Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you
at the proper time. 1 Peter 5:6
There is a story told of a water carrier in India. He used two large pots for his task. He suspended a pole across his neck and attached a pot at each end of the pole. One of the pots had a big crack in it while the other pot was perfect. The perfect pot always delivered a full portion of water from the stream to the master’s house, while the cracked pot arrived only half full each day.
For two years this water carrier made the same journey. The perfect pot became proud of its accomplishments. The cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. Finally, one day by the stream, the cracked pot spoke to its owner about his bitter failure, “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize that I have only been ale to deliver half my water to your house. There is a crack in my side which causes water to leak out. Because of my flaws, you don’t get full value from your efforts.”
Then the water carrier replied, smiling, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” On that trip from the stream, the cracked pot looked around.
“Did you notice there are flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?” the master commented. “That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted seeds on your side of the path, and everyday while we passed these spots, you watered them. Now for two years I have been able to pick these flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, I would not have this beauty to grace his house.”
Every follower of Jesus is flawed in some way. We are often ashamed of the flaws and try to hide so nobody can see them. In our hiding, we make ourselves unavailable to the work that God wants to do through us. But we cannot hide from God. God uses us in spite of ourselves. And the beauty of what God does with our flaws is a beautiful sight to behold. The lesson is simple. In humility, we are asked to make ourselves fully available. We might be leaky, but that leak might be just what will bring God’s beauty to the table.
Pastor Frank Reeder - April 2008
Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high preist, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword shall perish by the sword." Matthew 26:51-52
Living by the sword or any other instrument of violence is not the way of Jesus. I can remember clearly the day that a man met me outside of the church building where I was pastoring. He looked at me with hate in his eyes and challenged me to a fist fight. He wanted a fight so badly that he was willing to shove me back with his open palms hoping it would pick my anger enough to come back at him. I must confess the anger was there. I could feel it rising in my breast. But by the grace of God I returned his cold stare with words of hope. “I will not fight you. You may not believe this right now, but I love you.” He sneered as he walked away, “You love me.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. was at a meeting when he received notice that his home had been bombed. His wife and young daughter were at home. He had prepared himself for moments like this and out of a spirit steeped in holy discipline looked up and tried to receive the news in a very calm manner. Finding out that his wife and daughter were safe, he stood up in the middle of the meeting and urged his companions not to panic or do anything foolish that was not the way of Jesus. “This is a spiritual movement,” he wrote in a 1956 essay. And though King’s life was to end twelve years later in a violent act on a motel balcony, he held to the discipline of responding to violence with a non-violent attitude and the primacy of love.
Martin King had a good teacher. I am not referring to the professors at Crozer Seminary in Upland, PA where he did his theological studies. His teacher was the carpenter of Galilee. Jesus could have called for an army of angels to fight on his behalf when the appointed crowd from the chief priests arrived in Gethsemane to take him into custody. But that was not his way. Peter impetuously cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, But Jesus calmly used the moment to rebuke and reiterate his way of love. “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Luke’s gospel reads the story this way, “And he touched his ear and healed him” (Luke 22:51).
During this Lenten season, we are called to look inward and invite the Holy Spirit of God to do a check up. “Search me, O God, and know my heart … See if there is any wicked way in me.” (Psalm 139:23-24) The drama of the passion of our Lord is replayed in us as we offer ourselves to the One who knows us best. Whose ear am I wanting to cut off? Choosing the way of the cross, we and our desires to get revenge are crucified with Christ. What we receive in return is far from a rebuke and punishment. As painful as confession is, our sin is received with grace. We are forgiven and directed by God’s grace to be peace makers. The forgiveness of a righteous God results in resurrection and new life. This is a spiritual movement. May Christ’s spirit dwell in us.
Pastor Frank Reeder - February 2008
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. Philippians 2:5-7
When you hear the word empty, do you think of something positive or negative? We might consider an empty gas tank or an empty cupboard. It feels like something is missing. We usually prefer a full tank and a full cupboard.
This is the season of Advent and Christmas, when we consider God’s emptying. While we look for gifts and parties that fill us to overflowing, Jesus is remembered as one who empties himself. That is a very different thought than the one most of us consider for the holidays.
If you have seen the movie Polar Express, you might picture the huge bag that the elves have filled at the North Pole for Santa to begin his journey of gift giving. Following the picture apart from the movie, we will see that at the end of the night’s expedition, he returns home with an empty bag. And the contentment that brings is that his mission was accomplished. But the bag is empty. If it was all about self, Santa would want to return home with goodies for himself. If it is all about the mission, then the empty bag is the crowning symbol of success. Now Santa does bring something home, but it is not something that can be purchased. He brings home a heart that is full.
When we consider who Jesus is, God in the flesh, we appreciate the truth that he is the sovereign one who was the main player in creation. He certainly had a lot of power at his command. No material gift could rival his position in the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet he emptied himself, not clutching his powerful position, he began his servant mission. The poor were honored. The lepers were touched and made whole. The hungry were fed. God’s mission through Christ culminated on a cross, where he was emptied of his blood.
As followers of Jesus, we are exhorted to eye this winter feast in a very different way than most. It is a time to give, a time to empty. When we do, a curious thing happens. Our hearts become full. So may your bag be empty this year and your heart full as you walk behind the servant King.
Pastor Frank Reeder - December 2007
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 1 Corinthians 13:11 NRSV
Are you a self feeder? Do you know how to put together a healthy meal that tastes good and is good for you? Or are you dependent on somebody else to do the shopping, cooking and serving? A mark of the childish society in which we live is the desire to have everything pre-packaged and ready for us, be it in the frozen food section at supermarket or the take out at Applebee’s or Chili’s. Sometimes these sources are good in a pinch, but if they become a way of life, we are out of control. We pay more money and usually get a whole lot more calories and saturated fat than we bargained for.
A generation ago, Amy Grant sang a song called “Fat Little Baby.” It was a ballad about a baby Christian who insisted on being fed and refused to learn how to feed himself. The song is a picture of the church that is “a mile wide and an inch deep.” Lots of churches want to get the people in and will go to great lengths to become a welcoming faith community. The pre-Christians will then be fed a good diet of basic biblical teaching. Then comes the decisive moment when the aspiring follower of Jesus makes a commitment to trust Christ and give him her life. The new birth is celebrated in believer’s baptism. Sermons and Bible studies can be inspiring and spiritually nourishing for this new life. Then the effectiveness of growth begins to decline rapidly. But God intended that we learn how to feed ourselves. Imagine the sight of a 40 year old baby, sitting in a high chair, slapping her open palms on the tray and being spoon fed. It’s embarrassing. And God does not want to embarrass us. Our Lord wills that we put an end to childish ways and learn to feed ourselves.
If you are a new creation in Christ, then enjoy the spoon feeding. But make sure you are on a path to maturity. Our Discipleship 201 group that meets on the fourth Monday at 7:30 in the Gathering Room is one of the ways our church is offering self feeding lessons. Another way to develop self feeding habits is to request a mentor, someone who has spent several years at self feeding and is now helping others. She or he can help you become familiar with tools and techniques for mining the truths of God’s Word and ways. If you are growing in Christ, you have or will soon have an interest in feeding yourself. Pick up a fork and ask for some help.
Pastor Frank Reeder - October 2007
Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5
The seminary professor started every class with prayer. We were used to that. But in the classes of Dr. Norman Maring, after the gathering discussion was quelled, he called us to prayer and then, what often seemed like an interminable silence ensued. I can remember some of us looking up to see if he was asleep. But then the calm and steady voice of the church history professor would begin to share words that came from more than his head. Dr. Maring’s prayer came from the heart. What was he doing during those long periods of silence? He was listening to his heart as it was drawing up into the presence of the heart of God.
The eighteenth century Jesuit priest, Jean-Nicholas Grou, speaks of prayer in his book How to Pray as a “wholly spiritual act.” He refers to St. Augustine who taught that “God is closer to us than we are to ourselves. Knowing this is the essence of prayer.” God knows our hearts better than we know them. We often use the heart to speak of the inner most part of our being. It is the core, the center of who we are.
Rarely is the heart silent. But is easily covered by the words, the songs, the sounds of others. What we hear is yada, yada, yada or the muzak of the elevator. Our hearts are frosted. Then, in a moment of grace, we are helped by listening to or reading the prayers of other faithful souls. Have you heard another pray and said to yourself, “That is my heart’s cry?” We listen and our hearts say “Yes! Yes!”
I can remember going to the shore as a child and using a can of reserved water to prime an outdoor pitcher pump. As the water swelled the leathers in the pump’s throat, the suction created would draw up the water from deep in the well. The prayers of others can be one source of such priming of our hearts. But the silent waiting of an expectant heart is another way to prime the heart. And when the heart is primed, the water that gushes forth may not be words, but peace or hope or love or trust. Prayer is not so much about getting what we want, but finding ourselves getting God and the character the Spirit of God brings. The prayer we pray may be one of silence, but the heart is not empty. It is being filled by the water of God’s presence. It is then that we feel the competence or adequacy of God.
A few weeks ago, I preached from 1 Kings 19, the story of Elijah who waited in the cave on Mount Horeb for the presence of the Lord. He expected the voice to come in a loud crashing manner such as through mighty wind, earthquake or fire. But God was not in them. Instead, he discovered the Lord in a sound of sheer silence. In the quietness, the prophet’s call and competence was renewed. In such silence, God is teaching our hearts. I encourage you to practice the prayer of the listening heart, finding there the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who met him in the quiet places and refreshed him with the water of life.
Pastor Frank Reeder - Summer 2007