Pastor Scott's Thoughts

Luke 2 Today

I have had a couple of email requests for a copy of the reading I wrote and read at the end of the service this morning (Dec. 30).  The sermon for the morning was on Luke 2:1-20 and focussed on the idea that God is forming a revolutionary Kingdom through love that is contrary to the empire Augustus built through power and intimidation.  This Kingdom symbolically is proclaimed first to shepherds in the shepherd's city (Bethlehem) who become the witnesses and evangels of this subversive Kingdom.

I re-wrote Luke 2 in an attempt to narrate PazNaz into the story.  What I wrote is included below.  I'm not sure it is all that profound, but I do think it is true.  Feel free to read it or use it in your context - wherever you are - for it is certainly true for you too.

LUKE 2 RECONTEXTUALIZED

In the seventh year of the reign of George W. Bush, the postmodern world found itself troubled with questions of war, violence, poverty, technology, globalization, a deteriorating environment, a culture of consumption, rampant sensuality, the stress of rapid change, and a thousand other pressures. All of this was taking place while Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor of California (pronounced with an accent Cal-E-for-NEE-a). The whole world was struggling to know what to do in such turbulent times. In the midst of it all the Spirit of God quietly, subversively, and in often hidden ways was breaking into the world bringing the promise and hope of a new creation. Most of the people who were being used to usher in this Kingdom were relative unknowns whose names rarely made the morning paper or the evening news

And there were, in the region of Pasadena, common Nazarene folk, living in the local communities, raising families, working in businesses, and keeping watch over their fairly common lives. Then messengers of the Lord stood before them and taught them (in the form of teachers, pastors, and Bible study leaders) and the Lord gave them glimpses of the glorious things he desires to do through them – and they started freaking out. But the messengers kept saying to them, “Fear not, for this is really good news that will bring about the greatest joy you have ever experienced. This good news is destined to transform every person, because this Spirit that is at work in you is the Spirit of the one who will make the entire creation new by his love. And there will be many subtle signs for you. You will have to watch closely, but people will begin to be changed. Self-centered folk will begin to love others, relationships will be saved, forgiveness will take place, hungry people will be fed, broken people will be healed, and week after week as you gather together for praise, there I will be in the midst of you."

When these glorious messages were received by the common folk of Pasadena – and they listened well - they turned to each other and said, “This is awesome. We have got to keep opening our lives up to the Spirit of God. And as these common folk were being transformed from glory, into glory, into glory, they couldn’t help but tell other people about what God is doing not only in Pasadena but all over the world. (And their pastor treasured these things, pondered them in his heart, and wrote them down so someday he could publish a good book about it). And the common Nazarene folk of Pasadena returned to their homes, neighborhoods, business, and even started going to every corner of the creation glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, because the transforming Spirit of God was truly with them.

Happy New Year.  May God give you the eyes to see his subversive presence in this new year.

And a Child Shall Lead Them

I have really been convicted by the recent story of Austin Gutwein, a 12 year-old boy from Arizona who three years ago had an idea for helping people in Africa. He had just seen a video on the AIDS crisis in Africa and decided that he would try to make a difference. Although he had just been cut from his school's basketball team he decided to find sponsors who would pay him for every freethrow he could make. That first year he raised $3000.

Three years later, and with the help of World Vision, Austin and now several hundred other children in Arizona have shot baskets and raised over $250,000. Austin's idea generated the funds necessary to build a school for 1,000 students in a small village in Zambia. Now they are raising money to build a medical lab and hospital.

There have been many stories done about Austin recently, but you can find one of those stories at the following link - www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/1130430hoops-CR.html

What convicts me most about Austin is his optimistic view of the world. In his own childlike way he simply believes that each person can make a difference. There are times when I feel like the church - myself included - has lost the optimism of grace. Especially Christians from a Weselyan tradition ought to be excited about what God could do because we believe that grace not only forgives people but has the power to transform people as well.

There are certainly complex and seemingly impossible conflicts and issues in the world that seem beyond the hope of transformation, but perhaps we could all use a little more of Austin's optimistic view of God's ability to bring about change. Maybe that is in part what Jesus meant when he said that we need to all become like little children and what Isaiah meant when he said that a little child would lead us.

A Thankful PK

I know that a lot of kids raised in the parsonage struggle not only with life in a fishbowl of sorts but also with the tendency for pastor's families to move frequently.  Although it would be perfectly fine with me to never move again - I was thankful this morning for the life God has given me.

Last night and this morning I finished addressing our Christmas cards for this year (I know, we're behind a bit).  With just a few exceptions we usually only send cards to family and friends from out-of-town because there are just too many here at PazNaz.  But it dawned on me today that I still send cards to people that were part of my folks' churches as far back as 35 years ago in Phoenix, Bethany, Dallas, and Seattle as well as people that have been part of churches where I have served on pastoral staff in Nampa, Sierra Madre, Oklahoma City, and Richardson.  That doesn't even count friends from Christian High School, NNU, Fuller Seminary days, and APU and SNU teaching days.

There are days when I really envy some of our friends and family who have lived in the same community all of their lives.  But today I am really thankful for the great diversity of friendships that have been given to our family as a gift of God and his church.  I'd love to have stayed in one place long enough to build more equity, but I can't put a price on the relationships we have been given.

Thank you to all of you who are and have been such great friends to our family over the years.  I'm sorry we only ordered 150 Christmas cards this year - it truly wasn't enough to include everyone.  Merry Christmas.

Which Way Does the Compass Point?

Like probably most pastors I know, I have been asked repeatedly my opinion and forwarded all sorts of material regarding the release of the film The Golden Compass and the overt attacks on Christianity by its author Philip Pullman.  Christian folks, rightly so, want to know how to react and respond to the film production of the literary material of a self-proclaimed "anti-Lewis."  So far, my favorite response has been that of Peter Chattaway in Christianity Today http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2007/goldencompass.html.  I don't have a lot to add to Chattaway's sentiments, but I will add the following:

1. As a general rule, I think Christians should vote with their wallets.  There is a second Chronicle of Narnia film being released this summer (Prince Caspian).  It was made because people of faith in particular made the first (and very well done) film a smashing success.

2. Although it is important for us to discuss among one another, and to some degree in the culture, our disagreements with Pullman's stories, there is also a tendency for Christians to give some events more attention than they deserve.  (Does anybody remember the hub-bub over The Last Tempation of Christ)?  Although there may be a corrosive effect upon the culture when there is a glut of anti-Christian materials around, I tend to think we are finding more success than failure in the area of media these days.  The diversification of the television and movie industry as well as the rise of technology has made it easier for Christians to get their work in the market place.  Sit down and make a list of the great Christian-themed movies from the last 10 years and then try and think about if those films got made 20 years ago.  I don't think they did.

3. Don't miss the opportunity for dialogue with your kids.  We tend to take a "that is evil - whatever you do don't touch that" approach to these kinds of moments.  I think there are a lot of children who either have read or now will read the trilogy because of the "danger" added to them.  Those who have decried them as evil will end the ability to discuss them with their kids because those kids who go on and read them will likely do it secretly.  Caleb read the first book in the trilogy before we knew what they were about.  To him it seemed like just a cool story about good and evil including talking polar bears.  Now, however, it has given us a unique opportunity to dialogue about the following questions:  Why do you think someone like Pullman is so upset with Christianity?  Has the Chrisitan church at times acted like the Magesterium in the novel?  If it has, how do we confess that and be and reflect the love of God more accurately to the future Pullmans?  Is there anything about Pullman's perspective on the church that we may need to hear?

4. I think we need to be careful how we dialogue with the culture about the books and film.  I received several forwards that contain a quote that has been revealed as a fabrication.  Although Pullman has certainly said things that should concern Christians, the central quote in one of the most prominent emails making the rounds isn't true.  When we (as followers of Jesus) participate in that kind of mis-representation and untruth - even when the cause is just - we live into the very nature of the Christianity that Pullman has rejected and has set out to eliminate.  We certainly cannot be overcome with evil, but we must do our best to overcome evil with good.