Life in Babylon (Daniel 1)

A PRAYER FOR UKRAINE
The news can be difficult to listen to and to read.
When that news relates to faces we know
And to voices familiar to us,
It becomes all the harder to hear.

Lord God,
We ask you to hold the people of Ukraine deep in your heart.
Protect them, we pray;
From violence,
From political gamesmanship,
from being used and abused.

Give, we pray,
the nations of the world the courage
and the wisdom
to stand up for justice
and the courage too,
to dare to care – generously.

Lord in your mercy,
Take from us all,
The tendencies in us
That seek to lord it over others:
Take from us those traits
that see us pursuing our own needs and wants
before those of others.

Teach us how to live in love
And dignity
And respect – following your example.
In your name and for your sake,
Amen.

SERMON

Should people look down on you for being a Christian?

Matthew 10:21-22 NRSV – Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Or, should Christians live such good lives that people are blown away by their kindness and generosity?

1 Peter 2:11-12 NRSV – Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.

POINT: Faith is not about escapism, but faithful engagement.

POINT: They said no to something, to hold on to values they believed were better.

The first precondition of being called a spiritual leader is to perceive and feel the falsehood that is prevailing in society, and then to dedicate one’s life to a struggle against that falsehood. If one tolerates the falsehood and resigns oneself to it, one can never become a prophet. If one cannot rise above material life, one cannot even become a citizen in the Kingdom of the Spirit, far less a leader of others. - Vladimir Solovyov, in his eulogy of Fyodor Dostoevsky (1881)

Question: What cultural norms do you abstain from because your faith calls you to a higher standard?

POINT: Sometimes you have to be different to make a difference.

We are living in the kingdom of the world while trying to live by the Kingdom of God.

RESET: A Fresh Start to a New Year (Week Four)

Many of us want a fresh start at the beginning of the year. So, in the first month of 2022, spend a few weeks thinking about better ways to manage the rest of the year. Join us on Sundays at 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM online and in-person for a new sermon series, “RESET: A Fresh Start to a New Year.”

PRAYER

PRAYER OF HOSPITALITY

Lord Jesus Christ,
we believe you welcome us all to your banquet table.
May we open our arms to embrace you,
May we see you in the face of a stranger,
May we welcome you in the love of a friend.

We believe you welcome the abandoned, the misfit, the wretched to your feast.
Forgive us for the times we have allowed our prejudices to overrule
and reject you because you are different, ostracized, or despised.

We believe that there is beauty hidden in each person,
Forgive us for the times we have failed to see your face
because you are disabled, poor, or homeless.

We believe we are all precious in your sight.
Forgive us for when we have counted you unworthy of our love,
for when we have been indifferent to your cries.

We believe we are called to share life together as members of one family,
Forgive us for when we have been unconcerned for your suffering,
and failed to see others in your worldwide community as you do.

We are all created in God’s image,
redeemed by Christ,
filled with the Holy Spirit.

We are all invited to feast at God’s banquet table.
We are welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom
with all the peoples of the earth.
Amen.

SERMON NOTES

POINT: For 2022 to be different, we need to live and believe differently.

POINT: Identity: Hostility vs. Hospitality

POINT: Hospitality: welcoming (not just allowing) another person into your space.

Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines. - Henri J.M. Nouwen, Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life

Ezekiel 16:49–50 NRSV
This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty, and did abominable things before me; therefore I removed them when I saw it.

Matthew 10:11-15 NRSV
Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

1 Peter 4:9 NRSV
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Romans 12:15-18 NRSV
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

POINT: Hospitality is a discipline that starts with love.

Luke 7:36-50 NRSV
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. 37 And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. 38 She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. 39 Now, when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “speak.” 41 “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

We live in a world of insiders and outsiders, a world where some are welcome and others are permanently shunned. Human beings are experts at exclusion because we prefer the comfortable and familiar neighbor over the “stranger” whose presence may not only challenge us but also completely remake our world, which is always a risk with hospitality. This desire for the comfortable and familiar also impacts our faith communities. Like society, churches too have walls that shut people out. We may not consciously construct these walls—in fact, we are probably hardly aware of them—but they are there. Most Christian congregations are fairly homogeneous. As Patrick McCormick writes, “Christians tend to break bread within socio-economic monocultures, homogenized enclaves where nearly everyone is of the same color and tax bracket.” There may be many explanations for this but it is, at least from the gospel’s perspective, a dangerous predicament because it directly contradicts the behavior of Jesus who gladly sat down at a table with anyone. - Paul Waddell, Toward a Welcoming Congregation

RESET: A Fresh Start to a New Year (Week Three)

Many of us want a fresh start at the beginning of the year. So, in the first month of 2022, spend a few weeks thinking about better ways to manage the rest of the year. Join us on Sundays at 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM online and in-person for a new sermon series, “RESET: A Fresh Start to a New Year.”

A new chapter, a new look

At the beginning of 2016, I told our congregation that it feels as if we are turning the pages to a new chapter of our community. In the last 18 months, we’ve opened the Pax Center, finished a significant building addition, and added another full-time pastor. I half-jokingly refer to State Street as an experiment. The way we handle money, the path to staffing, and the questions we ask take us down a path of uncommon ground. To do what we do, we must do things in a different way. This new chapter will be an exciting challenge. The experiment continues. 

To go along with this next chapter theme, we decided to incorporate new branding. We have a new logo and website (designed by Apollos.) The logo is simple, yet tells a part of our story. It is not merely an image, it is an identifier and reminder. It says something about us. 

The logo that we went with leveraged two of our main priorities: Jesus and love/charity. In the scriptures, wheat is a sign of charity and love. We believe that the greatest gift the Church can demonstrate to the world is an unrequited and committed love. It is a love filled with mercy, not judgment. It is a love that embodies the common good for each neighborhood. At the heart of all of our ministries and projects is this objective: love God, love others, and love well. At the heart of our new logo is the cross surrounding by wheat grains. It serves as a reminder that Christ invites us to love people well, because we are people who are loved well. We believe that everything we do, including our branding, should tell that story. 

Along with this new logo, we have a new website. Check it out. 

The Lion and the Lamb (and the Donkey and the Elephant)

“Vote your conscience.” With three words, Ted Cruz ignited the fuel of incensed GOPers at this year’s Republican convention. The auditorium filled with boos and disapproval. The next day the news stories were aflutter with Cruz' lack of support, and for some, lack of respect. Perhaps the time and place wasn’t right for Cruz, a former Presidential candidate himself embroiled in a longstanding feud with Donald Trump, to make that statement. Party conventions are the time and place for partisan politics and overly simplistic axioms about the rightness of each party. In a world of binary political distinctions and contentious political bickering that drowns out any nuanced civic discussion, voting ones conscience has seemingly become a secondary commitment. 

My grandfather was a passionate Democrat who believed in the rights of workers and the ability of politics to effect change for the common good. His son, my father, has voted for more Republicans than Democrats. He believes in a limited government that does not overtax its citizens and balances budgets. My grandfather was an active member of his church. He woke up each morning at 4am to spent an hour in prayer each day for his family, his church, and this world. My father is an active member of State Street. He volunteers dozens of hours each month to help further the mission and vision of our church community. He's been a great partner in ministry for me. One leaned Democrat, the other leans Republican. They both love(d) America, Jesus, and the church. Their faith informed their politics, even when they came to a differing opinion on what party to support. 

I have never joined a political party in America. Perhaps it's a symptom of a larger commitment problem (I've spent hours having an internal debate when a questionnaire asked about my favorite food.) I have voted for members of both parties. In some elections, the best choice I could decipher was total abstention (I believe that not voting is a legitimate option... but, that's for another blog.) Our multigenerational church community is filled with different people with diverse political commitments. As a pastor, I wouldn’t want it any other way. But, embracing diversity in anything comes at a cost. There is always the risk that people can love their political party or convictions more than their community. Too often in American, politics informs our theology. If our calling is to truly love our neighbor, that certainly should extend to those on the opposite side of the political spectrum. 

As we get closer to the election season hitting fever pitch, we thought it would be wise to center ourselves on some conversations that will likely impact each of us as we enter (or abstain from) the polls this year. We’re calling this series, “The Lion and the Lamb and the Donkey and the Elephant.” I hope you can join us. 

Week 1: A Call to Civility to Liberals and Conservatives (and every in between)
[Nate Loucks preaching]

Week 2: Justice: The Christian Way
[Becky Crain preaching]

Week 3: The World is Our Parish, Seeking the Common Good
[Nate Loucks preaching]

Week 4: Romans 13. WHAT!?
[Nate Loucks preaching]

I believe in a church that is quick to listen and slow to speak. That seeks to listen well to those we may disagree with on major issues. I believe in a church that cultivates a culture where each person is valued as uniquely created in the imago dei. I believe in a church that can disagree respectfully without false characterization of the other. Humility, meekness, and gentleness are virtues that Christ invites us to imitate. I believe in a church that is meek and humble and not proud and boastful. I believe in a church that can work for the betterment of the city and community it lives. I believe in a church that loves its enemies and prays for those who do us wrong. I believe in the church. Let’s talk about how we can better model the fruit of the spirit in this election cycle. Allow the church to be the entity that embraces the other in the midst of the chaos all around. I believe in a church that truly trusts that mercy triumphs over judgment. 

I hope you can join us this Sunday.