Denver Community Church

July 5, 2009: A God by Any Other Name – Michael Hidalgo

God’s name is not just a specific word; it connects to his reputation with the way people thought about Him. We are bearers of His Name. Therefore, we must live lives that do not profane that Name. His name was written on the Temple. Solomon says in 1 Kings 8:

May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ … Do whatever the foreigners ask of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

Paul reminds the Church that we are the Temple … we bear the name of God. As we live Holy lives then we must obey the commands of God.

June 28, 2009: Idols and Ideas – Michael Hidalgo

We are to come to God on his terms, and understand Him as he has chosen to reveal himself. We are not to be people who attempt to manipulate his revelation to us, and make Him in our image. We are made in His image, and we are to worship Him for what He has told us about Himself. 

While we may not be people who make idols today, we often place God in our box. We do this by the way we rationalize our world, and how we attempt to manipulate the Text to make it say what we would like it to say. We must be people who recognize the indescribable God and worship Him on his terms.

June 14, 2009: God of Liberation – Michael Hidalgo

One cannot approach the Ten Words without an understanding of who God is. God himself point to what he has already done for the people of Israel. He speaks of the Exodus, the miraculous salvation of the people out of the land of Egypt.

God demands that he be the only God (or god) of his people he demands complete and total allegiance from his people. This command is expressed in the prayer which is the basis of Jewish belief, Hear O Israel, the LORD is God, the LORD is one. Jesus restates this when he is asked, “What is the greatest command?”

June 7, 2009: Legalism – Jon Gettings

May 31, 2009: Finding a Metaphor – Michael Hidalgo

So often we want to draw a line between sacred and secular, between the world and the church, between evil and good. The list could go on. Paul wrote about the danger of the hollow and deceptive philosophy that was plaguing the church in Colossae. He reminds them that it is in Christ, that we find the fullness of God … rather than the gaping holes of human tradition. 

 

Then Paul tells the church – “and you can partake in the presence of God in this world.” He is using the picture of embodiment as an alternative to the prevailing deceptive philosophies that are all around. He is telling them that they must live rooted in a biblical vision of life as we attempt to discern a path forward. 

This is easier said than done. We are to live out Christ in our contemporary world in a way that makes sense to our culture. This calls for “double immersion.” Being immersed in our culture and in the text so that we can find analogies and current images and ideas that reflect Christ’s death in a compelling way. 

May 24, 2009: Flexible and Firm – Michael Hidalgo

Paul employs two complimentary images here. He speaks of something firm – rooted and established. And then speaks about something messy – overflowing. I have the picture of milk being dumped out of a pitcher, or water pouring over the top of a tub. One is steady the other is unpredictable. One is stable the other is adaptable. This is the beauty of the Christian life. We are called to be a people who are rooted in Christ. Yet we are also encouraged to be people who overflow with thankfulness. 

Paul is in the midst of an argument on behalf of truth – and he introduces these images. This is the joy of the Christian life. Is continually renewing what it looks like in our day. Reimagining this in our time. Rooted in the past (Christ) and expressing him in the present.

May 17, 2009: Living the Truth – Michael Hidalgo

There are significant questions being asked in our world today about “absolute truth.” Some would say that there is no absolute truth – to which others ask, “Can I believe this absolutely?” What is interesting is that Paul moves toward the idea of truth in a unique way that speaks volumes toward a truth-starved world. In response to “fine sounding arguments” Paul’s hope is that the church would “they may be encouraged in heart and united in love.” This is so they would gain understanding. He does not want them to learn counter fine sounding arguments – he simply wants them to live out the truth, which in many ways calls for a deeper understanding.

May 10, 2009: Immigration – Danny Carroll

God instructs his people to always welcome the stranger, the alien, and the foreigner. He never specifies what kind of process these people would have to go through for this to happen. He simply says that this is what is supposed to happen. What does it mean for the church to welcome the “stranger in our gate.”

May 3, 2009: All Grown Up – Michael Hidalgo

Why does Paul want people to become mature in Christ? What does this mean exactly. So often we see people who are “all grown up” and let’s just be honest, it looks boring, tiring, and much too routine to be something, that as Paul says, “I strenuously contend.” Besides, does Paul really think that there is an end in sight? When is someone “mature”? It seems as if he is speaking of a destination, a final point, not a journey.

April 26, 2009: Peace Through Pain – Michael Hidalgo

Paul begins to speak about the suffering that he is enduring on behalf of the church. He then says that he is rejoicing in it. Which raises a lot of questions. Why is he happy to be hurting so much? He seems to point to the fact that the pain is worth the mystery of the church. This causes us to ask a follow up question. Just what is the mystery of the church and why is it great enough to suffer for it? (p 227 CRmxed)