Food For Thought

When we speak of resurrection and the kin-dom of God it’s good to remember that such talk usually carries a dual meaning. Resurrection can refer to a life in the mysterious kin-dom of God that comes after our physical death or to a life in the not quite as mysterious but elusive kin-dom of God that comes in this world, in the here and now. In our earthly lives, many metaphorical resurrections come with spiritual growth. Our spiritual journey is a process of dying to our worldly life of selfish pursuits of power and greed and being resurrected to living according to God's ways of love and justice. Jesus speaks of both kinds of a resurrected life.
 

In Luke 20:27-38 some Sadducees ask Jesus about the heavenly marital status of a widow who had hypothetically been required to marry seven times to seven brothers, who each died in turn leaving her childless. The Sadducees themselves did not believe in resurrection so with their question they seem to be trying to make Jesus look foolish by pointing out the absurdity of life after death in the context of the Law of Moses. Jesus answers their contrived question by basically telling them that they don't know what they're talking about and makes two claims that I think apply to both the mysterious kin-dom of heaven and also the elusive kin-dom of God on earth.
 

The first claim is that resurrected life is different from a worldly life. The Sadducees make the assumption that any supposed life after death will be much like this life, to be lived by the same rules and regulations, but Jesus' response says it is not the idea of resurrection but their assumption of same-ness that is absurd. To see how a resurrected life is different, consider the issue of marriage brought up in the question asked Jesus. Marriage as we know it is not marriage as Jesus’ culture knew it. We tend to project our own concepts of marriage back onto the Bible and the cultures out of which the Bible came, but for the people of Jesus' time, marriage was largely an economic transaction. Married women were often little better than the property of their husbands. In that light, it should be no great surprise and perhaps even a comfort to us that Jesus says the resurrected life doesn't include marriage as his culture understood it. People owning one another is not part of the resurrected life. This is true whether in heaven or on earth. But based on Jesus' life and other teachings, it is not hard to understand that resurrected lives are based on relationships of love, hope and justice. They are not about people treating each other like property or objects but are mutual expressions of love and support.
 

The second claim that Jesus makes is that God is the God not of the dead but the living. The resurrected life is a life meant to be lived and lived fully and abundantly. We don't live this life simply to wait for the next life, a life after death, but through fully and abundantly living here and now, we truly have relationship with the God of the living. When we are faced with the tragedies of this world, we need not give up. We don’t need to withdraw and wait for the next world. We can look to God and seek justice, trusting in God's love. The resurrected life is a life of vitality and hope, following a God who is the God of the living, who is present with us in the next world, but also present with us in this world, wanting us to truly live in this world, calling us to full life here and now, and calling us to be part of, co-creators of, the elusive kin-dom of God on this earth, to be co-creators of a world of justice.
 

May we all embrace the love of the God of the living, which is offered to us so that we may live the resurrected life to which we are called, a life based in God's love, in living God's Way.
 

Blessings,
Pastor Ken

P.S. This reflection was inspired by the sermon, “God of the Living,” from Sunday, November 10. Audio recordings of most sermons can be found at https://phoenixchurch.org/home/phx-sermons/.

 

The Timid Poet Open Mic: Do you have a poem or song or joke or short story to share? Or just want to listen? We’re sponsoring another open-mic night at the church on Saturday, November 16. Doors will open at 6:30 pm and the show will start at 7 pm. Snacks will be provided. For more details and/or to sign up for email notifications, visit http://timidpoetunderground.blogspot.com.
 

There will be a Congregational Meeting after worship on Sunday, November 17. We’ll be going over a lot of important business as we prepare for our life together in the next year so if you are a member of the church please plan to attend. Of course, guests are welcome too! Bring a dish to pass as we’ll enjoy a potluck dinner as we meet.
 

Sign up to sponsor a Poinsettia plant! Advent begins December 1. If you would like to sponsor a Poinsettia plant to help spruce up the sanctuary during this season, please sign up at worship. The cost is $6.75 per plant. Checks should be made out to Christian Church DOC (this is a joint project of the two churches).
 

Join us for Spirit Talk, a time of relaxed discussion over the refreshment of your choice. There’s no pressure to join the church or think in a certain way – just an opportunity to talk about what’s on your mind. Bring a question and a friend with you and together we’ll tackle the mysteries of life. We meet on the first and third Mondays of the month. The next gathering is November 18 at 7:00 pm at the Main St. Pub on Westnedge Avenue in Portage.
 

The Southwest Association has called an Ecclesiastical Council to consider Rev. Calandra Nevenzel for Privilege of Call status in the United Church of Christ (UCC). This would allow her to “transfer” her ordination from her current denomination to the UCC, pending an approved call. The Council will be held at 10:30 am on Saturday, December 7, at First Congregational Church in Kalamazoo. Voting delegates from Phoenix will be Mike Tupper and Angie Willard but everyone is welcome to attend as a guest.
 

Dream Group: It’s been a couple of years since our last Dream Group but we’re going to start back up for the winter months. The first meeting is scheduled for 5:30 pm on Monday, December 9, at the church office. We’ll share and reflect on our night-time dreams from a Jungian perspective under the premise that dreams are one of the ways that God talks to us. If you’d like more information on the topic we recommend reading the book “Dreams: God’s Forgotten Language” by John A. Sanford. Otherwise, feel free to join us in December and we’d be happy to answer any questions.
 

Movie Night is Tuesday, December 10, in the church office. We’ll gather at 6:45 pm and the movie will start promptly at 7 pm with a short discussion to follow. Bring a snack to share. The movie will be “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (2012, rated PG-13). Based on the novel written by Stephen Chbosky, this is about 15-year-old Charlie (Logan Lerman), an endearing and naive outsider, coping with first love (Emma Watson), the suicide of his best friend, and his own mental illness while struggling to find a group of people with whom he belongs.
 

Steering Committee will meet next on Friday, December 13, at 7 pm in the church office. Guests are welcome.
 

Pastor’s Office hours for November will be 1:30 to 3:30 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays except Tuesday, November 19 when hours will be 2:30 to 3:30 pm. Office hours will not be held on Thanksgiving, November 28. If you stop by and the front door to the church is locked please ring the bell. We don’t want to miss your visit but we are unfortunately not able to leave the doors open if no one is upstairs to monitor them (our office is downstairs). Other meeting times can also be arranged by making an appointment.

 

Peter Mayer in concert! People’s Church, 1758 N 10^th St., is hosting Peter Mayer in concert on Saturday, November 23, at 7 pm. Peter Mayer is a singer-songwriter who created ‘Holy Now,’ ‘Everybody In,’ and the lyrics of ‘Blue Boat Home.’ People’s uses his beautiful music in Sunday services regularly and hearing him in concert is sure to be a gift to us all and a wonderful way to find solace and rejuvenation. Join us! Tickets $12, $5 children 12 & under, $25 family maximum. For more information you can view the Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/857847827944282/.

 

Please remember the churches and people of the Southwest Association, Michigan Conference, United Church of Christ, in your prayers.
 

For November, please remember:

• Wide Awake UCC, a new church start in Benton Harbor, MI, and Rev. Oscar Varnadoe

• First Congregational Church in Union City, Michigan, and Rev. Don Mason.

• The Association’s Members in Discernment: Ms. Deb Geiger (engaged in search & call), Dr. Tere Krueger (engaged in search & call), and Ms. Melanie Johnson.
   

Folks often make personal prayer requests during Sunday worship and at our Wednesday prayer group. If you would also like to make a personal prayer request to be included in the Flamings, please email the request to office@phoenixchurch.org. Do not include information unless it is ok to make it public.

 

Worship begins at 6:00 pm on Sundays. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of the month. Sermons from previous weeks are available online at https://phoenixchurch.org/home/phx-sermons/.

Nov. 17: “Is the End Coming?”

Nov. 24: “The Glue Holding Us Together”

Dec. 1: “Keep Awake”

Dec. 8: “The Kin-dom Has Come Near”

 

Phoenix Community Church UCC
2208 Winchell Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
 

Phone: 269-383-3222
Office Email: office@phoenixchurch.org
Web Site: http://www.phoenixchurch.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PhoenixChurch  

Peer Ministers for 2019 are Linda Cross and Arlene Scholfield. Please contact a peer minister if you need assistance or just a listening ear.
 

Tuesdays, 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Pastor's Office Hours
Wednesdays, 4 pm: Prayer Group
Thursdays, 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Pastor's Office Hours (except Nov. 28)
Thursdays, 3:30 pm: Book Study

Saturday, Nov 16: 6:30 pm, Timid Poet Open Mic night
Sunday, Nov 17: 7:15 pm, Potluck & Congregational Meeting
Monday, Nov 18: 7 pm, Spirit Talk @ Main St. Pub, Portage
Thursday, Nov 28: Happy Thanksgiving! -- NO Book Study
Monday, Dec 2: 7 pm, Spirit Talk @ Main St. Pub, Portage
Saturday, Dec 7: 10:30 am, Ecclesiastical Council @ FCC-Kzoo
Monday, Dec 9: 5:30 pm, Dream Group
Tuesday, Dec 10: 6:45 pm, Movie Night
Friday, Dec 13: 7 pm, Steering Committee