j.p. serrano

“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

(John 3:3 NIV)

As Lutherans we often have trouble with John 3:3.  Some people have used the term born-again as a classifier to denote a certain kind of “better” Christian.  We hear it with questions like, “Are you a born-again Christian?”  As if there were hierarchy among those who are followers of Jesus.  Well, there is only one response for the Lutheran follower of Christ, a resounding, “Yes.” 

So what does it mean to be born again? 

(A little background, skip this if you get bored easily)

The Greek phrase for Born again in this passage is gennethe anothen.  The New Revised Standard Version translates this pericope, “born from above.”   Another translation comes from the American Standard Version and the World English Bible, which renders the phrase, “born anew.”  The phrase is actually a Greek idiom, which is most accurately rendered in the NIV main text as born again.

We ought not shy away from this verse because it is apart of our scripture and has something to teach us.  We all need a new start.  Jesus is telling us that in order for us to understand what he is talking about and see his Kingdom at work in the world, we need fresh eyes from which to look.  We get those eyes in a very specific way—Baptism. 

When we were baptized, we died with Christ and where raised with Him into a new way of living.  But, as with most new things, we need practice.  For us this new way of seeing fades over time—like any skill—if it is not cultivated.  Just as with any discipline like music and sports we need perseverance and continual repetition to advance our skill.  If we want to be able to see God’s Kingdom at work, there are things we must do to tune in to it. 

These practices come in the form of meditating on scriptures, listening to God in silence, participating in the sacraments, and worshiping with a community.  Here is what you can do this next year to tune into God’s Kingdom.

Spend time in the scriptures.  Read the Bible a few chapters at a time and ask God to speak to you through your reading.  After you read the chapters sit in silence and listen to what God has to say to you.  This practice helps one become tuned in to what God is doing in their life and in the world.  For a scriptural example of this read 1 Kings 19:1-21.

Friends, this New Year may you remember that you are born again.  May feel a freshness in your faith in 2009 and may you remember James 4:8. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

My hope is that this will be our rallying verse for this New Year.

Peace,

Jeremy            

F.Y.I. iThoughts are articles I write for My Church’s monthly newsletter.

December is my favorite month.  In it we mark two transitions.  At the beginning of the month we celebrate the start of the Christian year in Advent, and at the end of the month we celebrate the end and beginning of the calendar year.  It is a great time of anticipation for not only the coming of Jesus, but also for what God will do in our lives this next Church year.  Here is a brief look at our Church Year.

            Advent is a four-week period where we prepare for Christmas.  In advent we look forward to the coming of hope into the world with the Christ child—the King, God with us, Savior.  We anticipate God’s reign in the world and over our lives through his Word.  This is a time when we can look forward to how God will use the Church seasons to transform us into more devoted followers of Jesus.

            Christmas begins with evening prayer on Dec. 24^th and ends with midday prayer on Jan. 5^th.  It is during the Christmas season that we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord.  After Christmas day marks the beginning of what is usually called the twelve days of Christmas.  During this time we should reflect on how Jesus has come into the world and into our lives.

            Epiphany follows the Christmas season and ends on Ash Wednesday.  It begins with the feast of Epiphany on Jan 6, which celebrates the visit of the Magi to the Christ child.    The term Epiphany comes from the Greek epiphaneia, which means manifestation.  The Epiphany season is a time in which the community of believers celebrates the appearance of Jesus as God and man.  In Epiphany we celebrate Jesus’ Baptism and the Transfiguration.  During this season we are mindful of Jesus’ person and that he is the one who came to die for the sins of the world.

            Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with midday prayer on Holy Saturday (The Saturday before Easter).  Ash Wednesday begins this season by the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of believers as a sign of penitence and a reminder of human mortality.  Lent is a time in which we “lengthen” our faith by preparing ourselves for what Jesus does during holy week.

            Holy week culminates the preparation time of Lent.  It begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Holy Saturday.  We focus, during this time, on Jesus life in Jerusalem until his resurrection. On Maundy Thursday we are reminded of Jesus’ “mandate” to practice the Holy meal and serve the world.  On Good Friday we mourn the death of Christ but at the same time joy remains because we know that Easter is around the corner.

            The Season of Easter is a victory celebration for the resurrection of Christ and his victory over sin and death. It is a time for all Christians to proclaim their faith boldly in the risen Lord.  In Easter we celebrate the Ascension and the season ends with Pentecost, the celebration of the birth of the church with the coming of the Holy Spirit.  It is a time to be reminded of the joy that we have because we have been set free from our sin.

            The longest season of the year is the season after Pentecost.  During this time the Church focuses on growing in God’s grace by focusing on the teachings of the Lord.  We hear about Jesus’ healings and teaching his disciples.  It is a time when believers should look to the teachings of Jesus in order to be transformed by his word.  The last Sunday of the year is celebrated as Christ the King Sunday.

I hope that this next year is more than just steady monotony of daily routine; I pray that this church allows God to work though the Seasons to transform you into an even more faithful servants and followers. Amen.

Peace,

Jeremy Serrano

F.Y.I. iThoughts are articles I write for My Church’s monthly newsletter.

Here is the sermon that I preached on 11.23.08.  I take the congregation through the Church Year, and explain each church season.

sermon.11.23.08

-Jeremy Serrano

Today is my twin brother’s birthday.  Rarely do I find it strange when we show up to church wearing the same clothes, or when we go see the same movie on the same day or any of the other odd twin things we do, but Friday weirded me out.

On Friday, while procrastinating on homework, I chose to take the next step in my “secret” love for zombie movies.  I decided that I would start collecting their DVD’s.  So I created a wish-list in my Amazon account entitled Zombie Stuff.

About 2 hours after creating this list, I took a phone call from my brother telling me that my birthday gift was delivered to my home. After a long day at work, I got home and opened a box from Amazon–It was a book on the history of Zombie movies and two movies.

There is no way he could have known that I wanted to start collecting them since I put up the list on the same day as recieving the box—-WEIRD!

-jps

So, I am not sure when it became acceptable to put children on leashes. This woman is out with a child, but something is amiss, notice how she is holding the leash, do you see it, she is walking this child like one walks a dog. Also notice how close they are standing, why not hold hands?  There us no wonder why children feel abandoned by the adult world, we treat them like animals. We don’t touch them, we ignore them.

Can you imagine if there were leashes during Jesus time?  Jesus would be telling the parents, not the disciples to not hinder the children from coming to him.  

This really, really bothers me!

Jps

I have been discussing with some people the “controversy” of woman in ministry.  I put controversy in quotes, because for me the issue is settled.  There is no doubt in my mind that women have the blessing of God through scripture, tradition, and communal witness, to exercise their gifts, whatever they may be.  This includes being a Pastor, Elder, Bishop, or any other role in the church.

I went to my first all seminary chapel today, and I was pleasantly surprised.  The preacher was Erin Default-Hunter–I could sit and listen to her for hours.  She is a fine preacher, with good theology, and a great message.  If you want to watch it for yourself you will need iTunes and a this link.  Her gifting for preaching is evident.  She is a reminder for me that there are good female preachers and poor female preachers, just as there are good male preach and poor male preachers.

David Scholer, may he rest in peace, has written excellent reader on the subject–Selected Articles on Hermeneutics and Women and Ministry in the New Testament.   If you all know of any other good books on the subject, let me know.

-jps

Well today was a great day at the nywc. I skipped the first general session, but went to the break out seminars–Sometimes sleep is more important, and yesterday was a long day.

Tonight we heard three speakers all were very good. What I took home that was most meanigful is this–we must all keep in our minds the difference between the ends and the means. The end in youth ministry is having kids be radically involved with the mission of Jesus and loving God while carrying out that mission. The means is youth group, mission trips, games, fun, talks, coffee fellowship etc. The problem comes when I forget that the means are not the end, they point to something beyond and that is Jesus. I forget this sometimes and in turn the congregation forgets it.

Here is a photo of Tic Long. He is the guy who puts this all together.

Today is our first day at the National Youth Worker Convention in Sacramento. We have yet to leave the hotel, but the wonders of the Embassy Suites is amazing the children. I am really excited about the convention, it is rejuvinating for me and in turn my ministry. I’ll keep y’all updated throughout the day. Here is a photo of the children eating our FREE breakfast.

I find that the more I lead worship for my congregation, the easier it gets, the less stressed I am, and the more worshipful I feel.  I am so grateful that I have a Pastor who trusts me enough to take over in his stead when he is on vacation.  The kind of experience I am gaining is heads and tails above other seminary students.

I tend to be pretty serious when I preach, my next sermon needs to be more light hearted.  

The congregation is great, they are always very encouraging.  God has really blessed me, and put me in a church that is as awesome as this.  

-jps

I just saw Kimbo Slice fight, and was excited that he lost……. Now we can all see that the hype was…well….hype.  

I do appreciate that he took it well and was a good sport.  That says a lot about his character.

He seems like he has a pretty good sense of humor evident by these videos. (caution, these videos have some foul language)

jps