Sermon 2015.04.19 “The Front of the Tapestry”

I have a question: Why does the Bible spend so much time talking about what we do wrong?

Why is sin such a dominant topic in the Bible?

Did you know that the word “Sin” appears 474 times in the NIV.

One would think, at first glance, that God is “Out to get us”, trying to “beat us up”. It’s no wonder that so many people think that God is playing a big cosmic game of Whack a Mole. (We live on the shore, everyone knows what Whack a Mole is, right?) NO? Imagine a box with a top about 4 feet square and several holes about 10 inches in diameter. You are holding a large mallet and there are small, stuffed, furry, moles that randomly pop out of the holes. The object of the game is to hit the moles on the head before they disappear back into their holes. You would think that God is standing there with his big mallet just waiting for someone to step out of line so he can whack them one.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

I know I’ve done this before, and recently, so forgive me for repeating myself but I think this is extremely important. There are at least seven different Greek root words that are translated into the English word “Sin”. Six of the seven mean pretty much what we think of when we hear the word “Sin”. They all have variations of meaning having to do with the committing of an evil or hurtful act, the propensity for doing something evil or hurtful, or the failure to do something to prevent evil or hurt. And these six words combined, are used only a handful of times. But the Greek word hamartia is by far the most often used word. It’s a word that would be used by an archer who shot his arrow and hit his target, but missed the bull’s eye. It is a word that literally means a missing of the mark or a failure to achieve a set standard, and it is a word that could appropriately be translated “Imperfection”.

God created this world to work in a specific way. His law, followed to the letter by everyone, would result in a world of perfect peace, happiness, and communion with God Himself; a return to the garden, as it were. So while we often view the tragedy of sin in light of its Earthly consequences; hurt, shame, pain and suffering, even death, the true tragedy of sin is that it separates us from God. And this consequence is true regardless of whether the sin is completely heinous, or seemingly innocuous.

Because of this, God views sin in a rather different light. For God, sin, even the most heinous sin takes a back seat to the importance of a restored relationship with Him.

In Mark 3:28-29 Jesus said “Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

Before I continue I need to explain blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and I’d like to give you a decidedly American definition of the phrase. God speaks to EVERYONE, it’s a fact. He doesn’t usually speak in an audible voice (Though I personally would never limit God in His ability to do that should He so choose) but He speaks mostly in ideas, in notions, and in feelings. The ability to recognize God’s voice increases the more you listen to Him. Often when people speak of the voice of their conscience what they are experiencing is the Holy Spirit of God speaking to them.

Now, to explain blasphemy of the Holy Spirit: When men flew their planes into the World Trade Center you can bet that the Holy Spirit was screaming in their brain: “Don’t do this”. Now, had they interpreted this voice to be cowardice, or to be Satan trying to deter them from their quest; that would be blasphemy of the Holy Spirit; the attributing of the voice of God’s Holy Spirit to anything other than God. Ultimately, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is rejecting The Holy Spirit’s witness to God. When I was a young Christian a wise friend once answered my question about this passage by saying “If you actually care about whether or not you have committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, you can’t possibly have.”

So let’s get back to talking about this passage from Mark 3. It says that, with the exception of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, ALL sin can be forgiven. (Not will be but can be). Now, since God is willing to forgive ALL sin, shouldn’t that mean that we need to be willing to forgive all sin as well? It’s popular today in certain circles of Christianity to call special attention to the sins of those people whose sins are not socially acceptable, but unless I missed something, the only unforgivable sin I saw in this passage today was the sin of rejecting The Holy Spirit’s witness to God.

Some of us, who are old enough to remember, may remember the name David Berkowitz. If we don’t remember that name, we may remember his alias, the Son of Sam. David Berkowitz was a mass murderer who killed six people and wounded 7 others in New York City in the summer of 1976. He was caught, confessed to the killings, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison. In 1987 David Berkowitz became a Christian and he has spent his years since then leading a prison ministry and offering Christian counseling to troubled inmates. David Berkowitz committed crimes that few of us would be willing to forgive, but the fact that God HAS forgiven him is apparent in the fruit that he has borne for the Kingdom since making the choice to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

The truth is: God WANTS to forgive us. 2nd Peter 3:9 says “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

There is nothing God desires more than to return us to a loving relationship with Him. He wants this so much that he is willing to forgive over and over and over again. He is willing to forgive sins both heinous and small, but before He is able to forgive us, WE NEED TO UNDERSTSAND THE NATURE AND THE DEPTH OF OUR NEED FOR THAT FORGIVENESS.

This is why the Bible spends so much time talking about sin. God wants us to “Get it”. He wants us to understand He wants us to know that even the tiniest imperfection in our lives is separating us from Him. He wants us to know that it is absolutely essential that we are completely open and honest with Him about our faults and He wants us to know that when we lay our sins at the foot of His throne that He is faithful to His promise to forgive us and to restore us to a loving and abiding relationship with Him. He also wants us to know that this is not through any of our own doing, but that it is only through HIS work and HIS forgiveness that we are given the right to stand before Him. Romans 8:34 says “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Jesus died in order that the penalty for our sin would be paid once and for all. Though our nature will cause us to continue to be imperfect right up until the day that our faith becomes sight, if we continue to confess our sin God will continue to forgive, and through His grace, we will learn to walk with Him.

So what now? Today’s New Testament lesson said: ” Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord”. To be refreshed is to be unburdened from the load of our sins and to replace that burden with the knowledge of what God has done for us, and is doing for us.

When I was 12 I was certain that I was going to be a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. I knew I would have to work hard to achieve that goal and I did. I built a pitcher’s mound 60’ 6” from a fence and wove a strike zone into the fence with red ribbon. I would throw hundreds of pitches a day, every day, developing a changeup and a curve ball that was so good that many years later when my son played high school varsity ball, varsity high school pitchers asked me for advice about their curve ball. There was only one problem with this whole scenario. I had absolutely no talent whatsoever. As a young adult my best fast ball barely broke 70 MPH. God did not make me to be a pitcher. He did not bless me with a pitcher’s body or a pitcher’s arm. But I believe that God did make me to be a musician. He gave me a musician’s ear and an embouchure and wind and power to make me a good enough trombone player to have played professionally for several years.

I sometimes wonder that if I had dedicated the time to playing trombone that I dedicated to pitching it may have given me that extra little bit of ability that would have gotten me enough gigs that I could have earned a living playing trombone. But if that had happened, I would never have been sidetracked into songwriting, and everyone who knows me knows that musically, songwriting is what I do best. Also, if I hadn’t practiced pitching, then when my son was 7 years old and signed up for Little League, and his coach, Bill Heller, asked for parents to volunteer to help, I would not have had the confidence in my ability to throw a hardball at 7, 8, and 9 year olds without hitting them that allowed me to volunteer. I ended up coaching baseball for 11 years and for those 11 years my son and I shared doing something that we both loved that built a bridge, a bond of friendship that will last a lifetime.

Have you ever seen the back of a tapestry? The back of a tapestry is a complete mess. A jumble of thousands of loose threads of varying colors with no discernible pattern. It’s only when you look at the front of a tapestry that you see a beautiful, intricate, and colorful picture. We live our lives as a part of God’s tapestry, but from this side we usually only see the back; a disorganized jumble that makes no sense, but every once in a while, God allows us to see the front.

Long before I even knew God, He was preparing me to have something that I could share with my son that would make us as much friends as we were father and son. Long before I knew God He made me a good enough trombone player to make me serious about music but not so good that I wouldn’t be drawn into songwriting, and long before I knew God and started writing secular songs he was preparing me to glorify Him through music that I would write for Him.

To be refreshed is to see the front of God’s tapestry; even if only for a moment. There is nothing that will strengthen our faith more surely than to know and to see that God is actively working in our lives. To be refreshed is to see God drawing us to Him, teaching us to delight in a loving and abiding relationship with Him. To be refreshed is to forget about ourselves and to focus on loving others even as Jesus loved us, because only in that love will we find true joy and fulfillment.

Have you seen the front of your tapestry? Have you been given a look at how God has woven the seemingly random threads of your life into the intricate, colorful, beautiful tapestry that is you? Are you able to point to a time when you KNOW that God was working in your life? If so, then you need to tell someone. You need to tell EVERYONE, because your story is your most powerful witness! Your story is the story that will make a difference in the lives of others. Your story is the story that will bring refreshment to the lives of others. God wants us to help our friends, our neighbors, our families, and yes, even our enemies, to come to know the truth of the Gospel, that in Jesus Christ, we are refreshed. In Jesus Christ we are freed from the yoke of sin, In Jesus Christ we are freed from that mallet that we think is waiting to hit us over the head for stepping out of line, In Jesus Christ we are freed from a life that has no meaning because it has no Heavenly direction. In Jesus Christ WE ARE FORGIVEN!

Secular References to the Historical Jesus

1. Cornelius Tacitus (56-120 AD) has been called the greatest historian on ancient Rome. He lived during the reign of several Roman emperors and was a Roman historian and a governor of Asia [Turkey] in AD 112. He wrote two major works: Annals and the Histories.

The following is a quote from the Annals:

Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. – Annals 15.44
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Christ lived during the reign of Tiberius (AD 14-37).
2) Pontius Pilate put him to death.
3) The word “superstition” suggests a religion.
4) Christ had followers who were named Christians.
5) The Christians suffered under Nero and they were hated by others.

2. Pontius Pilate: (1 BC – circa AD 37) Pilate’s biographical details are unclear and some Biblical scholars believed that he was a mythical character until in 1961 an inscription with his name was found, known as the Pilate Stone, confirming his historicity as a Prefect. Pilate was the fifth Roman procurator of Judea (AD 26 – 36 ) under Emperor Tiberius, who sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion. The quotes below refer to the Acts of Pontius Pilate. Documents are lost but were quoted by Justin Martyr in his defense in Rome before the Emperor Pius. Martyr would be unlikely to quote from a non-existent document, or to misquote an existing one while defending his life. The existence of the Acts of Pontius Pilate is strongly supported by Epiphanius (Heresies 50.1), Justin Martyr (First Apology, A.D. 150) and Tertullian (Apology, A.D. 200).

The Acts of Pontius Pilate were kept in the Roman archives as stated in the following quote.
“The ancient Romans were scrupulously careful to preserve the memory of all remarkable events which happened in the city; and this was done either in their “Acts of the Senate” (Acts Senatus), or in the “Daily Acts of the People” (Acta Diurna Populi), which were diligently made and kept at Rome . . . In like manner it was customary for the governors of provinces to send to the emperor an account of remarkable transactions that occurred in the places where they resided, which were preserved in the “Acts of” their respective governments . . . we find, long before the time of Eusebius [3rd century], that the primitive Christians, in their disputes with the Gentiles, appealed to these “Acts of Pilate” . . . Thus, Justin Martyr, in his first “Apology” for the Christians, which was presented to the Emperor Antoninus Pius [A.D. 138-161] and the senate of Rome, about the year [A.D.] 140, having mentioned the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and some of its attendant circumstances, adds, “And these things were done, you may know from the ‘Acts’ made in the time of Pontius Pilate.” [1]
It should be noted that some believe a fraudulent version of the Acts of Pilate was circulated later in the fourth and fifth centuries. This should not be confused with the original document that was generated in the first century, archived in Rome and was available to Caesar Antoninus Pius and the Roman Senate. Otherwise, Justin Martyr’s appeal to the Acts of Pilate in his First Apology would have lacked credibility.

Quote from Justin Martyr:
And again in other words, through another prophet, He says, “They pierced My hands and My feet, and for My vesture they cast lots.” And indeed David, the king and prophet, who uttered these things, suffered none of them; but Jesus Christ stretched forth His hands, being crucified by the Jews speaking against Him, and denying that He was the Christ. And as the prophet spoke, they tormented Him, and set Him on the judgment-seat, and said, Judge us. And the expression, “They pierced my hands and my feet,” was used in reference to the nails of the cross which were fixed in His hands and feet. And after He was crucified they cast lots upon His vesture, and they that crucified Him parted it among them. And that these things did happen, you can ascertain from the Acts of Pontius Pilate. – Justin Martyr, First Apology 35
And that it was predicted that our Christ should heal all diseases and raise the dead, hear what was said. There are these words: “At His coming the lame shall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the stammerer shall be clear speaking: the blind shall see, and the lepers shall be cleansed; and the dead shall rise, and walk about.” And that He did those things, you can learn from the Acts of Pontius Pilate. – Justin Martyr, First Apology 48
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Christ performed amazing miracles.
2) Christ died on a cross with hands and feet pierced with nails.

3. Flavius Josephus: Josephus, who introduced himself in Greek as “Iosepos (Ιώσηπος), son of Matthias, an ethnic Jew, a priest from Jerusalem”, fought the Romans in the First Jewish-Roman War of 66–73 as a Jewish military leader in Galilee. Prior to this, however, he was sent as a young man in his early twenties for negotiations with Emperor Nero for the release of several Jewish priests. He later returned to Jerusalem and was drafted as a commander of the Galilean forces. After the Jewish garrison of Yodfat fell under siege, the Romans invaded, killing thousands; the survivors committed suicide.
According to Josephus, however, in circumstances that are somewhat unclear, Josephus found himself trapped in a cave with forty of his companions in July 67. The Romans asked him to surrender once they discovered where he was, but his companions refused to allow this. He therefore suggested a method of collective suicide: they drew lots and killed each other, one by one, counting to every third person. The sole survivor of this process was Josephus (this method as a mathematical problem is referred to as the Josephus problem, or Roman Roulette) who then surrendered to the Roman forces and became a prisoner. The Roman forces were led by Flavius Vespasian and his son Titus, both subsequently Roman emperors. In 69, Josephus was released, and according to Josephus’s own account, he appears to have played a role as a negotiator with the defenders during the Siege of Jerusalem in 70.
In 71, he arrived in Rome in the entourage of Titus, becoming a Roman citizen and client of the ruling Flavian dynasty (hence he is often referred to as Flavius Josephus — see below). In addition to Roman citizenship he was granted accommodation in conquered Judaea, and a decent, if not extravagant, pension. It was while in Rome, and under Flavian patronage, that Josephus wrote all of his known works. Although he only ever calls himself “Josephus”, he appears to have taken the Roman prenames Titus and nomen Flavius from his patrons. This was standard practice for “new” Roman citizens.
1. AND now Caesar, upon hearing the death of Festus, sent Albinus into Judea, as procurator. But the king deprived Joseph of the high priesthood, and bestowed the succession to that dignity on the son of Ananus, who was also himself called Ananus. Now the report goes that this eldest Ananus proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons who had all performed the office of a high priest to God, and who had himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never happened to any other of our high priests. But this younger Ananus, who, as we have told you already, took the high priesthood, was a bold man in his temper, and very insolent; he was also of the sect of the Sadducees, (23) who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all the rest of the Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore, Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity [to exercise his authority]. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa], desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had already done was not to be justified; nay, some of them went also to meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria, and informed him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a sanhedrim without his consent. (24) Whereupon Albinus complied with what they said, and wrote in anger to Ananus, and threatened that he would bring him to punishment for what he had done; on which king Agrippa took the high priesthood from him, when he had ruled but three months, and made Jesus, the son of Damneus, high priest.

3. Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, (9) those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; (10) as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.

4. Pliny the Younger

Pliny is known for his hundreds of surviving letters, which are an invaluable historical source for the period. Many are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian, Tacitus. Pliny himself was a notable figure, serving as an imperial magistrate under Trajan (reigned AD 98–117). Pliny was considered an honest and moderate man and rose through a series of Imperial civil and military offices, the cursus honorum (see below). He was a friend of the historian Tacitus and employed the biographer Suetonius in his staff.

(AD 61-113), or Pliny the Younger, was the governor of Bithynia (AD 112) and a Roman senator. He wrote to emperor Trajan asking for guidance on how he should treat the Christians in his province.
Reference To Jesus Christ
Christians were “meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verse a hymn to Christ as to a god, and bound themselves to a solemn oath, not to do wicked deeds, never commit fraud, theft, adultery, not to lie nor to deny a trust. . . ” – Epistles X96
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Jesus was worshipped as a god.
2) Christians met on a fixed day of the week.
3) The meeting occurred before sunrise.
4) They sang songs to Christ.
5) Christians were committed to holy behavior.

5. Emperor Trajan (AD 53 – 117), Imperator Caesar Divi Nervae Filius Nerva Traianus, was one of the most famous Roman emperors of all time. His reputation as a successful military strategist is demonstrated by his military exploits which expanded the Roman boundaries to the Persian Gulf. The quote below is a reply to Pliny, who had asked for directions in how to treat the Christians.

Reference To Jesus Christ
The method you have used, my dear Pliny, in investigating the cases of those who are accused of being Christians is extremely proper. No search should be made for these people; when they are accused and found to be guilty they must be punished; with the restriction, however, that when the individual denies he is a Christian, and gives proof that he is not (that is, by adoring our gods) he shall be pardoned on the ground of repentance, even though he may have formerly incurred suspicion. Documents without the accuser’s signature must not be admitted in evidence against anyone, since this introduces a very dangerous precedent, and is by no means consistent with the spirit of the age. – Pliny letters X, 97
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Christians were being punished for religious reasons.
2) They could save themselves by worshipping “our gods” – other gods.
3) Christians were being turned in by other citizens.

6. Emperor Hadrian (AD 76-136), was considered a man of culture and the arts. It appears he preferred peace rather than war. The following quote comes from a letter sent to Minucius Fundanus, proconsul of Asia, about how to treat Christians.
Reference To Jesus Christ
I do not wish, therefore, that the matter should be ignored without examination, so that these men may not be harassed, nor an opportunity given for malicious proceedings to be offered to informers. If, therefore, the provincials can clearly show their charges against these Christians, so as to answer before the tribunal, let them pursue this course only, but not just petitions, and mere outcries against Christians. For it is more fitting, if any one brings an accusation, that you should examine it. – Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, IV
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Christians existed during the reign of Hadrian.
2) Christians were in conflict with society.
3) They followed Christ.

7. Gaius Suetonius Tranquilla was a Roman historian (AD 117-138) under Hadrian (AD 76-136). He was also the secretary of state and authored a book entitled Life of Claudius.
Suetonius was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar to Domitian entitled De Vita Caesarum. Other works by Suetonius concern the daily life of Rome, politics, oratory, and the lives of famous writers, including poets, historians, and grammarians. A few of these books have partially survived, but many have been lost.
Reference To Jesus Christ
Because the Jews at Rome caused constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus [Christ], he [Claudius] expelled them from the city [Rome]. – Life of Claudius 25.4
Nero inflicted punishment on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous religious belief. – Lives of Casesars, Nero, 16
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Christians held to new beliefs.
2) Christians followed Christ.
3) Christians were punished and banished from Rome.

8. Thallus: sometimes spelled Thallos, was a early Samaritan historian who wrote in Koine Greek. Some scholars believe that his his work can be interpreted as the earliest reference to the historical Jesus, written about 20 years after the Crucifixion.
Around the year 55, he wrote a three-volume history of the Mediterranean world from before the Trojan War to circa 50 . Most of his work, like the vast majority of ancient literature, perished, but not before it was preserved by Sextus Julius Africanus in his History of the World.About about A.D. 52 [1] Thallus wrote a history about the Middle East from the time of the Trojan War to the first century A.D. The work has been lost and the only record we have of his writings is through Julius Africanus (AD 221). Below Julius Africanus refers to Christ’s crucifixion and the darkness that covered the earth prior to his death.

Reference To Jesus Christ
“On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the 263 third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. For the Hebrews celebrate the passover on the 14th day according to the moon, and the passion of our Savior fails on the day before the passover [see Phlegon]; but an eclipse of the sun takes place only when the moon comes under the sun. And it cannot happen at any other time but in the interval between the first day of the new moon and the last of the old, that is, at their junction: how then should an eclipse be supposed to happen when the moon is almost diametrically opposite the sun?” – Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.1
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Darkness covered the earth at Christ’s death.
2) The only question was: “What caused it?”
3) The time of the darkness agrees with Matthew 27:45.
4) An eclipse cannot account for the darkness – this was a miracle.

9. Lucian of Samosata lived A.D. 120-180. He was a satirist who was scornful of Christians. He wrote several books: The Passing Peregrinus and Alexander the False Prophet.
Lucian was an Assyrian rhetorician, and satirist who wrote in the Greek language. He is noted for his witty and scoffing nature.

Reference To Jesus Christ
The Christians. . . worship a man to this day – the distinguished personage who introduced this new cult, and was crucified on that account. . . . You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains their contempt for death and self devotion . . . their lawgiver [taught] they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws. All this they take on faith . . . – The Passing Peregrinus
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Christians worshipped Jesus.
2) Jesus was crucified for what he taught.
3) Jesus started Christianity.
4) Jesus’ disciples believed Jesus’ teachings.
5) Early Christians taught that when one was converted he or she had eternal life.
6) They lived by faith – they believed Jesus.

10. Phlegon, was a Greek writer and freedman of the emperor Hadrian, who lived in the 2nd century AD.. Born about A.D. 80[1], was a secular historian who lived in the second century. There are two books credited to his name: Chronicles and the Olympiads. Little is known about Phlegon, but he made reference to Christ. The first quote below is unique to Origen. The second quote is recorded by Philopon. The third quote is from Julius Africanus and the last is from Jerome. The reader should note that Phlegon’s comment that an eclipse of the sun occurred during Jesus’ death was impossible (see Thallus) since an eclipse of the sun cannot occur during a full moon since the Jewish Passover occurs during a full moon. Jesus died during a full moon. It is important to read Thallus’ comments to completely understand the issue.

Reference To Jesus Christ
“And with regard to the eclipse in the time of Tiberius Caesar, in whose reign Jesus appears to have been crucified, and the great earthquakes which then took place . . . ” – Origen, “Against Celsus”, Book 2.33
“Phlegon mentioned the eclipse which took place during the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus and no other (eclipse); it is clear that he did not know from his sources about any (similar) eclipse in previous times . . . and this is shown by the historical account of Tiberius Caesar.” – Phiopon, De. opif. mund. II21
“Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Cæsar, at full moon, there was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth – manifestly that one of which we speak. But what has an eclipse in common with an earthquake, the rending rocks, and the resurrection of the dead, and so great a perturbation throughout the universe? . . . And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time.” – Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.1
“In the fourth year, however, of Olympiad 202, an eclipse of the sun happened, greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea.” – Phlegon’s 13th book quoted in Jerome’s translation of Eusebius’ Chronicle, 202 Olympiad
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Jesus had knowledge of the future.
2) Jesus’ predictions came true.
3) The sun was darkened during Christ’s death.
4) A solar eclipse supposedly occurred during a full moon.
However, this is scientifically impossible.
5) A great earthquake occurred during Christ’s death.
6) The facts were recorded in a historical account of Tiberius.

11. Mara Bar-Serapion was a Syrian about whom we know almost nothing. He wrote about Jesus Christ sometime between A.D. 73 and AD 300 . He left a legacy manuscript to his son Serapion. The letter is now in the possession of the British Museum.

Reference To Jesus Christ
What benefit did the Athenians obtain by putting Socrates to death? Famine and plague came upon them as judgment for their crime. Or, the people of Samos for burning Pythagoras? In one moment their country was covered with sand. Or the Jews by murdering their wise king?. . . after that their kingdom was abolished. God rightly avenged these men. . . the wise king. . . lived on in the teachings he enacted. – British Museum, Syriac Manuscript, Additional 14,658
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Jesus was regarded as a wise king.
2) Jesus was murdered.
3) Jesus’ teachings lived on.

12. The Talmud (“teaching” or “study”) is a multi-volume compilation containing the Mishnah (oral legal teachings) and Jewish commentary on the Mishnah (Gemara). It is the basis of Jewish religious life. The accepted version was compiled by Rabbis Akiba (died AD 135) and Meir and completed by Rabbi Judah in AD 200.
Reference To Jesus Christ
On the eve of the Passover Yeshu [Jesus] was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, “He is going to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Anyone who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.” But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the eve of the Passover. – Babylonia Sanhedrin 43A
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Jesus performed supernatural feats (miracles and wonders).
2) Jesus was hanged (see Gal 3:13) or crucified.
3) Jesus died on Passover eve or Friday afternoon.
4) No one defended Jesus.

13. Papyri Graecae Magicae: A set of ancient manuscripts commonly referred to as the Papyri Graecae Magicae was purchased in Egypt in A.D. 1827. The authors are unknown. This collection of papyri dates from the second century B.C. to the fifth century A.D. The papyri are excerpts and fragments documenting magical spells, mystical knowledge and occult secrets.
Reference To Jesus Christ
Several magical papyri which have survived from [the days of the apostle Paul] to ours contain attempts to reproduce the true pronunciation of the ineffable name – Iao, Iabe, and so forth – as well as other Jewish expressions and names such as Sabboath and Abraham, used as elements of magic spells. The closest parallel to the Ephesian exorcists’ misuse of the name of Jesus appears in a magical papyrus belonging to the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, which contains the adjuration: “I adjure you by Jesus, the God of the Hebrews.” – F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts, Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1988, p. 368.
The use by the Jews of Jesus’ name in an attempt to heal was sternly denounced by some rabbis. – K. Preisendanz. Papyri Graecae Magicae, I (Leipzig, 1928), Pap. Bibl. Nat. Suppl. gr. 574, lines 3018-19; Tos. Hullin 2.22-23; TJ Shabbat 14.4.14d and ‘Adodah Zarah 2.2.40d0d-41a; TB ‘Adodah Zarah 27b. cited in footnote 32 of F.F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts, Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1988, p. 368.
Conclusion
The references reveal several key things:
1) Jesus’ name was used by Jewish rabbis in an attempt to heal.
2) The Jewish rabbis rebuked other Jews for using Jesus name.
3) The use of Jesus’ name was believed to result in healing.
4) The quotations suggest that power resided in the name of Jesus Christ.

SUMMARY:

What We Know About Jesus Source of Information
1 He was an actual, historical person who was alive in Palestine during the reign of Tiberius (CE 14-37) Tacitus / Josephus / Lucian / The Talmud
2 He was known to be a teacher Lucian of Samosta / Mara Bar Serapion
3 His vocation was associated with sorcery (or miracles and wonders) Pontius Pilate
4 He had a group of followers Suetonius / Josephus
5 Jesus had trouble with the authorities because of His teaching The Talmud
6 No one defended Him at His trial The Talmud
7 He was executed by crucifixion on the eve of Passover by order of the Roman Prefect of Judea, Pontus Pilate Tacitus / Pontius Pilate / Lucian of Samosta / Mara Bar Serapion / Phlegon / The Talmud / Josephus
8 An earthquake and a “solar eclipse” occurred at the time of His death Phlegon / Thallus
What We Know About His Followers
1 They were called Christians Tacitus / Suetonius / Hadrian / Trajan / Josephus
2 The church began in Judea and spread widely within just a few years reaching to Rome itself Tacitus / Suetonius
3 Christians were persecuted for their faith Tacitus / Pliny / Suetonius / Hadrian / Trajan
4 Christians were banished from Rome Suetonius
5 They met on a fixed day of the week, sung hymns, and worshipped Jesus “As if He was a God” Pliny / Lucian
6 They were committed to Holy behavior Pliny / Lucian
7 Their belief was centered around a “mischievous superstition” Tacitus / Suetonius
8 Christians taught that, once converted, you have eternal life Lucian of Samosta
9 Jesus’ name was used by Jewish rabbis in attempting to heal people Papyri Graecae Magicae

Some Questions to Ponder

Some Questions to Ponder:

Clean Water:

I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, not far from the Ohio Canal and the Cuyahoga River.  I would imagine most of my Ohio friends will remember quite clearly how disgusting the canal was.  You had to roll up your windows when you drove alongside it because the stench was unbearable.   There was thick foam that floated on the canal that merged into the Cuyahoga, which then dumped into Lake Erie.   Many industries dumped untreated waste into the canal and into the Cuyahoga, with the wastes including raw petroleum products, raw sewage, and chemicals.   Fish, animals, and plants could not live in the polluted waters and, needless to say, drinking or swimming was out of the question.   In June of 1969 the Cuyahoga River caught fire, damaging a small section of a bridge.  While this was by far not the worst of the thirteen times the Cuyahoga River caught fire, a picture of the burning river made the cover of Time Magazine and created a bit of an uproar.  Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes became an advocate for pollution control, testifying before congress, and becoming a strident voice whose efforts contributed to the passage of the Federal Clean Water Act of 1972.  After passage of the act companies were forced to stop the dumping of untreated waste.

Questions:  Is the Federal Clean Water Act of 1972 a worthy piece of legislation?  Does the greater good of insuring clean water supersede the rights of Corporations to dispose of their waste in the most cost efficient method available?  Did the passage of this legislation create massive job losses as the added expense of treating waste put corporations out of business?  For those who believe that “The Market” will self-regulate, why did the market not put the offending companies out of business or at least force them to stop polluting the water?  If this law was being proposed today instead of forty years ago, to what length do you believe the corporations would have gone to preserve their right to continue to dump their waste in the most cost efficient method available? In order to address that last question let’s take a look at the tobacco industry.

Tobacco:

Before I begin I would like to refer you to the following source document.  http://www.who.int/tobacco/media/en/TobaccoExplained.pdf

I will not qualify or cite statements in the following discussion but my arguments will be based on widely published information.

In the 1950’s concurrent research by the US Government and the tobacco industry began to reveal the presence of carcinogens in cigarette smoke and began to link smoking with several types of cancer.  The tobacco industry responded by vastly increasing the number of cigarettes available with filters (Promoting a false sense of security among smokers) and by beginning a public relations campaign promising scientific research into the effects of smoking on health.  At the same time the industry began a program of advertising and public policy statements that cast doubt on the growing evidence of the health risks of smoking.  (Not until 1997 did The Liggett Group issue a statement in response to a lawsuit conceding that cigarettes are addictive, cause lung cancer, and are marketed specifically to minors.  To date they are the ONLY tobacco company to admit to these well known facts, yet still the company denies any wrongdoing.)  In the late 50’s and early 60’s tobacco company scientists approached management with a claim to be able to produce a “safe” cigarette.  These safe cigarettes were never manufactured because the industry lawyers believed that introducing a safe cigarette would be an admission that companies were aware of the fact that their current product was unsafe.  As early as 1950 the FTC was bringing litigation against tobacco companies for false or misleading advertising.  The United States Government and several state governments led the fight against tobacco, encouraging people to quit smoking, or not to start.

Questions:  Did the United States Government or the government of several states have a right to interfere with the advertising and marketing choices of the tobacco industry?  Does the government have a right to be involved in public health issues?  Does the government have a right to require companies to be truthful in their advertising?  For those who believe that “The Market” will self-regulate, why did the market not force the tobacco companies to manufacture their “safe” cigarettes?  Were the government’s efforts to curb cigarette smoking and to inhibit the marketing of cigarettes to minors a good thing or a bad thing?

A closing statement for this section:  While cigarette smoking is on the decline in the US, the tobacco companies are doing fine, thank you. Smoking in developing countries where governments are not taking a stand against the tobacco industry is on the rise, and in many places smoking among children is prevalent.

Clean Air:

When I first moved to New Jersey in 1969 a drive on the northern end of the New Jersey Turnpike was another opportunity for closed window travel.  The many oil refineries in northern New Jersey released tons of untreated waste into the air.  Often the pollution would settle over the area as a dense fog and the stench was unbearable.  Those who flew into Newark Airport, in the heart of the area producing the pollution, helped to give New Jersey the reputation of being the nation’s “armpit”.  While New Jersey government did pass some regulations to attempt to remedy the situation, it was the EPA and the NJEPA, formed in 1970 that began the work of requiring corporations to treat their waste before releasing it.  Pollution levels declined steadily over the next several years and as a New Jerseyan I am proud to say that you can now drive the length of the turnpike without having to roll up your windows.

Questions: Did the EPA have a right to interfere with the right of corporations to dispose of their waste in the most cost effective manner possible?  Did the added expense of treating their waste cause massive job losses due to corporations’ inabilities to sustain this added expense?  Does the need for clean air supersede the need for increased corporate profits?  For those who believe that “The Market” will self-regulate, why were these polluting companies not forced out of business, ESPECIALLY when their corporate logos were emblazoned on the very smokestacks that were spewing toxic waste into the air?  Was improving the quality of the air in New Jersey, along with the associated health benefits from cleaner air a worthwhile government endeavor or an impingement of corporate (Now considered to be personal) freedom?

Safe Cars:

Ford:  In 1971 the Ford Motor Company introduced the Ford Pinto.  The Pinto had a problem with its fuel tank that created a significant risk of explosion or fire if the car was hit from behind.  The problem had a solution but an internal Ford memo revealed the fact that Ford did a cost-benefit analysis and concluded that it was more cost effective to let people die in explosions and fires than it was to fix the problem.

Toyota:  In 2009 a family of four was killed when their Lexus uncontrollably accelerated to 125 miles per hour on a California freeway.  The incident, captured in a frantic 911 call from one of the occupants, highlighted a problem with Toyota vehicles about which Toyota intentionally deceived the public for several years.

Chrysler:  Another automotive problem is being played out today as the Jeep Grand Cherokee is being investigated for having gas tank issues; another vehicle with a greatly increased risk of exploding if hit from behind.  Chrysler is denying all allegations in spite of 44 crashes where fire has caused 55 deaths.

In 1966 the United States Government passed the National Traffic and Motor Safety Act which formed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  This department investigates possible safety issues and has the power to effect recalls of unsafe vehicles.  The NHTSA has fined Toyota more than $60 million over the sudden acceleration issue and Toyota recently settled a case with the USDOJ agreeing to pay $1.2 billion to settle lawsuits over the issue.

Questions:  Does the United States Government have the right to force automobile manufacturers to correct safety issues with cars sold in the US?  Does the government have a right to prevent car manufacturers from making cars any way they choose, without regard for public safety?  Does the US Government have the right to hold automobile manufacturers responsible for failures to correct unsafe issues or to punish corporations for deceiving the government and the people over potential safety issues in their product?  For those who believe that “The Market” will self-regulate, how is it possible that the Ford Motor Company was able to stay in business after the Pinto memo was released?  Would your opinion with regard to any of these questions be different had a relative of yours been the victim of a product failure that could have been prevented by an automobile manufacturer but was not?

Conclusions:  Corporations are not always good citizens, though they may claim so for public relations reasons.  History is FULL of examples of corporations putting profits before people, sometimes tragically so.  (Google: Bhopal, Wellpoint, Enron, United Fruit in Guatemala, Yaguarete Pora Amazon, Tyco, Rana Plaza, Heck, look up the true story of the Boston Tea Party!).  The question we face is twofold.  One question is does the government’s responsibility to protect the rights of all of its citizens supersede the right of corporations to operate as they please?  The second questions is do corporations have the right to spend as much money as they please to influence the government, and do they retain this right even when they are being deceptive?

From 2003-2010 140 foundations funneled $558 million to nearly 100 organizations that deny climate change.  From 1997-2014 the Koch brothers themselves have spent $67 million on climate denial front groups.  Like the tobacco industry before them, the petro chemical industry is fighting with all of their formidable resources to prevent action on climate change that will adversely impact their profits.  So effective are their efforts that a very large number of American Citizens are willing to ignore the voices of 97% of scientists who say that this is a very real and critically important issue.  Who should we be willing to believe?  The scientists trained and dedicated to studying the empirical facts of the issue, or the corporations who are protecting their profits?

32 of the world’s 33 developed countries offer universal health care, with the United States being the ONLY country not to do so.  The Affordable Care Act was conceived as a way to provide affordable health care to all American Citizens.  In less than 16 months, the insurance companies’ lobbying group America’s Health Insurance Plans spent over $100 million dollars on efforts to prevent the passage of the affordable care act.  As with the tobacco, petrochemical, and automotive industries, truth has not been an important component of this dialogue.  Companies have learned that disinformation and appeals to individual prejudices are a far more effective tool in combating the passage of a law than are debate and honest discourse, especially when surveys have shown that a clear majority of Americans want effective health care reform.  Since six of the 25 highest paid CEO’s in the country last year earn their living in health care it’s clear that a serious amount of money is being made.  Anyone who doubts a profit before people motive in the health care industry need look no further than Wellpoint’s high profile shedding of breast cancer patients or read how a Roche executive explained his company’s mission.  While the health care insurance and pharmaceutical industries continue to rake in profits, people are suffering and dying.

Here is what I believe:

Corporations will not easily give up their hold on that which is profitable.  History has shown time and time again that profits are more important than people and there is nothing in the market that is going to change that.  True, some companies are good corporate citizens, but many are not.  We as Americans elect a government to protect the inalienable rights of its citizens.  I WANT my government to protect me from a company that decides that it is more cost effective to pay $200,000.00 for each wrongful death lawsuit than it is to spend the $11.00 per car that it would cost to make the car safe;  and I WANT a government that will penalize the snot out of that company for lying about the danger.  I WANT a government that will oversee a health care system that pays doctors, nurses, hospitals, and health care workers a decent wage, that makes needed coverage and medication available and affordable to every American Citizen, negotiates fair prices for pharmaceuticals, and puts an end to obscene profits in the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.  I WANT a government that will work diligently to protect the environment so my grandchildren and their grandchildren will have clean air, clean water, and a safe and comfortable living environment.  I WANT a government that can’t be bought by the wealthy, a government whose laws are not written by the corporations they purport to regulate.  I WANT a government that doesn’t allow the wealthy to compromise the freedom of the internet for fiscal gain or to pollute the media with lies and deceptions to a political end.

Bigger government you say?  Perhaps so, but it will be a bigger government with a purpose; a purpose to make the lives of everyday Americans a little better and to inhibit the ability of the powerful to mistreat, use, or abuse the powerless.

Finally, if it sounds like I am fanatically against business, nothing could be further from the truth.  I’ve spent my entire adult life working in retail and I deeply appreciate being given the opportunity to support my family working for a number of companies, some big and some small.  As I said before, most companies are good corporate citizens and these companies should be given every possible opportunity to succeed and to thrive with a minimum of government interference.  If, however, a company chooses to place its own profits ahead of the common good, to manipulate the government to its own benefit, to move operations offshore to avoid taxes, or to move jobs offshore to increase profits, then I believe the government has a right, and even a solemn responsibility to force the company to comply with good citizen behavior or to put them out of business.

About the President:  Additionally I’d like to point out the fact that, until the political winds change in this country, there will NEVER be another progressive President of the United States who will not be vilified by the political right.  Truth in the vilification process is inconsequential, it only matters that you cause people to hate the president in order that the next president elected will be a wholly owned subsidiary of corporate America.  Has ANYONE asked themselves the question “Who is responsible for the professionally edited video that changed an Obama speech made in Brussels in March 2014 into the “New World Order” video that circulated on Facebook”?  Or how about the not so professionally edited video where he appears to say he was born in Kenya?  There is rarely a day that passes that I do not see at least one post that heaps vitriol on the president.  Whether the claims are true, marginally true, or ridiculous, make no difference.  As long as people are led to hate the president, the result is achieved.  Whatever happened to respect for the office?

If my politically right leaning friends disagree with me, that’s fine.  I’m always glad to discuss, as long as you back up your facts with original source material.  DON’T bring me arguments that have been bought and paid for by corporations trying to influence your vote, especially when the corporate argument is invalid, deceptive, or a bald faced lie.

Church Shopping Week 4 (Much Overdue)

My 4th week wasn’t really a shopping week. I was blessed with the opportunity to travel halfway across the country to visit my family and was invited to sing at their church. My family belongs to a beautiful Lutheran church with approximately 450 members; a little larger than that to which I am accustomed, but still small enough to be very friendly. I attended the contemporary service and really enjoyed it. A missionary brought the message and he painted a very compelling picture of the situation in Haiti and spoke about what his organization is doing to help. His message was excellent. The praise team sang mostly familiar music and I enjoyed singing along, albeit from the pew. The praise team consisted of keyboard, bass, and 5 singers. They were short handed the Sunday I was there but I was able to attend their weekday rehearsal where they added two members, one of whom plays violin and one of whom plays the trumpet. Both of these members also play percussion instruments, a dijimbe and another, lower pitched drum that I did not recognize.

The praise team was led by the keyboard player and he is quite good. I enjoyed listening to him (and was grateful for his extremely adept accompaniment of my solo, playing on very short notice). The sound was quite well balanced, thanks to a mixing position at the rear of the church and a few capable engineers. The singers did a good job of singing together and overall, I thought the praise team was quite good. I did, however, miss the percussion. While the two drums added some needed motion to the sound when I attended the rehearsal, there is no substitute for a drum kit. The pastor and I spoke briefly about his desire to add percussion and I passed along my suggestion that a digital kit would be a good solution.

I was astonished at the difference in resources between a 200 member church and a 450 member church. I’ve always been a fan of the small church because of the greater potential for intimacy within the community, but I found no lack of fellowship here, and the greater resources of the slightly larger church do present some appealing pluses; greater participation in missions, a healthy batch of programs, and a stronger economic base. Maybe I need to expand my horizons.

Hopefully I will add a 5th blog next week. I did not attend any church over the past three weeks due to a travel day, a day when I had to be at work too early to attend, and this past Sunday when I was just a bit too depressed to drag myself somewhere. Hopefully this Sunday will be better.

Please pray for me as I continue my search.

Church Shopping Week 3

Well, where do I begin?  I guess I should start by saying I enjoyed the service this morning.  I went to the contemporary service at St. Paul’s in Ocean Grove.  It started at 9:00, so I made it to work in plenty of time.  The message was excellent, and the music was fairly good.  I learned a few things today, and a few things I have believed over the years were confirmed.

I’ve always felt that you need to keep music intended for congregational singing within a limited vocal range.  If you look at hymnals you see that melodies rarely, if ever, go above an E.  Popular music, however, tends to go up to F, and sometimes even G, and that is just too high for congregational singing.  So my practice over the last several years of transposing songs down to a more “singable” range, was a good one.  One of the songs this morning stretched my range and I listened as the congregation almost completely stopped singing at the higher parts.  If the purpose of the praise team is to draw the congregation into worship, you need to be playing the music where the congregation is comfortable singing it.  Otherwise the congregation is thinking about the music and not about the subject of the music.

I also confirmed my thought that a digital drum kit is a good choice for church use.  We tried a digital kit at Hope before switching to a real kit but the digital kit was a very cheap one and it never performed adequately.  The digital kit at St. Paul’s was VERY good.  The drummer was able to play comfortably without having to worry about overbalancing the ensemble and the sound from the kit was tuned perfectly; not too loud and not too soft.  For churches looking to add contemporary elements to a traditional service a decent digital kit is an excellent solution.  True, there are some drummers out there with the finesse to play a real kit behind a quieter ensemble, but how many churches are lucky enough to have someone with that skill set?

I have, on occasion, made changes to songs, usually to make them easier to sing but occasionally to give them a different flavor.  After today, I am unlikely to do this again.  One of the songs that was sung this morning had the chorus done in 1/2 time.  It was a VERY familiar song and the change was positively jarring.  Again, the change detracted me from worship.

Lest anyone think (after all of this complaining) that I did not like the music, let me say that I did, and will likely visit St. Paul’s again.  The praise team had two guitars, a bass, a drummer, two singers, and the worship leader on keyboard.  The worship leader did a very good job of transitioning between songs and created a very worshipful mood with prayer and some lingering on at the end of songs, something that I have not done that I will need to do.

I was quite surprised at how many people my age and older were at this service.  Even though it IS Ocean Grove, the 9:00 AM service is advertised as a contemporary service and there were plenty of older folks there who were clearly enjoying the format.  That was VERY encouraging to me, since it is my hope eventually to begin a contemporary service at a church somewhere.

In spite of the fact that this is a fairly large church (probably 200-250 people there this morning) I was greeted by multiple people.  The church had a relaxed and very friendly vibe and, as I said, the message was REALLY good.

Please pray for me as I continue my search.

Church Shopping Week 2

OK, so now I have another criteria to add to my list of things for which I am looking in a church.  This week I attended Calvary Chapel in Old Bridge and my experience was very different from my first visit there.  My first time I was unimpressed (though I visited there before I was really comfortable with contemporary worship).  Over the last several years contemporary worship has become my worship style of choice and today I completely enjoyed the service.  The music was good, the sound was very good, the message was excellent (what I heard of it), and I would gladly return here, except for the fact that I have to work on Sundays and even though I left mid-sermon, I was five minutes late to work.  So now in addition to the quality of the message, the quality of the music, and the style of the worship, I have to remember to consider scheduling as well.  Their service started at 10:00 AM and I thought it would be iffy as to whether the service would be over by 11:15 or so.  It turned out I was right.  (Calvary Chapel, if you are listening, it would have been nice if you had answered the email I sent asking what time your 10:00 AM service ended).

Some observations on the service:  Once again I was not greeted, though I did not expect it at such a large church.  The service began EXACTLY on time, with the praise band walking on to the chancel at 30 seconds before 10.  They did a worship set of 4 songs, had a very good prayer by the worship leader, then had what we Presbyterians would call a minute for mission.  The sermon began at about 10:20 or so and the pastor was still going strong when I left at 11:10.  The church sanctuary probably seats a little over 1,000 people and you have to love a place where a dozen people’s service before the Lord is wearing orange vests and directing traffic!  The sound, as I said, was quite good.  It was clear and undistorted and, surprisingly, not at all loud; extremely well done!  Before the service they were showing the week’s schedule on the overhead screens and the church appears to have made a big commitment to small home groups, a program that was referenced in the sermon, and a good strategy for a large church such as this.  I wish I had the opportunity to get to know this place a little better, but I will have to continue to look and try to find a church that meets all of my criteria.

Next week I haven’t a clue of where I will be going.  Time to do a little internet research.  (A gentle reminder to any church leadership who may be listening as to the importance of having a good web presence).  Please pray for me as I continue my search.

Church Shopping

We are an imperfect people, living in an imperfect world. Unfortunately, even within the Body of Christ, where believers are supposed to be loving and compassionate, there are hiccups along the way.
And so I find myself church shopping, not because of anything bad anyone did, but just because of my current circumstances and a desire on my part not to reward some errant thinking that led to a decision that affected me deeply.
My first stop in my shopping trip was today and frankly it was, in some ways, a bust. As a matter of fact, I walked out before the service even started with the Spirit practically screaming in my ear “THIS ISN’T THE ONE”. Surprisingly, I was not greeted by ANYONE at this church except for the pastor; who was greeting everyone at the front door. He did not address the fact that he had never seen me before or even ask my name. He was much too interested in greeting the next person behind me. Once in the church I picked a place to sit, only to find out within a minute or two that I had taken someone’s customary seat. And thus the only engagement I had from someone other than the pastor was a dirty look. (Strains of “If We Are The Body” playing in the background.)
It wasn’t the lack of engagement, however, that caused me to walk out; it was a look at the bulletin. This was a mainline denomination Protestant church that billed itself on its website as a church with a blended service. Having spent the last 7 years or so being involved with a church that had a vibrant contemporary/traditional blended style, a blended service will be a prerequisite for my new church (Should I finally decide that a change is that to which I am being led. God DOES work in strange ways). This church had plenty of music in the bulletin, but it seemed instantly clear to me that this was a church with a “performance” mentality. The music, except for two hymns, was not participatory. Which leads me to the positives that came out of today.
The worship paradigm has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. Gone are the days when you would sit and listen to the music at a Christian concert (Yes, I am old enough to remember those days). Christian concerts are now entirely participatory. Churches need to be recognizing this change and responding accordingly. The music program at the modern church needs to move away from a performance based mentality and begin to be about the task of drawing the congregation into worship. Music is a powerful medium that can set the tone emotionally for what is to follow. The effective worship leader will use the music to bring the congregation to the place where the message is enhanced by the music preceding, and reinforced by the music following. The key, however, is to get the congregation to participate.
After serving as a blended worship leader for 3 years and a music director for three different churches over the last 30 years I will be using the next several weeks of church shopping to take a critical look at the music programs and, hopefully, to gain a better understanding of what things work and what things don’t.
If we as church musicians are to use our gift effectively, we must learn to engage the congregation and use our medium to draw them closer to Jesus; to make the ground of their hearts the good soil that will receive the Word and produce fruit.