Four Reflections - I

January 29, 2006

From the Psalm for today Happy read the words "Reverence for God is the beginning of wisdom."

Today is an auspicious day for our world, our congregation, and ourselves personally! Today we celebrate Candlemas, a Christian holy day with roots in ancient pre-Christian times. Candlemas marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, so in our natural world the light is increasing day by day, and spring is just around the corner. The ancient Celts thought that one could predict the weather: that a sunny Candlemas day meant a longer winter and a cloudy Candlemas Day meant an earlier spring. This comes down to us as Groundhog Day! This is a season when light is increasing, but days are still fairly dark; they are short and with lots of cloud cover. In early times, candles were brought to the church to be blessed, symbolic of bringing light into our darkness. This day also remembers Jesus’ entrance into the temple, so the candles also represent the Christ’s presence as "the light of the world," and that continuing Christ Presence within us. We pray for the love of God to light our way.

In our congregation we often speak of being pilgrims on a spiritual journey. As with chronological age, some of us are nearer the beginning and some nearer the end of that journey, but all of us are somewhere in the middle between beginning and end. We are in the middle in other ways as well, as our congregation is changing from a past to an unknown future, moving from what we know to what we hope for. For many of us change is difficult, and we need the light of God to help us accept and even welcome the changes. Someone has said, "we want to be changed, but we do not want to change!" We pray for the love of God to light our way.

In our personal lives, we are not only somewhere in the middle physically and spiritually, but we are constantly torn between choices: which path to take; between the materialism of the world and the kingdom of God, with all the conflicting values that implies; between resentment and forgiveness; between love and indifference. We want to grow in knowledge and understanding, but we can have a tendency to hold tightly to our old viewpoints, even when they stand in the way of our progress. We pray for the love of God to light our way.

Candlemas is a reminder that we will always be on a journey on this earth, and that we have a continual need to pray for light in our darkness, to guide us in our choices, to allow us to maintain both our integrity and our ability to change. And the Psalm is a reminder that our starting and ending point and basis for being and choosing is the love that comes to us as a gift from God. "Reverence for God is the beginning of wisdom." We pray for the love of God to light our way.

Four Reflections - II

In 1st Corinthians 8 we have a continuum between knowledge and love. Knowledge is good, but love is better, and our own expression of knowledge must be second to our expression of love.

In this chapter the question is whether it is blasphemous to eat food consecrated to heathen deities. Some of the Corinthian Christians felt it was ok to eat that food, but in so doing they challenged the beliefs of those new to the faith. Paul warns them, "But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols. So by your knowledge, those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ."

Therefore Paul said that, although he had the knowledge that eating the meat was not a sin, he would not eat sacrificed meat if it might be the cause of someone else’s confusion and downfall.

How does this translate to our life today? One example might be that here in Redding we are surrounded by those who believe in things we no longer accept as the ways of God. We may even feel superior to those who follow creeds and concepts we have left behind in a search for a more mature faith. But how, then, do we express our love for those with whom we seriously disagree? Do we abstain, in their presence, from doing anything that our neighbors believe is against God’s will? Do we express to them our own beliefs, our own knowledge, though it contradicts their beliefs? Do we display our open-minded freedom in the face of their disbelief? These are disturbing questions that have no single answer.

I Corinthians 8 begins with: "Of course we all have knowledge…This knowledge breeds conceit; it is love that builds." "Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge, but anyone who loves God is known by God."

As we balance on the continuum between knowledge and love, let us remember to move from the darkness to the light, expressing love as best we can in all honesty, even to those with whom we cannot agree.

Four Reflections - III

One of the themes from today’s scripture reading is HARMONY. In our congregation most of us relate to this word "harmony" with an expression and appreciation of music. We love our choir and its capable director; we love to have young and old share their musical talents with us. But what in heaven’s name does "harmony" have to do with the "rightness" of eating meat sacrificed to idols?

Paul explains to these Christians at Corinth that it is all right to eat the meat; HOWEVER, Paul does go on to ask them to consider how their eating of this meat affects the faith of their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Now, let’s time travel from Corinth to right here, Pilgrim Congregational Church, Redding, California. Is there anyone here today who has not thought about what is RIGHT for our congregation? And expressed that sense of "rightness" in word and/or deed? Have we, or do we always consider how our personal expression of "rightness" will affect the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ?

Paul counsels the Christians at Corinth and the Pilgrims at Redding that "rightness" in and of itself is not a virtue. Paul admonishes the Corinthians and us to transform the "rightness" of our expressed thought or deed into a "righteous" act of faith – that is, acting in harmony with one’s obligations to God and to other persons –acting with the faith of our brothers and sisters in mind.

It is not our prerogative as individual members to decide what is right for our congregation. Right or "truth" is in the eye of the beholder. When we act on our own, even with the best of intentions, we are "soloing." When we act "in righteousness" we are not soloing, we are in harmony with one another AND with our God!

To harmonize musically is easy for some, hard for others of us who aren’t gifted with a musical ear. But just get us together for a sing-along and we are "harmonizing" regardless of sound!

The importance of harmony, of our understanding of rightness and righteousness in God’s eye and our own, is worthy of deeper study and practice. Our choir studies and practices on a regular basis so that when they "speak" as a group to us, when they offer their gift of harmony, of song, it is their best; it is their contribution of worship to bring us closer to experiencing the presence of God in our midst.

We are a blessed congregation in many ways. There is an abundance of gifts of talent, of knowledge, of dedication, of skills, of time, of love and compassion, that are shared every day in the life of our community of believers. May we continue our spiritual journey together in harmony.

Four Reflections - IV

We consider here today in our worship together the triangle of Love, Light and Harmony.  There is the blessing of freedom within this triangle.  These blessings build our community.  They heal us.  They illuminate us.  They glorify God.

In Mark 1: 22-28 Jesus commands us with authority to silence our demons of separation from God and enter into community. Jesus came to bless, not to curse.  He came to heal, not to harm.  He came to bring life, and to bring it abundantly.  To make the crooked places straight.  To wipe away our tears and our fears.  He came to be a blessing.  A blessing of Love.  A blessing of Light.  A Harmony.  He saw his community of people as his greatest accomplishment. 

Laurie Beth Jones, author of "Jesus CEO, Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership" writes this:  "The more I work with the concept of Jesus as a CEO, the more amazed I am at this powerful, divinely energized leader’s priorities.  For example, in the final summary to God in John 17, Jesus did not relate even one miracle that he performed.  His summary did not read:

Dear Chairman of the Board, I have completed my task here by doing the following:

1.      Raising the dead (little girl and Lazarus).

2.     Turning water into wine (at wedding feast).

3.     Multiplying the loaves and fishes (on numerous occasions).

4.     Reducing the number of those on sick leave throughout my territory.

He did not say; "I’ve left construction of the temple in capable hands and it should be finished by May."   Nor did he say; "I’ve doubled the number of your recruits here and you will note offerings are up in three locations." 

Instead, he listed his people as his greatest accomplishment.  His summary read:

Dear Chairman of the Board, As proof of my good work here, I present to you Peter, James, John, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Martha…completed in Love.

Here was a man who was a cultural phenomenon, who caused spiritual and political upheaval everywhere he went, and who changed people’s lives every time he opened his mouth.  For all of that, the only tangible thing he left behind was one tattered garment…and one Peter, one James, one John, one Mary, one Mary Magdalene, and one Martha.

What fine work he did, this carpenter of human souls.  Jesus saw his community of people as his greatest accomplishment and in so doing built them a table to last.

What or who would you consider as your greatest accomplishment?

Let us affirm, as Jesus did, and say together:

I come to be a blessing. 

My goal is to bless others in multiple ways. 

Let us affirm our blessings by saying :

I am eagerly assisting others toward the greatest good.

Let us affirm, as Jesus did and realize

"It is in them that I am glorified"