WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Should We Forgive, Just Because It's Christmas?

There is a lot to be said for not forgiving people who have done us wrong.  Why should people who upset our lives, leaving us bleeding in their wake, expect us to forgive everything and act as if nothing went wrong?  Is forgiving in reality a religious trick to seduce hurting people into putting up with wrongs they do not deserve?  Remember that we are talking about forgiving things that we feel are insufferable.  We are not talking about the petty slights that we all inevitably suffer. We are talking about forgiving people who have wronged us, deeply and unfairly.  If forgiving leaves the victim exposed and encourages the wrongdoer to hurt again, why forgive?!

When we urge people to forgive, we are asking them to suffer twice.  First, they suffer the wrong of another person's assault.  They were ripped off.  Betrayed.  Left out in the cold.  Now must they suffer a second injury and swallow the insult to boot?  They are stuck with the hurt ---- must they also bless the person who hurt them?

Is there a case to be made for "honest" forgiveness?  Lewis B. Smedes, a former professor of theology and ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary, in his book Forgive & Forget, offers some helpful thoughts.

First, when we say "forgive" we may be asking someone to commit an outrage against humankind's universal instinct for fair play.  Smedes says we should believe in forgiveness only if justice is maintained and guilt acknowledged.  You will forgive only when you dare look at people eyeball to eyeball and tell them that they are responsible for what they did.

Suppose we try to deny the hurt we feel.  If we are too afraid of our own pain to permit ourselves to feel it fully, Smedes tells us, we do not need to deal with the issue of forgiveness.  For practical purposes, there is no hurt to forgive.  But what shoves us into crisis is when we realize the fact that we have been treated unfairly by someone ----  someone who did not have to do it. We can begin to forgive only when we refuse the soft-soaped temptation of toning down the wrong that was laid on us.   Forgiving is only for people who are being honest about the wretched fact of unfair pain, says Professor Smedes.  Forgiving is not for everyone.

But, suppose one refuses to settle for the past (with it's remembered hurt), and you also refuse to forgive.  Is there another option?  Maybe revenge?

Vengeance is a passion to get even.  It is a hot desire to give back as much pain as someone gave you.  An eye for an eye!  The problem with revenge is that it never gets what it wants ---- it never evens the score.  Vengeance always takes both the injured and the injurer on an escalator of pain.  The escalator never stops, never lets anyone off as long as parity is demanded.

Why do family feuds go on and on until everyone is dead ---- or gets too old and too tired to fight? The reason is simple:  no two people, no two families, ever weigh pain on the same scale.  The pain a person causes me always feels heavier to me than it feels to the person who caused it. The pain I inflict on you always feels worse to you than it seems to me.

If you hurt me and I retaliate in kind, I may think that I have given you only what you deserve, no more.  But you will feel it as a hurt that is too great for you to accept.  Your passion for fairness will force you to retaliate against me, harder this time.  Then it will be my turn.  And will it ever stop?

Forgiveness is not the alternative to revenge because it is soft and gentle, says Prof. Smedes. It is a viable alternative, he says,  because it is the only creative route to less unfairness. 

Forgiveness has creative power to move us away from a past moment of pain, to unshackle us from our endless chain of pain-related reactions, and to create a new situation in which both the wrongdoer and the wronged can begin in a new way.

Smedes says it well:

          "Forgiveness offers a chance at reconciliation.  It is an opportunity for a

           life together instead of death together.  Forgiveness is a miracle of the

           will that moves away the heavy hindrance to fellowship, a miracle that 

           will be fulfilled when the two estranged people come together in as fair

           a new relationship as is possible at that time and in those circumstances."

Forgiveness begins midstream in the flow of unfairness, and starts a new movement toward another fairness.  An imperfect fairness, to be sure, but better at least than endless perpetuation of the old unfairness.  It breaks the grip that past wrong and pain have on our minds and frees us for whatever fairer future lies amid the unknown potential of our tomorrows.

There is no guarantee.  But, forgiving is the only door open to possibility.  This Christmas, do you see any opportunities for reconciliation with someone who has hurt you in the past?  This might be the best Christmas gift you could give to yourself!

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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 winter.

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WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Can We Talk About SIN In The Happy Season of Christmas?

My grand kids have shared their ideas of "dream" gifts for me to give them at Christmas.  My daughters have generous gifts planned for their husbands.  Generally, there seems to be a feeling of joy and anticipation at this time of year.

Of course, the media "education" we continually receive about things to purchase that will make others HAPPY (even if only briefly) may be bending our thoughts in a certain direction.  So, perhaps by now our Christmas thoughts have little to do with the birth of Jesus in a manger, thousands of years ago in far-off Bethlehem.

Today, with so much persuasion in the air, it is easy to forget the real reason we have persisted for more than two thousand years to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  What does that birth really mean to us?  Did the birth of Jesus actually give us something more important than the expectation of receiving some Christmas gifts?

Many people believe the answer lies in understanding a fundamental problem all of us have.

The Bible explains again and again that in general people's hearts are drawn toward selfishness and pride. The Bible, in it's wisdom tells us how we should live, but it also says, "you can't, and you won't."  Fortunately, it does provide a solution to the problem ---- in Jesus.  

In order to be a Christian a person must admit that he or she is a sinner.  "Sin" is an attitude in which we focus on ourselves and thus replace God.  The real God and his law become secondary in our lives.  Probably we are not consistently sinful all the time, but we know that from time to time we place our pride and  well-being first, even if others may sacrifice because of us. Are any of us not sinners some of the time?

Actually, in order to really be a Christian, a person must admit that he or she is a sinner.  It is not really a surprise that Christians sin, that there is an inconsistency between what they say and what they do.

R.C. Sproul writes, "The Christian Church is one of the few organizations in the world that requires a public acknowledgement of sin as a condition of membership.  In one sense, the church has fewer hypocrites than any other institution because by definition the church looks for sinners and is a haven for them.  If the church claimed to be an organization of perfect people, then her claim would be hypocritical.  But no such claim is made by the church.  There is no slander in the charge that the church is full of sinners.  Such a statement actually gives a compliment to the church for fulfilling her divinely appointed task."

Christianity is often equated with "obeying the rules," thereby making us think we just need to be a morally superior person.  Actually, most religions operate on a simple principle:  "If I live as I ought, I will be accepted by God."

But, Christianity has a completely different operating principle ----

I am already accepted by God, as a gift through what Jesus has done for us on the Cross. Therefore, out of gratitude, I will try to live as I ought.  Christians are people who understand that they will always fail to live as they should.  Therefore, that they need forgiveness and God's freely-given grace.

The prerequisite to becoming a Christian is admitting that one has this problem, and that we need God's help.  So, continual repentance in the sense of our humility before God should be the mark of a Christian.

The difference between a Pharisee in the New Testament and a follower of Jesus Christ, is not that the Pharisee and the Christian are not both trying to obey God, they actually are.  However, the Pharisee is doing it only self-righteously, so as to feel superior to other people ---- there is no humility there.  So, when the Pharisee does wrong, he will not admit to the wrong.

Jesus criticized people who do "religious" things just to feel superior to others.  Jesus understood that the chief danger from the kind of religious moralism in which a person or a community feels they have earned God's favor, is that it could lead them to feeling that they deserve special deference and respect from all other folks ---- it produces an unfortunate and unwarranted ego trip.

Jesus himself sacrificed his life so that his followers could be reconciled to God, making their pride and self-interest secondary.  Christians follow someone (Jesus) who sacrificed everything (all of his pride and self-interest) to redeem and renew the world.  At the heart of the Christian faith is a man who died a victim of injustice, but who called for the forgiveness of his enemies. Jesus is the example we sinners are trying to follow.

So, understanding the importance of the message of Jesus, we come annually to the celebration of Christmas.  We can see that the real gifts of Christmas are not the material things ---- the Christmas gifts, the Christmas parties and the Christmas cards, even thought they delight us at first.  The real gift is more fundamental in our lives ---- it is the gift of the birth of Jesus, who showed us a path out of our sinfulness.

Merry Christmas!

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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 winter at CPC.

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WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Are Advent and Christmas Only About Jesus?

December 25 each year for centuries has been thought by many people to be the birthday of Jesus Christ.  Christians think of it as the day that God placed his only son in the midst of mankind, thus attempting to show his love for us by teaching an improved approach to our mortal life.  This so impressed us, that we even designated the four weeks prior to Christmas as Advent, and made it a joyful time of anticipation for the Christmas Day celebration of Jesus' arrival.

Of course, some of us have found the rituals of purchasing and giving gifts, sending greeting cards and meeting with friends and neighbors at holiday parties, a frantic effort to stay on a tight schedule. Most of this occurs during the four weeks of Advent, so perhaps we are not all that well prepared for Christmas, after all.

So, what is the point of Christmas?  Was it merely something for Jesus, Mary and Joseph to do, or is it more complicated and profound?

Well-known Pastor Rick Warren, with a church in California, offers some helpful ideas on how we can re-focus ourselves to the deeper meaning of Christmas.  He explains why we should have real gratitude for the birth of Jesus.

Warren says the first purpose of Christmas is to celebrate.  God loves you!  Not based on what you do, but based on who he is.  Our good works do not buy God's favor.  Secondly, God is with you and will never abandon you.  You may not feel like he is near, but that just means you are not tuned-in.  Thirdly, God is not against you.  He is not out to get you or make you miserable. God loves you.  God is with you.  God is for you.  Therefore, the gift to mankind of God's only son is a priceless gift to you.

But, there is more! 

There is this thing called "Salvation."  Rick Warren believes that most people recognize their need for somebody greater than themselves ---- someone to help them through a problem, rescue them from a tight spot, and ultimately save them from something they can't solve on their own. They realize the need for somehow being saved ---- salvation.

Warren believes that salvation is three-dimensional.  You are saved FROM something ---- yourself. Sin is an attitude.  It is a pride problem.  Sin is saying, "I want to be my own boss.  I don't need God."  The problem with sin is that it separates us from God.  Jesus came to set us free from our sin.  So, there is something from which we need to be set free.  We need to be set free from ourselves.  We need a savior!

.

In addition, Pastor Warren believes Jesus came to save us FOR a purpose.  It's in Christ, he says, that we find out who we are and what we are living for.  But, Warren believes, you will never be completely satisfied with your life until you find out what is the purpose God has for you, and how to bring it to pass.  You were not made for mere "success" in some secular sense. You were made for a higher level ---- "significance."  Significance comes from knowing God, his purpose for your life, and then for you to fulfill it.

Thirdly, Rick Warren reminds us that Jesus came to save us BY his grace.  Grace is when God gives us what we need and not what we deserve.  Grace is when God says, "I'm going to take your problem and make it my problem."  God came to save us from our hurts, our habits and our hang-ups.

So far, God and Jesus have done all the work.  What role do we play at Christmas time, if any?Rick Warren sees a very difficult but important role for us!  In a word, it is "Reconciliation" ---- when a broken relationship is restored.

Pastor Warren says there are three kinds of such peace:

  --- First, if you are trying to live life without God, then you are at war with God and you need a peace treaty.  How do you make peace with God?  You don't do it by promising to be good.  You don't do it by being perfect.  You can't be perfect.  You don't do it by never sinning.  You will sin. You make peace, the Bible says, by faith ---- faith in God's grace.

  --- Second, you've got two choices in life.  In every circumstance, you can pray or panic.  You can worship or worry.  If you prayed as much as you worry, you would have a whole lot less to worry about.  The peace of God happens in your heart when you've made peace with God.

  --- Third, God has given us both a ministry and a message (and it's about reconciliation) ---- to help other people find peace with God and peace with each other.

With whom do you need to rebuild a broken relationship this Christmas?  Just remember that you will need to let Jesus Christ fill you with his love so you love other people the way he does.  And, you will need to let him fill you with his forgiveness.  Until you let God in, and feel truly forgiven, you don't have the ability to forgive others.

So, we have a range of gifts to acknowledge this Christmas.  There could be new golf clubs, a new car or something even more grand in a material sense.  At the same time, we can count on an invaluable gift from God, as evidenced by the birth of Jesus.  But, one of the most precious gifts we can give might simply be the gift of forgiveness to someone who caused us pain in the year that is now behind us, just as God's grace has already forgiven us of repeated sinning.

Merry Christmas!

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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 fall at CPC.

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WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Bringing Different Worlds Together

Last week violence flared up again in Ferguson, Missouri after a grand jury failed to indict a white police officer who killed the unarmed black youth Michael Brown.  This violent reaction showed once again that black and white people rarely view race in the same way or agree about how to resolve racial conflicts.

In an opinion piece in The New York Times on November 30, Michael Eric Dyson, a professor of sociology at Georgetown University, makes the point that "the instrument through which one perceives race ---- one's culture, one's experiences, one's fears and fantasies ---- alters in crucial ways the reality of what it measures.  Dyson goes on to say that "Our American culture's fearful dehumanizing of black men materialized once again when Officer Wilson saw Michael Brown as a demonic force who had to be vanquished in a hail of bullets."

In the same New York Times edition, columnist Nicholas Kristof quotes an incident when a black man was stopped by six police officers who detained him, with guns ready, and treated him for 30 minutes as a dangerous suspect.  That young black man was future U.S. Senator Cory Booker, who had been a senior class president at Stanford University and was a newly selected Rhodes Scholar. Yet our law enforcement system reduced him to a stereotype ---- so young Booker sat trembling and praying that he wouldn't be shot by the police.

Nicholas Kristof goes on to say he thinks part of the problem is that well-meaning Americans who disapprove of racism inadvertently help perpetuate it.  "We aren't racists," Kristof says, "yet we buttress a system that acts in racist ways.  This occurs partly because of deeply embedded stereotypes that trick us, even when we want to be fair."

So, how can we nurture "one America."  Many wise voices have recommended evidence-based solutions that would boost educational outcomes, improve family cohesion and connect people to jobs.  These ideas seem to have merit, but they require government action.  What can individual citizens do to bring different worlds together?

For nearly 45 years, Central Presbyterian Church has sponsored a program called "Elizabethport Tutorial."  From early October until the end of March, each year, we have met on Tuesday nights in the church auditorium, for an hour.

We bring about 40 grade-schoolers by bus from Elizabethport (a section of the City of Elizabeth, N.J.), and they meet with 60 or 70 tutors from high schools local to Summit.  Public high schools in Summit, Chatham, Springfield and New Providence are represented, but also local private schools like Oak Knoll, Kent Place, Morristown-Beard and Pingry.  Our students are African-American or Hispanic.  The tutors are generally white and middle class.  But, it works!

Because the building of personal relationships between tutor and student is so important to us, each student is assigned a permanent tutor ---- the same tutor, week after week.  Many students have two regular tutors, so that if one tutor is briefly involved in sports or other activities, there is always continuity.

As the tutor gets to know his or her student, they will see individual areas of academic weakness.  One student does not like to read aloud because he doesn't do it very well.  Another student has trouble with math, so some number exercises are offered.  Importantly, this teaching and practice occurs through great amounts of talking.  If the student has read a story to the tutor, for example, the tutor may ask the student now to tell the story again in his or her own words. Often, the student or the tutor simply talk about things they have been doing in their daily lives. Our purpose is not just academics ---- we are mentoring!

Why do the Elizabethport students come to Tutorial each week, when they could instead be home watching TV, or doing other things?  Each child would answer this question a little differently, but for most of them, as for most kids, they are happy to be out with their friends on sort of an adventure.  As they begin to bond with their particular tutor, THAT becomes a big draw. A few parents may push their students to come to Tutorial, but most tell us they simply hear the kids saying they do not want to miss the Tuesday night Tutorial session.  It may be an exaggeration, but we have been told that some parents have used Tutorial as a "stick," saying to their child:

           "If you do not behave, I will not let you go to Tutorial on Tuesday evening!"

How is it that we are blessed with so many dedicated tutors?  Each tutor undoubtedly will have his or her particular reasons, but somewhere on their list is "the personal relationship I have with my student."  They are there every Tuesday because they don't want to disappoint their student. This is not necessarily what one expects from the typically busy high-schooler.  But, over time the student-tutor relationship grows deeper, as they learn more about each other, and fondness blossoms, while stereotypes wither ---- on both sides.  We have heard of high-school age tutors who have satisfied any Community Service requirements their school may have imposed, but the tutor wants to come back to give a second or even a third year of tutoring.  Some tutors have even described the rewards of their experience as one of our tutors, on their college application. Some Summit-area parents have encouraged their kids to serve as tutors ---- we have often had brothers and sisters serving at the same time, or in successive years.

We see the students and tutors learning things about themselves and about each other through the Tutorial experience.  For the tutors, it brings home to them how fortunate they are for what they have, and to be sure to use it wisely.  The tutors also discover that their students are much more like them than they may have realized ---- they didn't just read about this, they now have experienced it.  Both students and tutors can now live beyond the stereotypes that the media and society may have given us.  

For the students, we expect them to see greater opportunities for their own lives, by just listening to their tutor's own stories and encouragement, and witnessing the importance of life focus and working hard on their studies.

CPC's Elizabethport Tutorial Program truly brings different "worlds" together ---- High School youth meet grade-schoolers; suburban middle class youth meet African-American and Hispanic kids from one of New Jersey's largest urban centers. We believe that ALL of us are benefiting.

We seek to never have a "Ferguson" experience in our own back yard!

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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 fall at CPC.

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A Roasted Turkey Is A Fixture ---- But, Have Other Things About Thanksgiving Day Been Evolving?

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.

Squanto, a Patuxet Native American who resided with the Wampanoag tribe, was one of the guests. 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.

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."

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, making it likely to be the first civil recognition of Thanksgiving in New England.

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 have a civil observance linked to the religious one, as in 1623.  Gradually, an annual Thanksgiving after the harvest, developed in the mid-17th century.  This did not occur on any set day or necessarily on the same day in 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 in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the traditional celebration date from the last Thursday in November.  In 1939, November had five Thursdays (instead of the usual four), and Roosevelt declared the fourth Thursday as Thanksgiving Day rather than the last one.  With the country still in the midst of The Great Depression, Roosevelt thought an earlier Thanksgiving would give merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas, helping the economy recover from the Depression.

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 we find in our lives, whether material or spiritual.  But many of us do say such 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 the year we make a real effort to be there, even if we need to fly in 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?

Think about the "First Thanksgiving" in 1621, where the Native American guests outnumbered the Pilgrims nearly two to one.  The Pilgrims were not just celebrating and thanking God for their bounty ---- they were recognizing that "community" with others had truly enriched their lives.  Isn't that true for us today?  While the publicly-stated purpose of Thanksgiving has not changed, it would seem appropriate to equally acknowledge the gift of community with others, that the Pilgrims could see from the very beginning.

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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 fall at CPC.

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Should We Do More In Helping Others?

I remember one summer about ten years ago, when my wife and I were volunteers for a week on an Indian reservation in Montana.  Part of our assignment was to perform tasks like unpacking books and supplies for the book store, delivering "meals on wheels" to some Indian families, and tutoring some of the kids.  Importantly, we were also asked to engage the residents, and to mutually share what challenges and successes we saw in our respective lives.  The residents were encouraged to do the same.  Out of these conversations, I began to see differently these low-income residents of the Reservation.

One thing I learned is that shame is a major part of the brokenness that low-income people experience in their relationship with themselves.  Instead of seeing themselves as being created in the image of God, low-income people often feel they are inferior to others.  This can paralyze the poor from taking initiative and from seizing opportunities to improve their situation, thereby locking them into permanent material poverty.

At the same time, because I was able to afford this venture, and lived comfortably in Summit, New Jersey, I realized that I also suffered from a deficiency  Specifically, I was a candidate to have a kind of "god-complex," a subtle and unconscious sense of superiority in which I could believe that I had achieved my "wealth" through my own efforts and that I had been anointed to decide what was best for low-income people, whom I might view as inferior to myself.  

Few of us may be conscious of having a "god-complex," but that may be part of the problem.  Are we often deceived by our own sinful natures?  For example, consider why do we want to help the poor?  Really think about it.  What truly motivates you?  Do you really love poor people and want to serve them?  Or, do you have other motives?

I confess that part of what motivates me to help the poor is my felt need to accomplish something worthwhile with my life, to be a person of significance, to feel I have pursued a noble cause, perhaps to be a bit like God.  It makes me feel good to use my resources to "save" poor people.  And in the process, I guess I sometimes unintentionally reduce poor people to objects that I use to fulfill my own need to accomplish something.  It is a very ugly truth, and it pains me to admit it, but "when I want to be good, evil is right there with me."  (Romans: 7:21)

The way we act toward the economically poor often communicates (unintentionally) that we feel superior and that they are inferior.  In the process, we hurt the poor and ourselves.  Importantly, this dynamic may be particularly strong wherever middle-to-upper-class North American Christians try to help the poor, given the tendency for such Christians toward a Western, materialistic perspective of the nature of poverty.

This is not to say we shouldn't help the poor.  We just need to remember that God created all of us ---- the poor and the not-so-poor.  Perhaps we have been lucky, perhaps we have worked hard and been well-focused in our lives.  But, how much is truly our earned reward, and how much has come to us by the grace of God ---- and thus must be shared?

Are the opportunities we are born into, a gift of God?  I was fortunate in being born into a college- educated family,and then I was admitted to a challenging college, where I could discover my gifts and develop marketable skills.  Sure, I could have wasted these opportunities, but that would have been in conflict with the culture of my family and those I socialized with.

What if others had not laid out for me this path of growth and personal development?  I would be a very different person today, and perhaps struggling.  Indeed, I did work hard and I did apply myself, but others provided me some great opportunities.

Do you wonder whom you should thank for your opportunities in life?  Perhaps there were hundreds of such providers, each of whom did something, contributed a little piece of the big picture, that formed today's YOU.

Let's think of helping others beyond their mere survival ---- how can we engineer opportunities for personal development that prior generations of struggling populations were not even aware were possible?  Perhaps this is the next chapter in the ongoing story of our help to others.

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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 fall at CPC.

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WEEKLY COMMENTARY: For You, Who Is "the light of the world; a city on a hill . . ."?

The Essenes were a Jewish separatist group active from about BC 170 until the Roman Legions disbursed them in AD 68.  They had intentionally moved out of Jerusalem and fled to the mountains and wilderness bordering the Dead Sea.  Their goal was to isolate themselves from the prevailing life style of other Jews living in Jerusalem.

The Essenes sought to create a new system of spiritual purity, by isolating themselves from what they saw as the spiritual darkness of the Hellenistic life style that was pervading Jerusalem.  They were seeking a right relationship with the God of the Old Testament, by removing themselves completely from a non-believing society.

As Christians, we sometimes think that if we could just retreat from the distractions "of life in the world," we could live a holy life.  Do you think it is possible for normal, ordinary people to live holy lives today in the midst of a secular culture so filled with spiritually dark temptations?

The Jewish people had been captives on and off for centuries, so they knew how easy it was to lose one's spiritual purity during a forced integration into a different culture and set of religious values.  Their answer had been to bond together, isolate as best they could and support each other in honoring their God, Yahweh. 

While Christians draw much of their faith from the Old Testament and ancient Jewish practices and tradition, a very striking difference was introduced by Jesus.  After the Crucifixion, Jesus appeared to his disciples and instructed them in The Great Commission:  "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  .  .  .  ."  (Matthew 28:19 - 20).

What would the Essenes have said if Jesus had given them The Great Commission?

Once Jesus accomplished his work of redemption (by means of the Crucifixion), the challenge for his followers was not to separate from the world, but to take the good news of redemption into the world.  In Matthew 5:14 - 16 we see that Jesus illustrated by metaphor the role his disciples were to have in the world:

          "You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither

            do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its 

            stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let 

            your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise

            your Father in heaven."

Turning to some spiritual practices of today, it is interesting to consider the way the Pennsylvania Amish sect of Christianity relates to the secular world.  The Amish are conservative (some would say "old fashioned"), emphasizing humility, family, community and separation from the non-Amish world.  This includes a reluctance on the part of some Amish to adopt modern conveniences such as automobiles and electricity.  However, it is estimated that some 30,000 Amish people currently live within the area around Lancaster, PA.

Amish beliefs are taken very seriously.  They call for making a conscious choice to accept God. Accordingly, only adults are baptized.  Importantly, the Amish also believe in the all-encompassing and literal, authority of the Bible, and they believe in a philosophy of brotherhood

and non-resistance, as well as the importance of family and community.

Many Amish wear distinctive Amish-style clothing, and "Old Order" Amish are conspicuous for not making use of "worldly" conveniences.  In the Lancaster, PA area, one can see today some practicing Amish driving a horse and buggy on the public highway.

To preserve the Amish identity and maintain spiritual harmony, it is said that members are encouraged to surrender their personal aspirations for the sake of "community purity."  These ideals are maintained by keeping all work, play, worship, commerce and friendship within the Amish orbit.  They prohibit habits that feed individualism, greed and other common secular tendencies.

On the other hand, their "extreme" non-conformity in the midst of secular cultural/spiritual values could serve as a conspicuous spiritual reminder to the rest of us.  While the Essenes tried to live "spiritually pure" lives by being removed from the secular world, the Amish seem to have a much greater challenge by living immersed in today's secular culture.

Do you think the Pennsylvania Amish are indeed living out the call of Jesus to be "the light of the world; a city on a hill  .  .  ."?  In today's world, how different culturally can other people be, before we stop taking seriously their spiritual example?

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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 growth this winter at CPC.

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WEEKLY COMMENTARY: What To Do About Iraq's Persecuted Christians?

Recently, several of my friends have expressed frustration that the PC(USA) seems silent on the violent persecution of Christians in Iraq, Syria and other places in the Middle East.  They cite statements by Pope Francis and other leaders voicing concern that in Arab lands religious intolerance is on the rise ---- but my friends say they do not find leaders in the PC(USA) being similarly quoted in the media.

Frankly, what can the PC(USA) actually do?  While some people would like to see our political leaders use armed force to protect the threatened Christians, President Obama has made it clear that there will be no "boots on the ground" from the U.S.  Therefore, for many of the challenged Christians, they will need to remove themselves to a safer place ---- perhaps to a different country.

I recently read a story in The International New York Times entitled "Mosul's Christians find shelter in Jordan."  The story told of three Christian families from the area around Mosul, Iraq, who had fled to Jordan, forced out by Islamic State (ISIS) fighters who had given them little choice.  After capturing the city last June, these militants had given the Christians one day to make up their minds:  convert to Islam, pay a tax, or be killed.  The Times said that over 4,000 Iraqi Christians from Mosul had come to Jordan in the past  three months.

Interestingly. The Times says that King Abdullah II of Jordan, a close American ally, has made the need for the continued presence of multiple religions in the Middle East a major talking point in recent years.  But King Abdullah has done more than just talk!  When the Islamic State (ISIS) stormed into Mosul, the Jordanian government threw open their country to Iraq's Christians despite rising tensions at home over waves of Syrian refugees whose presence has increasingly burdened ill-prepared Jordanian communities.

The article in The International New York Times went on to say that hundreds of the new and often traumatized Christian refugees now live in community halls in seven churches in Amman and nearby Zarga, trying hard to make do in places with little privacy or even enough necessities like toilets.  Many of the other Christian refugees are living several families to a home, paying rent with their own money or with aid from international charitable organizations.  Many more are crammed into refugee camps in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.

Besides providing shelter, various local churches feed the refugees with hearty portions of rice and vegetables paid for by the churches and by foreign charitable organizations.  However, the latest Christian arrivals are not allowed to work in Jordan.  This is an attempt to ensure they do not stay indefinitely in a country that previously granted citizenship to a large population of displaced Palestinians.  Mostly, says The Times, displaced Christians appear haunted by the abrupt end to their lives in Iraq and to a Christian tradition that had survived in Mosul for more than 1,700 years.

So, is the PC(USA) actually doing anything to aid these displaced Christians?  The answer is YES.  It is not big, eye-catching, headline-fetching work ---- instead it is to provide resources and leadership on the "ground" level.  PC(USA) facilitates more of a "people-to-people" approach. Here is an example:

Last August, members of CPC's "Members In Mission" Team, hosted a luncheon meeting with Greg and Chris Callison, PC(USA) missionaries based in northern Iraq.  They were on home leave and visiting some twenty East Coast Presbyterian churches to tell the story of their Iraq outreach and to raise money to further their efforts to support displaced Christians.  Their story was compelling.

The CPC Mission Team voted to give an unplanned $1,000 outright, and an additional sum to PC(USA) headquarters to help fund the Callison's pensions and travel expenses.  This is a small sum, but if all 20 churches did the same, the total would go far in the Middle East.

The Callisons are each ordained Presbyterian ministers who have served in Iraq for several years,  They are in their fifties, and are husband and wife.  Not only are they fluent in the Arabic language, but it was clear from their luncheon presentation that their hearts are really into this difficult (and sometimes dangerous) Christian-to-Christian, person-to-person support work.

The Callisons said they hoped that each of the churches they were to visit on the East Coast would support the Callison's work with some kind of direct financial grant.  The Callisons said they realized that the PC(USA) in Louisville was already overwhelmed with financial requests from worthy causes ---- to fight poverty, cure disease, etc., and to tell the story of Jesus, all in a very needy world.

The CPC Mission Team was touched by this person-to-person relief effort by the Callisons as PC(USA) missionaries.  It seemed to touch our hearts more deeply than just voting to write a check to Louisville.  The CPC Mission Team continues to look for more person-to-person opportunities to carry Christ's message, whether at home or overseas.

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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 fall at CPC.

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WEEKLY COMMENTARY: When Your Tour Guide Teaches Unexpected Things . . .

Before I retired I had to take a business trip to Morocco.  I did not speak any of the local languages, so I arranged for an English-speaking guide.  We traveled together to several cities ---- Casablanca, Rabat, Fes and Marrakech.  He was the driver, but he also knew much about current events in Morocco and its history, so we had many interesting conversations.  I was glad I had some time to become well-acquainted with him and with that country.

On one of our long drives between cities, we found ourselves talking about religion.  He said he was a Muslim, an adherent of Islam.  I told him I was a Christian, and we started to compare notes.

It turned out that we had a number of things in common.  Both faiths value prayer, worship (humbling ourselves before God) and fasting.  Both faiths shun the worship of idols.  We both honor and remember Adam, Noah and Moses.  We both believe we are descendants of Abraham, the patriarch of both our faiths, as well as of the Jewish faith ---- for the Jewish people it is through the line of Isaac, and for Muslims through the line of Ishmel.

In fact, my Moroccan guide said, Christians and Jews are recognized within the Qur'an (Koran), the Muslim holy book, as "people of the Book."  Muslims even honor Jesus Christ as a great prophet, he continued, and we also believe that Jesus will return to earth.

I was surprised and pleased that there were so many commonalities between the Muslim and Christian faiths.  But now the conversation became a little more difficult.  Remembering my guide's reference to the Qur'an, I asked him what he believed about the Bible.

He paused a moment, and then said that for Muslims, God's revelation came in their holy book, the Qur'an, a code of laws, rules and regulations given by Allah to govern life and society.  I responded that Christians also submit ourselves to a holy book.  We believe that the Old and New Testaments are the word of God with the power to change lives.  However, I emphasized, Christians believe that God's full revelation came in Jesus Christ.  I said the Bible's purpose is to lead us into an intimate relationship with God.  Throughout the Bible, the God of the universe is portrayed as seeking relationship with us and longing for us to cultivate peace in our relationship with one another.

My Muslim friend wanted to respond with the Muslim view of man's relationship with God.  The Qur'an, he said, describes our relationship with God in terms of master and slave.  But, while Allah is distant in his relationship with mankind, the Qur'an also describes Allah as merciful and compassionate to mankind.  This latter point pleased me, because Christians also affirm this view of God ---- our Scriptures describe God as a merciful and compassionate, although more intimate, master.

Even though Jesus holds a high place in Islam as a great prophet, surprisingly, the Qur'an teaches that Jesus was never killed.  God is sovereign, the Qur'an teaches, and therefore God could not allow Jesus, the great prophet, to die such a violent death.  'Because Muslims don't share the Christian belief in original sin," said my Muslim friend, "Muslims wonder why Christians even need the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross."  I told him that from the Christian point of view, Jesus' pain and death on the cross provide us with the greatest gift in the world.  Jesus' humanity and suffering demonstrate the extraordinary lengths to which our Creator goes to lavish great love and forgiveness on us, in spite of our sinful ways.

"Well," my friend asked, "why don't you obey the teachings of our great prophet Muhammad?"  I had to be careful here.  I said Christians believe that Muhammad's teachings contain some truth, but they are not part of our Biblical tradition.  "Don't be offended," my friend said, "but Muslims believe that in his teachings Muhammad corrected corrupt texts in the Bible."

The prevailing view in Islam apparently is that everything Muhammad said and did was inspired by Allah (God), even though unlike Jesus, Mohammad was wholly human.  The Qur'an claims that Muhammad has God's seal of prophethood, Muhammad being the last and final messenger to humanity.  "But while Muslims venerate and imitate the prophet," my guide continued, "they stop short of worshiping him or regarding him as divine."

My Moroccan friend had one more great question: "If salvation is a gift of God's grace (the Christian view) why do we need to do good works?"  Muslims and Christians share a linear view of history, a belief that our destiny in heaven or hell depends on how we live our lives on earth. We both believe in individual death, judgment and the resurrection of the body.  My friend continued: "In Islam, those whose good deeds to others outweigh their bad deeds, will attain salvation. Those whose bad deeds to others outweigh their good deeds will abide in hell." 

 Apparently, it is love for Allah and a desire to please him that motivates the faithful Muslim to keep striving for good.  Paramount among the good behaviors to which Muslims aspire are the Five Pillars of Islam: confession of faith, prayer, tithing (giving to the poor and helping in other ways people who are in need), fasting and (for some Muslims) pilgrimage to Mecca.

While Islam calls men and women to submit to God's law, Christianity understands that Jesus has already fulfilled God's law on behalf of the world.  Muslims submit to God's law with the passionate belief that their actions are working to bring in the reign of God.  Christians believe that God's kingdom has already come. Christ already accomplished the ultimate reign of God, and therefore we strive as hopeful heirs of the promised kingdom.

"The Christian emphasis on God's grace could be seen as an easy pretext for personal and societal lawlessness," continued my Moroccan friend.  He certainly had a good point.  History provides many examples of people who claimed to follow Jesus and yet were perpetrators of evil. On the other hand, the Islamic emphasis on absolute submission to God's law could be interpreted as unforgiving legalism, from a Christian's perspective. 

These conversations left me with some hope for reconciliation between our two faiths, or at least some mutual tolerance.  Perhaps what it would take would be the movement of our Muslim friends toward grace and some forgiveness, and greater obedience shown by Christians.

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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 fall at CPC.

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WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Do We Show Enough Gratitude For God's Creatures?

A recent newspaper story was entitled:  "Service This Sunday to Bless Pets."  This aroused my Presbyterian curiosity.  The story went on to say that a local Episcopal church would hold their annual "St. Francis Blessing of the Animals" at the 9 a.m. service on Sunday, September 28. Community members were encouraged to bring their pets, and a reception would follow, with treats for both humans and animals.

The newspaper story told nothing more to help me understand the purpose and meaning of this annual event.  But, I have a sweet little dog at home, and I wondered if she would miss out on something important if we did not attend that service.  So, I did a little research.

I learned that this church service, celebrated by Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches, is really in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi's famed love for all creatures.  There are many stories of how St. Francis of Assisi (1182 - 1226) could communicate with animals and felt at one with all Creation.

But perhaps the ultimate source for this annual rite is the Creation Story (Genesis 1:1 - 34).  This Scripture passage recites, day by day, God's creational work. On the fifth day, it says, God brought forth swarms of living creatures in the air, in the water, and on the land, and God bid them to be fruitful and multiply.  On the sixth day, God created humankind in God's image, giving them dominion over the animals.

Some sources note how God directed Noah to build an ark, and to fill it with male and female members of each animal species to preserve their breed during the Flood.  And, other sources note that the "animals" must be highly favored by God because they do not plant crops or otherwise produce their food, but nevertheless they thrive.  Further, that God gives them streams to drink, and mountains and valleys for their refuge, and high trees upon which to make their nests.

The Episcopal Church version of this service includes a lengthy prayer, thanking God for his many gifts, and then:

          ".  .  .  .

           We thank you, Lord

           For all creatures that breathe, and move, and have life;

           For the songs of the birds and the loveliness of flowers and trees;

           For the trust you have shown in giving into our care these our pets;

           That each pet here may be treasured with care;

           That we may love and honor all of your works, O God.

            .  .  .  .

            Amen

Then, animal by animal, the Episcopal priest circulates through the congregation saying a few words of blessing to the animals individually and sprinkling a few drops of holy water on the animal and on the owner.

There is a closing prayer:

            "Almighty God, our great Creator, yours are the praise, the glory, the

             honor and all blessings!  To you alone do all things belong.  Be praised

             for giving us the animals, birds and fish which fill your world.  May we

             think of you and thank you when we play with and care for our pets.  Be

             praised for making us so happy to have our pets and to have them to

             play with.  We ask you, Lord, that we may be good to our pets always,

             so that they may be happy also.  Help us always to take care of them so

             that they will be healthy  .  .  .  ."

The emphasis of the Episcopal Church liturgy seems to be:  1.) to thank God for giving us the animals, birds and fish which fill our world; and 2.) for the often loving relationships we have with our pets.  The Roman Catholic Church liturgy is similar, but adds the request that Fatherly care and healing power be provided to our animal companions to take away any suffering they may have.  Then,  "Give us, their human friends, new understanding of our responsibilities to those creatures of yours."  The liturgy of the Franciscan Order ends with the words:  "Grant our petitions through the intercession of good St. Francis of Assisi, who honored You through all your creatures."

So, what kind of animals are likely to be blessed at the annual St. Francis Day blessing of the animals?  In an internet story about the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in upper Manhattan, a camel is pictured, walking with a human handler down the center aisle.  Other internet stories tell of alpacas, tortoises, foxes, hamsters and many pet dogs and cats, processing up the main aisle, attended by their human friends.  Last year, the Madison Eagle newspaper printed a photo of a chicken (in a cage) belonging to a Madison Grace Episcopal Church choir member, receiving a blessing.  Sometimes there is an animal-themed fair outside on the church grounds after the service.

To a Presbyterian observer, it may be tempting to focus on the drama of animals large and small being presented at the church service.  However, the main idea really is to celebrate God's Creation and to remember how St.Francis called our attention to this gift of God.

In fact, while Presbyterians may not celebrate saints, as do Roman Catholics and Episcopalians, we celebrate God's Creation in our own ways.  Our hands-on concern for protecting the environment (God's Creation) and our church-member involvement in "green" causes, goes on all

year round.  For us the spot-light is not on a one-day, late September, event.

While we Presbyterians may not specifically thank God for our pets and other animals, we do remember to continually thank God for the enriching presence these animals have in our lives ---- and many of us work continuously to maintain the Creation God has given us.

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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 fall at CPC.

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Has the Pursuit of Social Justice Become the New Evangelism?

In the twentieth century, American Christians seemed divided between the liberal mainline that stressed social justice, and the fundamentalist churches that emphasized personal salvation.  The issue was enlarged by increased concern about poverty and social injustice.  Should the Christian follow traditional evangelism, which took pains to save people's souls even if it did nothing about the systems locking them into debilitating poverty?  To some, the price of "doing" social justice was thought to be the weakening of sound Scriptural grounding and knowledge, and the lessening of one's zeal for saving souls.  On the other hand, in the world then and now we see so much poverty and pained need, all around us.  Can we really turn a blind eye?  But, how can we possibly go in both directions at once?

Some have argued that Christians should only do social justice as a means to the end of evangelism.  That is, we should do mercy and social justice only because it helps us bring people to faith in Christ.  But, this does not seem to fit in with Jesus' charge not to give to needy people only to get something in return (Luke 6:32 - 35).  "Doing" social justice can indeed lead people to listen to the message of the gospel, but to consider that deeds of mercy and justice are identical to gospel proclamation is not correct. 

So, perhaps there is more than one technique for "evangelizing."  Traditionally, it was done by "preaching" Scripture, paraphrasing Bible stories and otherwise teaching Scripture by word of mouth.

But, sometimes people's ears are "closed" to such words.  Either they do not believe the words or they can't muster the desire to live by them.  Sometimes instead, what really moves and excites people is real-life examples that exemplify the Scripture teachings ---- actions taken in everyday life that are selfless efforts to help other human beings.  Think about the Good Samaritan parable!  We quote that story to this day, even though not a word of Scripture was reported to have been said!

Let's look for a link between evangelism and the example we project as practicing Christians, as mirrored in our actions toward others.  Imagine an eloquent Christian preacher who every Sunday delivers compelling sermons.  But one of his parishioners learns that the minister verbally abuses and browbeats his wife daily.  After the parishioner discovers this, for him the sermons are completely unpersuasive.  Are you surprised?  The preacher's deeds contradict his words, and so the preacher's words have no power.

Imagine instead a new minister whose public oratory is quite mediocre.  However, as time goes on, the parishioners come to see that he is a man of sterling character, wisdom, humility and love. Soon, because of the quality of his life, his church members find that they are hanging on every word of his preaching..  His deeds and behavior support his words.

Deeds of mercy and justice should be done out of love, not simply as a means to the end of evangelism.  And yet, there is no better way for Christians to lay a foundation for evangelism than by "doing " social justice.  Evangelism at its best is done through relationship, visitation and friendship.  Similarly, the elements of doing social justice effectively are:  repeated approaches by the same person, going repeatedly to the same recipient, and doing it regularly.  Thus we become one's friend for Jesus' sake.  "Word" and "deed" are seamlessly integrated in this ministry.  For example, helping neighbors with their children's educational needs, or with finding jobs, or learning English as a second language.  These all go hand-in-hand with verbally sharing our faith.

Furthermore, simply doing "acts of charity" without suggesting by word and action that others could also do selfless, everyday things for others, wastes a good opportunity to bring bits of Christ's message to a broader audience.

If we wish to share our faith with needy people, and we do nothing about the painful conditions in which they live, we will fail to show Christ's beauty.  But, we must neither confuse evangelism with "doing" social justice, nor separate these two things from one another.

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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 fall at CPC.

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WEEKLY COMMENTARY: If God Is All-Powerful and Loving, Why Is There So Much Evil Around Us?

Webster's defines "evil" as "something that brings unwarranted sorrow, distress or calamity."  If God were indeed all-powerful and all-good, why would he tolerate a world filled with evil forces? How do we explain it?

We all have seen or read stories about present day examples of evil.  Even the Bible gives us many concrete examples of evil.  Sadly, though, evil does seem to keep up with the times, continually updating itself with the latest technology.

For example, last December news reports quoted the Target retail store chain as acknowledging that approximately 40 million credit and debit card accounts of its customers had been "hacked." Target is the No. 3 U.S. retailer.  Affected were Target customers who had made purchases in U.S. "brick and mortar" Target stores over a 3-week period.  The "hackers" apparently had stolen customer names, credit card numbers, card expiration dates and the three-digit security codes on the back of the credit cards.  Furthermore, it appeared that PIN numbers on customer debit cards were also taken, possibly allowing the "hacker" to freely invade and empty the related bank accounts. Furthermore, lazy "hackers" know they can sell "hacked" card account information for $10 or more per account, which would be such easy profit for them.  This is theft on a very large scale ---- so often the case with modern electronic evil.

Many believe that God wants people to be free to choose the path of their own lives.  They call this human condition "free will."  But to be free to make "good" choices, one automatically is free to choose evil actions.  If God wanted true "children," rather than robots, there would always be the risk that we might abuse the gift of free will.  Hackers who steal by breaking into the computer-system code of others, are just a modern symptom of the abuse of free will ---- evil behavior.

A great deal of the suffering in this world really should not be blamed on God.  It results from mean, cruel, inhuman choices that people make.  For example, people-initiated acts of greed, social prejudice, racism or oppression, often lead to the evils of poverty and social marginalization, resulting in misery and premature deaths that could have been avoided.  Even with natural disasters like landslides and floods, much of the suffering that results could be alleviated if people helped out more in the aftermath.

However, this does not explain why God does not block the harm to others caused by our bad choices.  We do not let a child run out in front of a speeding car to let him exercise his free will. Indeed, we would try to block major harm to that endangered child!!  Why doesn't God do that?  Is the need for free will a good enough reason for all the evil that comes with it?  Human free will has something to do with why there is suffering and evil, but does it completely explain it?

Though we may not discern a reason  why God does not always intervene to block evil, it is hard to believe that God does not have a reason.  Could it be that God is offering us the human space to exercise our free will in a positive, loving and intentional way, to blunt the evil impact of some other folks in the negative exercise of their free will?  We always have a choice to make, and God gives us the opportunity to make a positive choice, to take affirmative action ourselves against evil. Perhaps, if enough of us make the latter choice, will we begin to reduce the many forms of evil that God leaves for us to handle.

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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 fall at CPC.

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WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Two Styles of Sin Management

My neighbor Ben is a very average golfer, like me, but we try to get together at least once each summer in friendly competition.   Somehow the golfing date this summer got away from us, until last week when we played 18 holes together.

After some small talk, Ben sighed and remarked that Rosh Hashanah would begin at sundown on Wednesday, September 24.  "It is the Jewish New Year's, and my family always celebrates it in the full Jewish tradition," Ben told me.

I was curious about this event.  Being a Christian, I really did not understand much about it, so I asked Ben to tell me more.

"The Jewish New Year differs in some fundamental ways from the secular New Year," my neighbor said.  "The observance, for example, is far more muted.  This is because the Jewish New Year is largely a period of introspection that begins with Rosh Hashanah and extends for ten days until Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.  This ten-day period is meant to be a time of stock-taking, of self-reflection."

"It is customary during this time, for example, to seek out in person those whom we may have offended in the preceding year and ask forgiveness.  So, this period of ten days is a time principally to reflect on how we are conducting our lives and specifically, how we may have messed up.  Given the scope of that task, sometimes I think ten days is not nearly enough time!" he said.

I had to say that as a Christian I regularly search for the same things in my life, and then I ask God to forgive me.

"The ten days beginning on Rosh Hashanah concludes on Yom Kippur, October 3," my friend said again.  "If there is any day of the year when even the most non-observant, non-believing Jew goes to Temple, this is it.  Anyone my age remembers with pride when in 1965 Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers refused to pitch in Game One of the World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur."

I asked Ben, "Why do virtually all Jews in the world go to Temple on Yom Kippur?  What happens there on that day that is so compelling?"

"Well," Ben said, "in the broadest sense, what Jews do in Temple on Yom Kippur is stand as a community and publicly confess their sins.  The Jewish concept of sin differs in some important ways from that of other religions.  Judaism teaches that humans are born with free will, and morally neutral, with both an inclination toward goodness, leading to a productive life, and being concerned for others ---- but, also an inclination toward evil, baser instincts and selfishness.  The moral laws in the Torah ---- starting with the Ten Commandments, but including hundreds of other commandments, are meant to help steer one's behavior toward the good.  To Jews, sinning is like an arrow missing the target.  Sinning, in short, is missing the mark."

My friend continued, "The ways in which individuals can miss the mark during the course of a year are many, and in the Yom Kippur service we stand all together and recite them out loud.  The list we recite ---- and we do it multiple times ---- runs through the alphabet with each letter corresponding to a different sin.  This does not mean we have committed only 24 sins (the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet) but that we have committed the whole range of sins (from A to Z), the full gamut of possible human failings.  For every mark that could have been missed someone among us surely has missed it; and sometime in our lives, we have missed it.     So we stand together and say aloud, "We have been arrogant, we have betrayed, we have stolen, we've corrupted our own character, we have corrupted others' characters, we've been deceitful, we've ridiculed good people, we've made misleading statements.'  And every seven or eight sins or so, we stop and ask God for forgiveness (presumably we've already asked forgiveness from the people we've actually hurt).  We say, 'For all these sins, forgive us, pardon us, grant us atonement.'  And then we continue with the list of sins."

Ben added that this full day at Temple is done while observing a complete 24-hour fast!

My friend was silent for a few moments.  Then he said, "I like the Yom Kippur ritual because it presupposes that human beings are fallible, that we all miss the mark sometimes, and that with effort, we can control some of our baser urges and maybe do better next year.  I find reciting the litany of possible failures is a good way to take stock ---- as I say the list out loud together with the congregation, I often think to myself, 'Yup, did that one.  Yeah, did that one, too.  Oh, there's one I'm not guilty of ---- at least not this year.'  For me, there are always more 'guiltys' than 'non-guiltys,' but it is interesting year to year to see how my failings either remain consistent or shift with circumstances," he said.

We had just completed the 18th hole and I wished I had more time to talk to Ben about the management of sin.  As a Christian, I did not believe that I was born morally neutral ---- it seemed that I was born biased toward sinning, so I was grateful that someone named Jesus had made a very great sacrifice to redeem me.  But, both Ben and I are in possession of free will.  The problem is that often we don't use our free will effectively to live as God directs us.

As I drove home, I began comparing these two very different styles of sin management.  As Ben described the Jewish approach, there is intensity and depth, with sins specifically named and acknowledged.  But, formally done only once a year.  However, I did assume that Jews are always free to make a "sin self-examination" informally at any time.

In my experience as a Presbyterian, I recall that every Sunday in Worship we formally acknowledge in general terms that we are sinners, without publicly being specific about the whole range of possible sins.  But, we do this every week.  Perhaps we only give our sinfulness a glancing blow, but we do it frequently.

I began to wonder if there might be some real value in each approach.  Do we need a little more intensity and depth, as well as a little more frequency, in seriously addressing our personal sinfulness?  Perhaps it depends on each of us knowing what self-effacing discipline will best help us individually to manage the personal use of our free-will for God's purposes.

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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 fall at CPC.

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