Images Reflecting the theology of Individuals and Community

Mountain is calling reminds me of what it is like to be alone as an individual in the world. You are small. There is not much that it seems like you can do, or that you much matter. You realize the grace it is to be noticed at all, and if you were alone on your journey with Christ it would be difficult in an earthly sense, just like this single person who climbed this mountain probably found it more difficult to do alone than with someone else. The VW bus is a universally known symbol for journey, for togetherness, and for being a little zany. I see this as a metaphor for the church. You get in, and those you’re with are who you’re with for the ride. It can get cramped from an individual perspective, but there can also be great joy if everyone gives up their individual preferences for the good of the group. If you can focus on the end goal of a road trip, or of the mission of Jesus, then we should be able to have an awesome ride instead of one where we get annoyed with each other. The construction helmets picture from Pop and Zebra point me to the verses in 1 Peter 2:5 and Ephesians 2:20, where the church is described as a building. That’s what is beautiful about these construction helmets, is that we are all under construction as individuals, and as the body of Christ. We put on our construction hats to build up the church, and therefore the individuals who are a part of it. We are creating the temple of Christ that He desires us to be. References: Cozies Tone, Mountain is calling, photograph, https://unsplash.com/photos/IPcNOfiQJ5M Haidan Soendawy, VW bus, photograph. https://unsplash.com/photos/daDL1PBw1_c Pop & Zebra, Construction helmets, photograph. https://unsplash.com/photos/wp81DxKUd1E

The Fast and The Furious Teaches us about how Individuals need the Church.

How can the Fast and the Furious teach us about the relationship between an individual believer in Jesus Christ and any existing Christian community? (spoiler alert - turn back now if you haven’t seen the movies) In the original Fast and the Furious, we see an individual, a loner, in Brian. He drives his Mitsubishi Eclipse fast in parking lots and goes to sleep by himself in the back of a car parts store. However, he longs to be a part of a community that believes in the same thing that he does. He tunes his car by himself, has to foot the bill for any upgrades, and looks sullen doing it. When he see Dominic Torreto and his neighborhood band of car tuners, or racers, he sees something he wants to be a part of deep down. Ok, he is also interested in a girl, but this is a movie about cars and community more than romantic love. He makes his way in, by selflessly loving Dom, putting his own well-being at the bottom of the totem pole. He contributed to the car faith, to the life of Dom, and as a result became a part of their community. He raced cars together with them, tuned them up in their common shop where everyone pitched in, and when he found a new car to fix up, they helped pay for it in a major way. Individuals who come to Christ are few and far between, but they can be outside of regular community within the body of Christ. They can try to read scripture, pray, fast, experience the goodness of God, and have a disciplined and obedient faith, but like Brian, they’ll feel as though something is missing. Christian community is where individuals should be, experiencing those aspects of faith together, and then going even deeper in relationship with Jesus side-by-side. Individuals bundled up can keep one another accountable, celebrate together, serve together, administer the sacraments and experience the means of grace together. Over and over again the Fast and the Furious franchise reflects this truth over and over again, that deep down as humans we all desire community, family, and being on an adventure with others. That’s what those who know Christ need, a biblical community in which to continue the race towards eternity together. So be inspired that the world reflects the truth of God, and remember “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Let all believers not be isolated, but walk as Jesus would want us to, together.

Pexels, Paralympic Runner, photograph, Rio, Brazil. https://pixabay.com/photos/action-adult-paralympics-prosthetic-1867014/ QuinceMedia, Gold Gavel, photograph. https://pixabay.com/photos/gavel-auction-hammer-justice-legal-3577258/ Olleaugust, East Frisla Triangle, photograph. https://pixabay.com/photos/east-frisia-triangle-wide-landscape-2313442/ Paralympic Runner - Sanctification When I view this photo it reminds me of how God has me on this race that Paul talked about, and about how we should run to win. It points out to me how insufficient my own abilities are, because sometimes I feel like I have no legs to run on. Praise God that he provides us with what we need to continue on, to be a living sacrifice to him along the way. I am also convicted that although this man may not feel whole and able that he trains intensely with what he does have. His upper body is very cut and it is obvious that he trains. We should do the same as Christians, giving ourselves to Christ, broken as we are, with the hopes of one day being complete again at the end. Gold Gavel - Justification This might seem to be an obvious one, but the sound a gavel makes when it hits the table is final. The final word on the matter is justification, and when God says we are HIS, then that’s that. I cannot fathom God could be the type of Father who adopts us into his family and then would cast us aside. Perhaps we run away from his adoption, from his continued efforts to help us rejoin him and build closeness in the family of God, but whichever way this mystery works out (as there are scriptures which cause Christians to believe both sides of that argument) when God declares us innocent it is powerful, it is perfect, and it is a legal act full of finality (depending on how you view justification, initial or final, full of eternal security or not). East Frisla Triangle - Markers like in Sanctification, ordo salutis vs via salutis This photo and its marker on a hilltop stirs me to reminder of the many different stops and markers along my own faith journey, about the whole ordo / via salutis discussion, and about how messy Christian journeys can be. Markers may look different in the lives of believers, but there are undoubtably markers somewhere, pinpointing moments where these followers of Christ recognized a significance along their journey. In my own life some were praying to accept Christ at five, being baptized at eleven, being challenged at 14, grasping my sinful and selfish heart and the true nature of the gospel in my late teens, and all the milestones of growth and understanding that took place in my years as a vocational minister. This last year has been a marker in and of itself as well, as I struggled to be still in my valley of Cherith (see Elijah's story in 1 Kings 17:3)

Reflective / Responsive Prayer on Justification & Sanctification: Heavenly Father, as a united body we come to you by your grace. You are approachable in a way that man has never understood. When humanity creates false gods for themselves, the beings never come down to our place, to understand, experience, and listen like you explain that you do. You are unspeakably holy and powerful, but you desire for us, your little children, specks in the vastness of your universe, to come to you and have a conversation. We are here for this conversation now. Father, we stop now and we listen for you to remind us of your goodness. (observe 5 minutes of silent prayer and reflection). Christ Jesus, as your bride we experience you by your grace. We were slaves to sin, unable to cleanse ourselves of this pervasive and abrasive condition against you. You chose to do something that we could never do, by loosing your place in heaven and exchanging it to put on flesh similar to ours and feel the oppression of this world, of this toxic persuasion to our own self-will. You died to extinguish this hold on sin in the heart, so that we could walk with you, by hanging on a cross, defeating death, and rising again in three days. Now the Father sees those who accept this gift differently. Humanity who places their faith in you are justified, completely cleared of the offense that going our own way has produced. Justification is a gift from you, opening our hearts and eyes to obedience, making it possible that we could receive your Spirit and start to be renewed into what you always wanted us to be, divine image-bearers of yourself. Jesus, we respond to this gift with thanksgiving and reflection. May we use this time to praise you and thank you for your gracious justification. (observe 5 minutes of silent prayer and reflection) Holy Spirit, you dwell in us, your holy temple, because of your grace. You are our helper, and you give us strength to continue enduring in the faith, in our spiritual journey. This journey towards glorification someday with you, is known as sanctification, and it looks different for all of us. There is an infinite amount we can learn from you and be transformed into your image in. Perhaps our relationships with family, our generosity, or the way we speak with you need to be changed. No matter what we know this, that none of us is without sin, without flesh. Justification wins the victory, but sanctification is the reality of the game until the final clock sounds. We know we win because of you, because you, Holy Spirit are our seal and promise of eternity. Yet we need to play the game to the best of our ability, in love, and not just because it is what you want for us. It is because our sanctification comes with the same sort of promise that one of your ten commandments gave. You tell us to honor our father and mother so it will go well with us, and sanctification offers us a joy and happiness in obedience that we can trust in and take to the bank. Spirit, we consider the journey you’ve been walking with us on, past, present, and what you might do in the future. We seek the clarity and vision to see how you’ve been changing us into your image. (observe 5 more minutes of prayer) Triune God, we thank you for this period of time with you, that you’ve been here the whole time, and that you are always with us, ready to talk. Your salvation is magnificent. Your love is transformational. Your gifts are incomparable. We thank you and ask that as we have reflected upon wha you’ve done, that it would change our hearts. Speed the day when we get to see you face to face, and give us the strength to responsibly walk with you all of our days on this earth. And all the people said… (congregational response) Amen.

Rain Reflections: Thoughts on our nature and God's grace

Ever sat in the rain and let the beauty and mystery that it represents soak into your heart and mind? Try it sometime, reflect and let what you’re learning about God be seen in His creation. Our God’s character is imprinted in every part of our world, fallen though it is. This morning, as I sat on my front step, droplets splashing up on my feet, I couldn’t help but think about the relationship between the nature of our world, and its need for rain. If you think about it, everything in our world is headed towards death. It is a world that consumes, a world of selfishness. You go without rain for a time and everything starts to look and feel desperate. The grass yellows, the ground cracks, the creeks and rivers start to look pathetic and thirsty, and people who live in an area without rain start to reflect the desperation of the world around them. As a farmer’s son, I have seen the depression and frustration, the despair of being able to do nothing to change the outlook of a crop’s fruitfulness. Rain, then, is a grace upon this world, a life-giving and sustaining force. Man tries to capture the ability to bring life, by bottling up this grace when it comes inside water towers, to draw it from wells, springs, and in our area, deep underground aquifers. However, we never produce it. Rain is bestowed on our world by God, and it brings a deeper relief that you can see on the surface. It does more than what can be seen on the surface, more than quenching thirst, washing clean, changing landscapes, softening the earth. It allows growth, it helps the world re-engage with its purposes, with producing fruit, and it brings a relief that is palpable. The smell of the world after a rain is stuck deep within us all as a refreshing scent. The feel of the air is new. Even the people affected take on a new posture and outlook during and after a good rain. It slows us down, makes us give thanks, and even makes us sleep better. Our world, and our humanity is broken. We are constantly consuming, headed towards an end where we are used up. Man cannot bring life, no matter how hard we try. The life-span cap that God gave in Genesis hasn’t been broken, and it never will be no matter how hard the medical community works. We, like our world are fundamentally unable to change our predicament. Helpless, broken, and headed towards death. God’s grace on the other hand, is like rain upon the earth. It isn’t produced by our actions. It is from a source uncontrollable, and it falls upon all of us, whether we are good, bad, or ugly. Its power is unfathomable, as unknowable as if one were to try to count the drops of rain that make up a shower. Able to move landscapes, change cultures, bring relief. God’s grace through Jesus Christ does that. However, God’s grace, in all of its bounty, is more powerful than rain could ever hope to be. To make rain, a wonderful grace that powerfully changes our world, God simply created the world and its systems. Every time it rains throughout the world, God doesn’t have to sit down and have a planning meeting, expend resources, and go into action. He spoke it into existence and the grace keeps coming. Sending Jesus on the other hand took His implicit action, a willing and costly sacrifice, something that He did not want to give up. However, God saw us as worth the cost, attributed worth to us as a gift, not because of anything we did, and sent a grace incomparable to us through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of His only begotten Son. What grass puts up an umbrella? What creek lays sandbags to prevent itself from being filled? What sort of foolishness would it be for us to deny the grace of God in our lives in order to embrace the onset of our death and demise? Somehow, because of sin, we are willing to shut out God’s grace far too often, instead choosing our own ways, which are never life-giving or fulfilling. Our nature is depraved, and in need of God’s pervasive, powerful, unrelenting grace. What a blessing the rain is, and how much more is the blessing of God’s grace upon our world, and upon us? Today, let’s have open eyes and hearts to God’s grace, and live in a posture of thankfulness just as farmers do after a hearty rainfall upon their crops. God’s grace is better than rain.