Sermons

First Christian Church

“Breakthrough Into the New”

Matthew 1:18-25

Our text lends credibility to Jesus' remarkable birth showing that the Holy Spirit was directly involved because his mother was a virgin. It shows us that God was playing a part in this incredible event from the very beginning. Beyond this it also demonstrates that Jesus' miraculous birth represents the introduction of the reign of God which we can consider an apocalyptic event.

The term “apocalyptic” indicates something has come to an end and in this case it's the current world order followed by a transition to a divinely ruled era indicted by what Jesus calls the kingdom of God. This is very important since there is nothing Jesus talks more about in the gospel than the kingdom of God.

What is ending is the culture of rampant materialism and individuality transitioning into what we might call a Spirit-based community. Since this is happening in a apocalyptic manner it means there is a cataclysmic dimension to it. The transition comes as a series of rather unwelcome and sometimes violent occurrences something many people in Western Washington are experiencing at present.

When I was twelve years old I accompanied my dad when he visited one of his friends that lived near the Santiam River in Oregon. I had never seen anyone using a squeegee to push mud out of their front door and it left quite an impression on me. The mud and water left nothing untouched in the home and the destruction appeared total. Indeed, when flooding occurs it can destroy interiors, electrical systems and can cause structural issues. The destruction can be cataclysmic in nature.

It may seem to us that the transition from the ego centered world we live in to a Spirit-based community is of a protracted nature but that's all a matter of perspective. Our earliest Homo sapien ancestors date back 2.5 million years and God came to dwell with us as The Christ a mere two-thousand years ago. In this respect, two-thousand years is a blink of the eye!

We may want to shy away from the term apocalyptic because it brings to mind the end of the world in a very unwelcome way and we have books like The Late Great Planet Earth to thank for that. Such literature over-emphasized the destructive dimension of apocalypse and failed to describe in any detail the end-point of God's intent. That endpoint is recounted in scripture: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:1-2)

I hope those of you who have access to a computer have been reading my online study of N.T. Wright's book: “Revelation For Everyone.” His book is a responsible and comprehensive study of this all important book of the Bible. It will help us embrace the apocalyptic dimension of Christ's coming which can further guide us with wisdom and divine discernment in these all-important and pivotal times we're living in.

The advent of The Christ is the beginning of a new era for humankind, and it brings about changes both on the outside and inside. On the outside the Spirit-based community is where mutual love and respect predominate unlike the present ego-based world we live in with its competitiveness and grasping. The Apostle Paul often describes this new community in his writings and following is just one example:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-24)

This Spirit-based community comes about due to an inner transformation of the heart that happens one person at a time. The Apostle speaks to this inner transformation as well when he says:

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Those words of Paul take on greater clarity for the modern world when they're translated into contemporary terms:

What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God., who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:19-20; The Message Bible)

Note that the “ego is no longer central” meaning it's not destroyed but simply takes a back seat. The self-centered nature of the ego gives way to an other-centered orientation. Now, neighbor comes first and we begin to see the manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned earlier.

The holiday's which comes from the root term “holy days” can create a seed bed for the manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit as people are persuaded to be other-centered thinking more about their neighbor than usual. This doesn't necessary indicate a transformation of the heart but it is a kind of faking it tell you make it. To illustrate this let me bring you up to date with our Christmas disaster:

My habit is to walk through the sanctuary at least once everyday just to make sure everything is in order. My walk-through came late last Wednesday and everything looked fine until I noticed the carpet looked wet. Christina and Timothy had just been in to clean the church and my first thought was Timothy shampooed the carpet. Then I noticed the wetness only partially covered the floor.

When I reached down to touch it to my chagrin it felt far too damp to have been shampooed. Soggy would more so describe it. I first looked to the ceiling but could see no water dripping or stains and that's when I noticed the dampness began at the door in front of the pulpit and traveled inward. It was also soggy at the entryway so I lifted the mat to discover it concealing a puddle of water. It soon became apparent the storm had blown the water under the doors into the sanctuary.

I called John and Dave, our trustees, and John called the insurance company, and the next day John called the restoration company SERVPRO and this is where the Christmas story begins. With Christmas Sunday approaching and Christmas Eve service following there was some urgency about getting the carpet dried out.

John told me that when he spoke to the SERVPRO people that they were sympathetic with our situation understanding Christmas services were closing in. I told John that's what we're hoping for and he thought the next day would be the soonest they could get here. A few minutes later John called again to tell me the restoration people were on the way from Port Townsend and had to stop in Sequim to get the equipment to suck up the water! They showed up around Noon of the same day John notified them!

The intervention of the Holy Spirit caused SERVPRO to respond immediately to our need and to see it as a Christmas story only works if you accept it on faith. What makes “thee” Christmas story is also the intervention of the Holy Spirit into Mary's life resulting in the Immaculate Conception. That too only works if you accept it on faith. We're living in the midst of an apocalypse where God is transforming the world which only works if you accept it on faith.

Rev. Mitch Becker

December 21, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Beggars at Best”

James 5:7-10

For this third Sunday in Advent, we'll consider the epistle of James where the author is looking forward to the future with hope. In preceding chapters this hope is described not as pie-in-the-sky where we're looking for Jesus to return in the clouds to right all wrongs, nor is it about salvation as spiritual illumination of some type. The hope he's talking about is what happens when in a non-judgmental manner you look your neighbor straight in the face. Therefore, the hope James is presenting has to do with community.

By non-judgmental you're not sizing them up as to whether they meet your conditions for a human being, or in terms of self-interest like what can they do for me. The hope James proposes is grounded in God and taking into account what God feels is important.

In the verses that come just before our text the epistle writer condemns those who put their hope in worldly items and affairs. By shifting our attention to the welfare of our neighbor hope emerges as we discern how to be attentive to them.

In the hectic pace of the holidays it's easy to overlook the needs of others because we're focused on getting our own needs and wants met. That's perfectly understandable, but God requires us, first and foremost, to be in prayer. Those prayers need to be directed toward our own faith community because God has given us each other to care for. It's not a coincidence we meet every Sunday because it's part of God's plan.

You may feel there simply isn't enough time available for intercessory prayer for your brothers and sisters in Christ. With that possibility in mind I do the bulk of my praying for you in the wee hours of the morning. I often simply go through the prayer list that's printed on the worship bulletin. I don't have it memorized. I ask God to bring those in need into my awareness and as that happens, I respond in prayer.

What my prayers do in heaven I have no idea and here we can begin to understand what James is getting at by encouraging us to be patient. There is a distinct dimension of “not knowing” that comes with prayer. When we're praying for those, we love and care about we may want to see results but there is much more to prayer.

In the Paul Simon song “Slip Slidin Away” he sings: “God only knows. God makes his plan. The information's unavailable to the mortal man.” All we know is God's Spirit compels us to pray for others which means, by default, to practice patience.

In a meditation upon intercessory prayer Father Rohr begins by asking the question: “If God already knows what we need why do we turn to God in prayer.” It's a fair question which he attempts to answer in the following way:

This is the mystery of asking. Why is it good to ask, and what really happens in prayers of petition or intercession? Why is it that Jesus both tells us to ask and then says, “Your Father already knows what you need, so do not babble on like the pagans do.” (Matthew 6:7-8)

I believe prayer is a symbiotic relationship with life and God, a synergy which creates a result larger than the exchange itself. We ask not to change God, but to change ourselves. We pray to form a living relationship, not to get things done. (That is why Jesus says all prayers are answered, which does not appear to be true, according to the evidence!) God knows we need to pray to keep the symbiotic relationship moving and growing. Prayer is not a way to try to control God, or even to get what we want.

Prayers of intercession or petition are one way of situating our life within total honesty and structural truth. We are forever beggars before God and the universe. We can never engineer or guide our own transformation or conversion. If we try, it will be a self-centered and well-controlled version of conversion, with most of our preferences and addictions still fully in place, but now well-disguised.

As I write this sermon it is raining buckets and will continue to do so until early morning of the next day. We need the rain but it presents a couple immediate problems for me. I can't walk Oreo or at least not comfortably and to aggravate the problem my shoes leak. I could pray to God asking for the rain to stop but such a prayer would be obviously self-centered.

That example provides an accurate description of how problematic prayer can become from a spiritual point of view. Our prayers need to come from God as his compassion flows through us and that happens as a result of the transformation of the heart. Prior to transformation our prayers will largely be self-centered as we're trying to negotiate with God to meet the craving of our egos.

The term righteousness” means to be made right with God and that occurs as we pray for others not because we're trying to control God but because we want to be closer to God. It's much like in a marriage when the two spouses spend quality time together simply learning about each other. That requires communication without disruption from controversy and strategizing.

Intercessory prayer can be understood not as trying to get something from God but as a way of getting to know God. From here we can begin to comprehend the importance of both patience and hope the epistle writer points to. Another term for patience is “long-suffering.” Patience is an ability to endure hardship and to do so without losing hope.

This becomes possible when we stop looking at prayer to meet our needs and wants and start seeing it as bringing God more fully into our lives. The most frightening thought I have is to lose Karen. My wife has been a central focus in my life for many years now and many of the best things and the most meaningful experiences that have happened are in some way directly related to her.

If God took Karen, I don't know what I would do not to mention I'd be left with full responsibility for our animals, home and finances. It would feel overwhelming. Yet, I have hope in God and that comes from knowing the scriptures and a life time of prayer, both intercessory and quiet-centering prayer. But it also comes from faith experience. I know that God would not abandon me because of the countless times he has come to my rescue.

One of the most profound rescue experiences that ever occurred was on a Carnival cruise to Ensenada. It turned out to be a party boat originating from Los Angeles with a lot of folks having a good time along with ample amounts of alcohol. We had a state room on the inside of the boat, and I woke up in the middle of the night feeling claustrophobic. It was a very small room with no windows.

I had a panic attack and there was nowhere to go. It was dark and quiet, and I was trapped in this little state room. As I began to reach out to God for rescue my conscious self suddenly dropped down into that spacious inner room which I've been cultivating with prayer over the years, and I experienced the peace that passes all understanding. I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the cruise.

Within that holy space where God resides I felt perfectly safe and cared for by the God of the universe. The verse from Romans comes to mind: “If God is for us, who (or what) can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) The holy place within was made available because of years of prayerful discipline and you can't control it. It always comes by grace.

No matter what happens I have hope that God will be there when I need him.

Rev. Mitch Becker

December 14, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“The Pursuit of the Good”

Matthew 3:1-12

In the early Saturday Night Live performances, you might recall Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd portraying Czechoslovakian playboys referring to themselves as “wild and crazy guys.” The gospel writer introduces us to another “wild and crazy guy” in the person of John the Baptizer. John wears animal skins made from the hair of camels and it's all held together with a strip of leather for a belt. His diet consists of locust and wild honey and would have brought to mind, for the ancient Israelite's, the prophet Elijah.

There is a story about Elijah and king Ahaziah (Ay-ha-sigh-ah) who is lying injured wondering if he'll survive and he sends a messenger to ask the pagan god Baal-zebub (Bale-zee-bob) about his fate. On his way a man confronts the messenger with the question, “Is there no God in Israel?” Because of the king's lack of faith the man tells the messenger to take this word to the king: “You shall surely die.” After receiving this somewhat depressing message the king asks what sort of man he was and the reply is, “A hairy man with a leather belt around his waist.” The king says, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

The point is made clear: John is like Elijah who rebukes the king for forgetting Yahweh. Further John is like Elijah who would come again when the kingdom of God is at hand. Today the scriptures tell of a similar time when people are forgetting God and need to repent. This is also the time everyone has been waiting for with the advent of the kingdom of God. People would know what the appearance of this Elijah like prophet meant, so it's no wonder they're flocking to the Jordan to confess their sins and be washed clean by baptism.

In our time, two-thousand years later, we hear a similar message about God coming to be among us which is a word of great joy as all the Christmas lights and carols tell us! But when considering the whole of John's message we realize it is also a call to repentance. It is crucially important to recognize the whole of the message and not simply settle for the festive lights and colorful Christmas carol aspect of it.

If we're not careful we'll miss the word of harsh judgment that is directed toward the religious leaders who are described as a “brood of vipers!” With the breakthrough of the kingdom of God comes God's wrath “against all ungodliness and injustice.” It is not enough to repent and be baptized because you must also live out your faith in God.

The judgment against the Sadducees and Pharisees is harsh because they're using their authority to sow lies and place burdens on peoples backs. They care only for their own gain and glory. John tells them to not rest in their Jewish identity because they must speak the truth and listen to God and turn away from self-centered ego pursuits. In these days as we prepare for the coming of the Christ John compels us to consider the fruit of our own faithful labors.

It's common practice for people of faith to attempt to focus of the luminosity and good cheer of the Christmas season and that's perfectly understandable. As we age our bodies wear out and breakdown, relationships can become tenuous and wearisome, the culture itself has become cruel and uncaring. We seek to be lifted up above the hardships of life on this plane of existence, but from a spiritual point of view paying too much attention to the good can result in missing out on the real gift of the season.

To be a recipient of grace we have to give up on our pursuit of the good and the scriptures today are trying to help us do that by incorporating a message of harsh judgment. The judgment is aimed at the religious leaders who are described as a family of snakes. The best part of the message comes at the end where John foretells the coming of the Christ who will ignite a fire from within changing people from the inside out!

This is good news but there is a condition of repentance that also needs to be met. The fire can't be ignited until the pathways to the heart are clear. For that to happen we must become radically honest about our own crimes and misdemeanors. It is also common practice to point fingers at the religious leaders, or any leaders for that matter, and say, “They need to repent!” It's an effective way to remain in a state of denial. We need to give up on our pursuit of the good, so we can embrace the bad, because goodness can prevent grace from entering our lives.

Bruce is one of the leaders of the Narcotics Anonymous groups that meet in our church. He and a friend of his paid a visit last week because they're having a meeting on Christmas Eve. I told him that wouldn't effect us because we'll be in the sanctuary. I invited them to join us in worship and he said they could start the meeting early so it ended in time for worship. I hope to see them on Christmas Eve.

The folks that attend the NA meetings harbor no illusions about goodness. They sit together and confess their sins and are remorseful about them. They're doing exactly what John the Baptizer is saying needs to happen to prepare the way for a transformation of the heart. Feeling sorry or remorseful about the bad things we do is a precursor to spiritual transformation.

But if you keep telling yourself you're a good person you'll never get to first base. If you don't let go of the pursuit of the good, you'll never know the joy, peace, hope and love the Advent candles represent. They'll just be symbols that are pretty and pleasant but will remain just that – symbols on the outside rather than realities on the inside. This is why Jesus tells the man after he refers to him as “good teacher” to not call him good because only God is good. (Mark 10:18) Jesus understands the way goodness can prevent holiness.

There's another reason to avoid the pursuit of the good and that's because on this plane of existence the good always comes replete with the bad. For every good thing that happens there is a corresponding bad thing, and in the end, as one of my parishioners in Tacoma would often say: “It's all a wash.” For example:

Starbucks has created a wonderful drink called a Pecan Crunch Oat Milk latte and it is delicious. It is a “good” drink. It is so good it makes me hesitate to buy it because good things come with a corresponding badness. The badness of this particular drink comes in the form of 30 grams of sugar bringing the hot version to 350 calories, whereas a regular latte might come in around 180 calories and the syrup adds processed ingredients. Maybe one a week is okay, and another downside is the goodness of it also creates the temptation to have more of it than is good for you. The word “addiction” comes to mind.

It sounds a bit depressing to say there's no goodness on earth because all goodness has its corresponding badness but isn't Jesus getting at that when he tells the man to not call him good because only God is good. Jesus is saying let go of goodness and commit your life to the pursuit of God (which means to transcend this plane of existence). In our pursuit of Godliness goodness will naturally come forth where we can embrace it and give thanks. In one sense, it's just a matter of priorities.

The story of Saul of Tarsus is an apt illustration of someone who began in pursuit of the good as he systematically attempted to eradicate the early church. He felt the early church represented a dangerous heresy that threatened the integrity of Judaism. He arrested, imprisoned and in some cases put to death early followers of Jesus all for the good of Judaism. But on the road to Damascus the Lord confronted him and began, from the inside out, the transformation of his heart. After his conversion he gave up his pursuit of the good to actively pursue his newfound faith in the Christ. He got his priorities right and changed the world forever.

Rev. Mitch Becker

December 7, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Like a Dream”

Isaiah 2:1-5

On this first Sunday of Advent the prophet tells us of a nation facing an uncertain future. The prosperity and peace they'd been enjoying is now like a dream that is hard to recall as dreams often are. The Assyrian empire has ravaged the countryside and many have taken up refuge behind the walls of Jerusalem. But eventually the Assyrians lay siege to Jerusalem as well and those inside must endure, though thankfully the siege didn't last long. Never-the-less it created hardship along with great anxiety and this is the setting for Isaiah's vision for the people of Jerusalem and to a greater extent Judah itself.

The prophet's vision is in dramatic contrast to what the people are experiencing. Though some versions of the Bible translate the opening phrase as “In the last days” the phrase in our Bible, “In days to come” is more fitting since the vision is really about a hopeful time in the future.

The vision begins with an image of the Temple where people come from all of the nations of the known world like water flowing toward a particular destination. This represents a repeated theme in the biblical text that Yahweh is not only available to Israel but is open to receiving all people of any nation. The invitation is to draw closer to God and it becomes clear that the Temple is the source of God's law and word.

The text ends with the transformation of swords and spears (something people enduring a siege would be well acquainted with) into instruments that sustain and enhance life. God is the primary agent that will make the transformation possible by divine judgment and being the principal player in settling disputes.

It becomes apparent when reading the gospel that the prophet Isaiah had a significant influence upon Jesus. It is possible that these swords and spears being transformed into instruments of agriculture may well be the source of his teaching when he says things like, “For all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52) and “...love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 10:34)

These teachings promote non-violent behavior and trying to follow them can only be accomplished by sustaining a close relationship with God.

As already stated, Isaiah's vision comes in the midst of a siege by the Assyrian army that historically had treated the Israelite's quite ruthlessly. They had ravaged the countryside using extreme violence, torture and forced deportations. Thankfully, they were unsuccessful in capturing the city and soon gave up on their efforts to subjugate Jerusalem. In light of this it's easy to understand the great anxiety and distress the siege would cause the inhabitants.

We are not surrounded by ruthless enemies, but much like the ancient Israelite's we have reason to be anxious about an uncertain future. The following comes from activist and author Paul Engler (Ang-ler) who says:

Our Earth, once assumed infinite in its bounty, now groans under the weight of extractive systems that for the first time in history hit their limits of total expansion. Climate change is just the tip of the iceberg. We are entering the sixth mass extinction. Ecosystems are collapsing. The coral reefs are dying, the forests are being cut, and over the last 80 years half of bird, and over half of fish populations have been wiped out.

The canary in the coal mine is indeed dying. A third of the planet may soon experience drought annually. And still – the dominant culture accelerates forward – driven by a propaganda machine of individualism and consumerism.

The two crucial words I want to highlight is, “...accelerates forward.” That's how he describes the momentum of the dominate culture as we continue to move into an uncertain future. The problem is that though most people are aware of the threatened ecosystem we inhabit the shocking facts of an ecosystem in decline remain on the surface of people's consciousness.

We should all be suffering from extreme anxiety, but we've learned how to stay on the surface in a state of protracted denial. This is accomplished, as the author stated, through the practice of individualism and consumerism. We focus on building and sustaining our own little empires instead of concentrating upon the expansion of the kingdom of God. As well, we live in a culture that inundates us with consumerist messages vying for our attention and often unconsciously we submit to their influence. Paul Engler continues:

Jesus was a singular figure in history – a teacher, prophet, and embodiment of the Divine. He offered a path to individual salvation through grace and prayer, a way represented today by the contemplative streams of Christianity. But he also offered something more dangerous: a revolutionary program of nonviolent resistance to empire, practiced by the early Christians and echoed through history by prophetic Christian minorities – those who have embodied strategic, principled nonviolence in the face of systemic evil.

I told you about wearing the red stole to the No King's protest and I had to wonder what people were going to think of it. Surely, it represented commitment to some religious community, but beyond that it's anybody's guess. People see the world in accordance to their own worldview which has largely been established by age 13 and continues to be developed throughout adolescence and beyond.

If someone has had bad experiences with the church in early childhood, they might feel animosity or anger when they saw the red stole, or if they had good experiences the stole would be welcomed as it was by many. I doubt if many interpreted the stole as a symbol of nonviolent protest which is what it mostly meant for me.

Another way of saying it is it represents the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross where his blood was poured out for us. A common way of interpreting that is his blood was poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. I have no argument with that and the highfalutin theological term for it is substitutionary atonement.

But as maturing people of faith at some point it becomes necessary to take the next step in spiritual development. When this happens the blood of Christ can represent his sacrifice which was a nonviolent act of submission confronting the systemic evil of the empire. Paul Engler continues:

Jesus stood in a long linage of Jewish prophets who imagined, for the first time in history, a vision of liberation where the enslaved could exit empire, cross the wilderness, and birth a new society within the shell of the old. This idea – that a Promised Land could emerge amidst Pharaoh's rule – would echo through Enlightenment revolutions and democratic uprisings across the globe.

But unlike secular revolutionaries who sought merely to replace one king with another, Jesus pointed to the roots: to the structures and systems that bear the fruit of institutional sin. He experimented with radical asceticism (uh-set-tuh-siz-um), wandered with prophetic disciples, and was shaped by desert mystics who mirrored in the first century Judaism, similar traditions found among the Sadhus (Saw-duhs) of India, the Bhakti (Balk-tea) saints, and countless other holy figures who surrender all to the Divine.

...this inner path – of prayer, ego-death – and mystical union – is a revelation itself: that the promised land is not only a political reality, but also a psychological and spiritual one. Beneath the false self and reactive emotional programs lies our “original blessing.” Or as Richard Rohr reminds us again and again: the Imago (Uh-may-go) Dei (Day) – the divine indwelling – is already within.

Some of this bears unpacking: Jesus experimented with radical asceticism during his forty days in the wilderness where he fasted, prayed and resisted the temptations of the Devil. He wandered or fulfilled his ministry with prophetic disciples such as Peter and John who is traditionally considered the author of the gospel. He was shaped by desert mystics most notably by John the Baptist. Engler then ties Judaic thought into other religious systems in India though he doesn't mention the Buddha who actually parallels some of Jesus' notions concerning nonviolence and personal transformation.

Engler ends by describing “this inner path” which should be familiar to most of you by now that involves dying to the False self so the True self can come forward. The Imago Dei is already within us and through disciplined religious practice we can reach God, or as The Message Bible puts it: “The way to life – to God – is vigorous and requires total attention.” (Matthew 7:14b)

This Way to God is difficult but if were to follow the path of nonviolence Jesus laid out for us it is absolutely essential to reach and sustain such an intimate relationship with the Imago Dei. This intimacy with God will enable us to be the instruments of peace who will help turn weapons of war into tools which can enhance life as the prophet envisions. This is the hope that the prophet brought to God's people in the midst of a siege conducted by the terrible Assyrian armies.

On this First Sunday in Advent, we have lit the candle of hope because from a spiritual point of view nothing has changed. We are still the people of God called out to be peacemakers in a violent world that is immersed in an ecological crisis which threatens our very existence. We are still the people of hope and that hope comes not through our humanity but through the Imago Dei within us that desires to be released to do the work of salvation.

Rev. Mitch Becker

November 30, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Down to Earth”

Colossians 1:11-20

We can think of this text as a magnificent pronouncement of a celestial Christ who is both transcendent meaning he's not subject to the limitations of a material world but is also quite practical.

Colossains is one of the four letters of Paul that were written while he was in prison. Imagine a lonely cell where he's working hard to keep the early church on track. But he really wasn't alone in that his spirit was often uplifted by the prayers and affections of the many relationships he'd made during his ministry.

Some theologians believe that the “prison letters” which are those written to the believers in Colossae, Philippi, Ephesus and to a wealthy Christian named Philemon (Fill-lee-mon) are the most valuable of all Paul's writings. They argue that the isolation and hardship resulting from confinement helped to clarify and deepen his convictions of what was worth suffering and even dying for.

Early on in the text Paul informs the faithful that they've been delivered from the dominion of darkness by their entrance into the kingdom of God. The next verse explains what that dominion of darkness is by telling them that in Christ they have redemption in the forgiveness of their sins. So, it's all about sin which comes in various shapes and sizes but can be aptly described with one word...selfishness.

Following this the text moves into what can be described as a cosmic Christ hymn. To quickly summarize the “hymn” we can say Christ was with the Father during the creation of the universe. Christ is the head of the Church and “in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” Everything in existence is bound together in Christ. Therefore, he wants to “...reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross.”

The ending to the “hymn” is important because it brings a balance to it in describing the attributes of the cosmic Christ in comparison with the down-to-earth Jesus who showed us The Way to salvation by dying upon a cross. Salvation is reached by going beyond the material world, but the route taken is the road less traveled which often involves dying to our own sinful, selfish tendencies.

Some time ago I told you about making the switch from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and needing to call my tech support guy, Dan, back in Lancaster, California because my screen went black. He walked me through the solution and I haven't had any problems since. While we were catching up he told me about watching a program on You Tube about a woman that rides a motorcycle by herself all over the world.

Being a former motorcycle rider, I was intrigued by what he told me and since have discovered the program and watch it on occasion before Karen gets up in the morning. She simply amazes me as she rides through countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kenya and Guatemala. Some of the countries are basically police states and in Afghanistan she is frequently stopped by the Taliban.

She rides her motorcycle through the deserts and over the mountains on roads that are at times barely passable. In Africa she's been stuck in mud and she's been stranded in the desert in Morocco due to engine problems and sometimes the police in places like Iraq are less than cordial. I've seen her anxious and afraid and confused but most of the time she's just happy as a lark.

Her lifestyle is made up of one adventure after the other and where most of us would be reluctant to ride into the unknown she seems to thrive on it. She clearly doesn't look at the world the way most of us do and in every difficult situation she encounters someone is there to help her. Whether that's being stuck in the mud or her engine malfunctions or the police become unreasonable a resolution is always found, and she continues on her way.

She has no support staff with her. The help always comes from the people she encounters on the road. To do what she's doing would require her to constantly put her worrisome, selfish concerns aside to trust in the people she encounters and in her own inherent abilities. To put it succinctly, she has replaced self-focus with selflessness. And she's not just talking about but is living it out on camera in a down-to-earth way for the whole world to see.

She reminds me of Jesus. Jesus was an itinerant preacher who went from village to town to city caring for those he encountered, but he was also cared for. People fed him and though I can only think of one instance where someone helped Jesus surely people gave him assistance from time to time. That one instance recorded where someone helped him is when Simon of Cyrene (Sigh-reen-ee) carries his cross to Golgotha.

For the woman on the motorcycle (just to emphasize her selflessness she never says her name nor are there any credits, but her name is Noraly “Nor-rah-lee” Schoenmaker “Shoemaker” and she's Dutch) to be as selfless as she is requires having a particular worldview. The phrase that comes to mind is “careless in the care of God” (Matthew 6:26; The Message Bible). That phrase is used in context with Jesus describing how we're surrounded, at all times, by the grace of God. That amounts to a religious/spiritual worldview that ultimately determines how you feel about life on this planet.

Her worldview results in a lifestyle that perfectly fits the phrase “careless in the care of God,” though I don't know if she'd use a term like grace. It doesn't really matter. What's important is how she is living her life not what she may or may not say. It's apparent she feels like she's being taken care of which results in people actually caring for her. The way she's looking at things helps create a reality of goodness and grace.

Father Rohr can add to this with the following excerpt where he describes what he calls an “operative worldview:”

We would do well to get in touch with our own operative worldview. It is there anyway, so we might as well know what this highly influential window on reality is. It's what really motivates us. Our de facto worldview determines what catches our attention and what we don't notice at all. It's largely unconscious and yet it drives us to do this and not that. It is surely important to become conscious of such a primary lens, or we will never know what we don't see and why we see other things out of all perspective.

Until we can allow the gospel to move into that deepest level of the unconscious and touch our operative worldview, nothing substantial is going to change. It will only be rearranging the furniture, not constructing a new room. True conversion is about constructing a new room – maybe even a whole new house!

As already mentioned, the ending of our text has to do with not the celestial cosmic Christ but more so the practical, down-to-earth Jesus who the Father wants to achieve reconciliation of all things through. It sounds like this: “....and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross.”

This is where the rubber hits the road because reconciliation (which means to make things compatible with one another) happens by confronting our own sins and by the power of God through Christ being forgiven for them. Forgiveness can occur after the sins are fully brought into our conscious awareness which is the purpose of confession.

To be fully aware of our sinful behaviors is difficult for a number of reasons including the fear of looking bad and therefore suffering rejection, doing damage to our own self-image, and creating disruption in our relationships. There is also often the threat of punishment which may depend largely on our childhood experiences of it. That's just a few of the reasons we hide from our sins. I might also add that any recognition of sin often reveals how much work needs to be done to reach a point of forgiveness.

Jesus showed us how to reach forgiveness by the blood of the cross. We have to become as vulnerable as he was willing to do, and though this doesn't mean literally being crucified it does mean dying to ways we attempt to protect ourselves. How many times have you heard or said it yourself that “I'm a good person.” What's good in us is God and that's who we've got to get to. Real forgiveness happens when you allow the sin to come to the surface – recognize it – and accept Christ's forgiveness.

The pattern that the spiritually mature person learns to follow sounds like this:

Name it – Claim it – Tame it – Aim it.

To Name it and Claim it means to see the sinful behavior in yourself (not is someone else) and identify it as yours. They do this in AA when they introduce themselves by name followed by the words: “...and I'm an alcoholic.” In this case, the sinful behavior is alcoholism. To Tame it means to take away its potency by bringing it out of hiding and Aiming it means to finally let it go by giving it to God.

This whole process sounds simple when put into words, but a lot of sinful behavior has its origin in childhood. Therefore, it's both buried deep and consequently surrounded by layers of defense mechanisms like denial and blaming others for the bad things we do. It often takes years of therapy, journal work and prayer to let go of these defense mechanisms.

Frankly, I don't think it's possible to be healed and made whole without the forgiveness of God. It's the power of the Holy Spirit that can keep us moving into the darkness until the light of Christ illuminates our deepest, darkest recesses. But all things become possible with God!

Rev. Mitch Becker

November 23, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Shocking News”

Luke 21:5-19

The setting is the Temple which has recently been refurbished by Herod and it's magnificent! It has taken eighty years to complete and with the new foundational walls it has been greatly expanded. He had enlisted the best artisans in town using the finest materials including white marble and purple Babylonian tapestries to veil the entrance. The icing on the cake was the gold- and silver-plated gates with gold-plated doors on the inside. Herod spared no expense!

The people are admiring all of this pomp and circumstance when Jesus delivers the shocking news – the Temple will soon be completely destroyed! Can you imagine how this made God's people feel? Why would something that was so costly and had taken so long to complete be destroyed?

One thing of note is the initial response of the people which is not a question about how this terrible thing is going to happen but rather when its going to happen. This attests to the faith they had in Jesus not questioning the ways and means the destruction would occur only when it was going to take place. If Jesus says it it's a done deal!

Though they had unwavering faith in him it's apparent he didn't want them to share this faith with whomever came in his name. Jesus warns of false prophets. Not everyone is going to be who they claim to be. Though the warning focuses on false prophets it can apply to any of our relationships. The Holy Spirit is designed to help us with such discernment.

The Temple was destroyed as Jesus predicted in 70AD but on the whole both Judaism and Christianity have continued to flourish throughout the centuries in different regions and localities. Though we are witnessing a decline in denominations by the power of the Spirit Christianity continues to live and grow in new forms and new places. Our task is to discern what the Spirit would have us do in this time and place.

Christianity is one of the major religions in the world and though we don't experience much in the way of persecution it does still occur. Jesus tells his followers they'll be persecuted for their faith. A predominate time of persecution in our country was during the civil rights era. As both black and white people attempted to speak truth to power and hold our country to its written commitments concerning freedom for all.

The result was costly for many and what made their effort especially significant was they not only held the powers that be responsible for written values but also attempted to hold a “Christian nation” accountable for its professed loyalty to the faith.

As a child I used to ride my bike to Freeway Lakes which are three lakes that were formally gravel pits that are filled with water from a stream. One Saturday I rode to the lakes with a friend of mine and upon arrival we found a raft made of two large logs tied together. We paddled the raft to the middle of the second lake and basked in the sun jumping off it from time to time.

After a while we were joined by three other kids though these kids were of high school age. They climbed unto the raft and began to jump off it and rock it back and forth so violently it was hard to stay on it. My friend, Wayne, was overweight and was struggling to climb back onto the raft. He was getting very tired which I pointed out to the older kids who simply ignored me.

I was getting worried about Wayne because he was too big for me to pull up onto the raft. I decided to swim for shore and confiscate an air mattress and paddle back to save Wayne. I made it to shore and explained to another child that I needed the air mattress to save my friend. They let me have it and I paddled back as quickly as I could.

When I arrived at the raft Wayne was still holding on while the older kids continued to rock it with joyful abandonment. Wayne grabbed the air mattress and we paddled back to shore. Until that day I didn't know I could swim that far! Bullying is a form of persecution though it generally happens between peers, but it does involve repeated mistreatment and, in this case, rendered Wayne, and to an extent me, as victims.

After the revelation of earthquakes and famines Jesus tells the disciples about the persecution that is coming: “But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.”

This form of persecution has to do with systematic mistreatment and its source is people's religious convictions. Our religion is widely accepted, or perhaps tolerated is a more apt term, in our culture. But in other cultures such as in North Korea, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria, just to name a few, persecution of Christians manifests itself in various ways. Sometimes its expressed as some form of economic marginalization or job discrimination. More violently there are forced conversions that take place and abductions and church vandalism.

The worst persecution I ever experienced took place in my first senior pastorate in Red Bluff. There I was the victim of a satanic cult that would threaten me over the phone. The most troubling calls would come just prior to worship on Sunday's, and this went on for well over a year. I worked with the phone company and the police, but my efforts had little effect until one day the calls just stopped.

This form of persecution was troubling in a couple of ways. The threats were of a personal nature concerning my well-being and credibility as a Christian minister. It was also immensely frustrating because I couldn't find an effective way to put it to an end. I simply had to learn to live with it which I accomplished through a combination of prayer and journal work.

The persecution finally contributed to my own spiritual growth. It became a catalyst for inner development. As scripture tells us: “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” (James 1:2-3; The Message Bible)

To further expound on this, I offer the words of Eilas (Ee-lie-us) Chacour (Shah-core) a Palestinian Arab Israeli former archbishop who interprets the Beatitudes with Jesus' language in the Aramaic. It renders them differently than we're used to and at the same time he reminds us that the Bible is a translation of a translation.

The situation he creates is how would he explain the Beatitudes to a persecuted Palestinian refugee. He says he would share the Aramaic translation with the refugee and it would sound like this:

Get up, go ahead, do something, move, you who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for you shall be satisfied.

Get up, go ahead, do something, move, you peacemakers, for you shall be called children of God.

To me this reflects Jesus' words and teachings much more accurately. I can hear him saying, “Get your hands dirty to build a human society for human beings, otherwise, others will torture and murder the poor, the voiceless, and the powerless.”

Christianity is not passive but active, energetic, alive, going beyond despair. “Get up, go ahead, do something, move.” Jesus said to his disciples.

When we first began in ministry here at FCC Port Angeles the church was in the middle of COVID and was in a protracted state of dormancy. Relative to that, today the church is remarkably active with hardly a week that passes without some type of progressive activity. Last week Roger N., Jeremiah and Jacob were here doing work on the roof and landscaping.

This type of work contributes to the maintenance of the building but also speaks to anyone who drives by that these people care about their facility. It sends a message of self-care and in that sense is evangelical. If you drive by in the evening you'll most likely see an NA meeting going on, and something I'm excited about is Jo brought food for the Blessing Box last Sunday. This church has surpassed the dormancy stage and is always moving into further mission and maintenance of the facility.

I know how quickly things can change in a church. The church in Red Bluff quickly grew by 17 new members. When I first arrived there wasn't much going on but within a year and a half there were new members joining established committees and one of them preaching from the pulpit in my absence. The very organizational framework of the church began to change so rapidly that the powers-that-be had to eliminate the pastor to put the kibosh on the change!

The women in the church at Shadyside, Ohio one day decided to serve a lunch meal to high school kids. Sometimes there were only a few kids who came for lunch and other times the basement was full of kids. With mission activity like that you never know how you're impacting those who respond. What we did know is we had high school kids under the roof of the church once a week where we could minister to them by feeding them and spending precious time in conversation.

The lunch to the high school children wasn't my idea. It just appeared by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because of experiences like this I know how quickly things can change for a church. Don't ever underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about change in the name of Jesus Christ and for the sake of the kingdom of God.

Rev. Mitch Becker

November 16, 2025

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Temple Mending”

Haggai 2:1-9

The prophet Haggai (Hag-guy) has a different presentation from the other prophets but like Jeremiah and Ezekiel he is concerned with the remnant left in Jerusalem following the Babylonian exile. His focus is upon the restoration of the Temple which is sometimes referred to as the “house.”

Though all the prophets have a concern for the common good typically in terms of highlighting injustices like the mistreatment of widows and orphans, Haggai promotes the common good via the Temple. This only makes sense when we consider the Temple as the institution at the center of Israelite life. We can think of the two people he is encouraging, Zerubbabel (Za-rube-bah-bell) and Joshua as social and civic leaders in the community. This encouragement takes the form of a pep talk, and he also reminds them of God's constant presence.

As God's people remained true to the covenant the Lord led them through the wilderness to the Promised Land where they were blessed with prosperity. What has happened is they've wandered away from the covenant due to widespread individualism which has left the Temple in ruins. Here we can consider the Temple as a symbol for the nation as a whole. The plan the prophet submits involves the remnant working together to restore the Temple.

Also important to recognize is the presence of the “Spirit” which we can take to be the same “Spirit” that led them through the wilderness. God says that his Spirit “abides with them” and it is this Spirit that will lead them in restoring the Temple and by extension the nation.

Toward the end of the text a notion of prosperity becomes prominent with images of silver and gold and some kind of dramatic act of God that finally results in prosperity for the common good. That's important to note – that the prosperity is not for individuals, but more so connotes the restoration of the nation of Israel.

The Book of Haggai applies to our present cultural struggle where the common good has been in decline for some time. Inequality in society between the poor and the rich has been increasing for the last four decades. To expound on this I quote the author of the commentary I most relied upon, Garrett Galvin:

This (social inequality) has led to a (breakdown) of compromise in the public square, a fraying social fabric, and a descent into cultural narcissism....(But) this passage offers hope for the future. Haggai offers encouraging words by looking to the past as a sign of things to come. When Israel ordered its life in accordance with God's wishes, God altered the balance of power and riches among the nations to the advantage of Israel.

The prophet has a lot of work to do trying to bring these rugged individualist together on the same page to rebuild the Temple. It reminds me of a former General Minister and President of our denomination, Dick Hamm, who characterized leading Disciples akin to trying to herd cats. If you have a cat, you know how independent they can be.

It also brings to mind my experience of trying to lead South Tacoma Christian Church back in the 90's. I tried to create community every chance I got as a pastor and a preacher, but no matter what I did I couldn't get the ruling family on board. There was one family that the church revolved around. It took a good ten years out of seminary before I learned the politics of pastoring.

They don't teach that in seminary – you learn it in the field by trial and error. This is why they say if you can endure the first seven years as a parish pastor you may have a future in ministry. We don't know how many mistakes and the number of trials and tribulations Haggai had to endure. Haggai comes with a message of encouragement attempting to bring the people together to accomplish a task.

What could be interesting to explore is how both Haggai and Jesus encouraged people to move forward to accomplish tasks. Haggai's task is to rebuild the Temple. Another way to say it is he wants to revamp the religious/spiritual lives of the people of Judah, and the Temple serves as a symbol of what needs to be improved upon.

Jesus also wants to revamp the religious/spiritual lives of his people and he does this most notably with a restructuring of the Ten Commandments. That restructuring we refer to as the Beatitudes found at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. Essentially, Jesus is the new Moses who goes up onto the mountain to teach his disciples: Following is how Matthew begins the Sermon on the Mount: “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him.” (Matthew 5:1)

Jesus has taken the Ten Commandments and revamped them, so they apply to what he calls the kingdom of God. They're not something entirely new – they're revamped, and in this way new and improved. In a few minutes when we receive communion it will be called the New Covenant.

This is similar to what Haggai is doing. He has to make the connection to the old Temple before he encourages them to revamp it to create a new and improved Temple. Here's how it's said: “Is there anyone here who saw the Temple the way it used to be, all glorious. And what do you see now? Not much, right? So, get to work Zerubbabel! God is speaking. Get to work, Joshua son of Jehozadak – high priest! Get to work, all you people! – God is speaking.”

So, you see them making the connections: Jesus with Moses and the Ten Commandments and Haggai with the old Temple. You have to connect to the past before you can move forward into the future. There is however an important difference between what Haggai is trying to accomplish and what Jesus is attempting. Jesus is trying to move people onto a path that provides entrance into the kingdom of God.

What Haggai is doing is trying to get the people of Judah to be more deeply devoted to Yahweh. He wants their spirituality to be more sincere and therefore more productive and motivating. Jesus is aiming at a total conversion experience because that's what the kingdom of God requires. Here's how Father Rohr puts it:

In his teaching, and in the Sermon on the Mount in particular, Jesus critiques and reorders the values of his culture from the bottom up. He “betrays” the prevailing institutions of family, religion, power, and resource control by his loyalty to another world vision, which he calls the reign of God. Such loyalty costs him general popularity, the support of the authorities, immense inner agony, and finally his own life.

By putting the picture in the largest possible frame, he calls into question all similar frames and invites his hearers into a radical transformation of consciousness. Many were not ready for it – nor are many of us today. To understand the Sermon on the Mount, we need to clarify where Jesus is leading us:

It's not to the old self on the old path, which would be non-conversion and non-enlightenment.

It's not the old self on a new path, which is where most religion begins and ends. It involves new behavior, new language, and practices that are sincere, but the underling myth/worldview/motivation and goals are never really changed. My anger, fear, and ego are merely transferred to now defend my idea of God or religion.

Jesus is leading us to the new self on a new path, which is the total transformation of consciousness, worldview, motivation, goals, and rewards that characterize one who loves and is loved by God.

Father Rohr describes “most religion” as beginning and ending with your old self on a new path and that perfectly illustrates my conversion to Christianity. I spent much of my time as a “born again” Pentecostal Christian defending my idea of who I thought God was and how that took shape in my newfound Christian worldview.

My self-righteous defensiveness led to arguments and division with both friends and family and sometimes complete strangers. I literally made my sister miserable relentlessly sharing my new convictions amply seasoned with “Christian love.” It's no surprise that many people hate Christians or refuse to acknowledge their existence. The old self upon a new path simply doesn't work, and often times is a detriment to everything we're trying to do that's good and right.

What does work is the “new self on a new path” and we travel the new path by faking it until we make it! This means often swimming against the current of cultural norms and common expectations. It means facing our fears walking through them with Christ as our guide and companion.

At the most recent No King's demonstration I wore the red stole that I typically wear on Pentecost. I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Would people notice it? Would people object to it? Would it make me a target for someone to express their hostility toward? All I knew going into the demonstration is that something in me wholeheartedly resisted wearing it.

What I experienced were several people acknowledging me and the stole with words of appreciation and thanksgiving. As if wearing the stole somehow added credibility to them being there and perhaps to the event itself. My personal experience was it made me feel alone and set apart now representing something much greater than myself. I felt like I was in over my head, but at the same time as if I was doing something necessary and important.

No one hit me and for the most part I felt affirmed and supported, yet at the same time quite lonely. I imagine Jesus felt the same way. His family thought he'd lost his mind, and, in the end, his own people cried out for his execution. Picking up your own cross is a lonely business, but it is The Way that leads to the “life abundant.” (John 10:10)

Rev. Mitch Becker

November 9, 2025

Port Angeles