Rev Chris Roth

Outline- Christian Caregiving 2- Listening ·         Listening as a Christian Caregiver. ·         Listening is a constant theme in the Bible. (Prov 17:27-28; Psalm 81; James 1:19, 26; 3:5-7, Mark 4:9). ·         So who are we listening to? o    In the Bible, listening to God (revealed word in Scripture or through the prophets). §    We want to learn to listen to God in prayer, through Scripture, as well as other ways. (see “Hearing God” by Dallas Willard) o    It also speaks about listening to teachers o    general listening. (Proverbs 18:13) ·         Hearing people in pain- o    We learn to listen to God in the midst of listening to someone who is in pain. o    The disciplines that make us better listeners of God will also makes us better listeners of others. (contem...

Outline- Christian Caregiving 1- Human Health as Christ-likeness ·         All Christians are called to be caregivers, though some will have a special gift for it (Rom 12:5-6). ·         Hindrances to caring: o    Not feeling like an “expert” (psychologist/psychiatrist/counselor). o    Not having a “quick fix”. o    The community should be the normal place for healing (while calling on the help of “experts” if necessary). We are not “experts” and we do not have “quick fixes”. We are people willing to sit in the uncomfortable mess with people and call on God in hope. ·         What is a healthy human being? o    We are not healthy by just ‘not having a problem’. Just pulling weeds makes a patch of dirt, not a garden.  o    We try to be ‘health-centered’, rather than ‘problem-centered’. o    Health look...

Prov 17:27-28; Ps 81; James 1:19-27; Mark 4:1-9 Today we are continuing our sermon series on Christian Caregiving. We started with the assumption that we are all called to be Christian Caregivers and that some have a particular gift for it. Last time we highlighted God’s image of a healthy human being, which is a human being that is growing in Christ-likeness. We also said that this image of health is what we should keep in mind as we care for someone, because we want to have the same goal as God does for the person. If we recognize that God has a bigger goal for us, then we have to put our immediate discomfort into that broader picture and recognize that there might be a way that we can use our suffering towards that end. As we help people we can also feel free from the pressure to provide the person a ‘quick fix’ for their problem because ultimately it is God’s healing that is needed. We can also feel free from the need to be an expert because if a healthy person...

Gen 2:5-9, 15-25; Psalm 8; Galatians 4:19, 5:16-26; Matt 5:13-16 In the letter to the Romans St. Paul says, “we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them” (Rom 12:5-6). Paul gives examples of the different kinds of gifts the Holy Spirit gives- prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership, and acts of mercy. More examples are given in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (chapter 12)- apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, healing, helping, administration, tongues, wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, discernment, and interpretation of tongues. I don’t think Paul was trying to give an exhaustive list here, but he was giving examples of the kinds of gifts given to Christians. God gives gifts to the Church so that the church will be strengthened in her mission in the world. Paul says these gifts are given for the common good (1 Cor 12:7). Not using your pa...

Luke 14:1, 7-14 There is a story about a university professor who went to visit a Zen master to learn about Zen Buddhism. The master served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the tea overflow until he could no longer restrain himself, “It is full. No more will go in!” “Like this cup,” the master said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?” The professor was full of himself. In a similar way, the Pharisees were full of themselves. In Zen Buddhism they teach that there is no such thing as the “self”. There is no soul. There is no person, ultimately. In Christianity, the teaching is self-forgetfulness. There is a self, but the self is not the focus. The focus is to be other-focused- towards God and neighbour.  The Pharisees were self-focused.    Jesus saw the Pharisees choosing their places at the table according to how important they though...

So a friend of mine has a Maclean’s magazine from Feb 25 th 1961. (For those of my non-Canadian friends, Maclean’s is ‘the’ Canadian magazine). My friend was kind enough to lend it to me and I thought I would give a bit of a review of it. First, the title- “The Hidden Failure of our Churches:  Despite the so-called religious revival, the churches themselves- Catholic and Protestant- are afraid they are losing their place in Canadian life”. The first thing that struck me was the idea that these are “our” churches, rather that “the” churches. There was an identifying with the church on the part of, not only the author, but seemingly of the magazine. The magazine is from 1961- the year JFK became president of the United States, and John Diefenbaker was prime minister. The Cold War was worsening and some families were building bomb shelters. 1961 saw the beginning of the building of the Berlin Wall. This was also the year of the first direct involvement of the US in...