station 4: Jesus Meets His Mother

As we begin to look at the 4^th Station of the Cross today, Jesus meets His mother, I want us to look at a poem that I found called “The Sacrament of Letting Go” by Macrina Wiederkehr. Parenting is the long and arduous task of letting go and I think in Mary’s case she had a keen sense of this from the beginning of the journey.

Slowly

She celebrated the sacrament of Letting Go…

First she surrendered her Green     

Then the Orange, Yellow, and Red…

Finally she let go of her Brown…

Shedding her last leaf

She stood empty and silent, stripped bare

Leaning against the sky

She began her vigil of trust…

Shedding her last leaf

She watched its journey to the ground…

She stood in silence,

Wearing the color of emptiness

Her branches wondering:

How do you give shade, with so much gone?

And then, the sacrament of Waiting began

The sunrise and sunset watched with

Tenderness, clothing her with silhouettes

They kept her hope alive.

They helped her understand that

her vulnerability

her dependence and need

her emptiness

her readiness to receive

were giving her a new kind of beauty.

Every morning and every evening she stood in silence and celebrated

the sacrament of Waiting.

I have two beautiful children who love to read! We have been reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy (we are on book 2) and they have read all the Percy Jackson books and some of the Harry Potter series. Recently, we have been watching the Avatar, the Last Airbender and the Legend of Korra TV series.  All of these stories are stories of adventure and quests and heroes and magic. People with gifts and powers willing to fight evil and the powers of darkness! Exciting stuff. Inspiring.

Keep those things in the back of your mind as we look at Mary today.

From the very beginning, Mary knew what she signed up for. She knew it would not be easy. We see her willingness in her response to the angel:

Luke 1:38

NASB

“Behold, the bond slave of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”

the Message

“Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me   

just as you say.”

Phillips

“I belong to the Lord, body and soul,” replied Mary, “let it happen as you say.”

In her song that she sings to Elizabeth, we hear echoes of a song from another mother from ages past, Hannah, a mother who gave her son to God.

When she presents Jesus at the temple, Simeon tells her “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

When Jesus is missing for three days at age 12, there was a foretaste of agony for Mary. “Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You [distressed and tormented]”

I wonder if Mary prayed “when I agreed to this, I didn’t know it would be so hard”

Did she study the Scriptures about the Messiah, pouring over any passage that mentioned His coming, His purpose, the deliverance of the Jews. Looking for some clue, some indication that she had indeed heard from God. Or did she let go of having to know? Surrendering over and over to what God was doing. “let it happen as you say.”

Did knowing that Jesus was special change the day-in day-out of the 30 years He lived in Nazareth? As year after year went by, did people start to doubt Mary’s story? Did Mary? First she surrendered her Green     

Then the Orange, Yellow, and Red…

The sacrament of Waiting.

The sacrament of Letting Go

Mostly, it seems as if Mary was able to let go of her own agenda. But we see some glimpses in scripture of her efforts to influence Jesus’ ministry. The wedding at Cana shows the relationship between mother and son in an interesting light. Mary seems to know that Jesus is capable of fixing the problem and she also seems to be giving him a little push into His calling. He tells her His time has not come; she tells the servants, “Do whatever He tells you” – she is ready to get the show on the road.

The next time we see Mary and Jesus together, she is looking for Him – and Jesus seemingly does not go to her, instead He says “Who are my mother and my brothers? … Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Separating Himself from physical bonds and reinforcing spiritual ones.

Finally she let go of her Brown…

Shedding her last leaf

She stood empty and silent, stripped bare

Leaning against the sky

She began her vigil of trust…

It is not surprising that she is in Jerusalem for the Passover – we know that it was her custom to go every year. But this year when she is there, she encounters her son in the midst of a protest rally. He is beaten, bloody, carrying the cross to the place of His public execution. Jesus meets His mother.

She stood in silence,

Wearing the color of emptiness

Her branches wondering:

How do you give shade, with so much gone?

This encounter seems to say “I don’t know what is going on, but I am all in. Where else could I go? You alone have the words of eternal life.”

All logical sense is now gone. The “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” is about to happen. The redemption of the world is about to be accomplished but it will cost Mary the life of her son. God so loved the world that He gave His son – but He asked Mary to give her son, too.

He needed a human collaborator to accomplish His purposes as He STILL DOES TODAY!

Mary didn’t have magical powers or a lightning scar. She didn’t airbend nor was she the daughter of a Greek god. She was just an ordinary person willing to be used by God.

And when God asked her, she said, “Yes!”

She said, “Yes” over and over. “Yes” to humiliation and misunderstanding.  “Yes” when Simeon said a sword would pierce her heart. She said, “Yes” when Jesus was missing for three days. “Yes” when Jesus was making trouble with the local synagogue. She said, “Yes” when He was hanging out with “sinners” Yes and Yes  and Yes!

And she said, “Yes” when He was on His way to the cross.

What are you saying to God today? When He asks you to follow Him? When He asks you to sacrifice? to suffer?

Desmond Tutu says this about suffering: “we can transform our suffering into a spirituality of transformation by understanding that we have a role in God’s transformation of the world.”

Often we are hesitant to say Yes to God because we know what it will cost us. Teresa of Avila said to God, “If this is how you treat Your friends, no wonder you have so few!” – but the fear of suffering is much more damaging than the suffering itself.

Father Jacques Philippe from the Community of the Beatitudes writes in his book Interior Freedom,

“What really hurts is not so much suffering itself as the fear of suffering. If welcomed trustingly and peacefully, suffering makes us grow. It matures and trains us, purifies us, teaches us to love unselfishly, makes us poor in heart, humble, gentle, and compassionate toward our neighbor. Fear of suffering, on the other hand, hardens us in self-protective, defensive attitudes, and often leads us to make irrational choices with disastrous consequences.”

The very thing we are trying to avoid is what we are inviting into our lives.

God designed us for adventure; we are inspired as we watch movies of superheroes and magical beings. We walk alongside Frodo on the way to Mordor and fight alongside Harry Potter against the powers of darkness. Our hearts are stirred and we long to be a part of something bigger than ourselves and our ordinary lives.

Jesus said “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Jesus barges into on our cozy hobbit-hole lives and bids us to come and “follow him” - a robust call to a life of adventure.

I invite you today to look into the eyes of your Savior. Battered and bloody on the way to the cross. Look at Him through the eyes of Mary, with unspeakable suffering, with ultimate sacrifice.

Look at Him with vulnerability

Look at Him with dependence and need

Look at Him with emptiness

Look at Him with readiness to receive

Say Yes to Him today.

Following the Wise Men

Adoration of the Magi by Jocopo and Francesco Bassano

Here is my sermon from this morning Dec 30, 2012

slides for sermon available here

Following the Wise Men

[slide 1]

Preparing a sermon is a strange and wondrous journey. This one has been particularly interesting because the story is so familiar and yet I had never really studied it before. So let’s look together at the text – found in Matthew 2 (this story only appears in Matthew’s gospel) – the first 12 verses

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Let’s pray……

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are Yours.
You change times and seasons; You depose kings and raise up others.
You give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
You reveal deep and hidden things; You know what lies in darkness,
    and light dwells with You.  I thank and praise You, God of my ancestors:
    Please give us wisdom and power and reveal Your Word to us today.

This prayer is based on the one Daniel prayed when he was up against the magi of his time – the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers that could not understand the dream of the king. As we look at the story of the Magi who visited Jesus, we see a turnabout of events. In the Daniel story, the magi were the ones excluded from the revelation and now as we look at this familiar story; we see the complete opposite phenomenon: the people of the Book – the scribes – were not the ones with the inside scoop but instead God reveals Himself to these outsiders (something He has been doing all along).  As I studied this familiar story, I found so many theories about the star – a convergence of planets, a super nova, a comet, an angel? So many descriptions of the Magi –, Indian, Arabic, Persian, descendants of Seth, there were 3, no 12, they were many in number, Zoroastrian, kings, astronomers, astrologers? It is amazing how many stories have come from these 12 verses in Matthew. If we were to explore them all we could be here a long time. And yet, no matter how deeply we search, much of it will still remain hidden. This mystery was a gift to me, because I stopped trying to figure out the details of the story and started looking at what God was trying to tell me through it. The result was 3 questions.

The first question is: What are you looking for?

[slide 2]

The Magi didn’t happen by the sign of the star by chance. They were studiers of the night sky – experts who looked at the stars probably every night – trying to interpret the signs: the movement of the planets, the shooting stars, the phases of the moon.  So, I am not an astronomer, and I don’t think that this story is telling us to look for signs in the sky – but where do we look for revelation from God? What should we be studying intently?

In the bible, we find the answer to these questions: Joshua 1:8 says, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” And Psalm 1 says “Blessed (happy and enviable) is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water…”
 

Astronomy magazine has a sky-studying guide for new astronomers. I found their advice could also be applied to studying God’s Word.  You will find these in your Rev Rag – and they are mostly self-explanatory but I want to explore a few with you.

[slide 3]1. Get to know the sky in a general sense – find a central point and go from there. In the Northern hemisphere, the North Star can orient you to find all the other constellations you are looking for. In the south, it is the Pole star. [slide 4] What is your orienting point in studying the scriptures? God’s love? Justice? Caring for the poor? Holiness? These can give you a starting point to study God’s Word.

[slide 5]2. Immerse yourself in the subject – not just a cursory glance but a deep and purposeful study. The Magi were able to see the star because they were experts – they observed subtle differences, convergences. This is the same with God’s word – it is living and active. You could study the same passage every day and see new things each time. Jesus describes it this way “bringing out of the storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

[slide 6]3. Pick your observing site carefully – if you want to see the moon or the North Star, you can probably just look out of your window. If you want to see the Milky Way, you need to be somewhere away from the light pollution of the city. [slide 7]When we study God’s Word, sometimes we need to get rid of the distractions before we can really see what He is trying to reveal.

[slide 8] 4. Comfort is everything

[slide 9] 5. Keep a log

[slide 10] 6. Become a social astronomer

[slide 11] 7. Observe everything! – not only does God reveal Himself to us in His word – but in nature, in others, in books, in everything – if we are looking.

[slide 12]This leads us to the second question: How far would you go?

Now, with all the theories about where they came from, it is hard to say exactly how far the Magi traveled, but it is safe to say that they covered a considerable distance on their journey – probably well over 500 miles. The Scribes, on the other hand, did not bother to go from Jerusalem to Bethlehem – it was only 5 miles. Imagine an event of amazing significance – it is hard to do in our celebrity saturated culture – but imagine that all of your favorite bands or all of your favorite speakers or great leaders of the world are all converging in Joliet, IL. A group of royalty from Saudi Arabia comes all the way over here with all of their attendants and security guards and motorcades (all of Chicago is being disturbed) and asks you “where is that big event happening? – we heard it was today!” You calmly consult your calendar and answer, “It’s over in Joliet. I’ll print you out a google map.” I think they would be amazed that you weren’t grabbing your coat, dropping your plans and coming along. [slide 13] Soren Kirekegaard says it this way, “Although the scribes could explain where the Messiah should be born, they remained quite unperturbed in Jerusalem. They did not accompany the Wise Men to seek him. //  Similarly we may know the whole of Christianity, yet make no movement. The power that moved heaven and earth leaves us completely unmoved.”

In my research for this sermon, I came across a beautiful poem written by the 13^th century Muslim mystic, Rumi. An unlikely source, but that’s where God always seems to be turning up. [slide 14]

Gamble everything for love
if you are a true human being.
If not, leave this gathering.

Half-heartedness doesn't reach into majesty.
You set out to find God,
but then you keep stopping for long periods

at mean-spirited roadhouses.

Surely we don’t know what we could have? Or we would stop at nothing to have it. Think about all the things we go out of our way to get. The things that occupy our time and our efforts. We set out to find God and stop at the roadhouse of pleasure or the comfort hotel, the looking-out-for-number-1 truck stop or the apathy rest area. God came all the way into our world – made Himself nothing to be with us.
The ultimate romance story of a king disguising himself as a pauper to win the love of the peasant girl.
[slide 15] Frederick Buechner describes it this way “The Word become flesh. Ultimate Mystery born with a skull you could crush one-handed. Incarnation. It is not tame. It is not touching. It is not beautiful. It is uninhabitable terror. It is unthinkable darkness riven with unbearable light.”
Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
 “Half-heartedness doesn't reach into majesty.” God wants our whole hearts.
[slide 16] Which leads to the third and last question: What gifts will you bring?

Another unlikely place to find inspiration was from Brendan Francis Behan, an Irish novelist and playwright. [slide 17] He has this to say about gifts: “If you have a talent, use it in every which way possible. Don’t hoard it. Don’t dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke.”

Whenever I think of gifts I think of the song the “Little Drummer Boy”. Wherever I am when this song is playing – I cry. No matter who is singing it: David Bowie & Bing Crosby, Bob Dylan, the Glee cast, ABBA, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, well maybe not ABBA.  What is it about this song? Such a simple message and such a good reminder:

[slide 18] Our finest gifts we bring to lay before the King so to honor Him, when we come.

I am a poor boy too. I have no gift to bring that's fit to give a King. Shall I play for Him on my drum? I played my drum for Him – I played my best for Him on my drum.

This is exactly how God wants us to come to Him. He knows our need, to our weakness He is no stranger. In all our trials, born to be our Friend. Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

[slide 19]
The King of the Universe is here.

Are you looking for Him?

How far would you go ?

What gifts will you bring?

Let us pray…..

God of the Universe, guide us as we look intently for You in Your Word, in each other and in our own hearts. Help us to go farther than we think possible in our pursuit of You, in our service to others and in living lives pleasing to You. Help us to bring You gifts that honor Your majesty, worship Your presence and proclaim Your death until You come again. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen

[slide 20]

Benediction:

Since we have the word of God undeniably revealed to us  - give that word your closest attention, for it shines like a lamp amidst all the dirt and darkness of the world. And it will continue to shine until the day dawns, and the morning star rises in our hearts.

This JPUSA Life

I have decided to model my sermon today after one of my favorite radio programs, This American Life. If you are not familiar with Ira Glass and this delightful show - I recommend it heartily to you –and allow me to describe the basic set-up. The show always has an overarching theme – which is the segment’s title and then there is a prologue, and one or more acts dealing with the theme. After each act is a clip of a song that sums up the act and segues into the next.

So welcome to this JPUSA life, I am your host, Debbie Baumgartner. Today’s show is called “Keeping the Peace”. This summer, here at JPUSA, we will be exploring the topic of “calling”. While I think it is essential to identify a personal calling, today I will be talking about a corporate calling, a calling that we share – we find this calling in Colossians 3:15: “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”

Called to live in peace. Called to live in peace. What does that mean? Just an absence of conflict – that can’t possibly be enough. In Hebrew the word for peace is shalom. The root of the word shalom means “to make complete or whole.” Greek word for peace, eirene means health, welfare, prosperity, bliss and every good and kindness imaginable

Act One: Permission to Speak Freely

I first heard of accountability from my friend Barb White. Up until then I was sort of hiding behind a good-girl façade and trying to keep up appearances. She was the first friend who actually called me on things that I thought I had well hidden. It was very alarming at first and my initial reaction was to deny the charges and hide better. This proved ineffective and so I started on a journey of transparency to find my true self. Now just to let you know, as Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” so this journey was (and is) a long one and left to myself I would think I am doing pretty dang well. My heart lulls me into a false sense of security and I can see myself as the “good guy” the “poor, misunderstood one” or the “martyr” and get away with a lot of ugly living.

That’s why God sent me here to JPUSA. Living so close with people it becomes impossible to hide. I could do it for spurts or, if I didn’t get out much, for a little longer; but eventually my true colors would show and someone would see them. And the gig would be up. I was caught red-handed and faced with some choices: point the finger at someone else or own up. The pointing the finger thing started with the first two humans and hasn’t let up. There are so many options these days for the blame game – parents, teachers, pastors, friends, the government, bosses; the list goes on and on. Being the victim worked for a little while, but at some point when I was left alone with myself, I longed to be known and I longed to change.

Making peace with myself would require a clear sense of my strengths and vulnerabilities. This clarity could not come from myself alone – I am unable to see myself clearly. Through God’s word and prayer, I gained a lot of truth, but God also sent me some wonderful women to speak into my life and to help me know myself and begin to do some deeper work.

When you invite people into your life to speak truth, you have to be ready to hear it. It sounds so nice and easy, but “I want you to tell me when I am acting badly, but I will bite your head off when you do!” is not going to work. I invited several women to speak truth to me and guess what! They do! And then I have to receive it. Yippee! Last year, Andrea Spicer and I had a real nitty-gritty talk like this where she brought up some areas in my life that needed to be worked on. I have known Andrea for more than 15 years and she has helped me through some serious trials. We have talked about many topics and hashed out many things over the years and yet, and yet, I did not want to hear what she had to say.

The next few days after this conversation there was a serious battle for my mind. Part of me just wanted to go home and lick my wounds and tell myself how misunderstood I was. How she didn’t really see me. How I had plenty of people who would tell me otherwise. Oh and then it got really ugly – I started picking apart her character! Who is she to tell me this or that – what about the way she…. Wow. Really?

The other part of me let the truth sink in. Took deep breaths. Listened to the love and nurture of a long-standing friendship – a friendship deep enough to speak the truth, and I felt myself coming to a new level of peace with my inner wounds. Looking at them for what they were in all their ugliness and letting Jesus look at them with me. In the Amplified Bible, our verse starts out “Let the peace that comes from Christ rule” “(act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state]”. This is the place to start if we are to live in peace with one another.

“Peace Train”

Act Two: And the Second is Like it

I was leaving Arai school one Sunday morning in a foul mood. Seeds had played at the end of the worship service and the set had ended with them singing “love your neighbor as you love yourself, love your neighbor as you love yourself” and I walked out into the sunny day and thought “no!” I don’t want to. Well, so because I have this accountability relationship with Andrea – I went to confess my ugly heart. Suzanne Stewart had just moved 10 feet away from me, and although we were friends, our friendship wasn’t easy. I am so blunt and loud and opinionated and she is not. We had different views on politics and parenting and world events and ideologies, we could get into arguments over the stupidest things. And then things would be tense but we wouldn’t really resolve it – just pick up and move on.

And to be honest, it was mostly my fault. I think I was pretty mean – or at the very least I was shutting her down. And I would justify my behavior with some nonsense but if I talked it out with Andrea she would try to bring me back to reality. So finally I had to face it – I was being a jerk and I had to cut it out.

Many years ago at a summer camp, one of my counselors gave me a very useful tool for changing my thinking about someone. So I implemented it with Suzanne. Let me share it with you. It looks like this: I WILL BE patient with _________I WILL BE kind to _________I WILL not envy _________I WILL not boast about myself to _________

I WILL not be proud around _________I WILL not dishonor _________I WILL not BE self-seeking, but look out for ________’s interests,I WILL not BE easily angered by _________I WILL keep no record of _________’s wrongs. I WILL NOT delight in evil but rejoice in the truth about _________I WILL always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere in my words, actions and prayers concerning __________

Now let me tell you, if you want to hold on to your bad feelings about someone, praying this prayer will not let you do that for long. I prayed this every day. And it wasn’t long until I saw Suzanne. Really saw her for the gift that she is. And I also saw how she had never given up on me. How she kept coming in my room. Kept entering into conversations. Kept giving me cards and gifts. Kept praying for me and being kind to my family. Kept calling out the good things in me in spite of myself and my bad behavior.

It’s not perfect, but it has been many years now that I have seen our friendship as a treasure. We fought for it and we let the Holy Spirit unite us. It wasn’t enough for either of us to co-exist. We didn’t choose each other as neighbors but I know it wasn’t an accident. “As members of one body, you are called to live in peace.”

“Why Can’t We Be Friends”

Act Three: You Got Some Splainin’ to Do

The last part of the verse says, “And always be thankful.” Nothing makes us more thankful for community than going through a difficult time. Tiana was just telling me that while the whole community was up-in-arms about the clean team changes, she and Dave had just learned that their son was autistic. She didn’t have any energy or desire to enter into the discussion. Someone commented to her “you are living real life” - but that’s always true…while we are arguing about cleaning or dogs or woodchips or the paint colors for the dining room – people around us are living real lives. Battling addiction, going off to college alone, trying to save their marriages, suffering from illness – drowning, not waving. And when the enemy can keep us squabbling over little things, he is delighted. And the people struggling, who need us to be a strong harbor, they cannot get our attention.

I want to end this morning with a piece that Rebecca Hill wrote for the Wilson Station site. Maybe it will help us to be more thankful… it is called “Let Me Explain”

I always have to explain. My autistic son goes to a special school; we deal with a lot of therapists, doctors, social workers, etc. They get that frozen smile, usually, when we tell them we live communally. We call it the ohmygodtheyliveinacultthisisawkward face. When they get to know us, and realize that I am the not exactly a mindless submission kind of a girl, they begin to ask questions. Questions like, “how in the world do you all get along?” “Don’t you wish you had more privacy?” “Do you get tired of living with so many people?”

The answers, are, respectively, we don’t, yes and no, and no. We don’t all get along, we drive each other crazy, and I long to be alone sometimes, but when I am, I don’t like it much, and I want to be surrounded by people who know me, and love me, and get me, and it is worth it. What I give up to live here, it is a pittance, really, compared to the richness of this life.

It is a process, a tapestry, a journey and a fight to the death, a circus, a picnic, a tent revival and a rock concert. It is Bible camp and a college dorm, a PTA meeting with all those people you would just as soon avoid. There are snacks, lawn chairs, water fights and a rummage sale. You spend hours picking through the refuse for a treasure. You beg God to help you see the beauty amid the chaos, you love your friends, you hate them you can’t believe they would be such jerks and you pray and hold vigil and love them with every ounce of your being when they hurt, when they fall. You thank God with every breath that they are with you when your child is sick, when your father dies, when you do something so stupid and sinful that you wonder how you will get up and brush your teeth and function tomorrow.

You wish everyone could know this kind of love, this unconditional love that gives you just a taste, just a glimpse of how God loves you, what His heart is.

It is dirty, messy, chaotic, and beautiful. It is your friend who you have known since you were both teenagers crying on your shoulder and then laughing until you hurt because she reminded you of how you once had a crush on a guy with a blue mohawk.

It is not having to explain.

It is good, it is terrible, it is easy, it is like climbing Mount Everest, and it is mine, all mine.

I don’t say all that, I just say, it is family, one big messed up family. This seems to be enough, and then I go home, which is a relief, because when I get there, I will not have to explain.

“We Can Work it Out”

sermon handout and link to audio version

link to audio version click HERE

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

New International Version (NIV)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I WILL BE patient with _________

I WILL BE kind to _________

I WILL not envy _________

I WILL not boast about myself to _________

I WILL not be proud around _________

I WILL not dishonor _________

I WILL not BE self-seeking, but look out for

________’s interests,

I WILL not BE easily angered by _________

I WILL keep no record of _________’s wrongs.

I WILL NOT delight in evil but rejoice in the truth

about _________

I WILL always protect, always trust, always

hope, always persevere in my words, actions

and prayers concerning __________

Hidden Eternities

sermon slides here if you click on this link to open in a new tab - the slides go along with the sermon

[slide 1]
2 Peter 3:14-18 (New Living Translation)
14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
15 And remember, the Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him 16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.
17 I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. 18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.


Let me start out with some math lessons today. They involve zero and infinity. The void and the eternal. Very spiritual concepts but also very familiar to the mathematician. Throughout history there have been some well-known mathematician who were also theologians: Blaise Pascal is probably the most well-known. He is best known for describing our need for God as a God-shaped hole in our hearts that can’t be filled by anything other than God. Pascal was also the father of the principles of vacuum and proved, despite opposition from leading scientists and philosophers of his day, that vacuum did exist – everyone in that time was terrified by the void – nothingness – vacuum –Aristotle’s famous quote "Nature abhors a vacuum" is not entirely true. The vast majority of the universe is more or less empty space and there doesn’t seem to be anything rushing to fill it. To his credit, there are circumstances that do fit this description, but what Aristotle and the leading thinkers of his time were trying to avoid were nothingness and, its partner, eternity.

Eternity is hidden in the strangest places. [slide 2] Measure the distance across any circle at its widest point and now measure the distance around the circle. These two distances can be accurately measured with the correct tools – but something crazy happens if you divide the larger distance by the smaller one – no matter how big or small the circle – the answer will always be the same. And it is not a nice number [slide 3]– it is a number that never ends and never repeats – a little bit of eternity hidden in a circle – since we can’t write a number like that we represent it with a symbol – π [slide 4]. The same thing happens with a square. [slide 5] We have a nice neat perfect square – we can measure the length of a side – they are all the same – let’s say 1 foot long – now we can draw a line from one corner across the square to the other side. Easily drawn and impossible to measure. Again, we find an eternity hidden in this seemingly simply object. Poor Pythagoras was determined to find the ratio but in the end (after drowning a fellow philosopher for suggesting this truth) he had to admit that it was indeed ‘irrational’ – a messy number with infinite, unpredictable digits.

My favorite hidden eternity in math has to do with dividing by zero. When you divide a number, say 1 for example, by zero you are asking “what number multiplied by zero will give me 1?” a question that has no answer because you can multiply by zero all day long and get nothing but zero. BUT we can get really really close to zero say 0.00000000001 and when we divide 1 by this number we get 10 billion – so we add more zeros – 100 more zeros before the 1 and now we are getting ridiculously large numbers when we divide – so as we get close to zero – we are approaching infinity. If we apply this mathematical concept to Einstein’s “field equations” [slide 6]which illustrate the spacetime fabric being curved by matter; we find solutions that approach infinity which give us a simplified description of what we now term a ‘black hole.’ [slide 7]Since density is defined as an object’s mass divided by its volume, when a large star dies, it’s volume (the space it was occupying) decreases – in fact it reduces nearly to zero, and the mass remains fairly constant and so the resulting infinite density of the black hole is similar to division by zero. But because of this immense density, it has a strong gravitational field and any object (even light) that gets close to this hole will be pulled in and compressed into a single point that is infinitely small – sounds a lot like zero.

So even if you have understood nothing of the math I have shared with you today, hold on to this thought: the creation of a black hole happens when a star dies - a massive nothingness pulls down on space and time with a force of gravity so strong that it basically compresses itself to nearly nothing –– all that is left is that strong force – sucking in anything that comes too near the edge.

Pascal’s God-shaped hole idea is found in his writings in defense of Christianity, entitled, Thoughts or in French, Pensées: [slide 8]
"What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him … though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself." - Blaise Pascal, Pensées

He said we had an infinite abyss. Sounds a lot like a black hole to me. A hole created by the death of the perfect relationship with God – destroyed by sin – and all that is left is an empty print – but this emptiness has a pull that will suck everything into its strong force – every relationship, every desire, every pursuit – and compress it into nothing – all that will remain is that force and its never satisfied hunger. Should we join Paul in saying “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?”

The answer, according to both Paul and Pascal, is the Infinite – God Himself.
So how do we do fill this abyss with God? Our text today has some excellent advice. “Make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.” This sounds great. But unfortunately it leads to two extremes. The “make every effort” extreme and the “pure and blameless in his sight” extreme.

Peter mentions something to this effect in the next few verses “those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted [Paul’s] letters to mean something quite different…this will result in their destruction.” We see in Paul’s letters how he feels about the “make every effort” extreme which we will call “legalism” – or a rigid following of rules. “If I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? … As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!” Strict adherence to rules is not a way to fill that black hole with God. We can join the rich young ruler and say to Jesus, “Teacher, all these [commandments] I have kept since I was young.” But we will be found lacking. The law wasn’t given to us so that we could have a holiness checklist of do’s and don’ts. The law is meant to show us God’s perfection and our imperfection. The Law is the measure of God’s holiness – an infinitely large number that, even if we spent every waking moment counting, we would never reach. It’s like we are trying to solve a cosmic equation [slide 9] { me + x = ∞ } - the only solution is something infinite – because we can add any number large or small to infinity and the result is still infinity. So God solved this equation Himself by becoming a man and perfectly fulfilling the law so that the new equation looks like this [slide 10]{me + ∞ Jesus = ∞ holiness}.

This leads to the other extreme, the “pure and blameless in His sight” extreme, the “I’m saved so it doesn’t matter how I live” extreme, we will call ‘antinomianism’ [slide 11]– lawlessness. Paul had something to say to these people too, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!” This extreme is an immature response to God’s grace and forgiveness and leads to rebellion. It is like the Prodigal Son using his renewed position as son to invite his old friends over to party. Alfred Norris says “Though there is everything to be lost by rebelling against the Lord Jesus, we can be absolutely certain that, so long as there is human nature, for so long will obedience be irksome and rebellion attractive.” Oh, the rebel – how we love thee. “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love” When we justify our godless actions and entertain our lawless thoughts we grow ever closer to the edge of that deep aching need of our soul and, if we are not careful, the pull will be too great and we will find ourselves destroyed by that which we desired.

[slide 12] We can often feel ourselves close to the edge of this cosmic waterfall and, even though we paddle with all of our might, the pull is stronger than our ability to fight it. “Be on guard so that you will not be carried away...” Peter says in our text. Don’t go near the edge, guard your salvation, be wise about the company you keep so that you don’t slip and fall. Rather, he says, preferably, grow in grace, grow in knowledge, GROW UP! Fill yourself with infinite truths.

How do we do this? By living in eternity. By practicing the presence of God. By storing up treasures in heaven. By setting our mind on things above. As C.S. Lewis puts it by “listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”

In my job as a math teacher, I am reminded of hidden eternities – mysteries so vast that we replace them with symbols so that we can apply them. Where are your hidden eternities? Do you find them by looking at the stars or a leaf? Keeping death daily before your eyes? Imagining heaven? Talking to God? Talking to each other about God? When people are in love, almost anything can be a reminder of the other. When I am away from my family, there are a thousand little things that remind me of them. And it’s surprising how much their names come up in conversations with those around me. Because my home is with them and I long to be with them.
It is the same with God. He is crazy about us. Psalm 139:17 says “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!” And He has placed infinitely many reminders of Himself around us so that we don’t lose sight of Him. Our text begins with this thought, “And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.” The things we are waiting for are described in Revelation 21 “God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.” A mystical and eternal union of God and man.

A here-and-now example of this is Brach and Hannah – who are getting married in February – they are looking forward to their day. They are buying the things they need and fixing up their apartment and spending time together. They are not making a list of do’s and don’ts NOR are they seeing how much they can get away with before they tie the knot. This looking forward, this waiting, creates in them a deep desire to be pure and blameless.

While I think I could end here and have covered the whole text, I missed a deeply significant part of it. And I would have missed it entirely if I had not elicited some help from my students for this sermon. I handed a sheet of paper with the scripture to a few of my students and asked them to write down their thoughts and return it to me. And all of them zeroed in on a part of the text that I skipped right over: “remember, the Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.” A thought that we see earlier in this same chapter “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” One of my students put it this way, “if you haven’t led a perfect life – it is not too late and don’t tell yourself it’s too late to turn to God and repent” and another underlined this portion of the scripture and wrote “comforting”. Another student said, “He gives mercy and forgiveness to those who still looking for God and those who aren’t on their best.” But my very favorite (I know, I’m not supposed to have favorites) and I will end with this quote, was what Ellen wrote (she told me I could use her name) “We are so blessed to be with such a forgiving God.”

Peter and Judas

Living in community has changed the way I read the bible. I think especially the stories about the disciples. Like what Rudolf said about encountering mirrors in those around us - it’s challenging to live so close together and it is hard to receive truth from one another – these were the things I was thinking about when I wrote this …

Matthew 16: 15 – 26

Peter is trying to stay with Jesus. The disciples are confused about who Jesus hangs out with, His seeming lack of direction, His total lack of ambition… but now in this intimate encounter, Peter has figured it out – “You are the Messiah – excellent, now we have a plan” but then Jesus starts talking of death and suffering at the hands of the religious leaders – “no Jesus, you don’t have it right, we need You – now come on, You’re gonna scare the other guys. Maybe we can go raise up some more followers in the countryside…people yearning for some authentic leadership…” to which he receives a public rebuke … but Peter is determined to prove himself to Jesus.
Judas is trying to hang in there too. But he is clearly growing weary. The other guys have seen him dip his hand into the common purse for a little personal bonus. “What’s the big deal, it’s not like we’re making millions, here…” When a woman pours expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet he protests – “all that money spent on perfume should have been spent on the poor, right Jesus?! – see, I have been paying attention” … but no, a public rebuke from Jesus – it’s for His burial – “I’ve had it … I can’t keep up – You’ve been dragging us all over the countryside with no place to sleep, no respect, and now You are talking about being killed… this is great! There’s gotta be a way out of this…” from then on, Judas watched for an opportunity to betray Him…

Can’t you imagine the disciples all hanging out in the fields together? They are a small group – they have been together for years. They tease each other. They jockey for position. They are competitive, tired, from different backgrounds – it is hard to live in community! – can’t you just hear them, “whoa Peter, Jesus really let you have it today!” “He called you Satan!” “Get behind me” “hey, leave my brother alone” Can’t you just see it?

But I’m not sure Judas appreciated this kind of banter. All 11 other disciples were most likely from Galilee. It is not known for sure, but from his second name, Iscariot, it is possible that Judas was from Judea…an outsider – a true Jew…Judea is the region where we find Jerusalem and Bethlehem – it was the center of all Jewish life. If Judas was from Judea, he would have a different accent, different customs than the other 11. …Scripture doesn’t say…………but what it does say is “from then on, Judas watched for an opportunity to betray Him…”’

At a certain point, for whatever reasons we might try to understand – jealousy, ambition, greed, feeling left out or fed up – Judas had had enough. Here he is at the eve of the most important event of all history, a time when Jesus needs His disciples near Him, supporting Him, following closely, listening carefully, and Judas is far away in his heart. “I am done following you and your filthy Galilean fishermen friends. I am sick of your tax collectors and prostitutes and Samaritans. How could I have been so foolish – I have wasted years, and for what?”

Peter is becoming more and more sure of his status as one of the more important disciples. He is invited by Jesus for a little day trip. Just him, John and James. They find themselves on a mountain and suddenly they are trapped between two worlds – heaven opens up and they see Jesus bright as sunlight and talking to Moses and Elijah…….Peter cannot keep his mouth shut – he always has a great idea – “we’ll set up some shelters up here for You, Jesus and Moses and Elijah - people from far and near will come and see who You really are…” while he is still speaking – God interrupts “listen to My SON” stop your own agenda and discard your messianic dreams and LISTEN!

All of the disciples are getting restless. Tensions are high. Jesus is talking more and more about death and the end of the world. The disciples argue and bicker about who is the best, the most important. Jesus talks about serving each other, forgiveness and becoming like children. Strange words. Where are we heading? To Jerusalem for the Passover. Jesus has set His face like flint in that one direction.

And what an entry. People shouting and waving branches and calling out “Hosanna – save us Messiah” The disciples follow in amazement and wonder – sure, over the last few years there have been crowds, lots of crowds, but this is the holy week in Jerusalem and the city is packed. The disciples follow behind Jesus on the donkey straight to the temple where Jesus goes wild. He overturns tables and benches and doves are sent flying – Jesus is asserting His authority – and the Pharisees want to know whose orders He is carrying out. “Who gave You the authority to do these things?!”

He evades their questions. He is speaking in parables... the Kingdom, the powerful Landowner, the King’s Son’s wedding feast…more powerful words, authority and then the big rebuke of the Pharisees – “I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God's kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won't let anyone else in either. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds.” On and on – pouring out judgments and rebukes on the Pharisees.

Peter is enjoying the show…little does he know he is the gravest danger of becoming just like these Pharisees… Listen to what Jesus is saying, Listen to My SON! “If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. …don’t try to take the best seat….” But Peter’s head is swelling with the events of the last few days… “Here it comes – the start of the rule of the Messiah. Bring it on!”

Judas is enjoying the show, too. Jesus is playing into his hands. Judas’ heart attitude is ugly, but he is good at playing the part – no one suspects a thing. Fredrick Buechner describes this tendency in all of us: “We’ve always known what was wrong with us, the malice in us even at our most civilized, the way we focus on the worst in the people we know and then rejoice when disasters overtake them which we believe they so richly deserve. Our insincerity, our phoniness, the masks we do our real business behind.” “Keep talking Jesus. Keep criticizing those Pharisees – we’ll see who has the last word”

Now the Passover is almost here. The disciples go to Jesus and ask where they will have their meal. Passover not only celebrated the Jews coming out of slavery but had definite Messianic overtones. It was a holiday that looked back at the history, but also pointed forward to the One who was to come and restore the nation. Jesus identified Himself plainly to His disciples as the Messiah and so this was a particularly important Passover. Was Jesus going to take His place as Messiah and restore the nation of Israel as prophecy foretold?

So here we are at this meal. It is an intimate setting. Is this the time when Jesus will reveal His Messianic strategy? But what is he doing? He is taking off his outer clothing and getting a cloth, and He begins washing the disciple’s feet. Before John tells us this story, he describes it like this, “Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” This was an act of love. A disarming, unsettling love.

Jesus washes Judas feet, too. When your enemy shows you love, the bible says it is like having hot coals poured on your head. Judas is keeping up appearances, but inside he is thinking, “get up, Jesus. This is humiliating. Do you not know how the messiah is supposed to conduct himself?” With every rub of the cloth, Judas is being rubbed the wrong way.

Jesus gets to Peter. “No, you shall never wash my feet.” This isn’t what he has in mind for the Messiah either. But Jesus tells him, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." And now he sees it as some sort of inclusion ceremony – an initiation of sorts and he says, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Peter seems extra excited and super loyal – is he perhaps hoping to be second-in-command in the new regime? “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will. Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” Peter is so eager to understand Jesus, but he is not listening. He is trying to figure out Jesus’ every move. “Listen to My SON” Stop talking Peter, please stop talking and listen.

Judas can no longer allow Jesus this dangerous and free mission, he is now going to force Him into his own agenda. If he doesn’t act soon, his very life may be in danger. He is afraid that Jesus was taking him places he definitely does not want to go. As Jean Vanier says "I'm beginning to see in myself and in many people a sort of feeling that if I get too close to Jesus, well maybe then he's going to ask of me something I don't want to give. If we get close to God, well then it's going to be painful … we see him sort of calling us and then giving us a smack.” Judas gets up and leaves. I’m not waiting around for the punch line, I am out of here, what I am about to do, I will gladly do quickly, Jesus.”

They sing a hymn and go out into the night. Jesus wants to pray – He is clearly troubled. He invites them to participate in this hour of prayer but they are tired and fall asleep. Jesus is praying so hard He is in a bloody sweat “please take this cup from Me – not My will but Yours” His humanity at its height. And where is Peter? Sleeping. And Judas? He is on the way with a small army – defenders of the faith – people that the chief priests and elders have assembled to defeat Jesus. The hour is almost at hand.

Peter wakes to the sound of footsteps – lots of them – who is coming to the garden at this hour? What is going on? Here is Jesus, saying, “get up, let’s go, here comes my betrayer.” Peter rubs his eyes and can’t believe what he is seeing. People with torches and clubs and spears and who is that with them? The chief priest? And Judas? Peter is enraged. He grabs his sword and cuts off a guy’s ear. He is ready for the showdown. But Jesus heals the man and lets Himself be betrayed by Judas and taken away by the crowd. The disciples run away.

Peter stops running away and decides to follow at a distance. He can’t let them take Jesus away and not know what is happening. He gets to the courtyard of the building where Jesus is being questioned and the others there identify him as Jesus’ friend. “you must be thinking of someone else” and even as he speaks these words he further implicates himself with his Galilean accent – “listen to the way he talks – he is one of those guys” “no, I’m not!” he says twice more and then he hears that rooster crowing and remembers Jesus’ words and he weeps bitterly.

The realization of what Judas has done crushes him. He runs to the high priests and confesses "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." Isn’t this the right place to go with sins – to the priests for atonement? They give him the cold shoulder and he doesn’t know where else to go. The whole system is crumbling before him and he doesn’t realize why. He can’t see that Jesus is making everything new – a new way to be made right with God. The priest have failed him and he doesn’t see another way – he can’t go on living with the guilt and shame. “what have I done? What have I done?”

Peter is lost. Jesus is dead. He was not able to stay with Him – to die with Him like he said he would. "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." The words ring in his ears. “what have I done? What have I done?”

Two disciples. Men who followed Jesus every day for years. Men who gave up everything to follow Him. And here they are – devastated, disappointed, disillusioned. All of the events of the years are flooding back to them. Words spoken, people healed, miles and miles of road traveled together. Jesus rebuking them for trying to be the best, for not having in mind the things of God, for not letting the children come to Him, for not having enough faith. And all Judas hears in those rebukes is “you’re not doing it right, you’ll never be good enough, you don’t understand me” but Peter hears what Jesus is saying “you’re not doing it right, but I know the right way. You will never be good enough, but I am. You don’t understand Me, but I will send you My Spirit so that you can understand”

Brennan Manning describes these two men this way “Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Peter … befriended the impostor within; [Judas] raged against him. Judas and Peter both betrayed Jesus. Judas could not face his shadow, Peter could. Peter’s life changed; Judas ended his life. Neither outcome was a knee-jerk reaction to the circumstances. Each man decided he could not go on living that way.”

When Peter sees Jesus again, he is ready to listen. It has been a long weekend. From Friday night to Sunday he believes Jesus is dead. And not just dead, murdered. And not just murdered in some random act of violence: systematically subjected to the government machinery and executed in public with thousands shouting for his death. Cheering. The disciples are afraid. Hiding in a locked room. What next? Where do we go from here? Some women come from the tomb and say Jesus is alive. What? Tell the disciples “and Peter” they repeat the angel’s message. And Peter. Because Jesus knew he was disqualifying himself because of his failings. And Peter! - he runs to the tomb and finds it empty!

They go to Galilee like the angels told them to. No Jesus. Peter is antsy. John 21:3 says ‘"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.’ In the morning, they hear a voice from shore “throw your net on the other side” and just like the day Peter left all to follow Jesus, the fish are breaking the net apart. And Peter is so excited he jumps out of the boat and swims to shore to see his Lord.

And then Jesus restores Peter in a beautiful way. He doesn’t say “I told you so” but He also doesn’t brush it under the carpet. He makes Peter face his failure by asking him 3 times the same question, “do you love Me?”. 3 times denied. 3 times restored. And the first time Jesus asks him He says, “do you truly love me more than these?" and Jesus restores Peter not only to Himself but also to his fellow disciples – “even if these other guys fall away, I never will” Really, Peter?

Jesus knows him and loves him for who he is – with all his spontaneity and loud mouth suggestions and impatience – “feed my sheep” Jesus tells him. Take all that energy and use it to take care of others. Starting here. With this group of men that you know and love. Peter has died to all those messianic dreams and to his visions of greatness. This is the only place to start. Eugene Peterson says it this way “That's the whole spiritual life. It's learning how to die. And as you learn how to die, you start losing all your illusions, and you start being capable now of true intimacy and love.”

That is why Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily and follow. Because we get in the way. Denying self means more than saying no to worldly pleasures and material things, it means dying to this idea that somehow we failed, we are not good enough, that God can’t possibly use us. This self must be denied – but it must be recognized first – so that it can go on that cross. Each of us - with all of our accomplishments and failures, all our best thoughts and worst – all of it must die. Because the more you try to save your life you will lose it. Who are the men and women God uses? Whose stories are told and retold? Murderers, adulterers, connivers, liars, prostitutes, Moses, David, Rahab, Jacob, Peter, you. Me. Why? because it’s not about them. Or you. Or me. It is about the resurrection power of God. The power to restore and to change lives. We have to get out of the way and let Jesus live through us no matter how much OR how little we think we have to offer.

A.W. Tozer says “We must do something about the cross: and one of two things only we can do--flee it or die upon it. If we are wise we will do what Jesus did: endure the cross and despise its shame for the joy that is set before us. The cross will cut into where it hurts worst, sparing neither us nor our carefully cultivated reputations. It will defeat us and bring our selfish lives to an end. Only then can we rise in fullness of life to establish a pattern of living wholly new and free and full of good works.”

Judas fled but Peter stayed to die. It only seems like it was the other way around.

new blog site

david's sister created a blog that we can all share

our part can be found at: http://chitovie.wordpress.com/tag/nolanmila/

so i will be updating there instead of here from now on.................