A few years ago I traveled back to my hometown in The Tri-Cities, Washington to bury my father’s ashes.  I wasn’t feeling like my best self.  Suddenly, with my Mom gone as well, and being an only child, I felt like the “last survivor.”  I questioned my life, my worth, my “self” – I was depressed.

While there, I got to visit my former High School, thanks to some gracious teachers, I got a tour; walking around familiar halls and passages, remembering things I had long forgotten.  It was a new school when I attended, it didn’t look so new now.

I walked around feeling old, which didn’t help with the current opinion of myself at the time, getting a little more depressed with each corner, looking at the children who wandered the halls and wondering if I ever looked that young.

I turned into the familiar MUSIC BUILDING and walked into a new hall that led to the familiar CHORUS ROOM, where I spent many hours.  A girl I assumed was a student, was looking at a painting on the large wall.  I turned also to look and to my amazement, it was a song I wrote, “SCARLET & GOLD”.  

Because the school had been new when I attended, there were some things the building and school didn’t have when we started attending.  Each graduating class would “gift” something back to the school – and at that time, the gifts were things not included in the original building budget.  My class, the class of ’76 gave an electronic scoreboard for the gym.  The next class commissioned me, already a songwriter, for an ALMA MATER, which the school didn’t have yet.  There on the wall was my song.

I started feeling a little better about myself as I looked at the wall painting of my lyrics and melody.

The girl turned to me and said (since she saw I was a visitor)

“This is our ALMA MATER.”
“Thanks, yes, I saw that,” I replied, “but there’s a mistake in that part of the lyric.” I said as I pointed down to the lower part of the painting where the error was.
“Really?” she asked (with a look that said, “Who do YOU think you are?”) “How do YOU know?”
I said, indicating the name on my VISITOR BADGE and my name on the wall,

“I wrote it.”

Her expression was what I would have if I had suddenly run into Abraham Lincoln; pleasantly shocked, but mostly because I thought he had been dead for quite some time.

Then she whispered reverentially, “Really?”
“Sure enough.” I said.
“Well I suppose you ought to know.  Wow, we sing this all the time and would’ve never thought I would have met, or talked to, the writer!  That makes a lot of difference; knowing the writer and not just the song.”  

Then, she said, “I’m still not sure that’s a mistake.” Pointing to the lyric we were looking at.  She then smiled, gave a little wave, and books in arms, moved on.

What?!

She was standing beside the writer, who pointed out the lyric and the mistake…THE WRITER, ME…who remembers hand-writing the song, who has sung the song, who KNOWS (if anyone would) what is wrong and what is right with the song.  I wasn’t at all angry, just stunned.  At that moment, she felt her OPINION carried the same weight as the “TRUTH”. 

I’ve told this story before, in a BLOG, but the last time I told it I left out her final comment because it wasn’t part of the lesson…however, recently this memory has returned to me WITH her “last line”.  I’m seeing, and reading, SO MANY people who also believe their OPINIONS (non-credentialed) carry as much weight as easily verified facts and truth.  

It’s like saying, “Since I disagree with this it must not be true.”

I suppose this is where our current time and place has gotten to…but God has been dealing with this for all time.  I thank Him for HIS patience and mercy.

A recent conversation with yet another person voicing a “non-credentialed” opinion about a “credentialed truth” made the frustration-futile-anger level in me to rise…and then I heard the quiet, calm, voice of the Spirit.

The Spirit of Jesus took me back to the very beginning of today’s story – the part where my OPINION of myself was low.  That whole time, when I was low, THE SPIRIT was trying to break through.  In every corner of that trip the SPIRIT was showing me how loved I was by my parents, friends, family, and community – showing me that my life mattered…I, of course, didn’t want to listen…my opinion of myself was standing in the front. 

Then THE SPIRIT said, “My TRUTH carries more weight than YOUR OPINION…especially when it comes to your view of yourself.” 

I find when it comes to self-knowledge, self-identity, and self-esteem, humans sabotage their lives.  We forget that GOD creates by “fiat” – He speaks it, and it is made. He speaks and IT IS so.  He speaks and when He says, “You are MY child.  You are loved.  You are worth dying for.  You are the greatest creation I have made.”  those words aren’t His opinions, they are fact.  They are truth.  And our OPINIONS do not carry the same weight against His facts, and His TRUTH.

It’s not an easy lesson to learn, especially during these times, we are tested every moment of every day.  But if no one says it to you today…listen to the SPIRIT of TRUTH:

You are God’s child.
You are loved.
You are worth dying for.
You are the greatest creation He has made.”

…and, thank God, your non-credentialed opinion doesn’t have the weight to stand against HIS Truth.

Several years ago, a good friend of mine accepted a Music Director’s position at a church in Punxsutawney, PA (yes, THAT Punxsutawney – home of “Phil the Groundhog”).  He asked me to come up one autumn weekend and lead a choral workshop, as his choir prepared for the upcoming church year. I had been to Pennsylvania before and so was looking forward to seeing its beauty in the fall – and it didn’t disappoint.

The weekend was filled with laughter, music, singing, and much, much eating (those people know how to cook!).  One morning, after our session and before our evening event, my friend asked if I’d like to meet “Punxsutawney Phil”.  What? See face-to-face the most famous groundhog in the U.S., and perhaps the world?!  Of course.

Now before we go further, I want to let you know that the town of Punxsutawney doesn’t look like the Punxsutawney in the famous (and favorite) film, “GROUNDHOGS DAY”.  That film was shot in: Woodstock, Illinois, Carey, Illinois, and Hollywood, CA.  The truth is, the actual Punxsutawney is a little isolated and not quite filled with the “character” which was needed for the film. In the real Punxsutawney, “Gobblers Knob” (where Phil is taken to see or not see his shadow) is a field out in the middle of nowhere (as opposed to the Town Square in the film) and when not performing his duties, Phil lives in the town library.

We went to the library to see Phil.  Phil lived in luxury in a large pen with a picture window looking out (and so that humans could look in, when the library was closed).  He shared this beautiful home with his wife, Philomena, and he was, quite possibly, the largest, slowest, groundhog I had ever seen.

Born in captivity (and descended from former “Phils”) he had known nothing of the outside world, he had been generously fed things that tasted good but weren’t necessarily nutritious: the children of the town were given marshmallows to feed him, and his wife, when visiting. And he had very little exercise.  Not surprisingly, he had to be kept inside because he wouldn’t have survived in the outside world…which was, ironically, his natural habitat. 

As my friend and I observed this “lumbering king-sized pillow of fur” slowly make his way through a human-made habitat of water, foliage, and concrete rocks, my buddy turned to me and said something very significant: “It reminds you of some Christians, doesn’t it?” 

Knows nothing of the outside world.

Generously fed things that taste good
but aren’t necessarily nutritious.

Very little exercise. 

When it comes to “the world” Jesus reminds us that we (as newly created in Him) we are “not formed from the world/or OF the world” (JOHN 17:14-16) but that we have connection to the world by loving our neighbors as ourselves (MARK 12:31), which infers that we actually know them.  We provide what is needed and by BEING AWARE of what is needed in the world.  Each time Jesus’ disciples, or the leaders of the church, tried to get Jesus to speak about the age-to-come, He brought them right back to the age in which they live, and the people that surrounded them, telling them they should concentrate on the “here and now”. 

Some people see the community of faith, in whatever form their “church” exists (traditional, contemporary, house-church, etc.) as a place where “they are fed”.  In fact, we hear that phrase all the time.  You and I also hear from people who have left their communities of faith because they are “being fed” things that don’t taste good to them…they want “good-tasting food” (sometimes marshmallows). At times that “good-tasting” food they crave is a lie, and if one has marshmallows as a steady diet, then salad isn’t going to taste so good to them, even though that’s what they need. So there are also times when THE TRUTH doesn’t taste so good to them, and they deem it ”bad”.  Sometimes people WANT to hear/digest only what they agree with, whether it is the Truth or not.  Sometimes people just want to relax in the oasis of love and good teaching/food – be fed and “fat and happy” in their Church.

But the entire POINT of “feeding” (teaching from the scripture and the Spirit) is like that of the human body.  Food that comes into our bodies is there to work with the oxygen which also comes into our bodies (like the breath of The Spirit in our communities of faith) so that we can MOVE, so that we can SHARE, so that we can EXERCISE our faith with the work that brings joy: lifting the fallen, speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, a cup of water for the thirsty, clothes, visits, hugs…love-in-action to those Jesus has placed in our paths. 

Like Punxsutawney Phil, some Christians aren’t able to function outside their communities of faith. But be reminded: The Church’s role is not to sequester and hide people away from the world but to prepare, and yes FEED, them to be IN the world.  We should be knowledgeable about the needs of the world, connected to those around us, and help people to see the differences of a life “conformed to this time & place” and a life “transformed by Jesus” (ROMANS 12:2).

The point of reading scripture, of listening to the voice of God through the Spirit, and of continuous prayer is NOT so that we get overweight with the “good food”, but so that our “food”, combined with the breath of the Spirit, will give us a strength we don’t have on our own…to live the glorious life of service to others, love to others, that Jesus wants us to live…so that we will be happy, it’s what we were created to be. 

The ”Phil” I saw passed on, and another took his place.  He just passed, his heart, surrounded by fat, just stopped.  He never knew the joy of his natural habitat, the joy of providing for himself and those he loved…he lived in a “church” that separated him from the “Phil” he was created to be.

That should be a lesson to us all: is the meaning of our lives simply to be aware of our own shadows, or is it to “live” as Jesus created us to live?

Years ago, I played percussion in my local Symphony Orchestra.  I thought about that the other day while searching for some music.  As I was looking for something else, I came upon an old “percussion” part that was tucked into something else.  A flood of memories came as I looked on it, saw my teen-aged pencil marks and notes – and I suddenly remembered what it was like to participate in a large orchestra – standing in the back, soaking in the music and counting, counting, counting.

I don’t know if you have ever seen an orchestral “part” before, but the magic in it is that it is a PART and not the SCORE.  In other words, there is one line, and (especially in the case of a percussionist) many, many measures one doesn’t play, but those measures need to be accounted for, so that you know when to come in and play your part.  For the percussionist, it’s not unusual to have hundreds of measures to count before possibly playing just one tap of a drum or roll of timpani.  Then it’s back to counting until the next part.

Many times, no one person in the orchestra (except for the conductor of course, God willing) knows what the piece sounds like; they only have their part to see and until EVERYONE plays together, it may not make too much sense.  In that case, it’s up to the player to concentrate, count, and watch the conductor for the cue to come in at the right time and place.

One player may have several “roles” to play within one piece.  Sometimes the player is the “oomp” part of the “oomp-pah-pah”.  Sometimes they are the “pah-pah” part of the “oomp-pah-pah“.  Other times a player, by themselves or in a section with others playing their same part, may be harmony, sometimes counter-melody and sometimes MELODY.  Depending on what the composer wrote, everyone has a “part” to play to make sure that the listener’s ears are intrigued.  Every-once-in-a-while the player gets a SOLO; playing the main phrase or melody alone amongst the other players.  At that point, the conductor will look directly at the player and give a direction that says, “Play out, so that all can hear you.”  It doesn’t happen often for any one player (unless you’re a woodwind) but it happens enough that you need to be ready when it does. 

What if everyone played believing that every line they played was their own personal SOLO?  What if everyone played believing that they always had the harmony and should stay in the background.  What if no one believed their part was important enough to even come in at the right time and therefore didn’t count OR watch the conductor.  Well, one thing I know for sure, that orchestra wouldn’t have an audience for much longer.

In a symphony orchestra, as in The Kingdom of God, every part is very important TO THE WHOLE.  The composer has written something with a specific task in mind, the conductor takes that and coordinates with all the players so that the audience gets a sense of the journey.  Although many times the conductor may see or hear other possibilities in the song and change the tempo a bit, or the balance, it is only to enhance the piece – sometimes discovering things even the composer themselves didn’t see or hear.  But the task of the player is to know when they are supporting, when they are harmonic, when they are counter-melody and when they are melody…AND WHEN THEY ARE SOLOISTS…and to be prepared for each.

In The Kingdom, there are many who would like to be the soloist ALL THE TIME, without the sense that, like a piece of music, it is important for the world to hear all the player, and the entire piece, not just a part of it, but the whole of it. God calls us (the players) to be ready for anything and everything.  Sometimes we support each other, sometimes we play in unison, sometimes we play the melody…and every-once-in-a-while, it’s our turn to take the solo (I Corinthians 12:14-20).

What happens if an orchestra player doesn’t practice because they don’t believe they’ll ever play a solo?  I’ll tell you what happens, because I’ve seen it happen: The solo part comes and they are not prepared, and that player is swiftly replaced with someone who is prepared.  And so it is with life in The Kingdom (John 15:2).

Jesus asks us to be happy with each other and ourselves.  Doing what we need to do to “play the piece” and communicate it to the “audience”.  We are not always going to be the soloist, we are not always going to be the support, and most of the time we are handed a part that has lots and lots of rests – during which an entire song continues on.  Our part in the song may not be evident until we play our part and then see how it fits.

Trust yourself.  Trust conductor….and trust the “Composer”.

A BLOG by Pastor Ken Rickett

Luke 6: 1-11

One Sabbath, as Jesus happened to be passing through the cornfields, his disciples began picking the ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. Some of the Pharisees remarked, “why are you doing what the Law forbids men to do on the Sabbath day?” Jesus answered them, saying, “Have you never read what David and his companions did when they were hungry? How he went into the house of God, took the presentation loaves, ate some bread himself and gave some to his companions, even though the Law does not permit anyone except the priests to eat it?”

Then, he added, “The Son of Man is Master even of the Sabbath.”

On another Sabbath day when he went into a synagogue to teach, there was a man there whose right hand was wasted away. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath day, which would, of course, give them grounds for accusation. But he knew exactly what was going on in their minds, and said to the man with the wasted hand, “Stand up and come out in front.” And he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them (scribes and pharisees), “I am going to ask you a question. Does the Law command us to do good on Sabbath days or do harm–to save life or to destroy it?” He looked around, meeting all their eyes, and said to the man, “Now stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored as sound as the other one. But they were filled with insane fury and kept discussing with each other what they could do to Jesus.

 In this day and age data bombards us daily through media (print, online, corporation boards, advertising, policy-making, etc.) and the question is NOT ONLY, “Is this data true?” but ALSO, “In what context do I (we) place this data?”

Examples abound as to the wisdom of knowing the context of any information that we hear and repeat to other people. Failure to place data in context not only lays the foundation for poor decisions, but also hinders the development of vision merely for the sake of maintaining tradition and custom.

For example, from 1500-1800 English nobility lived about 71 years, quite an astonishing piece of data until you learn that the average lifespan of the English people during those same years was 33-40 years! Why? Nobility had more nutritious food, little contact with commoners, and often more sanitary everyday life. Did you know that the early English colonies in Virginia in the 1600s had a life expectancy at birth of 25 years? And in the 1600s in England, 40% of those born in that century died before reaching adulthood?

What was the lifespan of Americans when the United States constitution was written in 1789? Take a guess! Try 30-something! Then put that data into this context: In 1860, before the Civil War began, the average lifespan at birth was 39.4 years and dropped to 35 at the end of the war. It was 1911 before a person, at birth, could expect to live 50 years; and 1938 before a baby could expect to live to 60 years. In 1969, for the first time, newborns could expect to live 70 years! From 1900 to 2000 life expectancy rose over 30 years and 25 of those 30 years are directly the result of advances in public health care. Our country’s forefathers could not, in their wildest imaginations, see a time when 10 of the 100 Senators would be 76 to 88 years old. These same 10 Senators have served in the Senate for a combined total of 270 years (Our country, from 1776 til today, is only 245 years old!)! The average age of U. S. Senators is 64.5 years, but 79 of the 100 Senators are over 65. I’m not necessarily arguing for “change”, I am arguing that context tells a story that adds insight that may be used for evaluation. 

We need CONTEXT! 

As a retired minister, I valued context in preaching, and it has been a joy to be a part of a congregation in which the context of scripture is explained in sermons (Thanks, Rick!). 

Take the Sabbath as portrayed in the New Testament. In Luke 6:1-11, Jesus is twice confronted over actions that he took on the Sabbath. In one instance, Jesus and his disciples were traveling on a Sabbath day when they passed a cornfield. Being hungry, they took some corn, rubbed it in their hands, and ate it. Some Pharisees confront Jesus about gathering and eating corn on the Sabbath as such “work” was forbidden in the Law. Jesus’ response is crucial to interpreting this text: “The Son of Man is Master even of the Sabbath!” The other instance is the story of Jesus’ healing of a man’s atrophied hand on the Sabbath, and in anticipation of controversy, Jesus asked before he healed the man’s hand if the Law commands us to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm–which angered the Pharisees to the point that they wondered what they could do to stop Jesus. Healing was “doing work” which was “against the law.”

Don’t misjudge the context of this scripture in Luke!

The fourth of the ten commandments reads, “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.” These two incidents in the previous paragraph are not about the Sabbath; they are about the word “holy.” Over the centuries as the Law developed, there was little question that “God rested on the 7th day” but the intent of the Law was to insure that the Sabbath was kept “holy.” Under the Law, to keep the Sabbath holy, then absolutely all work must cease except for essentials such as feeding or milking animals. Thus, all food to be eaten on the Sabbath must be prepared in advance of the Sabbath which began at 6 PM on Friday night and ended at 6 PM on Saturday evening. In the first instance in which Jesus and his disciples gathered and ate corn, they became “lawbreakers” in a way that failed to keep Sabbath “holy” and thus they failed to “rest.”

In the second instance, due to the fact that the Holy and Sovereign God rested on the seventh day, the Law declared that any healing was “work”, not rest, and therefore unholy.

It is necessary to put the word “Holy” in context. Holiness is a characteristic or attribute of God alone, not humanity. There is nothing that humanity can do to become “holy” and the New Testament makes clear that salvation from a Holy God is by grace and not by works. The prophet Isaiah declares that Yahweh alone is the Holy One of Israel. Holiness is the one characteristic by which God says, “I am God and not human.” Now we have a problem: how do we understand the 4th commandment “to keep it (the Sabbath) holy?” The answer is simple: “to keep the Sabbath holy” is to acknowledge that God alone is the Holy One and therefore worthy of worship and adoration and glory.

One day when I was at the seminary, a professor asked if he could join us at our table. We were pleased to have that time with him as he was a noted author, theologian and teacher. As we finished our meal, he asked us, “Tell me, are we saved by a Holy and Righteous God or by a Loving and Merciful God?” What a question! Most of us said “Loving and Merciful God.” As the professor got ready to leave and go to his next class, he said to us, “Let me remind you that only a Holy and Righteous God can choose to be Loving and Merciful toward all humanity.” Catch the implication? In worship we acknowledge a Holy and Righteous God who revealed in Jesus Christ a Loving and Merciful God. AHA! To keep the Sabbath holy means that we recognize that God alone is Holy and worthy of worship. Failure to “remember the Sabbath” in the framework that God alone is Holy and worthy of worship is to fail to acknowledge God at all. God “rested” on the 7th day, but for us human beings, to keep the Sabbath holy is not found in avoiding work, but rather it is found in the nature of worship; namely, we can “rest” only when we acknowledge that we belong to a Holy and Righteous God. But nothing we do, whether it is done on the Sabbath or not, can impart Holiness to ourselves.

Put these Sabbath stories in context! Luke, in telling these two stories about Jesus and the Sabbath, is not about avoiding work in order to become holy ourselves; it is about acknowledging the Holiness of God, the only true basis for worship. When Jesus and his disciples gathered and ate corn on the Sabbath, it was a worshipful recognition that a Holy and Righteous God provides for us all. Did not Jesus inform the Pharisees that even “the Son of Man was Master of the Sabbath?”– a statement that acknowledges that the fullness of God, including Holiness, was placed in himself.

When Jesus healed on the Sabbath, it was a worshipful recognition that a Holy and Righteous God will and can act for the welfare of humankind. Did not Jesus, in whom the fullness of God dwells, say “come unto me, and I will give you rest?” Only a Holy Supreme Being can give “rest” that comes only when we recognize that we utterly and completely belong to the Holy One, Creator and Sustainer of us all. At some point, in a society of 4 day workweeks and jobs that must be done on Sunday, we need to put scripture about the Sabbath in context, and I DON’T mean a NEW context. It is time to let go of all kinds of guilt created by our lack of context for understanding the Sabbath. The context in which these two stories by Luke is the same context that has been there for centuries before Luke wrote these stories. Not even Jesus was able to break through to reset the proper context of keeping the Sabbath holy. It is high time for us to put these stories in proper context. We keep the Sabbath holy by acknowledging that the Creator God was Holy. AND THAT IS OUR REST.

Context reveals meaning.

Put it (scripture) in context, please!

A few years ago, it was a beautiful morning in Indianapolis, sunny and only slightly warm.  I was preparing for my first full day at the Christian Church (DOC) General Assembly across town.  I woke up to a cat on my face (Mr. Blu, Cito’s cat), and got up, got ready and prepared to walk across town to the Convention Center…by way of a coffee shop.

The condo where I was staying was on the upper east side and the Convention Center is in the middle west side, so it was a good walk, but I didn’t need to be there till around 11:00am.  I set my things out to get ready and walk out the door, but before I did I noticed the “rodent traps (sticky)“, purchased for whatever was crawling up the fireplace vent and getting into the wall.  I decided to be a good guy and place the trap under the vent on the fenced in deck.  I carefully removed the sticky trap and carried it outside, through the sliding screen door and the hinged glass & wrought-iron door to the deck.  It was beautiful outside.  I carefully set the trap and weighed it down on one side with a brick, and went back to the door.

The LOCKED door.

 That’s right.  It automatically locked when it shut.  The front door was locked as well.  And there, sitting on the dining table, almost within reach but on the other side of the LOCKED glass door, was my phone…my PHONE (with the key code for the garage…which, of course, I didn’t have memorized.)  And sitting by it, quietly judging me, was Mr. Blu. (I saw him mouth the words, “silly human”).

I was stuck, out of the condo.  No phone.  No keys.  No idea what to do next.

During my first wave of panic (“O crap! O crap! O crap!” is close to what I was thinking), the quiet voice of the Spirit (I know it wasn’t MY OWN VOICE, because I wasn’t thinking THAT clearly) said, “Count your blessings.”

“My BLESSINGS?  Are you KIDDING?!”

Then I did.

1) I was dressed…a blessing for everyone involved. 

2) It wasn’t night.

3) it wasn’t raining

4) I could walk

5) I DID know where Cito was (with the key code)…and, actually his office was in walking distance.

I kept counting and felt better.  So I started walking the few blocks to where Cito worked.  After 5 to 10 minutes I arrived at the large building where he worked. I got on the elevator and went up to the floor.  The door opened to a lobby filled with crates and carts…and then it hit me…today was the day his ENTIRE OFFICE WAS MOVING TO ANOTHER BUILDING!

“Count your blessings.”  Whatever.

I went to the main door and there, thankfully, were the lone two employees left.  I introduced myself and they, because of their love for Cito and not their trust of ME, probably…called him at his new desk, he gave me the key code and I happily walked back to the condo.

On my way I came across a younger woman with a backback over her shoulder…she held out a piece of paper as she approached me, and I could see tears in her eyes as she asked, in poor English, if I knew the  address hand-written on the paper.  She was lost and had been wandering around downtown for an hour.

It just so happened that I knew exactly where it was, and we were close enough that I could walk her part of the way.  She was so thankful, I felt like I had just given her a million dollars.

She went happily on her way.  I unlocked the condo, grabbed my stuff and trekked over to the Convention Center, thinking about my morning and what I would have done differently.  Of course, there was nothing I could’ve done.  I wrote it off as a bad start to the day…until I arrived at the Convention and listened to the first scripture read before the meeting:  Esther 4:14 (I’ll let you look it up). 

What I heard the scripture say, was: “Who knows but that you locked yourself out for such a moment as this one, so that you and the lost girl would cross paths.”

Then I realized, once more:

Every moment has its time.
Every person has their place.
Don’t brush aside either,
Or you may also brush aside
God’s wish for you to either
Enjoy or be the miracle.

A BLOG by Pastor Ken Rickett

Let me be blunt. There is a world of difference between our way of life and that of the New Testament. Today we have jet planes that can take us halfway around the globe (12,000 miles) in a few hours but in New Testament times people had to walk everywhere and they were lucky to cover 15 miles a day! Today, our own automobiles can reach speeds of over 100 mph but the fastest vehicle in New Testament times was a horse-drawn chariot! There are just no similarities between the two ways of life! Yet, do we call those days a “simple life.” No! A thousand times no! Life in those days was just as much a struggle as life today. Life was just as unfair then as it is today, but in different ways.

In Luke, Chapter 10, Jesus sent 70 disciples in groups of two people into cities for the purpose of preparing the people to receive Jesus when Jesus came into those cities.

He gave some odd, if not weird instructions, “carry no purse, nor note cards, nor extra shoes, and salute no one. If you enter a house, say ‘peace be unto this house’ and if your peace is rejected then leave that house. Eat and drink what your hosts offer you. Stay there until your work is done and do not go from house to house. Say to the people wherever you go ‘the Kingdom of God is here’. But if you go into a city and they do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet and move on, but let them know that regardless of the lack of acceptance, that the Kingdom of God will still come.”

In the “plain English” we speak today, and in our way of life today, what, exactly, would Jesus be telling his disciples (us) to do in order to bear witness to the Gospel?

“Carry no purse” means “Don’t carry extra money or a bunch of credit cards!” Why? Well, the next time you drive through a small town where you don’t know a soul, stop and walk the streets and go into a couple of stores. First impressions are HUGE among the locals! If the perception is that you’ve got money to spend (and you are a stranger to them), they will welcome your dollars and likely have little or no desire to sit down and talk a while with you under the shade of the big oak tree in the town square.

“Take no note cards” means just that! In other words, quit worrying about whether you “say it right” or “whether you might leave something out that you should have said.

There is no reason to engage in the stilted language of “religious terminology”, but to converse relationally. Several times over my career as a minister, well-meaning people have knocked on my door to invite me to their church (not a problem) or to ask if I was a Christian (also not a problem), but scripts are a problem. Let me illustrate. Years ago, while I was completing the seminary, Della, my wife, babysat for a physician and her husband in their home. One day I did not have class and I was with Della that afternoon. The doorbell rang, and it was someone from a church of a different denomination. Della answered the door, and she was asked if she was a “believer?” Her reply was “of course! My husband is in the seminary to become a minister” to which the reply was, “BUT is he saved?” Della said, “I’m sorry. I have to go” and shut the door.

Scripts put people on the defensive, and usually brings a quick closure to what could have been a productive conversation. Scripts also assume that the meaning of religious words and phrases are known by the general public–even if a person has never read a Bible Story or heard a sermon. No wonder Jesus said, “No pre-scripted conversations, please!”

“Don’t take an extra pair of shoes” is puzzling advice, so I will put it in plain language. If the extra pair of shoes is patent-leather Guccis, in a community in which the streets are full of sand, then it is obvious that such shoes will testify to a wealthy life and therefore, these extra shoes serve no real purpose other than to impress rather than to find common ground. Of course, it goes without saying that “extras” imply that the messenger has been blessed far beyond what anyone else dares to expect from God.

“Salute no one!” means “seek no favors!” To seek favors, one has to assume that another person has something to offer that would otherwise be unavailable. Can you imagine a disciple of Jesus who curries the favor of a Roman official while on this mission? Do not think of “salute” in this instance as recognizing military rank; rather, salute means to impress inappropriately.

“Peace be unto this house!” If your peace is rejected, then leave. This is not “wearing out your welcome” but rather “peace” is a “comfort zone” that one detects upon entering the home of a stranger. Not long ago I was visited by a couple of Mormon missionaries. “May we give you a copy of our book? “No,” I replied, and the peace was uneasy. Then I said, “My hobby is genealogy, and I must admit that I have had some success in using Mormon genealogy records.” Ah! Conversation flowed with less awkwardness. Peace? Nevertheless, I affirmed my long association with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and they soon went on their way. There was no “peace” that would foster hours of conversation. But had my visitor been Pastor Rick or perhaps you! Peace would come instantly!

“Eat and drink what the host offers you!” In other words, don’t get up 30 minutes early and run to McDonald’s to get your breakfast and coffee–and eat and drink iin front of your hosts! Or don’t sneak out to the steak house in the afternoon and then later decline the meal prepared by your hosts! Believe me, insults will not be tolerated!

“Do not go from house to house.” Accept the hospitality of your hosts! In the summer of 1971, between completing college in May and beginning the seminary in September, I served the summer as a Youth Minister at a church in Rural Hall, NC. I knew in advance that I would be spending the summer in 3 different homes over the 10-week summer. Thankfully, the minister of the church gave me excellent advice, telling me to refrain from accepting last-minute offers for a meal without allowing time for my host family to adjust their meal preparation because providing meals were a part of their obligation to host me. But I was free to accept a meal in another home if arrangements with the host family were made, let’s say, at least the day before my invitation. Wise advice, indeed!

“Tell everyone you meet that the Kingdom of God is here (near)!” I have a friend with whom I went all four years at Mars Hill University. He went to one seminary, and I went to another. We lost touch for many years, then I went to a General Assembly in which he, George Bullard, had led a two-day seminar just prior to the opening of the General Assembly, also sponsored by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). George was a church consultant who kept abreast of trends and changes happening across America, in regard to religious and church life. Of all his insights about the decline of attendance in congregational life of many denominations, he was adamant about this one: “Preach the Kingdom!” If we preach the “church” (even though it is the Body of Christ), then we invite people to see its shortcomings as well as those of church members. But if we preach the Kingdom, the coming of God’s Rule on earth as revealed through Jesus Christ who brings the Kingdom to earth that God’s will be done as it is in heaven, then we understand that God is constantly bringing God’s eternal rule on earth through redemption and love. Perhaps the criticism of the church as a “just one more institution that works through ‘proper channels’” would be blunted by the image of an imperfect but constantly emerging Kingdom of God on earth that reaches perfection in the fulfillment of the Kingdom when a new heaven and earth are created. Which sounds more exciting to you–an invitation to “enter and explore the Kingdom of God on earth” or a plea to “attend church every Sunday?”

“If you go into a city and they do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet…but let them know that the Kingdom of God is still coming!” O, such a misunderstood verse!

Shaking the dust off one’s feet as one leaves the city is not a condemnation because the message “the Kingdom of God is coming” doesn’t change. So, what does this admonition mean? First, it means, “if you feel ineffective in that place, move on, and perhaps come back later.” Nothing creates a void in life like a feeling of “spinning wheels!” So don’t burn out on sharing the message of the Kingdom but find fertile soil.

Second, “shake the dust off your feet” means to move on and not carry with you the disappointments and hurts and agony of an unproductive environment. Recognize that you can go back later or that someone with a different personality or approach may be more effective. This advice has little to do with the city, but much to do with one’s own renewal and readiness for continued ministry and mission. “Shaking the dust off” is not a calling down of God’s fury upon the city because…

…the message that God’s Kingdom is coming stands before that city with hope and promise!

a blog by PASTOR KEN RICKETT

Luke 2:15-18

And it came to pass after the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go into Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told to them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

When my brother and I were old enough (about 12 years old or so) and brave enough to venture into the mountain forests behind our house, we must have walked a considerable distance following a creek flowing from the peaks of the mountains along an old gravel road beside the creek. It was early December and through the bare,

leafless trees, we spied an old cabin through the trees. Summoning our bravest efforts, we walked to the cabin and then looked inside it as the front door had fallen off. Parts of the roof revealed the sky above as some wood shingles had fallen off of this one-room abode and the remaining three or four pieces of furniture were unsalvageable. There was never any electricity to that cabin and a single fireplace spoke of the only source of winter heat. Once home, we told our grandmother what we had discovered, only to quickly realize that she knew all about that cabin. And naturally, a story or two awaited the eager ears of my brother and me.

 My grandmother began, “There was an older man who lived alone in that cabin; his wife had died relatively young and he was determined to stay in his ‘home’ in spite of the effort of his grown offspring to entice him to live with them as these children now lived out of town.”

So, for several years, at Christmastime, my grandmother would send her children, mostly teenagers at that time, to his cabin a couple of days before Christmas with food, candies, and a gift or two that he could use. One year, after these things were delivered to the old man at the cabin, my grandmother’s children were going to search for a Christmas tree in the woods, and therefore they had a hatchet with them.

After the items were delivered, the old man stepped outside the cabin, and just a few yards away was a perfectly shaped holly tree about 6 feet high, and absolutely loaded with red berries (holly trees are native to the southern mountains). My mother (the youngest of the children) commented on the holly tree, saying, ‘that would make an interesting Christmas tree. Before anyone else realized what was going on, the old man grabbed the hatchet out of the hands of my uncle (my mother’s brother) and swiftly cut down the holly tree in one swipe at the base of the tree. When told that he should not have cut down his pretty tree, the old man said,

“Take it, consider it a gift from me to you.”

And then my grandmother continued, “They came home with this lovely holly tree and its red berries, and we all decided that no other decorations were needed, and we all felt that it was indeed our favorite Christmas tree ever!”

A holly Christmas tree! How odd and unusual!

For centuries at Christmastime both homes and churches decked the halls with boughs of holly. Thorny holly leaves, according to legend, symbolized the crown of thorns placed around Jesus’ head while he was crucified on the cross. The red berries represent the blood that flowed from the pierced side of Jesus. In Germany the holly tree is known as “Christ’ Thorn” but with a caveat: in the spring, the tiny, white blooms of the holly tree symbolize purity and wholeness.

Being evergreen, the holly leaves boldly points to eternal life, the hope that Christians share in expectation and faith that we, too, shall be raised in a resurrection as was Jesus and be united with Him for eternity. Ancient Celtics had the practice of placing thorny holly leaves and branches all around their doors and windows so the thorns would capture any evil spirits trying to enter the house. Incredibly, the Celtics believed the woodland fairies would find shelter from the cold by hiding among the stiffer, evergreen holly leaves; hence, holly is also associated with hospitality and welcome to the stranger.

AH! These Celtic practices speak of the sentiment that I have always attached to Christmas. Through Jesus I live in a safe haven, and in a place where strangers are welcome! That speaks to the joy that this one solitary life, Jesus, crucified and resurrected, brings to my heart and soul!

 And so a truth remains: in spite of all the lovely Christmases we remember, they seem to blend in with all the others but. . . occasionally there is a narrative, a story, that once again stirs the imagination with Christmas wonder and awe!

A holly Christmas tree! Can you imagine that?

Ahhh, Christmas Parties; one of the best things about the season, and after a “year of drought” they are somewhat back!  Any excuse to get together with friends simply to…”get together”.  Alright, there’s the food and drink, and that’s nice too, but really, how often do we take the time simply to BE with our friends?  Not often enough, so it seems.

I always look forward to a few get-togethers during the season; various hosts and various types of parties and dinners, and various “gigs”.  In each case, through the years, I was invited and accepted the invitation.  It was simple.  I didn’t have to fill out a form, join a club, recite an incantation, it was simply an invitation from a friend.  Some parties I’ve attended have been popular and sometimes people have worked hard at getting invitations.  Some parties have been quiet, improvised, and spontaneous, some elaborate and well-planned months in advance.  But in all cases the people who attended were asked by the host and accepted the invitation.  They were invited because the host wanted them there.  They were invited because they were family. They attended because they accepted the invitation.

The chaos and tension between denominations and between believers is often about the discussion as to who is a part of the Kingdom of God, and who, exactly, will “go to heaven”.  It is often a contentious debate which requires PERSON A to do what they are commanded NOT to do (according to the scripture), and that is to pronounce judgment about PERSON B’s heart and behavior.  It is, for some, the bottom-line discussion which separates the sacred from the profane.  If PERSON A feels that PERSON B doesn’t fulfill the requirements (as PERSON A sees it) it doesn’t matter how good and fine PERSON B is, they are obviously NOT “going to Heaven” so do not deserve the love of other self-identified Christians.

Now, I’m not talking about harmful and destructive behavior, I’m talking about theological differences, or people “seeing God from a different angle”.  I’m talking about people who read the same Bible but come to different conclusions than another.  To pass judgment on those types of things requires a knowledge that no human has: the ability to read hearts.  All of this requires an authority that is not given to humans: the authority to judge, which is God’s place alone.

And yet it is so simple.  Who is a part of the Kingdom?  Who will be allowed to walk on the streets of gold?  God’s friends, who are given the invitation and accept.  It requires one to be a friend of God, not necessarily a friend of yours or mine.  It requires one to accept the invitation, given by God, not necessarily given by you or me.

It does NOT require one to make a decision about attending, based on who else will be there.

There IS going to be a party.  WHO will be there?  Those who are friends of God, those who have been invited by God…those who have accepted the invitation.  This season, let us assume that ALL have been invited; sinners, seekers and saints…and treat them accordingly.  

After all, there are probably some guests at “the party” who may be surprised to see that YOU are attending as well.

I am, as I do every Christmas season, reading my favorite Christmas book, Charles Dickens’ “A CHRISTMAS CAROL”.  Through the years I’ve had several copies of this story, one is in a collection of Dickens’ classics, one is in a collection of other Christmas stories, and this year my copy is on my IPad (backlit with big letters…yeah!).  No matter what the setting or context, this story continues to amaze and inspire me.  It was my privilege to be involved with a production (as script and songwriter) for the North Anderson Church of God (now Madison Park) production of “A CHRISTMAS CAROL”.  And now, THE ALLEY THEATRE is premiering a new production of my script and music this weekend!

It doesn’t seem to matter what kind of Christmas season I’m having, or when or where I’m reading, Charles Dickens uses his words to reach down into the soul where he communicates that best of all messages to the child that is still hiding inside of this old shell.

The great question of the story for me is; how can Scrooge, with all of the resource that his world can offer, miss completely the joy…while Tim Cratchit, sick, poor and facing a certain and early death, seems to not only understand but “embody” the joy of Christmas?  And what is that “joy of Christmas”?

In the story, it’s perhaps easier to see what the “Joy of Christmas” is not.  When one observes Scrooge, it’s easy to understand the JOY does not come from wealth or power.  Scrooge has an abundance of both and neither has given him joy.  One can also see that “memories of Christmas”, though fond and perhaps filled with warmth, love and kindness, are more often a reminder that Christmastime now does not fulfill the memories of what it used to be.  For Scrooge, his past memories of Christmas only filled him with despair at all he had lost or cast aside.

So what is “The Joy of Christmas”?  At its core, it is the knowledge that our Great God cared enough to save us through such elaborate and sacrificial means as placing His Son in this “God-forsaken” world, where he “put on our skin”, felt our pain, walked our path…just so that we would trust and follow.  We no longer need to fear the grave, we no longer are victims of our circumstance, we are no longer prisoners of our past, our present or our future.

Tim Cratchit “embodies” the idea that despite our circumstance, Christmas and its Joy transcends all, life is not totally encompassed in this Age, but lives beyond…and “life” is not defined solely by heartbeat and breath.  Christmas Joy is greater than the sum of our surroundings, our memories, our hopes.  And what finally makes Scrooge happy, what fills him with a joy that sets him dancing?  Giving.  Because Christmas Joy is “outside” of ourselves, we find the physical manifestation of that joy is also outside of ourselves.

Isn’t that just like God?  We must GIVE to GAIN.  The percentages will always remain the same, in the Kingdom of God; the more joy you give, the more joy you receive, whether it’s smiles, time, talent, cash or love.

“I have come that you might have life…and have it more abundantly”! JOHN 10:10

“God bless us, everyone.” TINY TIM

Today’s BLOG falls on December 1^st – the ANNIVERSARY/BIRTHDAY of Central Christian Church in Anderson.  So, today I’m sharing a little history of our congregation. 

We’ve got to start with a guy named, Elijah Martindale.  Elijah was a “traveling evangelist” from the newly formed, “Christian Church-Disciples of Christ” (formed in 1832) arising out of the famed CANE RIDGE REVIVAL during the early 1800s.  As he made his way north, on horseback from Kentucky, he stopped at villages, and bends in the road that were “soon-to-be” villages.  One such place was just north of where we are assembled.  It was a scattered arrangement of log cabins, not yet consolidated or considered even a village, but is now called ALEXANDRIA.

Elijah spoke, on “The Lord’s Day”, in the cabin home of Macajah & Martha Chamness, where all the other closest neighbors had gathered for worship.  They all sang, “We’re Marching to Zion” and Mr. Martindale spoke from the Matthew 13:24-30/36-43.  It was the fall of 1833, and the first and oldest Christian Church in Madison County was formed.  From the success of that first congregation, Elijah and Elder John Langley moved south to “Andersontown” (as our town, “Anderson”, was called at that time) and began preaching their message to the people of that village in 1834.

Some 6 years later an organizational meeting, to form a new Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in “Andersontown”, took place in the home of Andy Seward at 11th and Central Streets. A congregation was organized and met for services in the grand Madison County Courthouse for several months, this congregation was generally held together by Elder Langley.  Elijah Martindale moved on to continue his Evangelistic Ministry.  This first endeavor, however, was not to survive the transient population of pre-boom “Andersontown”, and after 3 years of struggle, collapsed.

For 18 years no congregation existed.  Then in 1858 “Andersontown” got a second chance for a local congregation.  The Christian Church – Disciples of Christ Regional Leadership sent Love Jamerson, John New and John Brazelton to Madison County, as missionaries, to help John Seward organize a “chartered” church.  The congregation of 13 began with worship services in the Chestnut Grove schoolhouse, on Mounds Park Road, on December 1, 1858, the date they were “chartered” as a legal congregation.  “Andersontown” grew to 1168 souls by 1861, and the congregation grew with the town.

The local Methodists and the Presbyterians already had their own church buildings, and so it was decided that “First Christian” (as we were then known) also needed a sanctuary in which to worship.  They purchased property on the corner of 13th & Main (where THE TOAST CAFE now stands) for $125 and built a small, handsome, church building at a cost of $4700.  The congregation decided to hold a dedication service in January of 1862.

By 1862 the Civil War was in full motion and there was much discussion, at the Christian Church – Disciples of Christ Convention in Cincinnati, about separating the Christian Churches in the North from the Christian Churches in the South, as other denominations (such as the Baptists) had done.  Elder Benjamin Franklin, a leader in the movement and supporter of the Church in “Andersontown”, was much against separation.  His name was considered by the First Christian Church board as speaker for the Dedication, but after realizing how contentious the meetings had been, regarding his views, he withdrew his name and suggested his brother David, who also declined.  Elder John Rogers was recommended and accepted, giving the dedication sermon on Sunday January 12, 1862.

The congregation survived without a permanent Senior Pastor for a few months, until Elder Joseph Franklin, Benjamin’s son, was called as Pastor.  In that time between, Elder Benjamin Franklin held a 6-week revival and the congregation grew to 65 members. Around 1872 the building went through some renovations; adding carpeting, and new seats.

By 1860 the question of instrumental, and specifically organ music, in the church service came up. Up to this point there had been only unaccompanied congregational singing, and that was limited to the Sunday School hour. There was much dissention, not only in the local church, but nationally as well.  Eventually, in 1879 an organ was installed for use in Sunday School only, while the basic question was somewhat ignored…the rumor is that the organ “just appeared”; purchased by a parishioner who was tired of the quibbling.   After a controversial revival, centering around the question of instrumental music, the problem seemed to be resolved in the local church and in 1880 organ music was a regular part of Sunday Worship.  Five years later a choir loft was built.

Now, the congregation was large enough to purchase land for a new building.  In 1886 a lot on the northwest corner of 10th and Jackson streets, known as the Davis property was purchased for $5000.00.  The congregation, which now numbered around 500, saw that the architectural plans would call for more space than was available on the Davis property, and so purchased adjacent land to the north and west.  A ground-breaking ceremony was held in 1889.  In that year the Board of the Church resolved to change the name from FIRST CHRISTIAN to CENTRAL CHRISTIAN…because another congregation in Anderson, known as the NEW LIGHT CHURCH had adopted the name FIRST CHRISTIAN and to avoid confusion or difficulties, Central decided to change their name with the new building.

The present sanctuary was dedicated in December of 1900, with a packed sanctuary and 400 standing around the back.   The organ led the congregation in a first hymn, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”.  Only 2 days later, the church building on 13th and Main was sold.

With a membership of 463 in 1902 a Revival began in February and ended in March, bringing another 465 members in.

A few years later, in 1905, what has been called the “greatest revival in the history of any single congregation of the Disciples” took place, beginning in December. During the 52 days of this revival, led by renowned evangelist, Charles Reign Scoville, Central Christian Church grew to over 2000 members; making it the largest Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) church in the world, at that time.

Happy Birthday, Central Christian!