Prosperity Gospel

Prosperity Gospel:

If you watch a preacher on television, you have probably been exposed to the Prosperity Gospel or  Prosperity  Theology.   These preachers may be very personable and preach a positive message  full of hope.  They may put on a program with high production values and help us feel good.  But, is it really Christianity?

Prosperity theology is a Christian religious doctrine that financial blessing is the will of God for Christians, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to Christian ministries will increase one's wealth.  Most churches in the prosperity movement are non-denominational and independent, though some have formed networks.  It is common for the pastor to be the highest organizational authority figure.  

Founders of the movement include Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, and Frederick K.C. Price.  The movement began to take hold in the 1970's and 1980's.  Today it is pretty mainstream.  Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas has a ministry that reaches 7 million viewers. 

Prosperity theology is based on non-traditional interpretations of the Bible, often with an emphasis on the Book of Malachi.  The doctrine views the Bible as a contract between God and humans.   If humans will have faith in God, He will deliver His promises of security and prosperity.   The doctrine emphasizes the importance of personal empowerment, proposing that it is God's will for His people to be happy.   Another key prosperity teaching is the "Positive Confession" or "Word of Faith", that teaches that a Christian with faith can speak into existence anything consistent with the will of God.  

Mainstream evangelicalism has consistently opposed prosperity theology as heresy.   Prosperity ministries have often come into conflict with the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.  Critics have argued that prosperity theology has little in common with traditional Christian theology.  

In the gospel of St. Matthew Jesus tells us,  "You cannot serve both God and money," and "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

Jesus was born poor and He died poor.  During His earthly tenure He spoke time and time again about the importance of spiritual wealth and health.  When He talked about material wealth, it was usually a cautionary tale. 

The Bible is full of good advice, that if followed will help you be successful.  That's not the point, though.  Jesus came to show us how to live a good life, not to get rich and happy.  Jesus by His death and Resurrection forgives our sins and conquers death that we may live forever with Him.

Think about it!

God love you!

Easter Thoughts for 2015

Easter Thoughts for 2015:

This Sunday, April 5, 2015 is Easter Sunday.   Christians celebrate the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ.  It is Easter, and not as many think Christmas, which is the most important feast on the Christian calender.   St. Paul tells us in 1Corinthians 15:14, "If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain."   The Resurrection is proof of Christ's Divinity!

Easter falls on a different Sunday each year.  The Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) set the date of Easter as the Sunday following the pascal full moon, which is the full moon that falls on or after the vernal (spring) equinox.   Western Christians use the Gregorian calender, that is currently used throughout the west, to calculate.  The Eastern Orhodox continue to use the older, but astronomically inaccurate, Julian calender.  This is why Easter is celebrated on different days in the Eastern and Western traditions.  

Resurrection Sunday is the festival and holyday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead described in the Bible as occuring 3 days after the crucifixion.   It is the culmination of the Passion of Christ, preceded by Lent, a 40 day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.   New converts are traditionally brought into the Church at the Easter Vigil service.  Eastertide in western Christianity begins Easter Sunday and lasts 7 weeks ending with the coming of the 50th day, Pentecost Sunday.   In Orthodoxy the season of Pascha begins on Pascha (Easter) and ends with the coming of the 40th day, the Feast of the Ascension.

Christians believe that through His death Christ destroyed our bondage to sin, and through His resurrection  he brought us the promise of new life both in Heaven and on Earth.   By His death and resurrection Christ conquers death so we may live forever with Him.  

It's ok to buy a new Easter bonnet and march in the Easter parade, if you want.  It's great to have a big Easter dinner with family to celebrate.  It's fun to give your kids a basket of candy and let them search for colored eggs, be they real or plastic with money in them.  Let's just not forget the reason for it all.  Be happy and thankful for what the Savior has done for us, and go forward with love in your heart. 

Happy Easter!

God love you!

Loving kindness

Loving kindness:

Here are just a few of the places the bible mentions "loving kindness":

Psalms 36:7:  How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 

Psalms 69:16:  Hear me O Lord; for thy loving kindness  is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. 

Isaiah 63:7:  I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.

So, what of "Loving kindness"?

Loving kindness is a specific kind of love conceptualized in various religious traditions, both among theologians and religious practitioners as a form of love characterized by acts of kindness.   The term is used often in the book of Psalms, and refers to acts of kindness motivated by love.  It is used primarily in reference to God rather than people. 

Loving kindness is an essential and distinctive quality of God.  The prophets taught that it should also characterize His people.  In Micah 6:8 we are told that God wants us "to be fair and just and merciful and to walk humbly with your God".  Then in Zechariah 7:9, "to be merciful and kind to everyone." The word "loving kindness" is not found in the New Testament, but as its equivalent we find "mercy", "goodness", and "brotherly love". I believe we are called to practice "random acts of kindness"  to those we know and to those we don't know.  We should look for opportunities to do this. 

 

The cultivation of benevolence is a popular form of meditation in Buddhism.   It is called "metta" or "metta bhavana" and is wishing all people loving kindness.   

To practice the loving-kindness meditation sit in a comfortable and relaxed position.  Take 2 or 3 deep breaths with slow, long, and complete exhalations.  Let go of any concerns or preoccupations.  For a few minutes feel or imagine the breath moving through the center of your chest - in the area of your heart.   Sitting quietly mentally repeat slowly and steadily the following phrases:

• May I be happy
• May I be at ease
• May I be safe
• May I be healthy
• May I be strong

The traditional approach is best known for identifying successive stages of meditation during which  one progressively cultivates benevolence towards:

1. oneself
2. a good friend
3. a "neutral" person
4. a difficult person
5. all 4 of the above
6. then gradually the entire universe

So, as Ellen DeGeneres would say, "Be kind to one another."

God love you!

Listening

Listening:

In the hustle and bustle of today's world it is easy to become distracted, and not to be present to those around us.   I think the writer in Hebrews is telling us to listen for God and what he might be telling us.   How often do we really listen actively?  Do we listen for God?

I think to listen for God requires quiet time when we are not occupied or distracted with other activities.  We can ask ourselves, what is God  telling us by the things that happen to us and through other people by what they do and say.  We need to give ourselves quiet time to absorb and analyze these things. We need to be open to what we hear.  Let us not be afraid to pray for direction.

I think Hebrews 3:15 also encourages us take some time to think about really being present and listening to those who are speaking to us.   By listening to others we can identify opportunities to say a kind word or be helpful to someone else in some way.  By being present we place ourselves in a position to be Jesus to someone.   

Here are some skills that are used in effective listening:

Listen for God, listen to others, you will become closer to both.   The late Bishop Fulton J. Sheen explained our relationship with God and others as a wheel with spokes.  God is at the hub of the wheel and we and others are on the spokes.  Notice that as we come closer to God at the hub, we also come closer to one another on the spokes.  

God love you!

Another Chance

Another Chance:

Here we are at the beginning of a new year, 2015.  It is traditional to make some New Year's Resolutions even if they are quickly broken and forgotten.   I like to think it is a time to check our course and make some corrections.   Where have we strayed off course?  What things do we know we should do, but have not been doing?  What things are we doing that we know we should not be doing?  I think chances are, that for most of us our fallings and failings are recurrent.   We very often keep making the same mistakes.  Lucky for us God is a God of second chances. 

In Psalm 86:15 it says, "But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness."  In Micah 7:18 it says, "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?  He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in steadfast love."  This is God's incredible patience!  

In Romans 5:8 St. Paul tells us, "God demonstrates His own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  In Ephesians 2:8-9 he says"For grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourself, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  

God never tires of forgiving us.  We must never tire of asking for his forgiveness.   Our God is a God of second chances.   He is always ready to forgive us and give us a chance to try again.   In like manner it is incumbent upon us to give second chances to the people in our lives.   Colossians 3:12 tells us, "Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  There are some resolutions for you!

God love you!  Happy New Year!

    

Christmas 2014

Christmas 2014:

Christmas day will soon be upon us.  We will celebrate the birth of Christ and rejoice in the beginning of His redemptive work.  By his suffering and death Jesus appeases the justice of His father to allow our sins to be forgiven.  Then, by rising from the dead he conquers death and allows us to live forever with Him.  I'd say that's a pretty good cause for celebration.

Although Christmas is one of the most beloved holidays, for the first 3 centuries of Christianity it was not celebrated.   The earliest gospel, St. Mark's (written about 65 A.D.) begins with the baptism of an adult Jesus.  This suggests the earliest Christians lacked interest in or knowledge of Jesus's birth date.  The bible does not specify Jesus's exact birth date.   Christianity's most significant holidays were the Epiphany on January 6th which commemorated the arrival of the Magi and Easter, the celebration of Jesus's Resurrection

The first mention of December 25th as a holiday honoring Jesus's birth was in Rome in a calender from 336 A.D.   Actually, the Nativity story's presence of shepherds would suggest a spring birth.   Church officials settled on December 25th at the end of the 3rd century.  It is likely they wanted to coincide with existing festivals honoring Saturn, the Roman God of Agriculture, and Mithra, the Persian god of light.  This would make it easier to convince Rome's pagan subjects to accept Christianity as the empire's official religion.  

Christmas today is firmly established on December 25th.  It is a time for gift giving and family gatherings.   It is a time to shop, to decorate  and to bake.  All this is supposed to be fun and for most people it is .  Unfortunately, for some it is not.  It can be a time of stress and depression.   High expectations, money woes, and the stress of family gatherings can spell trouble for anyone, but especially for those prone to depression.    I believe God wills us to be happy at the celebration of his Son's birth.  Here are some tips to avoid holiday depression:

1. Plan ahead - identify some restorative routines such as reading a book or napping and write them on a calender and make them a priority. 
2. Avoid family conflict - if you know there are going to be conflicts, prepare a neutral response such as "Let's talk about that at another time" or "I can see how you would feel that way".  You can escape to the restroom, offer to help in the kitchen, or go hang out with the kids.
3. Forget perfection - decorating, planning, finding the perfect gift can become overwhelming.   When you take your focus off yourself and put it on those less fortunate, you'll avert depression.
4. Learn to grieve - If you are mourning the loss of a loved one, it's a good time to talk about how you are feeling , or to reach out to a support group.
5. Schedule some sleep - Holiday activities can interfere  with your sleep schedule.   Make sure you get enough sleep. 
6. Get help - if you need support to make it through the holidays, reach out to family or friends. 
7. Priortize your workouts - Holiday activities can cause your exercise routine to go by the wayside.  Put it back on your prority list.  Exercise has been shown to improve mood.  
8. Consider your light exposure - Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can be treated by taking long walks during daylighta hours or exposure to a light box for about 30 minutes a day.
9. Cut back on commitments - You don't have to attend every holiday gathering.  Volunteer, go on vacation, visit a shelter or someone who is alone. Focusing on others can help alleviate depression.  

These are just some ideas.  There is plenty more online.  Search "holiday depression". 

So, have a happy Christmas.  Celebrate the birth of our Savior  and give thanks for His redemptive mission.   Let your light, shine and be a blessing to whomever you can. 

God love you at Christmas and always. 

I was hungry and you gave me food.

I was hungry, and you gave me food......

In Matthew 25: 35 - 36 The Lord says, "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me , I was in prison and you came to me."   When asked when we did these things to Him, He answers "When you did  them to the least of my brothers you were doing them to me."  He further admonishes us that when we refused to do these things for the least of His brethern, we refused to do them for Him.

With these words Jesus leaves us a commandment of love. Christ identifies with the stranger, with the one who suffers, with all the victims of violence and exploitation.  We are to love and adore Jesus Christ particularly in the poorest and most abandoned.   So, as Christians, we are called to welcome all people, without distinction or limits in order to proclaim "God is love".

It is easy to be loving and generous to our family and friends, to those we perceive as "on our level", but what about those who we do not know,  the chronically unemployed, people who always seem to be a day late and a dollar short ?  Surely migrants and refugees are among the poorest and most abandoned.   What of displaced persons and exiles?

Courage born of faith, hope, and love can enable us to reduce the distance that separates us from human misery.  Jesus wants to be recognized in the world's needy.  He calls us to share our resources.  The more fortunate should place  their goods more generously at the disposal of others.

By seeing Christ in the poorest and most abandoned we can share our time, talents,  and treasure to be Christ to them.  Be generous!

God love you!