Sermons

First Christian Church

“Crossing the Threshold”

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

This is one of the best-known stories in the gospels about the son who makes a lot of bad choices but by the grace of God, and the love of a father, is able to return home. One of the premier challenges a familiar story like this presents is we may have already found our place in the story. When that's the case it makes if difficult to discover anything new.

Try to let go of any preconceived notions like in creating allegorical characters. Maybe who've decided the younger son is a repentant Christian, and the elder son is a Pharisee (or even one of us) and the father represents God. If this is the case the problems that arise include moving the parable out of its historical context, and even worse, diminishing the message of Jesus by misinterpreting Judaism.

Lets try a different approach and attempt to let go of any prior notions of who these people might represent and what the meaning of the story might be. In other words, lets start from ground zero. Instead of characterizing the people involved lets consider what they do in the story.

The younger son wants his inheritance early and after he gets it he spends it partying and whopping it up. The elder son is loyal and a hard worker who apparently gets no reward. The father's love appears to encompass both of his children. We might say the father “crosses the threshold” twice for his children. Once upon the younger sons return, and once to invite the elder son to the party.

The father cannot image the party without both of his children present. The party is just as important for the elder son as it is for the younger one. Note also the generosity of the father in his directions to the slaves to hold nothing back in preparation for the party, and in telling the elder son all that he owns belongs to him.

We're further drawn into the parable as we're invited to sit with the younger son and his poor choices and resulting desperation. He has no one to blame but himself. The elder son is bitter and also fearful about being overlooked. The father is willing, in both cases, to leave his comfort zone to embrace his lost and disillusioned children.

This is one of Jesus' best-known stories because it reaches out to us in several ways. Who of us hasn't squandered love that we've freely received, and who of us hasn't felt left out along with the sense of insecurity that can bring. And who of us hasn't given love hoping for it to be returned. And don't we all harbor the hope that God will leave the threshold to meet our heartfelt desires and include us in the party in the midst of our fears about being left out.

Maybe that is one of the most important attributes an authentically Christian church has to offer – the ability to make people feel they belong. The biblical word for that is “hospitality.” That and similar words are frequently found in the Bible. One example comes from the Letter to the Hebrews: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2)

In previous sermons I've noted that our church has a gift for extending hospitality to strangers, and another obvious gift is generosity. We see the same type of generosity expressed by the father toward his sons in terms of parental love. The father will not rest until both of his sons are at the party, and he's willing to go to some length to make that happen.

John called me on the morning I wrote this sermon to tell me the estimate on fixing the sanctuary heater was in. It will cost just over $2000 dollars to replace the compressor. I told him that sounded like a lot of money, but we need heat. He also reminded me the heating units are capable of providing cool air. That's not a major concern for around here, but we both agreed it would be Fall soon anyway.

The maintenance of the buildings is a frequent subject during the Zoom meetings with the pastors. Many struggle with how to pay for needed repairs, but that's not such a struggle for us due to the generosity of our congregation and past church members. We have savings that Judy draws from every month to pay for bills and other financial matters. It is how we'll pay for the new compressor, and I want to acknowledge the generosity of the faithful who have gone before us.

Your generosity also needs to be acknowledged and that not only comes in the form of money, but there is a distinct generosity of spirit here at First Christian Church. I see it at every soup and bread meal we enjoy together, and it was especially apparent when we decorated the church for Christmas. Both your generosity and hospitality become increasing important attributes in a culture that grows darker every day.

In the culture at large we see the opposite of hospitality expressed as a general unfriendliness at the least and hatred at worst. In terms of generosity there's a disturbing spirit of downright meanness. In such a cultural environment our practices of generosity and hospitality shine as light in the darkness. The darker it gets the brighter the light!

That's good new and bad news. The bad news is people are turning away from goodness and God. The good news is we haven't. For the faithful these hard times become an incentive to follow Jesus more closely and to move more deeply into the mystery of Christ, or put another way, to grow in Spirit.

We too, like the father, must be willing to cross the threshold of our comfort zones to show the world Christ is alive and well. And we're doing just exactly that with every act of hospitality and generosity we display. The latest example of generosity is the swim passes we bought for the kids at Lincoln High School, and we'll do more in the future.

In the following preacher-activist Sandra Maria Van Opstal encourages us to expand hospitality from something we do to an expression of who we are:

What is this shift, this journey from doing to being? It involves a deepening relationship with both the Holy Spirit and people who may not look like us or share our experiences. Shifting our focus from doing to being allows us to become more fully the community that Scripture calls us to be. Though we may begin with hospitality, where we are saying “we welcome you,” Scripture calls us to journey from that place, through a place of solidarity (“we stand with you), and ultimately to mutuality (“we need you”), where we comprehend just how deeply the global community of Jesus followers need each other in order to be the people of God we are called by Scripture to be....

While we tend to think of this journey from hospitality to mutuality as a one-way process, our life in Christ is far from linear. Jesus exemplified mutuality in every way: in the stories he told, in the way he related to others, and even in the way he died. When the church works to embody mutuality in their daily life, and especially in their approach to immigrants and refugees, we learn to lament, celebrate, and learn together. Ultimately, this leads to healing and wholeness that God wants for (God's) creation! And this means not just doing but being the reflection of God's love, which the church is called to be; to witness to Christ not just in our words but in our mutual identity as members of (Christ's) body.

The operative word in understanding mutuality is “need.” We begin to move toward healing and wholeness when we embrace the truth that we need each other in order to be the faithful people God wants us to be. We may think of Christ as being self-sufficient and independent from the people he was leading and ministering to, but what if he also recognized that he too needed these people as much as they needed him.

That may be hard to grasp because we spend so much time lifting Christ up above us as a king and Messiah and God. But there is no question whether mutual need is important for each of us to recognize and embrace. In our neediness we open up to the Holy Spirit which is how we're healed and made whole. That is how we're liberated from the oppressive influence of the ego. Wholeness happens as a result of letting go of the ego to allow the True self to come forward.

There is the story of the family on a trip to visit grandma Susie but the parents were having a difficult time getting along. They were fighting over the lack of finances and accumulating debt. Everyone was uncomfortable when suddenly one of the children spotted a dead cat on the side of the highway that had apparently been struck by a car, and there was a live one right beside it. Upon seeing the live cat the child that spotted it said, “Dad, lets go back and get that kitty.”

Dad, already in a bad mood at first didn't even listen, and now all the children chimed in, “Dad, we've got to go back and get that kitty!” This continued for several miles until finally their mom agreed, and said, “Horace, these children are already grieving for the cat. Maybe what this family needs right now is something to take care of. Let's go back and get it.” This was too much for Horace to handle. He was already feeling the burden of his poor disposition, and now his wife had joined the chorus with the children. At this point it felt easier to give in than to persist in noncompliance.

Dad turned the car around and they went back to retrieve the cat which was still there when they arrived. Fortunately, mom had some dog treats made with fish and used it to lure the cat in. Once they had it in the car it settled right down and seemed to be quite at home. After there visit with grandma they returned home, and though dad was reluctant at first he soon found spending time with the cat calmed him.

Over time he discovered that giving love made him feel loved. This affected Horace in ways he could never have anticipated and he began to feel that he needed the cat as much as the cat needed him. In the relationship that ensued the cat found a home and the warmth that brings, and Horace discovered that showing love to a cat can make a big difference in your life and the life of your family.

Hospitality and similar words are found throughout the Bible and though usually refer to hospitality toward other people we're also called to show it to other aspects of God's creation. In our generous reception of people, animals, and the natural world around us we are healed and made whole just like Horace.

Rev. Mitch Becker

Port Angeles

March 30, 2025

First Christian Church

“Warning Markers”

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Since this is the Apostle Paul, we'll let him get away with this rather loose interpretation of the Exodus. It's loose in the sense that its a bit of a stretch to compare the crossing of the Red Sea with baptism, and further to compare the rock which provided them water in the wilderness with Christ. The whole point is to help the Corinthians see their own failings by comparison with the failings of their ancestors.

Their ancestors are characterized, in a harsh way, as ones who gave into self-centered behavior which led to temptations. Paul cites the golden calf incident along with sexual promiscuity and that they paid dearly for their mistakes! He returns to the theme of self-centered behavior in pointing out the Israelite's wanted God to serve them rather than the other way around and they paid for that too.

The final failing of their ancestors was to “stir up discontent” which Paul says ultimately destroyed them. Paul sums all this up by labeling it as “warning markers” that have been recorded in scripture to provide guidance in leading a holy, blameless lifestyle. He says that the Corinthians are just as vulnerable as their ancestors and encourages them not to be naive. The admonition is: “Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence.” (1 Corinthians 10:12b; The Message Bible)

The text ends with four separate points about temptation beginning with it comes to everyone. We are all vulnerable to it and no one is exempt from its influence. Also, God remains faithful to those tempted and will not abandon them in the struggle. Temptation will not exceed one's own strength to resist it (which is a debatable point at best). Finally, God will provide a way out of it enabling us to continue down a path of righteousness.

Unlike the folks who attend the Narcotics Anonymous meetings in our church, for the most part, we're not faced with life and death decisions. If they give into temptation the consequences can be quite severe putting them back on a path to ultimate destruction. It's not so acute for us because we're not vulnerable to sin in that way. We're not strung out on drugs nor spending exorbitant amounts of money at the casino nor do we cheat on our spouses. But we do face temptations every day.

For us the temptations are often more subtle, but the consequences are still serious. Take grief for example. All of us are tempted to avoid grieving losses in our lives. Loss can take many forms including loss of loved ones and pets, or loss of an important

relationship with a family member or friend, or loss of health in illness or some physical impairment. When these things happen sometimes, we try to avoid the grief work that needs to take place in order to sustain spiritual and emotional good health. None of us is immune to these losses and we're all grieving to one extent or another, but the question is how consciously aware are you of that grief which resides just below the surface of your conscious self.

My buried grief presented itself to me last week as I prepared for my day with a cup of pineapple green tea and listening to music on Alexa. I asked Alexa to play Joni Mitchell's song “River.” Do you know that one? The setting for the song takes place at Christmas and there are notes played that are similar to a well-known Christmas tune. Just as I happened to turn and look at our wedding picture the notes to the Christmas song played and I began to weep.

I miss Karen because she's thousands of miles away right now and I'm also grieving what's happening to my country. That's not an immediate loss like a loved one or pet but it is something ever present on my mind. I also thank God for the few moments of tears because it means I'm embracing the pain and fear I feel inside and giving it to God.

I'm letting it go because if I don't the temptation to remain in denial becomes perilous. To remain in denial by distracting myself with entertainment or work allows the grief to go deeper and possibly express itself in detrimental ways. It's negative energy that needs to be consciously acknowledged and intentionally let go of otherwise it can manifest in illness or physical problems or negative emotions like anger and resentment and fear.

What I mean by intentionally let go of is that those few moments of tears didn't happen as an isolated event but were a consequence of many days of journal work, depth prayer, scripture reading with a focus on the Psalms, and tai chi and dancing to music to keep the energy flowing. I also take time to let the animals know I love them and I'm taking care of them. That means stopping whatever I'm doing to pet and talk to them and let them know they're loved and appreciated.

This led to an unexpected encounter with Oreo our oldest dog who came over to me while I wept. I remember my first dog, Omar, who would go to another room if I started weeping. Oreo is our traumatized, nervous rescue who exhibits a lot of behavioral problems and undoubtedly felt anxious about my tears. Never-the-less to move toward them rather than away is an expression of love and I felt comforted by her presence. God comes to us in many different ways.

You've been listening to my story and how I attempt to avoid the temptation to deny or distract myself from the pain I feel inside, but we all deal with grief differently. Following is a story about the ways Mr. Brown and Clarence found to cope with grief:

The story begins with Clarence who is Mr. Brown's neighbor across the street and Clarence was confined to bed because of a fall. The doctor told him to remain off his feet as much as possible for a few weeks while his leg recovered from surgery. He spent the majority of his time on his couch in the living room where he could see Mr. Brown out the window.

Clarence took note of how much time Mr. Brown spent out in his front yard trimming bushes, cutting the grass, planting flowers, pulling weeds and other assorted activities. He would spend literally hours at a time out in his yard and over the course of those few weeks on the couch he never once saw anyone come to visit. Mr. Brown appeared to be quite isolated from the community and Clarence felt a bit sad for him.

After Clearance's leg healed, and out of a sense of compassion, he decided he would make an attempt to pay a visit to Mr. Brown thinking he could start up a conversation about yard care. So he walked across the street and knocked on the door and when Mr. Brown answered he said, “I've noticed the care you show for your lawn as I was laid up for a few weeks and could see you out the window.”

Mr. Brown replied, “It keeps me busy, and I don't mind doing the work, in fact, I'm thankful I can still do the upkeep.” Clarence replied, “Well, you certainly put in long hours, far more than I do, but I enjoy the work too” At which point Mr. Brown invited him in for a cup of coffee and Clarence accepted the invitation.

Clarence soon learned that Mr. Brown had lost his wife last year and was filling the emptiness with yard work and reading and television. Clarence had also lost his wife, though many years earlier, and had found spending more time with church activities had helped him fill the void that was left. He told him the church was helping immensely by allowing him to drive the church van.

Clarence continued, “I drive the church van and pick up members who can't get in on their own. I also help with evangelism by visiting people who come to church for the first time, and I attend Bible studies and other educational events the pastor and church staff put on. I also go to both church worship services on Sunday morning.”

Mr. Brown told him he never had much interest in church but was glad Clarence had found it helpful. Clarence then extended the obvious invitation asking Mr. Brown if he would like to come with him to church one Sunday, and to his surprise Mr. Brown said he'd think about it.

A couple weeks later Clarence walked across the street again while Mr. Brown was out in the yard and in the midst of conversation told him the offer to go to church with him still stood. Again, to his surprise, Mr. Brown actually agreed to go with him that Sunday. Eventually Mr. Brown also got involved with the evangelism team and doesn't go to both services but does faithfully attend the second service.

Going to church doesn't resolve the empty feeling inside when you lose your spouse. But it does connect you to others and to similar struggles they're involved in. As you get to know people and how they grapple with the void you can pick up pointers and find mutual support. We all learn to live around the pain and we do that best when were working at bringing it up into our conscious awareness. To feel the feelings and come to know they're not bottomless.

Jesus has told us through the beatitudes that he'll be with us bringing comfort and guidance and strength as we grieve. The second beatitude says: “You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.” (Matthew 5:4; The Message Bible) Flowing tears means the ego defenses have come down and at that point God becomes our refuge.

The warning markers are clear in scripture and reveal the consequences of giving into temptations. The severity of those consequences vary from person to person depending upon what's at stake when we give in to the desire to sin. For some it means life or death and for others it may mean prolonged unnecessary suffering along with emotional collateral damage. Anyway you sum it up its better to stay on the holy path even though that too can be quite difficult.

“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)

Rev. Mitch Becker

March 23, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“The Promises”

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Our text begins with, “After these things....” which is a reference to Abraham and Sarah going to Egypt, becoming wealthy, and their nephew Lot being separated from them, captured and then rescued. Their lives have been quite eventful, yet the Lord has given them no child.

In a vision God tells Abraham he is under The Lord's protection and in time he'll be rewarded. But Abraham laments since he can't see any great benefit in God's rewards when he has no child. God responds by assuring Abraham he will be given a child and then takes him outside and tells him to count the stars in the sky.

The stars serve as a metaphorical image for how many descendants Abraham will have, and Abraham believes the promise and is now considered made right with God because of his faith. Of course, no mention is made of how Sarah will receive this “good news” about countless descendants considering she'll be doing most of the work in birthing them! (I'm being facetious in that God is referring to the decedents who will result from the generations to come.)

Now comes the second promise which is the gift of the Promised Land as their ultimate home. Abraham is skeptical about this promise and wants God to assure him that the promise is genuine. This is where the strange ritual comes in about splitting animals in half and laying the carcasses on either side to create a path. Abraham goes to sleep, and, in a dream, God reveals the enslavement and oppression by the Egyptians his descendants will endure for 400 years. But eventually the Egyptians will be punished, and the Israelite's will walk out of Egypt.

The final vision is of a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch that passes between the split animals. That's when God makes the covenant with Abraham and guarantees that the Promised Land will be theirs.

Sometimes the gospel is understood as God's good news for our bad situations. Most of our bad situations are brought on due to our own self-centered pursuits and poor judgments that manifest in sinful acts and guilt. There are also bad situations that come about because of economic challenges or health problems or troubled relationships. We should also include feelings of depression or meaninglessness which are quite prevalent in these modern times and especially with youth.

In our story today Sarah and Abraham's bad situation is first identified as their inability to have a child. The good news comes in the form of a promise that Abraham's descendants will number as the stars in the sky, and Abraham believes it. That's what people are supposed to do with God's promises – believe them.

Abraham's faith is summed up in the word “righteousness” which means to be right with God or a broader definition might be when you live up to your obligations in a relationship. In this broader definition a priest, for example, is being righteous when he remains faithful and strives to fulfill his sacred vows regardless of circumstances. Abraham is being righteous within his relationship with God when he believes God's promises.

A bad situation in my own life presented itself when the doctor told me I had a 5-centimeter malignant tumor on my left kidney. It left me terrified, and it took several weeks of prayer and journal work to come to terms with the ensuing fear. The first doctor I went to told me the best thing to do would be to remove the entire kidney. That was not the good news I was looking for.

At the time I was doing chaplaincy work at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, and I brought my bad situation to the head chaplain. Her advice was to seek a second opinion which I did when Karen and I met with Dr. Hefty at Virginia Mason in Seattle. After looking at the MRI he felt he could successfully remove the tumor by taking a third of the kidney.

When he finally got in there, he discovered the tumor was still enclosed in a fibrous capsule separating it from the surrounding tissue. Therefore, he only needed to take a tenth of the kidney. On one of the four days I was in the hospital I awoke after a nap to discover Dr. Hefty beside my bed. It was then that he shared the good news of the enclosed tumor, and the minimal amount of kidney removed. I have been cancer free since the surgery in 2012.

You can see the pattern that led up to the good news which began with advice to seek a second opinion. This resulted in being put into the good hands of Dr. Hefty and only a nominal amount of kidney removed. Unfortunately, a kidney, unlike a liver or heart which are basically muscles, cannot repair itself because the internal architecture is too complex. Consequently, my GFR numbers are too low, and my creatinine (kree-a-tuh-neen) is too high. I have stage three kidney disease.

We almost always look for good news when we're confronted with a bad situation, regardless of the source or circumstances.

People of faith like Abraham and us look to God for good news. I did that primarily through the use of my journal and quiet centering prayer. Because God helped me transcend my initial fear of death it in turn enabled me to make good judgments like getting advice from the chaplain and seeking a second opinion. If I would have succumbed to my fear, I could have very well lost my left kidney.

Faith not only believes God's promises it also trusts that good news will be forthcoming. That could very well be a definition for hope. To be hopeful is to trust that there is good news awaiting us in every bad situation. Christians are people of hope. If you're looking at the world in any other way, then you're off the holy path and you need to find a way back onto it.

The spiritual disciplines such as prayer, scripture study, and therapy help us to stay on the “road to somewhere” as Psalm 119:30 states. In these troubling times we're living through staying on that road can be an immense challenge. Typically, we're mostly dealing with our own sin and guilt, but now-a-days the very culture we live in is engulfed in chaos and uncertainty.

Last week's Zoom meeting with the pastors in the region is a case in point. Mat's church is trying to compensate for the shelters in their area being shut down due to discontinued funding. Pastor Adam is under attack because of a video he put out that has been hijacked and reinterpreted to fit a very different sort of message. Pastor Paul in Anchorage had the most troubling story of all about the Ukrainian refugees his church is assisting.

He said half of them have received letters from the government revoking their visa's. These are not immigrants who are under an entirely different system. These are refugees who have fled war torn Ukraine to take up residence in our country. They have found jobs and established homes here.

They cannot return to Ukraine because there is nowhere to go since their homes have been destroyed. Paul and the church are trying to help them and by chance or grace one of the top legal people in constitutional law resides in Anchorage and she has offices in Washington D.C. She and her team are lending their legal expertise in helping the refugees.

Pastor Paul said one of the major problems is that the messages out of Washington keep changing. For awhile they had established a legal foothold through an alternative program for refugees established by Congress, but that has since been discontinued. In the midst of all this anxiety and stress Pastor Paul is about to undergo another heart ablation and is supposed to be avoiding stress and anxiety!

Listening to his story my heart went out to him and the refugees, and I wanted to show him support but couldn't think of any way to do it. Then an opportunity presented itself when Paul, our regional minister, asked at the end of the session if anyone would like to close in prayer. I said I would, and, in the prayer, I spoke of hope and how all things are possible with God.

Paul and his church in Alaska are absolutely committed in their ministry and mission to the Ukrainian refugees, whereas we're still trying to develop a mission to our community and I'm happy to announce some important progress in that area. Karen has spearheaded our attempts to work with Lincoln High School and Mace the principle who happens to be Mia's son.

Last Wednesday Lori down at Shore Aquatics agreed to sell us 100 swim passes for $100 amounting to $1.00 per pass! That's a real bargin. The swim passes will be given to kids who may not be able to afford them. This is not mission to refugees or immigrants, but it is vital mission to the youth in our community.

It is an expression of compassion given to youth who may be in dire need of it. The Apostle Paul tells us there is faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love. We must keep looking for ways to express the love of Christ because that's what we're primarily called to do.

It's also important to say that we don't show compassion to the community because we have concerns about our continued existence. We show compassion because that's what Christ did when he was here on earth. We show it because that's what God did with Sarah and Abraham in the midst of their distress in being childless. God was generous in his compassion not giving them one promise, but two, and in time making good on both of them.

Rev. Mitch Becker

March 16, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Launching Into Lent”

Luke 4:1-13

We've arrived at the Lenten season and it's not surprising to find the gospel lectionary text to be Jesus in the wilderness. This text is appropriate because it considers all three theological aspects of the season which are: resisting temptation, repentance and the passion of Jesus. One thing that comes through clearly in the text is that our ability to both resist temptation and repent depend not on self-reliance but on our relationship with God.

In the world we live there are many competing stories that influence us. This is why its crucially important to know the Christian story so we can navigate the world in faithful ways. Within our narrative today there are two competing stories beginning with Jesus' understanding of scripture and the more self-focused narrative the devil presents.

Also, there's two primary settings with the first being the wilderness which is an arid region in southern Israel. This is not desert like the sands of the Sahara because it could produce food for flocks of sheep after the rains and there was other life out there. Historically, the desert is the route the Israelite's take to the Promise Land after their liberation from Egypt. The desert helped shape the Israelite's into a covenant people led by cloud and fire. The other setting is Jerusalem which is the center of Jewish power, identity and worship and is where the final temptation occurs.

In the exchange of words by Jesus and the devil there is an underlying theme. The devil is offering a narrative of self-indulgence when he says things like make yourself bread from stones and all the nations of the world can belong to you. Jesus' responses come right out of his Bible or what we call the Old Testament. His responses demonstrate that he knows it's his reliance on God the Father that will keep him on a holy path.

The temptations themselves are interesting in that they focus on Jesus' identity as the Son of God. Twice the devil confronts him with the question: “If you are the Son of God,” followed by an invitation to prove his identity with some miraculous display. In the first three chapters of Luke Jesus is repeatedly identified as God's Son by Mary, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna, and John the Baptist. In all these revelations Jesus did nothing to prove his identity. The devil's primary approach is to undermine Jesus' sonship with the Father by getting him to perform some type of self-serving act.

Also of interest is the way both Jesus and the devil quote scripture. Jesus' quotes come from Deuteronomy and the devil uses Psalm 91. We see in this usage of scripture that's its not enough in itself since even the devil knows his Bible. What matters is that scripture is brought to light through the Holy Spirit and is rooted in God's Salvation and our faithful obedience, rather than in self-reliance which is the devil's story.

Perhaps the first thing that grabs our attention comes in the opening verse where Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, and thus temptation by the Diabolical One. My hunch is most of us associate the Holy Spirit with baptism and communion and what brings us guidance and strength through prayer and other good things. So, when we read that Jesus is led by the Spirit into this challenging wilderness experience it may be disconcerting.

Then again, if you carefully go through the Book of Acts, you'll find the Spirit often leading the faithful into various trials and uncertainties. A more accurate understanding of what the Spirit does includes both challenges as well as being spiritually accommodating. Perhaps one of the best examples of the Spirit leading the faithful into troubled waters is the speech given by Peter at Pentecost where he cites the prophet Joel:

….your sons and your daughters shall prophesy

and your young men shall see visions

and your old men shall dream dreams

Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

in those days I will pour out my Spirit

and they shall prophesy (Joel 2:28-29)

Pentecostal theologian Amos Yong unpacks this for us:

Peter clearly understood that, whereas the former Jewish era was patriarchal in character, the restoration of Israel would feature the equality of male and female: both would prophesy under the power of the Spirit. Whereas the former covenant featured the leadership of elders, the restored kingdom would involve the empowering of men and women of all ages. Whatever structures had previously sanctioned the social system of slavery, the outpouring of the Spirit had been and would be indiscriminately upon both free and slave, in effect making them equal. In all of this, the work of the Spirit was heralded in strange tongues, not the conventional language of the status quo.

In effect, the restoration of the kingdom through the power of the Spirit actually overturned the status quo, as Mary and Zachariah had already foretold, those at the bottom of the social ladder – women, youth and slaves – would be recipients of the Spirit and vehicles of the Spirits empowerment.

People previously divided by language, ethnicity, culture, nationality, gender, and class would be reconciled in the new version of the kingdom. Potentially, “all flesh” would be included within the kingdom of the last days.

Though Mr. Yong doesn't use the word revolution that is in essence what he's describing – a revolution that would upend and eventually eliminate the social systems that oppressed and took advantage of women, children and slaves. It was, in fact, the oppressed who would be empowered to prophesy and, in that manner, confront the status quo bringing about the changes God envisions.

We can understand this as God giving both permission and power to bring about social changes that will only come through hardship and sacrifice. In our text today the Spirit leads Jesus into a situation involving hardship and temptation which ironically immediately follows his baptism by the Spirit in the Jordan River. If Forest Gump was describing the Spirit he might say, “You never know what you're going to get.”

Jesus' wilderness experience is a severe one where he is up against the Diabolical One himself and Jesus comes out of it ready to do ministry. So, there's various kinds of wilderness experiences and some of the more severe ones we encounter have to do with surgeries and strokes or when a loved one passes. But that's only a representative sampling. The following story illustrates other wilderness experiences:

Allegra was a professor of New Testament studies at a seminary in the Midwest and she was invited to preach at a local church. When a professor comes to preach sometimes people approach them after the worship service because they think they may know something the pastor doesn't. This happened to Allegra as she was approached by a young girl who asked for her advice.

What the question was amounted to something so theologically deep Allegra was surprised it was coming from a youngster. The question was since she didn't care about heaven was she going to hell? Of course, Allegra wanted to know the circumstances that surrounded the question, so she said:

“I'm curious as to why hell would be of such great concern to you while at the same time heaven isn't even on the table. "The girl began to explain that her mother is very suspicious of her and is always asking her questions about who she's spending her time

with and is she drinking or using drugs and is she going to be home on time. Further, she said that these questions are always followed by a threat that conveys the notion if she does anything wrong, she won't go to heaven but rather will end up in hell.

Allegra having raised no children of her own didn't have an immediate response to the girl's question and ended up simply telling her that she thought that was her mother's way of showing she loved her. Allegra knew that she'd avoided the religious aspect of the question and felt her answer was woefully inadequate.

Can you see the wilderness experiences in that brief story? Allegra is left in a wilderness of ignorance and guilt because she feels she's let the youngster down and missed an opportunity to say something important about God. The youngster is left with no answer at all neither religious nor relational.

Wilderness experiences come in all shapes and sizes. Some are severe and potentially life changing. While others happen almost on a daily basis because human beings have limitations and that's why we need to learn to be non-judgmental and especially with ourselves. No one is harder on us than we are and judging ourselves and our behaviors is not loving ourselves.

Before I close the sermon, I want to mention a wilderness we're all living in and it is something that has come forth in modern times. By that I mean it has never happened before, and it presents a unique challenge to the faithful. What I'm talking about is we live in an essentially Godless culture that is becoming more so as each day passes. You might call it the ultimate wilderness.

By saying that I don't mean that God isn't present. It simply means that people as a whole no longer recognize that Presence nor see any particular use for it. That makes us the faithful remnant with an enormous responsibility to preach and live out the gospel. God is with us in this wilderness of Godlessness, and you only need to turn to the Scriptures for hope and reassurance. This comes from Psalm 11 as interpreted in contemporary language:

“I've already run for dear life straight to the arms of God. So why would I run away now when you say the evil bows are bent, the wicked arrows aimed to shoot under the cover of darkness at every heart open to God. The bottoms dropped out of the country; good people don't have a chance? But God hasn't moved to the mountains; his holy address hasn't changed. He's in charge, as always....(Psalm 11:1-4a; The Message Bible)

Rev. Mitch Becker

March 9, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Crossing the Line”

Exodus 34:29-35

The Israelite's have finally reached the outskirts of the Promised Land and they're going to enter by way of Mount Sinai. This is where God makes a covenant with them giving them instructions about how to get along in their new community. Included in the instructions are the Ten Commandments as well as guidance about building the tabernacle.

In a previous chapter while Moses is on the mountaintop with God back down in the valley the Israelite's are threatening the covenant with the golden calf incident. Worshiping an invisible God is not something they're accustomed to and this is compounded by anxiety about Moses' delayed return. They tell Aaron they want a god they can see, and he acquiesces to their demands.

God tells Moses about the apostasy and instructs him to go to them immediately. When Moses sees what they've done he destroys the tablets with the Ten Commandments. Even so God tells them to continue the journey to the land he had promised their ancestors, but now God is so miffed he's not going to go with them. Though up until this point the people have been afraid of God, yet they still grieve over his decision not to go with them.

They know that the golden calf incident has done something to change the nature of their relationship with God. In other words, they've crossed the line. Uncharacteristic of previous behavior they don't complain but simply set out on the journey again. Because things are not quite going to plan Moses gets a bit depressed and asks for a glimpse of God's glory for reassurance. God grants the request with a bit of Godly humor and allows Moses to see his backside. The tablets are replaced and the covenant renewed!

All this brings us to our story today because Moses' face is shining as an indicator that the covenant has been renewed. Further, it demonstrates the unique relationship Moses has with God. Since Moses trusts God the people can also trust God and Moses' leadership. Here a quote from Rabbi Alex Israel brings some clarity: “ The people need only to look at Moses's face and realize he had experienced the ultimate communion with God in receiving the second covenant.”

Whether Moses' face is veiled or unveiled its a reminder of his unique relationship with God and therefore with Israel. They can now count on God's continued presence and grace while they venture into the Promised Land. It represents hope in the midst of national disaster because it's a reversal of the golden calf incident.

In these modern times of turmoil and tragedy this story from ancient Israel conveys a hope that comes not from human ingenuity or cleverness but from God's continued presence and grace. We also experienced this hope that emerged for a national disaster (global actually) when the pandemic struck and stayed with us. We had to be creative to find ways to allow God's presence and grace to reach us and some of those ways are still with us.

My weekly Zoom meeting with the pastor's and regional minster came forth from the pandemic as a way to access the love of God shared with other church leaders. This love reached a pinnacle when Karen and I attended the regional assembly in Wenatchee. I especially remember sitting at the high table at the center of the lobby of the hotel and eating breakfast with my peers.

The awkwardness that comes when you first interact with people was greatly eased because I already knew these folks from our Zoom meetings. It was as though we just continued on with previously established relationships. In this way, God's grace was experienced in terms of mutual support, humor and an interest shown in what was happening in each other's lives.

 Historically, my experience with clergy relationships has been mostly lacking because you only meet on occasion at regional assemblies or clergy meetings. But Zoom provides a way to meet weekly and in the convenience of your own office. Its easy, creating a space to be with like minded people that are facing common challenges. In that regard the ideas offered are often relevant and helpful.

I thank God for Zoom and the relationships that have emerged because of it. The national disaster and the creative responses that came forth to cope with it resulted in a vehicle for God's presence and grace. Pastors' like me can be fed and nurtured on a weekly basis and then bring the spiritual fruit that results to you.

The Zoom meeting is like a village that I visit on a weekly basis to benefit from resources and gifts offered by my peers. Dr. Barbara Holmes can expand on this:

Our lifelong efforts to map our uniqueness do not defeat our collective connections. Although I'm an individual with a name, family history, and embodiment as an African American woman, I am also inextricably connected to several villages that reflect my social, cultural, national, spiritual and generational identifications. These connections require that I respond and resist when any village is under assault...

There's a way in which we can come together as groups, as collectives, as individuals, and seek the highest good of all of us by using our gifts creatively. There really are alternatives. Its not one thing or another. We don't have to have large systems determining the outcome of our lives. We just have to think through creatively how we want to maximize the flourishing of most of us, not just a few of us.

Where is your community hurting? Where can you be of help to that community. What resources and gifts do you possess that will enhance the healing of your own body and of your community? As a village, we have a sacred duty to respond to the crises of oppression and injustice. We have a responsibility to respond to the suffering of others around us. But first, we have to figure out who we are, how we're going to show up, and how we're going to work with others, our neighbors, in a communal response to crisis.

A present crisis we're enduring is a cultural one having to do with an overemphasis on individuality. Marcus Borg once said our culture is the most individualistic culture that has ever existed on the face of the earth. When such individuality reaches toxic levels, it begins to discount the value, and in some cases the actual existence, of other cultures. It is in every sense of the word insanity.

Ms. Holmes is telling us countering the insanity means to create communities which nurture and promote healthy connections between people. We have an opportunity to do that within our community we call First Christian Church. We can begin by asking the question: Where is our community hurting?

My immediate response is we're having trouble sustaining our numbers to the point we can assure a future. That can change, and to some degree is changing, but what can each of us do to make sure that growth continues unhindered? Karen has contacted Mace and is developing connections with Lincoln High School, and Janet is hosting the Girl Scouts in the barn and bringing them to worship.

Roger N. has been improving the outside grounds of the church and Margaret in her unfailing generosity does everything from providing music to heading up the church board meetings. Jerrie reaches out to all those both far and near. The elders feed and sustain the spiritual lifeblood of the congregation, and Judy does the hard, absolutely necessary work of maintaining the church's fiscal realities.

John and David see to the maintenance of the physical plant and Linda shares her insights and lights the candles for worship. Lisa makes sure the visitors are greeted and sign in and Mia helped with Advent worship and Christmas decorating. Roger P. provides amplified sound for aging ears and Bob and DiAnna often share God Sightings.

All of us in our own way are bringing our gifts to bear creating a village of faithful followers of Christ. We are helping to heal a culture that has become so self-absorbed it can no longer clearly see the outside world. The most vulnerable in the world are going to suffer greatly and we have a duty as disciples of Christ to compassionately respond to them.

I'm very proud of our little village that gave $3,790.00 to outreach last year! That is a wonderfully generous response to this desperate and hurting world. We may be small but that doesn't mean we can't make a difference. In just the past two months of this new year Week of Compassion the emergency relief fund for our denomination has received $976 from us. Now take those numbers and multiply them by the outreach of all the little villages of faith across this land and you begin to get a sense of how what we do matters.

In our text today hope comes in the form of a shining face on the most important prophet in Judaism. Moses' face amounted to the undisputed reality that God had changed his mind and renewed the covenant with his people. With that assurance they could venture forth into the unknown knowing that God was with them. They could trust both in Moses' leadership and God's unfailing grace.

We too can trust God not because anyone's face is shining but because we can see God at work through the generosity of this church. Whether that be in terms of money or gifts of the Spirit given its happening because we know God is here with us. God's gracious presence is what sustains and empowers us and Karen will continue to speak to this gracious reality in her communion message you're going to hear in a few moments.

Rev. Mitch Becker

March 2, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Keeping Love Alive”

Luke 6:27-38

One way of looking at The Sermon on the Plain as this portion of the gospel is called is to see it as behavior designed to keep your love alive. That's important especially in times of cultural unrest when fearfulness is at high levels and many people succumb to their lower faculties in an attempt to cope with what feels overwhelming.

There are some verses from a Taize (Tay-zay) song shared in a commentary written by Mary Hinkle Shore that speak to the reality Jesus is attempting to manifest in his followers:

Nothing can trouble, nothing can frighten

Those that seek God shall never go wanting

Nothing can trouble, nothing can frighten

God alone fills us

In the verses that preceded our text Jesus is speaking to those who've been condemned on his account offering them encouragement. Now he's speaking to everyone who is willing to listen telling them to resist hatred and abuse with generous mercy and forgiveness.

Jesus is fully aware that responding to such negativity with positive actions is not the norm for society. The problem is when you respond with a like negativity it breeds more negativity which doesn't compliment the reign of God. Ms. Shore writes, “In the reign of God, what we do is a response to the God who alone fills us, the God who is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” In other words, we can't be Godlike of our own accord – it has to come from the God within us.

This ethic that Jesus is teaching is a form of resistance when we're tempted to respond in an eye for an eye manner. When we follow Jesus' teaching in the face of the world's violence, we're effectively saying that “I'm not your puppet or you're not the boss of me.” We're showing there is something else more profound and deeper that determines our behavior. In this way were resisting the evils that we deplore and often claim to be free of.

Jesus himself demonstrates his ethic of love in his own ministry when he prays for Peter (his “enemy” since he's under the influence of Satan) after he denies him three times, and when he forgives his executioners from the cross. In so doing he's showing what verse 36 of our text looks like: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

Above all else to be true disciples of Christ we must be merciful in the same way Jesus was when he walked on the earth. But its hard to be merciful when fear and anger take over human faculties. We have to find non-harmful ways to effectively release the fear which is often expressed in an angry manner. Once we've let go of the fear the empty place which is left can be filled with the mercy of God.

Last week I released my fear of the fragmentation occurring in our culture most pronounced in the withdrawal of foreign aid to assist people needing medical attention and in sustaining refugee camps. Sudan, for example, has a large refugee population of 3 million people of which we've been assisting since 2005. With the funding cut-off people will suffer because of inadequate medical attention and many people will simply die of starvation.

In a Facebook post I wrote about how the enduring religions of the world for centuries have been challenging people who attempt to consolidate power to control the world. I ended the post by saying the Holy Spirit will help us to resist such inflated egos whose appetite for power has no limits. All the while I was writing the post it felt wrong, but I didn't know why.

As you know when you submit something on Facebook people can respond with comments or simply reply with an emoji that indicates they like or love it. There are also emoji's that indicate sadness, anger or care. My friend Kevin from way back in my college days replied with a “care” emoji that took me by surprise. I expected a like or a love emoji but instead he sent a care emoji.

That one little symbol changed my entire trajectory and later that evening I put the post in the trash realizing it was fear-based. The next day I sent a Facebook message to Kevin thanking him for the care emoji and explained how it changed my trajectory aiming me toward love rather than fear. He replied referring to me as his “good friend” and that the withdrawal of American good will we've been practicing for years is too much for any of us to cope with. The final response he sent simply said, “Keep sharing the light Mitch!”

Though my post was essentially fear-based it did contain some true statements including that the enduring religions of the world have been resisting ego inflation with compassion and humility for centuries. In our text today Jesus not only forgave his executioners and prayed for his enemy but in the whole of the gospel he also embraced Pharisees and tax collectors alike. His ministry was inclusive in every sense of the word. Buddhism can also be considered an inclusive religion countering the forces in the world that attempt to exclude and divide.

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the following includes views he has about developing compassion:

Some of my friends have told me that, while love and compassion are marvelous and good, they are not really very relevant. Our world, they say, is not a place where such beliefs have much influence or power. They claim that anger and hatred are so much a part of human nature that humanity will always be dominated by them. I do not agree.

We humans have existed in our present form for about a hundred-thousand years. I believe that if during this time the human mind had been primarily controlled by anger and hatred, our overall population would have decreased. But today, despite all our wars, we find that the human population is greater than ever. This clearly indicates to me that love and compassion predominate in the world. And this is why unpleasant events are news, compassionate activities are so much part of daily life that they are taken for granted and, therefore, largely ignored.

Compassionate acts are largely ignored though not entirely as evidenced by the “America Strong” segment that comes at the end of the Nightly News. Yet, the news program itself is dominated by the more sensational negative events in the world like wars and plane crashes. But we have the option to counter this trend in our own daily lives.

The other night I got my journal out and recorded every compassionate or mildly kind event that occurred to me during the day. It was surprising how many good things happened to me which I was largely ignoring by being obsessive about personal problems. Included in what I recorded was the the Facebook interaction with Kevin and his acknowledgment of our long-standing friendship.

Sometimes you just have to intentionally sit down and bring into your conscious awareness all the good things happening in your life and the Dalai Lama is absolutely correct. It is compassion and goodness which predominately resides, but the ego is so good at obsessing on the negative that the positive often gets lost and fades into the background. With God's help that can be changed.

The most powerful way to reach the positive is to transcend within yourself to the goodness and compassion that resides within each of us. There is a place you can go and it has many names of which Christian's often choose the label “God,” and the psalms describe it as: “Light, space, zest – that's God!” (Psalm 27:1a; The Message Bible)

Another way to show compassion is to do it. Karen and I did so Thursday when we joined the celebration at the ferry terminal. As we were walking down to the terminal I was getting a bit nervous as I couldn't see any kind of a gathering. But as we came around the corner we were greeted by around 200 people standing along Railroad Avenue. Many people were wearing red and white in recognition of the colors of Canada, along with signs of welcome and hospitality.

The newspaper said that about half of the population of Canada is boycotting the United States because of recent governmental policies. In this regard, we welcomed each car that drove off the ferry as if they were heroes and they graciously received this hero's welcome with waves, smiles and horn honks.

The most rousing greeting came when one car passed by holding out a sweatshirt with a maple leaf on it the national symbol of Canada. I spoke with a few people and asked them if this was a typical gathering for this event and one lady said she thought it was larger because of the political climate. She also told me they expected about 80 cars to drive off and 40 people to walk off the ferry. The celebration ended on a positive note with genuine good feelings and the bagpipes playing loud and clear.

In contemporary language the opening of our text today sounds like this as Jesus says:

To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, gift wrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

This is what Jesus demonstrated on the cross for all of us disciples. He generously gave up his life so that we could be gifted with abundant life. The truth is that truth isn't just words and ideas it is loving your enemies and praying for those who would persecute you and finally giving up your pretend life for the real-life Jesus showed us.

All this is accomplished not by our willing it to happen but by the power of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

Rev. Mitch Becker

February 23, 2025

Port Angeles

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