Service 8-22-2010
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Sermon: “Sabbatical Learnings: AND”
by Pastor Todd Buurstra
Job 1:21;
I Cor. 2:9
Probably 30-40% of the emergency calls–when I was on a 24 hour on-call shift at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital doing chaplaincy work for my sabbatical–were to help people to die. To start us thinking about the topic of facing our mortality, here is 60 seconds from 60 Minutes…
How do people of faith face death?
First let’s recognize that our whole culture fears death. We are even uncomfortable saying the word so we’ve come up with all kinds of euphemisms; i.e., roundabout ways to say death. Help me out here. I can think of kicking the bucket, giving up the ghost, meeting my Maker, passing away, an appointment with the Grim Reaper… Others strike you?… My RWJ supervisor, Rev. John deVelder would preach, It’s death! Say it: death, death, death!
Not only do we avoid death in speech, we avoid it in behavior. Even though we say we can’t avoid ___ and taxes; ____ being?… we do. We color our hair or take Viagra to mask our age. Why? To postpone dealing with death. (That’s a debate in our house. The wife wants me to color my beard, but I don’t because I have to face the Gray Reaper.) Which one applies? I don’t do hospitals/doctors/wakes… Why? Probably so I don’t have to deal with death. I learned even more how the healthcare professionals avoid death by having their default behavior be to hook a patient up to a respirator, or do CPR for an hour, or whatever, to avoid… Lastly, we’ll come back to this, most of us have not filled out an AD: healthcare proxy or living will.
And this fear of death is bankrupting our country in dollars and spirit. Three striking statistics from that 60 Minutes segment are:
- $55B are spent in the last two months of life;
- 20-30% of which is wasted! And,
- 30% of hospital stays are unnecessary because the system rewards admittance and procedures.
And the fear of death costs in dollars because it first costs in spirit. I came into the hospital room, noticed the patient tossing and turning and said, John, you’re restless, what’s up? I’m afraid. What are you afraid of, John? Didn’t I tell you what the doctor said? If you did, I don’t remember. What did the doctor say? They’re calling in hospice. I’m not going to make it. I’m sorry, John, so that makes you afraid? Yes. I understand. If I had a dollar for every time that happens in a 600 bed hospital like RWJ, I could pay my kids’ college in cash. Death is scary
And so we turn to the only medicine that can help this fear: trust in God. And here’s where the biblical story of Job is helpful. You may remember that Job was a rich man, with a rich family life (7 sons, 3 daughters; 7000 sheep, 3000 camels)—the Bill Gates of his day. As Job and his family were enjoying the high life, Job was also happy and humbled by his blessings. Important, because one day, in the blink of an eye, he lost everything. In a fit of understand-able grief and anger Job’s wife told him to curse God and die! But Job had a different reaction. Maybe it was shock, but certainly it was a profound spirituality. His reaction was, please read it with me (Job 1:21)… Wow! Now that’s the power of faith. Indeed one commentator wrote:
A man may stand before God stripped of everything
that life has given him, and still lack nothing.
And when we trust in God we trust not only for the present but for the future. So the Spirit inspires Paul to write beautiful poetry of heaven (I Corinthians 2:9)…
I remember walking into Eva Jane Mosko’s bedroom for her last moments. Her husband of approaching 60 years sat in the single bed with her with his arm around her. She was uncon-sciously struggling to breathe her last, and he was sending her on to Jesus by saying things like: Soon you’ll hear the angels sing. You won’t feel anymore pain. You’ll be praising God. You’ll see Jesus face to face… You know, if you’re around for my last breaths, send me that way.
And so I invite you to do one thing: AND. Allow Natural Death. On the ledge and on the back table is what we used at RWJ, called Advanced Directives. By filling one out you can name a healthcare proxy, complete a Living Will, or both. Don’t be afraid. Trust God. AND.
Once upon a time, twin boys were conceived. Weeks passed, and the twins developed. Soon they exclaimed: Isn’t it great that we were conceived? Isn’t it great to be alive! Together the twins explored their world. When they found their mother’s umbilical cord they sang for joy:
How great is our mother’s love, that she shares her own life with us!
As weeks stretched into months, the twins noticed how much each changed. What does it mean? asked the one. It means that our stay in this world is ending, said the other. But I don’t want to go, said the one. We have no choice, said the other. But maybe there is life after birth!
But how can there be? responded the one. We will shed our life cord, and how is life possible without it? Besides, we know others have been here before us, but none have returned to tell us of life after birth. No, this is the end. And so the one fell into deep despair, If conception ends in birth, life in the womb is meaningless. Maybe there is no mother after all. But there has to be protested the other. How else did we get here? How do we remain alive? Maybe she lives only in our minds. Maybe we made our mother up to make us feel good.
And so the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear. Finally, the moment of birth arrived. When the twins had passed from their world, they opened their eyes. They cried. For what they saw, exceeded their fondest dreams:
No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him.
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Sermon 8-15-2010
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What Worries Me Most About Returning as Your Pastor
Rom 2:1-11
You know the thing that worries me most about coming back from sabbatical? This word: RESPONSIBILITY. Now don’t misunderstand me, I’m not afraid of taking responsibility for myself and for the job that I do, I’m afraid of taking too much responsibility and letting others have too little responsibility. For instance, I’m worried about being at a meeting and then realizing that I’m the only person around the table that is looking five years down the pike because I haven’t prepared the group. I’m worried about tossing and turning in bed because I feel alone in a direction that I feel God calling us because I haven’t effectively shared where and why I feel called. How do I share the responsibility of leadership better?
Now I can’t be alone in feeling this.
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Sermon 08-08-2010
Scripture: John 15:1-17
Sermon: “SABBATICAL LEARNINGS: Pruning” by Pastor Todd Buurstra
The purpose of sabbatical is to climb a mountain to sit on the front porch and overlook your forest so that you can see it for the trees. Looking down on my forest, the thing I most frequently saw was my orchard being pruned. The passage I’ve lived with was John 15. And my image has been God approaching us with pruning shears–yikes!
For instance, the sawing I hear on individual branches sounds like this:
FINANCES: 1) No honey, we’re going to eat home tonight—gotta save money.
2) Gee, my 401K has still not recovered after two years!
3) Year #2 of Staycation. Sorry!
FAITH: 1) Why do I have to go to church? All of my friends can sleep in!
2) Football for Billy; Church for all of us; Football, church. Football, church. Ah, church isn’t that important anymore anyway.
3) All the church wants is my money!
What is God doing with pruning shears in hand as he comes toward us?
Now there are at least two typical reactions of we branches to pruning shears:
1) lay low, keep quiet, and hope that the pruner misses you. In other words, try to avoid pruning. We usually do that by playing the victim. Or, if you can’t avoid being pruned,
2) then get grafted into another vine (which, in the spiritual realm, is usually sick already).
First, our natural reaction is to try to avoid being pruned by avoiding its lessons while playing the victim. Woe is me! The rotten bank is foreclosing on me. Or, my evil boss always had it in for me. Or, Pastor Todd’s sermons are boring so that I don’t get anything out of them anyway. Or… You tell me. Now, some, or even much of this may be true, but quietly stewing on our victimhood only helps us to die on the vine quicker. Honestly, I find myself playing the victim in this way, Why couldn’t I have been a pastor in the 60s/70s when people were still thronging to church?! I’m just not very good at this evangelism thing. Victimhood separates us from Jesus. Separated [from Jesus] you..
The second typical reaction is to get grafted into another vine. We call this idola-try or addiction. Grafted from church to porn, from money to booze etc. Newsweek says:
Rosalind Dorlen, a Summit, N.J., therapist who sees both Wall Street clients and patients unconnected to the financial industry, says she’s seen a growth of alcohol abuse among clients who have never had drinking problems before.
Jesus says, Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. Getting grafted into the vines of alcohol, etc., is a destructive obsession.
But we need to stop and take a good look at the Vine before we run. I AM the vine… is one of Jesus’ 7 (the number of fullness) I AM statements in John. His readers, many of whom had the OT memorized, would recognize the image of the vine as an image of Israel. So Jesus is saying, As your Messiah, I AM the true Israel. In other words, I AM your heritage and your destiny. I AM all you have been and ever can be.
So this Vine Jesus is life-giving to make us healthy. Nine times Jesus tells us to menein, translated as abide, remain, live in him. Living in Jesus means to draw on his word or guidance and power. Living in Jesus means to bring every problem or possibility to him in prayer. Basically its Jesus’ life flowing in and through us.
Then the pruning shears are to help us get more nourishment from the vine to bear greater fruit. How so? FINANCES Maybe Jesus is telling us to focus less on our 401 Ks and more on what money is for. Less on needs and more on wants. Less debt, more savings. And for those desperately seeking a job, to find some peace and support in your storm. FAITH Maybe Jesus is giving us stamina to go against the culture’s grain (easier to be a Christian when many more were). Or to share our faith so that the faith blossoms.
In other words, God prunes, which cuts us back for now, so that we can be more fruitful in the future. If we make good use of this recession, like we did the Depression, America can merge more prosperous in the future. If the declining church can learn to stand up and reach out, we may again become a powerful, positive force in America.
At RWJUH a pair of sisters taught me the meaning of God’s pruning for greater fruit. Thumbonella is a dying cancer patient whose sister Janice lovingly stands beside her. They lost their mother at 5. Then their dad worked hard to keep the family and his 10 kids together, but he got overwhelmed and took to drink. The courts forced the kids to go to an aunt in GA who mistreated them. They were black kids in the Jim Crow South to begin with, and she wouldn’t feed them! So Thumbonella would have to steal food from her aunt’s kitchen to feed Janice and the younger kids. Eventually the older brothers in NY could take in Thumbonella and Janice. Later the brother that took in Thumbonella suffered kidney disease so Thumbonella donated a kidney. Th married a loser though she tried real hard to make it work. Eventually he left her with two kids. Th worked hard for her kids all of her life, denying herself to put them through college. Th had a lot of pruning in her life!! But her life also bore much fruit. Th would always gather the family with J on holidays, and yet cook even more for the homeless. Th and J have a strong, strong faith in Jesus. One symptom of denying herself was that she never had insurance so she always went to free clincs. As she aged breathing became difficult. The clinic docs kept treating her for asthma, until finally they realized that the cause was cancer that had spread from her remaining kidney. J can’t bear to lose her, but the fruit of her pruned faith is that as we pray for Jesus to take her, J and Th say through tears, “Yes, Jesus.”
Service 07-18-2010
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Service: 07/18/2010
Scripture: Colossians 1:15-23
Sermon: “The Cosmic Christ” by Pastor Todd Buurstra
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Service 06-27-2010
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Scripture: I Kings 19:15, 16, 19-21
II Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Sermon: “Passing the Torch in the Wind” by Pastor Todd Buurstra
God gives every believer a torch, and Elijah’s torch was flickering. It was flickering because Elijah, like we, lived in a windy world. In Elijah’s world Israel’s King Ahab made a foolish choice. To make an alliance he married the wicked Queen Jezebel. Jezebel brought with her the fertility cult of Baal. And so Israel’s worship disintegrated into cavorting with temple prostitutes in order for families and fields to be fertile. While the goings on at the temple of Baal may have seemed exciting at first, What? I get to have sex in worship?, they became sickening (STDs) in the end. But this is what the wicked queen decreed, and this is the gale force winds that our prophet, Elijah, faced. And so he said, in effect, Lord, here I have served you for my whole career, and I have no followers to show for it! I just want to roll over and die. Take me, I’m worthless.
Indeed, it’s a depressing time to try to pass the torch of faith today, too. Just look at the history of the Somerville Reformed churches. 50 years ago there were four, strong RCA churches worshiping about 6-800 on a typical Sunday. Then 40 years ago Second Reformed merged with First Reformed to become United Reformed. Four years ago, Fourth Reformed folded, a few weeks ago Third Reformed sent a dozen, feeble seniors to merge with United, and now there are maybe 80 people, most close to 80, struggling to keep United afloat. Unless God does a miracle, what’s now 90% smaller than 50 years ago, may be 90% smaller yet in another 15 years. Passing the torch on a windy day.
How is the torch of faith passed on a windy day?
First thing to realize is that God wants the torch passed. So the lonely prophet Elijah is hiding in his cave—literally. And God beckons him out to the mouth of the cave. He steps out dejectedly to meet his Maker. And a strong wind blows up and rock is literally shattering all over, but God is not in the wind. Then an earthquake roughs up the mountain, but God is not in the earthquake. Then fire flares up, but God is not in the fire. And lastly, a still, small voice. Elijah, pass the torch: nationally to Jehu and spiritually to Elisha. And don’t worry, 7000 have not bowed their knees to Baal.
God wanted faith’s torch passed to you and me also. Who taught you about the faith? Was it your mother who brought you to Sunday School? Did a youth leader take you out to lunch and guide you? I remember my ministry mentor, pastor here 25 years ago, Bert Van Soest. Early in my ministry I would go to Bert’s house and we would walk and talk. We’d lap his development and I’d ask him questions. Bert, they say they don’t get anything out of my sermons. How do you get ready to preach on a Sunday morning? Todd, I pray it and preach it hot! What? On Sunday mornings, I get up, practice preaching my sermon, then I go for a walk, and I pray God’s power upon the people. So, I started, and I still do a rendition of pray it and preach it hot. You be the judge as to whether I am passing the preaching torch on from Bert. Have you passed on your torch?
Secondly, God passes the torch by gathering us close together. I’m thinking here of the skit our senior high youth group did for Youth Sunday. Remember how there was the devil figure in black and the Jesus figure in white, and other kids with their lit candles. And the devil figure weaved in and out blowing out the kids’ light, and Jesus weaved in and out relighting them, until finally Jesus brought them close enough together that the old devil could no longer get to them? Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna…
So Elisha got close to Elijah. Over the years Elisha watched what Elijah said. He watched what Elijah did. He observed his character when no one else could. So when Elijah neared his end, and asked, What can I give you? Elisha’s answer in this translation isn’t the usual double portion of your spirit, but more directly, Your life doubled in my life. Wow! Like most apprentices, Elisha wanted to measure up to his mentor.
When Laura Kroon came to me to start her mentoring ministry here at NBRC (which is starting with 12 people growing closer with God and each other so Satan can’t blow out their lights!) Laura named two transforming experiences with mentoring: her’s and Adam Clark’s! Since Laura has already mentioned her experience to us, I’ve asked Adam to tell us what God is doing in his life. Adam was part of the core group of Ignite.
So what happens if we get close enough to God and another through mentoring to pass the torch? Well, Elisha became such an effective prophet that, as God’s CIA agent, he was thwarting the plans of the enemy. So Aram wanted to capture him so their army surrounded Elisha’s town. His servant said, What shall we do? Elisha calmly said, Those that are with us are more than those that are against us. And the servant suddenly saw heaven’s army surrounding Aram’s army. The angels were protecting them!
What will happen as we get closer to God and each other to pass the torch on our windy day? I don’t know what God will do. But heaven’s army will defend us, and the church will advance, and God will be glorified. Who knows? Maybe there will be 5 RCA churches in Somerville in 50 years worshiping a thousand or more? That’s God’s power!
Audio Recordings:
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Service 05-23-2010
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Scripture: John 14:8-17
Sermon: “Feeling God” by Pastor Todd Buurstra
Have you ever felt God? I mean, why are you doing this? Ok, we all know the first, honest answer that comes to most of your minds: My mom is making me do this. And I say, Good for her! Now for a few of you, at least, I hope that you sense the Holy Spirit drawing you to Jesus. But on this Pentecost Sunday, wouldn’t it be cool to feel God like the first Pentecost?
Hopefully you remember the story: the disciples are praying together, and all of the sudden, the winds begin to whip and fire enters the room, and a halo, of sorts, lights on everyone, as they felt the Spirit filling them up. So they went to the temple and preached in the languages of the people gathered from all over the world. They preached in languages they didn’t know. And 3000 folks came to believe! The supernatural God came upon them in a supernatural way!
Wouldn’t it be cool if that happened today? As one friend asked another from NBRC, do you believe in God? Have you ever felt God? Or as Phillip told Jesus, Show us the Father.
But Surveyors has been all about, not feeling God, but believing in God. I still say that believing is easier when you feel it. And some people do feel God. Niiki Young told me how she had always believed in God, but actually came to feel him in the crisis of her dad dying.
Nikki, tell us how you believe God helped you…
How has feeling God’s presence helped you? (I mean, I still assume that you miss your dad.)
Nikki felt God because she first believed The apostles and most of us believed and then felt, too.
So the best way that I know of to help you feel God is to persuade you to decide to believe and then, if you still want to feel God, two things: do God’s works and read God’s word.
Know God through doing God’s works. Nikki was doing God’s work, taking care of her Dad, right? And in that work she felt God. Steve and Nancy were the school’s hottest couple: he, handsome and athletic; she, a cute cheerleader. After college they planned to marry. As they prepared for a happy wedding, sending out invites, picking tuxes and dresses, getting the hall, just before the BIG day, Steve was in a car accident and crippled for life. At first he couldn’t walk or talk. Nancy, her mother said, you know you don’t have to marry him. Nancy struggled and prayed, she tried to imagine her life without him. One night she had a dream. A man came to her while she was crying about the accident. Why are you crying? asked the man. Because I can’t take care of Steve, but I can’t imagine myself without him. Then how about if I help you, came the reply. Then the man vanished and the dream ended. Nancy woke up believing that she had seen an angel and she married him. After therapy he walked like this and talked like… Even though she had to feed and bathe him, she married him because that was God’s work for her life. And she said, God has always helped me. I’ve been so blessed!
I feel God when I help someone pray. It got dramatic one time. Someone came to me who had grown up in another church and really messed up their life. They had broken the 7th commandment (???), and it was breaking them. After we talked the first time, I could tell that they were still hiding something. So the second meeting I asked something like, If Jesus were sitting right here. What do you need to tell him? And they began to confess about pornography, and this seventh commandment. It was such a relief to get it off their chest that they could finally pray. The floodgates opened, and prayer poured out. I felt God in doing God’s work.
Know God through doing God’s works and reading God’s words. I’m thinking about how little the church helps you with your raging hormones. In my day, all the church said was, NO! Have sexual feelings? NO! Think you might be gay or bi? NO! Is s/he hot? NO! And let me tell you, that wasn’t very helpful. Maybe that’s why we too often said, Yes! So how does God’s word help you to feel Jesus in your body? I feel Jesus most when I realize that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Your body isn’t dirty. Its not shameful. You aren’t ugly, or fat, or skinny, or pimply. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The more you realize that the church won’t have to say NO! Just: you are the temple of the Holy Spirit! Value and respect your body as God’s word says, and you’ll make good choices—and feel God!
So, Surveyors today you are committing yourself to know God through God’s … and…
Audio Recordings:
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Service 05-09-2010
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Scripture: John 14:23-29
Sermon “Like Mom, Like God” by Pastor Todd Buurstra
I saw them kind of waiting for me by the Nursery leaning up against the wall. I walked faster because they were a young couple with a baby—just the kind absent from many churches. So I leaned up against the wall with them and we got acquainted. The young mother spoke most and first. Found out we each went to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. Found out that they were part of the premier church planting engine in the NE called the Redeemer Planter movement (who has planted 20 churches in NYC in 20 years, and been a huge influence on Mike Hayes). And then she lobbed her grenade. I don’t want to sound critical after visiting here just one time, [she pulled the pin] but how can you change scripture in your communion thanks-giving? You know where you say, As a father [and mother] have compassion upon their children so the Lord has compassion… I tried to explain how while the Bible never calls God mother scripture uses many motherly metaphors for God, and how the word “spirit” is feminine in both Hebrew and Greek, so the Holy Spirit is the female expression of God. But that’s not what that Scripture says. True, but after assuring her of my belief in the authority of scripture, she kept coming back to but that’s not what that Scripture says, I wanted to say:
This is a loving church. I think you’d fit in better with the more judgmental church up the street. But I didn’t. So let me talk today about how the Holy Spirit is the motherly expression of God.
Beyond the feminine noun thing, and many other motherly metaphors, the Holy Spirit is a homemaker. and we [the Father and Jesus] will come to them and make our home with them. Theologically we call this the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Yes Jesus (and the Father) is/are in your heart, but as you study Scripture you find they live in you through the Holy Spirit. Isn’t this motherly? I think of our previous organist Helene Cantilina. Did you know that every Sunday she went from a busy morning here to prepare a meal for some 15 of her family every Sunday night? Her home was permanently set up for this Sunday meal. As you came in the door you walked right into the dining room with 2 or 3 tables sit up for next Sunday. Natsuko and I often went home saying, Boy, this is the way to see your grandkids every week. Cook for them! And, indeed, the Cantilina clan is a tight group for their mother is a homemaker.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit is a homemaker. The Holy Spirit always brings people together in Jesus around food. I think of our 15 or 16, I lose track, small groups of which a new one formed a few weeks ago. Over 100 people of this congregation eat together and then talk about spiritual nourishment monthly. If you’re interested, talk to Mark. And then I think of Communion. Deacon Casucci often reminds me that God would have us celebrate this every week, but we’ve just got it up to 14 times from 4 times 20 years ago. Is it time to move to 28 times a year? On 4/25 Mike Hayes and I visited our newest Philadelphia church with 250 people all under 35. They sing contemporized hymns and celebrate communion every week. It was the first time that I have ever received communion from a pair of 25 year olds: he with tattoos all up his arms, and she with a mouth ring. But we’re family because of the homemaking Holy Spirit.
Then in verse 26 the Holy Spirit is described as the one who is always there for us. Different translations call paraklhtos Comforter, Counselor, Advocate. All motherly terms. But paraklhtos literally means, one called alongside because the Holy Spirit is always there for us. paraklhtos is John’s favorite name for the Holy Spirit as it occurs four times
So let’s say that I am accused of murder. The staff believes I did it; the consistory believes I did it; you believe I did it, but my mother? Y’all may abandon me in court, but if there is any ounce of possibility that I didn’t do it, my mother will be by my side. Wouldn’t yours?
That’s the Holy Spirit. Your mother may even abandon you, but the Spirit won’t. I may even be guilty, but the Holy Spirit will be by a believer’s side even if only to help them accept responsibility. Just the other day I had lunch with a pastor friend. He feels his wife has abandoned him. Indeed, her mother had abandoned her at two. And he was just broken that he can’t stand it anymore and is divorcing. I told him what I believe the paraklhtos would say, I know you did your best. I support you. I believe that God will renew your ministry. It helps that his leaders are standing by him, alongside the Holy Spirit. Now he worries that she be supported.
Lastly, in verse 27, as Jesus leaves, because the Holy Spirit comes, there is a gift: peace. The homemaking, always by your side, motherly Holy Spirit gives one gift—peace.
Isn’t your mother the one who helped you feel peaceful? She rocked you, she fed you, she listened to you. When my kids were young and they woke up in the middle of the night, they never called for me. They always called Mommy! And I didn’t feel slighted either. I had dissuaded them from calling Daddy! Because whenever I woke up I was a grouch: Be quiet! Go back to sleep! But Natsuko would pick them up and check their diaper, feed them, rock them if necessary. She did the motherly stuff that I didn’t. Then, peaceful at last, we’d fall back asleep.
To the extent that you let it sink in that our motherly Holy Spirit makes her home in you, and the church a home for you. To the extent that you realize that she is always by your side, no matter the place, no matter the time, no matter the circumstances. To the extent that you set your mind on our Holy Spirit, you can be rocked to sleep. For you can have the gift of peace.
So, on Mother’s Day 2010: honor your mother, but praise the Spirit. Amen.
Audio Recordings:
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DVD recordings of the Sunday services are also available. Please contact Bruce Taggart at (908) 685-3165 with questions.
Service 05-02-2010
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Scripture: Acts 14:8-18; John 13:31-35
Sermon: Wondering about Wonders
By Pastor Todd Buurstra
Today I’m wondering about wonders. But in my wondering, I’m going to wander, Jon Stewart calls it, a long walk–for there are a few steps to get to my point. So, lace up those shoes.
As soon as Paul commands the cripple to stand up, the Lycaonians go nuts. Next thing Paul and Barnabas know is that the people are shouting The gods have come down! And Zeus’ priest is honoring them with a garland and sacrifice. So Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes and ran among them shouting, Don’t do it! We’re one of you. It’s the living God who healed him!
The people of Lystra interpreted God’s miracle as coming from their gods. Under-standable, since it was their worldview that Zeus and Hermes occasional visited them. I thought, have we seen a miracle lately for which we need to give God glory? And then I heard that the Dow Jones is up 70%, and bank profits up 170%! 4400 points up in little over a year. Wow!
But in our secular worldview we give credit for this to: market forces, the great American entrepreneurial spirit, the stimulus package, you name it. Yes, but does God get any credit? I don’t expect CNN to say, Praise God the Dow hit 11,000!, but do we? I think it’s critical to adopt a Christian worldview whereby we see God’s fingerprints on all miracles from melanoma healings to market healings. James teaches, God is the giver of every good and perfect gift.
Why is it critical to see God’s fingerprint on the market miracle?
Most simply, where we see God’s fingerprint we see God’s claim. Just as if I lost this pen, and you liked it so that you lied, Hey, that’s mine. We could test our claims by testing the fingerprints on it. In the same way, God’s fingerprints tell us that the market is God’s.
So what is God’s claim on the market? Today’s lectionary reading in Acts tells us that miracles are a sign of the living God, not of people, and John tells us the supreme sign of the living God is love. So God’s design for any miracle is love. In Acts it was love for the cripple, in John the miracle is love for his disciples. We’re still walking. I’m not quite there yet.
How can American businesses love? Christian ethicists say that social love is really, sorry to say, Glenn Beck, economic justice. Economic justice is all through the Bible, though it doesn’t have to mean bigger government. Earlier in Acts the believers shared all things in common. So we can say that God’s purpose in our market miracle is prosperity for all.
How we doing with this market fairness? Well, we have a record bonus pool on Wall Street…even though many fewer people have houses and jobs. My read of history says we came out of the Depression pulling for each other. And so, as you’ve heard me quote before, in 1967 the average CEO made 27 times the wages of his average worker. Today? The AP reports it’s over 427 times. Our society is worshiping economic gods! As Jon Stewart asked Jim Cramer last year, “Any time you sell people the idea that, sit back and you’ll get 10 to 20% on your money, don’t you always know that that’s going to be a lie?” When are we going to realize in this country that our wealth is work? In Gandhi’s list of seven social sins, I believe this is called wealth without work. That’s what happens when you miss the fingerprints on the miracle.
Natsuko worked for the president of Shiseido America in the mid-80s. Mr. Hamaguchi was such an effective leader that Shiseido turned their first profit in the US in 20+ years. Even though he didn’t speak any English, every day he walked the factory floor smiling at the workers to say, Haro. Haro… Haro. They loved him. Now he made only 10 times more than they because he believed that they were the key to success. So they would do anything for that man.
I don’t know how you live by God’s loving claim on our market miracle. Do you write your senator? Do you divest from companies that pay their CEOs like gods? Do you vote for candidates that pursue a more just vision from either the right or left? All I know is God did it.
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Service 04-25-2010
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Scripture: Acts 13:1-3, 14, 15, 43-52
Sermon by Pastors Todd Buurstra and Mike Hayes
We welcome the Rev. Mike Hayes, Executive Pastor of City Church, San Francisco, Clerk of the Center City Classis, and foremost RCA expert on church planting.
Audio Recordings:
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Service 04-18-2010
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Scripture: John 21:1-19
Sermon: Dealing with Denial
by Pastor Todd Buurstra
Denial. Keeping tough truth in the dark. The most recent religious form of denial has been plastered all over our media in the form of the Catholic church’s alleged cover up of clergy sexual abuse. I was saddened particularly during Holy Week that the media was obsessed with this story. And not just TV, but David Dayen wrote:
The abuse can be seen as systemic, as well as the response from the church leadership – to hide the problem, transfer the abusers and deny accountability.
Sinead O’Connor, Irish popstar famous for tearing up a picture of the previous pope on SNL 18 years ago, lit in to her church in a Washington Post editorial:
Pope Benedict’s so-called apology takes no responsibility for the transgressions of Irish priests… But Benedict’s infamous 2001 letter to bishops…ordered them to keep sexual abuse allegations secret under threat of excommunication… In Ireland, it is time we separated our God from our religion, and our faith from its alleged leaders.
Sad, so sad. Such denial is not just a Catholic problem, it’s a Protestant problem. Not only because we have turned the other way when our pastors have abused others (I think of a friend of mine who left his associate pastor position because he couldn’t stand all of the rumors of the senior pastor’s philandering), but because the world paints us with the same brush. Organized religion? I believe in God but not the church! some say.
How does Jesus deal with our denials?
Well, how did Jesus deal with Peter’s denial? Remember how on crucifixion eve Peter was warming himself by the fire in the courtyard, and 3 times was asked, You were with Jesus, weren’t you? And just like Jesus predicted, 3 times he said, something akin to, Hell no! And then the rooster crowed. Peter hung his head, and even after the excitement of Jesus’ resurrection, he couldn’t quite make eye contact. So what do you do when you have some feelings of failure? You go back to the tried and true. Peter? He went fishing. So after a long night of fishing, the best time to catch fish, as the sun was rising, the Risen Son spotted a shoal of fish on the other side of the boat, not uncommon, and yelled from the shore, Hey guys, drop your nets on the right side! And the net filled with 153 fish! Peter was so excited that he jumped into the water and ran to shore where Jesus had started a fire to cook breakfast. As Peter smelled the fire, his eagerness to meet Jesus for the third time after Easter evaporated, and his eyes avoided Jesus’, because he remembered that fire the night of his denial. Jesus begins to deal with our denial by meeting us in our denial, just as he met Peter who was avoiding him by fishing.
So Peter and friends enjoyed Jesus’ freshly cooked breakfast on the beach. As he pushed himself back from the table with full belly, Jesus seized the moment to confront his denial. Peter, do you agapaw me (love me unconditionally like God loves)?
Jesus, you know that I filew you (love you like a brother).
Peter, do you agapaw me (love me unconditionally like God loves)?
Jesus, you know that I filew you (love you like a brother).
Peter, do you filew me (love me like a brother)?
Hurt that Jesus asked 3 times, Jesus, you know that I filew you (love you like a brother).
Three times. Once for each denial. Peter not able to reach up to Jesus’ love for him, but Jesus bending down to Peter’s ability to love. The Risen Christ reinstates Peter by accepting his best, imperfect love. How might the Risen One reinstate today’s church?
NS First off, there are strong parallels between this story and the current crisis in the Catholic church. Who is Peter to Catholics, but the first pope, since he was head of the church of Rome. And why 153 fish? Knowing that the book of John is highly symbolic, a few early church fathers saw the universal, or catholic, church in that number. Cyril of Alexandria says 100 for the full number of Gentiles, + 50 for the remnant of faithful Jews, + 3 for the Trinity = 153. Or, Jerome says there were 153 known types of fish in the sea. Either way, Jesus was reinstating Peter to be a fisher of all folk, Jew and Gentile.
So how does Jesus meet us in our denial today? Jesus will not let us keep the lights off on the truth. Either other folk will keep pointing it out (the media?), or our conscience will bother us (pope’s unprecedented action), or Jesus will expose it on Judgment Day. God’s searchlight will shine on the truth. God’s light cannot be denied.
In the case of today’s church, we need to acknowledge that we’ve all looked the other way. I remember how much I wanted a weird harassment issue to go away several years ago here. I hated bringing the tense case to our elders. I agonized that one family eventually needed to leave the church over it. It was the worst months of my ten year tenure here by far. And here’s where I think we Protestants can hold our Catholic friends accountable. You know their issue? It’s not sex or money; it’s power. It’s that their organization concentrates power at the top, as opposed to sharing power with laity. So that the bishops are incentivized to keep it quiet. We are blessed to share power representatively—clergy and you laity together. They need that same blessing.
Then if we do the hard work of admitting truth., Jesus will accept our best, imperfect love. Lord, you know that the church can’t say that we love you agapaw, unconditionally like you love us, but thank you for accepting our best, imperfect love. Thank you for dealing with our denial because we’re all Peter, and you love us still…
Audio Recordings:
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