Pastoral Perspective… On Excellence… From the Start through the End…

In a quote attributed to William Arthur Ward, pastor Bill Teng from National Capital Presbytery recently shared a thoughtful note of gratitude on the notion that tears "prepare our eyes for a clearer vision of God". I understand and appropriate this to mean that, upon our countenance becoming awash with tears, our eyes are hence provided for a renewed clarity of insight concerning our perceptions and perspective of God. In the aftermath, we gain a keener sense of who God is, what God has in mind and is about doing, and what God has in store for us. Tears "prepare our eyes for a clearer vision of God."

 
 

As I read this, again, the passage of Saul on the road toward Damascus when scales fell from his eyes in the process of changing to Paul comes to mind. I am reminded of a personal sense of cleansing that occurs when tears are shed through one's eyes, flowing upon the face, moistening cheeks touched by the very healing power, gracious presence and tendering mercies of God.

 
 

This month, as we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11, I imagine and share in, along with many others in this nation and world, a salutary stream of solvent tears over the years. As we may find ourselves from time to time encountering some sobering times in and through life even over the past decade, the Lord of heaven and earth continually carries and brings us to and through transforming moments by which we experience the very heart of grace whose tears fell down upon the garden's ground at Gethsemane.

 
 

We are, dear ones, treasured and beloved children of God in Whose eyes we are forever eternally precious and by Whose hands, arms and shoulders we are always beheld and ever being carried forward with tender care. It is within this context and present, ongoing reality of God's love for us that we are enabled and empowered to exhibit excellence by the grace and for the glory of God.

 
 

As the apostle Paul writes to the saints in Philippi, "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8) While many may experience the onslaught of terribly tragic tribulations, ever are we also presented opportunity to rise above situations in the circumstances of humanity to exercise valor and in humility display a depth of determination to persevere together in prayer.

 
 

Throughout the highs and lows of life in lives lived by faith, we are called and resolved to relieve one another in Christ toward the redemptive, reconciling purposes of the Lord. Under the sovereign grace of almighty God Whose banner over us is love that shields us, protects us, and covers a multitude of sins, we are set free in the way, the truth, and the life to glorify and enjoy God forever.

 
 

Therefore, as ones holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and above all put on love which binds all together in perfect unity. Let your light shine before others that they may truly witness and experience the glory and grace of God at work in and through you for the blessing of many in the Lord. From the very start, on to and through the end, may you exude excellence in the Lord alone Who gives you strength for the journey ahead.

 
 

Do not give up meeting together and being wholly present to, with and for one another as some are in the habit of doing. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, praying and sharing in the Word with each other. Raise the standard, lifting high the cross of Christ, fixing our gaze upon the Holy and Anointed One Who is the very healing of our lives—the author, pioneer and perfecter, finisher of our faith. Let tears "prepare our eyes for a clearer vision of God." The One Who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it.

 
 

In Christ Jesus our Lord,

Pastor Rex

Pastoral Perspective: On Times of Transition

Rick Warren, pastor, author of "The Purpose Driven Life", recently remarked on the subject of grief in the following comment posted via Twitter.
(This may be timely even for our community in light of yesterday's accident.)

RickWarren

@RickWarren Rick Warren

You never get OVER grief; You get THRU it. Grief is God's tool for transitioning thru life's losses. Grief is healthy.

19 Jul via Twitter from <http://twitter.com/#!/RickWarren/status/93337220592836609>

 
 

Pastor Rick's statements on this topic speak to transitional events which bear some striking similarities of resemblance in my own recent, personal experience—of grieving and otherwise. I have also heard others in grief groups from other settings for whom these same remarks sound resonant with their situations.

 
 

The occurrence of grief at the loss of a loved one is an ongoing process that one goes through. Rather than attempting to "get over it", it can be more helpful and beneficial to actually allow oneself to experience it.

 
 

Now that may mean different things and/or different ways to do so for different people. But I can tell you that whenever I have tried to either ignore, suppress, or dismiss a wave of grief that may suddenly begin to wash over me, sooner or later it eventually backfires on me and an ensuing backlash seems to imminently happen upon me with sometimes even greater intensity. These bursts of grief can at times be, if you will, a beast of a burden.

 
 

As emotional creatures, our humanity appears to bear witness all the more from Scripture with regard to our being "fearfully and wonderfully made" in the image of and by our Creator. The words "human" and "humility" can be derived from the Latin "humus" which pertains to the ground of our being from the soil and dust of the earth. We had best remember this while navigating through the transitions of our lives.

 
 

Whenever we are tempted to deny that reality and the truth of where and how God has placed us in the grander scheme of things in space and time, the opportunity presents itself for us to either embrace the experience or be braced by it. We are after all, as the saying goes, only human. Who do we really think we are… to act as if we could control such an involuntary event of the soul? That belies the essence of our substance. What pride and arrogance for us to posit that we can ultimately hold the reins of our destiny!

 
 

No, dear beloved ones. The Lord of life is either the one and only Lord over all, or He is not Lord at all. If there is one constant, continually echoing strain of thought from the theology and tradition of our reformed faith, it is that Jesus Christ is Lord. Indeed, a high view of God's sovereignty is the very hallmark of our belief as God's people and children of the Lord. And this bears witness in and through all things, including the experience of grief and loss itself as they might be used as the Lord's instrument to help us in and through times of transition to the glory of God.

 
 

So whatever happens, come what may, let the power, presence, comfort and healing grace of God's Holy Spirit carry each and everyone in and through the challenges of the days before us. The times ahead hold the promises of God to find their yes anew in Christ Jesus our Lord!

 
 

To Him be the glory,

Pastor Rex

Do you know any self-identifying "ex-"church attenders?

"I'm an ex-Catholic." That's what some folks from the Roman Catholic tradition are apparently referring to themselves these days. On NBC's Today show, host Matt Lauer and company recently visited the Vatican. In an interview with the archbishop from New York, Timothy Dolan, they remarked in conversation together that for the first time, there's a sizeable group of Catholics who are saying, "I'm no longer Catholic." Father Dolan acknowledged that we've always had a group of Catholics who say, "I'm kind of lax [in attending church]", but "these are people leaving [the church]".

 
 

"42% say they don't attend services on a weekly basis. That can't be good news for the church. Have you been able to get your arms around the main reason... the main reason why it's happening?" the archbishop was asked. He responded:

"Those are chilling, sobering statistics and we bishops have to look at it square in the eye. No pastor is going to be content with statistics like that, to get our people back, to excite them about the faith. That remains a high pastoral problem.

Why are people leaving? I think some of them are leaving because of scandal. I think some of them are leaving because of materialism and temptations in life. I think some are leaving because they're on one side or the other that maybe the Catholic church has modernized too much and others because it hasn't modernized [enough]."

 
 

It may suffice to say at the very least that this is a multi-faceted challenge for members of the church in leadership to grapple and wrestle with in attempting to address. One aspect that comes to mind has to do with our sense of self. What does it really mean for us to find our true identity in Christ? How do we view and regard "the church"? Do we have right thinking and well informed understanding of God's intended purpose for the body of Christ that is "the church"?

 
 

These are questions of ecclesiology and missiology that challenge the ongoing formation of our theology of the church of Jesus Christ. How we view ourselves in the greater missional context of the whole community of believers in Christ worldwide will in a fundamental way impact our actions and/or inactions in matters of religion, faith and spirituality.

 
 

One thing I have come to in thinking further upon these things… It's going to take more than just any one person. But it can and does begin with one encouraging another. Do you know any self-identifying "ex-"church attenders? Encourage them to attend again! Find a way to winsomely invite them once more to experience God's ever welcoming, loving, open arms of embrace with kindness and grace.

 
 

With our New Castle community's inordinate amount of snow days used this past winter into spring having extended the school year into the middle of June, you and I may be tempted to take as big and as long a break as we can from the regularity of scheduled activities throughout the short summer months we have left. And yet, I want to encourage you and me/myself, all of us to consider and/or reconsider.

 
 

The writer in Hebrews (10:24-25) exhorts the hearer of the Word in this way: Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

 
 

As king David proclaimed in the Psalms, may each and every one of us in Christ also say: I was glad when they said unto me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord!"

 
 

Pastor Rex

a time to weep… a time to search….

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

 
 

The writer in Ecclesiastes 3 writes that "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." While some may feel otherwise, for me and others among us in the Presbyterian Church (USA), it is "a time to weep… [and] a time to search," praying before the throne of grace for the wisdom of God concerning how we may move forward in faith from this point on.

 

As Presbyterians For Renewal (PFR) has stated in a recent pastoral letter to fellow Presbyterians:  

Amendment 10-A has now been approved by a majority of the presbyteries within the PC(USA).  While the ongoing voting in remaining presbyteries is important, both as a means of faithful witness and for the sake of understanding the state of our divisions, the biblical standard of fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman and chastity in singleness will soon be removed as an explicit denominational standard for ordination and/or installation of church officers. 

 
 

Amendment 10-A is a change in the language of the Book of Order proposed by the 2010 General Assembly.  It calls for the removal of paragraph G-6.0106b:

 

"Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to re-pent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament."

 

and replaces it with:

 

"Standards for ordained service reflect the church's desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240; G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate's calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate's ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003).  Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates."

 

Proponents of the changed wording will argue that the passage of Amendment 10-A, in and of itself, changes nothing for those who remain committed to upholding historic orthodox teaching. Technically they are correct.  Explicit language will be removed from the Book of Order that, for the vast majority of Jesus' followers around the globe and for many who are still within the PC(USA), remains implicit.  

Passage of this amendment does not mandate the ordination of practicing gay and lesbian deacons, elders, and ministers, although some people within the PC(USA) and the majority of people outside the denomination will read it as though it does.  

 

In view of recent events in the continuing voting by presbyteries in the PC(USA) on various proposed amendments issued from last year's General Assembly, it is important to take note of the following.

First, we must affirm what has not changed:

• Jesus Christ is Lord-this has not changed and never will!  Remember Jesus' words, "I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).
  
• The ultimate victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death has not been compromised!  No action taken by the PC(USA) can threaten our Lord's redemptive purpose.
  
• Scripture still clearly teaches that God intends the gift of sexual intimacy to be expressed within a lifelong covenant of marriage between a man and a woman.  No vote by the PC(USA) can change God's truth.
  

Within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), other important realities have not changed: 

• Congregations and presbyteries have the right and the responsibility to examine and elect Deacons, Elders, and Ministers of the Word and Sacrament. 
  
• The new constitutional language, though lacking the clear expression of "fidelity/chastity," does not require us to violate our understanding of biblical standards. 
  
• Our Book of Order can be amended again.  We who oppose this decay in ordination standards are still free to work to restore the clarity that has been lost and even to raise the level of accountability.
  

This is not a time for panic or for ill-considered actions that could potentially damage our mission and witness even more than the passage of Amendment 10-A.  Neither is it a time for pretending that we can continue to "do church" as we have before.  Instead, this is the time for:

• focused prayer on repentance for our own unfaithfulness and wisdom for the future;
  
• new covenanted fellowships within and perhaps beyond the PC(USA) based on closer theological agreement, which will support continued biblical faithfulness, and;
  
• sober assessments of the options we have for ministry with integrity.
  

A pastoral letter from several former Moderators of the General Assembly of the PC (USA) was also recently issued stating:

Jesus Christ is Head of the Church, and continues to guide and direct it.  The decision to adopt Amendment 10-A does not bind the conscience of any Presbyterian, nor does it create a mandate for ordaining particular individuals. Instead it directs each congregation and presbytery to prayerfully discern the gifts and call of each candidate for ordination, guided by Scripture and the confessions. And it calls all ordained officers to "submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ."

 

In 1 Chronicles 12:32, Scripture tells us that at a critical time in the life of the people of Israel, the tribe of Issachar "understood the times and knew what Israel should do."

 

Your elected Elders on Session and I are seeking wisdom and discernment as we prayerfully consider our options with the leading and direction of God's Word and Spirit. Please pray along with us that we might more fully understand the times we are in and know what we should do as a people of God in this place.

 

Seeking the heart and mind of Christ, with you, I am

 

Pastor Rex

A Theology of Lament in Worship on Good Friday

As I have found myself repeating upon reflection through this Holy Week, the saying continually comes to mind that "you can't have Easter without Good Friday." In his piece for Reformed Worship "On Good Friday", Dr. John D. Witvliet writes of our liturgical need for lament in the spiritual life of those seeking to live out their faith in Christ.

 
 

Professor Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, states that, ideally, worship on Good Friday ought to "include [a number of] elements. We should narrate Jesus' death. We should sense the profundity of his passion. We should acknowledge the world-changing ramifications of the cross for the salvation of the world." He goes on to say that "lament is a key ingredient in worship that arises from honest, soul-searching faith." <http://www.reformedworship.org/magazine/article.cfm?article_id=620>

 
 

As some may imagine, I myself have recently experienced blessed occasions for receiving comfort and peace over the last year as the Lord has led me to find solace in the psalms of lament throughout the scriptures. There is a sense in my own journey of faith, especially of late, and indeed, a deepening experiential knowledge, of that which makes for a more holistic encounter of the holy.

 
 

Among all the reasons we might have for coming to worship, we come, I believe, in order to meet with God. I certainly do not come to be entertained, wined or dined. Nor do I attend or intend to be amused. When I come to church, I come with a sense of adventure, awe and expectation that the Awesome Lord God Almighty is coming, too, waiting to welcome and warmly embrace every one of us with such love, mercy, grace and generosity.

 
 

Our experience of the divine, while we attempt to live the Christian life as Jesus' disciples, is meant to encompass the whole of what it all means for us to follow the Holy One Who was and is both fully human and fully divine. Can you try along with me to grasp and get this in any way at all, beloved? It seems way too big, writ large, overwhelmingly huge for us in our humanity to wholly comprehend. It's a mystery. It is the mystery of life in faith. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. The sinless, holy God in Jesus Christ went through it all in order to identify with you and me. Huh?!? What was that? Come again? You're telling me… (as the Word tells us) that He Who was and is without sin, suffered, died and became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God! Woe, hold on there, wait a second…. How much love can there be? So much for the whole world to see…

 
 

John Witvliet continues to write…

 
 

Fairly early in the medieval period, the Roman church was in a process of paring down the typical Sunday service. One of the places for trimming was the lengthy intercessory prayer (even then, the "long prayer" was perhaps too much for people's short attention spans). Yet several liturgists, probably quite conservative ones, stepped in to preserve that lengthy prayer for use on one day of the year—Good Friday. For centuries thereafter, Good Friday was the occasion for the longest and most intense prayer of the entire year.

The instincts of these liturgists have much to teach us. For part of what we celebrate on Good Friday (and the word "celebrate" is crucial) is that Christ has completely identified with us in suffering, even to death (Isa. 53:12; Heb. 4:14-16). On Good Friday we hear again Christ pray the lament of Psalm 22:1, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"? On Good Friday, we remember how wondrous it is to have a savior-intercessor who is able to sympathize with our weakness (Heb. 4:14-16; 5:7-9).

What better time than this to practice a spiritual discipline of lament? What better time than this to express solidarity with those who suffer, including Jesus himself? On Good Friday, we lament not to Jesus, but with Jesus.

 
 

Dearly beloved ones in the Lord, if Jesus did all this so that He could be identified to be with us, shouldn't we in return take Him up on His invitation and come join with Jesus in solemn intercessions before the throne of grace?

 
 

Lord, though we may like the disciples before us fall asleep in the garden of yours and our prayers, may you find us faithful in, to and for the end of your glory in praying for us all.

 
 

In solidarity with you, together in Christ, we pray

Amen.

Pastor Rex

Giving Up for Lent

"Giving up for Lent."

 
 

I sometimes wonder at meanings we may give to words and phrases arranged and/or uttered in a particular way.

 
 

Take the sentence fragment quoted from the title above. Is it referring to what one may be giving up during the Lenten season? (I read a Facebook status recently that stated something like, "It seemed to work well for me last year, so this year I am again giving up fasting for Lent." :) Which leads me to wonder what anyone might indeed be "giving up for Lent." And not just giving up, but doing in place of. That is, instead of just refraining or abstaining from a particular item and/or activity, the person "giving up" something substitutes another thing or action in its place. For example, when fasting, the time one would have spent eating may instead be devoted to praying.

 
 

Another way one might interpret "Giving up for Lent" is to take it as a report of how contributions are currently coming in so far this spring. (In other words, one could understand it to mean that the giving of tithes and offerings is up higher for the forty days in the months of March and into April.) In this case, I would imagine that these words could be found especially encouraging as among some favorable signs of health and recovery for the leaders of a church congregation to consider with recent challenges in the world's economy.

 
 

In these lengthening days of Daylight Savings Time throughout the season of Lent, how will you be spending your time? What are you "giving up for Lent"?

 
 

During this season from Ash Wednesday leading up to Holy Week and Easter, I am "giving up for Lent." I am giving up to God the events of the last year or two in the life of my family and household of faith. I am increasingly continuing on in giving up any semblance of any effort on my part to try to make it through the rest of my life by myself on my own apart from dear friends and family in the Lord in our community. I, literally, give up! I am giving up, so that, to paraphrase the lyrics of a song by The Beatles, I may more than just "get by with a little help from my friends."

 
 

Friends, what is more, I am giving up everything I have experienced and may continue experiencing for, as the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians (3:8), "the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." As James (1:2) tells us, "Consider it all pure joy!" Give it up! Give it all up. Give it all over to Jesus. He can take it. He'll take what ever we may have to offer our Lord. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. (Matthew 11:30) He'll carry us on through toward greater grace and heights for God's glory and our good. This Lent, let one and all giving up for Jesus be ever so

 
 

in His Peace,

Pastor Rex

on our understanding of God's election

According to Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, written by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Office of Theology and Worship, "No one is saved apart from God's redemption in Jesus Christ. Yet we do not presume to limit the sovereign freedom of God . . . Thus, we can neither restrict the grace of Jesus Christ to those who profess explicit faith in Christ nor assume that all people are saved regardless of faith.
Grace, love and communion belong to God, and are not ours to determine." W. A. Visser't Hooft wrote, "I don't know whether a Hindu is saved: I only know that salvation comes in Jesus Christ."

 
 

This may be unsatisfying for those who wish to leave no question unanswered. Hans Küng and other Catholic theologians have criticized it as being irresponsibly neutral. It is, however, in harmony with the attitude of humility that Jesus commanded in discussions about the reach of salvation. Repeatedly, he cautioned against judging, that is, thinking that we know God's judgments. Jesus' parables and other statements about the last day are full of surprises and reversals. "Reformed theology has always taught that salvation is ultimately in God's hands, beyond the pale of human understanding." According to John Calvin, "We must leave to God alone the knowledge of his church, whose foundation is his secret election."

 
 

The admission that we do not know the limits to God's wondrous grace does not lessen the joyous responsibility of Christians to share the good news of Christ with others. To be a Christian is to be claimed by Christ, to know that we are loved by God, and to be called by God to a life of purposeful service. To withhold this knowledge is to be indifferent to the needs of others. As Christians we are entrusted with the biblical story of God's way in the world, and especially with the good news of Jesus. We must tell that good news to others — not because we do not respect them, but because we love them. Many non-Christians may be better, godlier persons than we are; but we are the ones who have been called to share the story. We are to share it humbly, without coercion, trusting the Holy Spirit to use it to touch the hearts of those [with] whom we speak.

 
 

Pasted from <http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/theologyandworship/issues-grace/>