August 27, 2017 Matthew 18.21-35

Matthew 18.21-35 Common English Bible

Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Should I forgive as many as seven times?”
Jesus said,
“Not just seven times, but rather as many as seventy-seven times.
Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle accounts, they brought to him a servant who owed him ten thousand bags of gold. Because the servant didn’t have enough to pay it back, the master ordered that he should be sold, along with his wife and children and everything he had, and that the proceeds should be used as payment. But the servant fell down, kneeled before him, and said, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ The master had compassion on that servant, released him, and forgave the loan.
When that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred coins. He grabbed him around the throat and said, ‘Pay me back what you owe me.’ “Then his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he threw him into prison until he paid back his debt.
When his fellow servants saw what happened, they were deeply offended. They came and told their master all that happened. His master called the first servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you appealed to me. Shouldn’t you also have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ His master was furious and handed him over to the guard responsible for punishing prisoners, until he had paid the whole debt.
My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if you don’t forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

***
Then the disciple said to Jesus, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my sibling who sins against me? Should I forgive as many as seven times?” Jesus said, “Not just seven times, but rather, as many as seventy-seven times.

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a president who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle accounts, they brought to him a servant who owed him ten thousand bags of gold, which was equal to sixty-million days of wages. While it was inconceivable that anyone could owe more days of labor than they had lived, it meant that the President’s servant had not only squandered his own days, but added to his debt, days of unfair labor of others.

This particular servant of the president worked as a sheriff in Arizona. For decades this sheriff had been known for human rights abuses, racial profiling, and discrimination against Latinos, such that his officers were directed to pick up anyone who spoke Spanish, or looked, “dirty.” “One study showed that Latinos in the…county, were nine times more likely to be pulled over for the same infractions as other drivers,” but this racial profiling was not making the community safer and was possibly making it less safe by ignoring more prevalent crimes committed by whites. “Charles Katz, a professor of criminology at Arizona State University, who conducted annual studies on crime in the county, said, “Illegal immigrants make up less than ten percent of those arrested. They’re involved in less criminal activity than native-born Americans. Illegal immigrants, the studies show, are, (also)…half as likely to use illegal drugs – yet thanks to the sheriff’s tactics, they're far more likely to be arrested for drug offenses.” Yet it was not only undocumented immigrants whom the sheriff targeted. According to the Justice Department, this sheriff, “frequently arrested and detained U.S. citizens and legal residents of Latino origin, including children, for hours at a time without a charge or a warrant.” Moreover, because of the sheriff’s myopic view, he ignored other parts of his job. The same article pointed out, “(He) is so obsessed with the often illusory crimes of immigrants that he ignored more than four-hundred cases of sexual abuse he was responsible for investigating, including assaults on children.” So between the people whom he should have been investigating but didn’t and those he shouldn’t have but did egregiously, the sheriff added millions of days to his debt by both ignoring and stealing the days of others.

Inside, the sheriff’s jails were comprised of thousands of prisoners in open air tent cities blistering in the dirt and hundred and forty degree Arizona desert. “According to the federal lawsuit brought against him, guards referred to Latino inmates as "wetbacks," "Mexican bitches,” "stupid Mexicans" and “fucking Mexicans." Female prisoners, the suit claimed, were forced to sleep in their own menstrual blood; and officers refused to respond to the inmates' pleas if they were made in Spanish. ” And while it would be one thing if this tough on crime stance deterred crime or was less costly, its ability to deter was never proven and the costs were astronomical. The newly elected sheriff, “Paul Penzone said a methodical review found that counter to Arpaio's claims, there's no evidence that Tent City Jail and its tough reputation made people less likely to commit crimes. In fact, he said, it had become a "preferred location and a choice" for the inmates.” And so these human rights abuses, and ineffective prison management were another piece of the servant sheriff’s debt of sixty million days of labor for the people he forced into such hellish conditions in his ineffective prison.

So all these days of sin combined, was how this servant of the president acquired a debt of sixty-million days of labor, a debt equal to the days he spent working for the devil and forcing others working under him to ignore the kingdom of heaven by make even innocents live behind the gates of hell. And so, the president called in the sheriff, to account for his debt, which read, “A federal district judge hearing the case ordered the sheriff in 2011 to stop detaining people based solely on suspicion of their immigration status when there was no evidence that a state law had been broken. Yet, the sheriff insisted that his tactics were legal and that he would continue employing them. He was convicted last month of criminal contempt of court for defying the order, a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail,” or in the master’s record sixty-million days and that, along with his wife and children, he would be sold into his own slavery, of a tent city in Maricopa County, and everything he had be sold that the proceeds should be used as payment.

Now in that month between his conviction and punishment, the president let the sheriff sit for awhile, like a time out where he could think about what he had done, and what was going to happen. Though this lawful punishment fit the crime, the sheriff used that time for pleading his case and sweet talked the president, “‘Please, be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’” Now the sheriff had a lot of political clout from inciting people, especially the white retirees in his community, to be afraid of those who looked different than they. He slandered the Latinos and was publicly proud that, “they,” “were leaving his town,” out of fear. Cunningly, the sheriff hadn’t gone after the white farm owners who hired the migrants, or the store and restaurant employers who hired the immigrants under the table to work in the back. The sheriff didn’t go against those with the power to speak against him, only twice in his jurisdiction had he brought forth the employers whose need for workers supplied the demanded the need. Instead he went after those without much of a voice, and some without a vote, and this made the sheriff strong politically and the president saw this. The president eventually had compassion on the sheriff, and released him, and forgave the loan by way of a Presidential Pardon, which even former prisoner of war, Senator John McCain disagreed, “No one is above the law,” he said, “and the individuals entrusted with the privilege of being sworn law officers, should always seek to be beyond reproach in their commitment to fairly enforcing the laws they swore to uphold,” (New York Times). But this sheriff had been granted forgiveness above the law, he had been given a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven’s forgiveness, which is not bound by human laws but by Jesus’ law of grace and love. This law sought show a new way forward for humanity, and for the sheriff, a way that responded to acts of evil with acts of love and grace, thus extending forgiveness and love beyond human measure. It made the sheriff’s actions no less wrong, but it gave him an opportunity to right his wrongs instead of merely pay for them. And so the sheriff was sent off, that the grace he received might be forwarded in the kingdom of heaven on earth.

Today this sheriff has gone out, and I wonder what he, now forgiven, will do if he finds one of his fellow servants who owes him one-hundred days of labor. Will the sheriff send out his officers to grab the servant around the neck and say, “Pay me back what you owe me?” When his fellow servant falls down and begs him, “Be patient with me and I’ll pay you back,” will the sheriff refuse and throw the debtor into the prison tent camp or to immigration officials without even knowing their status. Then will the other servants cry out, saying he has not learned his lesson, and still is dismantling the kingdom of God. Then will master be furious and hand him over to the guard responsible for punishing prisoners in the hundred and forty degree heat until the sheriff pays the whole debt? Will the sheriff be admonished along with the disciples, saying, my heavenly father will also do the same to you if you don’t forgive your bother of sister from the heart. Is this what will happen?

Or will the grace Jesus promises us in the scripture fall upon that sheriff in fullness? Might that sheriff go out into the world knowing that it wasn’t his world at all, or Maricopa Co., or Arizona, or even the United States of America, and instead that he is walking in the Master’s world, one which extended beyond borders and pervades even the highest walls? Might that sheriff go out among the people, knowing that they were not his people, but the Master’s, and under such designation will he call them siblings in their own tongue, “hermano, hermosa, familia” brother, sister, family. Might that sheriff go out humbled by his wrongs, and inspired by the forgiveness of his Master, and walk into those tent cities with a word of good news, that their sin and prison sentence is neither their story, nor their destiny, but that theirs too is the story of forgiveness, grace and love. Maybe that sheriff, will tell of a debt that was paid for him, such that when one servant comes owing 100 coins, the sheriff will praise Jesus for the opportunity to pay it forward by forgiving it all?

I hope so. I hope so. Because to hope in such forgiveness is to know the grace and power of God, a God that is above all, and through all, and in all, despite our greatest failings. A God with the power to redeem even the depths of wickedness, a God with mercy and love. I hope so, I hope so, because Jesus has given us not just seven times, but seventy-seven. Therefore, let us believe again.

August 20, 2017 Matthew 18.15-20

Matthew 18.15-20

 “If your brother or sister or sibling in Christ sins against you, go and correct them when you are alone together. If they listen to you, then you’ve won over your brother or sister. But if they won’t listen, take with you one or two others so that every word may be established by the mouth of two or three witnesses. But if they still won’t pay attention, report it to the church. If they won’t pay attention even to the church, treat them as you would a Gentile and tax collector. 

I assure you that whatever you fasten on earth will be fastened in heaven. And whatever you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven. Again I assure you that if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, then my Father who is in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m there with them.”

***

There has been a lot in the news about speaking out, and about, “freedom of speech,” and as we watch the newscasters, politicians and the President, volley critiques all the way across the country, it is hard to know how to enter in. It is hard to know how violent marches in Charlottesville, and peaceful protests in Boston, can be any of our business back here in Baker City. But I believe it starts with one person. 

Each person at that Charlottesville rally was one person, each person at the Boston protest was one person, and so are we, and perhaps out here in the middle of nowhere, where the thing to which people flock is the eclipse, we can have our own impact, one person to one person. 

Of all I read in the news, it was this personal perspective which struck me the most. I read about a letter a father posted in which he publicly denounced his son. It was an article from the New York Post, by Natalie Musumeci, on August 14, 2017. The article reads, 

“The family of a white nationalist who joined in the violent supremacy rally in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday has publicly announced they are disowning him and his “hateful beliefs.”

Pete Tefft of Fargo, ND was one of many neo-Nazi marchers to have his identity revealed, along with his photo, on the “Yes, You’re Racist” Twitter account after the deadly demonstration, prompting his family to speak out.

“I, along with all of his siblings and his entire family, wish to loudly repudiate my son’s vile, hateful and racist rhetoric and actions,” Tefft’s father, Pearce Tefft, wrote in an online letter regarding his youngest son’s behavior.

In the letter, published Monday on Inforum.com, the elder Tefft calls his son “an avowed white nationalist” as he blasted his hateful views.

“We do not know specifically where he learned these beliefs. He did not learn them at home,” Pearce Tefft wrote, adding “I have shared my home and hearth with friends and acquaintances of every race, gender and creed. I have taught all of my children that all men and women are created equal. That we must love each other all the same.”

The father continued: “Evidently Peter has chosen to unlearn these lessons, much to my and his family’s heartbreak and distress. We have been silent up until now, but now we see that this was a mistake. It was the silence of good people that allowed the Nazis to flourish the first time around, and it is the silence of good people that is allowing them to flourish now.”

Pearce Tefft proclaimed that “Peter Tefft, my son, is not welcome at our family gatherings any longer. I pray my prodigal son will renounce his hateful beliefs and return home. Then and only then will I lay out the feast.

The dad noted that his son’s “hateful opinions” are bringing “hateful rhetoric” to the Tefft family.

“Why must we be guilty by association? Again, none of his beliefs were learned at home. We do not, never have, and never will, accept his twisted worldview.”

The father close the letter with:…Please son, renounce the hate, accept and love all.”

First let me say, that I cannot imagine the grief this family must be experiencing, which they describe as heartbreak and distress. I can not fathom what it would feel like to see a member of my own family holding a torch or a Nazi sign and I do not deny that white supremacist propaganda is strong enough to convert even the most loving among us. Discerning how to respond to such a personal and public tragedy must feel a blitzkrieg. To that end, the letter states that the family believes they have made a mistake in being silent. From my understanding this is a personal silence in the family which they are now addressing nationally. Moreover, I am glad that at last the family has spoken out, and I believe to do so must feel like taking out your own heart. They are victims and yet, even as they say, of those who remained and remain silent, good people make mistakes. I think it is important to remember that this family, though they have mistakes, are good people. 

Yet, it seems when your son in on the national news, so too shall be the family’s response and I wonder if this is a mistake. You see, what strikes me about this article is the concept of silence and the concept of speaking out. I am stuck that the family said they had been silent until now, and I am struck that this public letter was how they spoke out first. I want to know why the initial silence, and why the speaking out this way. Because it seems if we are to apply this scripture they missed a lot of steps.

They believe, that they made a mistake, and we have to wonder, what would it have been like when the son started spouting off racist propaganda he read online, or heard on bad rural radio, if they addressed it then. What might have happened, if a member of the family went to him. What if it wasn’t about this is the father’s house and the father’s rules, but if they to where he was, just as the scripture says, go and explained. I would hope they would have gone, not in a big group accusing, but as the scripture says, one by one. What if when they told him, they said it in a way the son could hear. What if they told how it made them feel, shared their grief. Shared their fear. Maybe it wouldn’t have helped much, you can’t change people very easily, and hate and fear is a strong force, but maybe, if they did it just right, if they came with love, if they came with listening, if they came explaining their need for their family to be a place and people of welcome, they could have touched some spot somewhere, maybe. 

I wonder too if instead of this public letter, which seems just as much a defense against those accusing their family as it does an admonishment toward their son, what if they welcomed him home like the prodigal son. That Biblical father’s welcome wasn’t contingent on his beliefs, but instead perhaps because of the son’s abandoning of those beliefs. In the story of the Prodigal Son, the father upon seeing the son far away, lifts up his tunic and runs. What if this family, who saw that picture of their son online, ran to him and said come home, learn what love is. What if once the family began to be accused by others, and knowing the pain of that scorn, they showed their racist son how to welcome and how to love those whom he deemed as “others,” even if those others were his own family. Maybe it would not have been different. Maybe he was and is too far gone. But part of me thinks, at the beginning, it is the first response. Then after the shelter and accountability of that love, would the son be able to show that love to others? I have to wonder.

I believe when we haven’t spoken of an issue, when we remain silent, we swallow the sin. I believe also, when we don’t go first to the person with whom we have an issue, and instead we decry them publicly, even if to just a third person, we increase the sin. It makes it a lot harder to come home when your family has disowned you in the national news and I believe too it is harder to welcome someone home when we have first made a public statement. It would be one thing if this family had tried all they could, and then like the scripture advises the church, then let him go, but this public letter, this was their their first response, and so I implore us, let it not be ours.

I think you especially First Presbyterian, are well suited to this type of conversation. Here in rural Oregon you live in a place which is small enough that to publicly slander another is to literally turn against your neighbor. And I believe, you as a church, have a great propensity for loving your neighbor as yourself. I have seen you have conversations for and against GLBTQ rights, the place of the American Flag in worship and prayer in schools, opposing ideas about ranching and farming and forest service and yet when I arrived at this town you also tell that that same rancher pulled your mint green forest service truck out of the snow and visa-versa. You are good at one-on one conversations about issues or call them as the scripture says, sins. And while rallies and protests are happening in larger places, all it takes is one son from Fargo, ND to raise a touch of unwelcome, but perhaps all it takes is one father from equally as rural a place, to welcome him and others home, and remind them of love. It begins with us, one on one, this is what we can do.

August 13, 2017 Jim Kauth

 “The Word is Near You”

Deuteronomy 30:11-14

Let’s do a quick bible study; chapter 30, Deuteronomy, well to be honest, we have to start in chapter 29. This is Moses’ fourth sermon and last sermon just before the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua in chapter 31. While reading chapters 29 and 30 what came to the forefront for me is Moses was not just a leader, he was also a prophet! What is a prophet?

Throughout the Bible prophets are described by what they do, Prophecy is a calling, it is a ministry. And you can’t be a prophet with having a people! In other words, God sends prophets to communities. A broad non-biblical description for a prophet is a person who speaks the words their lord or king gives them. If we apply this broad statement to the Bible, the gift of prophecy enables human beings to speak the very words of God. Note in the Old Testament a prophecy is usually preceded by the words, “thus says the Lord”. Another description for a prophet is a person who holds a mirror up to their communities so those communities can see who they are as God sees them, both the ugliness and the beauty. Moses fulfills both of these descriptions.

Back to Moses’ last sermon to his people; the thrust of his sermon was God’s covenant. Moses was speaking prophetically when he reminded his people that God was present with them and that God promises blessings and curses, curses if God’s people do not follow God’s ordinances, the “Law” and blessings if they do follow the Law. Now here’s where today’s reading comes in, Moses is telling his people that what God is asking of them is not too hard for them. God’s word is near them. Another way to say this is God is right there with them, God’s wisdom, compassion, righteousness and strength are there for God’s people to use all they have to do is embrace God’s Word. Understand, there is no separation between God and God’s Word, where one is so is the other.

The last verse reads, “These words are very near you. They’re in your mouth and in your heart so that you will obey them.” God is in your mouth (makes you think twice about what you say) and in your heart (in the Old Testament, heart is another way to say, the person who you are.) So your very being is formed and described by God. Remember, God gave the people God’s ordinances, the LAW”. God also gave his people himself as “the WORD”, so that following God’s Law would not be too difficult. We humans tend to focus too much on the LAW and nowhere near enough on GOD, who’s love make’s following God’s Law within our reach.

             

Romans 10:5-15

            Paul takes a well-known scripture reading (well known to the Israelites) and adapts it to his use to describe a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus, the Anointed. Some may think that Moses was talking about the Law but as I pointed out earlier, when God’s Word in our mouth and in our hearts, God is also in our mouths and in our hearts.

            I want to take a moment to talk about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit;

We usually describe each person of the blessed Trinity by their job; God the Father, creator, Jesus the only begotten Son of God, our savior and their Holy Spirit the counselor and guide. But this way of referencing to the Trinity can be misleading. You see, what one person of the Trinity does, the other two also do. Jesus is in the Father as the Father is in Jesus and the Holy Spirit is in both as they are in the Holy Spirit.

So when God is in our hearts, our very being is formed and described by God, so it is also Jesus who is in our hearts, our very being is also formed and described by Jesus. And so it is with The Holy Spirit. What one person of the Trinity does so do the other two persons of the Holy Trinity.

Paul desired that all believers will be conformed to the likeness of Christ, the Anointed. Paul says you are a believer;

If you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead

If you voice, to the world, your allegiance to Jesus, our Lord and Savior

If your belief begins in your heart, God is as near to you as you are to yourself

If your actions reflect your right living with God

If you confess your inability to live rightly without God / Jesus

If you trust in God / Jesus

And then Paul makes it clear; there is a Gracious God, and his name is Jesus. And Jesus makes no distinction between people. Jesus is Lord over all people and all things, Jesus is sovereign, and when we call on the name of Jesus we will be saved!

            But this is not Paul’s final point. Paul wants all believers to live and voice the saving grace of God. Listen to this again; “How can people invoke His name (Jesus) when they do not believe? How can they believe in Him (Jesus) when they have not heard? How can they hear if there is no one proclaiming Him (Jesus)?”

The ways to proclaim Jesus are as varied as the individuals who believe in Jesus. God’s Holy Spirit gifts each one of us for living and proclaiming the “Good News”. Some God calls to the front line, like pastors, missionaries, some are called to lead by example, some are called to support and exhort. Some are called to remind us of the big over-arching picture and some to keep the small personal and intimate picture of God’s life for us in front of us all the time. We all are called to think big and to act in small ways. For every unique person there is a gift, a blessing, grace over-flowing so we all may play a part in God’s great plan.

            But to act in concert with God’s plan we must mature spiritually. God’s work is not for infants we must start eating solid food not continue to suckle on milk, listen to Hebrews 5, verse 14 “But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.” How do we wean ourselves from infant pabulum? We read the bible, God’s Word, for ourselves. We must struggle with the Word; we must wrestle with God’s Word like Jacob wrestled with the angel. As we wrestle with God’s Word, we talk about what God is saying to us and listen to our fellow Disciples of Christ. We pray, this is important, no prayer, no Bible reading, prayer and God’s Word are inseparable. We pray for illumination, we pray for others, we beg, plead, demand that God listen to us and then when God comes in the silence, between one breath and the next we must do the listening. So pray constantly.

God gave us our community of faith for our benefit. We must allow ourselves to be trained by practice so that we can distinguish good from evil. We must be trained by practice to see the world in color and in all its shading; this world is not black or white! And this training and practice happens in community. God supports, empowers and encourages us through our communal and personal relationship with our Lord. It is within our communal and personal relationship with Jesus we learn and practice patience, kindness, generosity, peace and the greatest of all, love. It is in community where we share our pain and suffering.

It is in community where we learn and practice endurance, it is in community we grow character and it is in community we learn how to embrace hope. We have hope because God’s love has been poured into our hearts by God’s Holy Spirit through Christ’s obedience. God’s hope does not disappoint us. As mature Disciples of Christ we set examples for those less mature but more importantly we actively participate in God’s plan for this creation. We, God’s people are a holy nation, a priestly nation, a nation who begs God for God’s continual mercy as mediators for creation. We do NOT call for God’s curses for we are NOT God’s judges but only servants who wash feet as Jesus washed feet. Cry with those in pain; rejoice with those who are at peace. Celebrate when each of us accept God’s call to service.

            St. Francis of Assisi said; All the Franciscan Friars … should preach by their deeds. We Christians should also preach with our deeds. God has called us to proclaim the “Good News” of victory, peace and liberation because of the saving work of our Lord Jesus, the Christ. GOD’S WORD IS NEAR TO YOU IT IS IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEARTS. HALLELUIAH,

AMEN

August 6, 2017 Matthew 14 13-21

Faith and Science

Presented by Mark Ferns

Believe it or not, I am a card carrying scientist. A registered geologist duly certified by the state of Oregon. 40 years of experience, sheepskins on the wall and a bucket load of scientific publications. I am also a church member and follower of Jesus. And I have no difficulty following both paths. No difficulty in reconciling science with scripture.

Take today's gospel story.

The picture before us, a sea of people, 5,000 or more. Stressed out disciples, concerned about being in a deserted place with a large crowd.. Are the disciples more concerned about the crowd or their own well being? Are they worried about Jesus being overwhelmed?

Two fish and five loaves of bread to feed the crowds. The scientist part of me immediately asks:  How could this seemingly impossible story be explained scientifically? Note, I ask How can the story be explained, not Why. Science can answer only the How, not the Why

What is Science?  Simply put, Science is a process. A process where I make observations, collect data, document the data and develop a repeatable test to see if the observations and data support a theory or hypothesis. Hypothesis being a fancy word for "Ah Ha, that is how it was done!" 

Again How, not Why. Science is a tool that cannot answer "Why". Those who seek to use Science as a tool to answer Why are simply using the wrong tool.

Science is the process by which I constantly seek answers to "How was it done?" In today's world we tend to take things for granted with a somewhat magical viewpoint of the world. We flip a switch to the correct position and the light comes on. We poke the smart phone and an app comes up. We put money in the vending machine and food appears. It is seems like magic, we are rewarded when we make the right magic move or say the correct magic word. We do not have to think about the How, we just need the correct magic word.

Which could be "OFF" or "ON". Without Science we depend upon the magic word. And when we are reduced to finding the correct magic word we find ourselves needing to bribe someone to get the magic word, find the magic wand, learn the magic formula. There are a lot of people out there that are eager to sell the magic word.

Science is a way to get around the magic word. SCIENCE is not a magic word. Beware of people selling science as the magic word that will solve all things.

Science is a process. A tool if you will, not really much different than a screwdriver or a wrench.

As a scientist I use the scientific method as a tool to understand how things work. Observe the world around you. Collect data. Data meaning measurements or observations based on precise definitions. My unit of weight has to be exactly the same as every one else's unit of weight. The data that I collect has to be exactly the same as the data collected by some one else.

Now let us go back to the shores of Galilee. A needy crowd and limited resources. The scientist in me looks at the story, trying to break it into pieces that can be tested. "Taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to disciples and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full."

Five loaves, 5,000 people. First as a scientist I have to determine the size of single loaf of bread. In this case I will probably try to determine the largest possible size and the smallest possible size that would have been used at the time. Means that I need to do some research, reading through Roman texts describing loaf sizes. Then I would calculate the range of the volume of bread available to each person. I would then give an equivalent amount of bread to a small group of people to see if they are satisfied. Based on their answers, I would conclude whether, assuming all other things are constant, there was enough bread to satisfy every person. Based on my taste test, my scientific conclusion would be that five loaves cannot feed 5,000 people. 

What might I learn from this scientific test? Can I say that "Science Proves the Story! Five breads are not enough! Miracle needed!" Well, yes, as long as I understand that Test and Prove mean the same thing. Better to say Science Tests the Story.

Prove and test are words that should mean the same thing to a scientist. Some examples:  The exception tests the rule is the same as the exception proves the rule. He proved himself means the same as he tested himself. The proof that is in the pudding is found by the taste test.

Misuse of the word "proves" has led to all kinds of misunderstandings. Science is not a courtroom. Anytime you hear some one use the words Science Proves, be careful. Science tests, Science is always testing. And science is never settled, there is always room for improvement in our understanding of how the world works. Geologic theories that were set in stone when I was a student have since collapsed of their own weight. And I expect that some that I am particularly fond of will also collapse as new data is collected.

As a scientist I am always seeking data. I am also always seeking inspiration and discernment. Thomas behaved in a scientific manner when he placed his hands on Jesus' wounds. Thomas was looking for hard data and through the physical proof found inspiration.

A good scientist is always seeking the How? For a geologist such as Jason McClaughry or myself our tests, our hypothesis are published geologic maps. Made available for anyone to look at and critique. We use data and observations to draw lines on a map that show where certain types of rock are expected to occur. The different types of rocks produce different numbers when analyzed. Our maps are tested when another person collects a sample from a place we never got to and analyzes it. If the analysis gives the predicted number, our mapping theory is supported. If not, time to make adjustments. Again, there is always room for improvement.

Our geologic maps tell the story of How this part of the earth is forming. A good scientist has to be a story teller. We make up words like basalt, rhyolite and icelandite, to share hard to understand concepts. Often we find ourselves caught up in jargon, communicating among ourselves in what others hear as magic words. The words are not magic, they are simply part of a complex story that gradually unfolds before us.

I read the scriptures and listen to those stories with the same manner as I search for new data and inspiration. Tuesday's lectionary class is a good example of where new things are found. The stories may be old but new lessons always emerge. If I am listening, I nearly always depart the class with some new thoughts and questions.

A good scientist always seeks to find flaws in his own work. If I have what I think is a good idea, I promptly begin finding a way to test the idea, trying my hardest to find where the idea breaks down. A good scientist invites others to search for the flaws through a process called peer review. And I try not to take it personally when others find flaws. They will find weaknesses in my work and conclusions. Each time a reviewer covers my work with red ink, my work gets better. The process is often painful.

It is the same way with scripture. The more I question, the more I ask, the more that is revealed to me. Some people may find the questions I ask to be painful. People that are more Faith oriented tend to be uncomfortable around Thomas's like me. Be patience, be kind, we just cannot stop ourselves from poking and prodding as we ask How can this be?

A good scientist does not pay much attention to self-promoted experts on any subject. We cringe when we hear the words Scientific Authority or Scientific Consensus. Or worse, Everybody Knows…  The history of Science is filled with once popular theories that have failed the test of time. Like Thomas, we have to see the data for ourselves.

Better to approach Science in the same fashion that Pastor Katy challenges us when seeking God. Where do we find data? When we answer the question Where did we see God today? Where do we form our theories? When we answer the question, Where do we need God today?

Back to the shores of the sea with Jesus and the disciples. What did I miss when I "tested" the fish and loaves story?  "Taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to disciples and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full."

The story does not say that the crowds had only the loaves and fishes to share and eat. Look at the story in a different light. Tired, overstressed disciples worrying about being in a deserted place at a late hour.  Looking for any excuse to get Jesus just to slow down for a minute and give them some time to catch their breath. They could have just as easily said "Lord, look, we just cannot take care of this many people at this moment." Jesus replying "Stop worrying, the crowds can stay. Do not turn them away. You can continue helping them if you just have faith and try"

Jesus instructs the crowd to sit down and blesses the bread. The crowd settles and relaxes, the disciples begin to pass the bread. And the Miracle begins. Some take a piece and pass the rest on. Pieces continue to be passed and shared. Others might reach into their packs and bring out food that they in turn pass on to their neighbors. Tensions and fears ease as the crowd settles into a shared, communal meal in which no one goes hungry. What seemed impossible becomes reality.

We experience similar miracles in the open-door and back pack programs. My first reaction when Liz Romvadt first began the programs. The scientist said: No Way, we don't have the resources. God's challenge, try it anyway, see what happens. We did, I did and the crowd is comforted and fed. By testing, proof is found. In the testing, in the proving; faith is confirmed.

Go forth into the world testing the Good News by seeking God Daily. Share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through your words, deeds and actions. Collect the data by answering the question: Where Did I see God Today?  Test and Prove your faith by entrusting God through asking: Where Do I need God Today?