A Pastoral Perspective – On The Word Written Life

This past weekend I had the honor and privilege of rooting for my nephew, Aaron Michael Snoberger at the statewide tournament for high school wrestling competitions in Huntington, West Virginia. As a senior, Aaron had ranked fourth in the state among high school students in his weight class prior to Ash Wednesday.

Now, upon this past first weekend in this season of Lent, I am proud to share with you as his uncle that at Saturday’s final matches, he won third place in the whole state of W.Va. I cannot express to you enough what a thrilling rush it was to root for him and his teammates as well as other wrestlers against very formidable opponents. I marveled at how each of these young people struggled on those mats through the process of working due diligence toward victory, doing their best to succeed, even in the face of some interim defeats. Their perseverance and determination leading up to the concentrated intensity of three two-minute rounds for a maximum of six minutes in those circles was something to behold. I couldn’t help but think of Jesus’ own wrestling with the devil through three rounds of temptations going back and forth with the Word of God as He exhibited for us what it means to live and embody The Word Written Life.

Amidst the resounding rumbles and loud shouts of parents, families, and communities, they were cheering them on with strength, vigor and vitality to encourage and empower them in their journey through the ring. It was, for me, an image of what we are supposed to be about in our mission as Christian families and communities in the body of Christ, enjoying the experience of being there, rooting for each other, encouraging each other’s growth and development for ministry, praying in support of one another in the journey of faith to the glory of God. This is what many among us are endeavoring and encouraged to do this spring season in our Lenten Life Together through the mission and ministry of small groups.

Well, as I stood there shouting from the top of my lungs, almost losing my voice last week, it seemed as though I could well imagine what it might have been like for the Son of Man to have His heavenly Father urging Him on right there from the stands in the distance, as near to Him in Spirit as Aaron’s dad, Bill was, pulling for his son throughout the trying times of the contest of his time.

At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus spent about six weeks – forty days, in the desert to be in communion with God and to reflect upon his upcoming ministry. While there, the devil confronted Jesus. This reminds us that goodness is not the same as innocence. Goodness is realized following an experience of struggling with evil. It is in the testing of such trials and temptations that the power and glory of Christ endures and overcomes by God’s Word and Spirit.

Beloved, we have been given an invitation to experience through a season of preparation in Lent the blessings of The Word Written Life. Jesus knew His Father and God’s Word written by the Holy Spirit intimately enough to apply effectively in time of need when faced with the devil’s temptations. He knew enough to recognize, discern, distinguish and differentiate truth from falsehood when Scripture was being misused and/or misapplied by the enemy. The value of the training He received and exercised earlier in life equipped, enabled and empowered Him to intuitively employ techniques against His opponent in a tough and trying situation. It was by training in his nature with the leading and power of the Holy Spirit to engage in spiritual warfare using the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. In this Lenten season, I encourage you to join with others in Christian community over six weeks of fellowship in a small group. Let us discover The Word Written Life in our experience of life together.

In Christ,
Pastor Rex

Year C 2007 February 25
Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

Christian Perspectives – On the Business of Busy-ness
This article was submitted for publication in The Courier-Times newspaper and is adapted from a posting on the blog rex.espiritu.net

In “Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life” internationally renowned author, priest, respected professor and beloved pastor Henri Nouwen wrote:

One of the most obvious characteristics of our daily lives is that we are busy.
We experience our days as filled with things to do, people to meet, projects to finish, letters to write, calls to make, and appointments to keep.... The strange thing, however, is that it is very hard not to be busy. Being busy has become a status symbol.[1]

If being busy has indeed become a status symbol, I wonder why at times, when I keep finding myself saying it. The casual conversation at the supermarket or when you meet someone at Wal-Mart can go something like this: “Hi! How are you?” “Oh, fine. Really busy these days.” “Busy enough keeping busy, huh?!?” And so goes the next sort of repartee one might encounter on any given day at the store. Busy, busy, busy. Even on my personal web site at rexespiritu.net I have a brief bit on this:

Come on by and say, "Hello!"
In the context of today's culture in which it seems our society is ever all the more marked by busy-ness, and as one who is being continually challenged in my pastoral vocation to be pastorally accessible, I invite you to come by and visit my blog site and/or web site, chat for a bit over a warm cup, a bite to eat, and/or a brief virtual byte over the net. Of course, if you are actually physically in the area, please feel free to stop by the church office and say, "Hello!" in person yourself! I am one who enjoys taking interest in how God is working in others' lives, drawing people into a deeper experience of the Lord's power and presence for God's glory and our good. So, come on by and say, "Hello!" ("You've got mail!") My aim/msn/yahoo instant messenger/messaging screenname is: rexespiritu

It appears as though being busy is just the way it is these days. But something in me seems to want to throw up at the idea of resigning myself to some godforsaken state of trans-conscious nirvana in which the business of busy-ness, if you will, winds up robbing me of the life that God intends for us in Christ. As another quote attributed to the same work of Henri Nouwen goes:

Jesus wants us to move from the “many things” to the “one necessary thing.” It is important for us to realize that Jesus in no way wants us to leave our many-faceted world. Rather, he wants us to live in it, firmly rooted in the center of all things. Jesus does not speak about a change in activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart. This change of heart makes everything different, even while everything appears to be the same.[2]

As I found myself preaching a few Sundays ago, I was realizing anew myself that this is a process which involves a paradigm shift not just in our doing, but more importantly in our very being. The Word of God proclaims through us in Christ the good news of the Gospel that says to the world around us, “Look and see!!! I AM making all things new!” And indeed many among us are continually experiencing the truth of this Word authored by the Holy Spirit of God being written anew in our life together at this special time and place called New Castle in Henry County, Indiana. If we were to “take time to stop and smell the roses,” so to speak, even in the midst of being snowbound, we may well appreciate where and when the Lord God has put us for such a time and place as this.

I do not want to take for granted the uncommon gift and service of such a column as this in and through which ministers are given an opportunity to be published in The Courier-Times from week to week as a public forum for the free expression of ideas with a Christian perspective. As such, I thank God for all those who preside over and work at this publication. And I praise the Lord for the gift of this community in which we serve one another in life together. Dear ones, Let us not be too busy to taste and see it – That the Lord is good indeed and that God’s love continues to endure among us.

In Christ,

Pastor Rex Espiritu

[1] http://www.pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#jan22
[2] http://www.pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#jan31

January 23 —
Listen my people,

mark each word.

I begin with a story,

I speak of mysteries

welling up from ancient depths,

heard and known from our elders.

We must not hide

this story from our children

but tell the mighty works

and all the wonders of God.

Psalm 78:1-4

January 19 — Christian nurture is not a hobby; it is not designed for the naturally religious; it is not made for those who are making sense already. No, it is for those who have lost their way, for those who are desperate because they cannot put everything together and make their lives truly worthy. — Paul Holmer, Making Christian Sense

http://www.pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#jan19