got faith?

Every now and then I get folks who come to me and say something like this.  “Preacher, I wish I had more faith.”  It’s a great desire isn’t it… the desire for more faith?  What if we all had a little more faith?  Couldn’t we do so much more?  Wouldn’t we be so much closer to the Lord?  Who couldn’t use a little more faith?

 

All right, I’ll let you in on a little secret… one that I’m still learning… faith doesn’t just happen.  God doesn’t just swish his magic wand and ‘poof’ we’ve got it.  He doesn’t just FedEx more of it down from Heaven and deliver it to our doorstep.  Faith doesn’t come about by accident and nobody gets it without wanting it.  No.  The Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God.  That’s what Paul tells the Christians at Rome in Romans 10:17.  He tells them that if they want salvation, they must believe.  In other words, they must have faith.  And that faith doesn’t just come from thin air… it comes as one hears the Word of God.

 

So, the next time somebody says to me, “Preacher, I just need a little more faith” I am going to ask them how much time they are spending in God’s Word.  I have been trying to spend more time in the Bible this year as we have been reading it from “Cover to Cover” and so far I can tell you that it works!  I still don’t feel that I am where I ought to be in my spiritual growth and I sure don’t have the faith that I should have… but the daily exercise of spending more time in God’s Word has certainly caused me to grow.  Seeing the narrative of God’s story play out from creation and the fall of man to His seeking reconciliation through the covenant and the law has challenged me.  I’ve seen things in the story that I’ve never seen before and I’ve been challenged by things that have not caught me in the same way before.  My faith has been stretched, challenged and strengthened through it all.

 

What about you?  Have you taken up our challenge to read the Bible thru this year?  If not, are you still spending time each day in God’s Word?  I’ll tell you that there is nothing you can do that will increase your faith more than hearing God in His Word.  Couldn’t we all use a little more of that?

Surviving... and Appreciating Leviticus

Well, you knew it was going to happen.  When we started our “Cover to Cover” Bible reading plan a few weeks ago, we knew it was inevitable.  We embarked with enthusiasm and with all of the excitement of new creation in Genesis one.  Then we moved quickly through the ensuing chapters as God’s marvelous story unfolded in gripping narrative.  We got caught up in the plight of Abraham and Sarah.  We were enthralled in the soap opera that is the love story of Jacob and Rachel… and Leah!  We were on the edge of our seats reading through the story of Joseph with all of its ups and downs.  We brushed away the images of Cecil B. DeMille’s movie as we were once again impressed by the awesome power of a real God rescuing his people in the Exodus.  But then it happened.  We couldn’t avoid it.  We hit Leviticus!  If you’ve been keeping up with your daily Bible reading you know what I mean.  We have come to the book of Leviticus… and it may have seemed like hitting a brick wall after the gripping narratives of Genesis and Exodus.  Leviticus is filled with commands and codes, laws and legalease, principles, precepts and priestly instruction… and perhaps you have wondered, “Where is God in all of this?”  or “What am I supposed to get from all of these Old Testament laws?”  Let me suggest a few thoughts that may help you get the most out of Leviticus… not only to get through it, but also to appreciate it as a wonderful reflection of a most Holy God.

• Leviticus is full of covenant language— Beneath all of the codes and ‘legalese’ of Leviticus is the one unmistakable truth… God loves his people and wants a relationship with them.  The Levitical code is a reflection of that desire.  God has agreed to be there God… to never leave them nor forsake them and in return he expects them to abide by certain principles which are embodied in his very nature and laid out in Leviticus.


• Jesus fulfills all of the Old Testament law--  Jesus told his followers that he came not to abolish this law but to fulfill it.  That means that he lived it out fully and in doing so he showed the world what it meant.  Thus while Christians are no longer “under the jurisdiction” of the Old Testament law, the moral principles which it conveyed and which Jesus lived out still apply. 


• In the Old Testament law we see the Holiness of God in full display!  God wanted the Hebrews to know ONE thing above everything else… He was their God and he was Holy (i.e. ‘set apart’).  Thus he called them to “be Holy as I am Holy.”  In almost every word of the Levitical code, God is reminding his people of that truth.  The instructions for the priests, for the worship and for the practices of purity were all intended to emphasize the very special nature that God wanted the Hebrews to maintain… “separateness” from the world.  They were to be different… a “peculiar people.”  In a world where “everything goes”, we too need to remember that we are “set apart”… different from the world.

 Don’t get lost in the details of the law and miss the Holy God that is embodied on every page!  God bless your reading this week…

Some Helpful Cues for Our Bible Reading

I am thrilled that so many of you have chosen to take up the challenge and are reading through the Bible from “cover to cover” in ’09.  Let us remember that our reading is not just so we can say we did it (though it’ll be something to be proud of) nor is it just to learn more stuff about the Bible (though knowledge of God’s Word is certainly a good thing)… it is for the purpose of knowing God better!  That’s why God revealed his word… that’s why it has been passed down to us through the generations… and that is why we still read it today… to know God better.  Towards that end I am going to be writing a series of bulletin articles that, hopefully, will provide some helpful suggestions for our reading. 

 

Cue #1:  Remember, we all interpret the Bible

This may seem an obvious observation to some, revolutionary to others, but it is true for all.  I used to think that OTHERS interpreted the Bible… but not me.  I just read it.  To interpret it was to twist it and make it say what I wanted it to say.  I would never do that.  That’s what others did.  I just read it, understood it’s plain meaning and did what it said.  “The Bible says it.  I believe it.  That’s enough for me.” is what I heard us saying.  I know now that I was wrong.  We all interpret the Bible.

 

Let me explain what I mean.  None of us come to the Bible completely objective and unbiased.  We all have ideas and preconceived notions through which we view the world and everything in it.  We call this a worldview… it is simply how we see the world.  We filter everything we see, hear or experience through this worldview. That would include how we read the Bible.  We take in the message of the Bible by reading the text, filter it through our own experiences, biases and worldview, and try to understand its meaning for us as best we can.  This is the process of interpretation… and everybody does it.  There is really no avoiding it.  Now, we can try to avoid the pitfalls of misinterpretation by being aware of our biases and preconceived ideas, but we can’t completely eliminate them.  None of us are a blank slate.  We can come to the text openly and honestly looking for a word for God, instead of looking for it to say what we already believe it says, but we need to do so humbly with the awareness that we are fallen and imperfect creatures… prone to mistake.  If I believe others are wrong in their interpretation of the Bible (as I do) then I must acknowledge with humility that I could be wrong, too.  To say that the Bible is inerrant is correct.  But to say that I understand it inerrantly is arrogance.

 

This is where the community of faith plays such a vital role!  If Bible reading first demands humility, second it must demand community.  We need to read Scripture together!  Did you know this is the primary way that most Christians received God’s Word through the ages?  They didn’t have printed Bibles until the 1500’s.  Until then, when the printing press was developed and the literacy level rose, most people heard God’s Word as it was read either in the Temple (in the Old Testament days), in synagogue or in the church.  People didn’t have their own copies of the Bible.  Many wouldn’t have been able to read it if they could have gotten their hands on one!  But they heard it as it was read in the community of faith.  And I imagine they talked about it together.  That is the blessing of our Bible classes and small groups which take up the discussion every week.  We get to discuss the text’s meaning for our lives today… and help each other understand it together.

An Historic Week... what will YOU do?

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks. 2 Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 1 Tim 2:1-4 NLT

 

This will be an historic week, not only in our nation’s capital, but also for the whole country.  All of the preparations that are going in to the inauguration of a new president on Tuesday has caused me once again to consider the role that faith ought to play in politics.  Last Fall in the weeks leading up to the election, you will remember, that I presented a series of lessons on “Faith & Politics.”  Generally those lessons were well received as I encouraged Christians to get involved and to let their voices be heard in the political arena.  I appreciated the encouraging feedback that many of you gave me.  There were some, however, who disagreed that we should even be talking about politics in church.  I think there was a fear that it would be divisive.  Surely we can all agree, though, that it is our duty… our obligation… our responsibility… and our profound privilege as people of faith to lift up all of our nation’s leaders in prayer, just as Paul admonished Timothy to do in 1 Tim. 2:1-4.  Remember, the government of Rome was anything but friendly to the early church and Paul certainly couldn’t have agreed with all of its politics… yet he prayed!

 

On Tuesday, Americans will all mark the beginning of a new administration.  We will celebrate the incredible significance of inaugurating Barak Obama, becoming our nation’s first African-American President.  What a remarkable occasion it will be!  Perhaps you will reflect back to times in our country when this seemed impossible and we will be reminded that our nation has made progress in overcoming racism and bigotry.  Most importantly, though, Christians will pray.  We will pray for ALL of our country’s new leaders… that God would grant them safety, protection and wisdom to make the right choices for all of us.  Most of all, let us pray that God’s kingdom would grow.  Governments are neither Christian nor non-Christian and I don’t expect that I will agree with all of the decisions it will make in the next four years (just as I haven’t in the last four)… but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t support them with my prayers.  I hope you will join me J     

Cover to Cover

Whew!  The Holidays are almost over and I’m still trying to catch my breath.  What a time of year it it… the hustling… the bustling… the gift giving… the gift receiving… and the gift returning!  Ha ha.  I hope you got just what you wanted for Christmas this year and, more importantly, I hope you were able to give just what you wanted this year.  What’s the greatest gift you received?  I’ll tell you that one of the greatest gifts we have ever received has been the gift of God’s Word.  As I sit this morning and stare at the Bible on my desk I think about how I so often take it for granted.  Here I have the complete revelation of God before me… his introduction of himself to me… his love letter to me telling of his undying love for me… his strategy guidebook to playing the game of life… his instruction manual and map for my life… I am again awestruck to have received such an incredible and awesome gift!!

 

I am beginning a new challenge THIS week… and I am asking every member at Washington Street to join me in reading through the Bible from “cover to cover” in 2009.  I’ve been talking about it a little bit from the pulpit and this Sunday I will explain a bit more.  I will be preaching in January a short “mini-series” designed to be an encouraging “primer” for our study together through the rest of the year, but January 1^st is Thursday, so let’s get started!  Here’s what we are encouraging everyone to do:

·        Pick up a “From Cover to Cover” Reading Schedule from the bulletin board in the church auditorium, from the church office, or from the church website

·        Sign up on the bulletin board or from the website & commit to read thru it with me

·        Sit down with your favorite Bible in the translation of your choice & start reading!

 

Most days will cover between three and four chapters.  We are beginning in Genesis and reading straight through to Revelation.  Won’t you join us?  What a super blessing this will be to the whole church all year long!

 

New Year’s blessings,

Jim

Merry Christmas from the Blacks!

The annual taking of the Christmas card picture is usually nothing short of torture at our house... but this year it went really well.  As we wish all of you a very Merry Christmas here are a few Christmas memories we share with you.  And YES... I didn't say Happy Holidays!  Merry Christmas!

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A Grown Up Christmas List

A Christmas Note from Our Family to Yours…

I cannot believe that it is time once again for the annual "Christmas Letter."  It has been something of a tradition in our church for those of us who serve as ministers to pause and reflect on the year and to write a “Christmas note” to everyone.  I cannot believe the year has already passed… it has gone by so quickly.  What a year it has been!

 

My family still counts it a tremendous blessing to be a part of this wonderful church family.  You have blessed us FAR beyond any way we have served you.  Your friendships have held us up, your encouragement has lifted us up and your commitment to the Lord and his work has spurred us on.  It has been a great year for our family.  God has blessed in so many ways.  Andy is in third grade and played football for Riverside this year.  While I wasn’t’ so sure I wanted to encourage football so young, I found that I couldn’t hold him back… he thoroughly enjoyed it and after his first touchdown has decided to go pro when he is old enough for the draft.  David, likewise, has become quite the football fanatic despite being too young to play “officially”.  He is loving first grade, becoming quite the prolific reader and can tell you all the stats & scores for the College and pro football season so far.  Michael, our youngest and loudest, loves running… throwing… diving… falling… tumbling and crashing, though not necessarily in that order.  He started school this year and absolutely loves “Pre-Kindergarten”!  With all of the boys in school now, Celeste has gone back to full time work as Riverside’s PE teacher.  Most every day you’ll find her keeping the kids at school active, playing fair and running out some of their energy around the gym!  The teachers love her… and most of the kids!  It has been a busy year for us and now looking back, I’m not sure where all the time has gone… but it has been a great one!  Thank you for being one of the special people in our lives who have made it so!

 

A “Grown-up” Christmas List

If you’re looking for the ‘perfect’ Christmas gift to give that special preacher in your life this year,  (Hint Hint!)… this is what would REALLY make him happy! 

• Buy Christmas gifts for a family in need this year… I have enough ties and really don’t like them anyway.


• Donate some food to our food pantry… I’m really fat enough.


• Donate some money to our Honduras Fund to help us make another trip next summer


• Purchase a table & chairs for the church in Honduras ($65) by sending the money in to the church office with a note for that purpose


• Make a donation to a local charity… Hands of Mercy Outreach Center, Children’s Advocacy Center, The Child Development Center, Riverside Christian Academy or to our Benevolence ministry here.


• Donate to our building fund