See the Kingdom

Marbury - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Geographical trivia: It turns out that the name Marbury has more venerable connections than our beloved spot in southern Maryland. I happened to do a search on the Web and found that in merrie olde Englande there is a Marbury, with a rather more impressive church than any of ours.

Interested as I am in history, I thought others might be also, thus this link. It appears there is a Marbury in Alabama as well as ours in Maryland, but this one in England has us beat for history, at least.

Does the church ever send a mixed message?

Looking for the church page? Try this link:
Marbury Church of God

All our permanent page links are listed in the sidebar.

I’ve established an automated e-mail list for members and friends of the Marbury Church of God. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to churchnews-subscribe@seethekingdom.net. You’ll be able to get news, prayer requests, updates and announcements.

Hollis Pistole
The passing of a friend from earth to heaven should not go unnoticed. Hollis Pistole served as pastor in Marbury more than fifty years ago; I met him in Anderson in the late 1970s, when he was still teaching at the School of Theology, and have seen him regularly at annual meetings of the Church of God Peace Fellowship. We made it a point to get even better acquainted after I came to serve in a congregation he loved. Last summer he sat down for dinner with me at the annual School of Theology banquet in June. He was a pastor, teacher, peacemaker, scholar, and friend.

[Edit: The following post was made just before Easter, 2006. While the specifics as to time and date are localized, the invitation to celebrate the mystery of Christ's ongoing appearance is appropriate for any time.]

Dear friends,

If your life has been anything like mine, you’ve been busy lately. I want to invite you to take some time for refreshment. Come to church! Tomorrow morning is Easter Sunday. Why not make it a point to celebrate with others the most awesome thing that ever happened on the history of our planet?

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. The tomb is empty, and he is ready to meet with those who will follow him.

He’s been known to show up where his followers are gathered (John 20:19). To walk with them down a highway (Luke 24:13-33). To meet them for breakfast (John 21:1-14).

In Marbury, we’ll celebrate a community Sunrise Service at 7:00 AM in the Marbury Church of God sanctuary. I’d love to see you there!
You can even skip breakfast and come; we’ll follow the service with coffee, juice, fruit and pastries in our fellowship hall.

As always, Sunday School for all ages starts at 9:00 AM, with morning worship at 10:00. You can read Mark 16:1-8 and Acts 10:34-43 as preparation for the day’s message. Reminder to the church family: At offering time, special Easter Ministries Offering envelopes will be available for those who would like to give in support of the worldwide ministries of the Church of God.

That first Easter morning something happened which can still change our lives forever. Do you feel like something needs to change in your life? Has Jesus already changed your life? Is there more for him to do?

At the empty tomb,
In the upper room,
On the highway,
By the sea,
He will meet you there,
Meet your every care,
Give you peace,
And set you free.

Love,

Pastor Bob Buehler

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who publish peace!

Starting today, April 1, 2006, I have decided to take down the static front page (it’s not really down; you can see it by clicking on the welcome item in the sidebar) and move to a more “blog-style” format, where the first thing you see when you come here is… you guessed it… the last thing that I (or someone) posted here. I’m doing this for the shameless purpose of increasing traffic on the site; why would you want to come back to a page that always looks the same? But I’ll post a variety of thoughts, biblical meditations, news events and comments, and occasionally links to things I find interesting, and you, dear reader (still with me?) are encouraged to post comments and reactions as you see fit. The rules: if you want to comment, please do so. Comments are moderated for first-timers, which just means I will read your remarks before anyone else does. If you register and get a password (and I have an idea who you are), I can set it up so your comments can be seen immediately, and even so that you can post on your own.

Legitimate topics for discussion:

The kingdom of God, its present meaning, how God is at work in the world today.

Helpful interpretations of biblical or other texts.

The search for integrity.

Matters having to do with the life and ministry of the Marbury Church of God, where I am pastor.

Matters touching on the history, doctrine, and common life of the Church of God (Anderson, IN).

Humor.

Bits of poetry, from time to time.

Appropriate Christian response to current events (although I don’t really want to go off on political tangents).

I’ll try to post something new here at least once a week, so please bookmark it and come back often. I look forward to seeing you in the Conversation.

Love to all! — Pastor Bob

On January 15, 2006, as part of a district-wide pulpit exchange, Pastor Darrell Hazard delivered the following message at the Marbury Church of God.

“A Kingdom Agenda”
(Matthew 3:1-3, Acts 1:1-3)
CDP Pulpit Exchange- Marbury COG, 1/15/06
 
 Today is an exciting day, because we are a part of something grand, something larger than just ourselves. Together with God’s people all over CDP, we are allowing ourselves to be part of a small but powerful witness about what the church should look like, and are opening ourselves to the great possibilities of what we can be as the Body of Christ.
 There are over 40 recognized churches in the CDP District of the Church of God. They are all different in makeup, constitution, polity, worship styles and preferences. There are predominantly Caucasian churches; predominantly African-American churches. There are Hispanic churches and Haitian churches; churches with male pastors; churches with female pastors; large churches, small churches; rural churches and ones in the city. We are part of a faith tradition that holds ‘unity’ as one of its hallmark tenets and doctrines. What is it, though, that unites us here in CDP? What is it exactly that we have in common?
 Is it how we do ‘church’? From my vantage point, I would say the answer is clearly and emphatically ‘no.’ In addition to the differences I just highlighted, there are deeper differences that are present in our district. There are theological differences on certain matters- such as the place of the gifts of the Spirit in the life of the believer; how often we should share in the Lord’s Table; the specifics on the Second Coming of Christ; the limits (or lack of them) on the authority that pastors and church leaders can wield in the life of the church.
 We could list and name many others, but our task today is not to catalog the areas where we might have differences, but to discover what it is that unites us across this broad spectrum. If we can discover what we have in common, we can stop bickering and competing among ourselves; we can stop being inefficient as we often put our energies into the wrong things; and most importantly, we can be an effective witness to a world and society that often hears our message and sees the inconsistency in what we do and wants no part of the ‘church.’
 So I ask again- what is it that binds us together? What is it that unites us today on this historic occasion? Is it how we do church? Or, dear friends, is it the call to a Kingdom agenda?  
 To many, church and kingdom are one in the same, but I beg to differ, and I believe I have a solid biblical foundation to stand on this morning. It is a true statement that not everyone in the church is a part of the Kingdom, but everyone who has entered the Kingdom is a part of the church. I use the word church today in the institutional sense- a place that is open on Sundays and perhaps Wednesdays where programs are available to the interested passerby. Many go to church, and think that God somehow gets a tear in his eye because we decide to show up and put a few dollars into the plate and give at least one ear to the preacher.
 Let me press my case a little further- many think of church as an end in itself; that a building with pews and a steeple and a choir and a preacher is the pinnacle of God’s self-disclosure and our responsibility as Christian disciples. The Scriptures and its recording of the life and ministry of Jesus do not bear witness to that myopic view that is strangling the life out of many churches. Let’s pause for a brief test: How many times do the gospel writers record Jesus using the word church? And how many times do they record him either using the word kingdom or referring to it by example or parable? The results might surprise you this morning- Jesus is recorded saying the word church just twice (Mt. 16:18, 18:17), but uses the word kingdom or refers to the kingdom over 100 times in the gospels.
 The Kingdom is quite simply the rule/reign of God, that is never static or stationary, but advances and takes territory. The rule/reign of God, though, is sort of an abstract understanding, since no one has ever seen God and lived. How, then, does God accomplish this non-stationary, ever advancing entity? The church is the vehicle for Kingdom advancement, not an end to itself- the mission of the church is not to preach to itself, to sing to itself, or to congratulate itself for hanging around for a number of years.
 The text(s) that we have read this morning are powerful and dynamic witnesses to this fact, and may we be challenged and changed by both the logos and rhema dimensions of Holy Writ. John comes on the scene with one message- not the ‘institutional church is at hand’ or ‘Glory be, Anderson, Indiana is at hand’, but “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” He is asking us to hearken to a new reality of relating to God, and by implication, says that if the old system were sufficient, I wouldn’t need to be out here in a loincloth, eating locusts and honey, and infuriating the religious leaders of the day. If the old system were sufficient, then a man named Nicodemus would have been just fine in his flowing robes and seats at the head of the table and the Rich young ruler would have been just fine with his Cadillac Escalade and house in a gated community.
 How often do we as the church stop with going to church instead of being the church? How often do we insist on the old way when a new and better way has come available? The church often enslaves and holds back, while the Kingdom promises freedom and liberty. The church often talks about what we don’t do, where we don’t go, who we are not, while the Kingdom inspires us to know who we can be. The church often separates and discriminates, but the Kingdom comes with a promise of destroying the middle wall of partition and making the two one, even when they had no knowledge of one another or desire to know one another.
 What are the dynamics of the Kingdom and how can we participate in this vision that calls us all to participate?
 The Kingdom is Announced: John went through the countryside heralding the coming of the Kingdom. Jesus appears to thousands, gave convincing proofs of his resurrection and spoke about all things concerning the Kingdom. The gospel and the good news of the Kingdom can only be received when it is heard, and it can only be heard when it is announced- we are to be the voice, the instrument by which the Kingdom is announced in a confused, pluralistic, even politically correct world.
The Kingdom is Advanced: Jesus said that from John’s time until the present, the Kingdom is being forcefully advanced and forceful people lay hold of it. This kingdom is not of this world, so it is not advanced by the sharp edge of a bayonet or at the barrel of a submachine gun or an atomic weapon, but through the greatest force available known as the Love of God. Are you a radical lover or are you satisfied with going to church? It’s something to think about seriously- are you advancing or are you retreating? Are you moving at the behest of the Commander-in-Chief or are you consumed with your own counsel? Enquiring minds want to know…
The Kingdom is Observed: Jesus- tell John what you see (Mt. 11); the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Paul- for the Kingdom of God is neither meat nor drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost! If we are involved in Kingdom work, it will be obvious and evident to those around us- this is not a secret society, but we are call to be light and salt, and light and salt are best observed in dark and stale places!
 
 It’s high time we rediscover our Kingdom agenda- I don’t care whether you are black or white; 5th generation Church of God or new right off the street; I don’t care if you like upbeat gospel or country gospel music; I don’t care whether or not you think speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of the Holy Spirit- John came with an inauguration message, and it was about the Kingdom of God; Jesus came with a resurrection message, and it was about the Kingdom of God. Our message in this selfish, hedonistic, materialistic world must be the same- the Kingdom of God, for it is what we all have in common.

Monday, September 5, 2005

Thinking about what the preacher said Sunday (Romans 13:7-14):  

Pay everyone whatever you owe them. If you owe taxes, pay them. If you owe tolls, pay them. If you owe someone respect, respect that person. If you owe someone honor, honor that person.  Pay your debts as they come due. However, one debt you can never finish paying is the debt of love that you owe each other. The one who loves another person has fulfilled Moses’ Teachings. The commandments, “Never commit adultery; never murder; never steal; never have wrong desires,” and every other commandment are summed up in this statement: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Love never does anything that is harmful to a neighbor. Therefore, love fulfills Moses’ Teachings.

You know the times [in which we are living]. It’s time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers. The night is almost over, and the day is near. So we should get rid of the things that belong to the dark and take up the weapons that belong to the light. We should live decently, as people who live in the light of day. Wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, rivalry, and jealousy cannot be part of our lives. Instead, live like the Lord Jesus Christ did, and forget about satisfying the desires of your sinful nature.

 

In the modern world, we all see many more neighbors than we can really know.  It’s hard enough to love my family and friends, let alone a stranger.  How do I love one who is near, never mind one who is far?   How can I possibly love one who does wrong to someone else, even if I am prepared to forgive the one who has done me wrong?  For all these things I need God’s very presence, His warm and living care for me, without which all is just words with no meaning.  

 

PRAYER:  Lord, thank you that you loved me before I was in your family; that you loved me when I was a stranger, and you took me in; that when I was hungry, you gave me the bread of life; when I was thirsty, you gave me living water; when I was imprisoned by my own bad habits, you came to see me and set me free.  Help me to see, in every person I meet upon my own pathway, how much you want to do for them, just as you did for me.

Always one more place at the table!
God has been calling people to come home to Him for thousands of years. He sent His Son Jesus, Savior and Lord, to be the “firstborn among many” brothers and sisters in this family. We emphasize family and friends in this local congregation, always understanding that whenever God adopts someone through the redemption offered in Christ, we have an obligation to welcome them as our own.

Extending Truth and Love from Generation to Generation
The Marbury Church of God will celebrate our 95th birthday as a local congregation in 2006. The church has served as spiritual home to generations, and we celebrate the gifts and talents of all ages. From the seniors class to the nursery, and everywhere between, young and old alike participate in the ongoing gospel ministry of the church. We offer Sunday school, nursery services, children’s church, children and adult choirs, youth activities and special events for all ages. Welcome!

The Ministry of Table Fellowship
One of the best traditions of this congregation is that of hosting “carry-in” dinners from time to time. These happen around holidays, in support of grieving families at the time of a funeral, and once in a while for no good reason at all. Watch for announcements of these special events.

Jesus spent a lot of time eating with different people, and it seems to us that this example is not so hard to follow! Pull up a chair among us when you can, and be a part of the family.