Sermon for August 1st (Sent Out To Speak)

Now it’s time for the TOP TEN REASONS WHY YOUR FRIEND DOESN’T WANT TO GO TO CHURCH . . . Number 10: The church is full of hypocrites. Number 9: I like to have one day to sleep in. Number 8: Religions all teach the same things. Number 7: God loves me even if I don’t go to church. Number 6: Churches just want money. Number 5: But I’m not baptized. Number 4: But I’m not Lutheran. Number 3: I’m a good person even if I don’t go to church. Number 2: But I don’t believe in God. And the number one reason you might hear for why your friend doesn’t want to go to church: I’m spiritual, not religious.

Jesus gave this commandment, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Great. But what are you going to say? Saint Paul told us to say this, “We proclaim Christ crucified!” But what does Christ crucified mean?

Let me break this down for you a second. Christ is the term for the coming and expected Messiah. How many people you know are expecting the Messiah to return? Your Jewish friends maybe, but that’s it. No one would even know what a Messiah would look like it was standing right in front of them walking and talking like one. And what does it mean to have the Christ be crucified? It means that this long expected Messiah was killed on a cross, a most shameful death for what was supposed to be a magnificent King of kings. For a Jew, the words, “Christ crucified” would certainly be offensive, a stumbling block, but how many Jewish friends do you come into contact with each week? Probably not too many.

That means, for you and I, we are going to be focusing mostly on non-Jews, what the Bible calls Gentiles. What’s a Gentile? You. You are a Gentile. Look in the mirror. That’s a Gentile. And if you come up to a Gentile, like you, that is any non-Jewish person and tell that them, “Christ crucifed” they are going to give you a look like—what! Do you need a Kleenex or something. It doesn’t mean anything to people. Christ crucified! It’s silliness! Or as Paul says: it’s Foolishness. I have two objectives today. First, I want to help you see why you should care to be foolish and tell anyone about Jesus. Second, I want to equip you with something to say.

So let’s dig right in. Why should you care. Why. If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead YOU will be saved. And that’s nice. It’s nice to know. As Paul put it, “For the message about the cross if foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” That’s right! The power of God! And it’s for us!

Not so fast. There was just that little part in there about those who are perishing. What does perishing mean? Dying. Those who are dying. Imagine that you were walking along a beach and you looked out into the cool waters as the waves cascaded across the sand and, what’s that, someone is out there in the water, gasping for air and then they just stopped doing anything all together—and you suddenly realize: That person is perishing! They are drowning! What would you do?

Of course, if you jumped in and tried to save them they might be offended. They were probably just trying to swim all on their own. You might look foolish jumping right in there. You’ve probably never even done this before! Do you even know CPR? Shouldn’t you call the lifeguard first? But then again they ARE drowning. What would you do? Would you just let em die or would you try? What if it was your friend? Or your child? I bet that most of you would jump in and try to save them, no matter what the cost, because even if you failed, you couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. They might die if you did nothing.

Why should you care to tell anyone about Jesus? Because many of your friends, your neighbors, your children, your parents, your coworkers and your acquaintances are perishing . . . they are dying and you are just standing there watching them do it. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” To you, that might be good news, because you have Jesus. But for many others it is offensive, because they don’t know why Jesus matters at all. Yes, you might look foolish, especially if your friends and family don’t realize that they are about to drown. But God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

You Savior has given you a command. “Go. Make disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey my commandments.” Some of you might go and share your faith because of this command, because you desire to walk as Jesus walked, but that’s not good enough. God doesn’t just want you to “follow the rules”. Because people will know it. They will know if you are just talking to them because you’re trying to be a “good little Christian.” People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

They might think that you are foolish sometimes for caring so much, but only when we realize that salvation is a matter of death and life will we have the heart to speak up. “Faith comes through hearing” Saint Paul says in Romans. Oh that God would break our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh! That we would care, each and every one of us, enough for people, that we don’t just look onto the world like they don’t matter. Like we’ve got salvation and that’s good enough. They might not be your children, drowning out there, but they are God’s children and he is calling you to jump in, start swimming and speak up.

God has placed you in this world, in your town, in your job and in your neighborhood for a purpose. Your circle of friends is not an accident. But if you asked a friend who was struggling with their life to come to church some Sunday here at Emmanuel to meet Jesus, to get faith, and they gave you some excuse, what would you say? I’m here to help you start responding. Who knows what you or I might say in the heat of the moment. But here are some examples of how you might respond if your friend told you something like, “Thanks, but no thanks. The church if full of hypocrites.”

“Yes, the church is full of hypocrites and liars and adulterers and addicts. I go to church to hear that God forgives me even though I don’t always live the way I want to. You’re my friend and I know that you aren’t perfect just like I’m not. God loves you and forgives you too even though you’re not perfect. I want you to hear that and believe it. You don’t have to go alone, I’ll pick you up Sunday morning at 8:15.”

“But I like to have one day to just sleep in.” Me too, but I have to get up even earlier every other day of the week for work or to get the kids off to school. I choose to get up for church because it gives me the strength to get through my week. Once you get into the habit, you might even like going to church. I do. You could come with me if you want.”

“Religions all teach the same thing.” Well, a lot of religions teach you to be a good person or to DO good things for others, but only Jesus Christ died to forgive you unconditionally. Other religions don’t teach that. You know me. I’m no saint. Church is the ONLY place where I can hear that I’m forgiven and then go back out and try to love people again.”

“Listen God loves me even if I don’t go to church.” Yes, God does love you no matter what! But you know what. I know my wife loves me, but I like to hear her say it. In fact, I NEED to hear her say it. I can’t hear it often enough! That’s one reason I go to church every Sunday. I think that you’d have a great time and meet some great people at Emmanuel. Can I pick you up this Sunday?”

“Churches just want money.” Yeah, I’ve felt that way along the way. You don’t have to give that’s for sure, but, for me, I want to give money to something that is meaningful in my life and to the lives of others. I want to be a part of the vision of our church and I just wish I could give more! But just come. Don’t worry about that whole giving thing until you love doing it as much as I do.”

“But I’m not baptized.” You don’t need to be baptized in order to come to church. Baptism is just a special way to hear God’s promise of love and forgiveness. Now, if you ever want to be baptized then just ask, I would love to talk with you about that. But don’t let any of that stop you from coming. I’m going to the contemporary service this Sunday. Why don’t you ask at home and I’ll call Saturday night to see if you have any more questions.”

“But I’m not Lutheran!” Yeah, so what? You are a Christian! Jesus died for you. You don’t have to be Lutheran to come to Emmanuel. God’s promise is for everyone and you are definitely welcome. Lutherans simply believe that Jesus loves you because you have faith in him and that it’s not because you do enough good things. Why don’t you just come and see if you love it there as much as I do.”

“I’m a good person, even if I don’t go to church.” I know that. You help me out all the time. But church isn’t for good people, church is for people who make mistakes, who sometimes do bad things. That’s me and that’s you too right? Church is where you can hear that God forgives you . . . even if you’re not always perfect. But here the thing, I’m not trying to convince you. Just come and see what it’s like. You might even like it.”

“But I don’t believe in God.” Well, I do, but that’s not a prerequisite for coming to church. Church is where you hear that God believes in you! That he loves you and forgives you. You don’t have to say or do anything that you don’t want to. Just come and listen. If you have questions, you can talk with me or the pastor after the service.”

“I’m spiritual, not religious.” For me, church isn’t about being spiritual or being religious, it’s about hearing that Jesus loves me and forgives me. It’s about faith. Being inspired and reconnecting with God’s Word and others Christian people who love and support me. I just think it’d be really cool to have you come this Sunday. What time could I pick you up?

When you have the chance, listen to your friends and their concerns about faith and church. Be honest and open about your failures and your need for Christ. Talk about God’s love. Tell them about God’s forgiveness. Tell them about why faith matters to you. And, finally, either bring them here or encourage them to find another faith community.

God has commanded us to speak, but I hope that today you understand why. It’s about death and life. If you get the chance, speak up, but above all, trust in this: you are only planting the seeds. God gives the growth. You are only speaking, God gives the faith. You are only loving, God changes hearts. God does the saving, but he intends on using you to give his message. “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Amen.

Sermon for July 11th (A Vision of Emmanuel)

When I was a boy, my cousin Trent and I couldn’t get along. As young children, he was a jerk and I was a baby and that created a lot of tension whenever we got together. But as we started getting older, we finally found something we both enjoyed: soccer. One summer, my cousin Trenton and I stayed with my grandparents in Schleshwig, Iowa for several days. We were both just learning to play soccer. I had a book entitled: The Ultimate Soccer Book. It was a big, thick book and it had everything in it: World Cup rules, history of the game, penalties, how to correctly kick the ball off your feet, your head, your chest . . . this was indeed the ULTIMATE soccer book. I read through it and studied it so that I could be a great soccer player.

Trent on the other hand, being the little imp that he was, didn’t seem to care one lick about HOW to play soccer at all! He would just go out in the back yard and kick the ball around. He worked on dribbling the ball (he probably didn’t even KNOW that that was what it was called) and he’d try to kick it as hard as he could. And he’d run back and forth in the yard as I was reading about how to play. Everyone was waiting for the epic match.

Finally, I finished the book. The day had come. I went down, put on my shin guards, put on my special soccer shorts, opened the screen door and approached him, “Alright Trent. Wanna play?” And then I proceeded to get my cleats handed to me again and again by my little cousin. I tried out all kinds of cool techniques and chided him for not really knowing anything about the game, but he kept running past me and shooting the ball really hard into the goal. I had spent a week learning all there was to know about soccer, but he had just gone out and done it . . . and you know what? He was always better than me at that silly game.

Since I’ve come here, I’ve been waiting for inspiration about where God might be leading our community of faith here at Emmanuel. I’ve wanted to be a good leader for all of you, but I also want to be sure that I’m being a good follower of God as well. I don’t want to focus on my dreams and ideas if they are not what God wants. When people would ask me about the church’s direction or needing a vision for the future I would think to myself, “Well, yeah, that’s true. But I can’t be SURE just yet that I should say anything. I don’t KNOW for certain. I don’t have all the information just yet. I haven’t read the ULTIMATE future of Emmanuel church book . . . yet!” So I didn’t say anything. But the vision was there. I just had to go out and start kicking it around a bit.

The Holy Spirit has finally inspired me to step out in faith and share with you a vision of what the ministries here at Emmanuel might become. It’s a vision for ministry that I am passionate about because I know that God is passionate about it. When I was called here to Emmanuel, I imagined what this place could become and I’d like to share that vision with you this morning.

In the book of Thessalonians, Paul says, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, BUT test everything, hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.” Therefore, let God guide your listening and ask yourself a few questions. Is this vision biblical? Does it inspire you? Can you imagine it? I have committed this vision to God. If it’s not in his plans, I believe that it will become obvious! But if this vision takes hold of your heart and imagination as it has of mine, God will take care of any obstacles according to His will and in His time.

Finally, I know that we are not a lot of things. We are NOT Lutheran Church of Hope in Des Moines. We are not Willow Creek or Saddleback or the Crystal Cathedral. Those are indeed larger churches and we are smaller. I don’t envision a day where we have 1000 people at worship on a Sunday. . . we are going to look different than other churches do. This vision is not for them, it is for us, here. But we don’t need thousands of people to attend here each week in order to impact thousands of people each week! Let me paint a picture for you of what we might become. I see a day when Emmanuel is a place where we are coming in to be sent out!

Coming in to be inspired and reconnected with God’s Word and God’s people. I see a day when all members are expected to be involved in a small group, whether it’s a bible study, prayer group or service group—to be supported and grow in their walk with Christ at every stage of life. All visitors would be connected to a group from day one to build relationships and discover how God is active in their lives.

Why would you come in to this place? I see a day when you would come in to find your identity as a child of God. Not just on Sundays but every day. Any day of the week, you could come in to learn God’s laws and hear your forgiveness. The worship service would be the opening event for a week of spiritual growth where you were challenged and supported by other Christians. Jesus is the gate—not a wall to keep people out, but a gate that they might walk through. The doors to this church would not be the “gate” to this community—JESUS is the gate. We would come in to get the tools to be sent out.

I see a day when our community is:
Coming in to be empowered to serve. Everyone coming into this place would be encouraged to discover their individual spiritual gifts. It would be the job of every church leader, paid or volunteer, to help others discern their spiritual gifts, teach them how to use them, free them to use them and motivate them to use them. I see a day when our community, the body of Christ, worked like a team in mission for Christ to glorify his name and spread His message to the world. But just as we would have a purpose when coming in, we would expect to have a purpose when we were sent out.

I see a day when our community doesn’t just come in but is sent out:
Sent out to share the message of the cross. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” I’m not just talking about being TOLD to go out and not doing it, but actually being trained to talk and expected to share the message of Jesus with others. I see people believing it was part of their identity to share this message, not to just hold onto it for themselves. Imagine if everyone who came into this place was taught to do the following four things: share the forgiveness of sins with someone, lead a person to believe in Jesus Christ, magnify the meaning of baptism with others and connect them with a church. I see a day when we care as much for the lost people of this world as God does.

I see a day when our community is::
Sent out to train, support and become leaders, pastors, and missionaries for the sake of God’s kingdom around the world. I see a day when everyone’s eyes are watchful for the gifts in those around them, so that they can encourage and support their children and their friends to become pastors or leaders of the church. I see a day when the dollars we place in the offering baskets come back to us in the face of missionaries that we have supported and the stories of people brought to Christ through our support. I see each person in this church leaving a lasting legacy for God’s kingdom with their time, money and talents.

I see a day when our community is:
Sent out for short-term and long-term missions both in America and foreign countries early and often. You’ve heard miss America contestants talk about their dreams of World Peace, fighting poverty and getting rid of homelessness. Imagine if the people here at Emmanuel were making that dream a reality with their own bare hands and sweat. Spreading the gospel of Jesus not just with words, but with actions on the behalf of others. They say that you can’t look at the world the same way after you’ve spent time in another country. I see a day when our minds and hearts are transformed by the very people we are seeking to serve.

I see a day when we see our church not as a destination, but like Grand Central Station for welcoming new Christians through the gate of Jesus, training them for the Christian life and sending them out again to share the Word with others. I see a day when we expect all the age groups in our church to be involved in this adventure, whether through writing letters to imprisoned missionaries, cleaning up after natural disasters, or taking mission trips.

I see a day when our community is:
Sent out to plant new mission start churches and to revitalize existing congregations. I see a day when we are planting a new faith community at least once every three years. What kind of impact might Emmanuel have on people in this state, on this country and in the kingdom of God if we could share the blessings we have here with people who can’t imagine finding joy at church, or can’t imagine finding a church in their area at all? Yes, OUR church is in a small town, but the world is big and growing. They say farmers feed the world—we are used to big challenges. What might we do when we use our gifts to plant the seeds of the gospel.

Finally, I see a day when our community is:
Sent out to bring God’s love and healing to thousands of people each year who are sick, disabled, scared and lost. I see a day when thousands of people in our communities, our nation and world—people who have never stepped foot inside a church building—will be blessed by one of our social ministries and know “God is with them” wherever they are and whoever they are. I see our name, Emmanuel, God with us, driving us in our mission to places we’d never step foot in before—to people we never cared about before. I see lives transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit? I see God using our hands and feet in service to others.

I see a day when Emmanuel is focused on changing hearts, changing lives and changing our world. We are called in to be sent out and give the message of the cross—the power of God for salvation. We are called in to be sent out and share the power of the Holy Spirit together with all people, so that the sick, the depressed and the apathetic may have life in Jesus Christ and have it abundantly! Finally, we are called in to be blessed and sent out to be a blessing—meeting peoples’ most basic needs. When a person’s belly is finally full of bread, perhaps their ears will be prepared to hear about the bread of life, their Savior, Jesus Christ.

I believe that God is calling us all to come to Him so that we can be sent out. Jesus is the gate. Do you see a day when this community of faith might look like this vision I see? If so, then according to God’s will and in God’s time it will happen. God will do it. I pray that you will join with me as I seek to follow God’s guidance in our lives together as your pastor, as your servant and as a fellow member of the body of Christ. Amen.

Sermon for March 15th

A professor of mine in seminary told me a story about when he was in college working. I don’t remember exactly where he worked, but I think it was in a restaurant kitchen somewhere. He said that he worked alongside many different people, but among them were three Muslim men. One day, one of the men took him aside and said, “You are a Christian correct?” My professor answered, “Yes, yes. I am a Christian.” The man speaking to him nodded and shot a glance over to his friends to make sure they were listening, then he continued, “And, being a Christian, is it correct to say that you worship Jesus—you believe he is God?” “Yes. I believe Jesus Christ is God,” this professor answered. The man questioning continued once again, “So, when Jesus died on the cross, you believe that God . . . died?” My professor thought for a moment before answering but then responded, “Yes.” The man he was talking to doubled over and fell down on the ground . . . laughing. He found this statement to be the most hilarious thing he had ever heard.

Foolishness. The apostle Paul calls the message of the cross foolishness. People I know would probably just call it “stupid”. And you would either be labeled stupid as well or, at least, misguided, ignorant or brainwashed if they discovered that you believed in such a thing.

I have had many discussions with people about the history of religions. I have done some reading on the subject as well. Often, as it is pointed out to me, different religions throughout the ages have stolen or, shall we say “borrowed” stories or concepts from each other. Sometimes the similarities are profound. For instance, in Babylonian mythology, there is a flood that wipes out all humankind, except for those in a big boat . . . very reminiscent of the story about Noah and the ark that we read about in Genesis. Questions abound about where various moral codes came from. For instance, around the time when much of the Old Testament was first written, a lot of different cultures had some kind of understanding of sin. Who came up with it first? Who borrowed what from whom? And does any of this make sin any less true?

Some older cultures, in their search for ways to get the crops to grow, would sacrifice their King in order to make it rain or to satisfy various fertility gods. The thing was, the King himself was often worshipped as a god so, sometimes the King’s son who was sacrificed instead. In other words, the Son of a god was sacrificed. The god Odin, from Norse mythology, once sacrificed himself to himself by hanging himself on a tree. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the cruse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” The problem is often presented to me this way, “How can you still believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that his crucifixion means anything really when so many stories talk about the same thing throughout the history of religion?”

Foolishness. Even the apostle Paul calls the message of the cross foolishness. The popular author and atheist Richard Dawkins calls those who believe that Jesus is God, “deluded.” And, as he puts it so clearly in his book, “The God Delusion,” parents who teach their children such things should be charged with child abuse.

Most people will accept that some guy named Jesus did die on a cross in the early first century because there are historical records that say as much. However, since he died, he couldn’t have been God and, since he’s not God, he can’t be raised from the dead. But even if you accept that it happened, many pagans, for instance, will argue that this is nothing new. Chiseled in stone 2000 years before Jesus, there are stories about the Egyptian god Osiris dying and being resurrected as well. Maybe Jesus is just a new version of an old god. Jesus’ death and resurrection are thought to be two sides of the same coin—two sides of a very stupid
and unbelievable coin to be more specific.

At the end of Matthew’s gospel, after Jesus had died on the cross, the religious leaders are said to have gone in front of Pontius Pilate saying this, “Sir, we remember what that imposter (speaking of Jesus) said while he was still alive.” ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Therefore, command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” Many a biblical reader has questioned how they might continue to believe that Jesus died and was raised from the dead when this gospel so blatantly points out that the disciples MIGHT have just made the whole thing up?

When I was a child I had a parakeet named “Chippy.” I also had a cat named Benjamin who I liked to invite into the house to look at Chippy’s cage. I thought that I was helping them to be good friends until one day Benjamin found his way into the house and up into my room where he knew Chippy resided. Coming home from school one day, I frantically followed the trail of little white and green feathers which brought me to a very alarmed and terrorized Chippy (and a very excited and hungry little Benjamin). Chippy survived that afternoon but died that night from his wounds.

My dad, mom and I held a brief ceremony for my dearly departed feathered friend, laid him in a little white box and, since it was winter, set him in the garage. My dad told me he would bury the box later. Who knows how long it was until I found that box with NO CHIPPY INSIDE! I would find out that my dad just tossed him into the trees a little while later! I thought Chippy had been buried in that box! But his body was missing. I had been bamboozled! I felt betrayed! Many people wonder if the same thing is happening to them in the story of Jesus’ resurrection.

Foolishness. The apostle Paul calls the message of the cross foolishness. Deceptive is what the religious authorities called it according to the gospel of Matthew. And the questions continue today as well. Wasn’t it just a few years ago when scientists argued that they had disproven the resurrection by finding a bone box with the name Jeshua (otherwise known as Jesus) alongside ones with the names “Joseph” and “Mary”? While this discovery was eventually shown to be false, the fear of trickery is still very much alive. You might not be stupid or deluded because you believe that Jesus, that God himself, died, but many people fear that they just might be the victims of a very cruel religious trick.

There seem to be no end to plots explaining away the miracle of Jesus’ death and resurrection by focusing on the sins of the church, namely, the Roman Catholic church throughout history. Dan Brown’s “The DaVinci Code” argues that Jesus wasn’t God at all, the church just covered up his marriage to the prostitute Mary Magdalene so that we would all THINK he was God! Many an author has pointed out that the church, throughout history, has been filled with politics and scheming and, so the argument goes, those who believed that Jesus was God gained power over those who didn’t and forced their opinion on everyone since then. In other words, the only reason it’s so hard to believe that Jesus, God himself, died and was raised from the dead is because some politician in church robes forced us to BELIEVE God really died on the cross instead of telling us the truth, which would make a lot more sense.

If you still believe that Jesus truly was God and died on that cross. Well, that is foolishness. Even the apostle Paul calls the message of the cross foolishness. Others call it stupid. Deceiving. Delusion. Doctrine created by a corrupt church. Or simply, “nothing new.”

So here’s the part of the sermon where I’m supposed to bowl you over with my wit and wisdom proving to you all beyond a doubt how yes Jesus is God, yes he died, yes he has been resurrected. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. It’s not stupid to believe it. It’s not foolish to have faith. You aren’t being deceived. You aren’t being deluded by a power hungry church. But, that’s not what the text says. That’s not what the Bible says.

Here are a few lines from what Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, “The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom. God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Jesus, God himself, was born, suffered, died, was buried and was raised from the dead. I know it’s stupid and foolish to say such a thing. It might be trick, it might be borrowed, we might be deluded and maybe we’ve just been indoctrinated. But there’s an important part that I haven’t said yet. The truth is, this statement isn’t a fact that can be proved or disproven. It can’t be a trick, or a delusion or simply a doctrine because there is much more to it than that. It’s a confession; it’s a promise: Jesus, God himself, was born, suffered, died, was buried and was raised from the dead FOR YOU, for your salvation—to be your Lord and Savior. This doesn’t mean that you should leave your mind, your reason, your intelligence and your skepticism at the door, but it does mean that, perhaps, Jesus’ promise is not meant to satisfy your need for proof, or your need for a god, but your need for a Savior. The message is about the power of God.

There are many arguments used to support the message of the cross through historical documents, theological arguments and scientific reasoning, but, finally, Jesus is not after being proved according to the wisdom of this world. He is out to give you faith. Faith that despite the fact—the FACT!—that you will die, a scientific necessity, God’s promise is that you will live with forever with Jesus. I know, it would be foolish to believe it. But God is out to give you faith anyway. Faith that despite the fact that you will hurt yourself and others, another axiom of life, God’s promise is that you will be saved. Not based on your list of good deeds, as in the case of good ol’ Osiris that I mentioned before, but because Jesus Christ forgives you. Salvation is not based on your power, but on the power of God.

I know that itt sounds very stupid and foolish, for God to forgive you. But while you know all the facts, and they are all against you, God says believe in the foolishness of my death and my resurrection, the foolishness of my forgiveness, and I will be foolish enough to save you from all the facts of this world, from sin, death and the devil himself. Not through proofs, but through power, the power of God.

What will you do when you are face to face with the arguments and doubts that the world throws at you?. While it might seem very weak in our eyes, God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. Is Jesus truly divine? Did God die on a cross? The way so many cultures have written about? Even without perfect scientific evidence? Even when confessed by such a sinful church? The best answer is the foolish one. Yes, Jesus, God himself, was born, suffered, died, and was raised from the dead . . . for me, because I need a Savior. And do you know something even more foolish than that? Jesus loves you so much that he died on the cross for you too. Because you need a Savior too. Amen.

Sermon for September 14th

There are two kinds of people in this world: the dead ones and the not dead ones. Dead or alive. Another way to put this would be to say that there are two kinds of people in this world: the dead ones and the dying ones. Which one are you? Dead or alive? Dead or dying?

In the eyes of this world you are alive or, put more cynically, from the day you are born you are dying—but not dead yet. However, in the eyes of God you are already dead. Or, to put it more positively, “You are dead and your life is hidden—hidden—with Christ in God.”

So, is this important to know or has your pastor just gone a little dark in today’s sermon? The apostle Paul argues that knowing all this will make a difference in how you look at Jesus’ death on the cross: you will either think it is foolishness or you will be given faith. If you can make the distinction between whether you are dead or dying, you will discover what makes a dead man on the cross the seat of your hope rather than just another sad story.

Dying people still have a chance you know? Dying people can still strive for life. I recently watched a movie called “The Bucket List” starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. These two men are each dying of cancer and decide to write out a list of things they would like to do before they die—before they “kick the bucket” so to speak. Then they do the things they write down. Two old men having the time of their lives. Jumping out of planes, seeing the Taj Mahal, seeing the world through new eyes. In the end, they seem to have lived more in their final days than they did perhaps throughout their entire life. And that’s what people who are dying can do—they can still improve. Dying people still have some choices to make. Dying people still have some time.

But in God’s eyes, you are not dying, you are dead. A dead person has nothing left to do. A dead person is at the whim of the weather and the worms. A dead person doesn’t choose to lie down, they just can’t help themselves. There’s no more improvement.

In the eyes of this world there is more hope in dying than in death. In the eyes of this world, death is the worst thing that could happen to you. In the eyes of this world, a dead man on the cross is the end of the story and it is foolishness to find any reason to hope in a dead man. It would be better to hide your face from the cross, look away and find something more interesting and exciting—a little more lively—to look at.

“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, to those who are dying, to those who are not yet dead, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Why is that? Why is the cross foolish to some people but powerful for others?

Perhaps you remember your days as a kindergartner or as a young child before going off to school. Do you remember the monkey bars? Do you remember when you first did them and you didn’t need help? How proud you were! How old you had become! How strong you had grown! You didn’t need your mom or dad to help you anymore! That would be silly and embarrassing. You didn’t need help. You could do it yourself.
That was, until you fell from the monkey bars and landed on the ground with a thud. Then, having mommy and daddy around wasn’t so foolish anymore. In fact, when they ran over, picked you up and held you tightly to their heart, they weren’t so silly at all anymore; instead, they were strong, loving and maybe even powerful.

We go through life trying our darndest to become self-reliant and powerful in ourselves. We want to be the best at what we do and we don’t want to always have to ask for help. When you get potty trained as a young child it is embarrassing to have an accident again and have to be helped into some other pants. When you are older and the car keys get taken away from you, the embarrassment is no less upsetting. We don’t want help. We should be able to do it all ourselves. The problem is that, while this attitude works well at work and at school, your relationship with God doesn’t work the same way.

When you are dead, you’d take any help you could get wouldn’t you? Throughout your life, you have the freedom to make good choices and bad choices, but when you are perfectly passive six feet under, it doesn’t matter how free you think your will is . . . you can’t do anything with it—nothing at all. You’d need somebody to come and lift you up out of the grave. You’d need someone who wasn’t afraid to get their hands dirty. You’d need someone foolish enough to call to a dead person to come out of their tomb. You’d need someone powerful enough to bring you new life.

If you think you are alive and well and always getting better you probably have no need for a God who’s greatest achievement in this world was to die embarrassingly on a cross. You’d stay away from a God like that. In the eyes of this world you’d be foolish to do anything different. If you think you are dying, you will probably run from a God who tells you to find hope in a dead Savior. To find hope in death. You’d stay away from a God like that. In the eyes of this world you’d be foolish to do anything different.

However, if you are dead already then a God who has died might be a little more relevant wouldn’t he. If you are dead already, a God who spent three days in hell might seem like a kindred soul. If you are dead already, a God who was raised from the dead might look a little more hopeful, a little more like a Savior. If you are dead already, you might pray that you had a God who could be powerful in your life and give you life after death. If you are dead already, trust in God who sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for you. If you are dead already, you may trust in Jesus for your eternal life.

“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” You are not dying, God says, “You are dead already and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” When Christ is revealed your life is revealed, whether he is revealed to you at church, in the Bible or, finally, on the last day.

Do you remember when you first learned to ride your bike without training wheels? The excitement, the danger, the balancing act, the constant need to pedal and then—finally!—freedom! Your parents let go and you were off, riding as fast as you can. You could go anywhere you wanted. Well, your Daddy in heaven won’t let go. He’s always holding on. Your Daddy in heaven won’t even let you ride your bike by yourself. That might seem a little over-protective, or foolish or maybe even downright frustrating. But for those of you who don’t ride very well, who keep getting tired of pedaling, keep hitting bumps or getting flat tires, having Daddy constantly beside you doesn’t seem so foolish. Indeed, it is a blessed gift.

In the eyes of this world you are all alive and well. You work hard. You improve. You make mistakes. You make choices. You do your best and sometimes you do your worst. In this world, the wisest and best things you can do are work hard and improve yourself. This is how you make money. This is how you get A’s in school. This is how you can love your family.

But in the eyes of God, you cannot save yourself by working hard and improving. That would be utterly foolish. You are as capable of producing faith or creating good works as a dead corpse. You just can’t do it. You are perfectly passive in the eyes of God to save yourself, unable to make even the first step toward God, your creator.

You are dead. There is nothing left for you to do for your salvation. God has accomplished everything. This is the message of the cross and it is foolish for those who are perishing, but for you, who are being saved, it is the power of God. You don't have to worry about death. God is taking care of that. Now, you can enjoy your life. Amen.