CCC Blog

"I Come to the Garden…”

What’s your favorite Easter symbol?  There is no shortage of options from which to choose.  Among the secular choices, there are bunnies, chicks, colored eggs, jelly beans and all types of chocolate.  On the purely sacred side, there is (of course) the empty cross and tomb. Then there are a few “hybrid” symbols: seemingly secular things that have taken on sacred significance, such as a           sunrise; a butterfly; and a church full of lilies.  But I wonder where “garden” ranks on your list? Though our unseasonably cool (read: cold!) Spring temperatures might not call gardening to mind this Easter season, the image of “garden” is perhaps the most appropriate of all the Easter symbols.

Humanity’s story (and thus the story of salvation) began in a garden.  Adam and Eve dwelled in the garden of Eden, living blissfully and at peace until they ate of the forbidden fruit.  At this point they were sent from the garden and ever since that day, humanity has been trying to find its way back in – or better put, back home.  As St. Augustine so famously and poetically said, “Our souls are restless, O God, until they find their rest in you.” The garden is the place where we are closest to God and dwell without worry, sorrow or fear.  

It should not come as a surprise, then, that in the Greek language of scripture, the word for “paradise” literally means “garden.”  Thus, to be in paradise and dwell in the presence of God is to be in a garden. The use of the garden image in this way is a logical one from a practical standpoint.  Recall that Adam’s curse for having eaten from the forbidden tree was that he would earn his living by the sweat of his brow. The ground would be so hard to cultivate, that it would only ever come with extraordinary effort.  Having been to the Holy Land, I can attest to how rocky, dry and dusty parts of this territory are. It makes sense, therefore   that   the   predominant  image  of  paradise for  one  like  Adam be a garden. A lush, wet, green, fertile garden that produces abundantly without much work or effort.  

From a spiritual standpoint, the image of garden is just as significant.  When Mary Magdelene meets the risen Jesus Christ on that first Easter, she mistakes him for the gardener (Jn. 20:11-18), which means that the first Easter took place in  a   garden.   With   the   resurrection   of   Jesus   Christ,   we  are  back  in  the garden.  The  story is  complete.  We have  found  our way  home.  Or  …  as Tina emphasized in her sermon this past Sunday, we didn’t find our way home as much as God, in Christ, found us and provided the way back in.  With the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the story of salvation has come full circle.  And all we have to do is believe that he is the one to provide us access back in.

Regardless of which Easter image or symbol you name as your favorite, may you from now on include “garden” from among the options.  

Blessings – Michael

4_12 E-Votional

If anyone had reason to feel defeated it would have been Peter.  Here he was, on the first Easter, just days removed from denying Jesus three times after vowing that he’d rather die than desert and abandon Jesus.  Capable of great promise and potential on the one hand, and great disappointment on the other, he had given up everything to follow Jesus but ultimately watched Jesus die and be buried.  What was it all for?  Where was the meaning in all that he had experienced?

That’s why he returns to his home after learning that the tomb was empty but not finding Jesus.  Because what else do you do when your dreams are dashed and your confidence crushed?  You go home.  There’s nothing more worth looking forward to “out there” in the future.  You might as well go back to the only life you knew before.  If anyone had reason to feel defeated it would have been Peter.   

 And yet, God spoke hope into Peter’s sense of defeat.  God gave a clear sign of hope to Peter.  It was right there in front of him and the fact that he didn’t understand it at first didn’t make it any less real or true.  In fact, God goes out of the way to speak words of hope to us.  Did you know that the word “defeat” only shows up three (3) times in the New Testament (and one of those is positive use of the word: in Rev 12:8 when the archangel Michael defeats the dragon and casts him out heaven).  But… the word “hope” shows up 75 times!!!!

We will be exploring this in more detail this Sunday, as well as hearing more powerful testimonies from church members.

I hope to see you at 8:00, 9:00 or 10:30!!! 

 Blessings -- Michael 

“The Great Exchange”

After Jesus was raised on Easter, he appeared to his followers in different ways.  Each of them came to Jesus with a particular emotion.  In response, Jesus didn’t take away their feelings, but offered God’s truth in a way that brought them peace.  Over the next 5 weeks we will spend time in John 20 and examine the interactions of Jesus and his followers; how Jesus exchanges our perceptions with God’s truth, which is always more than our feelings.  We will also consider moments in our own lives when we have experienced these great exchanges.

 April 8 John 20:1-2, 11-18

Mary Magdalene Emotion: Distress Jesus’ gift: Courage

When have you felt distressed and God gave courage? How did God exchange courage for your distress?

 April 15 John 20:1-10

Peter Emotion: Defeat   Jesus’ gift: Hope

When have you felt defeated and God gave hope? How did God exchange hope for your defeat?

April 22 John 20:1-10

John  Emotion: Confusion   Jesus’ gift: Certainty

When have you felt confused and God gave certainty?  How did God makes this exchange for you?

 April 29 John 20:19-23

The Disciples Emotion: Fear Jesus’ gift: Joy of the Holy Spirt

Share how God helped relieve a fearful situation in your life and describe the joy that resulted.

 May 6 John 20:23-28

Thomas  Emotion: Skepticism  Jesus’ gift: Belief

When have you been skeptical and God helped your trust grow? Share this exchange happened.

 May 13 John 20:29-31

Us! Emotion: Trust  Jesus’ gift: Shalom

Share a time when you trusted God and God was faithful to you. How did that bring about peace?

 Blessings – Michael

I Got Involved When...

During Lent, our three (3) small groups are telling first-person narratives from their own lives deriving from a weekly prompt that is based on the sermon from the preceding Sunday.  This week the groups will be telling stories inspired by Simon of Cyrene who “stepped up” in the crowd to carry Jesus’ cross.  The prompt for this week is: “Tell of a time in your life when you got involved in something.”  The following is my own narrative inspired by that question. 

“Has there ever been a church softball league?”  It was an innocent enough question, I thought and not worthy of a long, drawn-out explanation.  Besides I knew the answer.  Of course there had been a church softball league.  I was ending my first year in the ministry, fresh out of graduate school.  Among the many stories told me as I got settled in that first call was how, “in the old days” there had been a co-ed church softball league.  Being an ex-baseball player myself, I was certainly interested in putting a team together from First Christian.  So at our monthly Ministerial Alliance meeting, I innocently asked the question.  The ecumenical group always met in the back room at the local buffet – a converted roller rink known for its fried chicken, soft-serve ice cream station and dark brown and gold vinyl chairs.  “Well… let me tell you about the church softball league,” the bearded Methodist (and longest-tenured) pastor said, leaning back in his chair and twirling a toothpick in his mouth.  There had been a league at one point, he reported, but interest waned, primarily due to the commissioner getting burned out.  The league quickly folded after that.  “But… if someone were possibly interested in heading up the league again,” he looked at me wistfully, “it just might witness a resurrection.”  And that is how I came to be the commissioner of the Centralia church softball league – for the next five years!!!

At our team leaders meeting that first year, the rep from First Presbyterian dominated the whole meeting time and nit-picked over every possible rule, only at the end of the meeting to tell us that he wasn’t going to be having a team in the league anyway.  The second year, I absolutely knew that another church was getting ringers to play on their team in the tournament.  But I couldn’t say much.  Because as it just so happened, our team was really good.  We had, as legitimate members of our church, a collection of terrific athletes, both men and women.  So I, as the league commissioner, was in the awkward position of either a) handing out the champions’ trophy to our church; or b) filing a complaint (as a coach) against another church to myself (as commissioner), with the result that my team would have a better chance of winning. 

We always played games on the fields at the western edge of town on Saturday evenings.  One year, at the end of July, we were playing Zion Hill Baptist.  I got there early and so did their coach – who like me, was also the pastor of the small country church north and east of Centralia.   He was a short, roundish guy with silvery hair that was perfectly combed, muscular forearms, a perpetually tanned face and a big, warm smile.  He was genuinely warm, affable, kind and I enjoyed his friendship.  We met at home plate.  The sun was beginning to set.  A gentle breeze blew over the infield and long shadows stretched out behind us.  The heat and humidity of the day was beginning to ease.  Distant birds offered a chorus of back and forth melodies. 

The pastor turned to me and said, completely out of the blue, “Michael… I just can’t wait to get to heaven!  I mean, I can feel those streets of gold beneath my feet” (at which point he did a little jig right there in the batters box).  I was taken off guard to say the least.  Not only have I never been the kind of guy – or Christian – to open a conversation that way.  But in that moment, as I took in the remains of that day, I thought about my young son, resting at home and not even a year old; and how the next day our family of three would be heading north for our annual vacation and I thought, “Nah… not me.  I don’t think I’m quite ready to go yet.  I rather look forward to living on earth, at least for awhile longer.”

I learned a lot from those 5 years – like how to put more stock into the opinions of those who are going to participate than in those who won’t; like how playing dual relationships (especially in the church) is always difficult; like how to be careful about the questions you ask in a non-profit organization, because you just might end up the commissioner of the softball league.  But also, how you don’t have to share the same theology as someone, to respect them, appreciate them and enjoy their friendship.        

Blessings – Michael