“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.
This is Passion Sunday, or Palm Sunday. It always seems to me that Passion Sunday would better belong around Valentine’s day to bring the crowds in. But do you know why we call this Passion Sunday? It’s not because I’m going to become extra intense or excited during the sermon, though that might happen, you’ll just have to wait and see, and it has nothing to do with romance as the word “passion” is commonly used nowadays.
The word passion literally means the same thing as suffering. To experience something operating on you from outside yourself—something out of your control. It has the same root in English as the word “passive”. Passion Sunday refers to how God acted toward his Son Jesus, and how he operates in our lives as well. Jesus suffered at the hands of his Father and, so, is humbled, beaten, spit on, mocked, crucified and buried. Then, on Easter day, Jesus suffers God his Father again and is raised from the dead. Jesus, the Son, is the not the actor in all of this, but the one acted upon.
Within the next week we will have heard about our Savior, Jesus, being beaten, spit on, mocked, crucified, killed and buried. We will then hear that this same Jesus was raised from the dead. This is called “the passion of our Lord”. Suffering is often looked at as something “bad” or even “evil”. To be passive is a kind of bad word in today’s language too often assuming some kind of lack of motivation or assertiveness. But the word passion means something more than this. This is the message of Passion Sunday: God is up to His elbows in all the events of life. Whether they look good or bad to us. Even in the death of His very own son Jesus Christ. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who suffered at the hands of God His Father just as you do today.
The story of Jesus’ suffering is meant not only to give us strength, but to give us faith and hope. Because this is the same experience that we will all have in our lives. There will be times when God acts in our lives and we consider it a horrible time of suffering, like when a loved one dies. There will be times when God acts in our lives and we consider it a joyous time of suffering, like when a loved one is healed. It’s good suffering, but I’m calling both these times suffering because they are both out of our control—they are in God’s hands—and we just deal with the consequences—good or bad.
The passion story of Jesus expresses the hope that everything in our lives is in fact in God’s hands whether we care to admit it or not. Whether we like it or not. And to be able to trust that God’s hands are in everything, both the good and bad, can give you a peace that passes all understanding. Jesus trusted that all things were in His Father’s hands, even though that meant he would suffer on the cross. He knew that suffering at God’s hands would always end up much better than trying to control his life by himself. “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.”
What is your passion story? I am suffering at God’s hands this very day. I have recently suffered the birth of a gorgeous and healthy baby boy. I don’t believe I had a lot of control over this. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t try to control the result by feeding my wife healthy food and hiring midwives that were experienced in delivering babies. But what, if any, difference that made I will never know. Many others have done the same and suffered unhealthy babies and sick mothers. We suffer the blessings of God just as we suffer the pains. It’s very much out of our hands. We suffer it. It is our passion story.
Rose has gone through a passion story here this morning as well. According to the apostle Paul, when she was baptized in Christ Jesus this morning she was baptized into death. She was buried by her baptism, into death, so that just as Christ was raised by the glory of the Father she too might walk in newness of life. Through no action of her own, Rose died this morning and through no action of her own, Rose was raised from the dead this morning to live with God forever. It’s His promise, His action, His wonderful work. Her passion story and her suffering. Like the rest of us, if little Rose can ever understand what it means for her to be the helpless beneficiary of God’s redeeming love then she’ll finally understand what it means to trust God through all those times in her life when she feels helpless. When she can’t control what’s happening, I pray that she’ll know that God is still working to love her.
Finally, our community of faith, here at Saint Peters, is going through a passion story as well. Easter Sunday will be my last Sunday here as your pastor and, a couple days later, my family will be moving across the country to a new call. Lots of things will be changing for your family and for mine. We will all suffer heartbreak and sadness for what has been lost as well as happiness and joy for what might be possible. Like many of you, sometimes I look over my two years here, and especially the last several months, and wonder what could have been done differently or said differently. What could we have controlled or changed that would have made a happier ending? The message of Passion Sunday is this: God is up to His elbows in all the events of life. Even this. Through it all. While it is tempting to second-guess his plans, we are called to be faithful to Him and trust him even now. That there will be resurrection after this death. That there is great hope in the midst of all these changes.
God has a plan in all of this. Just like he had a plan when Jesus was lying dead in a tomb. Like Jesus, in our passion stories we will all encounter death but, then again, just like Jesus, our stories will not end there. There will be joy after this sadness. There will be life after death. No matter how difficult the times, this is our passion story. God is holding each one of us in the palm of his hand. Amen.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Sermon for March 14th
“Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sin is put away! Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, and in whose spirit there is no guile!” The thesis of psalm 32 is this: Repentance and forgiveness gives health, salvation and wholeness.
The writer of this psalm begins by explaining his situation: “While I held my tongue, my bones withered away because of my groaning all day long.” In another translation of this verse, it says, “While I kept silence, my body wasted away.” What does it mean to “keep silence”? He has been silent about his sin before God. He either has not confessed his sins and/or he has not repented of them before God. These sins are still affecting his life. The writer describes what his deceitfulness before God—his refusal to admit and turn away from sin—what that did to him: “While I held my tongue, my bones withered away. For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; my strength was dried up as in the heat of summer.”
Many people do not believe that sin bears any consequences. You’ve no doubt met people who seem to do whatever they want, good or bad, and feel exonerated by the fact that they never seem to get in trouble. As a verse from the book of Malachi puts it, “What do we profit by keeping God’s command or by going about as mourners before the Lord of hosts? The arrogant are happy; evildoers not only prosper, but when they put God to the test they escape!”
But the Bible tells us again and again that there is a connection between sin and disease, faith and healing, “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed” the book of James says. The apostle Paul writes, “Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” When Jesus was approached by a sick woman he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
Still, one would be hard pressed to always find a cause and effect relationship between one particular sin and a sickness. As Jesus explains in the gospel of Matthew, “God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” In our day and age, Christians seem to get sick as much as non-Christians . . . why?
According to scripture, is all sickness caused by sin? Yes, but what sin or whose sin isn’t always clear. “As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” It is tempting to place blame for all sickness and pain in our lives, just like Job’s friends tried to blame Job for all that had happened to him. You see, Job did not become sick because of any particular sin he had committed; however, while he was griping against God for his undeserved suffering, trying to justify himself rather than God, he became prideful. So in the end, it was still only through repentance that Job was healed.
Many people do not believe that sin bears any consequences. Others might admit that there are consequences to sin, but only after death. Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead, but that does not mean that we still do not reap what we sow right here one Earth as well. Scripture says sin creates sickness. So if you or I are sick and suffering, why do we not look to God and repent in order to see where we may be out of line with God’s will? Why!?
Because we have heard stories. You have no doubt heard stories about how some Christians have refused to go to the doctor and died from an easily treatable sickness. Why does this happen? Because some believe there is no mystery to God’s healing. That they can decide when and where and how it’s going to happen. Imagine the arguments: If sickness is caused by sin and sin alone, going to a doctor won’t help—only prayer will. And if you truly have faith, it’s your own fault if you suffer or die. You just didn’t believe correctly.
You have no doubt heard stories of how people have been terrorized by feelings of guilt and hopelessness when, despite their fervent prayers, prayers of repentance and prayers of faith, they still don’t get better. Francis McNutt, the well known faith healer, tells this story: I remember once when we were praying at a Christian college for the students, one by one, and a lovely young woman came up When we asked what she would like us to pray for, she stammered and couldn’t tell us. Finally she said, ‘They say I have a brain tumor.’ But, ‘Who is they? It’s the doctors.’ She had been prayed for and her well-meaing ministers told her afterwards that the tumor was a ‘lying symptom.’ When she told us this, she burst into tears. A month later, her mother wrote, letting us know that she had died and thanking us for our encouragement. The group who had prayed for her didn’t even come to the hospital; they abandoned her in her hour of greatest need when she was struggling with a feeling that God had abandoned her.
God says to each of us, “My ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts.” There are mysteries to sickness and suffering. There are mysteries to faith and healing. We will never fully understand how God works. However, despite the storylines we know all too well, shouldn’t the stories and promises in scripture mean something too? Scripture tells us plainly: sin causes sickness. God commands us to repent of our sins and we will be healed. In the Bible, healing is normal and expected. Perhaps we’ve missed something very important in trying to protect ourselves from abuses and disappointment.
Psalm 32, “While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, because of my groaning all day long. For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; my strength was dried up as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not conceal my guilt. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.” I have spoken to you these last few weeks about repentance and perhaps you have even considered it once or twice. But, then again, maybe you didn’t think that it was really that necessary because you have more time. You’re doing good enough. You’re healthy! You’re happy! While it may be uncomfortable for you and I to hear this, scripture makes it clear, unconfessed sin hurts you in mind and body and it hurts your relationship to God.
Psalm 32 goes on, “Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble; when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them. You are my hiding-place; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.” Both of my children have a peculiar habit which you may recognize. Sometimes, when they do something wrong and they are caught, they close their eyes. As if, by closing their eyes and blinding themselves to their sin, they have blinded me and their mother from it as well. And until they open their eyes and deal with the consequences of their actions, they are being affected by their choices and our relationship to them is affected. In the same way, when we sin against God or one another and choose to hide our faces from our mistakes, to keep silent, rather than confess our sins before God we will suffer. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth.”
Again and again in the Bible, physical and mental sickness and disease is said to be casued by sin and healed through repentance, forgiveness, faith and prayer. Are we paying attention to these words? Words from God that might give us faith? Or are we simply listening to the stories that cause us to doubt. What might change in your life if you took God at his word?
The psalmist says that we must find a different hiding place. We must stand, naked and exposed in the light of God, and say, “You, Lord, are my hiding place.” You see, most of the time, when my children finally open their eyes and admit that they have done something wrong, after a few tears they jump into my arms and bury their faces in my chest or armpit. We must hide in the light of God and not in the darkness of our lives.
Listen, there are many suffering today including many of our loved ones. There are so many sicknesses and diseases out there that doctors can treat but not cure. And yet, even though we know we are sinners and even though we hear this clear sin/sickness connection in the Bible, we are so much more likely to want to blame “luck” or say that “God sent this disease so it must be good for me” rather than to look at ourselves and ask the question, “Where is there still sin in my life?” I believe that God blesses us with doctors and nurses and we would be silly to forego medical treatment for ourselves or those we love when we are sick. However, aren’t we being just as silly, if not arrogant, to believe that our sicknesses and diseases have nothing to do with our sin?
As we focus on repentance this Lent, do not forget that Jesus Christ died for the ungodly on the cross. He did not come for the healthy but for the sick! He did not come for the righteous but for the unrighteous! So if you are sick and unrighteous, Jesus Christ is for you. Repent and trust in the Lord who is gracious and merciful. If you are weak under the weight of God’s heavy hands, trust in the Lord and in his mercy to redeem you. Do not simply trust in your ability to keep the law and refrain from sin, for the law says “Do this!” and it is never done! The gospel says “Believe in Jesus Christ and the power of his cross and his blood” and everything is done already. Salvation, healing and wholeness. Repent and believe in the good news! Amen.
The writer of this psalm begins by explaining his situation: “While I held my tongue, my bones withered away because of my groaning all day long.” In another translation of this verse, it says, “While I kept silence, my body wasted away.” What does it mean to “keep silence”? He has been silent about his sin before God. He either has not confessed his sins and/or he has not repented of them before God. These sins are still affecting his life. The writer describes what his deceitfulness before God—his refusal to admit and turn away from sin—what that did to him: “While I held my tongue, my bones withered away. For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; my strength was dried up as in the heat of summer.”
Many people do not believe that sin bears any consequences. You’ve no doubt met people who seem to do whatever they want, good or bad, and feel exonerated by the fact that they never seem to get in trouble. As a verse from the book of Malachi puts it, “What do we profit by keeping God’s command or by going about as mourners before the Lord of hosts? The arrogant are happy; evildoers not only prosper, but when they put God to the test they escape!”
But the Bible tells us again and again that there is a connection between sin and disease, faith and healing, “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed” the book of James says. The apostle Paul writes, “Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” When Jesus was approached by a sick woman he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
Still, one would be hard pressed to always find a cause and effect relationship between one particular sin and a sickness. As Jesus explains in the gospel of Matthew, “God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” In our day and age, Christians seem to get sick as much as non-Christians . . . why?
According to scripture, is all sickness caused by sin? Yes, but what sin or whose sin isn’t always clear. “As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” It is tempting to place blame for all sickness and pain in our lives, just like Job’s friends tried to blame Job for all that had happened to him. You see, Job did not become sick because of any particular sin he had committed; however, while he was griping against God for his undeserved suffering, trying to justify himself rather than God, he became prideful. So in the end, it was still only through repentance that Job was healed.
Many people do not believe that sin bears any consequences. Others might admit that there are consequences to sin, but only after death. Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead, but that does not mean that we still do not reap what we sow right here one Earth as well. Scripture says sin creates sickness. So if you or I are sick and suffering, why do we not look to God and repent in order to see where we may be out of line with God’s will? Why!?
Because we have heard stories. You have no doubt heard stories about how some Christians have refused to go to the doctor and died from an easily treatable sickness. Why does this happen? Because some believe there is no mystery to God’s healing. That they can decide when and where and how it’s going to happen. Imagine the arguments: If sickness is caused by sin and sin alone, going to a doctor won’t help—only prayer will. And if you truly have faith, it’s your own fault if you suffer or die. You just didn’t believe correctly.
You have no doubt heard stories of how people have been terrorized by feelings of guilt and hopelessness when, despite their fervent prayers, prayers of repentance and prayers of faith, they still don’t get better. Francis McNutt, the well known faith healer, tells this story: I remember once when we were praying at a Christian college for the students, one by one, and a lovely young woman came up When we asked what she would like us to pray for, she stammered and couldn’t tell us. Finally she said, ‘They say I have a brain tumor.’ But, ‘Who is they? It’s the doctors.’ She had been prayed for and her well-meaing ministers told her afterwards that the tumor was a ‘lying symptom.’ When she told us this, she burst into tears. A month later, her mother wrote, letting us know that she had died and thanking us for our encouragement. The group who had prayed for her didn’t even come to the hospital; they abandoned her in her hour of greatest need when she was struggling with a feeling that God had abandoned her.
God says to each of us, “My ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts.” There are mysteries to sickness and suffering. There are mysteries to faith and healing. We will never fully understand how God works. However, despite the storylines we know all too well, shouldn’t the stories and promises in scripture mean something too? Scripture tells us plainly: sin causes sickness. God commands us to repent of our sins and we will be healed. In the Bible, healing is normal and expected. Perhaps we’ve missed something very important in trying to protect ourselves from abuses and disappointment.
Psalm 32, “While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, because of my groaning all day long. For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; my strength was dried up as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not conceal my guilt. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.” I have spoken to you these last few weeks about repentance and perhaps you have even considered it once or twice. But, then again, maybe you didn’t think that it was really that necessary because you have more time. You’re doing good enough. You’re healthy! You’re happy! While it may be uncomfortable for you and I to hear this, scripture makes it clear, unconfessed sin hurts you in mind and body and it hurts your relationship to God.
Psalm 32 goes on, “Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble; when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them. You are my hiding-place; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.” Both of my children have a peculiar habit which you may recognize. Sometimes, when they do something wrong and they are caught, they close their eyes. As if, by closing their eyes and blinding themselves to their sin, they have blinded me and their mother from it as well. And until they open their eyes and deal with the consequences of their actions, they are being affected by their choices and our relationship to them is affected. In the same way, when we sin against God or one another and choose to hide our faces from our mistakes, to keep silent, rather than confess our sins before God we will suffer. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth.”
Again and again in the Bible, physical and mental sickness and disease is said to be casued by sin and healed through repentance, forgiveness, faith and prayer. Are we paying attention to these words? Words from God that might give us faith? Or are we simply listening to the stories that cause us to doubt. What might change in your life if you took God at his word?
The psalmist says that we must find a different hiding place. We must stand, naked and exposed in the light of God, and say, “You, Lord, are my hiding place.” You see, most of the time, when my children finally open their eyes and admit that they have done something wrong, after a few tears they jump into my arms and bury their faces in my chest or armpit. We must hide in the light of God and not in the darkness of our lives.
Listen, there are many suffering today including many of our loved ones. There are so many sicknesses and diseases out there that doctors can treat but not cure. And yet, even though we know we are sinners and even though we hear this clear sin/sickness connection in the Bible, we are so much more likely to want to blame “luck” or say that “God sent this disease so it must be good for me” rather than to look at ourselves and ask the question, “Where is there still sin in my life?” I believe that God blesses us with doctors and nurses and we would be silly to forego medical treatment for ourselves or those we love when we are sick. However, aren’t we being just as silly, if not arrogant, to believe that our sicknesses and diseases have nothing to do with our sin?
As we focus on repentance this Lent, do not forget that Jesus Christ died for the ungodly on the cross. He did not come for the healthy but for the sick! He did not come for the righteous but for the unrighteous! So if you are sick and unrighteous, Jesus Christ is for you. Repent and trust in the Lord who is gracious and merciful. If you are weak under the weight of God’s heavy hands, trust in the Lord and in his mercy to redeem you. Do not simply trust in your ability to keep the law and refrain from sin, for the law says “Do this!” and it is never done! The gospel says “Believe in Jesus Christ and the power of his cross and his blood” and everything is done already. Salvation, healing and wholeness. Repent and believe in the good news! Amen.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Sermon for March 10th
“Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me!” Says the Lord. “But you say, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In your tithes and offerings! Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”
The word stewardship gets thrown around a lot in church, but I don’t really think most of us understand what “stewardship” means. Let me give you an example of what a steward is. Right now, I am going to take out ten dollar bills and give it to one of you. I am going to say this, “Could you please take care of this for me.” However, I’m not going to ask for it back, even though it’s mine. In fact, I want you to use it. I also want you to remember something very important—that ten dollars is not yours. It’s mine. You are simply taking care of it for me. In biblical times, they would call a person who did this the “steward” of my money. The steward can use the money, but they do not own the money.
Because that ten dollars is mine, that I am giving to you to take care of for me, I have some directions for you on how to use it. Because it’s mine. I’d like you to take one dollar bill and place it in the offering plate in order to encourage the ministries here at Saint Peters. You can put more than that in if you’d like, but all I’m asking is to put one dollar bill in the offering plate tonight. One out of the ten. With the other nine dollars, you can do whatever you want. You can save it. You can waste it. You can spend it. You can give it away. Remember, it’s MY money. But . . . I’m letting you use it. Here we go . . . . (Money gets handed out)
Now. Here’s my question. What will happen if, after the service tonight, I don’t find one of my dollar bills in the offering plate? How do you think that I will feel about that? I’ve made it very clear that while the money I just gave away is a gift, there are directions about how to use it. How would you feel if you let someone watch over your money and they used it in a way that was not in line with how you wanted it used? I’d feel frustrated. Disappointed and, maybe, even a little angry.
The Lord spoke through the prophet Malachi saying, “Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you say, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In your tithes and offerings! Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” God has given us all a lot more than ten dollars. A lot more. And, furthermore, he has given us a lot more than simply money. He has blessed us with long lives, bodies that can work hard, minds that can process great amounts of information and spiritual gifts to serve on another with. But He has also made something very clear: your money, your time, your bodies, your minds, your gifts and your lives are not your own. You are the stewards of these gifts. God gives you all these things to use, but He is their rightful owner.
And He has some directions for you. You’ve heard some of these directions before I hope. Honor your Father and Mother. You shall not kill. Love your neighbor as yourself. Glorify God in your body. Another commandment that was given to the Israelites, referred to by Jesus and carried on by many Christians today is called tithing: giving ten percent of your income to your local church to support its ministries. Out of every ten dollars you earn, one dollar is to be put in the offering plate. We are called to do these things God has directions for us on how to use the gifts he has given.
Tonight, through the prophet Malachi, God calls us all to make an accounting of how much we have stolen from God. And to stop stealing from Him. Have you given money to the church as you have been directed? Have you given your time and talents? Have you been glorifying God in your body? So many of us argue that we just can’t do these things! We don’t have enough time to think let alone serve at the soup kitchen. We’ve got too many things to do on Sunday mornings that church just gets in the way. How can we give ten percent of our income when we don’t have enough as there is! God says this: “Put me to the test.”
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” Try me! God says. Stop stealing my money, my time my gifts that I have given you and see if you will really become destitute and overworked as you imagine. “Just try me and prove me wrong!” God promises that when you follow his directions for His gifts, you will find that there is always more than enough left over for you. In fact, Jesus maintains that the better you follow God’s directions on how to use his gifts, the more He will trust you with greater gifts. These gifts are not yours! They are God’s. You are only the stewards. “Return to me and I will return to you," the Lord says, "and see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing .” Amen.
The word stewardship gets thrown around a lot in church, but I don’t really think most of us understand what “stewardship” means. Let me give you an example of what a steward is. Right now, I am going to take out ten dollar bills and give it to one of you. I am going to say this, “Could you please take care of this for me.” However, I’m not going to ask for it back, even though it’s mine. In fact, I want you to use it. I also want you to remember something very important—that ten dollars is not yours. It’s mine. You are simply taking care of it for me. In biblical times, they would call a person who did this the “steward” of my money. The steward can use the money, but they do not own the money.
Because that ten dollars is mine, that I am giving to you to take care of for me, I have some directions for you on how to use it. Because it’s mine. I’d like you to take one dollar bill and place it in the offering plate in order to encourage the ministries here at Saint Peters. You can put more than that in if you’d like, but all I’m asking is to put one dollar bill in the offering plate tonight. One out of the ten. With the other nine dollars, you can do whatever you want. You can save it. You can waste it. You can spend it. You can give it away. Remember, it’s MY money. But . . . I’m letting you use it. Here we go . . . . (Money gets handed out)
Now. Here’s my question. What will happen if, after the service tonight, I don’t find one of my dollar bills in the offering plate? How do you think that I will feel about that? I’ve made it very clear that while the money I just gave away is a gift, there are directions about how to use it. How would you feel if you let someone watch over your money and they used it in a way that was not in line with how you wanted it used? I’d feel frustrated. Disappointed and, maybe, even a little angry.
The Lord spoke through the prophet Malachi saying, “Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you say, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In your tithes and offerings! Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” God has given us all a lot more than ten dollars. A lot more. And, furthermore, he has given us a lot more than simply money. He has blessed us with long lives, bodies that can work hard, minds that can process great amounts of information and spiritual gifts to serve on another with. But He has also made something very clear: your money, your time, your bodies, your minds, your gifts and your lives are not your own. You are the stewards of these gifts. God gives you all these things to use, but He is their rightful owner.
And He has some directions for you. You’ve heard some of these directions before I hope. Honor your Father and Mother. You shall not kill. Love your neighbor as yourself. Glorify God in your body. Another commandment that was given to the Israelites, referred to by Jesus and carried on by many Christians today is called tithing: giving ten percent of your income to your local church to support its ministries. Out of every ten dollars you earn, one dollar is to be put in the offering plate. We are called to do these things God has directions for us on how to use the gifts he has given.
Tonight, through the prophet Malachi, God calls us all to make an accounting of how much we have stolen from God. And to stop stealing from Him. Have you given money to the church as you have been directed? Have you given your time and talents? Have you been glorifying God in your body? So many of us argue that we just can’t do these things! We don’t have enough time to think let alone serve at the soup kitchen. We’ve got too many things to do on Sunday mornings that church just gets in the way. How can we give ten percent of our income when we don’t have enough as there is! God says this: “Put me to the test.”
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” Try me! God says. Stop stealing my money, my time my gifts that I have given you and see if you will really become destitute and overworked as you imagine. “Just try me and prove me wrong!” God promises that when you follow his directions for His gifts, you will find that there is always more than enough left over for you. In fact, Jesus maintains that the better you follow God’s directions on how to use his gifts, the more He will trust you with greater gifts. These gifts are not yours! They are God’s. You are only the stewards. “Return to me and I will return to you," the Lord says, "and see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing .” Amen.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Sermon for March 7th
Is God in control of natural disasters, like those we have witnessed recently in Haiti and Chile? Yes. In fact, to argue that God is not in control of these events is to strip him of the glory he deserves, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor. The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!”.
Does God create earthquakes? What does the Bible say? When Jesus died there was an earthquake. When the women went to the tomb, there was an earthquake, for an angel of the Lord rolled away the stone. In Acts chapter 16, when Paul and Silas had been thrown into prison, suddenly there was an earthquake and they were set free. In Revelation chapter 11, John has a vision of a great earthquake where a tenth of a city falls, seven thousand people are killed and, according to the Word of the Lord, “the rest are terrified and give glory to the God of heaven.” In Matthew, Mark and Luke Jesus explains that earthquakes will be one of the birthpangs to tell us when Jesus is coming again.
The prophet Nahum reminds us, “A jealous and avenging God is the Lord, the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and rages against his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger but great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in the whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither, and the bloom of Lebanon fades. The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who live in it. Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and by him the rocks are broken in pieces.” Does God create earthquakes? Yes. Of course he does.
But, what about suffering? Does God cause suffering? Yes. Does God cause all suffering? No. We cause a great deal of it all on our own, don’t we. We suffer at the hands of others. Others suffer at our hands. Much suffering is caused by sin. God will not take the blame for that—for the sins that we commit. However, as sinners, we do suffer at God’s hands. 1 Samuel 2:6, “The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and he raises up.” Deuteronomy 32:39, “See now that I, even I, am he; there is no god beside me. I kill and I make alive. I would and I heal; and no one can deliver from my hand.” Isaiah 45:7, “I form light and create darkness. I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.”
We suffer God’s judgment. We suffer God’s wrath. One might even say we suffer God’s resurrection finally for we are perfectly passive in that regard as well. Evil actions can cause suffering, but not all suffering is evil. Perhaps that is why we call the occasion of our Savior’s crucifixion and death “Good Friday.”
Jesus asks in Luke chapter 13 today, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?” It appears that some Jews had been killed while sacrificing in the temple at Jerusalem and the question Jesus poses to those around him is this: Do you think you are more righteous than they because you have not suffered the same fate? Jesus responds to his own question, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.”
We are all unholy, unrighteous, sick sinners apart from Jesus Christ. We deserve nothing but punishment for our sins. But when earthquakes or tornados or floods or accidents or diseases happen to us, our first instinct is to say that God had nothing to do with it! These are bad things! And God is good! We want to get God out of the picture. Why? Because to confess God’s responsibility is to confess our own responsibility.
Yes, God causes earthquakes. Because of sin? Yes. Because of sin. So what should we do? Blame the Haitians for being sinners for we know that they are? No one is righteous. Not even one. What should we do? Rebuke the Chileans for being unrighteous for we know from scripture that this too is a fact? Shall we blame and accuse those people? No. We should repent of OUR sins. We should repent knowing that it is but by the grace of God that we are not living out on the streets in front of our own devastated houses. We are no better or worse because we are all at God’s mercy.
Jesus goes on, “What about those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” You see, Jesus does not absolve the eighteen victims who were killed when a tower fell on them as if they were guiltless. But neither does he absolve the others still living in Jerusalem who were spared. It is only because God is merciful, and patient, that we live to theologize about earthquakes in far away lands rather than suffering from their effects ourselves.
Jesus told this parable, “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil? The gardener replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”
Immediately after calling those around Him to repentance in the face of God’s judgment, in the face of great suffering, Jesus tells this parable about a fig tree. How much more clearly could He make His point? You and I are not bearing fruit. We should be cut down. Suffer an earthquake Suffer persecution. Suffer an accidental falling of a tower upon us—but God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Still, as long as we refuse to confess our sins and refuse to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior—we will not bear fruit. We will be cut down eventually. For apart from Jesus you can do nothing.
Now for the good news: Manure! Hallelujah for manure! That’s the good news. For you have a patient and loving gardener in Jesus Christ who cares for you enough to pile it on so that you might grow and bear fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is what God expects from us and, in order to produce, he fills our lives with manure (to put it biblically).
What does this manure look like? Suffering. Persecution. Hardship. Distress. Sometimes famine, nakedness or sword. Sometimes earthquakes. As Saint Peter’s first letter points out, “Rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold and gold, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Sometimes it’s the manure in your life that ends up being the blessing because, very often, it is the suffering sent from God that brings you to faith in Jesus Christ alone. The suffering caused by the two recent earthquakes certainly isn’t good. But if they cause us to repent of our sins, then God has used even such an awful thing as an earthquake for our good.
It was the manure in Joseph’s life that showed him God’s glory. He was tossed in a pit and sold as a slave to Pharaoh by his eleven brothers. He was wrongly accused of coming onto Pharaoh’s wife and thrown into jail. But from this fresh pile of manure came the great confession of faith that Joseph told his brothers, “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” Praise God for manure!
Jesus was betrayed, abandoned, rejected, beaten, mocked, crucified and buried. And from this suffering came the most glorious event of all time: Jesus rose from the dead by the glory of His Father so that you too might walk in newness of life. Thank God for the manure he sends!
Is God in control of natural disasters? Yes. Does God cause suffering? Yes, very often he does. But, when you look at your life, I pray that you might realize that even in the most horrible events you have gone through sometimes bring you closest to God’s heart. In all things, even suffering, God works for the good of those who love Him. When you realize that you are too weak to live on your own and begin to trust in Jesus as your fortress. When you finally confess that your sins have turned your world into a mess and you surrender your life to God. Yes God creates earthquakes. But even in all of this suffering, he promises that he is working for good. When he sends the manure: repent. When he sends the manure: trust in Him alone. Perhaps by the power of the Holy Spirit, as God works through this suffering, you and I will finally start producing fruit for the kingdom of God! Amen.
Does God create earthquakes? What does the Bible say? When Jesus died there was an earthquake. When the women went to the tomb, there was an earthquake, for an angel of the Lord rolled away the stone. In Acts chapter 16, when Paul and Silas had been thrown into prison, suddenly there was an earthquake and they were set free. In Revelation chapter 11, John has a vision of a great earthquake where a tenth of a city falls, seven thousand people are killed and, according to the Word of the Lord, “the rest are terrified and give glory to the God of heaven.” In Matthew, Mark and Luke Jesus explains that earthquakes will be one of the birthpangs to tell us when Jesus is coming again.
The prophet Nahum reminds us, “A jealous and avenging God is the Lord, the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and rages against his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger but great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in the whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither, and the bloom of Lebanon fades. The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who live in it. Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and by him the rocks are broken in pieces.” Does God create earthquakes? Yes. Of course he does.
But, what about suffering? Does God cause suffering? Yes. Does God cause all suffering? No. We cause a great deal of it all on our own, don’t we. We suffer at the hands of others. Others suffer at our hands. Much suffering is caused by sin. God will not take the blame for that—for the sins that we commit. However, as sinners, we do suffer at God’s hands. 1 Samuel 2:6, “The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and he raises up.” Deuteronomy 32:39, “See now that I, even I, am he; there is no god beside me. I kill and I make alive. I would and I heal; and no one can deliver from my hand.” Isaiah 45:7, “I form light and create darkness. I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.”
We suffer God’s judgment. We suffer God’s wrath. One might even say we suffer God’s resurrection finally for we are perfectly passive in that regard as well. Evil actions can cause suffering, but not all suffering is evil. Perhaps that is why we call the occasion of our Savior’s crucifixion and death “Good Friday.”
Jesus asks in Luke chapter 13 today, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?” It appears that some Jews had been killed while sacrificing in the temple at Jerusalem and the question Jesus poses to those around him is this: Do you think you are more righteous than they because you have not suffered the same fate? Jesus responds to his own question, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.”
We are all unholy, unrighteous, sick sinners apart from Jesus Christ. We deserve nothing but punishment for our sins. But when earthquakes or tornados or floods or accidents or diseases happen to us, our first instinct is to say that God had nothing to do with it! These are bad things! And God is good! We want to get God out of the picture. Why? Because to confess God’s responsibility is to confess our own responsibility.
Yes, God causes earthquakes. Because of sin? Yes. Because of sin. So what should we do? Blame the Haitians for being sinners for we know that they are? No one is righteous. Not even one. What should we do? Rebuke the Chileans for being unrighteous for we know from scripture that this too is a fact? Shall we blame and accuse those people? No. We should repent of OUR sins. We should repent knowing that it is but by the grace of God that we are not living out on the streets in front of our own devastated houses. We are no better or worse because we are all at God’s mercy.
Jesus goes on, “What about those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” You see, Jesus does not absolve the eighteen victims who were killed when a tower fell on them as if they were guiltless. But neither does he absolve the others still living in Jerusalem who were spared. It is only because God is merciful, and patient, that we live to theologize about earthquakes in far away lands rather than suffering from their effects ourselves.
Jesus told this parable, “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil? The gardener replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”
Immediately after calling those around Him to repentance in the face of God’s judgment, in the face of great suffering, Jesus tells this parable about a fig tree. How much more clearly could He make His point? You and I are not bearing fruit. We should be cut down. Suffer an earthquake Suffer persecution. Suffer an accidental falling of a tower upon us—but God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Still, as long as we refuse to confess our sins and refuse to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior—we will not bear fruit. We will be cut down eventually. For apart from Jesus you can do nothing.
Now for the good news: Manure! Hallelujah for manure! That’s the good news. For you have a patient and loving gardener in Jesus Christ who cares for you enough to pile it on so that you might grow and bear fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is what God expects from us and, in order to produce, he fills our lives with manure (to put it biblically).
What does this manure look like? Suffering. Persecution. Hardship. Distress. Sometimes famine, nakedness or sword. Sometimes earthquakes. As Saint Peter’s first letter points out, “Rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold and gold, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Sometimes it’s the manure in your life that ends up being the blessing because, very often, it is the suffering sent from God that brings you to faith in Jesus Christ alone. The suffering caused by the two recent earthquakes certainly isn’t good. But if they cause us to repent of our sins, then God has used even such an awful thing as an earthquake for our good.
It was the manure in Joseph’s life that showed him God’s glory. He was tossed in a pit and sold as a slave to Pharaoh by his eleven brothers. He was wrongly accused of coming onto Pharaoh’s wife and thrown into jail. But from this fresh pile of manure came the great confession of faith that Joseph told his brothers, “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” Praise God for manure!
Jesus was betrayed, abandoned, rejected, beaten, mocked, crucified and buried. And from this suffering came the most glorious event of all time: Jesus rose from the dead by the glory of His Father so that you too might walk in newness of life. Thank God for the manure he sends!
Is God in control of natural disasters? Yes. Does God cause suffering? Yes, very often he does. But, when you look at your life, I pray that you might realize that even in the most horrible events you have gone through sometimes bring you closest to God’s heart. In all things, even suffering, God works for the good of those who love Him. When you realize that you are too weak to live on your own and begin to trust in Jesus as your fortress. When you finally confess that your sins have turned your world into a mess and you surrender your life to God. Yes God creates earthquakes. But even in all of this suffering, he promises that he is working for good. When he sends the manure: repent. When he sends the manure: trust in Him alone. Perhaps by the power of the Holy Spirit, as God works through this suffering, you and I will finally start producing fruit for the kingdom of God! Amen.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Sermon for March 3rd (Lenten Service)
Habakkuk 2:18-20
What is an idol? When most people hear the word, “idol” they probably think about Simon Powell, the judge on America idol! Or, if you aren’t really a TV buff, you might think about some Buddhist temple somewhere or a pagan shrine. In all these cases, idols are things that some believe have supernatural powers, maybe a supernatural singing voice, like Jennifer Hudson, or maybe the ability to bless you with fertility, like in the case of the goddess Asherah.
Believe it or not, there are people today who have pagan shrines in their homes. Little altars on which they place idols of wood, metal and stone. They often look like tiny little figurines except that they are believed to be the eyes and ears of powerful gods . . . gods that will fall over if you knock the table they are sitting on with you knee. I hope that you realize, without me focusing on it too much tonight, that God, the Father of Jesus Christ, will not abide in someone who worships a god of clay, wood or stone, a god of fertility or a god of war. The Lord your God is a jealous God and is not willing to share your worship with figurines. I would encourage all of you NOT to tempt God’s patience by trying to synthesize Christian religion with pagan religions. When Jesus Christ came to earth He made it very clear, “I am the Way and the Truth and Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Period.
But most of you, I hope, probably don’t have any idea what a pagan shrine would even look like! When I saw a picture of one and heard about another person actually having one, I was kind of amazed. I figured that idols were some cultural artifact from long ago biblical ages. You would have a hard time imagining what an idol would look like, wouldn’t you . . or would you?
You see, in today’s world, we have begun trading our idols of stone, wood and clay for something more advanced: plasma TV’s, cell phones, skis, soccerballs, basketballs or computers to name a few. Habakkuk said this, “Alas for you who say to the wood, “Wake up!” to silent stone, “Rouse yourself!” Can it teach? See, it is gold and silver plated and there is no breath in it at all.” Have you ever found yourself trusting that the programs on your TV, or some website, will actually make your life better? That you can’t live without checking your Farmville app. on facebook or that you just HAVE to see the newest episode of Lost or some other series or else your night is ruined? Smart, beautiful and famous people are often sharing their opinions over you-tube or on the news, but the words that come from their mouths through your television speakers are not necessarily the truth. Yet many of us form our opinions on the latest issues only after double checking with the TV news or Wikipedia or what our favorite blog has to say.
A professor of mine at seminary once explained how archaeologists decide what was important to ancient people and civilizations by looking at their homes or their towns. The most important buildings are the biggest and/or tallest. Often, people aim their seats toward the center of their attention and put the most valuable objects in the place of honor in their homes. If researchers looked in your house, or in your room, or on your computer, what would they think was most important to you. What are all the chairs and couches pointing toward? For some, it would be their TV. Has TV, Hulu, or Netflix, become an idol that has stolen your allegiance from God? When scripture tells you one thing and a radio personality says another, who do you believe? Martin Luther said that a god is the thing that we love and trust above anything else.
In today’s culture money has also become an idol for many. Sometimes you don’t even see actual dollars and cents, but just know how much is in your 401k at all times of the day. Money talks, it is said, but what does it say exactly? Does it speak the truth or lies? When the economy falters, where do we place our trust? Perhaps in our savings fund, or in the government to bail us out, or in our parents to loan us money, or in our credit cards to tide us over. But what about God? The Lord of heaven and earth? When we cannot make ends meet, is prayer our first activity or do we go look at our budget first to see what support we can get from there first? Money can be a wonderful tool, just like TV, and wood and stone and clay . . . but it is ambiguous morally. It does not know right from wrong. It cannot speak. It cannot breathe. It is not alive and cannot give you eternal life.
The Lord spoke through the prophet Habakkuk, “What use is an idol once its maker has shaped it--For its maker trusts in what has been made, though the product is only an idol that cannot speak!” All the things we make into idols are wonderful creations of God, but we must remember that that’s all they are: creations, not the creator. God is calling you to look to Him for guidance and to trust His voice over and against the many words and opinions you hear in the world. This Lenten season, take the time to look at your life and see what has become an idol for you. What do you spend your time glorifying rather than God alone? What’s most important to you? And then listen to the God who is calling you back to faithfulness in Him. Hear his words of healing and forgiveness for they are still for you. Amen.
What is an idol? When most people hear the word, “idol” they probably think about Simon Powell, the judge on America idol! Or, if you aren’t really a TV buff, you might think about some Buddhist temple somewhere or a pagan shrine. In all these cases, idols are things that some believe have supernatural powers, maybe a supernatural singing voice, like Jennifer Hudson, or maybe the ability to bless you with fertility, like in the case of the goddess Asherah.
Believe it or not, there are people today who have pagan shrines in their homes. Little altars on which they place idols of wood, metal and stone. They often look like tiny little figurines except that they are believed to be the eyes and ears of powerful gods . . . gods that will fall over if you knock the table they are sitting on with you knee. I hope that you realize, without me focusing on it too much tonight, that God, the Father of Jesus Christ, will not abide in someone who worships a god of clay, wood or stone, a god of fertility or a god of war. The Lord your God is a jealous God and is not willing to share your worship with figurines. I would encourage all of you NOT to tempt God’s patience by trying to synthesize Christian religion with pagan religions. When Jesus Christ came to earth He made it very clear, “I am the Way and the Truth and Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Period.
But most of you, I hope, probably don’t have any idea what a pagan shrine would even look like! When I saw a picture of one and heard about another person actually having one, I was kind of amazed. I figured that idols were some cultural artifact from long ago biblical ages. You would have a hard time imagining what an idol would look like, wouldn’t you . . or would you?
You see, in today’s world, we have begun trading our idols of stone, wood and clay for something more advanced: plasma TV’s, cell phones, skis, soccerballs, basketballs or computers to name a few. Habakkuk said this, “Alas for you who say to the wood, “Wake up!” to silent stone, “Rouse yourself!” Can it teach? See, it is gold and silver plated and there is no breath in it at all.” Have you ever found yourself trusting that the programs on your TV, or some website, will actually make your life better? That you can’t live without checking your Farmville app. on facebook or that you just HAVE to see the newest episode of Lost or some other series or else your night is ruined? Smart, beautiful and famous people are often sharing their opinions over you-tube or on the news, but the words that come from their mouths through your television speakers are not necessarily the truth. Yet many of us form our opinions on the latest issues only after double checking with the TV news or Wikipedia or what our favorite blog has to say.
A professor of mine at seminary once explained how archaeologists decide what was important to ancient people and civilizations by looking at their homes or their towns. The most important buildings are the biggest and/or tallest. Often, people aim their seats toward the center of their attention and put the most valuable objects in the place of honor in their homes. If researchers looked in your house, or in your room, or on your computer, what would they think was most important to you. What are all the chairs and couches pointing toward? For some, it would be their TV. Has TV, Hulu, or Netflix, become an idol that has stolen your allegiance from God? When scripture tells you one thing and a radio personality says another, who do you believe? Martin Luther said that a god is the thing that we love and trust above anything else.
In today’s culture money has also become an idol for many. Sometimes you don’t even see actual dollars and cents, but just know how much is in your 401k at all times of the day. Money talks, it is said, but what does it say exactly? Does it speak the truth or lies? When the economy falters, where do we place our trust? Perhaps in our savings fund, or in the government to bail us out, or in our parents to loan us money, or in our credit cards to tide us over. But what about God? The Lord of heaven and earth? When we cannot make ends meet, is prayer our first activity or do we go look at our budget first to see what support we can get from there first? Money can be a wonderful tool, just like TV, and wood and stone and clay . . . but it is ambiguous morally. It does not know right from wrong. It cannot speak. It cannot breathe. It is not alive and cannot give you eternal life.
The Lord spoke through the prophet Habakkuk, “What use is an idol once its maker has shaped it--For its maker trusts in what has been made, though the product is only an idol that cannot speak!” All the things we make into idols are wonderful creations of God, but we must remember that that’s all they are: creations, not the creator. God is calling you to look to Him for guidance and to trust His voice over and against the many words and opinions you hear in the world. This Lenten season, take the time to look at your life and see what has become an idol for you. What do you spend your time glorifying rather than God alone? What’s most important to you? And then listen to the God who is calling you back to faithfulness in Him. Hear his words of healing and forgiveness for they are still for you. Amen.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sermon for February 28th
A quote from Martin Luther, "Thus and no other way it was to happen, and it always has gone thus, that the greatest harm and damage has been done to Christ, to His Word, and to His Church by those that have presumed to be the holiest and best."
Now, a quote from Jesus, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not!”
In the second reading today, the apostle Paul tells us about the enemies of the cross of Christ. We can only assume that these are not Christians. That they do not believe in God and do not give him the glory and honor that he deserves. Paul tells us about these enemies, “Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But . . . our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
For those of you who have been baptized into Jesus Christ, you have died to this world and have been reborn a citizen of a new world, a world whose ruler is God alone. You are still to honor your Father and your Mother. You are still to respect the governing authorities. But your final loyalty lies with God alone more than with anything this world has to offer. Reminds me of another group of people, thousands of years ago who were called to be a people by God himself in much the same way that you have been. God was their king and they were his people. They were called out of the world to be sent back into it, blessed to be a blessing. These people were the Israelites and they worshipped God, their king, in the temple in Jerusalem. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! The city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!”
Jerusalem became a very important city when it became the home of King David, considered the best and most faithful king in Israelite history. David made Jerusalem the religious capital of the nation by bringing the sacred Ark of the Covenant into it and setting up a tent for it. For those who are not familiar with the Ark of the Covenant, except through Indiana Jones movies, the ark was considered to be the representation of God’s continued presence with his people, the Israelites. Not only that, but it was considered to be his throne as well as the container of the Ten Commandments. When David brought the ark to Jerusalem, in that moment, Jerusalem became the main place of worship for God’s people as well as the holiest location on the face of the planet. Later, David’s son, King Solomon would build a temple around the ark in Jerusalem which lasted until it was destroyed in 70 AD. This temple was considered to be “the house of the Lord” and it is the same temple that Jesus would have referred to in the sayings and stories throughout the gospel lesson we hear each week.
Because Jerusalem was the center of worship life for God’s people, it was also the center of work for many of God’s prophets as they were sent to call the Israelites back to faithfulness to God. When the kingdom was divided into North and South, after King Solomon had died, Jerusalem was a part of the Southern kingdom and God sent many prophets to preach to it: Obadiah, Joel, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Micah, Isaiah and Jeremiah. But, from what we can tell, none of them were much liked by the people they were sent to. Probably because most people don’t like to hear bad news.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not!” I hope that you realize that the problem didn’t have anything to do with the stones that built up the city of Jerusalem, or the soil on which the city was set, or the architecture of the temple, but it was with the people, God’s people, who constantly turned from worshipping their Lord with all their heart, soul and strength and, instead, turned in on themselves or looked for hope in other places and from others gods. And while we do not live in Jerusalem now, the story is the same for us as it was for them.
The Christian church, in every age, including this one, right up to this very day, is being called to return to the Lord our God and yet we refuse! God calls us back to him again and again using prophets of all shapes, sizes, colors and types, but we do not return! I remember once going to a meeting with one of my professors at seminary when something was heavy on my heart. I do not remember what happened that had me feeling so guilty, but I was really bothered by it and stopped by this professor’s office for some counseling. We talked about it for awhile and by the end of the meeting I felt a lot better. He asked me, “Now, if after all of this you would like me to absolve you in the name of Jesus Christ, I would be happy to do so.” To which I answered, “No thanks! That’s alright.” and I proceeded to walk home.
It wasn’t until I was almost in the door to my apartment building that the following verse broke into my thoughts, “How often I desired to gather you as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not!” Had I really just refused to be forgiven with a simple, “No thanks!” God had sent me a preacher to forgive me and I felt like I was “good enough” without it! I had the urge to both throw up and run back to his office but, since I was near a phone, I called him up and explained to him that I wanted my absolution right then and there or else I was running back to get it. He explained that he’d rather that I was within arm’s distance, but that God’s Word would have to do with it purposed to do and he forgave me in the name of Jesus Christ.
How often does God wish to gather us in and we respond, “No thanks!” How often do we figure we’re doing alright without our forgiveness? We don’t need to pray, we don’t need to go to church, and we don’t need to read our Bibles. We are Christians already for goodness sake! THEY need it. THOSE people. Not US! And yet God continues to send preachers and teachers and moms and sons and friends to call us out for our sins and offer us forgives but we just won’t take him up on his offer. Some people, those who Paul calls the enemies of the cross, reject Jesus Christ outwardly. But we who believe that we have dotted our I’s and crossed our T’s when it comes to faith, well we reject Jesus just as much or more than anyone else. According to many surveys, being a Christian doesn’t seem to matter when it comes to making any better choices than atheists or agnostics. We aren’t being forced to make bad choices; we do them of our own volition and will. We must repent and return to God.
There is forgiveness with this God, but it will come from the cross and, so, we must gather there. Jesus said, “And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem with a King’s welcome, but within days he would be crucified. The Lord of All, the Savior of the Earth, is on his way to die on a cross for our sins. He came to die not just for the enemies of the cross, but to die for his very own people who have rejected him both in Jerusalem and, yes, here at Saint Peters in Cornwall. Thankfully, he has gathered us all here, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, so that we might confess our sins before Him and hear our forgiveness . . . whether we think we need it or not. Let us pray . . . . Amen.
Now, a quote from Jesus, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not!”
In the second reading today, the apostle Paul tells us about the enemies of the cross of Christ. We can only assume that these are not Christians. That they do not believe in God and do not give him the glory and honor that he deserves. Paul tells us about these enemies, “Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But . . . our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
For those of you who have been baptized into Jesus Christ, you have died to this world and have been reborn a citizen of a new world, a world whose ruler is God alone. You are still to honor your Father and your Mother. You are still to respect the governing authorities. But your final loyalty lies with God alone more than with anything this world has to offer. Reminds me of another group of people, thousands of years ago who were called to be a people by God himself in much the same way that you have been. God was their king and they were his people. They were called out of the world to be sent back into it, blessed to be a blessing. These people were the Israelites and they worshipped God, their king, in the temple in Jerusalem. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! The city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!”
Jerusalem became a very important city when it became the home of King David, considered the best and most faithful king in Israelite history. David made Jerusalem the religious capital of the nation by bringing the sacred Ark of the Covenant into it and setting up a tent for it. For those who are not familiar with the Ark of the Covenant, except through Indiana Jones movies, the ark was considered to be the representation of God’s continued presence with his people, the Israelites. Not only that, but it was considered to be his throne as well as the container of the Ten Commandments. When David brought the ark to Jerusalem, in that moment, Jerusalem became the main place of worship for God’s people as well as the holiest location on the face of the planet. Later, David’s son, King Solomon would build a temple around the ark in Jerusalem which lasted until it was destroyed in 70 AD. This temple was considered to be “the house of the Lord” and it is the same temple that Jesus would have referred to in the sayings and stories throughout the gospel lesson we hear each week.
Because Jerusalem was the center of worship life for God’s people, it was also the center of work for many of God’s prophets as they were sent to call the Israelites back to faithfulness to God. When the kingdom was divided into North and South, after King Solomon had died, Jerusalem was a part of the Southern kingdom and God sent many prophets to preach to it: Obadiah, Joel, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Micah, Isaiah and Jeremiah. But, from what we can tell, none of them were much liked by the people they were sent to. Probably because most people don’t like to hear bad news.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not!” I hope that you realize that the problem didn’t have anything to do with the stones that built up the city of Jerusalem, or the soil on which the city was set, or the architecture of the temple, but it was with the people, God’s people, who constantly turned from worshipping their Lord with all their heart, soul and strength and, instead, turned in on themselves or looked for hope in other places and from others gods. And while we do not live in Jerusalem now, the story is the same for us as it was for them.
The Christian church, in every age, including this one, right up to this very day, is being called to return to the Lord our God and yet we refuse! God calls us back to him again and again using prophets of all shapes, sizes, colors and types, but we do not return! I remember once going to a meeting with one of my professors at seminary when something was heavy on my heart. I do not remember what happened that had me feeling so guilty, but I was really bothered by it and stopped by this professor’s office for some counseling. We talked about it for awhile and by the end of the meeting I felt a lot better. He asked me, “Now, if after all of this you would like me to absolve you in the name of Jesus Christ, I would be happy to do so.” To which I answered, “No thanks! That’s alright.” and I proceeded to walk home.
It wasn’t until I was almost in the door to my apartment building that the following verse broke into my thoughts, “How often I desired to gather you as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not!” Had I really just refused to be forgiven with a simple, “No thanks!” God had sent me a preacher to forgive me and I felt like I was “good enough” without it! I had the urge to both throw up and run back to his office but, since I was near a phone, I called him up and explained to him that I wanted my absolution right then and there or else I was running back to get it. He explained that he’d rather that I was within arm’s distance, but that God’s Word would have to do with it purposed to do and he forgave me in the name of Jesus Christ.
How often does God wish to gather us in and we respond, “No thanks!” How often do we figure we’re doing alright without our forgiveness? We don’t need to pray, we don’t need to go to church, and we don’t need to read our Bibles. We are Christians already for goodness sake! THEY need it. THOSE people. Not US! And yet God continues to send preachers and teachers and moms and sons and friends to call us out for our sins and offer us forgives but we just won’t take him up on his offer. Some people, those who Paul calls the enemies of the cross, reject Jesus Christ outwardly. But we who believe that we have dotted our I’s and crossed our T’s when it comes to faith, well we reject Jesus just as much or more than anyone else. According to many surveys, being a Christian doesn’t seem to matter when it comes to making any better choices than atheists or agnostics. We aren’t being forced to make bad choices; we do them of our own volition and will. We must repent and return to God.
There is forgiveness with this God, but it will come from the cross and, so, we must gather there. Jesus said, “And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem with a King’s welcome, but within days he would be crucified. The Lord of All, the Savior of the Earth, is on his way to die on a cross for our sins. He came to die not just for the enemies of the cross, but to die for his very own people who have rejected him both in Jerusalem and, yes, here at Saint Peters in Cornwall. Thankfully, he has gathered us all here, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, so that we might confess our sins before Him and hear our forgiveness . . . whether we think we need it or not. Let us pray . . . . Amen.
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