God in Planet Earth

Psalm 33:1-9, John 1:1-9, Mark 16:14-15, 19-20

The psalmist tells us in Psalm 33 that it is by the word of God that all of creation came to be. That it is by the hand and breath of God that all creation came to be.  John 1 reminds us that in the beginning was the Word. And that the Word was a light shining in the darkness that the darkness could not overcome.

God created Planet Earth, God shines on Planet Earth, God is one with Planet Earth.  And, because we are created in the image of that same God, we too are creators, alongside God, of Planet Earth and we are called to shine on and be one with Planet Earth.

 It sounds new age-y and lofty, but it isn't really a new idea at all.  We stand in awe of the created order our God has made, but then we raise up as a collective community to work in making sure it stays sacred and pure and safe.  Tilling our Eden, so to speak.

As Jesus called the first disciples to go out and spread the good news to all of creation, we too, are called to go share the love of God with neighbor and enemy alike. We are called to love the unlovable and to realize that our lights are not meant to be hidden, but to shine... even in, maybe especially in, dark places we are called to bring the light of God's love.

As we end our month long celebration of God's wonderful creation in Planet Earth, let us remember that Jesus came to us to bring a light into our darkness. And that he calls us to shine into the darkness as well.

Would you please assist me this week by sending me digital pictures of Planet Earth as you see it? Special trips you've been on, lovely backyard or lakeside photos, anything that would be great to show in our last slide show of Earth's beauty.  Thanks.

Questions? Comments? Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment below.

"All Creatures of our God and King"

Genesis 1:24-25
Isaiah 65:17-18

Genesis tells us that God made all the living creatures and declared them good... the livestock, the wild animals, every creeping creature. and saw that it was good.  Isaiah tells us to rejoice and be glad in what God is creating, Jerusalem as a joy and its people as a delight.

God did indeed intend for all of life to be viewed as good and joyful and delightful. Every creature, every field, every city, every person.  And we are all connected to our God, the Creator of all of life.
And yet, our Edens did not remain Edens. We strayed from what God's good plan was for creation and became led by our egos and not by the hearts and souls God gave us to care for the good earth and each other. We let our ways become THE way, rather than God's way.

So how do we take time to pause and recognize that we are indeed all creatures of our God and King?  How do we begin to turn around the way of life we have created in the modern era? A way of life that does not see all creatures to be of GOD, but FOR us?

The pause is the most important first step. The decision to get off the treadmill, to jump off the hamster wheel, to get out off of auto-pilot and take one, two, three, maybe even 10 deep breaths and look around. Seek connections. Pray for opportunities.  Ask God for help in creating the Peaceable Kingdom here and now.

One of my favorite parts of spring is driving by fields of cattle and seeing the baby calves show up one by one, day after day. Each day it seems a new one is born. It is a miraculous, yet ordinary reminder that spring is here and that God is once again renewing the earth.

Soon, the field that was dry and brown turns bright green. And that amazing view we have once a year for a few weeks when the sky is bright blue, the grass is bright green and the mountains and clouds with their white accents just pop out amongst the blues and the greens.  It is such a beautiful site to see.
It is always the time of year when I find myself humming the words to All Creatures of our God and King. "All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing.. O praise ye! Alleluia! O brother sun with golden beam, O sister moon with silver gleam? O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia!

What are those "I must stop and enjoy this moment" times when Creation overwhelms you with its grace and beauty?  What times have you been moved by our creatures great and small?

Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment below.

God in Our Own Backyard

Genesis 2:7-8, 15
Isaiah 42:10-12
Mark 16:14-15, 19-20

Go out and spread the good news into your own backyard.  That should be easy enough, right?  But how do we decide what our backyard is?  Maybe it's not a geographical line, exactly, but rather like ripples that go out from the source.  Gunbarrel to Niwot to Longmont and Boulder to Denver to Greeley. And then of course the ripples will drag out from there to the ends of the earth, but here, at home is where we start.

Genesis 2 tells us that God gave us a garden to call home. In the biblical narrative it's called Eden, but for us it's called Gunbarrel, or Niwot,  or Erie, or Longmont, or Boulder. Northern Colorado.  Genesis says humankind is the caretakers of the garden.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.

And so we have a great task we were specifically put here to do. Till and keep the garden.

Isaiah sings out in praise to all the earth, saying that the inhabitants and the towns lift up their voices, too, along with all of creation. Giving God praise as one community, townspeople and their surrounding mountains alike.

How do we sing the praises of God and spread the good news in our own backyard today?  I read of a church in Southport, CT who has a ministry, a mission, called In Our Own Backyard.  They serve as helping hands for a wide variety of projects that they find out about that could use a few extra hands. I  am inspired by their purpose. We certainly do many things in our own backyard to, helping organizations like Atwood Housing through EFAA and OUR Center, but the hands-on idea they have is a really good next step. It seems they  work alongside the group, organization, family, etc they are helping, working together in mission to help.

It's a great starting point to brainstorm how we would implement such a concept here. Going with what we already have in place and adding the hands-on layer next.

We also have, of course, the ever present need to care for and be involved in the protection of our wonderful natural resources here... our beloved Rocky Mountains, our rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, our open prairie, all in need of our hands-on care.

What would you like to see here at home? How might we work toward a mission of hands on ministry?   In what backyards would you like to see us?
Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment below.

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Tonight at 5:30, we will gather near the mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park for an evening vespers service at Moraine Park Amphitheater. We will be up close and in person with God in our creation.  Make plans to be with us.  If you signed up to go to the picnic beforehand in the carpool, be at the church by 2 pm. Contact the church office at office@niwotumc.org if you need more details.

"God in the Sea and Sky"

Psalm 19:1-6

Psalm 24:1-3

Mark 16:14-15, 19-20

The psalm readings this week tell us that God is in the creation, that God set a tent for the sun in heaven. In other words, the LORD made the sky.  God made the sky to cover over the water like a dome.  If you read Genesis 1, it appears that the water was already there. If you read Genesis 2, it appears that God caused the rain to fall, creating water upon the earth.

Although we are unsure of the exact way creation came into being in the beginning, something that scientists will continue to get closer and closer to discovering, the psalms in particular give us a clear indication that people have always believed that God is in and through all of life.  

We humans have always been attracted, almost magnetically, to the seas and skies. We have always gravitated to bodies of water when we want to renew our spirits.  We canoe on lakes, we raft on the rivers, we sail on the seas, we walk up and down the shores of lakes and oceans, and we breathe in the moist air surrounding, and we feel calm and repose.

There is something indescribable about the horizon, the meeting of skyline and water.  It is as if you can see forever and it is almost as if you can see the Divine.  And when you stand on the side of a raging river and sense its power, how can you not feel God in the midst of it?

It's hard to figure out where to go with this week's readings.  Do we find our strength in God from the seas and skies, or does God come to us in the natural order in those grand views of the seas and skies?  Does our frantic paddling on the rapids of a river make us feel the power of God?  Or do we just feel that we are one with the river and that God plays no role in that feeling?

Mark 16 continues to remind us that no matter what we think about how we see God in nature, we are nonetheless called to move into the world... go into the whole world and proclaim the good news of God's love to all of creation.  Every part of creation should receive the love of God and we are called to deliver it.  And, dare I say, that in our going out and proclaiming, we may indeed discover that God is giving that love back to us in the beauty of the earth... in that sunrise or sunset, in that river's rush, in that moon's gentle rocking of the ocean waves.

God may indeed be calling us into a love affair with creation as we seek to share God's love with the world.    What are your stories of God's creation moving you into being a more gentle and loving creature of the earth?  Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment below.

God in the Mountains and Valleys

Isaiah 55:10-13 Luke 3:3-6

A Season of Creation is our theme for August. And what a wonderful place to live to celebrate the Creation of our Lord.  The flatirons just south and west of us are breathtaking every day. And the patches of snow that remain on our Rocky Mountain peaks remind us that the seasons are ever changing and that even though we are sweating in 90 degree heat now, we will be driving on winter roads before we know it.  And driving down any of our interstates or back roads will take you into magnificent canyons, plains and valleys.

So when we read the words of Isaiah 55, it's easy for us to see the world of which the prophet speaks. "For as the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they have watered the earth...so shall my word be...For you shall go out in joy... the mountains and the hills before you shall burs into song..."  We have all seen days when the mountains look as though they are singing.

And of course, that's not only the case here, it is the case all over God's world.  I grew looking at the mountains and valleys of East Tennessee, gazing into the distance at the Smoky Mountains.  Many of you have come from mountain and valley vistas far and wide as well, so you have our own visions of mountains shouting with joy, even as we all carry together our Rocky Mountain peaks in our minds.

It is important to stop and notice the amazing wonders that God has brought to us.  Genesis reminds us that all of creation is to be cared for by humankind, so we have a special responsibility to be careful and loving with the birds, the animals, the trees, the fish, the plants, all of life. That is one part of what we want to remember this Sunday and this month as we celebrate creation.

But another part of what we focus on as Christians is what we are called to do in the world.  Luke 3 reminds us in the words of John the Baptist that one is coming who will change everything. The mountains will be made low and the valley will be filled.  Nothing will be impossible and everything will have an equal voice.  Jesus, whom we are called to follow, changes our lives in ways that even creation tunes in to hear.  Jesus will come to give those who only reach up out of the valleys in despair an opportunity to stand on a mountaintop with him.

 Mark 16 says that we are to go into the world and proclaim the good news EVERYWHERE. Jesus is giving this as his final instructions before the ascension.  Suggesting that we are called to share our abundance everywhere. We are called to be kind to the earth everywhere. We are called to love our neighbor everywhere. We are called not to remain in our building, but to go into the world.

 As we know from the story of Jesus' earthly walk, this is not easy. It is extremely difficult. Jesus went to the cross because of the radical message he shared that the love of God is for all people, those in the valleys and on the mountaintops. Jesus told the rulers of his day that all people were significant and worthy of God's love.  Such a radical message, one that the world will not want to hear. It's easier keep people separated into camps of disgust and hate, rather than seeing that the world is designed to move from mountain to valley in one smooth landscape. And that we are designed to stay connected one to another.

Such is life, right?  We have mountain top highs where we know that God is right beside us and then we step out into a valley that is so low we reach up and pray God will see us and rescue us.  And the two do not seem to be connected at all, but rather very distinct and distant from one another.

How have you experienced mountains and valleys in your life?  Share a story of your own celebrations of nature. Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment below.  I would also welcome any .jpg photos sent to my email for a slide show of mountains and valleys on Sunday.

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Two weeks from now, at 5:30 in the evening, we will gather near the mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park for an evening vespers service,   We will be up close and in person with God in our creation.  Make plans to be with us. Sign up at the church if you want to join a carpool or contact the church office at office@niwotumc.org

Rahab and the Battle of Jericho

Joshua 2:1-24

Rahab is not a biblical villain. Not even close. She is so revered among bible characters that she ends up in the lineage of Jesus.  But, Rahab is certainly complicated. Because she isn't your typical person to get put into the lineage of Jesus. Usually those scribes and priests who are writing down biblical texts on papyrus would want the lineage of Jesus to be as pure and messiah-like as possible.  But, they put Rahab in it.  Rahab, who in this account of Joshaua, is called a harlot, a prositute.

Now those are not always the sorts of characters you want to associate with your King, your Messiah. So why Rahab?  Her story, first of all, is a story of a Savior. She saves some Israelite spies who have come to town to see how big the army is in Jericho.  She is a Canaanite, but saves these foreign spies.
In that same scene, she asks for them, in return, to save her family when the Israelites invade the city. So she saves foreign spies and she saves her family from the massacre that the foreign invasion will bring.

Secondly, she is strong and brave.  Some historians believe she is an innkeeper rather than a prostitute, because the scripture indicates the men came there to stay, which indicates that the place she lives and works is perhaps is a bar with rooms to stay.  There's probably room in this theory to assume she was both.  An innkeeper, the barkeep who also rents out rooms with or without a 'lady of the evening' for hire as well.  But she is strong and brave enough to think that she can not only hide these men successfully from the authorities, but also bargain with them to save her own skin and her family.  Not many women in that day and time would have been strong enough to take such risks.

So, even though her occupation is looked upon with eyebrows raised, she is a beloved figure in Jesus' lineage.  Someone to look up to and admire. Someone who took a set of circumstances that might have brought her only reproach and turned them into assets that bring her honor.

She also was willing to embrace the other. And she immediately, even if it is just to protect her family, calls out for protection from the one God of Israel, rather than any Canaanite god.  Maybe it is just a savvy way of being saved, but she assimilates well. The Israelites who came to overtake, she later is able to assimilate with, and even marry. She is listed in the Jesus lineage as being the wife of Salmon, who was believed to be one of the soldier spies she protected. This ends up making her the mother of Boaz, who marries that faithful woman of the bible, Ruth... which leads eventually to David. So she ends up in a royal lineage in the end.

Rahab is a complicated savior. Someone you would not have considered as a candidate for such as this. What sorts of unlikely saviors do we have around us today? Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org  or comment below.

"Judas and Betrayal: He's Not Alone"

Mark 14:10-21; 32-50

Also, for additional reading, here is  a link to the translation of the document found that is believed to be The Gospel of Judas  made available online by the National Geographic Society.

One night at a Wednesday evening Bible study at another church about a decade ago, the group was discussing the disciple Peter, or maybe they were discussing the disciple Judas... I really can't remember, but the conversation led me to have a thought that I knew might be radical for the group I was in.

I raised my hand, anyway. I was in seminary; I had other thoughts than the direction this conversation was going! When called upon I said, "I really don't see that much difference in Peter and Judas.  I mean, they were both disciples and they both betrayed Jesus at the end."  There was a bit of awkward silence.  Then, the conversation redirected back to it's original space.

But I must tell you, I still don't see much difference.  I mean, Peter repented, yes.  But Judas doesn't even get a chance to repent in the Gospel of Mark. He betrays and is never seen again.  In Matthew 27 he actually does repent, tries to give back the money, and hangs himself in remorse.  And In Acts 1 he falls in the middle of a field that he has supposedly purchased with the money and his intestines explode. 

So, why do we vilify Judas?  In the end,  EVERY SINGLE DISCIPLE leaves Jesus alone to be arrested, whipped, crucified.. They all run away.  Some accounts suggest that there were women there who were likely considered disciples, too, but the beloved 12 are gone.

And, according to a recently discovered ancient manuscript some believe to be a lost non-canonical gospel, The Gospel of Judas, he is the most faithful disciple because he actually DOES get what Jesus means when he says he will be sacrificed and he, Judas, is the one who helps him make that happen.  He betrays him because Jesus wants him to and asks him to.  

So what do we make of the villain we have created out of Judas?  And how does his betrayal line up with the other disciples who also betrayed by sleeping, fleeing, and hiding?  

In what ways do we create Judases of our faith now? Who do we vilify in our current day because they seem to be betraying our faith?

Let's spend the week thinking about Judas.  Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment below if you have thoughts. I would really enjoy hearing from you.