From the Pastor’s Desk April 3, 2022 Not a Tame Lion As Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem (on the day we call Palm Sunday), the crowd cheered wildly in the hope that he would overthrow their Roman oppressors and rule like David, a warrior king. They shouted: “Hosanna, save us now, son of David!” Jesus rode into Jerusalem, not on a war horse like a conquering king, but on a donkey in fulfillment of an ancient prophecy (Zechariah 9:9). By this visual message, Jesus was communicating two things: Yes, I am God’s only chosen King; but I am not the kind of king you want or expect. Five days later, an enraged mob screamed for Jesus' execution. Since the whole city was stirred when he entered the city, there was surely some overlap in the two crowds. Some who were waving palm branches earlier, now shouted, “Let him be crucified!” In the book of Revelation, the apostle John, who witnessed, first-hand, the crowds in both scenes, is told to look for a triumphant Lion, but there in the midst of the throne is a Lamb (Revelation 5:5-6). The cheering multitude wanted a lion as king. The mob at the trial demanded a lamb. Neither crowd could grasp this meld of divergent realities in Jesus. This terrible inconsistency in not a first century response. Certainly not a Jewish response. This is a human response, all too often our response. We want Jesus to do what we want: to fulfill our desires, our hopes, our dreams. Jesus is a King like no other. In the memorable phrase of C. S. Lewis, he is not tame. His plans and purposes are different from ours. Sometimes he confounds us, yet we persist in demanding what we want. Indeed, we can cry out like the cheering crowd, “Jesus, save us now!” We can appeal to Jesus for what we think is right and good and best. Jesus does meet our earthly needs. He does forgive our sins. He does rescue us from temptation. He does deliver us from evil. We may wrestle with God in agony and unfiltered honesty. But when our expectations are unmet, as they will be at times, we want to get to the place of trusting Jesus, no matter what. As Jesus taught us, we pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done . . .” Jesus is God’s only chosen King, both Lion and Lamb. He is not tame; he does not always do what we want or expect, but he is always good—and we can trust him, always. Pastor Warren

Sunday, March 27, 2022 From the Pastor’s Desk Money, Sex, and Power In this Lenten season, consider three recurring areas of temptation. Richard Foster has named them in a book of the same title: money, sex, and power. These pitfalls are real. Anyone is susceptible, but there are safeguards to keep from falling into sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). A safeguard against the misuse of money is the practice of living simply. To this end, it is good to develop a spending plan, clear up debt, and practice resourcefulness—with the aim to live below one’s means. When Christ-followers study the biblical teachings about money and put them into practice, they discover a lifestyle marked by simplicity that frees them to love boldly, give generously, and serve joyfully (Matthew 6:19-34). In a culture sated with sexuality, amid technology that offers instant access, Christ-followers must be vigilant to maintain purity. Good intentions are not enough. Firm resolve evaporates quickly. The best protection is to adopt a risk-adverse lifestyle before the onslaught of temptation. This may include spiritual disciplines, nurturing healthy relationships, and transparency with an accountability partner (Matthew 5:27-30). The lure of power is pernicious and often unrecognized. In some church and workplace cultures the display of authority is discouraged. Still, leaders have considerable influence. This is not wrong, but it requires watchfulness. The proper use of power, as ordained by God, is to bless and serve. Anyone entrusted with authority must ceaselessly set aside the perks of this privilege and concentrate, instead, on humble service (Luke 22:24-27). Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13). Pastor Warren

Sunday, March 20, 2022 From the Pastor’s Desk Witness in the Workplace How can we share the good news about Jesus in our workplace? First of all, we listen. We are attentive to words. We pay attention to mood, appearance, and actions. We look for cues that indicate joy, hope, anxiety, fear, or anger. We prompt people to tell their stories. In whatever ways we can, we get to know people. We are actively helpful. In our work we strive for excellence, knowing that good work is a testimony of God’s grace. Over and above this, we endeavor to help customers and coworkers with “extra” measures of helpfulness, serving them in every way possible. At times, we bear with people. Whether with annoying quirks, demeaning criticism, or hurtful impositions, our character will be tested in the workplace. When we respond with patience and forbearance, our witness becomes believable. By these practices, we open the way to share the word of God. We may offer a word of comfort. We may encourage a good endeavor. We may affirm things that are good and true. We may share some of our own story. Over time, we share the story of Jesus. When we engage people in these ways, we scatter the seed of the gospel (Mark 4:3-8,14). The seed will be watered by other Christ-followers (1 Corinthians 3:6). And God will make the seed of our witness in good soil germinate, grow, and produce fruit that leads to eternal life. That is the joy of sharing good news at work.  Pastor Warren

Sunday, March 13, 2022 From the Pastor’s Desk Enough Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity, advocated “enough” as a biblical standard of living. The formative revelation for living with enough is God’s provision of manna, with the instruction: “The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day" (Exodus 16:4). Proverbs picks up the theme in a prayer: “give me only my daily bread" (30:8 ESV). Jesus includes this phrase in a prayer for disciples: “Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). When Jesus sends out disciples to preach, his instructions are radically minimalist: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts" (Mark 6:8). We can dare such things because our Heavenly Father meets our needs. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). With needs met, we can live generously. “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:6-15). We can be content with full confidence in God. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:10-20; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; Hebrews 13:5-6). Taking God at his (sure and recurring) word, we can intentionally live simply — free to love boldly, give generously, and serve joyfully. Pastor Warren

From the Pastor’s Desk March 3, 2022 One tenth Jesus talked a lot about money because he wanted to change hearts. “For where your treasure is,” he said, “there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Jesus expected his disciples to give much—in fact, to give everything (Matthew 12:41-44; 19:16-22, 27-29). As a place to start, a tithe is helpful. A tithe (literally, one tenth) acknowledges that all of our money comes from God (Deuteronomy 26:10). We can say this in words, of course; but by the action of giving 10% of our earnings to God, we declare that we mean what we say. The Old Testament practice was to bring tithes to the temple (Deuteronomy 26:2). For us, the equivalent would be to give our whole tithe to our home church. Some people spread their tithe, a little here and a little there, with some to their home church. However, if God gives us the privilege of managing 90% of the money entrusted to us, should we also insist on directing the 10% we specially give for God? Some people withhold (or designate) their tithe as a way of “voting” for or against someone or something in the church. Our tithe is simply and solely to be a declaration to God: “Everything I have belongs to you.” We want our hearts to be fully devoted to God. So, we place our treasure, beginning with a tithe, in God’s hands. Then we find ways to give more, even to give everything. Pastor Warren

Sunday, February 27, 2022 From the Pastor’s Desk Clean up Your Mess As our daughters were growing up, we had a standing rule before mealtimes: clean up your mess. We expected our daughters to take responsibility to clean up the “messes” created by their activities. This is also a good rule for the church. Messes in the church are normal and generally good (Acts 6:1-7; 15:1-21, 36-41). Different viewpoints and contending ideas are “grist” for vigorous exchanges that culminate in good direction and action plans. However, some messes will degenerate into hurtful speech and difficult behaviors. All of us are marred by sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)—and destructive messes inevitably ensue. A church that is actively reclaiming “those who are sick” (Mark 2:17) may have a higher proportion of difficult people and, for this (good) reason, even greater potential for debilitating messes. In a smaller church, because everyone knows everyone else, any mess (small or large) is like a rock thrown into a pond. The ripples wash over everyone and the whole church is disturbed. A good summary of a biblical and balanced approach to cleaning up messes has been articulated by the Mennonite Church USA, a faith community with a longstanding commitment to pursuing peace. The document, Agreeing and Disagreeing in Love (also available in Spanish), is a valuable resource for responsible and considerate ways to deal with difficult behavior. But the first step is a decision not to sidestep or delay action. Clean up your mess! Pastor Warren

Sunday, February 20, 2022 From the Pastor’s Desk Jesus, on Prayer Have you ever wondered what prompted Jesus’ already devout disciples to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray?” The disciples observed that Jesus would go out to lonely places, sometimes all night, to pray. Invariably when Jesus ate, they saw that he prayed, thanking God for the food. They knew that Jesus prayed when he was grateful. He prayed for children. He prayed when he was distressed, as in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prayed when he was concerned for someone, as when he interceded for Peter that his faith might not fail. Listening to Jesus, the disciples heard prayers of all kinds: long, short, formal (as at the last supper), and intense. The disciples were at his side, gaping at a withered fig tree, when Jesus made an extraordinary claim about prayer—“Whatever you ask you will receive!” In his teaching, Jesus qualified this in two ways, first, by insisting that prayers be in his name (that is, in accord with his character and mission) and, second, that they be “in faith.” Yet even a man who said, “I believe, help my unbelief,” evidently had enough faith, because his son was healed. Jesus taught that prayers should not be ostentatious, should be prayed in a spirit of forgiveness and unworthiness, should be persistent but not verbose, should encompass those who mistreat us, even enemies, and should be prayed in confidence of God’s love and concern. By word and example, Jesus commended prayer like this to his disciples—and to us.  Pastor Warren

Sunday, February 13, 2022 From the Pastor’s Desk High Privilege My daily devotional journey began with the Moravian Daily Texts . Probably the most widely-read devotional guide in the world, there are scripture readings, hymn stanzas, two verses, and a prayer for each day. Bible readings move through the psalms in a year and the rest of the Bible in two years. With the Daily Texts, my devotional time is firmly established in God’s Word (Hebrews 4:12). I also read from A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer . These daily meditations are drawn from Bonhoeffer’s letters, books, and sermons. Through two millennia, mature believers have applied biblical truth in their context with wisdom that resonates in every age (1 Corinthians 2:6-16). Like other Christian devotional classics, Bonhoeffer’s insights challenge me to a deeper walk with Christ. Recently, I have added a third book, Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day . Written by a pastor who emerged through the rock band scene to become a Christ-follower and church planter, Friar Tuck offers a daily “gospel riff” in a compact, straight-talking, and hard-hitting devotional. Every day Friar Tuck relentlessly presses me to decide for Christ (Joshua 24:15). With these devotional readings, I start each day with the bedrock of Scripture, the wisdom of the ages, and a call to decision—a practice that, more often than not, draws me into the presence and counsel of Jesus (Deuteronomy 4:7; Jeremiah 23:18,22; Revelation 3:20). In your devotional patterns, as they develop, you share in this high privilege. Pastor Warren

From the Pastor’s Desk Friends In the Old Testament, God spoke to exceptional individuals, like Moses, “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11; Psalm 27:8; James 2:23). Now this closeness is open to all Christ-followers. “I no longer call you servants,” Jesus says. “Instead, I have called you friends . . .” (John 15:15-16). There is no formula for friendship with Jesus. Yet there are ways to deeper communion, akin to conversation between close friends (Revelation 3:20). To “talk” with Jesus, we renew our mind with his Word (John 15:7-11; Romans 12:2). We interact with mature believers, directly and in books, especially classics, and songs (Ephesians 5:19). We take steps of faith and obedience (John 15:14; James 1:22-25). We pray (Philippians 4:6). And Jesus answers, commonly by action, counsel from a friend, a passage from Scripture, insight from a book or song, or by something we observe in nature (Jeremiah 1:11-12). This communication is both objective, always in accord with the Bible, and subjective—with a distinctive “feel” that is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Often, Jesus will communicate in multiple ways, confirming an initial sense of what we have heard, so that we can proceed in faith (James 1:6-8). Even with digital communication, face-to-face conversation between friends is still best. And intimate conversation with Jesus, best of all.  Pastor Warren