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Prayer for Faith, Hope, and Life

Last Sunday Pastor Phil led this prayer as part of the National Weekend of Prayer for Faith, Hope and Life. We did this to recognize people who have experienced the pain of losing someone to suicide. The prayer is written by Kay Warren, wife of Pastor Rick Warren.

We are gathered here today in worship and prayer to thank you for the gift of life in all of its splendor and its sorrow. Even in our darkest moments, we are grateful for this gracious gift. But in our celebration of life, we pause to acknowledge that some among us have suffered greatly from the loss of a loved one to suicide.

They are crushed with grief, wondering if anything will ever make sense again – if they will ever heal and recover from the devastation of their loss. There are also some among us who find themselves on the edge of despair, either too numb to feel much of anything or full of anxious, dark thoughts of ending their life. Hope has begun to fade and they are holding on by a thread.

God, in these moments, may we remember that we are never alone – not even for a single moment. Thank you for your promise to never abandon us or forsake us, and for the security of your dear presence ever within us. Thank you for the promise that nothing can separate us from your love found in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Thank you, also, for the reassurance that we don’t have to walk this pilgrim path by ourselves; thank you for the sacred companions on the journey—brothers and sisters who are willing to listen to us, cry with us, pray with us, hold us, stand with us in our loneliness, be Jesus-in-the-flesh reminders of your nearness to us, and especially for those who have faith for us when our own faith falters.

Thank you, too, for healers in the medical and mental health field with their special expertise and care.

For those who need a fresh infusion of hope, may our time here together today provide that hope - hope to hold on, praying expectantly for better days ahead, for the return of joy, and the release of sorrow.

May those of us not currently experiencing grief or loss respond to our aching brothers and sisters in pain with tender compassion, and claim the faith, hope and life in Jesus. We pray in his name. Amen

#suicide #kaywarren #prayerforfaithhopeandlife

Giving Up Fear

Go here to listen to Pastor’s Phil sermon on living by faith and not fear.

It is the first of a sermon series for Lent called “Give It Up”

A Pastoral Letter

February 2, 2017

Dear MOPC,

I am writing this letter to you as a church because I care about you.

I am writing this to let you know that I, too, am feeling the tension and hurt in our nation. Pro-President Trump or Anti-President Trump. Liberal or conservative. People are on edge. Families are being affected. We are grieving over what is cheered, and cheering the grief of others. It is hard not to be defensive or judgmental, angry or cynical, scared or resentful. I hear it in our conversations. I see it in our demeanors. There is fear, anxiety, and a social woundedness.

I have felt like I need to say something as your pastor, but I honestly have struggled to know what to say. Things are happening with such velocity and fury. By the time some of you read this, something new will have rocked the landscape of our nation. Not to mention I am not one to let politics interfere with the goal of living for Jesus Christ and seeking his kingdom.

But living for Christ is never separated from the rest of life. These are serious times.

As your pastor, I want to speak of three things:

First and foremost, we are the body of Christ.

Our church needs to be a safe place for everyone. There are people in our church who are really bothered by the actions of the new administration. There are people in our church who also support the current administration. I am, and will continue to be, the pastor of people on both ends of the spectrum and everyone in between. We need to be able to come in from the storm to our church and be able to have peace, be safe, and shut off all the social noise. Let’s not fail to realize there are devout, committed Christians with a variety of views. I know we think, “How can she call herself a Christian and support that?” But it isn’t our social or political views that define our faith. We gather in worship, bible studies, and share the Lord’s Supper with people who might have a view that is very hard for us to accept. Our unity is in the Lord, not political affiliation.

I will still listen to and treat with respect those who hold a different perspective than mine. Let’s remember there are people who voted as they did and support certain actions, but still hold reservations about the leaders they favor. I have been bothered by what is said and done in the name of “Christianity” on a number of levels, liberal and conservative. It makes what Christians model all that more important.

Second, I would encourage all of us to be very careful about media intake. Stay informed, but we pay a price by paying attention to every report, tweet and post. Be careful about the spin our information gate-keepers put on things. The media often drowns out nuances in opinion and the paradoxes so many people feel. Let’s know our personal limits and turn away from those sources, conversations and places that will take us places we don’t need to go.

Third, perhaps there is so much anxiety because we feel there is so little in our control. We can’t control the White House, the critics, or the media, but we can control how we respond in these stressful and anxious times.

We belong to a Lord who has commanded us to love one another. He said we are to love our enemies, our neighbor, and the least of these. Our Lord washed the feet of the very ones who would turn away from him. He also said that it is wrong to neglect justice, mercy and faithfulness. He said to be on guard against all kinds of greed. He rejected arrogance and modeled humility to the point of death on a cross.

It’s often in the most stressful times that our Christian faith becomes most clear. Let’s voice our convictions, march, stay informed, call our leaders, pledge our support or resist. But also worship, pray, and honor Christ.

“…though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Whatever our views and choice of response, may they stand the test of obedience to our Lord. I don’t want the current climate of anger and fear to throw me off my game when it comes to knowing Christ.

These days call for wisdom, strength, and faith. I imagine they will also call for endurance as the road may be long. I read and study the Bible, and the New Testament in particular, to see how people first lived for Christ amidst hostility and stress.

Christians are to test the actions of those who govern us in light of the claims of God. We also must be careful of equating our beliefs with God’s will. Remember that the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ stands above every authority and nation.

I need to pray for this President. I need to pray for my nation. I need to pray for the Church universal. I need to pray for myself.

In His Grace,

Pastor Phil

Day 10 Final day

Dan reading John 6 at Church of Multiplication of the Loaves. Sitting in third century synagogue in Capernaum, right on top of ruins of synagogue of Jesus. Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Sharing Communion on shores of Galilee. The group at Church of the Beatitudes.

day 9 Northern Galilee

Looking into the ruins of King Jeroboam’s precinct and altar (see I Kings 12). Pastor Nancy teaching at Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Enjoying the waters of the Banias, one of the three main sources for the Jordan River. Typical Arab lunch (just the starters) in the Golan Heights.

Days 7 & 8 In Galilee

At Caesarea Maritima and Herod’s Palace on the Mediterranean Sea. Praying in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Sunrise in Nazareth. Looking over the Mount of Precipice. Getting a lesson in a model of a first century synagogue. Enjoying Pomegranates to end the day.

Day 6 The Wilderness

Looking down from and touring Masada. Josh and Hudson at the caves of Qumran. Floating in the Dead Sea.

Talking with members of Christmas Lutheran Church after services this morning. Nancy Douglass in Bethlehem. Falafel on the streets. Reading Luke 2 at the Shepherd’s Field. The Palestinian side of the Israeli security wall.

At the Jordan

Josh Jones was one of seven people who renewed their baptisms in the Jordan River.

Holy Land 2016

Day 4 - Pastor Tom Abbott of Cottonwood Presbyterian, looking down from St. George Monastery. Hiking the Jerusalem to Jericho road. Jericho in site. Lunch of wonderful Arab food in Jericho.

Holy Land Journey Day 3

Today we walked through the new excavations in the City of David. Pastor Phil leads a devotion at the Pool of Siloam (see John 9). Hudson Jones helps the tour guide make a point about the stones in the foundation of the ancient Temple. Nancy Cormack Hughes places prayer papers in the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

day 2 in the holy land. We looked on the Old City from the Mount of OIives, walked the path that Jesus took down into Jerusalem, took in historic views, shared Communion at the Garden Tomb site, and enjoyed a little break which involved some Arab sweets in the Muslim Quarter.

The Holy Land Journey is in Jerusalem this week. Jamie Salter gives the group an introduction to the geography of the Holy City

#jerusalem #holycity

March 16, 2016

Dear MOPC,

On Sunday we enter the most important week of the year for Christians.

I invite, encourage, and even give you a special “push” to be at all of our worship services during Holy Week. They all fit together for every follower of Jesus Christ to lift up our hearts to him.

It is possible for people to go to Sunday services two weeks in a row (Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday) and never have to face the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was abandoned, condemned, and executed as a criminal. This is debilitating to the story we claim and in which we live.

Palm Sunday remembers Christ’s entry into the very city where he would be put to death.

Maundy Thursday reminds us of the betrayal and arrest of our Lord, even as he invited his soon-to-be unfaithful disciples to share the bread and cup with him.

Good Friday reminds us of the death of our Lord on the cross. We will honor this event by hearing reflections on the seven “words” Jesus spoke while dying on the cross.

Saturday offers no service. It is a quiet day, just as all was quiet when Jesus’ dead body laid in a tomb.

Resurrection Sunday completes the three day spiritual cycle by worshipping the One who conquered death and is alive.

I look forward to gathering with you and leading in these powerfully spiritual days.

In His Grace,

Pastor Phil

Sunday Adult Bible Class

11.19

Pastor Phil will lead this Sunday’s class which will focus on 1 Peter.

Bring a Bible, and come ready to read, discuss, listen and learn.

Last Post On Paul and Women

10.11

Jamie White, who directors Inverted Student Ministry, with her husband Dave, offers our final post on Paul and what he writes in his letters about women.

Honestly, I think Paul was a feminist. Yes, really. Not in the way many people understand that term today, but in the most basic definition, “a supporter or advocate of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic (I would add spiritual) equality to men.” Yes, at first glance, Paul’s got a handful of passages in his letters that can make the hair on the back of my neck stand up due to what seems to be a very degrading and subordinate view of women, especially women of faith within the body of Christ. But I would argue that after a little contextual homework and a larger reading of all of Paul’s epistles, the relatively small number of passages that seem to “keep a woman in her place” seem to stick out like a sore thumb in light of the plethora of passages that include and elevate women to equal status with men. There are also several times Paul seems to take it up a notch and purposefully highlight women to make his point for equality in the Kingdom of God, calling them by authoritative and generally masculine titles like apostle, deacon, co-laborer, patron, and 'hard worker'. In my opinion, Paul actually goes a little overboard at times, almost talking in circles, in order to make his point that women are not be seen or treated as second class citizens within the church. You see him redundantly qualify statements about marriage, sexuality, divorce, and worship by giving directions specifically to women and then immediately repeating the very same directive specifically to men, just in case anyone might assume that one gender is more or less responsible for obeying the Word of God. Okay Paul, we get it… we ALL need to lovingly submit and serve each other, you can move on now. However, I can totally understand why the casual Bible reader could so easily focus on the few “troubling passages” and either assume Paul’s not a fan of females or write him off altogether. Submission and authority issues, the lack of freedom to speak and ask questions in certain contexts, the need to wear head coverings (what’s the deal with head coverings anyway?)… these are tricky to see from our vantage point some 2,000 years after these letters were written. They sound incredibly restrictive, maybe even absurd, when layered on our modern Western beliefs and practices. But the contextual reality in each of these passages is that the culture of the day regarded women as property, much like a slave or an animal. Women were not to look men in the eye and to keep their heads bowed in respect, they were not to sit and eat at the dining table if guests were present for meals, they were never to address their husband in public and were expected to submit in all things, at all times. So when Paul includes and names women as teachers and apostles, when he directs husbands to serve their wives and be willing to die for them, when he admonishes women to pray, prophesy, and lead in the church he is speaking as a true revolutionary for his time. Paul was literally changing the way women saw and defined themselves while creating a church culture where both genders had something equally important to offer the body of Christ. Does he go far enough to completely liberate women and demand equality in ancient Greco-Roman culture? Of course not, that was never his aim in the first place. But when I step back and take in the larger context, it seems so blatantly clear to me that he was fighting as hard as he absolutely could, considering the world he was living in. Because of the Pauline epistles women were given new freedom in Christ, in the church, and in the culture at large. I would even go so far as to argue that Paul is actually one of the most important voices in the women’s rights movement, whether he intended to be or not! Admittedly I just love that one of the byproducts of preaching the gospel and discipling new Christians also happens to be equality of gender and of race and of class. How amazing is that? Clearly, there are a few troubling texts and a slew of scholarly interpretations of what they each might mean, but the reality is that there are far more passages that clearly redefine the social norms of the time and push the early church to embrace women as equals in the home, the marketplace and especially the church of Jesus Christ. You go for it Paul, you feminist ahead of your time!

#feminism #paulandwomen #the bible #christianity

Paul and His Writings On Women

10.8

Today’s post is from Debbie Penney, an elder and teacher at MOPC.

Everything we say and do what we have learned and heard how we value and believe is embedded in our cultural context. The same goes for much of what Paul has to say about women in the church. It’s difficult to really know what Paul is dealing with in the context of the Corinthian church but we have a few ideas that there were some ‘abuses’ according to the culture at that time. So, he writes to address this. Since we don’t have full understanding of the culture or the context of the problem, it may seem that Paul is contradicting himself sometimes. Clearly at that time, women had an inferior place in society as compared to men. (I Cor. 11:3) Much of what he describes about women of the time and dress or hair styles is a form of modesty (head covering (11:5). One can venture what the equivalent would be today of immodesty in the church and again it is defined by the culture of our times. The principle he may be driving at is that when women speak in the church (and such was permissible) they need to be modest, godly and respectful of others (husband included). I think that Paul would agree men should do the same. The fact that this is even addressed speaks to the fact that women were a new element in worship whereas they were not allowed voice in synagogues.

Some feel that since being a head of the church in a pastoring role is a man’s place and a position of authority, then women should not be in this place (I Tim. 2:11-15). The appeal Paul makes to the order of men and women is derived from the Genesis story and for some, this qualifies it as authoritative and not one influenced by culture. How do I account for the incredible pastoral and preaching/teaching skills of women today that would go unused? I would like to make an appeal with Paul for submission all around within the church so that we can see ourselves according to how the Spirit leads us to sharpen one another. In the end it is the Holy Spirit that leads us into all truth. It is good to question but not to be tangled in what leads to division. It is good to examine, knowing we all see dimly. It is also best not to be tangled in insistence on our cultural norms but to be open to others and new ways of thinking. Most of all it is necessary to focus on the essential matters of walking with Jesus.

#The Bible #Women

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