| |
Blog
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
 |
 |
 |
|
OdysseyChurch Teaching Pastor Rev. Jim Merritt will teach from Bad Girls of the Bible: Exploring Biblical Women of Questionable Virtue, on Sunday, April 26, at 6PM. The book, written by Rev. Barbara Essex offers an enlightened view of many of the famous women of the Hebrew Bible. Rev. Merritt says, "I love teaching this book because it frees already oppressed women from the often non-biblical stereotypes placed on them. The study is also quite fun." The book is available at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=barbara+essex. Rev. Merritt holds the Master of Divinity degree from Episcopal Divinity School. He is the 2008 recipient of the Alison B. Cheek Feminist Liberation Theology Prize. He is the Marriage Equality Coordinator for Metropolitan Community Churches' Global Justice Team. He is a committed community activist who works tirelessly for equality and justice for all people. The evening will include music, and an open service of communion. Come visit us at OdysseyChurch, where the journey IS better...together.
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
I awakened this morning with an awareness that it was Good Friday. This is interesting to me because it usually takes a few (or several) minutes for me to ease into my day and figure out what I need to do during it. This day was not like that. With my young cat Dante on top of me as if I were his favorite nesting place, I began to wonder what I would say about this day. I wondered what it meant to me this year. I wondered what I might write here and on facebook and on www.thecommunityactivist.com and what I might send out to my friends and family. What I settled on first was that Good Friday carries with is a strong message of love. I want to state clearly that the message I hear from scripture and as I continue to walk with God is not about how bad all of humankind and I are/were. The Bible and my experience of the Divine remind me over and over again that we are VERY good; created by God, in God's image and deeply loved by God. And therein lies the key; Good Friday is not about how bad we are. It is, rather about how good God is, about love that is all inclusive, without limitation, without boundary. Perfect love. Good Friday also carries with it an important message for victims of oppression; Jesus knows what it feels like to be oppressed even to the point of death. Jesus knows about what goes on in our lives. I know some of us continue to live under the scourge of oppression on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and economic status (just to name a few) every day of our lives. What is good for us on Good Friday is the fact that we know the rest of the story. Jesus dies today under the extreme oppression of political leaders who feared loss of power and influence. Jesus suffers the full impact of oppression. And I remember many years ago hearing Tony Campolo preach his famous message, "It's Friday, (and) Sunday's Coming." My sisters and brothers, today it is Friday and we all feel the sickness in our stomachs and in our spirits about what Jesus endured. AND, Sunday is coming. Some of us are living in a Friday kind of world AND Sunday is coming. Some us live under oppression AND Sunday's coming. Some of us suffer discrimination AND Sunday's coming. Some of us live as victims AND Sunday's coming. Jesus died today AND Sunday's coming. And maybe you feel like you're dying today, too. AND your Sunday is coming, too, in the name of Jesus, our God who says that you ARE not just good, but that you are VERY GOOD. Brothers, Sisters, I share with you the impact of this powerful Friday in light of the fact that I know for you and for me, Sunday IS coming. Good Friday blessings on you and yours. Rev. Jim Merritt Teaching Pastor OdysseyChurch
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For this week, I want to highlight one phrase from the Gospel reading for this coming Sunday. Here it is: I will be replicated in the life of all of you. God’s glory will fill you all!” Last night I was helping one of my seminary friends think about her sermon for Sunday. I said, "Read me the gospel again, there's a phrase in there that jumps out at me." She did and that phrase grabbed me again. "I will be replicated in you!" That, my friends is a powerful promise. My sermon for Sunday will be called, "God Replicated in You." So let's think briefly about that subject now. What might it mean for us to have God Replicated in Us. Here are some of my initial thoughts' 1. I would love others (all others) the way God loves me. 2. I would show preference for the weakest of these. 3. I would strongly challenge systems that oppress people; any people. 4. I would keep my promises. 5. I would "simply let go," and do my best to do what Jesus does? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Come be with us Sunday night at 6 AND drop me an email at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. God bless you. Rev. Jim Merritt, Teaching Pastor
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John 3:14-17 14“Remember how Moses lifted up the snake in the desert? He gave the people a physical sign so they could believe something spiritual. It’s the same with the Son of Humanity: ‘lifted up’ 15so that everyone who trusts in him may really live…for all eternity.” 16“Because of God’s overwhelming love for all the world the Son—the Begotten One—was given, so that everyone who believes in him may really live—now and forever—and never cease to exist. 17God didn’t send the Son to tell the world how bad it was; that wouldn’t be a ‘love message’. No, the Son came to rescue the world from that kind of thinking, to put the world on the right track.” When I started working with the readings for this week I was strongly tempted to avoid the gospel. This reading contains the first bible verse I ever learned. Let’s see if I can write it just the way I learned it many years ago, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Wow, I think I got it. What does it mean to believe or to believe in? It is important for us to recognize the difference between “believing” and in “believing in.” In his book, Confessing Our Faith: An Interpretation of the Statement of Faith of the United Church of Christ, Roger Shinn explains, “To say ‘I believe in you,’ is far more than to say, ‘I believe you exist.’ It is a testimony of trust and confidence. To say, ‘We believe in you, O God,’ is far more than to say, ‘We believe you are there.’” Finally, for today, two important points; first verse 17. Many of us have been taught that Jesus had to come to Earth because humankind was so bad, that there was no way for us to survive, that we were doomed prior to his arrival. While some element of our behavior as people might be included, here is the really good news. Look at the beginning of verse 16, “Because of God’s overwhelming love for all the world…” OR, “God so loved the world….” Let’s pay attention to that. God loved/God loves. God loved/loves all. And, there are no exceptions to “all.” As we continue to live our lives for the good of others during this Lent and beyond, let us remember God’s overwhelming love for us ALL. That’s good news for today and every day. - Rev. Jim Merritt
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Seeking Perfection It was almost time for Passover, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. He found the temple courts crowded with people engaged in commerce, selling animals and birds for sacrifices and exchanging Roman coins for Jewish coins. He was appalled by it all, so he grabbed some rope and—using it like a whip—began to drive the cattle and their sellers out of the courtyards. The moneychangers knocked over their tables—coins flying everywhere—as they fled to avoid the stampede. At the same time he was yelling at the top of his voice: “Get those birds out of here! How dare you turn this place—the house of my Heavenly Parent—into a marketplace!” (John 2: 13-16) I received a link to someone else's blog yesterday. In that entry, the writer suggested that Jesus committed an act of terrorism in the scene we see described in this week's Gospel. I disagree. How much time do we spend striving for perfection? Especially during Lent we want to do a perfect job of giving up whatever it is we offer as our seasonal sacrifice. Or, if you've adopted my suggestion for this year, you might be trying to do a perfect job of living your life for the benefit of others. If that's the case, I'm very happy that you're giving it a try. Take a deep breath and stick with me for the next question I have for us to conisder...... Is it necessary for Jesus to have been absolutely perfect in order for him to be the child of God? Do you remember like I do that we've been taught that Jesus was fully Divine AND fully human. For me to believe Jesus was fully human, I have to also embrace the fact that he probably made some choices that were less than perfect. What I see in this reading is Jesus throwing a huge temper tantrum. He's upset, he's mad, he's disappointed, his feelings are hurt, and the combination of all that overwhelms him and he lets it fly. This is very good news. If Jesus behaved, on occasion, in less than perfect ways and continued to function as the beloved child of God, then I can continue to live in the light of God's love even when I make a mistake. When I say something I shouldn't say, I am still a beloved child of God. When I act in less than perfect ways, I am still a beloved child of God. When I throw a huge temper tantrum, I am still a beloved child of God. I'm seeking perfection AND I will make mistakes along the way. AND God will continue to love me. That, my sisters and brothers, is very good news.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." (Mark 1:9-15) Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14.02.2009 18:29:12 |
|
| grant
|
People ask me from time to time: “Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” And I tell them: “That’s what he used to be.” Of course, they’re shocked, or at least perplexed. So I gell them about my Horizontal Jesus. You see, when I was just a young lad, I knew that I was just awful. I lived with a lack of self-esteem, like every other boy fighting acne. My mother even warned me about ‘certain practices’ and the Boy Scout manual was less than helpful. I knew I was making mistakes all over the place. Teachers reminded me; preachers railed against sinners…and I knew I was a sinner, whatever that was. So I needed to be rescued! When I walked down the aisle at the Youth for Christ meeting, I needed someone to love me, to take my hand and lead me through my adolescence. And I was introduced to Jesus. He became my Savior, my Lord, my Guide. What more could a young lad need? I knew I had been called to be a preacher. I started preaching at sixteen years of age! (I hope I didn’t mess up too many people as I repeated what I heard other preachers say.) It took a few more years—probably well into adulthood—before I really took a look at Jesus. This was long after Bible college and formal biblical scholarship. I began to read the Bible, especially the Gospels. I discovered a Jesus that I hadn’t recognized earlier. I suppose that I was so eager to read the writings of Paul, who was himself so eager to correct my misdeeds, that I took Jesus for granted. So what did I discover there?, Or should I say ‘who’? I discovered my Best Friend. I had always seen Jesus ‘vertically’, up on the cross reaching down for me. Our relationship was always vertical, with him up there and me down here. I interpreted the whole cosmos that way. God way up there, me way down here. But now I saw Jesus ‘horizontally’, walking side by side with me. I heard him say, “You are no longer my servant; you are my friend,” just as he did to those who walked Galilee’s shores with him those many years ago. My Friend! We have walked together, side by side, all these years. And the friendship has grown richer and sweeter over those years. He has introduced me to others who have enlarged my circle of friends. He’s not even jealous of my friendship with Siddhartha and Lao-tzu. He encourages me to think and stretch and learn, to seek the world’s wisdom. He’s introduced me to teachers like Emma Curtis Hopkins, Nona Brooks, Myrtle and Charles Fillmore and Ernest Holmes. Like any good friend, he wants the best for me and wants me to know the very best. Now when people ask me, “Do you know Jesus?” I am happy to tell them, “Yes. He’s my Best Friend in all the world!” That’s my horizontal Jesus.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.02.2009 23:04:15 |
|
| grant
|
OK, I admit it. I get a charge out of putting that little sticker on my shirt every time I vote. I wear it with pride all day long. "I voted today!" I could go on for hours (or at least paragraphs) writing about all the things that are wrong about this country. But when it's all said and done, we get to vote. And it does make a difference. I was voting today in the municipal elections in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Since it is not a state or federal election, only about 10% of the electorate vote...at the most. So my ballot is really powerful. That's why I drove 300 miles yesterday to be back in Fort Lauderdale to cast that ballot. I may have elected the next mayor. I may have elected our city commissioner for our district. Winning by a handful of votes is not unusual in these municipal elections. But even in a presidential election, where my vote is almost lost in the sea of ballots that are cast... I live in Florida. We know about elections that come right down to the wire. We know about eh Supreme Court having to choose our President by determining what our ballots meant. We know... So every chance I get, I vote. And I'm proud in those moments to be an American.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
