faith

Church is a Team Sport

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Church is a Team Sport

September 29, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22               Mark 9:38-50             James 5:13-20

What makes you think less of yourself as an individual, and more as a part of something larger than yourself? When we join scouting, we sometimes think of what is good for the troop rather than what is best for our individual gain, but sometimes we think beyond the local troop and think of scouting nationally, or even internationally as the scouting movement. If we join the military, we are taught to think in terms of what is good for the squad, platoon, company, and the mission beyond what is good for me personally. During World War Two, troops were reminded that “Loose Lips Sink Ships” and that the actions of individuals could have consequences beyond their own lives. At home, civilians were reminded to “Buy War Bonds,” to plant Victory Gardens, to reduce consumption, and to recycle to aid the war effort. On a national scale, our friends in the United Kingdom were reminded to sacrifice “For King and Country” and Americans to do our duty to “Make the world safe for democracy.”

And, as we read scripture, we are reminded that none of these ideas are new. England, as a nation, is obviously much older than the United States. But the idea of patriotism and sacrificing the needs of the individual for the needs of the king, or of the nation, is far older still. We begin by reading from the story of Esther, in which we find the queen preparing a banquet where she will reveal a plot in which King Xerxes’ closest advisor, Haman, has secretly and covertly had the king sign an edict that would allow all the people of the kingdom, which spanned most of the known world, to kill their Jewish neighbors and take any and all wealth, property, and belongings for themselves. With that in mind, we join Esther’s story in Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22 where we hear this:

7:1 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, 2 and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. 4 For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”

5 King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

6 Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”

Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. 7 The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits [75 ft, or 6 stories, almost certainly an exaggeration]stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.”

The king said, “Impale him on it!” 10 So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

9:20 Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, 21 to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar 22 as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

This has always been a powerful story but this week it is also a reminder that it is useful to read the footnotes. In the footnote for verse four, which says, “I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king” has an alternate version that has appeared in some ancient manuscripts. That alternate version offers us some additional understanding of the intent of Esther’s statement. In English that alternate version says that this action would cost the king money, or specifically, “I would have kept quiet, but the compensation our adversary offers cannot be compared with the loss the king would suffer.”

What Esther is saying means that Haman is acting in his own selfish interests, and not acting in the best interests of the king. I think that helps us to understand why King Xerxes is so quickly angered. Not only are the lives of all the Jews threatened, and not only is Xerxes’ queen among them, but in sum, this action would cost the king money. Haman’s crime, therefore, is in plotting to steal wealth from the king, to put his personal interests ahead of the interests of the nation and of the king, and of simply not being a team player.

As an aside, the celebration of the Jew’s rescue that we just read about, is now known as the Jewish holiday of Purim.

We see something similar in Mark 9:38-50 where John complains that there are people acting in the name of Jesus who are not the disciples that we read about in the gospel stories.

38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck, and they were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where

“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
    and the fire is not quenched.’

49 Everyone will be salted with fire.

50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

At the beginning of this passage, we find John complaining to Jesus that there are others, who are not among the twelve disciples or other close followers of Jesus, who are driving out demons in the name of Jesus. For John, this broke the rules. In his mind, clearly, ‘Team Jesus’ was limited to the twelve and to those others that were likewise sort of joined at the hip with Jesus. But Jesus tells John to let them keep on doing what they were doing. For Jesus, anyone who was not working against them was on their team and, by extension, anyone who was doing good in the name of Jesus must certainly be a member of ‘Team Jesus.’

But just to be sure that everyone understands, Jesus expands on his explanation saying that if you give someone a cup of water because you follow Jesus, then you will be rewarded as a team member. Likewise, anyone who chases believers away from Jesus will be cursed and brought to account on the day of judgement. When Jesus says that it is better to cut of your hand if it will cause you to stumble, what he is saying is that nothing in our lives can be allowed to make us lose our place on the team. Spiritually, we must care for ourselves, but we must also care for one another, and care for everyone on ‘Team Jesus.’

Jesus says, “Everyone will be salted with fire.” And then talks about salt and saltiness. For us in the modern world that’s a little confusing and I want to unpack that a little. Salt, in the ancient world, was used for a couple different things. One, to flavor our food, we still understand. But the second common use of salt was as the floor of an oven, much like modern pizza ovens use a piece of hearthstone. But, after enduring the heat of the oven for some length of time, the salt would lose the qualities that had originally made it work. At that point, it was no longer good for use in the oven and stopped tasting salty. It was at that point that it would just be used to fill potholes or be used as gravel or something. And so, what Jesus is saying is that everyone will be tested for usefulness. When Jesus says, “Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another” what he is saying is that we should be found useful in our church and in our community.

And finally, after hearing James, in our scriptures last week, say that our prayers were not answered because our motives were wrong, this week we hear him tell us what things are appropriate for which to pray. In James 5:13-20 he says:

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

The message that we should hear is that we should not pray for things that would satisfy our selfish pleasures, but for those things that help to accomplish the goals of the kingdom of God and of Jesus Christ. Pray in times of trouble. Pray to give thanks. Pray for the healing of the sick. Pray for the forgiveness of sin. James calls us to confess our sins to one another, and then to pray for one another for healing. James reminds us that Elijah prayed that it would not rain because the lack of rain was a way in which God would be revealed. The goal, James says, is to advance the mission of God’s Team and ‘Team Jesus.’ If someone wanders away from the team, do what you can to bring them back on the team.

The story of Esther reminds us that all those who serve the king must look out for the interests of their king and their country, and not try to use the king’s resources to serve their selfish desires.

The story of the John and the disciples that we read in the gospel of Mark reminded us that our team is bigger than just the people that you see in church on Sunday morning. We do not serve ‘Team Church,’ or ‘Team Denomination.’ Rather, we serve ‘Team Jesus’ and are called to care for ourselves, as well as all those, children, and adults, regardless of church or denomination, who worship him. We are called to care for others, and to be useful to our church and to our community.

The goal isn’t to enrich ourselves personally, or to satisfy our selfish desires. The goal is to serve the team and to help the team to accomplish the goals of the king of creation. But to do these things, we need each other, and we need to care for one another. We are called to be the church. We are called to be Jesus to the people around us.

But what we have learned from all of our scriptures today is that being the church…

…is a team sport.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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Is it a Role? Or is it Character?

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Is it a Role, or is it Character?

September 22, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

Proverbs 31:10-31                 Mark 9:30-37             James 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a

I don’t typically take the time to read about the personal lives of actors and actresses in the news or in the tabloid papers. But even I know that sometimes the actors that we see on television or in the movies are nothing at all like the characters that they portray. Because ‘The Princess Bride’ is a family favorite at our house, I know that while Andre the Giant played a brute in that movie, and make his living for many years as an unstoppable force in professional wrestling, when he wasn’t in front of the cameras, he was known to be one of the kindest men you would ever meet. In fact, because Fred Savage, who played the grandson, was so young, and because his scenes were shot separately after the rest of the movie had been completed, he didn’t get to meet any of the stars that were in it. But, when Andre heard that Fred was a fan of his, he returned, at his own expense, just to meet him and spend time with him. In fact, Andre the Giant sent Fred Savage birthday cards every year until his death.

Similarly, although Tom Hiddleston plays the trickster Loki in the Marvel Universe movies, offscreen, he is quite kind and is known for his charity work and as a UNICEF ambassador. The same was true of Alan Rickman who played the conniving Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. Off camera, he was known to be loyal to his friends, an encouragement to everyone around him, a gentleman to everyone that he met, and always made time to interact with his fans.

But why is any of this important? It is important because, as we read scripture, we sometimes need to remind ourselves that we are not the original audience. Because the stories that we are reading were written two, or even five thousand years ago, the country, the people, the language, and the culture of the authors are quite different than those with which we are familiar in the twenty-first century. It is for that reason that sometimes we need to look deeper as we read the stories and find meaning in them that goes beyond what we might find on the surface. It is sometimes as if we need to look behind the roles that are being played to find the character of the actors that are behind them. With that in mind, we begin this morning with the wife of noble character described in Proverbs chapter 31. In our culture, this passage is sometimes criticized because the woman described in it seems to be overly traditional and subservient to her husband. But as we read about this ideal woman, I hope that you will do two things. First, I hope that you will allow her to be who she was to the author, in the time and in the culture to which she belonged and not to judge her based on our twenty-first century culture. Second, I hope that you will look behind the role that she is playing in her culture and examine the character of the person underneath. We will come back to that in a moment, but first let’s read Proverbs 31:10-31.

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

If we look at the surface and see the role that this ideal wife demonstrates, we see aspects of a traditional, obedient wife but one who not only maintains the household and raises the children, but who also oversees the staff, and maintains several side businesses that generate income for the family. But even if she seems too subservient for your tastes, or this seems too gender specific, then look deeper at the character of the person that is described here. When we look for the elements of character, rather than at the role that is being played, we discover a spouse, regardless of gender, that is frugal, industrious, caring, wise, hardworking, skillful, well prepared, observant, honored, respected, and faithful. And so, even if you aren’t a fan of traditional family roles or the cultural chasm that stands between us, the writer of Proverbs has something to teach the twenty-first century about the character of a spouse and a parent that honors God.

Next, we remember that in last week’s reading, after Jesus was teaching about his death and resurrection, Peter tried to disagree but was rebuked by Jesus for thinking selfishly. What seems to have happened next is that the disciples were confused and tried to figure things out among themselves. And that lead us to Mark 9:30-37 which says:

30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

The disciples were afraid to ask Jesus what he meant by teaching that he had to die and rise again, but then got into an argument with one another about which of them was superior to the others. But Jesus says that leadership is not about the role that leaders play but is instead about the character of the leader. Real leaders… serve. Jesus welcomes the children and teaches that for those that follow him, serving others is the same as serving Jesus and by extension, welcoming Jesus is the same as welcoming God.

The apostle James also has something to say about the roles that we play and the character that we show to the world. In James 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a he asks…

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.

James gets right to the heart of the question when he says that those who are wise and understanding will show it by the life that they live, the actions that they take, and by demonstrating humility. But James doesn’t stop there. He also addresses the culture of his day, which despite there being two millennia between us, bears a striking resemblance to our own. James says that bitter envy and selfish ambition are not signs of wisdom and are, in fact, unspiritual and demonic, because wherever you find envy and selfish ambition, you will also find disorder and evil.

Wisdom, James says, comes from heaven as pure, in things that are peace loving, considerate, submissive, merciful, impartial, sincere, and in those things that produce good fruit. As an example, we see that wherever peacemakers are at work, we find a harvest of righteousness. In contrast, selfishness, desire, and covetousness produce a harvest of fights, quarrels, and murder. Moreover, James explains that this is often why God doesn’t answer our prayers, because we have the wrong motives when our prayers ask God for gifts that only satisfy our selfish pleasures.

It doesn’t matter if Andre the Giant, Tom Hiddleston, and Alan Rickman played characters that were bad guys. What matters is the character that the actors demonstrated in real life. It doesn’t matter if you are or are not a fan of the traditional role played by the ideal wife described in Proverbs 31. What matters is that her character should be a model for how we live our lives and how we act. It doesn’t matter what title is under our name on our business card, what matters is the character that we demonstrate day in and day out. Real leaders don’t always have nice titles, but real leaders can always be found by the way that they serve the people under their authority. Real wisdom isn’t found in the selfishness and “looking out for number one” that is often taught by our culture. Real wisdom brings order, goodness, peace, compassion, impartiality, mercy, sincerity, and bears good fruit.

Resist evil. Who we are will not be found in who we pretend to be in public, or the roles that we play. Who we really are will always be found in the life that we live, in the actions that we take, and in the character that we demonstrate to the people around us.

Character matters.

Come near to God, and he will come near to you.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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Wisdom’s Price

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Wisdom’s Price

September 15, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

Proverbs 1:20-33                   Mark 8:27-38                         James 3:1-12

There is a downside to freedom.

I don’t know why we are surprised by that. In several movies and books there is a speech, usually by one of the villains, justifying why it is good, or why people like it, when they become powerful dictators and take away people’s freedom. The argument, they say, is that freedom means having the freedom to do evil, but under their benevolent dictatorship, people will no longer be free to do evil, so everyone will be safe. People are often willing to give away their freedom in order to feel as if they are safe even if doing so makes them less safe in the long run. That’s why Benjamin Franklin once said: “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

As much as we don’t like it, real freedom includes the freedom to choose evil.

Similarly, there is a price to be paid for our ability to choose wisdom simply because the freedom to choose means that not everyone will choose to be wise. We begin this this morning by reading from Proverbs 1:20-33 where we hear wisdom ask how long people will choose ignorance.

20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
    she raises her voice in the public square;
21 on top of the wall she cries out,
    at the city gate she makes her speech:

22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
    How long will mockers delight in mockery
    and fools hate knowledge?
23 Repent at my rebuke!
    Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
    I will make known to you my teachings.
24 But since you refuse to listen when I call
    and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
25 since you disregard all my advice
    and do not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
    I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
    when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
    when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
    they will look for me but will not find me,
29 since they hated knowledge
    and did not choose to fear the Lord.
30 Since they would not accept my advice
    and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
    and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
    and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
    and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Wisdom, who is here portrayed as a person, cries out from the public square and from the city gate, and asks how long people will hate knowledge and choose ignorance. But, since the people refuse to listen to wisdom, she will laugh when the avoidable disaster comes upon them. When calamity and disaster come, it will be too late to learn wisdom and to call upon the wise to save them. Since the people hated knowledge, they did not follow God, and their waywardness would kill them. In contrast, the people who listened to wisdom would live in safety without fear of harm.

The point is that there is a price for rejecting wisdom.

Oddly enough, that is the same point being made when Peter tries to rebuke Jesus for teaching about his death and resurrection in Mark 8:27-38 where we hear this:

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their lifewill lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Jesus rebukes Peter for rejecting his teaching that he must die and rise again. Although that was not his intent, Peter is openly rejecting wisdom and Jesus describes it as putting selfish human concerns ahead of the concerns of God.

And finally, in James 3:1-12, Jesus’ brother shares the challenge that we have with our freedom to speak. He reminds us that we are judged for what we teach, but even speaking in our everyday lives is complicated because we are prone to say things that we should not say. James says…

3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

James reminds us that while humans have set themselves up as masters of the universe, controlling horses, training animals of all kinds, steering ships around the world, and two thousand years later our control is even greater. But despite our mastery of physics, chemistry, and other sciences and technology, we often cannot control the words that come out of our own mouths. The freedom that we have to say whatever we want to say often reveals the corruption that lives in our hearts. We say that we follow God and believe in his wisdom but, like Peter, often cling to our selfishness and speak words that do not reflect God at all.

This has been the challenge for all time. God has given us the freedom to choose or to reject wisdom but choosing to reject wisdom and to cling to selfishness comes at a price. Just as it did in the days of Solomon and his Proverbs, rejecting wisdom often results in disaster, calamity, and death that could have been avoided if we had only listened. Like Peter, despite our best intentions, we are inclined to accept Jesus when his teaching aligns with our desires but reject him when his teaching stands in opposition to our selfishness. We praise God on Sunday but curse our enemies on Monday.

Every day we are faced with a choice. We can choose knowledge or not. We can choose wisdom or not. We can choose Jesus… or not. We can choose obedience… or not. Will we master ourselves as well as we have mastered animals, science, and technology? Will we give our allegiance… completely, to Jesus? Or will we stubbornly cling to our selfishness?

We are free to choose.

But as it has always been, there is a price to be paid for rejecting wisdom.

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Photo by juliaf on Freeimages.com

Culture Wars and Christianity

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Christianity: Rooted in Culture Wars

September 2024

by John Partridge

While you might not have the time to read the paper that I wrote last semester (and what is likely to become a part of a book next spring), what follows is an important excerpt. Working through several chapters of Matthew, I detail how our knowledge of modern archaeology and history adds to our understanding and gives depth to scripture. Below, I discuss how Christianity, from its birth, has been no stranger to culture wars and what we should learn from that.

When we read Jesus’ caution that “No one can serve two masters,” in Matthew 6:24, we find that our study of history expands our understanding beyond the surface meaning. Many of us have tried to please two bosses or have otherwise been pulled between our loyalties to work, family, and faith, but Roman Palestine, and Galilee in particular, felt many of these pressures, each demanding that they choose them as their master. At the time of Jesus, the rule of King Herod and Rome was less than 70 years old.  But there were institutions, buildings, and cultural memories of the earlier Hasmonean dynasty under which Israel was free and independent.

The Hasmonean dynasty had emphasized, and even required, an adherence to a more traditional Jewish culture and religion, but with the fall of the Hasmoneans, the rise of Herod the Great, and Israel’s subjugation by the Roman Empire, things were changing. There were changes in clothing style, architecture, language, art, and language, and all these changes were often seen as an incredible culture war between the traditional Jewish culture, and the newer Greco-Roman culture, known as Hellenism. Hellenism, of course, was not entirely new. It had begun generations earlier with the conquest of Pompey and the Greeks (in 63 BCE), even before the Hasmoneans rose to power, but was now, under Herod and the Romans, an increasingly strong influence.

While upper Galilee retained a traditional Jewish culture, lower Galilee, with the presence of the Greco-Roman cities of Sepphoris and Tiberias, as well as its proximity to Hippos on the opposite shore of the lake, was seen as having made a greater degree of accommodation to Hellenism. Israel’s elites, including the chief priests and much of Jerusalem with them, adopted Roman culture to fit in, to get ahead, and to win favor. This influence of Hellenism triggered strong emotions, and this is the tension that we see in passages such as Matthew 6:20.

Further, when we remember that ninety percent of Roman Palestine lived at a subsistence level or below, we see Jesus’ instruction in a different light when he says, “’So, do not worry, saying what shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:31-33). With this in mind, we not only understand that Jesus is teaching his listeners that they should make God’s kingdom a priority in their lives, but to people who were so poor that they often struggled to eat, or to drink, or wear, much of anything at all, Jesus was offering hope.

The people from rural villages in Galilee were insulated from Greco-Roman influence but they saw wealthy landowners, priests and other elites who were trying to fit into Roman culture, and they saw how that caused them to match what the Romans were eating, drinking, and wearing. But Jesus’ message was that conforming to Roman culture was not important and that it was not a curse to be so poor that they could not afford those things. His message was that God remembered them, knew what they needed, and would provide for them if they remained faithful and pursued righteousness instead of chasing after wealth and culture.

This was more than offering empty hope. The message of Jesus was that people should follow the law and live lives of moral integrity but also that they should be filled with compassion for one another. Rather than just watching out for themselves, or for their immediate and extended family, which was often the norm, Jesus and his disciples teach, and model, a life in which they all care for one another. Moreover, Jesus says that God sees them and cares for them in real life and not only on a spiritual level. God’s love for his children is not as a distant and disinterested observer, but as a father who cares for his children in tangible and physical ways saying, “ask and it will be given to you” (Matt 7:7) and “your Father in heaven gives good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matt 7:11)

That’s just a sample from my paper, but the takeaway for all of us is that Christianity was born in the middle of an enormous culture war. What we see today is not new. But the message of scripture is still the same. No man can serve two masters, the people of the church should care for one another rather than only looking out for themselves, and God still loves us, not just spiritually or metaphysically, but deeply, tangibly, and physically.

Much has changed in two thousand years and times will continue to change with each generation.

But God’s love for us never changes.

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Faith is Not Enough

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Faith is Not Enough

September 08, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23              Mark 7:24-37             James 2:1-17

In some circles, the following statement can be controversial, but it is generally true as well as scripturally true.

Sometimes, faith is not enough.

If you have ever attended a concert, or traveled by train, plane, or even Uber, buying a ticket, and having absolute faith that the ticket that you own in genuine and will allow you to be admitted to the concert, or onto the train is still not an absolute guarantee that you will see that concert or reach your desired destination. Something else, beyond the holding of a valid ticket, and beyond your faith in that ticket, is still required. Some of you may have figured out why, and others of you might be puzzled, but I will explain why this is true before we finish.

For now, let’s begin with words of instruction on the value of wealth from Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23, which says:

22:1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

2 Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.

8 Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.

9 The generous will themselves be blessed,for they share their food with the poor.

22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poorand do not crush the needy in court,
23for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life.

From the beginning, we see that what is valuable is not what wealth we have, but the reputation that we have. And, if we think about that for a moment, and consider how we get a reputation, it isn’t from what we have, but what we do with what we have. God made both the rich and the poor and will bring justice to whomever abuses others but will bless those who are generous. And here again, we see that it isn’t about having, or not having wealth. You don’t have to be rich to be generous. It isn’t about how much wealth that we have, it’s about what we do with what wealth that we have.

Keeping that in mind, I want you to listen for what Jesus does with the wealth that he has. We know that Jesus didn’t have money but listen for how he shared what he had as we read Mark 7:24-37.

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, [traveled south] down to the Sea of Galilee and [then east] into the region of the Decapolis. 32 There, some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

In the first part of that story, Jesus explains to the Syrian gentile woman that he had been sent by God to minister to the needs of the Jews, but even so, she demonstrates her faith in Jesus by explaining that the thing for which she asks is nothing more to him than the crumbs that fall from the table.  Later, Jesus heals the man who was deaf with impaired speech. In each case, Jesus shares what he has, which was, and is, the power of God. Jesus performs miracles and shares acts of mercy. But miracles and mercy are actions. Just like we heard in Proverbs 22, Jesus’ reputation didn’t come from who he was or what he had, Jesus’ reputation was established, and grew, because of what he did with what he had.

And that is what Jesus’ brother James emphasizes throughout his letter to churches everywhere, but today we find it specifically in James 2:1-17 as he also teaches us about the difference between the rich and the poor, about favoritism, mercy, and faith.

2:1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James is clear that, as the church, two of the gifts that we have are hospitality and access, and how we use those gifts matters. If we give better access and hospitality to someone who is rich or who dresses well, then we have openly discriminated against the poor person wearing filthy old clothes. What’s worse, James condemns this sort of discrimination, not just as bad, but as both sinful and evil. God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom that he has promised, and James reminds us that it is the rich that drag us into court, exploit us, and speak blasphemy against Jesus.

Showing favoritism, James says, is the opposite of following God’s command to love our neighbor, and he reminds us that since no single sin is greater than any other, we will be judged for favoritism just as much as we would be judged for adultery or murder. Instead of judgement, James says, we should show mercy. Instead of showing favoritism, we should show mercy. While our faith is important, everything boils down to the actions that we take. It doesn’t do any good to offer kind words of peace, warmth, and food to someone who is distressed, cold, and hungry. Instead, it is our actions, and our acts of mercy, which make a difference.

And that’s where we circle back to where we started. Having a ticket to a concert won’t get us in the door if we don’t get out of our seats and go to the concert. Having faith that the airline will accept our plane ticket won’t get us to our destination if we don’t pack a bag, go to the airport, present the ticket, and get on the airplane. Unless we act, our plane ticket is just a piece of paper. And James says that faith in Jesus Christ is like that.

Faith, without action, is dead.

As important as faith is, the people around us will not see our faith, they will only see our actions. The hungry will not be fed by our faith, they will be fed by our actions. It isn’t enough to have meetings, or preach sermons about poverty, hunger, homelessness, or the needs of widows, orphans, alcoholics, foreigners, immigrants, and everyone else that is in need. It isn’t enough to have faith.

And this is the place where some folks will argue that what James and I are preaching is “works righteousness” (that we are saved by our works), and that’s absolutely not true. What James is saying is that just like a coin has both heads and tails, you can’t have one without the other. A ticket isn’t any good if you don’t go to the concert or to the airport. A ticket isn’t really even a ticket if we don’t act on it and use it. And James says that it’s the same with faith. Faith that doesn’t result in action is dead faith and isn’t really faith at all.

Solomon said that our reputation doesn’t come from what we have, but what we do with what we have.

Jesus’ reputation didn’t come from who he was or what he had, Jesus’ reputation was established, and grew, because of what he did with what he had.

Faith, alone, isn’t enough.

Faith without action, is dead.

The people around us will not see our faith, and will not see Jesus in us, until we act.

And so, the question that each of us must answer today is, “How will we show our faith to the people around us?”

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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Testing Love

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Testing Love

June 30, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27               Mark 5:21-43             2 Corinthians 8:7-15

We hear the words “I love you” often. We hear them from our loved ones, we hear them on television and in the movies, and we hear the word “love” thrown around by churches, ministry groups, rescue groups, and even government officials in an almost constant stream.

But what if love came with a test?

What would it look like if there was a test to determine if love was real? Is there a way for us to tell if the people who throw around the word “love” really do love, or if they are only using the word to manipulate and to appear to be something more than they really are?

And, although on the surface it may appear that our scriptures for today are not connected, as we dig a little deeper what we find is that they all reveal the truth about the love of the people in them. We begin once again with the story of David. In this passage from 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27, David learns that King Saul, and his son Jonathan, David’s best, and closest, friend, have died in battle. This is the moment that David knows that Saul will no longer hunt for him, or send his entire army to hunt for him, so that he could be captured and put to death, the moment that David learns that he is no longer a fugitive. This is the moment that David realizes that his anointing as the king of Israel by the prophet Samuel might finally become a reality. But as these realities come into his mind, this is how David reacts:

1:1 After the death of Saul, David returned from striking down the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.

17 David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

19 “A gazellelies slain on your heights, Israel.
    How the mighty have fallen!

20 “Tell it not in Gath,
    proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,
    lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.

21 “Mountains of Gilboa,
    may you have neither dew nor rain,
    may no showers fall on your terraced fields.
For there the shield of the mighty was despised,
    the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.

22 “From the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
23 Saul and Jonathan—
    in life they were loved and admired, and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

24 “Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
    who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.

25 “How the mighty have fallen in battle!
    Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
    you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
    more wonderful than that of women.

27 “How the mighty have fallen!
    The weapons of war have perished!”

Rather than rejoice over the end of being hunted or looking forward to finally having a chance at becoming king, rather than cursing the man who expended so much effort in trying to destroy him… David mourns. David weeps over the loss of his best friend but also over the loss of Israel’s greatest warrior and admired king. Despite Saul’s madness and his persecution of David, David never stopped loving him as his friend and mentor or stopped admiring him and respecting him as Israel’s king.

This is the moment that tests David’s sincerity, and we see that David didn’t just use the word “love” because it was politically expedient or momentarily popular, David’s tears and songs of mourning reveal that his love for both Saul and Jonathan was real.

Curiously, there are two stories, which we have heard and read many times, from the Gospel of Mark, which illustrate this same sort of test for the sincerity of love, trust, and faith and we read these stories this morning from Mark 5:21-43, where it says:

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came, and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

First, Jesus meets Jairus, one of the synagogue leaders, or archisynagōgon, who was a powerful and influential man. Far from our thinking that he was the local church lay leader, because there was no such thing as the separation of church, state, or culture, the archisynagogon was the church lay leader, mayor, city administrator, community organizer, and cultural ambassador all rolled up in one person, at least as far as their Roman overlords allowed. But when his daughter was dying, Jairus didn’t go to a rabbi, or to the temple authorities, or to some Roman government official, he came to see Jesus. And when people told him that it was too late, and that his daughter was already dead, Jesus encouraged him to “just believe,” and, despite the laughter of his family and friends who understood that death was permanent and that resurrection was impossible, his love for his daughter allowed him to trust Jesus anyway.

Likewise, after searching for twelve years and seeing every doctor, shaman, healer, and charlatan that she could find, and after spending every penny that she ever had, this poor suffering woman, rather than giving up, thought that she would try one more time. Despite being classified as unclean and being prohibited from coming in contact with “normal” people, she sneaks in from behind everyone, and reaches through the crowd just so that she can touch the fringe on Jesus’ outer garment. When she was tested, there was nothing fake about this poor woman’s suffering nor was there anything fake about her faith.

And I want you to keep those stories in your mind as we read Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 because Paul understands that sometimes people, and churches, sometimes give lip-service to love. We say that we love Jesus, but we don’t act like it, and we say that we love the people around us, because we know that we’re supposed to, but when push comes to shove, we don’t act very much like we love them. Paul says…

7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love, we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

Paul says that the people in the churches of Corinth are fantastic. They have strong faith, vast knowledge, they are earnest in the things that they do and in the love that they began when they first heard the stories of the gospel.

But Paul wants to test the sincerity of their love.

Paul wants to make sure that they aren’t just giving lip-service to love without really acting like they love. Paul wants to test their love by comparing their earnestness, their passion, against the earnestness and passion of others. He points out that when there was a need, the church in Corinth was the first to step up and give to meet the need, but now Paul asks if their love will compel them to finish what they started. The test, Paul says, isn’t that they should give until they themselves are in need, but that they should give from their abundance until those in need become their equals.

That is quite a test… and it asks a lot of us.

The test of love isn’t just to feed the hungry, but to give from our abundance, not just to feed the poor for a day, but to help the poor, and lift them up, until the poor become our equals. That isn’t a once and done kind of a thing. Like Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, you should be loving enough that your eager willingness to do a project may be matched by your completion of it.

Starting a project to help others is a good thing.

But finishing that project is the real test of love.

That’s asking a lot.

But real love isn’t cheap, and we might wonder…

…will our love pass the test?

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Photo by Comstock on Freeimages.com

David’s Faith… in David

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David’s Faith in… David

June 25, 2024

by Pastor John Partridge

This past week at our church Annual Conference meeting, our Bishop, Tracy Smith Malone, preached a message in which she shared the story of David and Goliath, and framed David’s self-confidence as being a matter of David’s faith in God.

And that’s true.

But it’s more than that.

We can all agree that the story of David and Goliath is clear that while King Saul, and his entire army, were in fear and panic of the size, strength, skill, and power of the Philistine warrior Goliath, David’s faith enabled him to be the only one who had the self-confidence and faith to meet Goliath in single combat, one on one and man-to-man.

But David’s confidence wasn’t entirely faith-based. There was more to it than that and while we usually do a respectable job of preaching the faith part, the other part is just as important. Let me back up and lay some groundwork before I go any farther.

First, it was well-known that a skilled slinger could outrange an archer, strike a moving target at two hundred yards, and were said to be so accurate that they could aim for a specific part of a target’s face. Typical sling stones were 2 to 3 inches in diameter (5-7 cm) and weighed as much as a half-pound (0.25kg). These projectiles would be flung at 100 to 150 miles per hour (160 to 240 kph). Stones of that size, thrown at that speed, could kill by a blow to the head, or by rupturing an organ. Second, we also know that David, spending years in the fields watching his father’s sheep, had ample time, and plenty of rocks, with which to practice his skills with a sling and to become proficient. Third, the stories that we have of David rescuing his sheep by killing a bear and a lion can be offered as evidence of his skill, his fearlessness, and his faith.

And so, you see, David not only had confidence in God, but he also had confidence in… David. He had done the work of preparation. David had practiced during all those lonely years in the wilderness with his father’s sheep. David knew what he could do. He had developed, and honed, his skill with his sling, and he had been battle tested in his encounters with both a lion and a bear.

Yes, David had faith in God. But David had done the work of preparation, and he knew that those two things combined would bring victory against Goliath.

David wasn’t foolish. He didn’t just leap into a fight that he couldn’t hope to win and put all his eggs in the basket of his faith. David did the work of preparation. He developed his skill, and he tested it against deadly opponents. David knew that he had what it took to win, but he also knew that in a fight against a skilled adversary, anything can happen. David did the work of preparation; he did everything that he could to be ready… and the rest he trusted to God.

That was David’s faith… and it’s a model that we would do well to remember.

Faith isn’t jumping off a cliff and hoping that God will save you. Faith is buying a parachute, learning how to use it, and then jumping off a cliff… and trusting that God will use and guide your skill to bring about the desired result.

Faith is important.

But God still expects us to do the work of preparation.

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The Limits of Preparation

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The Limits of Preparation

June 23, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

1 Samuel 17:1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49              Mark 4:35-41           Corinthians 6:1-13

German Field Marshall Helmuth von Moltke was a brilliant military strategist in the 19th Century. He is known today for a quote that has gained popular traction in a shortened form that simply says, “No plan survives contact with the enemy”. This saying applies outside of its obvious military roots because no matter how much we plan or prepare, life is always more complicated and unexpected than our preparations. Olympic athletes train in all sorts of weather, they get hundreds of our nation’s best scientists to develop and oversee their training programs, nutritionists to maximize their diet for the best possible outcome, and still, on the day of the race, they can turn an ankle, trip over an unseen obstacle on the way to the race, or even stumble when a stray cat runs across the track. Life is unpredictable and while preparation must still be an important part of our planning, our preparation and planning won’t always get us across the finish line.

Let’s begin with a story that we have all probably heard before, the story of David and Goliath. I’m going to assume that most of us are familiar with the story, so I’m going skip around a little to save some time. We begin reading this story today from 1 Samuel 17:1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49.

Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah.

4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. [9 ft. 9 inches, for reference, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neill are 7’1” and Andre the Giant was 7’4”] 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels [125 pounds]; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. [15 pounds] His shield bearer went ahead of him.

8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

 24 Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.

32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.

“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So, he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

There’s a lot that can be said about what we find in that reading, but here are the things that I want to highlight: First, Goliath was the champion of the Philistine army. He wasn’t just big; he was the strongest and most skillful soldier of all the Philistines such that none of their other soldiers could beat him. Second, when Goliath offered to end the war by fighting one-on-one with anybody from Israel’s army, Saul the king, as well as his bodyguards, all of the professional soldiers, as well as all of those men, like David’s bothers, that had been conscripted, were terrified because no one, trained or not, could imagine that they could fight Goliath and win. Third, their fear was so great, that whenever they saw Goliath, they ran… but not David. Fourth, Goliath, Saul, and David all spent time in preparation.

Goliath had spent his entire life as a warrior, training with his sword, spear, and javelin. Saul had trained, but he knew that he had been prepared to lead and not to fight. And so, as best as he was able, Saul prepared David to face Goliath the ways that he knew. He gave him his own layers of armor, his helmet, and his sword. But they didn’t fit David, he hadn’t trained to use them, and was unaccustomed to how they felt. And so, instead, David prepared the way that he knew. He took off the armor, set aside the helmet and sword, picked up his shepherd’s staff, and selected five stones (which were probably just a bit smaller than baseballs) that he knew would be suitable for spinning and throwing with his sling.

Of course, David won. But there was more to his accomplishment than preparation because there were others in Saul’s army that knew how to use a sling.

Jesus points to what made David different in Mark 4:35-41, where we hear this:

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

The fishermen were prepared. They had a boat, and they had years of experience, but… there was a squall, a particularly bad, and sudden, appearance of stormy weather. The thing that separated the fishermen from success was… faith.

But, as we consider our present situation and what it takes to share in the work of the Kingdom of God, to share our faith, to grow our church, and to share the good news of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul has a few more words of advice that we find in 2 Corinthians 6:1-13. Paul says…

6:1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,
    and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. 12 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. 13 As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also.

I have often said that the first rule of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ is simply… don’t be a jerk. But Paul puts a finer point on it than that. He says that because God wants to save every single person on the planet, and because God is at work trying to rescue them, in all our encounters with the people around us we should “put no stumbling block in anyone’s path.” Which means, don’t do, or say, anything to the people around you that will make it harder for them to hear the message of Jesus Christ from you, of from anyone else today, tomorrow, or ten years from now. If you were trying to save someone from drowning, you would neither put rocks in their pockets, nor do anything to make them afraid of lifeguards or Coast Guard rescue swimmers. Even if you aren’t having any success, even if they favor a brand of politics you don’t like, or participate in a lifestyle with which you disagree, don’t do anything, or say anything, that might prevent them from hearing about Jesus from someone else. Secondly, Paul says, give freely of your affection and “open wide your hearts.” And that means to ask nicely, be kind, be friendly, be loving, and be polite.

It is good for us to read the Bible, study scripture, read books, come to Sunday school and church, learn how to share our faith, and build our confidence in doing so. But the reality is, and always has been, that “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” Life is complicated, and no matter how much we prepare and plan, life doesn’t always happen the way that we had hoped. But beyond our planning and preparation, like David, we have faith that God has our backs to do the things that we can’t do and to plan for the things we cannot know. But we must also listen to Paul so that we are not the reason that someone stumbles and is unable to hear God calling them through the voices of others now, or in the future. Don’t be a jerk. Give love freely, ask nicely, be kind, be friendly, be loving, and be polite.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Considering “What’s Next?”

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Considering “What’s Next?”

Easter 2024
by John Partridge

As we approach Easter, we must all consider the question of “What’s next?” If we’re serious about our faith, Easter is all about the “what’s next” and not yesterday, today, or tradition.

What do I mean by that?

What I mean is, Easter, from the very beginning, was a transformative, and transformational event. No one who saw what happened, or who believed that it happened, was the same afterward as they were before. After the crucifixion, Peter gave up. He left Jerusalem, walked home to Galilee, and went back to work as a fisherman. And it wasn’t just Peter because the story in John 21 tells us that Thomas, Nathaniel, James, John, and two others were with him. This had to be some time after they had seen Jesus in Jerusalem because Galilee is 60 or 70 miles away and probably a three-day walk. But after they meet Jesus, again, but it is here that Jesus commands Peter to “Feed my sheep,” “Feed my lambs,” and “Follow me.”

After this moment, Peter, and all the other disciples, never make any further attempts to go back to a normal life. From this moment onward, they dedicate their lives to telling the world about what they had seen and heard, and what Jesus had done for every human being that ever lived. For the disciples, for Lazarus and his sisters, for the unnamed followers of Jesus, men and women alike, who were gathered in the upper room at Pentecost, and even for many of the Pharisees and priests that came to believe the truth about Jesus, “What’s next” was a life changing question.

Their lives would never be the same. They could never go back to whatever “normal’ they had before they had met Jesus. Knowing the truth changed the way that they looked at the world, changed the way that they saw the people around them, and changed the way that they made the choices that guided their careers, their lives, and everything that they did forever.

As we celebrate Easter, we need to put ourselves in their place. If we genuinely believe that the events of Easter really happened, and that Jesus really is who the gospel writers say that he is, then we need to ask ourselves the same question. “What’s next?”

Knowing the truth changes us.

Like the disciples, we must listen to where God is leading us, what he is calling us to do, where he is calling us to go, and how God intends to transform us. And like the disciples, those changes might be terrific, but they might be terrifying, they might be successful, but they might be sacrificial. Whatever it is that God is calling us to do, and wherever it is that God is calling us to go…

…simply returning to the old “normal” is not an option.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Challenging the Comfortable

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Challenging the Comfortable

by John Partridge

Years ago, I was told that the job of a pastor is to “Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” While that’s used jokingly, it is often true. We need to be comforted when we hurt, but often get stuck when we’re comfortable and need someone to give us a shove if we hope to move forward again. Those of us who have changed jobs, moved to new communities, started businesses, gone back to school, or otherwise made changes to our lives can attest to that. Sometimes getting something that we want, or something better than what we have, requires that we leave behind some of what we know, some of the things that make us comfortable, and launch out into the unknown and the uncomfortable.

Similarly, it has been said that “Ships in harbor are safe, but that’s not what ships were built for.” Sometimes launching our on a new adventure is something that we choose for ourselves, but other times we get drafted and dragged into those adventures kicking and screaming all the way. This past year has seen some of that for us at Christ Church. We are doing some things differently, and with different people, simply because some of the people who have always done them are no longer with us. In the last few years, people have moved away, gone to college, found other churches, or passed from this life and into the next. But we are also having conversations about other changes that we might choose for our future.

I saw a quote this week from the book Fusion, by Nelson Searcy, which suggests three markers to measure your church’s “guest flow.” It said that a church in “Maintenance mode” needed three first-time guests for every one hundred in worship attendance just to stay in the same place in worship attendance. To be in “Growth mode” required five first-time guests for every one hundred, and “Rapid-growth mode” required seven first-time guests for every one hundred. That’s a lot, and I’m not sure that I believe that the numbers are that high (especially if those are weekly figures) … as long as at least some of those visitors can be attracted to stay. But even so, our experience says that there is some truth to it. In the last few years, we’ve had more visitors, and each year more of those visitors have decided to stay. For each of the last several years we’ve been bringing in a few new members. But we haven’t… yet… been able to bring in more new members than we have lost.

I emphasize the word “yet” because I see change happening. Our worship attendance, since the Covid-19 shutdowns, is once again increasing. And, as we move forward into a New Year, we are, at least occasionally, doing things to move out of our comfort zones and try new things. And that brings me to my challenge for the people of Christ Church. I challenge you to be uncomfortable… at least occasionally. I challenge you to have conversations with friends, neighbors, family, coworkers, and yes, even strangers, about your faith and what it means to you. I challenge you to tell them why you come here and why you like it and invite some of those people to sit with you on Sunday morning, or volunteer and work with you on one of our work projects. I challenge our Sunday school teachers to teach a series on how to share your faith and how to have those kinds of conversations.

We all know that Christ Church is a great church family and is full of compassionate, loving people. But we don’t always do a good job of telling our neighbors about who we are and what we do. And we don’t always do as much as we might do to help the people around us. And so, my challenge is not only to invite people, but to continue pushing ourselves to be a little uncomfortable. To keep trying new things and finding new ways to reach out to the people in our community. God has put us in this place, at this moment, to be his hands and feet to the people of Alliance and beyond. Let us listen to his voice and consider where God is leading us.

Staying in the harbor, and doing what we’ve always done, is safe.

But that isn’t what God built churches to do.

Blessings,

Pastor John

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