Denver Community Church

February 7, 2010: Living and Giving Forgiveness – Michael Hidalgo

“How do you know when you are in love?” The typical response to this question is, “You will just know.” If the person being asked were honest he or she would say, “There is no answer to that question, because it is the wrong question.” Being “in love” is a myth. This speaks toward a feeling that some call the warm fuzzies that one person has for another. Over time, everyone knows, the warm fuzzies slowly fade and become less frequent. Then the two fall “out of love” typically much faster and more painfully than they fell in.

 

This myth is perpetuated in our culture because love is marketed as a feeling that one causes you to feel. However, the love spoken of in the Scriptures in a practice, a way of living toward others, that one chooses. Three times humans are commanded to “love their neighbor” and it is always in the context of vengeance, grudges, and division. Not a very romantic setting in which to speak of love. But it does bear the reality of it. We choose to love. And love is not a disposition as much as it is a practice, a way one chooses to live toward another.

January 31, 2010: The Art of Incarnation – Dave Neuhausel

Forgiveness is not an easy thing. She did this. He did that. We want things to be even. We want someone to pay. We want it all to make sense. To forgive someone, as God forgave us, is to give up the right for things to be “even” in an earthly sense. It is to say, “I demand no payment from you.” So often we hold onto unforgiveness partly because we are unable to do it, and partly because we believe down deep inside that we are making the other person pay. Yet in the end it only ends up killing us. 

None of us are responsible for sins committed against us. None of us ask someone to betray or wound us. But those things come to us, seemingly more than we would like. In those moments we have a choice. To forgive or to stay bitter. If we choose the latter, we enter into an endless emotional cycle that begins to slowly erode who we are inside – and destroys relationships in the future. 

January 24, 2010: Pursuing and Waiting for Justice – Michael Hidalgo

January 17, 2010: The Downward Path – Michael Hidalgo

There is something to be said about someone who has what it takes to trust that everything happens in its time. This is the spirit of the gentle and patient person. It is the meek person, who believes that there is no use in getting mad, because in the end truth will win out. The gentle, or meek, person knows that there is injustice – their response – to withstand the heat (which is what this word translated as patience really means). To be this kind of person takes a tremendous amount of hope, belief and faith. This only happens when people set their minds on things above.

January 10, 2010: Be Still – Michael Hidalgo

Humility has not always been a virtue that has been praised or even appreciated. In the ancient Greek world, man was central to all things. The idea of being humble – which in its context meant lowly or poor either mentally, physically, or materially – was scoffed at. Who would want to be low? In an anthropocentric culture being the high and mighty was what one should pursue.

Yet, Paul tells us differently. Our attitude should be like Jesus’, who humbled himself and became obedient to death on a cross. Apart from a Theocentric we cannot be humble as human beings. But with God at the center we can learn through him and from him how to truly see ourselves for what we are. Children, in need of a loving father. 

It is in this moment that the seeds of awe and wisdom are planted. For awe is the beginning of wisdom. After all what person, if they think they are wise, are going to ask God for it? It is in this posture of living that we learn if we see ourselves as we are we will be lifted up. 

January 3, 2010: Community – Karla Crabb

Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “It is precisely the function of prayer to shift the focus from self-centeredness to self-surrender.” Prayer is about our being able to move to where God is, because he has moved to where we are. By simply speaking to God we express our full dependence on him … in essence saying, “We cannot do this, we need you.” 

Often prayer is asking God to do this or that … we will explore that prayer is in fact taking it all one step backward and saying to God, “I need help simply to ask you for what I need.” As we begin a fourth time for gathering on Sunday, we approach God with our hands out and ask, “What do you want us to be?” Where do you want us to go.

December 27, 2009: Infinite Joy in 2010 – Jon Gettings

December 20, 2009: Born to Die – Michael Hidalgo

So often the story of The Magi (Three Wisemen, Three Kings) … is told around the idea of three men from the east, presumably occupying some place of power, wealth, and influence showing up and giving gifts to Jesus. Many point to this story as an act of worship, which it seemingly was, but there just might be more the story. 

 

Here we have an evil King (Herod), a newborn child who poses a threat (Jesus), and evil empire (Rome). This already sounds like a good story. Beyond this there are details in Matthew 2 about Egypt, the massacre of children, and a King who dies. It still sounds like a good story, but like one that has been told already. Another story with and evil King (Pharaoh), a newborn child who poses a threat (Moses), and an evil empire (Egypt).

 

Matthew skillfully employs specific words in his telling of Jesus’ birth and the visit of the Magi that bring the reader back to the events of the Exodus. In doing this he creates a political situation that brings to the forefront the words of Jesus’  mother, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble” (Luke 1.52). 

 

The Magi, with their message, “Where is the one who was born king of the Jews?” declare that this is indeed a great story, one that deserves retelling – for in it there is liberation for all who are in slavery. However, there is one detail about the Magi that tips the hand of the story. They bring myrhh. Myrhh had a primary purpose – it was used in the embalming process. The Magi bring something that is used for death in celebration of birth. 

 

This was not going to be a normal kind of revolution. This is one in which the new king says, “I will die for you.”

December 13, 2009: Consumerism – Fran Blomberg

December 6, 2009: Here Come the Gypsies – Michael Hidalgo

There are people in this world that most want to associate from. Likewise there are the people in this world that many people want to disassociate from. In 1^st Century Palestine the latter group were the shepherds. Philo spoke of them with disdain. The Babylonian Talmud speaks of their uncleanliness – hence inability to stand before God. 

 

Yet, this is the group of people that first learn of the good news of Jesus’ birth. This is not insignificant. This is actually amazing. The reality is that the shepherds are the first evangelizers … the first to take the good news of Jesus into the surrounding towns. They were called thieves and brigands yet they go and tell the people what they have heard, and they end up praising God for it. 

 

Typically when a gospel of a Caesar was pronounced there was a massive festival and tons of VIP parties – for the wealthy and the elite. The only reason it was announced to everyone is because Caesar demanded tribute – which was a tax. Caesar’s gospel was about him getting rich. Jesus’ gospel was about others having hope. Caesar took. Jesus gave.