I believe whole-heartedly that this life of following Jesus is ALL about the living of Agape Love - not a feeling, but the active commitment on the behalf of the other, even stranger and enemy and especially the most vulnerable among us.
God has granted me this vision for life and ministry. I believe that I have been prepared my whole life to be an advocate for those rejected, disenfranchised, downtrodden - the held down, back and out - and that it is consistent with what God has shown in the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels, centered in Agape Love.
In our worship this morning at Glenside UCC, we were given an opportunity to take time to consider in thought and prayer the struggles we go through and how God lifts us in the midst of them. This is my prayer...
God of Grace and Mercy,
Grant me BALANCE in these troubling days of blatant lies and intentional effort to further hurt the most vulnerable, to
STAND WITH the downtrodden,
STAND UP to injustice and hatred, and
STAND AGAINST greed, lust for power and desire for status that create unhealthy and unloving, unsustainable environments in which your children languish.
Help me, Lord, to be their advocate without losing MY humanity,
and without becoming unkind and ungracious myself.
Balance my strong desire to advocate and directly oppose the hateful and hurtful
with Kindness and Grace, so that my pugilistic spirit is not ALL that others perceive.
There are enough angry voices now, Lord, so let me speak truth unambiguously with
Directness, but in Kindness and act out of Graciousness.
I wrote it. I prayed it. I mean it.
I will strive to live the pointing out of truth in the midst of lies, the standing with and standing for justice in the face of injustice, the demanding of equal and equitable treatment for all God's children and the empowerment of the powerless, being a voice for the voiceless. I will strive to do it with directness and unwavering determination, but also in Kindness and Graciousness.
The Agape Love that Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for me, as we have that in the Gospels, compels me to do no less. I am a follower of Jesus - a Person of the Way of Jesus.
So, help me, God.
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Humility... Jesus' Way...
It is no secret as to what I believe are the unfaithful empire values of Jesus' teachings as we have them in the Gospels.
Greed - love for wealth that is meant for God and Neighbor
A sickness of being insatiable when it comes to our acquisitiveness - "affluenza"
Being conservative with one's abundance, rather than generous
Jesus taught generosity with liberality regarding our abundance (anything beyond
having just enough), toward the well-being of all.
Lust for Power - driving desperation to have power over other people
To have control over others so that they may be exploited for one's own gain
To have the ability to manipulate systems and other people for one's own pleasure
Jesus taught self-control and the sharing of power with others toward healthy,
loving community well-being.
Desire for Status - a desire to be recognized above others, honored more than others
To have influence by virtue of position and standing in/above society
Jesus taught humility instead of hubris, servitude rather than entitlement and
an unassuming character rather than arrogance.
In my earliest (bad) writing, I called this America's UNHOLY TRINITY:
Mammon
Mars
Bacchus
Even in the church, we find false and unfaithful theologies and teachings to feed these forms of
idolatry, which is, of course what this is - the raising of self in importance above others... even, to the level of where God should be in our lives.
Churches have given in to America's Idolatry with:
Prosperity Theology - the false belief that Jesus wants us to be rich, or that a person
who worships, praises and tithes will be blessed monetarily by God, when Jesus
taught that all should have enough, rather than some having in abundance while
others go without, and that we should find satisfaction in enough and give thanks
and praise for that. Community well-being is found in all having enough. Some
being "more" blessed and highly favored than others does not edify all of God's
children, and the truth is that the only ones getting rich off Prosperity Theology
were the preachers who conned people into believing them.
Self-Righteousness - the false belief that one can be righteous through one's own
purity or holiness and is justified in judging others for being less pure or holy,
and justified in trying to coerce, force or legislate them into compliance with
one's own standards and/or recognize one as being spiritually superior. This
renders us with no need for Jesus' redemption or Grace, and to believe that we can
save ourselves. The focus on personal salvation as one's only concern also leads
us to abandon the living of Agape Love with Neighbor and God. It divides
community instead of lifting it up in love. This false sense of one's superiority leads folk to
believe that they can and should have power and control over others, rather than being a part of
community in love.
Church Growth - the false belief that some churches and pastors grow because God
has blessed them above others with "the truth", when the truth is that it is usually
built on a cult of personality around the leader (rather than faithfulness to the
Christ) or an exclusive club masquerading as a church body. Distinctions are
drawn and falsely identified as entitlement, superiority or elite, which tears down
community rather than building up and divides the body of Christ rather than
drawing it together.
These are just a few expressions of the ways that empire values have crept into the church over the past 37 years. These values are now seen as normative in church culture, which fly in the face of what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us in how we should live, being His followers in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now - they fly in the face of Kingdom values, according to Jesus.
Our nation has been living these values of Greed, Lust for Power and Desire for Status and perfecting its empire values for almost four decades as well, so that we find ourselves in a country that once was known for its exceptional willingness to work with, defend and cooperate with other nations, even protecting those who could not protect themselves, but in the past 37 years has become a nation that
claims Jesus by name but consistently ignores what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for living,
because it would not get us what we want.
We are a nation that values a very inequitable distribution of wealth, just like Rome.
A nation that willingly makes its own (and the world's) environment uninhabitable
for future generations, just for the sake of more profit for a few now.
We are a nation that uses its power to exploit its own people and other nations.
A nation that walks away from allies and embraces autocrats, because we want to
be just like them, even to the abandonment of our own democratic ideals.
We are a nation that desperately clings to notions of superiority, "exceptionalism" and entitlement.
A nation that lifts up false claims of superiority with regard to race, ethnicity, sexuality,
faith practice, economic class and intelligence, artistry and character.
We are a nation of rich fools, rich men who ignore those in need who are in front of them,
religious and political leaders who ignore those beaten down, debtors who despise other
debtors, arrogant party guests who take the seat of honor, people who ridiculously display
their position and wear fine clothing, people who sell out anyone for their own profit,
people who lord any authority they can muster over others - a nation of wolves in sheep's clothing
who ourselves believe the deception, a nation of blind guides who think we know God, of
hypocrites who pray publicly and crow our own (false) superiority over others - a nation of goats
who think we are sheep in the eyes of God.
We are seeing our true nature more clearly now in our racism, xenophobia, ethnocentrism, homophobia, classism, religious intolerance - in our Greed, Lust for Power and Desire for Status.
Of what are we afraid to behave this way?
When will we truly have faith in Jesus and Jesus' Way of Agape Love and Grace that draws together and builds up in humility, rather than dividing and tearing down?
Indeed, will we?
Or will we, like empires before, implode and fall because of our hubris and hatefulness?
Pastor Jamie
Greed - love for wealth that is meant for God and Neighbor
A sickness of being insatiable when it comes to our acquisitiveness - "affluenza"
Being conservative with one's abundance, rather than generous
Jesus taught generosity with liberality regarding our abundance (anything beyond
having just enough), toward the well-being of all.
Lust for Power - driving desperation to have power over other people
To have control over others so that they may be exploited for one's own gain
To have the ability to manipulate systems and other people for one's own pleasure
Jesus taught self-control and the sharing of power with others toward healthy,
loving community well-being.
Desire for Status - a desire to be recognized above others, honored more than others
To have influence by virtue of position and standing in/above society
Jesus taught humility instead of hubris, servitude rather than entitlement and
an unassuming character rather than arrogance.
In my earliest (bad) writing, I called this America's UNHOLY TRINITY:
Mammon
Mars
Bacchus
Even in the church, we find false and unfaithful theologies and teachings to feed these forms of
idolatry, which is, of course what this is - the raising of self in importance above others... even, to the level of where God should be in our lives.
Churches have given in to America's Idolatry with:
Prosperity Theology - the false belief that Jesus wants us to be rich, or that a person
who worships, praises and tithes will be blessed monetarily by God, when Jesus
taught that all should have enough, rather than some having in abundance while
others go without, and that we should find satisfaction in enough and give thanks
and praise for that. Community well-being is found in all having enough. Some
being "more" blessed and highly favored than others does not edify all of God's
children, and the truth is that the only ones getting rich off Prosperity Theology
were the preachers who conned people into believing them.
Self-Righteousness - the false belief that one can be righteous through one's own
purity or holiness and is justified in judging others for being less pure or holy,
and justified in trying to coerce, force or legislate them into compliance with
one's own standards and/or recognize one as being spiritually superior. This
renders us with no need for Jesus' redemption or Grace, and to believe that we can
save ourselves. The focus on personal salvation as one's only concern also leads
us to abandon the living of Agape Love with Neighbor and God. It divides
community instead of lifting it up in love. This false sense of one's superiority leads folk to
believe that they can and should have power and control over others, rather than being a part of
community in love.
Church Growth - the false belief that some churches and pastors grow because God
has blessed them above others with "the truth", when the truth is that it is usually
built on a cult of personality around the leader (rather than faithfulness to the
Christ) or an exclusive club masquerading as a church body. Distinctions are
drawn and falsely identified as entitlement, superiority or elite, which tears down
community rather than building up and divides the body of Christ rather than
drawing it together.
These are just a few expressions of the ways that empire values have crept into the church over the past 37 years. These values are now seen as normative in church culture, which fly in the face of what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us in how we should live, being His followers in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now - they fly in the face of Kingdom values, according to Jesus.
Our nation has been living these values of Greed, Lust for Power and Desire for Status and perfecting its empire values for almost four decades as well, so that we find ourselves in a country that once was known for its exceptional willingness to work with, defend and cooperate with other nations, even protecting those who could not protect themselves, but in the past 37 years has become a nation that
claims Jesus by name but consistently ignores what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for living,
because it would not get us what we want.
We are a nation that values a very inequitable distribution of wealth, just like Rome.
A nation that willingly makes its own (and the world's) environment uninhabitable
for future generations, just for the sake of more profit for a few now.
We are a nation that uses its power to exploit its own people and other nations.
A nation that walks away from allies and embraces autocrats, because we want to
be just like them, even to the abandonment of our own democratic ideals.
We are a nation that desperately clings to notions of superiority, "exceptionalism" and entitlement.
A nation that lifts up false claims of superiority with regard to race, ethnicity, sexuality,
faith practice, economic class and intelligence, artistry and character.
We are a nation of rich fools, rich men who ignore those in need who are in front of them,
religious and political leaders who ignore those beaten down, debtors who despise other
debtors, arrogant party guests who take the seat of honor, people who ridiculously display
their position and wear fine clothing, people who sell out anyone for their own profit,
people who lord any authority they can muster over others - a nation of wolves in sheep's clothing
who ourselves believe the deception, a nation of blind guides who think we know God, of
hypocrites who pray publicly and crow our own (false) superiority over others - a nation of goats
who think we are sheep in the eyes of God.
We are seeing our true nature more clearly now in our racism, xenophobia, ethnocentrism, homophobia, classism, religious intolerance - in our Greed, Lust for Power and Desire for Status.
Of what are we afraid to behave this way?
When will we truly have faith in Jesus and Jesus' Way of Agape Love and Grace that draws together and builds up in humility, rather than dividing and tearing down?
Indeed, will we?
Or will we, like empires before, implode and fall because of our hubris and hatefulness?
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, August 12, 2018
... facing the darkness...
Ephesians 5:6-14 speaks to me in times like these.
The context is sexual darkness - using other human beings for our own pleasure with no value for them other than that pleasure we gain (however that happens).
The context is GREED as darkness, likened to impurity and idolatry.
We are warned not to be deceived with empty words by those who would reckon these as normal and acceptable things.
We are told not to associate with those who would embrace them as normative, acceptable values.
We are told to "take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them."
I believe that the same advice applies to bigoted hatred. It is certainly darkness and not light.
In verses 15-21...
We are advised to "be careful how (we) live, not as unwise people, but as wise", to "not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
Finally, the punch line -
"BE SUBJECT TO ONE ANOTHER OUT OF REVERENCE FOR CHRIST."
It is centered, yes, on Agape Love. It is all about the living of Agape Love.
If we are actively committed to the well-being of the other, even stranger and enemy and especially the most vulnerable, we will not use people for sexual pleasure, we will not value profit above people and we will not live out of hatred for others.
1. To expose the darkness, we must acknowledge what is darkness.
We cannot stand by the burning cross that represents a fearful hatred, shrouded in a false
white "supremacy" and talk about the light of Christ. In that we have lost the Christ.
We must see the bigotry that many embrace as normative behavior and system of belief
for what it is - an irrational, unreasoned, unloving reaction out of fear to the unknown.
We must see that the fear is used to manipulate people to hate each other for the sake of
some who want to have or keep power and wealth for themselves. We must see that
xenophobia, homophobia, racism, classism and religious intolerance are darkness and not
light, along with nationalism and ethnocentrism, no matter how "positively" they may be
packaged.
2. To expose the darkness, we must stand in the light and not in the darkness.
We cannot associate with those who stand in the darkness as normative behavior and values,
for that gives them more credibility than they should have and our compliance is seen as
agreement and we then become a part of spreading the darkness.
We must be different, think differently, act differently, speak differently, walk differently.
We must not acquiesce for the sake of personal relationships or because it is convenient in the
moment or to preserve our own comfort in the moment, or for personal gain. Standing
in the darkness does not eliminate the darkness. It gives credence to the darkness.
3. To expose the darkness, we must address it.
To call evil goodness is one thing. To see evil and not call it out is another. And it is the
same. Silence is compliance, and lends itself to the promulgation of evil. If I see evil,
acknowledge it as evil, stand against the evil but do not speak or write or stand against it
publicly, I am compliant with evil and have contributed therefore to the darkness. To
eliminate the darkness, we shed light on the darkness, expose it for what it is and replace
it with light.
Charlottesville.
NFL Protests.
Deportations.
Taking away rights of women.
Taking away workers' rights and benefits.
Helping the wealthy while hurting the poor and taking from the elderly.
Taking away healthcare from people who need it.
Eliminating Civil Rights.
Calling the truth lies and lies the truth.
Normalizing Hatred, Intolerance, Greed, lust for Power and Status as good values.
Those things presented in this climate as light are most often darkness.
Do you acknowledge the darkness for what it is?
Do you stand in the light, against the darkness?
Do you address it with your words and actions?
We are subject to one another out of reverence for Christ, who commands us to live Agape Love.
Are you a part of the darkness or a part of the light?
Pastor Jamie
The context is sexual darkness - using other human beings for our own pleasure with no value for them other than that pleasure we gain (however that happens).
The context is GREED as darkness, likened to impurity and idolatry.
We are warned not to be deceived with empty words by those who would reckon these as normal and acceptable things.
We are told not to associate with those who would embrace them as normative, acceptable values.
We are told to "take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them."
I believe that the same advice applies to bigoted hatred. It is certainly darkness and not light.
In verses 15-21...
We are advised to "be careful how (we) live, not as unwise people, but as wise", to "not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
Finally, the punch line -
"BE SUBJECT TO ONE ANOTHER OUT OF REVERENCE FOR CHRIST."
It is centered, yes, on Agape Love. It is all about the living of Agape Love.
If we are actively committed to the well-being of the other, even stranger and enemy and especially the most vulnerable, we will not use people for sexual pleasure, we will not value profit above people and we will not live out of hatred for others.
1. To expose the darkness, we must acknowledge what is darkness.
We cannot stand by the burning cross that represents a fearful hatred, shrouded in a false
white "supremacy" and talk about the light of Christ. In that we have lost the Christ.
We must see the bigotry that many embrace as normative behavior and system of belief
for what it is - an irrational, unreasoned, unloving reaction out of fear to the unknown.
We must see that the fear is used to manipulate people to hate each other for the sake of
some who want to have or keep power and wealth for themselves. We must see that
xenophobia, homophobia, racism, classism and religious intolerance are darkness and not
light, along with nationalism and ethnocentrism, no matter how "positively" they may be
packaged.
2. To expose the darkness, we must stand in the light and not in the darkness.
We cannot associate with those who stand in the darkness as normative behavior and values,
for that gives them more credibility than they should have and our compliance is seen as
agreement and we then become a part of spreading the darkness.
We must be different, think differently, act differently, speak differently, walk differently.
We must not acquiesce for the sake of personal relationships or because it is convenient in the
moment or to preserve our own comfort in the moment, or for personal gain. Standing
in the darkness does not eliminate the darkness. It gives credence to the darkness.
3. To expose the darkness, we must address it.
To call evil goodness is one thing. To see evil and not call it out is another. And it is the
same. Silence is compliance, and lends itself to the promulgation of evil. If I see evil,
acknowledge it as evil, stand against the evil but do not speak or write or stand against it
publicly, I am compliant with evil and have contributed therefore to the darkness. To
eliminate the darkness, we shed light on the darkness, expose it for what it is and replace
it with light.
Charlottesville.
NFL Protests.
Deportations.
Taking away rights of women.
Taking away workers' rights and benefits.
Helping the wealthy while hurting the poor and taking from the elderly.
Taking away healthcare from people who need it.
Eliminating Civil Rights.
Calling the truth lies and lies the truth.
Normalizing Hatred, Intolerance, Greed, lust for Power and Status as good values.
Those things presented in this climate as light are most often darkness.
Do you acknowledge the darkness for what it is?
Do you stand in the light, against the darkness?
Do you address it with your words and actions?
We are subject to one another out of reverence for Christ, who commands us to live Agape Love.
Are you a part of the darkness or a part of the light?
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Climate Change
Matthew 14:22-33
I have been in a boat when the climate changed. Storms blow up on small bodies of water rather quickly, and it can have devastating results. It is frightening. I often think about the dynamic among the disciples in this story of Peter walking (briefly) on the water. They may have reacted to Peter by this time in Matthew's Gospel, knowing who Peter is - the impulsive, bold and often failing to deliver Peter. But they did not get out of the boat. I picture them cowering in the boat, criticizing Peter and wondering why Jesus is not saving them from the waves that were battering the boat. It had happened before, as told in chapter 8 of this Gospel, and Jesus was asleep. Peter learned something (though not enough) in that encounter and it made him bolder this time, in faith (though not enough). Peter was fine when he directly addressed the chaos of the storm in getting out of the boat. Peter failed by losing sight of the source of his faith as he faced it. Then it seemed too powerful to overcome and he started to succumb to the wind and waves of chaos.
The climate on our planet is changing. We are quickly approaching the time when even the hardest profiteers and their ignorant minions will no longer be able to deny that the devastating results have caught up to us. Regardless of how we react to it, we are in the same boat. Fires burn out of control (due to extreme heat and drought), earthquakes (mostly in fracking zones) and flooding are abundant, and tornadoes and hurricanes are more frequent and much more devastating. Folk await Jesus to awaken, and the bold ones await seeing Jesus walking to them, waiting to be delivered from a storm that we created ourselves. Some lose sight of the source of their faith and others never see the need to counter the chaos with action.
The climate in the nation has changed. The molten hatred, once dormant under the surface until the election of a black man as President, has now actively bubbled to the surface and threatens to burn it all down. The greed, lust for power and desire for status that have always been there among the elites who control the power and wealth have caused greater rifts in the social fabric and offer threatening and dark times ahead for the many as they fight the winds of doctrine and the waves of false teaching that the church contributes to the storm for its own gain. We are in the same boat, and all afraid, and some are criticizing anyone who would be bold enough to suggest a way out in faith, while others cower in fear or remain calm in delusion and look for supernatural intervention amid the turmoil we all created.
The Gospel stories end well. In both cases, the followers of Jesus were rebuked, like the wind and waves of the chaos themselves, but for having too little faith.
In what is our faith? Is it in the ideology that we can do whatever we want and never face consequences because we have a cosmic enabler who will constantly rescue us from the consequences of our addiction to wealth, power and status? Is it in the hubris of belief that we can actively destroy the creation upon which we rely for our own greed and convenience, and that Jesus, our supernatural Rescuer and First Responder will come and snap a finger to make it all go back to calm?
In what is our faith? Is it in the truth that God gave us minds and hearts, souls and strength enough not to get into these messes and to work them out when we have gotten into them? Is it in the truth that we have been given a better way - Jesus' Way of Agape Love and Grace - to guide us away from the storms and sustain the life we have here, as a part of the Creation and the humanity that God created and loves?
In what is your faith? How much do you have? What will you do with it? Will you be of little faith and create the storms that others must suffer? Will you be of little faith and cower in the boat in which we are all tossed about, or step out in faith? Will you be of little faith and believe that God is not with us in it or does not care about us being in it? Will you recognize Jesus when Jesus comes, or have the empire values that helped create the chaos rendering Jesus just a rumored wisp of myth in your eyes? Do you see Jesus as Lord of all life or just an Enabler and Rescuer when you want Him to supernaturally intervene?
How will you face the storm in which we all lie about now? Will you face it? Will you act?
Make no mistake. We are all in it, together.
Pastor Jamie
I have been in a boat when the climate changed. Storms blow up on small bodies of water rather quickly, and it can have devastating results. It is frightening. I often think about the dynamic among the disciples in this story of Peter walking (briefly) on the water. They may have reacted to Peter by this time in Matthew's Gospel, knowing who Peter is - the impulsive, bold and often failing to deliver Peter. But they did not get out of the boat. I picture them cowering in the boat, criticizing Peter and wondering why Jesus is not saving them from the waves that were battering the boat. It had happened before, as told in chapter 8 of this Gospel, and Jesus was asleep. Peter learned something (though not enough) in that encounter and it made him bolder this time, in faith (though not enough). Peter was fine when he directly addressed the chaos of the storm in getting out of the boat. Peter failed by losing sight of the source of his faith as he faced it. Then it seemed too powerful to overcome and he started to succumb to the wind and waves of chaos.
The climate on our planet is changing. We are quickly approaching the time when even the hardest profiteers and their ignorant minions will no longer be able to deny that the devastating results have caught up to us. Regardless of how we react to it, we are in the same boat. Fires burn out of control (due to extreme heat and drought), earthquakes (mostly in fracking zones) and flooding are abundant, and tornadoes and hurricanes are more frequent and much more devastating. Folk await Jesus to awaken, and the bold ones await seeing Jesus walking to them, waiting to be delivered from a storm that we created ourselves. Some lose sight of the source of their faith and others never see the need to counter the chaos with action.
The climate in the nation has changed. The molten hatred, once dormant under the surface until the election of a black man as President, has now actively bubbled to the surface and threatens to burn it all down. The greed, lust for power and desire for status that have always been there among the elites who control the power and wealth have caused greater rifts in the social fabric and offer threatening and dark times ahead for the many as they fight the winds of doctrine and the waves of false teaching that the church contributes to the storm for its own gain. We are in the same boat, and all afraid, and some are criticizing anyone who would be bold enough to suggest a way out in faith, while others cower in fear or remain calm in delusion and look for supernatural intervention amid the turmoil we all created.
The Gospel stories end well. In both cases, the followers of Jesus were rebuked, like the wind and waves of the chaos themselves, but for having too little faith.
In what is our faith? Is it in the ideology that we can do whatever we want and never face consequences because we have a cosmic enabler who will constantly rescue us from the consequences of our addiction to wealth, power and status? Is it in the hubris of belief that we can actively destroy the creation upon which we rely for our own greed and convenience, and that Jesus, our supernatural Rescuer and First Responder will come and snap a finger to make it all go back to calm?
In what is our faith? Is it in the truth that God gave us minds and hearts, souls and strength enough not to get into these messes and to work them out when we have gotten into them? Is it in the truth that we have been given a better way - Jesus' Way of Agape Love and Grace - to guide us away from the storms and sustain the life we have here, as a part of the Creation and the humanity that God created and loves?
In what is your faith? How much do you have? What will you do with it? Will you be of little faith and create the storms that others must suffer? Will you be of little faith and cower in the boat in which we are all tossed about, or step out in faith? Will you be of little faith and believe that God is not with us in it or does not care about us being in it? Will you recognize Jesus when Jesus comes, or have the empire values that helped create the chaos rendering Jesus just a rumored wisp of myth in your eyes? Do you see Jesus as Lord of all life or just an Enabler and Rescuer when you want Him to supernaturally intervene?
How will you face the storm in which we all lie about now? Will you face it? Will you act?
Make no mistake. We are all in it, together.
Pastor Jamie
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