June 17, 2020
Good afternoon,
" Then Jesus said to him, " See that you do not tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them. " Matthew 8:4
" What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2: 14-17
Do you want to stand out from the crowd, in anything including faith ? Or do you want to hide within the community, including church or in the world, and be part of the crowd ? Do you want to lead or do you want to follow ? Some of us are leaders and some of us are followers, and we need both types of people in the church , and in society. We did a study at Floradale Mennonite, and over 50% of the church families were entrepreneurs. These were business owners, upper management and farmers. That is a lot of leaders. At Bethel Mennonite in Lancaster Pennsylvania, there were only about five business owners. Were the others only followers ? I don't think so.
If Jesus would heal you ( maybe Jesus has healed you ) would you be quiet, and only come to me, as the church leader ? " Do not tell anyone else about it ". Maybe you do not want to be seen as arrogant or holier than me or you. Would you have followed Jesus' advice, or would you have led out, and told the world ? You would have become an outspoken advocate for Jesus/God !
James is a different kind of book. It talks about faith in terms of deeds, and not just faith in Jesus. He is strong to say that faith without works is dead. That is a statement of a leader who knows what he believes, and what he wants to tell the world. Are works without faith also true ? Is the full truth somewhere in the middle ? How can we stand out in this world, if we cannot find the exact words for our faith ? Maybe that is leadership, declaring faith in Christ as mystery in living out our daily lives, in the presence of God.
Who are the leaders at Poole ? Those who are articulate or those who are quiet ? We are looking for two new Elders. Do you have names to be considered for the task of both leading and following ? Can you keep a secret ( like the man healed of leprosy in Matthew 8 ) or do you lead a life of love in action, like in James ?
( on the Poole website there is a picture of a fence with one new board, standing among the old boards )
Prayer
I have asked,
so many questions , O Lord.
I have read your Bible,
so many times, O Lord.
I have listened to your faithful,
so many times, O Lord
I have heard of their good deeds,
so many times.
I have heard their questions,
so many times, O Lord. AMEN.
Fred
Tread on bold new paths
Fireflies flash the direction
Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020
Fred Redekop
Pastor
Poole Mennonite Church
Ponder Anew 