⁹And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. ¹¹Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. ¹²The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. ¹³And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Finally the forces of chaos have been ordered.  The Waters no longer cover all of the base of the dome, but are gathered in one place and, as a result, dry land appears.  Now, for the first time in all of creation God pronounces it “Good.” 

The Universe, the Earth are created good.  Unfortunately, today, some misguided Christian Theologies believe that creation is bad and that someday we will be “raptured” out of this “evil” world into a perfect heaven.  Yet the testimony of Scripture is clear, God created and proclaimed the world “good.”

Other ancient mythologies of creation always saw the world as something less then good or even evil.  They even thought this world was ruled by evil spirits they needed to escape from.  Thus, believers in these other world views, would try to rid themselves of this material world in order that they might ascend into the perfection of some spiritual, ghostly heaven. 

The Creation stories of Genesis depart from these other views of creation by proclaiming that there is one God, who is the Creator of a Good Earth.

I just finished watching the Disney movie “WALL -E” where people have left a polluted earth to sail in ships in the cosmos and who now live lives of artificial joy.   To me the movie represent what most people would consider “heaven,” an eternal cruise where every selfish need is taken care of and all passion/romance has disappeared from life.  Fortunately that is not the reality of life. 

I am just beginning to learn to sail a Catamaran and I can tell you that when I am on the open ocean and “flying a hull” it is heaven to me.  Yet, after several hours of sailing it is a relief to get to port.  Perhaps life is like this, we are to enjoy the goodness of creation, and at the end of life it is like sailing into port. (Psalm 107:30)  Yet, as Christians we have the promise that death is not the end of real life and someday we will sail again.

This Thanksgiving we are called to give thanks to our Creator.  We give praise to God’s good creation by singing a verse from that old hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth,” -

“For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies:  Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.”

Peace,

Pastor John

Genesis 1:6-8

And God said, “let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and the let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so.  God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day .”

The ancients conceived of creation of as a “formless void” of churning water.  God takes this chaos and brings it to order.  After light and darkness have been separated, God separates the waters by placing waters above and under the “dome”  At first this sounds strange to modern ears.  However, if you think about it, it makes sense to a pre-scientific mind for the sky did/does look like a big huge bowl which has been turned upside down and the ancients believed that this dome (a giant upside down bowl) rotated with the sun, moon, and stars fixed in spots on the dome.  Thus the celestial objects were seen to move across the sky as the dome rotated.  Now outside and above the bowl were waters that were separated by God from the waters under the bowl.  The waters above the bowl would fall as rain on the earth when God opens “the windows of the heavens” (Genesis 7:11 - story of Noah).

We see how the ancients took their pre-scientific view of the world and used it to explain natural phenomena they saw happening on the earth.   

The key spiritual understanding is how God cared for, and made space for the human life to evolve/to be created.  For by separating the waters, God made space for human life.

Having recently moved from one of the wettest places on earth (the Midwest which not only has plenty rain but is also blessed with the fresh water Great Lakes) to one of the driest (Southern California blessed by sunlight but with little rain and a vast but salty ocean) you can readily see how water controls life.  Wild fires that are almost non-existent in Michigan but prevalent in California.

The wonderful sunset pictures, (Point Mugu) were taken last Sunday, November 16 2008, after wild fires had consumed many hillside dwellings here in Southern California.  The smoke from that terrible consumption is what made the sunsets so beautiful.  

Wild fires are a expected part of the natural order here, especially since the “windows of heaven” are rarely opened to allow rain to fall to the earth.  Yet people persist to make a dwelling in places of high fire danger and high winds (I will share more about the Santa Ana Winds another time.).

The point, which is obviously to me, (but hotly contested by developers and politicians) is that creation is constantly in danger of falling back into chaos (earthquakes, tornadoes, droughts, wild fires, hurricanes, etc) and we need to respect it.  God did create the world with “space” for potential human life, but no where in Scripture are we told that God will protect us from our own folly - building homes in a wild fire.

For instance, when I was first learning to tent camp, I realized the folly of setting up my tent in a low flat area (even if it was shaded and smooth) because when it started raining at night I woke up to find myself sleeping in the middle of steam!  Now, when I was up the next morning looking for a laundry mat to dry out everything should I have cursed God because I was stupid enough to set up a tent in a gully?  Obviously I had only myself to blame for my inconvenience and I soon learned to read the topography of the land and set up my tent on safer ground.  Yet today people build their multi-million dollar homes in fire zones and then feel like “victims” of nature or God when they burn down.

We are called in this age to be good care takers of the earth and to respect the forces of creation which are always in danger of falling back into chaos.  To neglect our responsibility to care for the earth can lead us to not only spoil (pollute) the good creation and but also to permanently degrade it through global warming. 

Good Christian theology leads us to live lives of reverence and respect for God’s world and calls us this Thanksgiving to be grateful for the place that was created for us.

Peace,

Pastor John

“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,  the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face the waters.  Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light Day, and darkness he called Night.  And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”

Good and Evil is often referred to as a battle between Light and Darkness.  However, I prefer to look at Light and Darkness as the difference between knowledge and ignorance. 

There is a strange belief among certain Christians that science is the enemy of faith.  For instance, when I tell people that I have no problems with evolution they will often look shocked.  They will then ask me…”but don’t you believe the Bible?”   I calmly assure them that I do believe the Bible, but it is my belief that Genesis tells us the “why” of creation while evolution can tell us the “how” of creation.  Often, I still get even more quizzical looks.   It seems set in the mind of these Christians that science is the enemy of faith and that evolution is Satan’s way of destroying Christianity.

 This gets me back to the difference between living in knowledge and living in ignorance.  Genesis never was intended to be a historical (at least not the way we think of history) or scientific book.  The purpose of Genesis was to tell us the “Why” of the world.

For instance, in the first five verses we learn that creation started in chaos (”a formless void”) and the breath of God (the wind) started to create order.  On the first day (Evening and morning was the standard way Hebraic thought of a new day beginning.  Thus sunset, to the Hebrew mind, was the start of a new day.) light and darkness were separated from each other and this was God’s way of ordering our world.

Today, Christians are called again to separate light from darkness, knowledge from ignorance.  Real Christianity has no fear of science.  Christian’s who fear science are in danger of living their lives in ignorance. 

Genesis chapter one is a beautiful story of Creation, from these few verses I learn that there is but one Creator or Force in the Universe (God), and it is God’s Spirit that keeps everything in order and saves us from falling into chaos.  I know in my own life, it is God’s spirit that helps me “hang together” when it looks like all is falling part.

Isn’t it much more important to learn these spiritual lessons from Genesis then to live in ignorance and fear of science by engaging in foolish debates about the “how” of creation?

 Peace,

 Pastor John

According to Wikipedia - The Maltese Falcon is one of the world’s largest sailing ships and “yet it is possible for a single person to pilot the yacht. ”

I saw the Maltese Falcon up in San Francisco while I was visiting my youngest daughter - Wendy.   We had a great time together and while we often communicate over the phone or by the Internet, there is nothing like seeing someone face to face.

The value of actually being in the physical presence with people you love is taught to us by the Apostle Paul when he writes in 1st Thessalonians 2:17b “we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face.”

The quality of the interactions I had with Wendy at breakfasts, lunches, and dinners we shared cannot compare to what the phone or computer can provide - I am grateful for the time I had with her.

The Maltese Falcon, with the aid of computer, can be sailed solo.  Certainly there are times of life to be alone, it is important for everyone, including extroverts, to have quality time to reflect on life.

However, in our rush, rush, world - we all have too easily fallen into the trap of believing that email, chatting, texting, and phone calls are a substitute for quality time together.

During Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years I implore you to make the time to see your loved ones face to face.  Plus, I invite you to make a personal connection with our community of faith on any Sunday this Season, after all, there is nothing like being here!

 Peace,

Pastor John

 Matthew 6:28-30

²⁸And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

Okay, I can almost see it…you are thrust onto the national stage with very little prep, and soon millions of people will be staring at you and judging you.  Anyone in this situation will want to look their best!  Thus you would send someone with fashion sense to buy clothes that you can make look good, and I can theorize that in the heat of that moment that you would want the best - but  $150,000?

The teachings of Jesus look to another way of living - where the goodness of the heart shines through in a way that makes the person truly beauty.  So how do we find this goodness and peace-fullness of the heart given today’s economic trauma? Especially since we are living in a world in which everyone is asking the basic questions of life that make us worry about our survival.  To all these questions Jesus gives us this advice later in Matthew 6

³¹Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³²For it is the Gentiles [people who do not know God - ed]  who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

The true blessing of being a Christian is that we are not overly concerned, “worried,” about the necessities of life.  Of course it is good to work, save, and plan - but all of that can be gone in a second (Take a moment and think how much how wealth has been ”lost” since  stock market plunge - all that planning and preparation for retirement is gone!).   All of us called to a higher level of living - one that is worry free - now that is truly beautiful! 

Getting back to my original point - whether Governor Palin will be elected to the Vice Presidency will, hopefully, be determined more on what is in her heart then the designer label on her clothes.

Peace,

 Pastor John

1 Timothy 6:10

“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and in their easgerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains”

Okay, so he’s not  a plumber, but he is a wonderful example of the common American suppositions  about wealth which I have encountered as a pastor.   I see three common thoughts we have about wealth that run counter to the New Testament  [1) Wealth is inherently good, 2) Giving to the common good drains wealth, and 3) Pursuing wealth makes you wealthy] and are now highlighted in all the talk about Joe the Plumber.  However we can correct these suppositions by following Jesus the Carpenter.

1)  Wealth is Inherently Good

The scritural quote, above,  obviously shows us that “the love of money is the root of all evil” and thus the idea that wealth is inherently good runs counter to the clear teachings of scripture.  Wealth, in the New Testament, is a rival to God.   For Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:24 that “you cannot serve God and wealth.”   Perhaps this is also the idea behind the teaching that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle then for a rich person to get into heaven. 

Instead of seeing wealth as good, a Christian looks at money as a source of temptation.  For instance, the more money someone earns the less money they tithe (as a percentage of income).  Thus, the more money you have, the more you horde it and less charitable (Christian) you become as you give your heart away to riches.

 2)  Giving to the common good drains wealth

2 Corinthians 8:9
“For you know that generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

A few verses later Paul will write - “a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need in order that there may be a fair balance.”  There is a special feeling that comes over us when we choose to help others - it is the feeling that we are continuing the work of Jesus.  God gives to us abundantly in order that we might do the work of the Gospel here on earth.

3) Pursuing Wealth Makes You Wealthy

To counter this perception, Jesus says it best in Matthew 6:33

“But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”

First of all, almost every book ever written on how people “get wealthy” starts out not with their desire for wealth!  Instead the books are about with how they had a keen interested or passion about an idea and they then pursued it with all their heart and energy (Gates, Jobs) and became wealthy in the process.   God makes us the same promise, pursue the kingdom, and everything will be added unto you!

The New Testament’s teachings about wealth remind us that the love of wealth can be a temptation  which will lead us away from God.  Instead, we are called to share out of the abundance of our resources to help those in need (and thus be blessed ourselves) and the security we often seek in life is not found in the pursuit of money, but in putting God first in our lives.

Peace,

Pastor John

A Early Christian  Meal as depicted catacomb of San Callisto (Saint Calixte Catacomb - 3rd century art).

The National Public Radio program “Speaking of Faith” is being underwritten by the Glendale Church of the Brethren.  The show is broadcast each Sunday at 4pm on 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio.  The following is Pastor John’s reflection on the latest show which can found at http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/

A frequent church tradition in the Midwest is for the community of faith to provide a meal after a funeral.  Often, loved ones and friends will travel great distances to attend a funeral.  This might be the only chance they have to connect with one another for years to come - if ever.  Christians of the church will gladly cook and serve a meal so that everyone can gather together, see each other, and hopefully give and receive comfort.

Sounds of laughter during the meal is a frequent occurrence as stories are told and retold.  In fact, one of my seminary professors stated that this was how he knew the funeral had been a good one - if the people could find joy even in the midst of their loss.  Hearing that laughter, always reminded me of the resurrection, for while believers mourn like everyone else - we have hope of new life!

Today, it is hard for Christians of the political left and right to sit down together for a common meal.  In early Christianity this meals was called the agape meal or the “love feast.”  It saddens me that we have allowed political agendas to take us away from this ancient Christian tradition and I am certain we are the poorer for it.  For when we refuse to share a common table with another believer in Jesus Christ because of political views -we miss out on a lot of love, laughter, and healing.

Peace,

Pastor John

The National Public Radio program “Speaking of Faith” is being underwritten by the Glendale Church of the Brethren.  The show is broadcast each Sunday at 4pm on 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio.  The following is Pastor John’s reflection on the latest show which can found at http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/

The first face to face meetings with someone you get to know on Eharmoney can be challenging.  The woman I was meeting was attractive, bright, and very involved in her church.   However, when the conversation moved along rather quickly to our political views and she learned  that I was leaning towards Barak Obama she quickly had a shocked look on her face.  She quickly started to interrogate me and to decide if I really had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  For in her world view, being a Democrat (and worse a possible supporter of Obama)  and a Christian were antithetical.   Needless to say, there was no second date.   The difficulty of finding “open minded” Christians who even admit to the possibility that a person can be a Democrat and a faithful Christian leaves me frustrated. 

Let me be clear, in this reflection I am not endorsing any candidate, I believe both major party candidates are qualified to be president.  It is my view that pastors are called to speak to values, challenge assumptions, and encourage their parishioners to make up their own minds about politics.  However, I am speaking out about the perception (as stated in the program) that “…if you are religious then you must be a conservative.”

The Democratic Party, in my view, has better exemplified the teaching of Jesus found in Matthew 25:44-45 (NRSV):

⁴⁴Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

When the woman across the table started quizzing me about my relationship to Jesus, my mind reflected to all the times in my 20 years plus of pastoral ministry that I had ministered to the people talked about in the verses above.  I also began to question the hubris of this woman who had reduced Christianity to a series of propositional statements instead of a faith that calls one to practice “another way of living.”  For Jesus also states in Matthew 7:21 (NRSV)

21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

I believe Jesus calls us to love and accept one another and to exemplify our faith through words and deeds.  I am proud to have friends who are of all political persuasions.   It is much healthier, in my opinion, to engage in open, honest, loving dialogues with those who differ from you…it is the best way to grow!   I need to be clear though, whenever we as Christians begin to “judge” one another based on other standards then those found in the New Testament - then we are in danger of diminishing the faith.  The worst case of this is in when I find someone who insists that Barak Obama is a Muslim and not a real Christian.  I find such talk shocking and can only conclude that the prejudice, hatred, and ignorance found in such a statement to be a result of a heart that is far from Jesus.  Obama and McCain have spoke eloquently of their faith and it saddens me to see such bigotry on display.

 At the Glendale Church of the Brethren everyone is welcome, regardless of political affiliation as we raise Christianity above politics and speak of that which unites us as Christians - Glendale Church of the Brethren “Another Way of Living - Continuing the work of Jesus, Peacefully, simply and together.”  Next week we will be looking at the Republican Party and faith. 

You are invited to register on the web site and leave your comments or contact Pastor John personally at pastorjjj@gmail.com or call him at 818 572 3130.

 

¹³“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. ¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.   Matthew 5:13-16

One year ago it was hard to tell that the Glendale Church of the Brethren existed.  There were no signs or banners proclaiming our presence or even what time we met for worship!  Now, not only do we have a very attractive sign facing Pioneer Road, but we just installed these wonderful banners facing Pacific Avenue.  The banners are in commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of the Church of the Brethren.

Sometimes we, as New Testament Christians, are too modest!  We can become so modest that we hide the light Christ has given us.  This fall we are celebrating not only our new signs and banners but also the start of radio advertising as we begin underwriting the program “Speaking of Faith” on 89.3 KPCC on Sundays at 4pm - through our sponsorship we will be witnessing up to half a million people!

Plus we are walking the walk as we talk the talk because the USC/UCLA Mobile Dental Clinic will be our church campus side in November to give free dental care to over 120 children!

Let us always remember that it is never wrong to shine Christ’s light into the world!

 Peace,

 Pastor John

I had a recent conversation with a woman about the presidential election.  She was quite animated when she told me she believed that one of the candidates was not a Christian despite his confession of faith.  When I heard this I was dumbfounded, this person, who said she was a Christian, had put herself in the role of reading people’s hearts and being able to determine if they are a Christian or not.  I can only assume that this will leave St. Peter without a role in heaven, for it seems that certain individuals here are earth have already assumed the authority to decide who is getting into heaven and who is not.

Jesus gives us a clear teaching on the dangers of judging others in Matthew 7:1-5

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. ²For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. ³Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? ⁴Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

Personally, I need to pay attention to my own salvation and my own need for forgiveness then to busy myself with what I may perceive as the defects of my neighbor.  It puzzles me, given Jesus’ clear commands to love one another, that some Christians exemplify a judgmental attitude. 

It is natural for tempers to run high during a presidential election and I am sure that in the few weeks that remain it will get really ugly.  Ageism, sexism, and racism will be used by the candidates (and/or their special groups) to play to the worst fears of the electorate.

My prayer is that Christians will exemplify the teachings of Christ in their lives by being open minded and loving and not  bigoted or narrow minded.  While extreme partisans on both sides give into the temptation to smear, Christians can let their light shine by witnessing to the power of God’s love for all people.

Peace,

Pastor John