Denver Community Church

February 21, 2021: Forgive Them –Michael Hidalgo

When Jesus pronounces forgiveness to those who have crucified him, he is, at the same time, accusing them of something. For if there is no wrongdoing, there is no need for forgiveness. Said another way; when forgiveness is granted, it proclaims the presence of wrongdoing. This is what we witness in Jesus’ words - he is crucified as a rebel, guilty of sedition. In our time, as we remember his death we hear these words as a statement toward, not only those doing the accusing and the crucifying, but also a display of God’s mercy to all humanity. However, if we consider the first readers of Luke’s gospel, what did they hear?

It’s possible they read this and understood themselves forgiven for the Imperial System they were caught up within; a system of domination, the Global Military Superpower called Rome. It was this system that killed Jesus; and he prays forgiveness over them as he is dying. Some may rightly question: “Is this anyway to bring justice to bear?” This question may arise as it feels like those who have been forgiven get a pass for their part and the system can continue. But this sort of thinking believes forgiveness and justice do not go together. We cannot forget “every act of forgiveness enthrones justice.” For it has the power to make things right - it names the wrong, it pursues reconciliation (where possible) and works toward restoration, while at the same time dispensing with the need for revenge. This is the power of these words: it exposes the evil and commits to undoing it.

February 14, 2021: An Anchor for the Soul

Trial, difficulty, pain, and disappointment will visit us; it is not “if” only “when” this happens. These troubled seasons are revealing in many ways, for they expose what is within our heads and hearts. They reveal to us what our anchor is in the midst of troubled waters. Because we all have an anchor - it may not always be conscious, but we do. So, the question is not whether we will have an anchor, rather what will our anchor be? This is an important question as research shows that those who have hope as an anchor fair better in difficult seasons.

For some the anchor may be anxiety, for others the anchor may be unforgiveness - when we recognize any anchors such as these, ones that do harm to others or us, we must cut the rope holding us to anchor. This gives us an opportunity to bring intention to our lives and choose hope as our anchor. Only then are we able to learn how this can serve us in difficult seasons. How even in the midst of the unspeakable times, we can still practice hope.

February 7, 2021: Provoking the Good and Beautiful – Scott Oppliger

Hope requires not only a vision and a way forward, but the resolve to stay the course. As individuals this is often called “willpower.” The writer of Hebrews points toward the same thing for the Church, writing, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess … And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (10:23,24). This is what hope needs to not just survive, but thrive in the heart of a congregation. Which means, we need each other.

Because sometimes, if left to our individual selves, hope seems too great a burden to bear. However, many hands make light work, as the saying goes and it is the same with holding onto hope. This is the importance of community, it allows for a “communal willpower” - that together we can hold on to the hope we profess, and we can do this by provoking (the literal translation of the Greek) one another toward the good and the beautiful. 

January 31, 2021:What is Hope Anyway? – Michael Hidalgo

It is one thing to have a vision in mind, but moving toward the vision is what’s even more important. This calls for collective wisdom, communal discernment and unity amidst real diversity. This is far easier to talk about then to do. Our churches today reflect the divisions and splits that exist in our prevailing culture. Sadly, though this is the current state of things, this should never be the case within the Church for we are the presence of Christ in flesh and bone. As the Apostle Paul asks, “Is Christ Divided?” Of course, the intended answer is, “No, Christ is not divided.” Which means we ought not to be either.

Often the division comes about not because of the vision, but on how we will move toward the vision. It is the process of moving, growing and changing that brings about the great upheavals within the hearts of even the most fervent people. So how do we discern a way forward together? We see an example from the early Church in Acts. The vision was to bring Jew and Gentile together, but what brought division was how that was to happen. Their wisdom and discernment is manifest in their willingness to listen, to pray, to hear from the Spirit and, perhaps most importantly, leave room for change in the days ahead. This is why they say, “It seems good to the Spirit and to us …” Together then, they bring the heart of unity into a way of moving forward.

January 24, 2021: Living with Hope in the Past Tense – Jonathan Merritt

This week we find two travelers on the road to Emmaus, whose hope has run out after seeing Jesus put to death just days before. What does God say to those whose hope is in the past tense?

January 17, 2021: As Real As It Gets – Michael Hidalgo

The first occurrence of hope described as a virtue is within the Judeo-Christian Tradition. The Apostle Paul even places it alongside the virtues of faith and love. This is why within the Christian Tradition hope is a familiar word. But what exactly is hope? According to most definitions, hope is an expectation that things will go well, or a desire for certain things to play out in a particular way. This is not hope, but wishful thinking. And wishful thinking believes that the power for things to turn out in our favor or for difficult circumstances to pass by lies elsewhere. But hope invites us to see that we have something to say and a role to play in making things better.

Hope, it turns out, is a discipline, and like all disciplines, it is something we practice. Hope is a resolve of our spirit, and a way of moving in the world. As we journey alongside one another, we work together toward a common vision. We then discern together ways we can move toward that vision, and encourage one another to never give up. This is hope: believing that we can work together to see our longings and vision for this world - for the common good - realized

January 10, 2021: What Is Emerging From The Chaos of This Moment? – Michael Hidalgo

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021 events unfolded in our nation that will long be remembered around the world. So how do we, as the people of God allow hope to make use of us rather than us making use of it in the midst of a fractured and hurting nation? Where do we go from here? Join us Sunday, January 10 as we consider these questions and more, as we continue exploring what is means to be prisoners of hope.

January 3, 2021: Returning Home –Scott Oppliger

 

Many within Christendom are familiar with the words of Zechariah 9 because of the connection Matthew makes between it and Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Fewer, however, are aware of the verses that follow. In particular, when the prophet says, “Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope …” This curious phrase was written to those who were exiles in Babylon who had returned to find Jerusalem in ruins because of the Babylonian destruction decades before.

Still, after destruction, after exile, after returning to rebuild their city there is a flame that hasn’t gone out: hope. There is no ignoring the pain, suffering, disillusionment, grief and anger the people felt upon their return. Yet, in the midst of this there is hope. There is a future. The story, as it were, is going somewhere. And according to Matthew, the story is moving toward a time when Jesus himself will ride into town. As we begin this season of teaching, we will explore the nature of hope - one that sees itself a part of a larger story. One that believes God wastes nothing. 

December 20, 2020: Dear Tiny Infant Jesus – Michael Hidalgo

Every Advent we wait for the arrival of our king, and each year we read with expectation the story of Jesus’ birth found in Luke 2. Jesus entered this world in the most vulnerable way. A baby. Not only a baby, but a baby born to poor parents embroiled in scandal. Even Luke’s telling suggests that our King was born on the margins. His arrival was witnessed by those on the edge of proper society; the shepherds. His birth was in the shadow of power; the Herodian of King Herod. This is the first glimpse we get of Jesus, the face of God who is love. This simple narrative, made widely popular in our broader culture by Charlie Brown, speaks of how God is with us.

He is with all of us. Not just a few of us; all of us. This Immanuel does not show up to exert power over, but allows God’s self to be in the midst as the most vulnerable. In this way, God is forever asking the question, “What will you do with me?”

December 13, 2020: As Much Dirt As You Can Handle – Dave Neuhausel

There was a belief in the Ancient Near Eastern world that the gods were local - specific to a place, a people, a nation. My god is my god over there, your god is your god right here. So if you were to travel through a nation, you were well served to offer sacrifices to the gods of whatever nation you were traveling through, because your god only had a particular region in which she could exert her power. It may sound archaic, but consider the way many churches work. We worship different gods. Some worship a god of power, some worship a god of anger, some worship a god who forgives, and we do so believing our god is the right one. Not too far off from our ancient siblings now, are we?

 

It was this kind of thinking that we see reflected in the story of Naaman. A valiant soldier from Aram who worshipped the god Rimmon. He was stricken with leprosy, which, in that time was a death sentence. He made his way to see the prophet Elisha. Upon arrival, Elisha told him to go dip in the Jordan River seven times - then he’d be healed. After some protesting, Naaman goes and does it and he is born again (his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy). Naaman then makes a curious request. He asks Elisha to give him dirt to bring home with him. Wha’?! Why would one do that?

One would do that to bring the God of Elisha home with him, because if the gods had zip codes, then bring some of the zip code with you! But one more thing, Naaman says, “When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also - when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.” Elisha’s response, “Go in your wholeness.” Things admittedly get blurry here - boundaries, who is being worshipped and the actual location of God. Perhaps, we may have eyes to see that God is always right here, right now.