November 2008 Pastor's Pondering

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is readily apparent that we are about to enter the holiday season. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and the stores are already displaying Christmas decorations. Soon the PA systems in the malls will be playing holiday music and, despite the current economic situation, the cash registers will be plenty busy.

Thanksgiving as a holiday does not appear in the Bible. Thanksgiving, however, fills the Bible! God’s people worshipped, offered sacrifices, prayed, sang, danced and celebrated God’s presence and provision. The theologians of the reformation remind us that we ought to live our lives in grateful response for all that God has done.

Unfortunately, gratitude and thanksgiving are often alienated from us by two opposite conditions: desperation and prosperity. In the midst of desperate times panic blinds us to the blessings that surround us even in lean times. In times of plenty and comfort complacency distracts us from the truth of the blessings we have received.

When the pilgrims first celebrated Thanksgiving they were overwhelmed by the awareness that the harvest that would meet their needs through winter was from the hands of God. They gathered to give thanks and they invited others to join with them. They knew that they were in God’s hands.

I pray that throughout this season we will experience God’s blessings in new and powerful ways: that we would see God’s hand in meeting our needs and God’s great gift of love towards us in Jesus Christ.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

October 2008 Pastor's Pondering

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As banks, savings & loans, and market averages fumble and fall, their inadequacies are unveiled. The news is filled with reports of the failures of institutions we once considered secure. Cable news networks record the Sunday evening scampering of Lehman Brothers employees as they grab their personal belongings before Monday morning’s closure of their office. Institutions in which we so recently trusted are exposed as having been eaten from within, as if by termites, leaving the outside looking the same but having no inward strength.

What’s changed?

Nothing. Nothing has changed. These financial institutions are on the same course they have been on for years. Sure, at one time it looked attractive. At one time it appeared profitable, but now the inevitable is upon us. Loaning people more money than they could repay and 100% mortgages to people with poor credit histories worked when sunshine and soft morning dew fell upon a booming economy. But, when the storm clouds of life gathered and economic growth slowed, everything fell apart – just like Jesus’ parable about the man who built his house on sand.

The storms and trials of life are real. They are also inevitable.

The effects of our many decisions in life will be revealed. These giant financial institutions aren’t in trouble because of a handful of bad loans. They are in trouble because they laid their foundation upon that which withered in an economic slow-down let alone an all out storm.

Many families are suffering. Homes are in foreclosure. Dreams are dashed. Hearts break.

So it is with us. When we live at the very ends of our financial means, spending all that we have, we too will collapse if even a cloud passes before the sun. When we place our hope and trust in things that will not last they will let us down. There are many things in life that seem like a good idea at the time but, in the end, all will be revealed. Where we are headed in life and eternity is affected by the many small choices that determine our course in life.

It is no wonder that faithfully following Jesus Christ seems so strange – turning the other cheek, giving to everyone that asks, placing our faith in him, confessing our failures, loving our enemy, and praying for those who persecute us. It is a different course than the world around us. It is a different foundation upon which to live.

You need to ask yourself, “What course will you follow? Where will you place your hope? What foundation will withstand the storm?” Let us remember that Jesus is the one that can calm the storm.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

September 2008 Pastor's Pondering

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I sit at the word processor in the hours after my grandmother's burial and just over a day away from the celebration of my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. Knowing that the long drive between Los Angeles and Turlock would be my only real opportunity to write this article I had already chosen a topic.

Unfortunately, while chatting with Nancy as I powered up the laptop computer, she said, “You really ought to write about what's been happening. About your grandmother's burial and your parent's anniversary.” I say unfortunately because I knew she was right. I also knew that it would be easier to write about things I know are true than trying to be true to the things I know.

It is easier to talk about faith, theology, and God's will for our lives than it is to live those truths. It is easier to point out how others ought to live than it is to fulfill what God reveals about how we, ourselves, are to live.

In just over a 48-hour span our family will move from gathering at a grave to celebrating at a party. That is the reality of our lives. It is the reality of life. This side of heaven our lives touch both joy and sorrow, happiness and pain, sickness and health. Sometimes one and then the other – sometimes both at once. It is in the midst of this disorienting jumble of laughter and tears that we can find a much needed compass in Christ.

The opportunity is to distinguish Jesus' path from our own. When we're happy we want to stay that way. When we suffer we long for relief. When things are scarce we seek plenty. When things aren't going the way we want we ask, “Why?”

Jesus' path was far different. The path to his exaltation was humility. When facing suffering he prayed, “Not my will but thy will be done.” The glory of Easter was preceded by the pain of the cross. In what humans declared as defeat God revealed victory. The compass of Christ points farther than today and bigger than me.

God's purposes and power are found in celebration as well as sorrow. Let us not shun one and cling to the other but seek Christ in both.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

August 2008 Pastor's Ponderings

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:2

We live in what might be considered hospitality central; sandwiched between the tourist destinations of the beaches, cruise ships, and theme parks. While I’m not going to claim that the hospitality industry always get hospitality right, it is a part of their vocabulary. In fact, just down the street, UCF offers a Bachelor of Science degree in hospitality management.

Where we live hospitality has become something to study, employment, and a nickname for separating tourists from their money. Several years ago, as I was speaking about Christian hospitality, particularly on Sunday mornings, one person caught part of the idea and said, “We need to find some people to do that job!” They then went on to repeat what is often regarded as sage advice, “If it is everybody’s job then it is nobody’s job.”

Unfortunately, that is missing the point. To say that hospitality is one Christian’s job and not another’s is like saying that we should appoint somebody to love their neighbor so the rest of us don’t need to worry about those details.

Think for a moment about receiving a welcome guest to your home. What do you do? I think most of us would warmly greet them at the door, introduce them to people they may not know, offer them the best chair and perhaps a snack, and focus our attention on them. If that is how we treat those we love, how are we to treat strangers?

At its heart, hospitality is about putting others ahead of ourselves. Isn’t that what Jesus did when he “emptied himself taking the form of a servant?” Isn’t that what Jesus did on the cross? If grace is receiving what we don’t deserve shouldn’t we give gracefully to others? Isn’t that what the Apostle Paul means when he writes, “extend hospitality to strangers?”

Hospitality is not a job we are to perform but a way we are to live – a way that reveals God’s grace to others.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

July 2008 Pastor's Ponderings

The first day back to school after Christmas as a child was filled with the question, “What did you get?” Friends responded with accounts of receiving games, skateboards, footballs, Hot Wheels, and for the lucky few, a BB gun (Yeah, I know, you’ll shoot your eye out.) At some point, as I grew older, the question shifted to, “What did you do for Christmas?”

For Christians the good news is that gifts are not limited to Christmas – we should never stop asking others or ourselves what we received. Additionally, what we do is always marvelously linked to what we’ve received.

Last month over 50 people from our church took part in an exploration of the question, “What did we get from God?” We considered the activities that we enjoyed and which produced results as we sought to discern gifts that God has given us. After compiling the results we shared and discussed them with our friends. Just as God has distributed these gifts so that we need one another, the insight of those who know us are invaluable in discerning these gifts.

For Christians this is not a one-time event. We don’t need a potluck or a workbook to do it. We must keep asking each other, “What did you get?” God gives each Christian special gifts and abilities to accomplish far more than we can on our own. When these gifts are combined, each Christian plays a vital role in the mission to which God calls his people. Each of us are called and equipped to fulfill a part of what God is doing in the world. Some roles may be very dramatic and unmistakable and others may be subtle and even humble. But each is needed and dependent one upon the other. The gift received by one is also a gift to be shared with each other and the world.

The truly great news is that out of this interdependence, as we discover the gifts God has given our sisters and brothers in Christ, we discover gifts God has shared with us, indeed, that he has given to the world.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

June 2008 Pastor's Ponderings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It doesn’t take much to recall the excitement of getting out of school for the summer. Homework, tests, and getting up early in the morning would end at the last bell of the school year. Rather than getting dressed and going to school each morning the summer days held adventure and the opportunity to pursue hobbies.

Somewhere along the way things changed. Vacations became weeks rather than months. Just getting out of town turns into a lot of work (to say nothing about catching up from having been gone!). Perhaps you have school-age children and know all to well the details and challenges of taking them on vacation.

When will you get a break? When will you get away? This isn’t just an idle question or encouragement to browse the travel section of the newspaper, it is a critical and spiritual question.

Rest and stepping aside from the daily rush and stress is about more than mental health. It is a deep spiritual issue. On the 7th day God rested. As the 4th commandment God gave us, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” Jesus regularly found quiet times and places to be alone in prayer.

How do we do this in the frantic pace of modern life? It starts by making it a priority and making time. If it isn’t already part of your life I’m sure that you could give me 20 excuses about why you don’t – beginning with, “You don’t have the time.”

Use this summer to give yourself a mini-vacation every day. Sure, laying on a sandy beach is wonderfully soothing but so is relaxing in the presence of the Lord, letting scripture softly echo in your heart, and turning your problems over to God rather than carrying them around yourself.
Yes, sometime people use vacations and summer to take a break from God and church. That is like settling for junk food when God invites you to a banquet. It may seem tasty at the moment but not only will your health suffer but you’re missing out on something far better.

This summer, rather than taking a vacation from God, go on a vacation with God. The great news is that in Jesus Christ this is something we can do every day rather than just for a couple days, weeks or even months.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

May 2008 Pastor's Ponderings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Like many families and organizations in the current economic environment our church is facing the challenge of making ends meet. We’ve always been frugal in our spending but we are now at a point where we will need to address the situation from both ends – cutting spending further and finding ways to increase income.

Since we are already operating on a “bare bones” budget, the necessary cuts will not be easy.
But, even in the midst of this difficult time, there is great news – our congregation. We are a family, we love each other, we work together, we trust God, and we do what it takes to get the job done.

Oviedo Presbyterian is something of which you become a part rather than something you attend!
During the challenges of this year I found myself deeply convinced that this is the type of congregation I want to serve: you reach out to those in need, you risk loving sinners, you are humble in your own need for a savior, and you are authentic in your love for each other and the Lord.

As we confront this financial challenge I continue to exhort and challenge you to prayer.
Please pray:
To thank God for what he’s already done for you and for this congregation
To ask that he will continue to provide for our needs and guide the leadership of the church
That God will make clear what he is calling for you to do in this situation

I truly believe that God hears, responds to, and uses prayer. We must remember that while we may talk about “our” church it truly is “God’s” church. If it is God’s church then we must talk to him about it and even more importantly listen.

The amount of money we are talking about can be either a huge amount or a modest sum – depending on how you look at it. On average we need to raise an additional $300 per week to close the gap. While that may be a lot of money for one person or one family it isn’t all that much when it is shared across our congregation. Yes, the one, five, twenty, and even fifty dollar a week increases will make a difference in meeting the budget. Perhaps the most difficult, the most important, and the most rewarding thing we can give is to give our whole lives to God – not just to meet the budget but to know his love and faithfulness.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

April 2008 Pastor's Ponderings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I must confess to suffering a severe case of writer’s block. I had my entire week planned and I scheduled completing this article Wednesday morning and the bulletin Thursday morning. Instead I stared at a blank screen on the word processor, prayed that God would reveal what He wanted me to write, doodled in a notebook, reread scripture associated with Easter and the upcoming weeks’ sermons, thought about current events and life in the church, and lessons I’ve recently learned in my faith. Nothing worked.

Last night I shared my frustration and disappointment with Nancy; that I felt empty and that I couldn’t find anything to say. She thought about it for a moment and suggested that I write about being empty. I immediately felt caught between two different possibilities. One direction would be to write a Seinfeld-style article – an article about nothing – entertaining but without substance. The other direction would be the challenge of even touching the surface of the enormous reality of emptiness.

Emptiness is a reality: emptiness in life after losing a loved one, the emptiness of the future having lost hope, the emptiness of the present in the pit of depression, and finding ourselves empty of possibilities as we’ve exhausted our strength and resources. Perhaps it is even an element of what Jesus experienced as he cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

I can’t speak for you but I fall into emptiness when I insist upon doing things according to my timing and by myself. I don’t have nearly as much of a struggle with the “what” of God’s will as I do with the “when” of God’s timing. There certainly are no crises of faith attempting tasks well within human capabilities. The challenge is when God’s timing is different than mine and to face circumstances far beyond human ability and control. Ultimately the challenge, or should I say opportunity, is to trust in God rather than myself, to wait upon the Lord rather giving God deadlines.

Yes, God’s path may lead you through the valley of the shadow of death; after all it led Jesus to the cross. It may even lead to an early grave and for many to give up hope – but we must remember Easter. God’s path will lead you beyond your own strength, wisdom and abilities; but that is a good thing. For it is only as we go beyond our own capabilities that we discover God’s faithful ability. It is in being emptied that we discover that we are being filled.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

March 2008 Pastor's Ponderings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

By the time you receive this it will be just a couple short weeks until Easter. “Wow,” you might say. “Wasn’t it just Christmas?” Easter is relatively early this year. I know this has kept the Worship Team of the hopping. We’ve recently celebrated Ash Wednesday and now Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter are just around the corner.

That might be one way of looking at it.

The other is to remember that Easter isn’t something that happens once a year. Easter forever transformed creation and brings hope, assurance, and life. Easter isn’t a day – Jesus’ resurrection totally alters every day. Once we glimpse this we begin to see that going to church on Easter is a lifelong reality rather than an annual day of dressing up, Easter egg hunts, and family gatherings. Jesus’ resurrection marks his victory over sin and death on behalf of the world that he so loved. Easter isn’t about a day – for Christians Easter is the foundation for every day for all eternity.

From a human perspective keeping Easter to an annual celebration is much safer. We can decorate churches with pretty flowers, dress up nice, sing happy songs, and go home and have a nice meal. Monday we get up and go on with our lives thinking that Easter is past.

From an eternal perspective, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead touches every moment of every day. If Jesus died for our sins and was raised, then we are set free from wages of sin to live the life for which we were created. We can no longer separate Easter Sunday from the Monday that follows and the Tuesday that follows that.

For Christians Easter isn’t a day – it is a reality. When early Christians ran into a fellow believer rather than an ordinary “hello” one would say, “Jesus is risen!” to which the other would reply, “He is risen indeed!” Not just one Sunday or for one month but year around.
May our lives reveal this good news to the world.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

February 2008 Pastor's Ponderings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We live in a time of rapid change. The computers and TV’s we purchased even a few years ago are considered old and obsolete. Many of us have some of our favorite music on LP records for which we have no means to play. We used to be able to buy a good camera to use for decades but few of today’s digital cameras will be used in ten years. What once met our needs and brought excitement and joy now gathers dust, no longer useful in a new world with new opportunities.

Unlike technology, the message of the gospel does not change. From the foundations of the earth to the new heaven and new earth, our redemption and new life in Jesus Christ remains timeless.

What does change is how we live, proclaim, and share that good news. Missionaries that once spent months traveling to the mission field can now get there in days. While pages of scripture were once transcribed by hand they are now available in incalculable quantities on the internet. Many of the children that once died of disease are now routinely saved by vaccinations.
The message of Jesus Christ hasn’t changed – the world and how we bear witness to Him has.
In the book Who Moved my Cheese, the mouse named Haw noticed that the cheese did not just disappear over night. Instead, there was less of it over time and what remained grew old, tasteless, and even moldy. Despite these clues he had been surprised each time he discovered the cheese was gone. Eventually he learned to smell the cheese so he could know when it was getting old.

As the body of Christ, we must pay attention to how we live and serve the Lord if we want to be effective at making disciples and to grow in our own faith and fruitfulness. Otherwise we might become stale, tasteless, and irrelevant rather than being the salt of the earth and a light to the world.

One way we are doing that is a process called “Completing the Circle” and we need your participation. Over the course of the year feedback groups will regularly gather to share their experiences with different areas of OPC’s life (you might call it “sniffing the cheese” to see if it has gone stale). Their job isn’t to evaluate, praise, blame, or brainstorm – just to share their experiences. These sessions will last no longer than 90 minutes and we need a broad cross section of the church to participate. Please contact Sharon Alicia or the church office if you are interested in taking part.
What is more important, doing what we’ve always done the same way we’ve always done it or following where Christ leads?

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

January 2008 Pastor's Ponderings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I don’t know about you but I’m finding it difficult to believe that 2008 is upon us. Where did 2007 go? What happened to all those resolutions and good intentions? Why haven’t I lost that weight? What happened to my resolve to get more exercise, eat better, and to rest?

Someone once noted, “Life happens!” That is what got in the way of many of the things I know that I should do. Life happened. There were disappointments and pains as well as joys and laughter. Unexpected events and long-anticipated dates have come and gone. Nothing I can do will stop them. It would be so much easier if I only had to deal with one thing at a time. Yet life often happens faster than we can keep up. The question is, “How can we deal with all life brings?”

In the midst of our busy lives Jesus brings good news. Good news that is often different than the answer we’re searching for: ways to give rather than investment advice, a call to humility rather than a method for worldly success, the promise that death is no longer to be feared instead of scientific wonder drugs, and that we should hunger for heavenly treasures instead of worldly goods.

In Jesus Christ life is unmasked and transformed even as turning on the light reveals the path through a dark room. Without God’s light our knees take a beating upon unexpected obstacles. In the dark harmless inanimate objects take on a fearsome life of their own. Without the light unseen danger lurks at every step. But, once light begins to shine the darkness is vanquished and what once invoked fear and danger becomes a place of life, love and even laughter.
Life happens for Christians – the difference is so does light.

If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

May the light of Christ brighten your path in this new year.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

December 2007 Pastor's Ponderings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

What are some of your favorite things about Christmas? No, don’t just keep reading. Think about it for a moment.

There is something special about our Christmas celebrations that touches and changes the pattern of our lives. Family and friends gather together. We find time to shift to a different pace and focus despite the pressures to shop, decorate, and cook. People are more generous towards those in need. We consider what would make others happy as we shop. We celebrate the Christmas spirit as we decorate our homes, sing Christmas carols, go to parties, and exchange cards and gifts.

Brightly wrapped presents are reminders of those we love and who love us. But, if you don’t unwrap a gift, they are nothing more than decoration. If you don’t receive the love of the gift-giver, they are just one more piece of tinsel.

The greatest gift of Christmas is Jesus. Like unwrapping a Christmas gift, until we receive God’s gift and love into our hearts and lives, we relegate the Christ of Christmas to a ceramic figurine in a manger scene and to a similar role in Christmas carols as Rudolf or Frosty.

The Christ of Christmas is the reason for the season.
Let us not confuse the season for the savior!

Glory to God in the highest heaven,
Paul

November 2007 Pastor's Ponderings

Philippians 4:6

When was the last time you prayed for a thankful heart?

Yes, I’m sure that most of us could name people for which we’ve prayed. Undoubtedly, most of us have prayed about situations and needs in our own lives. But, when was the last time you prayed for a thankful heart?

I must confess that until recent years I haven’t given it much thought. There were always so many needs – both my own as well as others. There were so many people and situations for which I was concerned. While I rightly made my requests known to God by prayer and supplication, thanksgiving was often an afterthought. Thanksgiving, like much of prayer, tended to be focused on the extraordinary rather than the ordinary.

Perhaps that is the problem – praying about the big problems of life, overlooking thankfulness, and neglecting to include God in the "small" parts of our lives.

God is concerned about and at work in our entire life, the details as well as those things that are beyond our control. The reality is that there is nowhere we can go to flee from God’s presence, he is always there. Our great opportunity is to recognize God’s faithful, loving, and astounding presence in the details and quite moments of our lives as well as the momentous events. Then, once we recognize and yield to God’s guiding hand and constant presence, we begin to notice God’s sustaining strength and providing for our needs.

To not be thankful is a symptom of losing track of God’s love and presence in our lives. Yes, life can bring overwhelming tragedy, pain, and sorrow but even in the moments when we feel abandoned and defeated God has not forgotten us. Thankfulness is not a denial of what we have suffered or lost but the result of divine hope in the midst of human hopelessness.

This thanksgiving, as you gather around the table, take a minute or two for people to share the things for which they are thankful. It may take a moment for people to think about the question but that opportunity has the potential to change their lives and eternal future.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul