Pastor Scott's Musings

Read Luke 6:27-38 (NRSV) Love for Enemies 27  “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  28  bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.  29  If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.  30  Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.  31  Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32  “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.  33  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.  34  If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.  35  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return....

Who Are You? (John 10:22-30) Any fans of the television show CSI?   The theme song for CSI, Who Are You, happens to be a song by The Who, written by Pete Townshend, the genius spokesman for rock and roll. To quote my favorite movie, Almost Famous , “No one can really explain rock ‘n’ roll, except for Pete Townshend!” Like many of his peers in the 1960s, Townshend abandoned his Christian roots and followed the teachings of an Indian guru by the name of Meher Baba. His disciples think of him as the avatar, the earthly manifestation of God. Pete Townshend went on a spiritual retreat at the Meher Spiritual Center near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. While walking about the ocean side retreat, he had a significant spiritual experience. Townshend reflects on this experience of God in his song Who Are You . I know there's a place you walked Where love falls from the trees My heart is like a broken cup I only feel right on my knees I spit out like a sewer hole Yet still ...

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...

Grandparenting is great. I spent the day with my 3.5 year old granddaughter this week. She is so full of energy! And she has a very short attention span. About every ten minutes she shifts her attention to something new. One minute she wants to watch a movie. This week's choice was Toy Story 2. After a short bit of viewing she's off to another room playing with dolls. Ten minutes later, if that, she's playing with play dough. (It's exhausting for Opa. Opa is my German grandpa name)  No sooner than she's chose one activity, she moves on to another. And I can't keep up. It's feels like flipping though channels on a radio station, but without the annoyance of commercials. I love her dearly and I truly believe being a grandparent is helping me to become a better person. For instance, she loves to play and pretend. We have fun together with little figurines. We move them with our hands and make noises for them with our mouths. Sometimes we speak for the toys in...

I need to be writing. Writing is good for my soul because I connect to that creative part of me that needs to find expression. When I write out of my love for God and for humanity, I sometimes get in touch with that spiritual sphere in me, out of which God moves and speaks. So writing is both a creative act, that connects me to creator's character within, and and act of love and service to God and to my fellow travelers. I am a very task focused man, sometimes to the exclusion of everything and everyone else. What's great about being task-focused is that I can zone in on the task at hand with a laser sharp focus and be very productive.  I can block out the rest of the world and really get after what I need to get after. Being a bit of a procrastinator, there's nothing like a deadline to motivate that task-focused side of me. (grin)  The dark side of being task-focused is that I can be blind to other needs. Other people have needs. A good servant should be sensitive and li...