Dear Family,
It has been a wild week in the Bowen household, a truly wild week. We welcomed beautiful Reyna Mae into our home, and what a blessing. Mommy and Reyna are doing well, and the adjustment to a crying baby, all hours of the night, begins once again. This time, though, i know it lasts but for a short while. Just like the song, "IT wont be like this for long..."
Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts, cards, gifts, and visits. We feel loved and incredibly blessed to be a part of this church family.
As much as we could talk about how beautiful Reyna is, she doesn't exactly make, not yet anyway, good fodder for the message, so we must shift gears and focus on Matthew 8. This is a powerful chapter about ministry in action, and i find a lot of irony in this chapter as well.
First of all the first healing Jesus does, in this chapter, involves a man with leprosy, someone unclean, someone unworthy of affection, and someone who would have to walk on the other side of the road, from society, and yell "UNCLEAN!" It isn't enough that this insidious disease rob this man of life, but society is robbing him of dignity too. This man, this unclean, disease ridden man, becomes Jesus' first testimony of grace, healing, and love. Not how powerful, "right," ministries begin.
Second healing miracle involves a centurion, the enemy. So let's recap: Jesus begins his healing ministry by healing an unclean leper, someone society relegated to the margins a long time ago, and Jesus' second healing miracle involves the occupier, the enemy, the people most hated? And we wonder if Jesus is radical?
All too often, what i have found, is that we want to minister to people that look, that think, that act like we do, because they are safe. There is little risk in ministering to someone from the same neighborhood, with the same political views, or someone who you know well. There is little to no risk. But what happens if we choose, like Jesus did, to minister to those outside our social circles? What happens if we choose to, like Jesus did, minister to our enemies as well as our friends? What happens if our minister resembles more of the radical nature of Jesus than the comfortable, complacent nature that many resemble? What happens?
Could we feed more people? Might our churches be breaking at the seams with people wanting, needing help? Would we experience the power of the Divine? Marriages saved? Children rescued? Diseases healed? Addictions cured? Darkness blinded out by light? Could this, would this be possible, real, if we would only minister to those on the margins, instead of those we feel safer with? I dont know.
But i do want to find out. What about you all?
Shalom,
Jerry
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
I remember
Dear Family,
One of my favorite hobbies, growing up, was cooking. Yes. It's true. I loved to cook. Well more specifically, i loved to baked, especially cookies. I looked forward to Home Economics, because it meant that i could and would get a chance to practice new recipes at home. I would make sure the cookies were perfect, and in all the years, of home ec, i don't remember earning any grade lower than an A. I loved to cook.
As much as i loved to cook, and as much as i loved making stuff with my hands, one would think that i would have a better knowledge of all things cooking related. Not so.
One evening, as i was preparing for another round of chocolate chip cookies, i rummaged through the freezer door, looking for the normal bag of chocolate chips that i would use to embellish my sweet concoction. Without really reading the bag of chips, i grabbed them. They looked like chocolate chips. The bag was the same. They might have been, as far as i can remember, toll house, my favorite. But when i opened the bag, grabbing my handful of delicious treasures before cooking, throwing the dark morsels into my mouth, i discovered a painful truth.
Not all things are as they appear, and i should always read the package before rushing to judgment about any foods i throw into my mouth. These weren't "semi-sweet" chips, which i love. No. These were those dry, bitter, abomination for chocolate chips we call, "Dark chocolate."
We often take care to know fully what we are eating before we chow down, don't we? We look for calories and fat content. If we are organic folks, we strive to find those foods that are wholesome and pure, without any added preservatives. If we are bargain shoppers, we study, hard the cost per oz or unit, hoping to get the best deal possible. When it comes to our food, our money, our health, our cars, or our houses, we take our time, doing due diligence of research before we invest. We want to make sure the real deal is the real deal.
If that is how we treat that which is material and without a lot of true value, why do we rush, so quickly, to judgment when we are dealing with people, the most valuable of God's creations?
Jesus speaks to this reality when he says, from his place on top of that big hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee, "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged." And yet, this is so hard to do, isn't it? How many of us, truly, avoid judging others, before we truly get to know them? Or more than that, how often do we find ourselves pointing our noses up at other people, while ignoring the fact that to do that act, to "snub" someone is less Christlike than any sense of morality we claim to adhere to? To be Christlike, it seems, requires something other, something deeper, something holy, right?
If chowing down on chips, which i thought were "semi-sweet" caused a bitter taste in my mouth that took a lot of water to wash out, how much more bitter will the taste be, in our mouths, if we continue to judge all books, God's children, by their covers? Im careful to read the labels before eating any more "chips," let's hope i/we can do the same when we meet those who are different. Amen.
Shalom, Salaam, Peace...
Jerry
BTW: another book that i not only highly recommend, but as i posted on my facebook, i think this book should be in every home library: Bill Moyers, "Moyers on Democracy." Get it. Read it. And let the truth set you free...
One of my favorite hobbies, growing up, was cooking. Yes. It's true. I loved to cook. Well more specifically, i loved to baked, especially cookies. I looked forward to Home Economics, because it meant that i could and would get a chance to practice new recipes at home. I would make sure the cookies were perfect, and in all the years, of home ec, i don't remember earning any grade lower than an A. I loved to cook.
As much as i loved to cook, and as much as i loved making stuff with my hands, one would think that i would have a better knowledge of all things cooking related. Not so.
One evening, as i was preparing for another round of chocolate chip cookies, i rummaged through the freezer door, looking for the normal bag of chocolate chips that i would use to embellish my sweet concoction. Without really reading the bag of chips, i grabbed them. They looked like chocolate chips. The bag was the same. They might have been, as far as i can remember, toll house, my favorite. But when i opened the bag, grabbing my handful of delicious treasures before cooking, throwing the dark morsels into my mouth, i discovered a painful truth.
Not all things are as they appear, and i should always read the package before rushing to judgment about any foods i throw into my mouth. These weren't "semi-sweet" chips, which i love. No. These were those dry, bitter, abomination for chocolate chips we call, "Dark chocolate."
We often take care to know fully what we are eating before we chow down, don't we? We look for calories and fat content. If we are organic folks, we strive to find those foods that are wholesome and pure, without any added preservatives. If we are bargain shoppers, we study, hard the cost per oz or unit, hoping to get the best deal possible. When it comes to our food, our money, our health, our cars, or our houses, we take our time, doing due diligence of research before we invest. We want to make sure the real deal is the real deal.
If that is how we treat that which is material and without a lot of true value, why do we rush, so quickly, to judgment when we are dealing with people, the most valuable of God's creations?
Jesus speaks to this reality when he says, from his place on top of that big hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee, "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged." And yet, this is so hard to do, isn't it? How many of us, truly, avoid judging others, before we truly get to know them? Or more than that, how often do we find ourselves pointing our noses up at other people, while ignoring the fact that to do that act, to "snub" someone is less Christlike than any sense of morality we claim to adhere to? To be Christlike, it seems, requires something other, something deeper, something holy, right?
If chowing down on chips, which i thought were "semi-sweet" caused a bitter taste in my mouth that took a lot of water to wash out, how much more bitter will the taste be, in our mouths, if we continue to judge all books, God's children, by their covers? Im careful to read the labels before eating any more "chips," let's hope i/we can do the same when we meet those who are different. Amen.
Shalom, Salaam, Peace...
Jerry
BTW: another book that i not only highly recommend, but as i posted on my facebook, i think this book should be in every home library: Bill Moyers, "Moyers on Democracy." Get it. Read it. And let the truth set you free...
Friday, September 10, 2010
9/11
Folks,
We stand before September 11, a day that has changed the face of American history, forever, like DDay, Pearl Harbor, Kennedy assassination, and the Oklahoma City bombing. This day will forever be linked to airplanes, twin towers, and a new, anonymous enemy: terrorists that mask themselves as religious zealots. We all can tell someone where we were when that first plane chose a tower as its final resting place. It is a dark day in our history, but one that we have been given to carry and honor.
The question, for us, is what do we do with this piece of history, our national albatross? Will we continue to endorse violence and a war against a few, enabling our government to bomb, without discretion, innocent persons, in the name and just cause of "war on terror?" Will we question our neighbor because she wears a typical Islamic prayer covering? Will we refuse to let our Arabic friends come into our homes, because we fear their intentions, their religion, their last name? Or will we choose the way of faith?
To live lives of faith we must accept the challenge God has given us. We live in our context, facing the reality of an ongoing war on terror, knowing that our reality, our story, our narrative is a violent one, in this context we are thrust to the forefront asking tough theological questions. What do we do? In a typical marketing campaign: WWJD?
If we are disciples of Jesus, we must choose the road less traveled.
When revenge is the standard answer, we must forgive. When violence becomes easy, we must offer peace. And when fear knocks on our door, doing all it can to handicap and destroy us, we must find faith. Faith knows no fear. Faith knows and chooses God, above and beyond any other choice. The God who provides. The God who accepts. The God who loves. And the God, yes even this God, the forgiving God, the God who forgives even the most heinous act--even planes flown into towers and our pentagon.
Godly people refuse to burn a holy, righteous, and sacred text as a pastor in Florida wants to do. Godly people choose to accept, listen, and open the door for further conversations. Why? Because the God of creation, the God who says, "It is good," still demands we honor that which is good. Godly people welcome the stranger, love their enemies, and forgive those who hurt them. But not only that, Godly people add bricks to the kingdom, making sure that which was good, remains good and will always be good. And they do it, pointing to THE ONE, the only ONE, who sees what they do and honors that which is good.
Tomorrow is a dark day in our story, but as people of faith, we can use it as a springboard into the light of God. Amen..
Shalom, Salaam, Peace,
Jerry
We stand before September 11, a day that has changed the face of American history, forever, like DDay, Pearl Harbor, Kennedy assassination, and the Oklahoma City bombing. This day will forever be linked to airplanes, twin towers, and a new, anonymous enemy: terrorists that mask themselves as religious zealots. We all can tell someone where we were when that first plane chose a tower as its final resting place. It is a dark day in our history, but one that we have been given to carry and honor.
The question, for us, is what do we do with this piece of history, our national albatross? Will we continue to endorse violence and a war against a few, enabling our government to bomb, without discretion, innocent persons, in the name and just cause of "war on terror?" Will we question our neighbor because she wears a typical Islamic prayer covering? Will we refuse to let our Arabic friends come into our homes, because we fear their intentions, their religion, their last name? Or will we choose the way of faith?
To live lives of faith we must accept the challenge God has given us. We live in our context, facing the reality of an ongoing war on terror, knowing that our reality, our story, our narrative is a violent one, in this context we are thrust to the forefront asking tough theological questions. What do we do? In a typical marketing campaign: WWJD?
If we are disciples of Jesus, we must choose the road less traveled.
When revenge is the standard answer, we must forgive. When violence becomes easy, we must offer peace. And when fear knocks on our door, doing all it can to handicap and destroy us, we must find faith. Faith knows no fear. Faith knows and chooses God, above and beyond any other choice. The God who provides. The God who accepts. The God who loves. And the God, yes even this God, the forgiving God, the God who forgives even the most heinous act--even planes flown into towers and our pentagon.
Godly people refuse to burn a holy, righteous, and sacred text as a pastor in Florida wants to do. Godly people choose to accept, listen, and open the door for further conversations. Why? Because the God of creation, the God who says, "It is good," still demands we honor that which is good. Godly people welcome the stranger, love their enemies, and forgive those who hurt them. But not only that, Godly people add bricks to the kingdom, making sure that which was good, remains good and will always be good. And they do it, pointing to THE ONE, the only ONE, who sees what they do and honors that which is good.
Tomorrow is a dark day in our story, but as people of faith, we can use it as a springboard into the light of God. Amen..
Shalom, Salaam, Peace,
Jerry
Friday, September 3, 2010
Quick
Folks,
Sure i am two days late, and i am still trying to figure out my schedule, but the blog is up and going, this week. Funny thing happens when we read, pray, and tune our hearts to the power of the Divine, we begin to experience new insights to the biblical story, and that is happening to me. I am, actually, finding it hard to put to words my reaction to Matthew 5. But i will do my best, and in the interest of sanity, keep it short.
I mean really short.
Like almost finished short.
But not quite.
Before i say goodbye, this week, i want to ask you all a question. Have you ever had your world turned upside down? If so, how did it feel? How did you react? Was it positive? Negative? Are you still recovering? And if you haven't, be ready, because God always finds ways to upset our normal cycle of life.
Having our world turned upside down is godly work, it truly is. It could be tragic, so where is God? Sitting with us through our pain. Not just God, but when the church sits with us, God becmoes so real, so tangible, we survive. When it is a blessing, well that's an obvious answer. What does this have to do with Matthew 5?
Jesus came to turn the world upside down. He addresses the old paradigm that all of the people lived by, and then he turns it on its rear. He empowers the powerless. He calls the weakminded and sinner. He protects women. He demands forgiveness and mercy. He requires his disciples to love, just as He loves. That, folks, is turning the world upside down, and that folks, is what we are required to do.
Jesus calls us to stand against oppression, to demand justice, to live peace, and to no longer turn a blind eye to that which destroys life, whether that is a literal/quick destruction of life or if that is a slow/metaphorical descent into the abyss. God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit calls us, as disciples of Jesus, to stop the damage and build a kingdom, God's Kingdom: one of love, peace, forgiveness, acceptance, empowerment, and community. Anything else, anything that deters from this kingdom, is not of God and must be ignored.
To do this, folks, requires sacrifice, major sacrifice. So. What are we willing to give up? If not everything, we will accomplish nothing. But if we leave the world behind, well we will do more than experience a new life, we will build a kingdom, and kingdom building is always great work. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
Sure i am two days late, and i am still trying to figure out my schedule, but the blog is up and going, this week. Funny thing happens when we read, pray, and tune our hearts to the power of the Divine, we begin to experience new insights to the biblical story, and that is happening to me. I am, actually, finding it hard to put to words my reaction to Matthew 5. But i will do my best, and in the interest of sanity, keep it short.
I mean really short.
Like almost finished short.
But not quite.
Before i say goodbye, this week, i want to ask you all a question. Have you ever had your world turned upside down? If so, how did it feel? How did you react? Was it positive? Negative? Are you still recovering? And if you haven't, be ready, because God always finds ways to upset our normal cycle of life.
Having our world turned upside down is godly work, it truly is. It could be tragic, so where is God? Sitting with us through our pain. Not just God, but when the church sits with us, God becmoes so real, so tangible, we survive. When it is a blessing, well that's an obvious answer. What does this have to do with Matthew 5?
Jesus came to turn the world upside down. He addresses the old paradigm that all of the people lived by, and then he turns it on its rear. He empowers the powerless. He calls the weakminded and sinner. He protects women. He demands forgiveness and mercy. He requires his disciples to love, just as He loves. That, folks, is turning the world upside down, and that folks, is what we are required to do.
Jesus calls us to stand against oppression, to demand justice, to live peace, and to no longer turn a blind eye to that which destroys life, whether that is a literal/quick destruction of life or if that is a slow/metaphorical descent into the abyss. God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit calls us, as disciples of Jesus, to stop the damage and build a kingdom, God's Kingdom: one of love, peace, forgiveness, acceptance, empowerment, and community. Anything else, anything that deters from this kingdom, is not of God and must be ignored.
To do this, folks, requires sacrifice, major sacrifice. So. What are we willing to give up? If not everything, we will accomplish nothing. But if we leave the world behind, well we will do more than experience a new life, we will build a kingdom, and kingdom building is always great work. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry