Season’s Greetings!!  Granted, this is one of the busiest and most hectic times of year.  But it is also one of my favorite.  This season is about the greatest gift God has given us, Jesus.  Through Him we receive God’s grace, forgiveness of our sins, and through which our salvation from death comes.  In some sense, Christmas is about the beginning of Easter.  Born in a stable, with some hay and a feeding trough for a bed is how we welcomed our savior.  Lowly, dismissed, little more than a shadow of a blip on the radar.  The world was unaware of what was going on, of how precious this little baby was! 

How often do we meet people throughout our days that never register to us.  How often we interact with people regularly yet know nothing about who they are!  How many people do we know information about but don’t know a thing about them? 

God gave us a wondrous gift in Jesus so that we might live a life free from sin, a life called to care.  So while this is an extremely hectic time of year, take a moment to learn the name of that person you see everyday.  Ask your neighbor about who they are that is more than objective facts or what they think about the weather.  In short, take an interest in others.  What a gift we have in Jesus!  May God give you the strength to share this gift with others in this season of giving. 

 Pastor Ron

I originally wasn’t going to write anything on this as many people are saying stuff already, but because many of you have asked me what I thought about “Touchdown Jesus” burning to the ground I thought I should post some thoughts to spur some productive conversation.

As you know the Solid Rock Church has become the talk of the town and country over the past couple weeks when the rather large Jesus statue was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground during a storm.  Nicknamed “Touchdown Jesus,” the statue sat next to the highway for all to see.  And now nothing is left but the steel frame. 

As with any act of nature, or act of God, many are saying it is a “sign from God.”  There have been many “signs” over the years and interestingly enough it seems that these “signs” always represent a punishment from God.  From events such as the Katrina Hurricane to the earthquake in Haiti, some Christians have declared such events to be “from God” and this event is no different.  Almost immediately people announced that the lightning strike was a sign from God noting that there is an adult book store sign near by the statue that was not harmed.  The word on the street is that God is saying something to the members of Solid Rock Church. 

But what is the message?  That it’s time for a new statue?  That adult book stores are a good thing? Or that the adult entertainment industry is behaving more appropriately than the members of Solid Rock?  In times such as this, I encourage those who are quick to speak for God and interpret events as “signs from God” to be cautious because there is an awful lot of room for unguided interpretation.  And so, I would like to spend a couple minutes talking on this issue.

The book of Job is a great place to start as one of the purposes of this writing addresses the theological point that sin and suffering are not necessarily related – as it was not God but the Devil who caused Job to suffer.  Also, Job suffered not because he was sinful, but because he was righteous. 

The two points here are: 1) the Devil has power to cause suffering and 2) suffering is not a result of sinfulness. 

In the Gospel of John 9:2-3 we read: “His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.’” (NRS)  “Born blind” or the NIV translates “this happened.”  The point here is something “bad” happened not because of sin and that God was going to use that “bad” thing to reveal God’s works. 

My point is this, there needs to be a level of clarity if we are to say that an event was caused by God and the reason why.  For example:

-          Perhaps the statue of Jesus that once stood was struck down by God so that people would start theological discussions and bring some to faith. 

-          Or perhaps the Devil struck it down as a deterrent to the faithful. 

-          Then again, perhaps this was in fact a punishment by God for the infraction of creating an idol image (Exodus 34:17  “You shall not make cast idols.”)

The reasons are plentiful, and the solution rests in our understanding of God. 

-           Do we believe in a God that causes bad things to happen or a God that provides us strength during difficult times? 

-          Do we believe that bad things happen for a purpose or that a purpose comes out of bad things?  (See the Abraham narrative for a scriptural example of this).

Much has been said about theodicy (the study of God and why bad things happen).  But I have found these questions to be good guides to start our conversation. I’m looking forward to your responses!  Until then, may you find Peace in the storms of life that can only be found in the Love of the Spirit.

Pastor Ron

Ever feel like life is overwhelmingly busy?  Apart from being the awesome pastor, husband, and father that I am (not including all the other hats I wear!) I am also a home owner.  Yep, I’ve got the American dream of debt and the burden that comes with it.  When we purchased our home, a couple weeks later a parishioner gave me a bit of a warning when he said “owning a home is a great thing, but it is also a full-time job.”  And boy he wasn’t kidding!  The honey-do list is long and no sooner do I finish one project than two more are added to the list.  And that’s not including the daily/weekly tasks of cleaning, laundry, and mowing.

I frequently stop by Grace and Mercy, a local outreach to the community that provides lunches, food pantry, clothing, and other resources to those in need.  When I visit I almost always meet some great people, from a wide variety of places in life and yesterday was no different.  I was talking with one of the volunteers who asked me how thing were going and we got talking about some of the items on my project list that are starting to become pressing, like create a nursery before July 19^th!  (That’s when my wife is due.)  Is it needed?  Absolutely and the time is getting shorter. 

One of the benefits of visiting places like Grace and Mercy is I get to experience the love of Christ that keeps me in perspective by reminding me of the blessings that I have been given. 

While I was there, this same volunteer that I was talking with had talked to a man who is a frequent client. He is homeless and sleeps under a bridge that he calls home.  Today is his birthday and she had offered to pick him up and bring him to Grace and Mercy for lunch where they were going to celebrate his birthday.  Her offering and his current situation put a hard critique on my to-do list.

While everything on my to-do list is important, and we really do need to have a space for the new one to sleep!, I am also reminded to put such items in their place.  What is more important: have the nursery prepared for her, or get me and my wife prepared?  Mow the grass or play ball in the yard with family and friends?  Basically, celebrate the gifts that are truly important or fuss with the details.  I’ll give you a hint, if you are finding yourself saying “I’m suppose to be enjoying this, but right now I’m over stressed and it has become a burden” then you need to take a look at what you are burdened with.  Ask yourself what is on your list.

Admittedly, no where on my honey-do list does it say “celebrate.”  When a job is finished, on to the next.  Rest when the work is done.  Our lives are like this list: go to work, pick-up the kids, go to practice, get groceries, go to doctor appointments, attend events, eat dinner quickly, clean something, fold something, wash something, crash on your pillow for a couple hours sleep to wake up and do it all over. 

We stress out about our jobs, but don’t celebrate employment.

We stress out about the projects that need to be done at home, but don’t celebrate a place to sleep.

We stress out about our kids, but lose ourselves in frustration and fatigue.

The old saying, “you don’t know what you have until it is gone” is true because we are so busy stressing over having it that we miss the celebration of having it. 

Celebrating is the difference between have to and get to.  If I have to create a nursery it is a burden, but if I get to create a nursery then I am celebrating.  If I have to take time with friends, it will not be an enjoyable time.  If I have to mow the grass then I will loath doing so.

So how are you celebrating your life today and the blessings that God has given you?  Our lists of things we have to do can be consuming, causing us to become so overwhelmed with anxiety and frustration that we haven’t celebrated in a while, and at times find nothing to celebrate for. 

Like I said, the client was homeless and slept under a bridge.  Yet he was not complaining about it, instead he celebrated the blessing that came in his life.  And today he is celebrating his birthday with people who have taken the time to befriend him.  Not because they have to, but because they get to. 

We are called to emulate Christ in our lives.  Remember Christ did his ministry at parties and weddings, dinners with friends and strangers alike, and occasionally he sought seclusion to rest.  So, if you are list driven, insert a few more items: spend time with family, drink a glass of wine with friends, and celebrate the things that God has given you today.

“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”  This was a heading on a newspaper article I read earlier this week, and a cliché warning of basic rule of thumb to life.  Thanks to all the scam artists and con artists the world has been painted with a dark shadow of doubt and this warning holds true to any of the plights painted on their victims.  The paper article I read talked about a mailing scam that basically portrays the illusion that you will receive a lot of money, but first you had to mail them money to pay for fees and expenses.  So here is my warning to you all, if it is too good to be true, it IS; don’t mail in money or personal information to someone you don’t know with the illusion that you’ll receive something in return.  Similarly don’t purchase something for $100 that is really worth $10,000 – it is most likely a fake, broken, or stolen.

The important word here is probably because you never know something legit could come your way with a really good opportunity associated with it.  And it is this glimpse of possibility that people get suckered in for all sorts of scams.  But I must say this warning out of both sides of my mouth as we celebrate Easter – the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.  We proclaim God’s love through Jesus and an undying love for us that surpasses all of our sinfulness.  To those who are suffering, to those who feel that they have screwed up beyond hope and help, God’s love can lift you up.  God loves you, for you, not because of what you have or have not done.  God values your life because you are precious in His sight.  Yet such a love sounds too good to be true.  The thought that anyone would love me, a retched sinner, is beyond measure.  And so we put up or defenses and listen to the world which is telling us “it’s too good to be true.”  The possibility of complete forgiveness is nothing more than a story we Christians made up to make ourselves feel better.  The passion of the cross, the message of this Holy Week, is just a public show to convince people that it is okay to sin, it is okay to hurt others, steal, lie, and do morally questionable things.

To this often criticized claim, it ought to be said that Jesus died for you, because He loves you and for no other reason.  And yes this concept is hard to grasp because is appears too good to be true.  However, I’m telling you that it is not.  Christ’s love in your life is real, God’s acceptance of you for you is real.  Yet, that doesn’t mean you can live your life like you always have.  We all sin, we all slide down the path of sinfulness but to be Christian means stepping off of that path and walking in the ways of God.  By this I mean through Christ’s death on the cross we find ourselves empowered with His love to share God’s acceptance with others.  And this action is not always so easy.  It can be difficult to stand up against others who are putting a person down.  It is difficult to say “I am a Christian” knowing that some of our best friends would stop talking to us or we might be excommunicated at work. 

To be a Christian means working diligently everyday to uphold the values of love, which are spelt out in the 10 Commandments and the Gospel teachings of Jesus.  And they are difficult to bear at times.  To be a Christian doesn’t mean we live perfect lives, it means we know the way we ought to live and everyday we are reminded that we fail to live up to that standard.  And everyday we live in the shadow of the Christ, the constant reminder of Jesus who died for us and continues to live through us so that everyday we wake up empowered and strengthened to face the new challenges of that day. 

As we enter into the 4 days of Holy Week, I invite you to reflect on your life in the shadow of the cross.  This Friday (Good Friday) we will hold a “Service of Shadows” and I want to invite you to join us at 7:00pm. 

May the Lord bless you in your journey to the cross this week.

Pastor Ron

It’s at http://friendshipcincy.org/pastor.htm.

From Man in the Mirror, Dr. Patrick Morley

“Meaningful ministry must call people to right things: surrender, sacrifice, suffering, and service; not to success. It must help people discover their identity and purpose in Christ, not in satisfying worldly ambitions. It must help them discover their spiritual gifts and calling, rather than endorse the pursuit of pleasure. It must help men and women discover God’s will rather than encouraging them to write their own script–a script that invariably includes a constant desire for more and more things.” (http://www.maninthemirror.org/alm/alm183.htm)

Our journey through Lent is about reflecting on our life and lifestyle.  It calls us into accountability for our actions as well as repentance.  At the base of it all, this is a season of remembering who we are – followers of Christ – and what is really important – faith in Him.

This season is hard because we are so far removed from this context that we cannot relate.  Here in America, our day-to-day lives are focused on materialism, individualism, and caustic suffering.  That is to say, we are focused on our jobs only for what it gives us (money, power, influence, etc.); we are focused on our selves, our family, our community, that looking to our neighbor can be difficult; within our system of belief is a God who is all loving and all powerful so when things go wrong there must be a cause, a reason for it, and when I cannot find a reason my faith in God disintegrates. 

We can break through this American norm by taking the time to reflect on what are priorities are and what they should be.  And then develop a plan to change our lifestyles to reflect how we truly want to live and act.  Finally, we act on that plan.  But more significantly faith is not about changing your life, but the lives around you as well.  Therefore, discuss how your life is being transformed this Lent with another person.  Your conversation may be just what they need to begin their journey of living more fully for Christ.