Jesus Ascended for the Spirit to Descend

On Ascension Sunday, I preached on the topic of Jesus' ascension.  In our Men's Study, in reading Eph. 4, I was drawn by the passages that focused on the ascension of Jesus. Yet it is the descent of the Spirit around us that still drives and thrills me to this day.  I'm intrigued with the Spirit being free to move wherever the Spirit chooses.  I'm fascinated by the fact that Jesus' last act on earth was blessing us, and that he still prays for us, day in and day out.  That blows me away!  The Spirit is moving at St. Andrew's, of that there is no doubt.

Pentecost!  Celebration of the Church's birthday!  Happy Pentecost, all!

Pax,

Pastor B

They Tell a Better Story . . . But So Do We.

"Eternal God, we thank you for Jesus. We thank you for his many reminders that we are

to love one another. Nevertheless, we confess that we have great difficulty following

his command to love. We become upset and easily reject others rather than seeking to

understand and still love them. We struggle with the command to love our enemies."

Those are the opening sentences that we will say on Sunday morning during our Time of Confession.  This is our weekly discipline of acknowledging that we are broken people who make mistakes and need help.  It is a time for us to grasp onto humility, to say out loud that we need help as individuals and as the human race.  It is also a time for us to receive a blessing of forgiveness from our God, who promises to not only forgive, but to use us, in spite of our flaws.  

Yesterday, Pastor Brett and I took a research/creativity/Sabbath break and went to see Avengers:Age of Ultron.  I've watched a number of the Marvel/Avengers franchise and consider myself a fan of the genre.  But I was unprepared for the theological reflections on humankind that were displayed 60 feet wide, in high-definition, with surround sound.  Human frailty, pride, sin, anger, violence, redemption, sacrifice, reconciliation, restoration, faith, unity and salvation are all on full display for those who see it.  

The most compelling element of this movie is the emphasis on human frailty.  Without giving away too much of a spoiler, I can tell you that the primary villain in this story comes into being because one of the Avengers attempted to create a super-weapon to protect our Earth.  There is a thread throughout the movie which questions the Avenger team, and us, about the side effects of the violence that we use to stop violence.  The overarching question of the movie is whether there is any hope for the human race.   

Enter Wanda Maximov (pictured above).  As a child, she was a victim of this violence.  Collateral damage.  Her anger and pain is used to turn her against the Avengers.  Her superhero ability, which she uses against them, is perhaps the most effective Time of Confession that you or I have ever seen.  She puts her hands near the temples of her "victims" and red waves of light and energy cause them to fall into a dreamlike state.  They see their deepest flaws and brokenness, mixed in with the side effects of all the violence that they have used, whether their intentions were pure or not.  

In all of my 39 years of attending worship services, I have never seen a better portrayal of our need to confess our brokenness and our need for humility.  Hollywood is full of gifted storytellers.  And in this instance, they raise deep and beautiful questions and gave us images of how we can respond.  

They tell a better story.  

But so do we.  

At various points in the movie, I couldn't resist thinking, "Tony Stark should go to church!"  If only he held onto our practice of Confession, he would do a much better job of using his powers for good rather than evil.  If he recognized the brokenness that was within him, on a regular basis, rather than waiting for his actions to explode into crisis, the Marvel world would be much better off.  He needs our story.  He needs to recognize his flaws and tendencies, he needs to be humbled and welcome the strength that comes with being part of the body of Christ.  Flawed, forgiven, and called to live in faith as people of grace and truth.  (That whole part about loving your enemies might be helpful too, but that's another post.)  

Tony Stark needs to go to church.  And so do we.  

Be a YAV

I just had a wonderful visit with Linda Carter, who is the Mission Engagement Advisor with YAV.  What is YAV? Young Adult Volunteer Program, which is our PCUSA way of doing something similar to Americorp and Peace Corp, funded by federal dollars.  This is a program for young folks between the ages of 19-30 who are antsy to do some volunteer work in the name of Jesus, working with others here or abroad.

The website for this great organization within the church? www.pcusa.org/yav.

Contact me if you'd like to know more!

Pax!  Pastor B

Being a Pilgrim People: Pilgrimage and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church on Ecclesio.com

To no one's surprise here at St. Andrew's, I approach ministry in particular and life in general as a pilgrimage. Writing on pilgrimage over the years, in 1999 I went on my first pilgrimage to El Santuario de Chimayo in northern NM, and nothing has been the same ever since.

For this past week, I've been blogging about pilgrimage on Ecclesio.com.

The entries are as follows:

http://www.ecclesio.com/2015/04/being-gods-pilgrim-people-whats-a-pilgrimage-by-brett-webb-mitchell/

http://www.ecclesio.com/2015/04/being-gods-pilgrim-people-companions-and-community-on-pilgrimage-brett-webb-mitchell/

http://www.ecclesio.com/2015/04/being-gods-pilgrim-people-saints-and-memory-on-pilgrimage-brett-webb-mitchell/

http://www.ecclesio.com/2015/04/being-gods-pilgrim-people-hospitality-on-pilgrimage-brett-webb-mitchell/

http://www.ecclesio.com/2015/04/being-gods-pilgrim-people-the-contemplative-life-of-christian-pilgrimage-brett-webb-mitchell/

In re-reading these, I'm surprised (not) at the influence of Chimayo and the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

One more tomorrow!

Enjoy!

Pax, Pastor B

First Tuesday of Easter

How time flies when we are having fun, right?

This is the first Tuesday of Easter.  I am overwhelmed by the reverberation of worship on Easter Sunday.

The question is always this: what happens after the feelings ebb and the tide is low in the area of faith?

Spiritual writer Henri Nouwen writes: "Trees that grow tall have deep roots.  Great height without great depth is dangerous.  The great leaders of this world, like St. Francis and MLK, Mr., were all people who could live with public notoriety, incluence and power in a humble way because of their deep spiritual rootedness."

Feeling for my roots today.

Blessings!

Pastor B

Maundy Thursday

Where does the word "Maundy" come from, and what does it mean?

Maundy comes from the old French "mande" from Latin "mandatum" as in "mandate." And the mandate was Jesus telling his disciples after washing their feet: "I give you a new commandment (or mandate) that you should love one another" (John 13:34).

Maundy Thursday at St. Andrew's will be commemorated tonight in  Calvin Hall at 6:30-7:30 p.m., with a simple meal of beans and rice that flows into Holy Communion.

Maundy Thursday blessings!

Pastor Brett & Pastor Jeremy

Holy Week Readings

For Passion or Holy Week, here are some readings after Palm or Passion Sunday:

Monday:
Is. 42:1-9
 Ps. 36: 5-11
Heb. 9:11-15
John 12:1-11

Tues:
Is. 49:1-7
Ps. 71:1-14
1 Cor. 1:18-31
John 12:20-36

Wed.:
Is. 50:4-9a
Ps. 70
Heb. 12:1-3
John 13: 21-32

Thursday
Ex. 12:1-4, 11-14
Ps. 116
1 Cor. 11:23-26
John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Good Friday
Is. 52:13-53:12
Ps. 22
Hebr. 4:14-16, 5:7-9
John 18:-19:42

Blessings,

B