Bel Air Presbyterian Church Pastors' Blog

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: A Rabbi friend was sharing the other day how the Mishna (stories and teachings by the Rabbis over the centuries) tells us to “judge everybody favorably.” Meaning what? Meaning we tend to put our own lives in the light of ‘good intentions’ but we judge others solely on the basis of what they did. I know it’s way too easy for me to see myself as ‘understanding’ but others as ‘no principles.’ I see my own actions by what it was I intended, not how I came across. So, I was only trying to be ‘humorous’ but someone else doing it is ‘crass.’ We’re ‘honest,’ but they’re ‘mean spirited.’ We’re ‘interesting’ but they’re ‘attention hogs.’

Ralph Waldo Emerson said we should use the same grace for others we do when we go to a museum. “We must be as courteous to a man as we are to a picture, which we are willing to give the advantage of good light.”

It is no doubt one of the reasons Jesus told us to ‘not judge lest we be judged.’ We have to make conclusions, and decisions about  people, and be ‘wise as serpents but . . . be as innocent as doves.’ Christ knew that much of our opinions and pictures of others has to do with the ’stuff’ going on inside us rather than what is going on in the other person. Next time someone cuts me off on the 405, or pushes me in line at Trader Joes, or sends one of those lovely emails, I’m going to ask God to give me His heart for them. I’ll bet I enjoy the day more! I bet I also will be in a place to be used to bless others.

by Dr. Mark Brewer ::

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: I was in a fairly intense debate the other day with a couple of professors about science and the bible. One of them was very committed to the authority of the bible and the evidence for God all around. (He happened to be a microbiologist.) The other one was bunking the whole idea of there being any proof for God anywhere outside of someone’s imagination. (He happened to be an English Literature professor.) It is always curious to me that some of the biggest defenders of the faith are those in the physical sciences (obviously not all of them) and the greatest critics are those from the social sciences. (Again, you can’t lump them all into any camp.)

The science-theology dialogue offers important insight into a host of questions Christians have to wrestle with – things like medical treatment options, reproductive dilemmas, end of life choices, questions involving genetics, etc. The Gospel is not just ‘good news’ its great news! We are not a byproduct of random chance, and we are not waiting for the end being extinction. We are made in God’s image to share in God’s plan of salvation and this wild thing called grace.

But one of the overlooked sides of the science-theology discussion is simply this thing called ‘wonder.’ The more we learn about this universe the more we see how little we really know. And the bigger, more powerful, more mysterious, more glorious God’s creation seems to be than we ever imagined. Carl Boberg was a young minister who took great pleasure in walking among the woods and mountains of his native Sweden. He wrote poetry to describe the awesome side of creation. His most famous poem mentions far flung galaxies, woods, water, and God’s power ‘through out the universe displayed.” His conclusion? How great Thou Art! I want to take some time this summer to chill out and simply ‘drink’ in the wonder of God’s work and love.

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: As we are studying the Book of Acts this summer, I am always fascinated about how “loose and messy” God’s program seems to be. As you read the marvelous account by the “beloved Doctor Luke” you certainly get the sense God is moving in thrilling and powerful ways. But I also get the sense there is such “flexibility” to how the Spirit of God leads the first Christians. In my mind I guess I have this expectation that when God speaks or acts it is with complete “crystal clarity.” I’m sure it is from the Lord’s perspective, but from down here it can seem rather haphazard.

Paul and his companions are driven from one town to the next from both opportunity as well as persecution. There are curious friendships that get deeper as well as friendships that drift apart. Wouldn’t something as crucial to God as the first mission journeys of the church be spelled out boldly and blazingly obvious?   No, not at all. Because God is that good. He is that in control and seems to delight in letting us discover ‘how’ to do things as well as “what things” to do.

The same is true with our primary relationships. God lets us fumble along in trying to get this “loving” thing down. He lets us go through disappointments as well as rich fulfilling moments in our journeys with those close to us. I’m going to try and do as they say “more trusting and less trying” in caring for those closest to me.

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: If someone has a legitimate request, does that mean I have an obligation to say yes? In a city like Los Angeles, and with a church as active as Bel Air, all of us could be at ten different events at the same time. So, it raises the question of relational responsibilities.If someone sends me an email, am I obligated to respond? If someone leaves me a voice mail, what is my responsibility? I’m not thinking about the extremes. There are some people who think just because they had some random thought your world revolves around them and you must get back to them. There are extremes to the flaky side as well. Some people will never respond to a legitimate request out of laziness or self absorption. But what about the average myriad of requests?  I read a Rabbinic saying the other day who said ‘”Life is a short tablecloth. If you move it to cover one side of the table, inevitably the other side will get short changed.” Who do we ’short sheet?”

When St. Paul tells the Roman church ‘as far as it depends on you, live in harmony with everyone’ (Romans 12) he is appealing to the uniqueness of every situation. It’s hard to lay down all encompassing rules. Yet, we need some kind of grid or ground rules for living our lives. I think the level of obligation is relative to the level of commitment. I am more obligated to help a friend than a stranger…if the request is simultaneous. Paul tells the Galatians to ‘never stop helping those in need, particularly the household of faith’. (Galatians 6) Again, he is prioritizing. The wonder and curse of current technology is we are in touch with more people than one could possibly have real relationship with. I guess my modern prayer of St. Francis is this. (though the serenity prayer has never actually been sourced to him). Lord give me the courage to give myself permission not to get back to unnecessary requests, the discipline to respond to the true needs, and the wisdom to know the difference. I’ve gotta go. Someone just left an email.

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: As we journey through this life we try to make good memories for ourselves and those we love. That’s really good. Memories are slippery things, though. How our minds and brains bundle our memories of experiences can be distorted. One of the great gifts of the Holy Spirit is the ability to forget the bad times, and recall the good times. But just looking at pictures of last year’s vacation does little to take us through the daily grind of today. That’s where the greatest gift of knowing the Lord comes into play. The gift of hope. As Nietzsche said (hardly a raving evangelical), “Hope is what we are living for. Despair is what we are living against.” Many of us know what we’re against in life (pain, injustice, immorality, suffering, disease, death, etc.) But sometimes we forget what we are living for.

The scriptures comfort us and challenge us when Peter tells us “we have a Living hope” in the Risen Christ. The past is in His hands. But the present and the future are also in those comforting hands. If all we have in our marriages, friendships, and even as a church, is just good memories then life is one of despair. But as God infuses and injects the Living Hope of the Lord Jesus into all of life it becomes one of a grand adventure. I am so profoundly hopeful about what God is doing at Bel Air that it’s hard for me to express it. Not only do we have rich memories of what He has done already, but I honestly believe we are clueless to the marvelous things He is unfolding in out midst. So go make some memories for you and your loved ones this summer. But better yet, go sow the seeds of hope into the chapter you find  yourself today.

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: Is it better to be loving or right? How you and I answer that interpersonal question directs a lot of our relationships. Someone who is full of love will be accepting, tolerant, and non judgemental. Someone who is right will be honest, forthright, thoughtful, and intelligent. Of course, this is a false dichotomy, but it reveals our inner preferences in how we live with others. It is the ancient tension of justice and mercy. God tells us in Micah to “seek justice, show mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” The goal is to have the new life of Christ lived out through us. To be loving and right, to show mercy and yet justice, is to have the standards of God while showing the grace of God. We have a great propensity to either “drop the standards” for the sake of being “accepting,” or refusing to accept someone unless their lives are already near perfection.The first Christians had the challenge of living a life of grace in the midst of strict legalistic Judaism on the one hand, and yet totally decadent Roman society on the other hand. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit to not over react against either extreme but to “keep their eye on the call of God’s standards” and yet show the tender mercy, undeserved forgiveness and grace of the Lord Jesus. Its the same challenge today in Los Angeles. May God grant us the humbleness to be both.

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: As we return on Sunday mornings to our study of the book of Acts, it always strikes me how little we know of the Apostle Paul’s family. There is a delicious little morsel about his nephew visiting him in jail later in the book, but other than that, “nada.” I would surmise it’s because of two reasons. First, it wasn’t really relevant to Luke’s account of the explosion of the church. But Luke is so great at painting a picture and so good at introducing us to other characters in the story it can’t just be an oversight. I think its probably because Paul lost his family as he confessed Jesus as the Messiah and Risen Christ. When Paul says in Philippians, “he has lost all for the sake of Christ.” I think it also included his family.

So how do we respond to our family who think we’re nuts for following Christ? The answer is found with Jesus Himself. When the Gospel of John records how Jesus’ brothers mocked him to his face (John 7), Jesus simply loves them and tells them “to do what they must do but I will do what the Father has shown me.” In other words, rather than getting into an argument about our faith, we just love them and graciously share what we believe. Family systems psychology calls it being “a non-anxious presence.” We are in the stressful relationship but are a peaceful presence. That can only come from the Lord’s help. But when we are that calming presence, it models for our family members how to have a healthy relationship as well as the peace that Christ can give. As they say, “we have our highest highs and lowest lows with our families.” Here’s praying that we have some peaceful journey in between the highs and lows of family life.

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: The entire history of the cosmos is all pointing towards Holy Week. From the first declaration of Creation looking ahead, to the eternity springing from the blessed event, it is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that gives life its true meaning. It has always been fascinating to me the unsung heroes and participants in Christ’s passion and resurrection. Whether it was the owner of the donkey on Palm Sunday who sacrificially gave for Jesus’ triumphant entrance, to the household who hosted that fateful Passover meal, even to the Roman centurion who gave the Savior a drink on the cross, God delights in using the ‘little’ people of life. Every performer knows its the stagehands who determine whether the play or scene will be a success. Those who lay down the tracks may not get the attention, but the conductor of the train knows it is because of others’ works the train moves ahead. Every hall of fame player in sports looks with deep admiration of those who ’set the ball up’  unselfishly so they could follow through with the score.

God is still the same. The Kingdom of God is marching unstoppably ahead not by the famous ‘up front’ people (though they have their part, too.) It is the unsung, unknown ’stagehands’ of the great event that Christ is unfolding His plan. Easter is not only a time to celebrate the victory over sin and death and what it means to us. It is a time to be aware of the ’stagehands’ in our own lives that God is using to complete our salvation. May we be pleased to simply assist in God’s great work. May we be cognizant of the ‘little helpers’ the Lord has placed in our lives. May we all declare He is risen indeed!

Join us for Easter at the Hollywood Bowl this Sunday, April 4, 2010 at 11 a.m. Doors open at 9 a.m. Free event and parking. For more information visit easteratthebowl.com.

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: “In the moment of crises, you will not rise to the occasion, but default to your training.” My brother-in-law is a recently retired vice wing commander for F-16s in the Air Force. He was responding to a question of why the military spends so much on training a new fighter pilot before shipping them off to conflict. In other words, its all about the habits we create. We would like to think that in the hour of testing our better intentions will take over. But it’s really about the deep behavior patterns we’ve developed inside.

Habits are things we all try to change during Lent. We try to break old destructive habits and instill new healthy ones. The writer of Hebrews says, “all discipline seems unpleasant at the moment. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of those who have been trained in it” (Hebrews 12). As we “spiritually train” ourselves in prayer, worship, friendship, and caring for others, it becomes a part of our lives unconsciously. Even though at the moment it seems boring and painful, it will be our salvation in the hour of testing. The great thing is that good habits are as addictive as bad ones. I pray we all keep training ourselves in righteousness so we can “default’ to the Lord’s ways of doing things.”