Royalmania!

April 27, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

My decision to devote a large part of today’s Mid-Week to the wedding of William and Kate came after some intense internal debate. There is part of me that has grown weary of all the hype and hoopla, as have many of you. A friend of mine living in England told me she is quite tired of seeing, hearing, and living with the “tatty memorabilia” being hawked on the streets, including knitting patterns you can use to make your own “Wills and Kate” dolls. So I offer my apologies to any of you hoping this message would offer a respite from Royalmania.

The other day, Grace asked if our wedding was broadcast on television, too. I had to tell her that though her mother looked like a princess that day, such extravaganzas are rare. She is about the age I was in 1981 when I watched Charles and Diana get married. Thirty years later, I’ll be one of the millions watching again, but for very different reasons.

I won’t be caught up in the fairy-tale dramatics of the day; I have no real interest in the style of the gowns, the choice of wedding colors, or the vast array of flowers. As one who considers wedding officiating to be a hefty part of my job description, I’ll be watching for the ceremonial elements of the morning: the liturgy used by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the homily delivered by the Bishop of London, and what will likely be the first 50-ft. white altar linen I have ever seen.

I will also be viewing with a fascination about what the royal family means to the British people. As an American with an inbred allergy to anything monarchical, and a United Methodist with an instinctive urge to reform anything Anglican, I have to admit that, like many Americans, I struggle to see why the royal family is so significant to the Mother Country.

My hunch is that the British are well aware that long gone are the days that the royal family wielded any significant military or political power. But I suspect that what the royals lack in governmental authority, they more than compensate in cultural and societal influence. In them, the people find their corporate memory and claim their communal identity. The royal family links their citizenry to centuries of rich heritage, and reminds them of what it means to be British.

This perspective as an outsider gives me some entry point into the world of the pre-monarchy Israelites, who studied the empires around them (and, perhaps, watched a royal wedding or two themselves.) They craved a warrior king to help them defeat their enemies, and serve as an idealized hero for their projections of strength and power. But deep down inside, they were looking for a person to embody their corporate identity, and remind them of what it meant to be an Israelite.

Samuel, the lead prophet, was dismayed. Not just because his job was in jeopardy, but because they had forgotten that the source of their identity as a people was not located in any one person, but in the God who constituted their past, their present, and their future. In response to the people’s request, God told Samuel: ‘Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.’ (1 Samuel 1:3-9)

No, we Americans don’t have a monarchy to define who we are. Those days of patriarchal patriotism were left behind when the pilgrims crossed the pond. And United Methodists don’t have a pope or president who speaks on behalf of all of us. Instead, we believe that our identity in the kingdom of God is not found in a human being, but in Jesus Christ, whom we call our Lord.

Lord and Kingdom may sound like antiquated, patriarchal terms, but they best describe the way Christ bears our communal distinctiveness. It is in Jesus that we find our joint purpose and meaning as a faithful people. And to call Jesus Lord is to join together with the confessions of the saints from long ago from whom we inherit the rich, grand tradition of the Christian faith.

This all leads to this Sunday, in an event that is, in my opinion, exponentially more significant than the royal wedding. Confirmation Sunday is a momentous occasion in the lives of our seventh graders, who will stand before you and before God to claim their identity in Christ. They will formally proclaim Jesus as their Lord, and will henceforth align their lives around the vision of God’s kingdom on earth. They will acknowledge the grace of God that has been operating in their lives even prior to their ability to comprehend it, and vow to live their lives as followers of the one who came to give himself for them.

I hope you’ll join us this Sunday for this deeply moving and significant moment in the lives of these young people. It will be a reminder to all of us that our identity does not rest in any one human being, royal couple, or figurehead leader. Our identity is found in the resurrected Christ, who is our Lord.

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org




NEW SERMON SERIES
This Sunday we begin a brand new series based on 1 Peter called “Strength for the Tough Times.” We will see how the words of this epistle gave strength to the early Christians during their times of persecution and trial, and translate that into principles for combating the difficulties of daily living. We’ll start with a sermon based on 1 Peter 1:3-9, called “Living Hope: Faith for Our Future.”

STRENGTH FOR THE TOUGH TIMES:
1 Peter’s Prescription for Persecuted People


May 1
Living Hope: Faith for Our Future
1 Peter 1:3-9
(Confirmation Sunday)

May 8
A Love That Lasts: Faith that Endures
1 Peter 1:17-23

May 15
Safety with the Shepherd: Faith That Comforts
1 Peter 2:19-25

May 22
Growing Up God’s Way: Faith That Matures
1 Peter 2:2-10

May 29
Good Work! Faith That Works
1 Peter 3:13-22

June 5
Acts 1:1-11
Contagious Christianity: Faith That Spreads

June 12
Acts 2:1-21
Spirit Born: Faith Strengthened by the Spirit

Love at the Junction of Eternity

April 19, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

To Know Just How He Suffered
by: Emily Dickinson

To know just how he suffered would be dear;
To know if any human eyes were near
To whom he could intrust his wavering gaze,
Until it settled firm on Paradise.

To know if he was patient, part content,
Was dying as he thought, or different;
Was it a pleasant day to die,
And did the sunshine face his way?

What was his furthest mind, of home, or God,
Or what the distant say
At news that he ceased human nature
On such a day?

And wishes, had he any?
Just his sigh, accented,
Had been legible to me.
And was he confident until
Ill fluttered out in everlasting well?

And if he spoke, what name was best,
What first,
What one broke off with
At the drowsiest?

Was he afraid, or tranquil?
Might he know
How conscious consciousness could grow,
Till love that was, and love too blest to be,
Meet -- and the junction be Eternity?




On behalf of the staff and lay leadership of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, I wish you and yours a blessed Holy Week, a deeply moving Good Friday, and a joyous Easter celebration.

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org




HOLY WEEK AT ST. PAUL’S
Join us this week as we celebrate the power, passion, and drama of the last week of Jesus’ life:
· Maundy Thursday service, April 21, 7:00pm. Service of Remembrance and Holy Communion
· Good Friday service, April 22, 7:00pm. Service of Darkness, featuring the Chancel Choir
· Easter Morning, April 24. Identical services at 7am and 10:10am.

EASTER BRUNCH
You are invited to join the youth as they sponsor an Easter brunch from 8:00 to 10:10 next Sunday. If you are interested in contributing a breakfast item, please contact Karla Wilkie. In addition, there is no children’s Sunday school that morning.

TORNADO RELIEF
The following information comes from the District and Conference Disaster Coordinators, with ways for us to respond to the 27 tornadoes that touched down in our district about ten days ago.
· PRAYER: Please continue to pray for all the communities that have been affected, especially Mapleton, Early, Nemaha, Varina, Fonda, and all the farmers between those towns.
· OFFERING: Your financial assistance is greatly appreciated, and all of your gifts will go directly to support people in need. You can make your check payable to St. Paul’s and designate it for “Tornado Relief.”
· WATER: There is an urgent need for drinkable water for the communities of Varina, Nemaha and Mapleton. All sizes of containers can be dropped off at the church office, and we’ll make sure they get to the district office in Storm Lake for distribution.
· OTHER ITEMS: Heavy Duty Trash Bags, Work Gloves, Clean-Up Buckets, Cleaning Supplies, Power Washers with hose, (to loan with or with-out operators) and non-Perishable food items. For Mapleton in particular, there is a need for Clorox wipes, 1 Gallon ziplock bags, Liquid Nail, Caulking and caulking guns, Brooms and dustpans, Flashlights and "D" Batteries. Again, drop off the items at the church and we’ll make sure they are delivered.
· VOLUNTEERS: Your time and effort would be a huge help in recovery. We are considering taking a group next month, and if you are able, please let the church office know. Plan to wear sturdy shoes, gloves, and long sleeves. Because of the insulation in the air, a mask or respirator is recommended.

Sugar Coating Death

April 6, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

I still laugh to this day about my most embarrassing moment in ministry. I consider my relationship with you all mature enough that I am willing to share this story without fear of merciless teasing.

(Alright, who am I kidding? But I’ll tell it to you anyway.)

Several years ago, while serving a prior congregation, I received a call from a fellow pastor letting me know that one of our church members was going to have her father taken off life support the next morning. This was going to be a difficult moment for the family, and a pastor needed to be with them. I told my colleague that I would be willing to join them, and that I would call them right away to let them know.

It was 10:00 at night when my colleague called, long past the time that this particular preacher has any coherent thoughts, let alone speaks them aloud. I called the family and prepared to fumble through a conversation with them, only to be caught off guard by the sound of their voicemail recording. I'm generally not one to leave the cleanest, most concise answering machine messages, even when my mind is alert. But in the late hours of the evening, I was a mess from the moment I started talking. Without thinking, I launched into my message.

"Hi, this is Magrey from the church. (From the church? How many other Magreys do they know?). I hate to be calling at such a late hour, but I wanted you to know that I was going to join you in the hospital in the morning. I understand you all are….umm….you all are....”

My brain totally froze. I had started a sentence without a clue as to how to finish it. Somehow, the proper phrase, “removing your father from life support,” totally escaped by mind. In its place, a flurry of inappropriate phrases fluttered into my head. I understand you all are “pulling the plug.” (No, no. I can’t say that.) I understand you all are “putting your father to sleep.” (Really? Is the doctor a vet?)

So after what seemed like an eternity of awkward voicemail silence, I finally stammered out the end of my sentence.

“….I understand you all are….doing a disconnection tomorrow.”

Doing a disconnection tomorrow? I slunked my shoulders and closed my eyes as soon as the words left my lips. I fumbled out the remainder of my message, clicked the end of the call and beat the phone against my forehead.

My kind, supportive wife overheard my message from down the hall. Struggling to contain her laughter, she called out:

“Who do you think you are? The cable guy?”


EUPHEMISMS FOR DEATH

I receive minimal solace from the fact that when it came time for the gospel writers to describe the final moments of Jesus’ life, they were careful to find the right words. At the time of Jesus’ death, none of the four gospels come out and say, plainly and clearly, that “Jesus died.” Mark says that Jesus “breathed his last breath.” Matthew and John say that Jesus “gave up his spirit.” And Luke, perhaps to cover the bases, said that Jesus gave up his spirit and then breathed his last.

In fact, the phrase “Jesus died” occurs only one time in the whole New Testament. (1 Thessalonians 4:14). And while Paul uses the phrase “Christ died” a number of times, he is also quite fond of saying that when believers die, they merely “fall asleep.” So there you go. Maybe the veterinarian metaphor was not so awkward after all.

Why all the euphemisms associated with death? I’ll admit that as a pastor I have used my own fair share of them when talking to family members about their deceased loved ones: passed away, stepped from this life into the next, transferred their membership into the church universal, now experiencing God’s eternal embrace. It’s not that I shy away from saying the words “death” or “dying.” I certainly use them freely and frequently. But in the most tender moments of grief and loss, the other words seem more soothing. Perhaps the gospel writers felt the same way.

But where the New Testament might choose euphemisms to describe our physical deaths, Paul is quite direct when it comes to talking about our spiritual deaths. Consider Romans 6 as an example:

What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

That’s fourteen instances of dead, death, and die in only eleven verses. The Bible is very clear: when it comes to living the kind of life God desires for us, we only have to die.

That’s really what Lent is all about. It is a time of deep introspection about the decaying, diseased parts of our lives, and letting them breathe their last breath. Put to death our old ways, die to our old self, and identify with the death of Jesus. Merely sleepwalking through the faith won’t do. Daydreaming in our discipleship won’t work. Only the full demise of our former ways of thinking, behaving, and relating to others will lead to a resurrection that offers new life.

By the way, I met with the family the next morning to be by their father’s side. They did not mention my phone message; they had other pressing matters to attend to. They were grateful for my presence, but I was more grateful for them. Together, we witnessed in somber silence the grand mystery of another life slipping into death, with serenity and peace. We mourned their father’s death, and dared to claim the promise and power of the resurrection together.

That is the promise that awaits us, just around the corner. This Sunday, we begin our final approach to the cross, to experience the power, passion, and drama of the week that changed the world. Let’s euphemize neither the death of Jesus or the way we are called to identify with his death. Without sugar-coating, short-cutting, or side-stepping, let us confront the cold, hard reality of Christ’s death straight on, and be unafraid to go all the way to the cross.

See you on the journey,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org



TORNADO RELIEF
We are receiving initial reports from the District and Conference Disaster Coordinators regarding the 27 tornadoes that hit various communities throughout Northwest Iowa on Saturday night, particularly in Mapleton. They are asking churches to begin assembling volunteer teams to go to these disaster sites and start the urgent work of clean up. There is an immediate need for strong, able-bodied persons to head down to Mapleton, and there will soon be a need for others to help with other kinds of recovery efforts. If you are interested in taking a day trip down to Mapleton or some other affected area, please let the office know. We may have some people in the church willing to lead a crew.

If you are unable to help with physical labor, perhaps you can contribute items for the assembly of a cleaning bucket. These buckets are immensely useful to people in devastated areas, and you can find the items on the UMCOR website: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/print/kits/floodbucket.stm. Bring the completed buckets to church, and we’ll make sure they get to the people who need them.

SOLES4SOULS
After delivering our latest shipment of donated shoes to Soles4Souls, the grand total of our contributions in just 12 months is 1,486 shoes. What a phenomenal response! Thanks, St. Paul’s! Many of the recent contributions will be delivered to people in need in Japan.

BUILDING RENOVATION UPDATE
Our recent Capital Campaign has brought in about $260,000 in pledges. We are grateful for the congregation’s faithfulness and generosity! Although it is short of our goal, it is sufficient to move forward with the first parts of our renovation plan. The Building Committee met last Tuesday and is putting together plans to move ahead in phases rather than all at once so as not to incur significant loan indebtedness at this time. Plans are to begin with the replacement of the boiler with a high-efficiency unit, and we will be working with both Denny’s and Modern to secure estimates. Next, we will be moving ahead in retiring the debts associated with the new parking lot across the south alley. These plans will be recommended to the Administrative Board perhaps early next month, and we will keep you posted on actual costs and further refined plans as they develop.

NEW MEMBERS
We give thanks to God for the eighteen new members who have joined our church. Please wear your name tag over the next several weeks to help them feel welcomed.

Brian Benson
Roberta Bevington
Wade and Mary Cowan
Monica Cowan
Joyce Groff
Jessica Hunecke
Chris and Missy Jenness
Mitch Knippel
Kent and Nicci Lundquist, and sons Levi, Steven, and Trevor
Alan Piatt
Craig Schmidt
Richard Weathers


To view past editions of the Mid-Week Message, visit http://mdevega.blogspot.com
For more information about St. Paul's United Methodist Church, visit our website at http://www.cherokeespumc.org
To download the latest Sunday "Daybreak" radio devotional, visit our blogsite at http://blog.cherokeespumc.org
To unsubscribe from this e-mail distribution list, please reply to this e-mail and write "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.

If You Can Sing It, You Can Perform It

April 5, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Whenever I visit Bob Stephenson in the nursing home, we inevitably swap high school band stories. He was, as many of you know, a long-time and well-loved director of bands here in town. And I was, as many of you don’t know, a long-time bass clarinet player for my junior and senior high concert bands. Bob and I love comparing notes when we visit: we talk about the pieces we enjoyed performing, state superior ratings we won over the years, and, most importantly, the valuable life lessons we learned from being involved in the arts as kids.

Last week, when I paid Bob a visit at the Villa, I asked him about a memory that had popped into my head. I said, “Bob, there was one practice session when our band director was rehearsing O Sacred Head, Now Wounded with us for state competition. We were having trouble playing in tune, breathing in the right place, and getting a feel for the intense emotional weight of the song. So then he gave us a set of instructions that caught us all off-guard.

“Everyone, drop your instruments,” my band director said. “Let’s start from the beginning, but this time, sing your parts.”

We were dumbfounded. Most of us couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, and we were better off singing with the fire sprinklers on so we could pretend we were in the shower. But our director plowed ahead, handing out the lyrics so we could start. He raised his baton, and I started to sing the low, mournful bass line with the tubas and baritones. The clarinetists and flautists sang the haunting melody, and the French horn players and saxophonists sang the rich mid-range harmonies.

When I described the whole scene to Bob Stephenson, he smiled. “I bet it worked,” he said. “I used to do that with my kids all the time.” And he was right, of course. After we finished singing our parts and picked up our instruments again, we played the piece to near perfection. We played with better intonation, and a heightened sensitivity to the textures and emotions of the music. We listened to each other, breathed together, crescendoed together, and performed the piece all the way to a state superior rating later that spring.

“I don’t know why it works,” Bob told me. “It just does.”

If there’s a book out there titled, All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned from High School Concert Band, surely there would be a chapter titled, “If You Can Sing It, Then You Can Play It.” Because I think there’s a valuable lesson here that can apply to many aspects of life, particularly to the Christian faith.

I think about the many songs that people in both biblical and church history learned to sing, guiding them to new visions of freedom and beauty. Only after singing these songs could they claim the promise contained in them. I think about Miriam, the Kingdom’s first band director, who led the former Israelite slaves away from Egypt and into the wilderness by teaching them to sing the Shirat HaYam, the “Song of the Sea,” recorded for us in Exodus 15:20-21:

‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.’

And I think about the “Songs of the Suffering Servant,” from Isaiah, sung to a people in exile awaiting their liberation. The prophet stirred the imagination of the hopeless exiles, inviting them to envision the arrival of one who would bear their suffering and misery, and lead them to freedom.

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench
(Isaiah 42:1-3)

And who can forget the incredible songs that emerged from the African-American slave experience? From them we learn a powerful example of how singing a song together can unify a people and encourage them never to lose heart in the face of seemingly insurmountable oppression. Can’t you hear them singing, “We Shall Overcome”?

We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.
The Lord will see us through, The Lord will see us through,
The Lord will see us through someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday

And last February, with the world watching, millions of Egyptians marched through Tahrir Square in Cairo, staging non-violent protests against an oppressive dictator. Undeterred by threats of violence, the protestors pressed on, unified in one voice, singing together Sout al Horeya, “The Song of Freedom:”

I went down to the streets, vowing not to return
And wrote with my blood on every street
Our voices reached those who could not hear them
And we broke through all barriers
Our weapon was our dreams
And tomorrow is looking as bright as it seems
For ages we’ve been waiting
Searching but unable to find our place
In every street in my country the sound of freedom is calling

There’s power in singing together. It prepares us to perform.

I don’t know the kind of spiritual condition in which today’s Mid-Week Message greets you. We are, after all, in the middle of yet another Lenten season, traversing a journey that we know all too well. Perhaps your spirit has been numbed by familiarity, and you treat this Lent as just another season in just another year. Maybe, like our high school band that day, you’re just going through the motions, playing without passion, and thumbing through the notes with more apathy than melody. If your life is out of tune, and you feel like you’re not quite in harmony with God and those around you, then maybe it’s time to drop your instrument and start singing your part.

If you’re looking for a song to sing, then try this one. It’s the earliest Christian hymn, and one that is very appropriate to learn as we prepare for the cross:

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:1-11)

If you sing it, then you can practice it. And if you practice it, then you can perform it with excellence, beauty, and joy. I don’t know how it works, and neither does Bob Stephenson. It just does, and it’s worth trying.


Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org





ST. PAUL’S FEATURED IN NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
The United Methodist Review is the national newspaper of the United Methodist Church. Since we are one of four United Methodist churches to receive a clergy renewal grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., we will be featured in an upcoming article. This is a wonderful way to share with the denomination the great work of St. Paul’s! The reporter would like to have some pictures of me doing clergy-related work outside the pulpit, so if you have any pictures we can borrow and scan, please send them to the church office.

THIS WEEK: EXPIATION: TO CLEANSE US OF SIN
We continue our sermon series through the seven atonement theories of the cross by focusing on the image of cleansing. The official theological term is “Expiation,” which is the work that Christ does to clean us of the sins that stain our lives. The sermon is based on 1 John 1:5-9.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
Please consult the display in the narthex for items that you can purchase and donate for this summer’s Vacation Bible School. Monetary donations are also welcome. VBS takes place from June 13-17, from 9am to 12pm, and we will have registrations available for the first two weeks in May. VBS is for kids Pre-K through completion of 5th Grade.

YOUTH MURDER MYSTERY NIGHT
All youth are invited to join us for a murder mystery event at the church on April 17 from 4:00-6:00. Please let the church office know by April 11 that you are coming, so that we can give you information about the character you are playing.

HOT DOG DAYS
We are exploring participation in this year’s Cherokee Hot Dog Days on May 12, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. We would like to take part in the event as an opportunity to promote our upcoming Vacation Bible School to the kids who attend. We are needing people to help set up, cook, and serve on that day. If you would like to help out with Hot Dog Days, please contact the church office.

NEW MEMBERS JOINING APRIL 10
We are excited to welcome about twenty new members into our church on April 10. If you are interested in joining, please contact the church office. And as a reminder, please wear your name tag over the next several weeks so that our new members can learn who you are.

TALENT’S FUND MEETING APRIL 10
Chuck Tolzin has assembled an exciting group of about ten people to serve on the revitalized Talent’s Fund, and he continues to seek the input of interested persons. If you would like to explore ways for the church to creatively fund the hiring of a new children and youth person, join the team on this Sunday for a meeting after the worship service.



To view past editions of the Mid-Week Message, visit http://mdevega.blogspot.com
For more information about St. Paul's United Methodist Church, visit our website at http://www.cherokeespumc.org
To download the latest Sunday "Daybreak" radio devotional, visit our blogsite at http://blog.cherokeespumc.org
To unsubscribe from this e-mail distribution list, please reply to this e-mail and write "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.

My Review of "Love Wins" by Rob Bell

March 29, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

For today’s Mid-Week Message, I’d like to wade into a growing controversy that’s been brewing within Christian circles related to a new book called Love Wins by Rob Bell. I realize that many of you may have never heard of him, let alone read any of his books. But since his most recent work has garnered attention both in and outside of the church, through numerous television interviews, blog posts, and websites, it is important to keep current with this growing discussion. His latest book tackles the hefty topics of heaven and hell, atonement, and the relationship between Jesus and people of other religions. Since its release, Bell has been both blasted and praised, exposing many of the major theological fault lines that exist within the church.


HEAVEN AND HELL, HERE AND NOW

The first few chapters push against the church’s traditional emphasis on heaven and hell as places one goes after death. Instead of fanciful images of pearly gates, golden streets, and fiery brimstone, Bell locates them as present realities, as well as possibilities for the future. “Eternal life doesn’t start when we die; it starts now,” he writes. “It’s not about a life that begins at death; it’s about experiencing the kind of life now that can endure and survive even death.”

To reach that conclusion, Bell exegetes numerous Scripture passages, including Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler, his conversation with the thief on the cross, a slew of prophetic oracles from the Hebrew Bible, and several teachings from Paul. He reinterprets the Greek word aion, commonly translated as “eternal,” as having much more nuanced meaning than futuristic permanency. Bell claims that the Bible does not view this kind of time linearly, with a defined beginning and end, but as an “intensity of experience that transcends time.”

Bell uses the term hell to encompass all of human suffering today, and he believes that it is the only adequate term to describe the vividness of that experience. Through people’s own choices, and the rampant work of evil in the world, many people are far removed from the full experience of God’s love. He recounts personal stories: a visit to Rwanda to see victims of genocide, women he has ministered to who have been raped, and parents who have lost children. He invites his readers to consider all of the inhumane, inhospitable, and insufferable situations people are facing today, and view them as a kind of literal hell much more powerful than any sort of fanciful, metaphorical image taught by many in the church.

The book asserts that that kind of figurative hell is neither biblical or missional. What is at stake if the church overemphasizes a futuristic image of heaven and hell? Complacency, according to Bell. Rendering the Christian life in solely future-oriented terms leaves little motivation to care for the needs of the world today. “Eschatology shapes ethics,” Bell writes. What we believe about the future necessarily impacts how we live in the present.

Furthermore, Bell believes that one’s placement in hell is not permanent. Chapter 4, titled, “Does God Get What God Wants?” makes the book’s central claim that underscores its title. Ultimately, God will continue to work to help people get out of their hell. To think that God would do otherwise suggests any of the following: God is not powerful enough, God is not loving enough, or God is a quitter. And, he adds, it would make God wasteful: “Is history tragic? Have billions of people been created only to spend eternity in conscious punishment and torment, suffering infinitely for the finite sins they committed in the few years they spent on earth?”

I can remember in one of my theology classes my professor Tyron Inbody posing it to me in this way: Consider the people who ever lived and are living today. Now take all the people who lived before the time of Jesus and never could have professed a faith in him. Then add all the people who were born in geographic seclusion from any reach of Christianity. And then add all the people who today who have never heard the message of the Christian faith. That means that the total number of people who could have possibly professed a faith in Jesus is less than one percent. Nevermind what that says about God’s power and love. That seems like a whole lot of waste for a God who otherwise demonstrates efficiency and excellence.

And therein lies the central premise of Bell’s book. God is not a quitter, and God is not wasteful. God’s love continues to work on lost, hurting people, now and into the future, and even death will not stop God. Hence the title of his book, “Love Wins.”


JESUS, THE ONLY WAY?

These claims lead to the book’s central controversy. Does Rob Bell really believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation? Bell is certainly aware of this potential accusation as a consequence of his prior chapters, so he negotiates his way through some classical theological categories: Bell says that he is neither “exclusivist” (only those who believe in Jesus will be saved) or “inclusivist” (everyone is saved, regardless of belief, because Jesus died for all). Instead, he states that Jesus is “exclusive, on the other side of inclusive.” Bell believes that God offers a way to salvation that is uniquely through Jesus, but that way is wider than any one unique, narrow approach. It is wider than any one scripted “sinner’s prayer,” wider than any emotionally wrenching altar call, and wider than any one church’s process for evangelism. He even allows for the possibility that people may come to salvation through Jesus in ways that are distinct from Christian experience. How that might happen, Bell doesn’t specify, perhaps to avoid the possibility of limiting what he claims is a vastly wide pathway to faith in God through Christ.

Is this delicate nuance of verbiage an effective argument? By saying that the singular way of Jesus is wide, is Bell trying to have it both ways? Bell answers those questions with a question of his own: What do we really believe about God? Do we believe that God is limited in the ways that God can redeem humanity, or is it possible that God could use any means necessary to save them? Wouldn’t it make sense that a God of perfect love, with absolute desire to redeem all people, would go to any means necessary to save all people? If so, then why would God use a limited approach? Couldn’t Jesus be both the only way, yet that way be broader than what we might assume? The answer for Bell, of course, is yes.

I’ve wrestled with his answers, and found some resonance with my own conclusions on the matter. I’ve come to adopt a position first taught to me by my theology professor Tyron Inbody. He first coined the term confessional pluralism as a way of suggesting our relationship to other faiths. First, I am confessional, which is to say that as a Christian, I can unashamedly proclaim my conviction about Jesus Christ as being the way to salvation. But as a confessional pluralist, I can also say that when I consider other faiths through the lens of my Christian conviction, there might be, and even are, truths to be found in other religions. And the more I continue to learn about other religions, the more I see this as the case. From Judaism, I can learn a lot about the beauty of ritual remembrance and the importance of Sabbath rest. From Islam, I can learn the significance of obedience to God. From Buddhism, I can learn to practice letting go of material things and enhance the way I quiet myself in prayer. And so on. Do any of these things make me any less a Christian? I certainly don’t think so.


SO, IS HE A UNIVERSALIST? (AND, FOR THAT MATTER, AM I?)

Universalism is the belief that, in the end, everyone will go to heaven, a position that the church has generally deemed heretical throughout its history. For someone to be a universalist, at least two criteria must be in place: one has to disavow a belief in human free will (since God saves us whether we choose it or not), and one has to believe that heaven and hell are permanent realities (since they have to be inescapable). In Love Wins, Bell does not ascribe to either. He clearly believes that a person has the ability to choose heaven or hell, both as a present and future reality, and he believes that neither are necessarily permanent situations. Just because someone is in “hell” here on earth does not mean that it is an eternal sentence. Why? Once again, for Bell it is all about God. God doesn’t quit. God cannot force us into heaven or out of hell, but God will never stop trying to love us into a relationship with God. And nothing, not even death, can get God to quit.

It is on this point that I most deeply resonated with Bell’s book. In my thirteen years of ministry, I have done a countless number of funerals and memorial services. Many of them have been for members of the church, but many of them were for people for whom faith had little to no impact on their life. Their families could not point to a moment in time when they prayed the sinner’s prayer, or claimed a relationship with Christ, or were baptized into the faith. For some family members, that troubling realization has prompted a gut-wrenching question: Is my family member in hell?

I can tell you that in my years of ministry, I have never turned down the opportunity to do a funeral simply on the basis of whether that person was a Christian or not. And when it came time to deliver a eulogy for those persons, I have maintained a standard approach. I read aloud the words of Romans 8: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Basically, Paul supports Bell’s central claim. Nothing will ever stand in the way of God’s love at work in a person. Not even death.

So, as reluctant as I am to use labels like “universalist” to evaluate a person’s positions, I have to say that I don’t think Bell fits that category; his positions on free will and the impermanence of heaven and hell, along with his belief in God’s persistent love, don’t fit the claims made by a universalist. Just because one believes that God never quits loving us doesn’t make one a universalist. It just means we really believe in God’s love.

Now, I share all of this with you not just so that you learn about some author’s arguments in some book you may never read. I think it’s important for you to know where I’m coming from as your pastor. I’m one who is less fixated on where people go after they die, and really interested in the kind of kingdom we experience together in the present. And I’m not one to judge the level of one’s spiritual standing with Jesus, since we are all in this together. What I do know is that I believe in a pretty awesome God, who loves us enough to meet us where we are, and loves us too much to leave us there. [1]


THE NOVELTY OF ROB BELL

But in case you ever feel like picking up this or any other of Rob Bell’s books, I’d like to consider with you why Bell has become such a significant player in today’s church. If there is nothing in his book that is particularly original (which he freely admits in the introduction), and if the medium through which he shares his ideas (books and videos) is used by many other preachers, what is it about Bell that makes him so important?

Part of the reason, of course, has to do with his target audience. Some would label them as “evangelical,” “conservative,” and even “fundamentalist,” but, like the term “universalist,” I find these labels to be neither descriptive or helpful, especially when they are used to derogate others. Instead, I prefer to think of people in Bell’s target audience as premodern. This is not intended to be a demeaning label, and there is no connotation of primitiveness or immaturity. Rather, it is a commentary on the valid method in which they do the work of theology. Premodern Christians believe that the Bible depicts the actual words of the historical Jesus of Nazareth, and contains the foundations for what the church would later claim about him. All that we need to know about Jesus (the man who lived) and the Christ (the central figure of our faith) is recorded in the Bible.

In contrast, the modern project, begun by Albert Schweitzer in the 20th century, continued by Ernst Kaseman, and most recently taken up by Jesus Seminar scholars John Dominic Crossan, John Shelby Spong, and Marcus Borg, do not consider the Bible as a reliable source for describing the historical Jesus. For them, the Bible is helpful as a recording of early Christian reflections on the historical figure, but is unreliable as a historical document, since there were no video recordings, tape recordings, or newspapers. To see who the actual Jesus was, therefore, we need to strip away the Bible’s many layers of post-historical commentary about Jesus by the church, leaving us with very little Bible left as a reliable source for learning who Jesus was.

But post-moderns, including many recent liberation theologians, view the modern project with great skepticism, claiming that since there is no objective evidence to know with precision who the historical Jesus really was, we should render the whole modern project unnecessary. [2] They believe that what is most foundational to our faith is the record of what the church has said about Jesus, and how we consider him to be the Christ of our faith. The Bible, for postmoderns, is not evidence of the historical Jesus per se, but a record of what the church has said about him. And that’s the basis of our faith.

To put it most succinctly, premoderns believe that the Bible tells us everything we need to know about the Jesus of history and the Christ of our faith (in fact, to them the two are synonymous.) Moderns are less interested in the Christ of faith and want to know who the Jesus of history really was, and think the Bible has limited use in getting us there. And post-moderns are more interested in the history of the church’s interpretations of Jesus, including what is recorded in the Bible. And the catch, of course, is that all three kinds of people are represented across the church, each and every Sunday. [3]

By and large, Bell’s audience is mostly a premodern group, and therefore Bell’s methodology is essentially premodern. His books are largely based on conclusions he makes about biblical passages, with the assumption that the words of Jesus in the gospels were his actual sayings. All of his conclusions are based on biblical interpretation, rather than trying to make connections to other theologians and church traditions. Bell, after all, is a preacher at heart, and is not trying to write a book about first-order systematic theology.

But even though his methodology is premodern, his conclusions are decidedly modern and postmodern. He is most interested in analyzing the history of conclusions made about Jesus, stripping away populist convictions in exchange for something closer to what may be the heart of the gospels. His conclusions, then are nothing original. Much of what he says can be echoed by Borg, Crossan, and Spong, and his emphasis on social justice will resonate with many liberation theologians of the post-modern era. But he knows that his audience would never buy into any of those conclusions if they weren’t supported entirely by biblical passages. So he uses premodern means to make non-premodern claims. And therein lies the novelty of Rob Bell, as well as his importance to the contemporary Christian church.


LET’S BE CAREFUL WITH THE LABELS

Readers can most clearly see evidence of Bell’s approach in his book’s composition. Even though his book deals with weighty theological matters, there are no footnotes, endnotes, or bibliography. There is a section of recommended reading at the back, but it is unclear how Bell wishes to connect his work with those listed there. We know that citations are important, not only to properly attest an author’s thoughts to their source, but also to indicate how the author wishes to be viewed in the broader conversation. How does the author want her/his work to be regarded in relation to others who have said similar things? How does this material fit in the larger academic discussion? Footnotes and a bibliography are a quick and easy way to make that assessment.

It seems that Bell’s lack of citation is intentional. He knows that a book heavy with citations might be regarded by his premodern audience with skepticism. For those who have a degree of suspicion of anything from the academic world, who relegate anything from the “ivory towers” of higher education as irrelevant, and who would never think of picking up a book by, say, Marcus Borg, Bell’s presentation is decidedly accessible, non-threatening, and marketable.

Certainly, the controversy that has erupted in the blogosphere has to be playing right into the hands of HarperOne, publisher of Love Wins. The words on the back cover of the book and an accompanying teaser trailer were released weeks before the book’s distribution, igniting a firestorm of backlash before folks even had a chance to read it. Practically speaking, this is what a publisher has every right to do in order to sell books: raise awareness, spur interest, and get people talking. To that end, a friend of my wife in the publishing industry said it best, with a play on the book’s title: “Rob Bell’s Marketing Machine Wins.”

But we are right to be concerned about the way that this methodology is exacerbating the already evident fault lines throughout the contemporary church. Immediately, people have become quick to assign others with labels of “evangelical,” “progressive,” “conservative, and “liberal,” all with pejorative disdain. In a season of polarizing rhetoric, we do not need yet another reason to pigeonhole people into manageable, derogatory boxes. This is no way to have constructive dialogue, even if it does increase a publisher’s sales.

We need to remember that labels are mostly important for helping individuals get a handle on other people, but are of little use in helping communities wade through complex matters. That only happens when we are all open to struggling through the issues together, and willing to listen to a variety of viewpoints. I don’t think Rob Bell is interested in fracturing the church. If anything, he is wanting to advance an age-old conversation, particularly for people who did not know such a discussion was permissible. If that’s really is goal, which I think it is, then we need to be able to treat people who are different from us with civility and respect.

So with that comment in mind, I commend Bell’s book to you. He is a voice for a generation of Christians who are unafraid to ask the tough questions and be in conversation about the answers. And he emerges from an important segment of the church for whom much of his conclusions would be considered new. If nothing else, Love Wins will invite you into the conversation, which I would be delighted to have with you as your pastor, your resident theologian, and your spiritual companion.


THIS SUNDAY: APPEASEMENT: FREEDOM FROM GOD’S WRATH

The release of Bell’s book could not be more timely for us. As we continue our sermon series on the seven major atonement theories in the church, we turn our attention to one that for some might be the toughest to understand. It is called “Appeasement,” which is the action that Jesus took to deflect God’s anger and wrath away from a sinful humanity. This theory, like all the others, has been around for centuries, but received its most direct attention in American history through the preaching of revivalists like Jonathan Edwards. His sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is a vivid portrayal of a God who needed appeasing to diffuse the urge to destroy humanity for its sins.

I’ll be preaching on this atonement theory this Sunday, and will be using Rob Bell’s Love Wins as a helpful way to critique – and perhaps redeem – some of this theory’s more unattractive attributes. I hope that you’ll join us this Sunday as we continue our march to Jerusalem, and experience once again the power, passion, and drama of the week that changed the world.

Grace, Hope, and, indeed, Love,

Magrey


The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org


[1] My favorite definition of God’s grace, given to me by my former senior pastor, the Rev. Dr. Jim Harnish.

[2] As an aside, I don’t think that’s a totally valid argument, since if we believe that Christianity is an incarnational, and therefore, historical religion, we should be willing to investigate it with the same level of scrutiny as we do any other kind of history.

[3] For more on these categories, I recommend Tyron Inbody’s Faith of the Christian Church. An excellent resource on postmodernism is Andrew K. M. Adam’s What is Postmodern Biblical Criticism? He was one of my favorite college professors!



SOLES4SOULS 4 JAPAN
We received word that our ongoing Soles4Souls shoe project is placing special emphasis on the devastation in Japan. Please bring in your used shoes of any size, style, and condition to the church. If you are interested in helping with the delivery of the shoes to the collection site, please contact Sheree Hausmann.

HOT DOG DAYS
We are exploring participation in this year’s Cherokee Hot Dog Days on May 12, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. We would like to take part in the event as an opportunity to promote our upcoming Vacation Bible School to the kids who attend. We are needing people to help set up, cook, and serve on that day. If you would like to help out with Hot Dog Days, please contact the church office.

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING OFFERING APRIL 3
We receive our annual offering to support the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) on April 3. Your gifts support the central relief agency in the United Methodist Church, which is often the first to arrive at a disaster scene and among the last to leave. Thank you for your generosity.

NEW MEMBERS JOINING APRIL 10
We are excited to welcome several new members into our church on April 10. If you are interested in joining the church, please contact the church office.

TALENT’S FUND MEETING APRIL 10
Chuck Tolzin has assembled an exciting group of about ten people to serve on the revitalized Talent’s Fund, and he continues to seek the input of interested persons. If you would like to explore ways for the church to creatively fund the hiring of a new children and youth person, join the team on April 10 for a meeting after the worship service.

The Violence of Love

March 23, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Yesterday, during his visit to El Salvador, President Obama became the first American president to visit the grave of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the slain Catholic martyr. Thursday marks the 31st anniversary of the assassination of the famous priest, who spoke on behalf of the poor and the victims of El Salvador’s long, bloody civil war. With his eyes closed and head bowed, Obama silently paid his respect to a man who became a prominent international figure for human rights.

Oscar Romero’s advocacy for the marginalized and oppressed often put him at odds with both the government of El Salvador and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. After speaking out against U.S. military support for the Salvadoran government, and calling for soldiers to disobey orders that harmed human rights, Romero was shot to death while celebrating Mass at a small chapel near his cathedral. It is believed that his assassins were members of Salvadoran death squads, including two graduates of the School of the Americas.

During that final, fateful Eucharistic service, Romero spoke these hauntingly prescient words: “May this body immolated and this blood sacrificed for humans nourish us also, so that we may give our body and blood to suffer and to pain – like Christ, not for self, but to teach justice and peace to our people.” Romero believed that being a Christian meant much more than pious platitudes and emotional ego-stroking. It beckoned us to model our lives after the example of Christ’s self-giving, self-sacrificial love. He believed that our lives needed to echo Christ’s compassion for the poor, the exploited, and the suffering among us.

Yet, his advocacy never involved violence. In a time when our news headlines are filled with more warfare than peacemaking, when tyrants brutalize their own citizens, and as our already taxed military enters its third international engagement, Romero’s words are a clarion call for the Kingdom value of non-violence. “We have never preached violence,” he said, “except the violence of love, which left Christ nailed to a cross, the violence that we must each do to ourselves to overcome our selfishness and such cruel inequalities among us. The violence we preach is not the violence of the sword, the violence of hatred. It is the violence of love, of brotherhood, the violence that wills to beat weapons into sickles for work.

He concluded his homily: "One must not love oneself so much, as to avoid getting involved in the risks of life that history demands of us, and those that fend off danger will lose their lives." And then, with a single sniper’s bullet to the heart, Romero collapsed to the ground behind the altar, the shadow of the crucified Christ looming behind him. His blood spilt onto the ground, a stirring symbol of a man who followed the example of Christ in every way possible.


THE MORAL INFLUENCE ATONEMENT THEORY

Romero’s life is a vivid portrayal of the third atonement theory in our sermon series. The moral influence theory is among the first explanations offered by the early church for how Jesus saved us, taught by such theological giants as Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement, and Irenaeus. The theory proposes that the work of Christ effects positive moral change in our lives and in the world, as we follow the example of Jesus. This example constitutes the entirety of Jesus’ life: not just his death and resurrection, but also his teachings, his convictions, and his actions.

As opposed to simply focusing on salvation as “where we go after we die,” the moral influence theory is strongly concerned with the kingdom of God built in the present. It is less concerned with life after death, and more concerned with our life here on earth, encouraging us to live into the full reflection of the image of God given to us at our creation. It does not trivialize the death of Jesus at the expense of his life and teachings; instead, it inspires us to an obedience that includes our own crosses to bear.

The spirit of the moral influence atonement theory is beautifully captured in Oscar Romero’s bold proclamation to Pope John Paul II: “It’s easy to preach (Christ’s) teachings theoretically. To follow faithfully the pope’s magisterium in theory is very easy. But when you try to live, try to incarnate, try to make reality in the history of the suffering people like ours those saving teachings, that is when conflicts arise.”

Join us this Sunday as we continue our sermon series called, “Why the Cross: Reasons Jesus Died for Us.” We’ll dig further into the moral influence atonement theory, evaluate its pros and cons, and invite you to consider whether this image of atonement draws you closer to the passion and wonder of the cross.

Grace and Peace,

Magrey


The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org




JUDI AND DAVID KLEE CONCERT AT ST. PAUL’S
Mark your calendars for a special concert featuring Judi and David Klee this Sunday afternoon, March 27, at 4:00. It will be a time of wonderful music and testimony, and a free-will offering will be taken to support the St. Paul’s Building Renovation Fund. Bring a friend!

SOLES4SOULS 4 JAPAN
We received word that our ongoing Soles4Souls shoe project is placing special emphasis on the devastation in Japan. Please bring in your used shoes of any size, style, and condition to the church. If you are interested in helping with the delivery of the shoes to the collection site, please contact Sheree Hausmann.

HOT DOG DAYS
We are exploring participation in this year’s Cherokee Hot Dog Days on May 12, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. We would like to take part in the event as an opportunity to promote our upcoming Vacation Bible School to the kids who attend. We are needing people to help set up, cook, and serve on that day. If you would like to help out with Hot Dog Days, please contact the church office.

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING OFFERING APRIL 3
We receive our annual offering to support the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) on April 3. Your gifts support the central relief agency in the United Methodist Church, which is often the first to arrive at a disaster scene and among the last to leave. Thank you for your generosity.

NEW MEMBERS JOINING APRIL 10
We are excited to welcome several new members into our church on April 10. If you are interested in joining the church, please contact the church office.

What If?

March 15, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

In 1952, acclaimed science fiction writer Issac Asimov published a short story titled, “What If,” about a married couple named Norman and Olivia. Traveling by train one day from Boston to New York, they encountered a mysterious stranger known only as Mr. If (his first name, What, is implied.) The stranger showed them a small black box with a glass screen on the front, resembling a little television set. Norman and Olivia watched as the “television” traced an alternative history to their lives, a series of parallel developments that could have unfolded had miniscule events not occurred. What if Norman had missed making the train where they first met? When the train took a sharp curve, what if Olivia had grabbed the hand strap on the overhead rail instead of falling into Norman’s lap? What if her friend Georgette had caught his attention on that train, instead of her? Norman and Olivia watched, with a mixture of apprehension, shock, and dismay, at how their lives would have unraveled if that singular moment on the train had played out differently.

We don’t have the luxury of an alternative history television, but we still ask lots of “What if?” questions. What if you had been born in some other country than here? What if your parents had never met? What if you had chosen a different career, or found someone else to marry? What if, what if, what if?

Our uncertainty rises when we turn our little black box toward the world of theology, especially in regards to Jesus and the cross. What if, for example, Jesus had died a natural death, rather than on a cross, and rose again in three days? Would he still have been the Messiah? What if, instead of dying at age 33, he had died on the cross at 20, before he had performed any public ministry? Would he have still been our savior? What if Jesus were born in Southeast Asia, or Latin America? Did he have to be a Middle Eastern Jew in order to be our Lord? What if, what if, what if?

Unlike the little mental games that Asimov’s story prompts, the questions of the cross are critically important; they demand serious answers that cut right to the core of our faith. Why the cross? Why did Jesus have to die in the way that he did? And exactly how did his death and resurrection bring us salvation?

For centuries, the church’s greatest thinkers have wrestled with these questions, and lumped all of their conclusions into a theological category called atonement: that action that God performed to bring humanity back into a relationship with God. While there is no universally accepted theory of how the cross saves us – each one is grounded in scripture and supported by tradition – they all agree that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is absolutely crucial in providing salvation for the world.

For the next several weeks, our Lenten journey will investigate each of the most prevalent atonement theories, evaluating their pros and cons, and inviting us to see which theories we prefer. By the end of each sermon, we’ll take a look at how each theory provides a comprehensive answer to a given definition of sin. For in order for any atonement theory to work, it has to directly address the problem of sin. It’s captured in the question one of my theology professors always asked his students: “If Jesus is the answer, then what was the question?” If Jesus saves us, then from what exactly did we need saving to begin with?

We started our series last Sunday, with an in-depth look at substitutionary atonement, perhaps the most prevalent theory in the church, first advocated by early church theologian Anselm and then made popular by the great reformer John Calvin. This Sunday, we’ll take a look at the ransom theory, built on the image of a God who comes to set us free. You won’t want to miss a single Sunday in this informative, inspiring sermon series:

Why the Cross?
Reasons Jesus Died for Us

March 13
Substitution: To Take Our Place
1 Peter 2:20-24

March 20
Ransom: To Release Us from Captivity
Luke 4:16-30

March 27
Moral Example: To Show Us How to Live
1 John 3:1-24

April 3
Appeasement: To Save Us from Wrath
Romans 5:1-11

April 10
Expiation: To Cleanse Us from Sin
Hebrews 9:11-14

April 17
Reconciliation: To Make Up a Break-Up
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Colossians 1:15-23

April 24
Christus Victor: Victory at the Grave
Colossians 2:6-15

Join us as we continue our journey toward Jerusalem and experience, once again, the week that changed the world. And let’s give thanks for the work of the cross, in all its wonder, mystery, and splendor.

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org



PANCAKE RACE THANK-YOU
Thanks again for all of you who did an amazing job supporting last Tuesday’s successful Pancake Race, Shrove Tuesday Service, and Pancake Supper. We had 27 runners, served 171 people, and raised about $1,000 for the two local food pantries. Next year’s race will be February 21, 2012. Mark you calendars!

CONGRATULATIONS, PHYLLIS!
We celebrate our own Phyllis Parrot, who was named Cherokee “Citizen of the Year” at last Saturday night’s Cherokee Area Recognition Banquet. We are thankful for the many ways she continues to impact this church and our community. You will want to attend a reception in her honor this Sunday afternoon, from 2:00-4:00.

JUDI AND DAVID KLEE CONCERT AT ST. PAUL’S
Mark your calendars for a special concert featuring Judi and David Klee on Sunday afternoon, March 27, at 4:00. It will be a time of wonderful music and testimony, and a free-will offering will be taken to support the St. Paul’s Building Renovation Fund. Bring a friend!

BESTSELLING AUTHOR AT MORNINGSIDE THIS THURSDAY
Author A.J. Jacobs will present a lecture based on his best-selling book “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17, in the Yockey Family Community Room in Morningside College’s Olsen Student Center, 3609 Peters Ave. Jacobs is editor-at-large for Esquire magazine and author of three New York Times bestsellers, including The Year of Living Biblically, a chronicle of his yearlong effort to obey all the rules and guidelines he found in the Bible. In addition to his books, Jacobs has written for The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and New York magazine. He also is a periodic commentator on National Public Radio. Jacobs will be speaking as part of Morningside’s annual Goldstein Lecture, organized by Dr. Jessica deVega. The lecture is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies at Morningside College, the Jewish Federation of Sioux City, and Congregation Beth Shalom.