the house churches in Philippi. God’s presence was with them as they grew in their faith and were witnesses of the good news in Philippi. Paul praises the work they have done and encourages them and the rest of the Philippian community: “Keep doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you,” he tells them. In Paul's understanding of the life of the Spirit, “joy” and “peace” go together.

Now the kind of joy that Paul refers to is not some superficial cheerfulness but a deep joy in what God has done in Christ and is continuing to do through the work of the church. The kind of joy Paul is referring to is not an emotion dependent on our circumstances. Paul is not thinking of something that is merely an emotional experience but rather he is speaking of something deep and lasting; a joy that comes through a deepening relationship with Christ. This joy is not an escape from the pain of life; it is a reconsideration and reinvestment in life from a different, liberating perspective. The fact that this joy is “in the Lord” reminds us not only that it comes from the Lord, but also that it is shared by those who live in him. This unmitigated, untrammeled joy is – or at least should be – the distinctive mark of the believer in Jesus Christ. This unmitigated joy is the distinctive mark of the body of Christ – the church.

Paul urges Euodia (Eooda) and Syntyche (Sydeehe) to resolve their differences and focus on what’s important. “Have the mind of Christ,” he tells them. Paul is a wise man. He knows that when the body has no joy – the body is dying.

I’ve witnessed that first hand. A church with no joy. The church had turned inward - existing only for itself. No longer being the church but only a social club. Gathering together on Sunday’s only to be with one another; to visit with one another. Unwelcoming to new visitors. Not wanting to grow in their faith or be engaged with the community. Feeling bitter and angry toward outside influences. The joy of the Spirit had long since gone. There was no life left in that church.

That’s not our church. Peace Presbyterian Church has a story of faith. You have experienced God's presence in your midst; you have felt the joy of the Holy Spirit. This week for the first time I saw the newspaper article announcing the first church service in the newly built sanctuary! I could imagine the joy experienced by those building this beautiful sanctuary and how it must have felt completing the job and preparing to worship in here for the first time. I actually got chills thinking about entering for the first time and sitting in the pews. Singing the first hymn, praying the first prayer – feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit here in this place that you built with your own hands.

I saw youth group pictures from years when this church was filled with families with children and youth and I could hear the laughter and noise that filled the church during those years; the life that was in these buildings. God was at work in our congregation.

God is still at work in our congregation. After decades without a youth group, the Holy Spirit moved in miraculous ways this summer and even though we don’t have families in the church with youth, we have a youth group. The joy of the Spirit is present at Peace!

We decided to collect school supplies for the children at Spring Creek Elementary and we called it Peace Presbyterian’s BIG School Supply Drive. We prayed you would participate even though we don’t have children in our congregation. You did! You bought more school supplies than would fit in the bin. They spilled onto the floor and piled up all around. The staff at Spring Creek were thrilled to see all that we collected and how it would benefit their students. The joy of the Spirit is present at Peace!

We have had our times of uncertainty; times of transition. Like the leaders at Philippi, we too have had our disagreements. We too have had our struggles. But we knew as leaders, we needed to work them out. Paul says, “Stand firm. Be one in the Spirit, as one person contending for the faith of the gospel. Have the same mind as Christ.” We knew that Peace has a wonderful story of faith and we are confident that the story isn’t finished yet. The joy of the Spirit is here. Perhaps we even heard Paul whispering, “Keep doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” Joy and peace go together.

Your leadership – your elders and your deacons came together and in doing so, they felt the joy of the Lord. In our time together, they clarified our identity as a church and how we are going to live out the everyday promises of the resurrection as the community of Christ here at Peace; how we are going to experience the ongoing joy of the Spirit.

Starting this morning, you are going to be hearing about the outcome of the work the deacons and elders have done over the last month. We are excited to share the Ministry Plan for Peace for the next year – the direction that we sense the Holy Spirit is leading Peace as a Church. A direction that will help us grow deeper in our faith, meet the needs of the congregation, and help us reach out into the community - the same community where God planted this church over 50 years ago. As you learn more, you will see that there is a role for everyone – for only together are we the body of Christ. We need all the parts to be whole. It’s what makes our joy complete! Ordinary acts bearing extraordinary gifts of God's love.

Paul uses the language of rejoicing to encourage and remind us. Our joy is found in what God has done in Christ and is continuing to do through the saints in the church. The kind of joy Paul is referring to is not an emotion dependent on our circumstances, but is a deep and lasting joy that comes through a deepening relationship with Christ. The fact that this joy is “in the Lord reminds us not only that it comes from the Lord, but also that it is shared by those who live in him. It is shared by each of us in his church.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice.” This is Paul's call to contemporary faith communities on this Sunday. This is Paul’s call to us. Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice!

May His kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen

Fee, Gordon, D. Paul's Letter to the Philippians: The New international Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1995. pp 385-413.

Bartlett, David and Taylor, Barbara Brown; eds. Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 4. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press. 2011. pp 158-163.

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Peacemaking and the Kingdom of God

Reverend Debra Cato

Peace Presbyterian Church

Micah 6:6-8 and Luke 4:14-21

October 5, 2-14

Peacemaking and the Kingdom of God

Last week, we talked a little bit about the word “Shalom.” It means so much more than peace – it means completeness, wholeness, health, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness and harmony. It means a return of all creation as God first intended it to be. Remember the Garden of Eden? As God created the Garden, Adam and Eve had everything they needed. There was nothing but beauty and peace and tranquility. There was no sin. There was, Shalom.

This is the way God intends His creation to be. Shalom. Of course we know what happened and we know that today we live in a world that is far from God's ideal. So, how do we live into the reality of the peace/ shalom/ salvation that God desires for us?

The prophet Micah writes during a time when, after a long period of peace, Israel, Judah, and the other nations of the region came under increasing pressure from the aggressive and rapidly expanding Assyrian Empire. Samaria has been destroyed by God because of its crimes of idolatry, oppression of the poor, and misuse of power.¹ The people are living in captivity.

The people are saying, “What does God want of us? Does he want bigger sacrifices, fancier sacrifices? What does he want? What do we have to give God so that he will release us from captivity?”

And what is the answer? How does God respond? “I don't want anything!

Your sacrifices don't mean a thing. Micah says, “What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Justice. Kindness. Walking humbly with God. That is what God requires. He doesn’t want more sacrifices. God wants justice. God wants kindness. God wants us walking humbly

with Him each and every day.

Imagine what the world would be like if we all lived that way. Justice. Kindness. Walking humbly with God. Sounds a bit like the Garden of Eden. Sounds like shalom.

After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, he went into the wilderness for forty days. Forty days of prayer and meditation before he began his ministry; his life work. We all know that he was tempted by the devil while he was in the wilderness – three times and he passed each test. Luke tells us that when Jesus came out of the wilderness he went back to Galilee, the region he was from. He entered a temple in Nazareth, opened a scroll and stood. Reading from the Prophet Isaiah, Jesus proclaimed to all that were there, the purpose of his life and ministry:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Good news to the poor. Release of the captives. Sight to the blind. Free the oppressed. Proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. What do you think? Sounds like the new heaven and new earth that Jesus came to proclaim – referred to as the Kingdom of God. Sounds like - Shalom.

In scripture, shalom; peace; unity –are tied to justice. In God’s world, you can’t have peace, you can’t have shalom, unless there is justice. And we see through the parables that Jesus told, and through example after example of his ministry, that God's idea of justice is upside down from the rest of the world. Counter-cultural to what we are used to; to what we are told. God’s form of justice brings shalom – wholeness, welfare, tranquility, prosperity; for all, not just some.

You cannot read Scriptures without sensing God’s heart for justice. It is pervasive throughout the Bible. The Hebrew word for justice is scattered more than 200 times throughout the Old Testament. ² Over and over again we see God’s love for the widow, the orphan, the immigrant, and the poor. We see God’s love for the marginalized, the oppressed, and the forgotten.

Let's listen to a few other Scripture passages that focus on justice:

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan,

Jeremiah 22:3 Thus says the LORD: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed.

And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.

Psalm 33:5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

Psalm 106:3 Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.

Deuteronomy 16:20 Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Psalm 140:12 I know that the LORD maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor.

Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Justice is central to who God is!

Ken Wytsma, the author of “Pursuing Justice,” wrote this definition of justice. Wytsma says:

“Justice is the single best word, both inside and outside the Bible, for capturing God’s purposes for the world and humanity’s calling in the world. Justice is, in fact, the broadest, most consistent word the Bible uses to speak about what ought to be, and it has been used throughout the centuries by Christians and non-Christians alike to describe vital areas of human and divine concern.”³

Wytsma says that “doing justice means to render to each person what each is due. Justice involves harmony, flourishing, and fairness, and it is based on the image of God in every person – the Imago Dei – that grants all people inalienable dignity and infinite worth.”⁴ Simply put: justice is doing for others what we would want done for us.”

Justice is the act of restoring to fullness something that has been harmed.

Eugene Cho, founder of One Day’s Wages says, “We lose sight of God’s promise to restore our brokenness and our fallen world. This is why for us, as Christians, the person of God, the deity of God, God’s justice, and God’s goodness are such powerful things. God’s justice is His plan of redemption for a broken world. God’s justice is renewing the world to where He intended it to be.”⁵ Justice is the pursuit of the shalom that God intended for the world and humanity. This is the reality of justice.

As the beloved children of God, it only makes sense that we should love what God loves. God invites and commands His people to not just be aware of injustice but to pursue justice. Eugene Cho says, “To be followers of Jesus, we are required to pursue justice and live justly at the same time. We do justice because justice is rooted in the character of God and therefore, it must be reflected in the character of His followers.”⁶

Jesus reflected justice in how He lived, how He loved, and how He welcomed the stranger, the marginalized, the leper, the widow, the prostitute, and the sick. Jesus reflected justice in how He confronted religious leaders, how He embraced, welcomed, and empowered women; how He confronted ethnic biases and prejudices. Jesus both loved justice and He lived justly. He calls us to follow Him.⁷

Christians believe in the gospel that is revealed to us in the life, death, and resurrection

of Christ:

A gospel that not only saves but also serves;

A gospel that not only saves but seeks to restore all things back unto the One that ushered forth all that is good and beautiful;

A gospel that not only saves but ushers in the Kingdom of God;

A gospel that not only saves but restores the dignity of humanity – even in the midst of our brokenness and depravity.

This gospel is not just for us. The gospel is good news for everyone.⁸ But the question remains, how do we live this out? How do we live into the reality of the peace/ shalom/

salvation that God has provided for us?

I was looking through the Peacemaking inserts that we've had:

     Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN pursues justice through their work with Living Waters for the World, an organization training local leaders in under-developed countries develop sustainable water systems. Access to clean water is certainly an issue of justice.

     First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth, TX works with their local public school system’s “Disrespect: It’s Not Okay” program that teaches students and adults to speak out against bullying and aggression in the schools. Providing safety and wholeness to students is certainly an issue of justice.

First Presbyterian Church in Lakeview, OR works with Lake County Crisis Center providing emergency services to victims of domestic abuse in their community. At the end of each month, the church hangs a banner expressing support of protection for women – encouraging members to raise awareness about violence and abuse, certainly issues of justice.

     Through its’ relationship with International Peacemakers, our denomination is involved in multiple efforts around the world, working for peace and justice. One example is their work with Christians in the Middle East who face persecution only because they worship Jesus Christ. Work that fosters understanding and religious acceptance in communities around the world is justice work.

Here at Peace Presbyterian Church in Eugene, we support FISH Food Bank, providing food and financial support for people in our community who are food insecure; people that are hungry. Hunger is an issue of justice and a matter of restoring Shalom to our community.

We collected school supplies, giving all the children at Spring Creek Elementary School the opportunity to have the tools they need to be successful in school. Even school supplies – providing resources so that no child goes without, this a matter of justice.

Some of you knit, and your hats and scarves go to the homeless. Or, you knit prayer shawls that provide comfort to people that are ill or dying or struggling in some other way. Some of you meet at the church and make comfort quilts that go to children when they are removed from their homes due to violence or unsafe conditions; or to little babies struggling to survive in NICUs. Can you see how each of these ministries is a work of justice? Bringing about Shalom?

These are just a few examples – I know there are other things that you do individually that are justice related. Are there other ways that we could be a church that represents peace and justice in our community? With a name like “Peace,” I can’t help but wonder if there is more we could do around issues of justice – both locally and internationally. Justice is doing for others what we would want done for us. Justice is what brings about Shalom – wholeness, health, welfare, safety, fullness – to all people.

God says we must not only love justice, we must live justly. What do you think? How are you doing? How are we doing? May His kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.

1Limburg, James. Interpretation Commentary: Hosea – Micah. Atlanta: John Knox Press. 1988. p159.

2 Keller, Timothy. “Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just.” New York: Penguin. 2010. P3.

3 Wytsma, Ken. “Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and Die for Bigger Things.” Nashville: Thomas Nelson. 2013. P9.

4 Ibid.

5 Cho, Eugene. “Overrated: Are We more in Love with the Idea of Changing the World than Actually Changing the World? Colorado Springs: Cook. 2014. P37.

6 Cho. P38-39.

7 Ibid.

8 Cho. P42.

It's O.K. to Copy!

Reverend Debra Cato

Peace Presbyterian Church

Exodus 17:1-7 and Philippians 2:1-11

September 28, 2014

It’s O.K. to Copy

Today, the lectionary has us in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. If you participate in the Acts Bible study that begins today, you’ll learn that the church in Philippi was Paul’s first church plant. Just in case you aren’t sure how Paul feels about this, his first church, let me read you a few verses from the start of his letter.

Philippians 1:3-8 “I thank my God every time I remember you, ⁴ constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, ⁵ because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷ It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.”

Paul begins his letter to the first church he planted with words like “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy;” “I long for all of you with the compassion of Jesus Christ.” Paul loves this congregation. Philippians is filled with joy and love and encouragement.

Philippians is one of Paul’s prison letters – Paul writes to his beloved congregation in Philippi from prison. It’s hard to tell from the positive tone of the letter that Paul is writing from prison, except for a brief mention in verse 7: “It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me,both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.”

I’ll be perfectly honest – I don’t think I have the strength, the courage, or the fortitude to remain joyful in the midst of the kind of circumstances Paul found himself in while imprisoned in a first century prison. But Paul’s faith is authentic. It is deep. His faith does not falter. It is later in this letter that he tells the Philippian congregation, “¹² I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” That’s the kind of faith I want! What about you?

While I was on vacation, I did not think about or worry about the church. I rested and relaxed and enjoyed my family and friends. BUT – I did continue to pray for you. It is something I do every day and something I continued to do while I was on vacation. It is a natural part of my life as your pastor. Yet it is from prison, not vacation, that Paul the pastor continues to be concerned about his flock in Philippi.

He writes to encourage them and admonish them and remind them who they are called to imitate. Listen to the ways that Paul lovingly reminds his beloved congregation that they are united through Christ. Listen as if Paul is writing directly to you – the congregation at Peace Presbyterian.

Philippians 2:1-2 “If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, ² make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”

Do you hear that? Do you doubt who you have in the Lord? Paul says even though we are all very different; even though we may like different things and have different opinions; even though we may not be friends outside of church – Christ makes us one. Philippians 2:1-2 “If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, ² make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” In Christ, we have one mind. Christ brings us together.

Even as Paul endures imprisonment and faces possible execution, he is nourished knowing that he continues to be a part of the body of Christ. It is a love that burns with desire for the flourishing of others, a love whose joy is be made complete only when all are included. Paul burns with a joy and love he desperately wants the Philippians to share. This “joy made complete” marks the realization of koinonia, the fellowship of those for whom living is Christ.

But there's more! Paul writes: Philippians 2:6-8 “[Christ] who, though he was in the form

of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷ but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, ⁸ he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross.” (pause)

The celebrated pacifist Mohatma Gandhi lived from 1869 – 1948. He was an advocate and pioneer of nonviolent  social protest and he led the struggle for India's independence from British  colonial rule . Gandhi is reported to have made this observation in the midst of his non-violent struggle for justice for his people in the face of the occupation of his native India, “I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”¹ You Christians are so unlike your Christ.

In 2007, more than 65 years later, a pastor named Dan Kimball wrote a book called They Like Jesus But Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations. Dan graduated from Multnomah Biblical Seminary and Western Seminary – both in Portland and he received his doctorate in leadership from George Fox University, in Newberg, Oregon. Dan interviewed over 2,000 people in their twenties and thirties – the missing generation. In the introduction Dan says, “As you read this book, you might get defensive at first, perhaps even a little depressed. But after listening to the people I interviewed, I experienced hope. Yes, they had some harsh things to say about the church and Christians, but as the title of this book implies, they are open to Jesus, and this give me great hope.”

I read Dan's book in 2010 and it's everything Dan promises it will be. It's exciting! It gave me great hope. It changed the way I think about the church. Young people say they don't come to church because they don't see Jesus in the church. They see hypocrisy, judgment, unloving attitudes, exclusion, harsh political agendas – things that don't represent Jesus. Young people say they like Jesus. They are just turned off by the church.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Paul wrote: Philippians 2:3-8 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. ⁵ Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷ but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, ⁸ he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross.”

We are called to be imitators of Christ, to live in a way that allows other people to see Christ in us. Paul is telling us that it is O.K. to copy Jesus.

Now an imitator is different than an impersonator and I think that's what the young people that Dan Kimball interviewed are saying – that when they see Christians, they see a bunch of impersonators. Impersonators take great pains to make people believe they are who they are not. I imagine that impersonators of Christ are members of church (members of the body of Christ), they sing the hymns and pray the prayers and mouth the words but perhaps they hold harsh judgments about those who are different; they are unwelcoming to newcomers – particularly those who look and act different; believe differently; come from a different social class, racial class. Pehaps there is a lot of infighting. Perhaps a Christian impersonator is kind in church but in the business world is harsh to employees or co-workers, rude or even cruel to neighbors. You get the picture. I think there is bit of an impersonator in all of us; trying to be someone we aren't; trying to be better than we are.

Imitators know that they strive to live up to the challenge of being a reflection of someone they look up to. It's hard to walk in the foosteps of others – particularly when the other is God! The standard is very high. We know that we will fall short. That's O.K. Paul isn't expecting perfection, he's telling us we must adopt Christlike attitudes in all aspects of our life.

So, what does it mean to be called a reflection of Christ? It is not a call to perfection, but rather an invitation to be honest with ourselves and to understand that God is doing something unique and special in each and every one of us. This is God's challenge for us to live in a manner that is counter-cultural. Paul is reminding the Philippians – and us, of the reality in which we live as believers.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.”

Understand that you are no better and no less than anyone else. You and each person around you was created in the image of God. If Christ – who is God himself could empty himself so completely that he took the form of a slave; that he took on flesh and was born in human likeness; that he completely and totally humbled himself even to the point of death; then surely Paul says, we can humble ourselves enough to think of others before ourselves.

If we could do just this – think of others before ourselves, we would indeed

     reflect the love and compassion of Christ

         live out the justice and redemption of the gospel

               transform the world because we ourselves would be transformed.

I read recently that if we want to change the world, we have to be changed first.

I think this is what Gandhi was talking about. I think this is what the young people crave to see when they say they like Jesus but not the Church. Genuine people trying to live out the call. We have to become like Jesus and Paul tells us it's O.K. to copy Jesus. He's our model.

Christian living is a process. God's timeline for each one of us is unique, and only God knows what the final product is going to look like. We can not expect an instantaneous transformation of our life's attitudes and actions, but we should expect an ongoing process of change that results from the ever-growing awareness of our need to be at a different place if we are truly Christ followers. The process begins with our conscious decision to become reflections of Christ in our actions and reactions to life.²

There's no such thing as a perfect church because every church is full of people like us. Trying hard but still human, messing up from time to time and learning as we go. But what if we decided that we were going to take our name seriously? That we were going to do more than sing “Shalom” at the end of each worship service that we were going to be a community of “Shalom”? It makes Paul's words of encouragement, consolation from love, compassion and sympathy, and joy mean all that more. It makes you sit up and take notice of his admonition to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.” Shalom means more than peace – it means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord.

      In a world with so much violence – that would be counter-cultural!

Can the world see Christ in us? Can people see Christ in you?

            May His kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen

1Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 4. Pastoral Perspective. Gilberto Collazo. p 110.

2Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 4. Pastoral Perspective. Gilberto Collazo. P 114.