"The Emerging Church"

                 

     

Returning to Essentials

Hospitality is the practice that keeps the church from becoming a club, a members-only society. —Diana Butler Bass [1]

Practical, practice-based Christianity has been avoided, denied, minimized, ignored, delayed, and sidelined for too many centuries, by too many Christians who were never told Christianity was anything more than a belonging or belief system. Now we know that there is no Methodist or Catholic way of loving. There is no Orthodox or Presbyterian way of living a simple and nonviolent life. There is no Lutheran or Evangelical way of showing mercy. There is no Baptist or Episcopalian way of visiting the imprisoned. If there is, we are invariably emphasizing the accidentals, which distract us from the very “marrow of the Gospel,” as St. Francis called it. We have made this mistake for too long. We cannot keep avoiding what Jesus actually emphasized and mandated. In this most urgent time, “it is the very love of Christ that now urges us” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Quaker pastor Philip Gulley superbly summarizes how we must rebuild spirituality from the bottom up in his book, If the Church Were Christian. [2] Here I take the liberty of using my own words to restate his message, which offers a rather excellent description of Emerging Christianity:

Jesus is a model for living more than an object of worship.

Affirming people’s potential is more important than reminding them of their brokenness.

The work of reconciliation should be valued over making judgments.

Gracious behavior is more important than right belief.

Inviting questions is more valuable than supplying answers.

Encouraging the personal search is more important than group uniformity.

Meeting actual needs is more important than maintaining institutions.

Peacemaking is more important than power.

We should care more about love and less about sex.

Life in this world is more important than the afterlife (eternity is God’s work anyway).

If this makes sense to you, you are already inside of Emerging Christianity.

References:

[1] Diana Butler Bass, A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story (HarperOne: 2010), 64.

[2] See Philip Gulley, If the Church Were Christian: Rediscovering the Values of Jesus (HarperOne: 2010). This list is adapted from his chapter titles.

Adapted from Richard Rohr, “Emerging Christianity: A Non-Dual Vision,” Radical Grace, vol. 23, no. 1 (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2010), 3, 22.

  

  

"When Did I See You Lord?"

                              Bishop Desman Tattoo of South Africa

When you hear the word Saint, what or who comes to mind for you? 

What do you think that being a Saint entails for the average person? 

Matthew 25: 31- 46,

 Bishop Desman Tattoo of South Africa once said that somewhere deep down inside every person is the ability to recognize good.  A Saint "isn’t" a person who is void of human error, but a Saint is a person who is truly trying to live a life that pleases their Heavenly Parent?   And all the Saints in Heaven rejoice!  
Yet even atheists, those who reject the very idea of a God would recognize and identify a Mother Teresa as Saintly.  Not a person who is void of mistakes but one who lives a life of generosity, compassion, gratitude, goodness and in service to God through the one who has appeared to us in human form. John 1:14.   So then where does this ability to recognize goodness come from?  When I do a good deed does that goodness come from me?  Do I own my goodness, or does it came through me from somewhere else?   The Hebrew understanding of the word kindness might give us a clue.   In English we would say “Mrs. Brown is a kind lady”. but in the Hebrew they would say “Mrs. Brown is a daughter of kindness”.  Attributing her kindness not to her specifically but, coming out of generations of kindness, a mother, a grandmother a great grandmother.  The Hebrew would suggest that our goodness and kindness comes not from us, but comes through us as part of our inheritance.    Therefore we cannot take full credit for acts of generosity, compassion or kindness etc.   Jesus and the other great religious teachers of our world always refer to their courage, compassion, acts of faith or servant hood as coming not from them, but through them, from a higher power, their source of life, from that which created all things, from God.   In all instances there appears to be a price paid for goodness, and there is a price in sharing it.   I don’t know about you but I don’t usually go looking for what an act kindness has cost me, but I do have a tendency to look for some sort of acknowledgement that I have done something good.  

Let me tell you a true story of a young business man who lived in a small community with his wife and children.   He lived a modest life, always had enough for his family with a little extra to go around for special occasions.  As a young boy growing up the man found that many outside his own family were very generous with what they had and he was sometimes the recipient of their generosity.  This made an impression on the boy and as he grew into manhood he decided that he too would be generous with his fellowman.  It became a very easy thing to do for the most part except for one small detail yet to be discovered.  One day he met an old man that by cultural standards was rejected by the community, because of his posture, dress, his physical appearance, his speech impediment and mannerisms.  Out of the goodness of his heart, the businessman befriended the old man, and on several occasions invited him into his home to share a meal.  One day the old man asked if he could borrow 20.00 dollars as he was a little short, and needed gas money for his lawn mowing business.  So the businessman gave his friend the 20.00 dollars, never really wanting the money back, but never telling him that it was a gift.   A week or so later the man came by, told the businessman that the insurance on his vehicle had run out and he needed 35.00 dollars more.  The businessman was this time a bit hesitant, there were many questioning thoughts racing through his head, he gave the his friend the 35.00 dollars but with this condition added “I would like you to pay me back when you can, please”.  The man eventually paid back 20.00 dollars and then seemed to disappear.   The businessman began having extreme mixed emotions about his experience.  He had been a friend to the old man, kind, generous, compassionate, he thought.  Why didn’t the old man just tell him he couldn’t pay the money back in the first place?   But then again, why didn’t the businessman just give him the money outright?  The money really didn’t matter, or did it?  It was the act of kindness wasn’t it, or was it?  The businessman couldn’t figure out his feelings of sadness, discontentment, or the emptiness, “My only intention was to do a good deed” he thought.   One evening a few days before Christmas Eve, the old man showed up at his door again, “Sir” he said “could lend me 30.00 dollars as I am a little short for Christmas”.  The businessman reached in his wallet and gives the old man a 50 dollar bill saying “not a loan, but a gift for you and your family”.  The old man just before opening the door glanced back at the businessman with a strange smile, a giggle of joy, the gleam in his eyes spoke without words to the businessman “Merry Christmas Sir” he said and left.   That was the day I personally learned to see God in the ordinary.  My previous giving had become a subtle form of idolatry, worshiping my own good works.  I also learned that day that this common form of doing “good” can only lead to discouragement because of my concealed expectations.  It wasn’t until I shifted my thoughts from performance, to God’s radiant presence, then I began to see the light.   “When you do for the least of these you did it unto “ME”.  Matthew 25: 40.  I truly saw the face of Jesus in the old man that day.    

What are we missing then, when we do good works and yet still feel empty, get tired of doing and we have not met God in our offering?  I think that the answer is simple, because of our need of acknowledgement, our hidden expatiations or unspoken conditions we can miss the sense of the holy in the ordinary, in the people we serve, but especially in the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, the prisoner, the sick, or the dying.   Jesus tell us folks it is there that we will meet and see God, in and through them. 

As we read this week's parable we are reminded that it is in the feeding of the hungry, caring for those on the margins of life, visiting the sick, clothing the naked, and being present to the prisoner that our faith in God is revealed. This is the measure by which we are judged, not by our belief in creeds or our interpretation of scriptures. This reading comes at a time when the world around us is gearing up for the biggest buying spree of the year, Christmas and people are being asked to make gift wish lists for relatives and friends.  For many in our world the wish list is for shelter, clean water, something to eat, a visit or a visual sign that someone cares.  Faith without works is not faith at all Paul writes.  James 2:14-26.  Our nation, our group, our church, we personally will be judged, not for the good we have done, but we will be judged for the good that we have not done.   
                   YOU CAN  MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD

"Double Your Money"

How many people here today would jump at the chance to double your money? 

What would you think of an investment manager who told you, give me your money I can double it in a month? 

What would you say is the best way to protect your investment money today? 

Reading Matthew 25:14-30

At first glance I found this parable a little hard to take as my understanding of doubling your money in any century is almost impossible unless the deal is, well you know shady.   In fact all good investment councilors today will tell you this is not realistic in any economic conditions.  So what was Jesus getting at with this parable?  Money talk!! Investments!! Profits!! Personal gain!! or loss!!.  Well I think Jesus is pretty witty, because there is no better way to get someone’s attention than money talk, would you agree?    Isn’t it ironic that if you look at many of Jesus parables, there seems to be a lot of talk about money.   I think it was and still is one of the best way to get someone’s  attention?   You will recall the women who gives her last penny, everything she had financially. Then there is the story of a wealthy man trying to get into the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus tells his listeners; that is like trying to push a camel through the eye of a needle.  Jesus asks for a Roman coin when ask if they should pay taxes to Rome.   The prodigal son, is about Money, the young son, foolishly spending his inheritance.  The Good Samaritan pays the inn keeper and tells him if there are any further charges for keeping the Stanger he will pay it, and the list just goes on, and on.  Jesus often seems to be pointing to this:  There is always a price to be paid when choices have to be made isn’t there.  I believe Jesus is just trying to illustrate for us that there are better choices in life than that which money, position or power can provide.  The worldly way often leads people into places of kayos and darkness.

But if we learn to surrender to God’s way, it always leads us to the light.  

Jesus tells these stories in the middle of his high risk venture.  It was during the last few days of his life that he shares this particular parable.  But, Folks: do you think this story is really about money, fairness, or God’s wrath?   How many of us have had the experience of the third servant, I mean seeing God as unjust; a hard task master who’s concerned more about us doing everything right and punishing those who you get it wrong rather than loving us unconditionally?   When you make a choice in life and things don’t work to your advantage, who do you blame: your wife, husband, neighbor, your employer, or do you do as the third servant does in the parable, put the blame on God? 

May I suggest a question for us to consider here this morning.  How often do you turn to the bible seeking answers to you choices?   Even deeper, how often do you seek counsel through prayer.  Are you seeing God as did the third servant, a hard task master, who is harvesting his obedient children only for thy Kingdom come.  Do you think an unconditional loving God separates his obedient children from the disobedient then sends some off to eternal punishment?   May I suggest to you that it is you or I who call down judgement upon ourselves when we make a bad choice?  Being expelled from the Garden of Eden was mixture of choices humans made, not Gods.  The planet is still struggling with the curiosity of humankind.   We who think we can do a better job of creating circumstances than God.

The deeper understanding here is our bad choices in life do not stop God from loving us as one of His own.  If God were to punish or reward you according to your behavior, would that not put an expectation on God’s unconditional love.  Punishment or reward are expression of conditional love but God does not love us with conditions folks.

Wrath is a consequence, one of the fruits of conditional love.  Wrath is the consequence or the results of sin, or in short as the Hebrew would say missing the mark  folks.   I challenge you the next time you are in difficult circumstances, confused, or lost, call out to Jesus for help and His Father who has promised never to forsake or leave you will show up, somehow, some way.   If you can trust in that rather than your money or your security your life will change.  Turn around, and you will see God has never left you. 

Do you know the lyrics to “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”.   

Are we that naive to believe that God somehow takes away our ability to choose and then builds the difficult circumstances surrounding our lives?  Do not the scriptures throughout the Hebrew and Greek writings teach us of a God who continuously rescues us from the circumstances we have created, offering us a place of sanctuary and a way home?  Is that not the God of our ancestors? 

Are we that naive to believe that we do not call down upon ourselves kayos and wrath?  Are we not aware that the circumstances surrendering our lives do not control our future?   Try telling that to, the Gandhi’s of this world, the Paul Hansen’s or the physicist Stephen Hawkins.  How about the Mother Tessa’s, or the Martin Luther Kings of our world.  All those great names who have superseded their circumstances.

I’m sure you probably have known someone in your own communities who has defied their circumstances to live a full life.  For them obstacles and hardship actually turned into opportunities.  You see everything is possible with God folks, nothing can defeat the faithful.  Want to be part of the Kingdom of Heaven, turn around and begin again.  Take the risk, learn to discover your talents and gifts and begin using them as a one of the Kingdom builders.  When you do, God will multiply and expand your territory and give you more. 

Jeremiah 29: 11:  “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Even if you only see yourself as a one talent person.  May I suggest to you this morning to begin using it in to help in the building of the kingdom of heaven?  Jesus tells us that the Kingdom begin right here, right now.  We are either kingdom builders for God or we are still trying to build our own little kingdom.   
                                    "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"

Remembrance Day

Nov 12 2017:     Isaiah 11: 5-9  Luke 22: 12-20

   A time to remember!    Each of us will remember in different ways.  For some a memory might be triggered by a touch, smell, taste or a sound.  Many a time in my own life I have heard a particular song, or smelt the aroma of a baking, and it has taken me back,  back to place and time long ago but not forgotten.  As a child I can remember entering the gravel road to Heathers beach.  It was the start to our summer vacation.  What a feeling of freedom as we began our two months of sun, fun, and the cottage.  Everything there was so different from home, you had to fetch your water, cook on a wood stove, use oil lanterns for light at night and the ice man would come round selling a large block of ice for the icebox.  He keep it from melting by hiding it under a pile of sawdust shaving on the back of his wagon.  For me it was remembering a gentler time.  

Now I don’t know about you but the smell of a pine or spruce tree sometimes brings back the memories of Christmases long passed.  Now there are other times when all I need to do, is close my eyes and begin to remember a time of joy, happiness, or some other place of tranquility, where I felt safe and secure.  Like being cradled in the arms of my mom or my nanny.

A German theologian who eventually died in one of the concentration camps wrote: They can take away my food, they can strip me of my freedom, or they can kill my body, but the one thing they can’t take from me is my thoughts of those I love or my faith in God.  And it was those moments of remembering that gave Bonhoeffer the courage to go through what he called, hell on earth.  He went on to write that remembering the love and joy of faith, family and friends and the good times kept him alive, even when he could see no future.

I would like to try with you this morning an exercise in remembering, I hope you will participate with me.  You will remember from last week I talked about the breath, breathed into the nostrils of the man Adam which brought him to life.  We all know the power of breath don’t we, because if you cannot take a breath you become deceased.

Let us start by clearing our minds of today’s thoughts. To do that may I suggest a breathing exercise that will help you to relax and help you to let go of the clutter.  I will first demonstrate how we will proceed.   First you draw in a breath, doing it very slowly making the sound “YA” as you do.  Let this represent taking God into your being or into your soul.  Now when you exhale or breathe out, make the sound “Way”.  Let this represent surrendering your thoughts and your emotion to the Spirit that gave you life and breath.   Try and find a comfortable sitting position with your hands on your lap, palms up.

Try and feel the breath of life filling your lungs, fell the aliveness and then as you exhale try and feel the sense of surrendering your breath.   Now let do the exercise 5 to 10 times with closed eyes and on the 5 th or 10th time relax and only listen to my voice.   Let us begin.

 Let this quietness take you back to a place and time when you felt good about life, a time of well being.  It may have been as a child, a young adult or it may be happening in your life right now.  It was or is a time of joy and laughter, and time of peace, contentment and happiness.   I would like you picture in your mind’s eye, the faces of those whom you love, those from the past and those from the present?  Can you feel the love and joy shared by all?   It feels good to remember, because it helps me to feel good about myself and about the people around me.    

Now I would like you to come back into the present, let yourself slowly return as you begin to reunite yourself with the moment.  SEE HOW EASY IT IS FOR US TO FORGET but not forgotten.  It is not hard for us to think about the present, our present condition, it is not hard for us to think about war and it destruction today.    Mainly because it is right there in our faces every day isn’t it.   We can feel lost and alone, sick and depressed in the moments of life can’t we.   That’s why it is so important to be able to glance back and to remember.  So we never forget and remembering also help us express our gratitude for all that has been given to us.  That is why it is so important to remember those who gave up their lives for us, for the good of all.   Even if we don’t know them personally, we need to offer thanks for them being there for us, just as we remembered loved ones both past and present in the meditation.  We give thanks for the freedom we enjoy here on this beautiful Island paradise, for so many still are facing war and destruction right now.   In the bible reading today, Jesus, was about to offer his life for the sake of humankind in obedience to His Fathers will.  Jesus asked the disciples to remember Him whenever they would share a meal together, break bread and share a drink.   He was not asking them to just remember His suffering but to remember His life, what He stood for, His teachings, the miracles of healing, His ultimate act of love and His promises of a life to come.  By remembering Him in this Way we are remembering His joy, His laughter, His wisdom, His wonderful compassion.   These are wonderful things to remember and keep close to your heart.  That all who believe in Him and His promises shall not die but will have an everlasting life.  Let us the on this day of remembrance include Jesus who died for all God’s children and be truly thankful.

"Spiritual Mentors"

  

A kindergarten teacher was walking around observing her classroom of children while they were drawing pictures. As she got to one girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
      The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."
      The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like my dear."
      Without looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

Question:  Who was it that first brought you to church?  Who would you say was the spiritual mentors in your life and how did they influence you? 

Nov. 5, 2017  Readings:  I Thessalonians 2: 9-13, Psalm 107,  Matt 23: 1-12

Throughout his missionary work, Paul relied on the encouragement and support of his fellow companions, as they began to build the Christian Church as we know it today.  They were:  Barnabas  John Mark  Luke   Priscilla & Aquila  Silas  Timothy   Titus

Every once in a while it is a good thing to reflect on and remember the spiritual encourages and mentors in your life.  Who were they and how did they impact your faith and your thirst for God.  For some it may have been someone who was consistent about you attending Sunday school as a child or it could have been through seeing a firsthand act of compassion for the elderly.   Could it have been by someone who was working with the disadvantaged in some way, reaching out to the poor, or an act of being loved unconditionally by someone you knew or by a stranger you didn’t know.  

In my growing up years I would have to say that my grandmother was my spiritual mentor, she was the example and encourager.  Think about this for a moment folks:  no loving father would purposely neglect the safety of his child, allowing him or her to walk into difficult circumstances that might be harmful or fatal.  In the same way we must be the encouragers for newcomers to the faith.  We must take them under our wing until they are mature enough to stand on their own.   We must help new Christians become strong enough to influence others for the sake of the gospel.

When my wife and I began to build a family and have children, we also found ourselves going through a difficult time in our marriage.  Through casual conversations I developed a friendship with a man whom cared about us and our future.  He would come to our house every Sunday evening over many, many weeks just to see how things were going and give us counsel.  He would not accept compensation for his time.   He never took sides, never judged our shortcomings, and never left without saying “I am as close as your phone, all you have to do is call night or day”.  Over the years because of this friendship he has become an extended family member, a brother, a friend to both Carolyn and I.   As I got to know him I saw some of his human flaws, but I also saw that he was not just doing this for us but he was out there doing it for others too.  Maynard passed away while I was here ministering with you last Feb. I couldn’t make the closing service for his life.  He remains one of the most import spiritual mentors in my life.  His acts of compassion and his nonjudgmental attitude towards others helped to change my life and brought me to the door step of pastoral ministry.  When you look back, who do you see, who supported you and gave encouragement that helped build your faith? 

It is always of great value to identify our spiritual companions, to see how they have faithfully instructed and influenced us. 

How many of you recall the actor Sidney Poitier.  When he first came to America his first job was as a houseboy for a hotel in Pennsylvania.  Only one person and older man at work took the time to help the young aspiring actor learn the customs, the common language, and the history of his new homeland.  In an interview many years later after becoming one of most celebrated actors of his day, he said he couldn’t remember the older man’s last name but there was something of that man in everything he did.  Every good act that comes out of your life has been shown to you by somebody.

Paul would have said the same accept he never forgot the name of the man who changed his life, it was Jesus and he told who ever would listen that he kept true to Jesus and his teachings.  A well-known preacher once concluded that no faith can be kept without obedience.  We were not called to become famous suggests Paul, we are called to be obedient to the word of God.  Trying to maintain obedience in your life is how You Can love God too.

In urging the followers of Jesus to be worthy, faithful servants, Paul is insisting that their labor should not be excessively casual or halfhearted.  Have you ever heard this saying   “If you go halfway with me and I go halfway with you and the world would be a better place.”  Sounds good doesn’t it?   As hard as I have looked to get conformation of that statement in scripture, it’s just not there.  God doesn’t want half of me, God wants all of me.  God has not called me to preach you a one half sermon, nor are we to discover only half of a truth, God wants us to have the full meal deal, with all the trimmings folks.   Paul is challenging the Thessalonians and us to a life worthy of God, to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Listen to these word in this song “Holy Spirit come”  

https://soundcloud.com/sim-rushtonuser-360084415/the-great-i-am-holy-spirit-come

As we prepare to approach the communion rail today, my prayer for you is that the Holy Spirit might come into your life, to show you that your acts of goodness and compassion for others have come from those who carry the light.  That we too might become a light for those who are looking.    

 

" So What Is The Soul?"

Do you know someone who has an answer for everything? How does that make you feel?   So then what about a good honest question to which you do not know the answer.  Where do you think that will lead you?

Oct 29, 2017: Readings: 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8 Psalm 90, Matt 22: 34-46

“In school, you were rewarded for having the right answer to questions, but were you ever rewarded for asking a good question?” 

 In Warren Bergers book “A Beautiful Question” he explains that a good question sparks breakthrough ideas because it sends us on a treasure hunt for truth and discoveries.     One of the great Theological minds of our time was once asked, “what was it that brought you to be a notable biblical scholar.”   The man replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his day. She always inquired, "Did you ask a good question today?"  "Asking good God questions," replied the man, " was the door that  allowed me to go on a treasure hunt for the truth and that journey lead me to a study of biblical history, it religions, it origins, and it cultures."  He went on to say: “In order to ask a good question your motive must be free of ego.  It is the humble "soul" that learns. 

If you ask a question to which you already know or think you know the answer, you will learn nothing and your question will not lead you to new discoveries.   
I remember my first good faith question to my minister as a child,  "If God made everything, Who made God?"  Can you believe, that question started me on a spiritual treasure hunt that eventually lead  here to be your minister here Bermuda in July of this year, now isn't that incredible.  I just didn’t realize it back then.  Now may I suggest that if you ask a question to which you already know the answer or think you do, no journey no treasure hunt begins there?  
And so a good question concerning the reading from Matthew today might be this:   How do I love God? 

In the Gospel reading this morning the Pharisee ask a good question but his motive was wrong.  He was not asking in order to discover or learn something new.  He was trying to trap Jesus, to discredit his reputation and cause his followers to doubt his authority and his teachings.   Jesus understood his alternative motive and answers him with a blast from the past.  He said: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength, this is the greatest commandment" Deuteronomy 6:5.  Jesus also knew that LOVE didn’t stop there either so he added a quote made by Moses found in Leviticus 19:18  and “you shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Jesus also knew that if we could keep these two commandments, then all 10 which were given to Moses on tablets would be fulfilled.  So then the good question!!  “How do I Love GOD”?

Is there any material thing I could buy or give to God, to illustrate how deep my love is?    How many good deeds do you think I would need to do, in order to prove my unfailing love?  
Let us turn to the prophets and hear what they have to say:  The Prophet Micah answered this with these words:   "Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)  The Prophet Isaiah   expresses loving God in these words “Maintain justice and always do what is right and good. {Isaiah 56:1}  The Apostle Paul in Romans 12 tells us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God in service to one another.   And of course we hear Moses In Leviticus 19:18  one of the greatest principle of the Torah, expressed by Moses,  "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."    How many of us thought these words came originally from Jesus?   More astonishing is the fact that all the principals for Jesus’ teaching find their foundation within the Torah which was written in Hebrew and make up the first 5 books of the Bible.   

Jesus often pointed out in His teaching that all had been said or done before He came into the picture.  This is why Jesus makes the claim that he did not come to change the Laws of Moses but to fulfill prophesy that is found within them.   So then, “how do I love God?  May I suggest to you that you just cannot say the words, “I love you”, you must put the love words into love actions, just as the Prophets suggested.  In order to do that you must learn to love and care for yourself first, so you can then do the same to God and then to your neighbor.   Here are three points for you to take home and think about this week. 

Point # 1: To Love God with all your heart means: take care of your body, your health.   1 Corinthians 6: 19 tells us  “ that our body is the temple where the Holy Spirit makes its home.   So then, we must respect and  take good care of God’s temple.   Now I don’t know about you but I was, for a long time, under the impression that the church building was where the Holy resided.  I was wrong!!! It’s just a building folks.    

Point # 2: To Love God with all your soul, is to understand what the word soul really means.  Here we need to look at the original Hebrew word, “nephesh”.  Translated into English was written as soul.  Nephesh  was the word used to describe the animated living being God created from the dust of the earth. Genesis 2: 7   “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”  Please note here that it does not say that God put a soul into the man.  Many make the mistake of claiming the soul to be eternal, not so according to this scripture.  It says after God put breath into the man, he became a living being, a soul.  We often confirm that when we say he or she is a good old soul, meaning he or she is soul as the Hebrew states.  Let us not confuse soul with Spirit.  Although they co-exist together, your living presence or soul is mortal and your Spirit or the breath that gave life to the soul is immortal, therefor they are not the same.  At Death the good old soul {you, the dust of the ground} returns to the earth from whence it came and the Spirit returns from whence it came.  Read it for yourself in Ecclesiastes 12: 7  King James V:  "Then shall the dust {the living soul} return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
 May I suggest that Jesus knew the answer to my question:  "OBEDIENCE" to His Fathers will, even unto to death upon a cross. 
Therefore, to Love God with all my soul means to show continuous OBEDIENCE with gratitude for life and breath for as long as it lasts.   This is no easy task folks, our soul is rooted in God but the soul is also motivated by sight, hearing, speech, intelligence, emotions, will and desire.  It exists with the breath of life, {the Spirit} but its desires often clash with the Spirit when it come to choices.  The soul is subject to both physical and spiritual death while you are alive!! see Matthew 10: 28.  The Spirit on the other hand is eternal, many often feel like their Spirit is being held hostage in a physical body that became a living soul.  Only your Spirit knows where it's true home is and to whom you really belong.   

Point # 3:  Love God with all your strength meaning, be mindful of what you allow your soul and mind to feed on Folks.   You must be mindful of your words and actions that feed the minds of others.  
The mind has a great influence on our behavior and the deeds we perform.  The events of this last year which have taken place in Britain, US, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North Korea and China are great examples of how our souls {our lives} can be controlled and manipulated by others.  

To LOVE GOD with all your heart, soul and strength is to be obedient to God’s word, to pray for and forgive our enemies; take care of the poor, the hungry, cloth the naked, administer to the sick, and be a friend to the outcast.    
                                              "You need a Friend"

                                               

"A Work In Progress"

What comes to mind when you hear the word “immature?”  In Hebrew it is translated as:  not fully developed or unfinished

In Greek the translation is a little broader:  childish, babyish, infantile, juvenile, inexperienced, unsophisticated, and unworldly.   As we move into the message today let us think of spiritual immaturity as in Hebrew, Not fully developed or unfinished

Oct 22 2017 Matthew 22: 15-22

As I mentioned let us think of spiritual immaturity as translated in Hebrew 
meaning, not finished or not fully developed yet!  In other words " a work 
in progress" 

According to some theological writers, one of the sign of spiritual immaturity is dualistic thinking.  In other words, seeing everything as either black or white, right or wrong, true or false, proper or improper.  The immaturity part of one’s spiritual life shows up when someone insists that their opinion, or their actions speak to the truth.      

Spiritual immaturity is a sign of not completely understanding or accepting the principals of God's kingdom.  Within the Kingdom of God, it is Jesus who holds the truth, knows the way and lives the life.  All others can only be a reflection of the one, therefor they cannot be the one. 
Folks I have to admit that I have often gone my own way in my thinking and doing, but I am not without a reminder, my wife is great at keeping me in check and yes I have to admit, I too am infected with this immaturity to some degree, hopefully not totally.   

A good example would be when I personally look at someone else and I consciously or unconsciously declare within my own mind that he or she is either sinner or saint.   The immature part here is, not heeding to one simple biblical principle found within the gospel of Matthew 7: 1-2,   “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.   A simple sound principal, yet so hard for our human nature to adhere to.

The biggest mistakes we make in personal judgement often happen because of a person’s outer physical appearance, their behavior, or their idiosyncrasies, preventing us from getting to know the person from the inside out.  This form of Spiritual immaturity helps us to hide behind our own idiosyncrasies?   Some might want to label immaturity as spiritual blindness which probably wouldn’t be too far from the mark.  I don’t know about you but Paul, in Romans 7: 14-20 rightly reads himself, when he said that even though he wants to do the good and right thing, he admittedly tells us that his human nature gets the best of him.   Here I believe Paul is talking about the unconsciousness factor of missing the mark as the Hebrew Scriptures call it.  Our curiosity gets us every time, doesn't it.   Something we all need to be aware of if we are to strengthen our Spiritual nature.   We truly need to understand that we too, haven’t gotten it all right yet either, that we are all too some degree an immature work in progress. 

The story in Matthew today is a classic example of the elite well educated, religious folk back in Jesus’ day who are really confused about who Jesus is and about some of his teachings.  They are judging Him with their own prejudices, and discrediting Him with their own man made laws.  The Pharisees who are trying to trap Jesus once again appear to be displaying what we might see today as spiritual immaturity or spiritual blindness.  Jesus taught some things about the Kingdom of God they would agree with like, God will judge and condemn evil doers. Yet Jesus befriended and was associated with people who were obvious doers of evil; murders, thieves, prostitutes, tax collectors, and adulterers.   The Pharisees could not understand that.  In fact many of us today still struggle with his teaching about loving the outsider, or praying for our enemies.  But, Jesus never just assumed from a person’s exterior or from the life that they were presently living that they were inherently bad or evil.  He was able to look inside the person to find the potential good that His Father had placed there in their conception and awaken it.  You see we were all meant for good, from our very beginning.  Genesis 50:20
We just need a drink of His living water to awaken the goodness within us too. John 4: 9-15.     

The teachers of the law were also uncertain about how to classify Jesus because He taught that obedience to God and the 10 commandments were to be adhered to, yet he continually broke the Jewish Laws and the Sabbath.  Allowing His disciples to eat with unclean hands on one occasion and then He heals a blind man on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees rejected Jesus because He was continually challenging their man made Jewish religious laws and rituals, those which allowed people to think they had become the righteous.  Did you know that there were 613 Jewish laws that they were required to adhere to, 613?   These laws gave them a false sense of security believing that they spoke to the truth and that their way, was the way of God.  Jesus upset the religious world they had created for themselves.   May I suggest that Christianity needs to examine itself folks, for we too have fallen into the trap of man made church rules, policies and rituals that do not honor the Lord Jesus either. 

They rejected Jesus because of what He said, who He associated with and how He acted.  It clashed with what they understood as good or bad, holy or unholy.  Now folks let us remember that if you cannot fit yourself into this gospel story, your learning will be impaired.  May I suggest that one of the most obvious lesson for us here today is this:  to grow in spirit “CHANGE” is required.    We have to stop looking through such a narrow lens and surrender our old ways of doing, living and responding to life, for the ways of Jesus.   Jesus’ way is that of radical hospitality, acceptance of all people and a non-judgemental attitude towards all.  Meaning He sought the child within the person, He was not concerned about their outward appearance.

The religious establishment of our time is no different from time of Jesus.  We today are often stuck in spiritual immaturity and blindness when it comes to the changes needed in order to grow personally.  There is an old saying and I am sure you know it:   “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” But when it is obviously broken why are we still ignoring it?  

Folks it takes faith and great courage to change.  Change requires vision.  With help and the sharing of our individual gifts, that is what will lead us into the future, both personally and as a church.  Isn’t that what life’s journey is all about?  Why then do we resist it?  Nothing is certain in this life accept this “things will change”.   We can either resist it or embrace it.   Jesus said “Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, there I will be”.   And where Jesus is, there is always hope for a new day.  Let us pray.