Tag: scripture passages

The Resurrection of the Body

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“I believe in … the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”
– (Apostles’ Creed)

Resurrection of Christ by Noël Coypel, 1700.

As reflected in the 2014 movie, Heaven is For Real, and the 2012 book Proof of Heaven, stories of near death experiences and the survival of the human soul have found a positive reception in 21st century American culture. Even as belief in God and participation in organized religion continues to decrease, more persons believe in an afterlife now than did in 1972 (80% vs. 73%), according to a study conducted by three universities (San Diego State, Florida Atlantic, and Case Western Reserve). If one were under any illusion that belief in heaven was a uniquely Christian tenet of faith these findings should challenge that perspective.

Like persons of the present day, many in Jesus’ time believed in an afterlife and thought it possible for the souls of the departed to return from the realm of the dead to this world as ghosts. What they did not expect was God’s resurrection of Christ and his walking among the living with a body through which he could interact with the material world.

Our Moravian Easter Liturgy opens with the words, “The Lord is Risen!” This distinctly Christian message of hope is the original Gospel – “good news” – spread by apostles who had encountered the risen Christ and could testify to his resurrection. Indeed, being a witness to Christ’s resurrection was the criteria for being an “apostle” (Acts 1:22). So we read of the Apostle Peter proclaiming: “you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.” (Acts 3:15). Similarly, the Apostle Paul writes: “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (1 Corinthians 15:8).

Throughout subsequent centuries, followers of Jesus have proclaimed that, just as God raised Jesus from the grave, so God “will also give life to our mortal bodies if the Spirit of God has dwelt in us”. This affirmation is expressed in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.

Why does belief in the resurrection matter?

Like belief in God’s Incarnation in the person of Jesus Christ, Christian belief in bodily resurrection affirms the essential goodness of nature and embodied human existence. While taking seriously problems of suffering, sin, and death, the goal of Christian faith is not to escape earthly existence but rather to open ourselves to God’s ongoing acts of redemption. Because God’s plan is to redeem this world, our task is to help God in this endeavor by becoming agents of transformation ourselves rather than simply enjoying life or passing time until we depart for a better place. We work with our Savior for justice and righteousness during our earthly lives and pray as he taught us: “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. With Job we can claim: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God.” (Job 19:25-26).

Pastor Derek French

 

Resurrection Now And Hereafter

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(Regarding her brother, Lazarus) Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (The Gospel of John 11: 24-26). Do you believe this?

Noel Coypel resurrection of christ

“The Resurrection Of Christ” 1700, Noël Coypel [Public domain]

The Resurrection lies at the center of Christian life, faith and hope. For the Apostle Paul, God’s raising of Christ affirmed the redemptive nature of Jesus’ death on the cross and served as a conclusive declaration that Jesus was the Son of God. (Romans 1:3-4) Christ’s resurrection is the lens through which his followers interpret his life and teaching. For that reason, Christians around the world gather in sanctuaries and graveyards, on mountains, and seashores each Easter to proclaim God’s victory over the power of sin and death and God’s promise of eternal life with the words, “The Lord is risen.”

Yet the Resurrection is not just a hope deferred until our death or the death of a loved one. If we so choose, it can be an everyday reality shaping all aspects of our lives. We can look within and around us to discern where God is bringing about new life. Only as we do so do Jesus’ words to Martha begin to make sense: “everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Elsewhere Jesus says: “This is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

  • How is God working within you to bring about new life? – A resurrection of spirit?
  • How is God working within those around you to bring about new life?
  • How is God working within God’s church to bring about new life?
  • How is God working throughout the world to bring about new life?

Of course, in order to perceive the action of God, one must first believe such action is possible. At first Martha could not believe when Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:23). The truth was too good to be true. But with God, all things are possible. Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

Do you believe this? Do you live this belief?

– Pastor Derek French

Father’s Day: Lessons for Earthly Dads and the Rest of Us

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While Hebrew scripture draws upon many images to convey the relationship of God to humanity, language depicting God as divine King or holy Lawgiver often predominates. As some prophets before him, Jesus preferred to use more intimate, familial language when speaking about (or to) God. Jesus often referred to God as his Father and encouraged his followers to do likewise. Indeed, our Lord starts his model prayer with the words “Our Father.” What was Jesus trying to convey about God when he used this “father” language? How does this inform our understanding of human fatherhood?

gpd the father

To be sure, children are to obey the fifth commandment to honor their fathers and mothers. Yet healthy father-child relationships are based more on love than obedience. The ideal father – and it is the ideal which Jesus lifts up as an image of God – loves his children unconditionally. As father he provides for his children and looks to their ultimate well-being by giving them rules for living in harmony with creation and each other. Given the presence of free-will and self-determination in this world, fathers may not be able to shield their children from all suffering, conflict, and misfortune but they certainly do not willingly afflict them. (See Luke 11:11-12)

For Jesus, the father is more than just chief provider and protector of the family. The father is also as emotionally engaged in the lives of his children as their mother – rejoicing when they experience joy, and weeping when they are hurt or suffer loss. Like the mother, the father is also a nurturer. He provides wise rules to keep his children from getting into trouble and exercises his responsibility to discipline them when they go astray. Yet he also takes them into his arms and comforts them when they have been hurt. “As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:13) God as Father is thus empathetic and caring as well as strong.

In contrast to image of God as a king who maintains a certain distance from his subjects, God as a Father is actively present on a daily basis in the lives of his children.

As we celebrate Fathers’ Day, we give thanks to the Creator for men in our lives who have, in
whatever small ways, resembled the ideal of our heavenly Father. Earthly dads are not perfect. All have flaws and some so damage their children’s concept of “father” that the latter have difficulty using this language in reference to God. Perhaps anticipating the stumbling block such earthly fathers could become to believers Jesus advises us: “And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9)

– Pastor Derek French

Wishing You a Peaceful Christmas and a Joyous New Year

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nativity

Jacob Jordaens, The Nativity, 1653

A bit over two thousand years ago Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was born in a stable because no one would make room for him anywhere else. His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, were of extremely modest means. Their son’s first resting place was a re-purposed feeding trough. Outside of heaven, Jesus’ birth was a decidedly low key event. Except for a few shepherds and astrologers, no one took much notice – either then or at any point during the next two hundred years. We don’t even know the exact day upon which Christ entered the world.

The first Christmas was of necessity simple, peaceful, and intimate. Given the fanfare and
preparation which precede a child’s birth today we might feel sorry for Jesus. Yet, from the moment of his birth, Jesus had all that truly matters in life. For that matter, so did Mary and Joseph. Mary had time to nurture her newborn and contemplate the love and support of her husband, Joseph, who stayed by her side even though the child who now looked up at her was not his own. With Joseph she could reflect on God’s blessings, on the miracle of birth, the messages of angels, the power of love, and the wonder of the Incarnation. As the angels sang their Gloria, there was peace on earth among those whom God favored.

It is ironic that peace, simplicity, intimacy, and time for prayerful contemplation are so hard to
come by as we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. Having perfected celebration of “the
Holiday season” in all its festive glittering allure, have we lost Christmas? The true treasures
of Christmas–those which Jesus and his parents enjoyed–are free. They cannot be bought with gold or silver.

The Prince of Peace was born in a stable for there was no room for him anywhere else. Have you made room in your heart and time in your life for the Christ or does he need to seek shelter elsewhere?

O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us
today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, our Lord
Immanuel.
Have a Blessed Christmas,

Pastor Derek French

Lord of the harvest

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harvestIn an age before supermarkets and seed catalogs the harvest season could be an anxious time of year. The quantity and quality of the harvest often determined the fate not only of individuals, but also of entire communities. A succession of failed harvests brought famine and death while good harvests provided adequate food to sustain the community over the winter and quality seed for planting the following Spring’s crop. Jesus’ hearers would have been acutely aware of all this as they listened to his parable.

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, “An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matthew 13: 26-30)

The weeds in question are most probably darnel – a toxic plant which resembles wheat. Mixing darnel in with the wheat crop was an act of indiscriminate agricultural terrorism. Having toxins mixed in one’s flour was bad enough. Having toxic seed mixed with good seed for next season’s sowing was a disaster in the making for the whole community. Sensible farmers purified both land and crop with fire whenever they detected darnel.

Jesus’ parable suggests that God cares for the Kingdom of Heaven in much the same way that a farmer cares for his crops and fields. That which is unholy and evil cannot be permitted to destroy that which is righteous, holy, and good. For imperfect sinners such as ourselves the good news is that God will not render judgment until the harvest is gathered in. There is still time for each person living to choose whether to cultivate weeds or wheat in his or her life. We cannot earn salvation, yet our life choices do matter. In part, we each self-select a destiny as chaff for the fire or wheat for the barn.

“and all were judged according to what they had done. … and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:13-15)

Happy Thanksgiving,

Pastor Derek

Have you shared the good news?

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When was the last time you turned on the television, opened a newspaper, or browsed the news on the internet and found yourself overwhelmed by the volume of good news? We live
in a culture seemingly fascinated by the tragic, the divisive, the scandalous, and the
salacious. In such a context, it is well that we remind ourselves that the word “gospel”
literally means “good news.”

Christ calls each of us to be living reminders of the good news he proclaimed during his
earthly ministry. His message is that there is a better way of being human than that which we
so often see described in the news. Through Christ, the world has the possibility of embracing
reconciliation instead of retribution, of discovering what unites us in common humanity,
rather than what divides and isolates us.

One way of witnessing to gospel is for Christians of different races, nations, and
denominations to all partake of Holy Communion on the same day. This is precisely what
many congregations have been doing since 1936, when a number of Presbyterian
congregations in the United States celebrated Holy Communion on the first Sunday of
October and invited other followers of Christ to do the same. From this humble beginning
World Communion Sunday grew into what it is today – a global opportunity to demonstrate
unity in a fragmented world.

On October 7, we join with Christians around the world in celebrating our unity in Christ. We are reminded that in spite of differences of doctrine and creed “There is one body and one Spirit … one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4: 4-6).
See you in church,
Pastor Derek

Moravian Women’s Sunday Sermon by Reverend Maggie Wellert

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This sermon, written by Reverend Maggie Wellert, was presented on Sunday, November 6, to the East Hills Moravian Church congregation in honor of Moravian Women’s Sunday. It was delivered by East Hills Moravian Church member Nancy Costa.

We’re going to start this morning by playing “Stump the Congregation.” See if you can figure out the source of this quotation:

“Before all things we have first agreed that we will care for one another together in the faith of the Lord Jesus, be established in the righteousness that comes from God, and abiding in love, have hope in the living God. “

For those of you who have been engaged in studying Romans the past few months through Women’s Fellowship, you probably guessed it came right out of Paul’s letter. It sure has all the key words: righteousness, faith, love, hope, living God. It sure could be Paul. But, it isn’t!

Maybe you think it sounds like the Moravian Covenant for Christian Living. It has the same quality, relationship with God that helps us manage our relationships with each other. It sure could be from the MCCL. But it isn’t!

It was written in 1464 by our ancestors in the Unity of the Brethren and is found in a publication entitled “Writing of the Brethren.”1 Here’s another one, this one by Brother Rehor, a founder of the Unity, who wrote this while in prison:

“We are people who have decided once and for all to be guided only by the gospel and the example of our Lord Jesus Christ and his holy apostles in gentleness, humility, patience, and love for our enemies.”2

We are part of a long tradition of recognizing the importance of wrestling with the gospel, wrestling with our God. This call to be a Christian is no easier now than it was in the first century when Paul was discerning this new life with early communities of faith. It is no easier now than it was in the fifteenth century when our ancestors in the Unity struggled with the call to follow Jesus, and what that call meant if they were no longer part of the Roman Catholic communion.

Eventually our Brethren relatives came up with a new way of understanding what is essential for living the gospel in the world. There are two sides to the essentials, the divine and the human. The essentials on God’s side are the grace of God who wills our salvation, the saving work of God in Christ, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The essentials that are our human response are quite simply—quite astoundingly—faith, love, and hope.

“The grace of God who wills our salvation, the saving work of God in Christ, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit…”  Paul speaks at length about this amazing grace—the incredible love that God has for us. God’s passion for us is so profound that God chose to become one of us, leaving behind all that makes God, God. Jesus was born to Mary. Through the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we become brothers and sisters to Christ and to one another. Because of Christ’s work, we are healed of the brokenness of sin—we are reconciled, justified by grace through faith.

When Christ ascended to heaven, he promised the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who continues to move among us yet today; granting gifts to build up the church, the community of saints who are gathered to remember the grace, love, and gifts of God, and then scattered to share that same grace, love, and gifts with all of God’s creation; bringing God’s healing into the world.

The human response to all that God offers: faith, love, and hope.

Faith is our ability to trust in God’s grace. This is how we carry out the Great Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might. ALL. Hear that fully…God wants our all.

And there is so much that gets in the way: distractions, fears, the voices of the world that call us to follow a different lord and god…not the Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. What is it that challenges you to keep God first in your daily walk? How do you respond to the voices that tempt and allure—to be first, to always win, to always have your way?

Love is taught first by God in Jesus, as if God wanted to say, “this is what love looks like walking around in human form.” What distinguished that walking around love? Jesus was full of compassion, paying attention to the needs and pain, the hunger of those he met daily; taking time to pray and be in touch with God in order to stay focused on his mission; taking time out for dinner with friends; holding children when no one thought children had a place in the center of things. Love looks like Jesus.

After speaking the Great Commandment, Jesus spoke of another commandment like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. That’s precisely what love looks like. And, Jesus wasn’t just talking about the people across the aisle here who look and act like us, who share our values and standards. Jesus was talking about the enemy; the people we don’t like so much; the ones who are annoying, disruptive, who don’t share our values and standards.

How do you respond in love to the many needs that appear at our door steps? Who will feed the hungry? Who will visit the sick? Who will care for the poor and the lonely, offer a word of encouragement to an outsider? How will you love the people sharing this worship space today? Perhaps you can write a card, offer the right hand of fellowship, offer a cup of coffee, or simply listen when another speaks.

Hope…ah, this is the Moravian way of living as declared in the Easter Morning Liturgy. We are Easter people. We audaciously walk to our cemeteries at Easter dawn, even to the grave of the most recently deceased among us, the place where our tears still flow and the wounds are still raw. We stand there and proclaim, death does not have the final word. We are people of hope; we live into the promises of God for the salvation of the entire planet. We will walk the path of love until there is no more pain…because we know that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of our God in Jesus Christ.

We live in hope because we daily experience the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst: when we think things have totally fallen apart and we don’t know how to go on, there is this little candlelight that glimmers—an unexpected person shows up to help with the funeral luncheon; a new voice sings with the choir; there are enough turkeys to fill the order for Thanksgiving baskets; that annoying person hugs you in a true spirit of love and you are renewed in your connection.

We live in hope because we live in faith, trusting in the power of God’s love, trusting that we are capable of living out a life of love, in spite of all the voices of hate, in spite of the distractions that threaten to lead us towards envy, loneliness, pain, depression, laziness, or whatever else is threatening you today.

Paul recognized the power of faith, love, and hope in the sacrament of Baptism. Baptism, he proclaims to the Romans, is a symbol of our new life in the Spirit. Our Liturgy for Baptism reflects that reality: called in grace; living in relationship with the Living God; united with Christ through grace and the power of the Holy Spirit; called to a life of faith and willing obedience.

As you wrap yourself around the reality of what God has done—the grace of God, the saving work of God, the gifts of the Holy Spirit—as you ponder this deep love of God for you, consider how you live out the human essentials of faith, love, and hope. Consider how you might renew your commitment to Christ.

 

The Rev. Maggie Wellert

Great Kills Moravian Church

Staten Island, NY

August 9, 2011

1 Rudolf Rican, The History of the Unity of the Brethren, translated by C. Daniel Crews, (Bethlehem PA and Winston-Salem NC: The Moravian Church in America, 1992), 33.

2 Ibid., 30

 

Too Bright to See God?

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When I was a little kid I could go into my backyard at night and see the starry band of the Milky Way galaxy stretched out across the sky. Yet before I reached high school, light from the city, local ball parks, and newly lit Interstate exchanges had bleached out the night sky. Only the moon and the brightest stars were visible through this “light pollution.”

The Gospel of John uses the metaphor of light to describe Christ’s victory over the world’s sin and suffering: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (1:5) This is a statement of faith that even when circumstances prevent us from feeling God’s presence, God remains with us.

Christians have long known that painful experiences can “dim” one’s perception of God. Yet even wholesome interests and activities can become a source of “spiritual light pollution” when they distract us from God. The problem is not the interests and activities themselves, it is their relative importance in our lives.

Each of the stars in the Milky Way is millions of times brighter than any of the lights on earth that wash out the stars’ light in the night sky. Yet the lights on earth are closer to us – and so they appear brighter. We cannot move ourselves closer to the stars but we can move ourselves closer to God. We can insure that none of our interests or activities in closer to our “center” than the light of Christ which shines in the darkness.

Are there interests or activities in your life that have moved between yourself and God?