Denver Community Church

October 23, 2011: Rediscovering the Art of Neighboring – Dave Runyon

October 16, 2011: Bottom Up – Michael Hidalgo

Once again this theme of serving from the bottom up versus power from the top-down emerges in Mark’s narrative. The disciples still seem so dull. Jesus tells them about his impending death and all they can dwell upon is what places of power they will have in the kingdom of heaven. They want to be sure that their name will be remembered. 

Jesus tells them that it is in his death that he will be exalted. Jesus teaches them that the pursuit of the Kingdom is not about getting ahead, but about dying. In his case, the cup that has been given to him is one of suffering and death. Clearly his kingdom is from another world – where as citizens we are those who serve.

October 9, 2011: Young Rules, Dromedaries, and Needles – Michael Hidalgo

There is nothing wrong with being rich. It is was can happen to those who acquire wealth. We can become slaves to it. Instead of owning it – it can own us. This is the reminder that God gives to his people in Deuteronomy 8 when he warns them never to think that they have created their wealth, but to remember that God is the one who has given it to them. 

 

In this story we meet a young, wealthy, influential person who lacks one thing – the ability to walk away from his money. In his exchange with Jesus we see that Jesus loves him. He is not mad, he does not roll his eyes, he does not condemn, rather he loves. He tells the man to give it all away – why? Because you can’t enter the kingdom with all sorts of attachments – which asks the question, “How many times do we walk away from the loving gaze of Jesus?”

October 2, 2011: Let Them Come In – Jon Gettings

Jesus says that "anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."  And yet we make our faith journey about maturity, collection of knowledge, mental assent, moving through the stages of faith.  We are unable to live our faith with the wonder, awe, and imagination of a child.  We are unable to view and approach God with this perspective and with this posture.  But, what does it mean to live in this way?  

Does it mean not learning and growing in our understanding of God...staying simple, naive, and immature?  No, it is all about understanding our relationship to and with God. Understanding we are first and foremost His children and that we are in a relationship, not a fact gathering, learn all you can, knowledge based interaction.  What does our faith journey look like if we do this?  And how can we continue to approach God in relationship with a child's lens while living constantly wooed by the kingdoms of this world?  We'll explore these ideas. 

September 25, 2011: Together and Apart – Michael Hidalgo

The topic of divorce is one that has been hotly debated for years. Some day you can, others say you can only if, and still others say “never.” If we look at the words of Jesus he seems to be quite strict. The debate of divorce existed in Jesus’ day too. One side said, “If your wife burns the toast you can divorce her.” The other side said, “Only in the case of marital unfaithfulness.”

When we see other accounts of Jesus’ teaching he too leaves room for unfaithfulness. But what does that mean? We will explore this complex issue not by examining divorce – but examining the implications of marriage and all that entails. 

September 18, 2011: Drowned and Maimed – Dave Neuhausel

Here Jesus is saying some drastic, even scandalous remarks about the severity of our sin and brokenness, particularly when we act out of it toward our own detriment and that of others.  It seems Jesus is speaking in hyperbole in order to demonstrate the serious way in which we ought to regard the slippery-slope of our sinful tendencies.  By contrasting the temporal and fleeting nature of our sinful tendencies with the eternal and significant reality of God’s kingdom, Jesus is cultivating a sense of urgency toward living as those who despise sin and fight for righteousness.

September 11, 2011: More Than You Know – Michael Hidalgo

So often we go on the attack, on the defensive when someone comes along who disagrees with us. We want to know their theology, their background, their pedigree … but Jesus does not seem to concerned with this. His greater concern is the work of God that is happening through them. 

Over the years it does not take much to see that the church has fractured, split, and broken over minutiae. I wonder how much we sound like Jesus’ disciples. Perhaps if we spent our time doing all that we can to serve others, our egos would not have so much time to get wrapped up in our dogma and doctrine – which then would allow us to serve more, alongside one another, not divided but as one.

September 4, 2011: The Smallest is the Biggest – Michael Hidalgo

Jesus, once again, introduces us to the upside-down Kingdom of heaven. So often we strive to be first. We award the best, the fastest, the strongest, and those who win. Yet Jesus confuses everyone by saying “the first will be last.” We say this, we hear this, but what does this mean exactly? What does this look like in our context today in Denver?

Why are we so enamored, as a culture, with the “next best thing”? Is it possible that there is something within us that knows this world was created in perfection? Is it possible that something hardwired deep inside us knows that things are supposed to be better? Is it this longing that leads us to pursue “stronger, better, faster”?

August 21, 2011: Can and Will – Michael Hidalgo

In the beginning of the Mark’s gospel we meet a leper who says to Jesus, “If you are willing, you can …” Now we meet a father who says, “If you can do anything …” One believes and the other is unsure. Perhaps this is because this fellow has exhausted possibilities. He is desperate to rescue his son. He has tried, time and time again, but nothing seemed to work. 

So he, in exasperated desperation says to Jesus – “Can you do something?” Isn’t this a prayer we have all prayed? So many times there has been some frustration to our prayers, after we have tried everything, asking “God, can you do something?” Jesus says, “I can if you believe.” Which makes one wonder, do things happen only for those who believe? Can we will something to happen? Or does God work despite of our disbelief?

August 14, 2011: You Look Different – Michael Hidalgo

There is much more in our world that we are able to see and experience. Physicists tell us there are as many as 11 dimensions. Yet most of us constantly live in 3 dimensions. This does not mean that the other 8 are not real, it simply means we do not have eyes to see them. Yet we live in the reality of all 11 all the time – we are just unaware of this. 

In some ways this is what happens with Jesus and his disciples on the top of a mountain. He leads his followers to the top of a mountain, and from there shows them the reality of his Kingdom (which faintly echoes a story about Moses). 

What they see was a fuller (or maybe more real?) reality than they had ever seen before. In some ways there eyes were opened for the first time, and they were able to see what is and what will be. Like the 11 dimensions it’s not that we have to know them, and understand them all. Perhaps we simply should live with a sense that all are real and present. Just like the Kingdom of Heaven – although we currently do not experience it in all its fullness it is real and present.