Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are Holy!

From Between Heaven and Mirth, by James Martin, SJ

In some religious circles joy, humor, and laughter are viewed ... as excessive. Excessive, irrelevant, ridiculous, inappropriate, and even scandalous. But a lighthearted spirit is none of these things. Rather, it is an essential element of a healthy spiritual life and a healthy life in general. When we lose sight of this serious truth, we cease to live life fully, truly, and wholly. Indeed, we fail to be holy.

To define our term, by humor we mean "good" humor, which is defined as self-deprecatory humor, humor that encourages, or jokes that make everyone laugh and have no "victim." 

Weekly Bible Verses: Jeremiah 2: 4-13: Beware Cracked Cisterns ...

⁴Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. ⁵Thus says the Lord: What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves? ⁶They did not say, “Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that no one passes through, where no one lives?” ⁷I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. ⁸The priests did not say, “Where is the Lord?” Those who handle the law did not know me; the rulers transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after things that do not profit.

⁹Therefore once more I accuse you, says the Lord, and I accuse your children’s children. ¹⁰Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing.¹¹Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit. ¹²Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says theLord, ¹³for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.

Good News to Live By and Pass Along

“First of all, you have to keep unmasking the world about you for what it is: manipulative, controlling, power-hungry, and, in the long run, destructive. The world tells you many lies about who you are, and you simply have to be realistic enough to remind yourself of this. Every time you feel hurt, offended, or rejected, you have to dare to say to yourself: 'These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the truth about myself. The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity, and held safe in an everlasting belief.” 

~ Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

“When we claim and constantly reclaim the truth of being the chosen ones, we soon discover within ourselves a deep desire to reveal to others their own chosenness. Instead of making us feel that we are better, more precious or valuable than others, our awareness of being chosen opens our eyes to the chosenness of others. That is the great joy of being chosen: the discovery that others are chosen as well. In the house of God there are many mansions. There is a place for everyone - a unique, special place. Once we deeply trust that we ourselves are precious in God's eyes, we are able to recognize the preciousness of others and their unique places in God's heart.” 

~ Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

If this lifts your spirits, please share. 

For more quotes from this wonderful book, either purchase a copy or see: www.goodreads.com

Worship Schedule to Return to Fall/Winter/Spring Hours

Just a quick reminder that Exton Community Baptist Church will be returning to its fall, winter, and spring schedule on September 8. Sunday school will begin at 9:45 AM and worship services will be at 11 AM.

Look forward to seeing you all there! 

Jesus Calls or Where We'll Find Jesus

In Henri J.M. Nouwen's devotional book Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith, he writes briefly and compellingly of Jesus' call to us all:

What finally counts is not whether we know Jesus and his words but whether we live our lives in the Spirit of Jesus. The Spirit of Jesus is the Spirit of Love. Jesus himself makes this clear when he speaks about the last judgment. There people will ask, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?" and Jesus will answer, "In so far as you did this to one of the least...of mine, you did it to me" (Matthew 25:37-40). 

This is our great challenge and consolation. Jesus comes to us in the poor, the sick, the dying, the prisoners, the lonely, the disabled, the rejected. There we meet him, and there the door to God's house is opened to us.

Reflecting further on this passage, I'm inspired to add the following.

For Christians looking to follow the two great commandments to love God and love neighbor as self, the questions arise, who are those neighbors and how do I serve them? For the answers to these questions, I suggest turning directly to Jesus, the head of the church, our leader in all things faithful, and our reliable trailblazer who has gone ahead of us and beckons us to follow. When the lawyer in Luke stand up and asks Jesus this very question, he is told the following parable. 

Luke 10:25-37 ²⁵Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” ²⁷He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”²⁸And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” ²⁹But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ ³⁶Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” ³⁷He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

From this parable, we discover our neighbor is anyone who needs our help and who it is within our power to help, even an enemy as shown in the actions of the good Samaritan. From the Samaritan we also learn we should take that aid just as far as we are capable. The Samaritan undid all the harm done to the wounded stranger by both the bandits and the religious leaders. That's a powerful message. So, now we have a basic and BROAD understanding of who, thanks to Luke and Jesus. 

To put a finer point on it, we turn to Jesus in Matthew near the beginning of the book, seeking out the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount (what has been termed Jesus' mission statement) where we receive some further suggestions on who we should seek out, what sort of help we should offer, and what kinds of helpers we should be. 

Matthew 5:1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. ⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ¹⁰“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

These three Bible verses leave a lot of territory to cover. It is tempting to throw up your hands and throw in the towel before you even begin, saying its all just too big for me! But, wait, here's some further help from a seminary professor I had not too long ago. He stated you need to turn to the issue that makes your blood boil, the injustice in the world that really upsets you (and falls within the parameters listed above), and act upon that in whatever small ways you can. You'll soon find that once you start, unexpected opportunities in that field will quickly crop up for you. 

Jesus calls. Jesus wants to meet you out there among struggling humanity. Will you answer? Will you take the risk and go meet Jesus?

Prayers for Our Missionary: Being Mom

Women have traditionally been given the role of caring for their children. In the womb, a child depends on its mother for sustenance and protection. From the time they are born, they possess the innate knowledge to feed from the mother, find comfort and warmth in her arms. Mom has everything son or daughter needs to survive the next 16 or so years.

 As a child grows, she or he starts to learn to care for itself. As the years pass, children can cut food for themselves. They make their own clothes, and decide whether they run a red light, or not. We are in awe when they hit milestones like graduations or get a driver's license. Moms also worry about a child hanging out with the wrong crowd, or whether they are eating right. It's in our motherly instinct to care for our young.

One of the challenges of being a Mom, is adapting as our children grow. We always will want to know where they are and what time they will be coming home. It's difficult to deal with growing teens. They still are our "children", but they want to be treated as adults. A titanic feat to achieve is discerning when and how to continue parenting a child and when to relate to a "child" as an adult. As a child grows in age, a balance in the complexity of this relationship becomes more difficult to achieve.

We want the best for our kids, so we want to be able to make decisions for them, and at some point see them making wise decisions for themselves. But, when and how does a mom let go?  There has to coe a moment when we must trust what we have done to raise our children, what we have taught them, and also depend on God's providence for them. We aren't near perfect, nor have we done everything right to rear our kids. But we have used the tools, strength, and wisdom God has provided along the way. We must trust God, ourselves, and foster their independence along the way.

Mom won't be at college to wash his clothes. She won't know if she is eating to much junk food, nor will mother be able to force the child to go to church when he or she is away from home  -- choices they will need to make for themselves, some good and some not.

Pray for Sue, as she raises Katy, with all the demands of a mom, with the normal challenges brought on by the teenage years, with the added demands of living in a culture and country other than their own (Sue's and Katy's).  Pray for Katy as she grows from being a child to being a teen, and into a young woman. Pray for wisdom and the Fruit of the Spirit for both of them.

Ask God to give Sue and Katy good friends, counselors, and the tools they need to be Godly women. May they honor God in all they say and do.  May they bless each other and also others. May God use them as a living witness to the mothers and daughters they will be ministering to in Costa Rica.

Miriam Chacon-Peralta, Mother and MPT Member

Weekly Bible Verses: Matthew 5:14-16: Let Your Light Shine!

Matthew 5: “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.