United Church of Two Harbors

I've been watching the destruction of the old high school from my back window. The deep "boom boom boom" shakes my house like distant thunder or a kid's bass car speakers at 3 in the morning. I walk by the twisted skeletal remains on my way to work and imagine myself in some war torn city.

People have different reactions to the school coming down and it's interesting to see their reactions. Some are angry. Some are gleeful. Some are pensive. Some get choked up. Some have a far away look in their eyes. I spoke to one person who taught in the school years ago and he said he watched them tear apart his room from the sidewalk. When he said this he was positively giddy.

I'm reminded of the passage from Mark 13:1-2 when the disciples, like all tourists in big cities, are gawking at the large buildings in temple complex in Jerusalem. "Look, Teacher! What large stones!" Jesus reminds them that buildings do not last.

It's hard to hear that. Buildings have, in general, lifetimes that exceed the human span. They seem solid, unmovable, permanent, trustworthy. But buildings are transitory. They cannot last. Jesus also said, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21) We need to be careful where we place our hearts and how we invest our spirit.

On the other hand, it's good to take care of buildings so that they can accomplish their missions. We need good schools not for the sake of the buildings, but for what happens in them. We need good churches, again, not for the sake of the buildings, but for what happens in and through them. The building, inasmuch as it has a mission, is important. We are fortunate that we have had generations of good caretakers of the building where United Church is housed.

It is a sorrow, however, when the building becomes the mission. Unfortunately, I've seen this happen over and over with churches. The building itself becomes the focus of the community - its restoration or maintenance. It's sad to see that happen. So much energy and time and money going into keeping a building alive which has lost the mission for which it was built. I pray that never happens to our congregation.

I'm reminded of a children's hymn that you've probably heard...

The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple,
the church is not a resting place, the church is a people.
I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together.
All who follow Jesus, all around the world! Yes, we're the church together.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

The United Church Women hosted their Annual Spring Luncheon this past Friday, May 2, and had a tribute to the wit of Carol and Carol. We celebrated the life and humor of our beloved Carol Bark with the works of Carol Burnett as interpreted by the United Church Players. Here are some photos.

Click on the pictures to see an enlarged version. Many thanks to all who participated and to David Glass for the photos.

United Church just finished its nine month journey through the New Testament reading a chapter a day. Now for the quiz! See how well you can do against this 40 question quiz. Correct answers are below in red.

1) How many books are there in the New Testament?
a. 27
b. 33
c. 4
d. more and more every year

2) The author of most of the books in the New Testament is…
a. Jesus
b. Peter
c. Paul
d. Billy Graham

3) The books that record the life and teachings of Jesus are known as…
a. the Annals
b. the Dead Sea Scrolls
c. the Chronicles
d. the Gospels

4) The book of Acts…
a. records stories of Jesus’ youth
b. contains short plays about Jesus
c. records the stories of the apostles after Jesus’ resurrection
d. records the story of Jesus trial and crucifixion from the point of view of Pontius Pilate

5) Mark…
a. is the shortest of the gospels
b. is commonly accepted as the earliest written gospel
c. has two endings
d. all of the above

6) Paul’s conversion from persecutor of the church to apostle is recorded in…
a. Luke
b. 1 Paul
c. Revelation
d. Acts

7) Apocalypse in the Greek literally means..
a. catastrophe or destruction
b. revelation or unveiling
c. divine wrath
d. dance music with marimbas

8) The earliest written book in the New Testament was likely…
a. Matthew
b. Isaiah
c. Acts
d. 1 Thessalonians

9) Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the synoptic gospels because…
a. they were discovered near Synopsis, Greece
b. they were the earliest gospels
c. they are similar
d. they all contain a synopsis of the Old Testament at the beginning

10) The number of books written by Jesus in the New Testament is…
a. 0
b. 1
c. 4
d. 27

11) The Epistles...
a. is the anglicized version of the word “apostles”
b. are letters
c. are the books in the New Testament that are not the Gospels
d. is the Greek word for the Gospels

12) The books of the New Testament are all generally believed to be written…
a. by Paul or followers of Paul
b. in Greece
c. between 45 and 140 AD
d. in Aramaic before they were translated into Latin

13) The New Testament as it is (books and order) has existed since approximately…
a. 110 AD
b. 367 AD
c. 733 AD
d. 1821 AD

14) Matthew is unique because…
a. it is the only Gospel to record Jesus’ genealogy
b. of the story of the Wise Men bringing gifts to Jesus
c. it doesn’t list the names of the disciples
d. all of the above

15) Mark is notable because…
a. its repeated use of the phrase “kai euthos” (“and immediately”)
b. it was the only gospel not to be written by one of the 12 Disciples
c. it has Jesus being born in Nazareth instead of Bethlehem
d. all of the above

16) Luke has more of these than any other gospel…
a. chapters
b. parables
c. disciples
d. all of the above

17) John is unique because…
a. it contains multiple visits to Jerusalem by Jesus
b. there are no parables
c. Jesus washes the disciples’ feet
d. all of the above

18) Acts is believed to be written…
a. by Paul
b. before any of the Gospels
c. by the writer of Luke
d. by a woman

19) In Romans, Paul…
a. compares the Gentiles to a branch grafted onto an olive tree
b. argues that God has not rejected the Jewish people
c. asks for support for a trip to Spain
d. all of the above

20) Arguably the best known passage from 1 Corinthians is…
a. a chapter about the nature of love often read at weddings
b. the story of Jesus’ birth
c. the story of Paul cheating at a dice game
d. none of the above

21) In 2 Corinthians Paul compares his own imperfections in proclaiming the Gospel as…
a. yeast in the bread
b. a thorn in his side
c. a treasure buried in a field
d. a clay jar containing a treasure

22) Galatians was written…
a. to ask for money
b. by Peter to Paul who was in Gaul
c. against those who taught that Gentiles had to be circumcised to become Christians
d. none of the above

23) Ephesians…
a. uses a metaphor of putting on armor to describe Christian readiness
b. instructs slaves to obey their masters
c. instructs wives to obey their husbands
d. all of the above

24) Philippians…
a. was written to Philip of Rome
b. contains a recipe for bean soup
c. contains what is thought to be an early hymn that begins “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”
d. none of the above

25) 1 Thessalonians is…
a. the first of Paul’s letters
b. concerned with those Christians who have died
c. instructs believers to “pray without ceasing”
d. all of the above

26) 2 Thessalonians was written…
a. before 1 Thessalonians
b. apparently because the Thessalonians didn’t understand the first letter
c. in response to 1 Peter
d. none of the above

27) In 1 Timothy, Paul…
a. tells Timothy not to let people put him down just because he’s a youth
b. instructs bishops and church leaders to have no more than one wife
c. forbids women to have authority over a man
d. all of the above

28) In 2 Timothy, Paul tells Timothy not to be ashamed of…
a. not being able to grow a beard
b. his body
c. making a money by preaching
d. suffering for the sake of the Gospel

29) In Titus, Paul…
a. reveals the name of Jesus’ wife
b. asks Titus to prepare a room for him
c. is concerned that some preachers are calling Cretans liars and gluttons
d. none of the above

30) Philemon is written…
a. to the church at Philemon
b. by Philemon, a tax collector
c. about the first Olympics
d. to the master of a runaway slave

31) Hebrews describes Jesus as…
a. the pioneer and perfecter of our faith
b. a high priest
c. as co-creator of the world
d. all of the above

32) James contains the phrase…
a. “faith without works is dead”
b. “the Lord helps those who help themselves”
c. “you’ve got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them”
d. “love is never having to say you’re sorry”

33) 1 Peter describes Christ as…
a. a cornerstone
b. a stone which the builders rejected
c. a stumbling block
d. all of the above

34) 2 Peter contains a description of this event in Jesus’ life…
a. Birth
b. Baptism
c. Transfiguration
d. Ascension

35) 1 John says that…
a. God is light
b. God is love
c. no one has ever seen God
d. all of the above

36) 2 John is addressed to…
a. the elect lady and her children
b. Paul in Rome
c. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
d. those who follow Christ

37) Most scholars think 3 John was written…
a. by the same John who wrote the Gospel of John
b. by the same John who wrote Revelation
c. by Paul
d. before 1 & 2 John

38) Jude refers to this archangel fighting with the devil…
a. Gabriel
b. Uriel
c. Raphael
d. Michael

39) Revelation is written to churches in seven cities in Asia Minor including...
a. Moscow
b. Paris
c. Jerusalem
d. Philadelphia

40) Revelation was written by John of Patmos. Patmos is…
a. a city in Asia Minor
b. John’s father
c. a prison island
d. none of the above

The United Methodist Church met in General Conference this past month as they do every four years and I was looking over their list of items passed and not. As United Methodists we will have a new hymnal as of 2013. We won't be changing any of our language on the inclusion (or exclusion) of gays and lesbians. We are seeking full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Probationary clergy will now be called provisional clergy. And so on.

But what caught my eye was a change to what we pledge when we become members of the church. The formula, for the last 70 some years, has been that we pledge to support the church through our "prayers, presence, gifts, and service." New members now will also be asked to pledge their "witness" as well.

"Witness" is a loaded term for most people, burdened with images of street corner preachers or overwrought emotional testimonies at revival meetings. It's an unfortunate association because the act of bearing witness is a very simple one - if you know the truth, speak up.

I think of a witness called to give testimony in court. As a witness your duty is fairly simple and straight forward - tell the truth to the best of your ability. In the New Testament followers of Jesus are called repeatedly to "bear witness" to what they have seen. They point is, again, to tell the truth they have seen to the best of their ability.

I'm glad for this change because it reminds us that we are all responsible to bear witness to the truth and that everyone's faith journey is different. Sometimes, because our journeys are so different, we are shy to speak up about our experience because we are under the mistaken impression that different is wrong. But we need to bear witness so that we can learn from each others' experiences. It is how we see the work of the Spirit in our midst.

Sometimes people discount their own experience because it doesn't seem as dramatic or engaging as other people's experiences, but that is far from the truth. What is "ordinary" is often the most extraordinary thing. Everyone has a story to tell.

Also, the act of bearing witness means that we have to keep our eyes open to the world around us. We need to look for where God is operating in our midst. If we are going to witness to God's moving we need to be sensitive to it. This isn't simply the job of clergy or the "professional religious" but the job of every baptized Christian. We all need to bear witness to the truth. Also, bearing witness to the truth means we can't turn a blind eye to injustice or evil either. We are called to speak up.

So I'm thankful to the General Conference for this change and pray that we will move into a mode of faithful witness to the truth.