I Believe in the Holy Ghost

1 Corinthians 12:1-13
John 15:26-27, 16: 4b-15

On Sunday, 24 October 2004, Pastor Hunter turned his attention to the clause "I believe in the Holy Ghost," as he continued his fall series on The Apostles' Creed. Mr. Hunter began by noting that the presence of the Holy Spirit is often neglected in non-charismatic denominations, such as the Presbyterian Church (USA), except on Pentecostal Sunday. Nonetheless, the Holy Spirit underpins our lives as Christians.

As a parallel, he said, consider that the term "Holy Spirit" doesn't appear in the Old Testament, yet in Genesis it is the Holy Spirit--the breath of God--that brings order out of chaos and breathes life into the first human.

The Genesis story points to the first essential functions of the Holy Spirit: breathing new life, making all things new, and bringing order out of chaos. The Holy Spirit can bring order to the chaos of our lives by healing our broken relationships. As Paul's passage in Corinthians points out, the spirit manifests itself in difference ways in our lives. Yet if we are Christians, we have the spirit.

The Holy Spirit also works in our lives to reveal the truth of Christ to us and to guide our actions. Here, Mr. Hunter parsed the Greek word Paraclete, which is a New Testament word used to refer to the Holy Spirit. Rich in meanings, the word carries definitions such as such as advocate, comforter, counselor, and--from Greek military history--a fighting companion who protects your back.

By bringing us into a new relationship with God, the Holy Spirit reveals another essential function, one which is typified by the word Abba (i.e., "Daddy") for God. The Holy Spirit binds us into a new family. Any talent or gift that we use to build up this family, is a spiritual gift--a gift from God to helps us build up the Church and strengthen our whole faith family.

Finally, the Holy Spirit guides our prayers. The Holy Spirit is not exactly synonymous with our consciences, Mr. Hunter explained, but it is the way God guides us, prompting us during prayer to remember and tend to those things we have neglected, avoided, or suppressed.

Mr. Hunter concluded the sermon by directing our thoughts to the way the relatively recent Brief Statement of Faith (1983) treats the topic of the Holy Spirit:

We trust in God the Holy Spirit,
everywhere the giver and renewer of life.

The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith,
sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor,
and binds us together with all believers
in the one body of Christ, the church.

The same Spirit
who inspired the prophets and apostles
rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture,
engages us through the Word proclaimed,
claims us in the waters of baptism,
feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation,
and calls women and men to all ministries of the church.

In a broken and fearful world
the Spirit gives us courage
to pray without ceasing,
to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior,
to unmask idolatries in church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.

In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit,
we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks
and to live holy and joyful lives,
even as we watch for God's new heaven and new earth,
praying, Come, Lord Jesus!

Christian & Citizen

As citizens of the United States we are given the chance to apply our Christian faith in one of the most worldly settings possible: the operation of American partisan politics. When we cast our votes for candidates and policies, we have the opportunity to practice the demanding and difficult discipline of spiritual discernment. --Kris Haig

While the Presbyterian Church (USA) certainly does not tells its members how to vote, it takes our political life seriously and provides thoughtful study guides, advice, and resources to help a person make prayerful choices when voting.

Here are some resources you might find useful:

• The Kris Haig quotation above comes from an article in the October 2004 issue of Presbyterians Today titled "Spiritual Fitness."
• The PCUSA Washington Office offers a study guide called Christian & Citizen, which explores a number of current issues from the position of Reformed thought. The team that put the guide together particularly recommends the short essay at the start of the study guide by Rev. Dr. Cynthia M. Campbell, entitled "Answering the Challenge of Political Life"” (PDF document, 3-page essay begins on p. 5).
• The Washington Office also offers a whole list of online resources on issues and approaches.
• Finally, the same source has a webpage called Theology, which includes a number of thoughtful articles that offer leading Presbyterians' perspectives concerning the church and politics, such as "Why Should People of Faith Be Engaged in Political Action?" by Bill Moyers and Joseph C. Hough. (Note: The list includes an article by Peter Pizor, former member of the Cody Presbyterian Church and Northwest College faculty member.)

Help Wanted :: Administrative Assistant

Position Opening: Administrative Assistant for Union Presbyterian Church. Responsible for church record keeping, correspondence, scheduling of facilities, and receptionist duties among other responsibilities. The ability to work with people, particularly those in crisis, and the keeping of confidentiality is of high priority.

Qualifications: Preference given to individuals with administrative and computer experience. Requires secretarial and receptionist skills including typing, filing, operation of business machines, and a knowledge of or willingness to learn Presbyterian polity. Person accepted must be bondable.

Salary: Dependent upon qualifications and experience.

Application Procedure: Resumes may be submitted to The Personnel Committee, Union Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 906, Powell, WY 82435. Deadline for Applications is October 29, 2004.

Here Comes the Judge!

[Thanks to Cathy Marine for the sermon notes that formed this blog.]

Acts 1:1-11
Matthew 25:31-46

On Sunday, 17 October 2004, Mr. Hunter continued his series on The Apostles' Creed by examining the phrase ". . . he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead."

The Ascension, Mr. Hunter explained, is a natural and comforting conclusion to the story of Christ's dwelling on earth. Although Christ descended into humanity at birth and experienced humanity's sorrow, suffering, and loneliness, the Ascension reverses the motion--returning Christ to wholeness through union with the godhead. In other words, the Ascension affirms that Christ is Lord and King, sitting at the right hand of God.

Mr. Hunter then turned his attention to the latter part of the phrase--"from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead"--and matters of the final judgment.

Contained in this phrase is the promise that Christ will return, but we don't know when. In fact, when considering Christ's return, how and when are not as important as why, and that why pertains to Christ's judgment of believers and unbelievers.

We know from scripture that believers are saved through their faith in Christ. Salvation is God's gift of grace, but it is not cheap grace. We must confess Jesus Christ with our lives and not just with our lips; accepting grace is accepting a life of faithfulness and obedience.

And what will be Christ's judgment of unbelievers? While reminding us this short sermon doesn't allow full examination of the issue, Mr. Hunter affirmed that salvation requires acceptance of Christ, saying, "I believe God will still require acceptance and faith on the part of the recipient even if God allows that acceptance to take place on the other side of the grave."

All of us, of course, have the free will to reject Christ and his gift of grace, but denial of Christ leads to hell, a "separation from God--a separation that begins when we reject God's love."

Although we are unsure of when and who Christ will save, we must, Mr. Hunter concluded, live our lives wisely and in the promise that Christ will forgive and save us.

Sr. Highs Sell Christmas Greenery

The Senior High Youth Fellowship is selling holiday wreaths and other decorative greenery as a fund raiser.

You can pre-order garlands, wreaths, centerpieces, swags, and do-it-yourself kits from any member of the youth group. Prices start as low as $6 (for half a pound of English holly). The 22" mixed greens wreath pictured above runs $25 (item no. W4).

All of the evergreens come from Sherwood Forest Farms, which is celebrating its 50th year of providing the "highest quality holiday decorations for not-for-profit organizations to use for fundraising." You can find the story of this 100-year-old family business on their web site. (Be sure to check out the historic photographs at the bottom of the page.)

Not only can you order your holiday greens now for delivery by the Youth Fellowship, but you also can send evergreens to friends as gifts. Sherwood Forest Farms has a "direct delivery" program that allows you to send their products anywhere in the United States.

To order your holiday evergreens, contact any member of the Youth Fellowship or call Stacy Wheeler at 754.7094.

Suffered, Crucified, Descended and Rose

Colossians 1:15-23
1 Corinthians 15:1-8a, 12-20

On Sunday, 10 October 2004, Pastor Hunter continued his series on The Apostles' Creed by focusing upon the central message of the Epistles: "[Christ] suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead . . .."

One of the interesting aspects of The Apostles' Creed, Mr. Hunter noted, is that it doesn't mention Christ's ministry but instead focuses upon the central message of the early church, which is distilled into the four words suffered, crucified, descended, and rose.

Suffered shows that God took no shortcuts as a human. Christ suffered all the emotional, psychological, and physical pains of our human life--God understood and accepted that life. As Isaiah predicted:

[3] He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [4] Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:3-4)

Crucified emphasizes Christ's sacrificial death to pay for our sinful nature. We must never forget, Mr. Hunter said, that our sin resulted in Christ's death, because God is a just God for whom grace is not free. It's a costly gift from Christ.

Within our church tradition, we have typified Christ's crucifixion in four different ways: reconciliation (Christ's self-sacrificing love brings us to God), justification (Christ has pleaded our case with God), sacrifice (Christ's perfect sacrifice atones for our sins), and redemption (Christ ransoms us from sin).

Descended into hell--a phrase upon which we frequently stumble--serves to remind us that Christ really died, experienced God's judgment, and was alienated from God during his crucifixion when He felt God had forgotten Him. Most importantly for Christians, however, Christ's descent into death prepared the way for the resurrection.

Rose from the dead is the essence of our Easter story and our life as an Easter people.

It is our faith in Christ's passion which leads us to righteousness.

William Tyndale, Thomas More and the English Bible

"On this day in 1535 the first complete English Bible was printed, using translations by William Tyndale and his disciple, Miles Coverdale. Only Coverdale saw the first copies roll off the press in Europe: having been run to ground by those who opposed his Bible and his example, Tyndale was in confinement, on his way to the sort of death he had, for a decade, expected and resourcefully dodged."

To read the rest of the article, visit Today in Literature: William Tyndale, Thomas More and the English Bible.

Third Graders Receive Bibles

Quin Wetzel, Megan Rathburn, and Dylan Rood use the study Bibles they just received from their church to follow along on Mr. Hunter's lectionary reading.

Peace Starts Here

Isaiah 2:1-4
Luke 6:27-36

Pastor Hunter interrupted his sermon series on The Apostles' Creed to celebrate Peacemaking and Worldwide Communion Sunday on 3 October 2004, with a sermon on how to start making peace.

"Have you," Mr. Hunter asked, "ever imagined what real world peace would be like?" Peace is difficult to recognize because we are so far from that goal. Hate crimes in Billings, Montana, and crystal meth gang-related crimes in Cody and Powell show us how close violence is to us all.

Much violence, Mr. Hunter said, results from fear and anger——the kind of fear and anger that we each experience in our hearts all the time. For instance, our fear of strangers——xenophobia——causes us to exist in a state of nervous fear much of the time.

The antidote to this kind of fear, anger, and violence is to pray for world peace, but God's peace needs to start right here . . . in our own hearts.

Christ gave us a new model for relationships in the passage in Luke 6:27-31:

[27] "But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, [28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. [29] To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. [30] Give to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again. [31] And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. "

Remarkable things can happen, Mr. Hunter says, if we follow Christ's directive:

• If we bless those who curse us, we get back what we give, amplified.
• If we pray for those who abuse us, our view of those people changes because hate leaves our hearts.
  
• If we do unto others as we would have them do to us, how can violence not leave the world?

Mr. Hunter concluded by saying,

We can confront our fears by seeking those who are strangers and making them friends. We also need to confront the anger in us, forgive those who have wronged us, and seek to practice the steps of active love that Jesus prescribed.

Mr. Hunter's entire sermon is available online. See Peace Starts Here (PDF).

UPDATE Jodi Emigh :: A Face to Go with the Name

Jodi Emigh
Administrative Assistant
Union Presbyterian Church
Powell, WY

Update (17Oct04): Sadly, Jodi has left the employ of Union Presbyterian, and the Personnel Committee is searching for a new Administrative Assistant. Jodi, we hardly knew ye.