Wednesday, June 27, 2018

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: What Would Jesus Tell Us Today?


At the time Jesus was crucified, Christianity was an insignificant Jewish sect, centered around the city of Jerusalem.  Soon after, the Disciples did as Jesus had told them and went to a mountain top in Galilee, where they encountered Jesus again.  There, Jesus told them:

                           "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
                            Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
                             them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
                             Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
                             commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the
                             very end of the age."          (Matthew 28: 18 - 20)

Down through the centuries, this directive became known as "The Great Commission," and it has been the inspiration for missionaries and teachers of many Christian denominations.  Indeed, the Disciples Peter and Paul, and others who believed in what Jesus taught, took risky journeys among the Gentiles to teach and preach about Jesus.  Christianity eventually became the standard for the Roman Empire, and much of Europe and the Middle East were converted.

With my somewhat simplistic knowledge of the spread of the Faith, I was surprised when I read recently that the Middle East ---- the place where Christianity began, seems now to be moving in the opposite direction.

In a recent issue of the Christian Science Monitor Weekly, there was a lengthy article entitled "A Middle East Without Christians?"  The author was a Monitor staff writer, reporting from Bethlehem, In the West Bank.  She wrote, "Two thousand years after the birth of Jesus, Christianity is under assault in the Holy Land and across the entire Middle East, more than at any time in the past century."  She quotes some informed observers as speculating that one of the world's three great religions could vanish entirely from the Middle East region within a generation or two. 

The Monitor staff writer continues:  "From Iraq, which has lost at least half of its Christians over the past decade, to Egypt, which saw the worst spate of anti-Christian violence in 700 years in the summer of 2012, to Syria, where jihadists are killing Christians and burying them in mass graves, the followers of Jesus face violence, declining churches and ecumenical divides.  Today, fewer than 500,000 Christians remain in Iraq from a prewar population of between one million and 1.4 million.  As many as 450,000 of the 2 million refugees fleeing Syria today are Christians.  Christians now make up only 5% of the population of the Middle East, down from 20% a century ago."

Historians tell us that there have been many cycles of Christian persecution and prosperity over the centuries.  But those who study these trends see four major differences between the problems Christians face today in the Middle East, and those of the past ----

 1.) Jihadist groups have access to weapons today on a scale unknown in history.  The Disciples of Jesus were not confronted with road-side bombing and aircraft attacks. The ability to kill and  injure one's enemy has been much "perfected" since Jesus' time.

 2.)  Propaganda can be spread today more easily by the enemies of Christianity, than ever before.  In the time of Jesus, family tradition determined life values for most people.  Today, values are taught subtly on cell phones, T.V. and other media, which often devalue tradition.
       
 3.)  Because of Western military involvement in the Middle East, local Christian communities are more easily accused of disloyalty to their own society, given the assumption that their loyalty would be to the West.
       
 4.)  It would seem that today's social and religious attitudes in the Middle East are more                  extremely "black" and "white" than perhaps they were in the time of Jesus.  The Bible notes there were certain tribes and classes of people with which one did not associate.  Today in the Middle East, members of different tribes, classes or faiths may be strongly "encouraged" by some extremists to adopt the Muslim faith or be punished with death.  Sometimes, in the Middle East today, one's religion is the primary test to qualify for a particular job, not whether one is qualified to do the job.

For those Christians whose families literally lived in the recent turmoil of the Middle East, what would Jesus tell them to do?  We know from Matthew 5:44 that Jesus told his Disciples, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."  It would seem that confrontation with members of other "tribes" is not what Jesus had in mind, even two thousand years ago.  Today, perhaps the only way to avoid such confrontation with those from another "tribe"  is to move physically to a safer place ---- to seek asylum in another country.  That is what much of the population of Syria has already done, including many non-Christians.

So, what is our role if we are to stand behind refugees seeking asylum in our country?  Perhaps Jesus would say it is to welcome them, feed them, educate their children, help them obtain jobs, and guide them in their new culture to become self-sufficient, contributing citizens.

Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan?  A traveler came upon an injured man on the side of the road.  But the man was not of the traveler's "tribe".  Nevertheless, the traveler cared generously for the injured man.  Could Jesus be saying that we are called to do the same for our neighbors to the south who journey hopefully to the U.S. for asylum?
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal spiritual growth this summer at CPC.
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Monday, June 18, 2018

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Is There A Short-Cut To Becoming Spiritual?


Does spiritual growth require some kind of hormone, like other efforts to enhance performance?  Some of us may be disappointed with ourselves, like my brother Richard.  Not so much with particular things he has done, as with aspects of whom he has become.  Richard lives in Colorado, and we met and talked at a family wedding last summer.

I did not know much about Richard's private life, but after a few wedding toasts we were willing to talk freely about Richard's pain for not being the person he had always thought he would become.

Later, we had a chance to talk, away from the distractions of the wedding reception.  I told Richard that perhaps what he was missing was some of the mysterious process called "spiritual growth."  The goal of spiritual growth, I told him, is to live as if Jesus held unhindered sway over our daily lives.  Of course, it is still we doing the living.  We are called by God, I said, daily to make life choices as the uniquely created selves which each of us is ---- with our own particular temperament, our own gene pool, our unique history.

But, to grow spiritually means to make those choices increasingly as Jesus would have, as if he were living in our unique place and time.  That is. to try to perceive what Jesus would perceive as if he were to to look through our eyes, to try to think what he would think, to seek to feel what he would feel, and therefore to do what he would do.  That means no longer seeking just to benefit ourselves.

John Ortberg, a teacher, writer and the pastor of Menlo Park (CA) Presbyterian Church, agrees we may be missing the life we were appointed by God to live.  Too often, says Ortberg, people think about their "spiritual lives" as just one more aspect of their existence, alongside and largely separate from their "financial" lives or their "vocational" lives.  Occasionally, they my try to get their "spiritual" lives together by praying more regularly or trying to master some formal spiritual discipline.  It is the religious equivalent of going on a diet, or trying to stick to a budget, Ortberg says.

"The term 'spiritual life' actually refers to the whole breadth of one's life", says Pastor Ortberg.  "It includes every moment and every facet of it ---- from God's perspective.  Another way of saying it," continues Ortberg, "is that God is not interested merely in your idea of 'spiritual' practices ---- God is really interested in your life as a whole.  He wants to redeem it!!"

As  Pastor Ortberg sees it, "God holds out the possibility of transformation, and the possibility of transformation is the essence of hope.  Hope is the primary goal of the spiritual life."  The goal of spiritual transformation can be and should be pursued full-time, he says.  Often we reduce our "tools for spiritual growth" to a few activities, such as prayer and Bible study, or a few periods of the day called "quiet time."  However, every moment of our lives can be an opportunity to learn from God how to live like Jesus.

Getting clear on what "spiritual life" looks like is no casual affair.  How does one know if we are settling for false transformation instead of the real thing?  Here are a few warning signs offered by John Ortberg:

1.)  Am I spiritually "inauthentic"?  To be "inauthentic" means being preoccupied with appearing to be spiritual.  Perhaps we have a hard time talking about God without trying to convince people we are  "spiritual."  Or, we may work harder at making people think we are a loving person than we do in actually loving them.

2.)  Am I becoming judgmental or exclusive or proud?  Pride is a potential problem for anyone who takes spiritual growth seriously.  As soon as we start to pursue virtue, we begin to wonder why others are not as virtuous as we are.

3.)  Am I becoming more approachable, or less?  In Jesus' day, rabbis had the mistaken notion that their spirituality required them to distance themselves from people.  The irony is that the only rabbi that outcasts could touch was Jesus ---- he was the most approachable religious person they had ever seen.  The other religious leaders had a kind of awkwardness that pushed people away.

4.)  Am I growing weary of pursuing spiritual growth?  Conventional religious goodness manages to be both intimidating and unchallenging at the same time, and this is tiresome.  Intimidating because, for example, it might involve 39 separate rules about Sabbath-keeping alone.  Unchallenging because we may devote our lives to observing all the rules and not ever open our hearts to love or joy.  Conforming to some particular religious subculture is simply not a compelling enough vision to capture the human spirit.

5.)  Am I measuring my spiritual life in superficial ways?  God's primary assessment of our lives is not going to be a measure of the number of our prayers, Scripture readings or meditations.  Rather, the question is whether we are growing in love for God and people.  The real issue is what kind of person are we becoming?  Practices such as reading Scripture and praying are important ---- not because they prove how spiritual we are, but because God uses them to lead us into a richer, new life.

Pastor Ortberg summarizes these thoughts by saying that spirituality refers to the spirit of God within us, and the fact that we are spiritual creatures.  So, Christian spirituality has to do with having our inner person (our mind, our will, our desires and intentions) formed and shaped by Jesus into a character that will honor and please God, not just honor ourselves.
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage your pursuit of personal spiritual growth this summer at CPC.
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Wednesday, June 13, 2018

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Do You Really Understand Poverty?


At lunch one day with a couple who are long-time friends, they were full of stories about a vacation trip they had just taken.  It was a cruise to a distant part of the world, which included stops at numerous ports I had always wanted to visit.  When I left them, I was excited about taking that cruise myself ---- that would be an ideal vacation adventure!

I looked on the internet for similar cruise opportunities, and importantly to answer the question "What would it cost?"  After an hour or two of thorough searching, I found several cruise alternatives, but they were pricey!!  To be honest, they were beyond my budget ---- way beyond!  What a disappointing discovery.  I guess I was  too "poor" to enjoy the cruise life that my friends had raved about.

Recently, I read a magazine article about the World Bank.  You will remember that at the end of World War II, the Bank was remarkably successful in helping to finance the re-building of war-torn Europe.  The report I was reading said the modern-day mission of the Bank is to assist low-income countries around the world, which means attempting to eliminate or reduce the poverty of their people.

Interestingly, they had found that people in the relatively developed economies (that is, the financial donors to the Bank) usually described "poverty" differently from its definition by the poor in the low-income countries they intended to help.  While the poor people of less-developed countries mentioned having a lack of material things, they tended to emphasize their condition in far more psychological and social terms compared to the people in donor countries.  The people in poverty in less-developed countries typically talked in terms of powerlessness, humiliation, fear, hopelessness, depression, social isolation, and voicelessness.

Most often, the people in such poverty believed they lacked any options for improving their lives.  For example, it was only when some developed countries shared a cure for River Blindness that many people in Africa had some new hope.  They could not have solved this problem themselves even if someone had simply donated some money.

On the other hand, the leaders in developed countries tended to see "poverty" only as a lack of material things such as food, clean water, medicine, housing, etc. when they talked about "the poor."

Somehow we must embrace both perceptions of "poverty" if we aim to change things for the better.  If, in working with poor people, we treat only the symptoms, or if we misdiagnose the underlying problem, we will not improve their situation, and we might actually make their lives worse.

While the World Bank's focus today is on less-developed countries, we should not forget that we have both forms of poverty in the U.S. and in other developed countries.  So, we don't need to go to foreign less-developed countries to experience and appreciate the psychological and social dimensions of poverty.  It is nearby, if we look for it.  For example, this summer CPC will organize 25 or more teenagers for a week-long Mission Trip to an economically depressed area of Western New York State.  They will live with and do light construction work amidst an impoverished community.  This close working relationship with the "poor" will help the Mission Team members break through the stereotypes many of us have of the "poor", and also help them better understand the psychological and social side of poverty.

There are many such examples of how churches and other groups have acquired a sense of the psychological and social aspects of poverty, for a more well-rounded understanding of poverty's challenge.  They now see that there is more to it than just sending money.  They have acquired a better understanding of the people they are trying to help.

The lesson for me is that my "poverty" is actually quite unlike the type of poverty we have just been talking about.  For my comfortable life style, it is required only that I be prudent when choosing among my many options for how I will use my greater material resources ---- choices that the desperately poor are not afforded.  For me there is merely some disappointment when I cannot keep up with my wealthier friends, but no feelings of fear,, powerlessness, humiliation, hopelessness, depression, social isolation or voicelessness.  I have to put my "poverty" in perspective.  I must remember that while I sometimes may think I am "poor," my situation will not, and should not support an application to the World Bank for a loan.  I must acknowledge that I am privileged, and remember to share my privileged gifts with others who society seems to have forgotten.
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These thoughts are brought to you by the CPC Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage your spiritual growth this summer.
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Monday, June 4, 2018

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Do You Bring Some HOPE To Others?


Some of us may be profoundly discouraged about the world we think we know.  So many of our media news sources are relentlessly filled with stories of natural disaster, grinding poverty, war and death.  It is hard not to be drawn into this negativity.  Bad news is news!  Good news doesn't sell newspapers as well.  Therefore it may be hard for us to realize that in many ways the world is becoming a better place.

There has been notable progress, both internationally and local to us.

As we think about some positive trends and examples of progress in the world, several things may come to mind.  First, it took joint efforts by the U.N., many governments and numerous not-for-profit organizations, engaging large numbers of people, to make these positive "macro" changes happen.

Secondly, they did not happen overnight.  Indeed, some worthy attempts at concerted positive change were failures, and many succeeded only because of long-term efforts.  Indeed, sometimes it took years before substantial progress was seen.  The issues were not just about funding.  Often the changes required in people and their cultures met strong resistance.  The resistance had to be overcome, and that often took time and skill.  But in the last analysis. it would seem that the "change lubricant" most often successful was people-to-people relationships, not distant bureaucracy.  It was people teaching each other, encouraging each other, and working side by side.

Well, is there is a lesson for you and me in this?  I don,t know about you, but I cannot take off a year to go work on a health project in Haiti.  But if I stay home, are there any other ways I can bring some HOPE to some forgotten people in 2018?

You know what I am going to say to you ---- that there are some ways.  But, that YOU must find them, in efforts specifically meaningful for yourself.  All I can do is offer some suggestions on how to make your "helping" time the most HOPE-inspiring in others.

Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned in attempting to bring some HOPE to others, especially to strangers in need, is that satisfying this goal is not a "one-shot" proposition.

Several years ago, when I became a weekly volunteer at Runnells Hospital in Berkeley Heights, several of us visited mainly on the first floor.  The Hospital termed these patients "sub-acute," because usually they were there for physical therapy after hip or knee replacements.  So, after about 4 or 5 weeks these patients would be discharged home and we would not see them again.  We would have had some nice conversations, hopefully relieving some of the tedium of a hospital stay, but at 20 or so minutes per chat each week, we were not really doing much to instill HOPE.  We would have needed time to build a relationship in order for deeper conversations.

At some point, we discovered that a number of patients on the first floor, for whatever reason, occupied rooms that would be theirs for the rest of their lives!  Some had outlived their families; others had working families or children who lived some distance from Runnells, so their visits to see the family member at Runnells were infrequent and hectic.  We made a point of spending more time with these "long-term" patients.

Gradually, some beautiful things began to happen.  Not only did the patients begin to tell us how much they looked forward to our visits, but we discovered that under that thin guise of old age and infirmity, they were interesting people, proud to share their feelings, frustrations and hopes for the future.

These long-term relationships began developing several years ago, and they have grown richer each year that passes, for all of us.  Some of our Runnells friends have died in the meanwhile, but it gives us a warm feeling to recall many happy times with them, and the satisfaction of perhaps having brought some HOPE to their final days.

This "seeding" of HOPE does not require one to be a Runnells volunteer!  But it does require intentional long-term effort ---- not just one-shot conversations or one-shot charitable projects.

The long-term "seeding" of HOPE in others is satisfying to the giver, too.  Sometimes we may feel a little negativity about the first visit ---- don't we have many other things to do instead of this??  If one passes that test, however, it gets easier and easier to feel the personal satisfaction of taking time to "seed" HOPE in others.

Bring some HOPE to others, as we all try to make the world an even better place in 2018 ---- even for one person at a time!

It's your move!
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These thoughts are brought to you by the Adult Spiritual Development Team at CPC, hoping to encourage your personal spiritual growth this summer.
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