“Let Brotherly Love Continue.”

Hebrews 13:1 says quite simply: “Let brotherly love continue.” 

It is verses like this that give me a lot of trouble in life. Sunday we had a Brechin City FC V Ayr United football match as the final playoff match... I woke to the rain and the wind and knew in light of my sermon on this particular passage of scripture I was in trouble. As a minister it is sometimes even for me a challenge to love everyone I come in contact with, let alone an Ayr fan at the final Brechin City match...

I must confess I wanted a nice warm sunny day... for me but that nasty rain was just what I wanted for those Ayr fans. I knew they were bringing a load of supporters up and that they wouldn’t all fit in the David Will stand. I also kind of figured that our folk could squeeze together in a brotherly love sort of way in the Cemetery End coo shed... so it was a mixed emotion of how do I pray—did I really want to love my fellow football fans or did I want to wish them ill will? Well as you may or may not know I can’t control the weather, we get what God allows or sends our way and in the end it was really a lovely, if a bit blustery, day. A fitting day to meet and battle it out on the pitch.

It ended up one of those days of bitter sweet emotions, the 2400 plus folk at the Glebe gave a warm round of applause for our departed fellow football fan and avid BCFC supporter Steve Mitchell. Yet we lost by one goal. A hard day to celebrate and show love to the other team. Our friend is no longer among us, my beloved City is still in second division and the rapture predicted for last Saturday didn’t happen... and still the sun came up and life will gradually get back to whatever it is we consider ‘normal’. 

So forgive me today for my rather disjointed thought and give to me as well a wee bit of the brotherly love as I need to receive it as much some days as I do to continue to learn to give it to the world in which I live. I keep being reminded of love and the difference it makes to each of us. We all need it but somehow it is one of those gifts that the more we give the more comes back as well... so let a brotherly love kind of thing keep going and going in our community and let’s see if it changes something. I know 2000+ years ago God’s love made itself known and all these years later we still ken that God/Man Jesus Christ. So love does make a difference day by day, may it long continue.

Learning to love more,

Rev. Jon Bergen

Thoughts on being behind.

Have had many thoughts for the week and been meaning to get them up here. So the plan is in the coming weeks to catch up from ages ago. The thing is is anybody even reading these things? No comments so hard to tell. If you read this then let me know with a bit of feedback to say either that you like it, it makes you think or it stinks... so seeing I am 4 months behind I have a lot of 'out of date' material that has been in the Brechin Advertiser that I will try to at least catch that up with several bits and then these will be archived here at least for you to check out and take note of.

Oh and if you are on this but haven't been to the Brechin Baptist site the Bible reading for May is now up at Bible Reading. This is a reading from John's Gospel to start on May 9 and finish on June 3.

Till soon then,

Jon

Snow Days or should that be daze...

Thought two in one day--go figure, must be snowed in or something...

Well here it is day 4 of the snow days... hard to believe we have had as much snow as we have had lately. Sunday it was treacherous out on the roads. Woke up to several inches of the white stuff in the street and watched even the police not able to get up the drive way to the police car park without a bit of help. The police van was parked in the street covered in snow... the grit trucks hadn’t even been by and the pavement was covered and slick. Our back carpark was too full of snow to even think about clearing it away and now it is today and there is only more snow than was there before... finally have the front pavement cleared and non-slippery with plenty of grit down, one of few in the City centre.

Well with all this white stuff lying about it was decided that the wise thing to do was to hold off on having services on the Sunday. But what a challenge to my thinking, it went totally against what was to be on offer in the study of Hebrews we have been on for the past six weeks, errrr, 11 months... finally in chapter 10 and one of the main verses is verse 25 which reminds us; “not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together...” oh the dilemma—should we be safe or live up to this verse... now the funniest part of this is that in September I had sat with our church secretary and set out the preaching schedule through the end of the year and this was right on schedule 28 November, Hebrews 10:19 to Hebrews 11:1... 

Now tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humour...

Till the next time,

Rev. Jon

Thanksgiving and Beyond

Not sure what happened last week... must have been that it was Thanksgiving and it is the one American Holiday I refuse to give up. So was a bit busy supervising the cooking and preparation for the turkey dinner. (Thanks Ruth for working so hard and letting me get the credit) I quite honestly love this particular holiday. It is not like the goofiness that Halloween is turning into, trying to decide if it is just a bunch of fun or an excuse to get as close to evil as we can without quite admitting that is what the witches, ghosts and goblins represent. And then there is Christmas which is one we get so mixed up on we don’t know what to do with ourselves, is it an excuse to be a kid-(I like that part), is it about gifts for those we love and care about, or maybe it is about the dinner, that excuse to do away with our diets for one extra big go, but whatever we come up with about Christmas it is to my mind being ruined by the excessive commercialism, but I think anymore we say this every year and no one pays much attention to the idea that Christmas promotions starting already in October makes most of us a bit tired of it all by the time Christmas actually arrives.

But one thing I am observing is that we are losing too often the meaning of the holidays we have on the books. Remembrance Sunday, “we will not forget”, is falling fast by the wayside, the couple of handfuls that showed at the Memorial this year sadly to my mind shows that, say it was cold all you want but the lads that died in the trenches had it colder. I am glad for those who do show each year. Halloween as mentioned has lost the sense of it being the eve of All Saints Day. How many of us really know who St. Andrew even was as a historical figure? And Christmas, the season which really officially started in the churches this past Sunday, is really about Christ and his incarnation. Yet the tradition seems for too many of us Christians to be that of bemoaning the fact that Jesus is getting left out more and more. That political correctness is trying to remove the trappings of what Christmas is really about. It is ok to do the Santa thing, and decorate a bit, but don’t say Happy Christmas, must say Happy holidays or X-mas. We forget that the beginning of it is ‘Christ’, if he hadn’t come we wouldn’t even have this holiday.

So back to my busy week of Thanksgiving; I love it because it reminds me in my life to be thankful for all the blessings I receive and to be thankful even in my hard times since in them somehow my loving heavenly Father has a lesson for me to learn. So for me it is three ‘F’s; Family, Food and Fellowship and my thankfulness that I can enjoy all three...

Now let Christmas Joy begin,

Rev. Jon Bergen

Tribute Part II

This week is a bit of a joint effort and you will I hope understand. As in the Brechin Advertizer print edition;

Death is a challenge for all of us to deal with but the sudden death of a young person of good character is even harder for us. This past week has been a challenging week with the sudden passing of Andy Crowe. We will all have seen the articles in the Courier and in our local Advertiser that gave wonderful tributes and news of what has happened.

I have been chatting with the Head teacher, Mr. Dempsey, at Brechin High School and want to share some from him this week. So a bit of a collaborative effort...

“The school community especially has been affected by the tragic death of one of our pupils, Andy Crowe on Friday 29 October. Special assemblies were held on Monday 1 November to pay tribute to him. It provided an opportunity for the school to share stories about Andy’s life and encourage the young people to talk and celebrate his life and his achievements. He was an inspiration to all of us to set targets and goals for ourselves. Andy’s family have encouraged young people to talk about him and share his memories with each other. Jon Bergen and a member of the Angus Council Educational Psychology staff attended the assemblies and were available throughout Monday to offer advice and support. The pupils have responded in a most respectful way to the sad loss of a valued member of the school community.”

As I have watched the students and interacted with them I want to brag on what a great group of students I have talked with at the High School. The staff at the High School have been marvellous as well, both in support and example of how to live through hardship. I have been amazed to see and hear of the many ideas that have come out of the student body to show caring and appreciation for Andy and the support for each other and Andrew’s family.

Mr. Dempsey wanted to share some of the many ideas that have come as a tribute to Andy these include:

“On Thursday 4 November, the football team asked for the whole to participate in one minute’s applause before morning interval;

On Tuesday 9 November and Thursday 11 November, the school canteen will serve Andy’s favourite meal, spaghetti Bolognese, with donuts;

A mural is being designed for the fitness suite; a memorial plaque is to be placed in the fitness suite; Walks are being planned around some of Andy’s running routes; a cup will be awarded at Prize Giving 2011 in his honour for a sporting achievement; Running events are being planned for later in the school session.”

The funeral service was a moving, emotional occasion for all those who attended. We will never forget the tributes from Andy’s family and friends. The whole community has been affected by the events of the last week. We have been reassured by the strength and resilience shown by the young people in the way they have responded. They have bonded to provide support and comfort to each other. It was also moving for myself, Mr. Dempsey and most of all the family to see the tremendous support of students, Cadets, the Royal Marines and so many others of our fair City and area that packed the Cathedral on a bright but chilly Saturday morning to show honour for a fine young  man. I know for my part one of my encouragements was for all to look to Andy’s example and to live life to that high standard so that our lives matter and are not just wasted. Andy’s life was not wasted; it was lived to the full. How can we not desire to follow that example?

Yours in Service,

Rev. Jon Bergen and Mr. Steve Dempsey

A Tribute and Reminder

By now everyone will have heard about the death of Andy Crowe. We are saddened at the news and yet in our hearts he lives on. There will be many testimonies of the great life he lived in his 15 years. 

I was blessed to be a part of the assemblies at the Brechin High School and to have an opportunity to interact with several of our Brechin teens. I want us all to know that we really are blessed to have the great group of teens we have in our community. Andy was one of them with goals and ambitions well beyond his years. I am thankful he lived the full though short life he did as an example for us. I do hope and pray that his example will be a catalyst to move all of us to live life to the fullest.

I also shared with the students, teachers and some of the other staff that I am glad to be a minister at times like this to share the message of hope, of peace and friendship that Jesus often spoke of. I am glad to represent Jesus who was called ‘a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief’. I am glad that when he went to the tomb of his friend he wept... if it was ok for him then it is ok for me as well to sorrow and grieve. But I am as well glad that Jesus also represents hope for a resurrection for his followers. I am glad that I get to share that part of the story in times like this as well.

The hard part is finding a way to explain the ‘Why’. Or to explain how long the hurt will last. The lack of a quick answer to this is still one of the mysteries of all time. But I lean on the unchanging God to have a purpose in all of this that someday I may understand and know that even in these hard times God will still be God and as hard as that is on me, it is enough.

So my sympathy is with family and friends and I am blessed to be a part of a life lived to the full. Can you say you are living the life God gave you to the full? I hope and pray that you do...

Rev. Jon Bergen

Illusions again...

Ok, so back to the illusions of what church is or isn’t... often I find that the illusions come in pairs. The big pair that was thrown up to me not too long ago was that the ‘Church is full of perfect people” and then within a couple of breaths the idea “that the church is full of hypocrites”. So which is it really?

Well the reality is both and neither. Let’s take the second one first; ‘The church is full of hypocrites’. Aye too right too often. But are they really hypocrites? I am learning that many of the folk I know are not hypocrites so much as just struggling Christians that really need to learn what the Bible says we are to live like. We act wrong because too often we believe wrong. We somehow think if we are ‘good’ then God will love us more and be nicer to us. Truth is God loves us and will love us no matter what. But still we try to be good to get something better and God says ‘I love you so be good because you love me back.’ But it looks like hypocrisy because we are trying too hard to ‘DO something’ and we don’t always ken what it is we are to do, as much out of ignorance as anything.

The ‘Church is full of perfect people’ one is really the same problem but looks different to some because people are doing to make God be nice to us and to love us more. So we look good and smell good but have the wrong motivation too often. And then we end up talking like we have it all figured out and it ends up all show and no go.

So the church ends up in too many people’s minds to be full of perfect hypocrites... oh the joy...

Now to the reality; the church really just has normal ordinary folk who mess up. The church is full of exactly who you would expect it to be full of; liars, cheats, thieves, gamblers, drunks, adulterers, losers and well violators of all the Ten Commandments. HAH you shout with glee---‘I knew it’ all those goody goody folk are exactly what I thought they were... too right. The good news is for many of us that there is a wonderful not so wee clause that says that Jesus came to pay the debt for our sins so we can be forgiven. There is in the reality a bunch of folk who are trusting not in our ability to be ‘good enough’ to be better but rather trusting in God to change us, some days just a wee bit at a time and sometimes in bigger steps. We don’t have to live the lives we really represent, we can do good because it is the right thing to do.

It is about grace, not about doing. But if we get the grace right then we sometimes get the doing right as well... but some days we just do what you do and mess up and have to go back to that glorious well of grace for a new cup of the living water... Yes, church is for imperfect people, but ones who want to be changed by grace.

Loving Grace, because I am neither perfect nor a hypocrite,

Rev. Jon Bergen

Asking questions??? Maybe-maybe not...

Well it is for sure that time of year again. The Tattie Holidays are over and the nights are drawing in. The summer is trying to hang on but not doing a very good job of it. The harvest is coming in and much of it is well finished. The reality is that the nights are gettng chilly more than not...

But that doesn’t really mean the days get less busy. It is hard to believe that just  a few Sundays ago was Back to Church Sunday. Did you go and see if there was anything changed at your church since the last time you went? If you didn’t, why not? I know several folk did as you stopped me on the street and here, there and other places to say that you did. That really was a good start...

I also had some stop and ask me what exactly it is that church is supposed to be about. That always ends up an interesting dialogue. I got asked: what is it do you do your talk about? And that leads to an explanation of what preaching is. I don’t do ‘talks’, I preach... it is what preachers do among about 500 other things. It is that “foolishness of preaching”  thing that Paul says leads to salvation. Not because we champion certain causes but because good and great preaching centres on Jesus. Once the Jesus thing gets sorted then the response is doing good works. But like I said a few weeks ago we tend to get Christianity confused and too often it gets backwards. 

If you have a question about what Biblical Christianity is or should be do ask. You can often catch up with me out and about the City, or you can stop in for a coffee (I do tea as well some days if coffee isn’t your thing) or you can send me an e-mail question at bbfpastor@gmail.com. If I don’t know the answer I will make one up, not really, but I will do some home work and find one for you or just admit I don’t know. I get asked the one about why bad things happen to good people all the time so save that one for a face to face chat as this forum doesn’t allow enough space for that one unless I do a 52 week series. So it should make for a few interesting thoughts and before we know it the nights will be drawn in and Christmas will be here...

So ask away,

Rev. Jon Bergen

Some days doing what I do can be a really enjoyable thing. But too often I find that there really is a lot of confusion about what it means to live a ‘Christian’ life. There is real confusion about what ‘Church’ is all about.

I suspect this train of thought could go on for several weeks actually. And I know that there will be many that will take a different perspective to it than I will... which is ok... if they want to be wrong... (ok that was where you were supposed to give a wry grin and say to yourself ; Aye but what does he know? But those of you that know me also know I can be a bit tongue in cheek as well...)

I would like to focus on what church is to be about in light of the up-coming ‘BACK to CHURCH SUNDAY’ coming up. I talk to people that claim to be Christian but they haven’t been to a church service in donkeys. Sometimes for perfectly good reasons, well at least they think so, and sometimes I agree with them. But more often than not I find folk just miss the point. Somehow we have gotten confused and think church is about us, truth is it is about God, about Jesus and what he came to do. We think that if the church service doesn’t ‘do it for us’ something is wrong with it.

We were bored, it was too charismatic, not charismatic enough, the building was too hot, too cold, the singing was too loud, not lively enough, someone spoke to us and we didn’t like it, someone didn’t speak to us, the sermon was too loud, I couldn’t hear the minister. And on and on the excuses go. Just be sure you pick a good excuse, eternity is a long time to live with it.

Truth is too many folk haven’t been in years and have no idea what is going on in the church in 2010, rather it is stuck in their head that it is the same as it was in 1926 or something and they weren’t even born then. Or the opposite is true and they think the church has changed too much since 1926. And then there are many that have never been to church apart from school services and funerals or a wedding or two, but still think they won’t like it having no idea what it is really about.

Back to Church Sunday is 26 September and would make a good day to try it out. I will make a shameless plug and say the church I minister in is the best, but I suspect other ministers might say the same about their place of ministry... I won’t pretend that the church I am minister in is for everyone, not a chance. So check us out, you might be surprised.

Plan for being Back to Church on the 26th and I’ll address other confusion topics more in the future, I’m going to have fun with this one.

Rev. Jon Bergen

Illusions

It has been a wee while, OK, OK over 8 months... have I really been that busy...? I suppose not really but should at least be getting my stuff up that I do for the Brechin Advertiser most weeks... so here is one from two weeks ago and I will try in the coming weeks to do better, I know, I know--I keep saying that but... so here is a newish one anyway... (reminder to self--put this paragraph in the clipboard for future use...)

This past week I had a chance to talk with a good group of teens about illusions. The contrast of what you see compared to what is actually there. Our world is full of illusions at times that leave us a bit confused and wondering who and what we can believe. 

Religion is one of those things that too often gets confused for what it isn’t as much as what it is. Christianity especially these days is under a rather strange attack considering the long history it has had. Yet one of the problems is that ‘Christianity’ has to many become an illusion of being the same as religion. 

The reality of Christianity is far too many only see the illusion of the outer trappings of the ritual and the buildings and then they look behind the curtain and see the ‘rules and regulations’ and that is all they see. Or they see the rules and regulations and say that isn’t for me or worse say wow the hypocrisy of it when they have this stuff called sin but nobody pays attention to it. It really comes down to that it has never become personal to them. Many see the outside but never meet the personal God that is really there waiting to become a personal friend.

We celebrate the glitz and glamour of the celebrity life style and at the same time the celebrity types are trying to lock us out of the their world so we don’t see the illusion of  brokenness and shallowness of their world that they see. Yet some of them if we really knew the personal side that goes beyond the outer appearances, we would think ‘wow nice folk too bad others can’t see they are just normal. I remember well the first time someone looked at me and said; ‘Wow Jon, you are almost like a normal person.’ But then I realized I had shattered their view of what they thought a minister was supposed to be like and I said ‘thank you what did you expect green skin and horns or something?’ The problem wasn’t me it was with the illusion of what they thought from afar a minister was supposed to be, but once we got to know each other personally the image changed.

So it is with Christianity, it has its challenges and folk have illusions built up about what it is supposed to be, but once it becomes personal and the perspective changes the illusion goes away and suddenly it can make sense. I suspect that this is true of a lot of life but when Jesus becomes personal instead of a building in the middle of the town or out in the country, the whole story changes. 

Till the next time,

Rev. Jon Bergen