September 27, 2020
Empty! This is a word that resonates with many of us in 2020; we’ve all felt empty at some point in the past six months. Pastor Rob reflects on the times in life when Jesus is empty, exploring both Philippians 2 and Matthew 4. Turns out that being empty may not be the worst thing; in fact, being empty allows God to fill us up with love, hope and faith.
Sunday, September 20, 2020
“It’s not fair!” These are words we learn quickly as children; “It’s not fair” is also the grumbling of many in the Scripture passages today (Jonah 4 and Matthew 20:1-16); “It’s not fair” is also something that many said about the events of this past week in Lancaster — a tragic succession of events that shook the community.
So, what is fair? How might God’s justice differ from our own? Pastor Rob looks at the story of Jonah, arguing that God’s justice is not focused on retribution and reward, but on reconciliation and renewal. Justice is served when all has been made right. The work of the cross is bringing about this kind of justice; the work of prayer is figuring out how we can live in a world that still needs retribution and reward, yet always hoping for God’s justice of reconciliationSunday, September 13
Forgiving people is hard work! As Pastor Rob reflects on the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), he unpacks some of the particular challenges in forgiving people.
Why do we forgive people then? First, as Jesus reminds us, NOT forgiving people is even harder!
Second, we’ve been claimed by God and grafted into the family of God…and this family has a particular business, namely, forgiveness. Fortunately, Jesus challenge to invite people 77 times isn’t a sales quota for forgiveness, but an invitation to turn to him for the strength, wisdom and compassion to forgive others.
Sunday, September 6
Pardon the Interruption, a popular ESPN show, typifies what we strive for in communication: Quick, witty and loud!! This kind of communication isn’t limited to sports talk, but permeates everything in our culture, from social media to marriage. We end up talking at and even past each other.
It turns out that communicating where we try to score points isn’t going to work in real relationships and real community. (Or as it turns out, in social media and in politics either!) Jesus presents a different way of communicating, one that opens the path to reconciliation. We realize that in this kind of communication, there is an audience, not an audience of people from whom we need approval, but an audience with our savior, who is working a ministry of reconciliation.
Sunday, August 30
The problems of the world are so upsetting, so complex and so much out of my control — what can I do? When I hear Jesus say to “Pick up your cross” I feel a bit like all I can do is grasp at straws, unable to accomplish anything.
Jesus today tells us to pick up our cross, not THE cross. It is his job to save the world; our task is following him. While we may feel little agency when it comes to national issues, there are plenty of neighborly issues, here and now, where we are needed.
But alas, how do we know if we have done enough? Pastor Rob reflects on the remainder of Jesus words: “deny yourself and follow me” to challenge us to consider whether we are truly picking up our cross.
