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Reverend Kenneth E. Kovacs' Sermon's for 2004Maybe you missed a worship service, maybe you want to review a favorite sermon, maybe you're looking for a little inspiration today, or maybe you would like to visit our church and you wonder what to expect. Whatever your reason is for stopping here in your web travels, you have found the right place.
December 19, 2004
One of my earliest memories comes from age three or so. It was Christmas morning. I was nervous about waking up too early so as not to disrupt the generosity of Santa Claus. So I made my way into my parents’ bedroom and urged them to get up, probably around 5:30. I wasn’t allowed to go into the living room without their permission. Finally, it was time. I made my way down the hall full of expectation and wonder, turned to the right into the living room – and then it struck me. The room seemed to be ablaze with color and light and beauty. The live tree, full of silver tinsel perfectly placed was shimmering in the morning light. I just stood there trying to capture it all. We didn’t have lights in the tree (my mother didn’t like them), but yet that tree was beaming. Presents in beautiful foil wrap, full of reds and greens, were placed carefully around the tree. I was so unbelievably happy, struck by the wonder. It’s a feeling and memory, looking back, one might describe as “awe,” mysterious, and for religious folk we might even call it holy – something out of the ordinary that strikes you, overwhelms you, stops you alive in your tracks, and leaves you never quite the same.
December 5, 2004
I’ve been having these thoughts lately, images, scenes pop-up in my head. I’ve been wondering what it would be like if John the Baptist left the river banks for a while and ventured into the 21st century. In our mind’s eye we firmly place John the Baptist out in the wilderness along the River Jordan, preaching repentance. But what if John showed up with his scraggly hair and smelly, camel hair and leather belt, with his satchel full of locusts and wild honey in a jar from the Pottery Barn? What if he crashed your Christmas or Holiday party at work? What would he see, how would he react? What would people say to him? Would they approach him? I don’t know what it’s like for Rev. Dorothy, but when I’m at parties with non-church people very often they don’t know what to do with me when they find out I’m a minister (usually, I’m slow to tell them). The conversation changes, sometimes the language cleans up (if I’m on the golf course), people don’t know what to say.
November 28, 2004
Once again we have entered a season of waiting, of preparation, of expectancy. We are moving into a new time. For some, it is marked by the mad rush to Christmas and the hustle and bustle of that season. I was over at Long Gate Shopping Center on Friday and talked with the salesperson at Staples. It was around 1:00 p.m. and she was ready to leave. She had been there since 5:30 a.m. and was eager to go home. The store opened at 6:00 a.m. Kohl’s opened at 5:30 a.m., but there were people lining up in the parking lots at 5:00 a.m., waiting for the stores to open. Amazing! I was asleep. This is not what we mean by waiting and expectancy in Advent. Advent is waiting and expectation. It is intentionally set-up to get people to slow down, so that we not rush our way toward Christmas.
November 21, 2004
Last Monday evening we welcomed Dr. Fosarelli, a pediatrician and professor of practical theology at the Ecumenical Institute here in Baltimore. Dr. Fosarelli talked with us about the spirituality of children. We had a great turn out and a fun evening. Several weeks ago, in preparation for her visit, some of our children and youth answered a few questions regarding how they see God and what they might directly ask of God. One of our brilliant youth asked, “So, just exactly how did you become God?” One thirteen year old girl asked the pointed question, “Why doesn’t God show up here more often?” The children also responded to this query, ‘What do children know, but adults need to remember concerning God?’ Consistently came the same reply: Remember that God is loving, merciful, kind, forgiving. Remember that it’s all about the love.
November 14, 2004
One of C. S. Lewis’ (1898-1963) most imaginative works was The Screwtape Letters, a book he dedicated to J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973), who once accused Lewis of not being imaginative enough! Can you imagine that? The book is collection of letters from Screwtape, a Senior Devil giving instruction in the “art” of temptation to a Junior Devil, Wormwood. They are directives on how best to tempt, to divert the life of the Christian away from what is most important and required. The letters are like a photographic negative, his whites are our shades of grey and whatever the Senior Devil welcomes the Christian ought to resist. In one letter Screwtape advises, “We want him [meaning the Christian] to be in the maximum uncertainty, so that his mind will be filled with contradictory pictures of the future, every one of which arouses hope and fear. There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human’s mind against the Enemy.”
October 31, 2004
Do you believe in ghosts? Strange question coming from a preacher, maybe. Or Let me just say, I’m open to the possibility of all kinds of things occurring in our plane of reality. Some here joined Gallimaufry a couple weeks ago for Ye Olde Ellicott City Ghost Tour, walking through the heart of the old town and hearing tales of supernatural occurrence. Were you convinced?
October 17, 2004
“Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?” That’s what John’s disciples want to know. A timeless question really, for there are plenty asking the same question today. Is Jesus the promised one or should we give up on him and seek another? I hear this question a lot outside the community of faith; but I also hear it a lot within the community of faith. Who is this Jesus? What was so special about him? I heard people outside the church say, “I’m skeptical about organized religion, but tell me about Jesus.” Others ask where is this kingdom of which Jesus speaks? How do I get there? How do I get to him? Where is he? How do I connect with him?
October 10, 2004
We find Jesus here walking along the road to Jerusalem, a road that crosses over the border and back again between Galilee and Samaria. Hovering on the edge between two worlds, two ethnic groups, some would say, two religions – the true faith of Israel and the questionable faith of Samaritans, who were dogs in the eyes of practicing Jews. But it’s there, on the margins where healing begins. Maybe he didn’t see them at first, maybe he did. But they saw him, all ten of them. They knew who he was. “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” they shouted at him, demanding his attention and mercy from a distance. They couldn’t get close to him, but they needed him and only him.
October 3, 2004
On my last Sunday in Congo, Don Padgett and I went to the English-speaking service at the International Protestant Church in Kinshasa, a church that has served the Protestant missionary community for more than one hundred years. The congregation that morning was made up of Christians from every corner of the globe – Africans, Asians, Europeans, and Americans. From its inception Christianity has always been a global faith. The gospel has a remarkable power to cut across ethnic and national divides in order to form a new people – what the New Testament calls the laos, the laity, the people of God.
September 26, 2004
This story of Philip in Acts probably sends chills running the spine of many Presbyterians. “You mean God actually expects me to talk about my faith. Talk about my faith to a stranger? I can’t do that – that’s what we pay ministers to do! They’re the religious professionals. I wouldn’t know where to begin.” But where do we begin? The General Assembly has designated today Evangelism Sunday, one day in particular set aside to stress the importance of evangelism in the Christian experience. It’s odd that the General Assembly designates only one such Sunday given that everything we do in ministry has something to do with evangelism, although we often don’t call it such.
September 19, 2004
One wonders when reading or hearing this parable whether or not Luke got it right. Surely there’s something wrong with this text. Maybe there was a scribal error somewhere in the early church. Maybe a word or sentence is missing. We have to read this parable several times just to make sure we’re not leaving anything out. Surely Jesus didn’t say this. This can’t be right. Why does the master commend the dishonest steward for his shrewdness? Where’s the justice in this? One moment the steward is getting sacked for not being honest with the master, then he’s trying to protect himself from further humiliation – probably because he has to live among the very people he was ripping off! –he reduces their debt by giving away that which doesn’t even belong to him. But when the master finds out what he’s done instead of being even more furious with him, the steward is affirmed. Jesus holds up the steward’s behavior, and what we might call poor judgment, as a model of one fit for the kingdom of God. Not your safe, simple Sunday School story, this.
September 12, 2004
Those of you who were Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts or those of you who love to camp, or anyone who has been around a campfire know one thing: it’s not easy to keep a fire going. It might be tough to get a fire going, but there are all kinds of fire-starters on the market that produce a fire with the flick of just one match. Anyone who has a fireplace in their home knows that it’s not easy to keep a fire going. You have to continually watch it, tend to it, and stoke it. I have a fireplace in my house and love to have a fire. But I am always amazed how much work is involved – you have to watch it, move the logs around, add logs, make sure there’s a good draft in the chimney – and remember to open the damper (which I often forget to do). But more than anything, there has to be plenty of oxygen getting in under and around the logs to keep the flame burning. A good fire needs plenty of air.
September 11, 2004
Preached at the Service of Witness to the Resurrection for Edward Charles Roberts (1931-2004) Songs of praises, I will ever give to thee. What a glorious hymn – so thoroughly Welsh. As many here know, a Welshmen wrote both tune and text. Welsh soldiers sang Cwm Rhondda in the trenches during the First World War to boost their spirits. Unlike so many hymns written today, we have both a singable melody and – more importantly – good theology to go with it. The tune grounds and helps interpret the creedal dimensions of this hymn. It is strong and determined, blasting the heavens with unyielding faith, imploring God to act, to be, to do something: Guide me, hold me, feed me, open that crystal fountain, lead me. Bidding God to land him “safe on Canaan’s side.” If the phrase “be thou,” as in “be thou still my strength and shield (verse 2),” in Welsh is the same as the Gaelic “be thou,” (as in the hymn “Be Thou My Vision”), it is not so much a plea or petition, as it is an affirmation, it is stating how things are now: You are my vision. You are still my strength and shield...
August 22, 2004
Watching the Olympics on television and reading about them in the newspaper continues to sparks some important theological questions for us as Christians. In last week’s sermon I tried to show how Paul’s experience at the athletic games in Isthmia (probably in 51 A. D.), right outside of Corinth, helped him preach about striving for a “wreath that is imperishable (1 Corinthians 9)” and the discipline, dedication, and drive required to win that race. This week, I’ve been struck by people like Paul Hamm and Carly Patterson, of their great extraordinary achievements, especially after failing miserably earlier in the week. These “come back kids” gave it their all, gave their hearts, threw themselves into what they were doing, using all the skills and talents at their disposal and came away with the gold. But not one of them was perfect in their performance...
August 15, 2004
All the eyes of the world seem turned this weekend to Athens, the site of the Twenty-eighth Olympiad. Surrounded by security forces, including the American Sixth Fleet sitting off in the Mediterranean and security blimps flying overhead, athletes from around the world have descended upon that ancient of cities to fulfill their dreams of being a medal winner, of standing on the winners’ platform, hearing their country’s anthem as the flag of the winning nation rises above them.
August 8, 2004
The good thing about storms is that they don’t last forever. Nature’s periodic disturbances of the atmosphere come and go. Storms develop, reach a climax, and then dissolve. They don’t last forever. But if you’re in a storm, caught in a tempest, it doesn’t feel that way. As you are tossed and turned, battered and blown by the fury of a storm, you can’t set your mind on the fact that it eventually has to end. In a storm, time seems to stand still and all you have is that moment, and in that moment you just worry about staying alive. For anyone who has weathered a hurricane at sea, or a major Nor’easter, or survived the threat of killer tornadoes, you know what I’m talking about. Think of those storms that startled us during worship just last week.
August 1, 2004
One cannot be a Christian alone. One always needs another to follow Christ. One can think about Jesus alone. One can even believe in Jesus alone. You can reason and reflect upon things theological all by yourself. You can come to conclusions about God, Jesus, faith, religion and the church, and establish values by which you choose to live all by yourself. It is not essential for thinking or believing to have someone else. You can do this all by yourself. But one cannot follow Jesus alone. This is the vital distinction between a believer and a disciple. The disciple needs others because he is a student of the One who came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life away for the life of the other (Mark 10:45).
July 18, 2004
Moiyu waynu! (Tshiluba = “Hello everyone!”) It is both an honor and a privilege for me to be in this pulpit, with you this morning, Christ’s people in Kananga. Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. I bring warm greetings from your sisters and brothers of my congregation, the Catonsville Presbyterian Church of Maryland, in the United States of America. The people of my church are happy that I’m here, were eager to send me as their ambassador, and to present these gifts to you – to strengthen you in your capacity to service the Risen Christ in the world today.
July 11, 2004
The story of the Good Samaritan is probably Jesus’ best-known parable, often seen as a simple lesson in the virtue of reaching out to one’s neighbor. And yet its familiarity might be a reason this story often fails to have the impact it must originally have had. It was theologian Karl Barth (1886-1968) who reminded us that whenever we read scripture we need to approach it as if we’re hearing it for the very first time. One never reads the Bible to get one lesson or meaning out of a text, and then assume that it is understood. Scripture doesn’t work this way. We return to scripture again and again to mine its treasures in order to hear what God might be saying today through the text. Otherwise scripture runs the risk of becoming a dead text.
July 4, 2004
“That all may have life in fullness.” This was the scriptural text for this year’s 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U. S.A.) at its meeting in Richmond, Virginia. It was intentionally chosen to coincide with the World Alliance of Reformed Church’s meeting in Ghana next month. The theme for their gathering will be “That all may have life in fullness.” It is a powerful witness of the worldwide witness of the Reformed church today throughout the world. Our Bibles usually translate this verse from John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” The PC(USA) and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches were very intentional about using the word “fullness” instead of “abundance.” It is actually closer to the Greek, but it also serves as a powerful corrective to the materialism of the West that thinks of abundance in terms of power, money, and things.
June 20, 2004
The Roman Catholic priest, Henri Nouwen was troubled by all the interruptions in his day which kept him from doing ministry. That is until one day he realized that the interruptions were his ministry. One afternoon this week I was busy working in my study, trying to do a dozen things all at once before rushing out of the office to attend a presbytery meeting, when Shirley Winters called and said someone was here who would like to talk with me. I didn’t know Jason, but he needed to talk.[1] I invited him into my study, focused, and then listened. Jason said he was very troubled, anxious, worried. He told me that he suffered from mental illness and lived in a group home. His former wife also worked there and it seems she was preoccupied with the occult – Ouiji boards, tarot cards, witchcraft. He told me of his love for Jesus and it disturbed him to see her going down this path...
June 6, 2004
It must be said that perhaps the most difficult theological ideas of the Christian experience is the Trinity. It’s not easy to get our heads wrapped around this one. Sometimes it is easier to say with the creeds that we believe in the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, One in Three and Three in One, and leave it there. Just leave it to saying, “It’s a matter of faith” – either we have the capacity to believe it or we don’t – and move on within the safe confines of orthodoxy. But sometimes when we say, “It’s a matter of faith,” it is often an excuse for not doing the hard work required when thinking about God. This being Trinity Sunday, we affirm that the God who loves us, called us into being and loves us still is a God who is inherently Triune in nature. We affirm God as Three Persons, One Essence. One Being known as three distinct, individual persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the orthodox answer. But the more important question is, how does this enrich our lives?
May 31, 2004
For the Marriage of Brandi Dawn Chase and Albert Daniel Wooten As students at Princeton Theological Seminary, Brandi and Dan, of course you know that this chapter from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth has nothing to do with marriage. Yet, it’s probably read at more weddings than any other text from scripture. In fact, it’s been become so well known that some people don’t even know it’s from the New Testament. Years ago in New Jersey, a colleague in a neighboring Presbyterian Church told me after one wedding a guest came up to him, shook his hand and thanked him for his words, which included 1 Corinthians 13, and said, “That was great, did you write that yourself?”
May 30, 2004
It has been said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” President Franklin Delano Roosevelt uttered these assuring words to the United States in 1933 in his first inaugural address when the nation was struggling through the depths of a great depression. Historians debate what he really meant by this statement; what does it really mean? But that’s not important really, for the sense of the statement propelled us beyond the limits of fear and inspired a nation to act. Within ten years the same president would have to rally the children of the Great Depression into action, into the greatest challenge of their lives against the collective tyrannical forces of Hirohito (1901-1989) and Hitler (1889-1945).
May 23, 2004
Over the last couple of months, since last September, throughout the church school year we have been exploring what it means to welcome the whole family of God. In church school and in adult education, in fellowship, worship, and mission we have lived together and invited many new members into our community. While we might be bringing church school to a close until September, the theme carries on and it challenges us to go ever further. This past week, Rev. Dorothy Boulton and I talked about our theme (“Welcoming the Whole Family of God”) and how timely it is for a world such as ours. Indeed, we both agreed that learning how to live as a family of God is perhaps the critical issue for our time. The existence of the church – for all its warts, dysfunction, and foibles – remains an extraordinary gift to the world. God’s vision for what the church can and must be is the very thing that our society so desperately requires. In some ways, if the church can’t model to the world how to live as a family, then who can? And if we can’t teach it to our children and live it out as adults, then why are we here?
May 9, 2004
This spectacular vision John offers us here at the end of Revelation is often read at funerals. These poignant, stirring words offer consolation and hope. There will come a time when God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” To be sure, the promise is for the life to come. But the hope and promises offered by God here are not only for inside the walls of the Celestial City, they are given to Christians who are even now participating in resurrection life. The vision speaks of a new heaven and a new earth, a time when the threats of the unknown will be undone. This is the meaning behind the phrase “and the sea was no more.” The sea was a symbol of chaos and darkness. The Jewish people have never been known for being great seafarers, have they? They are a people of the land.
May 2, 2004
It’s a daunting task to preach from Revelation these days, a notoriously difficult book; and to do so on a Communion morning when we inevitably feel pressed for time is even more of a challenge. Reading Revelation has always posed considerable problems for the church, interpreting it accurately has rendered even greater ones. It’s full of scary visions, confusing symbols, and its language mystical, allegorical, foreign, and vague. Its meaning always obscure, making it susceptible to all kinds of crazy and wild interpretations (some of which are just as prevalent today). It is often assumed that Revelation is a book of prophecy which contains within its pages a prospect of what will happen before the end of the world, offering a Nostradamus-like blueprint of what is to come. All we have to do is break its code and this mysterious text will reveal itself. ..
April 25, 2004
There aren’t many folks who can claim the kind of experience Paul had on the Damascus Road. Maybe you know someone who had a similarly blinding encounter of the Risen Lord, but I haven’t. This is not to say they don’t happen today (because they do). I just haven’t met anyone who has. In fact, it’s natural to approach this story as exceptional; it’s one of those typical biblical stories that happens only once and only in the Bible, not in “real life.” I’m told that on Easter evening there was a documentary about Paul on the Discovery Channel which suggested that Paul might have been thrown from his horse and hit his head, causing him to hallucinate. Why are we always trying to explain things away? Others will read this account of Paul’s transformation and think that they’re supposed to experience what Paul did. If it’s in the Bible, then that’s the way it’s supposed to be for everyone, people sometimes think. But scripture doesn’t work that work that way...
April 11, 2004
Last month in Fort Lauderdale, Florida a process server showed up at the door of the Sunset Presbyterian Church, a small redevelopment congregation on the edge of the inner city, and handed the church secretary a summons. She, of course, handed it over to the pastor, Angus Walton, who was surprised to learn that his congregation was being sued. Sunset Presbyterian has one hundred members, with Sunday attendance around 120, a large percentage are Hispanic and the pastor, although a Scot is fluent is Spanish (having worked in Peru for ten years). What was the nature of the complaint? Sunset Presbyterian is accused of brainwashing people with Jesus...
April 8, 2004
Why
would they hide their faces from him? They held him of no account, as one unseen. They renounce him altogether as one despised. Like a leper, he is rejected by the community and thus suffers painful loneliness and isolation. But why
would they hide their faces from him?
April 4, 2004
With our procession of Palms and our sights clearly set on the events of Holy Week, we are well aware what’s coming this week. We know about the attack on the bankers and vendors in the temple, his last meal with his friends, the betrayal and the trial, the verdict, the march to the scaffolds, the horrible death, and then the cold, stone-covered tomb. We know this week will be a painful one – for Jesus and for his followers, indeed for everyone looking on. Some of us will likely skip this week altogether and go from the glory of Palm Sunday right to the glory of resurrection, moving from a triumphal entry to the triumphal appearance in the garden on Easter morning, skipping everything that goes in between – especially the cold darkness and emptiness of Saturday.
March 28, 2004
When the Allied Forces landed on Normandy in 1944 we knew we won the war. By the end of the first day of the invasion the commanders received a glimpse into the future; for the first time in a long time the Allied Forces saw a glimpse of the horizon, a new day was dawning. The invasion of Normandy was the largest military campaign in human history with an army 2.5 million strong. The fate of the world was hanging in the breech. They had to succeed. On the beaches of Normandy, wave after wave of soldiers courageously ventured into the gates of hell and gave their lives for freedom against the forces of evil that were dehumanizing the world. As we know, it was one of the most significant days in the history of the world.
March 21, 2004
He deserved to die. The public shame and humiliation he experienced were proof that God’s blessing was not upon him. This was a man rejected by his own people. Beaten down. Betrayed. This man was a loser, a charlatan, a smooth talker. Sure he had a following, but look at them: they were society’s losers, cripples and lepers, the dregs, social outcasts with no power, no money, and no influence, women. He claimed to speak for the God of Israel. But he was blasphemous. He claimed to be God, to be his Son. When he died, his followers continue in his steps. But they had no respect for the traditions of Israel and no respect for those in authority over them, especially the Roman Empire. That’s why he needed to be stopped. These followers of “The Way” had to be silenced. This revolt in Judaism had to be squelched, wiped out, and destroyed. If need be, these followers of Yeshua will be persecuted and killed. He deserved to die.
March 7, 2004
It has been said that sometimes Christians are so heavenly minded they’re no earthly good. This saying is a biting indictment against those Christians who are so religious, so pious, so mystical and so spiritual; they have their sights set only on getting to the next life, making this life for many a living hell. There is a whole line of thinking in the history of the church that believes heaven is more important than the earth. This earth, it is believed, is a transitional place where we’re all just “a passin’ through.” This earthly, bodily existence is nothing in comparison to the life that is awaiting us with God, given through faith in Christ. It’s true that heaven is more glorious than the earth, but this doesn’t mean that the earth and our lives in it are any less important to God. Life on earth is more than just a proving ground.
February 29, 2004
The sermon title might leave one with the impression that what you’re about to hear is a theological reflection on Mel Gibson’s movie released this week on Ash Wednesday – a movie, it seems everyone is talking about and rushing to the theatres to see. I can’t remember when a movie has so captured the attention of the generally secular and church-leery media as this one. Have you noticed the number of newscasters and film reviewers who have suddenly become theologians? Everyone seems to be a Bible scholar these days. When was the last time you heard names such as Pontius Pilate and Caiphus, even the name Jesus bandied about with such familiarity? This is not going to be a movie review, although I hope to talk about the movie in a few minutes. By approaching the passion of Christ, I’m talking more about the season of Lent.
February 8, 2004
Do you believe that God has called you? Have you heard God’s voice telling you to move in a certain direction, take up a cause, follow after a dream, assume a responsibility that has scared the heaven out of you? Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit move in your life and summon you to become someone new, to go some place different? Have you ever heard the voice of Jesus directing you, challenging you, loving you so much that you have no choice but to leave everything behind and follow? Have you heard God’s call?
February 1, 2004
Throughout the history of Western civilization there have been several attempts to define what it means to be human. Great thinkers have come up with ways of reducing humanity under a particular rubric through which all of humanity might be defined or understood. For example, the ancients Greeks understood themselves as homo rationis, man or humanity as primarily a rational creature. It’s our capacity to reason that makes us unique. Later, Karl Marx (1818-1883) rejected this notion by suggesting that we are primarily homo faber, man or humanity as worker. Humanity must be understood in terms of being a worker, for we are defined by the work we do. Even though the capitalist West has pretty much overturned Marxism, there are plenty of people I know who continue define themselves – solely and sadly -- by the work they do. After Marx, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) came along and said we are basically homo sexualis, that we are primarily sexual beings. It’s sexuality that makes us unique as human beings, it’s what defines us. Reason, work, and sex continue to shape our definitions and obsessions.
January 25, 2004
Health seems to be on everyone’s minds these days. It’s become a multi-million dollar industry in America alone. People are making lots of money from this latest desire for healthy bodies: insurance companies, organic food store chains, gyms, anything with the Atkins logo on it. Health care has become an even hotter political issue. There’s a lot of good in all of this, of course. This drive for healthy living is a collective cultural response to the slowly emerging idea that maybe we have ignored our bodies for far too long, that we have to change our unhealthy diets packed with sugars (both artificial and natural), and fats, and those notorious carbohydrates. We all know the relationship between diet and diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Yet, the church has remained strangely silent about these recent trends, primarily due to the way we love to spiritualize the faith. Remember Paul’s words that remind us that our bodies (not our “souls” and not our “spirits”) are temples of the Holy Spirit to be used for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 6:9). Temples are places where divinity chooses to dwell with humanity. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit! So the church does have something to say to all of this, the health of our bodies.
January 18, 2004
As many of you know, I don’t like using the word “spiritual.” I could probably go on for hours explaining why I feel so strongly about this (but you can be thankful that I won’t). I’m nervous whenever talk about spiritual things is divorced from the rest of life, from what we might call material things. It is generally assumed that “spirit” is better than “matter” because we think God prefers it that way. We say that God is “spirit,” after all. But from a Christian perspective – and that’s the perspective from which I speak – spirit and matter must be held together in a creative tension, because spirit took on flesh (matter) in Jesus Christ (John 1) and this is the way God prefers it. In fact, we know from scripture that this is the way God has always preferred it. To be human means to be an enfleshed spirit or enspirited flesh. But being human never means merely flesh or spirit. Both are essential.
January 11, 2004
It is fitting, now that we’ve taken down the Christmas tree, packed away the decorations, and put away the gifts to get on with our lives and try to figure out where we're going. It is fitting on this Sunday in the liturgical calendar – Baptism of the Lord – when the lectionary texts bring us to the River Jordan, that we go there too and maybe find in these waters some guidance for where we’re going in 2004. What is God calling me to do? What is God calling us to become? What work, what special task, what unique job is God giving me to fulfill in 2004? You can extend these questions beyond 2004 – what does God want to do with my life?
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"In Celebrating
the Grace of God, and Sharing the Love of Jesus, We Grow Together"
Catonsville Presbyterian Church Vision Statement |