Where Do We Rest? (Accepted In Christ) (Colossians 2: 6-23)

As the gospel message spread throughout the ancient world, new followers of Jesus faced some pretty big obstacles. Some of these obstacles were secular, such as discrimination and persecution by unbelievers and government; some were religious, such as false teaching and holdovers from previous belief systems. In this letter, Paul writes words of encouragement and instruction to the new Christians in Colosse, where some people are confused by outdated traditions and teaching influenced by worldly philosophies. We modern Christians, who face similar obstacles, can learn much from this letter.

Although Paul doesn’t specify the false teaching and “hollow and deceptive philosophy” he opposes, we can glean much about the “Colossian Heresy” from the specific beliefs and behaviors he refutes: ceremonialism (including permitted food and drink, religious festivals, and circumcision), asceticism, angel worship, depreciation of Christ, secret knowledge, and a reliance on human wisdom and tradition. The Colossian church was confused by this mixture of extreme Judaism and early Gnosticism. Were they supposed to celebrate certain festivals as they had in the past? Abstain from certain foods? No, Paul says. “Therefore do not let anyone judge by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come,” but the Messiah has come, and you are now living in the reality that was prophesied in the past.

Don’t worry about legalistic regulations, he says. They give the appearance of wisdom and piety, but in truth they have no effect on curtailing sin. Only Jesus, who died for us, is capable of both clearing away our past sins and helping us to refrain from sinning again. And we are complete in Christ, who himself is perfect, whole, and complete, so don’t let anyone try to convince you that you need anything but him for your salvation and sanctification. Even as sinners, we are accepted in Christ and made clean and whole, so we can rest in him and know that we are enough, because he is enough.

In our modern times, we also encounter a mixture of religious beliefs and behaviors that we, by knowledge of scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit, can and should refute. Many people who call themselves Christians (and fully believe that they are) actually practice a religion that blends belief in Jesus with New Age tenets, various philosophies, and other false teachings. Such a belief system is not Christianity. The tenets of the Christian faith are simple: we are all sinners who deserve death and eternal separation from God, but because God loves us he sent Jesus to die in our place, so that we can be reunited with God for all eternity. It is only by his grace that we can be saved. We are accepted, just as we are, by God in Christ. Let us, then, find rest in him.

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Where Do We Rest? (Psalm 62)

Where do you get your honor? Is that a weird question? Example: David, the presumed author of this psalm, was the king. He could have found his honor in his title, his throne, his crown. He was kind of a Big Deal. But in this psalm, he tells of a conspiracy against him. He writes of attempts to “topple him from his lofty place.” Based on the timing, it’s likely that David is on the run from his own son, Absalom, who is enraged by his father’s mishandling of a family situation: the rape of Absalom’s sister by their half-brother, Amnon. Absalom not only wants his father’s throne and title, he wants his father to pay for having let this atrocity go unpunished.

Imagine David taking shelter, perhaps in a cave, and thinking about all that has transpired. Is he mourning the loss of his crown? Maybe. Is he grieving his son’s betrayal? Probably. Is he exhausted, disappointed, and angry? Very likely. But is he afraid, worried about his safety? Not so much. Despite the fact that he has been forced to flee or be killed by his own son, he is still confident in God for his strength and protection. As king, he might have felt the need to justify his actions, or his inaction, to his family and his people, but he knows he is ultimately accountable only to God. So he can stand in God’s presence, in silence, and rest. “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

Most of us will never know what it’s like to be in the kind of danger David experienced. For most of us, the biggest fear we face is making a big mistake in front of other people and then feeling the need to justify ourselves, to make excuses so those people won’t think we’re incompetent frauds. Even children, once they’re past a certain age, know when they’ve messed up and try to cover their tracks, sometimes by blaming others. Grownups do that, too. But, like David, we can choose instead to let go of our need to appear perfect to others and embrace the rest we can find in being silent before God, who alone is our judge. Trying to justify ourselves to him is just foolish, because he knows us with the knowledge of the One who made us, and he forgives us our shortcomings, covering us with his grace and mercy. “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”

Jesus is also a King. Unlike David, he willingly gave up, for a time, his throne and his crown so that he could come to earth, teach us how to live and to love, and die for us, and in so doing save us from our sins and justify us before the Father. When we come before God’s throne we can be silent, knowing that only the perfect Son can speak for us, offering us strength and hope, salvation and life. “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.” Stand in his presence, be silent, and rest in his strength and his love.

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Podcast 10-16-16

Pastor Jacob Parks

“Creating Space for Self and Community to Find Rest in Christ.”

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Who Is To Rest? (Psalm 91) podcast

10-9-16 Pastor Josh Van Leeuwen

Most of us don’t live in war zones. Despite the media’s daily reports of random violence and acts of terror, most of us won’t be the victim of a violent crime. But that doesn’t mean we feel safe and secure. Life in our modern times can be exhausting, with its daily challenges and mild assaults, not to mention the occasional real disaster. Whether we are experiencing death by a thousand paper cuts, illness, accident, or other affliction or adversity, we all need a place of rest. We all need shelter.

The psalmist writes that anyone who loves the Lord can count on him for safety and protection: “Because he loves me, . . . I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” God loves us and invites us to rest in him, and when we return his love and call on his name, he answers, relieving us from the stress of daily living, whether that means protecting our hearts from harsh words spoken in anger, enabling us to persevere through sickness or injury, or comforting our souls through tragedy and death.

We who love the Lord dwell “in the shelter of the Most High” and “rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Another word for dwell is sojourn, which means to stay for a time or to live temporarily. God offers us protection from threats, whatever they may be, when we sojourn with him. He offers this to all who love him and are faithful to him. Although we still have to live with the threat, we can rest with the confidence that the Almighty is our “shield and rampart,” and we do not have to be afraid or distressed. At times we may feel broken, but when we rest in the Lord, we are restored by his love and mercy and saved by his grace.

Take refuge in the Lord. Rest in his shadow. Sojourn in his fortress. He is faithful, and he loves us. Do not be afraid.

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How Do We Rest (Creating Space)? (2 Corinthians 12: 1-10)

Pastor josh VanLeeuwen 10-2-16

We human beings like to believe we’re strong, but actually we’re not. Even the beefiest bodybuilder can be felled by a microscopic virus. We have to eat and drink and sleep to survive. We get sick. We get old. We die. Unless we’re confronted by our mortality, though, we tend to move through our days believing we can power through whatever life throws at us. Saul the Pharisee probably felt that way, too.

Most of us will never have to experience the things Paul endured: being shipwrecked (three times!); beaten, flogged, and lashed; imprisoned; stoned; in fear for his life numerous times; hungry, thirsty, cold, exhausted. Well, maybe we’ve been some of those last ones. But Paul, who as Saul the Pharisee lived comfortably, persecuting Christians on behalf of the religious elite, traded his life of ease for one of hard work and suffering. Yet he persevered, even finding joy in the suffering.

In this passage of scripture, Paul says he will not boast about his visions and revelations from the Lord, but he will boast about his weaknesses because in his weakness, Christ’s power rested on him. In his fragile human state he was incapable of traveling to various churches, working hard, and spreading the gospel message, but the power of Jesus shone through him. Anyone who looked at him had to know that it was not by his own strength but by the strength of Jesus Christ that he was able to persevere.

We know a little something about boasting. We boast about our favorite sports team, or about our children’s achievements, or about our own accomplishments. Everyone’s familiar with the humblebrag. But we can drop the bragging and embrace the humility. There are things we aren’t so good at. Things we might not feel very confident about. Sure, sometimes God calls us to work in areas outside our gifts so that he can show us and others what he can do despite our shortcomings, but unless we sense that tug from God, we should realize that we are gifted in specific ways for God’s purposes, and we can feel free to say no to those tasks that others are better suited for. We can let go of the guilt we might feel at turning down an opportunity and trust that God will call the right person for that task, and we don’t have to try to do everything ourselves. When we work in our areas of giftedness, we can serve joyfully and effectively, bringing glory to God.

Earlier in Corinthians Paul wrote, “For God . . . has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Cor. 4: 6-7). The spirit of God dwells in our frail human flesh, so that his power and strength can accomplish his work, and everyone who sees what we do knows we aren’t acting on our own but that God is acting through us. And the glory is all his.

What does all this have to do with creating space for rest? By acknowledging that we cannot do everything on our own and by giving up those things we are not called to do, we can set down our burden of busyness and find rest. We can make the right choices about how to spend our time and where to serve. We can let go and relax, confident that while we seem idle, God is renewing and restoring us, if only we stop and make space for him to work in us. In our weakness, he is strong.

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How Do We Rest? (Practicing Sabbath)

Podcast 2-25-16 Pastor Josh VanLeeuwen

Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Mark 2:23-3:6

If you are a Certain Age or grew up in certain parts of the US, you probably remember Blue Laws. These were state or local laws that prohibited certain activities, usually related to entertainment, on Sundays. Blue Laws date back to the Colonial period, when the Puritans were very strict about observing the Sabbath. The laws continued into modern days until some were challenged and modified by the courts. So now we can work, shop, and do most anything we want on Sundays, although in some places the sale of alcohol is still prohibited.

The Pharisees in ancient times instituted their own version of Blue Laws based on the commandment to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Exodus 20:8-11 is very specific about what God’s people, their families, and their servants were and were not allowed to do on the Sabbath. The commandment even applied to the household animals and the strangers or guests within the household. Today many modern Jews honor Shabbat, their Sabbath (sundown Friday until sundown Saturday), by refraining from anything that could be interpreted as work. (Fun fact: some modern appliances have a Sabbath mode, allowing observant Jews to avoid prohibited work on Shabbat or certain holidays but still have a meal.)

Deuteronomy 5:12-15 echoes the admonitions in Exodus but adds, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” Remember all that God has done for you, and honor him by keeping the Sabbath. You have six days every week to do your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord. God created the world and everything in it in six days and rested on the seventh, not because he was tired but because he was finished. His work of creation was complete and perfect, so he stopped, evaluated, and enjoyed what he had made. Why do we have such a hard time doing the same?

Is it because we can never see our work as finished? Every day blends into the next, projects extend over days, weeks, months, and we never lack for something to do. With the advent of cell phones and other devices, we are never truly away from work. Even on vacation, we are likely to be interrupted by some crisis back in our “real” lives. No time for relaxing or getting away because work follows us everywhere. And it is never done. Sure, sometimes we can step back and look at something we’ve accomplished and pronounce it good (or as good as it’s going to be). But then something happens that requires a tweak, or some other project piggybacks the previous one, and we are back at it again. Never finished. Never complete.

Jesus was always under the scrutiny of the Pharisees. Like modern-day internet stalkers, they constantly looked for ways to criticize his behavior. Why not? He was upsetting the way they did organized religion, so he was a threat to their authority. One Sabbath he was going through some grain fields and his disciples, hungry, picked some heads of grain. “Wait a minute,” the Pharisees told him, “you can’t do that on the Sabbath.” Harvesting is work. Nope, can’t do that today. But Jesus, as always, had an answer straight from history and scripture, and then he added, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” And the clincher: “So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Wow. Another time Jesus met a man with a shriveled hand, in the synagogue no less, and in the presence of those looking for fault asked, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” Their silence betrayed their bitter and stubborn hearts and deeply distressed Jesus, who healed the man.

What can we learn from God about how to observe the Sabbath? Maybe we should examine our idea of what constitutes [...]

PODCAST 9-18-16

Pastor Josh VanLeeuwen

We are subject to a lot of rules, some imposed by the world and its various forces (government, work, even our society), some imposed by our family and friends, and some even imposed by the church. Many of our rules are unwritten, some unspoken, but we still feel accountable to them. We can get weary and burdened by our responsibilities and obligations, sometimes to the point that even the things we most enjoy feel like a chore. “Come to me,” Jesus says, “and I will give you rest.”

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What Is Rest? (Matthew 11:28-30)

PODCAST 9-11-16 Pastor Josh VanLeeuwen

“Come to me,” Jesus said, “all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He spoke these words to the Jews, who were oppressed not only by their Roman occupiers but also by their own teachers of the law, who imposed a legalistic burden on the Hebrew people that was impossible to bear. Not even the Pharisees obeyed all the rules they concocted for the people. Jesus offered them rest, if they would come to him. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,” he said, “for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

We also are subject to a lot of rules, some imposed by the world and its various forces (government, work, even our society), some imposed by our family and friends, and some even imposed by the church. Many of our rules are unwritten, some unspoken, but we still feel accountable to them. We can get weary and burdened by our responsibilities and obligations, sometimes to the point that even the things we most enjoy feel like a chore. “Come to me,” Jesus says, “and I will give you rest.”

About a year after Jesus spoke these words, he said something equally powerful to his friend Martha of Bethany, who was exasperated with her sister, Mary, because Mary was sitting at his feet while Martha was frantically trying to prepare a meal to serve a houseful of company. “You are worried and upset about many things,” he told Martha, “but only one thing is needed.” The problem isn’t that there’s so much to do but that your attention is so divided. Focus. Only one thing. Focus on me. “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” He said it to Martha, but he meant it for all of us. The problem isn’t that there are so many things demanding our attention, so many rules to obey. The problem is that we are trying to make too many things a priority, when there is really only one thing needed. Jesus.

There’s an old hymn by Helen Howarth Lemmel—maybe you know it—that goes, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.” If we focus on Jesus, really focus, the stress and toil of everyday life will fade, and we can find peace and rest. We can set aside all the burdens we carry, the need to excel, to be good enough, brave enough, strong enough, capable and exemplary, and instead come to Jesus, who simply is enough. “But what about my job? What about my family? What about all my responsibilities and obligations?” you might be asking.

Have you ever reached for a flashlight in the dark and when you clicked the switch you discovered that the batteries were dead? Not much chance for light from worn-out batteries, right? Being constantly “on” wears us out, runs down our batteries. Makes us soul-weary people. Not much chance of shining God’s light when we’re depleted, is there? We need rest. We need Sabbath, and we need it regularly. However you define rest, whether it’s getting your eyes off the road, immersing yourself in a hobby or recreation, or simply getting a change of scenery, you have to have it. Set down your yoke, Jesus says. Set down your burden and take up mine instead. “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

When we think of Jesus and all he endured for our sakes, these words might sound strange. Jesus bore the weight of all our sins, and yet he said his burden is light. How can that be? Simple: he practiced what he preached. He kept his focus on God and on the things that matter to God. He didn’t allow the things of the world to distract him or worry him. We might not be able to control everything that happens to us, but we can choose how we react or respond to them. If [...]

Podcast Sept 4, 2016

Getting What We Deserve (Luke 7:1-10)

Getting what you deserve, the saying goes, is justice; not getting what you deserve is mercy; getting what you don’t deserve is grace. The story in this scripture passage illustrates all three.

After an extended period of open-air teaching, Jesus and his disciples entered the town of Capernaum where, they would soon learn, a Roman centurion’s servant was dying. The centurion heard that Jesus was in town and sent some of the Jewish elders to ask him to help the servant. Remember that the Romans were an occupying force, so it’s interesting that these elders were so eager to plead his case. “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built the synagogue.” So even though the centurion was part of the occupying army, he was not their enemy. Please, they said, helping this man is the right thing, the just thing, to do. He deserves your help because he’s been a friend to us. So Jesus went with them, because our God is a God of justice.

Now, we need to pause here for a moment. Remember the words of Paul: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23). And God had laid down the law long ago in the first garden, where original sin earned the ultimate punishment: “dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3: 19). All people, from the first people to the centurion and his servant to us modern humans, are sinners, and the penalty for our sin is death. Death is what we all deserve, but Jesus wasn’t going to curse the centurion’s servant. Instead, he was going to offer the servant mercy. Just as he offers us salvation from the death we deserve, because our God is a God of mercy.

Back to the story. Just before Jesus arrived at the centurion’s home, some of the soldier’s friends met up with him and his disciples. These friends spoke for the centurion: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.” This centurion understood authority. He had men over him that he had to obey, and he had men under his command who had to obey him. Clearly, the centurion was aware of the reputation Jesus had built as he went around teaching, preaching, and healing. And he acknowledged that Jesus had authority over illness and disease. He believed Jesus could heal his servant at a distance with only a word. (Makes you wonder what else he believed about Jesus, doesn’t it?) The centurion, a sinner, didn’t deserve favor from God. The servant, a sinner, didn’t deserve healing. But Jesus offered them both grace, God’s unmerited favor, and healed the servant. We don’t deserve God’s favor either, but God generously offers it anyway, because our God is a God of grace.

What are we to make of this story?

Is it only an illustration of God’s justice, mercy, and grace, a story that reminds us who God is and how he cares for us? Or is it also intended to instruct us in the way we, who are made in God’s image, are to interact with our fellow human beings? We all want justice for the people who harm us or our loved ones, but how often do we demand justice for the downtrodden? We all want mercy for ourselves, but how often do we offer mercy to those who have wronged us? And we all want grace for ourselves, but how often do we offer grace to those who, granted, don’t deserve it, but who does? By definition, grace is unmerited favor. How can we accept God’s favor for ourselves and refuse to extend it to others?

Wouldn’t it be nice to know whether the centurion’s life was changed by this experience? We know he was already charitable toward the Jewish people, despite the fact that he was a Gentile and a Roman soldier. We just don’t know whether he made any life [...]

Now Choose Life! (Deuteronomy 30:11-20)

Pastor Josh VanLeeuwen – Podcast 8-28-16

How many decisions would you guess you make in an average day? A hundred? A thousand? Neuroscientists estimate the average adult makes 35,000 remotely conscious decisions per day (226.7 about food alone, according to a Cornell University study from 2007). Have you ever stood in a grocery store aisle, staring at all the cereal boxes and bags, or in a drugstore, pondering all the toothpaste brands and varieties, and wondered if we have too many options? Have you ever reached the end of a challenging day and thought, “If I have to make one more decision I’m going to collapse”? According to the same sources, young children make about 3000 decisions daily. Experts suggest that offering your young child a limited number of options (this outfit or that one?) can prevent morning wardrobe meltdowns better than a general question (what do you want to wear today?). That advice is applicable to other choices as well.

Even toddlers get decision fatigue.

Maybe that advice about limited options is good for adults, too. How many of our multiple choice decisions can be converted to binary (yes/no) questions: get up? yes; get dressed? yes; wear this shirt? huh. Do I have to apply this to every piece of clothing in my closet? This might be even more complicated than multiple options. Perhaps a flowchart approach: if this shirt then these pants? Or these? Wow. There is no getting around multiple choices. Although, according to a number of articles, creative geniuses like Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg created a sort of work uniform, which they wore or wear every day to limit the number of decisions they have to make about one aspect of their lives so they could or can direct more of their creative energy to important things. Interesting.

Some decisions really are more important than others. Whether we eat cereal, oatmeal, a protein bar, or nothing for breakfast is pretty much a factor of personal taste (and what’s in the pantry or fridge) and, other than possibly keeping us full until lunch or leaving us ravenous before ten, is not that significant in the grand scheme of things. Choosing to be kind or nasty when somebody is mean to us is probably more important. Deciding whether to be faithful to our spouse or cheat when we have the opportunity is even more important. Of course these aren’t always binary decisions. Sometimes there are many options between the yes and the no.

What about choosing whether to live or die? That seems very important, and it’s a binary decision. So it should be simple, right? In this scripture passage, Moses makes the offer to the Israelites: life and prosperity or death and destruction? You choose. He had just reminded them of all God had done for them and of the covenant God had made with them (and they had broken more than once). He had reminded them what had happened when they turned away from God and worshiped idols, and also what had happened when they were faithful to God and his covenant. This is a no-brainer, he told them. This isn’t something you can’t do. You can do it! You must choose. Will you love God, walk in his ways, and keep his commands? Then you will live and prosper, and the Lord will bless you. Will you turn away and bow down to other gods and be disobedient? Then you will be destroyed. Simple. Yes or no.

We have to make the same choice. Will we be faithful to God alone and obey his law, or will we turn to idols like money, work, entertainment, or any of a thousand other things that seem to rise to the top of our list of priorities above God? Unlike the Israelites, we don’t have hundreds of laws to obey. Jesus, however, not only obeyed all those laws but fulfilled the law. So we need only believe in Jesus, trust him, and follow his example of loving God and loving our fellow human beings. In a way, the old laws were simpler because they were [...]