Sermons

First Christian Church

“Dog Days of Summer”

Matthew 15:21-28

Jesus has left Israel and ventured into Syria specifically to Tyre (Tire) and Sidon (Sigh-dun) where he meets a one-woman welcoming committee. She's a Canaanite which historically are the people the Jews emerged from but culturally they're ethnic and religious rivals. She tells Jesus that her daughter is possessed by a demon which was a common occurrence for Jesus as he healed many possessed people.

What is of interest is she refers to Jesus as “Lord, Son of David.” That title identifies him as the Messiah of Israel and the rightful king of the kingdom. We might expect this type of recognition from another Jew but to come from a Gentile indicates the influence of the Holy Spirit.

There is no reason to think that Jesus doesn't hear her request, so we may be surprised it was met with a deafening silence. This type of response was not uncommon for women in ancient times who were often ignored by men. Sadly, this behavior continues into modern times as explained in the following commentary by Mitzi Smith:

Anyone with a pressing need knows how horrible it feels to have a dire or significant request for help or information met with dead silence. Women's words are too often met with silence or are interrupted or disrespected, by men and sometimes by other women. Those times in my life when I asked for information or help and received nothing but silence, I would have preferred a curt: “Hell, no.”

This may explain her persistence that's apparent because the disciples say, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.” Then comes one of the most shocking comments ever recorded in the gospels when Jesus says out loud that he was only sent for the Jews! Once again, the Canaanite woman calls Jesus, “Lord” and repeats her original request which is a similar plea and then Jesus doubles-down with yet another shocking comment: “It's not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.”

In antiquity Greeks and other Gentiles were known to feed their dogs under the table. This was not the case in Jewish culture, so the Canaanite woman may be referring to a common practice that she's aware of where the dogs and children could be fed at the same time. Still, Jesus' response is harsh any way we look at it.

After she relates this common practice, and with recognition of her persistence, Jesus gives in and her daughter is healed in that instant! It all ends with Jesus saying, “O woman, great is your faith!” That statement ending with an exclamation point. It is the woman's faith that heals her daughter.

Coming to work the morning I wrote this sermon I witnessed something upsetting. On the Morris Creek corner someone in a very large pickup truck was standing along side it and immediately behind it was another pickup truck with a women standing beside it. In between the two trucks was a good sized deer on the ground, sitting up watching cars go by. It was apparent the deer couldn't move obviously having been struck by the pickup truck.

It was a troubling scene which I had a hard time putting out of my mind and I had to wonder what would happen to the poor deer immobilized on the side of the highway. The association that's easy to make with our text is it was situations not unlike this that Jesus frequently walked into bringing healing, relief, and the miraculous presence of God. Without question, Jesus could walk up to that deer and through the power and grace of God make it stand again.

Such miraculous healing is difficult for us to believe and especially in a time of scientific fact and the miraculous achievements of technology which we often take for granted. Yet, throughout the recorded history of the Bible miraculous healing by the power and grace of God is a reoccurring phenomenon. Jesus takes it to the next level as it becomes one of the defining activities of his ministry. He even raises people from the dead!

But it takes faith to embrace what is happening and that is exactly what Jesus emphasizes at the end of the parable. He doesn't point to is own ability to heal, rather he says, in contemporary language: “Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!”

One way to define faith is to see it as the ability to stay in touch with God's love. To put that in a more succinct way is to say that faith means both empathy and presence. Empathy comes from keeping an open heart to the world around you, and presence means to be in direct contact with that world. To be immersed in faith means to be practicing both empathy and presence.

When I saw that poor doe looking all around her frightened and without the ability to get up and move I felt her pain. I felt her pain as if it was I out there on the highway and I wanted to help her but there was nothing to do. So I prayed that she would find help and that God would direct the people who were involved. Then I did the one thing that I could do in the moment and that was to reach over and pet Oreo.

Oreo was in the front passenger seat and though I often pet her going into work on this morning I just kept doing it. I couldn't help the doe, but I could show Oreo I loved her because she was right there beside me.

It was the empathy I felt for the doe along with the ability to be present to her situation that led to reaching out with love to Oreo. Faith involves both empathy and presence and both of those things are learned behaviors. Jesus set the standard for us two thousand years ago but it still has to be learned through prayer and practice.

Not too long ago Elon Musk said: “The fundamental weakness of Western Civilization is empathy.” Elon Musk is an influential person because he's rich and is a towering example of what is arguably a core value in our culture – the value of success. For such a influential person to make a statement of that nature is a problem.

It's a problem because by extension if Elon Musk drove by that crippled doe along side the highway for all intents and purposes he wouldn't see it. Oh, he might see it with his eyes but his heart would remain closed and cold. It would not cause him to reach out to the dog beside him because there probably wouldn't be a dog to reach out to.

As Christians this is not a problem for us because we're people that practice empathy and the Lord has shown us what that means. We also practice presence and the class that's meeting every other Thursday is taking that to the next level. Empathy and presence equal faith because they both help to keep us in touch with the love of God.

Now, let me say in all honesty, that I think most people would feel badly for that doe on the side of the highway. Elon Musk is influential but all of us have suffered and have felt like that doe at times. To see that kind of a situation automatically triggers empathy along with remembrances of similar dire situations.

What makes the difference is do we embrace the feelings and reach out to the dog beside us, or the family member who needs a thoughtful touch, or the friend feeling down and disappointed? Or do we simply ignore the pain in our heart and refocus on the relentless neediness of the ego?

If we embrace the pain within and allow it to direct our thoughts and actions, then we're following in the footsteps of our Lord. This is how he has shown us to live and each of us has to decide everyday what we're going to do. Are we going to be faithful or are we going to retreat into the illusions of the False self. Some things depend on us.

Rev. Mitch Becker

August 16, 2026

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Why Are We Here?”

1 Kings 19:9-18

Last Sunday we began with Esau in pursuit of Jacob, and today it's Queen Jezebel in pursuit of Elijah. It is with great fear of the queens wrath Elijah finds himself walking the ancient path already tread by Moses. The path takes him to Mount Horeb (Hore-rub) and God tells him to ascend the mountain in the same way Moses did some five centuries before him.

But unlike Moses who encounters God face to face Elijah finds a cave to hide in. It is here that God asks him the question: “Why are you here, Elijah?” Elijah, in defensive posture tells God that he's there because he's been confronting the people about their disobedience and consequently they're out to kill him.

God tells Elijah to come out of the cave and here the Lord passes by and following this are three cataclysmic natural events. The first amounts to hurricane force winds. Then comes an earthquake soon followed by wildfire but the Lord is not in any of these events. Finally, comes the “still small voice” and it repeats the same question God already posed to him: “Why are you here, Elijah?” Elijah repeats his previous explanation that he has confronted the people's disobedience and now they're after him.

It seems what's happening is the Lord is using the frightening natural events to bring Elijah out of his fear of the queen's wrath to respond in an appropriate way to God's directives, and it works! God gives him a new assignment to anoint Haz'ael (Has-i-el), Jehu (Jeh-you), and the prophet Elisha (Eh-lee-shaw) to take his place. It turns out after anointing Elisha it is he that anoints the two kings. Though Elijah only partially follows through with God's directives he does wake up enough to anoint his successor.

The Lord has a number of ways in which to wake us and sometimes we respond and other times we don't. One common way is by helping us to correct poor practices. I used to practice putting my glasses on the arm of the recliner. This proved to be a poor practice particularly when done upon first waking up in the morning.

The other morning, I placed them on the recliners arm and upon sitting down used the arm, as one should, to support myself. I had positioned my hand directly over the glasses resulting in a popped-out lens and bent barrels that attach the arms to the lens frame. What made this particularly frustrating is it was the second time I did it only this time it left the glasses considerably worse off.

I had to go into the Costco Optical Department, again, and ask the nice man behind the counter if he would fix them. Of course, it was the same man as before and he didn't shame me and seemed happy to do the work. Never-the-less, it was embarrassing because I'd made the same mistake twice in a row.

I no longer place my glasses on the arm of the recliner even though it is less convenient than putting them on the table to the right of the recliner. I am determined to not repeat the mistake and certainly don't want to visit Costco Optical Department, though I'm sure the man behind the counter would be gracious. Whereas, I have a hard time being gracious with myself.

God can use such experiences to guide us into right behavior. Consistent prayer, frequent Bible study, and acts of compassion help to keep the door open to behaviors that are nurturing for our minds and spirits. Rather than giving into anger or shame or guilt we are enabled to rise above it all and move forward in what amounts to loving acts toward ourselves.

The Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh (Tick-Not-Hann) put it this way: “Look into yourself and recognize the suffering in yourself. If you recognize, embrace, and transform your suffering and difficulties, then you are loving yourself.” As a recovering alcoholic it took me years to learn to love myself on a consistent basis. As a practicing addict I could love myself for short periods of time, but I'd always fall back into the practice of unhealthy behaviors.

Finally, I learned to stop beating myself up every time I slipped back into addiction. Through prayer, study, ceaseless acts of compassion, and making friends with healthier

people I was eventually able to emerge from addiction and begin to build a life grounded in God and characterized by love of self. Many people think that recovery is simply stopping the substance abuse, but the other half of the equation is building a healthy lifestyle and that takes a lot of work, courage, and faithful action.

The repeated question God poses to Elijah is: “Why are you here.” Elijah responds by explaining his confrontation with the people about their repeated violations of the covenant and their subsequent hostility toward him. Specifically, he's hiding from the wrath of the queen. God attempts to snap him out of his obsessive fear with a sequence of cataclysmic events which seem to have an effect.

But it's the “still small voice” that finally does the trick and even though Elijah simply repeats the previous explanation what follows are God's directives which amount to a brand-new mission for him to achieve. He's successful, in part, because he does anoint his successor, but the successor is the one that goes forward to anoint the two kings.

If we as a congregation, ask ourselves why we're here the response may come in a variety of ways. In part, we're here to support one another with the love of Christ. That in itself is a big job and requires much prayer and faithful caring for one another. In the elders meeting last week, we talked about each and every member of the present congregation exploring ways we might be of assistance and making decisions about reaching out to those on the periphery of the church.

The following story may help us to understand why we're here and how to move forward in our God given mission:

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to cross Antarctica. The mission failed catastrophically when his ship, the Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was eventually crushed, leaving twenty-eight men stranded on the frozen sea with no radio contact and no rescue coming. What followed was one of the most extraordinary feats of sustained endurance in human history.

For nearly two years, Shackleton kept his crew alive – not primarily through superior survival skills, though those mattered. Historians and psychologists who have studied the expedition point to something less tangible. Shackleton relentlessly protected the emotional and psychological morale of the crew. He held routines. He insisted on meals together. He distributed warm clothes to others before himself. He maintained a posture of calm confidence in the outcome even when he privately had no certainty of rescue.

Every single man survived. When asked later how he had kept faith in the mission alive for twenty-two months without visible hope, Shackleton simply said that he had decided the ending before it happened, and that he lived backward from that decision.

For the Christian, we have something Shackleton did not. We do not have to manufacture confidence in the outcome – we have been given it. The resurrection is the ending already decided. We are not people that hope things might turn out well. We are people who already know how the story ends. And we live backward from Easter into every invisible, frozen, faithless-feeling day.

As we look ahead to the future of our church, we don't know exactly what the resurrection will look like. What we know is resurrection awaits us and in each day that passes that vision is enough to sustain us.

Rev. Mitch Becker

August 9, 2026

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“My Friend Charlie”

Genesis 32:22-31

We're picking up where we left off a few weeks ago with Jacob fleeing his brother Esau. Jacob sends his family across the shallow water of the river Jabbok (Jab-bock) and is left alone where he encounters a man who wants to wrestle with him. They wrestle all night but the man doesn't succeed in overcoming Jacob. Then, with what could be discerned as a cheap shot the man puts Jacob's thigh out of joint.

After a long night's struggle the man asks Jacob to let him go and this is the first time we suspect “the man” is God because Jacob demands a blessing. God responds in the form of a name change from Jacob to Israel because he's striven with both God and man and prevailed! After Jacob asks God to identify himself the response amounts to a blessing which is not described in any detail.

The text ends with an important phrase which comes as Jacob limps past the holy place he's just encountered God that translates to: “The sun rose upon him,” indicating Jacob has passed through another liminal encounter to emerge yet again successful. Following is an excerpt from a commentary written by Rachel Wrenn:

“While liminality overwhelms Jacob's night, it is difficult to pinpoint a time in Jacob's life that is not marked by the touch of the liminal. Esau is born first, but Jacob emerges from the womb linked to his brother's body. A man by birth, he lives in the women's tent and cooks, eschewing traditional gender roles. He is the second-born child, but he acquires both his brothers birthright and his brother's blessing. He dreams of a conduit between heaven and earth, and stands beside the Maker of the Universe. He rises to success but in a foreign land. Even his marriages bear the mark of liminality, with one wife beloved and barren, the other unloved but powerful in birth.”

Liminality and liminal experiences are common to all of us. Margaret is in a liminal time of her life in transition between her home in Port Angeles to her new home in Sequim. I've experienced several extended liminal times between calls to ministry in different churches.

During the experience of liminality we're often waiting and hoping for the blessing of newness in the form of new health or a new church to pastor or a new home. Sometimes we're waiting for spiritual renewal with a release from the confines of the ego. Such release can result in the kind of mental and emotional freedom only possible by transcending this world.

Liminal experiences are often accompanied by a time of waiting hopefully for a blessing which may be either major or minor. I've needed a new spring bar for my watch. Following are trip to Saint Michael's Medical Center in Silverdale I stopped in at Charlie's Watch Repair in the Kitsap Mall.

He had opened early and I presented my broken watch to him asking him to fix it. He began to search through several different containers each full of spring bars eventually coming upon the one that fit my watch. Within the next minute it was fixed effectively ending my liminal experience of existence without a watch. The blessing was two-fold because the watch was repaired and I asked Charlie what I owed him and he said, “That's okay, don't worry about it.”

The blessing of having a repaired watch was amplified by an act of grace and though minor in the scheme of things I was touched by it. Sometimes it's the little things that seem to matter most and this act of grace came at a very opportune time. Because our visit to Saint Michael's Medical Center turned out to be a terrible disappointment.

After missing a late evening phone call with no voicemail left and passing through two checkpoints at the hospital and while sitting in the waiting area in view of the doors into the the surgery prep room; a very nice woman came over and asked us if Dr. Jain was Karen's surgeon. Karen replied, “Yes, she is.” “Well, I'm sorry but Dr. Jain is sick.” At that moment it was apparent that the liminal experience of waiting for surgery was indefinitely continued.

Due to this catastrophic failure in communication the surprise act of grace given by Charlie reminded me there was another side to existence and even greater acts of grace are possible. It opened the door to whatever goodness and grace might be in store for us down the road. The following Bible story illustrates Peter's liminal experience on the water with Jesus:

As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.

Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. “A ghost!” they said, crying out in terror. But Jesus was quick to comfort them, “Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid.”

Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come ahead.” But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!” Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you.” (Matthew 14:22-31; The Message Bible)

In the revised standard version Jesus says, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt.” Out on the water Peter is caught up in a liminal experience between the churning waves and the safety of his Master's arms. Peter becomes afraid and that's exactly why this story is in the Bible. We often become afraid in the midst of a liminal experience because we don't know what's coming next.

We don't like not knowing but that's the whole point of faith, isn't it. To be assured God's grace is on the way in the midst of doubt, concern, and even fear. Author and spiritual guide Marianne Williamson puts it this way: “Know that the light is always on the way.” And that's one-half of the equation. The other half is having enough faith to be willing to put ourselves “out on the churning waters,” so to speak.

This becomes especially difficult as we age because the tendency is to become more cautious since aging makes us feel vulnerable. When we were young we recovered relatively quickly to certain hardships, illness, and injury. As we age the churning waters take on a threatening appearance that wasn't there before, so our hesitation to walk on the waters is understandable.

Never-the-less faith depends that we take the risks, though they may be scaled down a bit we still need to get out there where Jesus is. Trying to stay comfortable may feel okay for a while but in the long-term it prohibits spiritual growth and over time your faith can diminish to become more of a head-trip than an actual living experience.

This story about Jacob wrestling with “the man” is a wonderful illustration of faith in action. We're all wrestling with God when we're living out our faith. When the nice lady came over and asked Karen if Dr. Jain was her surgeon I knew immediately what was coming but I didn't feel angry. I was a little hopeful that someone else might do the surgery, but that soon passed.

What I actually did was smiled a bit thinking, “Yep, sometimes the system fails us.” But then came my friend Charlie who reminded me of the possibility of God's grace that becomes available for those willing to walk on the water.

Rev. Mitch Becker

Port Angeles

August 2, 2026 

First Christian Church

“Inseparable”

Romans 8:26-39

When we look at Scripture, we generally think of it in terms of individual salvation. This is because our culture trains us to think primarily in terms of individual concerns, gain and identity. Yet not only is the vast majority of Paul's writings directed toward community, but the vast majority of the Bible is written in such a manner.

Whenever we approach Scripture, and hopefully that's often, we need to remind ourselves that these ancient peoples operated with an entirely different worldview than we do. In our present culture individualism becomes even more pronounced with men who are trained from an early age to equate manhood with an ability to stand alone and succeed without help.

The Apostle offers a note of hope even for us two millennia later and that comes in the form of the Spirit which intercedes for us. If we're humble enough to invite the Spirit into our lives through prayer our consciousness can be increased accordingly. The Spirit moves us out of self-focus by freeing us to become more aware of the world around us. The end result for some is to become: “...proud owners of everything that can't be bought.” (Matthew 5:5b; The Message Bible)

Living at a time of considerable cultural distress and transition we may easily become discouraged and even fearful of the future. For the faithful Paul brings an important word of encouragement that we would do well to allow to reside deep within our souls. The message is God is in charge and bringing all things into right relationship with him.

The two most prominent ways he supports this is by telling the faithful community: “that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” As I said in my sermon last Sunday we are fulfilling our God given mission, therefore we can trust that all is working for good since we indeed love the Lord.

And the text closes with another word of support when he writes: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?....No, in all these things we are more than conquers through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Karen has been harvesting weeds that are growing wild in front of our house. Some of them are taller then the both of us and include thistles and other leafy things I can't identify. The other night I walked down to where she was to observe her work. After a few minutes she said she'd like to quit and asked me if I would cut twenty more weeds. At first, I refused with the excuse I was in my pajama bottoms, but on second thought I decided to lend assistance.

I went into the house and changed into my work pants and got started on the weeds. After cutting and loading them into the wheelbarrow I continued by grabbing hold of an immense plant with the clippers and pulled up hard. To my chagrin the clippers lost their hold and the handle flew up and caught me in the lip accompanied with a sharp pain that told me some damage had occurred. Later, looking at it in the mirror I discovered I'd cut both my inner and outer lip.

At the moment of impact and before any degree of pain had occurred my conscious focus became fixed upon that area of my face. The pain that soon followed revealed the extent of the injury and at first I felt angry soon to be followed by depression. Soon after depression followed an attempt to blame something or someone for what had happened.

I thought of blaming Karen for asking me to harvest weeds and I thought of the weeds themselves being so enormous and difficult to cut and I even wanted to blame the clippers for not being sharp enough! At this point you might recognize what is happening is I'm quickly going through the stages of grief which can be attributed to a sudden loss of health.

It begins with shock as the clipper handle impacts my lip soon followed by anger. Next comes the attempts at blaming which is an aspect of the bargaining stage followed by depression and finally a letting go of all of it to accept the reality of what has happened. We go through the stages of grief not only due to major losses but also because of minor ones.

A problem that can arise during the grief process whether due to a minor or major loss is it's so intensive that we often lose touch with God. That's why it's important to keep moving through the process so we can reconnect at the acceptance stage. When that happens grief becomes an ally and a powerful tool that assists in spiritual growth. When we get stuck in one stage or another it has the opposite effect. Unfortunately, a lot of people get stuck sometimes in addiction, or denial, of fearfulness. Whatever the case we've got to keep moving forward!

The community in Rome Paul is writing too undoubtedly had to deal with grief because its such a common human experience. But they were also dealing with a host of troubling issues including maybe first and foremost ethnic division. The Gentiles were looking down on the Jews and visa versa. They were caught up in arguments about dietary laws and living in the capital of the Roman Empire they were fearful of the authorities.

They were coping with all of this and more and Paul's counsel to them differs with each individual issue, but our text gives us a pervasive remedy which amounts to never fear God loves you and is ultimately in charge. It's important to be reminded that God's in charge especially if you're dealing with the authorities; or that God loves you when people are being haughty with each other as the Jews and Gentiles were doing.

Paul supports his theological thesis reassuring them in this way (using contemporary language:) “That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good” and “I'm absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.”

The following comes from a commentary on the website “Scripture Savvy” written by Jamie Wilson:

Paul's list of opposites in this verse serves as a vivid contrast to emphasize the strength of God's love. For instance, by mentioning “death” and “life,” he signifies that no matter what state we find ourselves in, God's love is always present....The phrase “the present nor the future” points to time itself, conveying that no situation we currently face or will face can alter our relationship with God.

God's ability to love is not limited by how we perceive our circumstances. This verse challenges us to recognize that the adversaries and transitions in our life do not determine God's love; however, they can help strengthen our faith. Paul encourages us to seek a deeper understanding of God's love, allowing it to inspire, motivate, and guide us through challenges. This sense of assurance empowers us to confront our fears and difficulties with a strong heart and unshakable faith.

Rev. Mitch Becker

July 26, 2026

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Angels Ascending”

Genesis 28:10-19a

The visually stunning highlight of this story is the ladder extending to heaven with the angels going to and fro on it. It's one of the most widely known stories of the Bible but few have much knowledge regarding the theological content. Being people of “The Book” lets delve into that now.

Jacob is running from his brother Esau (Ee-saw) because he has stolen Esau's birthright. He's on the lamb not from the authorities but from his brothers anger as he intends to kill him. Jacob's route is to backtrack on his father Abraham's journey to Canaan going all the way to Mesopotamia! It is his mother Rebekah who initially instructed Jacob to deceive his brother and she now tells him to run from Esau.

Rebekah loves her son and hopes he'll only be gone for a short while, but it turns out he's gone for twenty years and sadly never sees his mother again. This all gives us a bit of background to what's happening, but the text is really about Jacob's encounter with God out in the desert. Jacob is at his most vulnerable moment when God appears.

God identifies himself as the God of both his grandfather and father and then gives him the same promise he made to his relatives. That being: “Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you.” What this promise amounts to is comprehensive protection for his journey both going and coming back.

Jacobs initial reaction is to consider the place God appears as holy. He says: “This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” He names the place Beth-El meaning God's House. Jacob being the ever clever one attempts to make a bargain with God. The bargain amounts to telling God if he'll take care of him than in exchange he'll be faithful. Jacob can't just accept God's graciousness but has to include this condition. He can't imagine getting something for nothing, so he bargains and wrestles with God in the same way he does with everyone in his life!

Though the story is really about God's faithfulness it's interesting to note that this faithfulness does eventually have an effect on Jacob. Upon his return from Mesopotamia some twenty years later he finally acknowledges his own unworthiness as opposed to God's faithfulness. God's unfailing care and generosity makes Jacob a wealthy man with an accumulation of livestock, servants, camels and donkeys. God fulfills all his promises to Jacob and because of it he is transformed from an immature youth to the founder of a nation.

We could approach this story by taking a closer look at Jacob's crimes and misdemeanors and how his wily ways get him into trouble. But the focus of the story is upon God's promises which he keeps. The story depicts an unconditional grace that God gives Jacob not for meritorious behavior but because it's within God's character to be generous.

Jacob deserves none of this grace, yet it is poured out upon him in the form of steadfast protection and eventually prosperity. Though it's not in our text the prosperity seems to finally breakthrough Jacob's devious ways to reveal a deeply entrenched sense of unworthiness. Jacob prays: “God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, God who told me, 'Go back to your parents homeland and I'll treat you well.' I don't deserve all the love and loyalty you've shown me. When I left here and crossed the Jordan, I only had the clothes on my back and now look at me – two camps!” (Genesis 32:9-10; The Message Bible)

The phrase “two camps” refers to how large his family and overall possessions have become including livestock. He formed “two camps” (or caravans) so if Esau catches up to them he'll only be able to attack one camp. There were also an army of angels which he encountered upon leaving Laban's house and their spiritual presence may also be included in this description of “two camps.”

God's faithfulness to Jacob is so freely given without any prior requirements that it becomes difficult for us to accept. We too, like Jacob, have a hard time believing we can get something for nothing but that seems to be of God's nature. One way that God's faithfulness has been revealed to us is in the gift of the Holy Spirit that couldn't come until Jesus ascended to heaven. Following Father Rohr expands on this unmerited gift:

Consciousness, the soul, love, the Holy Spirit, on both the individual and shared levels, have sadly become largely unconscious! No wonder some call the Holy Spirit the “missing person” of the Blessed Trinity. No wonder we try to fill this radical disconnectedness through various addictions.

There is an inner reminder, an inner rememberer, who holds together all the (diverse) and fragmented parts of our lives, fills in all the gaps, owns all the mistakes, forgives all the failures, and loves us into an ever-deeper life. This is the job description of the Holy Spirit, who is the spring that wells up within us – and unto eternal time...(it is) the very presence and consolation of God within us.

You must contact this Immensity! You must look back at your life from the place of this Immensity. You must know that this Immensity is already within you. The only thing separating you from such Immensity is the ego's unwillingness to trust such an utterly free grace, such a completely unmerited gift.

Losing touch of the Holy Spirit, or never experiencing it's presence in the first place, can result in the pursuit of addictive behaviors as an attempt to fill the emptiness. C.S Lewis in his book “Mere Christianity” talks about this emptiness as “a desire that no earthly experience can satisfy.” Therefore, we must seek an experience that is “out of this world” so to speak. The Holy Spirit is a gift that came direct from heaven and is the “out of this world” experience we need.

If this remedy isn't sought after through prayer, the Scriptures and faithful fellowship then the emptiness will prevail and one consequence is a pervasive loneliness as described in the following:

In 2023, the United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek (Fee-vek) Murthy (More-thee), issued a formal advisory declaring loneliness a public health epidemic. The report found that approximately half of American adults report measurable levels of loneliness, and the social disconnection carries health risks comparable to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. Let that sink in for a moment – fifteen cigarettes a day.

The advisory noted that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans had been spending significant less time in community – fewer meals with family, fewer meaningful friendships, fewer hours in civic and religious gatherings. We are, statistically speaking, a society that has lost its roots in one another.

Now, the church is not primarily a social club or a wellness program. But it is worth noting that the very things the Surgeon General is now prescribing – consistent community, belonging, shared purpose, face-to-face presence – are the things the Body of Christ has practiced for two thousand years.

Rooted people are connected people. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 3 that we are to be rooted and grounded in love – and that this rootedness happens together, with all the saints. You cannot grow deep in isolation. The vine produces fruit through branches that stay connected. What this data is telling us about human health; Scripture has been telling us about the soul for millennia. Belonging to Christ means belonging to each other.

From a strictly spiritual perspective it is the Holy Spirit that fills the gaps and binds us together grounding us in the love of God.

Rev. Mitch Becker

July 19, 2026

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Good Soil”

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

The parable focuses on the Sower but let's begin with the soil the seed is planted in; and if we're talking about soil then we're really talking about us because we're the ones that hear about the kingdom of God.

Soil is conditioned by the environment which surrounds it. Some soil sees a lot of impacting by animals and people walking on it and vehicles driving over it. This soil becomes hard and packed and will not receive a seed well if at all. There are people that get walked on a lot sometimes because they allow it to happen and other times because they're subjected to abuse or possibly both.

Rocky soil Jesus describes as people that can't stay with the program. When the going gets tough they find a way out. Soil that is filled with thorns can be understood as people who have too much going on. There is no room to plant seed because all available soil is tied up with other concerns.

Good soil takes years to develop. It has to be worked, fed, and nurtured over time. God's creation can produce good soil as leaves fall and blend into the ground, and good soil can also result from a gardeners care who tends to it in the same conscientious way they tend to the plants.

The parable is usually described in terms of the Sower who scatters seed and in the Old Testament it's Yahweh that does the sowing. In the gospel it's Jesus who's sowing the kingdom of God, and eventually it will be his disciples doing the work.

Exploring the kingdom of God a bit it can be contrasted to the kingdoms of the world and in particular the Roman Empire. Those that embrace the kingdom of God can expect resistance from the kingdoms of the world. It also is clear that the kingdom of God is not a place but more so a state of being which is closely tied to trusting the message of Jesus. This kingdom is associated with the poor in spirit and persecution and therefore is governed by humility.

And a thought that doesn't come with the text but is worth mentioning is that seed which lands on hard or rocky soil does stand less of a chance of taking root and thriving but sometimes seed grows anyway.

Karen and I saw a tree growing out of a tree trunk of a fully mature tree on our walk Saturday morning. Sometimes flowers grow from between slabs of concrete and trees can seemingly grow from solid rock in higher elevations. These tenacious plants and trees offer hope that the kingdom of God may find a way to grow even on days when we feel beaten down or overcome by thorns or when being tossed across the rocks.

The soil that our log home sits on and surrounds our home is a dense, nutrient rich clay that makes for a solid foundation to rest on, but it's not so good for sowing seed. The primary problems are the soil is so dense that it's hard for roots to grow and it restricts air circulation. We cheat and buy bags of potting soil from Home Depot and mix it in with the clay.

As you're going to see if you attend the Bar-B-Q today that most of the plants, flowers, shrubs and arborvitae are healthy, but what you don't know is many of them simply don't grow much or grow very slowly. Ironically, this description of our plants can also serve as a description of our church.

Like our plants this is a healthy church! We like each other and in the nearly six years Karen and I have been here I've never felt the integrity of the church seriously threatened. The best way to describe the church is it has all the components of a happy home governed by love. Yet, we don't increase in numbers even though this congregation opens up like a flower whenever someone visits.

The hospitality this church demonstrates is unmatched by any of my previous churches. It brings to mind the way Peter broke through the limitations the early church leaders in Jerusalem had imposed upon the church. Peter's boldness came as a result of a vision he had of four-footed animals, reptiles and birds coming down from heaven enfolded in one large sheet. He interpreted the vision as God telling him he could eat anything in direct violation of Jewish dietary laws. Following is a meditation by Episcopalian priest and author Barbara Brown Taylor:

Peter got in big trouble for it too. When he arrived back in Jerusalem, his Jewish brothers jumped all over him...From their perspective, Peter had sold out. He had crossed over the dividing line between God's people and other people. He had disobeyed the law, which was not negotiable, which was the one thing that made them who they were.

As gently as he could, Peter told them what had happened to him, how God had taken that one thing (the Jewish dietary law) away from him, but had given him something else instead –

a vision that included all creatures, all people, whom God alone had the right to call clean or unclean. He had not sold out.... “If God gave them the same gift that (God) gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Peter said, “who was I that I could hinder God?” When he said that everyone got very quiet. Then they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

How often, in the church, do we try to say where the Spirit may or may not blow, when the only thing God has asked us to do is to try to keep up with it wherever it goes?

I believe this church is “keeping up with the Spirit” because I see the evidence everyday. I see it with the outside of the church looking better then it ever has with the lawn trimmed and flower pots under the windows. I see it in Narcotics Anonymous meetings every evening of the week, and with people coming and going, and in frequent requests and communication online.

I see it in a by-weekly class on centering prayer and in the way someone always comes forward when a need arises and in our faithful Basic Mission Finance giving at Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Thanksgiving, and to Week of Compassion and Reconciliation offering. Most of all I see it in the love we share between one another that results in a quiet contentment and a generosity that meets every need. Like Peter's vision we seem to understand that anyone and everyone is welcome here and that type of hospitality comes from the Spirit.

Before the day is over many of us will be gathering at our home for fellowship and to share in a meal. That too is indication of the Spirit blowing through our church.

In gathering and hospitality offered to anyone, and in caring for our church, and looking deeper into our souls, and providing a home for those struggling with addiction, in generosity, and most importantly in acting as a family governed by love we are sowing the seed of the kingdom of God. That is our primary mission and we are fulfilling it.

The kingdom of God isn't a place. It's a different way of looking at the world and it comes from the inside out. The seed is sown in the human heart and from there it grows and that's the growth that matters most because everything good and God comes from there.

Rev. Mitch Becker

June 12, 2026

Port Angeles

First Christian Church

“Thirsty Camels”

Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67

This is a wonderful story which includes drama, intrigue and humor and can also be considered a love story. It begins with a remarkably faithful servant of Abraham's who is commissioned to go to Abraham's former home and find a wife for his son Isaac. His former home happens to be in Mesopotamia which is a considerable distance from Canaan.

After arriving there he goes to a well and prays that God will bring a wife for Isaac to him. His prayer is quite specific concerning the potential wife including that she'll offer not only him water but the camels as well. He no sooner finishes the prayer, and Rebekah appears immediately responding to his request for water for both him and the camels.

The humorous side to Rebekah's generous response is that a camel can drink twenty to thirty gallons of water at a time and there are ten camels! Water jars at that time could hold between three and five gallons, so we're talking about going to the well to draw water maybe sixty to seventy times. Not only is Rebekah generous and courageous but also amazingly strong!

The servant has no doubt that Rebekah has been sent by God to fulfill the role of wife for Isaac. He praises and thanks God and then seeks out her nearest relatives which turn out to be Laban (Lay-ban) and Bethuel (Beth-youl). Laban was Rebekah's brother and Bethuel her father and the nephew of Abraham making Rebekah part of Abraham's family line. This further convinces the servant he's got the right gal!

Her relatives acknowledge God's involvement and tell him to take her to become Isaac's wife, but they also go to Rebekah for her consent which is good to see in the story. Because up onto this point there is much in our present culture we would find objectionable including there is no initial consent on Rebekah's part only a sign from God. The marriage is negotiated entirely between the servant and her relatives, and there's much emphasis on bridal gifts that make it feel like a financial transaction has taken place. Seeking Rebekah's consent acknowledges her own self-worth within the entire story.

She mounts her camel and is accompanied by her maids as they follow the servant to the Negeb (Neg-geb) where Isaac lives. This is where another humorous element enters the story as it tells us upon Rebekah's sighting of Issac some translations read: “...and she fell off her camel.” Presumably, awestruck by the sight of her potential mate.

He marries her and loves her and is consequently comforted in the midst of his grief over his mother's death. Though his mother, Sarah, died when he was only three years old the story ends by acknowledging the comfort Rebekah brings in the midst of the prolonged grief he's had to endure.

It's a great story that's complicated as we humans are, but let's focus on the prayer dimension of the story. As a whole there are three aspects about prayer beginning with the signs we're looking for to confirm its God that is answering our prayer. And beyond the signs how do we further determine the answers authenticity. Finally, who must agree with us that the answer has come from God?

Let's take a closer look at the servant's initial prayer request made to God:

“Well, when I came this very day to the spring, I prayed, 'God, God of my master Abraham, make things turn out well in this task I've been given. I'm standing at this well. When a young woman comes here to draw water and I say to her, Please, give me a sip of water from your jug, and she says, Not only will I give you a drink, I'll also give your camels water – let that woman be the wife God has picked out for my masters son.'”

The servant isn't describing something that has already happened and he isn't imaging it – he is praying a very precise prayer which he wants God to explicitly fulfill. And when each and every detail of the prayer is met the servant can be confident that the answer is authentically from God. This servant is taking no chances. He wants the real deal, and he knows how to get it. He has barely finished the prayer, and God responds to it in exactly the way the servant has described.

What authenticates the response is the prayer is met exactly as described, in every detail, as desired. I don't know about you but when I pray I just hope for any type of response let alone exactly as I desire. But this is how the servant knows the response is genuine and that he's got the right gal.

Further affirmation of the response comes in the form of Rebekah's consent to the marriage and not included in our text is her families consent when they say, “The thing comes from the Lord, we cannot speak to you bad or good.” Her father and brothers' affirmation are important and a sign that is also spoken of in the New Testament.

The Apostle Paul said when he wrote to the Corinthians:

“Remember the Scripture that says, “A matter becomes clear after two or three witnesses give evidence.” (2 Corinthians 13:1; The Message Bible) And Jesus said: “If he won't listen, take one of two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again.” (Matthew 18:16; The Message Bible)

In our story Laban and Bethuel serve as witnesses that make the matter clear God wishes for Rebekah and Isaac to be bound in holy matrimony. Confirmation also comes in the form of an exact response to the servant's prayer and in Rebekah's consent.

The question may arise as to why we need confirmation about perceived responses to prayer. Maybe the most obvious reason is the nefarious capabilities of the ego even to the extent of being capable of great evil. The egos persistent influence into the affairs of humankind make the authentication of prayer responses both important and totally necessary. In a word, we have to be careful.

It amounts to getting a second opinion before we take action. Some things, of course, don't require God's guidance like what are we going to have for dinner or should I wait and hold the door open for this elderly person. Other things like should I marry this person or do I schedule surgery or simply pursue physical therapy may require at least a second opinion if not a third or even fourth.

I've told you the story before about getting the second opinion concerning the cancerous tumor on my kidney. If it wasn't for Doctor Hefty's second opinion the first doctor would have taken my entire left kidney. As it turns out taking a tenth of it did the job.

The big questions require at least a second opinion, and we have access to a variety of sources which are described, in part, in this following quote from C. S. Lewis:

I don't doubt that the Holy Spirit guides your decisions from within when you make them with the intention of pleasing God. The error would be to think that he speaks only within, whereas in reality he speaks also through Scripture, the Church, Christian friends, books, etc.. (podcasts, movies, other religions)

The real question is will we make the effort to seek confirmation.

Rev. Mitch Becker

July 5, 2026

Port Angeles