Mosaic Church Of Bellingham

In answering the Pharisees question about whether or not it is lawful to divorce for any reason, Jesus shoots right past the law to the picture of God’s intent. “Why reduce this beautiful relationship to do’s and don’ts?” That’s not enough for the Pharisees (and so many others), and what they do next is a game changer.

When I started this little journey of looking at the questions Jesus actually answered, I didn’t know that one of them was going to be about divorce. I really wish Jesus had deflected this one. Very few subjects are more painful and confusing than this one. Not only because so many of us have been affected by divorce in one way or another, but also because it enters the conversation when a couple is in crisis or in a chronically difficult marriage.

One of the questions that Jesus actually answers directly, is about forgiveness. It is told in the book of Matthew, where Peter comes up to Jesus and asks how many times should we forgive someone who sins against us. Peter thinks doing it 7 times is a perfect amount and very reasonable, Jesus turns the tables and says, not 7 times, but 70 times 7. In other words, as many times as you need too. But, why is it so important?

This weeks recording is longer than normal as we captured the music as well as the discussion. Rather than spend a lot of time teaching, we practiced what we would have taught. Don't worry, you'll understand.

Of the eight direct answers, four of them are about the law or his interpretation of the law. Three of those are pretty easy to swallow, but the fourth one is a very, very difficult answer. The other four questions are pretty random. Two of these point a finger at the lives of Jesus' closest followers, and one of those is even more difficult than the one about the law. One seems to be something out of a spy novel and the last one resulted in Jesus' death and has continued to stir controversy for the last 2000 years.

How does unity happen? I recently had an email exchange with someone in Mosaic who raised a great question after our discussion a couple of weeks ago. He said, "Yeah but… ...communities are based in common interest and relating to people. So things like diversity aren't going to come naturally, and things like respect and caring are. ...do we have to make up a different system for establishing communities in order to have really healthy ones?" This got me thinking and I wrote him back this short response... "I don't think we have to make up a different system, I think we will naturally have people that are closer to us and those that are more distant. Healthy community involves both groups of people. The ones that are the closest are likely to be those that we find safe and easily related to. The ones that we don't relate to as well, may not become close friends, but their (and those more like us) presence in a community provides safety and health to the larger group. I think one of the ways that we create

What do you want in the community you are part of? Just because we say, “I don’t want to be part of anything like this”, doesn’t mean that is what we need. Though the Bible doesn't provide a lot of specifics about how to have a healthy relationship with a "church", it does have a lot to say about the kind of relationships that are consistent with the life of a Christ-follower.

Take a few minutes and try to reflect on your best and worst moments within a church or religious group. What comes to mind? With such a mixture of experiences, it may be hard to know what a healthy relationship with the church is supposed to look like. Interestingly, there is really not much in the Bible that talks about our relationship with an organization. But, there is lots that talks about our relationship with each other and this is the key.

Our good friend Aaron Walter's from The Table Bellingham, joined us to share his heart for the new year.

Not sure about you, but every now and then I have to intentionally move away from a way that I have always looked at a story. There are some sections of the Bible that I have read a certain way for so long, that it is really hard for me to read them any other way. John 1, is one of those stories....

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others..." What?

What are you waiting for? We can ask the table question a couple of ways, can’t we. One speaks to our anticipation, longing, hopes and dreams. The other speaks to our slowness, fear, lack and stuck-ness. At least we think we are stuck. You’re not, you know. You’re not stuck. Change can happen. The antidote to anxiety is action. What are you waiting for? Learn. Grow. Change. Stop. Go. Move. Stay. Do what you need to do. What are you waiting for?

What is the longest time period you have ever waited for something? Longing is a funny thing isn't it. They are both really inspiring and can be greatly disappointing. They tell us a lot about who we are and about who we want to become. The prophets of old were constantly framing the present, envisioning a future, calling out to the longings of the heart and in doing so, stirring the pot of what kept people from continuing to trust God.

Do you ever find yourself reading through your bible, maybe you happen to be in the Gospels, and you come upon a few verses where you find yourself wondering if you had zoned out for a few minutes, cuz they seem to be so inconsistent with what you had been reading, that you figure it had to be you and not the Bible? It feels like you should be able to turn the page over and read what was really being said, or maybe a couple pages got stuck together and you missed something along the way. If so, you are not alone!

The biblical context for understanding rhythms begins with the very first story told in the Bible. In the creation story, we find that God is not only a God of creativity and beauty, we find that God is a God of rhythm. Work & sabbath is the Genesis week. George MacDonald once wrote that, “sleep is God’s contrivance for giving us the help he cannot get us to receive when we are awake….”

"If it's a ledger you want, Jesus will create one that is so hard it makes life a living hell." Isn’t it possible that Jesus told stories like the Sheep & the Goats to raise the bar so high, that anyone who was trying to clear the bar would find themselves falling short? Why do the prostitutes and thieves get into the Kingdom before the religious people? Maybe because they already know that they have no hope of getting in, if getting in is based on some cosmic balancing of the books. They're already so far in debt, there’s no hope of ever getting out of it. Unless.....

As Fred & Erin embark on their epic adventure, please remember to pray for them! Follow their trip and work at - https://www.thewindvaneproject.com/

When you see separation of "this from that" in the teaching of Jesus, you better stop and look closely at what He is saying and which side you are on. Does it strike you as being strange that the same Jesus who said “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." (Matt. 21:31-32) also told the story of the sheep and the goats? It should!

You may be asking how this can be included in the parables of judgment, which is a really good question. And, you may be asking how this is a parable, which is another really good question. So, take a listen and maybe you'll understand why I included it in both.