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In high school, I discovered a passion for mathematics. I was never thrilled with simple computation. Arithmetic bored me. However, starting with geometry I fell in love with mathematical proofs. Starting with simple truths and universal principles, I derived airtight, logical arguments about the way angles, circles and parabolas behaved. I found power, truth and even beauty in logical arguments. There was great satisfaction to reach the end of a geometric proof, “quod erat demonstrandum.”

Perhaps, the reason mathematics was attractive was because the rest of the world seemed so confusing and chaotic. There were universal principles, but the application had much to be desired. People were fickle and life didn’t carry the elegance of mathematics. So I pursued mathematics. I have a bachelor’s degree in it, and even today, I take satisfaction in wrestling with a mathematical problem to discover its secrets.

However, along the way, I discovered that there is more to life than math. Logical, abstract reasoning is powerful, but it isn’t the only way to explore the world. There is beauty in the symmetry and rationality of a well-kept garden, but there is also form and beauty in the chaotic life of the forest. Mathematics was never the problem, but it was how I applied it.

This realization opened new worlds to me. As a college student, I began to wrestle with God and with faith. For the longest time, I was resistant to God’s call. God, for me, was about proof and doubt. I brought my tools of logic and rationality and attempted to make God fit my categories. I searched for universal principles, but the abstractions that I created were a poor substitute for God. I read the Bible, but found the world there was wild and chaotic. It was much like the real world, and I certainly wasn’t satisfied with that.

There are times when you venture out into a lake. The water is cloudy and murky. You step out, and your toes don’t seem to touch the bottom. However, somehow something is holding you up. I had questions, doubts, and concerns about the faith, but somehow the faith still held me up. I discovered that God loved me, and in Jesus Christ love became real, more real than anything I ever experienced.

Pursuing faith was less like following a geometry proof. Instead, it was like following a friend. There remain times of doubt, confusion, and even anger. However, the overwhelming experience is one of comfort, confidence and love. I still struggle with the faith or the Scriptures, but now my hermeneutic is trust. We cry out like the man asking Jesus to heal his son, “I believe. Help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).

Grace and Peace,

Pastor James

In the liturgical calendar, the Sunday after Pentecost is known as Trinity Sunday (May 31). On that Sunday, the Church celebrates the Trinity — God as three persons, yet God being one. Although the word, “trinity,” does not appear anywhere in Scripture, the doctrine has been essential to the Christian faith. Jesus himself commands his disciples to use the formula, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” in baptisms (Matthew 28:19). As a result, as we reflect on the beginnings of our life in Christ, we should be drawn to examine the relationship of these three persons.

We should acknowledge that the Trinity has always been controversial. Early Church history can be seen as a catalogue of the various heresies against the doctrine. Explaining how 1+1+1=1 has caused people a number of headaches. Enlightenment thinkers such as Emmanuel Kant and Thomas Jefferson have rejected the Trinity outright. Even some Christians have wondered, “What’s the big deal?”

As I learned about the Trinity in seminary, the debate bored me. We spent most of our time pondering the mathematical equation. However, I did not grasp its implications for our faith until I went on a mission trip to Senegal. On the streets of the West African city of Dakar, I observed a friendly conversation between a Muslim and a Christian. As the older, robed Muslim sipped tea, he challenged the Christian saying, “We say that God is one. It is the heart of our faith.” The Christian countered, “How do you know God?” The Muslim responded, “In creation . . . we see the Creator in the land, sea, and sky.” The Christian responded, “We believe that we see God in the face of Jesus Christ. And I have a personal relationship with this Jesus because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life.” In this description, we have Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is by no means an exhaustive definition of the Trinity. However, it does honor a faith that sustained the Church since its beginning.

I turned on the radio this morning to learn that the terrorist group, al-Shabaab, stormed a college campus in Kenya. Christians were shot on the spot. As of this writing, the Muslim extremist group is holding several hostages.

Such news breaks the heart, but it’s not uncommon. Injustice, hatred, and suffering seem to be all too prevalent. Thankfully, most of us will not face such horrible circumstances, but in reality, we all have tasted the bitterness of this world. Some have it worse than others. How in the world do we keep from falling into cynicism and despair?

Martin Luther King, Jr. reflecting on the setbacks of the Civil Rights Movement once declared, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” It is meant to be a comfort to those in the middle of the struggle. Yes, the difficulties that we face are great, but have hope. Justice will eventually prevail. The words sound as if they carry the weight of scientific fact. As certain as the law of gravity, the universe is pulled toward justice. It is written into the original programming.

I appreciate the sentiment, but can we trust it? The ongoing experiment called life seem to suggest entropy, not order. The overwhelming evidence suggests struggle. One set of interests is pitted against another. A third finally prevails only to be replaced by another. Victory justifies both means and ends.

I’m not sure where others go to avoid falling into a nihilistic abyss. For us as Christians, the story of Jesus Christ is confirmation that God is not dead. Jesus Christ was crucified. He was dead and buried. He was another innocent victim in a history of innocent victims. However, contrary to all expectations, he rose. The empty tomb affirms that Martin Luther King, Jr. was correct. The world does makes sense, even when our lives don’t.

Easter is not about bunnies and baby chicks. The new life of spring will eventually give way to decay and death. Instead, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s declaration that truth, life and love are the way the world works. Even on a personal level, we know that injustice, suffering, and death are only temporary. As followers of the risen Christ, we live each day with courage working for God’s justice.

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.

I don’t think I have a drop of Irish blood coursing through my veins.  Nonetheless, I will be beaming with pride this St. Patrick’s Day.  I won’t be drinking green beer or wearing a “kiss me I’m Irish” button.  I won’t be looking for leprechauns or pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.  What I will do is offer a little prayer of thanksgiving for Patrick, the evangelist of Ireland.  Here was a man of strength and passion, yet also humility.  He grew up in a Christian home in England, on the outskirts of the Roman Empire.  Patrick’s father was a deacon in the church; his grandfather was an elder.  He was baptized in the church, and like some who grew up in the church took his faith for granted.  At less than sixteen, he was kidnapped during a pirate raid and taken to Ireland.  He was made a slave, and in this crisis, he rediscovered his faith.  Patrick writes, “And my soul was restless within me so that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night…”

After six years, Patrick heard a voice in the night directing him to escape.  Following the voice, he made his way to the coast and obtained passage on a ship bound back to England.  His family welcomed him home, but somehow he remained restless.  In England, he dreamed that the Irish were calling him back, not as a slave, but as one who proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ.  Patrick trained for the pastorate, and he returned to Ireland.  His Latin was never very good.  His writing style was never very accomplished.  Patrick called himself an “ignoramus.”  Despite these shortcomings, thousands came to know Jesus through Patrick’s preaching and teaching.  Patrick loved the Lord, loved the Scriptures, and loved the Irish.  Through Patrick, God brought about the peaceful conversion of many of the warring tribes of Ireland.  In a few generations, Irish warriors with the skulls of their victims hanging from their belts were replaced by Irish monks with copies of the Bible and the Church Fathers hanging from their belts.

Ever since I heard his story, Patrick has been a hero of mine.  His love, his compassion, his humility, and his missionary zeal are lessons for all Christians.  We don’t have to be Irish to claim Patrick, just Christian.

Grace and Peace,

James Hodsden

On multiple frequencies, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, the radio station WWV out of Fort Collins, Colorado broadcasts a simple message.  Every second there is an automated click, and at the top of every minute there is an announcement of the time and a tone. In 1945, the announcements were in Morse code.  By 1950, a voice replaced the dots and dashes.  Synced with the United States Naval Observatory, WWV provides the standard for the measurement of time.

In high school, I remember listening to WWV on a shortwave radio. It was one of the few stations that I could actually hear. For me, its simple monotony represented the march of time. Seconds become minutes. Minutes become hours. One event happens right after another. The Greeks had a word for this understanding of time. They called it, “kronos” (κρόνος). It’s where we get words like “chronology” and “chronicle.” In the Bible, we encounter it in verses like Matthew 2:7:

“Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time (κρόνος). when the star had appeared.”

However, the Greeks had another word for time called “kairos” (καιρός). Where “kronos” meant time as you measured it on a clock or a calendar, “kairos” was associated with the meaning of time. In a sense, “kronos” is quantitative, and “kairos” is qualitative. For example, December 25 is the “kronos” of Christmas. On the other hand, the “kairos” of Christmas is gathering together, lighting candles, and celebrating the birth of Jesus. In the Scriptures, we encounter “kairos” in verses like Mark 1:15:

[Jesus said,] “The time (καιρός) is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

Some see “kairos” as seasons pregnant with possibility. They are times of opportunity or crisis. They are defining moments of life.

When the Apostle Paul talks about “redeeming the time (καιρός)” (Ephesians 5:15-16), he is not talking about time management techniques. Instead, he encourages Christians to seize the opportunities that God has given. We should live our lives to God’s glory. Like the time of the harvest, someone must go to bring in the crops. As individuals and as a congregation, we need to recognize the seasons that God has given. We need to act.

Many in the congregation are talking about our children and youth ministry. We are asking some important questions about the future. We are looking for God’s guidance as we face challenges and opportunities. We have entered a “kairos” moment. That doesn’t mean that God will bless every decision we make. Instead, we must weigh our options with wisdom and imagination. We have choices to make. How do we raise our children in the faith? How can I get involved? What will be my role?

Right now, I ask you to pray. We need God’s guidance in this process. Also please consider giving of your time. We need volunteers to help shape our efforts for the future, and we need people to ensure a quality program for our children right now. Likewise, we need your financial support. As we increase staffing for Christian education, we are looking for additional funds to make that sustainable. Finally, seek opportunities to deepen your own personal faith. God has given us a “kairos” moment. How will we respond?

Grace and Peace,

James Hodsden

When Michael Palin isn’t making people laugh with his Monty Python friends, he has been traveling the world. Since 1998, he has been making documentaries of his wanderings. The travelogues don’t simply hit the highlights.  Instead, Palin takes the time to meet people and hear their stories.  I remember one particular episode when he visited Japan.

Mr. Watanabe is the proprietor of a restaurant in Tokyo. Every morning, the man places three piles of salt in the street in front of his restaurant. Apparently, the practice dates back over a hundred years. When farmers would bring their cows to town, the cows would stop to lick the salt. The farmer, having extra time on his hands, would notice the restaurant. Thus, sales were increased. One hundred years ago, it was a clever marketing tool.

Today, in hyper-urban Tokyo, it is merely habit or a tradition. Call me crazy, but I think such traditions are a good thing. Traditions help us maintain connections to people and places long gone. They suggest that life is more than our moment in time. I would guess that most Americans would probably disagree with me.  Pouring salt in the street seems a waste of time and salt.  Instead, we are wired to focus on the “new and improved.” Still, even Americans find ourselves sentimental at a time like this.  During the Christmas season, our minds turn to habits and patterns long established.  This is the one time a year that we don’t mind sharing our lives with the past.

One tradition prevalent for many at this time of the year is attending worship. We come back to church, and we hear ancient stories and sing old songs. For once, we aren’t embarrassed that things proud that things look the same as they did when we were children. I would never trade the tradition of the holidays, but I wonder if we are missing something. Is it possible that we have fallen in love with the things of God, rather than God himself? In the poetry of Luke’s gospel, in the familiarity of Silent Night, and in the pageantry of the candlelight service, we sometimes forget the real purpose.

Christmas is about a God who entered history, and nothing, not even death, could stop him. Our traditions point to a reality beyond sentimentality.  Our worship does not venerate the dead who remain safely dead. In fact, we worship a living God who claims our very lives. Discipleship is more than putting salt on the streets.

Grace & Peace,

James Hodsden

Back in college, I knew a guy named Tom.  He was a good guy, a little quirky, but a nice guy.  Every time you asked him how he was doing, he would respond, “I’m at the crossroads.”  The words themselves weren’t arresting.  It was how he said them.  He spoke as if he was pondering the most profound questions of his life.  “I’m at the crossroads, Jim.”

About the first dozen times he answered that way, I would be moved to ask him about his school major, his family, and his life.  After a while, I must admit that this guy’s daily existential crisis got old.  Eventually, I stopped probing into his personal life.  I still would be friendly, and I still asked, “How are you?”  Still, he would answer, “I’m at the crossroads.” However, I would just roll my eyes.

Reflecting back, I wonder if Tom was a fan of blues music.  Robert Johnson sang about the crossroads:

 “I went to the crossroad
fell down on my knees
I went to the crossroad
fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above ‘Have mercy, now
save poor Bob, if you please’”

Some think that the song is just about an intersection in Clarksdale, Mississippi.  Others believe that it has more sinister origins.  The rumor was that Johnson sold his soul to the devil for the gift of his musical talent.  They say that for Johnson, the crossroads represent the choice between damnation and redemption.

For most of us, our choices are not as dramatic as all that.  Most days, we aren’t struggling between heaven and hell.  However, Tom’s words might be a reminder that we do wake up every day with a decision to make.  Do I live for the sake of integrity or not?  Do I love my spouse today, or do I ignore her needs?  Do I act courageously, or do I do just enough to get by?

I’ve been recently thinking about crossroads because I realize that our congregation stands at the crossroads.  Our decisions in the next few years will chart a course for the future.  We are currently looking at ways that we can expand the ministry of our preschool.  We are making major investments in our physical infrastructure.  We are asking tough questions about staffing.  We are wondering about our worship and the best ways to pass on our faith to our children.  We are pondering what God wants us to be doing in our neighborhood and throughout the world.

For me, the most frustrating part of Tom’s response, “I’m at the crossroads,” was that he never actually made a choice.  He never could share the joys and challenges of traveling down the road.  He was just stuck there at the crossroads.

I certainly don’t want that for our church.  I’d like us to take a step in faith.  That’s where we need your help.  We need your prayers.  We need your hard work.  We need your financial assistance.  God is calling us to a decision.  He has an exciting future in mind for us.  Will we step away from the crossroads and join God on the journey.

Grace & Peace,

James Hodsden

“We should run the church more like a business.”

Over the years, I have heard this statement numerous times.  It often is spoken in response to perceived and actual inefficiencies, or it expresses someone’s frustration at the church’s lack of focus.  These are real concerns, and I am sympathetic to the search for good ideas.  The business community has a vested interest in making better managers, entrepreneurs, and leaders.  By the sheer volume of books, articles, and research, there is plenty from which to learn, and there is some good information out there.  Moreover, the church should not be shy towards accountability, transparency and better communication.

However, we must be careful.  Analogies are helpful until they reach their limits.  At some point, they break down.  For example, someone might suggest that the church is a spiritual factory producing religious goods and services for its customers.  The church needs to increase its market share by making better and more popular products.  In this scenario, the producers are the church’s staff, leadership, and committees.  The customers are the people in the pews.  Our products are worship services, music programs, and service opportunities.

This is how many view the church, but it is a false image.  In this model, the parishioner is reduced to nothing but a consumer whose appetites are insatiable.  Since being a consumer is a lot easier than being a producer, recruiting leadership is difficult.  Service is not seen as a joy but in fact an obligation. Burn-out is a real problem because our production quotas become more and more demanding.  The products, the programs, and events, become the focus rather than the people.

In the gospels, Jesus described a different model.  He told the church to go and “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).  The end result is not more pot luck dinners or children’s programs.  Instead, it is a community of people following Jesus.  The main characteristics of this community are to love God (Matthew 22:37), to love one another (John 13:35), and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39).  Our worship, fellowship, and outreach grow naturally from this community.

In this community, the church leadership has a special opportunity.  Rather than focus on particular works, their focus is on God and others.  Leadership grows out of love, not obligation.  We disciple others so that they grow in faith.  Our hope and desire remain that they themselves will join the ranks of leadership.   Thus, the process perpetuates itself.

This is our calling.  This is who we are.  Together, let us never lose sight of the Lord’s business.

We all remember Dorothy Gale’s words from the end of the Wizard of Oz.  Under the guidance of the Glynda the Good Witch, Dorothy clicks her ruby slippers and offers the words as an incantation.  Magically, the girl wakes up in Kansas under the watchful care of Auntie Em and Uncle Henry.

Dorothy’s story begins with a longing to be somewhere “Over the Rainbow.”  Thanks to a tornado she gets her wish, but immediately she longs to be back home.  Despite the wonder of Oz, back in Kansas there is love.  Dorothy is the prodigal daughter.  Granted, she seems much more innocent than her biblical counterpart.  Nonetheless, like him, she comes to her senses and searches for home.

After a summer of vacations and travels, many of us are looking forward to the calm of the familiar craziness.  We desire to be home.  On September 7, we celebrate the beginning of the church’s program calendar with Homecoming Sunday.  On that day, we will participate in a ministry fair, and that afternoon the church gathers at Gladwyne Park for a celebration.  There will be no fattened calf on the menu, but we will certainly enjoy some hamburgers with the people we missed all summer.

“Homecoming” can be a dramatic moment.  For those who have been away from the worshipping community, it is a big deal to sit in the sanctuary once again and be told of God’s good news.  We need to be reminded that when we were unloveable, God loved us.  We need to hear that we have a home and a Father who waits for us.

However, “homecoming” can carry some unfortunate baggage.  Some assume that if there is a homecoming then there is also an expectation that we have to be absent.  They believe that we can only appreciate the welcome home after being gone for a long time.  They purposely remove themselves from the community as if church is just something we schedule when convenient.

When all seemed lost to Dorothy, Glynda tells her that she “always had the power to go back to Kansas.”  Likewise, we should remember that “home” always remains near.  God’s power has created a community redeemed by Jesus Christ that is closer than the slippers on your feet.  The church is more than something we use in emergencies.  The church is us.  We are the ones who care for a friend in need, who provide a safe, loving place for our children, who demonstrate God’s love to a hurting world.  After all our travels, we discover that God wanted to be present in our lives, not in a building.

The church is our home.

 

Grace & Peace,

James Hodsden

Easter poses a special challenge to preachers. For almost 2000 years, people have proclaimed that “Jesus Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.” And in a variety of venues, pastors have tried to show the relevance of that profound statement to their congregations. After countless sermons and devotions, what else should be said? Isn’t there a danger of repeating oneself?

I heard a preacher once say, “I’ve preached multiple times on every character in the Easter story. If only God could have slipped in one more name, I would have another ten years of sermons.” The desire to find something original to say has even led to some to create fictionalized accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I read a story once of a fourth wise man who shows up thirty-something years late. Instead of finding a baby in a manger, he encounters a crucified and then risen Christ. In another story, a Roman soldier investigates the missing body of Jesus. It’s like a first-century version of CSI where the soldier comes to faith in the end. Many of us even remember the story of the death of Jesus told from the perspective of the tree hewn to make the cross. The youth and children of APC performed a musical based on that story just a few years ago.

I see nothing wrong with making imagination a servant of faith, but I wonder why we are so worried about repeating ourselves. Jesus of Nazareth lived showing the compassion of God, calling the world to repentance. This Jesus is our Emmanuel – God with us. He was arrested for blasphemy and sedition, and the Romans crucified him. This act of betrayal and sacrifice had cosmic implications. It becomes the very avenue God uses to reconcile ourselves to Him. After three days, Jesus is raised making his victory complete. Death, sin, and evil are destroyed. Here is our good news: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Cor 15:55).

Grace & Peace,

James Hodsden