Pastor Scott's Musings

They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.  ~Daniel 1:5b As I read these words this morning I remembered stories of how early Christians were tutored in the faith. The story goes that by the 4th century proselytes were taught the Christian faith through bible study and catechesis. The catechetical training was a form of memorization. Each student memorizes the questions and the corresponding answers to the major teachings of the faith. Here is an example from the Pictorial Catechism of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1852. 1. Who Made you?            A: God 2. Who is God?                 A: The creator of all things 3. What is God?                A: An uncreated spirit 4. Where is God?              A: God is everywhere The questions can be more complex ...

According to an annual survey by Chapman University, 73.6 percent of Americans report being "afraid" or "very afraid" of government corruption, more than any other fear. Number 2 on the list is global warming. Half of the top ten fears have to do with the environmental degradation like water and air pollution, or the extinction of animal and plant species. What’s interesting about the survey is that in 2016 only one category frightened more than 50% of Americans, that being government corruption. But in 2018, just 2 years later, every category in the top ten fears frighten more than 50% of the 1,190 people surveyed. The conclusion: Americans are increasingly afraid. On the evening of that first Easter Sunday, the disciples were hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. They were afraid that the same thing that happened to Jesus would happen to them.   They feared for their very lives! We may not be able to identify with this fear. Religious freedom is...

Through Death (Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9-15) When I entered seminary to prepare for pastoral leadership, I was asked to write the gospel in a sentence. With my Sunday School faith I wrote, “Jesus died for my sins.” As I said, it was a Sunday School kind of answer. John 3:16 is often quoted as the gospel in   a sentence, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” The gospel or the good news is that God loves you and wants you to live with Him forever. But for seminary, something more was needed. Not everyone is satisfied with simple faith. On Good Friday it is our custom to reflect upon the meaning of the cross of Jesus Christ. What is the meaning of His death for our lives? In the letter to the Colossians, we encounter a much grander presentation of the gospel. It is a gospel with cosmic proportions. If I were to put it into a sentence I’d say the good news according to Col...