Denver Community Church

April 19, 2009: Rebuild, Restore, Renew – Michael Hidalgo

In the words preceding this passage Paul speaks about the Church being “Christ’s Body.” Here he speaks about reconciliation happening through the physical body of Christ. This reconciliation is about the suffering that Jesus went through on the cross to present us free from accusation. What role then is the church to play in this? Surely we cannot, like Christ, “die for the sins of the world,” for we know this happened once for all time. 

But the link cannot be missed. Reconciliation comes through Christ’s body – and we are the body of Christ. We will raise the question then – “What role do we, the Church, play in leading others toward reconciliation?” Paul speaks about this being a “hope held out in the gospel.” He has even become a slave to this. 

April 12, 2009: All Things New – Michael Hidalgo

Easter is a big deal in most places. But why? Why is it important that Jesus rose from the dead? There are a lot of spiritual leaders who are dead that people still follow. This sounds cynical – and it is – but for many we celebrate the empty tomb and are happy that death has been defeated. But what sucks about this is that funeral homes are still a booming business. People are still dying – so if Jesus defeated death why are good people still dying? We talk about the promise of living after death which is an odd thing – one must die to get a promise?

The viewpoint of the Gospel writers seems a lot more hopeful. Their focus is about what is new. They reveal – as does Paul – the new creation, the new world, the new reality, the new gospel that Jesus brings. That his resurrection is a joy because all that was is no longer for those in his Kingdom. We can face down sin and death and all their friends with the hope of an empty tomb – not because we will one day escape it all – but because we have been empowered to bring it here now.

April 5, 2009: This is Yours, But I'll Take It; Give It Up, Part 6 – Michael Hidalgo

When Jesus went to the cross he was indeed acting as a sacrifice for the world. However, in this death there was a symbolic act that he underwent for the people of Israel. “On the cross it becomes clear that Israel’s real problem is not external merely, but internal also; he shares the ultimate form of her political and social predicament and hence reveals, in his last great symbolic act, that the nationalist rebellion whose bloody logical outcome he now shared was something for which Israel was being judged by God, and from which she needed to be saved—by him.

Hence, the irony; claiming to represent Israel, he is cast out by those who themselves claim to represent Israel; in urging Israel to forswear rebellion, he is himself executed as a rebel by the Romans. The death he dies is Israel’s death, and the pattern of healings and welcomes which make up so much of the gospel narratives indicates the motive: he dies Israel’s death in order that Israel may not die it. He takes the wrath of Rome upon himself so that, in his vindication, Israel may find herself brought through the judgment and into the true Kingdom, may see at last the way to life and follow it while there is yet time.”

The focus at the end of this series :: In every act then – when we give/sacrifice we look like Jesus.

March 29, 2009: Giving Until it Hurts; Give It Up, Part 5 – Michael Hidalgo

In the Kingdom Economy it is not about the amount one it able to give. It is about how much we are willing to give. One wise person once said, “Do not feel guilty for what you have, only for what you are unwilling to give away.” Jesus observes a woman who gives everything she has – which is nothing – yet her gift is greater for she has given much.

 

So often we ask “What can I give?” We look at our resources, gifts, time, etc, and feel like we have little to offer. This is because we are looking at the amount – not how much we are willing to give. Concern about the amount misses the centrality of one’s heart in relation to giving. In reality we are all called to give – and all of us have to give out of our poverty for all that we have is not ours anyway. 

March 22, 2009: Get a Haircut; Give It Up, Part 4 – Michael Hidalgo

The Nazarite vow is spoken of in Numbers 6. It is a little vague as to why someone would take this vow, but specific about how one fulfills it. Sampson is born into this vow. It is given to him before he is born. What is interesting is that at the end of the Nazarite vow one was to shave their head – symbolizing giving God everything. In Sampson’s story, his head is shaved – a symbol of his losing everything. 

We will focus on the idea of giving God everything we have. We will examine Sampson’s story to learn what happens often times when we believe that we are the ones who are providing for ourselves. One vow ends by shaving ones head and being released. Sampson’s story ends by having his head shaved and being enslaved.

March 15, 2009: Position of Influence; Give It Up, Part 3 – Jon Gettings

When we view our lives, how much identity comes from our jobs?  From the positions we hold? Nehemiah held an important position...even though he was a slave under Persian rule.  But all of this meant nothing when he heard of the destruction of the temple and city walls in Jerusalem.  His wrecked him.  He asked God for favor with the King to pursue rebuilding the walls of the city.  He stepped out to see this important task accomplished without God asking it of him.  Nehemiah stepped out in faith...used his passion and gifting...and saw the Kingdom advanced.  His position as a follower of God had influence his earthly position never could.  

March 8, 2009: Can You Babysit?; Give It Up, Part 2 – Michael Hidalgo

How do you promise to give God something that you do not have? Looking at this story is interesting. Hannah wants a kid so she can give him away. Does God do bargains? For some reason God hears Hannah’s prayer. One interesting note is that Elkanah and Hannah go up to a yearly festival. This, some contend, is a festival of rejoicing and feasting, thanking God for the fruit he has provided. Is it any wonder that Hannah has a hard time celebrating? God finally allows her to become pregnant – and it is in that moment that she gives back to God – making good on her promise. 

March 1, 2009: The One You Love; Give It Up, Part 1 – Michael Hidalgo

What would it be like to raise a knife up over your son? What would his face look like? What would you tell your wife when you got back home? Would “God told me to do it” really work? This is the place that Abraham finds himself. Yet, at the last moment God speaks to him and says, “Don’t do it … ever.” And he provides a ram in the thicket. This is more than a test for Abraham, this is a new turn in God’s relationship with humanity. 

For Centuries humans had performed human sacrifices. Even sacrificing their own kids in the fire. For the first time, the “gods” said “No.” God did not need the blood of Abraham’s son – he was willing to offer up his own. We will focus on God asking Abraham to do this, and then forbidding a practice of human sacrifice – a practice that was meant to appease the gods. Never again does a father allow his son to die … that is until Jesus. 

February 22, 2009: She Has a Nice Body – Michael Hidalgo

When people speak of the bride of Christ (the church) maybe they should be saying that “she has a nice body” – for we are to be Jesus in this world. Paul works through a comparison of the Church being the body and Christ being the head. This is an interesting analogy. This was a somewhat common analogy in the Roman Empire. Seneca – a famed poet wrote that the Empire was the Body, and that Nero (Caesar) was the head. He is borrowing from common lit to explain a greater truth. 

February 15, 2009: Visibly Invisible – Michael Hidalgo

We spend so much time in angst about Creation. But what would an ancient person have heard? Was the Creation poem really written to fight against Darwin? How are we called to be a part of the continued creation of this world? How do we join God in a posture of continuing to create what he started? For the ancient person reading Genesis 1, she would have wondered where the chapters were that came before that. For there was not back-story on the Creator God. It seems, that God allows creation – the created – to point to him.