Value Added

Matthew 10:40-42

[Jesus said,] “Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive the prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous person.”   (vs. 41)

Not long after I was elected Bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod someone said to me, “welcome to the dark underbelly of the church.”   Sadly, there is some truth in that.  One of the roles of the bishop is to walk with congregations and other ministries during difficult and conflicted times.   I admit I have seen Christians treat one another in very un-Christian ways in these last years.  I understand when a person who is no longer a part of a church laments, “Why would I want to belong to a church?   Look how they treat one another!”   I weep when I hear the painful story of someone who has been deeply hurt by people in the church and wants nothing to do with us.  I get it when someone accuses churches of being judgmental and hypocritical.    I’ve experienced it live and unedited.

A church, as a community of sinners, sometimes sins all over each other. 

So, why would anyone want to be a part of a community of faith?

In my ministry as bishop, I am also privileged to see the blessings that come from belonging to a community of faith.  In this ministry, I get a much broader view of the church than I ever did as a parish pastor.  Even after six years I still wonder at the breadth and the depth of the good Christians do in the name of Jesus all across the world.   I have witnessed churches surround total strangers with care in a time of loss or tragedy or crisis.  I have seen churches stand in solidarity with the outcast, the oppressed and the rejected of the world.  Christians have founded hospitals and schools in places no one else would dare to go.  I have heard many stories of kindness, compassion, generosity and forgiveness from people whose lives have been saved and transformed and renewed and healed in communities of faith.

A church, as a community of saints, sometimes – oftentimes -- embodies the holy in a hurting world.

In Matthew 10, Jesus describes the challenges and trials the disciples will face as they carry out his mission of proclaiming the kingdom of heaven and his ministry of healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the lepers and casting out demons.  (10:7-8)   Following in the Way of Jesus is not always easy.  But he also promises a reward.  Oh, not of wealth or power or prestige.  No.  But in knowing him, and knowing the One who sent him.  In knowing the love and grace of the God who created the heavens and the earth and you and me.  That’s the value added of walking in this wonderful, challenging, joyful, difficult, often imperfect and always holy way of life Jesus invites us to travel with him and with one another.

Peace,

Bishop Mike

See you in church!   Thanks for reading!

YOU are Valuable!

Matthew 10:24-39

[Jesus said,]  “So do not be afraid, you are of more value than many sparrows.”   --Matthew 10:24

A teacher of mine once said,  “Jesus promised his disciples two things:  First, that they would know everlasting peace and joy.  Second, that they were going to get into trouble.”   By faith, I believe that the first is true.  By experience, I know that the second one is.   By experience, I have had tastes of the first promise. By faith, I believe the second promise will never have the last word.

Jesus never promised that following him would be easy.  He never promised that, in this life, disciples would be rewarded with health, wealth, and blessings beyond number.   Just read the stories of Paul and the early Christians in Acts, or Paul’s own accounts of his trials and challenges!   Study the stories of saints and martyrs who dared to take up the cross and follow in the Way of Jesus.  Listen to the stories of the many nameless ancestors in the faith and their stories of struggle, persecution and trial.   Look around the world today and you will find Christians who pay a high price for living out their faith!   Anyone who preaches that people who follow Jesus will have it easy is lying to you.

Following Jesus may not be easy.  It can even set us crossways with the world and even our own families.  But, in the end, the first promise outweighs the second.   In Christ, we hear the Good News that we matter.  We have value -- infinite value -- to the One who created us and all that exists.  Jesus teaches us that God loves us at the sub-atomic level.  God is closer than your breath, wider than your most profound thought and deeper than your darkest fears.  We are submerged in the river of God’s love and grace and forgiveness and mercy and compassion in every moment of our lives (even the rough ones).  That’s why we follow.   We follow because we know that, in Christ, fear need not control us or overwhelm us.  (Note:  I didn’t say we wouldn’t ever be afraid – we live in a world of legitimately scary stuff.)

In Matthew, Chapter 10, Jesus sends his disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven and to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out demons (vs. 7-8).   He sends them out to continue his mission of love and compassion, justice and mercy.   At the end of Matthew’s Gospel he sends them out to invite others to join in the work and promises that he will be with them to the end.   Disciples today have the same charge, the same work, the same mission and the same challenge.  It’s not always easy.  The world can and does resist.  WE resist!   But, because we believe and trust in the love of God shown to us in Jesus Christ, we have been given the power and the courage to love the world like our teacher first loved us.  

Peace,

Bishop Mike

Please pray for Christians and all those who suffer for the sake of their faith!   Thank-you for reading. 

A Healing Force

Matthew 9:35-10:23

“As you go, proclaim the good news.  ‘The Kingdom of Heaven has come near.’  Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.”  (10:7)

In a recent conversation, someone said to me, “I don’t know why preachers talk about what’s going on in the world.  They should just talk about Jesus!”   In one form or another, I hear that frequently.   But, I don’t know how one could talk about Jesus without talking about what is going on in the world!  If our faith has nothing to say about life in the world, then what good is it?   Good preaching helps us think about what is going on in our world theologically – both the little day to day stuff and the bigger issues and concerns of the day.  Over thirty years ago, I heard Lutheran theologian Joseph Sittler say that a good preacher always preaches with the bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.  I think Sittler was right.  The question, I think, is not whether or not we talk about how faith and life intersect – but how we talk about it.   Preaching on both the left and the right can (and sometimes does) devolve into unhelpful partisan politics, vitriol, and diatribe.  There is a fine line between prophetic speech and simply politicking that is easily crossed.  Some subjects are better engaged in the dialogue of the forum than in the monologue of the pulpit.

Jesus himself didn’t shy away from talking about what was going on in the world, and he certainly didn’t teach his disciples to avoid the realities of life in first century Galilee or Judea.   Simply proclaiming the reign of God in world ruled by an emperor who thought himself a god was political speech.  Caring for lepers and casting out demons had both religious and social implications (which in those days were completely intertwined.)  Jesus regularly challenged Pharisees and Sadducees who were both religious and political leaders (again, there was little distinction between the two roles in the first century). Jesus was accused of both sedition (“he claims to be a king”) and heresy (“he claims to be the Son of God”) and executed for it.  

In the end, God’s love, grace, mercy and life proved to be more powerful.  More powerful than Caesar.  More powerful than social systems that ostracize and alienate people.  More powerful than religious or political leaders. More powerful than sickness and death; even death on a cross.   That is still true today. Because it is true, our faith still has something to say about the world we live in.

In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus sends the twelve disciples out to proclaim the Reign of Heaven and to bring healing to those who are suffering.  Jesus sends the disciples out to engage the world with his Good News.  He sends us to do the same.   We don’t have to agree about exactly how we do that, and that’s OK.   People of faith can come at things from different perspectives, and that’s OK too.  That’s why we need to be in loving dialogue with one another (as an example to a world that prefers to vilify those who disagree).   But, the one thing we cannot do is ignore the suffering of the world.  Not if we follow in the way of Jesus.  We cannot say we proclaim the Reign of God and then limit God’s rule to just our personal, private lives.  That would be a weak god indeed!  Instead, we are called to be a force for healing, reconciliation, hope and justice in the way of Jesus.   We are sent to proclaim in word and deed the reign of God’s powerful love and life in a world that often seems bereft of both.  And yes, sometimes, we need to be reminded of that from the pulpit.

Peace,

Bishop Mike

Thank-you for reading. 

Your Corner of Creation

Genesis 1:26

“Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our own image, according to our likeness; and let them ha e dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’”   

As many of you already know, my wife and I recently adopted a new puppy.  Melbie is part Australian Shepherd, a large part Blue Heeler and perhaps some Border Collie.  (One might say she’s an Australian Border Heeler…).   We don’t own Melbie.  At least I’ve never felt that way about any of the dogs who have shared my life over the years.  Melbie is a part of our family.  It is our responsibility to care for her, train her properly, make sure she gets the proper nutrition, exercise, and health care.  Our relationship is not about possession.  It’s about compassion and forgiveness (especially during house training!) not about control and punishment. 

I think that’s what Genesis 1:26 means when it says that human beings are to have “dominion” over the creatures of the earth.  “Dominion” does not mean “domination.”   It does not mean the creatures of the earth are ours to use (and abuse) as we see fit.  We don’t own the earth.  God does.  For centuries we have gotten this wrong…  and the earth bears the scars of our error.   Like an owner who thinks beating a dog is the best way to control it, like a despotic ruler who murders his own people, we have left the planet cowering in fear.

According to the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, humanity was created to reflect the creative love of God and to represent God’s beneficent rule over creation.  That’s what “dominion” means.  It means extending God’s love, grace, forgiveness and mercy to whatever little piece of God’s creation is our domain.  It means being in a just and loving relationship with the world around us…  from the tiniest creeping thing to our human neighbors. 

We desperately need to reclaim this understanding of “dominion” before we destroy our environment any further, condemn our descendants to the ravages of climate change, and continue to perpetuate socio-economic systems that crush some and privilege others.  We might not be able to change the whole world…  but if each of us looks for ways to impact the little corner of God’s creation we were created to care for, the cumulative effect has amazing potential.

Nothing belongs to you.  Not really.   But, you are God’s image and likeness, God’s representatives and governors, wherever your life is lived.  That is an awesome responsibility…  but God promises to bless us and empower us for that work.  This summer, take some time to think about the dominion you’ve been granted, the relationships and responsibilities that implies and what God is asking you to do to care for it.

Peace,

Bishop Mike

Thanks for reading!