Revealing Scripture, Authentic Life Book 3

By Peter A. Munson and Maureen Hogg

Book 3 in a four book series presents sermons preached by Peter A. Munson at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Boulder, Colorado. The selections are the best of 230 pieces inspired solely by Scripture as used in the service for the day. They discuss cross-cultural, cross-denominational themes to make the ancient Scripture come alive for a more authentic life. The series speaks to both practicing Christians who seek a deeper connection with God and to the uninitiated in Christianity who seek a better understanding of the teachings. Book 1 focuses on grace as God’s presence in contemporary life. Book 2 examines how to find that presence and the way to a more authentic life. Book 3 explores the messages and messengers we encounter who reveal God’s presence in contemporary life. Book 4 reveals how we can incorporate grace, discovery, and messages for the ultimate integration of all experiences for greater fulfillment. Fully annotated with narrative notes and source citations, the series was edited by Maureen Hogg.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Peter A. Munson
• Release date: Feb 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463216972

Peter A. Munson

Peter A. Munson is an Episcopal priest, having served three different churches in Colorado since 1991. During that time, he has preached over 1,000 sermons. He enjoys making the ancient scriptures come alive for contemporary seekers of God. The sermons featured in the four-book series Revealing Scripture, Authentic Life were all preached for the people of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Boulder, Colorado. Peter is married to Julia, a therapist, leadership development coach, and retreat facilitator. They have two adult children. Peter is also an avid hiker. He has backpacked the 500-mile Colorado Trail and climbed 47 of the 54 “14ers”—peaks in Colorado that exceed 14,000 feet in elevation. In 2019, Peter will step down from his rectorship at St. Ambrose to pursue the next part of his calling and begin a walk across the United States, raising money for four non-profits that provide a bright future for children. Pictured here: Peter A. Munson below Mt. Audubon in the Indian Peaks west of Boulder, Colorado. Connect with Peter: Website: http://6millionstepsforkids.org Instagram: http://instagram.com/6mstepsforkids Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/6MStepsforKids Books by Peter A. Munson with Maureen Hogg Revealing Scripture, Authentic Life Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Book 4

Book preview

Revealing Scripture, Authentic Life

*Book 3*

By

Peter A. Munson

with Maureen Hogg

Copyright 2019 Peter A. Munson and Maureen Hogg

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this ebook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

About the Cover

Parry’s primrose on the Colorado Trail near Copper Mountain, Colorado. During the summer months in Colorado, these flowers are often seen along subalpine streams. Photo courtesy of Peter A. Munson. Cover design by Julie Halvorson, Morrell Printing Solutions, Lafayette, Colorado.

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Table of Contents

Revealing Scripture, Authentic Life Book 3

Have You Found Your Source of Being?

Wanting a Sign

Responding to Being God’s Beloved

From Conforming to Transformation

God’s Party

To Be Religious is to Allow God to Open You Up

Becoming People of Grace

God’s Liberality

Beyond Law—Allowing God’s Grace to Save Us

From Caution and Safety to Risk and Faithfulness

Coming Out of the Cave

Not Alone and Not Fearful—God Is With Us

Leaving Fear and Despair Behind

Expecting (or Not Expecting) God to Show Up

How Do We Approach God?

An Opportunity to Testify

Witnesses to the Risen Lord

Moving On to What’s Next in the Journey

About the Authors

Discover the Series

Revealing Scripture, Authentic Life Book 3

Have You Found Your Source of Being?

Jer. 17:5-10; Ps. 1; 1 Cor. 15:12-20; Lk. 6:17-26

Sometimes people ask me: How do you hear God’s voice?

I understand the question. But sometimes the flip side of that question should be asked. How do you not hear God’s voice? For sometimes, God is not exactly subtle.

Monday morning, during a time of quiet, I took my first peek at the lessons for today. My attention seemed to really zero in on the Jeremiah reading. Those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength are like a shrub in the desert, and shall live in the parched places of the wilderness. By contrast, those who trust in the Lord are like a tree planted by water—a tree that is not anxious in the year of drought. Psalm 1 echoes this imagery. Those who delight in the teachings of God are like trees planted by streams of water.

Tuesday morning comes. By this time I am about 16 hours into a retreat with 40 other pastors from around the country. During Morning Prayer, one of the leaders reads this same passage from Jeremiah 17. A little while later, I am browsing through some of the books that are for sale, books which tie in to the theme of the retreat.

I pick up one, The Deeper Journey (by M. Robert Mulholland, Jr.). It is written by a man I’ve never heard of, not one of our retreat leaders. I notice it has a chapter on the false self, something that my wife, Julia, and I talk about in our couples’ workshops. I turn to that chapter, and all of today’s passage from Jeremiah is quoted. Okay, that is now three references to Jeremiah 17 in about 24 hours. You think God might be trying to get my attention?

God isn’t quite done with me yet. After lunch, as part of our retreat, we are given a four-hour block of time to go be with God. We’re encouraged to walk, listen, rest, maybe write something in our journals if something comes to us. But mainly, we’re encouraged to be quiet, to listen and see if God wants to say anything to us. There’s a little ridge above our retreat center. You know me. A higher place than this? Hmmm. I wonder what the view is like? I wonder if I can see the Pacific from that ridge?

I found a dirt road which met a trail, and in a little while I was on top of this ridge. Not exactly like being in a wilderness area in Colorado. For one thing, our retreat center was very close to Interstate 5, and when I gained the ridge, I just became even more aware of the noise and the traffic. And the views? Well, too many other little ridges in the way to see the Pacific. But I tried to take in the landscape anyway. I am an outdoor enthusiast, after all. And I get restored when I’m in nature, even if it is the nature found in an urban area.

So I surveyed my surroundings. And you know what? It was really brown! Dry, brown, with the main plant life being tall thistle plants. Lots and lots of thistles! I was really in the midst of a desert, and to tell you the truth, it wasn’t a very pretty one. No beautiful cacti around me.

A few birds here and there. A few trees. Lots of thistle.

But there had been one tree that grabbed my attention, just a little before I gained the ridge. And it was starting to get a little warm. I had my water, but I’d forgotten a hat. I strolled back to that tree—in the willow family, I would say. The only tree in this particular area, right next to the trail, 20 feet tall, several trunks with branches spreading in a way that made it 45 inches wide. I am used to seeing willows near streams. This one was on the side of a brown, dry hillside and was surrounded by thistles.

Where was its water source? That was what I was wondering. And I came to a very definite answer. I don’t know! It was a mystery. But I know this much. It clearly had one. It was a very healthy-looking tree and provided some delightful shade.

I pulled myself up into its lower branches, where they all came together, and I had myself a mighty fine, cool perch there. And its drooping branches were such that you could have walked right by me on that trail—two feet away—and you would have never seen me in my little perch, unless you happened to look up into that tree, unless you were silly enough to be looking for pastors on retreat who happened to be sitting in the middle of a tree.

God seemed to give me a couple of other questions as I hung out in that tree. Where are all these people going, as they drive north and south on Interstate 5 in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon in February? Are they people who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, or are they people who trust in the Lord? Have they found the source of their being?

And since I was on a retreat, and I was intentionally pulling back from my life and my work to reconnect with God, some of the questions were directed at me. Questions like these: Peter, are you getting the message that I have for you, coming to you via Jeremiah 17 and Psalm 1 and from your little walk up to this dry (but not totally dry) ridge?

And I heard God say to me something like this.

Peter, you have a water bottle with you, but that is not your source of being. You crossed paths with a few other people as you traversed this hillside. That’s closer, but they are not your source of being, either. You were hoping to get a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean from up here. As you can see, the ocean isn’t visible from here. Instead, I gave you this tree. This tree has found its source of being. You know that underneath the ground, its roots have found some water somewhere—a reliable source of water—or it wouldn’t look like this.

You only have one source of being, Peter, and it’s me. Sometimes you run around like a crazy man, acting like those cursed people that Jeremiah wrote about, like the people of Jesus’ day whom he preached about—the people of woe.

Those folks who trusted only in themselves, who thought they had it made with their good jobs, their families, their education, their money, their nice cars driving down the interstate, as they talk on their cell phones and listen to their iPods. Those folks with their full bellies, their laughter, and the praise they receive from men. All that can be gone in a flash, Peter. You know that.

Those who are blessed are the ones who trust in me, the ones who know of their need of me, the ones who know that they can’t make it in this world—they can’t find any measure of meaning or abundance or joy or hope in this life without me. Those are the ones who are like this tree. It may not look like this tree has a reliable source of water, but that’s the mystery of it all. And when you start thinking you know all the answers and you have life figured out, well ... the truth is, Peter—at those times—you’re like a shrub in the desert, struggling to survive, anxiously wondering how long the drought might be.

Relying on your own devices is not going to make you a non-anxious tree. The only thing that is going to make your life work is if you keep returning to your source. You need to keep turning aside, like Moses did when he stopped and turned aside, to see why the bush was burning, and yet wasn’t consumed. The moment he turned aside, I