"And because of their unbelief, he couldn't do any miracles among them
except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them." (Mark 6:5)
Where did the time go? As I get older, I'm finding myself asking that
question more and more. It's a bit disturbing to be honest with you.
My father always talked about how quickly time went by and I used to
roll my eyes when he said it. Never in front of him mind you, I was
smarter than that.
However, sometimes the question is pretty legitimate. All of my kids
are back in school. 2 are in college and one begins her sophomore year
in High School. And the summer has, prepare to roll your eyes, flown
by. Yes , I know, but it's a legitimate thought,. School does begin
much earlier today than it ever did when I was in school.
So some of the speed is the result of the school calendar
year. But it's also a result of the power of expectation. The sense
of expectation carries with it several abilities. It can make us happy
when we are expecting a joyous event, such as a wedding or the birth of a
baby. It can fill us with dread when we are expecting, or anticipating
an unpleasant event such as a surgery or a confrontation.
Expectation even has h power to effect time itself. When we are
expecting a happy event expectation seems to slow time down. Remember
what is was like a as a child waiting for Christmas? Or for those
unpleasant events time seems to speed up "It's time for my wisdom teeth
to be pulled already?" Expectation can even do both at the same time.
The anticipation of the birth of a child can seem both long, as we wait
to see this blessed child face to face, and simultaneously fast as we
wonder who we will ever get everything ready before the child joins us.
Expectation can even effect God Himself. We began this blog with one of
the most singular moments in the lie of Christ. And when you consider the life Jesus lived, that's saying something. Jesus returns to His hometown and he is unable to perform many miracles. Why? Mark says it is because of the unbelief of the people. You can her the whispers as Jesus walks through town. "Isn't that little Jesus, Joseph's boy?" "I remember chasing him out of my olive trees when he was a kid, such a climber." "Who does he think he is saying He is the Messiah? Why I've paid Him just three years ago to fix my mother's front steps" And because they couldn't get past this Jesus could not perform many miracles.
There are a couple of things we see here. God has chosen to bind i His ability to work in our lives to our expectations. The people didn't expect Jesus to do much and so He didn't. We easily recognize how this works on the other end. We see over and over in the Gospels that Jesus does miracles because the people believe He can. The woman with the issue of blood, the blind man, the lepers, the paralyzed man, The centurion. Their level of expectation, or faith was high and Jesus works a great miracle in their lives. But this Scripture tells us it also works in reverse. Little expectation, little miracles.
However it also shows us that even low expectations cannot completely stop Jesus. He does perform some healing. We can never completely stop God's plan or purpose for the world. But we can hamper it in our own lives. Think of it as a straw. You can easily draw air in through it. Now crimp it closed. You'll still get some air but perhaps not enough to sustain you.
It seems today that many of us, certainly many churches, are sucking the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit through a crimped straw. We don't expect God to do anything. We lower our expectations. And w get exactly what we expect. Little power, few life changes certainly very few miracles.
What might happen if you began to expect great things from God? What
might happen in church next Sunday if you expected The holy Spirit was
going to be poured out on the congregation? What might happen if you
expected Jesus to get intimately involved in your relationships? To show
up at work or school? What might happen if we began to have some Great
Expectations? Let's find out, shall we?
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><
Monday, August 26, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
YWCA Family Center
Welcome to the newest addition to the Trinity Blog. This segment, published monthly on Wednesdays, will focus on Trinity’s missions.
My
name is Stephanie Host, and I have had the honor of being a part of a few
missions, though I look forward to exploring more for the benefit of everyone
in the Trinity family. Our hope is to give you a better idea of the missions
Trinity Church partners with, and how we as members of the Body of Christ can
offer our time, talents and treasure for the transformation of our community,
and the world.
This month, we’ll be sharing about the YWCA Family Center. Located here in Columbus, the Family Center is one of very few temporary residential programs across the country that takes in entire families in need.* It assists residents in job training, job searching, childcare, and applying for benefits. The program limits residence to one month in the Center, unless there are mitigating circumstances. This means that there is an incredibly strong focus on working with residents to gain independence and recover from problem situations.
Carrie
Glaeden, the mission shepherd for YWCA**, shared her thoughts on how this mission
is rewarding to a volunteer: ”What
I find most rewarding is the genuine thanks that the residents express to those
who serve at the Center and the opportunity to hear from them about their
experiences at the Family Center and hear about their excitement when it is
their last meal at the Family Center because they have found permanent
housing,” she said. I
have also constantly been impressed with the resident’s heartfelt thanks for
both the meal and our time. The parents are grateful and the children
constantly bring a smile to my face. Additionally, the volunteer opportunity
allows you to bond with other Trinity members while giving back to the
community. I have made more than one friend while spooning taco meat into
bowls!
“Give
generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the
LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your
hand to.” – So says the book of Deutoronomy*** in scripture. I find this verse
enlightening as I reflect on serving with the Family Center. We are asked by
God to give to those less fortunate, but we gain tenfold in return for our
service. Certainly, without dedicated volunteers like those in our Trinity
team, the work of the Family Center would not be possible. We help to provide
the necessary nourishment and support for countless families. But I ask, what
do we as volunteers gain in return? You will understand when you see the smiles
of the families, when you receive their gratitude, and when you run into your
new Trinity friends on Sunday mornings at church. A friendship created through
service – with both residents and fellow volunteers – is a friendship unlike
many others. It is a friendship without expectation based purely on time spent
helping others. I urge you to volunteer, not only for those in need, but also
to find friendships you may not find anywhere else.
Questions
or comments can be submitted through the blog comment section, or you can reach
out to mission shepherds Carrie Glaeden and Nathan Wymer.
Please consider joining the YWCA mission team. We are the hands and feet of
Christ, let us serve as He would!
*Most
shelters will take either men OR women and children. It’s difficult to find a
safe space for the whole family.
**
At Trinity, our Mission shepherds are the ‘leaders’, ‘guides’, and ‘contacts’
for each individual mission. They’re members of the congregation who make sure
that essential ministry happens!
Monday, August 12, 2013
A Miracle In The Darkness
"35 For
I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in," (Matthew 24:35)
"Everybody's talking at me, but I don't hear a word their saying" You may. or may not recognize the lyrics to "Everybody's Talking" by Harry Nilsson but you are probably familiar with the sentiment. With the onslaught of social media, old fashioned (which of course we mean any thing over five years old) and even, ashamedly, blogs it seems today everybody is talking. It's an amazing phenomena if you think about it. Not only does everyone have something to say, we are firm in our belief that everybody else wants to hear us.
In many ways it's discouraging. We are a little over a hundred years removed from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. We are only 70 some years from the oratory of Churchill and FDR. What have we replaced it with? Meme's of grumpy cats, a detailed account of what you have done today. And last, but not least photos of your dinner. How self centered have we become when we assume the world wants to know what we had to eat? Personally I'm glad you enjoyed your polenta last night. But I don't need a photo of it. Just tell me you enjoyed it. I trust you. I don't need further confirmation .
We saints in the church aren't immune to this either. Especially those of us who are in full time ministry. We do our fair amount of talking. But I've noticed lately that a lot of that talking has taken a curious negative bent. I'm reminded of a cartoon I have somewhere in my office of an older lady, Gladys, standing in church giving the morning prayer. "And Lord we thank you for the many prayer requests we've had this morning. but it sure seems like a bunch of complaining to me"
Just this past week I've seen articles of pastors who have left the ministry complain about how congregations don't understand us. And of course many clergy joined in with their own complaints. I've seen complaints by retired bishops on how draining the small church is, I've witnessed counter complaints by pastors of small churches about how draining retired bishops are. We complain about the lack of millennials, the over abundance of millennials, the loss of church influence in the world (by which we mean America by the way) and on and on it goes. I want to stand with Gladys and Harry Nilsson and sing "Everybody's talking at me and it seems like a bunch of complaining to me"
So perhaps with all the negative talk you might begin to either turn everyone off, or begin to wonder, is it really as bad as it seems? No, in fact it's not. There is in the midst of the clamor and cacophony of negativity a still small voice that reminds us what we have is Good News. That's what the Gospel means. It means Good News. And when God proclaims something to be Good News, it's Good News. Nothing can change that. Nor can a million complaining voices drown it out. When God calls something good that proclamation no matter if it's even whispered thunders across creation.
If we look, in the midst of the darkness of complaint we see miracles. Just this past week I witnessed the miracle of a group of youth from comfortable suburbia go to the New York city and minister to people they don't know and will never, in all likelihood see again. Why? Because they firmly believe Jesus wanted them to, and that's what the church does. In today's why me young society that's pretty miraculous.
I sat with a group of people I don't know that well just yesterday and planned a mission to Mexico. We'll be a part of a Medical mission that at times seems like we are barely stemming the tide. Some might even wonder what's the sue. I've never heard any of thee people say that. They go and minister, play with the children do their best to heal not because they get any acclamation for it. But because they firmly believe that's what Jesus wants them to do.
And while I am proud of the church I serve, its not unique. haven't you witnessed the miracle of VBS, often understaffed, under funded yet somehow comes off every year simply because your church wants the children in your community to know about Jesus? Miracle. The person we convinced to go to the AA group downstairs and is now on their way to recovery? Miracle. That person who has sat in the church for thirty years makes a public profession of his faith and becomes a member? Miracle.
And I could go on. I won't because a part of the fun is when we begin to see the miracles around us. They are all around us aren't they? They always have been. We just haven't been listening as closely as we should. Yes everybody is still talking. But as for me I'm going to pay closer attention to the voice that proclaims the Good News and shouts out the miracles.
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><
"Everybody's talking at me, but I don't hear a word their saying" You may. or may not recognize the lyrics to "Everybody's Talking" by Harry Nilsson but you are probably familiar with the sentiment. With the onslaught of social media, old fashioned (which of course we mean any thing over five years old) and even, ashamedly, blogs it seems today everybody is talking. It's an amazing phenomena if you think about it. Not only does everyone have something to say, we are firm in our belief that everybody else wants to hear us.
In many ways it's discouraging. We are a little over a hundred years removed from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. We are only 70 some years from the oratory of Churchill and FDR. What have we replaced it with? Meme's of grumpy cats, a detailed account of what you have done today. And last, but not least photos of your dinner. How self centered have we become when we assume the world wants to know what we had to eat? Personally I'm glad you enjoyed your polenta last night. But I don't need a photo of it. Just tell me you enjoyed it. I trust you. I don't need further confirmation .
We saints in the church aren't immune to this either. Especially those of us who are in full time ministry. We do our fair amount of talking. But I've noticed lately that a lot of that talking has taken a curious negative bent. I'm reminded of a cartoon I have somewhere in my office of an older lady, Gladys, standing in church giving the morning prayer. "And Lord we thank you for the many prayer requests we've had this morning. but it sure seems like a bunch of complaining to me"
Just this past week I've seen articles of pastors who have left the ministry complain about how congregations don't understand us. And of course many clergy joined in with their own complaints. I've seen complaints by retired bishops on how draining the small church is, I've witnessed counter complaints by pastors of small churches about how draining retired bishops are. We complain about the lack of millennials, the over abundance of millennials, the loss of church influence in the world (by which we mean America by the way) and on and on it goes. I want to stand with Gladys and Harry Nilsson and sing "Everybody's talking at me and it seems like a bunch of complaining to me"
So perhaps with all the negative talk you might begin to either turn everyone off, or begin to wonder, is it really as bad as it seems? No, in fact it's not. There is in the midst of the clamor and cacophony of negativity a still small voice that reminds us what we have is Good News. That's what the Gospel means. It means Good News. And when God proclaims something to be Good News, it's Good News. Nothing can change that. Nor can a million complaining voices drown it out. When God calls something good that proclamation no matter if it's even whispered thunders across creation.
If we look, in the midst of the darkness of complaint we see miracles. Just this past week I witnessed the miracle of a group of youth from comfortable suburbia go to the New York city and minister to people they don't know and will never, in all likelihood see again. Why? Because they firmly believe Jesus wanted them to, and that's what the church does. In today's why me young society that's pretty miraculous.
I sat with a group of people I don't know that well just yesterday and planned a mission to Mexico. We'll be a part of a Medical mission that at times seems like we are barely stemming the tide. Some might even wonder what's the sue. I've never heard any of thee people say that. They go and minister, play with the children do their best to heal not because they get any acclamation for it. But because they firmly believe that's what Jesus wants them to do.
And while I am proud of the church I serve, its not unique. haven't you witnessed the miracle of VBS, often understaffed, under funded yet somehow comes off every year simply because your church wants the children in your community to know about Jesus? Miracle. The person we convinced to go to the AA group downstairs and is now on their way to recovery? Miracle. That person who has sat in the church for thirty years makes a public profession of his faith and becomes a member? Miracle.
And I could go on. I won't because a part of the fun is when we begin to see the miracles around us. They are all around us aren't they? They always have been. We just haven't been listening as closely as we should. Yes everybody is still talking. But as for me I'm going to pay closer attention to the voice that proclaims the Good News and shouts out the miracles.
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><
Monday, August 5, 2013
Behold!.....Or Maybe Not.
"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known" I Corinthians 13:12
Many years ago there was a masked magician who did several TV specials revealing "The Magician's Secrets." The show would show one of the common magic tricks we have seen most magicians do and then the masked Magician would take us "behind the scenes" and show us how it was really done.
He said he did this to force magicians out of their mediocrity. He wanted them to do better, to achieve excellence. I always doubted that his motives were all that altruistic. I always wondered if he did this simply because he wasn't a good magician himself and this was the only way he could make any money. Or perhaps he was a disgruntled magician who wanted to get back at others in his profession. My favorite thing was that he wore a mask in order to protect himself from the anger of other magicians. I always pictured a Hit Squad made up of Doug Henning, David Copperfield and the guy who used to sell TV magic cards when I was a kid.
The show proved to be immensely popular because we all enjoy having the veil pulled back. We like to know exactly how something is done. We experience satisfaction when we have closure and can fully understand something. It's one of the reasons why, when a film is previewed with more than one ending, the open ending is usually panned by the audience. We just don't do well with mystery.
This struggle with mystery is one of the places we most often struggle with God. We wonder why God does some of the things he does. We wonder why He apparently turns a blind eye to other things in life. We wonder, in all truthfulness, why God isn't doing a better job. And all we get back from God when we ask questions or make accusations is silence. God seems content to leave us in the mystery.
Look at the book of Job. When you get right down to it, the story of Job is the story of a person struggling with the mystery of God. Job wonders why God is picking on him. He wonders what he did wrong. He wonders is God is as powerful or even as good as he assumed. What I have always found interesting about the book of Job is that Job doesn't ask God to fix everything. He simply wants answers as to why. He doesn't want to live in the mystery.
But whether we like it or not, mystery is part and parcel of our relationship with God. We can't do away with it. God tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9 that "My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways." When God finally answers Job, He chastises him for assuming he can hold God accountable, and tells him that, even if Job were given God's answers, he wouldn't be able understand them (Job 38)
God is other than us. He is the creator, we are the creation. We can never know everything about Him or fully understand Him. And do we really want to? Do we want a God so small and powerless that he is accountable to us? Or a God so bereft of magnificence that we could comprehend Him and understand everything about Him? In order for God to be God and fully all that He is, we must know that there will be times we must live in the midst of mystery.
So is that it? Are we to simply shut up and let God be God? Not necessarily. Although in full disclosure there are many times in my life that things would have been much better for me if I had done exactly that! Look again at the Scripture from 1 Corinthians at the beginning of the blog. He gives us some valuable insight into how we are to live in the midst of the mystery.
First, Paul tells us to accept that there is mystery to the relationship. Again a completely knowable god might not do us a lot of good. But Paul reminds us that, just because God is not completely knowable, it doesn't mean He is fully unknowable. Paul sees through a mirror dimly. It is not a blank wall. Paul means there are some things he can see and know about God. We can see and experience God's Mercy and Grace. We can experience His love. We can at least begin to grasp the power and awesomeness of His presence. We can be filled with His Holy Spirit.
What Paul seems to be saying in essence is this: "Look we can never know everything about God. But there are some things we can know. So let's spend our time and resources on what we can know about Him first and let the rest go for now. I know God is Love for instance. But it will take me the rest of my life to comprehend what that truly means." Paul is saying we have enough on our plate now.
But Paul also gives us a promise. Just because we live in the mystery now doesn't mean we always will. One day we will see Jesus face to face. And we will know Him fully even as He knows us fully. I love that. Paul doesn't say when we get to heaven Jesus is going to sit and explain why things happened to us the way they did. No, he promises us something even better. We will know Jesus as fully as He knows us. And in the end that will be enough. And, for that hope, I'm willing to wait and live in the mystery a while longer. How about you?
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><
Many years ago there was a masked magician who did several TV specials revealing "The Magician's Secrets." The show would show one of the common magic tricks we have seen most magicians do and then the masked Magician would take us "behind the scenes" and show us how it was really done.
He said he did this to force magicians out of their mediocrity. He wanted them to do better, to achieve excellence. I always doubted that his motives were all that altruistic. I always wondered if he did this simply because he wasn't a good magician himself and this was the only way he could make any money. Or perhaps he was a disgruntled magician who wanted to get back at others in his profession. My favorite thing was that he wore a mask in order to protect himself from the anger of other magicians. I always pictured a Hit Squad made up of Doug Henning, David Copperfield and the guy who used to sell TV magic cards when I was a kid.
The show proved to be immensely popular because we all enjoy having the veil pulled back. We like to know exactly how something is done. We experience satisfaction when we have closure and can fully understand something. It's one of the reasons why, when a film is previewed with more than one ending, the open ending is usually panned by the audience. We just don't do well with mystery.
This struggle with mystery is one of the places we most often struggle with God. We wonder why God does some of the things he does. We wonder why He apparently turns a blind eye to other things in life. We wonder, in all truthfulness, why God isn't doing a better job. And all we get back from God when we ask questions or make accusations is silence. God seems content to leave us in the mystery.
Look at the book of Job. When you get right down to it, the story of Job is the story of a person struggling with the mystery of God. Job wonders why God is picking on him. He wonders what he did wrong. He wonders is God is as powerful or even as good as he assumed. What I have always found interesting about the book of Job is that Job doesn't ask God to fix everything. He simply wants answers as to why. He doesn't want to live in the mystery.
But whether we like it or not, mystery is part and parcel of our relationship with God. We can't do away with it. God tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9 that "My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways." When God finally answers Job, He chastises him for assuming he can hold God accountable, and tells him that, even if Job were given God's answers, he wouldn't be able understand them (Job 38)
God is other than us. He is the creator, we are the creation. We can never know everything about Him or fully understand Him. And do we really want to? Do we want a God so small and powerless that he is accountable to us? Or a God so bereft of magnificence that we could comprehend Him and understand everything about Him? In order for God to be God and fully all that He is, we must know that there will be times we must live in the midst of mystery.
So is that it? Are we to simply shut up and let God be God? Not necessarily. Although in full disclosure there are many times in my life that things would have been much better for me if I had done exactly that! Look again at the Scripture from 1 Corinthians at the beginning of the blog. He gives us some valuable insight into how we are to live in the midst of the mystery.
First, Paul tells us to accept that there is mystery to the relationship. Again a completely knowable god might not do us a lot of good. But Paul reminds us that, just because God is not completely knowable, it doesn't mean He is fully unknowable. Paul sees through a mirror dimly. It is not a blank wall. Paul means there are some things he can see and know about God. We can see and experience God's Mercy and Grace. We can experience His love. We can at least begin to grasp the power and awesomeness of His presence. We can be filled with His Holy Spirit.
What Paul seems to be saying in essence is this: "Look we can never know everything about God. But there are some things we can know. So let's spend our time and resources on what we can know about Him first and let the rest go for now. I know God is Love for instance. But it will take me the rest of my life to comprehend what that truly means." Paul is saying we have enough on our plate now.
But Paul also gives us a promise. Just because we live in the mystery now doesn't mean we always will. One day we will see Jesus face to face. And we will know Him fully even as He knows us fully. I love that. Paul doesn't say when we get to heaven Jesus is going to sit and explain why things happened to us the way they did. No, he promises us something even better. We will know Jesus as fully as He knows us. And in the end that will be enough. And, for that hope, I'm willing to wait and live in the mystery a while longer. How about you?
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)