Cascade Church Portland

Revisiting Paul:: Paul & Slavery

Last week I sent out this newsletter with a "your" where a "you're" should be. 

This is embarrassing, specifically because I put some real effort into these newsletters. I come up with the ideas, type it out, re-read and edit. There are times when I start with a premise that really captures what I'm trying to communicate and there are times I really stink up the joint. 

Now, imagine you have something that you've written, you care about and it starts to take on a life of it's own. Imagine people take a work memo or letter you wrote and break it down into chapters and verses. Imagine they start quoting it and start putting sections of what you wrote on coffee mugs, t-shirts and inspirational posters. That may feel amazing, but it may also fill you with a deep sense of dread.

That level of scrutiny could take some of your thoughts completely out of context. Even within this email so far you could quote me as saying;

"I really stink up the joint"      - 1 Kurt 3:6

Ultimately this doesn't mean that we don't read, study and enjoy things that are written, but that we always hold them in tension with where they were written and the larger themes that frame them. 

Paul's writings were used to justify and prop up slavery for hundreds of years. Even though it isn't a debate we're waging today, knowing that Paul was part of that conversation can really cut the legs out of wanting to read and study his writings. In this message we want to put Paul's conversation back together and see how the trajectory of his writings inform the specifics. 

The Role of Black Spirituality in the Church

This Sunday is the Super Bowl and I can really enjoy a game where I don't care about the two teams playing. I'm just here for the commercials, halftime show and the food!

If your watching the game with a lifetime of fandom for one of the teams playing it will likely be much different. You'll likely view every penalty against your team as a gross violation of justice. Fans of two opposing teams can watch the same play and have vehemently different interpretations of what happened, usually through the lens of their fandom. 

The energy and anxiety levels of a person just watching the game for the love of the sport is hopefully more balanced and fair. They don't have the same lenses impacting their version of events and can really just celebrate the quality of the game and the impressive feats of any player. There's no reason to feel defeated by a great play by the opposition, because there is no opposition. 

I wish I could say that this kind of anxious or defensive participation was just limited to sports. Sadly when it comes to any number of "teams" there is a lens that we carry that can impact our version of events, Whether these are the "teams" of country, ethnicity, gender or political affiliation. 

One of the great hopes we carry in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the elimination of a "team" mentality. We can instead experience the whole of humanity as God sees them and hear stories from other perspectives as necessary insights into the story of us. 

Cascade:: Our Journey So Far

When George Lucas first made and released Star Wars in 1977 it was a huge success, far beyond what anybody could have envisioned. It soon became apparent that a second film would need to build upon this success. In interviews that George Lucas gave around the time of releasing The Empire Strikes Back he stated that he actually had a trilogy of trilogies already created. Around this same time "Episode IV" was officially added to "A New Hope".  

There's something that really captures our imaginations about someone creating a huge epic tale that we've only seen a part of. Game of Thrones and Lost are more recent examples of sprawling epics where we start to ask where things are heading and take some solace in the idea that the full story has already been completed. 

I wish I could say that was true for Cascade when the church got started in June of 2015. 

We didn't have a clear picture of where the church would be in 3 months, much less 3 years. There were key values that drove the creation of the church that focused on safety to ask big questions, not having to agree on every point of theology and moving towards engaged spiritual living in the real world. How that would look and who would resonate with that vision was totally up for grabs. 

I don't think it would have served us then or that it serves us now to have the entirety of the Cascade story written, but it does require us to have regular check-ins as to where we'e at. We need to pause often and make sure the driving vision of Cascade is still what's leading us forward as a church. 

Revisiting Paul:: Paul & Women

I grew up with a mother who was an adult Sunday School teacher at the church we attended. 

For some of you, this may not seem like anything worth mentioning. What's the big deal about someone volunteering their time at a faith community to share a gift they have?

Within Christian culture in the US some hold that only men should be allowed to teach at a church. This isn't a widely held teaching of the Bible. There are many stories of women teaching and leading throughout the Bible. The belief comes directly from some of Paul's writings (and I would note that it dovetails nicely with patriarchal society norms) 

So, my Mom would share stories of men walking into the class and walking out when she got up to teach. I was baffled by this because of the unique view I had into her preparation and giftedness. My Mom woke up every morning and had time studying the Bible with her commentaries. She put countless hours into prayer, study and developing what she was going to teach. 

How is it that because of anatomy my Mom shouldn't be allowed to teach? How is it that half of the population can only receive wisdom from the other half? In this message we look at the verses that helped create this worldview and at context and the broader teachings of Paul. The hope is that by looking directly at the verses that launched millions of exclusionary rules we can discover the heart of God for how we all relate to one another. 

Revisiting Paul::How Paul Read Scripture

Whooooooooo's ready for a thought experiment!?!?

Ok, so imagine you are watching Wheel of Fortune and after a contestant solves one of the puzzles Pat Sajak tells them they are incorrect even though the answer appears obviously correct. 
He then tells them that while the answer was correct, they forgot to ring the buzzer and frame the answer as a question. 
Now, most of us would assume this is a classic Sajak and Trabek Face/Off situation, but the rest of us would lead a forceful revolt with pitchforks and flame at Stage 11 of Sony Picture Studios.
The rules of Jeopardy cannot be allowed to govern the world of Wheel of Fortune! These are two separate realities and you destroy the fabric of the known universe when you mix the two!! In the words of the immortal bards The Offspring, you have to keep them separated. 

In a much more subtle way this misapplication of the rules is how many of us were given the Bible. We're imposing the rules of Jeopardy on Wheel of Fortune, so to speak. 

There were common assumptions about how you write, discuss and debate spiritual realities for the Jewish people during the time of Jesus. These assumptions create the trail guide we need to navigate the truths and conversations of Scripture and you are in danger of doing damage to the Bible, to others and yourself if you don't understand these assumptions. 

Revisiting Paul::The Man

Christians have had a complicated relationship with Paul and his writings. It’s amazing to think about the journey of a man who went from attacking followers of Jesus to becoming one of the heroes of the faith. It’s rare that people change that much in the course of their life.

But there are also parts of his writings that have been used to support patriarchy and homophobia.

We think it would be well worth our time to re-examine Paul and his role in Christian thought and practice. It might be possible that understanding context can shift how we view him and give us fresh eyes on his writings.

Govern Yourselves Accordingly::Michelle Lang

Take a listen to Michelle Lang sharing her message with Cascade about creation, worth and all the potential within you!

A Light Has Come:: God is Love

Take a listen to Pastor Sarah talk about the ways that we experience the love of God in real and mysterious ways. 

A Light Has Come:: Family of God

The older you get, the easier it is to see the interesting dynamics of your family system. 

I can vividly remember the feeling of trying to catch my brother in a mistake so that he could get in trouble like the rest of us. I was sure he was the golden child that never got in trouble. 

I can remember baiting my sister into fights so that she would get in trouble once again. She was the black sheep who was pushing back on most rules and expectations. 

I can remember retelling stories my parents wanted me to tell their friends about the funny thing that had happened. I was the comedy relief that could help lighten the mood. 

What's so interesting about these roles and expectations is that all of them were true and untrue at the same time. All of those stories illustrate part of who my siblings and I were and there is also a lot that is missing from those stories and descriptions.

When we get older we can instinctually fall into these roles in our friends groups, work environments or faith communities. What's the impact of continuing to live into one version of ourselves from our families of origin to the family of God? What happens when something catastrophic makes our family of origin role crumble right before our eyes? Who are we and who is God in the context of God's family?

A Light Has Come:: Love and Hatred

Ever see someone drop trash while they're walking down the street? 

It's oddly satisfying to whisper "sinner" under your breath when it happens. 

Sin is an intriguing word that alternates between meaning too much or too little in people's lives. It can be a huge burden that you carry in the pit of your stomach or a meaningless flick of lint that you pull off your shirt. It's a word we can dismiss because it's overuse has rendered it meaningless or a word that carries so much weight because of our fear that we're constantly sinning. It can also be an odd word that means nothing because it wasn't one we heard or used growing up. 

We want to look at and through the word sin to discover some really powerful words behind it. Love and hatred are words that are used heavily in this section of scripture and we want to see the relationship to sin. 

The hope is that we can reorient our understanding of sin by contextualizing it with love and hatred. When we see it in light of these other words I hope that it sticks with us in ways that invites us to both humility and purpose.