Prayers For Melissa

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

The writer in Ecclesiastes 3 writes that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” While some may feel otherwise, for me and others among us in the Presbyterian Church (USA), it is “a time to weep… [and] a time to search,” praying before the throne of grace for the wisdom of God concerning how we may move forward in faith from this point on.

As Presbyterians For Renewal (PFR) has stated in a recent pastoral letter to fellow Presbyterians:  

Amendment 10-A has now been approved by a majority of the presbyteries within the PC(USA).  While the ongoing voting in remaining presbyteries is important, both as a means of faithful witness and for the sake of understanding the state of our divisions, the biblical standard of fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman and chastity in singleness will soon be removed as an explicit denominational standard for ordination and/or installation of church officers. 

Amendment 10-A is a change in the language of the Book of Order proposed by the 2010 General Assembly.  It calls for the removal of paragraph G-6.0106b:

“Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to re-pent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.”

and replaces it with:

“Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240; G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003).  Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.”

Proponents of the changed wording will argue that the passage of Amendment 10-A, in and of itself, changes nothing for those who remain committed to upholding historic orthodox teaching. Technically they are correct.  Explicit language will be removed from the Book of Order that, for the vast majority of Jesus’ followers around the globe and for many who are still within the PC(USA), remains implicit.  

Passage of this amendment does not mandate the ordination of practicing gay and lesbian deacons, elders, and ministers, although some people within the PC(USA) and the majority of people outside the denomination will read it as though it does.  

In view of recent events in the continuing voting by presbyteries in the PC(USA) on various proposed amendments issued from last year’s General Assembly, it is important to take note of the following.

First, we must affirm what has not changed:

• Jesus Christ is Lord-this has not changed and never will!  Remember Jesus’ words, “I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
  
• The ultimate victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death has not been compromised!  No action taken by the PC(USA) can threaten our Lord’s redemptive purpose.
  
• Scripture still clearly teaches that God intends the gift of sexual intimacy to be expressed within a lifelong covenant of marriage between a man and a woman.  No vote by the PC(USA) can change God’s truth.
  

Within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), other important realities have not changed: 

• Congregations and presbyteries have the right and the responsibility to examine and elect Deacons, Elders, and Ministers of the Word and Sacrament. 
  
• The new constitutional language, though lacking the clear expression of “fidelity/chastity,” does not require us to violate our understanding of biblical standards. 
  
• Our Book of Order can be amended again.  We who oppose this decay in ordination standards are still free to work to restore the clarity that has been lost and even to raise the level of accountability.
  

This is not a time for panic or for ill-considered actions that could potentially damage our mission and witness even more than the passage of Amendment 10-A.  Neither is it a time for pretending that we can continue to “do church” as we have before.  Instead, this is the time for:

• focused prayer on repentance for our own unfaithfulness and wisdom for the future;
  
• new covenanted fellowships within and perhaps beyond the PC(USA) based on closer theological agreement, which will support continued biblical faithfulness, and;
  
• sober assessments of the options we have for ministry with integrity.
  

A pastoral letter from several former Moderators of the General Assembly of the PC (USA) was also recently issued stating:

Jesus Christ is Head of the Church, and continues to guide and direct it.  The decision to adopt Amendment 10-A does not bind the conscience of any Presbyterian, nor does it create a mandate for ordaining particular individuals. Instead it directs each congregation and presbytery to prayerfully discern the gifts and call of each candidate for ordination, guided by Scripture and the confessions. And it calls all ordained officers to “submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.”

In 1 Chronicles 12:32, Scripture tells us that at a critical time in the life of the people of Israel, the tribe of Issachar “understood the times and knew what Israel should do.”

Your elected Elders on Session and I are seeking wisdom and discernment as we prayerfully consider our options with the leading and direction of God’s Word and Spirit. Please pray along with us that we might more fully understand the times we are in and know what we should do as a people of God in this place.

Seeking the heart and mind of Christ, with you, I am

Pastor Rex

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“There remains
for us
only
the very narrow way,
often extremely difficult to find,

of living every day
as though it were our last,

and yet living in faith and responsibility
as though there were to be
a great future.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer

http://j.mp/k6SEj0

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As I have found myself repeating upon reflection through this Holy Week, the saying continually comes to mind that “you can’t have Easter without Good Friday.” In his piece for Reformed Worship “On Good Friday”, Dr. John D. Witvliet writes of our liturgical need for lament in the spiritual life of those seeking to live out their faith in Christ.

Professor Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, states that, ideally, worship on Good Friday ought to “include [a number of] elements. We should narrate Jesus’ death. We should sense the profundity of his passion. We should acknowledge the world-changing ramifications of the cross for the salvation of the world.” He goes on to say that “lament is a key ingredient in worship that arises from honest, soul-searching faith.” <http://www.reformedworship.org/magazine/article.cfm?article_id=620>

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When one has well and deeply loved another, one experiences deeply the recurrent pain of grief suffered upon their loss of the other. The deep sense of loss over time deepens one’s gladness with gratitude in joyful appreciation for the blessing of precious moments shared together in love. The inherent preciousness in such depth of relationship encountered abides in eternity.

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Memoriam [HD]

In Loving Memory of Melissa Espiritu who awoke in the presence of Yahweh on March 13th, 2010 with music performance by Christina Espiritu

http://www.facebook.com/v/10150175438444050

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“Giving up for Lent.”

I sometimes wonder at meanings we may give to words and phrases arranged and/or uttered in a particular way.

Take the sentence fragment quoted from the title above. Is it referring to what one may be giving up during the Lenten season? (I read a Facebook status recently that stated something like, “It seemed to work well for me last year, so this year I am again giving up fasting for Lent.” Which leads me to wonder what anyone might indeed be “giving up for Lent.” And not just giving up, but doing in place of. That is, instead of just refraining or abstaining from a particular item and/or activity, the person “giving up” something substitutes another thing or action in its place. For example, when fasting, the time one would have spent eating may instead be devoted to praying.

Another way one might interpret “Giving up for Lent” is to take it as a report of how contributions are currently coming in so far this spring. (In other words, one could understand it to mean that the giving of tithes and offerings is up higher for the forty days in the months of March and into April.) In this case, I would imagine that these words could be found especially encouraging as among some favorable signs of health and recovery for the leaders of a church congregation to consider with recent challenges in the world’s economy.

In these lengthening days of Daylight Savings Time throughout the season of Lent, how will you be spending your time? What are you “giving up for Lent”?

During this season from Ash Wednesday leading up to Holy Week and Easter, I am “giving up for Lent.” I am giving up to God the events of the last year or two in the life of my family and household of faith. I am increasingly continuing on in giving up any semblance of any effort on my part to try to make it through the rest of my life by myself on my own apart from dear friends and family in the Lord in our community. I, literally, give up! I am giving up, so that, to paraphrase the lyrics of a song by The Beatles, I may more than just “get by with a little help from my friends.”

Friends, what is more, I am giving up everything I have experienced and may continue experiencing for, as the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians (3:8), “the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.” As James (1:2) tells us, “Consider it all pure joy!” Give it up! Give it all up. Give it all over to Jesus. He can take it. He’ll take what ever we may have to offer our Lord. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. (Matthew 11:30) He’ll carry us on through toward greater grace and heights for God’s glory and our good. This Lent, let one and all giving up for Jesus be ever so

in His Peace,

Pastor Rex

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sole soul refrain
from the shallows
such deep sorrow
shipwrecked on the shoals
of unfathomable anguish
wasting wantonness wallowing

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