CCC Blog

“The Good Place”

I recently watched the first season of a television series called “The Good Place” which deals with the afterlife. Once people die, an architect determines    whether people end up in the Good Place or the Bad Place. Conversations among the characters revolve around why someone would be assigned to one place over another and broach significant and complex philosophical questions. 

As season one came to a close, one of the characters realizes she is actually in the Bad Place, though (spoiler alert) she thought she was in the Good Place all along. A   noteworthy observation was made that fits with themes of our reading from I Corinthians 13 this past Sunday. Motivation matters. When the character protests to the architect that she helped raise 60 million for charities during her life on earth and that this should be sufficient criteria for being assigned to the Good Place, she is reminded that her intent (motivation) was the good favor she would receive from others.  Thus, being turned inward and doing things primarily for the good feelings or accolades afforded oneself – even if, consequentially, beneficial outcomes are derived in the process – is ultimately not “good” at all. 

The Dalai Lama similarly said in a recent interview, that all suffering has as its origin individuals turned inward on themselves. When we seek to serve our own interests, the inevitable outcomes will be pain and sorrow – for ourselves and others. Perhaps not right away or in the short run.  But over time this will always be the case.

This is the essence of I Corinthians 13.  Paul says that all the talent and ability in the world – even the spiritual giftedness we have received from God, as generous and benevolent our actions may be, are nothing if not rooted in love.  Such things are as useful as a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (read: not useful at all!). Love is the desired motivation. For Love is necessarily and primarily turned outward and seeks first to satisfy the interests and well being of others over its own. Love is actively and voluntarily sacrificial, seeking the best for someone or something else, regardless of the benefit it may receive in the process. 

It is human nature to satisfy our own interests first, which is why Paul speaks this way about love.  The love he references is really God’s love for us.  God is forever seeking to sacrifice Godself for our best good.  This was revealed most clearly in the gift of Jesus Christ given up for our salvation (our ultimate “best good”).  And it is witnessed countless times over, in every moment when God is patient with us and not irritable with us (though we provide plenty of reasons and occasions for God to be impatient and irritable). And in our humble acceptance of this love, we are able, by grace, to live in that love and for that love.  And when that happens???  We help build a beloved community and the Good Place is not merely something we enjoy in the afterlife, we experience it in the here and now. 

Blessings – Michael

“Introducing… On-line Giving!”

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you something exciting now taking place at Central.  In an effort to be faithful stewards with what God has entrusted to us, we are proud to announce that we now offer some new on-line giving options.  Please note, we will still be accepting offerings and donations in all of the ways we currently do.  So if you have no interest in doing anything differently, that is absolutely fine.  But what we offering now has been a long-time coming and I want to thank the stewardship department, our treasurer and financial team, our vice-president of administration, and our church office staff for doing the lion’s share of the work to make this a reality. 

Why are we undertaking this opportunity at Central?  First, it provides flexibility for our members to give how they want to, regardless of day or time.  As our world becomes increasingly more digital, this feature allows members and friends of Central to give in ways that are more compatible with their method of making other payments.  Secondly, it will help all of us better develop a habit of giving regularly.  Online donors will be able to set up a recurring donation to the church by using a credit or debit card.  Thirdly, this allows us to connect with the next generation which is one of our core values.  We will still collect offerings the traditional way on Sunday mornings and you can certainly continue to write checks or donate cash. But younger generations are used to making payments online and this allows us to provide the means for them to be faithful stewards in a manner that is comfortable to them.  Finally, research over the last 10 years has shown that churches who embrace online giving notice an increase in consistency of gifts received, as well as in the overall amount of contributions received annually.

How does online giving work?  You will have the option of using our website (www.cccdisciples.org), clicking on “GIVE” on the homepage and registering as a New User.  You will then be able to make payments to the operating fund, building fund (capital campaign), memorial fund and any designated fund or special offering you choose.  You can also contribute with your smart phone by downloading a special App that will sync with your online account. 

In the Welcome Center you can pick up a card with step-by-step instructions for getting started.  And you may attend an orientation tutorial on Sunday June 10.  We’ll be offering the tutorial three (3) times that day: at 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. (after each one of our services).  These will be held in the Connection Café.  Should you miss the tutorial, we will be happy to email you the step-by-step power point.  We believe that financial giving is one of the ways we express our faithfulness to Jesus Christ.  As a pastor, I believe it is the church’s responsibility to offer everything it can to help people live out that mark of faithfulness.  To that end, I am absolutely thrilled that Central is offering online giving and am confident that this is something that will benefit us for years to come.  

5_23 E-Votional

This Sunday our focus in worship will be Psalm 23.  Not only is this the favorite passage of our congregation (based on the surveys you submitted to me over the past few weeks); not only are the opening lines of this psalm the most easily quotable by Americans of all the passages in scripture; we tend to prefer hearing or reading Psalm 23 from the King James Version of the bible – “…yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”

When James ascended to the throne in 1603 he was the sixth King James of Scotland but the first King James of a United Kingdom (England, Ireland and Scotland).  His attempt was to unify this kingdom and the religious strife taking place within it.  Over the previous 50 years, there were disputes among Catholics (those who were still sympathetic to the pope); Anglicans (those who favored an English church independent of the pope’s influence); and Puritans (radicals who wanted a complete and total break from anything that looked or sounded “catholic”).  There were also different versions of the bible being used by each group.  Catholic sympathizers favored the Latin Vulgate; Anglicans the “Bishop’s bible;” and Puritans the “Geneva bible” of John Calvin. 

One of the first things James did was commission over 45 scholars to prepare a new version of the bible that would help unify the kingdom and the religious understandings and practices therein.  What resulted was what we now call the King James Version, written over the years 1604-1611.

When the Puritans first settled in America in 1620, they brought with them their favored “Geneva bible.”  But by the 1700s, when the colonies were under the complete control of England, the bible primarily used was the King James Version.  No printing of bibles was done in the colonies, rather all bibles were shipped over from England, which by this time was exclusively printing the KJV.  In the 1770s, with trade disputes between England and the colonies reaching a high point, bibles were hard to come by with shipments from England being delayed or even stalled.  Colonists received permission to print bibles on our side of the Atlantic and the version permitted was, of course, the King James Version.  Over the next few decades, the KJV became known as the “bible of the revolution” by Americans and from that point on, it was the most popular version in America, with settlers taking it with them as they continued to travel further west.

I have always been intrigued that Psalm 23 is so popular at funerals.  Of the more than 170 I have officiated in my 20-year ministry career, only once have I not been asked to read Psalm 23.  But even more, I’m fascinated how, though we never read from the KJV in our regular Sunday services, when church members are planning funerals, they often request the KJV for the reading of Psalm 23.

I suppose there may be three reasons for this, though this is merely conjecture on my part.  First, as described above, the KJV is deeply intertwined with the development of our nation.  Second, the KJV is truly a work of poetic art, as it was designed from its inception to be something that was not merely communicating God’s word, but also pleasing to the ear.  Simply put, the KJV sounds different from the way we speak in our everyday communication.  It sounds other-worldly and mysterious, and therefore, perhaps subconsciously, we deem it somehow worthy of God.  Finally, from a personal standpoint, it may have been the bible our grandparents used.  As they taught us the faith, we associate this version with our deepest spiritual roots and thus have an emotional connection to these words which are awakened at significant times in our lives such as funerals.

This Sunday, I’ll be shifting back and forth from the KJV and newer translations, which are likely more accurate in terms of capturing the meaning of the original language of biblical Hebrew.  Regardless of how it is translated, however, the meaning of Psalm 23 is powerful and I hope you find that to be communicated in worship this Sunday.  Hope to see you there! 

“The Gospel Embodied”

This weekend we wrapped up our sermon series “The Great Exchange” based on stories in John 20.  After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to his followers in different ways.  We spent a week each on the figures of Peter, John, Mary Magdalene, the disciples (as a group) and the disciple Thomas (in particular). Ultimately, we noted that John closes his gospel by commenting that Jesus did “many other things” that are not contained in this book (the gospel / bible)  because no book in the world could hold everything Jesus did and said were indeed everything recorded.

It is true, and something we often experience at a funeral service.  After family and friends come forward to speak words of eulogy for the deceased, I will often say something to the effect that “even if we stayed here all day and night, we wouldn’t have enough time to convey what this person meant to us.”  How do we accurately report what our dearest loved ones mean to us?  How do we accurately report the full weight of Jesus’ life on earth?  We don’t.  We can’t.  Which means that we don’t know everything Jesus said and did and will always have unanswered questions to the historical life he lived.  But what is recorded in scripture is enough to believe. 

My mother’s role in my life is a living illustration of this truth for me.  From an early age, I found it much easier to open up to mom.  I loved my dad and knew he loved me.  But he wasn’t overly warm and didn’t always express emotions of compassion very easily.  But mom???  She was warmth personified.  Mom was a “hugger” – not afraid to be physical like that.  And every time I left the house, whether it was for long trip or a day or evening out, mom would drop whatever she was doing, walk to the front door, and hold my cheeks in her face, smile, and whisper to me “be careful.”  Even today, as I near the age of 50, before she hangs up at the end of phone conversation, mom will say in hushed tones, “Slow down and get your rest.”  When I reached the high school and college years and asked my parents for advice about possible summer jobs, my mom  was always a proponent of “do-what-you-love-the-money-will-follow.”  She wanted me to find work that would bring me happiness, regardless of how much it paid.  My father, on the other hand, was of the “how-will-you-pay-for-it?” school of thought.  He consistently reminded me of the reality that there is a cost to everything in life.   When it came to sharing, I wasn’t necessarily afraid to open up to my dad, but I honestly looked forward to sharing my insecurities and vulnerabilities with mom.

I don’t intend to make my mother out to be a saint.  She and I are both too  honest for that kind of implication.  There were many times when she didn’t have the answers I was looking for.  Or when she couldn’t offer explanations that would have been helpful.  But I have never doubted her love for me.  And in the last analysis isn’t that a personification of John’s Gospel?  For God so loved the world…  Love is the essence of the Gospel.  Communicating love is essential.  Having unlimited answers and explanations is not.  Which is why John reminds us that there were “many other things” Jesus did which are not written down.  To remind us that there will always be empty spaces that our answers and explanations can’t fill.  But everything John gave us in his 21 chapters on Jesus’ life is enough: enough to generate faith in us.  Similarly, all the love my mom has shown me – and continues to show me – is enough to embody the spirit of the Gospel and sustain that faith in me. 

Blessings – Michael