Sermons

First Christian Church

“Trees of Eden”

Jeremiah 17:5-10

The text begins as a commentary on unfaithfulness. To fully understand this lets look at the verse that precedes the text put in contemporary language: God says: “You'll lose your gift of land, the inheritance I gave you. I'll make you slaves of your enemies in a far-off and strange land. My anger is hot and blazing and fierce, and no one will put it out.”

God's clearly not happy and points to something that's often conveyed in the Book of Jeremiah which is the Babylonian invasion and subsequent exile to a “far-off and strange land” is punishment because of unfaithfulness. The prophet reasons since this punishment is ordained by God the people should submit to the invaders. In other words, they should accept the consequences of their actions.

Jeremiah spells this out in other parts of the book where he encourages the first exiles to settle down in Babylon and have children. Those children should marry paving the way for grandchildren to be born outside of Jerusalem. They're being told to make a life for themselves in Babylon even though they've been put there against their will.

After this unsettling opening the text describes people being planted in a parched uninhabited land where nothing grows. This is in reference to what happens when the people of God fail to hold true to the covenant. On the other hand, those who trust not in human creations and institutions but trust in God's guidance and provision are blessed: “They're like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers – never a worry through the hottest summers, never dropping a leaf, serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season.”

We can view this as an example of dualistic thinking where God is outlining parameters for faith. On the one hand are consequences for ignoring what God sees as important contrasted by what happens when we trust in God's goodness and accept his freely offered resources.

So far these metaphors about parched lands and trees in Eden help describe what it means to be unfaithful as opposed to being faithful. In these modern times we can take these metaphors to the next step and apply them to real life situations. What we humans all to often do is see the trees and shrubs in egocentric ways as if they were created to serve us.

But what if we reverse this and see the text as being in support of the trees and shrubs. The following I take from the commentary I relied on written by Julia M. O'Brien: “As rampant deforestation turns more spaces into desert and water resources diminish on an increasingly hot and dry planet, Jeremiah's description of parched, salty land will become an increasingly common reality. The plants struggling in these environments will be visual reminders of the greed that has treated the Earth simply as a repository of resources to be exploited; they will testify to human failure.”

However, if we'll repent and change our ways, we may in the future be so blessed as to behold well-watered and sturdy trees and shrubs. This would mean to emerge from denial and face the ecological crisis head-on. A crisis so well portrayed of late in the wildfires in California that have been contained, yet there remains something like two million acres still vulnerable to wildfire.

You can't help but notice the makeshift flag made of plastic bags in the middle of the church parking lot. It's been put there because there is a fairly large hole left due to the blade on the snow plow transporting the drain grate to the end of the lot. It's now somewhere buried under a few feet of snow and ice. I've tried to find it using a hoe but have no idea where it is and much of the snow has turned to ice. We're going to have to allow the natural processes to eventually reveal its location. In other words, we'll have to be patient.

In the meantime, hopefully no one runs over the flag and the worst-case scenario, though not likely, is someone stepping into the open hole. In this case there isn't much else we can do but wait patiently for the sun and rain to melt the ice and snow. In time the creation will solve our problem eliminating the hazard the gaping hole presents.

Not so with the ecological crisis we now face which is growing more dire everyday as denial pervades our culture. This type of response to the frightening consequences of ecological abuse shouldn't be too surprising because we all practice it in our own lives. Denial is so common we could easily describe it as normal human behavior. Unfortunately, it can also be quite dangerous.

Technically speaking, it's a psychological defense mechanism that enables one to refuse to accept or acknowledge a painful reality. In terms of the ecological crisis the painful reality is that allowing it to go unchecked accelerates climate change resulting in wildfires, catastrophic hurricanes and snow in Florida. It also effects food security due to damage and in some cases the total elimination of crop production. Personal health is affected due to air pollution and contaminates in the water. In terms of social and political unrest threatening food security, creating water scarcity, and mass displacements of people all contribute to a potential for conflict.

Denial creates something like a shield that blocks our conscious awareness to negative or threatening life situations. Some examples are when a loved one is facing a terminal illness some people refuse to fully acknowledge the reality that in time the beloved is going to leave them. Another, more personal example for me is the denial of an addiction. For years I simply refused to acknowledge my addiction to alcohol until one day I ended up in jail with a DUI which began a process that led to repentance.

All the people who attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings in our church are, to one degree or another, trying to acknowledge the reality of their addictions. That's why they introduce themselves in the meetings with the phrase: “My names so and so and I'm an addict.” Breaking through the denial is an important part of the healing process and it can take years to accomplish.

In terms of the healing of our species as a whole spiritual evolution functions much like the grief process in that it doesn't progress in a straight line upwards. It's more like a jagged line upwards with intervals or regression. Another way to look at it is its three steps forward two steps back while always moving ahead. And the first stage of grief recovery is denial that has a way of returning throughout the healing process.

In terms of spiritual evolution, we will always be coping with various forms of denial that will cause us to regress. That's why its important to be able to identify it and take the necessary steps that lead to truth which is the opposite of denial. Jesus spoke to this when he turned to the Jews that claimed to believe in him and said: “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you're my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32; The Message Bible)

The question here is what truth he is talking about and that can be answered by considering what he means by living out what he tells them. For that we can turn to the beatitudes which happen to be the gospel lesson for today. In the beatitudes Jesus is telling us to trust not in the material world, in its institutions or people, but to trust in the world of Spirit for guidance, strength and any reasonable human provisions.

That's what he means by being blessed when you're poor. He means poor of Spirit which is the opposite of being puffed-up with pride. He's saying were needy creatures requiring God's unconditional love and forgiveness. Don't grieve unnecessarily over the loss of things you love and loved ones. Open up and allow God's Spirit to fill you. If people hate you for your adherence to Christ and the forgiveness and mercy he represents rejoice because the persecution will drive you deeper into God reality. And Woe to those that believe in money because it will be to the detriment of their soul. (Luke 6:20-26)

If I was to attempt to put what living out Jesus' teachings mean in one phrase, I'd say be humble and trust not in the world but in God's Spirit. Which, by the way, is essentially what Jeremiah is telling the exiles to do. By living in this manner, you'll eventually arrive at the truth, and the truth isn't made up of words and ideas – the truth Jesus speaks of is an experience.

For instance, if I talk about the moon maybe an image of a bright white orb up in the sky comes to your mind. But that's not the moon its simply words that lead to an idea that's followed by an image. In order to have an experience of moon you have to get on a rocket ship and fly to it. Walking on the moon such as the astronauts did in the late 60's and early 70's is an experience of it.

Jesus means the same thing when he tells the Jews that if they'll live out his teachings they'll eventually arrive at the truth. The teachings themselves are not the truth, though many who practice present day Christianity would define it as so. The truth is what the teachings point to, and I could further describe it with other words like liberation and joy and feeling connected but those aren't the truth either they just describe it. The truth is an experience. Let's let Father Rohr jump in here and say it with the clarity and conciseness he's famous for:

In the early 1960's, the Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner (Ron-ner) suggested that if Western Christianity did not rediscover its mystical foundations, we might as well close the doors of the churches because we had lost the primary reason for our existence. We don't need to be afraid of the word “mystic.” It simply means one who has moved from mere belief or belonging to systems about God to an actual inner experience. All spiritual traditions at their mature levels agree that such a movement is possible, desirable, and even available to everyone.

The teachings of Jesus including the beatitudes ultimately lead us to an actual inner experience of God. Jesus is just picking up where Jeremiah left off when he said speaking for God: But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.

Rev. Mitch Becker

February 16, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

Luke 5:1-11

“Deep Water Work”

Our text can be understood in a couple of ways. First and foremost, it is a call to discipleship, but it happens within the context of a magnificent act of God.

It opens with Jesus' teaching and the way he addresses the audience is unique to the gospels. He doesn't sit on a hill the way he preaches the Sermon on the Mount, nor does he teach with the Jordan River as a backdrop. In our text he climbs into a boat and has Peter push him a short distance out onto the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus has no scientific training per se but he seems to know that sound appears amplified when it travels over water. This happens because water is much denser than air allowing more energy to help carry the sound over any given distance. It creates a natural public address system allowing more people to hear him more clearly.

This teaching moment serves as a launching pad for the central purpose of our text which is to extend a call of discipleship to James, John and Peter. The call begins with Peter who is instructed to go out into the deep water and put down his net. Peter's response is that he'd been fishing all night with no luck which is an indication of scarcity but he's willing to try again.

He ends up with more fish than he knows what to do with and he has to call upon his partners to help him. His partners turn out to be James and John and bringing their boat over together they haul the fish in to the point both boats begin to sink! Peter rightly grasps what is happening is an act of God and is humbled in witnessing it.

I love the way The Message characterizes Peter's response: “Master, leave. I'm a sinner and can't handle this holiness.” What Peter's experiencing is uncomfortable and even a bit scary but its also a great place to be from a spiritual standpoint. He's feeling quite small in the presence of God leaving him ready to receive the call to discipleship.

Two boats full of fish suggest God's ability to provide, but it also carries with it a potential to meet the needs of the wider community. It's far too many fish for these three fishermen to process and consume, so the excess will go to meet the needs of their neighbors. In this respect the community is in view.

The text goes beyond God's provision to use the theme of fishing by extending it to include fishing for men and women. The invitation is personal and relational inviting them to deep water work with both Jew and Gentile.

As little children you probably went swimming in a public pool on occasion. Maybe your parents took you to the city pool or the YMCA. As a small child you spent all your time in the shallow end of the pool. But as you grew older you may have got adventurous and began to walk toward the deep end of the pool.

Remember, the bottom was a downward gradient into deeper water. When you continued down the gradient eventually you couldn't touch the bottom, and you had to swim. If you didn't know how to swim or were a poor swimmer moving into the deeper water was a bit unnerving because it forced you to start treading water.

Jesus has Peter go out into the deep water because that's where they need to be for the act of God to occur. So many fish come out of it that both boats are beginning to sink. The text describes James and John simply being astonished by what they're witnessing, but poor Peter is frightened by what comes up from the deep water. He's so afraid Jesus has to attempt to comfort him.

Jesus begins with that all too common phrase we hear when we read the Bible: “Do not be afraid,” but then he continues by saying, “...henceforth you will be catching men.” Jesus quickly refocuses Peter's attention on the call to discipleship giving him a purpose that transcends his fear. Strictly speaking discipleship means to listen to Jesus' teaching and do what he says. But the call to discipleship for Peter and the others is more intentional since it has to do specifically with evangelism.

Though this may initially bring some sense of comfort to Peter as his consciousness is refocused on a greater purpose it will eventually lead to other challenges. Because evangelism can result in rejection, and things happening in strange lands with strange people, and eventually persecution from the religious authorities. Something the Apostle Paul more than anyone else encounters as he reports to the church in Corinth:

I've been flogged five times with the Jews' thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I've been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. In hard traveling year in and year out, I've had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes.

I've been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I've known drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather. And that's not the half of it, when you throw in the daily pressures and anxieties of all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:24-28; The Message Bible)

And Paul never even met Jesus other than the religious experience on the road to Damascus. He never sat at the feet of the Master like the other disciples.

Going through my Facebook feed the other evening I came across some disturbing information. It was a summary of how many church members have been lost since the 1960's. But it wasn't just a summary of our church, rather it was a summary of all the mainline churches including the Presbyterian, Methodist and Episcopalian churches. And out of all the churches ours the Disciples of Christ have lost 74% of all our membership over the last sixty years.

What made this especially upsetting was the fact we're leading the pack in terms of lost membership! No one has lost more people than the Disciples of Christ and I had to wonder why we're in the lead. Facebook posts are followed by comments from the readers, and surprisingly there were no comments attempting to explain this somewhat sobering revelation.

It leaves me to offer my own hypothesis, which is over the years I've noticed that Disciples, for the most part, but not everyone, are neither well versed in Disciples history, church structure, or our basic beliefs. This serves as a serious impediment to evangelism because no one wants to be put in the awkward position of having to articulate where we came from or what we believe in.

I'm not trying to place blame or point fingers at anyone. Think of it as a confession. Evangelism is not our forte and we need to be honest about it. That way if and when the church decides to do something about it, we can respond effectively and in good faith.

One response could be a membership class that could perhaps study a book like Duane Cummins: “A Handbook for Today's Disciples” supplemented with Disciples Thumbnail Sketches which are short, pithy pamphlets that define things like Baptism, the Lord's Supper, Disciples history and the Basic Beliefs of the church. The membership class could be open to anyone and in that way actively preparing any church member for evangelism.

When I finally became a serious Christian way back in the early 1980's the first thing I volunteered for was to call on people who'd visited the church on Sunday morning. We'd go out on Monday evenings to whatever address had been written in the visitor's book and knock on their door.

We didn't call ahead and say we were coming and, in that way, didn't allow them the opportunity to refuse our visit. They had come to the worship service, so we knew they were at least that interested in the church. In all the calls I made in those two years at First Christian Church in Albany something like 95% of them were good experiences. Rarely did anyone seem troubled by our visit.

People were often grateful we made the call, and many times were invited into the home. There is something almost magical that occurs when someone from the laity calls upon a church visitor. When the pastor does it the people being called upon simply see him or her as doing their job. They get paid to visit people. When a church member comes to the door its seen as an act of grace. Like a gift where someone has gone out of their way to extend an invitation to a complete stranger.

In the church at Red Bluff which was my first senior pastorate there were “calling teams” already organized and operative when I got there. These calling teams were made up of mostly married couples who did the same thing we did back in Albany except for one important difference. In Red Bluff the teams took part in a few evenings of intentional training.

They were trained in how to address the folks and how to identify themselves. They were taught to be interested in their religious beliefs and any previous religious affiliations. The callers were encouraged to witness to their own faith (and here's where knowledge of the denomination would come in) and to urge the people to visit worship again.

There was another pamphlet used in the training entitled the “General Philosophy of Effective Calling” with a list of do and don'ts like don't stay more than 15 minutes, don't try to talk over the TV just ask them to turn it down, and by all means don't preach! The do list includes treat them like anyone you would be meeting for the first time, relax and be yourself, and remember that Another is reinforcing the good you're trying to do.

In the first 18 months I was pastor at Red Bluff Christian Church we added 17 new members to the church rolls with some of them stepping up and joining committees bringing new ideas and fresh perspectives to the congregation. I attribute most of these new members to the work of the calling teams. It was a remarkably effective way of reaching out to visitors.

The primary message in our text today has to do with discipleship and specifically in reaching out to the unchurched. In theological terms we'd say welcoming people into the kingdom of God.

Rev. Mitch Becker

February 9, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Hometown Boy”

Luke 4:21-30

What precedes our text for today is Jesus' wilderness experience where he's tempted by the Devil. As soon as he emerges from the wilderness he goes to his hometown of Nazareth and enters the temple to preach:

When he stood up to read, he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written, God's Spirit is on me; he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God's year to act!”

One way to look at this is though Jesus tells them he's the fulfillment of this prophecy it's never-the-less an ongoing fulfillment. We are also being invited to participate in the never ending reality of how scripture is being fulfilled. We're being asked to continue the work that's identified in what's often called Jesus' mission statement.

Most of us probably know that Jesus' sermon is not going to end well, but before we get to the cliff-hanger lets see what happens to bring it about. As Jesus continues to preach he describes the way Elijah was Called only to help a widow in Sidon (Sigh-don), and Elisha was Called to cleanse one leper in Syria. This is how Jesus responds to the ultimately cold reception he gets from the folks in his hometown.

He's saying, in effect, that God's grace and mercy has been sent to people outside of Israel, to non-Jews, apparently because the Jewish people seem to lack interest in Jesus and his message. Just to bring this home listen to this quote from one of the commentaries written by Karoline Lewis: “Both Elijah and Elisha take God into places where God was not thought to be and had no business being. It is these words of inclusion, Jesus' own interpretation of his ministry, the real reason for God in the manger, that elicit a very quick transition from awe to rage for the hearers of Jesus' words.”

Jesus' sermon in Nazareth is a prophetic sermon in every sense of the word. He's describing the way things are in our world where the marginalized are looked down upon, the poor sleep-in cardboard boxes under bridges, where there are countless people in jail who've been wrongly accused or as a consequence of racial profiling, and the rich and powerful are getting all their human needs met and more.

At this time our culture is undergoing a radical transition and people are understandably concerned and even frightened. For many there is a desire for things to return to a place of stability and predictability so that a kind of complacency can be restored. Some people want to take their anxiety and fear to the cliff-edge and throw them into the ravine which is what Jesus' former neighbors attempt to do with him!

But Jesus slips away and returns to his courageous prophetic ministry in a world of hardship brought about by the abuse and oppression of the rich and powerful. Complacency is not an option for the Christ, and neither is it for his followers.

Karen and I began our ministry here in 2020 and that means I've preached well over 200 sermons. Those of you who were here at the beginning of our ministry are pretty familiar with my approach to the gospel and often know what I'm going to say before I even say it. However, those of you who've joined us more recently can still be surprised by what comes from the pulpit.

One way to conceptualize this familiarity with my words is to imagine me in a box surrounded by distinct boundaries. Don't get me wrong, because this isn't a bad practice its simply the reality of relationships. We put the people we know into little boxes because it creates a sense of security. The boxes make us feel safe, but there's a downside to it in that the person in the box is limited in terms of creativity and newness. By the same token, the person creating the box has a hard time seeing anything new.

This is what happens to Jesus when he returns to his hometown. Jesus comes to them in the power of the Spirit but can neither heal nor speak words to power because he's seen as Joseph and Mary's little boy. Jesus can't break out of the box because the boundaries have been formed over many years. Then Jesus ups the ante when he starts to describe this psychological phenomenon in religious terms.

He starts talking about prophets not being accepted in their own hometowns and amplifies the offense by citing the stories of Elijah and Elisha being sent to the Gentiles. This puts his Jewish neighbors in a rage and they want to end him. It tells you something about how seriously people took their religion! Somehow, Jesus makes a hasty retreat to his headquarters in Capernaum (Ka-per-knee-um).

Now, I've already made the claim that putting people in boxes is not a bad thing, but in terms of a healthy spirituality it's certainly not desirable. Because the person in the box is a long way from the real person God has created. It may make us feel safe, but it's not a true depiction of the wonder and mystery of God's created beings. We're trying to get back to radical amazement which is what Jesus is getting at when he says the kingdom belongs to the children.

It's not an easy road however, because we have to get below our addictive thinking. By that I not only mean stopping repetitive thoughts, but even stopping the thought process altogether for extended periods of time. One way to start getting at this is to begin to pay more attention to our senses like our hearing, touch, and smell.

For example, most of us probably have a cup of coffee or two in the morning. This is often done rather mindlessly while we're feeding the dogs or cats or both, making our own breakfast, and perhaps reviewing what needs to be accomplished during the day. Typically, all of this involves a lot of mental activity, but what if you shifted into your conscious self and started paying close attention to your sense perception.

The cup of coffee is warm to the touch, maybe even hot. Stop for a moment and hold the cup with your hands (if it's not too hot!). The coffee has an aroma. Karen and I have been drinking Starbucks maple/pecan which has a distinctive flavor. Take a moment to smell the coffee. When it touches your tongue it has a specific taste and feels warm. The warmth continues as it enters your throat and goes down your esophagus to your stomach. Try to be aware of what's happening.

When you set the cup back down on the table it makes a sound. The cup which was once full now has less coffee in it. Take another drink and do it all over again. Continue to do so throughout the day when you put your clothes on. Notice how the cloth feels against your body. The clothes even make a sound as you're putting them on. When you get into your car how does the steering wheel feel on your hands. What does it smell like and how does it sound when it starts.

Paying attention to the senses helps move us away from the predominate human sense of sight and the addictive mental processes that go with it. When we were little children we did this all the time. We were paying attention to the world and were in constant awe of what was happening. Dogs and especially cats are paying attention to all their senses often wide-eyed in wonder at what's going on.

This is also a way to start moving away from creating the boxes we put others in and ultimately put ourselves in. Of course, this takes courage because we're effectively removing our means of creating a false sense of security and safety for ourselves. Father Rohr calls the box we create for ourselves the false self. He describes it like this:

When we are able to move beyond our separate or false self – as we are invited to do over the course of our lives – it will eventually feel as if we've lost nothing. In fact, it will feel like freedom and liberation. When we are connected to the Whole, we no longer need to protect of defend the mere part. We no longer need to compare and compete. We are now connected to something inexhaustible.

To not let go of our false self at the right time and in the right way is precisely what it means to be stuck, trapped, and addicted to our self. (The traditional word for that was sin, the result of feeling separate from the Whole.) Discovering our True self is not just a matter of chronological age. Some spiritually precocious children see through the false self rather early. Some old men and old women are still dressing up.

If all we have at the end of our life is our separate or false self, there will not be much to externalize. It is transitory and impermanent. These costumes are largely created by the mental ego. They were useful to us in our development. Our false self is what changes, passes, and dies when we die. Only our True self lives forever.

The folks in Jesus' hometown who move quickly from awe to rage are not in touch with their True Selves. They are immersed in their false selves or egos and are offended when Jesus implies they're not the exclusive chosen people they think themselves to be. The operative word there is “exclusive” as if they're in God's inner circle and everyone else is on the outside looking in.

This is what Jesus is not going to tolerate and its why he follows up with the stories of Elijah and Elisha. God loves us all on an equal basis, and seems especially concerned about people who are regulated to the outside margins of society.

This brings us to the relationship between Jesus' wilderness experience and his hometown visit. What ties the two events together is the Devil. In the wilderness Jesus confronts Satan and overcomes the temptations. In his hometown he again confronts Satan in the form of human Pride expressed as racial discrimination.

That's why they want to kill him because his stories about the two prophets being Called to foreign lands exposes their false sense of being exclusively special in God's eyes. The ego or false self wants to be special – the soul or our True self desires to be connected to the Whole. As C.S. Lewis once said: “It is through Pride that the Devil became the Devil.”

If we're truly following in The Way of Jesus, we'll come up against the Devil too. In this way the Devil serves an important purpose. The darkness can drive us deeper into the light. Jesus showed us how this is done which is mostly by prayer and ceaseless acts of compassion.

Rev. Mitch Becker

February 2, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Oasis”

Psalm 19

We live in a time of great upheaval in terms of everything from the weather to politics, from moral standards to understandings of the divine, from family structure to gender identity. Almost everywhere you look there is chaos and confusion and with it comes ample amounts of anxiety about what the future holds for us.

For some comes what might be a hard-won goal which is the insight that frees you from internal oppression. It is the realization that there is no one to blame because we've done this to ourselves. We can't point the finger at any one particular individual or any group of people. As the great philosopher Pogo once said: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

Enter Psalm 19 which C.S. Lewis once described as: “The greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.” What the psalm does is reveals two important ways God appears to us. The first way is through the creation and in contemporary language it sounds like this:

God's glory is on tour in the skies, God-crafted on exhibit across the horizon. Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures in the evening. Their words aren't heard, their voices aren't recorded. But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is everywhere. God makes a huge dome for the sun – a superdome! The morning sun's a new husband leaping from his honeymoon bed, The daybreak sun an athlete racing to the tape. (Psalm 19:1-5; The Message Bible)

The sun is used to describe God's power and presence where it is subservient to God and bringing both light and heat. The sun brings life and God has “crafted” it all! Also suggested is that truth is found in silence and so in this way we get our first glimpse at how to cope with the upheaval of modern times.

The next important way God is revealed is through his word which sounds like this from The Message Bible:

The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes...God's word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure. Otherwise, how will we find our way? (Psalm 19:7-8, 11b; The Message Bible)

Amid the chaos and confusion God offers us a path to follow by paying attention to the sea, skies and the various expressions of God created life all around us. Though disarray and depression are everywhere we look for a peaceful enclave which is offered through the practice of silence and study of the word. People wander in a wilderness that few can define nor effectively cope with, but the faithful find refuge in God. They stay grounded and empowered by his presence in their lives. With that said I'll tell you how this sermon came about:

On the night that preceded the writing of this sermon I had a great deal of trouble trying to sleep. I had to get up several times and probably got 4 to 5 hours sleep total. That's not devastating but by the same token its not enough sleep to feel rested. The problem was that my elbow on my right arm was periodically throbbing with pain. Ironically, and possibly you can identify with this, whenever I would begin to relax the pain would return. Consequently, I typed out this sermon with my left index figure which is remarkably time consuming.

Usually, when I'm forced to get up in the middle of the night due to physical pain or some type of mental distress I can return to bed and fall asleep following a session of quiet, centering prayer. This prayerfulness is typically preceded by reading the psalms from The Message Bible and playing mahjong and solitaire on my phone. Before I do any of this, I frequently spend 5 minutes doing Tai Chi simply to wake up a bit.

On this particular night I did all the usual practices that lead to a peaceful return to sleep – they didn't work because the pain kept returning. I finally took a Tylenol and put Arnacare on my elbow and sometime after 5 o'clock I fell asleep waking up at 7am.

I'm telling you all this because there was a brief respite from pain along with quiet stillness that came out of one the prayerful sessions. For nearly half an hour the pain completely stopped and my mind and body were at rest in God. Being at rest in God is different than simply relaxing. It's a deeper, intuitive restfulness where you become fully present to the moment, and though you're actively observing thoughts and feelings you're doing so without judgment or distraction.

Buddhists call this “mindfulness” and the Apostle Paul calls it …. “the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19) and Jesus encourages us to seek it at the end of the Lilies of the Field parable when he says: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

Jesus is saying that if we'll seek the kingdom of God first, in other words, if we make the kingdom our priority the rest of our life will fall into place. Like a top that has a tendency to wobble at times eventually it can right itself, and so we can too if we'll stay focused on Christ's kingdom. The words of the parable describe how you arrive at the kingdom because it's not a place or a situation – it's a way of looking at the world.

This is also what's meant when Psalm 19 refers to an unspoken truth that comes out of silence. There's a way of looking at Reality that involves waiting on God's grace rather than trying to make things happen. That's the way of the ego, but as people of Spirit we have to get below the ego – a lot! We have to practice mindfulness until we begin to truly understand these words of Jesus that bring to bear both the creation and God's word as described in Psalm 19:

Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than the birds. Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion – do you think it makes that much difference?

Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers – most of which are never even seen – don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Matthew 6:26-34; The Message Bible)

Focusing on God's giving as opposed to getting what you want is crucial to understanding and putting into practice the kingdom of God. I say putting into practice because its as much a doing thing as it is about comprehension and understanding. Both practice and comprehension go hand in hand. Being a faithful disciple has much to do with faking it tell you make it.

Thus, we have all these other parables like the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. The word of God instructs and informs and encourages us to keep our hands and hearts to the plow looking forward in hope that God will give us just what we need when we need it. We can all testify to God's faithfulness because we've all been there! Against all odds we persevere in faith relying on grace time and again.

The human world is in upheaval, but God's created world is ready and waiting to bring us hope and stability, and we can find both by simply spending some time out in it observing the wildflowers and listening to birdsong. This is how we take care of our soul.

God has provided a peaceful enclave, an oasis that is ready to refresh us but we don't reach it by effort of will. It has more to do with letting go than trying to grasp. The ego attempts to grasp at people, things, and even ideas. The soul opens to receive what is freely given but we have to learn how to relax and wait upon God's giving. That's a definition of grace, isn't it. Because if you have to make it happen than it isn't grace at all.

Grace is God's idea – not ours. Grace comes in whatever form God decides upon – not in any way we would prefer or expect. That's what makes it amazing grace because we don't do it. We're just the recipients.

I'll close with Eugene Peterson's interpretation of the fifth beatitude that describes what happens when we learn to wait upon grace: “You're blessed when your content with just who you are – no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.” (Matthew 5:5; The Message Bible)

Rev. Mitch Becker

January 26, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“BYOB”

John 2:1-11

The setting for our text today is the wedding at Cana and you may be surprised to know that such events were BYOB or bring your own booze, and in this case, wine. Which may explain why the wine ran out in the first place considering the guests were most likely from the poor peasant class.

It's Mary that alerts Jesus to the sudden shortage, and it's important to remember they live within an honor/shame culture. Mary may sense the shame the host will have to endure and seeks a quick remedy by asking Jesus to miraculously replace the wine. From here, we can go in a lot of different directions because the text doesn't spell out the reasons for peoples comments and reactions. We have to be creative.

Lets see how The Message interprets Jesus' response to his mom: “Is that any of our business, Mother – yours or mine? This isn't my time. Don't push me.” With my own mother I can't recall a time being “pushed” though certainly it must have occurred on occasion. For example, she never pushed me to leave home after high school. I took my time and worked in the canneries and lived at home. I left when I was ready.

When you don't know the emotional context of “Don't push me,” it's hard to interpret the full meaning of it. If there's any angry tone involved, you might wonder if Jesus had a long-standing problem with his mom pushing him into things. If it's said in a more matter-of-fact way, then Jesus just feels certain in his lack of response to the situation.

The more important aspect of this response is the comment, “This isn't my time,” which obviously is a reference to doing signs that demonstrate his powers as the Messiah. Again, Jesus sounds down right convicted about not performing anything of a miraculous nature, and as moms sometimes do, she completely ignores this and tells the servants to follow his instructions. Jesus, like a good son, does the miracle!

This brings us to an important symbolic aspect of the text which is that the wine Jesus creates to fill the jars is even better than the wine they started with. It was the custom to serve the better wine first and after people were under the effect of the alcoholic beverage the poorer grade wine would come out. The host is surprised when the miraculously created wine is even better than the original stuff.

From here we can make an easy transition to the celebration of the Eucharist. In worship the best is saved for last along with the implication that this is what the faithful have really come for. Through the proclamation of the word of God, shared prayers and hymn singing we're brought closer into relationship with Jesus, but its at the Lord's Table we're brought into intimate relationship with God.

The Eucharist or what we call “communion” has become in modern times a largely symbolic ritual meant to bring us into closer relationship with God. It can still do that, and as we listen to the following excerpt we need to remember that communion for the early church was known as a “Love Feast” and was a full meal. The “Love Feast” explains, in part, the rapid spread of the Christian faith in that it provided nourishment for people who often couldn't feed themselves. Father Rohr begins by talking about the sharing of food:

In all cultures, sharing food is a complex interaction that symbolizes social relationships and defines social boundaries almost more than any other daily event. Whom you eat with defines whom you don't eat with. Certain groups of people eat certain kinds of food. Through our choices and behavior at the table, we name and identify ourselves.

This might seem like an unfair example to some, but today a vegetarian (or even vegan) diet has become a conscious choice for many because they studied the politics of food: who eats meat and who can't eat meat; what eating meat is doing not only to our health but even to the planet. Researchers surmise that the meat-heavy Western diet contributes to one-fifth of global emissions on our planet. Zen master Thich (Tick) Ntah (Not) Hanh (Hahn) writes:

“As a spiritual family and a human family, we can all help avert climate change with the practice of mindful eating. Going vegetarian may be the most effective way to stop climate change.”

Considering these thoughts our own Soup & Bread Sunday may have come to mind. Though we rarely think about it while we're eating together we are, in fact, building upon existing relationships, and in some cases beginning new ones; all the while reinforcing our identity as a people of faith that enjoy being together and sharing a meal.

It's not too much of a stretch to see Soup & Bread Sunday as an extension of the communion celebration.

Eating together is an expression of intimacy which begins at the Lord's Table and

continues around the tables in the Fellowship Hall. Eating together can be awkward and very different from eating by yourself or with immediate family. Sometimes food doesn't make it all the way into your mouth, or beverages are spilled, or you may become self-conscious about the amount of dessert in front of you.

All these aspects of a community meal involve paying attention to what you're doing, being patient with others behaviors, and helping anyone in need of assistance. It often requires intentional, caring contact that typically doesn't occur in a worship service. This is how relationships are built upon, and what's unique about Soup & Bread Sunday is it all happens within a context of a people who share the same faith.

This community meal as an extension of communion has significantly contributed to a post-pandemic awakening that's now expressing itself in multiple ways. We need to thank both Linda and Margaret for birthing Soup & Bread Sunday and for keeping it going! This month Roger N. graciously brought a yummy chicken noodle soup enjoyed by all, and in the months ahead hopefully others will step forward to maintain this important part of our life together.

This all brings to mind a story about someone that visited a Trappist monastery and was enraptured by the Eucharistic celebration that, to his surprise, morphed into a community meal:

Though Basil had long since graduated from high school he still didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. He'd worked in construction jobs and a grocery store as a bagger and for a time in a steel mill, but all such experiences had been short-lived and equally unsatisfying. His life was boring and lacked vision. He knew in his heart something needed to change.

This resulted in a vague sense of desperation, so he decided one day to pay a visit to the Trappist monastery just outside of Louisville, Kentucky. Prior to this visit he had briefly attended a local Foursquare Pentecostal church and was impresses by the passion and prayerful practice of the congregation.

The visit to the monastery was a way of appeasing his sense of desperation, though he didn't really feel the monastery would have a lasting effect upon him. He drove up the hill, parked, and entered the abbey. He had not planned to attend Sunday mass since he had no idea when it started, but it seems the Spirit had led him to that very worship service.

Mass was nothing like what he'd experienced in the Pentecostal church, and at first he felt as lost in the worship service as he did existentially. He had no idea how to follow the prayer book, but he did enjoy the monks singing the psalms and the sermon was based on the Prodigal Son which he tended to identify with.

When the priest walked to the back of the altar to begin the Eucharistic celebration, he felt a pang of rejection knowing he wasn't Catholic and would not be welcomed at the Table. As the priest began the celebration, he noted how different it was from the Pentecostal communion service in that it was full of symbolism and formality.

Then, something completely unexpected happened and it occurred when the priest held up the cup of Salvation. Basil suddenly felt as if the priest had become Christ himself. Of course, it was still the priest standing there with the cup held high, but Basil felt he was in the actual presence of the Lord.

The feeling was overwhelming and though he knew in his mind he wasn't welcome at the Table wild horses couldn't hold him back from going forward. He was going to receive this gift from God regardless of what anyone might think. He went forward and knelt at the altar to receive the wafer and cup, and nothing was said or done to deny him this aspect of God's grace.

After the mass Basil fell into conversation with one of the monks in the narthex and was subsequently invited to have lunch with them. With some apprehension he accepted the invitation and joined them to eat soup and bread in silence. He'd never eaten a meal in silence, and it only added to what had already occurred at the Lord's Table.

It was not until much later in his life, and after many years of faithful discipleship in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that he realized what had happened that morning. Out of the few times he'd received communion at the Pentecostal church, who celebrate it only once a month, and after countless times as a Disciple of Christ, he finally realized that morning in mass was an epiphany, and he intuitively understood that Christ was in him, and he was in Christ.

A Disciple may receive communion a thousand times before the real mystical experience of it occurs, but for Basil it came early on, and he has never forgotten it, and now sees it was a sacred sneak-peek at what was to come in his spiritual journey. A deep spiritual/psychological healing began on that morning and has continued to this day.

At the wedding in Cana the best comes last and so it is with every worship service in our church.

Rev. Mitch Becker

January 19, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Transforming Twitch”

Isaiah 43:1-7

The words of the prophet are an attempt to reshape the identity of an oppressed, long-suffering people held in captivity in Babylon. The exiles are suffering from a spiritual disorder that is common among all human beings for all ages. That disorder is namely people's tendency to see themselves as far less than the children of God they actually are.

These words are some of the most consoling and deeply trans-formative words in the Bible. The Babylonians see God's people as slaves of the empire and over time they've adopted this definition for themselves. God through the prophet is challenging this harmful self-definition and the highlight of the challenge is found mid-point through the text where it reads: “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you...”

God vows to augment this love by protecting his people assuring them he'll be with them as they “pass through the waters,” and they'll not be overwhelmed by the rivers, nor will fire burn or consume them when they walk through it. This demonstrates the authenticity of God's love for his people, and who of us wouldn't risk our own well-being for the safety of those we love and cherish?

Our text today perfectly conforms to this special day of the church year known as Baptism of the Lord Sunday. At our own baptisms we are “marked as Christ's own,” and designated as one of God's precious, beloved creatures, and Called to witness to God's grace and mercy.

In one of the commentaries, I reviewed there was a story about a man whose life was transformed by God. Following is the story as it was recorded by the author Callie Plunket-Brewton:

“A month or so ago, I met a man who has two names. His given name is Jeremy. He's been called “Twitch” for years. Twitch, he told me when we met, was the name he went by when he was in and out of jail before he got clean. I said that I would call him Jeremy, thinking he wouldn't want to be called a name associated with his pretty harsh past. He then said the most extraordinary thing. He said he wanted people to keep calling him Twitch so that it would be clear to the people who had known him before that he was a transformed man. He was afraid that if he started to go by Jeremy people might not realize that he was the same Twitch who'd been in jail with them.

He comes around pretty often to the homeless ministry where I sometimes serve and hangs out with our homeless guests. Many of them know him. He wants them to recognize him and take heart that God can transform their lives, too.”

This story describes the overall purpose of our text which is to solidify our identity within the parameters of God's grace and mercy. We're all quick on the draw when it comes to demoting our God given identities as God's precious children. Our vision is severely limited and requires constant upgrading by a generous and loving God. Through the prophet God attempts to accomplish this upgrading with the exiles in Babylon as well as with the Church today.

John came in the office last week and told me that there is interest in establishing another Narcotics Anonymous meeting in our church on Tuesday evenings. Neither John nor I see any problem with adding another meeting to the four that presently exist. It's a privilege for us to be able to facilitate these important times of support and healing for so many people. On the other hand, it's rather sad because it points to a widespread need for drug recovery in our city.

The first task these folks are confronted with is to stop using drugs and that's a biggish step in itself. But its only the beginning of the healing that must take place because at a deeper level one's self image must also be addressed. That's one reason I visited with the Wednesday group to intentionally invite them to Sunday worship. The work they need to do can be helped along by the word of God and its ability to contribute to a better self-image. Today's text is a good example of the more comprehensive healing God makes possible.

This deeper level of spiritual/psychological healing is fraught with difficulties not the least being having to give up the previous dysfunctional self-image for a healthy one. Even though the dysfunctional one doesn't work well it is the only self-image one has known. For that reason alone, it's hard to let go of what's familiar for something new and unknown. The group enables the struggling addict to keep moving forward with words of encouragement and mutual support.

Eventually we're all trying to reach what the Apostle Paul describes so beautifully in the letter to the Corinthians when he says: “All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shinning with the brightness of his face. And so, we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.” (2 Corinthians 3:18; The Message Bible)

This is the ultimate goal for anyone of faith whether they be a recovering addict or any one of us sinners.

This involves a revamping not only of self-image, but also our image of God. The two are closely related because the way we see ourselves influences the way we see God, and vice versa. The two are not mutually exclusive – one depends on the other. To continue this discussion lets allow Brain McLaren to make a contribution:

….the God imaged by Jesus exerts no dominating supremacy. In Christ, we see an image of God who is not armed with lightning bolts but with a basin and towel, who spewed not threats but good news for all, who rode not a warhorse but a donkey, weeping in compassion for people who do not know the way of peace. In Christ, God is supreme, but not in the old discredited paradigm of supremacy; God is the supreme healer, the supreme friend, the supreme lover, the supreme life-giver who self-empties in gracious love for all.

The king of kings and lord of lords is the servant of all and the friend of sinners. The so- called weakness and foolishness of God are greater than the so-called power and wisdom of human regimes. In the aftermath of Jesus on the cross, we should never again define God's sovereignty or supremacy by analogy to the kings of this world who dominate, oppress, subordinate, exploit, scapegoat, and marginalize. Instead, we have migrated to an entirely new universe, or, as Paul says, “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) in which old ideas of supremacy are subverted.

For the addict the source of the addiction whether that be alcohol, drugs, shopping, excessive eating, news feed or whatever – the addictive source becomes the supreme desire in the addict's life. In a very real sense, the obsessive focus on the one thing becomes a god, but its a god that dominates and controls. As one bumper-sticker reads: “Addiction is giving up everything for one thing – Recovery is giving up one thing for everything.” The idolatrous god has to be replaced by the type of God Brian is describing – the God Jesus imaged. A story can bring this home for us:

Odette began her descent into alcoholism in adolescence having grown up in a home of an addictive mother and a co-dependent father. In some respects, this is so unfair since the child doesn't know that life can be any other way. When you grow-up in an alcoholic home the path of least resistance is to follow your parent's example, which Odette did.

By the time she reached young adulthood she was a full-blown alcoholic frequently in trouble with the law and in and out of jail. Most of her friends also drank but were largely able to keep it under control. Not so for Odette who was unable to curb the addiction until finally she was binge drinking, which is staying drunk for days at a time.

Her saving grace was an interest in clothing and fashion which eventually led her to the community college and a major in textile fundamentals. Unfortunately, by the time she reached the end of the first semester the best grade she accomplished was a C in the History of Costume. History was always especially interesting to her, but some of the other classes she just squeaked by with D's. It was apparent she wasn't going to cut it as a student if she didn't do something radical.

That something radical began as an invitation to a dance being held by a local Disciples of Christ church. The invitation was extended by an old friend from high school by the name of Orson. Odette was actually more attracted to Orson than going to the dance, and thought she might find some inroads to romance by going. What she actually got was another invitation but this was to attend a Bible study class which she also accepted because of her continued interest in Orson.

It was at the Bible study that her focus began to shift from her alcoholic lifestyle, and Orson, to a healthier lifestyle, and she was baptized on a Palm Sunday. She stopped drinking altogether, and though nothing ever became of a deeper relationship with Orson her relationship with God blossomed. This corresponded directly with her life as a student and her grades improved dramatically.

Unlike most alcoholics that require a support system such as Alcoholics Anonymous provides, Odette was able to immerse herself in church and school and after a couple years of sobriety and subsequent success was unwilling to return to her addictive lifestyle. She was able to turn her life around through a combination of faith and hard work, and continued to grow deeper into the mystery of Christ. She is now in her early seventies and has for many years been the head merchandiser for the local Macy's department store. She's quite happy about the way her life has unfolded.

The next hymn we're going to sing is entitled, “I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry” and it's a beautiful piece which speaks to Baptism of the Lord Sunday, and Linda has been gracious enough to agree to lead us through this unfamiliar hymn.

The words of the prophet on the surface are just that – words. It takes a lifetime to finally allow words like: “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you...” to sink in and take root in our souls. We may have to go through something like Odette did, or maybe it comes easier, but sooner or later if you'll remain faithful the light will come on and that's when it all becomes worth it.

Rev. Mitch Becker

January 12, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Adopted By the Cross”

Ephesians 1:3-14

Our text is about how people can coexist amid the vast expressions of what it means to be human. The Apostle Paul is a Jew writing to a largely Gentile audience with a message that states God has brought these two ethnic groups together by his grace, and in order to sustain this newfound relationship the parties involved must practice humility, gentleness and patience.

The letter itself opens by thanking God for having created this reconciled relationship between the two groups. God is recognized as the unifying force that has adopted the church as God's sons and daughters, and that this was planned from the beginning of time.

Adoption in Paul's day was not uncommon. For people of wealth and power it allowed for a heir if the elite couple was without children. The adopted person over time would be awarded the same social status as the parents, not to mention the wealth they'd inherit. The adopted person (I say person because this could be either a child or an adult) would return the favor by assuming the parents name and remaining loyal.

These principles of adoption also apply to the church as one adopted by God. What is unique about this particular adoption is its not of an individual but of entire ethnic groups of people. The language echos the stories of God choosing Israel for the purpose of redemption for those adopted. Here, the story of the Hebrew peoples release from bondage in Egypt best applies.

Throughout the text God is the one doing the adopting, but Christ is also repeatedly presented as a key participant. This is made especially clear in the next chapter where we read: “Christ brought us together through his death on the cross. The cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility. Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders (the Gentiles) and peace to us insiders (the Jews). He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father.” (Ephesians 2:16-18; The Message Bible)

This adoption of two separate ethnic groups that were at one time hostile toward each other is a preview of coming attractions. It is part of a much larger and comprehensive plan of reconciliation designed for all of Creation – both heaven and earth. This is Christ's ultimate purpose which we can see coming about on an individual basis as we are transformed into his likeness by the Holy Spirit.

When I first became a serious Christian having joined First Christian Church in Albany after about a year I attached a purple ribbon to my lapel. I said the ribbon represented “peace on earth through Christ.” I wore the ribbon for more than a year and didn't take it off until I moved to Corvallis to attend Oregon State University. Our text today contributed to my conviction to wear the ribbon and make a prophetic statement to the church about peace. The most influential part of the text was found in these two verses:

For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

You can see how Christ is central to the process of unification of all Creation which is why I specify in my prophetic statement that it must occur “through Christ.” Today, considering what I've learned and have experienced since 1981 I probably wouldn't phrase the statement in such a Christological way. But at the time it was important for me to do so, and I got in a bit of trouble for it.

Maybe not so much because I made Christ central to accomplishing unity, but because as one member of the church put it: “You're threatening my job at Wah Chang. Much of the metals production we do goes to the military, and if those contracts disappear I won't have a job.” I don't remember what I said to him. What I remember is I didn't take the ribbon off, and I didn't stop my peacemaking efforts.

In fact, I tried to start a Disciples Peace Fellowship in the church with an evening meeting during the week. My at the time girlfriend, another member of the church, came to the meeting, and that was it. Subsequent meetings were equally well attended and eventually I discontinued them.

It was revealed to me sometime later by the associate minister, Ray Lindley, that those early Disciple Peace Fellowship meetings planted the seed for a later peace organization known as Albany Peace Seekers which has been an influential force for peace in the area. The last Facebook post I can find is dated February, 2022. They've been around a long time, and as far as I know they're still in existence.

Ray felt it was the Disciples Peace Fellowship meetings that spurned the interest for the later peace organization, but my feeling is it was the purple ribbon that proved more important. The purple ribbon actually served two purposes. The first was to promote peace for the church and the world, but there was also an effect that came from the inside out for myself.

My spiritual/psychological development had been negatively impacted by my addictive practices with alcohol. When you cope with things like grief by getting drunk you bypass the stages of grief. You don't learn how to manage your feelings, nor do you develop effective mental/emotional strategies for coping with the more challenging aspects of life.

Whereas many people begin to develop such strategies in adolescence I began as a young adult and had to play catch-up. My prophetic stance about peace sometimes resulted in challenges that required me to cope with difficult personal situations, as well as learning to stand and express myself in terms of my religious convictions.

This is all ego work that needs to be accomplished before you can engage in deeper spiritual and emotional development. In other words, you have to have an ego before you can let one go. Important ego development happens when you stand up in front of people and express personal convictions. It also happens when you have to struggle with things like grief and disappointment.

This was an important time in my life where I began to put into practice what would later become a lifestyle which I maintain to this day. These strategies for coping also involve prayer, both quiet, centering and intercessory prayer. Prayer invites God's power to resolve difficult situations, and it can bring healing, guidance or strength when people need it.

A recent example that can be cited is the mass killing which occurred early in the morning on New Years Day. I wrote a response to this horrible event and put it online both using the church email list and my personal Facebook page. My cousin Pennie responded to it talking about the importance of prayer in regard to these all too often violent occurrences in our society.

I told her that by praying for the victims we not only can bring God's healing power to bear, but it's also good for ourselves to pray when such things happen. Some people contend that prayer isn't really doing anything that one has to take action! Yet, there are few things more powerful at this level of existence than heartfelt prayer for the well being of others.

Such compassionate responses to horrific events is the opposite of denial. It means to allow the horror of it all to be fully acknowledged. In so doing one realizes that violence of this nature can only be countered with the love of God. This, in turn, can open the door of our soul to allow God's compassion to flow through us and out into the world. Father Rohr puts it this way:

We are saved by standing consciously and confidently inside the force field that is Christ, not by getting it right in our private selves. This is too big a truth for the small self to even imagine. We're too tiny, too insecure, too ready to beat ourselves up. We don't need to be correct, but we can always try to remain connected to the Source....

All we can do is fall into the Eternal Mercy – into Love – which we can never really fall out of because “we belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God,” as Paul so beautifully stated (1 Corinthians 3:23). Eventually, we know that we are saved by mercy in spite of ourselves. That must be the final humiliation to the ego.

Our holiness is really only God's holiness, and that's why it's certain and secure. It is a participation in love, a mutual indwelling, not an achievement or performance on our part. “If anyone wants to boast, let them boast in the Lord,” Paul shouts! (1 Corinthians 1:31)

As we absolutely refuse to hide our heads in the sand and courageously face whatever evil the world has to offer through prayerful submissions to God we're in turn empowered by God's compassion. Rohr is encouraging us to stand within the “force field that is Christ.” There are a thousand different ways to practice denial, but if we want to grow in Spirit and be healed both personally and collectively as a society we must face the horror with the power of prayer.

That is the road to Salvation that Christ showed us so long ago, and it remains our best hope to this day. Our text today is about showing people who were once hostile toward each other how to coexist with grace and humility. The Apostle Paul reminds the Ephesians they've been adopted by God. They are children of God and in full participation with the divine plan to bring all things together in Christ. Things both in heaven and on earth.

We are now those children of God also Called to be in full participation with the divine plan. God can't accomplish this without us, and we can't do a thing without God.

Rev. Mitch Becker

January 5, 2025

Port Angeles