Hello dear ones!
Today’s Text:
Psalm 133:1-3
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.
Song that we’re loving for small group contemplation: “Rooted and Grounded in Love”
Here’s a song for group worship. Please stop the video at 4:45 to avoid the jolt of the ad at the end.
Question for discussion:
What trauma or triumph do you bring with you this week, and how would you like us to pray for you?
In your group:
I would suggest offering each person an agreed upon amount of time to answer this question, with someone working as a timekeeper. It is important that this time of conversation reflects the entire gathered community - even those who don’t usually share very often.
And as you close your time together:
I leave you with this blessing:
I release you in the power of the Holy Spirit into the world God so loves, to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with the God, who sees the goodness and grace in you and walks proudly with you.
Blessings,
Carmen
This post is offered for individual worship, and for sharing with your small group and member congregations. It is offered free of charge at this time - you do not need to be a paid subscriber to access this content.
TRANSCRIPT
I’m not certain this system provides the transcript, so just in case it doesn’t, here are my notes.
I have been watching the news lately here and there. I can't really spend a lot of time with it, but there have been some “big beautiful” things in the works. And I think people are concerned. Now we're the body of Christ, I don't see much point in trying to put on a front that everything is ok – when it's not. And it's not going to be ok for some time. So how do we live in a culture that is increasingly scary and chaotic for so many? How do we follow Jesus in a season of empire?
I think of the story in Exodus where Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh and tell him “Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to God in the wilderness.” And Pharaoh says no. And they say “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offering sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
It kind sounds like a veiled threat, like if you don't let us go, our god will be mad and then a lot of us will have to start calling in sick. “God may strike us with plagues or with the sword.” It sounds like Pharaoh has potential problems in the work force. And Pharaoh basically dismisses them and tells them to get back to work!
Exodus 5:6 “That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before, don't reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, “let us go and sacrifice to our God.' Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
I feel like we understand that verse a little more deeply than we did this time last year. And if this bill passes, our dear ones on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and somehow supposed to find more resources to meet the same quota – the same bills. How is that supposed to work? It's scary. And we're feeling the chaos of things going this way one day and that way the next. That's greed and power.
That was the Egyptian empire. And in many ways it was simply cruel.
And then I remembered that this Sunday is Pentecost, and so we fast forward from the Egyptian empire which is the context of portions of the OT to the Roman empire which is the context of much of the new testament. And in Acts 2, we come to a room where the disciples had gathered “with one accord” and it's not a reference to a Honda Accord... it's an interesting compound Greek word that means to “rush along” and “in unison”. They were running together. They were in lock step - the unison of sharing a direction and a pace. That's the picture I get from this Greek compound word.
They are running together.
It didn't mean they believed all the same things, it just meant they were on the same path. On the same trajectory. The same direction. It meant that they were moving together.
It wasn't up here in the head, it was out here in our bodies... like it wasn't intellectual – it was action. It was movement. No matter what they believed, they chose to move toward Jesus together.
The disciples had witnessed the arrest of Jesus, the execution of Jesus. They felt the fear of wondering if they were next. Their trusted friend Judas who had been with them for the last three years had betrayed them all. They were all afraid for their own lives. And then Judas took his own life. And something short circuited in Peter and he denied he knew Jesus or any of them. The shock of it all... the chaos, the destabilization... the uncertainty.
And then for those of us with scientific minds - Jesus was resurrected, that's just not supposed to happen? How is that possible?! And they came together in the shared loss, bewilderment, and confusion of those days. Has it been a dream? Is it real? They came together in trauma and in triumph. And they came together to be a haven for each other, because let's face it – who else would understand what they'd just been through?! Maybe they came to share a meal – we don't know. We know that they came together. We know that their trauma and their triumph brought them close.
And we know in Psalm 133
1”Look at how good and pleasing it is
when families live together as one!
The word translated “families” here can mean a biological family or a chosen family. It means a group of people who have chosen to do life together.
2 It is like expensive oil poured over the head,
running down onto the beard—
Aaron’s beard!—
which extended over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew on Mount Hermon
streaming down onto the mountains of Zion,
because it is there that the Lord has commanded the blessing:
everlasting life.
When we come together to move together on the same path... God commands a blessing. The Psalms tell us that blessing came in the form of anointing oil, lots of fragrant oil that runs streaming down. Plenty. Abundance. Extra. The generosity and goodness of God.
Coming together in this way is “good and pleasing”. Good and pleasing. The word translated “good” here is “tov” a word that is used repeatedly in Genesis as God looks at creation and declares it good. But then there was a pause. It was not good for Adam to be alone. And so when God made Eve – and they were no longer alone – then God called that good. Alone? – not good. Community? – good.
And back in Acts 2 we see that same theme:
“They were all together in one place...”
Acts 2:2“Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
You want to know something really really awesome?!
Jesus was only one person and could only be in one place at one time. But here's the Holy Spirit who can spread out around the globe and be with the people of God – all the people of God – regardless of time and space. What a blessing!
They came together in one accord, Jehovah commanded a blessing.
This blessing in Acts 2 was the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
In the next verse we get a bit of context. There is an event happening in Jerusalem called “The Feast of Weeks” or “Shavout” which brings Jews from all over the world to Jerusalem. Not just all over the Roman Empire, but all over the world. Jews consider this the day that the Torah was revealed by God on Mt Sinea = the giving of the Word of God from heaven. And at this point in Acts, Jesus = who was the Word of God, had just ascended into heaven... so that the Holy Spirit could come from heaven to earth...
Acts 2:5
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, the crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken!
See, Empire will always say “One Language!” “You come here, you need to speak our language!” There are stories through history of people who were not allowed to speak their own language but could only speak English. This one language thing is all about power, control, and conformity.
But in the Kingdom of God is the opposite! God brought them in from all around the world, and in the presence of God they heard their mother tongue. In the presence of God there is a respect for all people and all languages, and God pulled off this glorious miracle of “speaking in tongues”! All the languages! God draws in his dear ones from around the world, and then speaks to them in the language they understand. That's amazing grace. That's the opposite of empire. In the presence of God It's all the languages! What a beautiful Kin-dom moment.
And so I call you into the glorious generosity of community in your own mother tongue. I call you into kinship and connection. I call you to do life together with your dear ones. Get together, share a meal together. Tell each other what trauma you came in with and pray together. Tell each other what triumph God is doing – how Jesus is showing up in unexpected places very much ALIVE! And celebrate together. Be a haven for each other.
You don't have to believe all the same things. You do need a shared path forward toward Jesus, and the willingness to walk together. The ability to help each other along. The job here is to run together. All together in one accord. There's nothing here about mental assent to a theological checklist. It's a group of people who are moving together. This is where Jehovah commands a blessing. And the blessing is anointing oil, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Empowerment to speak the truth in whatever language God gives us.
Become a community as the Three are a community – Father, Spirit, Son. Move together. Run together. Lock step with each other. Become community as the Three are community.
Community like this can meet from house to house. No church building is required. You don't have to hire a professional holy man, to get together.
This reminds me of a joke that Anthony Campolo used to tell. “Preachers are paid to be good. The rest of us as good for nothing!” LOL!
See, we've become consumers. Church has become a stage and a show. But sound does not equal presence. And good words do not equal wisdom. And when I got a big diagnosis, I didn't go to a Mega church for some great music and preaching – I went to my nearest and dearest. And we prayed together. The Holy Spirit came and ministered to us. There were people who walked with us during my cancer journey. A friend brought me a box of hats. Others drove me to Radiation appointments. People donated toward our grocery bill. Lots of people sent cards and dropped us a line. It was amazing. People who believed very different things moved together to help get me through cancer treatment.
I've been through some difficult things in my life. (So have you!) And some of them I went through alone. But I didn't have to go through cancer alone. And that ability of friends to come alongside and share the burden meant the world to me. Given the choice of going through something alone or going through it with my chosen family around me? I'd pick community any day all day.
Years ago a few of us visited an event at a black church and as we gathered after the service to eat – they had this amazing buffet spread out... the black apostolic leader looked around at us. He was going to pray over the meal. There were white faces in his congregation – and he was looking around at us. He told us “what the white church doesn't understand that the black church understands very well... is fellowship.” Eat some good food and fellowship! Good advice!
I happened upon a video of a counseling session, and a woman told of a story that happened in her childhood. The counselor asked her how she'd felt and she said “scared and confused.” Then he asked her: who did you tell? “Nobody!”
If something like this happened to your own daughter and she didn't tell you about it, how would you explain that? And she tells him she would be shattered if her daughter didn't come to her. Of course. And then the counselor tells her that the trauma started way before the event. Because when it happened, she didn't have a safe person to go to.
Abusers can tell with laser like accuracy when someone is connected and protected by community. Abusers will always prey on the one who is vulnerable, the one who doesn't have a safe people to talk to.
The Trevor Project tracks suicides for young people who are dealing with significant life stuff, and who don't have a safe person. It's so painful to know that our dear ones are growing up without safe people who will genuinely love them for who they are and it makes them vulnerable to abuse.
I want you to be in a community where you are connected and protected. I want you to listen to what other people are going through and be there for them without judgement, without criticizim. I want them to listen to you without judgment and without criticism. I want you to talk to Jesus in the morning and ask him who to bless – and drop them a note of encouragement. And instead of sitting there and saying nobody cares about me, nobody listens to me, nobody.... go and care about someone else. Go and listen to someone else. The Kingdom of God is not all about me. It's about serving each other. It's reciprocal, not consumtion. It's about being that community of connections that means that our dear ones are not vulnerable to the enemy. Because we got them. We pray for them. We check in on them. The moment you make the shift from consumer of the blessing to releaser of the blessing, life starts to look and feel better.
Is it possible to realize what you needed and didn't have... and then be that for someone else? Yeah. Because of the compassion that comes from understanding the pain. That compassion is the first step to healing.
We don't know what's coming. We have the stories of the Egypitan Empire in front of us. We have the stories of the brutal Roman empire in front of us. And we see what's happening in the news. And we know that sometimes things get worse before they get better, and that's ok. Because as long as you are walking in lock step with your dear ones... as long as you are running together... a haven for each other... when you do life togegther – God commands a blessing. It's a promise of the presence of the Three – Father, Spirit and Son who are near to the lowly. A bruised reed they will not break. The Three are a strong tower, the righteous run in and are safe.
If you do not have a group today. Then I suggest to you that it's time to build one. I commission you to build one. I release you to build one! And you build one by praying for people, and then encouraging them. You build one by inviting people to eat together. You build one by praying with someone. You build one by walking with people toward the same goal. You build one by risking awkwardness and vulnerability.
You don't build a group by being spiritually superior, or being judgmental, or being critical or blaming people. You build a group by creating a haven.
A old preacher used to tell the story of a pair of doves that built a nest in the eves of his back porch. When he came flying out in a rush to get to work, the doves would fly away. But when he came out gently, they would stay. When the people in the house were fighting, the doves would leave. When they insulted each other or were selfish and harmful, the doves left. But when they were kind and gentle, the doves stayed.
Friends, the way to build a community is to live gently like you want the dove to live there peacefully with you. The dove doesn't live around yelling and thoughtless behavior. The dove lives where people have made the choice to live together mindful of the dove... the Holy Spirit. The atmosphere matters. Cultivate an atmosphere of goodness and kindness and peace.
Are you hungry for peace and stability? Yeah, me too. And so we can build groups where the dove can safely hang out because it's a place of kindness and gentleness and respect. It's not about shared mental assent to a laundry list of identity markers or theological points, it's about people who have chosen to be a family that does life together gently enough that the dove can stay.
Pray with me the prayer of St Francis:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Lord, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in forgiving that one is forgiven,
it is in dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Help us to walk together, Lord. Help us to find our peeps, gather them in, and do life together mindful of the dove of your Holy Spirit. Pour out your spirit on us to heal our broken hearts, and to raise us out of fear and death. Pour out your love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control on us. And such things there is no law.
We pray in the words of Jesus:
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
The word often translated “unity” or “perfect” is a Greek word that also suggests completeness. Hear how it sounds... “I in them, and You in me, that they may be made complete, that the world may know that You have sent me, and have loved them as you have loved me.”
Send this post to a friend and ask them if they'll run with you. Small groups of 5-12 people who have chosen to do life together – will experience the blessing of God.
You don't have to believe all the same things, but you do need to be on the path to Jesus. On the same trajectory. Heading in the same direction. You can be a refuge for each other, and place where the Holy Spirit is poured out like anointing oil.
And in your time together, be mindful of the dove.
Amen.
Sending love your way,
Carmen Shenk
As always, I leave you with this blessing:
I release you in the power of the Holy Spirit into the world God so loves, to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with the God, who sees the goodness and grace in you and walks proudly with you.
Share this post