Still Alive

Yes, I'm still alive.  I just haven't had much to say lately.  However, I thought I would throw in a couple of the prayers I've written lately for the worship services at Calvin Sinclair Presbyterian Church.

PRAYER OF ADORATION

O Lord our Lord, we give you praise and honor, for you alone are holy.  We are not worthy to enter into your presence, yet you are most merciful, and overflowing with love for your people.  Weak and frail though we are, you come to us in your Son, Jesus, and you speak to us of your salvation and you embrace us as the children of your grace.  We give you thanks, dear Father, for your great and wonderful kindness toward us.  Amen.

prayer of confession

Most merciful and loving Lord, we confess to you that we have taken your grace for granted, and that we have counted a couple of hours in church as all you should receive from us.  We read the Bible, but do not hear your Word.  We sing the songs, but forget their meaning.  We claim the Name, but our hearts are far from you.  Forgive us, gracious God, and grant that we would be made alive through your Spirit.  Fill us with the joy of your grace, and give us the passion to serve and honor you in every moment of our lives.  In the name of Jesus, who died that we might live, we pray.  Amen.  

PRAYER OF ADORATION

Gracious Lord of all, we stand before you in the shining light of your love.  We celebrate your presence with us, for you do not hold us in contempt, nor do you condemn us.  You embrace us through Jesus Christ, and in him we discover that the Creator of the Universe is also our closest friend.  Glory to you, O God!  We praise you, our Lord forever more.  Amen.

prayer of confession

Great God and Creator, you have ripped apart the heavens so that you can walk with us in the world.  Yet, we fail to see you, for we are preoccupied with the shortcomings of those around us.  We complain that you are distant and uncaring, as we struggle with the daily limitations of being human.  Forgive us, gracious Lord, and grant us hearts to see that you are close to us, and give us faith that reveals your amazing glory in the midst of the ordinary.  We ask this in the name of the One who died that we may live, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.  

Staying Alive,

Will

A Word Of Thanks From St. Paul

Mark this, the one who plants sparingly will have a spare harvest, and the one who plants bountifully will have a bountiful harvest.  Each person should give as they purpose in their heart, not grudgingly or because of duty, for God takes special delight in a hilarious giver.  God has power to make all grace abound for you, so that in every way at all times God will give you all you need so that you may overflow in every good work. As it is written,
   In many places
   he gave to the poor,
   his righteousness endures forever.

Moreover, the one who supplies seed to the planter and bread for the eater will supply and multiply your seed so that he may increase the harvest of your righteousness, in every way being enriched for all liberality which produces through us thanksgiving to God.  For the service of this worship not only completely supplies the needs of God's people, but also overflows in many thanksgivings to God.  People will glorify God because of the proof of your service, which consists of your obedience to your confession of the Good News of Jesus Christ and the your generosity of fellowship toward them and everyone else.  This will result in great regard for you, and people will pray for you because of the overflowing grace of God through you.  Thanks be to God for his indescrible gift!

II Corinthians 9:6-15

Poor Fork-legged Animal

Preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ is such a bizarre "twilight zone" endeavor.  Imagine how ludicrous it is for some mere human laden with cultural blind spots, physical frailties, and mental misperceptions --- all mixed together with a good dose of blinding arrogance --- to try to communicate the essential nature of the Creator of all to other similarly constituted humans.  Then, to top it all off, such a person dares to declare that we can know what this Creator desires for us and from us, that we can truly know the "mind" of God!  Absolutely preposterous!

Yet, this is exactly the claim of the Christian faith, that through preaching the Word of God is communicated, comprehended, apprehended, and inculcated by mere human beings.  Indeed, we are simply "poor fork-legged animals," as Frederick Buechner describes us (who, in good preacher fashion, is borrowing a phrase from someone else, in this case Shakespeare).  It is beyond incredible that the great Creator of all should condescend to such a faulty and fleshly means to be understood by such faulty and fleshly creatures such as ourselves.  No wonder the apostle Paul calls this medium "foolishness," for that is how it appears to anyone who gives it much thought.

Yet again, many of us preachers know that there is so much more than mere mental processes and chemical reactions happening when we preach.  This is on my mind right now because of my experience this last week preparing and delivering the sermon for September 25 at little Calvin Sinclair Church.  All week I wrestled with the text, Exodus 17:1-7.  I was intrigued with the "Is the Lord among us?" issue in the desert travails of the Israelites, but for some reason I wasn't coming up with anything very interesting (at least, not to me) for making a sermon out of this.  Though I squeezed out a passable few decent points, I went to sleep Saturday night feeling very dissatisfied.
  
In my dreams, I continued to work on this text and trying to come up with a better sermon. By the time I woke up, I had a whole new approach with much more relevant illustrations than when I went to sleep. Then, as I delivered the sermon Sunday morning, there were a number of people who seemed very intent as they listened.  Afterwards, many of these people commented on how my sermon sections derived from my "dream work" (which they did not know about) were particularly relevant to what is happening in their lives at this time.

So, how are we to understand all this?  It is apparent that there is so much more going on during a sermon than the cleverness of the preacher or the relevant use of word studies. Truly, the Holy Spirit is active, and no amount of work with the original languages, cultural and geographic settings, literary analysis, sitz im leben, or weltanschauung speculation can ever eliminate the need for God's direct intervention to make meaningful the words of one "poor fork-legged animal" trying to convey the eternal truths of the Divine to the mundane lives of other "poor fork-legged animals."

Quite literally, thank God!


Now, where is my Greek verb parsing guide?  (Sorry, Dr. Storey, my Greek isn't as good as it once was.)

500 - 1000 - Maybe Even 2000 Years Of Schism!

(It has been pointed out to me that this posting is a bit abrupt and polemical, using broad brushed labels such as liberal and evangelical. While I must admit this tendency here, probably due to the fact that I wrote this quickly, without time to make my statements more nuanced, I believe the major points I am making are clear and along the lines of what I intend to communicate. Yes, I love "liberals" (especially those who drink Guinness) and some of my best friends are such, but my sentiments in this posting are along the lines of St. Paul's declaration (Ephesians 6:12) that "...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.")

Okay, I'm getting a little "fed up" (as my dad used to say) with the claim by the liberals in the PCUSA that we evangelicals are now the schismatics because we believe that WHAT a person believes is important.  (Sorry, I don't have time right now to make that last sentence into something more erudite.)  Since the "how-can-you-evil-evangelicals-dare-exclude-anyone-just-because-they-do-not-believe-the Bible-is-God's-Word-or-that-Jesus-is-God-incarnate liberals" finally have cleared the way for getting what they want in this denomination, I have been reading their comments that we should all seek the unity of the church, and that if anyone does not agree with their views on Bible, sin, Jesus, gays, church government, and God, then such a person (eg: any orthodox evangelical) is resisting the leading of the Holy Spirit and fracturing this cherished unity.  It is funny that these same people did not see things this way when they were being "prophetic" as they spoke and acted against the Book of Order and majority policies up until this year.

If their assertion that the evangelicals are being schismatic by forming new structures (eg: Fellowship of Presbyterians, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, etc) for living out our discipleship as followers of Jesus is true, then I hate to break it to the PCUSA liberals that this would make them schismatics as well.  In fact, we all need to go back to the Pope and confess our sin of schism, since the very nature of being a Protestant means schism from the Roman Catholic Church!  After all, that's why we are called "Protestants," for crying out loud!

I remember being in a gathering of Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox, where one of the Roman Catholic persons said something about the nature of being a Protestant.  An Orthodox monk then quipped, "To me, you all are Protestants."  That's right, even the Roman Church is schismatic from the point of view of the Orthodox Church.  So, what are we talking about here: 500! - 1000! - maybe even 2000 years of schism? 

As long as we view unity of the church as consisting of only the institutional and organisational forms, then yes, we evangelicals in the PCUSA are being schismatic!  It would not be difficult to extend the liberal understanding of unity in the church to include persons who are not even Christian in any sense. Why not ordain a Buddhist monk to be a PCUSA minister? After all, such a person may be exemplary in lifestyle, compassionate, and possessing many gifts to be shared with others. And they probably have some kind of sense of a "Christ-consciousness" that could pass as acceptable in most of our presbyteries.

If, however, the faith of the church is organic, relational, and spiritual; rooted in a common understanding and experience of who Jesus is, and if this faith is flourishing through the shared and communicated witness of those who have encountered Jesus during the last two thousand years (and even longer for Reformed thinkers), then there is a great unity of the church that transcends all our little polity scrabbles.   In all the cultural, political, economic, and even theological diversity of Christians in all times and places, there is a core identifiable "like-mindedness" that one follower of Jesus can recognize and honor in another follower of Jesus. 

As the Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 4:3-6): "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."  There is a unity that the Spirit makes between all those who follow Jesus, and this unity consist of both content and experience that can be recognized and communicated.  This is evidenced in the various ecumenical creeds that all Christians can affirm because of a "like-mindedness" created not by human organisational ingenuity, but only by the Spirit of God.

The liberals in the PCUSA place far too much emphasis on the institutional forms, while ignoring the heart of faith.  And they cannot align themselves with the heart of the faith because they cannot subject themselves to the authority of the Word, since the Word imparts corrective content upon our own ideas, assumptions, and preferences.  Therefore, they mistake unity for an organisational haven where human intuitions can thrive without the illuminating light of the Scriptures, the Church Universal, or the healing guidance of "like-minded" Christian fellowship.  This may be unity, but it is unity in darkness void of understanding.

Well, that's what I've been thinking, for what its worth.  Now, what channel is ETWN on?

Challenging Time For Seth

The last couple of months have been very challenging for Seth and the rest of the family. Due to the development of two pressure sores, particularly the one on his lower back, Seth has not been able to keep up with his exercises, which in turn has led to some loss of the progress we had been making. Instead, Seth has been dealing with the back sore, which finally resulted in his hospitalization last week. Unfortunately this also coincided with the beginning of his 6th grade school year.

The good news is that we finally got the medical people to take these sores seriously, and since then they have aggressively tended to Seth's healing. With the added focus from the medical team, we were able to track the source for these sores to Seth's wheel chair. While Seth has grown over the last two years, his wheel chair has not, which was causing him to be "compressed" in the way he was sitting, resulting in some high pressure contact with the seat cushion and other parts of the chair. After readjusting (or as the equipment people call it, "mapping") his wheel chair to accomodate his growth, his is sitting and riding much better. All this has been a big reminder for us that we are the ones who must educate ourselves on what is needed for Seth, and then to advocate strongly on his behalf.

As I mentioned before, in the last few months Seth has lost some of the advances he had made before. This, along with our lack of funds, has caused us to put on hold our next trip to Project Walk. Many of you have been very generous, and we are so thankful for the first Project Walk trip and the acquiring of the rehabilitation-grade Total Gym for the home exercise program. Yet, I know that life goes on, and that it is difficult to ask people to maintain a high level of interest in Seth's recovery. Nevertheless, we continue to ask for your thoughts, prayers, and support as we continue to seek the greatest possible recovery for Seth, while also seeking God's intervention for the impossible --- seeing Seth walk again.

As always, we seek your prayers for Seth and for our family. Pray that God would open the way for us to be in a much better place for employment, finances, and resources. This would allow us to do so much more to further Seth's recovery than we can do in our present situation.

Again, thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and support. Without you, we would certainly not have the courage and hope that comes from knowing you care and that you desire the best for Seth. Keep on praying....

Blessings!

A Short Seth Update

Here is a (sort of) short Seth update. I know it has been some time since the last one, but I want you all to know how much we appreciate your prayers, interest, and support for Seth as he seeks to recover from his paralysis.

Progress is still very slow, and advances are small, but each one keeps proving that movement can be recovered, and keeps alive our hope for a complete recovery. About a month ago, while laying down on his back, Seth was able to move his left foot to an upright position. He has done this again several times, but it seems to come and go. Plus, he claims that there is a distinct tingling sensation in his left foot, but he still has yet to sense any touch to his feet or lower legs. So, after about 1 and half years since attending Project Walk in California, he has recovered hip movement and sensation, can tell if he is being touched from his thighs down (but cannot tell exactly where or how much pressure is being applied), and can move each leg outward when he is laying down (but still cannot yet move them back). This journey is excruciatingly slow, but we keep plodding on.

We were able finally to obtain a special (especially in price!) rehabilitation model of the Total Gym. This allows us to do many more load-bearing exercises with his legs, as well as do a lot more with his core muscles in his abdomen and chest. This, along with some other useful equipment, helps immensely with Seth's home exercise program, but has left our funds for other recovery resources and a return trip to Project Walk very depleted. Many of you have been very generous, and we are so appreciative. We know that we cannot presume upon your generosity indefinitely, but for those who are so inclined I again list the address for those who want to give to the Seth Fund at River of Life Ministries. Our primary request is that you all keep praying and hoping for Seth and our family as we seek his healing and recovery.

The Seth Jackson Fund (2CMiracle Fund)
River of Life Ministries
3801 Blairs Ferry Rd NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402-1763

Thank you all again for your prayers, support, and encouragement. As Seth enters 6th grade later this year, we are hoping for some significant progress in the coming months, and it is still a hope that we may someday do a second trip to Project Walk in California.

Blessings!

I Ain't No Prophet

In many ways, I have always been a misfit in the PCUSA, but I always sensed that theologically I was "at home," in that the major tenets of evangelical and orthodox Christianity were subscribed to by at least a slim majority of my fellow denominational participants.  And even if they were not, I could point to our strong evangelical and orthodox statements in our official documents, especially the Book of Order and the Confessions.  Well, with the passage of Amendment 10-A by the presbyteries, I now must face and deal with the reality that I am well out-of-sync with my denomination, that the major Reformed theological views I hold to are in the minority, and are even disparaged by many as backward, uninformed, and unworthy of respectful dialogue.  I am denominationally adrift, and theologically marginalized.

Does this mean I am going to jump ship at this point?  Take my Bible and seek a more accommodating climate for my evangelical soul?  No, I am not going to react blindly or self-servingly.  I need to think through my new situation, and pray about it.  I've always told the congregations I've served that we need first to seek to do what God wants --- regardless of whatever we may personally think or feel.  This has always involved prayer and reflection, so these are going to be my primary means for discerning, and then doing, whatever God wants regarding my place or role in the PCUSA.

In many ways, the passage of Amendment 10-A is a very good thing.  It has been the reality of our denomination that people who are sexually active beyond and outside of marriage are already serving as pastors and leaders.  This just makes official what was already the case.  Our orthodoxy was a paper orthodoxy, nothing more.  Now we are openly what we have really been for some time.  As National Capital Presbytery executive Wilson Gunn stated, "It's not a secret that has to be kept."  He was referring specifically to the Presbytery being able to accept marriage between persons of the same sex.  The interesting thing will be seeing how "open" we will be in this new reality .  Will those who are in a "partnership" of more than two find sanction and acceptance as they seek to serve as PCUSA pastors, or will this be "too open?"  What about other behaviours, such as practicing another religion?  After all, what is the standard we are using to decide?  Scripture is only a guide, not the Word to be obeyed, and no behaviour can be dealt with in a categorical manner, but only in a case-by-case basis.   Right now, our standards are derived only from our own sense of justice and whoever's sense has the most support in a presbytery vote.  God's standards have already been "categorically" rejected.

Finally, I must commend my liberal and progressive colleagues on their victory.  The Presbyterian Church USA as a denomination is theirs.  They have won through political savvy and patient persuasiveness, areas where my evangelical cohorts have shown themselves to be wanting.  Of course, having won the denomination does not mean that all hearts and minds are now marching to the progressive drumbeat.  In fact, it doesn't even mean that all the congregations and presbyteries are yielding anything to the victors.  There still remains considerable resistance to joining this parade, and the triumph may yet prove to be a hollow one.  The disparities in ministry standards among the presbyteries are likely to lead to a "balkanization" of the PCUSA, in which conclaves of liberal, evangelical, and whatever else are carved out in fractious maneuverings in many presbyteries.  With the prospect of most of the largest and financially able congregations moving at this moment to form a "fellowship" that effectively removes them from substantive involvement in the PCUSA, along with the energized exodus of members from many other congregations, this denomination likely will be in a couple of years only a shadow of what it is now (as it is now a shadow of what once was).  The liberal victory today may turn out to be like winning a season ticket to a pro football team's games, only to have the season cancelled due to a player's strike.

So, I will be doing what many are doing in the aftermath of Amendment 10-A:  praying, thinking, studying, discussing, reading, and deciding.  No one at this point really knows how all this is going to shake out.  The only thing any of us can do is struggle to understand what it means in this new context to be faithful to Jesus, obedient to the Word, led by the Spirit, and glorifying to God.   I am no prophet, and I cannot tell what is going to happen.  However, both the Word and the Spirit are pretty clear right now that there is a tumultuous time of judgement and purging ahead of us as a denomination.  Again, I am no prophet, but I can still be like Jeremiah, pleading to God on behalf of the people --- people loved and called by God.