Pope Francis is attacking Capitalism and defending Environmentalism; why aren't you cheering?

In his recent trip to South America, Pope Francis has given several speeches that have been have been critical of Capitalism, and supportive of Environmentalism.  In his speech, he called the "unfettered pursuit of money" the "dung of evil", he also called world leaders "cowards" for not working harder to protect the planet.  The response from many Americans, particularly conservatives and/or Republicans will be to call the Pope a Communist and dismiss his concern for the poor and God's creation.  Some of the reaction against the Pope will be good old fashioned anti-Catholic sentiment, some of it will be a holdover gut reaction to the anti-Communist rhetoric of the Cold War, and some of it will be a genuine lack of compassion for the plight of the poor, whether that be locally or in the Third World.  The backlash against Pope Francis is predictable, but it is misguided, because if you have a problem, as a Christian, with Pope Francis defending the poor by speaking out against greed, or defending the planet by speaking out against wasteful uses of resources (which hurt the poor the most, given that much of the worst environmental practices take place in resource rich but exceedingly poor countries), then your problem isn't with Francis at all, its with Jesus.
That ought to be a problem for American Christians who are blessed with both freedom and a high standard of living.  We ought to feel an obligation toward the less fortunate, a passion to help whenever and wherever we can, and outrage when the powerless are exploited by the powerful.  We ought to feel these things, and take action, because they were the themes that Jesus returned to again and again as he defended the lowest members of his society against the high and mighty.  Pope Francis didn't decide that the mission of the Church is to care for the "least of these", Jesus did.  Pope Francis didn't decide that Christians need to respect our planet, our Creator did.
If Jesus is the root of the fiery passion that the Pope has for these issues, why haven't you joined your voice in support of his?  If you don't really care about the poor, and are fine with cheap consumer products made through exploitation of Third World labor and resources, your heart is far where Jesus commanded us to be as his people.  To care about the poor, to do something about their plight, and to believe in conservation of the planet is not a political stance, it is a Biblical one; Capitalism is the best system we've found through a long history of trial and error, but it is far from perfect, as would be any system created by and run by fallen humanity.  We, the Church, need to stand with the least and the lowest, it is our place in this world, for it is the place to which our Savior knelt to be the servant of all.

The Wingfeather Saga and Christ typology: An enthusiastic book recommendation

Having just finished reading the fourth and final book in Andrew Peterson's Wingfeather Saga, The Warden and the Wolf King, I can now gladly say that the Christ typology represented in the book is both reminiscent of what Jesus did, and emotionally powerful in its own right.  I won't go into any details about which character in the book represents Christ, nor in what way, because I hope you'll read this series for yourself staring with Book One, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness.  Peterson's Christian allegory has much in common with C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia in that it too presents a moving story of love, courage, the ravages of sin, and the self-sacrifice of the heroes needed to combat it.  Where Peterson differs from Lewis is in the nutty quality of his writing and characters, something more reminiscent of Monty Python than you might expect from literature, but also something that gives this series the charm that will make its morals feel natural and not preachy.  I know that my favorite author of all time, Tolkien, hated allegory despite having C.S. Lewis as his best friend, and normally I'm not much of a fan of the genre either, but Peterson's allegory is a very loose one, the reader won't realize that there is a Christ figure in the story at all until the very end for that character is but one of a half dozen who display the moral virtues of, as he is called in the Wingfeather Saga, The Maker.  I wholly recommend this series for Christian parents to read to and with their children, it does contain the violence of war as the villain of the series, Gnag the Nameless, seeks to enslave the world and must be stopped, but stories of the strong defending the weak are ones we all should celebrate, plus kids will absolutely love the zaniness that permeates the story from beginning to end.  I look forward to reading these books to my daughter Clara who was born this past April, I just need to wait a few years to start.

Sermon Video: Woe to the phony believers - Luke 11:37-54

What is it about some Church going people that causes people who don't go to Church to stay away?  Two of the most common complaints are that Church people are judgmental and that they are hypocrites.  That this attitude exists should be no surprise to us, after all, Jesus confronted the same issues when interacting with the outwardly religious members of the Pharisees.  During a dinner to which Jesus had been invited by a Pharisee, Jesus offers a scathing rebuke to the outward piety and inward immorality of people like his host.  He goes on to offer six "woes" aimed at those who have zeal without love, are full of pride, have a facade of piety which hides wickedness, are beholden to legalism, ignore the spokesmen of God, and finally stand in the way of others coming to God for forgiveness.  The common theme in the list is that in each case those committing the transgression are guilty of shallow belief/obedience that only impacts the surface, it does not continue on to transform the heart.  Such surface belief naturally leads toward judgmentalism, for those who have not truly been forgiven often fail to forgive others, and hypocrisy, for how can anyone practice what they preach if not by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit?

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Beware of Divisive People - Titus 3:8-15

There are ample opportunities that we have in life to join in an argument or debate and social media has only enhanced their frequency.  In Paul's letter to Titus, Paul warns Titus about the dangers of becoming involved in "foolish controversies", which for Titus meant arguments about genealogies and the Law of Moses.  What are the equivalent for today's pastors to avoid?  It may not be a popular opinion with some, but in my mind, politics are a minefield that can yield little good, but great harm for a pastor or church.  Far better to focus on endorsing Christ than placing our trust in a politician, after all, the problem of humanity is a spiritual one, and therefore its solution must be spiritual, not merely political.  Along those same lines, the endless discussion about when Christ will return is equally fruitless for a pastor to become involved in.  It is our job to make sure our flock is ready, not worry about looking for signs of the End, that knowledge is safely in the hands of the Father.
After warning Titus about his own conduct, Paul goes on to recommend serious discipline for anyone who would be divisive within the church.  The Greek word used by Paul is actually the NT's only usage of "heretic", a word which originally was primarily concerned with disruptive conduct, later it became synonymous with unacceptable theology.  Disruptive people within the church cannot be tolerated, to turn people against each other for your own ends is a clear sign of a heart blackened by sin, as such, Paul tells Titus to warn such a person twice and after that have nothing to do with him.  Unity in the Church, both locally and universally, is a big deal, it was Jesus' last prayer for his followers before his Passion, in order to foster it, pastor need to avoid stirring up trouble themselves, and they need to be ready to use that shepherd's staff should the wolves come looking to prey on the sheep.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "because of his mercy" - Titus 3:4-7

Following his description of the wretched state of humanity apart from God in verse three, Paul highlights the dramatic turn in human history when the kindness and love (lit. philanthropy in the Gk.) of God appeared.  Instead of wrath, justifiable, especially from our Creator, God sent his grace, in the person of Jesus Christ, propelled by his kindness and love.  Why?  Because certain individual people deserved to be helped?  No, because of his mercy.  It had to be mercy.  It needed to be because God's holiness and justice were at an impasse with God's kindness and love.  Mankind could not be reconciled to God, as is, because of our rampant sinfulness and rebellion, nor could we obtain enough righteousness of our own to ever make up for the guilty verdict outstanding against us; mercy was the only option.  The mercy of God was not found in ignoring the consequences of sin, but instead in redirecting the cost of sin from those who were guilty and deserved no mercy, but received it anyway, to the one who was guiltless yet willingly died without mercy to provide it for us.  The cross and resurrection made the mercy of God possible, enabling his love and kindness to triumph, and opening the door for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to not only wash us in rebirth, but continue to cleanse an renew us as we await the promise of the children of God, a reunion in heaven with our Father, our Savior.

To watch the video, click on the link below: