UBC Live! returns Thursday, February 23rd with “Who Do You Think You Are,” a Lenten series.

This six-week Lenten series will provide lessons in humility as we reflect on what it means to have total dependence upon God, to accept and commit to the truth about who we really are, to keep balance between humility and self-esteem, to understand what damage pride creates, to recognize false humility within ourselves, and to practice exercises in humility throughout the study each week.

Streaming live video by Ustream

Meet Austin’s Dave Madden. In the midst of a singer/songwriter sea of throaty voices, Dave Madden is a pleasant surprise. A talented guy, yes: His songs are altogether catchy, yet fraught with meaning. His delivery is impeccable. Trained at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, he moves deftly between the piano and various guitars.

He’s got a penchant for writing music that lodges itself into your head, and his album Open-Eyed & Broken Wide was named Best Austin Album of 2010 by INSITE Magazine. Dave has also provided worship music for Journey Imperfect Faith Community, one of UBC’s convergence conversation partners.

Learn more about Dave Madden.

My entire family are republicans except for a few of my young and crazy-like-me cousins [you know who you are ; ) ], so being in relationship to one another could be affected in a very negative way by the huge political divide represented in our country right now if we were to let it.  But I decided some years ago that I could engage my dad in particular in ways that honor our differences and keep intact our father daughter relationship that is built first on love and not hostility for one another because of what we believe.  This has impacted my relationship in such a wonderful way that I have hope for relating well with others with whom I differ politically and theologically.  Instead of instant disgust, I am reminded that one I love dearly believes the exact same way, and so it helps me to have compassion and to seek understanding in relation to that person.

As Christians, progressive, liberal, moderate, conservative, fundamentalist, whatever we call each other and ourselves, we are called to a higher polity–that of our Christ who teaches tolerance and love.  How can we Christians rise above this polemic climate that begs for us to war against one another?  How can we say, “No more, political talking heads!  We will war no more against each other!  We desire to work well together in spite of our various differences!  We believe in a common thread among us all!”  Do you desire that?  Then, lovingly joust with your fundamentalist father or your far out liberal daughter and seek reconciliation with each other, agreeing to disagree rather than allowing the climate dictate to you how you will be a “Christian”.  Let us look more objectively at our differences rather than angrily.  The anger serves none of us and only makes the chasm wider between us.  Can we do this?  Can you do this?  During this political campaign season, look for opportunities to practice “seeking to understand rather than seeking to be understood”.  Look for ways to engage an individual who thinks differently than you do in a new way that is neither defensive nor judgmental.  See what this does for your spirit.  May the Spirit of God guide us in learning to be compassionate and understanding souls.  Amen.

-Rev. Rebekah Falk

Click here for more information about Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr.

The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
January 29, 2012
“Occupy UBC”
Psalm 111
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Mark 1:21-28

^“Now may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14

Summer after Gina’s sophomore year at Baylor.  Her first church job as a summer youth minister.  Older congregation, handful of youth.  Her first Sunday morning, she’s sitting in the choir. Sermon has started when this guy walks in the door, strides down the aisle, sits in the front row.  After a few minutes, he stands up and waves his hand.  “You’re full of stuff!”  he shouts at the preacher (expletives deleted, of course). “It’s all a pile of stuff!” and then he storms out. Gina is freaked, but the preacher, Brother Grace, doesn’t miss a beat.  The whole congregation ignores it. After worship in the choir room they’re taking off their robes and talking like nothing happened.  “Y’all going to Luby’s?”  “How’s your sister?”  And so on. Always one to name the elephant in the room, Gina asks. “Didn’t anybody notice what happened today?” “Oh, that’s Bob,” somebody says.  “He does that from time to time.”

Every church has a “Bob” – or two.  Don’t ask me to name ours.  But that’s why it’s no surprise to me that Jesus encounters “a man with an unclean spirit,” at – of all places – the synagogue during worship on the Lord’s Day.  Frankly, it’s just not that unusual.

The first thing to notice in this story is that Jesus and his disciples go to the synagogue to worship.  According to Luke (4:16), it was Jesus’ custom.  In fact we have so many stories in the gospels of Jesus at the synagogue and Temple we have to say Bible study and worship and gathering with the people of God on the Lord’s day was essential to Jesus and his followers.  So don’t say you’re a follower of Jesus if you never go to church.  That’s just a pile of “stuff!”  Likewise, a number of these “one day at God’s house” Jesus stories are about people who need healing.  Some of them know it, and some of them don’t, but many of these stories are about their resistance to Jesus and the healing he brings.  We come here because we need God, but our defenses are up and we resist the cure.

A lot of ink has been spilled and lines drawn over the whole topic of demons.  In that day demons represented the power of evil at work within – and among – us, and demons were blamed for all kinds of misbehavior.  I’m not one to say there’s no such thing as a demon, but I also believe the great majority of demon stories we read in the Bible we would classify as mental illness today.

And as you know, mental illness is a matter of degree.  We all struggle with moods and attitudes and addictions and self-control and act sometimes in ways that leave us asking later, “What got into me?”  Actually, Mark doesn’t even use the word “demon” in this story.  He says, “there was this guy with an unclean spirit.” Let’s call him “Bob.”

Every church has a “Bob.”  Every church member has an inner “Bob!”  So don’t go trying to name who our Bobs are.  You are Bob.   We’re all Bob from time to time, possessed by an unclean spirit.  You remember, in Judaism “unclean” means “not kosher,” “unholy” – that is, unfit for God’s service.  And that can be contagious, because in every exchange Bob meets Jesus and either Jesus heals Bob or Bob creates another Bob.  You know what I mean?

I have to confess, I’ve had some Sundays when I had “an unclean spirit” and being around a bunch of happy church people made my “inner Bob” stand out.  Oh, I can get irritated when things don’t go right or people don’t do what they’re supposed to.  Or maybe I’m tired or a little discouraged or somebody complains when I’m not in a good space to hear it.  Makes me cranky, but I try to hold it in.  I even go through spells where I can be kind of prickly for weeks at a time. And once in a while, I just lose it, you know what I mean?  But in a controlled way.  Somebody grabs me first thing after the service: “Hated that new hymn; never use it again.” And I smile, but when I get back to my office, I kick my garbage can.  Well, I don’t, but my “inner Bob” does!

It’ only human that our spirits get out of whack sometimes.  And we get in a negative space. And we dump on each other.  It comes out as anger, criticism, sarcasm, bitterness, resistance.  I’m not talking about disagreement.  That’s an important part of our decision-making, but that happens in a dialogue of trust at a cognitive level.  I’m talking about taking things personally, using words to wound, grinding axes, keeping grudges.  I’m talking about feeling hostile or hurt, and nurturing negativity.  I’m talking about normal human patterns, which is another reason it shouldn’t surprise us to find “unclean spirits” in the church.

I think they’re common to all human institutions.  I’ve seen some fans at UT games who had to be demon possessed. No other explanation for their behavior.  Most offices and workplaces have a chronic crank or two.  Ever try to work with a clerk who was a jerk at the mall?  Those unclean spirits are everywhere! But there is one difference where it comes to the church:  this is a place where unclean spirits can be healed.

Most of the time, I try to remind you that church is mainly who we are and what we do when we are not here.  The ministering church of Jesus Christ lives beyond these walls Monday through Saturday in the places where God sends us to be agents of grace to a wounded world.  But church happens here, too of course.  This is the tool shed, where we are equipped for that work.  This is the gym, where we are trained for discipleship.  This is the classroom where we are educated for good works.  This is the meeting place where we have a standing appointment God has initiated with us.  But this is also the hospital where we can be healed in our spirits and heal one another.

Listen to Paul in his encouragement to the church at Corinth who were wounding one another with their spiritual one-upsmanship and constant bickering.  The Corinthians were fighting over meat offered to idols.  Not an issue to us today, but Christians of all kinds still have those kind of righteousness fights.  Paul agrees with the ideas of the “meat offered to idols is harmless” side, but he tells them they’re missing the point.  Being right is not what matters most.  What matters most is right relationship. Community.  Each other.  For Paul, it is more important to be sensitive and supportive of one another than to be right and get your way.  The question to ask is not, “Is it okay to eat meat that’s been offered to idols?” but “How will my behavior affect my spiritual family?”  The church Paul envisions is a group of people who care about each other enough to alter their own behavior and even limit their freedom to bring healing, growth, and support to each other.

In the same way, Mark’s story fascinates me me in the way it connects healing with authority and teaching.  Jesus teaches, and the people are astonished, “for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22).  Mark’s not being anti-semitic here.  His point is not that Christian preachers have the truth about God while Jewish rabbis only have opinions.  Listen, we preachers only have opinions, too, and not usually backed by as much study as the rabbis have put into theirs.  Mark’s point is that Jesus alone is the expert on God, and we should all listen to him.

Just then this guy with an unclean spirit accosts Jesus: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”  One commentator wonders what office this guy held at the synagogue: Treasurer? Choir Director? Youth Pastor? Moderator?  Sometimes even the best among us react out of the worst within us.  Jesus confronts him: “Be silent, and come out of him!”  Healing can be painful.  It means confrontation.  Inner conflict.  Silence before God. Letting go of the pain and fear and anger that makes us unfit for service to God. Submitting to God’s peace.

The man is healed; the people are amazed.  They say: “What is this? A new teaching– with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”  Their reaction amazes me.  How is this healing a new “teaching?”  And what is their point about “authority?”

It’s an age old issue. Deuteronomy laid it out way back in Moses’ day.  Who is right about God? And whom shall we follow?  Isaiah wrestles with it, Jeremiah wrestles with it, Paul wrestles with it, and we still wrestle with it today.  So many authorities!  So many “experts on God.”  But they don’t all agree.  We all know there are Christian churches in this town whose understanding of scripture is so different from ours, they don’t even want to sit by us in a restaurant!  Who is right and who is wrong and how can we know which authority to trust?

Like Paul in 1 Corinthians, Mark’s story suggests it’s not about right and wrong ideas after all.  After all, we “see through a glass darkly.”  Instead, it’s about the result of the word we trust.  Does it bring healing and the peace of Christ – the shalom, holiness, wholeness of God to our souls?  Does it transform us into a community which heals each other’s unclean spirits?  The proof of authority is in its results.  The truth of God’s word is in healing unclean spirits with love and peace.  The ideas are just your opinions.

This week one of our newest members told me he came to UBC because he had been into some negative things in his life that weren’t who he wanted to be and as he thought about it, being with the people he met here made him feel positive and let go of the negative.  Does that sound like church to you? And I thought about those times I have had that “Bob” spirit of irritation, discouragement, or frustration, how being here made me face that and deal with it, how being with you brought encouragement, joy, healing to my soul.  God has given you and me the power to bless and the calling to bless each other.

Where else are you going to find that kind of healing?  That’s why today I am encouraging you to “occupy UBC.”  There’s a lot I like about the Occupy Movement as a whole.  I think they’ve had a hard time articulating a clear, achievable, coherent mission.  But they have expressed the deep feeling many share who haven’t actually camped out with them – that something is broken, that so many of us feel discounted, abused, dispossessed and oppressed by the structures and institutions we once trusted.  No wonder we are filled with “unclean spirits.”

But here we have a people with a clear mission: to create a healing place, to be a blessing people, to include everyone in the healing Jesus offers and to access that healing ourselves.  If we will answer that call and be that healing, blessing people, it won’t matter where people have to park or whether they like the music that day or even whether the preacher is sharp or dull – people will want to be here.  We will want to be here.  Because we know Jesus is here among us, healing all that feels wrong inside.  So especially in these days while our parking lots are “under construction,” let us be “under construction,” too.  Let’s occupy UBC and heal each other’s souls in the name of Christ.  Wouldn’t that be amazing!  Amen.  May we pray?

We are not kosher, Lord, we admit it.  We are unclean and unfit to serve you.  Call us to the silence where you meet us.  Cast out our unclean spirits, and give us your peace.  Then lead us to bless and heal others and dump no more.  As you occupy UBC, let us occupy UBC with a healing love that will lead others you send to join us in making this a place of God’s abiding peace.  In the name of Christ, amen.

-Rev. Dr. Larry Bethune

“I picked up my first real camera in Spain while serving on the aircraft carrier USS America, (almost 25 years ago!), the beautiful scenery of the Mediterranean and the aviation action onboard made me want to capture my perspective on film. Today I am always learning and experimenting with the amazement that is the digital photo age.

I prefer to shoot in natural settings and do not utilize a studio. I believe that taking a photograph is merely the first step in creating a piece of art, but it’s not all about that. It’s also about having a natural eye behind the camera, it’s about knowing the light, the location, the subject. It’s about treating each client like a friend.”

Check out more of Rod’s work at his website.