Acts 16:9-15, John 14:23-29

Acts16:9-15

John 14:23-29

Jesus Is Calling You – And Sending You

May 5, 2013

Easter 6

The Lord has risen! Alleluia! He has risen indeed!

          One of the things that being a follower of the Risen Christ means that you are called by Jesus – and sent by Jesus.   

            In other words – you are called – and sent. You experience the call of Jesus — the call to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior – and you also experience Jesus sending you out into the world, and strengthening you with His Spirit, to do His work and His will  in the Church, the community and the world.

Being a follower of the risen Christ means that you and called – and sent. It means that Jesus is calling you – and sending you.

Robin Williams is a gifted actor – one of my favorites – who can do a masterful job with roles that range from the highly comedic to the highly dramatic. While I enjoy his comedy, it is his dramatic roles I really appreciate. Awakenings is one of my favorite movies he has done. In it he plays Dr. Sayer, a young doctor just out of medical school who is asked to help with patients in a hospital where the patients are not expected to get well.  On every chart the diagnosis reads:

HOPELSS CASE – NO CHANGES OR THERAPY RECOMMENDED

Dr. Sayer does not understand why he has been assigned to this hospital.  He feels that he went to medical school to make a difference, not be stuck with patients for whom he could not make a difference.  He sees no purpose in being there – and hates going to work every day.

Until he begins to notice something.

He notices that even though these patients are catatonic and seem to be unresponsive to any stimulus,  they have little “awakenings” from time to time when given the right stimuli. 

Lenny, for example, responds to his name. 

Lucy responds to the patterns on the floor and walks across the room by the patterns.

Some respond to music.

Dr Sayer becomes intrigued, and even excited about, the fact that, indeed, some stimuli do bring responses from these patients, regardless of what the other doctors think.  He begins his mission of finding what it is that brings responses, or what he calls “Awakenings”, from each patient.  He is on the verge of finding ways to help each patient, and even extend the “awakenings” for each patient, when his time with them comes to an end.  At the end of the movie, one of the patients tells him:

“You might think your supervisors called you and sent you here – but it was God.  God called you – and sent you here – to give us our awakenings – and show us who we can truly be.”

As a follower of the risen Christ, Jesus is calling you — and Jesus is sending you.

Jesus is calling you to have a life changing relationship with Him, – and then is sending you into the world to do things for Him that seem improbable or even impossible, but because you have God’s Spirit, the things that seem to be impossible  are possible. 

That is the work of Jesus in your life — and is to be your work for Jesus in the world  

Jesus is calling you — and Jesus is sending you.

The Scripture passages before us today are examples of Jesus’ work of calling and sending in people’s lives.

The Gospel passage from John 14 comes from the Last Supper discourse that Jesus shared with His disciples before He was crucified. As Jesus sits with His disciples at that last meal he enjoys with them before His crucifixion, He begins telling them about how He was going to leave them. 

What?

They must have thought –

Jesus – leaving?

Where was He going?

And – what would happen to them?

Jesus tells them He is going back to “the Father”, and that and they are going to be sent into the world  to do His work 

Jesus had called them to follow Him – and now He was sending them into the world to do His work. Jesus had called them – and now He was sending them. 

But He does not send them into the world without the power and strength they need to do His will. He promises that the Spirit will come, and will strengthen them for their calling of taking Jesus’ will for salvation, healing, peace, and justice into the world.  

Jesus shows them that they were called — and sent

Friends – Jesus calls you so you can have a relationship with Him that will change your life—but Jesus also sends you into the world  and gives you His Spirit  so that you can help Him change the world as you work for His will of salvation, peace, love and justice in the world.

Jesus may sometimes send you into situations that you do not understand – He may sometimes seem to have you do things that seem to have little meaning — but when it is all said and done you may look back and finally see that He was in the midst of those circumstances all along. I am sure the disciples did not understand what was happening to Jesus, and to them, as the events of the last week in Jerusalem – and then the crucifixon – unfolded. Not until after the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit did it begin to make sense. Not until after the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit did they begin to understand how they were called – and sent – by Jesus to experience His mighty love, then share that with the world

Paul may not have understood what was happening as he was “living out” the stories that make up the book of Acts as his opponents pursued him through Greece and – as our passage in Acts 16 begins — he was on the verge of being chased into what he felt was the barren, barbaric land of Macedonia – until he has s vision of a man from Macedonia asking for his assistance, and he went and preached, and Lydia was baptized, and others, and others,  until the Gospel message and the will of God spread through Macedonia and then into Europe.  

Jesus was working in all of the situations of Paul’s life — always calling Paul to experience Him in new ways – and always sending Paul to share Him in new ways. 

Jesus is calling you — and sending you.

Even when you can’t see the purpose to what is happening in your life, Jesus does – and can use what is happening in your life   for His will and purpose.

In the movie Awakenings Dr. Sayer did not understand why he was sent to work with catatonic patients until he begins helping them achieve some degree of normalcy.  The disciples did not understand the purpose of Jesus’ departure from them until they see how it was part of God’s plan for salvation. Paul and his companions did not understand why they were being pursued throughout Greece  until they saw that it took them to Macedonia. 

Jesus was calling Dr. Sayer – and sending him into the catatonic patient ward to help those patients realize God’s will for normalcy and love. Jesus was calling the disciples, and sending them to bear witness to God’s great love.  Jesus was calling Paul as he went throughout Greece, and even into Macedonia, so the people there could come to know Him.  

Jesus is calling you – and is sending you into the world to be about His work, even in the most improbable ways.

What is Jesus calling you to do?

Where is Jesus sending you?

I can’t really give you specifics from the pulpit – but I would welcome to opportunity to sit and talk with each of you about this.  But – I can give you some general guidelines to the calling and sending of Jesus in your life

Jesus is calling you to do whatever you can to help people realize His love and His will for salvation, peace, justice, and love in the world. Jesus is calling you to do whatever it takes to show His will to the world. Even when it seems impossible, and even if you can’t understand it at the time, Jesus is with you, the Spirit is guiding and strengthening you, and you are doing God’s will. 

Jesus is calling you – and sending you.

Listen for Jesus’ call. Listen for what Jesus is calling you to do. Listen for where Jesus is calling you to go.

Then do it! Do what Jesus is calling you to do. Go where Jesus is calling you to go.  

Maybe Jesus is calling you to do something that seems to have no real reason or hope for success – like Dr. Sayer and his catatonic patients.  Maybe Jesus is calling you to experience something that is confusing or even painful – like the disciples experiencing His death.   Maybe Jesus is calling you to do something that seems futile, like Paul going into Macedonia with God’s word. But – even in situations like Dr. Sayer and the catatonic patients, Jesus can bring hope  and new life. Even in situations like the disciples experiencing the pain of Jesus’ death,  Jesus can bring the hope of resurrection. Even in situations that seem as futile as Paul entering Macedonia to preach, Jesus can bring the hope of the baptism of Lydia – and others.

Jesus is always calling you – and Jesus is always sending you  

Jesus is always strengthening you to do His work and will in Church, the community, and the world. Whatever Jesus may be calling you to do, wherever Jesus may be calling you to go,  know that Jesus is with you, Know that Jesus is strengthening you to go -  and do.

I read a story not long ago about a girl named Brenda who was invited to go rock climbing with a group of her friends. Although she was scared to death, she went with a group of friends to a tremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took hold of the rope and started up the face of the cliff. Eventually, she got to a ledge where she took a breather. As she was hanging on there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens.

There she was on a rock ledge, half way up a cliff, and now could barely see. Of course, she looked and looked, hoping her contact had landed on the ledge, but it wasn’t there. She proceeded with her climb, but still could not see clearly when she reached the top of the cliff. Despondent and waiting for the rest of the party to finish the climb, she looked out across range after range of mountains, which she couldn’t see all that well without her contact, and, thinking of the Bible verse that says, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth” she prayed: “Lord, you can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and you know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.”

Finally, the rest of her party made it to the top, and, after resting and checking Brenda’s clothing for her contact to no avail,   they started down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom there was a new party of climbers, just starting up the cliff. One of them shouted, “Hey! Anybody lose a contact lens?”

That would have been startling enough, but do you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across the face of a rock, carrying it.  

Brenda called her Dad that night to relate the amazing story to him.  He was a cartoonist, and when she returned home he had a cartoon drawn of an ant lugging a contact lens with the caption:

“Jesus, I don’t know why you want me to carry this thing. I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy. But if this is what you want me to do, I’ll carry it for you.”

Jesus is calling you – and sending you – to do His work and will in the Church, the community and the world. Even if it does not make sense – even if it seems futile – even if it is difficult – it is Jesus’s will – and like Jesus strengthened Dr. Sayer, the disciples, Paul, and yes,  even the ant, Jesus strengthens you to do His will and to take His will into the world and share His will with world.

Jesus is calling you – and Jesus is sending you. Amen.

Acts 11:1-18, John 13:31-35

Acts 11:1-18

John 13:31-35

How Will They Know You’re A Christian?

April 28, 2013

Easter 5

                        We are one in the Spirit – we are one in the Lord

                         We are one in the Spirit – we are one in the Lord

                        And we pray that our unity will one day be restored.

                        And they’ll know we are Christians by our love – by our love

                        And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

            The words to this familiar hymn were written in 1968 by Catholic priest Peter Scholtes as tried to come up with a way to remind his congregation of the importance of the message in our Gospel passage for today – John 13:31-35. The song speaks of our unity in  Christ and the  love we should have for each other and others or each other because we are followers of Christ.

            That’s the same message the choir just sang:

            Friends in Christ, we’ll go where He leads,

            Love can grow if we plant the seeds.

            Giving and sharing, believing and caring,

            We’ll do whatever God needs.

            As a follower of Christ, friends, you are commanded to love. 

            God needs you to love.

“Love one another”

Jesus says.

And the thing is He does not say that this is optional   – but He says it is a commandment.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

It’s a command.

You must do it.

God needs you to do it.

You know — the way you show love or fail to show love to others is also a litmus test that others use to test you to see if you are really a follower of Jesus or not.  Whether you like it or not, people are watching you to see how loving you are. If you act in loving ways to others people will know that you are a Christian,  If you don’t treat others with love and respect they may question if you are really a Christian or not.     

 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples” Jesus says –

if you love one another.”

Yea –

they’ll know we are Christians by our love – by our love

                        they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

            And –

                        Giving and sharing, believing and caring,

                        We’ll do whatever God needs.

            How will people know that you are Christian? 

            By your love.

            But – I have a question for  you today – do you think Jesus wants you to keep this love He commands you to have to people who think, act, or even look like you?

            I don’t think so. It seems to me that God wants you – and all of us — to show His love to all people – regardless of who they are.

            It also seems to me that Christians have struggled since the beginning of the Christian religion with this idea of truly loving all people.

            You might know that you are commanded to love. You might even know you are commanded to love all people.  You might even know that others will “know you are a Christian by our love” — but sometimes you might find it hard to do that.

            Well, don’t feel alone.  Followers of Jesus have struggled with showing love to all people since Jesus gave the command to do so.

            Do you remember the TV show “All In The Family”?

            You probably do.  When I was a teenager my family enjoyed watching it. You may have also. The show centered around the lives of Archie Bunker, his wife Edith, their daughter Gloria and her husband Mike.  I still laugh when I think of Edith’s high-pitched voice – especially as she sang the duet with Archie that was the show’s theme song – and I especially laugh when I think of Archie and some of his opinions and ideas.  Thinking back on it, the show was not just a comedy, it was a show that got folks thinking about their prejudices as it addressed topics such as racism, homosexuality, women’s lib, and other topics that were too controversial for other shows to address, but it addressed in a way that made folks laugh – but also think.

            I remember one episode where Archie is locked in the basement of his house and no one is home.  He yells at the top of his lungs for someone to save him – but to no avail.  Edith, Gloria, and Mike are all out of town for  few days – and no one can hear Archie’s cries for help. He finally gives up trying to be rescued, and is certain that he will die there in the basement. He happens to find a bottle of vodka and decides to drown his sorrows.  If he is going to die, as least he will die happy. He finally says to God:

“Lord – don’t make me suffer a long time – if I’m gonna die, just come now and get me!”

He suddenly hears a voice as he hears the door open. “Mr. Bunker?” the voice calls –  “Mr. Bunker – are you down there?”

            “That didn’t take long!” Archie says thinking God has come to get him. He rouses from his stupor, and certain that God is coming to get him, he yells:

            “Here I am, Lord” as he staggers around looking for God –  – “Hold on Lord – I’m coming!”

            Archie finally turns around, and – to his great surprise – a black man is standing there. Well, the look on Archie’s face is priceless – and – still believing it is God he is seeing – and probably remembering all he had said and thought in his life about blacks — he mutters:

            “Lord – you’ll have to forgive me – I never knew you were black!”

            Maybe that’s something like the reaction Peter had when he had the experience he related to the leaders of the Church in our passage for today in Acts 11:1-18. He was praying on the rooftop of Simon the Tanner’s house  when a sheet filled with animals that he had always been taught were unclean and to be avoided was lowered before him and God commanded him to kill and eat them.   

            “No Lord – I would never eat those unclean animals” he replied.

            But God responded that He has made them clean.

            Then – God called Peter to go from eating unclean animals to eating with unclean people – Gentiles –  Cornelius and his family — and not only eating with them but preaching to them  – baptizing them – and watching them be filled with the Holy Spirit.

            Maybe Peter thought something along the lines of what Archie Bunker said when confronted with the black man he thought was God:    

            “Lord – you’ll have to forgive me – I never knew you were a Gentile!”

            And when – in our passage from Acts 11 —  the Christian leaders call Peter on the carpet about what he has done and he explains his actions and how the Holy Spirit came upon Cornelius and his family, the only response they could make was:

            “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

            In other words — “Lord – you’ll have to forgive us – we never knew you were a Gentile!”

“A new command I give you:” Jesus says –

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

How will people know you are a Christian?

By your love. 

The call to follow Christ is a call to love you to love and show His love to others.  It’s not a call to pick and choose who you are going to show love to, or to decide that you are going to love one person but not love another – it’s a call to love – all people. It’s a call to show God’s love, and not just to some, but to all. It’s a call to look for ways to show God’s love to all people, whoever they are, and wherever they are.

 At the beginning of our Gospel passage from John, Jesus makes the statement:

“Now is the Son of Man glorified”…

As I have looked at this passage this week I have wondered – what is it that made Jesus glorified at that point? What was special about that point that made Him glorified more than at other points? As I have thought and prayed about this, I have come to the idea that maybe Jesus was glorified at that point because it was at that point that He showed His love for the disciples by washing their feet, and was preparing to show it in the strongest way possible by dying on the cross for them – and for all who would believe in Him.

I believe that Jesus was glorified as He showed God’s love.

I also believe that Jesus is still glorified as you show His love to others.

Your actions of love for all people glorify God – glorify Jesus – and identify you as a Christian. Your failure to show God’s love to some people is your failure to glorify God and Jesus, and your failure to identify yourself  as a follower of  Christ. 

Friends – you will never be perfect.  You are not going to ever perfectly show God’s love to all people all the time.  You will always struggle with this. The followers of Jesus in the early church continued to struggle with this. Even after Peter’s story of how the Holy Spirit came upon Gentiles and the leaders realized the “God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life” members of the early church struggled with Jesus’ command to show love to all people. By the end of the book of Acts Paul is in jail because he had the audacity – as some put it – to bring Timothy – a Gentile – into the vicinity of the Temple. The early Christians struggled with the idea of showing God’s love to all people, and Christians continue to struggle with this.

But – even though you are not perfect and even though you struggle with showing God’s love to all people, you can look for ways to show God’s love to everyone you meet – and look for ways to reach out to all people with the love of God.

Jesus says:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

and:

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love – by our love

                        And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

                      Love can grow if we plant the seeds.

                        Giving and sharing, believing and caring,

                        We’ll do whatever God needs.

             I think that, when you get to heaven and Jesus asks you if you showed His love to all people, He would not want to hear us say – like Archie Bunker –   

“Lord – you’ll have to forgive me – I never knew you were black!”

or – “I never knew you were poor!”

or  - “I never knew you were unemployed!”

            or  - “I never knew you were homeless!”

            or — “I never knew you were that person I tried hard to avoid because I didn’t want to get involved in their life!”

            or whatever excuse you might want to give for loving some people but not all people.

            No – I think Jesus would want to hear you say:

            “Lord – I wasn’t perfect – but I tried to show your love to everyone and I tried to meet people’s needs with Your love.”

            Friends – people need to know God’s love. They need to know that God cares for them. You know what the best way is for them to see God’s love?

For them to see it in you.

The best way for people to experience the love of God is for them to experience it through you.

            People are watching you to see if God really loves them. 

            People are watching you to see if you are really a follower of Christ – who commands you to love.

            Let people know that you are a Christian.   

            How will they know that you’re a Christian?

            They’ll know you are a Christian by your love. Amen.  

Psalm 23, John 10:22-30

Psalm 23

John 10:22-30

You Are In God’s Good Hands

Easter 4

April 21 2013

I had a lot on my mind this past Monday. Sally had left that morning to go to Columbia, SC where her brother John was in the hospital after a stroke and I was worried about him – and also concerned about her being on the road with so much on her mind.  I had a lengthy list of folks I was praying for and thinking about and I was visiting some of them and calling others. During the afternoon I decided to visit one of the members of the Church who is not able to attend Church because of severe back problems and other health issues, and whom I like to visit him from time to time. When I arrived at his house I rang the door bell and he came to the door and invited me in – and as we walked into the house he said: “I guess you haven’t heard about what happened in Boston”.  I looked at him and replied: “No – what happened in Boston?”  “There were explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon” he replied – and suddenly what I had anticipated to be a visit to check on him and have prayer with him was  transformed into a time where the two of sat in front of his TV and watched the news in almost stunned silence. Later, when I got home, I turned on the TV and continued to watch the reports. As I watched I remembered the many other times I had watched the news on the days around tragic events – from the assassination of John Kennedy to the 9/11 tragedy to the killings in the schools in Colorado and Connecticut and so many others.  

As I watched the reports about the bombings in Boston, I could not help but wonder why. I am sure that all of you wondered why when you heard of the Boston bombings this week, as you may wonder why whenever you hear of or experience tragedy. There are no easy answers you can use to address times of tragedy. When tragic events hit you or you see tragedies affect others, you may search for answers but not find them.  You would probably love it if I would stand here today and give some answers to everyone’s questions about why evil and tragic things happen or where God is in the midst of the evil and tragic things that our lives and our world. Unfortunately, I have no definitive answers as to why these things happen, but I do have an answer to the question of where God is – and that answer is found in the words of our Old Testament lesson for today – Psalm 23.

Think about your question of where God is in tragic times – and listen again to the words of Psalm 23.  I’m going to read the Psalm this time from the Kings James Version instead of the NIV of your Pew Bible because Psalm 23 as the King James Version gives it is one of the most beloved passages of scripture and one of the most beloved passages in English literature – so listen to these words – and you will see where God is – not only in times of tragedy but all the time:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever

I know that many of you watched the mini series “The Bible” on TV last month, just as Sally and I did.  While I have questions about some of the ways the directors of the series chose to depict Biblical events, I am intrigued with how they depicted the boy David going into the field of battle against the giant Goliath and reciting the words:

 “Yea thought I walk I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.”

How often have you, like the TV mini series depicted David, been comforted and assured by the words of this Psalm?

            Psalm 23 is truly one of the most moving and beloved of all the Psalms. It is filled with words that can make you feel strong when you are weak, words that remind you that God is your shepherd. When you read or hear Psalm 23 you probably can’t help but add your Christian perspective to it and think of Jesus’ words that He is “the good shepherd” – or the words Jesus speaks in our Gospel passage for today from John 10 where He promises that He guards His sheep to the extent that “no one can snatch them from my hands.”

You probably hear the words of Psalm 23 at funerals – I personally like to begin a funeral service by reading it.  Many ministers read it to members of their congregations as they are dying. I like to do that myself.

In the first Church I served one of the members was in her upper 90’s and in frail health.  A few days before her death she was hospitalized, and as she lay in the hospital she was agitated and talking “out her head”, not making much sense at all. On one of Sally and my visits to her bedside I read Psalm 23.  On hearing these beloved words she became calm, lay still, and repeated the Psalm with me from memory. The words of Psalm 23 gave her a sense of peace when she needed it the most, and a sense that, as she “walked though the valley of the shadow of death” God was with her and Gopd was protecting her. 

She knew that, even in death, she was in God’s good hands.  

Psalm 23 can remind you that you are in good hands. The words remind can remind you that – as the Brief Statement of Faith our denomination adopted several years ago so beautifully states – “In life and in death we belong to God.”

It has been that way since Psalm 23 was written. The first time we have record of this Psalm being a part of the written Hebrew scripture was at a very low point in their history. When Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded their country, he    knew that the Hebrew people would not be defeated easily so he abducted their leaders, military personnel, and craftsmen, stripped them of their property, and forced them to march some 500 miles to Babylon. Over 5,000 Hebrews were forcibly removed from their homes.  After some 60 years King Cyrus of Persia, who had overthrown the Babylonian empire and now ruled that part of the world let the Hebrews return to their country, but when they returned they found that the land their grandparents had called home was now a deserted land. A remnant of that 5,000 strong group that left the land God had promised their ancestors returned to re-build the crumbled walls of the great Temple where their grandparents had worshipped. But, in the midst of all the tragedy and despair they experienced, they used the words of Psalm 23 to give them hope and courage.  With almost nothing to call their own and facing a very uncertain future they were able to proclaim:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

There in the barren wasteland they were able to proclaim:

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures

He leadeth me beside still waters

You probably take comfort and inspiration from these same words the ancient Hebrews took comfort and inspiration from.  Maybe you can think of times  you have heard these words used on television or in movies to show faith and strength in desperate times.  I vividly remember one of the episodes of “Little House On The Prairie” when Mary was diagnosed as being blind.  After the doctor gave them the diagnoses, her parents went outside her room and began to recite – with tears flowing down their cheeks —

            The Lord is my shepherd – I shall not want

Indeed, what comfort it is to have this Psalm remind you of the One who is with you  – the One who holds you in His hands and does not let anyone snatch you  away – when you face the hard times of your life or wonder “why” in times of tragedy. What a great thing it is to know that you are in God’s good hands when you are in need – or in desolate places in your life – either figuratively or literally – or need a place to rest – either mentally or physically – or need your soul restored – or need to be guided in good paths – or find yourself in times of darkness or despair – or feel surrounded by enemies – or have many problems swarming around you and wish they would go away –  or feel you have only problems following you and wish that you could see some goodness and mercy when you glance behind you.

Friends, the sad truth of the human condition is that tragic things happen. That’s just how life is. Try as we might we can’t create a world where there is no tragedy. But, regardless of how life is, you can know that God is holding you close and, as Jesus promises, nothing can snatch us away from Him.

When life attacks you with full force it’s great to have such a promise as Psalm 23. When you see tragedies in the world and wonder where God is,  you can know that God is with you at all times and is faithful to guide you when are in need.

In every circumstance that life may throw at you, you can know that are in God’s good hands.

Sally and I attended the funeral of man a few years ago who had been a friend of both of us at different times in our lives. Sally had known him as she grew up in her home Church, and I knew him as I was taking an Intern year from classes in Seminary and was the Student Intern at Sally’s home church. This man’s son is still a friend of ours.  When we knew this man he was an executive in a large company and very much a leader – always dressing well – always positive – always standing tall and looking people in the eye. We later heard that he lost his job, but he did not give up.  Instead he began painting houses and doing other odd jobs around town.  The next thing we heard about him was that his wife had become very ill, and then we heard that she died.  Again, he did not give up hope, but continued being as active as he could.  He had to move out of his family home into a small apartment, he stayed positive.  When he became sick and the doctors had to remove one of his kidneys, he did not complain.  As he became weaker and weaker, he would still talk about how much God had blessed him. Finally, as he neared  death, he requested that the 23^rd Psalm be used in his service, because he had known that God was with him all his life.

He had known all along that he was in God’s good hands.

I can’t answer the question of why tragedies happen, but I can answer the question, and you can know the answer to the question, of where God is in the midst of the tragedies you face or you see others face.

In times of tragedy, and in all times of your life, God is with you, guiding you, protecting you. At all times of your life, you are in God’s good hands. God does not wave a magic wand to eliminate adversity,  but what God offers is much greater than that.  When you are in need, you are in God’s good hands.  When you are in desolate places in your life – either figuratively or literally – you are in God’s good hands. When you need a place to rest – either mentally or physically – you are in God’s good hands. When you need your soul restored – or need to be guided in good paths – or find yourself in times of darkness or despair – or feel surrounded by enemies – or have many problems swarming around you and wish they would go away — or feel you have only problems following you and wish that you could see some goodness and mercy when you glance behind you – you are in God’s good hands. God prepares a table before you in the presence of all that would trouble you. God meets you in the very place where you feel you can’t take any more of whatever it is you are going through.  In the midst of your physical and emotional hard times God prepares a feast for you. Whatever may happen to you, you are in God’s good hands. 

As  the ancient Hebrew people rebuilding Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity realized – as the Engels family on “Little House” realized –– as my friend’s father realized – and as countless others have realized – you can know that – whatever happens – you are in God’s good hands.

Yea – no matter what – you are in God’s good hands. Amen.  

   

Acts 9:1-20, john 21:1-10

Acts 9:1-20

John 21:1-19

Jesus Can Change Your Life

Easter 3

April 14, 2013

 

We hear the names Peter and Paul associated with each other a lot — don’t we?

            They were both leaders in the early church — both powerful witnesses to the resurrection of Christ — both of them went into the world proclaiming the new life offered through the risen Lord.  They were both strong in their faith and in their witness to Jesus. 

But they did not start off as strong witnesses to Jesus — did they? No — they are both examples of how Jesus can change lives. In fact, their lives can be seen as a challenge to you to let Jesus change your life.

The Gospel lesson from John 21 before us today tells the story of how Peter has his life completely changed by Jesus. Imagine with me that you are Peter. You have followed Jesus for 3 years — listening, watching, and learning.  You have given your life to following Jesus — and at times have been extremely committed to following Him.  You have even made a dramatic confession that Jesus is the Son of God.

            But — all that has changed.

            Jesus has been arrested — and you are scared. You do not feel that you can risk being identified with Jesus — and you try to hide.  At the house of the High Priest, three different people try to identify you as a follower of Jesus — and each time you vehemently deny it.  But — as soon as you do this — you panic.

How could you have done such a thing?

            Where is your commitment when Jesus needs you the most?

            The next day Jesus is crucified, and you feel that you are an utter failure. You feel that everything you have lived for, everything that you have given your life for is gone — and it is somehow your fault.  All your claims of love seem to be nothing as you think of how you have denied Jesus.

            If only you could hide.

            And then the story begins to spread that Jesus has risen. You see for yourself the empty tomb, you even see Jesus, but you are still ashamed and confused.  You are not sure what to do,  so you return to Galilee and to what you did before you began following Jesus. You return to the life of a fisherman.

            Then — early one morning — Jesus appears.

            You panic. You don’t know what to say or do. You want to apologize, but don’t know how.  You are mad at yourself, ashamed, and embarrassed for having denied Jesus,and feel you just can’t face Him now. 

            The tension rises within you as Jesus speaks. “Do you love me?” Jesus asks.

            “Lord — you know I love you!” you respond.

            “Do you love me?”

            Jesus again questions.                            

            “Lord — you know I love you!” you again respond.

            “Do you love me?”

            Jesus asks a third time.

            “Lord — you know everything — you know that I love you!” you respond again – maybe with more emphasis this time. .

            Jesus then looks at you — and in that look you know that all has been forgiven.  You realize that your three denials have been replaced by three affirmations of love. You realize that Jesus loves you enough to forgive you and restore you to His work.  You receive a new zeal and enthusiasm for serving Jesus.  You quickly become an outspoken leader in the early church. You boldly proclaim that Jesus — whom you have once denied — is Savior and Lord.  For the rest of your life you proclaim that Jesus is Lord – and are so adamant  about your faith that you, who once feared confessing Jesus for fear of what the Jews would do, now boldly profess Jesus, even though it finally does bring death. 

Wow!  Your life is completely changed by an experience with Jesus. 

            Jesus has changed your life.

            But — what about Paul?

The passage in Acts 9 we are looking at today tells how Paul, who here is named Saul, has his life completely changed by Jesus.

            Imagine with me now that you are Saul.

            You are a leader in the Hebrew world.  You are from Tarsus, a Roman city, so you are a citizen of Rome, and yet your family is Jewish.  Your family is also well-off.  So well-off that your parents are able to send you to Jerusalem to study under that famed Gamaliel, a great Rabbi and teacher, a member of the Sanhedran, the religious officials of your people. Not only are you educated by Gamaliel, but before long you yourself begin to climb the ranks of religious officials and in time you are a member of the Pharisees, one of the groups within Judaism that pushes for holy living before your Holy God. 

            You take your religion seriously — and wish everyone did. But this man Jesus of Nazareth , who was teaching, healing, and gathering quite a following around Him, concerned you. Jesus talked about God and God’s will for the world, but seemed to understand God and God’s will differently than you and the other religious officials. He seemed to be turning the people away from your leadership, and even seemed to question your leadership. And to make matters worse – He said that He and God were one and the same.      How could he make such claims? you wondered. It’s blasphemy! You thought that  

too many people were following Him, and that He was a threat to your power, so you and the other leaders decided that this Jesus must be done away with!

            But it seems you could not get rid of Him or His followers.

            After Pilate had Him crucified His followers began to claim that He was the Messiah and that He had risen from the dead and He gave all people a chance to live new lives before God. Now you and the other leader decide that something must be done to silence them, and you and begin killing and persecuting His followers in Jerusalem.  Some of His followers flee Jerusalem, ending up in Damascus, and you decide that you must follow them and bring them to justice, one way or another.

            Then everything changes for you.

            You are on the way to Damascus when suddenly a blinding light hits you with such force that you fall to the ground.  Jesus speaks to you — and tells you that you must change your life.

            The experience leaves you blind, and in your blindness you begin to think about this Jesus.  Could He really be the Messiah?  You begin to think so — and as soon as Aeanias comes and touches you and you receive your sight, you are filled with the Holy Spirit and you begin proclaiming that this Jesus you had persecuted just days before is indeed the Lord.

            You proclaim that for the rest of your life — and are finally killed because you are so adamant about your faith, just like those you had tried to kill yourself.

Wow!

            Your life is completely changed by an experience with Jesus!

            Yea — Peter and Paul were leaders in the early church, but they were also people who somehow experienced the risen Jesus in a way that changed their lives.

Peter and Paul were two men who experienced Jesus, and began to live a changed life.

            Jesus can indeed make a difference in how you live. Jesus can indeed fill us with such joy, excitement, and enthusiasm that you live in new ways, and have your life are changed, in much the same way as Peter’s and Paul’s.

            So –friends – the question these passages beg for you to answer is – Has the risen Jesus changed you?

            If not, why not?

            What holds you back from truly living the new life, the changed life, God invites you to live and Jesus empowers you to live?

            Maybe you are like Peter. Maybe you are ashamed of what you see as past failures and sins and you don’t believe that God can truly want and use someone as unfaithful as you have been.

            Or maybe you are like Paul. Maybe you feel that you know what’s best for your life and your’e trying to do things your way, and in the process you are running away from God’s ways just as fast as your feet will take you.

            Or maybe you just can’t seem to see that the resurrection of Jesus has made a difference in your ife or in the world.

            Friends, through the risen Jesus God invites you, empowers you, and makes it possible for you to be changed. You can believe the Good News of Easter! Jesus has risen! Your life can be changed! You can begin again! Jesus can make a difference in your life!

            You can enter into a relationship with Jesus that changes your life, calls you back to Him, and forgives you.  You can enter into a relationship with Jesus that empowers you  to live a life that is changed.

            Let yourself experience Jesus in a new way. Let Him change how you live! 

            Let Jesus call you back to Him if you have gone a different way than His. Let the Jesus forgive your mistakes and your sins.

            You can put the power of Jesus to work in your life!

You can have a new relationship Jesus and let Him renew you. You can let Jesus bring you into You can a new relationship with Him that will change your life. Whether  like Peter you are ashamed of past failures and sins or like Paul you have been just dead-set on going your way — or whether you just find it hard to live in God’s ways — let Jesus change you!

            Max Lucado wrote 

            “Surrendering your life to Jesus means going to Him and saying ‘I’m yours — use me however you want to.’”

            use me however you want to

            This attitude of belonging to Jesus, and letting themselves be used however Jesus would use them, is what ultimately changed Peter and Paul.

“I’m yours — use me however you want to.”

            If you will adopt this adopt this attitude Jesus will change you, and your life, your family, your community, this church, and the world will never be the same as Jesus works through you and touches everything and everyone with His life-changing power.

            Friends — tell Christ that you are His — and will be used by Him however He should choose to use you.

            It’s at that moment that Jesus will change you. Amen. 

John 20:19-31

John 20:19-31

A Change You Can Believe In 

Easter 2

April 7 2013

            The Lord has risen! 

            Alleluia!

            He has risen indeed!

            As Christians, we confess that Christ has risen.  We believe that He has risen and lives in our hearts — but we also believe that He has truly and physically risen.  We confess that the tomb of Christ is empty. We confess that the power of death has been broken – broken for Jesus and broken for us.  We also confess that the risen Christ is at work in the world through us and changes the world through what we say and do as we reach out to others in His name and with His love.  

            But here’s a question for you on the Second Sunday of  the Easter Season – does your confession of the resurrection of Christ change you and really make a difference in how you live? Does your belief in the risen Christ and your belief that Christ is at work in the world and changing the world through what you say and do  really make a difference in how you live? Does your belief that Christ has risen change how you live and give you something to believe in, especially at those times in your life when the situations you have to face try to  rob you of hope and take away everything you thought was secure? 

Everybody needs something in their lives that they can believe in and have faith in.  Friends – you can believe in and have faith in the risen Christ. You can believe that Christ is active and is making a difference in your life and in the world through you. You can let the risen Christ change you  and then take the change He is making in you into the world as you proclaim in words and actions that He has risen.  

The resurrection of Christ and His power in your life and in world is indeed something you can believe in.

            The Gospel passage I just read is the story immediately following the Resurrection of Christ.  In this passage the disciples were truly looking for something to believe in, some sure sign of hope, something they could trust and have faith in.

            Can’t you imagine how the disciples must have felt that first Easter night? One by one they may have crept back to the upper room where they had last eaten together with Jesus only a few nights before. The aroma of Passover lamb and bitter herbs may have still lingered in the air. They must have been a sorry, scared, and pitiful lot.  Maybe some of the women were weeping in one corner.  Mary may have stared down at her own hands and shuddered – wishing she’d held on to Him that morning — despite what He’d said. Peter and John may have been sitting back from the others, lost in their thoughts.  Along with Mary, they’d been the first to go out that morning and they had been the first to run back, incoherent with shock and grief and hope and a crazed rant about an empty tomb.  No one had believed them of course.  They hardly believed it themselves.  Others may have crouched by the wall near the locked door,  flinching at every sound on the stairs outside.  It was not unheard of for a condemned man’s followers to be rounded up and executed also. The Romans were efficient at that sort of thing.  Maybe one of them whispered: “We can’t stay here — this is the first place they’ll look!” Peter may have thought of the sword he’d struck one of the Roman soldiers with – then the fact he had denied Christ 3 times! Others may have sat under the window and shuttered every time a sound came from the street below. 

All of them probably sat in silence, unwilling to give voice yet to just how angry and deserted and ashamed they each felt.  They had loved Him.  They had trusted Him. But now, even though Mary told a wild tale of seeing Him and Peter and John a wild tale of an empty tomb, they could not bring themselves to believe that He had risen.

Some were missing from the room that night. Judas had betrayed Jesus – and they had heard that he had hung himself. Thomas was gone also.  Maybe he was seeking out the news in the streets.

            Then – a gentle breeze ruffled the air.  Suddenly the one they all were thinking of was standing in the room before them. 

“Peace be with you” He said.  

He didn’t say: How could you abandon me just when I need you most?” but He said: “Peace be with you.  Peace be with you.”  The He said  ”The work our Father gave Me I now give to you.  Go out among My people.  What you forgive will be forgiven.  What you do not forgive will stay unforgiven.” He said, “Don’t be afraid.  I’m not sending you out alone.  I’m coming with you.”  And He breathed on them and they were filled with wonder and inarticulate joy. Then He disappeared — and maybe that’s when Thomas knocked on the door.

            Maybe Thomas felt that he was stepping into a room in chaos.  Everyone shouting and everyone’s arms waving. Some of them might have even snatched at his sleeve to snatch at his attention.  “Silence!” he may have shouted — then he may have shouted “You’re mad!” – and he may have added  ”You’re as mad as the women this morning!” and flung himself into the far corner to stare at the others in amazement.

            Thomas, you see, had been a faithful follower of Jesus, in fact he had been one of the first to follow Him.  He’d been ready to lay down his life for Him.  He was faithful, but  he wasn’t fanciful. He wasn’t going to pretend to believe in something just because he wished it were so.  He shook his head. He felt that he needed to get on with life if he were going to survive this,  not open his wounds all over again with hysteria. 

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” he may have whispered.  

He may have desperately wanted something to believe in, but this wild tale of Jesus being raised from the dead was just too much for him to believe.

            Well, a week passed.  They still huddled in fear behind the locked door.  Maybe Thomas was now been thinking what a pity it was  that what the others had said was true a week ago so obviously wasn’t . None of them had begun to do the work they claimed their Lord had given them to do.  None of them had gone outside to heal or to preach or even to feed a hungry child.  None of them stood straight and tall and confident like they really believed what they said they’d seen.  They looked the same sorry, scared and pitiful lot they’d been a week ago. 

Thomas may have sighed.   

But then – a gentle breeze may have ruffled the air, just as it had a week before, and suddenly Jesus was again standing in the room before them – and this time Thomas was there!

“Peace be with you.  Thomas.” He said. “Touch my side.  My hands.”  But instead of touching Him, Thomas fell to his knees and whispered, “My Lord and my God.”  Thomas then knew that Jesus had risen – and that he indeed had that something to believe in he so desperately wanted and needed.

The experience with the risen Christ changed Thomas’ life and the lives of  the rest of the disciples. It gave them something to believe in when they desperately needed it. It gave them something to believe in and hope in when it seemed that all hope was gone. Their experience with the risen Christ and their belief in the risen Christ changed their lives and with the power of the risen Christ they set out to change the world. The fact that Christ had risen was something they could believe in and have faith in. Once they saw the risen Christ and believed that Jesus was at work in the world through them and that Jesus was making a difference in the world through them their lives were changed and the world was changed. 

Maybe you are like the disciples. Maybe we all are.

Maybe you need something in your life that you can believe in, something that you can have faith in, something that can help you keep going when the situations you find yourself in might make you want to just give up.  Maybe you are  looking for something to believe in when your life seems to become much too difficult to handle, something to hope for when your life seems to be hopeless.

It was an experienced with the risen Christ and the power of the new life He gives that changed the lives of the disciples and gave them something to hope for and believe in. It is still the risen Christ and the power of the new life He gives you  that can change your life and give you something to believe in. You can believe in the power of the risen Christ — experience it for yourself — and share it with others. You can believe in the power of the risen Christ and let it change your life. You can believe in the power of the risen Christ and let it give you something you can believe in and hope for when your life seems to be hopeless.

When you look at the lives of the disciples you see the change their experiences with the risen Christ and His power made in their lives. Before they experienced the risen Christ they let the situations in their lives fill them with despair, but after they experienced the risen Christ they were brave followers of Christ and worked to change the world with His power and love. Once they experienced the risen Christ they did not let any threats against them stop them from witnessing about Christ or believing in His power in their lives and change the world.  

Have you ever heard how the disciples died?

The Bible doesn’t really tell us about how most of them died – but legends have grown around the deaths of each of them.

The only apostle whose death the Bible records is James – who in Acts 12 King Herod has “put to death with the sword,” likely a reference to beheading.

Legend tells us that Matthew suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by a sword wound.

Legend has it that John faced martyrdom when he was boiled in a huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome but was miraculously delivered from death, then sentenced to the island of Patmos where he wrote his book of Revelation on Patmos. He was later freed and returned to what is now modern-day Turkey and died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.

James, the brother of Jesus, who was not officially a disciple, was the leader of the church in Jerusalem after Jesus’ resurrection. Legend has it that he was thrown from the southeast pinnacle of the temple (over a hundred feet down) when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a club.

Legend has it that Bartholomew, also known as Nathanael, was a missionary to Asia and witnessed in present-day Turkey – and was finally killed for his preaching. 

Andrew, legend has it, was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Greece.

Thomas, legend has it, was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church there.

Legend has it that Matthias, the apostle chosen to replace the Judas, was stoned and then beheaded.

Peter, according to legend, was allowed to be crucified upside down because he refused to be crucified in the same manner Christ was.

In other words, that group of scared individuals became brave followers of Christ when they experienced the risen Lord. Their experience with the risen Lord gave them something they could believe in and hope for when their lives seemed to be hopeless, and gave them a message of hope that they proclaimed for the rest of their lives.

 It is the risen Christ and the power of the new life He gives us that can change your life and give you something to believe in.

But – you might ask – what it the best way for me to truly experience the risen Christ and the hope He offers?

The only way to experience the risen Christ and the hope He offers is to take Him at His word and believe Him. You can’t see the risen Lord as Thomas and the others did, but you can still believe Him.  You can take Him at His word and let Him change your life so that you can have the hope and faith you need when the situations in your life seem to lead you to hopelessness and despair. You can ask Him to be your Lord and Savior and ask Him to change your life so you can be a bold witness to Him and the hope He gives you.

The best way I know to experience the new life of hope the risen Christ offers you is to live it. The best way to experience the change Christ can make in your life you to let Him change you. The best way to know the promise of Christ in your life is for you to take Him up on that promise and let Him show you His hope that you can believe in.

Active involvement in the work of Christ in the world is the best way I know of to find the hope Christ offers you for your life. Being actively involved in the worship, study, fellowship, and work of the Church is the best way to discover the new life and hope Christ offers.

John Chrysostom – one of the early Church leaders – once wrote:

“Let us astound them by our way of life.  This is the unanswerable argument.  Though we give 10,000 precepts in words, if we do not exhibit a far better life, we gain nothing.  It is not what is said that draws their attention, but what we do.  Let us win them therefore by our life.” 

The resurrection of Christ and His power in your life is indeed something you can believe in. 

We all need something in our lives that we can believe in – something that we can have faith in – something that can help us keep going when the situations in our lives might dictate to us to just give up. 

It is indeed the life changing love of Christ that gives us something – in fact the only thing – we can truly believe in.

The resurrection of Christ and His power in your life is indeed something you can believe in.  Amen.       

John 20:1-18

John 20:1-18

“Easter Surprise”

March 31, 2013

Easter

On February, 27, 1991, at the height of Operation Desert Storm, Ruth Dillow received a devastating message from the Pentagon.  The message was that her son, Clayton, who was stationed in Kuwait,  had stepped on a mine and  killed.

Ruth later wrote:    “I can’t begin to describe my grief and shock. It was almost more than I could bear. For 3 days I wept. For 3 days I expressed anger and loss. For 3 days people tried to comfort me, to no avail because the loss was too great.”

We all can relate to her grief.

But 3 days after Ruth received that message, she received a phone call.  The voice on the other end said, “Mom, it’s me. I’m alive.”

Ruth later wrote:  “I couldn’t believe it at first. But then I recognized his voice.”

Ruth’s son was alive. The earlier message she had received was a mistake! She writes that:  “I laughed, I cried, I felt like turning cartwheels, because my son whom I had thought was dead, was alive.” (1)

Surprise, Ruth. The son you thought was dead is alive.

There was a two-year-old girl who could hardly wait for Easter to come. She had a new dress to wear and new shoes to go with it, and she was so excited. Her father, however,  wondered whether she knew the true meaning of Easter.

“Do you know what Easter means?” he asked.

“Yes, I do,” she smiled.

“What does it mean then?” her father asked.

With a smile on her face and her arms raised, she cried, “Surprise!” (2)

There is no better word for Easter.

“Surprise!”

That was the clear reaction of Christ’s disciples and closest friends that first

Easter day, wasn’t it? And who could blame them?

In John’s relating of the story of the Resurrection Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb and sees that the stone has been rolled away. Not knowing exactly what to do, she runs to Simon Peter and John, and says,

“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

Evidently the thought had not occurred to Mary that Christ could be resurrected from the grave!

Peter and John run to the tomb, and when they, too, find it empty, what do they do?

They simply go back to the house where they were staying.

There was no celebration, no cries of, “He’s alive. He’s alive” that you might expect. You would think that those who knew Christ best would be bubbling over with excitement that first Easter morning! Jesus had been delivered from the tomb, just as He said He would be.

Instead, they were totally mystified that His body was gone. They didn’t expect Him to be alive any more than Ruth Dillow expected her son to be alive.

As for Mary, she stands outside the tomb crying. She bends over to look into the

tomb and sees two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head

and the other at the foot. They ask her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she explains, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

She then turns around and sees Jesus standing there, but she doesn’t recognize Him.

“Woman,”  He says, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Mary thinks He’s the gardener, and says, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me

where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Then Jesus calls her name, “Mary.”

She turns toward him and cries out “Teacher! ”

Surprise, Mary! Surprise!

Jesus is alive!

Surprise, Peter! Surprise, John! Surprise disciples!

Surprise!

Jesus is not dead – He’s alive!

Surprise, Pilate! Surprise, Caiaphas! Surprise, Herod!

You thought you had killed Jesus – but Jesus is alive!

Surprise, everyone!

Easter is such an extraordinary day!  Easter is such an extra ordinary surprise!

I read of a pastor who was traveling in Russia with a group of church leaders in April 1992 just as the Cold War was ending. These Christian leaders were there to celebrate Russia’s first Easter after the fall of the Iron Curtain. A large banner proclaiming “Christ has risen” loomed over Red Square in Moscow. The pastor wrote that he couldn’t help noticing that less than twenty-five yards away stood the tomb of Vladimir Lenin, the father of the Soviet Revolution. It struck him as ironic that the banner with “Christ has risen” overshadowed the tomb of the Communist leader who had once proclaimed that God was dead. Lenin lay entombed in a granite and marble mausoleum, his body sealed in a glass sarcophagus, while Christ’s tomb was empty. (3)

            Surprise! Lenin is dead. Stalin is dead. Hitler is dead.  All who thought they were so powerful and mighty are dead.  But Christ lives on!

The Hallelujah Chorus is the triumphant part of the oratorio The Messiah composed by George Frideric Handel. The story is that Handel had a vision of the risen Christ reining in power and might, and that the Hallelujah Chorus is that vision set to music.

When you hear the Hallelujah Chorus you hear a magnificent expression of two thoughts: the first one that Christ reigns over all, and second one that his reign is eternal.

In about the middle of the chorus the bass voices begin singing, “And he shall reign for ever and ever.”

Then the tenor voices join, “And he shall reign for ever and ever.”

Then the alto voices follow with, “And he shall reign for ever and ever.”

Then, still higher soprano voices add, “And he shall reign for ever and ever.”

Then bass, tenor, alto, and soprano all unite, and in a burst of melody which seems to come from heaven itself they blend in the grandest of all refrains,

“And he shall reign for ever and ever, King of kings and Lord of lords! Hallelujah, hallelujah!”

Here is how a man named Bob Smith expressed the experience of being swept up by the sound of hearnig a rousing performance of the Hallelujah Chorus:

“I frankly confess that my soul was stirred profoundly, my mind was quickened spiritually and my imagination carried me beyond things earthly, beyond the stars, into the very midst of the paradise of God. I saw a great chorus which no person could number assembled before the shining white throne. Most intently did I listen to the song which they sang. It was a song of triumph to the King of kings, telling of his wondrous achievements and of the universality and permanency of his reign. In the midst of their song I heard the voices of the patriarchs peal forth, ‘For he shall reign for ever and ever.’ Then I heard the voices of the prophets add, ‘For he shall reign for ever and ever.’ Then the voices of the apostles and church fathers followed, ‘For he shall reign for ever and ever.’ Then the voices of the martyrs triumphantly sang, ‘For he shall reign for ever and ever’ . . . Then the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, church fathers, martyrs . . . with the angels of God and all the redeemed of the ages, joined in one grand chorus, and my spirit was lifted to bliss supernal, to ecstasy supreme, as they pealed forth the blessed, the glorious, the triumphant strain, ‘For he shall reign for ever and ever, King of kings! and Lord of Lords! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!’” (4)

Most of us couldn’t express it that well, but we’ve experienced that same emotion. It is the music of Easter. It is the joyous surprise of Mary, Peter and the great cloud of witnesses — those throughout the centuries who know that Easter means the greatest surprise of all! 

Surprise!

Jesus is not dead, He is alive – and because He is alive, we can live also!  Amen.

 

1. Melvin M. Newlan d, http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/easter–what-adifference-

melvin-newland-sermon-on-easter-resurrection-33346.asp.

2. Dr. Daniel Lioy, International Bible Lesson Commentary (Colorado Springs: David

C. Cook, 2008), p. 270.

3. Change the World: Recovering the Message and Mission of Jesus.

4. Modern Messages From Great Hymns (New York: The Abingdon Press, 1916).

Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 19:28-40

Philippians 2:5-11

Luke 19:28-40

Are You Out Of Your Mind?

March 24, 2013

Palm / Passion Sunday

Saint Francis of Assisi has been in the news a lot lately. People have been talking about him and his love for the poor, his simplicity, and his humility since the new Pope who was elected several weeks ago took the name Pope Francis and called on the Catholic Church to remember the poor and less fortunate in the world. Time will tell how his Papacy will be remembered, but if he can somehow emulate the Saint whose name he has taken his Papacy may make a real difference in the Catholic Church  and maybe even in the world!

But Saint Francis was not always the poor, humble, and simple man that he is so famous for being. He was born into a rich family and spent most of his youth enjoying the luxuries of a pampered lifestyle and as a young man sought adventure by becoming a soldier.  In his life of fighting as a soldier, however, he saw many people die and saw for the first time that many people were starving and were homeless.  He came home to Assisi, and one day announced to his father that he had a vision from God and that God was calling him renounce his wealth and live a life of poverty and simplicity. He later began his famous ministry of working with the poor and reaching out to all people with the love of God.

Can you imagine the conversation he must have had with his father when he renounced his riches and began working with the poor?

“Are you out of your mind?” his father may have said. “You’re giving up all you have to work with the poor?”

Maybe he was “out of his mind”, and maybe you need to go “out of your mind” also.         

On this Palm / Passion Sunday as you begin Holy Week you need to ask yourself:

What does it mean to make Christ my Lord and Savior – to follow Him – let Him change my life  –and to serve Him?

The  New Testament passages before us today from Philippians, and Luke give us a clue to a part of the answer to this question – for part of what it means to make Christ your Lord and Savior   and follow Him – part of what it means to let Christ change your life — is that you need to begin to think differently. You need to give up the ways you usually think about things and begin thinking like Christ thought. Instead of having thoughts that can lead you to self – centeredness and looking out for yourself you can begin having Christ’s thoughts that lead to giving of yourself and serving God and others.

As I was thinking about these things this week the idea struck me that this means   “going out of your mind” and having “the mind of Christ”.

Yea – maybe Saint Francis had gone “out his mind” when he renounced his riches and began working with the poor, and maybe you need to “go out of your mind” also. 

Let’s look at what might have been on Christ’s mind that first Palm Sunday as He entered Jerusalem – then look at how you can “go out of your mind” – so to speak – and have the mind of Christ.

Imagine with me that first Palm Sunday. Jesus is entering Jerusalem. Many like to imagine that the sky must have been a beautiful blue – the sun shining – and the children running after Jesus shouting:

“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord — Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

It must have been quite a day!

            But – why all the excitement?

            A man is coming into town with some of His followers. Big deal.  It must have looked like quite a a ragtag bunch – this teacher on a donkey and his followers shouting!

Why all the excitement?

Well, many thought He was the Messiah – the one coming from God to overthrow the hated Romans and establish a kingdom of Jewish rule and God’s righteousness.

            Maybe Jesus was the Messiah!

Yes – it was an exciting time for the people. A time for celebrating the salvation the people thought God may be bringing them. It was a time for excitement. The Hebrew people had been praying for God to send His Messiah into the world and to rule in power and righteousness for centuries, and just the thought that Jesus just might be the Messiah filled the people with excitement and joy.  

            No wonder they were excited as Jesus entered Jerusalem. No wonder they praised God.

            But – as we look at this passage we know things that this original crowd did not know, don’t we?

We know that it was Jesus — the Son of God — the Messiah — that entered Jerusalem that day – but we also know what happened to Him by the end of that week.

            He was not coming to Jerusalem to be praised — even though that happened – but He was coming for something completely different.  The people seemed to be ready to make Jesus their King. To them — Jesus is the Messiah — the Savior — the King – and of course they are right. He is all these things. But He is not the kind of Messiah — Savior — or King the people were expecting. Before the week is over, His crown will be one of thorns and His throne will be a cross. He was a different kind of King than the people were expecting, and indeed had something other than the praise of the people on His mind as He entered Jerusalem that day.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem He indeed had something on His mind — but what was it?

            To answer that question let’s take a look at our passage from Philippians 2. Here Paul gives some insight into what may have been on Christ’s mind as He entered Jerusalem that day as He gives us a compelling picture of what he calls “the mind of Christ.”

            Paul writes that Christ:

“did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross.” 

            That’s what was on His mind. As He entered Jerusalem,  even as the crowd praised Him, it was not the praise of the crowd that was on His mind.  His mind was turned to giving of Himself. His mind was turned to giving up His Heavenly glory and dying for us.   

            Can you imagine someone who has all the power in the world willingly giving it up?

            Can you imagine someone who is God willingly becoming a slave and willingly dying on a cross?

            It is almost impossible to imagine such love. It’s almost impossible to imagine such a mind for giving of yourself for others, isn’t it?

            What courageous love it took for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem that day and give of Himself and die for us. It is truly amazing and even unimaginable.

            You know, you can look at what Jesus might have thought as He rode into Jerusalem that day so long ago, but I wonder – is today only a day for you to think about what Jesus did and what Jesus may have had on His mind as He rode into Jerusalem or what He may have had on His mind as He died for you — or is there a way that you can take Palm Sunday out of history and find something there for your life here and now?

            I believe you can indeed find something here for your life. I believe you can find here something that can change your life.

Paul writes that you are to have the same mind as Christ had.

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”

            What does this mean?

It means that you are called to have the mind of Christ. It means that you are called  to think of yourself in the same way Christ thought of Himself. It means that you are called to have the attitude of giving of yourself just like Christ gave of Himself.

I believe it means that God is calling you to put aside your thoughts and the ways you normally think about things. God is calling you to go outside of the way you might normally think and the way you might normally consider things and to think as Christ thought.

It means “going out of your mind” and letting God give you the mind of Christ.

 Jesus had giving of Himself for the world on His mind. Jesus “had a mind” to give –and to serve and even to die.

            Is that what is on your mind?

            Do you give of yourself for Christ and for others?

            Jesus’ whole life was built around service. Jesus’s life was built around giving of Himself. Jesus’ whole life was built around making a sacrifice for the good of others.

            Is yours?

            Is giving of yourself for the work of God and Christ in the world your main purpose in life?

            Is this your prevailing attitude?

Is this your main objective in life?

            This was Jesus’ purpose in life. Is it yours?

            This is what was on Jesus’ mind.

            Is it what is on your mind?

           If you are like me, then it’s hard to let these things that were on Jesus’ mind be the things that are on your mind. If you are like me, most of the time you would probably rather have things your way than do things God’s way. If you’re like me, most of the time you can probably make up excuse after excuse for not doing anything that requires you give of yourself, or give of your time.  You would probably rather to not  have to make sacrifices — whether it’s sacrificing your time — or giving of something you have — or sacrificing a part of yourself for God and for others.

            These are probably not things that you would normally think about. These are probably not things that are normally on your mind.

            But — as a followers of Christ – you can be different.

            God can give you a new mind. God can give you a different mind. God can take you “out of your mind” and give you the mind of Christ.

            Saint Francis – the spoiled young man who gave up his riches to obey God’s call to live a simple, humble life and work for peace and work with the poor – has a famous prayer attributed to him.  He famously prayed:

 Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. .

Is this your prayer?

            As a follower of Christ you can think differently and pray differently and do things differently.

            You can have what Paul called “the mind of Christ”. You can let what was on Christ’s mind be on your mind.  You can make the prayer of St. Francis your prayer. You can be a person who is active in helping others. You can be on the lookout for specific things you can do to be an instrument for God as you reach out to your family — the Church – the community and the world with the love of God.

            You can pray for and you can have the mind of Christ. You can pray for God to bless you and you can “go out of your mind” and take on the mind of Christ and be an instrument of God. .

            On this Palm / Passion Sunday as you begin Holy Week, remember what Jesus did for you. I invite you to commit yourself to a life of serving others. I invite you to commit yourself to a life of giving of yourself for God’s work in the world and supporting it with all you have.  As Saint Francis did, I invite you to commit yourself to being God’s instrument in your family, the Church, the community and the world.

            God wants you to “go out of your mind” and God wants to bless you with the mind of Christ.

            Let Him. Let Him do that.

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus

            Go “out of your mind” — and let what was on Jesus’ mind be on your mind also. Amen.

Isaiah 43:16-21, John 12:1-8

Isaiah 43:16-21

John 12:1-8

“A New Attitude”

Lent 5       March 17, 2013

            I have been thinking about and preparing for today’s service over the past few weeks and thinking about the passages from Isaiah and John that are before us this morning, and I have been struck by the fact that, most of the time, our attitudes about life and its meaning impacts the way we live and the way we respond to God and others.

            As we go through the Season of Lent and focus on Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, Jesus’s call to follow Him, and our response to what Jesus has done for us and calls us to do for Him we need to think about our attitudes. We need to think our attitudes about life – about the meaning of life – and how we respond to God and to others.

            As we celebrate the fact that God has blessed us and that the loan that was taken out 4 years ago for the Sanctuary renovations has been paid off we need to rejoice at what God has done and will continue to do in our lives as a Church and as individuals. As we do this, we can look at our attitudes about God and what God is doing and how we respond to God.

            Our passages from Isaiah and John for today give us an opportunity to look at our attitudes and how our attitudes affect how we relate to God and others.            

In our passages we have three people – Isaiah – Mary – and Judas. These three people have two different ways of approaching life — two different attitudes about life – and two different ways of responding to God and others. Isaiah and Mary seem to see life as an opportunity to see what God is doing in their lives and in the world and an opportunity to praise God for His blessings in their lives. Judas, on the other hand, seems to be too worried about how things are to see what God is doing or give God praise.

Isaiah, Mary, and Judas truly had different attitudes about life and responding to life and responding to God – and their attitudes had an impact on the ways they lived – the ways they responded to God – and the ways they responded to others.

            Let’s take a few moments to look at Isaiah, Mary, and Judas and see what their attitudes were – and how their attitudes impacted how they responded to God and those around them. 

            Look at Isaiah. In fact — imagine that you are Isaiah.

            You are a Hebrew — a Jew — one of God’s chosen people.  You and your people have a rich history of being blessed by God. God has blessed you and your people in many ways — the greatest of which being that God brought your ancestors out of slavery in Egypt — guided them across the wilderness — gave them commandments to live by — and gave them a land in which to live. This is all a part of your history. But now — it all seems to be just that — history. Things have changed. Your land has been taken over by the Babylonians. Jerusalem — your Holy City — has been leveled — the great Temple where you worshipped God is now rubble. You and your people have been living in Babylon for almost 60 years now. It’s hard for the older ones in your community to remember what Jerusalem even looked like — and the younger ones have never even seen it.

Some in your community believe that the only way to cope with the present is to focus on the past.  They feel that have to live in the past because the present gives little hope — and the future even less. 

            “Wasn’t it great what God did for our ancestors?” they say — without much hope for any such things to happen to them and change their situation.  God’s miracles of freeing captives and giving them a land and being their God and calling them to be His people happen only once in history — or so many in your community think.

            You — however — see things differently. You have a different attitude – a different way of looking at things. You see things the way they are — but — by the grace of God — you also see how things can be.  You see how your people are in captivity and you see how they feel they have no hope for the present or the future — and yet — you feel they need to look to the future and what God can do — not the past or the present.

Your message to is: God is about to do something new.

            Forget the past — the future will be blessed by God in a richer and fuller way. 

            Don’t worry about the way things are — or were — but instead — look to how they can be. Look at what God can do. 

            In the midst of reality — and in the midst of a people who can’t seem to envision how God can change things — you are indeed a bit of an oddball.  You have a different attitude. You don’t let the pessimistic attitudes of so many people distort or drown out your attitude of how – by God’s grace – things can be. Your attitude is an attitude of God. Your attitude is an attitude of the new things God can do. You indeed have a different attitude than most people and many probably consider you to be a bit strange because of your optimistic attitude of what God can do — but you don’t care. God has given you a new attitude and you are going to celebrate what God do and you are going to have an attitude of praise to God.

            That was Isaiah’s attitude.    

In our passage from John we have Mary. Imagine now that you are Mary. You live in Bethany — near Jerusalem. You — your sister Martha — and your brother Lazarus have become friends with a certain teacher named Jesus.  He has stayed at your house on some of His many visits to Jerusalem.  You have marveled at all you have seen Him do and heard Him say.  You have even come to believe that He is the Messiah — the one sent from God to free your people. Not long ago the most marvelous and miraculous thing of all happened.  Your brother Lazarus died. He died and was buried. But — Jesus brought him back to life. Jesus gave you back your brother.    You are so thankful — so excited – that you want to do something for Jesus — but you are not sure what to do. The next time He is in your house you – Martha — and Lazarus host a lavish feast for Him — His disciples — and your friends – and you decide to do something extravagant — something to let Him know just how thankful you are.  You take a jar of perfume — a pound of it — so rare a perfume and so costly that it would take a year’s wages to purchase this amount — and you pour it on Jesus’ feet. You are fully aware of what people are going to think of you — wasting such perfume — but you don’t care. You have a new attitude about Jesus – about God – and indeed about life. You see what Jesus has done for you — and nothing else matters.  With joy and thanksgiving in your heart you have a different attitude than most people have.  You don’t let the reality of wasting perfume stop you from praising and worshipping Jesus — even in the most extravagant and joyful ways.  You don’t let the cost of the perfume stop you from hearing and responding to the message of Christ. You don’t let the cost of the perfume change your attitude about what Christ has done for you and what you can do for Him. Like Isaiah, you have a different attitude than most people and many probably consider you to be a bit strange because of how your extravagant praise of Jesus is, but, like Isaiah, you don’t care. God has given you a new attitude.

So far we two people – Isaiah and Mary – who actually have close to the same attitudes of praise to God for what He has done in their lives and who live in a joyful hope of what God can do in their lives in their future.  Their attitudes of joy and praise and hope have a great effect on how they live their lives, how they respond to God, and how they respond to others.   

But in the John passage there is another person — Judas – and Judas has a much different attitude than Mary’s or Isaiah’s. Judas responded to God differently than Isaiah and responded to God much differently than Mary. Imagine that you are Judas. You have followed Jesus for three years, and have given up everything you had to follow Him.  You are hoping that — maybe — He’s the Messiah who will free your people from Roman rule.  Isaiah’s vision for freedom from captivity did indeed come true — but now you and your people are ruled by the Romans – and it’s time for God to act again.

            But — will God act? You are sure Jesus could rally your people to overthrow the Romans.  He has done so many miracles. He has said so many things. He has so many followers. Now is the time for Jesus to act – to say the word and lead the revolt against Roman rule. And what does Jesus do? He lets this woman waste a jar of expensive perfume. He lets her act like a fool — or worse. You could have sold the perfume and done some good with it — you could have helped the poor who needed it so badly — or you could have used it to buy weapons for the revolution — or you could have helped yourself to the money the perfume sold for. But Jesus lets it be wasted.         This Jesus — this Mary — certainly see things differently than you do.  They certainly have a different attitude about things than you do – and you are not so sure that you like it.  Your attitude is one of practicality and action without much time for worship or praise.  You let the things of the world influence you, and you feel that there is no room for a different attitude than yours. You have no time for extravagance – no time for joy – no time for thanksgiving – no time for seeing how God can make things different – or make you different. You only have time for reality — and your version of it at that – and when Jesus does not conform to your view of reality — when Jesus doesn’t seem to have your attitude about the way things are or the way things should be — you don’t realize that your attitude could be wrong and you don’t let Jesus make a difference in your life or give you a new attitude. You are stuck in your attitude of reality and won’t see how God is acting in your life, and your attitude truly influences how you relate to God and others.  

Isaiah – Mary – and Judas.

            Three people with two different attitudes about life — two different attitudes about  life and its meaning — two different ways of living life — two different attitudes of how they could live in response to God ‘s love.  Yes — the attitude we have about life and its meaning impacts the way we live and the way we respond to God – and it impacts the way we relate to others.

            So — what’s your attitude? What’s your attitude about life? Do you – like Isaiah — have an attitude that sees the things God can do?  Do you focus on the great future God promises – and do what you can to make it a reality?

            Or – do you – like Mary – have an attitude that allows you to see what God is doing in your life — and worship and praise Him for His blessings?

            Or – like Judas — are you stuck in reality — so stuck that you can  not see what God is doing — and can do — in your life and in the world?

            Can you have an attitude that sees what God is doing and can be doing  in the world and in your life — regardless of how out of step it makes you with everyone else — or do you only have the same attitude everyone else has – whether it’s an attitude of love and praise for God or not?

            Which is your attitude?

            Which is the way you live?

            Which is the way you approach life?

            Friends — Lent is a time for you to look at Christ’s death on the cross — what it means for you — and how you can live in response to it. I pray that this Lent may be a time for you – indeed for all of us – to be blessed with a new attitude – an attitude that sees what God is doing and can do in our lives and our world – and an attitude that allows us to respond in extravagant love and praise to God.

            In a few minutes we are going to celebrate what God has strengthened us and blessed us to be able to accomplish as a Church. As we celebrate the fact that the renovation loan has been paid off, let’s have a joyous attitude of celebration for what God has done in the life of this Church and in our lives, and also celebrate what God can do for us and through us as we have an attitude of looking into the future and seeing what else God has in store for us as a Church.      

  Let’s be individuals and a Church that can show the community and the world that there can be a different way to approach life – that there can be a different attitude about life – an attitude of excitement over what God is doing and an attitude of praise to God. Let’s show the community and the world that there can be an attitude in life that sees what God is doing and can continue to do –  and that we can respond to God with extravagant joy. 

            Let’s show the world a new attitude. Amen. 

Luke 15:1-3,11b-32

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Lost And Found

Lent 4

March 10, 2013

 

Can you believe this fellow Jesus?

            I mean — really — it is truly unbelievable what He is doing!

            Or at least that’s what I and my other Pharisee friends think!

            O – excuse me – I am so upset at this fellow Jesus that I forgot my manners – I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zephaniah, and I am one of the Pharisees gathered around to hear Jesus. Or – at least we are trying to hear him.  There are so many other people – tax collectors and sinners – gathered around that we can’t get very close to Him.  But we need to. You see – we are all members of the elite group in Jewish society — Pharisees and our Scribes — and we are all appalled at what Jesus is doing! We’re also appalled at all the people who are following Him!

            Some are even proclaiming that He is the Messiah!

            Messiah indeed!

            We have been watching this Jesus for some time — and can not believe what He is saying and doing!

            What radical teachings He has!

            How differently He acts!

            He even associates with tax collectors and sinners.  He even eats with them. Imagine — freely associating with and eating with tax collectors  — men who have betrayed our country and work for the Romans — collecting taxes for the Romans and making a fortune off the misfortune of our people — their people!  These folks ought to be strung up by their toes and are not to be associated with!  They are men to be avoided — not men to sit down to dinner with!

And sinners — not just ordinary people who sin just a little bit, either — but those whose sins are so heinous that we have been forced to expel them from the Synagogue!

            There is no way this Jesus can be the Messiah!

My Pharisee friends and I know that the Messiah will never associate with the likes of these — but would spend all His time with us — the religious leaders — the Godly people — the righteous ones!

            Don’t you agree?

            Why — He must be a sinner, also!

            Why else would He associate so freely with the likes of these?

 “Birds of a feather flock together!” That’s what I’ve always heard.

            OK — quiet now — Jesus must hear us murmuring amongst ourselves — because He is turning around to address us.  Maybe He will tell one of His stories — one of His parables He has become so famous for.   

            Why yes — I believe that’s what He’s going to do!

            Listen carefully now — I believe we can find something else to accuse Him of if we just listen closely enough. 

            What’s that He’s saying?

            I wish all these tax collectors and sinners would get out of the way — I can’t get close enough to hear!

            What’s that He’s talking about?

            A father who had two sons – you say?

            Yes — that’s right — a father who had two sons.

I remember my dear father. He had two sons also.  I was the oldest and became a Priest – then moved up the ranks of Priesthood until I became what I am now – a Pharisee – one of the leaders of the people. I’m not sure what happened to my younger brother – he left home a long time ago and we haven’t  heard from him.

Who knows what has happened to him?   

            Who cares?

Well, Jesus is telling a story about a father who had two sons. 

It seems that the youngest cons his father out of his share of the inheritance and leaves home. I can relate to that – that’s what my younger brother did.

Well, Jesus continues telling his story, 

It seems the youngest son leaves home after he gets his money.

Again – just like my brother.

I can hardly wait to hear what happens next.

What’s Jesus saying now?

O – the younger son wastes all the money his father he had given him on “wild living”. 

I could have told this father Jesus is talking about that was going to happen! I am sure that’s what my younger brother did!

            But – that’s not the end of the story. Jesus says the younger brother ends up with no money – and has to feed pigs just to have a little to eat! 

            My Pharisee friends and I nod in agreement.  It serves this youngster right to have to feed pigs.  He has sunk to the bottom of the barrel so to speak for a Jewish boy – feeding the pigs of a Gentile farmer. He has only gotten what he deserved.

            Don’t you agree?

            Of course you do!  Any sensible person would!

            So – where’s the teaching point to this story? So far Jesus has not said anything dramatic or shocking!

            O – he’s still talking. The story is not over.

            What’s that Jesus is saying?

            The boy in the pig pen comes to his senses?

            Well, it’s a little late for that, don’t you think? He should have  come to his senses before he ended up feeding pigs

            So – Jesus says the boy who has taken his father’s money and ended up feeding pigs now wants to go home. 

            Well, my friends and I agree – it’s too late for that.  He can’t just go home. He wouldn’t even be allowed to live as a slave if he returned home.  If my brother had returned home I am sure my father would have never allowed him to stay.

            That only makes sense – doesn’t it?

            So the story will end with the boy being told that he would never be allowed to come home. At least that’s the ending my friends and I would write. 

            Wouldn’t  you?

            Well, Jesus is still talking.

            What’s that He’s saying?

            The father sees the youngest son approaching the house – and rushes out to meet him.  Good – don’t let him come near the house – catch him while he still away from the house and tell him that he will never be able to step foot in the house again! That’s what I think my father would do if my brother ever returned. 

            But – that’s not what Jesus is saying happens.

            Jesus is saying the father accepts the son back into family – and even throws a feast   to welcome him.

            What?

            Welcome this son back into the family?

            My friends and I can’t believe what we are hearing!

            There is no way any self – respecting son would get into this predicament in the first place – and no way any self – respecting father would act like the one Jesus is talking about!

            See – I told you this Jesus didn’t know what He was talking about – that He was dangerous and leading the people away from God – who places demands on our lives and expects us to live in certain ways. Jesus is talking about a father who is way too extravagant with his love and acceptance of his son.  Surely He can’t be saying that God s like that – can He?

            Can He?

            If my brother were to come home and my father were to act like that I would be furious!

            Wouldn’t you?

            O my.  It seems that even now Jesus is not finished with His story. 

            Let’s listen carefully so we can hear what else He has to say.

            It seems the older brother comes home from working in the fields – as he has done all his life – and hears the sound of a party going on. Not knowing that a party was to be held that day, he asked one of the servants what was going on.

            “Your brother has come home” the servant replies.

            “What?” 

            “My brother has come home from who knows where and doing who knows what and  my father throws a party?”

            The older brother is in shock. He is furious, and I can’t say I blame him – and my friends agree!  If my younger brother came home and my father threw a party for him I would be furious also!

            Wouldn’t you?

            I mean – this younger brother who has ruined his life comes home – and the father throws a party?

            It makes no sense!

            I told you this Jesus was dangerous – that He was hanging out with the wrong people – and filling the people’s heads with strange ideas about God!

            What would happen if the people began believing that God was like the father in this story Jesus told and not the demanding God we have been teaching them about?

            What would happen then?

            Well, Jesus turns back around and goes into the house to eat with the tax collectors and sinners. Some of my friends begin yelling at the crowd that this Jesus was dangerous and not to listen to Him.

Obviously this Jesus — this so-called Messiah — has no idea what He’s talking about.

            Or — does He?

            You don’t suppose we’re the ones who are wrong — do you?

            Surely not.

            What a mistake that would be!

            What if God really did love sinners?

            What if God really was excited when someone who had been a sinner all their lives came to know Him and love Him — and began to follow Him?

            Then what?

            Then my Pharisee friends and I would be wrong — wouldn’t we?

            We would not truly understand God as well as we had thought we understood God.

            We would be wrong.

            We would be wrong in our opinions about God — but what’s more — we would be wrong in the way that we thought about and treated other people.  We would be wrong in how we felt about others. 

            If God really loved and cared about sinners — if God really rejoiced and forgave them when they came to Him — then wouldn’t it be our responsibility to try to show God’s love to sinners — to those who need to turn to God — instead of condemning them and not having anything to do with them?

            Wouldn’t it be our responsibility to reach out to those lost in sin — to look for them — to search them out – and rejoice when they come to God – much like this father in Jesus’s story?

            Indeed it would!

You know — maybe – just maybe — we’re the ones who are wrong — not Jesus!

            Maybe we’ve been wrong all along.

            Maybe we need to change and start following Jesus — just like the tax collectors and sinners are doing. 

Maybe we need to be like the father in Jesus’ story – and show love to those who come and ask forgiveness.

            You know — I thought this Jesus — and His tax collector and sinner friends — were the ones who were lost — and my Pharisee friends and I we were  the ones who were found. 

            Now I’m not so sure.

            Maybe we’re lost, too.

            Maybe I’m lost.

            Maybe I need to be found by God’s love.  

            Maybe I need to truly experience this love for myself — and share it with all people.

            Maybe I need to quit being so critical of others — regardless of who they are or what they’ve done — and begin showing them love.

            Maybe God can strengthen me to be more loving.

            Maybe I can truly be found by God — and help others find God, too.

            How about you?

            Amen

Isaian 55:1-9

Isaiah 55:1-9

 “When The Well Runs Dry”

Lent 3

March 3 2013

             There was a tribe of Aboriginal rainmakers in Australia who were 100% successful in making it rain. You probably know that Aboriginals are known for their rain dances, but some tribes were more successful than others, and word got around that this particular tribe was always able to make it rain. When other communities experienced droughts, they called this particular tribe to come and do their rain dance, and it would always rain. On one such occasion, a community leader asked the Aboriginal leader:

“Why is it that every single time you dance, it rains?”

The Aboriginal leader replied, “It’s very simple, actually. We don’t stop dancing until it rains”. (1)  

            Droughts have always been with us. The worst drought in recorded history

occurred in China from 1876-1879. This drought destroyed food crops, resulting in the

deaths of approximately 13 million people. (2) Droughts will always be with us. Much of our nation was afflicted with a terrible drought last year and climatologists tell us this is only the beginning of many more adverse weather related events that we will experience in the future.

Of course, these droughts will be accompanied by severe shortages of drinking water.

It’s scary to think of being without water to drink, isn’t it?

            What will we do without water?

            What will we do “when the well runs dry” – so to speak? 

The people of Israel knew about droughts. They lived in a land where water was a

precious commodity, so in our Old Testament passage for today Isaiah is speaking to a receptive audience when he writes:

 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why

spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen,

listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear

and come to me; listen, that you may live . . .”

Isaiah is speaking to Israel on God’s behalf, and of course he’s not referring to  physical thirst. He is referring to spiritual thirst, and he gives the people some clues as to why their lives are spiritually parched – why their “spiritual wells have run dry”, so to speak.  

Friends — spiritual thirst didn’t end in Isaiah’s time.

It is still with us today. Many people have dry “spiritual wells” and seem to not know how to find the spiritual water they desperately need.  For many people the “spiritual well” has run dry – and they don’t know where to find the “living water” they desperately need.

So – what makes your “spiritual well” run dry?

Isaiah gives us some hints here in Isaiah 55. 

First — Isaiah says that your  “spiritual well” runs dry when you have misplaced values.

 “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost,”

Isaiah writes.

And:

 “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not

satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of

fare.”

That’s the heart of the problem, Isaiah says. If you are spending your money and your time on things that will never permanently satisfy you, your “spiritual well” will eventually run dry.

I’m sure that was true of people in Isaiah’s time, because it’s been true of people through the centuries.

            It was true in 1845 when Sir John Franklin and 138 officers and men sailed from England in two large sailing vessels to find the northwest passage across the high Canadian Arctic to the Pacific Ocean. Each vessel carried an auxiliary steam engine and a twelve-day supply of coal for the entire voyage, which was projected to take two or three years. Instead of additional coal each ship made room for a 1,200 volume library, a hand organ playing  fifty tunes, china place settings for officers and men, cut-glass wine goblets, and sterling silver flatware. The expedition carried no special clothing for the Arctic, only the uniforms of Her Majesty’s Navy. That was a sad, sad mistake. Not long after the expedition entered the Arctic waters, the two ships became trapped in ice off King William Island. Many of the crew members perished onboard ship, including Franklin. The remaining crew began walking on the ice toward the Canadian mainland, but they did not make it. They all perished including two officers who set out pulling a large sled. They traveled more than 65 miles across the treacherous ice with this heavy load in tow. When rescuers found their bodies, they discovered that the sled was filled with table silver. (3)

They had given their lives for a sled full of forks, knives and spoons!

How absurd!

No matter how much that sled was worth it wasn’t worth their lives!

But people make that mistake all the time, don’t they?

Maybe you’ve traded away things that are really valuable in your pursuit of things that may look pretty but are not valuable at all, and maybe your “spiritual well” is running dry.

There’s a story about a lady in Northern Ireland who was much wiser than this. She was having a series of prayer meetings at her house and invited her neighbor who was of a different faith to come. Her neighbor turned down the invitation, but after the first meeting the neighbor inquired how the prayer service had gone. The woman replied, “Oh wonderful. We had thirty-five in my little cottage and it was full.” A week later they had a similar conversation. “We had fifty-one in my little cottage,” said the woman this time, “and it was full. The final meeting is next week. You would be welcome to come.” The neighbor did not come, but still inquired how the final meeting had gone. “Marvelous. We had sixty-two and my little cottage was full.” The neighbor said, “You know this is impossible. How can you have had 35 the first week and it was full, 51 the next week and it was full, and 62 yesterday and it was full again?” “Oh, it’s quite simple,” said this lady, “We simply got rid of every piece of furniture and put them in the garden. We emptied the house of everything that cluttered it up, and filled it with people.” (4)

Furniture wasn’t important in this lady’s estimation. People were. Table silver

wasn’t that important, but two officers of a frozen ship gave their lives trying to take it with them.

Your “spiritual well” can run dry when you have misplaced values.

Another reason your “spiritual well” can run dry is betrayed values.

The Bible’s way of saying this is that your “spiritual well” runs dry when you sin. A few verses further in Isaiah 55 Isaiah writes:

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on Him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon . . .”

You know – you don’t hear the word “wicked” much anymore or the word “unrighteous.” Now – that doesn’t mean that people are no longer wicked or unrighteous people, it just means that we now use different words to describe them. You might say “I made mistakes” or “I was confused, but in truth what you are doing is sinning, and the more you do it the more “dry” your “spiritual well” becomes.

During the early years of his ministry, not long after becoming a Christian, the pastor and author Keith Miller traveled around the country speaking to a lot of men’s gatherings about what he called “the adventure of life with Christ”. At one meeting God prompted him to say at the beginning of his talk: “I feel that God has brought me here to really have a  talk with one of you guys.” Well. after the meeting, a handsome, distinguished man named John came forward. He had tears in his eyes and said “I’m the one you were sent here to talk to” and they began to talk.

“How did you get here?” Miller asked.

“I’m an attorney,” John said. “I travel a lot. I’m married. I don’t live in this town .

. . but my mistress lives here. I was going to see her.

When I got out of my car at her apartment I ran into three guys from my home town. ‘Hey, John. What are you doing here?’ one of them said.

 “Inside I was paralyzed,” said John. “I didn’t know what to say so I shrugged and said, ‘Just passing through.’

“‘‘Why don’t you come with us to hear this Christian businessman named Keith Miller?” one  of them asked.

“‘Sure,’ I said, ‘I haven’t got anything else to do.’ That’s how I got here. I heard

what you said about being frustrated, pushing your life too hard, and how God is

helping you. I realized my life is out of hand and I’m scared.”

Keith had a plane to catch, but didn’t want to just leave the man. “Would you like

to commit your life to Christ, leave this woman and learn to live again?”

“Yes,” John said.

“Then tell God where you’ve been and who you are,” said Miller.

“Confess. Then tell Christ, ‘I give up. Show me how to live because I don’t know how anymore.’”

“I’m not sure I can do that,” John said.

“Well, can you tell God you want to want to do that?” asked Miller.

“Yes, I can,” said John.

The two prayed and Keith Miller left. They kept corresponding over the next year, and John was changing. He was doing loving things for his family, church, and community. He was talking to people about what was happening in his life. He wrote Keith Miller one day and asked him to come and give a talk to some of his friends about Christianity. John picked Keith up at the airport.

“People keep asking me how I became a Christian,” John told Keith. “I don’t know what to say, and feel I need you to talk to my new friends about the Christian life.”

“I don’t know what I can do, but I’m glad to see you, and we’ll give it a try.”

Keith said.

As they entered the church and approached the sanctuary, the minister met them and said, “I want to tell you, Mr. Miller, I don’t know what you did for John, but he has changed.”

Keith was taken aback by those words, but not as much as by what he saw when

he entered the sanctuary, for there were 800 of John’s friends who wanted to know what

happened to him! (5)

John’s life was changed in a dramatic and beneficial way. But first he had to

acknowledge his sin. He had to ask God’s help in beginning again.

“Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

Your “spiritual well” can run dry because of misplaced values.

Your “spiritual well” cam run dry because you have sinned.

Your “spiritual well” can also run dry when you try to depend on your own

resources. Listen again to the words of Isaiah:

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”

The resources of God are available to you, regardless of who you are or what you’ve done.

They are available and they are free. All you have to do is ask.

A ship that was sailing in the days before radio  beacons was floundering in a hurricane off the coast of South America, and the crew began to run out of water. All around was water, but it they thought it was salt water and that drinking it would be fatal. One by one they died. The tragedy of this situation was that, unknown to them, they had travelled into the  mouth of the Amazon river, so all around these unsuspecting sailors was fresh water. All they had to do was reach down and drink all they needed.

  Is your “spiritual well” running dry?  

Have you lived your life with misplaced values?

Are you living your life in sin – instead of in God’s ways?

Are you depending on your own resources – instead of on God’s?        

Is your “spiritual well’ running dry?

“Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost,”

God is talking to you.

“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not

satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of

fare.”

            God “is talking to you.

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on Him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon . . .”

            That’s God’s remedy for you “when your well runs dry”. Amen.

 

1.  Mastering the Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success (Nashville: Thomas

Nelson, 2008).

2. Guinness World Records 2004, edited by Claire Folkard, et. al. (Guinness World Records Limited, 2003), p. 70.

3. Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk (New York: Harper and Row, 1988) pp. 24-

26

4. http://www.sermonsplus.co.uk/Ephesians%205.15 20.html

5. Rev. David Bibbee, http://www.eccob.com/sermons/1997/sr970803.htm.