Acts 2:14(a), 36-41, Luke 24:13-35

Acts 2:14(A), 36-41
Luke 24:13-35
Live As If It Makes A Difference
Easter 3
May 4, 2014
The Lord has risen!
He has risen indeed!
The resurrection of Christ makes a difference in our lives, our Church, our community and our world. We don’t have to live in the past, or as Peter calls it when he addresses the crowds on the day of Pentecost “this corrupt generation.” The old ways of sin and a lack of faith, the old ways of a lack of commitment to Christ, the old ways of a lack of concern for others and a lack of forgiveness shown to others, the old ways of a seeming inability to drop habits that are destructive to ourselves and others — all these and so many more “old ways” are no longer necessary for us.
Why is that the case?
That’s the case because Christ has risen and our lives, our community, even our world can be changed. All things can be changed because Christ has risen.
Our ways of sin, our self-destructive habits, our lack of faith, our lack of excitement for the things of God, and our lack of the ability to forgive those who hurt us can all be changed and are no longer necessary for us. We can now be holy, faithful, committed, excited, loving, and caring people because Christ has risen!
This is the difference the resurrection can make in our lives. This is the difference the resurrection can make in your life. We can let the fact that Christ has risen from the dead, and that the world, and our lives are changed make a difference in how we live. You can let the fact that Christ has risen from the dead, and that the world, and your life is changed make a difference in how you live.
But — do we? Do you?
Does the resurrection make a difference in our lives? Do we realize the difference the resurrection makes in our lives?
Does the resurrection make a difference in how you live your life?
Listen to two passages from scripture – one form Acts and the other from Luke – that tell of how the resurrection made a difference in the lives of the early followers of Christ – and can make a difference in your life also.
Listen to God’s Word from Acts 2:14(A), 36-41 and Luke 24:13-35
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; Save yourselves from this corrupt generation”
In other words, let the resurrection of Christ make a difference in your life.
When Peter spoke these words we have in our Acts 2 passage it was the day of Pentecost. The Spirit had moved mightily among the disciples and Peter had begun explaining to the crowds about Christ and how to live as if the resurrection of Christ truly made a difference in their lives. The message of Peter was so persuasive and God worked through that message in such a powerful way that day that the author of Acts tells us that 3,000 people came to believe in Christ.
This is a story we marvel at. It’s a miracle along the same lines as those of Christ. Just imagine 3,000 people coming to be baptized at the same time!
I wonder what miraculous thing would happen here and now if we would just let the resurrection make a real difference in our lives?
We need to realize the difference the risen Christ can make in our lives and then live as different people because of the resurrection of Christ. You need to realize the difference the risen Christ can make in your life, and then live as a different person because of the resurrection of Christ. But the question you must answer is – does the resurrection of Christ really make a difference in your life?
Too often you might choose to not let the resurrection make a real difference to you.
Too often you might choose to live as if you don’t even realize that it ever happened.
Look at Cleopas and his friend on the way to Emmaus in our passage from Luke. They had heard that Christ had risen. They had heard that the women had seen a vision of angels who had declared the glorious news of the resurrection. They should have been filled with excitement. But instead they are distraught. The news of the resurrection does not make them joyous. No, instead of joyous it makes them even more confused. They are not able to see what the resurrection could mean for them. They did not realize that the resurrection could change their lives. They did not realize that the despair of their lives could be changed into glorious hope because of the resurrection of Christ.
But — what happens when the resurrected Christ breaks the bread? Their eyes were opened. They understood. They no longer had have to live in despair but they could live in
in glorious hope. Their lives could be changed. They could live as if the resurrection made a difference.
Like Cleopas and his friend, too many times we choose the old ways of living, the old patterns of our lives as if we were oblivious, or blind, to the hope and new life the resurrection of Christ offers us. We choose to live in ways the world and our sinful habits dictate to us . We choose to live in ways that have nothing to do with proclaiming the resurrected Christ to the world. We even choose to live as we did before we even knew Christ. Our actions are not as different as they could be. We may even live as if we have not heard about the new life Christ gives us.
Maybe you choose to do God’s will until something else comes along to attract your attention. Maybe you choose to be faithful and committed to God and the church until you find something else that you deem more interesting. You may even take part in the work of our risen Lord and the work of the church until you find something else that you prefer. You may try to live as a committed and excited follower of Christ until the ways of the world interest you again. You may be able to control destructive habits for a while, until the temptation to go back to your old ways becomes just too great.
Friends – here is the good news that can make a difference in your life, in the Church, in the community and in the world: Christ has risen!
But does that good news make a difference in how you live your life?
Like Cleopas and his friend after recognizing Christ — like the crowd that Peter addressed and 3,000 of them became believers — you can let the risen Christ touch your life and let the resurrection make a difference in how you live. You don’t have to live without a commitment to God. You don’t have to live in old ways with old habits and old ways of doing things that may be destroying you and others, no matter how strong those old habits and ways may be and how difficult they may be to break.
You can be the loving, faithful, committed, excited, caring person God calls you to be.
How can we do this?
Well – let me tell you a story that may help you understand how God can change your life and use you in a new way. It’s about a girl named Ashely Smith. You might not recognize her name, but you may have heard her story. In 2006 a man named Brian Nichols killed a judge and three others in Atlanta. He then took Ashley Smith captive.
Ashley had had a troubled life. She struggled with drug addiction and other problems. Not so long before the day Brian Nichols went on his shooting spree then took her captive she had spent two months in a Christian clinic for drug abusers. The counselors not only helped her to get off drugs, but they also helped her to get her heart right with God. The day Brian Nichols took her hostage she had in her possession a copy of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Waren — a book about how to live the Christian faith. God had done a good job of getting her ready for her encounter with a killer. When Nichols took her captive, Ashley talked to him about God. She showed him pictures of her family. She read to him from The Purpose Driven Life. When Nichols asked Ashley what he should do, she was honest with him. She told him he needed to stop running and turn to God, and also turn himself in to the authorities. Nichols finally let Ashley go and she called the police. When they arrived, Nichols surrendered peacefully.
Ashley Smith was a young women who let God change her life. She was changed from a young woman with many problems to a young woman with a story to share, and willing to share it with others. Ashley let God make a difference in her life, and lived as if Christ made a difference to her.
Friends, you don’t have to be kidnapped by a killer to begin living your life as if Christ makes a difference in your life. You can live as if Christ makes a difference in your life every day. Every day as you let Christ change you. Every day as you share the love of God with others you can live as if Christ has made a difference in your life.
Friends — Christ has risen! Like Cleopas and his friend after recognizing Christ —
Like the crowd that Peter addressed — 3,000 of whom became believers –
Like Ashley Smith —
Let the risen Christ touch your life and make a difference in your life. You don’t have to live in your old ways, no matter how strong those old habits and ways may be and how difficult they may be to break. We can all be the loving — faithful — committed — excited — caring people God has called You can us to be.
You don’t have to live without a commitment to God.
You don’t have to live in old ways with old habits and old ways of doing things that may be destroying you and others.
You can be the be the loving — faithful — committed — excited — caring person God has called you to be.
Are you ready?
Well, then, let’s do it! Amen.

Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph’s Story

December 22, 2013

Advent 4

            How can I begin to explain all the feelings – all the frustration – all the doubt — but then the great joy I had over the birth of the Messiah — the one you call Jesus? It’s very hard to find words to convey my feelings — but I must try — for my feelings of doubt — then faith — may give you more faith — and a deeper understanding of what the birth of Christ means to you.

            But first — let me introduce myself. My name is Joseph, and until all this happened I was a typical, poor carpenter in Nazareth. I was a devout Jew like my entire family, but there was nothing unusual about me at all. I began my carpentry business several years ago.  I was not the richest man in Nazareth — but I was not the poorest, either.  There was really nothing unusual about me at all.  I was just a typical Jewish carpenter. Much like many men my age, I was engaged to a girl younger than I — one named Mary.  I loved her.  She was the most loving, caring person I could ever wish for. It was time for me to start a family. My business was established and I could provide for a wife and children. 

            After the marriage contract was arranged between her father and myself, everything went as it should. The plans for the ceremony and the banquet fell into place and everything seemed to be going as planned, until it happened.

            Mary became pregnant. Unmarried — mind you — but pregnant. Engaged to be married to me — mind you — but pregnant. When her father heard Mary was pregnant, he became very upset — and righfully so. He first accused me of having a relationship with her, but I assured him that this was not so. But something had happened to Mary. What? Somehow she had become pregnant. How? Mary claimed that an angel had spoken to her — and that the angel told her the child would be the Messiah. But I was skeptical as was everyone else who heard her story.            

            What should I do — I wondered. What could I do? I was so very confused. The legal thing to do would be to break off the marriage. Legally, I could have her stoned as an adulteress. But then I also thought that maybe it would be better for all concerned if we went ahead and had the wedding early and Mary were to leave town until the baby was several years old — by then the baby would have appeared to have been mine. Or maybe I could have hurried and gone ahead and married her. Then the baby would also appear to be mine. But why go through the public humiliation for something you truly had no part in? I honestly did not know what to do.

Try as I might, I found it very hard to believe Mary’s story. This child she was carrying — it was not actually going to be the Messiah — was it? Or — was it? Could it be true? Could it be that God would come to such ordinary folk like Mary and myself in such an extraordinary way? It’s not that I didn’t want to believe that the Messiah would come — I knew God would send the Messiah to redeem Israel — but the Messiah coming through Mary and myself?  I was dubious — to say the least.

          I was truly at a loss as to what to do. I prayed about it every day — asking God to show me what to do. And then,  one night, my answer came in beautiful — glorious — marvelous way. As I was sleeping, an angel appeared to me and told me not to be afraid to take Mary as my wife.  The angel said:

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

            When I awakened, I was feeling a lot of things at the same time.  I was overjoyed, awed, even somewhat scared, all at the same time.  Even though it was still very hard for me to believe that God would come to me in such a special way, I know what I had to do. I took Mary to be my bride and we had the wedding as planned. Even though neither Mary nor I understood why God had singled us out to be the earthly parents of His Son , the Messiah, we accepted it as a matter of faith.  Even though I had many questions, as did Mary, I had faith in what God had told Mary and had now told me.

            Well, the months flew by .The wedding and feast took place. But soon it was time for the baby to be born. There is one other thing I had not planned on in this scheme of things.  The Roman Emperor called for a census. Everyone was commanded to go to the home of their ancestors to be enrolled.  My family was originally from Bethlehem, the city of David.  In fact, we were proud that the great King David was an ancestor of ours. But  Bethlehem was many miles away from Nazareth.  It would be a hard trip for anyone, but particularly for Mary!  A woman 9 months pregnant would be in no shape for such a trip,  but we had no choice.  And so, with faith that somehow God would watch over us, and particularly Mary, we made the long journey to Bethlehem. When we arrived, we were tired from such a long journey.  We had spent more than a week on the road — and it was obvious that Mary would deliver her baby very soon.  But Bethlehem was so crowded.  So many people were there for the census.  There was no place for Mary and myself to stay, much less a suitable place for our baby, possibly the Messiah, to be born.  Many people were staying on the streets, but Mary needed a place warmer than that.  I finally persuaded an innkeeper to let us stay in his stable. It was a cave where he kept his livestock.  We bedded down as best as we could amongst the animals. Both of us wondered exactly what would happen, but we still had faith in God and what He had promised us. 

            Sure enough, that night the child was born. The one the angel had told Mary and about was the Messiah. The baby was God with us, the one to take away our sins.  He was born — to us! Such a tiny baby! Mary and I wondered if this could truly be the Messiah. How could it be? It was all so confusing — and yet so marvelous and fantastic. I had never expected God to work in my life in such a powerful way. Suddenly my very ordinary life became very extraordinary, and it was never the same again.

            God had come! Salvation was at hand! God’s people were going to be saved by this child — my son — God’s Son — lying in the manger with all the animals around. This was the Messiah!

            I never pretended to understand or make sense of it all.  I was only sure of one thing:  God had touched my life, and I would never be the same again. 

            I know it is hard to understand the true meaning of Christmas.  It is so easy to get involved in Santa Claus and presents and all the other things that are used to celebrate Christmas.  In fact, I know that many times we miss the true meaning of Christmas. But this is what Christmas is all about: God came. God came to people like you and a person like me, in an extraordinary way.

As you celebrate Christmas, have fun and be joyful , but remember the meaning of it all.

            God has come into our lives and our world through Jesus Christ and our lives and our world will never be the same again. Amen.

Philippians 4:4-9, Luke 23:33-43

Philippians 4:4-9

Luke 23:33-43

Remember The King

November 24 2013 (Christ The King)

            If you read the Church News in the Sanford Herald Friday or follow the Church’s Face Book page you may have noticed the scripture passages that the sermon for today is taken from – and if you read the passages before coming to Worship today you may have wondered why we are looking at these passages on this day. And even if you did not read them beforehand, you may be sitting in the pew at this moment and wondering why we are focusing on these passages today. You may be thinking: 

“What is Bill up to now? I mean, today is the Sunday before Thanksgiving — and the Sunday before the Season of Advent!  What’s going on with the sermon based on Philippians 4 and Luke 23?  OK – I can understand the Philippians 4 passage with the theme of rejoicing – but the Luke 23 crucifixion passage?  On the Sunday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday before Advent? What’s up with that?  What’s going on here?”

What’s up with that – and what’s going on here, indeed!

What’s up – and what’s going on – is that today is not only the Sunday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday before Advent — but it is also Christ the King Sunday. Yes – the Season of Advent begins next Sunday – and with it a new Church year as we begin again to focus on the coming of Christ – it will be Year A for those of  you who keep up with the 3 year Lectionary cycle    — but today we as Christians conclude our journey through the Church year with a focus on the Reign of Christ – or Christ the King.  So, while our texts for today might seem strange to you for this season of the year – this Sunday before Thanksgiving and before Advent – we are looking at them because this is Christ the King Sunday, and on this day we celebrate the meaning of Christ’s journey among us. We began the journey last Advent, we  celebrated His birth at Christmas, during Lent we focused on His death on the cross for our sins, at Easter  we celebrated His resurrection, at Pentecost we celebrated the coming  of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church. Now we are ready to start the cycle all over again, but before we do that we have Christ the King Sunday where we pause to focus on Christ – God’s only begotten Son – God Himself – who came into the world to teach us how to live in God’s ways – but to also die on the cross so we might have forgiveness of our sins – then rose again so we might have new hope and new life – new life here on earth – and new life everlasting with Him in heaven. We pause on this Christ the King Sunday to tie this Church year together before we begin a new one – and to tie it together in the life, death, resurrection and eternal reign of our Lord and Savior – our King – Jesus Christ.

We will focus on a strong Thanksgiving theme tonight at our Community Thanksgiving Service — and I am sure all of you will be here for that – but this morning we are going to focus  on the Christ the King emphasis for today – and I believe that we will discover – as we focus on the Philippians 4 and Luke 23 passages before us – that we just might find a Thanksgiving sermon here also!  

So – Christ is King! But the Luke passage for today still seems strange and odd. If we are celebrating the Kingship of Christ,  why focus on a passage that deals with His death on the cross? At first glance Jesus does not look much like a King as He is nailed to the cross and is hanging there between 2 criminals.  No, He does not look much like a King at all.    

Do you remember several years ago when Christians were wearing bracelets that read “WWJD”?   WWJD, you remember, stood for “What Would Jesus Do?” and soon    there were other items like the FROG bracelets and shirts – FROG standing for “Forever Rely On God ”.   Well, if the earliest Christians had worn bracelets or T Shirts theirs may have read:  “WDJDC” – “Why did Jesus die on a cross?” This was the question they had to struggle with. How could the Messiah – God’s Son – even God Himself — be put to death, especially on a cross – like a common criminal?

            Our text from Luke for this Christ the King day returns us to the scene of Jesus’ crucifixion, and it is at this scene that we see most starkly what Christ’s Kingship was all about. This passage helps us see why Christ the King — God’s Son – even God Himself – had to be – and even chose to be – put to death, and especially put to death on a cross like a common  criminal and between 2 criminals.

The Gospel writers use different words to describe these criminals Christ was crucified with. Matthew and Mark call them thieves. Luke uses a different word — a word that means “members of the criminal class, professional criminals, members of the underworld.” These men were hoods, thugs, maybe likened to members of the Mafia – maybe cutthroat killers.  These are the people Christ with whom Christ was crucified.

You know — some people don’t like the idea that Christ the King – Christ the Son of God – even God Himself – was crucified  with such men, but  I think it shows us why Christ came – and what His Kingship was and is all about. You see — these criminals were the people Jesus came to save. On one occasion He declared, “I have come to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). And on another occasion He declared, “The well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick” (Mark 2:17) These criminals Christ was crucified between are the people for whom He gave His life. We need to remember that, and really we need to be thankful for that. Christ the King – God’s Son – even God Himself — came to save those who are sinners and need Him to save them. That includes all people. I pray you realize that it includes you. I know it includes me. The cross may not seem like much of a throne – but it is on the cross that we see the Kingship of Christ – His reason for coming into the world – most clearly. It is in His death on the cross that Christ paid the price for our sins and includes us in His reign and His Kingdom.

            Christ is King. He is King over all creation.  He is King over all people.  He is your King – but only if you let Him rule in your heart and be Lord over your life.  He is the  crucified King – the Son of God – even God Himself – who came to die on the cross that your sins – and mine – can be forgiven.

            I told you that we would discover a Thanksgiving sermon in these passages, didn’t I? The fact that Jesus Christ – Christ the King – God’s Son – even God Himself – would die on the cross between to criminals and like a criminal so that your sins and mine can be forgiven is indeed something to be thankful for.  I know I am and I pray you are. As Paul admonishes us in our Philippians 4 passage – we can rejoice in the Lord and the salvation He has given us – not just sometimes – but always!

            Christ is King!

But as great as our salvation is and as much as we need to be thankful for it, it is not the only thing Luke 23 tells us about Christ our King that we can be thankful for and celebrate. When we see Christ on the cross, it shows us that Christ – our King – our Savior – God’s Son – not only died on the cross between criminals and like a criminal for us – but He also knows what the most excruciating experience the world can dish out is like – and He has not only endured it, but overcome it. What this means for us is that Christ our King — our Savior – God’s Son –even God Himself who faced and endured and overcame death – is with us when we have to face the hardest and most painful times of our lives.

 Friends – you don’t go through the painful and hard and difficult times of life by yourself.  Christ – the King – the Savior – God’s Son – the One who faced and overcame death – is with you in the hardest of times – just as He is with you all the time

Elie Wiesel was an author who survived the camps of the Holocaust and later wrote about how his experiences shaped his faith in God.  He writes of how at one of the camps where he and many other Jews were kept that many were being killed every day.  Every time the Germans would come to take one of the prisoners to be killed, someone would cry out “God – where are you?”  One day Wiesel put up a cross in the yard of the camp, and every time someone would question where God was, he would point to the cross and say: “He’s right here – with us!”

Jesus Christ – Christ the King – God’s Son – God Himself – the one who died to give you salvation – endured and overcame the most painful experience life can offer –offers you His presence when you go through the most painful times in your life.

Wow.  Maybe the Luke 23 passage does fit the Sunday before Thanksgiving and does go with the Philippians 4 passage more that we first thought. Christ is King – but Christ is the King who gives us salvation and is with us in the hardest times of our lives – and if these things Christ gives us are not things to be thankful for, I don’t know what is!

But we need to remember that Christ the King gives us salvation and is with us in our hardest of times.  Sometimes when we go through the hardest of times it is difficult for us to remember that Christ is with us.  We might want to respond like the prisoners around Wiesel in the concentration camps.  We might want to say “Where is God?” and even question God’s presence with us.  Friends – we need to realize and celebrate and be thankful for – not only the salvation Christ the King gives us – but also the fact that He overcame the hardest thing life could throw at Him  — and not only overcame it but was victorious over it and helps us overcome the hardest things life can throw at us.

We need to remember that Christ the King is with us – always giving us salvation – always protecting us – always there to guide us. We need to remember that – be thankful for that – celebrate that – and as Paul says be joyful for that!

          Rejoice in the Lord always — Paul says.

            Rejoice in Christ the King – always! Not just in the good — pleasant — or fun times — but always. This takes being able to say:         “Christ has helped me through so many times in the past — surely He’ll help me now!” Thinking of specific times Christ has blessed you in the past — ways that He helped you in the past — can help you remember that He is with you even now.

            Maybe you can say to yourself  — here’s the time when I was in the terrible wreck.  I truly should have been killed — but I walked away.  Surely Christ was with me then — and surely He is with me now.

            Or maybe you can say — here’s the time in my marriage that I thought we were going to split up — but we worked it out.  Surely Christ was with us then — and surely He is with me now.

            Or maybe you can say — here’s the time my marriage failed.  I thought I couldn’t face another day — but I have.  Surely Christ was with me then — and surely He is with me now.

            Or maybe you can say  —  here’s the time my spouse or my child or my brother or sister or mom or dad died.  I was so heartbroken that I didn’t think I would live another day — but I have.  Surely Christ was with me then — and surely He is with me now. 

            Friends — Christ the King — God’s Son – even God Himself –has blessed us with salvation and with His presence in the difficult times of life – and continues to do so. There are so many ways Christ has blessed us in the past and will continue to bless us.

            Christ is King! He is King – but He is the King who died on the cross like a criminal and between 2 criminals –and gives us salvation.  He is King – but He is the King who rose again after death and defeated death and gives us life new and eternal. He is King – but He is the King who faced the hardest things life could throw at Him and overcame them – and give us the strength to overcome the hardest things in life also.   

            Yea – I told you we could find a Thanksgiving message in Luke 23 and Philippians 4 – and the message is that Christ the King — the King who gives us salvation and is with us in the hardest times of our lives.

If these are not things to be thankful for, I don’t know what is! Amen.

                 

Luke 19:1-10

Luke 19:1-10

“Strange Saints”

November 17, 2013

            One October day few years back I was sharing with several of the members of the Church I was serving at that time about how All Saints Day was approaching and that I was planning a special service for it.  Someone made the comment:

            “All Saints Day? Well – that day can’t be for me!  I am certainly not a saint!”

            Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement!  They may have been agreeing   because they agreed this person was not a saint – but maybe also because they did not believe they were saints either! 

            You know — most of us don’t think of ourselves as saints! At Martha McLeod’s service last Saturday the minister made the comment that Martha “would have bristled” at being called a saint!  That’s the reaction most of us would have. We don’t think of ourselves as saints – and don’t won’t others to think of us as saints either.    

            Why is that?

            Well, what images come to your mind when your hear the word “saint”?

            Maybe someone who is so good that you don’t think you will ever be as good as they are?

            Maybe someone who prays for hours every day?

            What do you think of when you hear the word “saint”?

            I want to offer a thought for you to consider today – a definition of a saint for your consideration – and that is that a saint is a person who sees their need for God and tries to serve God in the very best way they can.

            I believe that a saint is someone who sees their need for God – and tries to serve God in the very best way they can.  

            This does not mean that they are perfect or that they are constantly praying but it simply means that they see their need for God and do the best they can.

            Maybe that’s a definition we can all strive to live up to.

            As I told the Young Disciples a few minutes ago, a saint is someone who lets the light shine through – someone who lets the light of God shine through them.   

             Yea – a saint is someone who lets the light shine through.   

            This may not a dictionary definition of a saint, but it’s a good one none the less!

A saint is someone who lets God’s light shine through them — and that is indeed something we all can do – someone we can all strive to be.

Yea — we all can be saints.

            It may sound strange to hear that – but the truth is – we all can be saints. Maybe not in our normal way of thinking about saints, but saints nonetheless.

            We can all be saints – people who realize our need for God –  people who do the best we can to serve God –  people who let the light of God shine through our lives.

            We can all  be saints. Strange saints, maybe – but saints nonetheless. 

            Like Saint Zaccheus.

            You may be thinking: Iv’e never heard of Saint Zacchaeus!

            You mean that short man who was up a tree when Jesus came by?

            That “wee little man” I sang about as a child?

            Him? Saint Zacchaeus?

            Yea – him.  Saint Zacchaeus.

            Maybe not a saint in the normal way of thinking about who a saint is – but a saint as far as someone who realized his need for God and then did what he could to serve God.   A saint — who may have not lived a lot of his life as a person who wanted to show God to others or let God’s light shine through him but who was touched and changed by God and lived the rest of his life doing what he could to let the light of God shine through him.

            When  the story in our Gospel passage from Luke 19 begins the people of Jericho would have never classified Zaccheus as a saint or as a holy person, or  someone who saw his need for God and did what he could to share God’s love with others. As the story begins he is not someone who let God’s light shine through. His name means “Pure” — but old Zacchaeus was anything but that. The people of Jericho hated Zacchaeus — and with fairly good reason.  He was the Chief Tax Collector — a Jew who worked for the Romans collecting taxes the hated Roman government placed on the people and even collecting more than the Romans demanded.  He kept the excess and became very rich doing so.  In other words, he got rich off his own peoples misfortune.

            It doesn’t sound very much like a “Pure” or righteous person — does it?

            It doesn’t sound much like a saint – however you describe what a saint is!

            But – something happened.

            Zacchaeus – as sinful and imperfect and impure as he was – found himself up a tree one day – and that’s where Jesus found him. Jesus called, accepted, and loved Zaccchaeus – and Zacchaeus responded to Jesus.

He became a different person. He repented of his wrongs. He gave half his wealth – and that  was a lot – to the poor. Then with the other half of his money he gave back 4 times what he had cheated people out of by charging them more tax than the Romans charged – and we can only imagine that was a lot, also.

            Jesus called Zacchaeus and he responded. He changed. He saw his need for Jesus – his need for God – and repented of what he had done wrong. He realized his need for God and then did what he could to serve God.  From what he says in this passage we can imagine that he became someone who let God’s light shine through him.

            So – you see  – it is possible to talk about Saint Zacchaeus. 

            Just as it is possible to talk about Saint Davis – or Saint Lela – or Saint Nancy   – or Saint Sherron – or whoever.

            We can all be saints. We can all be people who realize our need for Jesus – who realize our need for God but also realize the forgiveness God offers us and try to show God’s love to others in the best way we can. We can all be people who let God’s light and God’s love shine through us. We can all be saints – people who are filled with a sense of God’s love and are committed to sharing God’s love with others. We can all let God’s love and light shine through us in every way we can.        We are remembering and giving thanks to God today for the members of Edgewood who have died since last November. I like to think of all of these faithful members as Saints. Davis, Lela, Nancy and Sherron served God in the community and here at Edgewood in many ways. It’s good that we will remember them, give thanks to God for them, and celebrate the ways they showed God’s love to others and let God’s light shine through them.  It’s good that we will remember, give thanks to God for, and celebrate these saints of Edgewood.       

            We’re also going to have our Act of Dedication today as you turn in your pledge cards and make your commitment to the Church for next year.  I pray that you will not only commit your money – but that you will also commit your time and your abilities to God’s mission in the community and the world.

            When I celebrated my 50^th birthday 8 years ago someone sent me a card that I still remember. It read:  

            You may not be and angel

            And you’re surely not a saint

            But I like you for what you are

            And not for what ain’t.

            The grammar may not be the best – but you get the message.

Jesus loves you for who you are and Jesus can change you and help you be who you can be for Him. With Jesus’ help you can a Saint. You can be a person who realizes your need for Jesus but also realizes the forgiveness God offers you and you can try to show God’s love to others in the very best way you can. You can be a person who lets God’s light and God’s love shine through you.

            Yea – you may be a strange Saint – but you can be a Saint.

Amen.  

Luke 20:27-38

Luke 20:27-38

Is Your Faith Worth Living For?

November 3, 2013

            I have a confession to make today. I know that it might shock some of you – but I feel that I have to “come clean” and confess to one of my weaknesses – so here it goes – I  love the old Roadrunner cartoons!  OK – maybe that doesn’t shock some of you – I mean if you read my page on Face Book you saw that I spent last Thursday night watching that intellectually stimulating TV special “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”  But – I confess that the Roadrunner used to be one of my favurite shows – and if I could get it now I would probably still watch.  To me it’s right up there with The 3 Stooges, any of the Marx Brothers movies, anything with or written by Mel Brooks and anything with Leslie Nielson.

Do you remember the old Roadrunner cartoons?  Wily Coyote would always plot to trap the Roadrunner, but he would never succeed. In one episode he might rig a huge boulder to drop when the Roadrunner trips a wire – which he bought from the Acme Company.  He would carefully set the trap, then hide when the Roadrunner would come at bullet-speed along the road. The trap, however, would fail,  and the Roadrunner would go on his way unharmed – beep, beep! Well, Wily Coyote would then be frustrated and confused — upset that the trap had failed to catch the Roadrunner – and would investigate to see what went wrong.  Just as he would begin his inspection, though,   a pebble would fall and fear would register in Wily Coyote’s eyes.  Then the boulder would fall and squash him flat. In the final scene, just as Wily Coyote would begin to pull his flattened frame from beneath the rock, the Roadrunner would  pass through one more time at — beep, beep — and squash him flat again. 

I just love those old cartoons! I know that the Roadrunner never loses and Wily Coyote never learns, but I always laugh.

 Whenever I read some of Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisees and Sadducees like the one in our passage for today from Luke 20, I think about those old Roadrunner cartoons.  Just as Wily Coyote wanted to trap the Roadrunner, the Pharisees and Sadducees tried to trap Jesus in some of His teachings. But like Wily Coyote, they never succeed.

You see – the Pharisees and Sadducees didn’t like Jesus.   In fact, they hated Jesus.  They were the religious leaders of the Jewish people — the establishment – and were sure of their ability to rule. They enjoyed the power they had and saw Jesus as the brash young challenger to their authority and power, so they were always trying to trap Him and make Him say something that would make Him lose His credibility with the crowds. Jesus, however, was like the rubber band that always snapped back in their faces, or like the Roadrunner who never got caught. Like the Roadrunner Jesus never loses in a confrontation with them, and like Wily Coyote they never learn.

Here in Luke 20:27-38 we have a group of religious leaders trying to “set a trap” for Jesus by asking Him a very interesting question about marriage. The question is posed by  the Sadducees the Jewish religious conservatives of Jesus’ time. The Sadducees only accepted what was written in the Torah – also known as the Pentateuch — the first five books of the Bible.  If something was not specifically referred to or mentioned in the Torah, then, in their estimation, it was not to be believed. For example, the first five books of the Bible say nothing about eternal life or resurrection or immortality – so the Sadducees did not believe in these things, and thought that no one else should either. They also did not believe in Heaven or Hell. They did not turn such writings as the book of Job which contains this witness:

“Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him . . .” (Job 19:23-27)

According to the Sadducees, there was no such thing as life beyond the grave, so the question they posed to Jesus is really quite surprising.  

“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. The second and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. Finally, the woman died too. Now then,” they asked, “at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

It was, of course, a trick question. Like Wily Coyote, they were attempting to set a trap for Jesus.  These Sadducees had no interest in the intricacies of life after death. They didn’t even believe in such a thing. They simply wanted to get Jesus in trouble with the people. But Jesus was accustomed to scholars attempting to trip him up. Jesus knew the Scriptures better than they did, and believed in all the Old Testament scriptures – not just the first five books. Jesus replied to them:

“The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God ofAbraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

            Like the Roadrunner escaping the trap carefully laid by the Coyote and the Coyote being caught himself, Jesus escapes this trap – and the Sadducees get caught.

Jesus met the Sadducees where they were. The Sadducees were people of the Law, the Torah.  If something wasn’t in the Torah, it could not be part of their faith. So Jesus answered them from the Torah. He turns to the third chapter of Exodus, the story of Moses and the burning bush. Here God tells Moses:

 “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”

Notice that God did not say,

“I WAS the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Remember, when Moses had this experience with God Abraham, Issac, and Jacob had been dead for centuries, yet God refers to them in the present tense. This, says Jesus to the Sadducees, is evidence right there in the Torah that life after death exists. God says:

 “I am . . . the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”

“God is not the God of the dead,” Jesus insists, “but of the living.”

Jesus answered the Sadducees in a way that they could understand, and He also answered in an  unequivocal way the most pressing question in life – that being — is there life beyond the grave? And the answer He gave is, “Yes, there definitely is life beyond the grave.”

            If you have faith in Jesus, you will have life beyond the grave – life beyond this life. You know, Jesus not only taught that there is a life after death, everlasting life with God, but He proved it in His own resurrection.

“He is alive!” reported the women on their return from the empty tomb, and He was – and still is!  Some people may find the promise of eternal life with God as too good to be true, but it is true – and you can believe it!

Charles Spurgeon once addressed some people’s skepticism about things like eternal life by talking about one of the most common technologies of his time. The illustration he gave is dated, but the principle is still relevant:

“The electric telegraph,” Spurgeon said, “would have been as hard to believe in a thousand years ago as life after death is now. Who in the days of pack horses would have believed in flashing a message from England to America?“Everything is full of wonder till we are used to it, and life after death owes the incredible portion of its marvel to our never having come across it in our observation– that is all. After we experience it, we shall regard it as a divine display of power as familiar to us as creation and providence now are.” (1)

Spurgeon’s language a little dated here, but his rational is right on target. Just because you have not yet experienced life after death, you can’t reason that it is impossible.

But – here’s another important thing to take away from this passage.

Yes, you can experience life after death if you have faith in Jesus – but you can also experience real and exciting and meaningful life – here and now. You can experience a   resurrection as it were in your spiritual life. As the old Gospel song testifies:

“You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart.”

A life of faith that is joyful and vibrant – a life that always looks for ways to serve God and others and reach others with God’s love – is truly the best evidence there is of the risen Christ. If people can see the change Christ has made in you, if people can see the love of God in how you relate to them and others and the joy of Christ in your life, they will have a much easier time believing in the message of life after death – and the message of the changed life Jesus can give us here and now. 

Dr. Ray Pritchard writes about the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill, the former prime minister of England. “Most of us know [Churchill] as the man who singlehandedly rallied the British people in the darkest days of World War II when the armies of Hitler were poised to cross the English Channel. By the power of his words he gave courage to an entire country. Before he died he planned his own funeral service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The service itself was magnificent in every way, filled with Biblical liturgy and great hymns. Just as the benediction was pronounced, an unseen bugler hidden in one side of the dome began to play Taps, the traditional melody signaling the end of the day or the death of a soldier. As the mournful notes faded away, another bugler on the other side of the dome began to play Reveille, the traditional melody signaling the coming of a new day. This was Sir Winston’s way of saying that though he was dead, he expected to ‘get up’ on the day of the resurrection.” (2)

            I have that expectation, too, and I hope that you do as well. It is Jesus’ most

important teaching. Life beyond the grave is a reality. Because He lives, we, too, shall live.   

            I pray that you have a faith in Christ that will give you the promise of life after death. But I also pray that you and I will be filled with the new life Christ can give us here and now – and that our faith can make a difference in how we live – here and now. Yes – we need a faith that is worth dying for – a faith that gives us the hope of life beyond this one – but we also need – and the world needs from us – and God needs from us a faith that is worth living for – a faith that is lived out every day as we look for ways to share God’s love with others in everything we say and everything we do. Faith that gives us hope for the life to come is important – but so is faith that gives us hope in this life – the faith that we share with others in our actions and words.    

            That’s what I call a faith worth living for.    

            We are going through our Stewardship Season here at Edgewood.  You have all received a copy of the Budget for 2014 and the Stewardship Letter — if you have not there are copies in the vestibule. In a few moments Barbara Rosser is going to share with us some of her thoughts about Stewardship. Next Sunday is Commitment Sunday when you will have the opportunity to turn in your Commitment Cards for next year.  Please pray about your commitment to Edgewood and the mission God is accomplishing through us, and make your commitment of what you can give – not just financially but of your talents and time – for God’s work here, in the community, and in the world.

            Pray that God will not only bless you with a faith that will give you life after death, but also a faith that is alive and vibrant, a faith that shows your love for God and others, a faith that is committed to showing God’s love in your actions, a faith that will touch the lives this Church, this community, and the world with the love of God.

            Pray that God will give you a faith worth living for.

            After all . . . “God is not the God of the dead, but the living for all are alive in Him.”

—————————————————-

1. Charles H. Spurgeon in the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (Vol.18). Christianity

Today, Vol. 33, No. 6. Cited by Daniel D. Meyer, http://www.cc-ob.tv/search.php?

series_id=40&category=Sermon.

2. http://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/2000-04-23-Whats-Your-Problem-with-the-

Resurrection/.

Luke 17:5-10

Luke 17;5-10

Serving Does Not Make You A Servant
October 6, 2013
Communion
I have a question for you today: Do you see yourself as a volunteer, or as a servant?
There’s a big difference between the two. A volunteer can pick and choose when to volunteer to serve — and even whether to volunteer to serve.  A servant, however, serves whenever and wherever needed.  A volunteer might serve when it is convenient, but a servant serves out of commitment and a sense of duty – whether it’s convenient or not.
In the Gospel passage before us today – Luke 17:5-10  Jesus is talking about the importance of being a servant. Friends – I warn you that this passage is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re serious about growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you need to pay attention to His teaching here about being a servant.
Serving – you see – doesn’t always make you a servant – but if you are a servant, you will serve.
I see several secrets of servant hood in this passage.
First —  A servant’s work is not always glamorous
In the first part of verse 7 Jesus says: “Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after sheep.”
Jesus might be referring to a farmer with only one servant who had to multi-task throughout the day. The servant would do the back-breaking work of plowing and then the tedious work of watching sheep. Maybe his muscles would scream as he plowed – then he may have screamed out of boredom as he watched the sheep. Every day would be filled with these activities — and then he’d get up the next day and do it all over again.
Over time this servant’s daily responsibilities probably became routine and his tasks not thrilling at all.
Friends — if you find yourself picking and choosing how much or where you will serve and only wanting the more glamorous or noticeable tasks, I suggest that you check your motives. In fact, if you’re not willing to do whatever is needed and whenever you are needed, I suggest that you may not really be committed to serving God.
Bill Hybels puts it this way: “I would never want to reach out someday with a soft, uncalloused hand – a hand never dirtied by serving – and shake the nail-pierced hand of Jesus.”
Something to think about, is it not?
Serving doesn’t make you a servant; but if you are a servant you will serve.
A servant’s work is not always glamorous.
Here’s a second secret to servant hood I see in this passage:
A servant’s service never ends
After working all day, the servant comes back to the master’s house. He’s probably tired and hungry but it still is not time to relax. The servant’s specific job description may change but the truth of the matter is that service never ends. Actually, the job description for a servant is very simple and straightforward: “Do everything your Master commands.” Listen to how Jesus said it in the second half of verse 7 and verse 8:
“Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’”?
The servant goes from the working in the fields to fixing food – but the servant serves whenever and wherever – and serves whoever. A servant does whatever it takes to get the job done.
If you are going to be a servant of Christ, you need to be serving all the time.
Matthew Henry puts it this way:   “We must make the end of one act of service the beginning of another.”
This means that, if you see yourself as a servant, when you get up in the morning you look for ways to serve your family, during the day you look for ways to serve others, when you come home you keep looking for ways to serve your family, and when you are at Church – guess what? You look for ways to serve.
A servant’s work never ends.
I heard about a little girl who finally learned to tie her shoes, but instead of being excited, she was overcome crying. Her dad bent down and asked her why she was crying. “I have to tie my shoes,” she said. Her dad responded, “You just learned how. It’s not that hard.” The little girl started wailing and said, “I know, but now that I know how to do it, I’m going to have to do it for the rest of my life.”
Maybe you feel like you’ve already put your time in – already done your part – already served all you should serve.  Maybe you feel that you’ve served enough – that it’s time to sit back and relax a bit. Well, here’s the thing: If you’re still breathing, you’re still a servant. The location and intensity of your serving may change as the seasons of your life change, but no Christ-follower has the option of not serving when there are things still to be done.
Here’s a third servant hood secret I see in this passage:
A servant should not expect to be thanked.
After working all day, the servant inn Jesus’ story is no doubt tired. A word of appreciation would mean so much to him, but it never comes. Look at verse 9:
“Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?”
The implied answer is a strong “no.”
Maybe you think that God somehow owes you for all that you do for Him. The truth is that God doesn’t owe you anything. You are not entitled to a word of thanks or appreciation when you serve God and others. God does not need you to serve Him, it is your duty and should be your delight to do so. God is under no obligation to reward you.
Now — let me clarify something.
It’s not wrong to show appreciation to someone who serves. A word of thanks and appreciation and encouragement can go a long way.  We need to show appreciation to someone who is serving and encourage them and acknowledge what they are doing. However, it is wrong to expect acknowledgment and make that the motivation for your service.
Serving doesn’t make you a servant; but if you are a servant you will serve.
Here’s a fourth secret of servant hood I see in this passage:
A servant does what is expected
Jesus concludes this story with some corrective words to those who feel they have done something special or extraordinary when they serve.
“So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
Unfortunately, too many times you might want to know what serving will cost you and how it might benefit you – and if the benefits outweigh the costs, and you can fit it into your schedule, then you will volunteer to do it. This verse helps you see what being a servant is all about. A servant’s heart is intent upon, and their will is bound to, the will and wishes of the person they are serving.  In other words, if you are someone’s servant, what they say goes.
So – here are four  secrets to servant hood we find here in Lukee 17:
A servant’s service is not always glamorous.
A servant’s service never ends.
A servant should not expect to be thanked.
A servant does what is expected.
Lorne Sanny, the founder of the Navigators, was once asked how you can know if you  have the attitude of a servant. His answer was to the point and very profound –
“You know you’re a servant by how you act when you’re treated  like one”
When you’re treated like a servant, do you get offended?
When someone forgets to say thanks do you get upset?
Do you think you’re worthy of recognition?
The issue is really one of having the heart and the attitude of Jesus – the heart and attitude Jesus calls us to have – the heart and attitude of a servant.
You have to decide if you are going to serve yourself or serve God and others.
Serving doesn’t make you a servant, but if you are truly a servant, you will serve.
Friends — Jesus offers nourishment and strength for those who will serve Him and others.  As you gather with God’s people around His table and partake of the bread and the cup, Jesus invites you to consider whether you see yourself as a volunteer or a servant – and invites you to commit to being the servant of Him and others He calls you to be. Amen.

Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31

Pay Attention

September 29, 2013

Jonesboro Presbyterian Church (Lee County Presbyterian Pulpit Swap)

“I used to think I was poor,” says one comedian. “Then they told me I wasn’t poor, but that I was needy. Then they told me it was self-defeating to think of myself as needy, so I needed to think of myself as deprived. Then they told me not to think of myself as being deprived but rather to think of myself as underprivileged. Then they told me that underprivileged was an overused term.  I needed to think of myself as being disadvantaged.”  “I still don’t have a dime,” this comedian concludes, “but I learned some great new words!”

Maybe this comedian is laughing to keep from crying, because whatever you may call it, being poor isn’t any fun.

“There was a rich man,” Jesus says in Luke 16:19-31  “who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony . . .”

Friends – if there is a parable of Jesus that should keep us awake at night, the story of the rich man and Lazarus is it.  

Why – you ask – should it keep us awake at night? It should keep us awake at night because, compared to most of the people in the world, we are quite rich.

The famed Bible teacher William Barclay gives this passage the title: “The Punishment of the Man Who Did Not Pay Attention.”

The punishment of the man who did not pay attention. 

Friends – when Jesus is talking about men and woman who do not pay attention to the poor that are right around them, He’s talking about us!  And – He’s saying – that there is punishment for those who do not pay attention to those around them who are poor.    In another passage –  Matthew 25: 42-45 – Jesus says that those who overlook the poor overlook Him, while those who reach out to the poor reach out to Him.

Friends — how many of us ever really notice those in our community who are poor?

How many of us really notice those in our community who are in need?

Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, once worked University Settlement in New York City. She and Franklin were not married at the time, and one afternoon Franklin came to see her and she was tending to a sick child at the Settlement and needed to see that the child was taken home. Franklin said he would go with her, and they took the child to an area not far away from the Settlement and Franklin went with her up the three flights of stairs to the tenement rooms where the child’s family lived. It was certainly not a pleasant place and Franklin Roosevelt looked around in surprise and horror. It was the first time that he had ever really seen a slum. When he got back to the street he drew a deep breath and said: “I didn’t know people lived like that!” (1)

Roosevelt had never paid attention to people in abject poverty – even though they lived right around him.  But he’s not alone. Most of us don’t pay attention to the miserable conditions in which many people in our world – and in our community – live.

           Do you remember Ross Perot? He was a Texas billionaire who ran for President several times.  He had big ears that political cartoonists just loved to draw. In one of his advertisements during his run for President he brought out several charts that described economic life in America. One chart showed the level of poverty of our nation’s children compared to the levels of poverty of children living in European democracies. Perot’s charts showed that about five to seven percent of the children in Europe lived in poverty – while about 20% of children in America lived in poverty.  Perot then shook his head – his big ears flapping – and said: ‘It ain’t right, folks.’”

          Friends — Perot was correct: It ain’t right. And many of us don’t pay attention to the problem. Like the rich man in Jesus’ parable, we don’t pay attention. Of course,  we and the rich man in Jesus’ parable are not alone.  All over the world and in every generation  those who have much in terms of the world’s goods have turned a blind eye and not paid attention to those who have practically nothing. According to a report released by the World Bank, almost half the population of the world live on the equivalent of two dollars a day or less. Of these, some 1.1 billion survive in extreme or absolute poverty on less than one dollar.

Does anybody care? Is anyone paying attention? A few do care and a few do pay attention, but it is still amazing to what lengths some people will go to not notice and not pay attention. 

          Brazil is a country with an even wider gap than the U.S. between the haves and the have-nots. I read recently that in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the trying to wall off the poor from the rest of the population. The city’s rich, however, have literally risen above it all by using helicopters to bypass poorer areas. There are now 240 helicopter landing pads in Sao Paulo, Brazil compared to just ten in New York City. (3)

I guess that’s one way to ignore and not pay attention to the problem. Get a helicopter and fly over it all. The rich man in Jesus’ parable would probably have bought himself a helicopter if they had been available back then. He probably settled for a golden carriage with thick curtains so he would not have to look at Lazarus lying there helplessly at his gate. Notice that Jesus said in his parable that Lazarus “was laid” at the rich man’s gate. He didn’t walk there or drive there. He was an invalid who had to be laid there. Lazarus was totally helpless. There were no welfare programs. He obviously had no family to care for him. All he could do was beg, but the rich man couldn’t be bothered even to share a few coins. He refused to even pay attention to the man at his doorstep. He was the man who refused to pay attention.

But, friends, there was one who did pay attention.

 God paid attention.

The time came when Lazarus died. And what happened then? Jesus tells us, “The angels carried Lazarus to Abraham’s side.” What a beautiful image. This time it wasn’t friends or concerned neighbors who carried Lazarus home at the end of a long day of begging. It was the angels. God knew Lazarus’ situation. God had paid attention. God cared about Lazarus.

I like the fact that in this parable it is Lazarus who makes a name for himself. It is Lazarus that is named – and the rich man who is anonymous. We know Lazarus’ name, but not the name of the man who refused t pay attention to him. Jesus identified Lazarus; Lazarus was named. That is significant. In no other parable of Jesus is a character named – but Jesus gives the poor man a name. Why do you think that is?   I think Jesus did this to show that Lazarus – who the rich man did not know and did not pay attention to – was known and honored by God — and the rich man who did not pay attention to Lazarus was not known or honored by God. Lazarus knew God and was known by God. His very name, Lazarus, means “God is my Help” or “God is my Helper”. When Jesus gives a name to Lazarus but does not give a name to the rich man, He turns our understanding of who’s who upside down.   He reminds us that those who think they are so important in the world – or that we think are so important – may really be nameless to God – while those we turn away from and do no pay attention to may be the very ones God makes important and identifies with.    

Sara Bunge puts it this way:

“By naming Lazarus and not the rich man, Jesus’ story completely contrasts with worldly understandings of who’s who. “As was His style, Jesus reminds us that heaven is the opposite of this world in many respects, especially when it comes to rating an individual’s worth in society.” Ms. Bunge asked her high-schoolers to name some rich people in our society. They came up with names like Bill Gates, Donald Trump, the Middle Eastern oil guys, and Oprah. Then she asked them for names of the people in their town who beg, or are homeless. The students made vague references to that one guy who sleeps

behind the store that crazy lady always asking for change when they come out of McDonalds.

 Bunge writes, “We all understood what Jesus was saying: God cares about

everybody, even and especially those that society would rather not pay attention to and definitely not name.” (4)

God noticed Lazarus and cared about him. God also noticed the actions of the rich man who refused to pay attention to the poor man on his doorstep. Jesus says “The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony . . .’”

Why do you suppose the rich man was in Hades? Maybe it’s because God noticed him just as he noticed Lazarus.

But — why did God deal with him so harshly? Jesus doesn’t tell us of any vicious, glaring sin – he was not cruel, as far as we know – he may have been an  upright citizen, respected and well liked. In society’s eyes he may have been honored and highly esteemed. People may have thought well of him. So – what was his sin? Why was he in Hades?

His sin was the sin of not paying attention.

He was in Hades because he did not pay attention.

Friends – we had better listen to this parable.  We had better listen up.

How often do you and I take time to pay attention to the people around us?  

How often do we pay attention to their needs and their concerns?

We need to pay attention to the homeless person asking for handouts and we need to pay attention to the lonely teenager who we may see every day but just pass by. We need to pay attention to the mother who is trying to keep her family together after her husband has abandoned them. We need to pay attention to the elderly person no one visits. We need to pay attention to the jobless guy who is being left behind by a culture that no longer values his talents. We need to pay attention to the Hisapnic family struggling to make ends meet while they struggle to live in a country where everything is strange to them.  And we even need pay attention to the person who may be sitting just a short distance from us in Church who has just received a devastating report from a doctor. We need to pay attention to what others are going through in their lives – and show them God cares by showing them that we care.

When he  was a child Jack Casey needed to have surgery and was terrified. But there was a nurse who remained by his side, holding his hand, reassuring him that everything would be okay. “I’ll be right here, no matter what,” she told him. And she kept her word; she was there and greeted him with a smile the moment he opened his eyes. Years later, Jack became a paramedic and he was called to the scene of an accident. A man was pinned upside down in his pickup. Jack did his best to free the trapped man even as gasoline dripped down on them. The man was afraid that he was going to die as the rescuers worked to free him. One spark and the whole scene would go up in flames. Jack remembered back to that time when he was a child and the nurse who never left. He took the man’s hands and squeezed them as he said, “Don’t worry! I’m right here with you! I’m not going anywhere!” Days after the rescue, the two men embraced as the driver said to Jack, “You know, you were crazy to stay there with me. We both could’ve died.” Jack smiled and said “I just couldn’t leave you. ” (5)

Here is the point, friends – if you don’t remember anything else I’ve said, remember this:  There was a time when each of us were spiritually dead – spiritually a beggar like Lazarus lying at the gate and totally helpless. Chris, though, noticed us and Christ loved us and gave us a name. As we remember that truth, that compassion, and that grace Christ showed us, Christ calls us to look around and see someone who needs our attention, our compassion, and our love and reach out to them.  Make it a point to pay attention to those around you – whoever they may be and whatever their need may be – and show them the love that Christ has shown you.

God wants you to pay attention to and reach out to others just as He has to you – but you can’t do this if you never take time to pay attention to others and look beyond you own cares and concerns. Friends — don’t be like the rich man who will forever be remembered as the person who refused to pay attention. Look around you today, and every day, and pay attention to and show God’s love to someone who needs it.  Amen.

——————————————

1. Leonard & Thelma Spinrad, Spekers Lifetime Library (Paramus, NJ: Revised &

Expanded, 1997), p. 228.

2. Richard Watson, Future Files: A Brief History of the Next 50 Years (Boston:Nicholas Breasley Publishing, 2010).

3. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Proper+21%3A+September+26,+2004.-a0120526513.

4. The Rev. Dr. Thomas G. Long,http://day1.org/1051-meeting_the_good_samaritan

Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

“No Point In Having It If You Don’t Use It!”

September 22, 2013

            This Parable — this story that Jesus told of the dishonest manager — is a little difficult for us to understand. 

            What is Jesus saying here? What does all this mean?

            Parables are stories that are intended to teach a lesson – so – what’s the lesson here?    

            How do you think Jesus would this story if He were telling it today?

            Well – while we can’t really be sure – but maybe it would go something like this:

            Joe worked for a major textile corporation.  This corporation made a variety of products — carpets, towels, rugs, bed sheets — almost anything desired in textiles were manufactured by this company. Joe was always looking for ways to make money — ways to “get ahead” — and he didn’t care if the money was made honestly or otherwise. Because he wanted to make money and didn’t care if he came about it by honest means or not, Joe came up with a plan to make some extra money – in fact  a lot of extra money.  Sense he was one of the top executives in the corporation, he learned months in advance what new products they were planning to distribute and what innovations would be introduced to products already on the market.  Every year when he was told of new products or innovations on old ones, he would immediately inform the competition — and — as you can imagine — he would be paid a great deal of money for doing this. Everything went as planned until one day at a staff meeting his boss informed the group that they thought that someone was tipping off the competition — and they would discover — and fire — whoever it was.  Joe felt that the boss was looking directly at him as he said this, but instead of “coming clean” and confessing to his boss, Joe got busy land learned all the advanced styles and techniques in the business.  If he was going to be fired, he thought to himself, he was going to make sure he knew everything there was to know about the business so he would be able to secure another job with one of the other textile corporations in the area. 

            Sure enough — one day Joe’s boss called him into the office.  He had been discovered.  He was fired. He acted as if he were upset — but the very next day it was announced that Joe had secured a higher-paying job at one of the competing textile firms.

            Now — what do you think Jesus would say about Joe?

            Would He say that Joe had done a good job — and that our business ethics and dealings should be like his?

            Of course Jesus wouldn’t say that.

            But — what He might say is: “I wish my people would be as crafty and scheme as much about how to get my work done as this man was in planning how to get his job done.”

            Jesus would not condone Joe’s actions. In fact, He didn’t condone the actions of the man His story here in Luke 16.  The dishonest steward was a scoundrel. Jesus is not condoning shady business practices at all in this parable – but he may be saying here:   “Why can’t y’all be just as worried about my work as this manager was about his?” “Why can’t y’all plan — scheme — and plot ways to get my work done? You plan and scheme and plot to get your work done — why not mine?”

            Friends — how do you use what God has given you?

            Do you use all you have for God’s kingdom — to spread God’s love to the world —  to get God’s work done in the Church, the community, and the world  — or do you use what   has given you for your own  glory – to do your will — to satisfy your desires – without considering God’s will for you?

            Where are your priorities? Is it a priority for you to use what you have — what God has blessed you with — for worldly things –such as your job — your entertainment — your material needs – or is it your priority to use what you have and  to do what you can to serve God and serve others?

            Jesus is not saying here that the actions of the manager in His parable were right — but He is saying that we need to be as concerned with getting God’s work done as the dishonest manager was in getting his own work done. 

            Think about it — are you all that different from this manager in Jesus’ story? Sure – you may not cheat and defraud as this manager did — but if you’re like mst people you have your own ways of making sure that your businesses is a success — and that your needs are taken care of — and that your job  is secure. I am sure that you make certain that you use everything that you have to make your business or your job as lucrative for you as possible.           

            But what about God’s work? What do you use to make sure that the work of God’s will is getting done?

What about the Church? What do you use to make sure that the work of the Church gets done in the best way possible?

            Too many times God’s work gets what’s left over after you get your work done — the leftover time — the leftover energy — the leftover ideas — the leftover enthusiasm. Friends — it should not be that way. You need to use what you have for God’s work in the Church, in the community, and in the world —  not what you have left over.

            God has blessed you with so much. It’s up to you to look for — plan for — and yes — even scheme ways to use what God has blessed you with for God’s work — God’s glory — and to show God’s love in the Church, the community, and the world. 

            God has blessed you with so much – God may be asking:

            “What are you doing with what I have given you? Are you using it to do my work and my will in the Church — the community – and the world?”

            When it comes to the gifts and abilities God has given you  — there is no point  in having them if you don’t use them!

            There is no point in having an ability if you don’t use it for God!

            You need to use what you have — and all that you have — to get the work of God in the Church, the community, and the world accomplished. You need to spend as much time planning how you can help   accomplish God’s work as you spend time planning how you are going to accomplish yours.  You need to commit  your time to God’s work – just as you do to ours.  You need to take the work of God as seriously as you do your other jobs.

            You might spend hours planning how to make your business a success and doing what you need to do to make your business successful – but how much time do you spend planning how to make the work of God in the Church – the community – and the world a success? God has indeed blessed you – and it’s up to you to use what He has blessed us with.

            Yea — when it comes to the abilities and gifts God has given you – there is no point in having it if you don’t use it!

            Use what God has given you to get God’s work done! Get involved in the work of God in the world!

            The work of God — the work of the Church – the work God wants to do in the community and in the world — is of vital importance to us — to the Church – to the community and to the world.     It takes commitment. It takes time.   It takes planning. It takes all you have. It takes your realizing God’s gifts to you and using all that God has blessed you with to get His work done.

            Yes — it takes time to participate in the work of the Church – in the worship – the learning — the fellowship – and the outreach that goes on here and in the community. I’m not going to lie to you and say that it doesn’t. What I  will say, though, is that you need to be willing to take the time it takes to participate in as many of the services, programs, and activities that we have – as many  of the  things God is doing through us here at Edgewood – as you can. You also need to take the time to help plan how the work of the Church — the work of God in the community and the world – can get done in the best way possible. The work of the Church – the work God is doing and calls you to take part in within these walls and in the community takes time. It also takes money. It also takes commitment.  It takes imagination.  It takes all these things — just like your daily job does. Be willing to give the work of God in the Church – the community – and the world the things you can give it so it can get done.  

            When it comes to the abilities and gifts God has given you – there is indeed no point in having it if you don’t use it!

            In the book A Third Helping Of Chicken Soup For The Soul  Marion Doolan relates the following story of how she discovered how rich she really was — and how she could use what God had blessed her with. She tells the story this way —

            On a cold winter day two children in ragged  outgrown coats knocked on her door.  When she went to the door, one of them asked:

            “Any old papers, lady?”

            Doolan was busy working on her household budget – but asked the children in and served them cocoa and toast with jam to fortify them against the chill outside. As the children drank the cocoa and ate the toast, Doolan went back to the kitchen and started to work on her household budget again. After a few minutes she peeked back into the room where the children were and noticed that one of the children held the empty cup in which she had served them the cocoa in her hands, looking at it. One of the others asked Doolan: , “Lady…are you rich?”

           “Am I rich? Mercy, no!” Doolan replied.

            The child holding the cup put her cup back in its saucer – carefully.

             “But you must be’ — the other child said – “Your cups match your saucers.”

         After the children left, Doolan  began to prepare her supper — potatoes and  gravy — and thought to herself – matching cups and saucers, potatoes and brown gravy, things she took for granted – but things  these children thought were signs of wealth.   As she moved the chairs back from the fireplace where she had served the children she thanked God for how rich she really was – and prayed to always use what she had to get God’s work done.

            Friends – you may want to get rich – but the truth is you are rich! God has richly blessed you with so much that you can use in here in this Church, in this  community, and in the world. It’s up to you to use what God has given you.

            What good is it if you don’t use it?

            Indeed — why can’t you be like the manager in Jesus; parable in Luke 16:1-13 — — planning, plotting, talking about, and discovering new ways to be about the work of God? The work of God in this Church – the work of God in this community – and the work of God in the world  takes all you have! A better way to put that is that it takes all God has blessed you with! Don’t hake what God has blessed you with for granted – don’t let it go to waste.  Don’t let it be of no use because you don’t use it!

            Don’t take the work of God in this Church, in this community, and in the world for granted — but use what God has blessed you with for His glory and His work. God has blessed you with so much – but there is no point in having it if you don’t use it!   Amen.

 

Jeremiah 18:1-11, Luke 14:25-33

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Luke 14:25-33

What Will Be Your Legacy?

9/8/13

             I recently heard a story about a guy named Bob. Bob was single and worked in a very successful family business. His father was in very poor health, and Bob knew that when his father died he would inherit the family business and the fortune that his father had made, so Bob decided to get married so he would have a wife to share his soon-to-be abundant wealth with. One evening Bob was attending an investment meeting, and he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. He knew this was the woman he wanted to marry and share his life,  and his soon to be fortune, with.   He introduced himself to her and said: “I may look like just an ordinary guy, but in a few more years I will inherit $200 million.” Impressed, the woman asked for his business card. Three days later, this beautiful woman became – not Bob’s  wife —  but his stepmother!

                      Now there’s a woman who had a plan for success! Everybody needs a plan in today’s fast changing world — though marrying a wealthy widower may not work for everybody. But the world is changing and we need to be prepared – to have plan for our lives.

In the passage from Luke 14:25-33 I read a few minutes ago  there were many people who were starting to follow Jesus. Did they know what they were getting into? Unbridled enthusiasm has its place, but it must be tempered with reason. So Jesus uses an analogy. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’” Jesus then moves  to another analogy. “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

You know — Jesus is stating a solid spiritual principle in practical and recognizable terms. People fail in business. People also fail in life. And the reasons are often the same.

One guy said sadly, “I started out on the theory that the world had an opening for me. I was right. Today I’m in a hole.”  We know what he was talking about, don’t we? The person who does not sit down and count the costs – whether in building a tower or conducting a military campaign or building a life–can find themselves in a  deep hole. Successful living begins with a plan.  The old saying is true: people who fail to plan, plan to fail.

An Englishman named Lionel Burleigh decided to become a newspaper man. He was unhappy with the depth of reporting in British newspapers at the time, so he decided to publish his own paper. He called his paper the Commonwealth Sentinel.  He worked diligently for weeks writing articles, promoting the newspaper on billboards, selling advertising space, and printing up 50,000 copies. He was determined to make the first edition a success. After the first edition of the newspaper was printed, Burleigh was resting in his hotel room when he was interrupted by a call from the London police. “Have you anything to do with the Commonwealth Sentinel?” the officer asked.  Well, yes, I am the publisher Burleigh replied – waiting for the officer to congratulate him on his new paper.  But the officer continued:  “There are 50,000 of these newspapers blocking Albemarle Street.” Oops. With the hundreds of details to attend to when publishing a newspaper, Burleigh had overlooked one critical detail: He never got a distributor. Nobody was out delivering his newspapers. They were sitting in the middle of the street blocking traffic. The Commonwealth Sentinel folded the following day. (1)

You know — Lionel Burleigh  was probably a fine man. He may have even been a smart man in many ways. But his plan was not completely thought out. Like the man who ran out of money building a tower or the king who brought too few soldiers into battle, Lionel simply didn’t take all the necessary contingencies into consideration.

How much time do you spend planning your life?  Some people spend more time planning for a vacation than they do planning for their life. We are so busy with so many things in our lives, we may not even think about the things that really matter. So — to help you as you plan your life — I want to ask you some questions that I believe you will have to answer.

The first question is: what kind of legacy do you hope to leave?  Some day you will no longer be here. How will people remember you? In what ways will the world be a better place because you’ve been here?

One of the habits of successful people that Stehen Covey writes about in his book The Seven Habits Of Highly Successful People is begin with the end in mind. Covey writes that – if you were to die tomorrow – what would you leave behind? Which of your values would you want to pass on to others? Covey than asks — Are you living out those values right now? Covey asks you to think about your funeral.  What would you want your family – your friends – your  co – workers – people who attend Church with you —  to say about you?  Would you want them to say that you were kind and loving – that you  did what you could to love others and help others – that you were an example of God’s love to them? This is what Covey calls your legacy – what people remember about you. And – who wouldn’t want  this kind of legacy – who wouldn’t want people to say these types of things about them?  Covey then points out – and it is so true – that if you want to leave a legacy of being a loving, devoted family member and friend – a person who follows God and tries to show God’s love to others with actions and words — then you are going to have to be a devoted and loving family member and friend – you are going to have to follow God and you are going to have to show God’s love to others in all you say and all you do. Your legacy is based upon your life.  You are building your legacy every day.   Beginning with the end in mind, Covey says, is deciding what you want your legacy to be – then building and planning your life around that.

This is the kind of thought for life that Jesus encouraged among his followers in the Luke 14 passage we are looking at today and in so many other teachings.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave to those you love and to the world?

Here’s a similar second question for you to consider as you plan your life:

What is your sentence? 

Clare Boothe Luce, one of the first women to serve in Congress,  once offered some advice to President John F. Kennedy. “A great man,” she told him, “is a sentence.” Abraham Lincoln’s sentence was: “He preserved the union and freed the slaves.” Franklin Roosevelt’s sentence was: “He lifted us out of a Great Depression and helped us win a world war.” Luce feared that Kennedy’s attention was so splintered among different priorities that his sentence risked becoming a muddled paragraph. (2)

As you consider your purpose for your life, your plan for life, you might want to ask yourself:  What’s my sentence?

My Dad and I once went to a professional football game in Atlanta. We saw the Falcons play the then- Baltimore Colts.  We saw several great football players that day – including Earl Morral and Bubba Smith. Bubba Smith tells of how he once came face-to-face with his sentence many years ago, and how he didn’t like it. Bubba was a big man who first came into prominence playing football at Michigan State University where he was an A ll-American defensive end. The first selection of the 1967 NFL Draft, he played nine years in the pros. He was named to two Pro Bowls and was a First-Team All-Pro in 1971. After football, Smith was recruited to appear in commercials for Miller Lite beer. He and fellow NFL veteran Dick Butkus were cast as inept golfers and polo players in the TV spots. In one of the most memorable ads, Smith recited the virtues of the beer, beaming into the camera, “I also love the easy-opening cans,” while ripping off the top of the can. But Smith walked away from the job because he didn’t like the effect drinking had on people and he realized that he was contributing to a significant social problem. In a magazine article about his life, Bubba Smith said that neither beer nor any other alcoholic beverage had ever been part of his life. But he advertised Lite beer and felt good about his job. It was an easy job. It was an enjoyable job, it paid a good salary. Until one day when he went back to Michigan State, his alma mater, as the Grand Marshal of the Homecoming Parade. As he was riding in the limousine at the head of the parade, he heard throngs of people on both sides of the parade route shouting. One side was shouting, “Tastes great!” and the other side was shouting, “Less filling!”– the slogans Miller Lite used to promote their products. Bubba Smith suddenly realized that he and the beer commercials that he made had had a tremendous impact on the students at Michigan State, and he was becoming known as “Mr. Miller Lite”.  When it came time to renew his contract, he refused to sign because he said that he didn’t want his life to count for something like that. He said that there was a still, small voice in his mind that kept saying, “Stop, Bubba. Stop.” Bubba Smith didn’t want the sentence he would leave as his legacy to be “Tastes great! Less filling!” So he walked away.

What sentence will one day summarize your life? “He was a great father.” “She kept a spotless home.” “He had a bad temper.” “She wore the cutest outfits.” How about if that sentence was, “He or she was a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ.” 

Here in Luke 14 Jesus was addressing people who were considering becoming Hhis disciples. He wanted them to understand what was involved. He didn’t need half-hearted saints. He wanted people who were willing to leave everything they considered important– if that were ever needed- -in order to follow Him.

Would you measure up to that standard?

            Years ago there was a remarkable village in southeastern France called La Chambon. What made this village remarkable is that the residents of that village, as a community, risked their lives to protect Jews during World War II. In later years documentaries were made about them and  a wonderful book titled Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed was written about them by Philip P. Hallie. But the villagers tended to be irritated by questions that made their risks sound noble or praiseworthy. “What else would you do?” they responded. “You do what needs to be done.” (3)

            That would be a good one-sentence legacy: They did what needed to be done.

            You may have heard the story of Tom Burnett, a passenger on United Flight 93 which went down in Pennsylvania n 9/11.  When he and other passengers began realizing what was happening  — that two planes had hit the World Trade Center  and that their plane had been hijacked – he called his wife and told her: “I know we’re going to die,” he said. “But some of us are going to do something about it.” And because they did, many other lives were saved.

            Now — “I know we’re going to die,” is an unremarkable statement. Each of us here today could say the same. But those other words, “Some of us are going to do something about it,” is an inspiring one sentence legacy.

            What will be your legacy?

What one sentence would you want to define your life?

Are you living right now so that that legacy may be achieved?

God wants to shape your life – then use you to accomplish His will in the world.  That’s what Jeremiah realized when he noticed the potter shaping the clay.  God has a purpose for your life  – a legacy for you to live that includes living a life that serves Him and others – and shows His love to others.

Jesus said: “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? . . . Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

            So — what will be your leagcy?

            What is the sentence you are writing for your life? 

            Better questions are — What is legacy God wants you have? 

            What is the sentence God wants you to write for your life?

            Are you living according to God’s purpose for your life today?

            Are you writing the sentence God wants you to wrote?

            Every day you are living your  legacy  — writing your sentence.

            May you legacy – your sentence — be that you love God and do what you can to serve God and others, 

 

1.      Leland Gregory, Stupid History Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages (Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2007), p. 173.

2.      . Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us (New York: Penguin, 2009).

3.      John Ortberg, The Me I Want To Be: Becoming God’s Best Version Of You (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), p. 75.

 

Jerermiah 2:4-13, Luke 14:1, 7-14

What Is Our Mission?

Jeremiah 2:4-13

Luke 14:1,7-14

September 1, 2013

In Walking On Water Madeline L’Engle relates a science fiction story about a planet that  earth was attempting to colonize. The planet was harsh in climate and it’s inhabitants hostile. The best men and women that could be gathered were brought together into teams and sent to establish a colony on this harsh, unwelcoming planet, but expedition after expedition returned to earth broken after each one tried and failed to gain a foothold. Finally a new general was charged with the responsibility of making the colonization venture work, but instead of looking for the strongest and most qualified people he could find to send for establishing the colony he went to the waterfronts, to the slums, to the darkest places on earth and got together a contingent of thieves and indigents — the most “down and out” people he could find – and sent them to colonize this harsh planet. And – guess what? Where the strongest had failed, the “down and out” succeeded. Now – you may ask why the “down and out” succeeded when the strongest had failed. Well, for several reasons. First of all, they already had learned to survive in a hostile environment. Second, they had no place to go but up. (1)

You know — throughout Jesus’ ministry the Pharisees, Sadducees, their Scribes, and other religious leaders grumbled about the kind of people who came to hear Jesus. Many of those who gathered around Jesus were uneducated people who could care less about the Pharisees, Sadducees, and their Scribes and the pomp and finery many of them added to the Jewish religion, and the Sadducees and Pharisees didn’t like them either.  They regarded Jesus’ followers as the scum of the earth — fishermen, tax‑collectors, prostitutes and others they considered “unclean” and did not allow to enter the Synagogues for worship.  It particularly galled the Pharisees and Sadducees when Jesus said that these people – these “sinners” – the people of low social status — would go into the kingdom of God before they, the religious elite, would. This was a bizarre teaching to many of Jesus’ listeners, yet Jesus made it clear that He had not come for the “righteous” who thought they had God all figured out – but for the “sinners” who knew they needed God in their lives.

“When you give a luncheon or dinner,” He says in today’s lesson from Luke 14 “do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

If Jesus were still on earth today I doubt He would be invited to be a speaker at one of the many popular Church Growth seminars that are so popular these days. One of the major tenets of many of these seminars is that successful churches, like successful businesses, should choose a target audience, preferably one like everyone else in the Church, to try to reach for membership.  For example, in his best – selling book, The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren writes about their “target market.” He writes: “Our Target: Saddleback Sam. He is well educated. He likes his job. He likes where he lives. Health and fitness are high priorities for him and his family. He’d rather be in a large group than a small one. He is skeptical of ‘organized’ religion. He likes contemporary music. He thinks he is enjoying life more than he did five years ago. He is self-satisfied, even smug, about his station in life . . .”

That’s the kind of person Saddleback Church is trying to reach. And what church wouldn’t want members like that? Good job, strong family, healthy, well-educated–gather enough people in that demographic and your church is going to be extremely successful as the world terms success.

And yet – are those are the people whom Jesus told us to target?

No – Jesus says to invite – to target – “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” – the sinners – the ones who are not like us – the ones who are “misfits” – the ones others don’t want to have anything to do with. These are the people Jesus tells us to “target” in our Church. These    are the people Jesus himself targeted in His ministry.

On one occasion Jesus declared, “I have come to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). And on another occasion He declared, “The well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick” (Mark 2:17) When He stood up to preach his first sermon and announced His mission, He read that God: “has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).

Yea — Jesus saw His mission as trying to reach the poor, the blind, those who were oppressed and who were captives- – but these are the last people on earth – the last people in their community — the average church today is trying to attract. These are the last people most churches have as their “mission” or their goal for reaching in their community and the world.

What about us? What about us – here at Edgewood? Is our mission – our goal – to attract folks like us – or to reach out to the poor and needy – the ones Jesus reached out to in His ministry?

What is our mission?

I’m afraid that Reggie McNeal is right on the mark when he writes:

“Church culture in North America is a mere vestige of the original Christian movement, an institutional expression of religion that is in part a civil religion and in part a club where religious people can hang out with other people whose politics, world-view, and lifestyle match theirs.” (2)

Ouch! That description of the church hits the nail squarely on the thumb, doesn’t it? And it hurts! But it’s true — we want to be around people who are like us. That’s only natural, but it does not make it Christian or Christ – like.

One of Sally and my friends in Reidsville went on a camping trip across the country to the Grand Canyon. When he got back he told us about how at night his friend and he would stop and camp – and would sit by the camp fire and review everything they had seen that day and plan for what they would see the next day. He says they would sit by their camp fire until late into the evening, but he began to notice how he and his friend enjoyed sitting around their own campfire, while all the other campers at the camp site sat around their own camp fires. Rarely would anyone venture into the darkness, and rarely would anyone enter another groups camp space. Each camping group, he said, was content in its own space, safe from the darkness and secluded from outsiders in is own exclusive fellowship.  

When he related this part of his trip to us I thought—that’s a great metaphor for the average church — content in its own space, safe from the darkness and secluded from outsiders in its own exclusive fellowship.

And yet – Jesus says: “When you give a luncheon or dinner do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors . . . when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.”

So what is Jesus saying to us in this strange teaching?

He’s saying that the church is the one institution in our society that does not exist for the benefit of its own members.

Sure, it’s natural to want to be around people who are like us, but Christ wants us to do something that is very unnatural- – Christ wants us to reach out to those who may not be like us, but who need us to show them His love.

So – again — is our mission – our goal – here at Edgewood to attract folks like us – or to reach out to the poor and needy – the ones Jesus reached out to in His ministry?

What is our mission?

Yea – the Church is the one institution in our society whose mission is not to focus on benefitting its own members. The Church’s mission is to focus on “the others” – the poor, the needy, the “down and out”,  the “sinners”. The Church’s mission is to show them the love of God.

That’s been God’s mission from the beginning.  In our passage from Jeremiah 2 God is upset with the people of Israel – His chosen people – because He had called them to show His love to the rest of the world, but they had chosen to feel proud that God had chosen them and not   share His love. God’s response to this was to choose to no longer love the people who did not share His love.

Our mission as a Church – our mission as God’s people – needs to be sharing God’s love with all people – particularly the poor, the needy, and the “sinners”, those who need to experience  it the most.    

Have you ever noticed how there are usually 3 groups of people at a car accident?  You usually have one group of people that are the bystanders and onlookers. They are curious and watch to see what happened, but take little active involvement in helping those in the accident.  Most of them drive by and look – but keep on driving.  The second group is the group that stands around and tries to assign blame for the accident. They may try to figure out who was at fault – sometimes without regard for the facts. Then there’s the third group of people — the police, the firemen, and the paramedics. Their first response is to help those who were hurt. They bandage wounds, free trapped people, and give words of encouragement. Three groups — one is uninvolved, one is assigning blame and assessing punishment, and one is bandaging wounds, freeing trapped people, and giving words of encouragement.

Friends, when it comes to the hungry, the homeless, the down and out, the “sinners” those that Jesus reached out to and made the focus for his mission on earth – too many times we act like the first group of people at an accident. Instead of showing God’s love and making them the focus for our mission as they were the focus of Jesus’, we act mere spectators.  We may say: “I don’t want to get involved.” We may drive by them and look the other way. Then again sometimes we act like the second group of people at an accident– assigning blame without really knowing the facts. We are quick to criticize those in need and slow to show them the love of God. Rarely do we see them as the focus of our mission as a Church and act like the third group of people at an accident – the police, firemen, and paramedics who assess needs and meet them.

Jesus saw His mission as trying to reach the poor, the blind, those who were oppressed and who were captives- – but these are the last people on earth – the last people in their community — the average church today is trying to attract. These are the last people most churches have as their “mission” or their goal for reaching in their community and the world.

What about us? What about us – here at Edgewood? Is our mission – our goal – to attract folks like us – or to reach out to the poor and needy – the ones Jesus reached out to in His ministry?

What is our mission?

But you know – having Jesus’ mission for the poor – the homeless – those in need – the down and out – the “sinners” as our mission is not easy. It is much easier to be a spectator or to sit back and pass judgment on others than it is to get our hands dirty and seek to minister to the needs of others. But that is not what Jesus wants from us. He wants us to reach out to those “who cannot pay us back.” He wants that to be our mission in our community and the world.

I read a wonderful story about a children’s worker named April McClure. April teaches a Wednesday Bible study for boys and girls in her church. One day a nine-year-old boy named Brandon came to April’s class. Immediately she could see he was going to be a troublemaker. Within 30 seconds of entering the room, he had pulled a chair out from under a girl, punched the only other boy in the class in the arm, and used a four-letter word rarely heard in that church. His family history was not a pretty one. His father was in jail for the third time. He had been abused by his mother, who was no longer allowed to see him, and so he was living with his grandmother. She worked afternoons and evenings. The woman who provided childcare for him while the grandmother worked was not available until 6 p.m. The principal of Brandon’s grade school had heard that April’s Bible study lasted until 7:30, and so, for at least one night a week, Brandon would not be on his own for three hours. Imagine being a children’s teacher and having Brandon in your class. Imagine him constantly changing the subject to talk about things that he had heard from his 20-year-old uncle about girls. Think about listening with apprehension as he told the other children stories he had heard about his father in jail. April McClure did her best to reach out to Brandon. She set him right next to her in the Bible class and she let him help with passing out papers when he behaved himself. She helped him try to control his anger, to keep him from striking out at other children. Even during recreational times, though, Brandon acted up, hitting and pinching the other children. During music, he goofed around and carried on conversations; during meal time, he was an absolute terror–throwing food, spitting at people, and making the little kids cry. April and the other leaders didn’t know what to do. They secretly hoped that his grandmother would make other arrangements for him. The other kids missed an occasional Wednesday but not Brandon. He was there every single week. After about seven months of this, however, April noticed a change in Brandon. He started giving her a hug when he left for the evening with his babysitter. One day, she saw him in the grocery store, and he ran up to her, and pulled her over to meet his grandmother who was one of the cashiers. One day toward the end of the school year, the Bible study class was discussing hospitality, and April   asked the kids to think about the place where they felt most secure, most at home. Some said their bedrooms, or some other place in their homes. When it came to Brandon, he said, ‘Man, I’ve lived in a million places.’ They all laughed and waited for him to go on. He asked, ‘You mean the place where I feel happy and safe?’ April said yes. ‘Oh,’ he said matter-of-factly, ‘That’s right here in my church.’” (3)

            Friends, Jesus wants all people to find a safe place, a secure, happy place in the Church. He doesn’t want anyone to feel left out. His mission was to reach out to all people with God’s love. But you know — most churches don’t really want people who have problems. A lot of times  people who have problems cause problems. Like Brandon when he first came to April’s Bible Study. Yet these are the people for whom God’s heart aches, and these are the people He has calls us to reach out to.  These are the people God calls us make our mission in the world and the community.

            What is our mission?

Let’s make it our mission to discover ways to not pass by those in need – or pass judgment on them – but to actively reach out to them with God’s love. Amen.

             

1. Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water (New York: Bantam Books, 1980).

2. Reggie McNeal, The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003).

3. http://www.ottawamennonite.ca/sermons/impractical.htm.