Two Gardens
Gethsemane's Prayer and Eden's (functional) Prayer
In our Theta and Telos Community’s Rule of Life, our second ‘way’ is The Way of the Cross. It could also be called the way of surrender. It is inspired by Jesus’ surrendering prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, “not my will, but yours be done.” This was a very different prayer than Adam’s and Eve’s functional prayer in the garden, “not your will, but mine be done.” From our community rule “We intend to walk the way of Jesus, which is the way of the cross. We will practice reflexive surrender instead of grasping or depression. The "yes" and "amen" that are ours in the promises of God motivate us to prefer God and neighbor over ourselves.” This plays out in many arenas, but especially the following three:
Stewardship of sexuality: We recognize that our bodies do not belong to ourselves, but that we have been given stewardship of them. We will live within the biblical boundaries that bear witness to our bodies being temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6.19).
Stewardship of technology: We were not made for technology. It will not be our master. Jacques Ellul in an interview entitled, "The Betrayal by Technology" starts by pointing out the illusion, "that technology makes them more free. If you just use enough technical aids you will be freer." When technology becomes personified-when it tells you what you can do or can't do. When it makes promises, it can become demonic. We will resist giving technology the power to take us out of community, distract us from prayer, or make us a slave in any way. We will put limits on technology instead of the other way around.
Stewardship of resources: It is too exhausting and demanding to serve more than one master. Jesus said, 'No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.' - Matthew 6:24. We will practice tithing (proportionally giving 10% of income) as a response to God's grace and as a reminder of the priority of Jesus' claim in our lives.
We have desires, or our desires can have us. (stewardship of sexuality)
We can use technology, or it can use us. (stewardship of technology)
We can possess, or we can be possessed. (stewardship of resources)
This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, and the reading is from Colossians 1, “that in EVERYTHING he might be preeminent” (Colossians 1.18).
He is.
Our little old church has come alive through Pastor Hoff's words that help us walk with Jesus. Praise the Lord for the Theta Community of new young faces hearing his message and helping share the love. The reconstruction has set the stage and the reaching out invites one and all to the house of God. Ephesians 4:4~5 tells us, "You were called to travel on the same road and in the same direction,
so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism." Thank you, Lord. Donna Erdahl
Amazing group!! 25 if I counted right. Boy, that is a lot, then I think of all the young adults in the surrounding communities. God could really do a work here and it would change the area for generations to come!