Author: jeremiahtan963404

Anaheim SDA Church

Mid-week Pastor’s Update

December 22nd, 2021

“[He who
follows in the precepts of the Lord] is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Psalms 1:2-3

Earlier this week, while driving past a shopping plaza, I saw a Christmas tree lot, still about half-full with Christmas trees. “I wonder how many of those will sell in this last week before Christmas?” I thought. “And do they discount them more and more deeply each day until Christmas?”

I’ve heard some say that we should have nothing to do with Christmas trees, that they are of ‘pagan origins’. But I’ve heard a story from Reformation history that is much cheerier.

Martin Luther, the German monk who in the 16th century broke away from the church of Rome, suffered greatly. Being summoned to various counsels, being criticized and spied on, with threat of kidnapping…

But Martin Luther recounts in his journal traveling between one town and another on a winter night. As he looked up, he saw the trees above him, with the stars behind them, twinkling as he moved under them. He thought this very beautiful and comforting, and glorified God for sharing this with him in the midst of his angst.

We, too, through any anxieties, perplexities, struggles, can “look up” to God to receive comfort and solace. 1st Peter 5:7 says “Cast your burdens on Him, for He cares for you”. What a sweet thing, yes?, that Jesus has come to walk the hard road, and become our sympathetic high priest, and to give us mercy & grace in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

It is said that Martin Luther originated putting lights in Christmas trees to remember that symbol of God’s love & comfort. Of course, at the time, they used little candles, very dangerous in a flammable tree! But we have a safer way to do it now. 🙂

He also said “The candles remind us of the star that led Wise Men to the Christ child.”

I pray that you and your families feel God’s love & provision, particularly over this Christmas time. Let us remember to depend on him for all we need.

Sincerely,

Pr. Mark Tatum

P.S.: To read more of the history of Christmas trees, including Martin Luther’s contribution of putting lights in them, see https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees and https://www.premierchristianity.com/home/martin-luther-loved-christmas-he-might-even-have-popularised-having-a-christmas-tree/875.article

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this update to read important prayer requests and announcements, including our Church Christmas Party this Saturday evening!

Anaheim SDA Church

Mid-week Pastor’s Update

December 15th, 2021

“From the mouths of children and infants, you have ordained praise”

– Psalm 8:2, Matthew 21:16

Earlier this week, I attended a Christmas piano recital my son was playing in, along with about 20 other students from Orangewood Christian school. They ranged from 1st – 4th grade, and, understandably, the pieces were very simple, with most of the kids plunking out Christmas carols with individual notes or parallel octaves.

On one hand, it would be very easy to disregard these piano pieces as basic, and barely worthy of attention (except for my own son, of course). But as kid after kid got up there and played, I considered what a profound thing was happening: to get even such simple, basic songs picked out on a keyboard, it took years of investing: feeding them, clothing them, loving them, caring for them, sending them to school and piano lessons, etc. And these many months and years later we get an “O little town of Bethlehem” or “Silent Night” melody in return. Though basic, though simple: it represents so much investment!

And then, of course, I couldn’t help but think of what all our praise means to God and the broader universe: Here we are; born in corruption and depravity, yet through years & generations of investment, we get a dim concept of God’s glory and worthiness to praise, and He gets the little promising firstfruits of basic praise from our lips.

Though the kids’ music is so simple, and though our best efforts to praise and speak about God are so rudimentary, they portend something so much greater! As parents rejoice over their kids’ first melodies, so God must rejoice over our meager affirmations, knowing that much greater things are in store. And the devil and his minions must shudder!

Like the first plant buds sprouting out of the ground, small indications herald so much more! I pray that our praise, elementary though it may be, would fill God’s heart with joy for all the investment he’s given to us and this world in general. Nothing less than His best attentions, utmost care, and irreplaceable only Son.

May God bless you and your families the remainder of this week.

Sincerely,

Pr. Mark Tatum

Anaheim SDA Church

Mid-week Pastor’s Update

December 8th, 2021

“For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given!” Isaiah 9:6

Well, we are unquestionably in the Christmas season now: everywhere you go, you see festive lights, hear merry music, and see retailers vying for your holiday dollars. 🙂

A phrase I’ve heard a few times so far this season is “the perfect gift”. “Get her the perfect gift this Christmas.” “Still searching for the perfect gift?”, and, one I heard on the radio a couple of days ago: “Don’t let trying to find the perfect gift stress you out.”

Now: I am familiar with that feeling: the desire to get someone you love something thoughtful, useful, practical, yet sentimental… and as often as not you don’t know quite what it is. These companies are so happy to help! I for one find it amazing that they know the intimate details of my friendships and family relationships, that they would know just what I should get them! (cue a sarcastic tone here, if it wasn’t already obvious).

And I thought, Wow: nearly the entire society is preoccupied with getting something just right, and doing so quickly and conveniently – ideally, delivered right to your door. Minimum effort, maximum impact. Isn’t that the height of efficiency – something very desired in our society? Should it be applied to gift-giving?

But this elusive concept of the perfect gift seems to continue vexing us year after year. I believe the reason why the perfect gift is so elusive is because it doesn’t truly exist! Sure, many gifts are kind, thoughtful, do fill a real need in someone’s lives, but… perfect?

You may be able to sense where I am going with this: I find it ironic that we scurrying ants on this ball of a planet stress ourselves out trying to seek perfection in gift-giving, while lovingly overseeing it all is God, knowing that we cannot acquire the perfect gift for ourselves.

I see God saying “Don’t stress: I know just what you need! Let me provide you The Perfect Gift which will bring everything else into alignment & harmony.”

I hope that we as Christians don’t forget that we give in the understanding of having been given the greatest Gift of all: Jesus Christ, come to humanity, to love, serve & save. We are but imitating God’s generosity & love as we give to others during this season.

When society seeks to give without first pausing to be thankful to God for His greatest Gift, then the whole equation changes, and I believe stress is so much more easily attached to it, when it’s just “I need to give”, rather than “I’ve been given so much, how can I appreciate that, reflect that, pay it forward a bit?”

Obviously, all expressions of love, all generosity is good, but it’s only as we do it in the shadow of God’s much bigger Gift, that the whole Christmas holiday, and all its trappings, fall into place as a harmonious whole. That is what I pray for your and your families during this gift-buying season.

In these next few weeks, let’s focus first on having received so much more than we could ever give, and giving lovingly in the consequence of that. The love is far more important that the actual ‘things’ we exchange anyway. 🙂

May God bless you and your families the remainder of this week and beyond.

Sincerely,

Pr. Mark Tatum

Anaheim Seventh-day Adventist Church

Mid-week Pastor’s Update

December 1st, 2021

“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 2:15

I hope you and your families had a blessed Thanksgiving. I apologize for not getting last week’s mid-week update out – I caught a stomach-bug mid-week and was on my back for a couple of days! Even missed Thanksgiving day with my extended family. 😦 But, I was feeling somewhat stronger by the weekend, and am back to 100 percent now. 🙂

With Thanksgiving now in the rear-view mirror, it means we’re officially into the Christmas season. I tell you: I feel ready for it this year! I know it’s easy for people to be cynical, grumbling along the lines of “Christmas isn’t the right time of year, much less the precise date that Jesus was born!”, or “It’s too commercialized and secularized: it’s lost all valid meaning”, or even “roots of so many of Christmas’ trappings are pagan – the holiday is corrupted and should be jettisoned.” While all of these arguments have some truth to them, let me make an argument for the other side of the debate here.

Something moving happened to me earlier this week. Often, when I’m driving, I listen to news as I go around doing my errands – and when commercials come on, I flip through a few music stations to see if they’re playing anything I like. Well this Monday, I turned away from my usual news to a local FM station out of L.A., and heard they were playing Christmas music. But it wasn’t just generic “Jingle-bell-y” Christmas music, it was sacred Christmas music. I believe it was “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, and that it was the part that says “Mild He lays His glory by – Born that man no more may die – Born to raise the sons of Earth – Born to give them second birth – Hark! The Herald angels sing – Glory to the New-born King!” And I was just so thankful that the Gospel message was getting a hearing on a popular radio station that, at no other time of the year would come within 10 meters of broadcasting anything Christian. And I thought “How many generally secular people are going to hear lyrics like these and ponder them, and give Jesus a chance in their hearts this Christmas season? Perhaps they’ll go to their Bibles and read the birth story, and then onward into the ‘heart’ of the Gospels.”

And then, later that same day, I saw a headline on the OC Register website, that said that Sterling K. Brown (the adopted brother from the “This Is Us” show on NBC), is going to be doing the Nativity Story readings in Disneyland’s Christmas Candlelight procession program. And I thought again: praise the Lord that, again, a secular news source is reporting that an A-list actor (assumedly a Christian who isn’t ashamed to be open about it) will be reading the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth, at a top-notch, secular, premium entertainment environment.

I obviously want our local church to be a beacon of light to our community (Matthew 5:14-16), but there is no way any local church (no matter how big) could buy ‘publicity’ like this. I for one am so glad that, even occasionally, the Good News of God loving us and choosing to send / come draw close to us, gets notice in our society. Despite all of the Christmas season’s faults, there is a kernel at the center that is beautiful and pure. That’s not too different to how God looked at the world when considering to send Jesus: full of corruption, but at humanity’s heart, there was still a core that was loveable & redeemable.

So I hope you can find some joy hearing Christian messages (often put to lovely music) in department stores, in public venues, on TV & radio, etc. I pray we would all feel that Christ is ours, not because of our worthiness, but because of His great love & willingness to condescend.

Love to you & your families throughout the remainder of this week & beyond.

Sincerely,

Pastor Mark Tatum

Anaheim SDA Church

Mid-week Pastor’s Update

November 17th, 2021

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is more valuable than rubies” Proverbs 31:10

The above-quoted text is from the relatively well-known and beautiful “epilogue” of the book of Proverbs: the description of the woman (wife) of noble character*. Throughout the next several verses, one gets an image of a woman who is loving & caring, yet capable and self-confident in public. You’re invited to read the full passage (Prov. 31:10-31), but we’ll just summarize it here: She is trusted by her spouse, she blesses & provides for her household, she is productive, she is a shrewd trader, she is generous, she brings honor to her family, she is strong & dignified, she is well-spoken, and well-spoken of. Truly the whole community is blessed by a person of such character in their midst.

In considering this a little while ago, I thought of the New Testament concept, in connection with this, of the church being the “bride of Christ” (see Ephesians 5:25-32). That would therefore mean that we, as Christ metaphorically being our husband, and we metaphorically his wife (perhaps ‘fiancé’ would be more appropriate given where we are at this point in time in this illustration), that we should be fulfilling similar roles within the household (church), and out in society (our broader community).

Notice that the wife isn’t described as a shrew, a nag, or an idle loiterer or a gossip. She doesn’t expect to primarily be served, but is content and fulfilled in serving others. She blesses and benefits people within her own household, and those outside as well. She is a crucial part of the community’s vibrant life.

The question that is naturally begged, then, the implication that comes to us is: how are we doing in fulfilling such characteristics? What do people think of when they drive by our church? An insular, conspiracy-theory – filled clique, who are more quick to condemn than to engage & benefit?

Often I’m concerned about how the church (and therefore, Christ) is perceived in society. It’s true that we often get a ‘bad rap’ that is undeserved (Jesus prophesied that we would be hated without cause, as He was, in John 15:18), but let’s do everything in our power, in our personal interactions, to refute that false stereotype!

I pray that people who either come to our property for some reason (whether overtly religious or for some other community benefit), or encounter us in the marketplace or our workplaces, would come away re-thinking their preconceived notions of us. Over time this can contribute to our image being changed from an insular, closed-minded group to a knowledgeable and helpful contributor to society.

I pray our neighbors & broader community would see us much as the “Woman of Noble Character” of Proverbs 31. Let’s be self-examinatory (both individually and corporately) to examine what and how we might do to bring that about.

Blessings to you & your families the remainder of this week & beyond.

Sincerely,

Pastor Mark Tatum

(* the word “Ishah” in Hebrew, is the same for either ‘woman’ or ‘wife’, since it is assumed that a grown woman would be married. In a society in which spouses were more selected for the young men/women than self-chosen, there would be no reason to assume a woman wouldn’t be married)

Anaheim SDA Church

Mid-week Pastor’s Update

November 10th, 2021

“Then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” Isaiah 58:14

What a promise this is! It invokes imaginings in me of riding a mighty horse full-speed over hilltops on a cool but clear, blue-sky day. The valleys below glisten with richness and abundance. And the second part, a feast: who doesn’t love the image of a luxurious banquet table (often the stereotypical image of Thanksgiving, which is up-coming, coincidentally).

God promises to “cause” this to happen. Note: it’s not primarily through our efforts, achievements, or rewards: God does it, and I believe he delights to do so (see Psalm 35:27, for example). And what does He ask in order to enable His doing this? Simply cooperating with His precepts: his wise and eternal counsels, laws, and principles.

There are brief moments in scripture when this was permitted to happen. The reign of Solomon in Israel was a unique time in which the country experienced abundance and peace from all enemies. There were also bright moments of hope in the reigns of kings Joash, Hezekiah, & Josiah further down in Israel’s history.

Sadly, however, the testimony of most of scripture (and, indeed, most of history since then) is more one of compromised dedication to God, and therefore, compromised blessings. Many generations of Israel’s & Judah’s kings said “I’m going to go forward in the way that seems best to me.” They essentially said “I’ll incorporate God’s ways where they don’t conflict with mine, but my will effectively comes first, God’s counsel second.”

It’s not only Biblical times too: the centuries of European “Christian” History, and recent centuries/decades of our own country tell the same story. I encourage you to read the book “The Great Controversy” if you haven’t done so recently: It gives a birds-eye view of (mostly) European history much like the books of Kings & Chronicles do for Israel’s history.

But I only need look around to see my own generation repeating this outlook on the personal level. Among my parents’ generation, my own schoolmates, and even now the students I have taught, I see a large percentage going their own way, and still hoping/claiming God will bless them, despite not putting His precepts first. This hurts my heart!

There’s one case in particular that’s saddened me so recently: at my previous church community, there was a teen girl who was really one foot in the world, one in the church. I hoped she would see the wisdom of God’s ways over the world’s. Then she colporteured for a summer with the conference “Youth Rush” ministry, and got super-zealous for the Lord! She would give her testimony in churches, and go to our schools to encourage the other kids to sign-up for summer colporteuring as well: she married a fellow strong Christian colporteur, and my heart rejoiced for her example. I thought “If only more youth could see how vibrant and full Christian life is!” I hoped more would catch her fire.

Then, some years ago, she got a job in the office of a politican in another state. I think she studied political science in college. Knowing that everybody needs to get a job somewhere, I hoped she would shine her light of Christianity there and be an inspiration for others. I feared, though, that that environment would instead diminish her zeal and commitment. (Side-note, the politician was Democrat, though I view that as incidental to this story).

But in the past year I’ve seen her online social media posts change. Far more about politics, and far less about God. I tried to still give her the benefit of the doubt, but worried. And in the last couple months she’s come out announcing several things: that she’s getting divorced, has a new definition of her sexuality, has a new partner, yet “still has a strong connection with God” despite not going to church any more due to the judgmentalism there.

I’ve been distressed about her, as I’m sure God has too. I’ve thought of commenting on her posts, but figure there’s no positive way to move the needle of her/her friends’ opinion when her comments section is full of messages like “You go, girl!” and “You rock!”. So, I just pray for her. Pray that she will find her way back to life as God intends it.

It’s just so easy to look back at the Biblical accounts and shake our heads, because it’s so objective what they need to do, and the solution seems so obvious. And then we see people in our own time and place, perhaps once zealous and committed, wandering too, and claiming connection with God, as those OT kings did.

And then I look and I see Jesus, arms outstretched, offering His “abundant life” (John 10:10). But He doesn’t offer it on our terms, He offers it on His. And His are the better/best ones anyway! And I just think: How many generations’ testimonies do we need, showing that God’s way is the way to happiness, to full and vibrant life, and that humans’ attempts to forge our own way (while perhaps claiming to still hold God’s hand) lead to muckiness and halfway happy lives.

That Isaiah 58 promise, quoted above, comes at the end of a chapter in which God outlines his expectations for Israel. Chiefly, that they would help the poor & honor His Sabbaths. Don’t even get me started on how I feel the poor in the world are regarded, nor how widely the Sabbath is ignored. I’m dedicated, in my personal life, to do my part, through efforts & influence to encourage both of these highly.

I just see God shaking his head from His throne, dropping His head in His hands, saying “I have so much for you! Why will you not take the wiser path?” But we say “Nope: we’re going to forge our own way. We’re going to make our own way here, and it’s gonna be great”. And God reluctantly says “Okay”, and lets us, for centuries at a time, build up the best society we can. And interpersonal relationships as often as not fall apart as they stay together.

I don’t know about you, but I long, daily, for God’s coming Kingdom. A city in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13), a place in which there is no more crying nor pain nor suffering nor suffering nor death, for the old order of things has passed away (Revelation 21:4). I long for an end to this mucky cycle of generations knowing better, but in large part disregarding God’s counsel. I long to “ride on the heights of the land” and “feast on the inheritance of Jacob” as envisioned at the end of Isaiah 58.

“Come quickly, Lord Jesus” is the yearning cry in the last verse of the Bible. And to that I say “Amen, come quickly.” Praise the Lord, His promise is sure: He is coming for all who seek Him, long for Him, yearn for Him.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:6. May we ‘hang tight’ in our faith, despite our difficulties, until that promise comes to full reality.

May God bless you all the remainder of this week and beyond.

Sincerely,

Pastor Mark Tatum

­­­­Anaheim SDA Church

Mid-week Pastor’s Update

November 3rd, 2021

“King _____________________ (fill-in-the-blank) did evil in the eyes of the LORD” – 2nd Kings ad nauseum

If you’ve been continuing with us as we get near the end of our “Read through the Bible 2021” effort, you know that lately we’ve been in the book of 2nd kings: a laundry-list of the kings of Israel and Judah, most of whom didn’t lead the people in righteousness, but rather, down the path of idolatry, looking to military might, and making alliances with various neighboring countries in hopes for security.

If you’ve ever read through these sections (either recently or afar back), you’ve likely been so frustrated you want to pull your hair out: “Ack! Why can’t these guys get it together?! Is ‘trust God and stay away from idolatry’ so hard to comprehend?”

I feel like I’m kind of given a God’s-eye-view perspective on this period of history: individual kings’ reigns often last a column or less, decades can pass by in a single page’s worth or reading, and generations come and go like fruit flies. Yet the repeated cycles of sinfulness, international alliances/warfare, personal intrigue, backstabbing, murders, etc. as people vie for the throne, seem endless. “How sick you must’ve been with these people, God!” I find myself thinking.

But then I wonder: as God looks down on our society nowadays, do we look so much better? Yes, overt idolatry is disdained (in general, though there are certainly pockets of it here and there), thankfully, our system of transition of power has been peaceful for a couple of centuries, on the local & national scales, and we certainly don’t follow our leaders’ religious whims as people appear to have done in the old times; but are we still mucking about in totally preventable sin, that could compromise the blessings God would like to give us? I fear the answer is ‘yes’!

Now: some might say “You can’t make a direct comparison! We are not a ‘theocracy’ like they were: God’s laws are not the same as our national laws. Our country is based on freedom of religion, separation of church and state, etc.”, and I say “yes, and that’s good for the current time”, but I still wonder if our generally predominantly Christian population looks much different to God than Old Testament Israel’s did to Him.

This past weekend is a perfect example: The Bible tells us to focus on beauty, purity, excellence (Philippians 4:8), yet how many choose to fill their minds with the gory, the ugly, the hideous, and the scary? The local theme parks were replete with it, the movies that came out were attempting to shock and disgust more than last year’s, and numerous households held parties with themes of witches, zombies, and death in general. I know, I know, the majority of people celebrate it ‘innocently’ (as I did as a child), but I just feel in my soul like “Ugh! We have counsel to focus on so much more elevated things!”.

I guess our society is bearing-out what Jesus said in John 3:19: “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”. I would almost be tempted to despair, were it not for the same book’s overall analysis from chapter 1: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (verse 5).

Praise the Lord: for those of us who love the “light” of Jesus’ truth, the darkness will never, can never, completely enshroud, obscure, or cancel it out. We will always have access to His rays of warming, comforting, enlightening truth, which will guide us in our steps. I think of the Psalmist’s reflection in ch. 119:105-106 “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.”

So, while we can certainly be discouraged that our society seems to want to ‘muck around’ in sin, not unlike a pig in mud, let’s look to Jesus, the true light, the firm footing, who didn’t give up on humanity through those frustrating times of the latter kings, nor will he through this current, frustrating time.

May God send light and blessing to you all, and to your families the remainder of this week and beyond.

Sincerely,

Pastor Mark Tatum

Anaheim SDA Church

Mid-week Pastor’s Update

October 27th, 2021

“…Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

Well, we are in the thick of the time of year again when ghosts, zombies, vampires, and witches dominate the landscape, from big box store aisles to neighbors’ front yards. Some of the decorations are ‘fun’ and ‘cute’, but others are downright gory! A few times before watching perfectly innocent YouTube videos with my kids, I’ve had to shield their eyes, or quickly hit the ‘pic off’ button on the TV remote, as ads for the theme parks’ Halloween special events show. Furthermore, gruesome horror movies are produced & promoted at a disturbing rate. This is the entertainment diet Americans clamor for, and support with their business?

And then, if you follow the news, you heard about the accidental shooting that took place on the set of a western movie shoot in New Mexico last week. While tragic, it’s certainly getting a disproportionate amount of news coverage compared to other unfortunate deaths. This one involves someone famous, though, so it dominates the headlines for days.

But here’s a thought I have: if the thing you’re simulating for the purpose of entertainment actually happens, and it’s a tragedy that needs to be mourned and criminally investigated, doesn’t that mean that something’s awry with the form of entertainment? The news coverage goes on and on about the tragic (likely accidental) death on a movie set, and I ask myself “and what’s the ‘body count’ going to be in that movie?”

So the connecting thought between the Halloween decorations and the movie set death would be: if something in actuality is terrible, tragic, and disturbing, why fantasize and have fun about it?

I think this reveals something about our natures: the fact that we find a form of pleasure in beholding the terrible, the ugly, the horrid, shows me that there’s something about our appetites that’s unhealthy, twisted, and fundamentally corrupted.

Of course, we as Christians don’t find this surprising. The principle has been in the scriptures for millennia: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9.

But the Bible doesn’t only condemn the negative, praise the Lord, it also directs us toward the positive. One of the strongest verses about this is the one quoted at the top of this devotional, from Philippians chapter 4. And that advice could be taken two ways. Admittedly, in my earlier Christian walk I viewed it as limiting and disappointing. “So I can’t enjoy my action movies now?” “Man, now I’m gonna feel guilty while I play my shoot-em-up video game?”. But I now view this verse as entirely positive as it gives us permission to leave by the wayside the negative and ugly in favor of the better and more excellent.

Why listen to filthy lyrics when I can listen to a symphony or a praise song? Why get revved up sexually from gyrating figures on a screen when I could behold works of art or landscapes? The internet makes all of these easily available, but will we choose the good?

I admit, my messed-up heart/nature pull me toward the less than savory frequently: I feel the temptations daily. But I ask myself: what’s the best way I can spend this hour I find myself with? Rather than indulge in the latest gruesome offering from Netflix, I could spend that time learning a language or trying a new recipe!

So I pray we wouldn’t see the Bible’s instructions as trying to ruin our fun, but to instead see it as steering us toward the better: the praiseworthy, the pure, the sublime and beautiful.

I pray that you and your families would be fulfilled by both your work and your free time/recreation time. And may we beam (metaphorical) rays of sunshine, while the rest of the world seems content to wallow in swampy muck.

Sincerely,

Pastor Mark Tatum

Anaheim SDA Church

Mid-week Pastor’s Update

October 20th, 2021

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel 12:4

I find it incredible to think that, when God created the world, there were no timekeeping devices! Yes, the patterns of the moon and sun were given to establish general times (Genesis 1:14-19), but by those, people could only keep general times of the day & month. It’s kind of as if the day only had a few general time periods: morning, mid-day, afternoon, evening, and night. You could basically only plan 3 or 4 activities per day! “I’ve got this in the morning, that for the mid-day, the other thing in the afternoon, and dinner plans with ______ in the evening.” And that was your day!

Then, of course, the sun-dial was invented (in about 1500 BC, according to the Googlizer). People could now divide up their days into smaller chunks, though it wasn’t especially easy to check the time: (“Shall I go outside to see what time it is?” or “Shoot! It’s cloudy today!”). Plus, given the fact that the seasons changed things so much, one couldn’t really plan things according to a sun-dial, they are mostly just interesting to watch (hence, the lopsided hourglass shape).

Then, in the 1300s AD, the first mechanical clocks began to become developed. These were obviously labor intensive and rare, so wealthy cities would prominently display them: both to help people know the time at a glance, and to show off the city’s sophistication & advancement.

But could this development have unintentionally implied the idolization of time as being the most important thing? As someone would approach a city, what did it appear that city was elevating? Time. “Look at the time!”

Nowadays, most of us carry the time around on our wrists, or, even more recently, our cell phones. (My watch-band broke back during the pandemic when all the ‘non-essential’ businesses were closed, so, though I intended to get it fixed eventually, I never got around to it and have since lost my watch).

I fear, though, with all this advancement, time feels more scarce and short than it did when general periods of the day were all that could be discerned. We slice time into ever-smaller increments, with the rationalization that we’re maximizing time, when, in reality, we may be killing the ‘open time’ God intended for us to experience. Yes: I can now schedule 12-16 things into my day now, have it work like (heh) clock-work, and feel more productive, but are we fundamentally happier than when things were simpler?

I find the above-quoted Bible verse from Daniel 12 to be very apropos: we run to and fro, advancing knowledge, maximizing commerce & socialization (though that can be done ‘virtually’ now), but are we fundamentally better off than previous generations for it? The Bible actually testifies that life will get worse until Jesus comes (see Daniel 2 & Matthew 24). Though we obviously benefit from the many technological advancements, are we also accelerating the prophesied worsening with our scurrying?

My kids were watching the beginning part of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ the other day, and I saw the white rabbit singing his “I’m late I’m late I’m late!” song, and thought: is that how most of us live our lives?

I imagine that, from angelic/unfallen worlds’ perspective, we look fairly like agitated ants on an anthill. (Have you ever seen a group of ants acting normally, but then scare them by stomping your foot somehow and watch them go into fast-forward?)

Thoughts like these make me all the more thankful for unhurried, un-scheduled time with God. First of all, he establishes a day. He says “take time off from your busyness, and spend it with me, with your families, with the community of faith.” I love that we discern the Sabbath’s beginning and end by that original timekeeping method: sundowns (though we can of course have Google tell us the exact minute (yea, second) that the sun sets).

I sometimes wish we didn’t have a clock in the sanctuary! What purpose does it serve? Are we here to serve the God who extends continued, continued, continued time to us, or get increasingly grumpy with however minutes the preacher goes past high noon? (I know, people get hungry, and it gets particularly important when meds need to be taken with a meal at a certain time of day).

But let’s just enjoy the Sabbath day, huh? Not try to cram it full like the others. Perhaps this can be a challenge in the coming Sabbaths: bask in the openness of time, not knowing exactly what time it is, give or take a couple hours.

Secondly, God makes himself accessible anywhere, any time, for any amount of time. I’m so blessed when I can take a quiet 45 minutes in the sanctuary: I hope you have someplace you can go to be at peace & in communion with God during the week as well.

So let’s stop ‘worshipping time’, or make it the dominating factor in our lives. Let’s not let it fill us with dread. Yes, we have to work within it (as with so many things in life), but let’s not let it define us.

Praise the Lord that God offers to extend to us unlimited time, for all those who choose Jesus as Lord. To say “Yeah, I’ve got time for that”, rather than “I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!” will be a freedom of that Kingdom that, hopefully, we can get a taste of here in the meantime.

May God bless you and your families this week.

Sincerely,

Pastor Mark Tatum

Anaheim SDA Church

Mid-week Pastor’s Update

October 14th, 2021

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Earlier this week, Josiah had took a tumble on the playground, falling from the monkey bars, and broke his arm. I drove to the school to pick him up early, and felt for him so in his pain! All I could do was hug him & speak soothing words to him, but I wished I could do more.

After getting it checked-out at a nearby urgent care, they discovered he had a slight break above the elbow – mom had to drive him to a different facility, and stay with him in the hospital until 2 a.m.! Apparently his injury was just on the border of needing surgery. But Josiah’s going to have to be in this above-the-elbow cast for some weeks, and then, upon assessment, they will determine whether he does or doesn’t need the surgery (pls pray for him not needing it!).

So Josiah is home in a cast now. He has taken this in great stride: I’m so proud of him. He hasn’t uttered any discouraging words of “I wish I’d never gone to the playground that day”, or “Why did God let this happen?” His optimism & normalcy of attitude have been a mini form of inspiration for us.

Of course, wounds and hurts of much larger kinds befall us in adulthood. Many of us would prefer a broken arm to other hurts/sadnesses we’ve had to endure. Some could very easily become discouraged in their faith, saying “Why doesn’t God prevent all bad things for people who love him?” But Jesus, in fact, never assures us of ease and avoidance of problems. In fact, he states nearly the opposite in the verse quoted above: he says “You will have trouble”! Not ‘maybe’, not ‘some of you’, not ‘if God is mad at you’, it is simply “will”. So, Jesus didn’t say he was here to avoid suffering for either us or him – he actually voluntarily walked toward great suffering and pain (and 1st John 2:6 says we should walk as Jesus did – yikes!).

But, how great the second part of the sentence recorded in John is. It makes any hardship summarized in the first half of the verse okay. The world will not have the last say: Jesus will! And, praise the Lord, He promises to, at the end, “wipe every tear from [our] eyes” (Revelation 7:17, 21:4).

But, think of those who get discouraged and lose faith because of the hardships & troubles. Jesus prophesied that this would happen to some (Matthew 18:28), but how tragic it is! You cannot get away from Jesus’ first half of the prophecy in John, but what a preventable loss to jettison the 2nd half (which more than makes up for it!). Indeed: I’ve seen it myself: some lose faith because of their troubles, and they’re left with the troubles, but without the God who is able to resolve them.

I hope we can all take some inspiration from kids’ “we’ll get through it okay” attitude. We will on a grand scale for sure! Even if the most dreadful end, death, comes to either us or our loved ones, Jesus says “Do not fear those that can kill the body” – “I have the keys to death and the grave” (Matthew 10:28a, Revelation 1:18).

I pray that, despite and even through hardships, you can learn patient endurance, one of the characteristics of God’s faithful in the last days (Revelation 14:12). Let’s center all our hopes in God, who began this good work in us, and will bring it to completion in the day of Christ Jesus our Lord (Philippians 1:6).

I pray a blessing on you and your families the remainder of this week.

Sincerely,

Pastor Mark Tatum

P.S. so endearing! Just before I sent this, Josiah walked in the room, and I said “Thank you for your optimistic attitude through all this.” He said “You’re w-e-l-c-o-m-e” (practicing his spelling), with a grin on his face. My heart! ❤