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29
Jan '25
February 2025 Mills’ Musings — Happy Birthday, Nicene Creed!
29
Jan '25
If someone does make a cake for the occasion, I’d like to be there when the candles are lit. The occasion is the 1700th birthday of the Nicene Creed. While I doubt anyone will make a cake, at least not one with 1,700 candles, I believe the event is certainly worth celebrating. Here is a short look at why.
Early Creeds
Our English word “creed” comes from the Latin credo, which means, “I believe.” A creed, broadly defined, is a statement of what it is that I believe. More technically, in the Christian tradition a creed is a concise, formal, and authorized statement of essential Christian doctrine.
The earliest Christian creed was spoken by Peter and recorded in Mark 8:29. At Caesarea Philippi, in response to Jesus’ question, “But who do you say that I am,” Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, replied, “You are the Christ.” Writing to the Philippians some three decades later, Paul concluded his marvelous Hymn to Christ with what remains the foundational creed of Christianity, “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:11).
But after the last apostle had died, after the canon of Scripture had been closed, Christians began to sense a need for clear and succinct summaries of the basic doctrines of their faith. So they drew on the language of Scripture to formulate brief statements of their core beliefs. The most prominent of these – the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, are still accepted (with some variations) by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and most Protestant denominations.
Creeds Today
Today, many congregations still make use of these creeds along with their longer, younger cousins, confessions. For example, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, to which Northminster belongs, uses the Westminster Confession of Faith and its catechisms as our doctrinal standards. In Sunday morning worship, we often recite in unison sections of this Confession. Other Sundays we say the Nicene or Apostles’ Creed. These public affirmations of our faith remind us of what we believe about the nature and work of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and the Church.
Creeds also have uses outside Christian worship. In his book This You Can Believe, John Brokhoff describes three purposes these historic creeds and confessions continue to serve in the Church today. The three purposes are: definition, defense and declaration.
Definition, The first purpose of creeds, Brokhoff writes, “is to define the Christian faith. What does a Christian believe? Are your beliefs in harmony with the Scriptures and the Church’s teachings?” Once we have learned Nicene Creed, we will always have an answer to fundamental questions about our faith.
Defense is the second purpose of creeds. Even before the last apostle had died, some in the Church were attempting to redefine the Christian faith. By 325, a young pastor named Arius was causing divisions in the Church by denying the Church’s historic teaching that Jesus was both fully God and fully human. Crafting language we still use today, the authors of the Nicene Creed decisively refuted that false teaching.
The third purpose of creeds is Declaration. Knowing the Nicene Creed helps us fulfill Jesus’ command to be his witnesses. The Creed is a positive, fearless declaration of the essentials of our faith. It is not just for church on Sunday mornings. We can use it to declare our faith in our everyday lives.
Happy Birthday, Nicene Creed. And someone please let me know about the cake. It would give a lot of light.
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29
Jan '25
February 2025 Pastor’s Corner — Your Happy Place?
29
Jan '25
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Phil. 4:4-7
We all have somewhere we call our “happy place.” It might be at the beach, perhaps on a mountain, or maybe beside a lake or river. It might be in an easy chair in front of the fireplace with a good book, or perhaps with a game or movie on the TV. Your happy place might be standing (or sitting) at a workbench working on your favorite hobby or craft. I’ve been told that there are some strange people who say the gym or dance studio is their happy place. For some, their happy place is wherever and whenever the family is gathered together. Exactly what our happy place is can vary, but what they all have in common is that our happy place is, well, the place that makes us happy. It’s a place where we are at peace, content, relaxed, and feel safe and secure.
There’s something else all of these “happy places” have in common: they are externally defined. We “go” to our happy place, and if we are not there, then we must not be happy. Not only that, but how often do we find the peace and comfort of our happy places shattered? Yes, our happy places do indeed make us happy, but that happiness is fragile, and it is fleeting. There’s certainly nothing wrong with wanting to have a happy place, but what’s important is to recognize what that desire is pointing us toward.
In The Weight of Glory CS Lewis writes,
Our commonest expedient is to call it beauty and behave as if that had settled the matter.…The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things—the beauty, the memory of our own past—are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself, they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.
The Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:17 and the writer of Hebrews in 8:5 and 10:1 talk about the things of earth being shadows of the true substance of Christ and of Heaven. The feelings of peace and contentment we get in our happy places are gifts from God, in order to point us to what will truly satisfy the longings of our soul — Jesus Christ. That’s why Paul is able to talk about the “peace that surpasses understanding” in Philippians 4. The church in Philippi was dealing with internal strife and conflict and external persecution. Paul wrote this letter while sitting in prison. And yet, he tells us to, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice.” There is a peace and a joy that is available to us no matter where we are or what we are going through. It’s a peace that comes from the Holy Spirit and a joy that springs from a soul that is at rest in Christ. The happy places of this world are meant to remind us of the happy place for which our soul yearns: being in the presence of God.
When it all comes down to it, that is what Heaven is. Whether Heaven is some ethereal place in the clouds, or the remade earth at the end of history, or the glorious City of God, what those places all have in common is the presence of God. The longings of this life are meant to remind us that in Christ the deepest desires of our souls are met, and that one day, we will long no more for we will see God face to face and exult in the joy and delight of being His children with Him forever.
When we set our eyes on Jesus Christ and allow Him to be our peace and joy, then we discover our “happy place” is wherever He is, doing whatever He has called us to do. Then, even the most unlikely situations or circumstances become our “happy place.” Our true happy place is Jesus. Instead of trying to satisfy your longing for a happy place by going to somewhere particular, go to Jesus, and rest in the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. — Phil. 4:11-12
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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08
Jan '25
January 2025 Mills’ Musings – Do You See What I See?
08
Jan '25
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2)
I’ve been interested in astronomy ever since I was a child. That may in part be an accident of timing: I had just turned six when President Kennedy said America would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. I was a rising 8th-grader when I watched Neil Armstrong make one giant leap for mankind.
Through the years, the intensity of my interest in things beyond our planet has varied. But it never disappeared. In 1986, I saw Halley’s Comet make its only swing by earth in my lifetime. Earlier this year I went to Indiana to observe a total solar eclipse. (As I wrote in the May newsletter, it was spectacular.) And in 2020, I looked through my son Tim’s telescope to see Jupiter and Saturn appear closer together than they had at any time in the last 800 years. Indeed, they came so close that the naked eye might have mistaken them for a single, new object.
The astronomical term for such unusual proximity is “conjunction.” Conjunctions are not rare. But they are sufficiently uncommon that those who study the night sky tend to take note of them. That’s why some today believe it was a conjunction of planets that the wise men saw and followed to Bethlehem, looking to worship the newborn king of the Jews.
Their theory does have some scientific support There was a rare triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 B.C. This “new star” could have been interpreted as a sign of a royal birth, with Jupiter symbolizing kingship. Less likely astronomical theories sometimes used to explain the celestial phenomenon that led the wise men to Bethlehem include the appearance of a comet and the explosion of a star.
As Scripture regularly reminds us, God is quite capable of using natural phenomena – storms, floods, earthquakes, fire – to reveal his will to his human creation. But the appearance of a previously unknown celestial entity, what many now call the Star of Bethlehem, does not require a naturalistic explanation. The Maker of heaven and earth is certainly capable of putting a new star in the sky, allowing only those he chooses to see it, and then having them let us know what they saw.
For example, think about the army of angels that was initially invisible to Elisha’s servant (II Kings 6:15-17). The servant, constrained by the physics of human vision, thought he and Elisha were hopelessly outnumbered by the army of the King of Aram,. But Elisha had been given the gift of seeing what God saw. And when God answered Elisha’s prayer, the servant saw not only the chariots of fire but also the truth of Elisha’s words, “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Perhaps more so than in years past, it is understandably easy for you and me to look out our windows as this new year begins and see only the forces arrayed against God and those who do his will. Each time we look, their numbers seem to have grown. In such moments, may we be strengthened by the example of the wise men, who saw for a sign then followed it to Jesus. And may we be comforted by the knowledge that, today and always, “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Blessings,
Rev. Bob Mills
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24
Nov '24
December 2024 Pastor’s Corner — Through Time and Space
24
Nov '24
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. — Revelation 12:3-6
There is something in us that loves fantastic stories about the supernatural, “fantasy” in its truest, literary sense. We love epic tales of good versus evil, of supernatural beings and superhuman people. Stories that stir our imagination, encouraging us to see the larger, cosmic story unfolding when we look past the merely physical world we live in and interact with on a daily basis. Whether we call those stories fantasies, myths, science fiction, or something else, we find them speaking to something intrinsic in our experience that knows there is more to this life than the physical world we see and touch.
I am willing to bet that when you go to read the Christmas story with your family, the verses above are not the ones that first come to mind. When we think of the Christmas story, we usually turn to the opening chapters of Matthew or Luke. If you’re wanting a more existential version, then John is the gospel for you. The last thing we think about when we it comes to the Christmas stories are dragons and cosmic battles. The incarnation of God the Son in the form of Jesus Christ is the first miracle of Christmas, a truly fantastic moment when the heavens came to earth, the spiritual took on the physical. It is the heart of what we celebrate at Christmas. But even in the midst of this epically mythical occasion, our focus centers on the stuff of earth — a pregnant teenager, a messy barnyard, a baby taking its first breath. The birth of Jesus Christ is so exceptionally visceral, it’s easy to forget how the incarnation transcends time and space.
In Revelation 12-14, John recounts human history from heaven’s perspective. It’s a truly cosmic and fantastic story that involves dragons and beasts, angels and people. It’s so different from the rest of Scripture, its hard to understand, let alone know who is who. Here’s your cast of characters: The dragon is Satan. The woman is Mary (at least in these verses – the woman changes throughout the chapter from Eve, to Israel, to Mary, to the Church… it’s complicated). The baby is the easiest one to figure out – he’s Jesus, clearly identified by the reference to Psalm 2:8-9 (“the one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron”). In the verses above, we have not only the story of Christmas, but Jesus’ entire life and ministry consolidated into one short sentence. Chapter 12 captures all of human history in 17 verses. What’s been eons for us is but the blink of an eye in heaven (2 Peter 3:8). Quite a different version of the story we all know so well.
We know the incarnation is a wondrous and miraculous event. Even with that, it’s so easy to miss just how truly wondrous and miraculous it was. It’s so much more than nativity sets and advent wreaths. It’s a true story that is so much more and better than anything we’ve ever dreamed or imagined. The incarnation is a miracle of cosmic degree and impact, breaking through heaven and earth, shattering the boundaries that separate the spiritual from the physical, bringing together the divine and the human in a way that had never happened before, and will never happen again. Through Jesus Christ, Satan (the dragon) has been barred from heaven (Rev. 12:8) and thwarted at every turn (Rev. 12:13-17) until his ultimate defeat when Christ returns (Rev. 14:1-6).
The Christmas season is one of the most tangible and tactile seasons we celebrate. It carries with it so many unique sights and sounds, textures, aromas and tastes. It is very much an imminent celebration. But Christmas is also a transcendent season extending through time and space. In the midst of your Christmas celebrations this year, allow time for your imagination to take hold of the cosmic dimensions that are very much a part of the Christmas story. Jesus has come. God is with us. And evil has lost. Joy to the world, indeed!
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. — John 1:9-14
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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31
Oct '24
November 2024 Pastor’s Corner — The Father of Delights
31
Oct '24
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. — James 1:17
I had a wonderful time while away on study leave last month. I attended a conference called “Hutchmoot” just outside Nashville. Hutchmoot was started 15 years ago by Andrew and Pete Peterson. Andrew describes it this way: “Hutchmoot is a three-day feast where we gather to celebrate the way the Lord makes himself known through his creation. This includes stories, music, and art of all kinds, but it’s also broader than that. He also makes himself known through Scripture, of course, and through nature, and food, and even each other—through the flawed and glorious humans you’ll be rubbing elbows with all weekend.”
Something I’ve noticed about myself is that when life gets hard and stressful, when anxiety and worry threaten to take over, it often seems as if God has stopped moving and working. Prayers seem to be answered with silence. The “joy of my salvation” seems like a distant memory. The world, and my life, seem to be running on autopilot rather than guided by the hands of a loving God. He no longer seems interested in making Himself known in any fashion, so much so that sometimes during these seasons I find myself wondering if He’s there at all.
One of the sessions I attended was led by Andrew Peterson and called “The Father of Delights.” Riffing off James 1:17 above (“…the Father of {de}lights…”), Andrew emphasized that God is always moving and working in, through, and around us, whether we are aware of it or not. He is constantly working to make Himself known to us and others, and seeking to delight us and fill us with wonder. To delight in God, in His works and His creation, is to glorify God. C.S. Lewis writes, “The Scotch catechism says that man’s chief end is ‘to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.’ But we shall then know that these are the same thing. Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.” The question isn’t whether God is or isn’t making himself known and giving us reason to delight in Him, it’s whether we’re paying attention and looking for the delights God is throwing our way.
Every once in a while, God does something stunning that makes us take notice. Consider the awe we’ve all experienced the last couple of months with the displays of the Aurora Borealis here in central Virginia. That just doesn’t happen here. But it did, and it was wondrous and delightful. You couldn’t look at the sky and not delight in the God that made the colors dance across the heavens. But there are countless ways God is making Himself known to us every day. The question is, are we taking the time to look for it? Delight is something that we cultivate. If you are looking to be delighted by God, then you will find delight in God. Cultivating delight requires slowing down, being patient, and paying attention to what is going on around us. Think about all that is happening every time you take a simple breath. Muscles flex, lungs expand and contract, air moves in and out, blood flows, oxygen and carbon dioxide trade places, and much more. Something we do tens of thousands of times a day is a delightful and wonderful act. An act we take for granted with every breath. Delighting in God takes intentionality and needs to be cultivated.
As we cultivate our delight in God, we learn to see all the different ways we are invited to delight in God. Delight teaches us to see delight. Have you ever noticed how many yellow cars there are? Probably not, but now you’re going to start seeing yellow cars everywhere. We find that for which we are looking. As we cultivate an awareness of the myriad delightful ways God is moving and working, we will start seeing even more ways to delight in Him. When you find or discover something delightful, take the time to savor and delight in it, and tell God about your delight. When we express our delights, it delights the Giver of delight. Think about the times you’ve done something special for your children or your spouse, and they delighted in it. Their delight delights us, and it’s the same with our Father in Heaven.
In addition to giving thanks to the Father of Delights, share your delight with someone else. Delight shared is delight enhanced and magnified. So often, it’s easy for me to miss all the delightful things God is doing in my life. When you delight in God and share that with me, it helps me to cultivate delight myself and encourages me to look around for all the delightful ways God is at work. In a world that is so filled with anger and rage, stress and worry, fear and anxiety, cultivating delight in God and sharing those delights with others shines as bright as a candle unexpectedly lit in the deep darkness of night.
“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” — Matthew 6:28-30
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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26
Sep '24
October 2024 Pastor’s Corner — Falling Like A Seed
26
Sep '24
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” — John 12:23-26 ESV
As I’ve been contemplating and praying through this passage recently, something particular stood out to me. This teaching from Jesus is given on Palm Sunday, shortly after the Triumphant Entry. Having seen the festive procession as Jesus entered Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, some Greeks “came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.” (John 12:21-22 ESV) The passage above is Jesus’ response to their request. If you pause for just a moment and think about it, it’s a really, really weird answer. They ask to see Jesus, and Jesus says, “Unless a seed die, it can not bear much fruit.” Ok. Right. Good to know. But can you have a chat with these folks or not?
The entirety of his answer comes in John 12:23-36, with verse 32 explaining and expanding verse 24: “24Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit… 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” What was surely confusing to the disciples and the Greeks who wanted to see Jesus is crystal clear to us: In order for the Greeks, or anyone actually, to see see Jesus truly, He first needed to die and rise from the dead. Through the death of the one seed, Jesus Christ, the fruit of the Gospel exploded throughout the world.
There’s a lot to unpack in these short verses, and maybe we’ll do that over the next few months, but for now, consider this. Autumn, for all of its beauty, is a season of dying. The leaves change color because they’ve stopped producing chlorophyll; they’ve started to die. The seeds the trees have been growing all year long fall to the ground. The crops have finished their season of growth and are starting to ripen. The harvest is being gathered in. And yet none of that is an end. All of that is used to begin the process of new life and growth. That new life and growth won’t be evident until months of gestation have passed, but life, and life abundant, will burst forth. Watching the leaves fall it seems like the promise of that new life is an eternity away, but once spring comes ‘round it will be as if a mere moment has passed.
God created the natural world to work the way it does because it illustrates His truth (Psalm 19:1-4). In God’s great redemptive work, nothing is wasted. Even death, that which seems like the ultimate and permanent ending, becomes the seed and soil that nurtures exponentially more life. There is great comfort in knowing that when we die there will be a double blessing: We will be blessed by rising to eternal life with Jesus (1 Cor. 15:52-54) and the Kingdom of God will be blessed as God takes our dying and uses it to glorify Himself and bring forth abundant new life (John 12:27-28).
The future is always scary, because from our finite perspective it’s so uncertain. But it isn’t, really. God is not just God of the past and present, He is God of the future as well. What seems uncertain and constantly changing for us is sure and certain for God. It is because God holds the future in His hands that we can know with absolute certainty nothing that happens will go to waste, not even death. Leaves die and fall and decompose to provide the nutrients that the seeds that fell need in order to give life to much new fruit. What is true in nature is true in us. And what is true in us is true in the Church as well.
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. — Rom. 8:22-25 ESV
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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29
Aug '24
September 2024 Pastor’s Corner — Did He Really Mean That?
29
Aug '24
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 5:17-20 ESV
Arguably the greatest sermon of all time is also the most famous, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5-7. It is an incredible message that outlines the nature and character of the Kingdom of God, and just how different it is from the powers and kingdoms of the world. It is a fairly straightforward and simple message, but it has generated enormous controversy in terms of how to interpret and apply it.
There are those who believe that the Sermon on the Mount is meant to show just how impossible it is for a person to live up to the standards of God’s Law. As Jesus says in Matthew 5:20, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Perfect perfection is what it takes to make it into heaven, and the only perfectly perfect person was Jesus Christ. Our salvation is by faith in him alone, not through our works, and just in case you think you can work your way into heaven, Jesus makes it clear in this sermon that we never can. It’s not just the act of murder that’s wrong, it’s even calling someone an idiot. It’s not enough to love your neighbor, you have to love your enemy also. According to this view, the purpose of the sermon is to illustrate our depravity and need for a Savior.
Others see Jesus describing the ideal nature of the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s a Utopian vision of what could be and what will be when Jesus returns and consummates the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. It’s certainly not the way the world works right now, but it’s what we can aspire and hope to experience one day. After all, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matt. 7:14 ESV) According to this view, the sermon was meant to inspire us to look forward to the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven… eventually.
But what if Jesus meant what he said? Not some of it, but all of it? Not eventually, but right now? Not to say what we have to do to earn our salvation, but to show how to live because of our salvation? What if, because of the salvation made possible by and given to us through Jesus Christ, we set aside anger and lust, forgiving others as we’ve been forgiven, loving our enemies as much as our neighbors, followed Jesus sincerely instead of ostentatiously, trusted in the provision of the Lord instead of what we gain by our own hands? What if we followed the narrow path into depths of living of which we can only dream, the path along which Jesus invites us to follow him?
After all, the key to “unlocking” the Sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew 7:24: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” The solid rock that secures our faith isn’t just believing in Jesus, it comes in doing what he said, and what he said was the message of the Sermon on the Mount. If we truly want to change the world, it starts by taking Jesus seriously and doing what he said.
Join us this fall as we walk through the Sermon on the Mount and follow Jesus along the narrow path that leads to more and better life than we’ve ever dreamed of.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” —Matt. 7:24-27 ESV
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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31
Jul '24
August 2024 Pastor’s Corner — A Threat to Our Very Existence?
31
Jul '24
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. — 2 Cor. 4:7-12 ESV
In a few months we will have the opportunity to exercise our civic duty and vote for who serve as president of our country for the next four years, along with a slew of other national, state and local offices. Those who are running for office, regardless of party affiliation or anything else, have pretty much one message: My opponent is a threat to our very existence, so vote for me. Usually there’s a bit more nuance to that statement, but that’s the effect. However, there’s been little to no nuance about it of late. One candidate is painted as a threat to democracy, the other as a threat to your freedom. To elect the other is to choose the path of destruction of all that we hold dear. It all sounds pretty scary and dire, which is what it’s trying to do. Fear is a powerful motivator and very, very effective.
However, we are reminded in 2 Timothy 1:7 that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ no longer need to be afraid for several reasons. First, we don’t need to be afraid because God is fully in control of all things. In the book of Job, Satan has to ask permission in order to persecute Job. In the prophets, Israel’s enemies are only allowed to attack her when God permits it. In the book of Revelation, Satan and his evil forces are bound by the Lord in what they are allowed to do. On this side of glory, there’s much we don’t understand about why God allows the things He does, but we can trust that He knows what He’s doing and that He’s always in control.
Secondly, we don’t need to be afraid because “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) At first glance, that kind of actually seems scarier. But not when we remember two things: 1) that Jesus has already defeated the spiritual forces of evil on the cross and 2) when Jesus Christ comes back, all of the forces of evil and darkness will be eradicated completely. Evil might seem to have the advantage for a moment, but ultimately the victory has already been decided and won.
Finally, we don’t need to be afraid because the Christian exists in the ultimate win-win situation. That’s the point of the Scripture passages above and below. In the passage from 2 Corinthians, Paul reminds us that no matter how bad things might get, we will not be crushed, nor despairing, nor forsaken, nor destroyed because Jesus is with us, strengthening and encouraging us at all times. The passage below from Philippians reminds us that even if we die, we will then see Jesus face-to-face. So if we live, we become more like Jesus, and if we die we get to be with Jesus. I’m not saying it’s always going to be fun and smooth sailing, because that’s certainly not true. I am saying that we don’t need to be afraid of whatever comes our way, even if it’s suffering and especially if it’s death.
The politics of fear are powerful and effective. But when we step out of the fear cycle and live in the peace and security we have in Jesus Christ, we bear witness to something far greater and stronger than fear: the amazing grace and love of God the Father, made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and made effective through the presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit. As we move through the next few months, may the grace of God comfort and strengthen all of us, reminding us that no matter the rhetoric, we don’t need to be afraid.
Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. — Phil. 1:18-24 ESV
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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27
Jun '24
July 2024 Pastor’s Corner — A Reflection or The Real Thing?
27
Jun '24
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. — 2 Corinthians 3:18
Last Friday was a full moon. I am always amazed to look outside in the middle of a clear night and see how bright it is during a full moon. The moon shines so brightly, it’s hard to see the other stars in the sky, and sometimes it’s almost bright enough to read a book. A few months ago, I was at the beach for the full moon and it almost looked like the sunrise (pictured on the left). The moon is glorious in its own right, but it is ultimately lacking and inadequate.
The light of a full moon pushes back the darkness of the night, but only partially. The light of the moon does not provide warmth, or life, or health. It might be enough to see by, but just barely. This is because the moon doesn’t have any light of its own; it is not the source of its light. The light the moon provides is but a reflection of the real thing. An amazing reflection, a brilliant reflection, but a reflection nonetheless. I love the light of a full moon, but it doesn’t compare to the real thing.
The sun, on the other hand, is the source of the light the moon reflects. When the sun rises, the dark is banished for as long as the sun is in the sky. It is the light of the sun that warms the earth, that enables plants and life to grow, that provides nutrients and vitamins that are essential for our health. Even the sunrise itself is degrees of beauty above and beyond that of the moonrise. One can look at a full moon, but to look upon the sun is to risk severe damage to your eyes. The glory of the sun is far beyond that of the moon. The light of the moon is pretty neat, but it’s no substitute for the real thing.
There are many things that claim to be able to replace the light of the presence of God in our lives. Money, possessions, people, things, and much more. Some of those things are good and provide a pretty good reflection of God, but most of those things are cheap imitations that don’t actually reflect God at all. Sometimes, because trying to look at the glory of God is as painful as trying to look directly at the sun, we’d rather have the reflection than the real thing. It’s easier for me to look at what I believe about God rather than seek to be present with God. But, even if my beliefs and theology are perfect, they are a mere reflection of the glory of God. They cannot sustain, nourish, feed or warm my soul. Only God can do that. Imagine how much more harmful it is for us to choose the false reflections, the idols that claim to be able to replace God in our lives. It’s like trying to replace the sun with a flashlight.
This morning I sat outside on our deck reading my Bible and praying as the sun rose over my neighbor’s house. A cool, almost chilly morning was instantly warmed, the dew almost immediately evaporating. I was struck by how often I choose the things of God instead of the presence of God, let alone the false idols that claim to imitate and reflect the warmth of God’s presence over the real thing. Jesus Christ came and died so that we could behold the glory of the Lord directly. Don’t settle for a poor imitation or reflection when the real thing is available to you. Seek the presence of the Lord and behold His glory, so that you may be transformed by Him.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. — Hebrews 10:19-22
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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30
May '24
June 2024 Pastor’s Corner — Blessed Naïveté
30
May '24
Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
— 1 Corinthians 14:20
Has anyone ever accused you of being “holier than thou”? It’s a strange insult, when you think about it, but it’s also one that I think most folks dread having applied to them. There’s a good reason for that — the phrase is really directed at those who are arrogant and self-righteous in their “holiness” and look down on those who they deem not as worthy. However, our dread of this accusation has had a consequence that is deeply affecting the Church (capital ‘C,’ as in the church universal not just the local church).
Instead of striving after true holiness, as just about every page of the Bible calls us to, we strive to be relevant and relatable so folks will see us as just like and certainly no better than they are. We try to avoid the scarlet ‘H’ as much as possible. As NT Wright writes, “There are people who pride themselves on knowing about evil, but can’t be bothered to think through serious issues from a biblical or theological point of view. There are many Christians who can tell you which film star is getting divorced but can’t tell you where in the Bible you might find teaching on the subject.” We want to make sure that folks know we’re no different than they are. I doubt any Christian is trying to be an expert in evil; most likely we just want to make sure that we’re not being naïve about it. We want to be seen as mature, not childish.
Paul flips that kind of thinking upside down in 1 Corinthians 14:20. He says that what I just described isn’t mature — it’s childish. True maturity doesn’t come from familiarity with or knowledge of evil, but rather by pursuing Christ and holiness. Those who are truly holy don’t go around flaunting it in front of and over others. Somewhat ironically, the holier we become, we become all the more aware of the depths of our sin and brokenness. Consider Jesus. He was perfectly relatable and relevant to all with whom he came in contact. Sinners were drawn to him, so much so that He spent far more time with the “sinners” than He did with those who considered themselves “saints.” Yet He never compromised his holiness or his righteousness, nor did He ever entertain temptation, sin or evil.
If we are striving to show the world that Christians are just like them, then what do we have to offer? The entire point of the Gospel is that the world can never provide that for which our souls yearn. The world can never heal our brokenness. The world can never help us atone for our sins and failures. The world cannot provide life. The Gospel, the Good News, is that by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ we have been called out and set apart (that’s what “holiness” means). Being mature and holy isn’t about being perfect or sinless, but it does mean that we strive to leave sin and evil behind, focusing instead on Jesus Christ. True maturity comes from “pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14-15)
Instead of trying to show how much like the world we are, “let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:2-3)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. — Philippians 4:8-9
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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