A few years ago, the magazine “Christianity Today” has an article written by Kathleen Norris about churches in general and her church in particular. In it, she stated that the church is a divinely inspired institution, “full of ordinary people who sometimes say and do cruel, stupid things.”

She went on: “From the outside, church congregations can look like remarkably contentious places, full of hypocrites who talk about love while fighting each other tooth and nail. This is the reason many people give for avoiding them. On the inside, however, it is a different matter, a matter of struggling to maintain unity as “the body of Christ” given the fact that we have precious little uniformity. I have only to look at the congregation I know best, the one I belong to. We are not individuals who have come together because we are like-minded. That is not a church, but a political party. We are like most healthy churches, I think, in that we can do pretty well when it comes to loving and serving God, each other, and the world; but God helps us if we have to agree about things. I could test our “uniformity” by suggesting a major remodeling of the sanctuary, or worse, that Holy of Holies – the church kitchen. But I value my life too much.”

Recently rereading these words, I had to stop and think about our congregation. Do these observations apply to us also? We, as a congregation, have been greatly blessed by God and we recognize and acknowledge that fact. We believe that God led us to our new church in Lombard. We have been blessed financially thus far through these tough economic times. We have had a substantial increase in both attendance and activity level since our move. We have faced some tough challenges and new experiences with spiritual resolve and a willingness to learn and grow.

I do not believe we are ordinary people. We are a new creation. The continual evidence of God’s spirit working among and through us is proof that we are not ordinary. We are individuals who are being transformed from within by the power of God. And we are a congregation which is also being transformed to more and more show forth what the body of Christ should look like.

I do not believe that our church looks like a “remarkably contentious” place. There is a great deal of love, commitment, and support for each other evident. We work hard to not say and do cruel or stupid things, to stop gossip, to be open and trusting (difficult as it may be) with each other, and to examine personal preferences and sometimes put them aside for the good of the congregation as a whole.

We now have more diversity in our congregation than we have ever before had. Historically, ours was a congregation of families of similar age, economic level, and education. That is certainly no longer the case. We have all ages, poor to wealthy, out-of-work to retired, school drop-outs to post-graduates, home schoolers to professional educators. We have liberals and conservatives, democrats, republicans and independents, those who don’t vote and election judges. And although our core beliefs are similar, there is certainly a growing diversity of doctrinal viewpoints and approaches. Yet I do believe that while we may not have uniformity, we do have a strong like-mindedness. We are united in out desire to know and do the will of God. We are united in our efforts to have our church be a beacon of the kingdom of heaven. We want to be a Christ-centered and Bible-based church.

I am somewhat amused by the fact that Kathleen Norris cites the remodeling of the church kitchen as the acid test of a congregation. I can understand why. I remember long, hot debates in our Cicero church over the color of the drapery for the front of the chapel, hurt feelings over comments and attitudes when we remodeled the basement, lingering resentments and hard feelings -when the motion to buy a particular church building failed by one vote (actually less than one vote percentage wise). But all that is in the past. We have grown, matured and learned, haven’t we? We shall see. We now are facing the acid test.

So far, so good. Last year our trustees appointed a committee of three to draw up plans for the complete remodeling of our woeful present kitchen. All of us agree it needs to be done. And we have even set aside a fair amount of money to do (begin?complete?) the job. The kitchen remodeling committee (Jim Dalesandro, Donna Mathewson, and Steve Teunis) have done a remarkable job, so far. They collected ideas, talked to many in the congregation, considered options, listened to various points of view. Then they drew up detailed plans of two options. They favored option one, but had option two as an alternate. The trustees unanimously voted in favor of option one. Those plans are now posted on the wall next to the present kitchen for all to view.

The trustees next asked the same committee to continue its work and come up with cost estimates for those plans. The committee was also asked to come up with suggestions for how to proceed in various phases of this ambitious project. After the committee reports back, the next step will be up to the trustees. Once a full plan with cost figures is approved by them, it will be brought to the congregation for a vote. This is the acid test!

Personally, I am not worried at all. Maybe I should be, since as church chairman this year, I will be chairing the business meeting when all this is discussed and voted upon. But I honestly think we can handle it with a proper spirit. We have been through so much together as a congregation in the past few years that I think we are ready for even the remodeling of our church kitchen. All we need to do is continue to keep it all in proper perspective.

Jerusalem, Friday, Passover Week:
The execution today of Jesus of Nazareth, who became Capernaum's most famous resident, took place in such an unusual manner that this reporter could only conclude that Jesus himself was complicit in his own death. Observers describe it as a plot by religious authorities to silence one of the most independent and refreshing voices of our time.
As I write these words, Jesus hangs dead on a Roman cross. They'll be removing his body soon for burial. However, last night's arrest holds the key to understanding events surrounding Capernaum residents in the nation's capital this week.

Gethsemane Olive Garden is Scene of Arrest:
The arrest took place in the Garden of Gethsemane last night, and this reporter was present. I interviewed one of his disciples who told me that Jesus had led his group there for a time of prayer. As my readers will remember, the Teacher's inner circle consists of three Capernaum natives, Simon, son of Jonas (nicknamed "Rock" by the Teacher) and James and John, sons of Zebedee, whom he called "sons of thunder" due to their loudness. These men, partners in a commercial fishing business, have taken a leave of absence in order to travel with the Teacher.

Teacher Suffers from Stress and Exhaustion:
“He was beside himself, overwrought,” John told me today. “I don't think I'd ever seen him so emotional. It seemed that the weight of the world was settling down upon his shoulders and crushing him.” “He asked the three of us to stay awake and pray with him,” John continued. “He ventured a bit farther into the grove, then fell to the ground, praying with deep groanings.”
Another disciple told me that even in the chill of the night, Jesus was agonizing and perspiring profusely. “It was an unnerving sight.” “He prayed the same kind of prayer three times,” said John. “And though I wasn't able to hear it all, he kept repeating these words:” “Abba, Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me... But not my will – yours be done.”
“He was struggling with God about whether or not he should go through with some painful mission,” John told me. Now it is tragically clear what that mission was. Only its purpose and why Jesus felt it was required of him remain hidden. Though Jesus demanded that his followers not say so publicly, many believed that he was the long awaited Messiah sent by God.

Soldier Detachment Guided by Turncoat Disciple:
The prayer in Gethsemane was cut short as temple troops and crowds loyal to the high priests swarmed into the ancient olive grove. This reporter, learning of the plot, followed so he could provide an accurate account.
At the forefront was a long-time associate of Jesus', Judas Iscariot, one of twelve key leaders of the movement and, some say, treasurer of the group. One could tell he knew where to find Jesus. He led the detachment directly to the grove.
When Judas saw the popular Teacher, he motioned to the captain and then walked over to him, embracing and kissing his leader. But the sham was obvious to all observers. Rumors peg Judas as an informer paid to help arrest Jesus when he was unprotected by throngs of his own supporters. From across the garden Jesus' response echoed: “So, friend, you betray the Son of man with a kiss?” At this, Judas stiffened and all the color drained from his face. He left the arrest scene abruptly. Reports of a possible suicide are unconfirmed at this hour.

Teacher Defended by Armed Force:
Immediately, soldiers deployed a flanking action surrounding Jesus. Two of them grabbed his arms, though the prisoner made no attempt to resist or escape. One of his disciples produced a sword and began to slash at Jesus' captors. He was obviously untrained with the weapon. When he had severed the ear of one of the high priest's servants, Jesus told him sharply. “No more. No more of this.” Then Jesus touched the servant's bleeding head and the ear was instantly restored, another in a long string of healing miracles that have followed the Teacher from Galilee to Judea.

Restrained Legions of Angels:
Jesus' next words have haunted this reporter all last night and into today. Jesus told the sword-wielding disciple, “Don't you know that I could ask my Father and he would immediately summon more than twelve legions of angels to defend me?” Then the squadron of approximately fifteen soldiers took Jesus into custody and marched him back into Jerusalem. There a midnight arraignment took place that ended today in his crucifixion. But one cannot stop comparing the tiny detachment of temple soldiers to the twelve legions of angels the Teacher spoke of. This reporter has seen Rome's legions traveling on the roads of Galilee. Each legion is made up of one thousand trained warriors marching in step to the drummer's beat, four abreast, on and on. All traffic is forced off the roads when they march through, and Rome's unwilling subjects wait while 250 rows of troops tramp by, enveloped in a cloud of dust.
If one were to imagine twelve such legions of soldiers marching by it would take hours. Twelve thousand troops outnumber the Roman military stationed in Palestine several fold. Twelve legions could have liberated Jerusalem, the Governor's residence, Herod's palace, and the Chief Priest's quarters. Twelve legions could have freed the entire nation from Roman domination and oppression. Twelve legions would have been an unstoppable force if commanded by a popular leader believed by many to be the Messiah. Twelve legions could have freed our people.

In Control of His Destiny:
That is why Jesus' words in the garden last night seemed so very strange. It was as if Jesus was still in command, still in control of his destiny. As this reporter sees it, Jesus was not taken because a superior force had come upon him unawares. He willingly submitted to arrest and had full power to avoid arrest if that is what he had wished to do.
It leads one to the inescapable conclusion -- bizarre as that may seem -- that Jesus' crucifixion today is not some tragic martyrdom of a Galilean teacher for challenging the religious establishment or unsettling Roman oppressors. No, somehow this crucifixion is fulfilling a mission and destiny that Jesus of Nazareth struggled with and then embraced.
If, indeed, he could have summoned twelve legions of angel warriors and did not, this reporter concludes that more is going on in Jesus' arrest and crucifixion than meets the eye. I'll file my next report Sunday morning.

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Fictional short story, based on Luke 22:39-55 and Matthew 26:47-56.

Viewpoints

T I M E = Burnout
by Joe Horak

Welcome one and all to our:

59th Annual May Convention

May 3 - 4, 2003

Berean Bible Students Church
535 E. Maple St.
Lombard, IL 60148
630-889-1090

Saturday, May 3, 2003

"Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." Rev. 2:10b

A Daughter's Heart

Frankly Speaking
by Helayne Crawford