Scripture: Matthew 24:36-44
There are several things that tend to annoy me. Annoy may be a strong word to use but there are certain things that I just don’t understand the reason behind people’s thought. The number one thing that annoys me while I work outside of the church is the fear that people have when upper level managers come to visit. When I was working in car rental my city manager would be calling around to every location, if not visiting the location, to make sure everything was in order. She would keep a running feed to our stores letting us know where the managers where at all times to let us know when or if they were going to stop in our location. Much of it was a good thing; it is nice to know if someone is going to visit so the location manager would be in the office. But some of the tasks that were given to make sure the visit ran smoothly were annoying. This happens in many places of business, I would venture to say that it happens in every organization that has any hierarchy at all. When the upper managers visit there is a trickle down to the locations to make sure everything is in order.
What annoys me about the visits is not that a manager is visiting but the fear and chaos prompted by the visit. I remember helping a location prepare for a visit I had to run reports for several months previous because of one reason they did not do the work. I was sent to this location for one reason the city manager knew that I had the work done and our location was prepared for the visit at any moment. Our location had reports beyond the requirements gathers and could tell the upper management at any given moment which of our customers gave the most business, we could show them a graph to track the trends in our business, and every vehicle that we had available to rent was cleaned and ready to go at any moment. When the upper management visited our location we had discussed strategy in increasing sales in a constructive way, because we could look quickly and easily at what the trends where. At the other location, the one I had to help prepare, they could not do this as efficiently as a whole, because only one person knew the numbers and knew the trends, and there was nothing more than that person’s memory to prove the trends.
You may think that I am bragging but in all honesty the office I had to assist was the top rental location in the city and ours was one of the lowest, so when the economy slowed the location I worked at was closed and we were moved to different areas to work. What I highlight though is that we knew what was going on, we knew our business, and we were aware of what was on the horizon. Other locations did not have that knowledge because they were unprepared and many people lost their jobs because of it.
This fear of a visit is basically the theme behind the passage that was read today. A random visit at a time no one knows. This passage can strike fear into the hearts of many or it can be a great comfort to others. The difference is the level of preparation involved. The question is how do you react?
“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Day and hour, these terms mean different things today than they meant to a culture so long ago. Our culture is much more precise than many cultures around the globe, and as we look back through history the precision of time was not nearly as important. When ancient cultures us the term we translate as day can mean many different things it can mean the literal time between sunrise and sunset, it can mean the reign of a king, or any other undetermined amount of time. Context is always important. In this case what we interpret as meaning day is not a 24-hour period of time, but an open ended, undetermined period or an era.
Hour, like day, has a loaded meaning. When someone says hour today we think a 60-minute period of time. In Jesus’ culture the word we translate as hour could mean moment. So no one knows the era or moment of the coming. I want to stress that again, no one knows. Not the managers, preachers, priest, or popes, no one knows the era or precise moment of anything dealing with God’s timetable except the Father.
This should mean something to us. Jesus speaks of a time but no one knows exactly when that time is. It is undetermined in our temporal perspective. It is important but what is more important is what is going on now. If you do not and cannot know of this time that Jesus speaks then that should not be the focus our attention.
There is another word that jumps out at me when I read through this passage, taken. “Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.” Taken, this word has several meanings but the word used in this portion of scripture could mean to take with, take charge of, to receive, or to accept. So let us think of this passage from that perspective, “one will be taken with, take charge of, receive, or accept, and one will not” One is given responsibility where one is not, one is chosen for a task and one is not. I would like us to contemplate on this passage using the idea of being given a task and having an undetermined amount of time to do that task.
I want us to consider this passage in that way for a reason. If this passage only looks forward to the second advent of Jesus then he is telling us that we do not and cannot know when that is going to be, but there is still a task that we need to be working on while that undetermined amount of time transpires. We have work to do, and we will not know when the boss will be paying us a visit.
Jesus illustrates his point by speaking of the days of Noah. No one knew when the flood would hit, for that matter no one knew what a flood really was. It was only when the Noah was sealed in the ark that reality began to set in. All along people just continued to do what they always did, totally unconcerned with the crazy man building a boat on dry land. They would walk by ask questions, laugh, and go on their way all the while Noah continued to work. He worked every day for years. We do not know exactly how many years it took Noah to build this great boat, all we know is that it was less than 120 years. Imagine going over one hundred years without seeing the final product of your labor, no one knows the time, yet there is a task and work to be done.
Let us say for 100 years Noah was building the ark, during that time things were still going on all around him. He still had to live his life, his family still needed to cared for, but he continued focused on the task not neglecting God or his family. Never knowing exactly when the day would come, only knowing that it would. He did not know if he was working hard enough or fast enough, all he knew was that he was given a task and he was going to complete it. Noah worked away and everyone around him was going about eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage while Noah continued to work. He knew that that time would come and he pressed on. Those around him knew that he was given a task for a reason, yet were unconcerned. One was taken and one was left.
Noah stayed focused for 100 years on the same task to build an ark, he did not move from that task. He knew it was what needed done, and because of that he did not change course. Jesus has given us a task as well. We do not know exactly how long we have to complete that task, but we must press on toward that goal. Our part in that task may be different than someone else’s, one is taken and one is left, but that should not distract us from the task we ourselves have been given. This reminds me of one of the queries in the Faith and Practice of our Yearly Meeting:
Do you earnestly seek to maintain a life in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you practice the daily reading of the Scriptures in your families, giving time for waiting upon the Lord? Are you watchful not to be unduly absorbed by temporal affairs? Are you careful to avoid all places and amusements inconsistent with a Christian character?
I was recently asked about what being unduly absorbed by temporal affairs meant. That is a difficult question to answer. We could look at the word temporal and consider this as being the dimension of time, relating to the material world, or the opposition of the spiritual realm. I think either definition could be used in answering the question, because at the heart of the query it speaks of our relationship with God. Are we getting distracted from God due to our schedule? Are we distracted because of our finances or lifestyle? Are we being distracted from our task?
I ask you to meditate on this passage with a focus on tasks to be completed over an undetermined amount of time instead of focusing on something easier like the second coming of Jesus, because often in our current culture we can be distracted from the tasks God has given us by focusing on the time. We want Jesus to make his second advent soon, because we are tired of working on our ark. But Jesus is telling us don’t get distracted, but to continue working. Continue to do what we have been called to do. If we do not continue, we will be left and the task God gave us will be given to someone else.
God is calling us to go make disciples in all the earth, saturating them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. To do this task we must stay focused on God, we also must be able to speak to the people we are called to minister to. To accomplish our task we must study our culture, while not becoming unduly absorbed or saturated by temporal affairs. We must gain knowledge and wisdom in both the spiritual and secular arena of life, but maintain a balance and stay focused on the true task we are designed to complete. We maintain that balance by making it our custom to worship, taking time to withdraw to pray, and to serve to those around us.
No one knows the day or hour. One is taken the other is left. These can be words striking fear into our hearts or they can be words of encouragement directing us to continue to stay focused. God has given each one of us an opportunity to use what he has given us to serve the people he is calling to Him, we each must step up and receive and accept that task. As we enter this time of open worship I want us to really consider if we are truly prepared for a visit from God? Are we focused on the task He has given us or are we being unduly absorbed by temporal affairs? Are we living a balanced life with God or are we caught off guard and unprepared? No one knows the day or hour, no one knows the era or moment, so let us be ready and be a people that will always be found loving God, embracing the Holy Spirit, and living the love of Christ with others.
Scripture Luke 23:33-43
This week we are all gearing up for a festive holiday. Families across America are going to gather around their tables expressing what they are thankful for. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Thanksgiving is the one holiday that my mom’s side of the family would all attend, so it was the only holiday that was fully celebrated. Thanksgiving is such an ingrained holiday in our nation that we sometimes forget that it is not observed worldwide. It would probably surprise us that Thanksgiving was not a holiday started by the church. Sure it was created to mimic or mirror festivals in scripture but Thanksgiving, as we know it was a creation of the United States government. It is a holiday that people around the world are curious about, because it does not follow the same ideas of most secular holidays. Memorial day, originally called Decoration Day, celebrates those who died in service to their country. Veterans day, originally Armistice Day, celebrated the end of World War 1 and those that served in the war to end all wars, and later honored all those who have served in the military. Labor Day celebrates the working class and the efforts of those that worked so hard to bring better working conditions to all people that work in our nation. Independence Day celebrates the declaration of our independence from the tyrannical rule of England. Each holiday celebrates something about our nation in some way, but Thanksgiving is a secular holiday that differs from the rest. Its roots emerge from the celebration of survival. It celebrates the preservation of a nation as well as its people. It is religious as well as political. It emerged out of the wedded Church and State of England, but took on a different tone in the colonies.
We know the historical tradition of the Pilgrims celebrating a day of thanksgiving with the Native people of the area, celebrating the harvest and preservation of them as a people. But it was not until the reuniting of the union after the civil war that Thanksgiving became a national holy day celebrating the preservation and continuation of the American way of life. We often see this day as a religious holiday, as we should, the Anglican and puritan traditions of faith along with the government of England began using days of thanksgiving, mimicking the ancient feast of Israel, to remind us that God is involved in all things. People and nations all survive not by will alone, but by the word of God and His grace. I mention Thanksgiving today, because the history of this holiday has represented vastly different things throughout history. Though it gives credit to God, it largely celebrates the nation.
Church and State, or the sacred and secular, do not always work well together. One always seems to dominate the other, and through the power struggle the point is often lost. Thanksgiving and its predecessors have often celebrated one side or the other which ever is more dominate at that time. Today we see football and holiday shopping dominating so many thanksgiving celebrations where in the past it was dominated by religious dedication. There is a continuous struggle between the sacred and the secular but there is a thankfulness that we survive.
Today’s passage illustrates that struggle, as well as the call of those in Christ. It is not exactly the type of scripture we would like to read prior the entrance into the holiday season, but as I have meditated on it this week I have found that it is a blessing.
Jesus is taken to the place of the skull to be crucified. On top of the pain of this inhumane form of capital punishment Jesus also faces jeers on all sides. Luke mentions first that the religious leaders scoff at him. “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, His chosen one!” The mocking soldiers quickly followed saying, “If you are the king save yourself!”
This week these two statements have weighed heavy in my thoughts. Each of these statements comes from the same spirit, the spirit of control and power. Save yourself. One comes from the sacred arena the other from the secular, but both speak the same message if you are whom you claim save yourself.
Both sides of the issue have failed to see the truth of Jesus’ testimony; both have failed to hear the gospel in which he spoke. The Gospel of Jesus is that the Kingdom of God is here. But what is the kingdom of God? The religious leaders have an expectation that if Jesus were the Messiah then the temple would control the people. The secular believe that the kingdom is a political force with military backing so if Jesus in the king then he should call out his army to over power them and remove him from the tree. Then the criminals hung beside Jesus begin to join the conversation. One demands Jesus to prove his kingship by saving him and them. All three groups fail to understand what Jesus was meaning, because all are being lead by a human idea of kingdom.
The idea of kingdom in many of our minds is that of power, it is to have influence over other in order to control them. When Jesus is questioned about his kingdom, he said it is not of this world. We quickly interpret this to mean that Jesus’ kingdom is in heaven only, but that seems to negate the Gospel Jesus preached. He said that the Kingdom of God is here. Even the end of this passage seems to point in to a heavenly interpretation of the message. But could there be more to it? Is all that matters just getting a ticket punched and getting to heaven?
No, there is much more to the kingdom of God and much more to this passage. It begins with Jesus saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” They do not know what they are doing? Have you ever really thought about what that one statement meant? This came before the mocking leaders and soldiers, and before the discourse between the condemned in Luke’s telling. Is this just saying forgive them because they don’t know whom they are killing? I do not believe so, because it is clear through the writings of Paul that Jesus had to be put to death in that way to provide total redemption for mankind. It was actually not wrong to kill Jesus then but the most right thing to do, that act was not the one that needed forgiveness. But there is an action involved that did. They were killing Jesus because they wanted to control the people, and eliminate the competition to their power.
Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. Forgive us for we do not know what we are doing. Sin we often explain as missing the mark, falling short, or breaking the law. Could it be that sin is actually the desire to control? Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the tree God told them not to eat from, they were tempted by the idea of gaining wisdom and being able to control their lives with the knowledge. They sinned and were separated from God because of the desire to have knowledge so they could then control, instead of relying on God to direct them through life. Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.
According to the law of both man and God, these people knew exactly what they were doing. The Romans wanted Jesus removed just as much as the Religious leaders, because of the claims of kingship. They knew that as Jesus taught they were losing the control over the common people. And they needed that control to maintain the status quo. These men knew what they were doing, but they did not know that they were in their legality were falling short.
Sin is control where forgiveness is restoration. We control with rules and regulations, we pile them on both on both sides of our humanity, both the secular and the sacred. But we do not often know what we are doing. We can study, we can plan, we can do all sorts of things but in the long run we do not know what the final results will be. We bind and loosen our human rules, and sacred interpretations and in the binding and loosening we fail and fall short, as individuals and as cultures. Forgive them, Jesus says, because they do not know what they are doing.
The leaders of the secular, the leaders of the sacred, and the common men all fell short we are all included we are all ignorant of what damage and or good we are doing to the community and world around us. Some of our greatest advancements have become some of our biggest sins as a culture. Some of our greatest failures have opened doors to our greatest accomplishments. All along we have been clueless to the lasting ramifications of our current actions. Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.
We try to control but we fail. We try to regulate others and ourselves and end up worse off then before, but there is forgiveness and hope. The one criminal realized that he was getting what was deserved and asked Jesus to remember him. We do not know what the crime was that these men committed, though he did say that he was condemned justly, but not Jesus. Jesus did not do things to control people but to free them.
I said that this passage illustrated the struggle between the sacred and secular, and also the call for those in Christ. That is the struggle between control and freedom. We often think of the golden age of Israel as being the time under the kings, but God warned them about the dangers of kings. It is almost as if God preferred that the lifestyle under the ancient judges even though so often look upon as negative from our point of view. Under the judges people followed the desires of their hearts, and at times it got them into trouble. But when Israel demanded a king God said that they rejected Him as their king. God’s kingdom is found where we strive to live out our heart’s desires in relationship to Him and our community. That is the freedom of Christ, which is the influence of Christ. Jesus did not come to condemn the world, we already did that and continue to condemn ourselves, but he came to set us free. That freedom is only found in recognizing our sin, turning from that sin, and striving to something better with Christ.
The last statement Jesus makes in this passage is directed to the repentant criminal. “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” In all the pain of the situation I picture a smile on Jesus’ face, I can almost hear laughter in his voice through the pain. I hear it because there is joy. This one man realized that Jesus was speaking of him when He said forgive them. This man realized that he did not know what he was doing but now he did, and he accepted the consequences of his actions. And there is joy because there is reconciliation beginning. We do not have to control those around us, only to encourage. That is what the church is here for. We as a church exist to encourage one another to walk with Jesus and to live according to our callings.
Forgive them, Jesus pleads. Forgive them. For far too long we have lived in a world of condemnation and not one of forgiveness. That is what thanksgiving is truly about. God preserved us even though we do not know what we do. This is a time where we can step back and just be thankful that we have another day to try again. God allowed us to make a profit this year even though we made countless mistakes, God gave us a harvest even though we failed so many times, and we are thankful. We come together as friends and family and we share the bounty that God has graciously allowed us to have even though we do not deserve it, and we are thankful. But it is only enjoyable if we forgive those around us, to let go of our vain attempts to control and to be free to love. Forgive Jesus says. And encourage people to look toward him, and today you can experience just a glimpse of paradise.
Scripture: Luke 21:5-19
Have you ever wondered how people set their priorities? Nearly every day at my other job I see people making…well poor decisions. Many times these people will try to get away from the consequences of their poor decisions by making the claim that they have kids and should not have to face the discipline required. The sad thing is that in probably 99% of the cases the people involved were not making decisions based on taking care of their children but were satisfying their own desires. How do they set their priorities?
When I worked for the Salvation Army in Arkansas City, I would watch people come in for assistance with brand new cars still bearing a temporary tag saying that they did not have the money for rent. The one that really caught my eye was when a new Mustang pulled in, with two kids in car seats in the back. Then there were the countless cars that would make their way to Oklahoma on payday to visit the casino only show up needing help with bills on Wednesday.
Yes I am being a bit judgmental but these are the choices that I have observed as I have worked, choices that are based on priorities that I just do not quite understand. Then there is my own life. I have often found myself eating lunch at work, which is a good thing because one must eat to survive, but there are days where my choice for lunch is ice cream. Yes I hate to admit it, because such a well educated son of a nurse should probably be eating a well balanced diet, including fruits and vegetables but at times ice cream just feels right. That is just another example of a misplaced priority. We could probably spend a good hour giving examples of questionable priorities and make our own judgment on them, but that would be a meaningless and unbeneficial task. I mention it only because in each case I can find a fallacy in their priority, but I am not able to look into their minds to see their decision making process. In most cases I am fully unable to make any judgment because of that, the only case I can make a judgment is in the case of work when poor decisions of individuals have the potential of costing the company money.
Priorities are a way to examine our personal lives. Friends have a long history of asking pointed questions to assist us in determining Godly priorities. That is the point of the Queries in the various Faith and Practices of the Yearly Meetings across the country. These are a set of questions that we ask ourselves that are based on observations and scripture. They are not a set of rules to live by, but instead they are aspects of our lives that have been shown experientially to promote spiritual growth and a more satisfying life. By making it a discipline to occasionally asking and answering these questions in a contemplative state of mind and are honest with ourselves and with God, we can often find what areas in our spiritual life we may need to focus more of our attention.
Priorities are not only found in our personal individual lives, but extend beyond ourselves and infiltrate our communities as well. These corporate priorities can greatly effect how individuals relate and interact with each other. What are the things a community or a company value? The answer to this question, if we are again honest, will often determine how the individuals involved relate to each other. Core values, goals, and priorities are areas we may not often consider as being so important in our lives but if one is misplaced or too out of balance to the others, future choices and decisions will be greatly affected.
The people of God find themselves in one of those corporate priority-balancing acts. They do not even realize that they are struggling with maintaining a good healthy balance in their priorities but as history shows there was something tipping the scales. The people were gathered around Jesus in Jerusalem, in or near the temple. Jesus just finished teaching those around him about giving offerings to God, and they listened. Then they begin to look around and make comments to Jesus about how wonderful the temple was, how beautiful the stones were and the abundance of gifts dedicated to God. It was a beautiful temple. This temple dedicated to the God of Israel was considered the greatest monument in the Roman Empire.
We cannot fully grasp the splendor of the Temple because there is nothing quite like it in our contemporary world. It covered an area about the size of six football fields, the stones used in construction were perfectly smooth, cut, and placed. Stones weighing from two to 100 tons placed perfectly on top of each other to at least one hundred feet above the foundation. The stones themselves are so amazing that legends have emerged saying that angels of God helped place them. Perfect stones, we know that they had to be perfect because to this day you can visit the places where they quarried the stones and see the ones rejected. They have recently found tombs of temple priests buried around a large pane of glass that archeologists have concluded was a piece of glass that was originally made for the temple but was rejected because it had a flaw, this is the largest slab of glass ever found. It had its own water supply, with a system of aqueducts and pipes that stretched for over fifty miles, and the main entryway had a width equivalent to a four-lane highway. Within was the central bank of Jerusalem, with its own currency that would change money for the millions of people entering the facility three times a year. If you can think of the greatest most amazing building you can think of it would pale to the temple of God.
They were proud of their temple, it was the crown of civilization, attracting people from all corners of the world just to look. But Jesus said to them, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” I want you to imagine the greatest building you can, the monument that represents and is the greatest source of pride for our culture. Imagine it in its entire splendor, which is basically a shack, compared to the temple, but still amazing. I recently watched a movie about an invasion of the United States by a terrorist group from North Korea, in that movie they infiltrated and basically destroyed the White House, and even though it was a movie my stomach was in knots and my heart raced. This movie depicted the falling of our nation through the destruction of just a few monuments in one city. That is basically what Jesus is telling them but multiplying one hundred full. The very identity and pride of their culture would fall. How would you react?
Instantly the people hearing this entered panic mode, and rightfully so, the temple was not just a small structure that could be easily toppled. There are not many fortresses build more solid than the temple. For the temple to fall it would mean that the entire nation would basically be eradicated. Fear gripped the people; Jesus was saying that the end was near. They ask when it will be? And He tells them not to be led astray.
The fact that fear entered into their hearts is a sign that these greatly religious people had their priorities out of balance. They based everything on the temple. Their hope, their security, their future all found their foundation in that great monument. To even think of life without that symbolic building shook them to the core. Their faith was found in the temple and not in the God that was worshiped inside. Their priority was to maintain the temple, because without that they would be lost.
Misplaced priorities. The Titus, who was the son of Emperor Vespasian, destroyed the great temple of God in 70 AD. The destruction was complete, the great treasury that minted the temple currency was emptied, and all the wealth of the Jewish people was carried to Rome. This great wealth was used to fund the great building projects of Rome; the most notable was the Colosseum. The wealth of Israel left the people. The gifts dedicated to God instead went to honor the perverse lusts of Rome.
Misplaced priorities. This was not the first time this sort of thing happened, it was not even the second time, but the third time this sort of thing happened. Three times rulers from a foreign land entered the Temple of God and desecrated it, and twice it was destroyed. Three times the gifts dedicated to God were taken from the people and given to others. Three times. The prophets of old gave them warnings, warnings that were not listened to. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah all spoke of justice and mercy as being more important to God than sacrifice. Each of these prophets spoke prior to the first temple falling. Daniel warned them of the second instance of desecration, and Jesus speaks of the third. Justice, mercy and love are what God desires.
This is a passage of judgment to all mankind not just the people of first century Israel. Where are we placing our priorities? Jesus did not condemn the fact that the temple was so beautiful but that the temple was so adorned at the expense of mercy. Jesus came to live among mankind to bring them back to God. He came to show us a new way of life. A life devoted to worship, prayer, and service to others. He made it his custom to worship at the place of meeting where ever that place was, he did not care if it was the greatest and best, but instead that it was real. He withdrew often to the isolated and desolate places to pray alone, to personally spend time with His father, taking only His closest companions to share in this time. And he dedicated his life to ministering to the needs of those around him.
This lifestyle of worship, prayer, and service keeps our priorities in balance. The temple fell because the people focused too much of their efforts on one area, they focused all their time and treasure on worship and neglected service. They neglected service because they failed to truly engage in the conversational prayer, where they would be lead by God to do His will. They failed to show mercy in their great efforts to honor God in worship. They failed to live the love of God with others and God took all they had and gave it to the ones that outwardly displayed what was corrupting the souls of the people claiming to serve Him.
I have spoken often of this lifestyle, the lifestyle I believe that Jesus is calling us each into. I speak about it because it is so important. Jesus said later in this passage that the people would face persecution from those around them, even those closest to them, but he says that it will give them an opportunity. It will give them an opportunity to live the lifestyle Jesus is calling them. It will give them an opportunity to testify and to speak, that He will give them the wisdom and the words to speak when that day comes. We will see those opportunities only if we keep our priorities in balance. We will be able to engage in those conversations only when our spiritual lives are in balance. If we neglect one aspect of this lifestyle no matter how strong we think we are we will fall and all we have will be given to others. We find our strength in worship, we find our purpose and calling in prayer, and speak it in service.
This is a hard passage to speak on, because it speaks of the failure of mankind. But there is hope. The temple fell to Babylon but it was rebuilt. Antiochus desecrated the temple but Judas Maccabee restored it. The Romans tore down the great temple of Herod and crucified Christ, but Jesus rose from the grave and sent the Spirit of God to make his new dwelling place in the hearts of mankind. We may and often fail but we have a God of Grace, he lifts us back up and gives us yet another chance. He is calling us each to take the chance, to join Him in what He wants to do in our community, He wants us to join Him in making all things new, and to bring the kingdom of God to those around us. We do this by Loving God, Embracing the Holy Spirit, and Living the love of Christ with others. Through worship, prayer, and service.
As we enter into this time of open worship, let us consider in who, what, or where we are placing our priorities and consider if maybe we have misplaced them. And let us consider what Jesus is calling us to in our future as members of and as Willow Creek Friends.