October 21, 2011
Philippians 1:3-5 – 3I thank my God every time I remember you, 4constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. (NRSV)
I am running out of words. “Overwhelmed” is probably the best one to describe the state I’ve been in for a couple weeks now. But in the better moments, it should be clarified that I am overwhelmed – with gratitude. I have been discovering that when life gets more intense, so does prayer. And so I say, with Paul, “I thank my God every time I remember you.”
There is no point in stretching a good-bye out too long. Our hearts are not designed for that. It has meant so much to me to be your pastor, and I will carry you with me the rest of my life. Please know that I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside you in ministry these ten years. Let us give thanks to God!
Collect for the Week: Gracious, Loving God, who puts things together and takes things apart, pour out your compassion upon us now for this time of separation, that we might speak the words that need speaking and give thanks in all things. Through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
By Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn
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October 14, 2011
Ephesians 3:20-21 – 20Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen. (NRSV)
I have been using these two verses from Ephesians for our benediction in Sunday worship for the past few weeks. They are some of my favorites in the whole Bible. There are two important points being made in this brief blessing. First of all, it’s God to whom we should be giving glory. Secondly, God is at work within us, and that is more powerful than we have begun to realize.
In a time of transition like we’re going through now, these are possibly the most important things to remember. It is God who gets the glory. Not the departing pastor, not the lay leaders, not an incoming interim, and not the pastor you will eventually hire – God. God is the only one who will never leave us; God is the only one who can truly promise faithfulness.
But what’s even more amazing that the gloriousness of God is that God is working among us, in ways we haven’t even noticed yet. I love how over the top the description of this is: God “is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.” I can imagine quite a bit, personally, but the promise is that God can do “abundantly far more” than even that.
Doesn’t it just make you grin to hear that? To know that God is up to all sorts of marvelous things? That they’re going to happen through you? What a promise! What a challenge! What a blessing! To God be the glory!
Collect for the Week: Gracious, Loving God, true glory of the world, grant that we might open ourselves to your power that we might be part of the abundant life you are bringing into your world. Through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
By Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn
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October 7, 2011
Isaiah 55:1-3a – 1Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. (NRSV)
One of the things I have learned about stewardship is that it’s not just about how much (or how little) money we give to the church. It’s also about what we do with the rest of our money. And the truth is that we live in a society that makes it really challenging to remember that. There are so many things we can spend our money on that seem enticing but do not truly satisfy.
Isaiah reminds us in this passage that God does want us to have abundant life, with good and rich food. But what is that “good and rich food” according to this passage? Not caviar and truffles, but the word of God. Rather than mindlessly spending our money, we are asked to listen and listen carefully.
These verses bring to mind Jesus’ rebuke to the devil in the wilderness when he was famished and the devil was offering him bread. We do not live by bread alone, but by every word that God utters, Jesus told him.
At root, stewardship is about re-training our habits, so that what we hunger for is what will really fill us, not the empty calories – whether physical or spiritual – that are so readily available around us. If we listen and listen carefully for God’s voice, we will know what to buy, what to share, and what is truly priceless.
Collect for the Week: Gracious, Loving God, source of all our many blessings, grant that we might feast upon your word and be filled by the power of your Living Bread, that we might offer true abundance to others. Through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
By Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn
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September 30, 2011
John 17:20-21 – 20 “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (NRSV)
We don’t usually think of Jesus as being a public relations guru, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t share some savvy tips, if we’re listening carefully. Jesus wanted his followers to be united so that their witness would be credible. He understood that the world wouldn’t be easily convinced by a group proclaiming love if they weren’t acting lovingly toward one another.
This Sunday, we will celebrate World Communion Sunday. The name makes it sound like all Christians around the world will be celebrating along with us, and indeed, since it’s the first Sunday of the month, many if not most Christians will be sharing in the Lord’s Supper. But they won’t all or even mostly be doing it with an awareness of the day’s special emphasis on Christian unity. The sad truth is that only some denominations recognize World Communion Sunday as a holiday.
This does not stop us, however, in our quest to re-build the unity Christ has given us as a church. Part of our denominational identity within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a special concern with the unity of the world-wide church. Though we are aware of all the ways in which the church is divided, we continue to proclaim our oneness, even when we cannot see it or feel it.
The special day we celebrate this weekend gives us strength for this struggle, because it allows us to remember that the unity of the church is not something we have to achieve on our own. It is made possible and real by the power of Christ, whom we meet at the Table, along with brothers and sisters from around the world.
Collect for the Week: Gracious, Loving God, who sent your Son that we might have life everlasting, grant that our witness might be strengthened by the power of our unity in Christ, that the world might believe. Through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
By Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn
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September 23, 2011
Psalm 50:12 – 12”If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine.” (NRSV)
We often go to the Psalms for comfort, but there are lots of other things there as well. In this psalm, God is rebuking the people of Israel because their temple sacrifices have become empty rituals. Unless your heart is truly in it, I have no interest, God seems to say. And further, in verse 12 – It’s not like I need that meat you’re putting on the altar anyway.
What is fascinating about this one little verse in a rather indignant psalm is what it tells us about service. The tone is almost petulant, like a child who insists he doesn’t like that kind of cake anyway when threatened with not getting any. But the truth underneath is that by giving us ways to serve him, God gives us a gift.
Because we love God, we want to give him whatever we can. If we were to learn that God was, in fact, hungry, we would rush to provide nourishment as tasty as possible. The idea that God might withhold the knowledge of such a need from us is the sort of threat that gets our attention because it hurts us in the place where our love lives.
The extremity of such a threat is warranted because of the danger of empty rituals. Without sincerity in our worship, it easily becomes a tool for demagogues and charlatans. When we aren’t carefully considering what right worship is, we are easily led down paths of dishonesty and pretension. Unless our worship is an authentic reflection of the state of our hearts, there isn’t much point. The sincere offering of our hearts is what God is hungry for.
Collect for the Week: Gracious, Loving God, who created the world and all that it in it, grant that our worship might always be true and our hearts constant and sincere, that we might be your faithful servants. Through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
By Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn
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September 16, 2011
Psalm 52:8-9 – 8But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. 9I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good. (NRSV)
The first half of Psalm 52 doesn’t seem very nice. It is full of accusations against “evildoers” and predictions of their demise. The psalmist makes the declaration above in contrast to people putting their trust in abundant riches and deceit. Even if we don’t prefer telling lies to speaking the truth, we can often benefit from the reminder to put our trust in God. When we do, the psalmist says, we become like a lush tree, fruitful and lovely, growing in a place of safety.
The verses teach us about trust, about eternity and about gratitude. With God, these three things go together. We can trust in God because God’s love is steadfast; it never ends, so we can give thanks forever and ever. The tree image reminds us that even the gift of life itself is one of the good works of God.
What we may not see at first, as we contemplate these more obvious messages, is the teaching about church that is contained in these verses. But the response to experiencing God’s love and faithfulness that the psalm speaks of is not something we do alone. “In the presence of the faithful” is where the psalmist wants to speak these praises. “In the midst of the congregation” is how other psalms put it.
The truth is that as social animals, our human joy is most fully experienced when it is shared. A congregation is called to witness – one to another and to the world – to the glory, the goodness, and the grace of God. We are called to proclaim Christ to each other, shoring up one another’s trust so that we may all find our place in God abundant life.
Collect for the Week: Gracious, Loving God, whose mercy is eternal, grant that our hearts might be thankful and trusting, that we might be a beacon of hope and joy for one another and for your world. Through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
By Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn
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September 9, 2011
Psalm 61:1-4 – 1Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. 2From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; 3for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. 4Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings. (NRSV)
When we are afraid, we long for something, anything that will make us feel secure. As we remember the events of ten years ago this weekend, so many emotions flood our hearts – fear, anger, confusion, sadness. The attacks sowed destruction on a scale that is hard for our minds to process. Over-loaded, we couldn’t always tell where to turn.
The psalmist reminds us that our true security comes from God. And yet, even here, we see a reflection of the difference between our human ideas of security and God’s. The psalmist compares God’s protection to “a strong tower” in one verse, but in the next, asks merely to abide in God’s tent.
Any of us would assume a tower is a safer place than a tent, but our experience has taught us that even towers are not guaranteed to defend us. The tent of God, on the other hand, is not so much about protection as presence. It reminds us that God is not kept in one, heavily guarded place, but that God is everywhere; God is on the move. God is wherever God’s people are, in safety or in danger, offering the loving wings of refuge.
When our hearts are faint, God’s love can feel like a strong tower. As we remember in these days, we are called to carry that true security throughout the world, for truly it has the portability of a tent. We are both invited to find refuge under the wings of God, but also to become those wings, embracing all those who cry to God with the love and care we have been given ourselves.
Collect for the Week: Gracious, Loving God, who holds the whole world in your hands, we pray that you will bless our memories in these difficult days. Grant your comfort to those who mourn and your peace to those who hate. Grant your courage to those who are afraid and your wisdom to those who lead us forward. Soften and embolden our hearts, that we might live in your tents, opening the doors to all who cry to you. Through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
By Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn
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September 2, 2011
Proverbs 24:17-18 – 17Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble, 18or else the LORD will see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from them. (NRSV)
In such polarized times as ours, some of the most important teachings in the Bible for Christians to turn to are the ones that tell us how to deal with our enemies. “Enemy” is such a strong word that most of us wouldn’t admit to having any (or at least not many). But if we look at how the Bible describes typical behavior in relation to enemies, we begin to recognize that there are people we are tempted to treat that way.
The Germans have a word for that feeling of smug satisfaction we’ve all experienced when someone we don’t like or don’t agree with has a mishap. They call it “Schadenfreude.” “Schaden” means harm or adversity. “Freude” is the word for joy. We’ve all felt it, and yet, it’s usually accompanied by an awareness that it’s not a nice thing to be feeling.
What is striking about this warning against Schadenfreude from the Book of Proverbs is that the argument is made on practical grounds, based on a fairly superstitious understanding of God’s role in cause and effect. Again, it is easy to recognize ourselves here. We are superstitious people; we live with a fairly constant, if shallow, desire to avoid “jinxing” whatever it is we’re trying to accomplish. We are aware that we live in a seemingly ironic universe, where if we revel too much in another’s downfall, our own is likely to be around the corner.
Usually in our modern age, we keep our superstitions and our beliefs in God in separate compartments of our minds. But regardless of how we look at Schadenfreude, it’s clear that it violates the teachings of Jesus, who commanded us to love and pray for our enemies. Whether we do it to avoid having to eat our words or because we’re truly trying to be faithful Christians, the world will be a better place if we can resist the temptation to delight in another’s problems.
Collect for the Week: Gracious, Loving God, who sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike, grant that our hearts might be large enough to offer grace to our adversaries, that we might be advocates of Christ’s love in our world. Through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
By Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn
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