TRADITION!

December 2008

In the play Fiddler on the Roof, we hear a lot about tradition. Tevye, the main character, says the following: "Because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many many years… We have traditions for everything. How to sleep. How to eat. How to work. How to wear clothes… You may ask, “How did this tradition get started?” I’ll tell you... I don’t know.” (If you are reading this story online, click here to see the clip on YouTube.com)

Is Fiddler on the Roof mocking tradition? I don’t think so. But it does challenge us to ask why we have traditions and how they make us and our communities better. Traditions almost always start with a purpose. Some traditions stay with us our entire lives while others run their course and evolve into new traditions. Allow me to share a story…

A young couple got married and the bride decided to bake a ham for her new husband. The first thing she did was take a ham, place it on the cutting board and chop the ends off. Her new groom asked what the purpose was for cutting off the ends of the ham. “I don’t know,” she replied, “My mom always did it.” So the two called her mom to ask her why this was done. The mom’s answer was the same as her daughter’s, “I don’t know why I always cut the ends off, Grandma always did it. Let’s ask her.” So the three of them went to visit Grandma where they asked, “Grandma, why do you cut the ends off the ham whenever you bake one?”

“That’s simple,” said Grandma, “I have a small oven and that’s the only way a ham will fit inside.”

Isn’t that cute? Here’s a great example where tradition starts with meaning and purpose. But as the years passed and ovens have become larger, is the tradition still necessary? Maybe, maybe not. It certainly honors our past, but cutting the ends off isn’t really necessary anymore… at least to get the ham in the oven.

Like Tevve, the traditions I grew up with have helped me maintain a balance in my life. And after eleven wonderful months of being your pastor I am still learning the traditions of Bethany Church. At the same time, I am having to let go of some of the traditions I was raised with in order to become part of a new family.

Traditions can help us. Traditions can hurt us. When they shape and mold us they are great assets. When we hold onto a tradition that no longer serves a purpose, we begin to honor the tradition instead of what it symbolizes. I think the question we need to ask ourselves is, “Why do we have a particular tradition and how does it make us a better people?”

So, back to that couple with the ham… should they stop cutting the ends off? I don’t know… Maybe she can cut the ends off and use those two pieces to make a special side dish. That would honor the past, and at the same time, create a new tradition! I’m sure Grandma would love that! And at least the young woman would know why she was doing it!  

As we enter the Christmas season we also enter a season of family traditions; turkey dinners, presents, family visiting, caroling, shopping, and even a few baked hams of our own. In the midst of the chaos and calamity ask yourself, “Why do I do this and how does this help my relationship with Christ?” And then, do what I do, ask someone to pass you the gravy and then eat to your heart’s content!

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Eric

Who is Stuart Ship?

November 2008

Stuart Ship is not the guy who sits in the back row who supports the church by writing a big check once a month. Every church does have a Stuart Ship. But Stuart Ship is not a person; it is a joyful responsibility as a Christian. In fact stewardship, in its truest meaning is a verb.

Why is stewardship so hard to talk about? Whenever we hear this word we think about money, fund raising, budgets, pledge cards, and all those things that we’d rather not spend too much time focusing on. But stewardship is not just about raising money. Stewardship is about being responsible caretakers of all that God has given us. This includes our land, property, ministries, relationships, and yes, even our budget.

In our Book of Order (half of the PC(USA)’s constitution), it reads, “As stewards of God’s creation who hold the earth in trust, the people of God are called to use and shape earth’s goods to create beauty, order, health, and peace in ways that r eflect God’s love for all creatures.” (B.O.O., W-7-5003e) This means that as a family of God, it is our joy and honor to beautify our property, organize our church, and provide means for people to come and learn about Christ.

Of course, we are continually being called to be good stewards of our finances as well. As we prepare to enter 2009, please prayerfully consider your part in caring for Bethany Church and its ministries.

If you have never pledged before, please prayerfully consider doing so next year. If you have pledged before, consider giving 1% more. Just look at our property, experience worship here, and witness lives being touched by the things happening at Bethany and you will see just the beginning of the great things that responsible stewardship can bring.

Something to think about,

Pastor Eric

 TREASURES IN HEAVEN

Remember the story of the young man who went to Jesus to ask him what to do in order to receive eternal life? Jesus said he should follow the commandments, which the man said he was doing. So Jesus told the young man to sell everything that he had and then he would have treasure in heaven. (See Luke 18:18-23)

This story always bothered me! I don’t want to sell everything that I have! I have a house, two cars, a TV, a computer, furniture…. and no… not my power tools! I love those! Does Jesus want me to sell those! And what am I supposed to do with the money?

I once heard a theologian talk about abiding in God and God abiding in us. (1 John 4:16)  This made me think about the rich young man in the story above. He was not able to abide in Jesus because his possessions were more important. He valued what he owned more than having the opportunity to live with and follow Jesus!

Now that is something that I definitely don’t want…. A life with power tools and yet no Jesus. But how do I give up everything I own in order to follow Jesus?

If I abide in God, God will abide in me. In other words, if everything that I have belongs to God, then everything that God has belongs to me. Therefore, there is no sacrifice in giving to God. My tithes and my offerings seem so small to me now that I know that when I give to God, He gives to me what belongs to Him! Ten percent is not enough! I will give God everything that I have… my house, even my power tools, even my very life! Because I know that if I abide in God, God will abide in me.

Do you seek eternal life? Does the thought of having treasure in heaven appeal to you? Do you long to abide in God and to have God abide in you? It’s easy. All it costs is everything you have! God has already given us everything that He has.

Something to think about…

 Pastor Eric

Your Marriage

As a firefighter, Capt. Caleb Holt doesn’t think twice about running into a burning building in order to save someone’s life. He lives by the motto of, “Never leave your partner behind.” But at home, Caleb’s marriage to his wife Catherine is burning down.

On September 26 a new movie called Fireproof is coming to theaters. It tells us the powerful story of Caleb and Catherine and the struggle they went through to discover what true love is made of and what can make a marriage fireproof.

I encourage everyone to go and see this move. Starting in October, we’ll do a short sermon series on Fireproofing our relationships. You don’t have to be married to receive God’s truth from this movie or the sermons. This can prepare you for a marriage in your future or it can help you cope with life’s relationships.

Our series will be as follows:

God speaks to us in many ways. I hope this movie and this series will help each of us (including me) find ways to strengthen our relationships to stand firm throughout our lives. As one character in the movie says, “Fireproof doesn’t mean that a fire will never come. But that when it comes you will be able to withstand it.”

Blessings,

Pastor Eric

Who Are You?

Do you know who you are? It seems like an odd question at first. After all, many times throughout the day we are asked that question. We usually answer with, “My name is ________.” And while a name can have special meaning and identify us, it doesn’t always describe who we are. In fact, nicknames can often times do a better job describing us.

Sometimes when we are asked who we are, we answer with what we do for a living. But what we do for a living doesn’t always describe who we are. Think about those hopeful people working as waiters and waitresses at restaurants in Hollywood . Ask them what they do for a living and they’ll say, “I’m serving food but I’m really an actor.”

We’ll be finishing up our series soon on Who is Jesus? We’ve explored who prophets said Jesus is, what others have said about Jesus, and who Jesus himself claimed to be. But the big question as we close up the series is “Who is Jesus to you?”

Is Jesus your personal savior? If he’s not, he’s just another man in history. But if Jesus is your savior and you know who he his, then you’ll be closer to understanding who you are. Because if you are a disciple of Christ then you are a child of God. So when people ask, “Who are you?” you can say with confidence, “I am a child of God!” And that is an identity we can be proud of!

Blessings,

THE GREAT TRANSFORMER!

Does anyone remember that old cartoon called Transformers? Not too long ago, a movie was based on the same show. It was about a group of robots who could transform into various, different objects.  Some could become cars, trucks, or jet planes. Yet no matter what they turned into they were still the same robot made of the same parts.

That’s like Bethany Presbyterian Church right now! We are who we have always been and yet we are also transforming. For one, we are in a city that is transforming. Right next door to us a new strip mall is going to be built and in just a few years this edge of town will be completely different. There will be new, different people looking to know who Jesus is.

Some change has come in the simple fact that I have been called to serve as Bethany ’s new pastor. It’s amazing how much things have adjusted since Jen and I arrived. Before starting, I made a prayerful decision not to bring change but rather get to know everyone at Bethany and then, after becoming acclimated, to work with the church to focus on becoming the most effective church we can be. Funny thing is, without even trying to initiate something new I’ve received a few compliments on the positive change that has happened so far! What a testimony that it is really God who transforms us to better serve him!

We are like the transformers from the cartoon. We are being transformed both externally and internally! Yet at our core, we are still the same people who love and worship the same God, the Great Transformer!

God has sent His Son that our lives might be transformed. Jesus has taken our old selves and made them new again. When we look to Christ, we are transformed into something beautiful and Christ-like. (2 Corinthians 3:18). When we accept that Christ died on the cross for our sins, our old lives pass away and we are born as new beings with the promise of everlasting joy. On the cross, Jesus transformed us for eternity!

At Bethany , we are transformed and transforming! We are transformed because Christ has died for our sins and given us new life. We are transforming because God is bringing us into a new time and we constantly look to Him that the Spirit of God would continue to work in us and make us perfect!

May you be transformed!

Pastor Eric

top

Hello Summer! (Where’d Spring Go?)

(June 2008)

It seemed like winter would just not come to an end this year. We all looked forward to spring. And now that spring has come, summer is already right around the corner. What happened to spring? Why does winter seem so long and spring so short? Especially this year when winter was as cold as it was? Come to think of it, why do all negative things seem to have such a lasting impact on us?

Ever see a movie that was so bad you kept watching it hoping it would get better? A 90 minute movie may feel like 3 hours if it is bad. When it’s all over, the movie haunts us the rest of the day because we keep talking about how bad it was. I think it’s that way with a season like the winter we had. Was it really any longer than any other winter any other year? It just seemed to be long because we were so focused on all the negatives about it… It’s so cold!... Wow, it’s windy…Snow again?.. My back is hurting from the last time I shoveled!.. I can’t remember when I saw so much snowfall!..

Things that get our focus have more impact on our lives. If you are focused on your finances, you’ll be more aware of how much everything costs and think about all the money you are spending. If you are focused on your weight you’ll be thinking about all the calories you are eating. If you are focused on a bad day, you’ll continue to think about the negatives and the day will seem to drag on. And the day won’t end if we keep thinking about it! Why not focus on the things in our lives that bring joy?! After all, where we focus our thoughts is where we find what is important in our lives.

During his sermon on the mount Jesus said, “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.” (Matthew 6:21 NLT) What do you treasure? To answer that question, focus on what your thoughts are usually on and you’ll find your answer. Don’t like your answer?...start thinking about things that are more important to you. Unhappy with your life, think about the things that will make it better. Unhappy in your relationships, think about ways to improve them. Think work could be better, think about making it better.

You know what I think? I think it’s great that spring is here and summer is close at hand. I’m looking forward to time out in the sunshine and seeing what God has in store for me and us here at Bethany .

Thinking of You!

Pastor Eric  

top

Getting Settled… Sort Of…

(May 2008)

I received an email from Pam this morning gently reminding me that I need to write my article in order for it to be in this month’s Beacon. I couldn’t believe the due date had already passed. (By the way, the due date for all articles is the 25^th of each month. Now I know!)

I’ve been busy getting settled in as your new pastor. Pam’s email was a friendly reminder of how time has a way of catching up with us and passing us by. It was also a demonstration of just how vital she has been in helping me get settled in! Thanks Pam!

As the dust is beginning to settle, we’re finding that a pattern is emerging in my calendar that is best enabling me to be an effective pastor for you and Bethany. Here’s what we’re learning:

Tuesdays as Study Days

This is the day I do research, reading and writing for the sermons. I plan out what I believe God is telling me to preach and then I spend the rest of the day wrestling with it. This requires some continuity of quiet time for me so, for the most part I’m not available on Tuesdays.

Phone Calls

If you need to get a hold of me, please call. (Of course you can always email me.) If you call the church and get the answering machine, please leave a message. I’m often out of the office in meetings, with other pastors or visitations. I’m great at returning phone calls. But I’m a lousy mind reader. When the message is a dial tone or a phone hanging up on the other end, I don’t know who called. Soon, we’ll have a voicemail system when all callers can leave a private message that only I will hear.

Office Visits

I love when people drop by to say hi. It helps me to know you better and do what I do best – talk! Please remember, I’m often out of the office so if you need to discuss something of importance, call Pam to make sure I’ll be in, otherwise I’ll miss you.

Home Visits

I love home visits. My struggle is, I don’t know who to call on! If you know of someone who can use a visit, or you would like me to drop in and have a chat, let me know.

I hope this helps. Being a pastor is good, honest work. Being a solo pastor can be challenging. And being a new, solo pastor can be a little overwhelming as things are getting settled and the dust is still in the air. Yet, I am so pleased with how the journey is going so far!

Now, I need to get back to my sermon… If I could only see through all this dust [cough cough] I think I can wrap things up for this Sunday…

Blessings,

Pastor Eric

top

WHO IS JESUS

(April 2008)

WHO IS JESUS?  Asking such a question may sound a bit unusual for a church as faithful as Bethany . Those of us who worship here regularly know who Jesus is. We sing to him, pray to him, worship him. We have a close personal relationship with him. Now let’s examine our relationship with Jesus by taking a closer look at who he is.

In the last several weeks during lent, we paid attention to where our focus is in life; the things of the world or the things of God. I hope celebrating the resurrection of Jesus helped redirect your focus onto Christ and the transforming love he brings. Now that we’ve placed our focus on Christ, let’s take a deeper look.

Perhaps you worshiped at Bethany on Easter Sunday and you want to know more. Perhaps you’ve always worshiped at Bethany and you want to deepen your relationship with Jesus. Don’t miss what lies ahead. For the next several weeks, we’ll examine who Jesus is; what Scripture has to say about him before he was even born; what Jesus said about himself; the claims he made; the things he did; the people he affected. 

It’s amazing how you can have a relationship with someone your entire life and then find out one day that there’s something you didn’t know about them. I hope this series on who Jesus is does the same for you. If you’ve known Jesus most of your life, I hope you learn more. If you’ve never personally met Jesus and have questions like, “did he really live?” or “why should I know him?” then these next few weeks are a must for your walk in faith.

I’m looking forward to how much I will learn myself and how much God will reveal to me as I work to prepare our messages. Pray for me as I strive to bring the Word of God to you and I’ll pray that God speaks to your heart and introduces himself to you in such a way you can’t deny his presence in your life.

Blessings,

Pastor Eric

top

SEASONS

(March 2008)

I’m sure I speak for just about all of us when I say that we are ready for a new season. Winter has been long and cold and we could use some warm spring days. But as Solomon said, “There is a season for everything.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) As there are seasons in our lives, there are also seasons in the life of a church.

I entered a new season two years ago. It’s hard for me to believe that it’s been two years since God called has been calling me to Bethany . Two years? I know what some of you are thinking, “Did Eric say two years? I though he started in February 2008? How have two years gone by?” I’m glad you asked!

It was about two years ago that I started to feel God tugging on my heart to pursue a new ministry. At first I fought it. But for those of you who have fought God, you know how futile that can be. So, I started listening to what God was telling me. About the same time, the good people at Bethany entered into a new season as one pastor moved on and the process to receive a new pastor began. Bethany and I were receiving the same messages from God at about the same time! And though we hadn’t yet met each other, we had each entered into a new season together. It was a season of preparing our new lives.

Fast forward two years and here we are in March 2008 and we are just beginning to know one another. We have been worshiping together a full month and now a new season together has begun. For me, I’m getting plugged into a new church and a new way of doing ministry. My wife Jen and I are learning new names and faces and discovering the good places to eat in town. Bethany is learning to adapt to a new pastor, new styles of worship and a new voice behind the pulpit. It’s a season of planting new relationships.

Soon we’ll enter a new season of building on our relationships. The session and I will work together to discover the vision God has for this church and develop ideas and set goals to see that vision come to life. We’ll communicate with the congregation as together it is our church and our time.

All these seasons lead to the harvest! When, with the help of the Holy Spirit, Bethany enters a season of building new ministries, drawing in new families, feeding our current membership, and building a church that sends out new church planters and new harvesters!

But for now, let’s enjoy the season that we are in. Let’s allow God to set the clock, we’ll enjoy the time He gives us. Jen and I look forward to getting to know everyone. We thank you for welcoming us so far and for the invitations we’ve received for dinner, lunch and the greeting cards. It’s been a good winter so far!  Even though, I wouldn’t mind putting away the snow shovel and unpacking some Spring clothes!

Blessings,

Pastor Eric