Thoughts from Pastor Stan

PASSING OF THE PEACE

SCRIPTURE: EXODUS 20: 8 (Ten Commandments)

8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

QUESTION: Which commandment, rule, law if the church did not keep, would be the last straw, and you would be out of here?

PUPPET MESSAGE

QUESTION: Is French’s the true mustard, and all other mustards are inferior?

IMPLICATION

QUESTION: Are all cultures equal?

Are some cultures more “equal” than others?

Do you find some cultures inferior?

Questions: Are some things better than others, are all things equal?

Are all baseball players equal? Singers? PoliticIans?

Implication: If so, then why is there a desire to insist that all cultures are equal?

TOLERANCE: Good or bad?

Remember Dante’s Inferno: What is virtue?

Is TOLERANCE a virtue?

Which virtue is more important: truth or tolerance?

LAST WEEK - GOOD & Evil

Gracious last week to allow a discussion on evil without a definition

Problem: it is difficult to agree on a definition of evil

Cracker Barrel: “evil is in the eye of the beholder.” (a/d) Objective or subjective?

Point: there are differences in our perception of evil.

IMPLICATION: If we are having a difficult time defining evil, how about cultures?

Question: do different cultures define evil differently?

If we do not see all cultures as equal, will we subscribe to the definition of evil of one culture over another?

EXAMPLE: 911 was seen as egregious evil by our culture and some other cultures,

but not all cultures saw 911 as evil (some saw it as a sacred moment)

Question: How do we determine which culture has a better definition of evil (or any other issue)?

Is not the (litmus)“test” founded in our own cultural (hence circular reasoning?)

Or, maybe we don’t determine one culture better than the other (equal).

CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Sophist Protagoras, as quoted by Plato, "The way things appear to me, in that way they exist for me; and the way things appears to you, in that way they exist for you"

INTRO TO CLIP - No Good Deed goes Unpunished

The Enterprise destroyed an asteroid. Unknown to the crew there was a metal parasite on the asteroid, that moved from the asteroid into the Enterprise. This foreign entity has a parasitic relationship with the Enterprise. It is consuming the Nitrium in the Enterprise leaving behind a ”gelatinous ooze. It has a relationship

Deanna Troi is the ship counselor and is counseling a father (Worf) and son (Alexander) who’s relationship is in need of repair (not fulfilling obligations: chores). Whereby she suggests they make a contract.

Deanna Troi’s mother arrives on the Enterprises. She says that "A contract is something you make with someone you distrust." Then she declares that she is about to get married and the wedding will take place on the Enterprise.

Her mother is wild and carefree, but she has arranged a computer match for herself with a diplomat she has not yet met. In this scene she meets her future husband for the first time. He is about to be beamed aboard.

NOTICE: how she is (wild and carefree) and notice how he is (proper)

Two cultures (Betazoid & ?) are about to clash in a Star Trek version of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”

CLIP # 1 - 24:36 - 28:24 (Protocol Master)

Question: What did you see?

PROTOCOL MASTER (Miss Manners)

Beverly Hill Billies did not read Miss Manners

“Take your shoes off. Stay a spell”

SHOW STOPPER

What would happen if we wanted people to feel welcome at NUMC and at the beginning of the service we said;

“We are glad you are here. We want you to feel like your home. Take off your shoes and stay a spell’

Here;’s the kicker, we have biblical precedence to do this.

SCRIPTURE: EXODUS 3:5 “Take off your shoes you are on holy ground”

Question: Is not the sanctuary holy ground?

so everybody take off your shoes

who’s with me?

let’s say you are not with me

let’s say everybody took off their shoes except you because you read Miss Manners, you had a Protocol Master

what would you do? Leave?

SCRIPTURE: Acts 10: (Peter eats!)

9About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."

14"Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."

15The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

16This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

17While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. 18They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

19While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three^[a^] men are looking for you. 20So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them."

21Peter went down and said to the men, "I'm the one you're looking for. Why have you come?"

22The men replied, "We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say." 23Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

POINT: Dietary Laws & New Wine (& Skins)

Dietary Laws were a “show stopper” for Peter. Then Peter was transformed by God, so that he could reach out to the “unclean” gentiles.

Literal interpretation: is about food

Metaphor: but Peter recognizes this is more than food it is gentiles

BOTTOM LINE: that which was unclean is now clean

PASSING OF PEACE -

OR: what would you do something that you thought god told you was wrong as a child, but now that time has passed you would do it?

APPLICATION (Acts 10)

Peter thought it was evil to eat lobster or cheeseburgers or bacon

QUESTION: What would be the last straw? what would have to be said here or done that you would say, “i am outta here.

SHOW STOPPER IN JUDAISM

1. KEEPING THE LAW

1. DIETARY LAWS
2. KEEPING THE SABBATH
3. Clean and unclean

INTRO to Scripture: Romans 14

Paul wrote a letter to the church in Rome. The Church is divided over several issues. They are not love driven. They are agenda driven. Each driving their own perspective. The basic issue is observance of the Jewish law. Those who observe are considered weak in faith, not as though their faith is lacking, they felt was though their faith did not allow them the liberty not to observe the law. On the other hand, those strong in faith felt as though they did not need to observe the law. Each group looked down at the other. Each group thought they were right and the other group was wrong. Their way was better than the other. Love had left the building.

QUESTION: How should we treat others who we disagree with?

SCRIPTURE: Romans 14

1 ACCEPT him whose faith is WEAK,

WEAK (in faith) - vegetarians

may have abstained from meat/wine because of the pagan culture they live in (i.e. Jewish Christians following dietary laws)

Accept each other in love.

ACCEPT

receive or accept into one’s group, home, circle the other. (hospitality)

1b without passing judgment on DISPUTABLE MATTERS.

POINT: Do not judge (especially in disputable matters)

PROBLEM: How to determine what is “disputable”? (non-essentials)

2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything,

STRONG (in faith) - party animals (“eat, drink and be merry God’s Way) (Gentile Christians)

POINT: Clash of Cultures (Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians)

2b but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.

VEGETALBES

Abstaining from meat and wine (in the Roman culture this may be suspect, offered to pagan gods, etc. Not being aware if the meat was Kosher.

3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.

4 Who are you to JUDGE SOMEONE ELSE’S SERVANT? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

JUDGE

To judge implies one is master/lord (kyrios)

Only our Lord is the one who shall judge.

ISSUE: Christians are not called to judge the other group, especially in disputable matters.

EXAMPLE:

They’ll know we are Christians by how well we argue/judge:

which worship style is best.

which music style is best.

which culture is best.

which political party is best.

POINT: on disputable matters - do not judge

Paul goes on with SABBATH WORSHIP! (Exodus 20:8)

5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

NOTE: This is not permission to avoid worship. But to worship sincerely.

Worship is not a check list (obligation), but a relationship with God

7 For NONE OF US LIVES TO HIMSELF ALONE and none of us dies to himself alone.

NONE OF US LIVES TO HIMSELF ALONE

The purpose of life is relationship (with God and others).

It is in worship that our relationship with God grows.

It is in fellowship were our relationship with the body (church) grows.

It is through God and scripture where we learn what is a healthy relationship.

8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

NOT A DISPUTABLE MATTER: CROSS AND EMPT TOMB

10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11It is written (Isaiah 45:23):
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "^[a^]

NOTE: Paul begins with the listener (Jewish Christian) by appealing to OT.

12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food^[b^] is UNCLEAN in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

QUESTION: Can you hear the second greatest commandment?

Love not judge your fellow person? or Love one another?

But the specific issue in this chapter is how a church can hold together when some members are so different from each other. The way Paul sums up that difference is by saying that some have weak faith and some have strong faith.

TWO WEEKS AGO: New Wine

the conflict of cultures

Gentile (Roman) and Jewish

or Wild and Stoic

Carefree and not so carefree

Wild and cautious