Antioch Church of Santa Cruz: Hospitality

Last night we had a wonderful time discussing a rather difficult passage. Questions arose: How does a person experience salvation? & What should we do after we know life in Christ? Good thoughts, good questions, good discussion.

Matthew 25:31-46 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

 ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

 ³⁷ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

 ⁴⁰ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
 ⁴¹ “Then the King will turn to those on the left a
nd say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. ⁴² For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

 ⁴⁴ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

 ⁴⁵ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

 ⁴⁶ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Antioch Church of Santa Cruz: The Persecuted Church

Hello Antioch Church of Santa Cruz; I’m sorry for the lapse in time on the blog, but I just got back from the Rainbow Gathering, which was a 2hr drive from Portland & a mile & a half hike from the parking lot into various meadows. We had a great time for sure.

This week we find ourselves in week four of Ordinary Time in the Church Calendar & the second week where we will be taking a detailed look into the life of the early church. In our reading from Acts this week, God continues to pour out His Spirit on the early church for their mission in the world. Through the church, God displays remarkable signs of His presence & authority. Non-believers watch in fascination & many join the small community of believers. But all of this doesn’t prevent backlash & harassment. The authorities are threatened & they react persecuting the disciples. Like Jesus we face persecution, but we see how God exerts His power & provides for us when we undergo hardships.

The main text this week is:

Acts 5:12-42 conveys the people’s growing fascination with the new community of Jesus followers in Jerusalem: the amazing miracles, the open meetings, the many healings & the increasing number of believers. But the Jewish authorities are not pleased.

This next Sunday we’ll be discussing this passage in detail & discussing what it meant for the early church & what it means for us as a church here in Santa Cruz.

Antioch Church of Santa Cruz: Trinity

On the first Sunday after Pentecost, we turn our attention & celebrate the Trinitarian nature of God. While associated with a doctrine rather than an event in salvation history, we recognize & honor the one triune God who has acted through all of time. Pentecost highlights the coming of the Spirit, but we must remember that the Spirit has always ben at work: creating & sustaining the cosmos, forming & preserving Israel, choosing kings & speaking through prophets, overshadowing Mary & anointing Jesus, &, yes, baptizing & empowering the church. The oneness & threeness of god is a mystery. The Father, Son, & Spirit are coeternal & coequal, existing in a trinity of persons & a unity of being. Recall the sweep of the story from Advent to Pentecost this week as you meditate upon the mystery of the Three-in-One.

Here’s the Scriptures for this week:

Psalm 8 exalts God & puts us in our place. When we look at God’s creation, the vast cosmos—& this is even more true today—we human beings should be utterly humbled.

Matthew 28:6-20 This is the famous Great Commission of Jesus. It fits well in this week because of the Trinitarian formula used in baptism & also the idea of Jesus continuing his mission through us, the church, you & me.

Romans 5:1-5 help us to meditate on the interrelatedness of the work of the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit in our salvation & in our lives.

Read these verses & then re-read them. Let them soak into your soul & allow yourself to be transformed into the image of Christ, which is the true image of the Triune God. Although the Trinity is mystery it reveals the interconnectedness of God, which is something He deeply wants to share with us &, likewise, with our neighbors. The church, our church, is a reflection of the Trinity relationship.  

Antioch Church of Santa Cruz: The Feast of Pentecost

With the outpouring of the Spirit, the themes of resurrection & new life are amplified & the focus on the church & its mission are introduced. This we we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. The readings are full of images & metaphors that describe the mystery of the Spirit & his working. Wind & fire; we are rightly awed. We're also drawn by the invitation; Receive the gift, be filled. Our experiences may range from quiet to dramatic--the Wind blows as it pleases--but in every case, we encounter the Being of God within our own being, his transforming, empowering, & loving presence.

Here's the readings for this upcoming Sunday:
John 7:37-39
Acts 2:1-42
Romans 8:9-27

Again, take time over the next few days to meditate upon these texts & allow them to shape your relationship with God. Too, ask to be filled again & again. God does not grow tired of filling us with Himself; it is a joy to Him.

Antioch Church of Santa Cruz: Easter week #7

Hello incredible Antioch Church. Sorry for missing last week’s portion of the liturgical year. One of the things the church left out of the calendar was: Moving. We moved & it was pretty intense. Anyways we’re here. Too, because we don’t have internet I’ll do my best. I’m trying to hit a good rhythm of life knowing when I can post on this blog. We missed many of you last night, but I must admit we had a great time & God's presence was obvious. Good time; good friends; Good God.

This is the beginning of the last week of Easter. This week we “wait for the Spirit.” After Jesus ascended to be with the Father the disciples waited, as Jesus asked them, to be filled with the Spirit of God. We too wait & long to be filled with God’s Spirit in order to “do the stuff” He calls us to do. Whether living a holy life, sharing God’s love with others, performing miracles, or feeding the poor; we need God’s power to accomplish God’s desires. Take some time this week & allow your soul to be molded by the text & the Spirit.

Scriptures:

Acts 1:1-26

John 17

Revelation 22

As any athlete trains in order to compete in a contest, we too train through spiritual practices in order to gain a crown that will never perish or fade. Practice, train, love, wait, search, & discover God today & again tomorrow. His greatest delight is found in us.

Antioch Church of Santa Cruz: Easter week #5

Hello incredible Antioch people. We had an incredible time last night as we looked at one of Jesus' post resurrection appearances. One of the things I'm thankful for is seeing what Jesus does when He interacts with His friends: Eat, talk, sit, enjoy a fire, drink, forgive, love, & talk theology. Once again the Kingdom isn't about doing super-spiritual things as much as it is seeing the Kingdom within the things we find so normal.

In the 5th week of Easter, we focus on the transformation of our lives. First, we read of Jesus' appearance to Saul "as to one untimely born." Saul is heading in one direction, but when confronted by the Risen Christ, he is radically changed & sent in the opposite direction. Later he explains to the Ephesian church that we all must take off the "old self," & be clothed with the "new self," which is being ever created into the image of Christ. How does this work? It's a mystery for sure, but Jesus says the answer lies in staying connected to Him, the true Vine.

Here's the scriptures for this week:
Acts 9:1-22 The dramatic conversion of Saul. Your own conversion might not be as dramatic as Saul, but let this story prompt reflection on ways Gos has intersected your life, turning  you around & sending you in new directions.
Ephesians 4 Paul (his new name for his new identity) makes theology practical in this section of scripture. All of this points to imitating Christ & allowing our daily devotion to Him to transform us into His image; a lifelong adventure for sure. 

A prayer worth praying: "Jesus, thank you for choosing me & changing me, even as you chose & changed your servant Paul; continue your transforming work in me this day & this week as I seek to stay close to you, my source of love & joy. Amen.

Antioch Church of Santa Cruz: Easter week #4

Hey everybody. Sorry for such a late post, but I got really sick this week & have been playing catch up since I started feeling better. This will be short & sweet.

After Jesus was resurrected He showed Himself to the disciples several times. This Sunday we'll look at one of those episodes & meditate upon an incredible Psalm.

Here's the two scriptures we'll be looking at:
Psalm 23 Although you might already know this song, push past the familiarty of it & read it in light of the resurrection. Take time to really see the promise of the new creation found in Jesus within the poetic lines of this Psalm.
John 21:1-19 This in an incredbily rich section of scripture. Jesus gives the men a huge catch of fish; He eats food with them & Jesus extends grace after Peter's failure & recommissions him to leadership. How is God asking you to have faith to "cast out your nets?" Why does Jesus eat with the men? How do you feel when Jesus shows so much grace to Peter?

Blessings. We'll see each other Sunday night.