Category: Lent

The Resurrection of the Body

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“I believe in … the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”
– (Apostles’ Creed)

Resurrection of Christ by Noël Coypel, 1700.

As reflected in the 2014 movie, Heaven is For Real, and the 2012 book Proof of Heaven, stories of near death experiences and the survival of the human soul have found a positive reception in 21st century American culture. Even as belief in God and participation in organized religion continues to decrease, more persons believe in an afterlife now than did in 1972 (80% vs. 73%), according to a study conducted by three universities (San Diego State, Florida Atlantic, and Case Western Reserve). If one were under any illusion that belief in heaven was a uniquely Christian tenet of faith these findings should challenge that perspective.

Like persons of the present day, many in Jesus’ time believed in an afterlife and thought it possible for the souls of the departed to return from the realm of the dead to this world as ghosts. What they did not expect was God’s resurrection of Christ and his walking among the living with a body through which he could interact with the material world.

Our Moravian Easter Liturgy opens with the words, “The Lord is Risen!” This distinctly Christian message of hope is the original Gospel – “good news” – spread by apostles who had encountered the risen Christ and could testify to his resurrection. Indeed, being a witness to Christ’s resurrection was the criteria for being an “apostle” (Acts 1:22). So we read of the Apostle Peter proclaiming: “you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.” (Acts 3:15). Similarly, the Apostle Paul writes: “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (1 Corinthians 15:8).

Throughout subsequent centuries, followers of Jesus have proclaimed that, just as God raised Jesus from the grave, so God “will also give life to our mortal bodies if the Spirit of God has dwelt in us”. This affirmation is expressed in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.

Why does belief in the resurrection matter?

Like belief in God’s Incarnation in the person of Jesus Christ, Christian belief in bodily resurrection affirms the essential goodness of nature and embodied human existence. While taking seriously problems of suffering, sin, and death, the goal of Christian faith is not to escape earthly existence but rather to open ourselves to God’s ongoing acts of redemption. Because God’s plan is to redeem this world, our task is to help God in this endeavor by becoming agents of transformation ourselves rather than simply enjoying life or passing time until we depart for a better place. We work with our Savior for justice and righteousness during our earthly lives and pray as he taught us: “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. With Job we can claim: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God.” (Job 19:25-26).

Pastor Derek French

 

Salutary Coincidence: Ash Wednesday & the Anniversary of the Moravian Church

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This year Ash Wednesday, a movable holy day which marks the beginning of Lent, falls on March 1st (2017) , which is the 560th anniversary of the organization of the Moravian Church. Both observances embody themes of repentance and personal recommitment to Jesus Christ.

ash wednesday

Ashes on our forehead remind us to turn away from behavior and patterns of thought which separate us from God or others. There is an element of urgency to our repentance for none of us know our length of life. As a token of mortality, ashes can also prompt us to consider our life as a whole. What will be our legacy? Will our presence on earth have made the world a better place for others or have amounted to little more than an extended exercise in self-gratification?

It seems to me that the founding of the Moravian Church in 1457 can also be interpreted as a collective act of repentance and recommitment by a group of believers who earnestly believed that Christ’s example and God’s grace made it possible for them to break free from the tangle of sinful behavior, injustice and oppression which characterized the society in which they lived. According to Gregory, an early Moravian leader:

“What made a Christian was not doctrine or what he or she believed, but that a person lived his or her life according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. He described these first Moravians as “people who have decided once and for all to be guided only by the gospel and example of our Lord Jesus Christ and his holy apostles in gentleness, humility, patience, and love for our enemies.“ (Source)

The apostle Paul notes that offering our lives up to God “as a living sacrifice” is “true and proper worship.” Faith is more a matter of knowing God and following Jesus than it is knowing about God and Jesus.

The calendrical coincidence of Ash Wednesday and the anniversary of the Moravian Church is a timely reminder that there will always be a pressing need for repentance and recommitment to our Lord, Jesus Christ. The world, our nation, our communities and our congregation desperately need those who decide “to be guided only by the gospel and example of our Lord Jesus Christ and his holy apostles in gentleness, humility, patience, and love for our enemies.”

March 1st is an invitation to recommit ourselves to being “Jesus people” as we reach out in the name of Christ to all persons but especially to those the Moravian Church has always felt called to seek – the world-weary, impoverished masses overlooked or rejected by others whether overseas or here in America. The Moravian Church’s history of mission is reflected in its current demographics with 39,150 of us in North America, 204,980 in the Caribbean and Latin America and 907,830 in Africa.

  • Pastor Derek French

The Resurrection of the Dead

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Resurrection Of Christ

Carl Heinrich Bloch – The Resurrection Of Christ

Do you know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? … If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6: 3, 5)

On a day we now call “Easter” Christians gather to celebrate God’s resurrection of Jesus Christ. This holy day lies at the very heart of Christian faith – especially in its Moravian expression. Moravians have been called “The Easter People.” Yet amid the glories of sunrise worship, the fellowship of an early morning breakfast together, and cherished, if painful memories of those who “have entered into the joy of their Lord” since last Easter Day, how many find time to reflect on the full implications of belief in the resurrection of the dead?

Resurrection is not a description of an afterlife; resurrection is the reversal of death itself. It is the triumph of God over grave. To believe in the resurrection of the dead is to hope for something more than continued personal existence as an immortal soul after one’s body has perished. It is to share the faith of the Old Testament’s Job who said: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God.” (Job 19: 25, 26)

According to ancient Hebrew belief, soul and body were aspects of a differentiated, but unified person rather than independent components existing in their own right. Not until they were influenced by the thought of the Greek philosopher Plato did Jewish writers begin to speculate about the continuation of the soul apart from the body. The earliest expressions of Christian faith accord with their ancient Jewish antecedents.

In the Resurrection, God gives life not to some disembodied spiritual aspect of Jesus, but to an Incarnation – a person of flesh and blood. On this St. Paul and all the Gospels agree. Following his resurrection, Jesus eats with his disciples, teaches them, and has them touch him. “Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” (Luke 24:39) The Gospel of John portrays Christ inviting Thomas to touch the nail-wounds in his Savior’s hands. (John 20:27)

Belief shapes our approach to the world and to life. If we believe only in the immortality of the soul we may be tempted to turn our backs on the world’s problems, live as best and as happily as we can and take comfort in the thought that we are only passing through. If we believe that at the last Christ will stand on the earth and that we, in our flesh shall see God, we do not have the luxury of such individualistic detachment and complacency.

God’s resurrection of Jesus is the opening act of a new work of redemption and renewal touching all aspects of creation, both physical and spiritual, so that the Creator’s will might be done on earth as it is in heaven. If we have been baptized into the death of Jesus, if we hope for and anticipate a resurrection like his, it follows that we must begin living into that reality today.

  • Pastor Derek French

Avoiding Spiritual Groundhog Day Syndrome

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groundhog dayIn the 1993 fantasy comedy Groundhog Day, actor Bill Murray plays the role of a judgmental, egotistical weatherman named Phil Connors. While covering groundhog Punxsutawney Phil’s annual weather prediction, Murray’s character finds himself trapped in a time loop in which he forever relives the second day of February. Only when Connors re-examines his priorities and motivation is he freed from an endless cycle of repetition. Compassionate consideration of others is key to Connors’ redemption and release.

Such insights are not new. Two millennia ago, St. Paul realized personal inner-change precedes cultural or institutional change. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul pleaded with followers of Jesus not to allow themselves to be conformed to the ways of their society, but rather to allow God to transform and renew their patterns of thought and behavior. Paul writes:

“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

(Romans 12: 9-18)

Whenever we deplore the state of society or despair over the health of the church, we might best begin by contemplating ways in which our own inner transformation and growth could pave the way for God’s action. As in the movie Groundhog Day, in our own lives outward change comes only after the inner, spiritual work is done. Real life diverges from the movie fantasy in that we aren’t blessed with infinity of days; there’s a greater urgency surrounding our inner work.

Here are a few questions to ponder in your spiritual journey as an individual and in our spiritual journey as a congregation committed to following our Lord, Jesus Christ:

  • What priorities and motivations trap me in a cycle of spiritual “numbness” or “sameness?”
  • How might I allow God to transform and renew my mind?
  • How would committing to live each day according to St. Paul’s spiritual recommendations change congregational life; life at home, school or work; or American society?

A musical adaption of the movie Groundhog Day is scheduled to premiere in March of this year. Hopefully, we all will have made progress in breaking free of our own cycles of spiritual sameness.

– Pastor Derek French

Resurrection Now And Hereafter

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(Regarding her brother, Lazarus) Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (The Gospel of John 11: 24-26). Do you believe this?

Noel Coypel resurrection of christ

“The Resurrection Of Christ” 1700, Noël Coypel [Public domain]

The Resurrection lies at the center of Christian life, faith and hope. For the Apostle Paul, God’s raising of Christ affirmed the redemptive nature of Jesus’ death on the cross and served as a conclusive declaration that Jesus was the Son of God. (Romans 1:3-4) Christ’s resurrection is the lens through which his followers interpret his life and teaching. For that reason, Christians around the world gather in sanctuaries and graveyards, on mountains, and seashores each Easter to proclaim God’s victory over the power of sin and death and God’s promise of eternal life with the words, “The Lord is risen.”

Yet the Resurrection is not just a hope deferred until our death or the death of a loved one. If we so choose, it can be an everyday reality shaping all aspects of our lives. We can look within and around us to discern where God is bringing about new life. Only as we do so do Jesus’ words to Martha begin to make sense: “everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Elsewhere Jesus says: “This is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

  • How is God working within you to bring about new life? – A resurrection of spirit?
  • How is God working within those around you to bring about new life?
  • How is God working within God’s church to bring about new life?
  • How is God working throughout the world to bring about new life?

Of course, in order to perceive the action of God, one must first believe such action is possible. At first Martha could not believe when Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:23). The truth was too good to be true. But with God, all things are possible. Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

Do you believe this? Do you live this belief?

– Pastor Derek French

God Is In The Stillness

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When is the last time you experienced quiet and the absence of potential distraction? If you’re like most Americans, probably not very recently.

Scientists use the phrase “ambient noise level” to define sound pressure at a given location. Sound pressure is measured in decibels. In the wilderness, you might experience an ambient noise level of 30 to 45 decibels. In contrast, many urban areas have an ambient noise level of 85 to 90 decibels. That’s just the background noise. To that, one must add the ringing of cell phones, the volume of the television, radio or iPod, and any other noise that you or others near you might be making. We live in a noisy world surrounded by different messages competing for our attention. Often it is the loudest, most frequent, or most dramatic message which arrests our attention and shapes our worldview.

As often as not, these messages seek to manipulate us into buying a certain product or buying into a certain world-view. Some are irrelevant, some annoying, some frightening, and some harmful. Most do little to further spiritual growth or nurture our relationship with Christ. Even the greatest of prophets of a more quiet past needed times of silence and freedom from distraction to hear the still, small voice of God.

Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19: 12-13)

As Lent continues during March, now might be a good time to consider setting aside a few moments each day to spend with God. During this time you may wish to…

  • read the Bible
  • reflect on what messages are shaping your life
  • focus on aspects of your life for which you are thankful
  • ponder where and how you sensed God’s presence in your life of that of others
  • consider changes might you make in your life to be a better follower of Jesus, or simply heed the wisdom of Psalm 46, verse 10

“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”

– Pastor Derek French

Prayer: Essential for Followers of Jesus

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prayerRegular prayer is not an optional discipline for those seeking to follow Jesus; rather it is central to the life of faith. If Christ found it necessary to find time to pray while saving humanity, why would his followers think they could be without a personal practice of prayer? St. Paul says we are to “pray without ceasing,” (1 Thess. 5:17) while Jesus tells his disciples “a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” (Luke 18:1)

Though there are other forms of prayer, many Christians associate prayer exclusively with the verbal or mental recitation of words so we will focus on this practice. Such prayer remains but words without the proper mindset. What makes a prayer “prayerful” is one’s reflection on how the words prayed describe “the reality of life lived in and through the living God as known in scripture.”(1) God calls us to reflect deeply on the meaning of the words we recite and integrate what we learn into our daily lives. This strenuous contemplative work is reflected in the word “liturgy,” which means “the people’s work.”

Because I suspect most of us are guilty of reciting liturgies without much reflection from time to time considering two ways one might interact with one of our Moravian liturgies may help clarify the difference between heaping up empty phrases (Matt. 6:7) and worshipping God in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)

Like most Moravian liturgies the Liturgy of Adoration is comprised primarily of passages of scripture. If we do not trouble ourselves with understanding or contemplating what we are reading or saying and whether we are incorporating the text’s lessons into our lives as we read then a liturgy will have little spiritual effect. Our familiarity with the words of the liturgy may be either comforting or boring depending on our disposition and history.

On the other hand, when prayed mindfully liturgy can open a conversation with God and with thousands of generations of faithful believers stretching all the way back to the ancient Israelites whose psalm (#118) opens the Liturgy of Adoration. Condensed into eight brief pages is a concise summary of how to live a life centered on Christ both as an individual and as part of a Christian community (MBW, page 18-25.) Once our eyes are opened we see that most of the life of faith is set out for us in the liturgy – our need to praise God; God’s gracious initiative in Jesus Christ which frees us from the power of sin and death; the fact that we are saved by God’s grace and not by our own efforts or strength; our need to confess our sins; a statement of the Church’s faith (Nicene Creed); our responsibility to exercise stewardship over what God has given to us, to pray for the world, and work righteously for justice on behalf of “the poor, the homeless, the imprisoned, the afflicted, the persecuted, the abused…”

The difference in experience lies in the mind/heart of the worshipper. This coming Lent find some prayers which speak to you. Come up with your own prayers or develop a deeper appreciation for the liturgical prayers of the Moravian Book of Worship. Pray them. Reflect on them. Live them. Pray until the life you live matches the life you pray.

1 . Conrad Hoover in “No Choice But to Pray,” Sojourners, June, 1977.

– Pastor Derek French