God's love

In February, as we celebrate St. Valentine's Day, we all hear quite a bit about love. Yesterday I received an ad from Barnes & Noble that declared: "Nothing says 'Love' like 10% off." Really? Nothing? In 1967 the Beatles sang, "All you need is love", but perhaps that's claiming too much. All we really need is God's love for us - and to live in response to that love.

As the apostle John explains: "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4: 9-10) God's great act of love for us occurred when he allowed his own Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Jesus bore the brunt of God's wrath that we deserve.

Once we realize what God has spared us from, we can only live in grateful thanks to him. And one of the ways we do this is by loving each other. As John goes on to say, "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (4:11) We should try to show the same love, grace and mercy to others that God extended to us.

However, that is easier said than done! This might be our aspiration, but we may still find some people difficult. When the apostle Paul wrote to his least troublesome church, he still had to say, "I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord." (Philippians 4:2) Two women who, Paul said, "contended at my side in the cause of the gospel" (4:3) had nevertheless fallen out with each other.

Paul didn't shrug his shoulders when he heard of their dispute, he pleaded with them to (literally) "think the same thing in the Lord" - or, as we might put it, "get on the same page!" If their disagreement had been allowed to continue, other members of the congregation might have begun to take sides, and this marvelous church could have collapsed from civil strife. This is Satan's most effective weapon in dividing and destroying church families.

In another letter Paul writes: "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13) May we, by God's grace, live lives of gratitude to God and love for one another, consciously making the decision every day to bear with each other and forgive each other. Nothing says 'Love' like God's love for us and the ability he gives us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, so that the world can see that we are truly Jesus' disciples.

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A useful Christian

One of the wonderful things God does is to take unpromising people and use them for his glory. Dwight L. Moody is a good example. He was the sixth son of a poor couple, who later had a daughter. When Dwight was four year old, his father died at the age of forty-one and twins were born a month later.

When Moody was seventeen he went to work in his uncle's shoe store and began attending an evangelical church. A year later, this young man was converted to Christ when his Sunday school teacher told him how much God loved him. However, a month later, Moody's application for church membership was declined after that same teacher wrote: "I can truly say, and in saying it I magnify the infinite grace of God as bestowed upon him, that I have seen few persons whose minds were spiritually darker than was his when he came into my Sunday School class; and I think that the committee of this Church seldom met an applicant for membership more unlikely ever to become a Christian of clear and decided views of Gospel truth, still less to fill any extended sphere of public usefulness." This teacher may have accurately described Moody's spiritual state when began attending church, but his prediction of Moody's future could not have been more wrong!

D. L. Moody became one of the greatest evangelists of the 19th century. He he ministered to sailors and gamblers, founded schools and churches, and preached to thousands of people throughout the United States and Great Britain. In October 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed his church, his home, and the dwellings of most of his members. Moody said later that he saved nothing but his reputation and his Bible. This comment reveals, perhaps, the key to his success. Moody once said, "I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible. If a man neglects his Bible, he may pray and ask God to use him in His work; but God cannot make much use of him, for there is not much for the Holy Ghost to work upon." D. L. Moody was a useful Christian. Though he once displayed few signs of future greatness, he became very useful in God's service as a eager student of God's word.

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The Fifth Gospel

As long as I have been reading the Bible, I have been fascinated by the book of Isaiah. First, I was amazed by its length: it sprawls for sixty-six chapters, more than a hundred pages in my Bible. Then, much more importantly, I discovered that it contains some of the best-known and most amazing prophecies about the coming of Christ - prophecies that were written 700 years before Jesus’ birth. It is no wonder that Isaiah’s words are read before Christmas and during Holy Week - he described the events of Jesus’ life in as much detail as New Testament writers do.

Jerome, an early Christian scholar, thought Isaiah “should be called an evangelist rather than a prophet because he describes all the mysteries of Christ and the Church so clearly that you would think he composing a history of what has already happened rather than prophesying about what is to come.” Many years later, people began referring to Isaiah as the “fifth evangelist” (after Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and his book as the “Fifth Gospel.”

Isaiah’s message was embraced by those first four evangelists, as well as the apostle Paul, and they frequently quote from it in their own books. After the New Testament was written, Isaiah became - if possible - even more significant. The early church Fathers discovered that the prophet’s words could be used to describe nearly every aspect of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

In the centuries that followed, the book of Isaiah had a huge impact on English literature (Bunyan, Milton, Herbert), Western music (Handel, Mendelssohn, Brahms) and nearly every other expression of art and culture.

In Advent 2010 I preached from chapters 40 to 42 of Isaiah. And on Sunday mornings I taught a short course on the huge influence this book has had since the first century. This long book is endlessly fascinating and has spoken powerfully to people in every age. I am glad we were able to learn from it together.

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"Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

"It is right to give him thanks and praise.

"It is indeed right, it is our duty and our joy, at all times and in all places to give you thanks and praise, holy Father, heavenly King, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ your only Son our Lord."

These great words, from the beginning of our Eucharistic Prayer, invite us to give thanks and praise to God. Indeed, the word Eucharist comes from the Greek word meaning Thanksgiving. We gather at the Lord's Table in thanksgiving for what he has done for us in Christ: the forgiveness of our sin and the gift of eternal life.

In addition to our salvation, most of us are blessed in other ways, too: perhaps by having beloved family members, great friends and good health. As we approach Thanksgiving Day this year, we at St. Matthew's are particularly aware of reasons to give thanks to God: the consensus-building 40 Days of Discernment, two decisive Decision Days, a relatively smooth transition, a wonderful church building in which to meet, and many new members who have now become friends in Christ. My family and I thank God that he brought us to Oregon nearly seven years ago - and that he brought us to St. Matthew's Anglican Church this year!

Thanksgiving is displayed in a Christian's life in several ways - in how we think, what we say and what we do. Americans are fortunate to have a national holiday set apart for thanksgiving (and those of us who have lived abroad, where the fourth Thursday in November is just another day, have a special appreciation for it!). This year our congregation has been invited to hold a joint Thanksgiving Day service with Faithful Savior Lutheran Church, which will be held in their church building. Everyone is invited to the service - and to stay for a Thanksgiving meal.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

(Psalm 118:1)

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Listen Up!

When I lived in England I used to meet with a few other Anglican clergy to discuss our upcoming sermons. Each of us, in turn, would read the Bible passage we were working on and give an outline of the points we planned to make. Then the others would offer suggestions, insight and encouragement. All of us shared the goal of teaching the Bible faithfully and clearly, believing that when God's word is taught, his voice can be heard.

One of the members of this small group was Christopher Ash. He is warm and gracious, and his comments were always helpful and wise. It was obvious that he worked hard at communicating biblical truth to his congregation, but his experience of preaching taught him that communication is a two-way street, that it is just as important for a church member to listen well as it is for a preacher to preach well.

I am delighted that Chris has now written a booklet called: "Listen Up: a practical guide to listening to sermons" in which he suggests "Seven Ingredients for Healthy Sermon Listening." He begins each of these points with an example of someone who doesn't do this, and then someone who does, so we quickly understand what he means. He then explains why this particular ingredient is so important, and concludes each section with several practical steps that anyone can take to put this advice into practice. (He even includes a section called: "How to listen to bad sermons" - which, he thinks, many readers may turn to first!)

His first two ingredients are theological and, perhaps, the most important of all: (1) "Expect God to speak" and (2) "Admit that God knows better than you." The third ingredient (3) "Check that the preacher says what the passage says" reminds me of Acts 17:11 ("Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.") The next two thrilled my heart because they are so true yet so rarely said: (4) "Hear the sermon in church" and (5) "Be there week by week." The last two ingredients are crucial: having heard God's word, we must obey it: (6) "Do what the Bible says" and (7) "Do what the Bible says today - and rejoice!"

This short booklet is so clear and compelling, it's a wonder that no one has written anything like it in two hundred years (the most recent guide the author found was "Directions: How to hear sermons" by the great Cambridge pastor, Charles Simeon). No one can read this new booklet without being challenged as to the importance of listening carefully to God's word - and every reader will learn many practical steps that can taken to facilitate the hearing of God's word. As Jesus said, "Consider carefully how you listen." (Luke 8:18)

I will begin passing around copies of this helpful booklet at church. Please read it carefully and prayerfully, and then pass it on to someone else in our church family who hasn't read it yet - or leave it on the counter near the door. This short booklet could transform the way you listen to sermons, thereby making it easier for God to transform you!

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That Christ may be glorified

As the summer comes to an end, and the busyness of September is just around the corner, many of us are overwhelmed by all the things we have to get done! I hope that you have been able to take some time this summer to relax and be refreshed. Maybe, for some of you, there has been no break and that feeling of being overwhelmed has pursued you all summer long.

We live in a culture of busyness, always looking ahead to the next project, trying to stay on top of the tasks and commitments we are juggling. So often, that which is urgent becomes the enemy of that which is important - and we find ourselves letting go of things which don't have to be done today in order to get the immediate and pressing jobs accomplished. Sadly, it is often our relationship with God, our commitment to prayer and Bible study, which takes a back seat when we are busy. Nurturing and tending to our faith requires a decisive act of will. It will be squeezed out of our schedule if we don't make sure that it is there.

Hanging by our computer is a bookmark with the following prayer: "Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and I accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all, utterly to Thee to be Thine forever; fill me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as Thou wilt; send me where Thou wilt; work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever." At the bottom of the prayer is the author's name, Betty Stam - and poignantly, in parentheses, the words: "Died at the hands of Communists in China, 1934."

This young woman, 28 years old when she was killed, decided to put God first in her life. She and her husband were missionaries in China when they were both executed for their faith. When fellow Christians found their bodies, they buried the couple and marked their graves with sequential Bible verses:

"That Christ may be glorified whether by life or by death." (Philippians 1:20)

and

"For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

As this busy month of September begins, may we share that single-minded devotion to Christ that this brave couple displayed and "press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us." (Philippians 3:12)

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The God who is with us

At our Wednesday morning Bible study, we have been reading the Old Testament book of Exodus. As we study this exciting portion of scripture together, we have been struck by its description of God: "The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob." God heard and remembered - and then we discover: when God hears and remembers, he acts!

In chapter 3, we read: "The LORD said, 'I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.' " God is not far away or uninterested, he has seen, he has heard and he is concerned about his people's suffering.

Whenever the Bible describes God in this way, it is a prelude to announcing the action he will take: "So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey." God will rescue his people and bring them up.

Once God notices something, he does something about it - though God often acts through one of his people. In this case, his chosen servant, Moses. "God said to him: 'So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.' But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?' And God said, 'I will be with you.' " What a comforting thought: God will be with his servant as his servant is obedient to his God.

Moses, however, was worried: what if people ask him God's name? Who shall he say has sent him? "God said to Moses, 'I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: "I AM has sent me to you." ' " God's name is not a word, but a sentence: I am who I am. The emphasis is not on God's existence, but on his active presence. His name means, "I will be with you." As God sends Moses on a dangerous mission, he promises to be with him.

Jesus says something similar to his apostles as he sends them out into the world: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

It is encouraging to know that God hears us, sees us, and is concerned for us. And it is reassuring to know that he will be with us as we obey his word and do his work.

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"Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, the apostles never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ." (Acts 5:42)

The early days of the church must have been exciting times for those first Christians! They had seen and experienced so much, but there was still so much more to learn. Though most of the believers had been raised on the Old Testament, they returned to these ancient writings as Christians with a renewed vigor. A keen interest in the Bible has always been a mark of a spiritually healthy church.

I am excited about the new small groups that are forming at our church. It seems to me that most of what I have learned about the Lord, I learned in a small group. It was in a Sunday School class that I heard the gospel explained and then became a Christian. It was in a weekday evening small group that I learned how to understand the Bible. And it was in several other small groups, over many years, that I grew in my knowledge of the Lord. I cannot imagine where I would be today - spiritually - were it not for small groups.

Some of our church members experienced a small group for the first time during our 40 Days of Discovery earlier this year. One person, who joined a group to participate in the program, said after the second week: "I am really enjoying this group!" She had never realized how fulfilling it is to read and discuss the scriptures with fellow Christians, and then pray and share together.

In addition to the Bible studies we already have, new groups will begin in the Fall. All of us are very busy and assume we can't add anything else to our life, but (as one small group leader of mine often said) "There is nothing better than knowing Jesus - and we can always know him better!"

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"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43: 18-19)

Thank you for calling me to be the first Rector of St. Matthew's Anglican Church. It is an honor and a privilege to serve you as your pastor. As I reflect back on the first month of our new life together, I am filled with gratitude. I am grateful to God for guiding and enabling us during this time of transition and for providing us with the things we need: a wonderful place to meet and a network of brothers and sisters in Christ.

I have been blessed and encouraged to receive messages of support from people in our community and around the world. We have certainly been supported by the prayers of many people. I am grateful to you, our church family, for your desire to put God first - and for your prayers, hard work, generosity, and positive attitude. It is a joy to be your pastor!

It has been an unusual (and, I trust, unique) month for me personally as our transition took place. The media attention we received, though unsought and unexpected, has had many positive benefits. We continue to pray that God will use it for his glory and bring many people to a saving knowledge of himself.

Now, as summer begins, I am excited to look forward to all the possibilities and potential that, with God's help, lie before us. Many wonderful aspects of our life together in Parkrose have carried on seamlessly. There are other groups and activities that have taken a break, but I am eager to see them resume. We have the opportunity now to try new things as we continue to discern together how God is leading us forward and how we can best serve him in this community.

So (to paraphrase a former president) ask not what St. Matthew's can do for you - ask what you can do for St. Matthew's. Our new church needs you: your presence among us, your prayers for us, your inspired ideas, faithful service and financial support. Thank you for committing yourself to this church family. I look forward to serving our Lord together with you.

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"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

Every journey has a destination and as our church family embarks on this new stage of our journey together, it is a great time to remind ourselves of where we are going. As Christians, we believe that God has rescued us from our sin through Jesus' death on the cross, in order that we might enjoy eternity with him in heaven. The apostle Paul knew that nothing was more important than keeping that destination in mind and he put all his effort into working towards it himself and sharing the great news with others.

It is this same single-mindedness that I hope we will have in our new church in the weeks, months and years ahead. Our goal is to know Christ and to make him known, for each member of our church family to be built up in their understanding of the faith and their knowledge and love of Jesus, and to be equipped to reach out to others with the gospel message. My prayer is that we would always have people attending our church from every stage of the Christian life: seekers, new Christians, and mature Christians - all continually learning from the Bible and growing in their desire to honor God in their lives.

How will we achieve this? Our emphasis is on expository Bible teaching, liturgical worship and prayer. We believe that when the Bible is taught and explained, God speaks to us - and when we study the Bible together, God is at work. Our liturgical worship provides us with a biblical, historic and beautiful framework in which to worship God. And we know that we can achieve nothing without a foundation of prayer, undergirding all that we do.

We also have a strong commitment to discipleship, evangelism and mission. Jesus' last instructions to his followers were to make disciples of all nations, not just converts, so we want to be a church that reaches out to our community and to the world with the life-changing message of Christ crucified, and supports those who are learning to follow him. Last but not least, we are a church family that likes being together, encouraging each other, supporting each other and enjoying times of fellowship.

It is a great joy, honor and privilege to be on this journey with you. May we, with God's help, press on toward the goal.

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Please visit 39A.org to read short articles based on the Anglican 39 Articles of Religion.

Comments are welcome. Please send them to thevicarage@btinternet.com.

Thank you.