“THE SHEPHERD IS GOOD…WHAT ABOUT THE SHEEP?”
John 10:11-18
May 3, 2009
As many of you know, we have two big dogs at the parsonage. They are our trusty alarm clocks most mornings, waking us up with their barking and crying to let us know that it’s time to get up and play. Other times during the day, we only have to say their names and they’re energetically letting us know that they are ready to head outside. But that’s not always the case.
Last year, when we had only one big dog at our house, we were going to be gone overnight. We arranged for a friend from church to come over in the evening to let Gideon out for his evening romp. This friend tells the story of arriving at the house, walking around to the back garage door, opening it up, and calling for Gideon. “Come on Gideon,” she said…but Gideon wouldn’t get up. She called again…and he still wasn’t interested in coming out to play. Finally, she walked out to the middle of the yard and reluctantly Gideon joined her.
The problem wasn’t that the dog didn’t need to go outside. The problem wasn’t that the person calling him was doing it in an angry or unpleasant voice. The problem is that the dog didn’t recognize the voice – and because he didn’t recognize the voice, he didn’t respond to it.
Our gospel lesson this morning, and the verses that follow it, tells a similar story – only substituting sheep for a dog. And while we may not wish to make the comparison, we’re led to believe that the sheep are a metaphor for those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ.
The passage begins, “I am the good shepherd” and throughout the scriptures we find support that for that statement. Psalm 23 is filled with images of the Shepherd’s goodness:
•
Rest
Rest•Guidance
Guidance•Restoration
Restoration•Assurance
Assurance•Protection
Protection•Provision
Provision•Healing
Healing•Eternity
EternityHow good the Shepherd is to provide these things and more…in abundance.
Back in our gospel lesson, Jesus goes on to say, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
We know that this was certainly the case with Jesus. He willingly went to the cross and gave up his life so that our sins could be forgiven and we could receive the promise of eternal life. We commemorated that event during Holy Week just a few short weeks ago, and we seek to keep that message and the message of the resurrection alive still today.
Jesus continues, “I know my own and my own know me.” Gideon didn’t want to follow the new voice because he didn’t know it. The friend knew the dog…she knew his name and she called and called. But the dog didn’t recognize the voice, and so he didn’t respond.
How true is that for some of our friends today? Like each and every one of us, they are children of God. They were created by God in God’s own image, they had the breath of life blown into them by the Creator, and they are constantly surrounded by the presence and the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit calls, but because they don’t know the Spirit’s voice, they can’t or won’t hear it.
Sadly it’s not just our friends who suffer from this…some of us do, as well. But our situation might be a bit different. We claim to know the Shepherd – we claim to know Jesus Christ. We call ourselves Christians…followers of Christ. But when Jesus calls, when he leads, when he commands, when we suggests, for some reason we don’t respond.
•Maybe we’ve got too many distractions in our lives to clearly hear the call of Jesus
Maybe we’ve got too many distractions in our lives to clearly hear the call of Jesus•Maybe we’re too busy in our lives to even listen for the voice of the Shepherd
Maybe we’re too busy in our lives to even listen for the voice of the Shepherd•Or perhaps we’re feeling that our previous decisions or choices make us unworthy of a direct message from our Savior.
Or perhaps we’re feeling that our previous decisions or choices make us unworthy of a direct message from our Savior.In our passage, Jesus makes it clear that some of the sheep are more endearing than others. Certainly some sheep follow more closely than others; some will respond more quickly than others. Jesus says that there are some that are not currently a part of the flock – some who do not belong to the fold – but they are brought along nonetheless. Good shepherds show the same kind of care for the “trouble” sheep as they do for the others.
How blessed are we that we, too, have a Good Shepherd in Christ! He promises to care for us, and he showed the extent of that love on the cross, where he gave his life willingly for us. Like sheep, there is nothing that we do to earn such great love; it is given to us freely, often in spite of ourselves.
It is this kind of love that is spoken about in the First Letter of John. In chapter 3, we read, “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us.” But the 16th verse doesn’t stop there. It goes on to tell us that, in our gratitude for that sacrifice, we are to share that same kind of love with others – “we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” It is not enough that we are the sheep of the Good Shepherd; we must become shepherds ourselves.
If we say that we love God, but refuse to help others, we are like the hired hands to whom Jesus referred, caring for others only when the cost is not great. John tells us that love must not be only in words, but also in truth and action. True love requires risk, not only of material things, but also of our hearts. We, like Jesus, must come to know the people around us intimately.
This can be hazardous; it is much easier to go through life with just a surface knowledge of others. We all know how hard it is when a friend moves far away, or when one that we have allowed ourselves to grow close to dies. Yet it is only in seeing others as God sees them, in knowing that they are also children of God – made in God’s image – that we begin to care enough to love unconditionally, as the shepherd loves his sheep.
John writes in his first letter, “And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” We are God’s sheep, called to follow the voice of the Good Shepherd, loving and being loved by him. But at the same time, we are called to be shepherds, caring for others, loving in truth and in action. With God’s help, may we also be called ‘Good.’ AMEN.
“WHY ARE YOU FRIGHTENED?”
Luke 24:36b-48
April 26, 2009
Let me just say up front that we’re going to keep the spirit of Easter alive again this week! We’re still wearing our white stoles and paraments, we’re still singing Easter hymns, and we’re encountering yet another post-Resurrection story, this time from the gospel of Luke.
Like last week’s gospel lesson, this one falls closely on the heels of the Resurrection story. As Luke tells that story, a group of women were on their way to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with spices. When they arrived, they found that the stone had been rolled away and the body was gone. As they were wondering where the body might have been taken, two angels appeared and informed them of the Good News: “He is not here, but has risen!”
The women rushed back to the disciples to tell them what they had seen and heard, but the disciples didn’t believe it. One of them, Peter, rushed to the tomb to see for himself, but when he found it empty, he simply went home. Scripture tells us that he was amazed…but apparently not amazed enough to share the Good News.
Luke 24 goes on to tell how, that same day, Jesus appeared to two travelers on their way to Emmaus. As he joined them, he joined in on the conversation. These two, however, didn’t recognize that it was Jesus in their presence. He continued to walk with them until they reached their destination, and then Jesus went on. The two travelers invited him to stay and have a meal with them, and it was at the table where Jesus blessed a loaf of bread and broke it and shared it with his ‘new’ old friends. Scripture tells us that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and almost immediately he vanished from their sight.
After Jesus left, the two travelers returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven and their companions gathered together. The two said, “The Lord has risen indeed!” and they told the others everything they had seen and heard.
This is where our Scripture text picks up the story. “While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them.” And what he said to them is a message that ought to help keep the spirit of Easter alive…not just another day, but forever.
First, Jesus offers the traditional greeting of the day, “Peace be with you.” And then, because they were startled and terrified by his presence, he asked them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”
“Why are you frightened?”
“Why do you doubt?”
These are questions that could be asked of many if not all of us here today. People dealing with unemployment or underemployment, the threat of losing their home, uncertainty about their savings and retirement funds, or any number of other crises today are frightened…afraid of what the uncertain future will bring. Given the economic situation we’ve been struggling with for some time now, many of us are beginning to doubt whether or not we’ll be able to pull out of this downward spiral. And while these are somewhat valid concerns, this is not the time to begin questioning God’s promises or God’s power.
Jesus confirmed his physical presence with his friends by showing them the wounds on his hands and feet. He encouraged them to touch him – to prove that he wasn’t some kind of a ghost. He even asked them for some food, further proof that he was fully human…and fully alive (yet very hungry!).
Jesus continued the conversation by reminding them that what had happened to him should have come as no surprise – that it’s exactly what had been written in the law of Moses, through the prophets, and in the Psalms – the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible (or the Old Testament). In other words, Jesus was reminding them (and us) that he can be trusted in all times and in all circumstances. Jesus was reminding them (and us) that God is in control – that God’s hand was in his life, his death, and his resurrection – and that with God in control, there was nothing to fear…not even death.
At the beginning of this week, I was at the Episcopal House of Prayer with five of my clergy colleagues for a prayer retreat. As we often are at these retreats, we were challenged by the teaching of Ward Bauman, Director of the House of Prayer. Our topic for our time together was “Ministry in Changing and Challenging Times,” and Ward explained that one of the ways holy people have been able to get through difficult times in the past is through the practice of detachment.
Detachment is the art of taking leave of yourself, of taking a step back and simply observing. Ward asked how many of us took a look at our calendars at the beginning of the week and said, “Monday’s going to be a great day, but Tuesday is going to be really bad!” We all do that, don’t we? We look ahead to things and events and even people we are scheduled to meet and we pre-judge them according to our expectations. When we detach, we turn away from that temptation to label experiences and leave room for the God-learning that will certainly come.
It begins with an understanding and belief that God is in all people and in all things. And that if God is in it, then certainly God will use it for a purpose. It’s constantly humbling ourselves and reminding ourselves, “It’s not me…it’s not me.” Meister Eckhart, a German theologian and mystic from the late 13th/early 14th century writes, “Start with yourself and take leave of yourself. Truly, if you do not depart from yourself, then wherever you take refuge, you will find obstacles and unrest, wherever it may be.”
But that takes trust – blind trust. It takes faith. And what is the source of that trust? Certainly not ourselves! That trust is found in our relationship with Jesus Christ and our belief that his life, death and resurrection was not in vain…that it accomplished something…something awesome and life-changing.
John 8:32 says, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” We hear those words and we even believe them, but then we attempt to manufacture the truth in our heads. We use knowledge and reason and all kinds of book learning to create what we want to believe is the truth. But the reality is that the truth is not found in our head nor is it found in the world – the truth is found in our heart.
Meister Eckhart writes this about detachment:
“We should grasp God in all things and should train ourselves to keepGod always present in our mind, in our striving and in our love. Takenote of how you are inwardly turned to God when in church or in yourcell, and maintain this same attitude of mind, preserving it when you go among the crowd, into restlessness and diversity…you should maintain the same attitude of mind in whatever you do, the same trustand love for your God and the same seriousness of intent. Truly, if your attitude were always the same, then no one could prevent you fromenjoying the presence of God.”It’s the same idea that Paul wrote about in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the idea of “praying without ceasing.”
The disciples needed to put aside their book learning that said, “Death is final…end of story.”
They needed to put aside their human way of thinking that said, “He’s gone…now what?”
They needed to take leave of their fears and re-focus on their faith.
Jesus was alive again…that changed everything!
The fact that Jesus was now standing in their midst,
showing them the marks in his hands and feet,
joining them in a meal,
opening their minds to understand the scriptures,
and appointing them witnesses of all that has happened
gave the disciples reason to believe.
It gave them a new outlook on life…a new hope.
It gave them a way to not be afraid.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ can and should do the same for us, as well. While the world around is in chaos, we can be calm because we know that God keeps his promises.
While it seems like all around us are losing their heads, we can keep ours because we have faith that Christ is here among us – walking with us, talking with us, and telling us that we are His own.
While others are panicking and saying what’s happening in the world today is a bad, bad thing, we can say, “I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, but I do know how this will all end…God will still be on the throne, Jesus will still be saving souls, the Holy Spirit will still be breathing life into tired souls, and our future in heaven will still be assured because Jesus Christ died so that my sins could be forgiven and I could receive the promise of everlasting life.
It’s not about you or me folks…it’s all about God – what God has done, what God is doing here and now, and what God will be doing until time is no more. And if we can trust that God is good…all the time…then we have nothing to fear. AMEN!
“SO NOW WHAT?”
John 20:19-31
April 19, 2009
Looking around the sanctuary this morning, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell that just last Sunday we celebrated Easter. The smell and the sight of the Easter lilies have already disappeared, and we’re back to a more ‘normal’ sized crowd. I’ve talked to a couple of people this past week who have commented on how sad it is that Easter comes and goes so quickly. It is literally here today, gone tomorrow.
But it shouldn’t be that way. Look at a church calendar and you’ll see that today is called the “2nd Sunday of Easter.” We go all the way to the end of May with what are called “Sundays of Easter” before we get to the Ascension of Jesus and then Pentecost Sunday.
What can we do to keep the spirit of Easter alive? Well looking at the gospel of John, we see something we shouldn’t do and we hear something we should do.
As our gospel story begins, we find the disciples gathered together in a house behind locked doors. John tells us that the doors were locked “for fear of the Jews” and we can be certain that the disciples were afraid that the same fate would befall them as happened to Jesus.
Now the fact that they were locked up in a room, afraid of what the Jews might do to them, is a bit confounding to me. We know that all of the disciples except for Thomas (and Judas, who after betraying Jesus, hanged himself) were there in that room. That means that Peter and the other disciple – the two who were summoned to the tomb by Mary and found it empty – were still afraid. That means that these two disciples – the two who entered the empty tomb and saw the linen wrappings and, as scripture tells us, now believed – still felt the need to lock themselves in a house instead of running through the streets telling everyone what had happened.
What we shouldn’t do as we seek to keep the spirit of Easter alive is gather with only our closest friends and lock the door behind us. What we shouldn’t do is isolate ourselves among fellow believers, among fellow Christians, and pretend nothing happened. What we shouldn’t do is be afraid.
In our hymnal, there is a Spanish hymn, “Christo Vive,” or in English “Christ Is Risen.” The song begins:
Christo vive, fuera el llanto, los lamentos y el pesar!Christ is risen, Christ is living, dry your tears, be unafraid!If there is one thing the Easter story teaches us, it’s that we don’t have anything to be afraid of.
And so if we shouldn’t isolate ourselves in fear, what should we do? Hear the words of Jesus as he entered the locked room and stood among the disciples the first time:
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”As the people of God seeking to keep the spirit of Easter alive, we ought to know that Christ is sending us. And to what and/or where is he sending us? For the answer to that question, we turn to the book of Acts.
The book of Acts, we might remember, continues the narrative of the Gospel according to Luke by tracing the story of the Christian movement from the resurrection of Jesus to the time when the apostle Paul was in Rome proclaiming the gospel. One of the author’s special interests throughout the book was to show the activity of the Holy Spirit in the founding and development of the church.
Using those facts about the book of Acts, we might say that we have been sent to proclaim the gospel and continue the development of the church of Jesus Christ. But that’s a pretty general statement, so let’s move to specifics.
One of the things that we find in the book of Acts to which we are sent is worship. Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers.” It doesn’t say it explicitly, but that sounds like worship to me. And notice how that verse began – it says “They devoted themselves…” It doesn’t say that they attended worship on Christmas, Easter and other special occasions, it says they devoted themselves. They were loyal, faithful, committed, and constant in their worship.
When I began my ministry as a pastor, I used to get a bit irritated by those who only showed up for the “special” worship services. I used to think that the so-called “C & E” Christians were more than a little hypocritical. But as the years have passed, I’ve changed. I’m not irritated by these people as much as I feel sorry for them. And the reason that I feel sorry for them is because I know how much they are missing by not attending worship on a regular basis.
Now I don’t say that to toot my own horn as a preacher who comes up with words that one can’t live without –
I say that because I know the power of prayer…public prayer surrounded by faithful friends.
I say that because I know that teaching can be transformational…that as we learn we become more and more like Jesus himself.
I say that because I know the fun of fellowship…and not just the fun, but the intentionality which says that no matter what I’m going through, I will not be alone…I will have trusted friends by my side.
I say that because I know the symbolism that is shared through the breaking of the bread…a symbolism that reminds us whose we are and how much we are loved.
All of this is made possible, and we keep the spirit of Easter alive when we devote ourselves to public worship. John Ed Mathison writes in his book Treasures of the Transformed Life, “You and I need to understand that church isn’t the same when we’re not there. We miss something when we’re absent, but the church misses out, too.” Remember the words of Hebrews 10:25: “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do.”
Acts chapter 4, verses 32-35 supplies us with two other specific tasks of the church – two other ways that Christ is sending his people into the world to live and keep the spirit of Easter alive.
Verse 32 says, “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything was held in common.” And then jumping to verse 34: “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.” In the early Jerusalem church, an important piece of who they were and what they believed is that they took care of the needy. The possessions of the people were turned into liquid assets, and the proceeds were given to the apostles who, in turn, gave it to anyone who was in need.
I can say without shame that I am proud to be a part of this church. This church, you see, does a great job of helping those who are in need. Just look at what has been supported already this year:
•Human Relations Sunday
Human Relations Sunday•Black College Fund and Africa University
Black College Fund and Africa University•Food Shelf
Food Shelf•UMCOR and One Great Hour of Sharing
UMCOR and One Great Hour of Sharing•Flood Relief
Flood Relief•Pennies for Peace
Pennies for Peace•Giving so that our Youth can travel to Brooklyn, NY this summer for a mission project
Giving so that our Youth can travel to Brooklyn, NY this summer for a mission project•Community Meals
Community Meals•And at our last Church Council meeting, we learned that approximately $1,000 was distributed through the Care Ministry Discretionary Fund to church and community members in need
And at our last Church Council meeting, we learned that approximately $1,000 was distributed through the Care Ministry Discretionary Fund to church and community members in needAll of that…and we’re only in April! Every time we support a local or global mission, we are keeping the spirit of Easter alive.
Finally, in Acts 4:33, we hear the final challenge: “With great power, the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus…” Another way that we can keep the spirit of Easter alive is by telling others about the Good News of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. We heard in the Easter story last week about how Mary, after she had experienced the empty tomb and then met the Risen Christ, went back to the disciples and announced, “I have seen the Lord!” In that same spirit, we are called to witness to our faith with those around us.
I don’t know how many of you keep up with the business of our denomination’s General Conference. General Conference is the place where decisions are made about the direction of the church and more specifically, about how we are to operate as a United Methodist Church. When they met in 2008, one of the changes that was made was in the vows of church membership. You might recall the question that is asked of those coming forward for membership in the local church: “As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your service?” The next time we receive new members, there will be a fifth item on that list: witness.
You see, the United Methodist Church recognizes that not only are we the hands and feet of Jesus, we are also his voice. If the Good News of Jesus Christ is going to be heard by those who aren’t finding their way to a church building, it’s going to have to come through you and me. If the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is to be kept alive, it’s going to be up to us.
We can ask ourselves, “So now what…now that Easter’s over?” We can look around and listen and recognize that many of the signs of Easter that were visible last week are gone. But that doesn’t mean that the spirit of Easter can’t and shouldn’t be kept alive. Practice faith, not fear. Recognize the importance of meeting together regularly for worship. Continue the sharing that we have been so faithful with. And don’t be shy about testifying to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is what will keep the spirit of Easter alive throughout the year. AMEN.
“GOSPELED LIVES: REJOICE!”
John 20:1-18
Easter Sunday, 2009
For the past six weeks, we have been gathering and focusing on the theme of ‘gospeled lives.’ If you’re hearing that word – ‘gospeled’ – for the first time, and wondering if I’m making things up, you’re not alone. After six weeks of Lent and two services during Holy Week, when I typed it as the title of my sermon for this morning, my computer’s spell check still didn’t recognize it as a real word.
A gospeled life, as we have been defining it, is a life that has experienced an encounter with Jesus Christ, and through that encounter has been changed…transformed… you know...gospeled. We’ve studied a number of characteristics of the gospeled life – from reconciliation and repentance to obedience and grace. Today we focus on the most appropriate attribute for Easter Sunday – joy – and our word of the day is REJOICE!
But why is today such a joy-filled day? What about the events of that first Easter experience lead us to rejoice?
Well think about the events leading up to the story we heard this morning. We know that on several occasions, Jesus had told his friends that he was going to die. He had told them that he would be handed over to the authorities, judged by a crooked jury, mocked, beaten, and hung on a cross to die a horrible death. He had told them that his body would be taken down off of the cross and placed in a tomb, and that on the third day he would rise.
Then just a short while before his death, he gathered with his closest friends in the Upper Room. He celebrated the Passover with them, and during that meal, he looked his friends in the eye and said that one of them would betray him. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said – again to his friends – “All of you will desert me.”
With each of these sayings, Jesus’ closest friends refused to believe him. When he predicted his death, the disciples said, “No way.” When he confronted his friends with the news that one of them would betray him, they all said, “No, not I!” And when Jesus told those same friends that all of them would scatter – and when he singled out Peter and told him that he would deny Jesus three times, they all refused to believe it.
But we who know the story, know differently, don’t we? We know that every one of the things Jesus predicted came true. We know that one of Jesus’ disciples – Judas – led the authorities to the place where Jesus was praying and he completed the betrayal…with a kiss. We know that Jesus was led to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the mockery and the beatings began. We know that Peter, who followed Jesus at a distance, refused to acknowledge his connection or his relationship to Jesus. We know that Jesus was taken to Pilate’s headquarters, where the interrogation continued. We know that Pilate ordered Jesus to be whipped, and that the soldiers further mocked Jesus by placing a crown of thorns on his head and a purple robe around his body. We know that Jesus was forced to carry a portion of his own cross to the place where he would be crucified, and endured continued abuse along the way. We know that even as Jesus was hung on the cross, the disrespect continued as the soldiers gambled for his robe. We know that on the cross, Jesus breathed his last breath, and that his body was taken down and placed in a tomb which was sealed with a large stone.
All of the things that Jesus had said would happen really happened…and yet if the story ended there, we wouldn’t have much reason to rejoice, would we?
But praise God the story continues! The last piece of Jesus’ promise also came true! Mary, who was coming to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body, found that the stone had been rolled away. She ran and told Peter and another disciple, and they ran to the tomb to see for themselves. Scripture says that when they saw the tomb empty except for the linen wrappings that had surrounded Jesus, they believed.
Mary, standing outside the tomb weeping, peeks back into the tomb and this time she spots two angels. She expresses her concern that Jesus is gone, and when she turns around, she practically runs into him. She doesn’t recognize him at first, but it doesn’t take long before everything is clear – Jesus is alive and Mary can rejoice!
Mary could rejoice and so can we – not just because Jesus is alive (which is a great reason to rejoice), but because everything he said would happen came true. If ever we doubted the promises of Jesus, the Easter story informs us that Jesus keeps his promises. We can rejoice because we have a Savior we can trust.
•When Jesus says, “Come to me, you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest,” we can trust him.
When Jesus says, “Come to me, you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest,” we can trust him.•When Jesus says, “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive,” we can trust him.
When Jesus says, “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive,” we can trust him.•When Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing,” we can trust him.
When Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing,” we can trust him.•When Jesus says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life,” we can trust him.
When Jesus says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life,” we can trust him.•And when Jesus says, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age,” we can trust in him.
And when Jesus says, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age,” we can trust in him.We all enter the Easter story at a different place. We all come with our own experiences of life and the joys and challenges life brings our way. But the good news of Easter is that we can trust Jesus – what he says he will do…what he says will come true. The good news of Easter is that because of what Jesus has done, we can “rejoice in the Lord always” even in times of trouble.
When Mary peeked her head back into the tomb, the angels asked her, “Woman why are you weeping?” Perhaps we should ask ourselves this same question this morning. Because deep down inside, or perhaps right at the surface…many of us…so many of us are weeping.
Perhaps you are going through a terribly tumultuous time. Perhaps your marriage is on the rocks. Maybe your job is in jeopardy, or you have no job. Perhaps your children are rebelling against your love…and you are hurting…hurting beyond measure.
There is really only one cure for the heartache. There is only one way. And that ONE WAY is Jesus Christ.
Jesus promises that when we give Him everything we have…
…all your heartache…
…all your worries…
…all your fears…
We are giving them to the only One who can truly be trusted with them.
He is the Resurrected Christ… the Lover of your soul. He is The King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Even when we make mistakes—hurting ourselves and perhaps hurting others…Jesus promises to be there with us…and that alone is reason to rejoice.
So no matter what you are going through, remember, and keep remembering…
…write it down if you have to…
…and put it in your pocket or purse…
…The Risen Christ is always with you!
He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life…yesterday, today, and forever! Jesus keeps his promises…always!
Today is Easter! It is a beautiful day…a day of celebration…a day for rejoicing.
Christ Is Risen…He Is Risen Indeed! Rejoice in the Lord…today and always! AMEN!
“GOSPELED LIVES: SERVICE”
John 13:1-17, 31-35
Holy Thursday (April 9), 2009
The more I thought about tonight’s service and the message that I wanted to share, the more I was drawn to the act of foot washing. Yes, the Lord’s Supper was a critical part of the night when Jesus gathered with his disciples…and it remains a vital means of grace in the church today. But it’s also something a bit more common. Foot washing, on the other hand, isn’t given much attention outside of tonight’s service. And the message that Jesus was seeking to share with his disciples through this act of humility and love is just too good to pass up, so that’s where we’re going tonight.
When Jesus stooped to wash His disciples’ feet he showed us several important truths about serving others. The first thing that caught my attention is in the first verse, where Jesus shows the priority of serving.
Verse 1 reads, “Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”
Let me ask you a question: If you knew that you had 12 hours to live, what would you do? There are books that are written and movies that have been made that suggest those 100 things that we must do before we die…but most of those things are pretty unrealistic for the average person. What would you do? Would you want to be alone in prayer? Record some final thoughts? Would you spend time with those you loved?
Jesus, the Bible says, knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and so he took off his cloak, put a towel around His waist, and washed the dirty feet of His disciples. Who in their right mind would waste time on that when the end is so near? Jesus would…that’s who. Why? Because He wanted to show them how important it is to humbly serve one another.
Philippians 2:3 tells us that we should "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.” That chapter goes on to tell us that we ought to have the same mind as Jesus had, a mind that knew that he was God, but which acted quite human. Verse 8 goes on to say, “And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.
He humbled himself…why? In order to demonstrate His love. In this case, Jesus’ actions show us that nothing indicates love more clearly than humble service to others.
As we’re talking about this point, let’s be clear on a very important point. Our Scripture notes that Judas was there, both when the feet of the disciples were washed, and when the Lord’s Supper was celebrated. Verse 2 tells us that “The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus.” And in the verses in between what was read tonight, Jesus tells his disciples that one of them is going to betray him. When the disciples begin to question, “Is it I?” Jesus responds by telling them that it is the one to whom he will give the piece of bread he has dipped into the wine. That piece, we read, is handed to Judas who then gets up from the table and leaves rather abruptly. Yet even though Jesus knew that Judas would betray him, Judas still received the humble demonstration of Christ’s love.
Lest we think that somehow our love and service to others should end at the chapel door, or that we have no responsibility to love and serve those who don’t reciprocate our efforts, remember that Jesus washed the feet of Judas too.
The second thing Jesus showed us by washing his disciples’ feet is His confidence in His identity. Verses 3 and 4 make it clear that Jesus knew that God had given him everything that he had. Jesus acknowledges that he came from God and would be returning to God. It is not in spite of, but rather because He understood who He was, that he washed the disciples’ feet.
It takes an understanding of our identity to be able to humble ourselves. The world tells us that we need to make ourselves look good in front of others, that we need to exalt ourselves, but Jesus said that "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12).
Do you know who Dave Thomas is? He was the founder of the Wendy’s hamburger chain. But he was probably known just as well for his humble service within the multi-billion dollar empire he founded. When asked what made him so successful, he replied, "my MBA." But he didn’t mean a Masters in Business Administration, he meant "a mop- and-bucket attitude." In other words, no work task was too insignificant for him to tackle; he simply jumped in and got the job done.
Dave Thomas, was a high-school dropout, he was always ashamed of that. It would have been easy for him as he tasted success to demand every perk and privilege as a way of covering for his own inadequacies, but instead he lived by the Mop and Bucket Attitude.
Jesus was the Lord of the Universe. If anyone didn’t have to humble himself to wash the feet of farmers and fishermen, He didn’t. But because he knew he was Lord of the Universe, because He knew He was not diminished by showing his love in humble service, he took up the towel and basin and stooped to serve.
The third thing Jesus showed us by washing feet is found in the conversation with Peter in which Jesus makes clear our need to be served by him.
In verses 6-9, Peter questions Jesus’ intended actions. First he says “You will never wash my feet” and then he takes it to the other extreme and says, “Not just my feet, but also my hands and my head.”
Peter demonstrates a little false humility here. He’s probably a bit embarrassed that he didn’t think of washing the feet of the disciples first, and in his embarrassment he tries to deny Jesus’ intentions. But when Jesus makes it clear that being served by Him is one of the conditions of having a relationship with Him then Peter has a change of heart.
I remember being a young married person with a child on the way. Whenever we’d visit with my parents, we’d always leave with something – a bag of groceries, clothes, money. At the end of one visit, the exchange was going to happen and Lori and I both said, “No, really, you don’t have to do that. We’re fine.” My grandmother overheard us and pulled us aside and told us, “You need to learn to be good receivers. Your parents are able to and want to give – receive it.” It’s a lesson I’ve remembered to this day.
Unless we recognize our pride---pride that says, "I’m good enough on my own" then we make no room for Jesus. Unless we confess our need, confess our sin and humbly ask his forgiveness, we are doomed to an eternity without him.
There’s one final thing that we can see in Jesus’ foot washing object lesson, and that is our need to be servants.
Jesus says, beginning in verse 14, “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”
To serve is to lead. We cannot call ourselves followers of Christ and be unwilling to serve in humble ways. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have individual gifts and places of service. But each of us should be willing to humble ourselves, to demonstrate our love for those we serve.
Jesus is very clear that serving others ought to be a priority – it was to him and it ought to be to us as well. We need to be clear in our own identity and willing to do whatever needs to be done. Jesus teaches us that we ought to receive what he and others offer, but that his serving was also done as an example of how his followers ought to act towards others.
Foot washing isn’t about foot washing, it’s about serving others with personal sacrifice, about humbling ourselves when we don’t have to--because we don’t have to. It’s helping to prepare or serve a meal here on Wednesdays or Sundays, or to clean up afterwards. It’s offering to drive someone to the store or an appointment, or simply sitting with them and listening to them. It’s teaching Sunday School, or serving on a Ministry Team, or participating in the music ministry, or visiting people as part of the Care Ministry Team. Or maybe it is literally washing someone’s feet…or their hands…or their face. Service is anything we do because Jesus commanded us to “Do as I have done to you.” AMEN.
“GOSPELED LIVES: OBEDIENCE TO GOD”
John 12:20-33
Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2009
As I look at the calendar, I shake my head in disbelief that we will begin the month of April in just a few short days (and as I listen to the weather forecast, I shake my head in disbelief that April just might be welcomed in with another snowstorm!). But I also shake my head, finding it difficult to believe that next Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. The season of Lent is almost over and Easter is just around the corner.
Over the past few weeks, we have been working through the theme “Gospeled Lives” and I’ve tried to remind you that a gospeled life is one that has heard and been touched by the Good News of Jesus Christ – a life that has been transformed by a meaningful encounter with our Lord and Savior. We began on Ash Wednesday talking about being reconciled to God. We moved quickly to repentance and taking up your cross. A couple of weeks ago, Rev. Hier spoke about cleaning house, and last week we covered the topic of grace.
As I introduced the topic of grace last Sunday, I said that it is, perhaps, the cornerstone theme on which our Christian faith has been formed. This week, we move into what might be considered the most difficult theme of our Christian faith – obedience.
As I say that, I have a pretty firm understanding of at least one thing – most all of us, if not all of us, want to please God. If questioned, we would say that one of our main goals in life is to follow through with the things God has given to us. But having said that, there is another thing of which I’m pretty certain – most of us, if not all of us, falter or even fail in our quest to be obedient to God. We allow our own thoughts, our own ideas, our own wants and wishes to get in the way of what God wants for us. And because we sometimes think we know better than God (or if we’re honest, we would say that we want to have a bit more fun and adventure than God is allowing) we follow our own path instead of God’s.
Paul had a compelling way of admitting this fault. He says in Romans chapter 7: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Sound familiar? What we – at the very core of our being – want to do is to obey God…what we end up doing more times than not is obeying our own selves.
Friends, we’re not alone. As a matter of fact, we’re in some pretty good company. In our gospel reading for this morning, we find Jesus having this same debate within himself. He knows for what he was created…he knows where God’s path for him will lead. But showing his true humanity, he questions it.
John chapter 12 begins with that touching scene where Mary anoints the feet of Jesus with some rather costly perfume. It is one of those moments that Jesus chose to inform his friends that he wasn’t going to be with them forever – that he was destined to die. That story is followed by a short three verse account of the chief priests’ plan to put Lazarus to death. This, we learn, is because the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead has caught the attention of many Jews who are deserting their faith and following Jesus. From there, we hear the story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, an event that we will focus on next Sunday. The final words in that story come from the Pharisees, who say, “Look, the world has gone after him!” referring to the crowds that were flocking to Jesus’ side.
As our story for this morning begins, we find a group of Greeks asking to meet Jesus. We’re not told exactly why they wanted to talk with Jesus – perhaps they, too, were caught up in the excitement of what this man was saying and doing. Perhaps they heard in his teaching a message that was intended, not just for the Jews, but for them as well. Whatever prompted them, their request prompted Jesus to talk once again about his death.
The verses that follow are verses that are often heard at funeral services: “Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Jesus was preparing the people for his death, and it’s as if he wanted them to know that it was going to be OK – as a matter of fact, it would be a good thing because his death would produce much fruit.
But in verse 27, his tone changes. He says, “Now my soul is troubled.”
Have you ever prayed that way before? I remember several years ago when I was hospitalized with severe headaches. When the doctors at the smaller, regional hospital in Wyoming, MN were unable to come up with a diagnosis, they wanted to send me to the University of Minnesota. I knew that the hospital at the U had all kinds of specialists and the ability to perform other tests. I knew that it was the right thing to do, but I was apprehensive. I remember saying to God, “I know that I need to be transferred, but I’m scared.”
At the University hospital, doctors continued to locate the source of my pain. They ordered additional MRI’s and CT scans. They did an angiogram, looking for blood clots or other abnormalities. Finally, they wanted to do another spinal tap – the procedure that started all of my trouble. Again, I knew that it was something that needed to be done if they were going to get as much information as possible…but I really didn’t want to go through that again. I remember saying to God, “I don’t like this idea…but help me to trust that it’s the right thing to do.”
Jesus teaches us that it’s OK to admit that our souls are troubled. It’s OK to say that – while we’re trying to be obedient - we’re still scared or nervous or apprehensive.
We have to remember that Jesus was fully human. He thought like a human being, and when it was suggested that he would have to die to atone for the sins of humankind, he was going to think hard about it. It almost seems as though Jesus is suggesting that if there is another way to save the world, he’d be all for it. And who can blame him? It would be his flesh…his blood…his bones…his very life.
After crying out that his soul is in turmoil, he asks, “And what should I say – ‘Father save me from this hour?’” Here again we see the means by which he lived out his mission, not just in the end but each step of the way. For it is in the “summary” of verse 27 that we glimpse the intensity of the prayerful struggle that was to mark his life to the end. For Jesus, prayer was not a rehearsal of what could be; it was an honest no-holds-barred communication with the Creator of the World.
This intimate and honest form of prayer is seen in the 17th chapter of John, as well. He is not afraid to pray for his own faithful completion of his mission. He prays for his disciples, “that they may all be one.” They and we have been prayed for by Jesus, even before Jesus goes to that place in the Kidron valley where there was a garden.
We know that in that garden – the Garden of Gethsemane – Jesus continued to pray. John doesn’t give us all of the details of what Jesus prayed or how he prayed. The other gospels tell us that Jesus continued to agonize over what lay ahead for him. They contain the record of that familiar prayer, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” And Luke tells us that Jesus prayed with such urgency that “his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.” But it was in that garden that Jesus made his decision: “Not what I want, but what you want, Father.”
Jesus was fully human, but he was also fully divine. And he knew that there was no other way. He knew that perfect obedience to God was the only way the world would be saved – the only way that God would be glorified – the only way that people would be drawn to him. And so in the Garden, Jesus gave himself up to the will of God.
This is the way of the cross for us. Living a gospeled life means giving ourselves fully to the will of God. It means being obedient – not sometimes, but always. Living a gospeled life means remembering that the one who faced the struggles of his soul was lifted up on the object of defeat. But living a gospeled life also means recognizing that the suffering and the death of Jesus had a purpose.
Those who join themselves to him, those who grasp that he was lifted up on the cross for them, and in faith submit their own suffering and their own pain to his, honor what God has done.
Paul writes in I Corinthians, chapter one, verse 18:
"The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of
God."
Jesus said, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains but a single grain. But if it dies, it bears much fruit."
It is difficult to comprehend the will of God, difficult to grasp just what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.
But we know this
- and we are called to accept this
- and to embrace this -
that it was done for us - so that we might live.
Living a gospeled life means that in our surrender and obedience to him we are made alive, and God’s name is glorified. AMEN.
GOSPELED LIVES: SAVED BY GRACE
Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21
4th Sunday in Lent, 2009
As we move through this season of Lent, we continue our quest for gospeled lives – lives that have been transformed by a meaningful encounter with Jesus Christ. This morning we turn to what might be considered the key learning or understanding of our Christian faith – grace.
In our United Methodist Book of Discipline, there is a section entitled “Distinctive Wesleyan Emphases.” The second paragraph of that section reads:
Grace pervades our understanding of Christian faith and life. By gracewe mean the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action of God in humanexistence through the ever-present Holy Spirit. While the grace of Godis undivided, it precedes salvation as “prevenient grace,” continues in“justifying grace,” and is brought to fruition in “sanctifying grace.”Because these may be somewhat foreign terms, let me unpack them just a bit.
Prevenient grace is divine grace which comes before human decision. It exists prior to and without reference to anything humans may have done. This grace prompts our first wish to please God, our first glimmer of understanding concerning God’s will, and our first inklings of awareness of sin in our lives.
Justifying grace carries with it the understanding that, through faith, we are forgiven of our sins and restored to God’s favor. We sometimes hear this concept referred to as being ‘born again’ or ‘saved.’ We might also hear of the experience as one of conversion. Such a change may be sudden and dramatic (like Saul’s experience of being knocked to the ground and blinded) or it may be gradual and cumulative (like my experience of being called to ordained ministry). It marks a new beginning, yet is part of an ongoing process.
Sanctifying grace continues the work begun in new birth. Sanctification allows the Holy Spirit to increase in us our knowledge and love of God as well as our love for our neighbor. Wesley described the sanctified heart as one “habitually filled with the love of God and neighbor” and as “having the mind of Christ and walking as he walked.”
That’s what grace is…where does it come from? What is its source?
The Christian band Casting Crowns emerged on the scene in 2004 and quickly became one of the top Christian bands in the US. I’ve come to appreciate much of their music because it speaks both to scriptural truths and cultural relevance. Their debut album, simply titled Casting Crowns contained a song entitled “Who Am I?” that beautifully describes our place in God’s realm. The refrain reminds us that the gift of grace is possible, not because of us, but because of God:
Not because of who I am, but because of what you’ve done;
Not because of what I’ve done, but because of who you are…
Ephesians 2 continues this thought. In verse 1 Paul gets right to the point: “You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived.” I don’t know about you, but when I read that, my first temptation is to get a bit defensive. After all, I’m not nearly as bad as Paul who arrested and persecuted Christians. I’ve never robbed or beaten or killed another individual. “I’m dead???” I don’t think so!
But Paul’s point is clear. In verse 3 he begins with the words “All of us…” and goes on to list our shortcomings: living among the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, living as children of wrath. We were created to glorify God. The greatest joy in life is achieved when we follow the leadings of our sovereign Creator. What disrupts this relationship for which we were made is when we give in to the temptations of a lesser power. According to Paul, this is something we all do from time to time.
But there is good news. Verse 4 tells us, “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. Notice what this says: we are not brought from death to life by anything we do – it is only through God. Because of what God has done in Jesus Christ, we are rescued from our old nature.
On the cross we see the riches of God’s mercy when Jesus says in reference to those who have put him there, “Father, forgive them; for they do now know what they are doing.” We see the love that knows no limit to bring us into eternal life when Jesus speaks his final words, “It is finished.”
Because our salvation is affected only by what God is, has done, and can do, we must call it grace. If we are…or were as the text suggests…dead, we contribute nothing to our being made alive. Three times the word ‘grace’ is used in the text. Each time the emphasis is clear: we have been saved not by and for ourselves, but by and for Jesus Christ. It’s not what we have done (our good works), it’s what we believe (our faith).
That, of course, is the message of what many consider the cornerstone verse of the Christian faith – John 3:16. Let’s say it (or read it) together:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may haveeternal life.Notice what that verse says – it says “everyone who believes in him…” not “everyone who works for him.” Sadly there are some who still believe that they can work their way into heaven. If they only do enough for enough people in enough places, it will be enough to punch their ticket into the Eternal Abode.
In the third chapter of John, Jesus is having a conversation with a Pharisee, Nicodemus. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus would have vast knowledge about the rules and laws of life as a Jew. But here he comes to Jesus under the cover of darkness. It’s like he doesn’t want anyone to know that he’s having this conversation with Jesus. It’s as if the information he is seeking is contrary to who he is and how he has lived his life up to this point. But for Nicodemus, there is something missing, something lacking. He came to Jesus in the darkness of night so that he might find light.
Nicodemus first said to Jesus that one could not help but be impressed with the signs and wonders that he did. Jesus responded by telling Nicodemus that it was not the signs and wonders that were really important; the important thing was the change in a person’s inner life that could only be described as new birth.
Nicodemus is confused. He takes Jesus’ comments literally, and wonders how a person could possibly enter the womb and be born again. Jesus goes on to clarify the process, emphasizing the fact that it is something God does, not something we do. And the main cog in that process is belief in Jesus.
There are at least three things this phrase ‘belief in Jesus’ can mean. It means first believing in our hearts that God is as Jesus declared him to be. It means believing that God loves us, that God cares for us, that God wants nothing more than to forgive us.
Secondly, it means believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that in him is the mind of God. We must believe that Jesus knew God so well, that he was so close to God, was so one with God, that he could tell us the absolute truth about God.
Third, it means believing that what Jesus says is true. Whatever he says we must do; whenever he commands we must obey. When he tells us to cast ourselves on the mercy of God, we must do so. Every smallest action in life must be done in unquestioning obedience to Jesus.
But coming back to the Ephesians text, we find that there is more. Look again at verse 10: “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” We were created to do good works…this is the way God intended us to live all along.
“Now wait a minute,” you might be thinking. “You said earlier that we’re not saved by what we do.” You’re right. We’re not saved by what we do…we’re saved for what we do. Because we have been saved by the grace of God, we ought to be so excited, so thrilled, so on fire for Jesus, that we can’t help but go out and express it by doing good things for others.
These works are ‘good’ because it is God’s work in us. It is a gift that we receive through trust in God, no bragging necessary. Paul even goes so far as to say that “We are what God has made us.” I like the words used in other translations – “His workmanship,” “God’s handiwork,” or “God’s work of art.” We are works of God ourselves. All creative abilities (and we all have them) are gifts from our Creator, to be used for the glory of God and the good of God’s creation.
Living a gospeled life isn’t an ‘either/or’ venture – either we have faith or we practice good works. Living a gospeled life is a ‘both/and’ understanding. By grace we have been saved through faith and what we have been saved for are the good works that God has placed before us.
As we continue our Lenten journey, may we experience God’s amazing grace. And may our experience of grace lead us to live as faithful followers of Jesus Christ. AMEN.
GOSPELED LIVES: TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
Mark 8:31-38
Second Sunday in Lent, 2009
I was reading through my messages this past week, and a fellow pastor raised the question, “When Jesus said, ‘Take up your cross,’ do you suppose the disciples knew what he was talking about?” Someone commented that crucifixions were common in Jesus’ day, and so probably the disciples understood. The original poster wrote later, “But Jesus had not yet gone to the cross…and his death on the cross would be for far different reasons. I don’t think the disciples would have a clear understanding of what Jesus said until after his crucifixion.”
The original question was never fully resolved, but it made for an interesting conversation. And it does raise a good question: When Jesus says “Take up your cross,” do we understand what he is saying?
The cross has always caused problems to people. Brutal and barbaric – the cross was a tool of political power for the Romans. They maintained their power because of the fear of death on the cross.
When one was condemned by the state, the condemned literally had to "take up his cross" and carry it to the public place where he was to be crucified. It was part of the humiliation process, the mechanism of social control for which crucifixion was invented.
The cross was an instrument of suffering and shame - and no more so than among the Children of Israel - where the scriptures themselves declare: "cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree".
To die on a cross was a sign that one died cut off from God, and cut off from the people of God - a sign that the person was rejected. And of course in the case of Jesus this was very true.
Jesus went to cross as one who was rejected and abandoned. Rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and abandoned almost completely by his disciples too. Jesus didn't die as a hero or a martyr. He died as a blasphemer.
The cross was the worst form of execution - for the people of Israel and for the Roman Empire as a whole. It was a social faux pax to mention crosses or crucifixion in the presence of women and children of high social standing.
Yet Christianity - in contrast to many of the other religions of the day, which celebrated the search for beauty, truth, and the good - had, and still has at its center, this most awful symbol of death and disgrace.
This must be dealt with - and understood correctly.
I say this because with our gold and silver crosses standing on our altars, and worn as jewelry around our necks, and with so much wrong-headed preaching on cross-bearing - preaching which reduces bearing the cross to little more than performing acts of kindness toward other people, or putting up with difficult situations - we risk transforming our faith into just another religion - a religion that celebrates many good things - but which avoids the difficult truths about life and about faithfulness to God.
Jesus is clear. To be his disciples, to enter the Kingdom of God, we must deny our selves and pick up our crosses - and follow him.
So what is the cross we are called to bear?
FIRST, what the cross is not.
We often hear stories of people who have suffered with a long, lonely illness. We hear stories of those who have endured hardship and calamity in their life time and time again. And often times these people describe their situation in life as the cross they have to bear.
But my friends - while I praise God for the testimony of these faithful followers of Jesus Christ, they were not necessarily talking about either the cross of Jesus or the cross that he calls us to bear.
I say that because many people make a fundamental mistake when talking about the crosses they bear. They confuse the suffering that is inflicted upon them by the world - a suffering that comes without their choice or decision - with that which comes because we have chosen to be faithful.
Think about it for a moment. Think about the cross of Christ. He could have avoided it, he could have called legions of angels to his rescue, he could have turned away from the confrontation in Jerusalem and ministered quietly in Galilee.
A cross is something we pick up because we desire to follow Jesus. It is not something falls upon us because we are made of mortal flesh and live in a decaying world, though how we react to those things may, in fact, turn them from an affliction that we bear to a cross we bear.
I think of the aging husband or wife who faithfully tends for and cares for their spouse even when that spouse can no longer recognize them or communicate with them. They have made a decision to be faithful - and the burden they bear is indeed a cross and not simply an affliction.
SECOND - the cross we are called to bear is not exactly the same as Christ's cross. Our crosses are our own - they are shaped specially for us by our own life issues and by the call of God upon our lives.
There is a true story in a wonderful book called "A Cloud of Witnesses", by Douglas Weaver. He writes:
There were 40 soldiers of the Twelfth Legion of Rome's imperial
army who were Christians. Their captain announced one day that
Emperor Licinius had issued an edit requiring all soldiers to
offer sacrifice to the pagan gods.
The forty soldiers replied, "You can have our armor and even our
bodies, but the allegiance of our heart belongs to Jesus Christ."
It was mid-winter, AD 320. The captain had the men march out to a
frozen lake. Their clothes were stripped off of their backs, and
they were told either to renounce Christ or to die. Baths of hot
water waited on shore as a temptation to deny their faith.
Throughout the night, the men huddled together and sang, "forty
martyrs for Christ, forty martyrs for Christ..." One by one, the
soldiers fell in death.
Finally, only one soldier was left. His courage failed; he
stumbled to shore, renouncing his faith in Christ. But the
officer of the guard who had been watching the drama had secretly
come to believe in Christ. When he saw the fortieth soldier come
to the shore, the officer walked out onto the frozen lake,
disrobed, and confessed his faith. As dawn broke the next
morning, there were forty bodies on the ice.
Many people assume that the cross we are called to carry is like this - like Christ's - that it is a literal willingness to die for the sake of the gospel.
Naturally, we can't relate to that very well, because these days, in this part of the world anyway, we are not placed in such situations - where our physical death can result from witnessing to Christ.
But there is more than one kind of death, more than one kind of witness. And that brings me to say what the Cross IS for us - and how it is like Christ's.
Our Cross is like Christ's in the sense that it involves offering ourselves to God and our neighbors in complete and total love and obedience to God, no matter where that love and obedience may take us.
It may involve us in less than physically dying for Christ (depending on what part of the world you live in), but it will involve us in far more than simply performing acts of kindness toward other people, or putting up with difficult situations.
Our cross will involve us in the denial of self so that we may live to God, much as the faithful husband or wife in dealing with the sick partner deny their own needs, their own pleasures, and live for their mate.
Our motives for doing things will not be - how will this help me - but instead how will it serve Christ? How will it serve God?
I am struck by verse 35 in today's gospel reading. Those words that say:
"Those who save their life will lose it, those who lose their
life for Christ's sake, and for the sake of good news, will save
it."
Too many Christian folk are concerned about whether or not they are saved. They worry about whether or not they am going to heaven.
If that is our focus then Jesus is very clear that we have missed the boat. Our attempts to save our own lives won't do it.
If however I lose my life, that is, if I give it away to others in service to Christ and Christ's good news, then and only then have will I save it.
Giving my life is my only hope. Giving my life away in service to God - for God's sake - for the sake of Christ - is where it is at. Loving others with the love of God is where it is at. Otherwise all we are doing is trying to work our way into heaven.
There's a message here for the church.
Focus on the health of the church, or the denomination it belongs to, spend your energy on the latest church growth gimmick, look for money to simply keep the doors open and we will die.
But if the church gives its life away,
if it focuses on the mission that God calls it too,
if it seeks to obey and serve God,
if it spends itself on proclaiming the good news
and invites others to support its vital work of life saving
it will, inadvertently as it were, save its own life.
Yes - it is difficult stuff this stuff about the cross, but it’s exactly what we’re talking about when we talk about living a gospeled life. May we find joy in this journey. AMEN.
GOSPELED LIVES: REPENT AND BELIEVE
Mark 1:9-15
First Sunday in Lent, 2009
Some of you may have heard me talk about my maternal grandfather who was a United Methodist pastor. After he passed away, my mother ended up with most of the books from his library. After I became a pastor, she figured they’d do me more good than her, so I inherited them. Most of them sit on a shelf in my office, looking rather impressive because they make the shelves look full. But there are a few that I look at now and then.
One of them is the old Book of Hymns from 1964. In the Ritual of Holy Communion, there was a prayer that was used most every Communion service – the Prayer of Humble Access. We have it printed in our hymnals, but as part of the little-used Service IV. But let’s look at that prayer together – turn in your Hymnal to page 30. There in the middle of the page is the prayer…let’s pray it together:
We do not presume to come to this thy table, O merciful Lord,
trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great
mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs
under thy table. But thou art the same Lord, whose property is
always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to
partake of this Sacrament of thy Son Jesus Christ, that we may
walk in newness of life, may grow into his likeness, and may
evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.
Recent liturgies have changed the spirit of communion from one of repentance to a joyous celebration of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Now I’m not complaining – I like the emphasis on joy and celebration, but at the same time I lament the loss of the emphasis on repentance.
As committed disciples of Jesus Christ, we all need to be open to obey the Holy Spirit in humble repentance when He convicts us of sin and shows us our personal need to repent. The Table of our Lord, the place where we receive Holy Communion, is the best place to lay our sins at the feet of Jesus, repent, and receive His forgiveness. “The Prayer of Humble Access” captures the true spirit of repentance in personal preparation for Holy Communion.
This Lenten season, we are looking at what it means to live “gospeled lives.” A ‘gospeled’ life is one that has encountered the living Christ in a real and significant way and is changed – transformed – by that encounter. This morning we focus on the topic of repentance, a topic that is especially timely on this day when we celebrate Holy Communion. Let’s look at the true meaning of Biblical repentance.
The New Testament word for repent means “to think differently; to change one’s mind or purpose.” It is a decision that changes the entire direction one is going in life, a 180 degree turn, “a radical, moral turn of the whole person from sin and self to God.” Because it embraces one’s entire being and personality, repentance is a change in both attitudes of the heart and the outward, visible way of life.
That’s the big difference between feeling bad for something we’ve said or done and repenting. We can feel sorrow for what we’ve done, and we can ask for forgiveness. We can even have a strong sense of being forgiven, but without repentance we go right back to doing what we shouldn’t be doing.
In our gospel reading for today, we hear the familiar story of Jesus’ baptism. We hear once again how he came up out of the water and heard God’s voice affirming who he was. Right after Jesus is baptized, he is driven into the wilderness where he is tempted by Satan. Mark leaves out many of the details of that wilderness experience, but we know from other gospel accounts that Jesus is tempted three times. We know what those temptations are: to turn stones into bread, to throw himself off the temple and trust that God will protect him, and to bow down and worship the devil and gain power over all of the kingdoms of the world. And we know that Jesus overcame those temptations and defeated the devil.
How often we find ourselves in our own wilderness experiences. We find ourselves wandering aimlessly, like sheep without a shepherd. And in our wilderness experiences, we also meet the tempter. The temptations we face are many, and often times we give in.
•We give in to the temptation to elevate ourselves by reducing others
We give in to the temptation to elevate ourselves by reducing others•We give in to the temptation to keep more wealth for ourselves by failing to hear the cry of those in need
We give in to the temptation to keep more wealth for ourselves by failing to hear the cry of those in need•We give in to the temptation to gain power by oppressing the powerless
We give in to the temptation to gain power by oppressing the powerless•We give in to the temptation to satisfy our hunger for pleasure by compromising our values
We give in to the temptation to satisfy our hunger for pleasure by compromising our values•We give in to the temptation to deny Christ or our Christian beliefs by avoiding the conversation or ducking the question when it comes up so that we can save face with our friends
We give in to the temptation to deny Christ or our Christian beliefs by avoiding the conversation or ducking the question when it comes up so that we can save face with our friendsOnce we give in to temptation, it’s hard to get out. We might recognize that we’ve done wrong and ask for forgiveness. We might believe that God has forgiven us…and we might even forgive ourselves. But because we’ve found a familiar and comfortable pattern, we go back to giving in. We continue in sin.
The answer is repentance. It means giving up the wrong behavior and replacing it with one that honors God and brings us closer to God.
Dr. Norman Shawchuck is a United Methodist pastor, author and retreat leader in the area of spiritual formation. He has written a contemporary prayer of repentance that is quite powerful:
“O God, I surrender to you the habits and sins that, like frost, chill my soul and cause your life-giving energy to cease its flow in me. Uproot me from the weed patches of evil wherein I have chosen to sink my roots. Plant me instead in your field of righteousness. Direct the searchlight of your love into every crevice of my life that I may see to journey from this long winter of sin, to once again flourish in the summer of your goodness and love. Send the gracious showers of your forgiveness to break the long drought of spiritual aridness that has shriveled my soul, and grant, my Lord, that I may become more like you and less like my shadowy self. This day I pledge to you and to myself that I will begin even now to pursue right thinking and right living, but my God, I need your help. Amen.”
When Jesus came to Galilee, he had a message that was short and to the point: “Repent, and believe in the good news.” When we are able to do that – to turn from evil to good, and from gloom and doom to the good news of Jesus Christ - we find the words of the Prayer of Humble Access coming true. We begin to walk in newness of life - with a new purpose and a new conviction. We begin to grow in Christ-likeness. We think fewer and fewer earthly thoughts and more and more heavenly thoughts. And we begin to dwell in God and remember that God has always dwelled in us. We are reminded that we are never alone.
This is what it means to live a life of repentance. This is what it means to live gospeled lives.
Today, as we come to the Table of our Lord, be open to how the Holy Spirit is leading and speaking. Is the Spirit calling you to a change of attitude and of action? Make the prayer of Rev. Shawchuck your personal prayer as you bow before Jesus today, “This day I pledge to you and to myself that I will begin even now to pursue right thinking and right living, but my God, I need your help. AMEN.”
“GOSPELED LIVES: BE RECONCILED TO GOD”
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Ash Wednesday, 2009
This Lenten season, we are discovering what it means to live ‘gospeled’ lives. That phrase might sound a bit odd…we don’t normally think of the word ‘gospel’ as a verb. We read the gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. We sit in church and hear the gospel – the Good News of Jesus Christ. But rarely, I’m afraid, do we think of ourselves as being ‘gospeled.’
I can’t claim credit for the word (although I wish I could…I love making up words or using words in new and unusual ways). The phrase ‘gospeled lives’ is actually the title of a Lenten Study book written by John Indermark. He writes this in the introduction to the book:
The title Gospeled Lives may sound odd to modern ears. In English,gospel serves as a noun and occasionally an adjective. The Greek ofthe New Testament, though, often uses a verb form of the word wetranslate as gospel. Gospel can express action. “Gospeled” lives arelives profoundly affected by an encounter with Jesus. The book goes on to look at several different characters from the Bible and how their lives were changed after they met Jesus. During Lent, we’re not going to look at characters from the Bible, we’re going to look at a different cast of characters – ourselves – and see how we ought to be living our lives because we claim a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Tonight we begin that journey. Tonight we look at Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, and we find the instruction to “be reconciled to God.”
When I looked up the word ‘reconcile’ in the dictionary, I found this definition: “To restore to friendship or harmony; to settle or resolve.” And so it would make sense to ask the question, “What is it between us and God that needs to be restored or resolved?” Reconciliation is necessary because a relationship has been broken.
But let’s stop here and make something perfectly clear. The New Testament always talks about humanity being reconciled to God, not God being reconciled to humanity. It is not that God becomes separated from us, but rather we become separated from God. And what is the number one thing that separates us from God? Sin.
Jesus talks about a couple of those sins in the sixth chapter of Matthew. He begins by talking about the sin of self-deception and self-glorification. He says that praying for the sake of gaining the admiration of others is empty, and he calls on his listeners to pray in secret. This is not an admonition to develop a private place of prayer, but to recognize who the audience is intended to be. The same is true of giving. If we give so that others see what we do, then we miss the act of worship. Finally, the same can be said for fasting, a powerful and meaningful spiritual practice. Fasting with the intent of showing off negates the real meaning of confession, repentance and worship.
Jesus also speaks out against the sin of hoarding material things, which might also be called the sin of greed. Today, more than ever, this is a practice that should be avoided. When we hoard ‘things’ for the sake of gaining more and more, we are denying ourselves the opportunity to help those who have little. Indeed, even in this struggling economy, God has blessed some with an abundance of resources. The question is always will I use them to build up more for myself, or will I use them to assist others who have nothing?
Jesus here suggests storing up treasures in heaven. This would be a familiar phrase to the early Jews, who would know it to mean one of two things. The Jews of Jesus time understood that the deeds of kindness done for others became treasure in heaven. They were sure that what was selfishly hoarded is lost, but what is generously given away brings treasure in heaven. The ancient Church also connected the phrase ‘treasure in heaven’ with character. The only thing we can take out of this world is ourself, and the finer the self we bring, the greater our treasure in heaven will be.
But obviously there is more sin in the world than self-deception and greed.
•There is the sin of the ‘ism’s’: racism, sexism, classism, etc.
There is the sin of the ‘ism’s’: racism, sexism, classism, etc.•There is the sin of apathy – of turning a blind eye to real need
There is the sin of apathy – of turning a blind eye to real need•There is the sin of ignorance – of pretending to not know the difference between right and wrong
There is the sin of ignorance – of pretending to not know the difference between right and wrongAnd the list goes on and on. We could spend an entire evening listing sin, but instead let’s look at what is needed to begin erasing these wrongdoings and begin the process of being reconciled to God.
The prophet Joel suggests something interesting…something that hopefully caught your attention. He said, “Rend your hearts and not your clothing.” Traditionally, the fast is noted with the tearing of clothes, the putting on of sackcloth, and ashes. But here, the suggestion is made to “rend your hearts.” What the prophet was suggesting is an invitation to surrender – an invitation to turn your whole heart around. Instead of focusing on a heart that seeks to be filled with more and more ‘stuff,’ the invitation is made to focus on a heart that seeks to be filled more and more with God and the things of God.
When we are able to turn our attention from the things in life that distract us and back to God, we begin the process of reconciliation. The whole process of salvation begins with God. It was because God so loved that world that he sent his son. God’s message, the message which Paul brought, is an appeal from a loving Father to wandering and estranged children to come home where love is waiting for them.
That’s what the season of Lent is all about. That’s what Ash Wednesday is all about. It’s about identifying those things that separate us from God. It’s about naming them and asking God for help in removing them from our lives. It’s about filling those now empty places with those things that help us to re-focus on God and re-connect with God. It’s about living ‘gospeled’ lives.
May this night mark the beginning of an exciting and fulfilling journey. AMEN.
