Monday, December 18, 2017

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: The Essence of Christmas



Sometimes, Jesus taught using a short story that illustrated a moral attitude or a religious principle.  Today, we continue to value these lessons, and we call them the Parables of Jesus.

An interesting such parable is found in the Book of Luke (17:11 - 19).  Jesus says he was on his way to Jerusalem and passed through a village on the border of Samaria and Galilee.  At the edge of that village ten men who had leprosy met him.  They stood at a distance and called out in loud voices, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

Leprosy was and is a disfiguring disease.  Lepers were considered "unclean" and were required to keep a distance from others.  Only after being declared healed and "clean" by a priest could a leper re-enter society.

When he saw them, Jesus said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of the lepers, when he saw he was healed, came back to Jesus, praising God in a loud voice.  He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him.  This might have been unexpected, because the man was a Samaritan and Jesus was a Jew ------ and each group despised the other, as ethnic and religious half-breeds.

Then Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed?  Where are the other nine?  Are none of them going to return and give praise to God, except this foreigner?"  Then Jesus said to the Samaritan, "Rise and go;  Your faith has made you well."

Suppose you were one of the other nine?  How would you rationalize not going back to Jesus to say "Thanks"?  Perhaps you couldn't find Jesus.  Or, you weren't grateful enough to make the effort.  Maybe, now that you had what you wanted you simply moved on to other things.  Or, were you too busy being re-united with your family and friends.  Were you interested only in the miracle, not in the one providing it?

At this Christmas time, how do we express our gratitude to God for the daily, unearned miracles in our lives?  Are we one of those who is more interested in what God can do for us than in God himself?  You probably don't neglect thanking your friends and family for the things they have done for you!

Do you see that Jesus has healed or "cleansed" you at times in the past?  How do you need "cleansing" right now?  Perhaps it is time to thank God for entering our lives through the birth of Jesus, which is the essence of Christmas ---- its not just personal gifts and hugs.  If we forget to thank God, whom do we thank for the unearned miracles we continue to be given?
____________________________________________________________________________

These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage your spiritual growth this season. 
________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, December 14, 2017

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: What Are You Giving To Others This Year?



Hardly a day goes by when I do not receive a couple of phone calls and letters inviting me to donate some money to a worthy cause.  Hardly a year goes by without one of my kids or my house or my car also needing some financial help.  Sometimes the steady drumbeat of financial needs makes me wonder if perhaps the only thing important about me is is the money I have to give to others.

Most of us are familiar with the story Jesus told about the Good Samaritan (Luke14:25-37). A Jewish man was riding through a mountainous, remote area, when he was robbed, beaten, and left in the road "half dead".  A Samaritan came along the road.  Samaritans and Jews were the bitterest of enemies.  Yet when the Samaritan saw the man in the road, he was moved with compassion.  He braved the danger and stopped, giving the injured man emergency medical aid. and transporting him to an inn.  He then paid the innkeeper and directed him to care for the man until he had fully recuperated.  That would have been a substantial expense.

What was Jesus doing with this story?  He was showing us what it means to love your neighbor.  Jesus shows us the Samaritan responding to the material, physical and economic needs of the injured Jew ---- the Samaritan planned for the injured man's recovery and paid all the related expenses.  But, the Samaritan's time with the injured man was brief ---- he did not give much of himself, other than his money.

I realize that this is exactly what most of my charity-giving requests are asking of me.  Would I simply write a check, mail it and thus be done with this particular charity ---- until next year?  This is not enough to really satisfy me, and perhaps you feel the same way.  We each have more to give "our neighbor" than just our money!

Three on-going activities at Central Church show us ways to help us fill this "giving gap". One is the annual Central Church High School Mission Trip, where more than 40 teenagers and adults go for a week to live in some needy place, to do some construction repairs on houses and roofs.  But, most importantly they develop relationships with their destination hosts.

The "hosts" are so different in life experience from the Central Church Mission trippers, that the latter must exit their shells and give something of themselves.  So, it is no longer merely about giving money.  But, what do they give?  For the children of the "hosts," who may be seriously considering dropping out of school, or who have no real plans for their lives, our Mission Trip teenagers encourage these host kids to raise their sights ---- they can help the kids define a vision for themselves that could be more fulfilling and perhaps even more financially rewarding.  But will only a week of contact and friendship do this in a lasting way?  We do not know until we give it a good "college" try.

Now, consider the Elizabethport Tutorial Program which meets at Central Church every Tuesday evening from October until April.  On a typical Tuesday night over 100 kids gather in the Central Church auditorium.  We bus 40-45 students to Summit from the Elizabethport Presbyterian Center, and they are joined by about 70 teenage tutors from local high schools.  On-going relationships develop between student and tutor.  The tutors find themselves encouraging their students to apply themselves more fully, and for many students the encouragement of the tutors has boosted student career goals and study habits.

The tutors are not giving out money ---- they are giving something more priceless.  They are giving their own example as achievers, and showing the Elizabethport students some of the things that are possible for them in the future.  This is a lasting gift.

A totally different Central Church practice is the "Midnight Run."  Each month or so, Central youth and accompanying adults, make a hundred or so sandwiches and a supply of coffee or soup, and troop into places in New York City where homeless folks are known to gather in the evenings.  It may be under bridges or in city parks.  There they deliver their gift of food.  But, more than that, they talk with these "friends" whom they sometimes will meet again on subsequent "Midnight Runs."  The great thing about this endeavor is that each side discovers they are dealing with real people.  Each shared story is different for both the Central Church participants and the homeless, but the encounter is not quickly forgotten.  Which do you think is worth more?  The sandwiches and soup, or the cordial human encounter?

Sure, not-for-profits will continue to ask for your money and mine ---- they must do so in order to keep going.  But, ask yourself whether you have something more to give "your neighbor" than merely your money.
____________________________________________________________________________

These thoughts are brought to you by Central's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage some personal spiritual growth this year at Central Church.
____________________________________________________________________________


Wednesday, December 6, 2017

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Do The Four Sundays Of Advent Prepare YOU For Christmas?



Last Sunday (December 3) was the first of four Sundays when we celebrate ADVENT.

I remember from my youth that ADVENT comes every year at about this time, but there are so many special days in our church calendar, as a youngster, I usually was not sure why or what we were celebrating.  I did figure out that it had something to do with the birth of Jesus.

So, what is the purpose of ADVENT, and why do we celebrate ADVENT on four consecutive Sundays?

I now understand that the purpose of ADVENT is to "set the stage" for Christmas ---- that day when we go all out in celebrating God's entry into human lives with the birth of Jesus.

How does ADVENT "set the stage" for Christmas?

Pastor Mark Roberts, in a recent issue of The Presbyterian Outlook. offers an answer ----

ADVENT highlights dimensions of our relationship with God that we sometimes neglect.  As Pastor Roberts says, "In ADVENT we feel what it was like for the children of Israel in their longing for a Savior.  We also get in touch with our yearning for a future in which the coming of the Lord will establish justice, wipe away every tear and bring the fullness of God's peace.  In ADVENT worship, we pay attention to the experience of waiting for God, rather than just rushing on to the next religious activity."

ADVENT also can help us resist the cultural tug to secularize the Christmas season.  We often feel torn between the secular and the religious dimensions of Christmas.  Advent helps us to focus assertively on God during the weeks before Christmas.  This is better preparation for celebrating Christmas than trying merely to avoid secular attractions.

Through such reflection we are reminded of just how much we need a Shepherd to watch over us, a Savior to forgive us, and a Redeemer to deliver us from our sinful state.  Thus, ADVENT should help prepare us for a truer and more heart-felt celebration of Christmas.

In today's secular culture, pursuing these facets of ADVENT is not a simple task ---- it takes both focused time and frequent re-enforcement.

So, during ADVENT worship next week, look for the ADVENT wreath with its four large candles, at the front of our Sanctuary.  The candles symbolize our search for HOPE, LOVE, JOY and PEACE.  They will all be lighted by the time of Christmas Eve, in our joyful greeting to the baby Jesus.

If we are truly focused, ADVENT can be a wonderful, current opportunity to deepen our relationship with God.  This would enrich our worship experience at Christmas-time, and long thereafter.
____________________________________________________________________________

These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal spiritual growth this winter at CPC.
____________________________________________________________________________

Friday, December 1, 2017

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Prayer and Physical Healing



Recently, I had dinner in New York City with Tom, a former college classmate who had gone on to medical school and now is a successful surgeon in the Mid-West.  We talked about many things, but at one point I asked him point-blank if he believed that prayer promoted recovery from illness or physical injury?

Tom paused for a moment and then said, "Are you asking what is the role of God in all this, and could our prayers bring God into action on behalf of the ill and injured?"

Tom noted that we often turn to prayer when illness or injury strike.  He claimed that some Christians presume that the suffering betrays a flaw in the affected person ---- they believe either the sufferer is being punished for some sin, or lacks healing because of inadequate faith.  So, related prayers are seeking forgiveness of the suffering individual.

On the other hand," he continued, "some Christians believe that faith alone can heal any disease and that to look elsewhere for help ---- for example, to medical doctors ---- demonstrates a lack of trust in God."

"I do not buy either of these theories," Tom said.  He believed that in many healings, one can see the overall effect of religion on health rather than the specific impact of prayer.   Lifestyle choices often account for much of the benefit of prayer, he believed ---- regular church-goers smoke less, drink less alcohol, engage in less promiscuous sex and drug use, and have a supportive community to rely on in coping with life problems.

"Do you see any value in prayer?" I asked.

"Oh, yes, prayer can indeed help a person cope with stress and have a greater sense of well-being, more hope, and a readiness to forgive ---- all of which affect health in positive ways."

"How we think and feel has a direct effect on bodily health because the mind regulates the body's natural healing systems.  On the contrary, fear, loneliness, hostility, worry, grief and helplessness are enemies of recovery."

Tom continued, "It does not diminish my respect for God's power in the slightest to realize that God primarily works through the mind to summon up resources of healing in a person's body.  The Holy Spirit has a role in health.  A person experiences maximum health when all three ---- body, mind and spirit, are aligned in a way that expresses the will of the Designer."

While Tom caught his breath, I offered an additional thought:  "Those who pray for the sick and suffering perhaps should first praise God for the remarkable agents of healing designed into the body, and then ask that God's special grace give the suffering person the ability to use those resources to their fullest advantage.  I believe, as you say, that the prayers of fellow Christians can offer real, tangible help by setting into motion the intrinsic powers of healing, controlled by God, in a person.  This approach does not contradict natural laws.  Rather, it fully employs the design features built into the human body."

It was getting late, but Tom had a final thought:  "Some Christians accept the regularity and predictability of natural laws in other areas, but resist them when it comes to health.  Each of us learns to adapt our hopes and prayers to the fact that natural laws don't change just because we desire the change."

God is not a magician who rearranges life to fit our whims.  No prayer will reverse the aging process, banish death or eliminate the need for nourishment..  Or, you could say that God has set certain rules in motion and only within those rules there exists the great potential for physical healing.

We agreed that perhaps God delights in delegating some of the mission of healing to the control of human agents like us ---- so, healing is not completely left up to God.
____________________________________________________________________________

These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage your pursuit of personal spiritual growth this Fall at CPC.
____________________________________________________________________________

Monday, November 20, 2017

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Is This The Only Day When We Give Thanks?



In 1621, the Pilgrims celebrated after their first harvest in the New World, and some Americans call this the "First Thanksgiving."  Wikipedia tells us that the first Thanksgiving feast was held at the Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts, lasted three days, and was attended by 53 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.

It was already an established practice in Europe to hold feasts celebrating such blessings as a military victory, the end of a drought, or a successful harvest.  For some, it was probably seen as a religious event, for others it was perhaps a time to "let off steam and 'party'."

One of the guests at the Pilgrim's feast was Squanto, a Patuxet Native American who resided with the Wampanoag Tribe.  He had taught the Pilgrims how to catch eel and grow corn, and served as an interpreter for them.  Squanto had learned English while being taken around Europe as a curiosity, and during travels in England.  In addition, the Wampanoag leader Massasoit donated food stores to the fledgling colony during the first winter when supplies brought from England were insufficient.

The Pilgrims held another Thanksgiving celebration on July 30, 1623, after a long and nearly catastrophic drought ended with a refreshing 14-day rain, and assured a large harvest,  This 1623 Thanksgiving was significant because the order to recognize the event was from the Plymouth Colony's Governor William Bradford, a civil authority, and not from the church..  Therefore, this probably made it the first civil recognition of Thanksgiving in New England,

"In the years following," Wikipedia continues, "irregular Thanksgivings continued after favorable events, and days of fasting after unfavorable ones.  In the Plymouth tradition, a Thanksgiving Day was primarily a church observance, rather than a feast day.  But such Thanksgiving Days would be a civil occasion linked to the religious one, as in 1623.  Gradually, an annual Thanksgiving after the harvest developed widely in the 17th century.  But, this did not occur on any set day, or necessarily on the same day in the different colonies in America."

Then in the middle of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November, 1863, "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficial Father who dwelleth in the Heavens,"  Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been observed annually throughout the United States, but today we use the fourth November Thursday.

Over the years, a number of traditions have grown up around Thanksgiving, that have no relationship to the event's early religious and civil intention.  For most Americans who celebrate with a Thanksgiving feast, a roasted turkey is the center of attraction on the dinner table.  Perhaps it was back in the era of President Harry Truman when the annual practice began for the President to "pardon" a live turkey, who would thus escape "capital punishment" and thereafter live out it's days on a nearby, peaceful farm.

In addition, many high school and college football teams will play their final games of the season on Thanksgiving Day or on the days immediately following.  This is facilitated by the common practice of employers to give workers as much as a four-day weekend.  Also, for many children, the big event of the weekend will be the annual Thanksgiving Day parade televised from New York City ---- but with much more emphasis on entertainment than on thankfulness for the year's bounty.

For many religiously-inclined Americans, the annual Thanksgiving celebration reminds us once again to thank God for the rich bounty so many of us find in our lives, whether material or spiritual.  But, many of us do say prayers of thanks throughout the year.  So, for such folks, perhaps the really unique gift of Thanksgiving is the strong sense of community with others, which it fosters.

The "community" around the Thanksgiving dinner table may be family, neighbors or just good friends ---- but, at this time of year we make a real effort to be there, even if we need to fly from a distant place.  Young and old gather.  The aroma and food delicacies create relaxed conversation and sweet recollections of people and times from the past.  In our very mobile and digitized America, has Thanksgiving Day reinvented itself yet again ---- morphing into an annual, not-to-be-missed day of COMMUNITY?

Perhaps not ---- think about the first Thanksgiving in 1621.  The Native American guests outnumbered the Pilgrims nearly two to one.  The Pilgrims were not just celebrating a good harvest and thanking God for this bounty ---- they were also recognizing their community with the Native Americans in their lives.

Today, we should be reminded that a God-given community is with us every day, not just one day each year.  We need to thank God regularly for the presence of those people in our lives,  After all, the Pilgrims were grateful for the blessing of being in community, from the very beginning.

Perhaps we each need a more frequent, personal Thanksgiving conversation with God, more than once a year.
_____________________________________________________________________________

These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage your pursuit of personal spiritual growth this Fall at CPC.
_____________________________________________________________________________