Dave Walker "Problems" The Cartoon Blog

It is hardly if ever simple to  confront someone. This sort of conflict is especially difficult for Christians because we're taught to "play nice" with one another. Thus we use all sorts of coping mechanics to accommodate our frustrations with other people in our families, workplaces, churches, or elsewhere. We "triangulate" with other people. We might chose to behave in a "passive aggressive" manner. My favorite is often to see if I can out-think and debate with another person that I happen to disagree with about one matter or another.    

 

Jesus teaches us in this Sunday's Gospel that we need to speak directly with one another. I have to say as well that I'm with Pastor and Professor David Lose in terms of not settling our issues by throwing someone out of the Church when they don't come around to our way of thinking.  Christians are often prone to using Matthew 18:17 as an eviction notice for ridding ourselves of people who refuse to adopt our dogma. Professor Lose writes:  "Authentic community is hard to come by. It's work. But it's worth it. Because when you find it, it's like discovering a little bit of heaven on earth; that is, it's like experiencing the reality of God's communal fellowship and existence in your midst. And, as Jesus promises, when you gather in this way -- with honesty and integrity, even when it's hard -- amazing things can happen because Jesus is with you, right there, in your very midst, forming and being formed by your communal sharing." (Lose, 8/28/11).

 

My initial impression of life at St. James is that there are many dedicated people here with a wide array of interests, opinions, hopes, concerns, and beliefs. That's a good and blessed gift of Christian community. Such diversity offers us more opportunities to grow inwardly as well as further along on our Christian journey with one another. Let's walk some more steps with one another this Sunday at Church and beyond.  

Blessings Along The Way - Jim+

September 11, 2011

Ten Years Later

 We are approaching the 10th Anniversary of the events of 9-11-2011. We will be offering a prayer vigil on that Sunday morning to heal, hope, and honor ourselves, our faith in a loving God, and the lives of the victims and their families. The vigil  will offer participants time for silent prayer and meditation. We're in the process of preparing music, and multimedia that will help to create special sacred space from 8:46 am until 10:03 am on the 11th. Please look for a flier in this Sunday's bulletin with more information. Please also take the time to visit the National Cathedral's "A Call to Compassion" website.

One of the best ways to build healthy, fun, and faithful communities is through the nurturing and support of small groups. Last week, I preached about the fact that we all have gifts to share. We can grow personally and as a church when we endeavor to share the Holy Spirit's gifts with our friends and with our neighbors around us. Here's a great article for you to read on this topic.