Sermons

First Christian Church

“How Long to Sing This Song?”

Psalm 40:1-11

The Christian rock band U2 consistently fills stadiums for their concerts, and their faith could be described as stealth in that it can be hard to recognize in their music. But in using words from Psalm 40 their stealthiness disappears with the song “40” that appears on their album “War.” Because the song begins with an adaption of verses 1-2 that indicate waiting patiently for the Lord and then moves to God's deliverance with the words: “He drew me up from the desolate pit” and “he set my feet upon a rock.” Finally, the chorus goes to: “He put a new song in my mouth.”

But then the song includes a line that is not part of the psalm with the words: “How long to sing this song?” These words echo a line from the first song on the album, “Sunday, Bloody Sunday,” which is a lament about a horribly violent day in Ireland. The album ends in thanksgiving but includes an awareness of continuing pain and suffering.

Looking at this rendition of Psalm 40, we can conclude the song holds true to the psalm because it's a song of thanksgiving that recognizes the ongoing troubles in the world along with its desperate need for salvation. (To a great extent I relied upon a commentary written by Jerome Creach for this opening interpretation of our text.)

Sometimes when people are experiencing ongoing troubles in their workplace they quit and find a job elsewhere. They do this because they see it as a way to salvation with a release of stress and other emotional challenges they've been having to contend with. For many the new position starts out well but soon they're experiencing the very same problems they were in the previous position.

These problems can include poor communication between them and their boss and possibly other employees, or they're not getting the recognition they feel they deserve and they begin to lose motivation and interest. Because these problems were present in their former position it becomes apparent that the source of their problems is not their jobs but resides within them.

I say “becomes apparent” yet ironically not to the employee whose actually experiencing them. This is because there's a human tendency to blame others for the hardships and suffering we all endure. The Apostle Paul puts it like this: Therefore, you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. (Romans 2:1)

A quick example that comes to mind occurred Wednesday when I walked Oreo to the college. On our way we encountered a large pile of dog poop on the sidewalk that someone had left apparently for some other more thoughtful person to pick up. So, this made two doggie pick-up bags I had to carry to the waste receptacle at the college.

We continued our walk and about one half block further down the street I encounter yet another pile of poop and even larger than the previous one! I didn't pick that one up and though I could let the first pile pass without judgment the second one elicited the full range of negative emotions. Feeling both frustrated and annoyed I wondered how anyone could be so inconsiderate. But then, as my habit is when I find myself upset about something someone else has done I became reflective and pondered the origin of my own feelings about the indiscriminate piles of dog waste.

And then it came to me, like a gift from heaven, that before I met Karen I too left piles of dog waste whenever I took Omar, my first dog, out for a walk. I did this frequently and thought nothing about it because no one had ever shown me differently. I didn't think of the practice as being inconsiderate or thoughtless or anything at all.

This illustrates, in a two-fold manner, why enlightenment is so hard to reach because if no one has told you something is wrong you're not going to see it as sin. To compound the problem even if you're capable of identifying the behavior as sin you're apt to place blame upon someone else. Why? Because, before enlightenment, that's what people do. It's very, very difficult to wake up!

But with God all things are possible and with prayer, study and ceaseless acts of compassion over many years you may wake up and realize as the comic strip “Pogo” famously described: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” In regard to passing judgment upon others the great opportunity here comes in the form of forgiveness. Instead of being angry at the negligence of the dog owner, by grace, I was able to recognize my own similar sinful behavior.

That's the first step to forgiveness because the anger and frustration I felt about the dog owners behavior isn't about him or her – it's about me and the way I punish myself for sins that have not been redeemed. It's I that needs the forgiveness Jesus gave his executioners from the cross when he said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

This story about the opportunity to forgive oneself due to the negligence of another and how it relates to our own crimes and misdemeanors is helpful from a spiritual standpoint, but there are far more hurtful human behaviors than leaving dog waste on the sidewalk. The following story illustrates one such behavior:

In a predominately black church in the deep south there had been recently constructed a building to hold Sunday school classes and a prominent white minister in the denomination was invited to attend the celebration. They wanted him to be a part of things because of his notoriety and long-standing commitment to Christian education.

After worship the pastor invited the congregation to go outside and form a circle around the new building. This was a large, well established church in New Orleans so they had no problem gathering enough people together to form a circle. There were a few other white people in the circle, but not many, and the visiting white minister found himself standing next to a little girl of maybe seven of eight years.

The pastor of the church asked everyone to take the hands of the people next to them and so the white minister did so. Upon grasping the little girls hand she looked up at him and said, “Are you a nice man?” The minister replied, “Yes, I think so.” When the acknowledgments of thanksgiving were over the father of the little girl approached the white minister and apologized for his daughters uncomfortable question.

The white minister told him that he wasn't personally offended but was curious as to why she might think he wasn't a nice man. The father explained that at work he often had trouble with some of his fellow employees and unfortunately, he would bring his frustration and anger home with him. As young children often rely on their parents' emotional cues and can absorb even hidden feelings, so her question revealed what she'd been picking up from her father.

The father is on the road to redemption in that he's acknowledging his own sin which is unfortunately being reflected in his daughter. In this case, the sins of the father are being visited upon the daughter. Never-the-less his daughter will have to come to terms with it and hopefully she encounters many kind and thoughtful white people in her life.

If you will recall the last verse of our text it is about mercy, love and faithfulness and and in that respect we can easily include forgiveness, but to consider the text as a whole the overall message is about waiting on God to receive these wonderful gifts. The psalm is about waiting patiently for God because he cares about his children. Furthermore, deliverance from hatred, anger and an unforgiving heart is on the way. It will come from God as a sheer gift.

Rev. Mitch Becker

January 18, 2026

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Unforced Rhythms of Grace”

Isaiah 42:1-9

In our text the “servant” is sometimes interpreted as the nation of Israel itself, but since the Gospel selection for this week is Jesus's baptism, we'll favor the alternative interpretation that the servant is Jesus.

God is presented here as the creator of everything that exists and when God contemplates the chosen servant it is with great affection. God places the Spirit upon him and essentially holds the servants hand watching over him. To be sure, God also chooses entire nations like Assyria and Babylon to do his will, but there is an abiding affection toward the chosen servant.

The servant is to bring forth justice not only for Israel but for the entire world and he will not be defeated until this is accomplished. In this respect, the servant will not only reaffirm the covenant with God's people, but will also bring justice to all the nations. Ultimately, the ways of justice will be something that has not been previously seen. The reception of these new ways of justice will be comparable to the cries of joy expressed after God's people were freed from bondage in Egypt. The servant will be a kind of choir leader for these songs of joy.

Also of note is that the servant will not in any way force justice upon people. As the text points out he will “not cry or lift up his voice” or in any manner try to impose his agenda. What is envisioned is because the nations will desire justice so earnestly they'll come of their own free will to listen intently to instruction. The chosen servant is gentle as described in the gospel:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29)

The servant will attend to the needs of the poor and to those being abused and will not be discouraged in fulfilling his mission. And this is in no way a passive mission but if intervention is necessary that will also happen bringing the marginalized out of darkness into the light.

We may feel comforted in the knowledge that the servant isn't going to force his agenda on us and further that he's described as being “gentle and lowly in heart.” One of my favorite ways this aspect of the servant is presented is in The Message Bible where the servant comes to teach us the “unforced rhythms of grace.” More on that later.

Problems can arise if we limit Jesus to this rather benign characterization of him because considering the gospel as a whole it doesn't pan out. Jesus also had a sharp edge to him that becomes apparent when he does things like confronts the religious leaders labeling them as “hypocrites” or a “brood of vipers.” Further complicating things are teachings like “I've not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Perhaps most telling is when his family considers that he might be “out of his mind.”

At this point we have to consider a wider context for the servant and begin to see him as far more progressive and revolutionary than we're comfortable with. Lets let theologian Obery (O-burr-ree) Hendricks Jr. jump in here and flesh this out a bit:

I was raised on the bland Jesus of Sunday school and of my mother's gentle retellings, the meek, mild Jesus who told us, in a nice, passive, sentimental way, to love our enemies, and who assured us we need not worry about our troubles, just bring them to him. He was a gentle, serene, nonthreatening Jesus whose only concern was getting believers into heaven, and whose only “transgression” was to claim sonship with God...

I have been blessed to experience the adoration and worship of Jesus in every aspect of his person and grandeur...except one: Jesus the political revolutionary, the Jesus who is as concerned about liberating us from the kingdoms of earth as about getting us into the kingdom of heaven. Yet the Gospels tell us that is who Jesus is, too. And what he was crucified for. This is the Jesus who called me back to church – the revolutionary Jesus.

Before we go any further lets unpack this notion of Jesus being a political revolutionary. By political I don't mean he was interested in organizing “No King's” protests back in Galilee or that he was engrossed in power plays or partisanship (par-tuh-sun-ship) like we see in modern politics. And it certainly doesn't mean that he was in any way interested in overthrowing the Roman Empire by means if force.

What I mean by “political revolutionary” is he saw that change needed to happen in a comprehensive manner not only within the hearts of individuals. Jesus wasn't just the Savior of “me” even though many of the hymns we sing point us in that direction. We have to be very careful here because Jesus is the Savior of the entire world. We just reviewed that fact with the celebration of Epiphany and the appearance of the Gentile Wise Men from the East.

Let's return to Mr. Hendricks for a moment and see how he describes the intentions of a Savior for the world:

“But (he) also demanded sweeping and comprehensive change in the political, social, and economic structures in his setting in life: colonized Israel. It means that if Jesus had his way, the Roman Empire and it's ruling elites among his own people either would have no longer have held their positions of power, or if they did, would have had to conduct themselves very, very differently....It means that Jesus had a clear vision of the healthy world that God intended and that he addressed any issue – social, economic, or political – that violated that vision.

When I take time for a meditative sit, I am not seeking the revolutionary Jesus. What I'm hoping to encounter is the teacher of the unforced rhythms of grace that I might dwell in that alternative world of nurture, reassurance and empowerment. It doesn't always happen but even failing in this regard is success. Because desiring God is an important aspect of loving God even if that love isn't fully requited.

But when we as a community of faith give swim passes to Lincoln High or provide a facility for people struggling in recovery or even when we have the cross painted or display the Bethlehem star in a window at Christmastime, we are affecting society. We are promoting change in a manner God intends for the world to be changed.

Can you imagine the impact upon society that's being made by assisting over a hundred drug addicts to stay clean and sober. People who were previously a drain on societies resources become a contributor to the greater good. The effect is enormous and spreads through the society like waves in a calm pond after a rock impacts the surface.

The unforced rhythms of grace move through the society from one person to the next in a way that seems to have no ending. In this conflicted, struggling culture we're now living in these waves of grace counter the uncertain and sometimes frightening events we see happening around us. This is how we stand up to the darkness by being open to the Spirit and allowing it to flow through us and out into the world.

In the end the unforced rhythms of grace enjoyed during quiet prayer, or in any other context their encountered, translate to revolutionary energy that transforms the world in a way God intends. This is how we become instruments of goodness and grace.

Rev. Mitch Becker

January 11, 2026

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Flights of Refuge”

Matthew 2:13-23

 Our text displays a tension between Herod's evil intentions, and the guidance granted the holy family by God's angels. Joseph's first dream directs them to Egypt effectively avoiding the execution of their newborn babe. To take flight to Egypt was ironic in itself since Egypt was historically a place of oppression for God's people. Yet Egypt provides refuge for Israel's Messiah!

Later the angel tells Joseph to take his family first to Israel, but he then receives another dream telling him to avoid Israel because of the new king Archelaus (Ark-kuh-lay-us). The final dream instructs them to go to the obscure village of Nazareth in Galilee.

In this story we see clear parallels between the holy family's flights of refuge and the stories of the Exodus. Moses was sent to save the Israelite's, whereas Jesus is God's instrument of salvation not only for the Israelite's but for the entire world! It's interesting to note that even as a baby Jesus faced rejection and is rescued. He was a saved Savior, a delivered Deliverer. (taken from a commentary by Diane Chen)

The parallels with the Exodus don't end there since Moses could have been killed due to Pharaoh's persecution in the form of an edict to eliminate all male Hebrew infants. Jesus narrowly missed the same fate in avoiding Herod's order to kill all the first-born males in Bethlehem under the age of two.

Joseph demonstrates for God's people what they must do in order to be saved which essentially is to follow God's instruction to a T. Joseph does exactly what God tells him to do by taking the child and his mother to Egypt and to “wait there for further instructions.” And when told to return to Israel his actions match the instructions word for word. In this way the holy family avoided the threats posed by both Herod and his son Archelaus.

We can see in these flights of refuge that Joseph in his humility is willing to trust God's direction while putting his own fears on the back burner. This is a faithful example what we must do to stay on the path to salvation.

There was a wonderful example of someone humbly following God's guidance in the devotion for Christmas Eve written by Caroline Hamilton-Arnold:

“Mommmmm, you skipped, 'the shepherds trembled,'” my toddler groggily corrected me. Assuming him asleep, I skipped part of the final lullaby, “Go, Tell It On the Mountain.”

In our eagerness to make it to the celebration of Christmas, the long-awaited birth of Jesus, we have a tendency to speed right through the trembling shepherds. Angels were declaring God's glory and message of peace and favor, the good news that God's very self was born into this world, and their audience was shaking in its sandals. Once the nerves settled, though, they went to see the Christ child, and they were amazed.

The line between amazed and terrified is pretty thin. Especially when it comes to living into a new thing God is doing with us and through us, amazed and terrified usually go hand in hand.

A Week of Compassion delegation was visiting Indonesia to see sustainable development efforts addressing child malnutrition. One member of the delegation, who had hardly traveled out of his home state of Georgia prior to this, remarked that because he had shown up to this other side of the world trip despite his fear, he glimpsed the presence of Christ, born again in a community garden on the side of a remote mountain in West Timor (Tee-more).

The gentleman got a glimpse of Christ because he trusted God and faced his fears making the trip to West Timor. Joseph was able to save his family from the evil intent of kings because he trusted in God's guidance not on one occasion but on several. Both of them ended up where God wanted them to be.

Probably only a few of you watch the reels on Facebook or on other venues the internet offers. Now-a-days artificial intelligence creates many of these short videos. A recent one had huge herds of some type of animal crossing over a freeway stopping all the cars. Another one had a lion rescuing a lamb from a flooding river. Pretty amazing and absolutely fake.

How do I know it's fake? Because lions eat lambs, they don't save them from flooding rivers though we might wish it were true. However, what is true is the place in our hearts that is touched when we see such an act of compassion. We are moved by what we witness and are encouraged to do something of the same thing. Compassion is contagious.

Faith can be contagious too and that's why God has gifted us with these stories in the Bible. They're meant to inspire and encourage us to do something of the same thing Joseph did. He trusted God and was led to refuge and finally to their home in Nazareth. God took care of them because Joseph paid attention and did what he was told.

The devotion telling of the gentleman who goes to West Timor with a Week of Compassion delegation also trusts God. What results from his act of faith is a religious experience. We don't know if it's a vision of the Christ or an act of Christ like compassion all we're told is he gets a glimpse of the presence of Christ.

The point of this story is also to move us – to move us closer to God. It's unfortunate that often what requires us to move is some type of persecution or fearfulness or at least we have to face our fears and go through them the way the man in the devotion did.

I wish it were easier but its not and these stories of persecution and fearfulness populate the entire Bible and much of our religious literature. But there is more because we're not alone in our journey to God. And that's what makes this Christmas story so special and so unique and so treasured by so many.

The message is Emmanuel meaning “God with us.” God came down from heaven to dwell with his children. We can now be the faithful, compassionate people God Calls us to be. We can be like God. What's called for is to be as humble as Joseph and as fearless as the man in the devotion. Sounds like a tall order. Thankfully, God is with us now so we're not alone.

Rev. Mitch Becker

December 28, 2025

Port Angeles

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