Connected

Luke 20:27-38

I went to Traverse City yesterday for the District Conference. This is like our church conference where people are elected to serve as leaders; the budget for 2015 was presented and accepted; we had worship and fellowship and learning opportunities.  At mid-day we had lunch.  In the middle of the room where tables with three big piles of shoebox sized boxes with our lunch in them, they were labeled “Turkey,” VEG.,” and “Ham.” I wend for the Turkey.  I got my drink, sat down and opened my lunchbox.  I pulled out a turkey sandwich as I expected I would. I pulled out the bag of cheddar Sun chips. I saw a peanut butter cookie that I knew that I would get to shortly; and I saw a plastic soufflé cup filled with potato salad. I skipped the potato salad.

When I go to these events I am reminded of our denominational connectedness.  I am reminded of how our combined efforts are impacting the state and the world with the good news about Jesus Christ. Our own neighbors in this northwest corner of the Lower Peninsula are working in all corners of the world to bring the light of Jesus Christ.  But there is resistance.  There are always obstacles. There are good people with different perspectives and different approaches to living well on this earth.  Isn’t that always the case?  I cannot seem to convince the world that potatoes are meant to be served hot and without mayonnaise.

This is a scripture that demonstrates how Jesus met those who opposed him with integrity. He met them on their own ground and argued in their own terms.  Right off the bat the stage is set for a confrontation. 

Some Sadducees, those who say thee is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question.  They asked a very detailed question about how a very narrow circumstance would play out in…THE RESURRECTION! They don’t believe in the resurrection so how much integrity to these folks have in asking this?  Jesus could dismiss them as trolls (for those of you who are confused by this reference, look up troll in the urban dictionary) but he doesn’t.  He meets them where they are. Jesus knows that the Sadducees are ones who only rely on the books of Moses as a source of God’s law and they do not regard the writings of the prophets as Holy Scripture.  So Jesus meets them where they are.

First he affirms the reality of the resurrection then he shows them the truth of it in the scripture that they accept as true.

In Luke 20:37 And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.  Now he is the God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.

Jesus made a connection with those that were there to try to embarrass him. The Sadducees thought they were right. They wanted to be heard but Jesus brought the truth.

These two pictures were taken seconds apart. Its amazing how our perception of the world changes when we focus on different things. 

The message that we have about God is good news.  The message that God loves us; the message that God came and lived among us; that in Jesus we can find restoration and renewal to a state that God originally intended for each of us is really good news.  It should not divide; it should not be controversial, but in our human brokenness it is and it does.

When we have a potluck and I pass by the bowl of potato salad that you brought, salad I don’t mean any offense.  I just prefer my potatoes hot with butter, or gravy or even ketchup.

The good news is that God loves us unconditionally and was willing to sacrifice himself for us so that there could be an eternal connection between us.  God is love.

When there is love there is an implication of relationship.  God is calling us into relationship with him.  Does that mean that God needs us?  No.  By God’s very nature God is already “relationship.” We believe in a 3 in one God.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God in three persons.  Each of the same substance, each in perfect, seamless agreement but individual in character.  The Holy Spirit is God, Jesus is God, and the Father is God, one God.  The three persons of the trinity of God is by nature already a relationship.  God wants to invite us into that relationship. We are brought into that holy relationship through Jesus Christ. We unite our spirits to his. Jesus imparts his righteousness to us.  We become one with Jesus just as he is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  And that perfect love is grown as it is shared.

If God is love and love implies relationship, then to have a relationship there has to be a connection.  Jesus established a connection with the Sadducees over the issue of the resurrection where before there was only division.

You and I may disagree over the status of potato salad as an acceptable source of food but we may agree that potatoes are not all bad.

Finding points of connection when we disagree is the beginning of relationship. Relationship is the door to love.  And love is really where it’s at.  Love is the goal.  God is love and I want more and more of God.

The difficulty comes when we lose focus on what God wants.  I am going to propose an experiment.  It’s a long experiment but the long-term benefits to us as individuals and to our church will be great.  I want to be very intentional over the next 60 days about our connectedness to God.  Connection leads to deepened relationship which, in turn, leads to greater love. This is called the 60-60 experiment. For the next 60 days beginning now and ending on January 9 I want you to ask God the question “What would you have me do in this very moment?” and pause for the answer.  I want you do to do this every 60 minutes, while you are awake.  Every 60 minutes for the next 60 days we will seek God’s presence and will for our lives.  If you have a journal you can record your experience.  I will record my experiences weekly on Wednesdays on the blog.  I expect this will open our awareness to the awesomeness of God’s working in our lives.  So set your watches, or your phones or whatever you have that can remind you every hour to bring your awareness to God’s presence and lets just see what happens in this 60-day experiment.

Shortly after these sixty days we will have a church conference to vote on the recommendations of the consultation team. If we, as the gathered body of Christ, enter into these sixty days truly seeking God’s will and truly open our awareness to God’s presence the path forward will be much clearer.  Whatever you decide in January, whether you say yes or no to the recommendations we will be able to celebrate.  If you vote no then I will be filled with joy because you have clearly discerned that God has something even better for us.  If you vote yes I will be filled with joy because you have discerned that this is the way God would have us go.  Either way, we are connected. Either way we are in relationship. Either way God’s love flows through each us because of Jesus Christ, and that is the good news we have to share.

So how is it with you today?  As you come forward to receive communion, come knowing that this is a gift of God for deeper connection to God and to each other.  Let’s begin the journey.