LeleaTheo

Lenten Journey/March's Good Word, 2014

2014-02-27T12:19:00.002-08:00

We journey with Jesus during this Lenten time speaking God's justice even to the cross. We teach our young ones what is fair and what is the right thing to do. We hear often from them the phrase, "It's not fair", and so often we parents, aunties, or uncles will discuss the issue of what is fair.

We are grateful that God through Jesus shows us what is like to stand in the midst of his opponents and speak God's truth. We read the book of "Ruby Bridges" during KidStuff! and learned about how Ruby was able to go to school in spite of racism. Ruby's strength came from God, she prayed for the people who screamed at her every day.

Please God, try to forgive these people.
Because even if they say those bad things,
They don't know what they're doing.
So You could forgive them,
Just like You did those folks a long time ago
When they said terrible things about You.

Jesus' journey to the cross was not easy, he was ridiculed, mocked, and humiliated. This season, we are going again with Jesus knowing that it is not easy to go against the status quo or to advocate for God's justice when everyone else is going against you. We have seen and witness that over and over again in our Lenten Biblical passages, as well as our everyday life.

We want to pass on great God values to our children by bringing them to Sunday School where they learn about God's love through creating small gifts for those who are sick. We teach them how to share by contributing a dollar every Sunday for the Heifer project, to help those struggling communities to make a living.

The Youth Group experienced God during our Youth Alive and Spirit Quest at the Idyllwild Pines Camp during the President's Day weekend. We explored the "I am" theme. Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd." When the Babylonian defeated the Israelites the so called shepherds disappeared and left the sheep (people) in disarray. Sheep are vulnerable, they follow the leader even if he or she is leading them to chaos. Jesus uses the same metaphor, that he is the Good Shepherd, because the journey to the cross is difficult, the enemy will attack but Jesus will not leave the followers, he lays down his life for them. Jesus went to the cross to let the followers know that death does not have the last word. Christ rises to give us hope and strength for our christian journey.

May we follow the Good Shepherd in our everyday life together with our children and young people, because the Good Shepherd will not forsaken us.

Shalom
Pastor Lynette Fuka

Youths' Voice - January's article for our Good Word (Culver Palms UMC Newsletter)

2014-02-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

The journey goes on in this 2014 year. It is about that time that we wonder about the program we utilize, whether it is reflecting the mission statement or not. I sat down with the Youth Group to ask the three questions that Bishop Carcano asks all the local churches. The first question; Who is Jesus Christ to you? Youth Group's answers include, Savior, Lord, God's son. Great answers but we began to dig deeper into what and why Jesus went all the way to the cross to save us. Jesus spoke truth to the powerful Roman Empire and its supporters. He told to those in power not to steal from the poor, not to be selfish, and not to cheat to get wealthy. He told the truth in spite of the consequences, and went all the way to the cross, yet he didn't give up telling them the Godly truth. This is the Savior we worship who went to the cross to save us from these sins! Wow, that was indeed deep. We went on to question 2, by completing the statement; My walk with Jesus could be immeasurably improved if the church would ... Many of the youths want to find their own voice. With the help of Culver Palms UMC we want to find our voice that Jesus showed us, the prophetic voice. To help stop bullying, to help feed the homeless like our long plan to Glide UMC. To do special services to celebrate saints, youth, and children. The third questions brought together our hopes for today and for the future generations. They hope for world peace, to keep the faith in God and not to loose faith, make connection with Jesus/God a top priority, put our faith into action to continue God's work in this world, and make the Bible relevant to our environment and our context. I am grateful for their input and this is a great start for this new year to reexamine our way of communicating our Christian faith. May this conversation with the Youth brings some insights that might help us seek to transform the world. Shalom Pastor Lynette Fuka

Dare to Dream!

2014-02-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

We are studying Mike Slaughter's book, "Dare to Dream" and he encourages us to look deeper into our lives to discover the mission statement for one's life. Many of us are chasing money but this book is about fulfilling our mission.

This mission begins with a relationship with God. How well do you know your God? Some of us we know God is here with us, but never had a relationship with God. Think about it. If you are in a relationship like with a boyfriend or husband, you want to know that person so well and always want to communicate with that person. You put all your energy into this relationship. Ask yourself, do I have that relationship with God?

We then try to find our "burning bush"; "There the angel of The Lord appeared to [Moses] in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." Exodus 3:2-3

Slaughter believes that sometimes the moments of crisis are the points at which we are most receptive to a burning bush. Some might have persistent embers through God that may be speaking with a quieter yet still pervasive message.

We hear God's call but we have a lot of excuses! Moses complained when he heard God's call, "Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? What am I suppose to say to them" God is always persistent!

The Lord said to him [Moses], "What's that in your hand?' Moses replied, "A shepherd's rod" The Lord said, "Throw it down on the ground." So Moses threw it on the ground, and it turned into a snake. Moses jumped back from it. Then The Lord said to Moses, "Reach out and grab the snake by the tail." So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it runed back into a rod in his hand. "Do this so that they will believe that The Lord, the God of their ancestors, Abraham's God, Isaac's God and Jacob's God has in fact appeared to you." Exodus 4:2-5

Many of us are like Moses who claimed he didn't have the gifts to go, excuses, excuses! Who would have thought that a simple shepherd's rod will become the tool of discovering God in our lives.

What are your excuses? You have the God given gifts, may be it's time to use them.

I am back to blogging!

2014-02-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

It is great to be back and to process my thoughts through this page. From daily life, devotion, to theological reflections. Taking care of a family is a job in itself, let alone trying to figure out its logistics. Waking up the family, breakfast, making sure that everyone has what they need for the day, and out the door on that particular time or else someone will be late.

6am is too early to wake up! We have to make sacrifices in order to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. Luckily my kids do not want to be late! It makes the morning trip easier.

We say our prayers in the vehicle on our way to school and work. We allocate a person to remind us of our prayer time and what to be thankful for by using the alphabet. Today we use the letter F, and we are thankful for; food, friends, family, fish, Fine (daughter), folofola (Tongan word for Bible), fasting, and so many. Each child say his or her prayers in their own words. Amazing how I hear the genuine expressions of love and praise through the children's prayers. So straight forward that makes the relationship with God so real.

Everytime I announce the offertory on Sunday during worship. I always say, "This is the time that we offer our gifts, as part of our commitment, to make God's love real in this world" Making things real, is something that I always yearn and work towards.

How real are we today?

Judith

2011-05-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Have heard of a book in the Bible called Judith? For most people they wouldn't know because it is not in the "regular" Bible version but if you have a apocryphal/Deutrocanonical books Bible then you will be able to find the book of Judith. It's interesting how the canonical Bible didn't allow this book to be part of it, but if you read through the chapters, you will realize that it's not a historical book, it's rather a fairytale. It tells of how the Jewish people at the time were prosecuted but instead of mentioning the real regime that did the oppression it utilizes other powers. For example, Nebuchadnezzar was not the ruler of Assyria, as written in chapter 1. He was the ruler of Babylon. Both Assyria & Babylon were 'bad' powers who destroyed Israel in their respective reigns.
I challenge you to read the book of Judith and see how you view this uppity woman's book!

Lent 2011

2011-03-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

Lenten Season began on Ash Wednesday, where we repent and believe in God. Before our Wednesday service, I taught confirmation class. The class learnt two new words, discernment & quadrilateral. Discernment is a process of prayer, study and reflection to deepen our relationship with God and guide us in life. Quadrilateral are four ways that John Wesley utilized during his life time; Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason. We have to know our OT & NT for our study and reflection times. We find faith journeys in our tradition as an encouragement in our own experiences of God. We also need to use our intellect/reason to make sure that we make the right decision. We need the quadrilateral not just one of them in our discernment process of prayer, study and reflection.

My husband and I decided to give up watching tv after dinner but to re-read our books from seminary years!! In addition, no more surfing the net after dinner! It's a great experience to feed our minds and souls with necessary tools for our life journeys.

Our two older girls gave up "fighting" during Lent, we are hoping that after 40 days of not fighting they will continue to keep the peace! They don't want to give up their weekend tv time!

May your decision(s) for Lent prepare you for the death and resurrection of our Lord and your life journey.

Prepare for Lent

2011-03-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

Lent is around the corner and it's time to prepare for this important season. Our young people will be reading Matthew 4: 1-11 and reflect on how Jesus is able to overcome temptation. The appropriate translation for temptation is enticement where the devil entices Jesus with 'food, ego, authority'. I failed them daily but thank God Jesus is able to overcome, which is a great way to follow. We are vulnerable to temptation and I should be able to follow Jesus' way.

I decided to seriously read my Bible daily, pray ceaselessly and blog my reflection. May this season a time to sanctify our lives and follow Jesus daily.

Enough!

2010-04-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is our next Bible Study, "Enough, discovering the joy through simplicity and generosity" by Adam Hamilton. I read the first part of the book and I'm guilty as charged! Getting caught up by the "American Dream" - the pursuit of immediate material pleasures. Consuming, acquiring, buying - is what the American dream has come to mean or shall we say American nightmare!
There are two dis-eases that impact us both socially and spiritually:

Affluenza which is the constant need for more and bigger and better stuff, as well as that this need has on us. Definition by a program on the Public Broadcasting Station

the bloated, sluggish, and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses.
An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste, and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream.
An unsustainable addiction to economic growth.

Credit-itis - that goes along with affluenza. It's the opportunity for us to buy now and pay later that feeds our desire for instant gratification! "Unfortunately, it has exploited our lack of discipline and allowed us to feed our affluenza, wreaking havoc in our personal and national finances."

There is a spiritual issue that lies beneath the surface of affluenza and credit-itis - our inner brokenness, we are meant to desire God but we have turned that desire toward possessions. We are meant to find security in God but we find it in amassing wealth. We are meant to love people but instead we compete with them. We are meant to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, but we busy ourselves with pursuing money and things. We are meant to be generous and to hare with those in need, but we selfishly hoard our resources for ourselves. There is a sin nature within us.

The Myth of Redemptive Violence

2010-03-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

I was looking at our music book and struck by one of the phrases, "the ransom has been paid". The chapter 11of "Living the Questions - The Myth of Redemptive Violence" challenges this ransom theory.

the myth of redemptive violence is at the heart of the Babylonian Creation epic called the Enuma Elish. It tells how the order of the universe is established through "god on god" violence - defeated female deity being dismembered and her corpse strewn about to create various elements of the cosmos.
as opposed to Biblical witness of Yahweh creating human beings from the dust of the earth and animating them with the very breath of God.
the god Marduk from the Babylonian epic executes a fellow god to use his blood to create human beings to become their servants. A divine hierarchy order was established based on violence and the threat of violence.
Wink calls it the "original religion of the status quo" - it legitimates power and privilege and hence perpetuates the value of ideas like peace through war, security through strength, and the idea that fear can only overcome through domination.
this myth has infiltrated our culture, that even our language is overwhelmed with a continual drum-beat of violence, phrases like"shoot me an email" to the "war on poverty" to "he's the bomb" and even "fight for peace" are simply to "die for"; expressions like "to beat a dead horse" by definition is to convey futility that implies if the horse was alive, violence would lead to success.
St. Augustine out of his sense of guilt and self understanding he began idea of "Original Sin" in the 4th & 5th centuries. He seek absolution for his early uninhibited sex life and it's not a surprise he would connect sex as the primal transmission of sin from one generation to the next! That means that the sin is passed on to every generation - surprisingly enough this notion of original sin is not found in the Bible!
But to make his point, Augustine looked at Roman 5, where Paul set up the argument that Adam's sin necessitated Jesus' sacrifice in order to appease God. Our inherent sinfulness was so great that God could only be appeased by the violent spilling of blood.
Paul's efforts have left a lot of room for multiple theories to emerge:

Satisfaction Theory - derived from ancient Jewish ritual practices (including the Day of Atonement) where animals were sacrificed to satisfy God's need for blood. The Canaanite religions were not the only ones to sacrifice their children to appease Baal and other gods. There are number of Biblical examples of Judean Kings and leaders who also ritually sacrificed their children, much to Yahweh's displeasure. This is popular amongst the Campus Crusade's "Four spiritual laws", the Roman Catholics' sacrifice of the Lamb of God on the altar, and the hymns of American Protestanism : "there is a fountain filled with blood", "Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?" "What can washed away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus".
Substitution Theory - The death of Jesus was not a sacrifice but a pay-off to God. Human beings are so sinful that we deserve a horrible and bloody death but Jesus loves us so much that he was willing to step in and be our substitute. Anselm of Canterbury, monk, philosopher, archbishop, exile and saint, 1097 created this substitutionary atonement or vicarious satisfaction. His theory is based on the feudal society in his time where feudal lords were unable to forgive so someone has to pay. It's incorrect on levels extending from cross-cultural anthropology to ordinary everyday language. The problem is not the words atonement or satisfaction but with the words substitutionary and vicarious. The death of Jesus was not a divine substitution for punishment due to all of us. It's bad theology and history!
Ransom Theory - God has to pay off Satan, through Jesus' death, in order to win our freedom from the devil's sinful 'turf'.
Victory Theory - not a payment to the devil (which is equivalent of giving in to terrorists), but a defeat in principle of the power of the evil. Through Jesus' "obedience unto death" he showed he cold take anything that the devil could dish out.
Moral Theory - Embraces the idea that the real point of Jesus' obedience and death was to provide an example for humanity to follow - to stay faithful to one's convictions even in the face of injustice, brutality, and ignorance. The universe is structured to deal with consequences - and consequences are not punishment, they're just consequences. Jesus had to deal with the consequences of his actions and so do we.

Quiz!

2010-02-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

I was at the Stewardship workshop today and we were given a quiz! Although I didn't like the idea but I got to appreciate stewardship. It's our response to God's grace (conversion experience) which becomes a way of life, a holistic approach that includes both the spiritual and the material lives. We give of our time, talent and treasure to demonstrate our gratitude for all the gifts God has blessed us with.

Do you think it's appropriate for the pastor to mention the financial needs of the church?
I believe so! Let's face reality but it has to be done in an appropriate way and time! I'm sure you don't want your pastor to talk about this every Sunday!

A recommended book: "We are an EASTER PEOPLE. The Triumph of God's Love in Our Lives, A Group Process." by John and Adrienne Carr

I would like to hear your thought(s) on Stewardship.

Prayer: Intimacy with God

2010-01-28T11:07:00.000-08:00

From our "Living the Questions" Bible Study

many people approach prayer in a way that makes God into a cosmic vending machine: insert prayer into slot, make your selection, and if you're good, Viola!
many people perceive the Divine to be in the reward and punishment business, when prayers are not answered, people beat themselves up with guilt because they're obviously not good enough or faithful enough for God to answer in the affirmative.
prayer is deeper than a "conversation" with the Divine, perhaps best understood as simply being open to the Divine.
prayer is the testimony to humanity's striving toward a relationship with that unknowable yet inescapable sense of "the more".
Pray as if everything depended on God, pray as if everything depended on you

Invitation to prayer:

cut out two news articles and secure them in an area where you will see them often or near where you can carve out time for prayer.
when praying with this news, pray only these two questions

God of love, what would you have me learn?
Merciful God, how can I offer you compassion?

The Crowd and the Crucifixion

2010-01-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

What a great day - the sun is finally out after the rain! I'm now able to blog and jot down my ideas for everyone to read! I will find time to blog and see how this will enable me to continue writing instead of watching TV! Ok, just kidding.

Bible Study: First Light, Jesus and the Kingdom, participant reader by John Dominic Crossan (DVD based)

Today we discussed chapter 10: The Crowd & The Crucifixion

"Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified." Josephus, Jewish Anitquities 18.63-64

"Christus ... had undergone the death penalty in the region of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus." Tacitus, Annals 15.44

Jesus was protected by the crowd from the high priests (who accused Jesus) from Sunday through Wednesday. The high priests almost gave up because they couldn't get Jesus out of the crowd due to fear of riots. But Judas came along and made it possible for them to find Jesus away from the crowd.

The crowd on Friday that came to support Barabbas was always believed as the same crowd that followed Jesus. However, this is a different crowd of about 6 - 12 people who came to Pilate to request the release of Barabbas. It is like having few senators going into the President's office, no more than 20! This is based on Mark's Gospel because it's the earliest in all the Gospels, but in Mathew, Luke & John the crowd becomes crowds and increased in numbers depending on their respective contexts.

Jesus was non violent yet a threat to the Roman Empire and its high priests collaborators and the very reason for them to find ways to execute Jesus. The execution of Jesus by Pilate was a public statement to the rest of the followers not to become threats to Imperial Rome and religious collaborators.

Interesting to note that Crossan watched the Oberammergau Passion Play in 1960 for the second time and realized that there were two different crowds - one who followed Jesus and the one that requested the release of Barabbas. Hitler on the other hand watched this play in the '30 & 40s and admired the Roman Empire and hence despised the Jews and we know from history that's what happened. He became the "Roman Empire" and executed the Jews.

Crossan wants to set history right to prevent antisemitism and those who take the biblical messages literally like Hitler!