Author: Communications

from our Lay Leader

Last Thursday, NASA’s Mars 2020 mission team safely landed the rover “Perseverance” on the surface of Mars and within a minute transmitted its first picture of the Martian landscape. I watched NASA‘s TV coverage transfixed as the “socially distanced” team members sat at their mission control stations anxiously awaiting the status of each milestone event until finally the big one came: “touchdown confirmed.” As the team jumped up from their seats and punched the air above their heads and shouted, I raised my hands and clapped and wept, my facial muscles contorting my face uncontrollably. I was surprised at the strong emotional response I felt.

What was the cause of my emotional response? A few days before the landing, I had watched an interview with the manager of the mission’s entry, descent, and landing team, who had served that role on four previous Mars missions. He said when the mission team celebrates at the moment of a successful landing, the emotion they feel is not happiness – it is relief. It is the release of the anxiety of whether the landing will be successful, which has been building up incrementally over time and crests in the second of time before the signal that the spacecraft has safely landed. Those team members have worked on the mission for many years, some more than 10. Their lives have revolved around the planning, designing, testing, and building of the spacecraft and preparing for the execution of the mission. Their ultimate goal is to have the purpose of the mission fulfilled – the exploration of another planet. But the success of the mission is also the affirmation and culmination of all their work over those years – thousands of hours for each person – in creating from nothing something. Something meaningful to themselves, to their souls, and to all of mankind, and nevertheless accepting that everyone on the mission team is fallible, that every one of us of the species, Homo sapiens, makes mistakes. And when everyone’s efforts are wrapped up together, they suffer collectively in their anxiety and celebrate together in success.

Since mankind began sending spacecraft to Mars in the 1960s, about 50% of the missions have been successful. Each person who was part of this Mars 2020 mission team accepted this prospect when they began working on this mission, the prospect that all of their effort – all of their hard work, many nights of sleep deprivation, angst over critical decisions, and nagging worries whether they overlooked something critical to mission success – would result in about a 50-50 chance of achieving the intended purpose. A huge investment by each person and the chance of failure equal to that of success. All of that pent-up anxiety over the years, all of it was released in that one moment: “Touchdown confirmed.”

My own emotion was driven from several acting forces: relief and compassion for the mission team members, gratitude for God‘s answer to my prayer asking that the spacecraft land safely, joy at the prospect of future exploration and discoveries on Mars in the coming weeks, months, and years, and fulfillment of my more expansive desire for mankind to explore the universe, a passion that I have had since childhood.

The universe is an amazing, awe-inspiring creation. The universe is Reality; it is the manifestation of God‘s creativity. Exploring it and learning more about it – our own planet, our neighboring planets, comets, asteroids, stars, galaxies – is immensely satisfying. In exploring and discovering and learning about the universe, we are coming to better know God, ourselves, and our place in the universe. He has given us this desire to know Him, to know Him through His creation, to know His purpose for us.

As David tells us in Psalm 139:14, we are wonderfully made and God’s works are wonderful. God has given us the ability to go beyond ourselves, to go beyond our own cradle of humanity, and to explore distant planets as well as our inner selves, and to experience the God who made us and who made the universe. And the journey is worth every bit of our investment, because God rewards us as we seek Him and He releases every bit of anxiety that we hold, assuring us of success in our continual pursuit of Him.

from our Lay Leader

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.“ 1 Corinthians 13:13

Have you ever noticed that the Lord’s Prayer does not mention “love”? Isn’t it also odd that the Apostles’ Creed does not speak about love? These are the two liturgies that we recite weekly in worship, yet neither of them explicitly remind us that our faith is all about love. Perhaps that reflects why most of us consider “faith” to be more about what we believe than about who we are or what we do.

Jesus was very clear that love is the most important thing when he answered the question about which commandment was the most important. In short, he said to love God and love your neighbor (Mark 12:28-31). So when Jesus was asked by the apostles to teach them how to pray, we know that the prayer he taught them, what we call the Lord’s Prayer, is based on love of God and love of neighbor, even though the word “love” is missing. How would it affect us if we said the Lord’s Prayer with its “love” content more explicit? Here is an example of what I mean:

“Our Father, who created all things in love, we love you. We love all of who you are and we desire that our lives and our world reflect that love. Fill us this day with your overflowing love. As you forgive us in love, help us to forgive others in love. May your love for us and our love for you keep us from yielding to temptation. Protect us from anything that is not loving. For your way is love, your power is love, and your legacy is love. Amen.”

I’m not suggesting we abandon or change the Lord’s Prayer, but I am suggesting that we remind ourselves regularly that our faith is all about living each day with God’s love emanating from us.

Genesis 50:15-21: When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, what if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him? So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left his instructions before he died: “This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly. Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. But Joseph said to them,“Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Joesph saved his family. He gave his people the chance to become a great nation. We each have the opportunity to save our people, to enable our future generations to fulfill their destiny. We cannot envision how our own puny life might save a generation of people or enable them to achieve some prosperous outcome, but neither could Joseph when he was in the pit his brothers had thrown him in or when he sat imprisoned on false charges of seducing Potiphar’s wife. Life can look pretty bleak at times with no hope for our own future, let alone our future progeny.

Yet Jesus told his disciples to pray for a future when God’s will would be done on earth, just like it is in heaven. He was telling us that God’s plan is for his people, all humans, to bring about a world that emulates heaven, with His help. That is why Jesus told us to pray for God to forgive us when we mess up, to ask God to guide us and protect us. We are created to fulfill God’s destiny of creating heaven on earth. We don’t have a passive role, just waiting for Christ’s return, just waiting to be swept from this sin-ridden world into the peaceful bliss of heaven. No, we were created as God’s agents, his stewards and caretakers of this world, to make it into paradise, God’s garden spot where He can walk with us and take pleasure in our company. He made us to be co-creators with him.

But we are not being very good followers. We are destroying the earth in our unbridled greed and killing one another because we are competing for resources under the belief that God limited our resources at the same time he gave us insatiable appetite and ambition. There is evil in the world; Jesus told us to pray to God to be delivered from it. But Jesus clearly tells us we are to live lives of abundance, not scarcity; he tells us that God’s victory over evil is assured. Jesus invites us to have complete and peaceful lives by following his example, not troubled lives cut off or cut short by violent conflict or starvation.

We must see the story we were created to live out. If we believe we were meant to fight and kill each other in order to satisfy our appetite for always more, more, more, we will continue to live a dog-eat-dog existence, seeing our neighbor not as a brother or sister to be loved, but as a competitor, an enemy to kept out, oppressed, or killed. God created us to love one another, to be co-creators with Him, to live as one body, loving and sharing our gifts to achieve a peaceful, abundant, prosperous world. If we can’t imagine that world, we will not work for it. We will go on believing that life is, and was always meant to be, a downward progression toward “last man standing”.

The church is the Bride of Christ, meant to be the model for living together in harmony, caring for everyone as brother and sister, loving each other as God loves us. If you can’t believe this story, if you can’t live for this purpose, God’s purpose, then you aren’t creating the future that God created you to create. Instead of serving God’s purpose, you are working against Him. The more of us that see this story and share this story with others, the more of us that will work together in love, living in abundance, serving God and achieving His vision of heaven on earth. Catch that vision, see it, and live your life in that story.

With peace and healing,

Doug

From our Lay Leader

In his sermon on August 2nd, Pastor Dan told us that when our lives are challenged and we most want to be in control, we must accept that “God is enough.” If we take this to heart, it means that we need nothing else on our spiritual journey. In fact, what we do bring along on our spiritual search is just needless baggage. As Meister Eckhart, the 14th century German mystic, said, “The spiritual life is more about subtraction than it is addition.”

James Finley, a Trappist monk, says this in a different way: “We are freed from the prison of our own illusions when we realize that everything is a gift” (my paraphrase). 

If we accept that God is enough for us, we are freed from ourselves: from our own goals, our own aspirations and ambitions, our own meaning and purpose, our own sinful desires. That’s really what spirituality is all about: finding inner freedom.

Father Richard Rohr teaches that “Freedom comes from letting go.”

• Letting go of myself as the reference point for everything.
• Letting go of my need to place my own thoughts and feelings in the center of every conversation or difficulty.
• Letting go of my need to control and manipulate every situation, God, and others.
• Letting go of my cultural biases.
• Letting go of my fear of loss and death.
• Letting go of wanting more and better things.
• Letting go of my need to know.
• Letting go of my need to be right.
• Letting go of my need for power and control.
• Letting go of my need for safety and security.
• Letting go of my need for affection and esteem.

(Adapted from Richard Rohr, Center for Action and Contemplation, Daily Meditations, June 14, 2020)

Perhaps this sheds some light on what Jesus meant when he said, “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” It is in emptying ourselves, letting go of everything, that we find the freedom we are looking for.

The Jesuit priest, Walter Ciszek, who spent five years in a Moscow prison and then fifteen years of hard labor in Siberian prison camps, understood this and put it into practice. He said, “The fullest freedom I had ever known, the greatest sense of security, came from abandoning my will to do only the will of God. The simple soul who each day makes a morning offering of “all the prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day”—and who then acts upon it by accepting unquestioningly and responding lovingly to all the situations of the day as truly sent by God—has perceived with an almost childlike faith the profound truth about the will of God. God’s will for us is clearly revealed in every situation of every day, if only we could learn to view all things as God sees them.” 

He goes on: “The challenge lies in learning to accept this truth and act upon it, every moment of every day. The trouble is that like all great truths, it seems too simple. It is there before our noses all the time, while we look elsewhere for more subtle answers. It bears the hallmark of all divine truths, simplicity, and yet it is precisely because it seems so simple that we are prone to overlook it or ignore it in our daily lives.” Walter J. Ciszek with Daniel L. Flaherty, He Leadeth Me (1973).

Make a simple offering to God each day, giving your prayers, works, joys and sufferings to Him, and then believe: “God is enough!”

I keep trying to distill the Christian religion to its most basic essence, to the simplest understanding, so I am prepared to share the reason for the hope that I have (1 Peter 3:15).  Here’s where I stand: 

God created all human beings to love Him and to love each other (Matthew 22:37-39). He gave us the freedom to live as we want, which is the only possible way to love. So that we would not choose to follow bad examples, He made His divine self human, being born as the person named Jesus. Jesus showed us how to love, how to live the way God designed us to live, and He calls all of us to follow his example (John 14:6).

Jesus not only taught, but also demonstrated the way for us all to live. This is what Jesus said, in today’s language: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering, embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.” (Luke 9:23, The Message).

So, to decide to live this way, you only need to believe:

1. God exists.
2. God made me to love him and all he created.
3. God sent Jesus to show me how to love.
4. If I love as Jesus loves, I will find my true self, the person God created me to be.

By reading the first four books of the New Testament, written by four of his followers— Matthew, Mark, Luke and John— you can discover for yourself what Jesus said and did to show us the way to live. If you don’t want to read all that, just read Chapters 5, 6, and 7 from Matthew’s book—it’s only about 3 pages. He taught some pretty radical ways to live, much of it at odds with the way most people live.

At the end of chapter 7, Jesus says, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” In essence, Jesus is saying, “Live your life as I have told you, and you will be secure, even through the hardest times of life.”

Live like you believe Him.

Doug
St. Mark Lay Leader

 

As the pandemic has worn on and its impact on my life seems to grow daily, my feelings of insecurity have lead to anxiety about what to think or do. But like a lot of people, I’ve been spending more time outdoors, walking around my neighborhood where I’ve found a new appreciation for the many old, majestic, live oak trees. As I have contemplated these stately trees, I’ve thought about their nature, their way of being. They are silent, strong, breathing, life-giving. They host many other plants, like resurrection fern, which curls up and looks dead until the next rain when they emerge green and resilient, alive, back from the dead. These trees and ferns inspire me; they give me hope for the future. They remind me that living things endure, they persevere through the droughts and storms and constantly changing conditions in the world. There is untold strength in these silent, majestic living beings. They remind me that my life is not about me. As Paul said, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God. He is your life.” So each day as I gaze up into the fern-covered branches of these ancient live oaks, I experience calmness, God’s love, and hope in the future.

Peace and calm,

Doug

Written by our Lay Leader, Doug

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) 

In this time of uncertainty, we need to remember who is in charge. Psalm 46:10 reminds us. In a time of chaos, loss of security, and not knowing what is going to happen next, we need to be still and know that God is in charge. 

Have you ever walked into a chaotic room or situation where hysteria or mass mania reigned, where people were overwhelmed with fear or excess emotions, screaming or crying or flailing about? Think of an accident scene, a school classroom with no adult present, or a mob scene. What is your first reaction? You ask someone, “Who is in charge here?” Your intent is to find someone who is responsible for or able to take control of the situation. In Psalm 46:10, God tells the world, “Look no further. I am a God.” 

This verse is one that we often think of as a pious act, one of worshipping God in solitude, bowing in humble adoration, and offering Him our praise. But this verse is a very practical instruction to quell the anxiety or fear that can creep into your heart and paralyze your mind and shake the core of your body. I cannot think of a better verse to turn to and obey every time that we begin to get anxious about the spread of the Coronavirus, the health of our loved ones and ourselves, and the impact of the health care crisis and necessary preventative measures on our jobs, our finances, our lives, and our society.  

“Be still and know that God is in charge.” This verse is a distillation of the whole Lord’s Prayer. Take a moment to recite the Lord’s Prayer— every line is a direct acknowledgment that God is our Sovereign, that He is the One in Charge. We need to remember that God is in control and that He uses all circumstances, including those that are painful and appear bad to us, for good. Scripture tells us this clearly: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). 

Being still is something that has largely been lost in our modern world. It is common for us to be overactive, over-reactive, and hyperactive in almost every element of life—to the point that hyperactivity (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder of children. Our societal response to this increasingly common disorder is the use of prescription drugs to control hyperactivity and anxiety. In contrast, this divine instruction (to teach and practice being still on a daily basis) may be the least-prescribed and the most-needed remedy for this disorder. In fact, this verse is the basis for contemplative prayer (including Centering Prayer), which is an ancient Christian tradition that is experiencing a world-wide revival. I believe this crisis will only fuel this movement further. 

This crisis is awakening us to our everlasting need for God, reminding us of our dependence on Him, just like the Israelites during the reign of Solomon. As God told Solomon (2 Chronicles 7:14): “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and come and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  

In my spirit, I feel God urging us—collectively, not individually— to hear this: “You are not in control. Come back to me. Kneel before me. Go into your inner self. Be still. Know that I am in charge. I am God Almighty. I made all things. I made you for My purpose. I love you and will take care of you.  Give yourself to me. Do not worry. For I am in control.” 

Written by our Lay Leader, Doug

“And he [Jesus] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.”
2 Corinthians 5:15-16

Many of us believers have come to understand Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross as a transaction that assures us of eternal life, an action taken by God on our behalf that allows us the comfort of knowing we will be okay forever, that we have nothing to worry about when we get to the end of our earthly life. But according to verse 16, Christ’s death has greater purpose, a purpose that drives how we live our lives here and now while we are on this earth. This verse does not say, “So from now on we have the assurance of eternal life and no longer have to worry about our salvation.” No, verse 16 tells us that Jesus’ death should prompt us to live our lives differently, regarding every person as your brother or sister in Christ. Jesus died so that we would change the intent of our life (which is what repent means), and instead of living for ourselves, we would live our lives for the sake of others.

Reflect on Jesus’ first instruction to the people: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). In my opinion, he didn’t mean that the judgment is near so you better get your act together, so you are assured of getting into heaven and enjoying eternity with God. (Believers might think after 2,000 years of being “near” that surely they still have a little more time!) I think he was saying that the kingdom of heaven is here, close by, right now—and you will see it if you live your life for the sake of your neighbor, if you change your perspective and look not to your own interests but to the interests of others. Your attitude, your attention in this life, should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, which is the intent and commitment to give your all for the sake of your fellow man/woman (see Philippians 2:4-8).

Instead of giving us comfort that we have it made, these verses should continually compel us to act now, to follow Jesus’s example in loving others with the same compassion he showed. Rather than sitting back and thinking “I’m good; I got mine,” we should always be looking out and caring for our neighbor, driven by the same love than Christ has for us.