Our Idols Can Consume Us

Our Idols Can Consume Us

            Two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul arrived in the city of Athens.  He had not planned to be there.  In his previous missionary adventures, he had been opposed by mobs, and the believers sent him down the coast to Athens to escape. 

            All alone, he is walking through Athens, and the text says that he was “greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols…” (Acts 17:16)  This prompted a discussion with the philosophers of the day and subsequently, with the city leaders on “Mars Hill”.  This weekend in worship, we are going to listen to how Paul handled that discussion, but as an introduction, note that all of it began with Paul’s distress over the idols in the city. 

            What is the big deal about those idols anyway?  Aren’t they just statues?  Besides, we don’t do that today.  We don’t have stone images of gods and goddesses, and we don’t find ourselves bowing down before those images.

            But as Timothy Keller highlights in his great book, “Counterfeit Gods”, though we don’t have idols made of stone, we still have plenty around.  He speaks to three premier ones: money, sex, and power.  Idols are, after all, the things in which we ultimately place our trust and hope.   Perhaps some may find the claim overstated but in his book “The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen reminds us how dangerous the idols of our own creation and abilities really are.  He retells a tales from Ancient India:

“Four royal brothers decided each to master a special ability. Time went by, and the brothers met to reveal what they had learned.

"I have mastered a science," said the first, "by which I can take but a bone of some creature and create the flesh that goes with it."

"I," said the second, "know how to grow that creature's skin and hair if there is flesh on its bones."

The third said, "I am able to create its limbs if I have the flesh, the skin, and the hair."

"And I," concluded the fourth, "know how to give life to that creature if its form is complete."

Thereupon the brothers went into the jungle to find a bone so they could demonstrate their specialties. As fate would have it, the bone they found was a lion's. One added flesh to the bone, the second grew hide and hair, the third completed it with matching limbs, and the fourth gave the lion life. Shaking its mane, the ferocious beast arose and jumped on his creators. He killed them all and vanished contentedly into the jungle.”

As pastor Nathan Castens says, “We too have the capacity to create what can devour us. Goals and dreams can consume us. Possessions and property can turn and destroy us--unless we first seek God's kingdom and righteousness, and allow him to breathe into what we make of life.”

And so, perhaps we can understand Paul’s distress over the city of Athens and its idols.  Sometimes the pride of our human ability and achievement can consume us.  Come join us this weekend and we are going to hear how Paul spoke of the Gospel to this cultural center of Athens.  See you there!

Pastor Pete

You Are Making a Difference!

            Usually, when I walk into the church in the morning, things are a bit quiet.  I try to get here early, have a cup of coffee, and catch up on a few things before the day really gets going.

            Not this morning.  I could hardly get in the front doors.  There were two hundred people (mostly children) in our gathering space!   They were all seated having breakfast and laughing (very loudly) together.  You might know that we sponsored a gathering of United Methodist children from around Virginia that is called “Helping Hands”.  Our own Beth Christian has been the key sponsor of this event for several years.
            But every year we have been cramped in tiny spaces or in multiple buildings.  Not this morning!  We had room!  All the children slept on the floors and in classrooms and other places, but compared to previous years, it was like being at the Hilton.

            After I walked in, all the kids went running outside to have their picture taken and I was making my way back down the temporarily empty halls.  I found myself offering a prayer of thanksgiving to God for this beautiful new space, but also offering a prayer of thanksgiving for all of you.  All the prayers, the planning, the meetings, and the sacrificial giving, by God’s grace, built this space.  And now, hundreds of children are gathered here in worship, singing, going out in mission, and laughing.

 

 

           What really started my thoughts this morning was the first person I saw when I walked in the door.  Her name is Linda and she is a pastor of a United Methodist Church in Norfolk.  She brought several children from her church with her and they all slept on the floor of one of our classrooms last night.  She had the biggest and most generous smile on her face.  She looked at me and over and over again said thank you.  She thanked me for our church offering up this space to them and opening our doors.  She said that her time here had really inspired her as they were about to build some new spaces at here church.  I told her some of the stories behind the window and altar furniture and she was moved.  She also said that she hoped to sponsor a Helping Hands event in her church soon.  She was so appreciative of us and her encouragement inspired me to pass this on to you.

            All this is to say that we have finished the many services of dedication, consecration, moving, walking, and opening.  This week, we really put this new building to work, as we have already done with Bible School and many other events in our short time here.  But in it all was a reminder of what God has done for us and through us.  I just wanted to pass along the way that your efforts are working so powerfully, and inspiring others who come in our spaces.  I can’t thank you enough for building and offering this church!

Love in Christ,

Pastor Pete

A Strange Weight Loss Program

This week, I read an article from a sermon by Rich Doebler.  He tells a story from Thomas Costain's book The Three Edwards, describing the life of Raynald III, a 14th-century duke in what is now Belgium. Grossly overweight, Raynald was commonly called by his Latin nickname, Crassus, which means fat.

After a violent quarrel, Raynald's younger brother Edward led a successful revolt against him. Edward captured Raynald, but did not kill him. Instead, he built a room around Raynald in the Nieuwkerk castle and promised him he could regain his title and property as soon as he was able to leave the room. This would not have been difficult for most people, since the room had several windows and a door of near-normal size—none of which were locked or barred. The problem was Raynald's size. To regain his freedom, he needed to lose weight.

But Edward knew his older brother. Each day he sent a variety of delicious foods into the room. Instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew fatter. When Duke Edward was accused of cruelty, he had a ready answer: "My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills." Raynald stayed in that room for 10 years and wasn't released until after Edward died in battle. By then his health was so ruined that he died within a year—a prisoner of his own appetite.

This Sunday in worship, we are going to be speaking to the many things that take hold of us and put us in that room with Raynald.  It is not always, nor even usually food.  All of us find ourselves entangled with and often held prisoner by the things of this world, keeping us from those places to which God has called us. 

But in contrast, we will be visiting Paul and Silas in a prison in Philippi.  Surprisingly, despite their chains and restraints, they were able to sing.  In the prison, they found Someone powerful enough to overcome the forces inside and outside those walls.  All of us need that same power as we deal with our own “Raynald Rooms”, whatever they may be.  We have a lot more to say about this and I hope you will plan on joining us as we join Paul in Philippi this Sunday!  See you there,

In Christ,

Pastor Pete

Have You Checked your Oil Lately?

Have You Checked your Oil Lately?

            I remember a time, years ago, when I was selling a car.  We had advertised it but hadn’t had much luck.  Finally, a man stopped to take a look.  I met him, and prepared to take him around the vehicle but he went straight to the engine.  I opened the hood, and he took out a rag, checked the oil, saw that it was clean (thankfully I had just changed it!), and shut the hood.  He simply said, “I’ll take it.”  I offered to show him the rest of the car but he said he didn’t need to see it.  He knew that if the oil was clean and changed, the car had been well taken care of.

            I was a bit taken back by the man’s clarity and simplicity.  He had a litmus test to check the quality of the car and the owner’s care ((though I had to admit with five young children, I was thankful he didn’t look inside!)  I find that a similar litmus test applies to our spiritual lives.  If we want to know the quality and condition of a person’s relationship with God, we don’t check the oil, but I do think we can look to one’s prayer life.  When that place is solid, regular, and functioning, there is typically a caliber and power within his or her relationship with God.  But if that prayer oil is old and dirty or low, there is good chance that the persons “relationship status” with God is rusty and in need of attention.  The engine just doesn’t produce the power it was designed to offer.

            All this is to say that this weekend, we have the opportunity to spend some time with a man who has established his and our prayer life as the top priority for his life and vision for Methodists in Virginia.  Bishop Young Jin Cho will be here to consecrate our new building and will be preaching at our 9:17 and 11:00 services.   Bishop Cho begins and ends with prayer.  He has established prayer as the central theme and foundation of our work together as Methodists in Virginia.  As a result, I find that when he speaks, I tend to listen more carefully.  It seems fitting to give more trust and credibility to a person who centers their life on prayer.  When they are listening well to God, it is a lot easier to listen to them.

            So I hope that you will join us this weekend and listen to our Bishop.  It is a unique opportunity that you will not want to miss.  Even if you are coming to Saturday night Connect or our 8:00 AM service, I encourage you to be a “double dipper” this week.  See you there!

In Christ,

Pastor Pete