I’ve noticed that we often have a lot of sign up sheets here at Saint Peters. We have sign up’s for the Bake Sale and for the Food Sale. We volunteer for council positions and for various programs that are offered each year. Today, I’m looking for volunteers who would like to suffer and be killed for their faith? Jesus said, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again . . . if any want to become my followers,” he said, “let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Do I have any takers? Should I put up a sign up sheet? Or not.
In the broadway musical, Rent, a musician named Roger falls in love with an erotic dancer named Mimi. Each of these characters is already infected with the AIDS virus when they meet. As the show progresses, Roger eventually breaks up with Mimi when he becomes jealous after finding out who her last boyfriend was. But it is more than jealousy, we find out, that is causing Roger to leave town and leave love behind. Roger’s best friend asks him, “Are you really jealous, or afraid that Mimi’s weak?” Mimi did look pale, Roger says. “Mimi’s gotten thin,” Mark presses, “Mimi’s running out of time. Roger’s running out the door.” When Mimi confronts Roger herself, after overhearing this conversation, she understands what is happening, whether Roger cares to admit it or not. Mimi says to him, “You don’t want baggage without lifetime guarantees. You don’t want to watch me die.” Loving Mimi meant experiencing suffering and death. That’s certainly not what love looks when you are trying to sell Romance novels.
When death is in the air, most people would rather just leave than stand by and watch helplessly, especially when they know they will be next. Jesus said, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again . . . if any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” I’m going to die, Jesus says. And not only that, I’m going to suffer. It won’t be pretty. And if you follow me, you will be next. Do I have any takers? Should I put up a sign up sheet? Or not.
We have forgotten what it means to follow Jesus. But you may say, Well, all you need is love. Jesus is love. God is love after all, right? That’s it? But if Jesus was simply “love”, then why did everybody want him killed? I mean, why isn’t everyone a Christian today? Who could be against love? What does it mean to follow Jesus? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Why were the twelve disciples killed for their faith so long ago? Why are Christians around the world still killed today? If Jesus is simply love, and nobody could be against love, then why was he crucified? Why does he say that we have to take up a cross?
Did you know that the Romans, the ones who were in power at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, were actually very tolerant people? Even loving people? The ones that massacred so many of the earliest Christian followers were very much into love themselves. Why would they have been against the Christians? What was it about Jesus and his merry band of followers that was so awful that they had to be killed? What made it so hard to be a follower of Christ at the beginning while it seems so darn easy nowadays? Why were they all killed while we sit here comfortably in church today? What’s changed? What’s the difference? The laws? The people? The message?
The sociologist Rodney Stark explains that the worst crimes against the young Christian church occurred not because the Romans wanted to convert Christians to some other belief but because they believed that Christians were for all intents and purposes, atheists. You see, when the early church began, there were many, many other gods, shrines, philosophies and beliefs in Rome and the people could tolerate them all. Just because you worshipped Mithra didn’t mean that you couldn’t also worship Zeus. The more gods the better in fact! And don’t think for one instant that there wasn’t already a god of love.
But when the Christians came along, THEY would only worship their ONE God rather than the thousands of Greek and Roman gods. While the rest of the Greco-Roman world was tolerant of pretty much anything you could imagine, Christians were known by how they acted. And it was more than that they were known as Christians by their love. They also followed the commandments of God and this set them apart as well. Along with their fascination for the forgiveness of “so-called” sins, they were so intolerant that they would not worship any other gods, or follow other beliefs, or accept any other philosophies. And so what happened is what the historian Ramsey MacMullen calls “toleration gone mad”. In order to stay as tolerant of religions as possible, the people of Rome had no choice but to kill the atheistic Christians—it was that simple. We have forgotten what it means to follow Jesus.
Have you ever seen that show on MTV called, “Pimp my Ride”? Before there was “Cash for Clunkers” there was “Pimp my Ride” a show dedicated to taking an old car and making it look and act like a hot rod. Immense subwolfer speakers, shiny new rims, video game console for the passenger or a mini bar in the back seat. You may have heard me say this before, but I'm going to say it again: you can pimp my ride, but don’t pimp my Jesus. Don’t tell me that Jesus is love and forget that Jesus came to free us from our sins. Jesus is love, but we so often do not love. Don’t make Jesus into a shiny new doll that everybody should want to hold and forget that your crucified and risen Lord lives with nail holes in his hands and feet because NO ONE wanted him. Don’t believe for a moment that being a Christian means a lifetime of glory—Jesus says, “If any want to be my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Being a Christian involves suffering. And that doesn’t just mean suffering through the woes and perils of everyday life like everyone else. Sometimes to be a follower of Christ means to suffer for what you believe. Sometimes it even means that you will deny your own pleasure, your own best interests, for the sake of pleasing God and serving your neighbor.
We have forgotten what it means to follow Jesus . . . or have we. Perhaps we have not forgotten at all. Perhaps we realize only too well that if we truly follow Jesus there is only one path that is open for us: a path of tears, a path to a cross. A path to eternal life. Yes, but a path that has to go through death as well to get there and that doesn’t sound like so much fun. Perhaps this is why it is so much easier and desirable to just be spiritual rather than faithful.
To be spiritual is to follow whatever god, or philosophy or way of life that you choose in whatever way best suits you just like for the Roman people. To follow whatever path you want up the mountain of faith. To be faithful to Jesus is to follow a path already walked down by many others before you. And while the spiritualist imagines great wonders up there in the clouds, the faithful follower of Christ knows what is coming up around the bend: suffering, death, a cross and, yes, then, eternal life. Who wouldn’t want to skip church and just sleep in. Ignorance is bliss! But Jesus says, “Those who are ashamed of me and my words, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Are you ashamed of Jesus? Are you ashamed of his words? Are you ashamed of being called a Christian? Why are you ashamed of what you believe? I’m not saying that you are the only one, Jesus’ disciples were all ashamed of their Savior. For goodness sake, even good ol’ Peter didn’t want Jesus telling everyone about the suffering and death involved. But realize this, no matter how ashamed of Jesus you are, he is not ashamed to run after you and give you his words of love again and again no matter how often you refuse him. No matter how much you despise his words, when we ask for forgiveness Jesus will forgive you, even though you and I do not deserve this kind of love. No matter how far away you go looking for glory and a pimped up Jesus, the path to the cross is always near to you. And though that path is full of suffering, embarrassment and even, eventually, an inglorious death, to follow Jesus is to know the way, the truth and life. Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves, and take up their cross and follow me.” Do not forget what it means to follow Jesus. Amen.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Sermon for September 6th
I have been running scared lately. Racing against forces beyond my control that seek to grab me and swallow me whole. One day it is the fact that I need to practice more for the contemporary service. Other days, I am fearful about the future of Saint Peters and the struggles we face as a community. Some days I get overwhelmed about how to get all the dishes done now that my wife is unable to step foot into the kitchen due to pregnancy nausea. Other days I worry about someone who is struggling with sickness or loneliness in our community. Sometimes I’m scared that my beliefs as a Christian will cause me a great deal of persecution in the very near future. Sometimes I am scared that my sins are going to overcome me. And then I read this week’s reading from Isaiah, spoken to all those with a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”
I was watching the Daily Show with John Stewart on the internet, using Hulu, and it was showing a bunch of town halls talking about Health Care. Wow! I guess I haven’t been watching the news lately. No matter which side of the debate you are on, I think that you have to admit that there are a few people out there who are downright scared. When I tried to get a handle on what was happening, I kept hearing newscasters refer to how “angry” people were, but anger wasn’t what I saw and heard. It was fear. Fear of losing something precious, like their liberty, or their money or their loved ones. And whatever was being said by the other side wasn’t speaking to this fear and wasn’t making anything any better.
Of course, those against health care reform aren’t any less afraid than those who are for it. There are how many people with no health insurance right now in America? I’ve known a few. You can bet that a lot of THOSE people are scared and acting like it too. What’s going to happen not if, but WHEN they get sick? And the only thing that probably scares most of them more than the idea of getting sick is how in the world are they going to pay for it? Paying for it, paying for billions of dollars in health care reform, that also worries those against these refroms. And the fear of losing everything, or not having enough to take care of yourself or your spouse or your children, is the kind of fear that keeps you awake at night for days.
I’m not the only one running scared lately. Health care reform. The mind-boggling national debt. Does God care about these things? What about those things that you and I are dealing with today? I know that there are some of you fighting off cancer. That’s scary. Cancer is a very scary word and an even scarier disease. Between job loses or family struggles or sicknesses that won’t go away, there are some of you who are hanging onto a strand of faith by only the weakest of threads. Some of you are nervous about our meeting Wednesday night, about the recent ELCA churchwide convention, probably so nervous you won’t even come or won’t say anything for fear of upsetting people. All fear is bondage, someone once said. And children aren’t immune from it either. Whatever you are going through, so are your children, if not consciously than at least peripherally through the stress they see in you.
The Lord speaks through the prophet Isaiah saying, “Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.’ So I will say it today to you. To you who are struggling, fearful, nervous, frustrated and running scared, “Be strong, do not fear. Here is your God. He will come and save you.”
I won’t pretend to know exactly how God would vote about any particular form of health care legislation, but God does care about you and about what you are afraid of. God does hear. God will save. We will all make our choices and do our best to run, protect ourselves or stand up against our fears, but the final end of your fear will come only from God.
That means that your fear will not be driven away by any bill made by congress about health care. It also means that you fear will not be stopped by defeating any health care bill by congress. If you are trusting your life only into the hands senators, insurance companies and skilled doctors you will only get so far, maybe very far, but your eternal life is in the hands of God. So cry out to him for safety and healing first, and trust that he has sent these other people as his servants to take care of you in this life, but not in the next. Your eternal life is in the hands of a creator, compassionate and mighty to save.
How do you deal with your fear? When I was getting my Bachelors and Masters in double bass performance I had to perform all that time . . . and that made me very scared and nervous. So what did I do when I was afraid I wasn’t playing well enough? I practiced. I called my wife and told her, “I need to practice a couple more hours.” And then two hours later I called her and told her I still needed a couple MORE hours. I had to trust in myself and in my ability to work hard enough to beat away my fear. I was a workaholic.
How do you deal with your fear? Some people go the opposite direction and choose to just not deal with conflicts that arise in their lives or pretend they don’t exist. But trusting in God to save you doesn’t mean digging out a hole and jumping in to avoid the storm. One time, the prophet Elijah had just fought a battle with 450 prophets of another god, Baal. God rained down fire for Elijah and won the battle. But then Elijah realized that he might get in trouble with some people for what had happened so he found a cave and hid in it. He felt like he was alone, the only one left who trusted in God, and that he would soon be found and killed. God told Elijah to trust in the Word of the Lord, not in Elijah’s own fear. If Elijah was going to find freedom from his fear, he was going to have to come out of that cave and stand up in the strength of God’s promises.
“Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.” But you may ask, “Here is our God? Where is our God? I don’t see him? I don’t know what he is doing? How can I trust in a God like that?” Well, you have to hear from him and, today, you are hearing from him, “Be strong, do not fear!” He says to you! God must come out of hiding for you to trust him. God must be preached for you to hear him. God must reveal himself for you to know that he is here.
If you’ve ever wondered why it is that the Lutheran church has always argued for the authority of scripture above everything else it is because of this and this alone: it is God’s revelation to us. It is the place where God comes out of hiding. God shows himself in three ways through is word. In the living Word, Jesus Christ. In the written word, the Bible. And in the spoken word, through preachers like you and me. The Bible is the historical proclamation inspired by God, so that, today, here, in this place, I might give you that proclamation once again so that you might believe and have faith in the living Word, Jesus Christ. Hear this and trust in this word, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come and save you.”
As God’s people, you and I have only one choice, finally, in the face of our fears, whether they are fears about our health, fears about our family or fears about our church—we must run! Run to God as he has chosen to reveal himself: in Jesus Christ, in the Bible, and in the preached word. What are you most afraid of right now in your life? Take a moment and think about it. What keeps you up at night? What takes over the car conversations with your spouse? God is calling you to stand firm and faithful to his Word even while you are afraid of these things. That’s why we have a church service, so that you might remember that, even while you are afraid, God loves you and forgives you. That’s why you are encouraged to read your Bible, so that when you aren’t hearing about God’s love you are reading his love letters and hearing about what he has done for his loved ones in the past. These are the places God reveals himself for you.
You are called to run to God’s Word and stand firm and faithful, trusting in his laws and trusting in his promises above everything else. Because finally, only in God, will you find freedom, hope, strength and final victory over your fear. “Be strong. Do not fear! Here is your God. He will come and save you.”
I was watching the Daily Show with John Stewart on the internet, using Hulu, and it was showing a bunch of town halls talking about Health Care. Wow! I guess I haven’t been watching the news lately. No matter which side of the debate you are on, I think that you have to admit that there are a few people out there who are downright scared. When I tried to get a handle on what was happening, I kept hearing newscasters refer to how “angry” people were, but anger wasn’t what I saw and heard. It was fear. Fear of losing something precious, like their liberty, or their money or their loved ones. And whatever was being said by the other side wasn’t speaking to this fear and wasn’t making anything any better.
Of course, those against health care reform aren’t any less afraid than those who are for it. There are how many people with no health insurance right now in America? I’ve known a few. You can bet that a lot of THOSE people are scared and acting like it too. What’s going to happen not if, but WHEN they get sick? And the only thing that probably scares most of them more than the idea of getting sick is how in the world are they going to pay for it? Paying for it, paying for billions of dollars in health care reform, that also worries those against these refroms. And the fear of losing everything, or not having enough to take care of yourself or your spouse or your children, is the kind of fear that keeps you awake at night for days.
I’m not the only one running scared lately. Health care reform. The mind-boggling national debt. Does God care about these things? What about those things that you and I are dealing with today? I know that there are some of you fighting off cancer. That’s scary. Cancer is a very scary word and an even scarier disease. Between job loses or family struggles or sicknesses that won’t go away, there are some of you who are hanging onto a strand of faith by only the weakest of threads. Some of you are nervous about our meeting Wednesday night, about the recent ELCA churchwide convention, probably so nervous you won’t even come or won’t say anything for fear of upsetting people. All fear is bondage, someone once said. And children aren’t immune from it either. Whatever you are going through, so are your children, if not consciously than at least peripherally through the stress they see in you.
The Lord speaks through the prophet Isaiah saying, “Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.’ So I will say it today to you. To you who are struggling, fearful, nervous, frustrated and running scared, “Be strong, do not fear. Here is your God. He will come and save you.”
I won’t pretend to know exactly how God would vote about any particular form of health care legislation, but God does care about you and about what you are afraid of. God does hear. God will save. We will all make our choices and do our best to run, protect ourselves or stand up against our fears, but the final end of your fear will come only from God.
That means that your fear will not be driven away by any bill made by congress about health care. It also means that you fear will not be stopped by defeating any health care bill by congress. If you are trusting your life only into the hands senators, insurance companies and skilled doctors you will only get so far, maybe very far, but your eternal life is in the hands of God. So cry out to him for safety and healing first, and trust that he has sent these other people as his servants to take care of you in this life, but not in the next. Your eternal life is in the hands of a creator, compassionate and mighty to save.
How do you deal with your fear? When I was getting my Bachelors and Masters in double bass performance I had to perform all that time . . . and that made me very scared and nervous. So what did I do when I was afraid I wasn’t playing well enough? I practiced. I called my wife and told her, “I need to practice a couple more hours.” And then two hours later I called her and told her I still needed a couple MORE hours. I had to trust in myself and in my ability to work hard enough to beat away my fear. I was a workaholic.
How do you deal with your fear? Some people go the opposite direction and choose to just not deal with conflicts that arise in their lives or pretend they don’t exist. But trusting in God to save you doesn’t mean digging out a hole and jumping in to avoid the storm. One time, the prophet Elijah had just fought a battle with 450 prophets of another god, Baal. God rained down fire for Elijah and won the battle. But then Elijah realized that he might get in trouble with some people for what had happened so he found a cave and hid in it. He felt like he was alone, the only one left who trusted in God, and that he would soon be found and killed. God told Elijah to trust in the Word of the Lord, not in Elijah’s own fear. If Elijah was going to find freedom from his fear, he was going to have to come out of that cave and stand up in the strength of God’s promises.
“Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.” But you may ask, “Here is our God? Where is our God? I don’t see him? I don’t know what he is doing? How can I trust in a God like that?” Well, you have to hear from him and, today, you are hearing from him, “Be strong, do not fear!” He says to you! God must come out of hiding for you to trust him. God must be preached for you to hear him. God must reveal himself for you to know that he is here.
If you’ve ever wondered why it is that the Lutheran church has always argued for the authority of scripture above everything else it is because of this and this alone: it is God’s revelation to us. It is the place where God comes out of hiding. God shows himself in three ways through is word. In the living Word, Jesus Christ. In the written word, the Bible. And in the spoken word, through preachers like you and me. The Bible is the historical proclamation inspired by God, so that, today, here, in this place, I might give you that proclamation once again so that you might believe and have faith in the living Word, Jesus Christ. Hear this and trust in this word, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come and save you.”
As God’s people, you and I have only one choice, finally, in the face of our fears, whether they are fears about our health, fears about our family or fears about our church—we must run! Run to God as he has chosen to reveal himself: in Jesus Christ, in the Bible, and in the preached word. What are you most afraid of right now in your life? Take a moment and think about it. What keeps you up at night? What takes over the car conversations with your spouse? God is calling you to stand firm and faithful to his Word even while you are afraid of these things. That’s why we have a church service, so that you might remember that, even while you are afraid, God loves you and forgives you. That’s why you are encouraged to read your Bible, so that when you aren’t hearing about God’s love you are reading his love letters and hearing about what he has done for his loved ones in the past. These are the places God reveals himself for you.
You are called to run to God’s Word and stand firm and faithful, trusting in his laws and trusting in his promises above everything else. Because finally, only in God, will you find freedom, hope, strength and final victory over your fear. “Be strong. Do not fear! Here is your God. He will come and save you.”
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sermon for August 30th
If you were here last Sunday, you heard me say that faith does not simply mean “thinking” about Jesus in the right way. It’s more than that. Today the reading from James points out that faith is not simply “hearing” about Jesus either. Faith comes through hearing, as Paul says in Romans, but just hearing about Jesus does not mean that you suddenly have faith. Faith involves every part of you, you mind, your heart, your ears, your hands and your feet. Yes, we can agree with James that faith without works is surely a dead faith.
But this does not mean that good works create a “living faith” either. That’s the common misunderstanding surrounding these verses of James. In fact, this has been one of the greatest misunderstandings by Christians and non-Christians alike. So much so that it’s made a overweight and manic depressive monk like Martin Luther into a hero of the church just because he pointed it out: We are made righteous by faith alone, not by works prescribed by the law. Why faith alone? Because faith involves everything of course! It’s our natural human tendency to trust in what we do (alone), our good works all by themselves—that’s the great temptation. Trusting in faith alone doesn’t mean there are no good works that will show up, a good tree will produce good fruit Jesus says, faith means we don’t have to measure our salvation by the bushel basket of good that we accomplish in life. Salvation is a free gift given to you by Jesus Christ effective by faith.
There is a story about a old Lutheran pastor who was dying and declared boastfully that he could not remember one good work that he had done. Of course, we wonder what James would say about that! “But faith without works is dead!” he might say. “Don’t’ just be hearers of the word but doers of the word! “ he might say. But imagine this wasn’t simply a story about some old Lutheran pastor but it was the story of one of your beloved family members or friend. And on THEIR death bed they happily told you that they could not remember one good work that they had done. What would you think? “What about all the diapers you changed? What about the fact that you took care of your ailing wife for years who was fighting cancer? What about the money you gave to charities? What do you mean you didn’t do any good works?”
The question is not whether a person has done any good works, but what are they trusting in? What are you trusting in? Your works or the work of God? The greatest gift from God for any person is that, on their dying day, they forget everything they have ever done, good or bad, and just trust in God’s grace. Because when you or I are lying in our graves, we will be trusting in God’s mercy to bring us out--there will be nothing left for us to trust in but that.
But what do we do before our dying day when we are trying to do what is right and keep from doing what is wrong? We know that good works do not create a living faith, but we also know that sin threatens our relationship to God. Jesus never encourages sinning just because you might get away with it. This is a part of the Christian life that we tend to turn away from, intentionally or not. We’ve heard about God’s Law, we’ve thought about it, but while we trust God to love us, we have little faith in the usefulness of God’s commandments for our lives.
Like most everyone, you probably enjoy hearing that Jesus loves you, but this love is even more radical than you might imagine. He not only loves you, but he saves you. From what you may ask? Well, from yourself. Jesus called to the crowd, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” This is a list of things that can hurt you and hurt others.
In today’s gospel story, the Pharisees were asking Jesus why it was that he and his disciples were eating without washing their hands because handwashing was an important Jewish tradition. It differentiated the Jews from the rest of the culture just as the types of food they ate and their ways of treating one another made them distinct. They followed these traditions not because they were just trying to be “religious”, but because God called them to be holy and set apart from the rest of the culture. Jesus makes the point that HIS followers aren’t going to be known for what they eat or do not eat, by what they wear or do not wear, by washing their hands or not. They will be known by their behaviors and, most importantly, by things that are hidden from view, the integrity of their hearts before God. Not what goes in, but what is coming out.
Do you remember any of the list of sins I read? Do you remember even one? There were twelve. And it’s not a comprehensive list. Some would argue that Jesus is simply pointing out our need for salvation, and they are of course correct, but we’ve all gotten into a bad habit of calling ourselves “sinners” and after looking in the mirror, and seeing all of our faults, forgetting them immediately and never even attempting to correct them. Refraining from any particular sin will not save you, but a living faith involves all that you have, including caring enough about yourself and your neighbor to look in the mirror and attempt to make a change. Was there a sin on that list that you would see in the mirror? Will you forget about it after the service or not? Do you care enough to make a change.
Of course, finally we all break all the rules somehow. I hope that you haven’t slept with another person other than your spouse, but Jesus points out that if you’ve ever thought about doing it, you have committed adultery in your heart already. Jesus raises the bar to point out your need for a Savior, but he still intends for you to reform what you’re doing for the sake of protecting and loving others.
But why should we focus so much on sins? Why should we ever talk about sins? Shouldn’t everybody be able to do whatever they feel is right in their heart? If this was a discussion of the constitution then that argument might work, but God’s laws are not about “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. It’s a different kind of life, eternal life, liberation from sin that God is interested in.
This short list of 12 sins, are mentioned because Jesus wants to give you faith. When you realize that, at least in your heart and mind, you’ve done everything wrong, I pray that you see your need for salvation. However, don’t forget that these laws are not just there to push you toward a Savior. These rules are also used for another reason, namely, to protect yourself and others. Perhaps your own self-control will only work 85% percent of the time, but isn’t other peoples’ happiness worth the effort? The law isn’t just there to point us to Christ, it is also there for our own health and protection. Don’t just be hearers of the word, don’t just listen to this list of sins and think, “Oh well, can’t be perfect, that sin ain’t so bad, others are worse, I’m only human, what the point in trying.” Instead, be doers of the word and follow the law as best you can, not for your salvation, but for the sake of others. God’s law is written to be heard AND obeyed.
In the tenth chapter of John’s gospel, a woman is caught in the very act of adultery. Jesus points out that, if anyone in the crowd has no sin, they are free to throw the first stone. When they all leave Jesus tells the woman that he does not condemn her either BUT she is to go and SIN NO MORE. What was Jesus talking about, do you think? He wanted her to stop committing adultery, of course! Baptism, forgiveness, God’s love doesn’t give you the right to sin against God’s laws without repenting. Yes, we are all in the same boat, we are sinners, but each of us needs to be aware of the particular sins we struggle with the most and try to keep from doing them, again, not for our salvation, but to love ourselves, our families, our friends and even those people we have not and will not ever meet.
Finally, though, I have to thank James for making the point that Jesus is more than simply another lawgiver. In Jesus, is also freedom from the law of sin and death. Even as you and I work on hindering our favorite sins, we are free to go forth and be doers of the word and not just hearers. Jesus, heard the word from his Father and then DID that word to people. We are called not just to hear the words of judgment and forgiveness, but to give those words of judgment and forgiveness to others as well so that they might realize their sins and recognize their salvation in Jesus Christ.
Do not simply be hearers of the word, but doers of the word. Have you heard one of your favorite sins listed out loud this morning? In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. God’s Judgment and God’s forgiveness have been done to you. Now, ou are free to go and do the word of God to someone else who needs to hear it. Amen.
But this does not mean that good works create a “living faith” either. That’s the common misunderstanding surrounding these verses of James. In fact, this has been one of the greatest misunderstandings by Christians and non-Christians alike. So much so that it’s made a overweight and manic depressive monk like Martin Luther into a hero of the church just because he pointed it out: We are made righteous by faith alone, not by works prescribed by the law. Why faith alone? Because faith involves everything of course! It’s our natural human tendency to trust in what we do (alone), our good works all by themselves—that’s the great temptation. Trusting in faith alone doesn’t mean there are no good works that will show up, a good tree will produce good fruit Jesus says, faith means we don’t have to measure our salvation by the bushel basket of good that we accomplish in life. Salvation is a free gift given to you by Jesus Christ effective by faith.
There is a story about a old Lutheran pastor who was dying and declared boastfully that he could not remember one good work that he had done. Of course, we wonder what James would say about that! “But faith without works is dead!” he might say. “Don’t’ just be hearers of the word but doers of the word! “ he might say. But imagine this wasn’t simply a story about some old Lutheran pastor but it was the story of one of your beloved family members or friend. And on THEIR death bed they happily told you that they could not remember one good work that they had done. What would you think? “What about all the diapers you changed? What about the fact that you took care of your ailing wife for years who was fighting cancer? What about the money you gave to charities? What do you mean you didn’t do any good works?”
The question is not whether a person has done any good works, but what are they trusting in? What are you trusting in? Your works or the work of God? The greatest gift from God for any person is that, on their dying day, they forget everything they have ever done, good or bad, and just trust in God’s grace. Because when you or I are lying in our graves, we will be trusting in God’s mercy to bring us out--there will be nothing left for us to trust in but that.
But what do we do before our dying day when we are trying to do what is right and keep from doing what is wrong? We know that good works do not create a living faith, but we also know that sin threatens our relationship to God. Jesus never encourages sinning just because you might get away with it. This is a part of the Christian life that we tend to turn away from, intentionally or not. We’ve heard about God’s Law, we’ve thought about it, but while we trust God to love us, we have little faith in the usefulness of God’s commandments for our lives.
Like most everyone, you probably enjoy hearing that Jesus loves you, but this love is even more radical than you might imagine. He not only loves you, but he saves you. From what you may ask? Well, from yourself. Jesus called to the crowd, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” This is a list of things that can hurt you and hurt others.
In today’s gospel story, the Pharisees were asking Jesus why it was that he and his disciples were eating without washing their hands because handwashing was an important Jewish tradition. It differentiated the Jews from the rest of the culture just as the types of food they ate and their ways of treating one another made them distinct. They followed these traditions not because they were just trying to be “religious”, but because God called them to be holy and set apart from the rest of the culture. Jesus makes the point that HIS followers aren’t going to be known for what they eat or do not eat, by what they wear or do not wear, by washing their hands or not. They will be known by their behaviors and, most importantly, by things that are hidden from view, the integrity of their hearts before God. Not what goes in, but what is coming out.
Do you remember any of the list of sins I read? Do you remember even one? There were twelve. And it’s not a comprehensive list. Some would argue that Jesus is simply pointing out our need for salvation, and they are of course correct, but we’ve all gotten into a bad habit of calling ourselves “sinners” and after looking in the mirror, and seeing all of our faults, forgetting them immediately and never even attempting to correct them. Refraining from any particular sin will not save you, but a living faith involves all that you have, including caring enough about yourself and your neighbor to look in the mirror and attempt to make a change. Was there a sin on that list that you would see in the mirror? Will you forget about it after the service or not? Do you care enough to make a change.
Of course, finally we all break all the rules somehow. I hope that you haven’t slept with another person other than your spouse, but Jesus points out that if you’ve ever thought about doing it, you have committed adultery in your heart already. Jesus raises the bar to point out your need for a Savior, but he still intends for you to reform what you’re doing for the sake of protecting and loving others.
But why should we focus so much on sins? Why should we ever talk about sins? Shouldn’t everybody be able to do whatever they feel is right in their heart? If this was a discussion of the constitution then that argument might work, but God’s laws are not about “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. It’s a different kind of life, eternal life, liberation from sin that God is interested in.
This short list of 12 sins, are mentioned because Jesus wants to give you faith. When you realize that, at least in your heart and mind, you’ve done everything wrong, I pray that you see your need for salvation. However, don’t forget that these laws are not just there to push you toward a Savior. These rules are also used for another reason, namely, to protect yourself and others. Perhaps your own self-control will only work 85% percent of the time, but isn’t other peoples’ happiness worth the effort? The law isn’t just there to point us to Christ, it is also there for our own health and protection. Don’t just be hearers of the word, don’t just listen to this list of sins and think, “Oh well, can’t be perfect, that sin ain’t so bad, others are worse, I’m only human, what the point in trying.” Instead, be doers of the word and follow the law as best you can, not for your salvation, but for the sake of others. God’s law is written to be heard AND obeyed.
In the tenth chapter of John’s gospel, a woman is caught in the very act of adultery. Jesus points out that, if anyone in the crowd has no sin, they are free to throw the first stone. When they all leave Jesus tells the woman that he does not condemn her either BUT she is to go and SIN NO MORE. What was Jesus talking about, do you think? He wanted her to stop committing adultery, of course! Baptism, forgiveness, God’s love doesn’t give you the right to sin against God’s laws without repenting. Yes, we are all in the same boat, we are sinners, but each of us needs to be aware of the particular sins we struggle with the most and try to keep from doing them, again, not for our salvation, but to love ourselves, our families, our friends and even those people we have not and will not ever meet.
Finally, though, I have to thank James for making the point that Jesus is more than simply another lawgiver. In Jesus, is also freedom from the law of sin and death. Even as you and I work on hindering our favorite sins, we are free to go forth and be doers of the word and not just hearers. Jesus, heard the word from his Father and then DID that word to people. We are called not just to hear the words of judgment and forgiveness, but to give those words of judgment and forgiveness to others as well so that they might realize their sins and recognize their salvation in Jesus Christ.
Do not simply be hearers of the word, but doers of the word. Have you heard one of your favorite sins listed out loud this morning? In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. God’s Judgment and God’s forgiveness have been done to you. Now, ou are free to go and do the word of God to someone else who needs to hear it. Amen.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sermon for August 23rd
In my household we have a rule for our family at meals. “You have to at least TRY everything.” Beyond that, if we’ve had a kind of food before, we expect everyone to eat the food they’ve been given whether it’s brownies, brusselsprouts or beets. I like these rules, they are a good idea, I think everyone should have these rules—that is, unless I have to eat beets. I don’t like to eat beets. It’s one thing to make grand talks about eating everything, but it’s quite another to eat beets. To actually have to gulp them down myself past a sensitive gag reflex.
When it comes to your faith in Jesus Christ, what do you gag on? How big of a bite are you willing to take? Does it make you queasy just thinking about swallowing particular theological arguments? Perhaps you nibble at the smorgasbord of faith, but you are not willing to pay for the whole buffet, or swallow anything in its entirety.
During the siege of Leningrad, the city elders had a difficult decision to make. The Nazi’s had cut off most supply routes to the city. The few remaining truck routes across the frozen lake were bombed daily. It became clear that there was only one-third enough wheat to get them through the winter. Should they feed only a third of the people? What choice did they have? They decided to mix their bread with one third wheat, one third saw dust and one third manure. That winter tens of thousands of children went to bed every night starving to death on a full stomach. What have you added to Jesus to make him more palatable? Or is he just the little pinch of spice that you have added to your other belief systems. In order to “fit in” with the society. To fit in with your family or with your spouse. What if you were asked to swallow Jesus, and all of his teachings, whole? Or have you become so accustomed to the manure that you’re not sure you’d like the real deal?
Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.” “To eat” is another way of saying “to believe”, but it gets to the point doesn’t it? When you think about believing in Jesus it’s easy to just THINK about it. To think about how nice being a Christian is. To think about how you should read your Bible more. To think about it. Just like you watch the latest movie about refugees and THINK about helping them or hear your wife doing the dishes and THINK about helping her. Thinking is easy, eating demands more commitment. An idea, you can take or leave, but once you’ve swallowed something, it’s tough to get the taste out of your mouth, it’s even tougher to get the crumbs out of your stomach.
“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” Believing in Jesus is about more than your mind—it’s about more than thinking. Thinking is important. There are many Christians who don’t like to think and that is a problem, but many of us have a different problem—it’s not that we think too much, but we think about Jesus and that’s about it. We don’t want to commit any more than that. But believing in Jesus demands your mind, your mouth, your heart, your stomach, your hands, your feet, your life, your all. When you eat something it becomes a part of you right down to the cellular level. When you not only believe in Jesus, but when you eat Jesus, faith becomes a part of you as well, a part of your life that you can’t separate yourself from.
Here’s a story I read recently from a magazine called Voice of the Martyrs, “Dora and her husband, Ferley, gathered their children together for family devotions night. Dora and Ferley were teachers in Santana Ramos, a farming village deep in the Colombian jungle about five hours away from the nearest town. Night had fallen, dinner was finished and Marcella, their oldest daughter had done her schoolwork and was ready for devotions. For the most part, it was routine, but Marcella saw small tears forming in her mother’s eyes. And when her stepfather began to cry, the 12-year old knew something was wrong. After the family’s devotions, Dora looked at her oldest daughter and said, “Mommy may be going to sleep tomorrow for a long time.”
“Marxist guerrillas and the Colombian government were terrorizing the farming village Dora taught in. “Christians are dangerous,” the guerrillas repeatedly said. “Christians cannot lie. If the army asks them about us, they will tell the truth!” On Monday morning, Nov. 17th, 2008, Dora began her day like any other school day—praying with the students. During the day, a neighbor came to see the young teacher, “I’m sorry Dora,” he told her, “but the guerrillas will kill your brother tomorrow.” Later in the day, the neighbor returned. “I am so sorry,” he told her, “I have made a mistake. It is not your brother who will be killed . . . but it is you and your husband. You can take your family and run,” he said, “You can leave this village right now.” Dora reassured the guerrilla messenger, “You do not have to worry,” she said. This is better. My brother was not ready to meet the Lord. But my husband and I are.”
The next morning they began the day like any other. Around 10 am two armed guerrillas, ushered the couple to the back of the schoolhouse to say goodbye to their family. The 12-year old, Marcella cried as the armed men walked her parents across a field to a river just 300 yards away from the school. Marcella could not see her parents, but she remembers hearing the two shots as her parents were executed. “If I met the men who did this I would forgive them,” Marcella said months are her parents had died. I know this would be hard, but I know God forgives them. So I have to as well.” Dora and her daughter didn’t just believe in Jesus, did they? Their faith in Jesus was something they could not separate themselves from, their faith was more than an idea. They had eaten Jesus.
Faith is wider, stronger and deeper than just a thought. It is more than an idea. It involves all that you’ve got. It’s love, passion, and even hunger. Jesus knows what kind of people we are, the kind that nibble on things just in case we don’t like the taste and want to spit it out. But when it comes to Jesus, he wants you to swallow him whole so that he might make you whole.
How is eating different than simply believing? When you volunteer to prepare and dish out meals at the soup kitchen. We all KNOW that feeding hungry people is important. We all UNDERSTAND that Jesus tells us to do this. We believe all this right? But when you find yourself in front of fifty or sixty people coming for a meal and when your hands get sweaty from the heat in the kitchen under your plastic gloves, you might realize that what you believe has just become a part of you—you’ve eaten Jesus. And your life has been swallowed up in Christ’s victory over the suffering in this world.
How is eating different than simply believing? When you pray with people. We KNOW that we are supposed to pray. We all UNDERSTAND that there is a power to prayer. We believe this, right? But when a friend tells you her family struggles and you find yourself with your arm on her shoulder carrying her hopes and fears right into God’s ears you might realize that what you believe has just become a part of you—you’ve eaten Jesus. And your hopes have been swallowed in the promise of God’s victory.
When Jesus talked about faith, he was talking about more than thinking the right way about things or doing good things for people. Faith is about all of that and so much more. How would you describe your faith? Do you believe in Jesus or have you eaten him? I’d like to end today with one of Martin Luther’s most famous quotes about what faith in Jesus, the bread of life, truly is, “Faith is a work of God in us, which changes us and brings us to birth anew from God. It kills the old Adam, makes us completely different people in heart, mind, senses, and all our powers, and brings the Holy Spirit with it. What a living, creative, active powerful thing is faith! It is impossible that faith ever stop doing good. Faith doesn't ask whether good works are to be done, but, before it is asked, it has done them. It is always active. Whoever doesn't do such works is without faith; he gropes and searches about him for faith and good works but doesn't know what faith or good works are.”
“Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God's grace; it is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it. This kind of trust in and knowledge of God's grace makes a person joyful, confident, and happy with regard to God and all creatures. This is what the Holy Spirit does by faith. Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily; he will serve everyone, suffer everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown him such grace. It is as impossible to separate works from faith as burning and shining from fire.”
Faith is more than thinking, it’s eating. Faith is not your work before God, but God’s work in every part of you.
When it comes to your faith in Jesus Christ, what do you gag on? How big of a bite are you willing to take? Does it make you queasy just thinking about swallowing particular theological arguments? Perhaps you nibble at the smorgasbord of faith, but you are not willing to pay for the whole buffet, or swallow anything in its entirety.
During the siege of Leningrad, the city elders had a difficult decision to make. The Nazi’s had cut off most supply routes to the city. The few remaining truck routes across the frozen lake were bombed daily. It became clear that there was only one-third enough wheat to get them through the winter. Should they feed only a third of the people? What choice did they have? They decided to mix their bread with one third wheat, one third saw dust and one third manure. That winter tens of thousands of children went to bed every night starving to death on a full stomach. What have you added to Jesus to make him more palatable? Or is he just the little pinch of spice that you have added to your other belief systems. In order to “fit in” with the society. To fit in with your family or with your spouse. What if you were asked to swallow Jesus, and all of his teachings, whole? Or have you become so accustomed to the manure that you’re not sure you’d like the real deal?
Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.” “To eat” is another way of saying “to believe”, but it gets to the point doesn’t it? When you think about believing in Jesus it’s easy to just THINK about it. To think about how nice being a Christian is. To think about how you should read your Bible more. To think about it. Just like you watch the latest movie about refugees and THINK about helping them or hear your wife doing the dishes and THINK about helping her. Thinking is easy, eating demands more commitment. An idea, you can take or leave, but once you’ve swallowed something, it’s tough to get the taste out of your mouth, it’s even tougher to get the crumbs out of your stomach.
“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” Believing in Jesus is about more than your mind—it’s about more than thinking. Thinking is important. There are many Christians who don’t like to think and that is a problem, but many of us have a different problem—it’s not that we think too much, but we think about Jesus and that’s about it. We don’t want to commit any more than that. But believing in Jesus demands your mind, your mouth, your heart, your stomach, your hands, your feet, your life, your all. When you eat something it becomes a part of you right down to the cellular level. When you not only believe in Jesus, but when you eat Jesus, faith becomes a part of you as well, a part of your life that you can’t separate yourself from.
Here’s a story I read recently from a magazine called Voice of the Martyrs, “Dora and her husband, Ferley, gathered their children together for family devotions night. Dora and Ferley were teachers in Santana Ramos, a farming village deep in the Colombian jungle about five hours away from the nearest town. Night had fallen, dinner was finished and Marcella, their oldest daughter had done her schoolwork and was ready for devotions. For the most part, it was routine, but Marcella saw small tears forming in her mother’s eyes. And when her stepfather began to cry, the 12-year old knew something was wrong. After the family’s devotions, Dora looked at her oldest daughter and said, “Mommy may be going to sleep tomorrow for a long time.”
“Marxist guerrillas and the Colombian government were terrorizing the farming village Dora taught in. “Christians are dangerous,” the guerrillas repeatedly said. “Christians cannot lie. If the army asks them about us, they will tell the truth!” On Monday morning, Nov. 17th, 2008, Dora began her day like any other school day—praying with the students. During the day, a neighbor came to see the young teacher, “I’m sorry Dora,” he told her, “but the guerrillas will kill your brother tomorrow.” Later in the day, the neighbor returned. “I am so sorry,” he told her, “I have made a mistake. It is not your brother who will be killed . . . but it is you and your husband. You can take your family and run,” he said, “You can leave this village right now.” Dora reassured the guerrilla messenger, “You do not have to worry,” she said. This is better. My brother was not ready to meet the Lord. But my husband and I are.”
The next morning they began the day like any other. Around 10 am two armed guerrillas, ushered the couple to the back of the schoolhouse to say goodbye to their family. The 12-year old, Marcella cried as the armed men walked her parents across a field to a river just 300 yards away from the school. Marcella could not see her parents, but she remembers hearing the two shots as her parents were executed. “If I met the men who did this I would forgive them,” Marcella said months are her parents had died. I know this would be hard, but I know God forgives them. So I have to as well.” Dora and her daughter didn’t just believe in Jesus, did they? Their faith in Jesus was something they could not separate themselves from, their faith was more than an idea. They had eaten Jesus.
Faith is wider, stronger and deeper than just a thought. It is more than an idea. It involves all that you’ve got. It’s love, passion, and even hunger. Jesus knows what kind of people we are, the kind that nibble on things just in case we don’t like the taste and want to spit it out. But when it comes to Jesus, he wants you to swallow him whole so that he might make you whole.
How is eating different than simply believing? When you volunteer to prepare and dish out meals at the soup kitchen. We all KNOW that feeding hungry people is important. We all UNDERSTAND that Jesus tells us to do this. We believe all this right? But when you find yourself in front of fifty or sixty people coming for a meal and when your hands get sweaty from the heat in the kitchen under your plastic gloves, you might realize that what you believe has just become a part of you—you’ve eaten Jesus. And your life has been swallowed up in Christ’s victory over the suffering in this world.
How is eating different than simply believing? When you pray with people. We KNOW that we are supposed to pray. We all UNDERSTAND that there is a power to prayer. We believe this, right? But when a friend tells you her family struggles and you find yourself with your arm on her shoulder carrying her hopes and fears right into God’s ears you might realize that what you believe has just become a part of you—you’ve eaten Jesus. And your hopes have been swallowed in the promise of God’s victory.
When Jesus talked about faith, he was talking about more than thinking the right way about things or doing good things for people. Faith is about all of that and so much more. How would you describe your faith? Do you believe in Jesus or have you eaten him? I’d like to end today with one of Martin Luther’s most famous quotes about what faith in Jesus, the bread of life, truly is, “Faith is a work of God in us, which changes us and brings us to birth anew from God. It kills the old Adam, makes us completely different people in heart, mind, senses, and all our powers, and brings the Holy Spirit with it. What a living, creative, active powerful thing is faith! It is impossible that faith ever stop doing good. Faith doesn't ask whether good works are to be done, but, before it is asked, it has done them. It is always active. Whoever doesn't do such works is without faith; he gropes and searches about him for faith and good works but doesn't know what faith or good works are.”
“Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God's grace; it is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it. This kind of trust in and knowledge of God's grace makes a person joyful, confident, and happy with regard to God and all creatures. This is what the Holy Spirit does by faith. Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily; he will serve everyone, suffer everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown him such grace. It is as impossible to separate works from faith as burning and shining from fire.”
Faith is more than thinking, it’s eating. Faith is not your work before God, but God’s work in every part of you.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Sermon for August 2nd
For those of you who remember, I skipped over the gospel lesson last Sunday in order to focus on lessons that talked about the gifts that God has given you for ministry. If you don’t remember that, might I suggest that one of your gifts might NOT be having a good memory. In any case, this week’s gospel lesson builds on last week’s so I’ve got to give you a quick summary of what happened in the story in order to get you up to speed.
Jesus was traveling with his disciples and was being followed by a large crowd of people. About five thousand people in all the story says. Jesus asked one of his disciples, Phillip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Phillip admitted that six month’s wages would not be enough to feed everyone. Andrew, however, did find one boy with two fish and five loaves of barley bread. “But what are they among so many people?” He asked.
After Jesus had everyone sit down, he took the five loaves and gave it to everyone, along with the fish, and everyone ate, all five thousand of them. . . AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED it says! Let me repeat that, just in case you weren’t paying attention. According to the story, five thousand people ate AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED! And from the fragments of the two fish and five loaves they filled twelve baskets full. One full pan of deviled eggs usually can’t last through an entire potluck here, but five thousand people ate five loaves of bread and had leftovers. Amazing.
But there is a definite difference between last week’s story and this week’s. First of all, God is a God of social justice, he wants people to be fed, loved, free and respected. God doesn’t turn a blind eye to the poor, the hungry, the homeless or the oppressed. Even though he probably knew his efforts might be misunderstood, Jesus didn’t send five thousand people away when they were hungry. However, while God is a God of justice Jesus never lets it take center stage in the story “Seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” he says, “and all these things will be added unto you.”
How might we, as God’s people, be radical in our efforts to feed the hungry while, at the same time, being just as radical in our efforts to feed people who are hungry for spiritual nourishment. Most of us are more comfortable doing one to the detriment of the other. You may even have a specific gift related to evangelism, or the gift of mercy, inviting those less fortunate into your home and into your heart. But all of us as Christians are called into relationships with people where they both need to hear about Jesus and need to find a place to eat. This is a universal Christian responsibility, not just to do one, but to do both.
Pope John Paul once referred to the “gospel of feeding the poor”, but it is critical to distinguish between what we mean by “gospel” and what is meant by “feeding the poor”. Even if every man, woman and child on the face of this planet were fed, nourished and free from hunger, this does not mean that they are free with respect to sin. Life on this earth does not equal eternal life. Feeding the poor is NOT the gospel, it is the law. Bread cannot free you from hunger forever. This is why, despite Jesus’ love and compassion for the hungry masses, despite his passion for social justice, today’s gospel lesson is not about filling people’s stomachs with bread but, instead, about filling peoples’ hearts with faith in the bread of life, Jesus Christ himself.
That brings us to today’s story. What you might call Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner: Part Two. The same crowd of people that followed Jesus before is still following him. The question is: why are they going through so much trouble? For you and I we might think, well that’s obvious isn’t it? They’ve just seen the power and majesty of Jesus Christ after all! Who wouldn’t follow him after a miracle like that? But Jesus tells them, and us, the truth behind the crowd and their actions: “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus says, “you are looking for me NOT because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” In other words, when five thousand people were fed off of two fish and five loaves of bread, these people did not see this as a sign of Jesus’ divinity—they saw a free meal ticket. They saw Jesus as a walking, talking free buffet line and they were lining up to partake once again.
You know these types of people. Perhaps you are this type of person. How many times do we pray to God to get us out of a big jam (just this once!) and then we’ll start going to church, or start praying or start acting more “Christian-like” only to let the moment pass without anything changing in our lives or in our hearts. “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus says, “You are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” It appears that the crowd in the story DIDN’T actually SEE the signs. Well, they saw the sign saying “Free Buffet!”, but they didn’t really SEE who Jesus was and couldn’t appreciate what was actually happening.
We keep asking Jesus for money to pay our mortgage, or a better relationship with our spouse, or for the government to focus more on our favorite social issue. But how often do you pray for a closer relationship to God? Jesus says, “Do not continue working for the food that dies, that perishes, but work for the food that endures, the food that lives and continues all the way into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
The crowd asks Jesus, “What must we do then to perform the works of God?” Jesus says, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” They don’t have to DO anything—it’s a gift.
It’s hard to believe that something like eternal life or forgiveness could possibly be a gift, something given and not worked for. A few months ago, my wife and I were staying up late and she had to call customer service about a problem with a bill. She was being kind, but direct, about getting a refund that we expected to receive. After forty-five minutes of not winning this battle I felt the need to throw in MY two cents. But once I was on the telephone and felt that all of my rational arguments were not winning the day, I started getting really frustrated and angry and mean. When my rant was over, the guilt flowed over me like water pouring down from Kent Falls. Kristy’s eyes were big and I just started feeling sick to my stomach. I told the woman that I was sorry and then handed the phone back to Kristy while I began beating up on myself.
After berating myself both out loud and within my own mind for being an awful person, an awful pastor, and an awful Christian, my wife told me that she forgave me and reminded me that Jesus forgave my sins as well. He didn’t die for perfect people, but for sinners. And what did I do with that free gift of forgiveness and love? Well, I kept beating up on myself of course.
This is called penance, and even though the Lutheran Reformers thought they put it to rest in the 16th century, my own heart and mind dig it out of its grave all too often. Penance means that you can only trust God’s forgiveness if you do a little work first, say a few Hail Mary’s say a few Lord’s prayers, do community service, that type of thing. Doing the work is thought to help you know that you are truly sorry and, thus, truly forgiven. But, in fact, it only makes you trust in your own work rather than in God’s word of forgiveness.
After doing such a horrible thing on the phone, I wanted to do something, earn God’s forgiveness, so that I felt that I deserved it. But no matter how much you beat yourself up, you don’t deserve forgiveness any more than before. Jesus points out quite clearly, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one that was sent.” If you are still beating yourself up for some sin along the way: feel free to stop and believe that Jesus Christ died for that sin too. Yes, he died for even you, though you do not and never will deserve it.
In one of my favorite movies, Bruce Almighty, there is a man, played by Jim Carey, named Bruce, who feels like God hates him because God doesn’t give him everything he wants. God, played by Morgan Freeman, decides to let Bruce be God for awhile and try to answer the prayers of everybody asking for miracles each day. Bruce decides to just answer “yes” to every prayer request (there are so many after all). Within a week, everything is messed up. In one of the last lines of the film, God says this, “A single mom who's working two jobs, and still finds time to take her son to soccer practice, that's a miracle. A teenager who says "no" to drugs and "yes" to an education, that's a miracle. People want me to do everything for them. What they don't realize is THEY have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.”
Today, this week, this month, this year, be radical in your passion for social justice. Work at it. Don’t just pray for a miracle from the Jesus Christ buffet line, pray and then BE the miracle. But when it comes to your salvation, take a vacation. Stop working and receive as a free gift that which is more important than anything else you could ever work for, the gift of forgiveness that is yours in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Jesus was traveling with his disciples and was being followed by a large crowd of people. About five thousand people in all the story says. Jesus asked one of his disciples, Phillip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Phillip admitted that six month’s wages would not be enough to feed everyone. Andrew, however, did find one boy with two fish and five loaves of barley bread. “But what are they among so many people?” He asked.
After Jesus had everyone sit down, he took the five loaves and gave it to everyone, along with the fish, and everyone ate, all five thousand of them. . . AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED it says! Let me repeat that, just in case you weren’t paying attention. According to the story, five thousand people ate AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED! And from the fragments of the two fish and five loaves they filled twelve baskets full. One full pan of deviled eggs usually can’t last through an entire potluck here, but five thousand people ate five loaves of bread and had leftovers. Amazing.
But there is a definite difference between last week’s story and this week’s. First of all, God is a God of social justice, he wants people to be fed, loved, free and respected. God doesn’t turn a blind eye to the poor, the hungry, the homeless or the oppressed. Even though he probably knew his efforts might be misunderstood, Jesus didn’t send five thousand people away when they were hungry. However, while God is a God of justice Jesus never lets it take center stage in the story “Seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” he says, “and all these things will be added unto you.”
How might we, as God’s people, be radical in our efforts to feed the hungry while, at the same time, being just as radical in our efforts to feed people who are hungry for spiritual nourishment. Most of us are more comfortable doing one to the detriment of the other. You may even have a specific gift related to evangelism, or the gift of mercy, inviting those less fortunate into your home and into your heart. But all of us as Christians are called into relationships with people where they both need to hear about Jesus and need to find a place to eat. This is a universal Christian responsibility, not just to do one, but to do both.
Pope John Paul once referred to the “gospel of feeding the poor”, but it is critical to distinguish between what we mean by “gospel” and what is meant by “feeding the poor”. Even if every man, woman and child on the face of this planet were fed, nourished and free from hunger, this does not mean that they are free with respect to sin. Life on this earth does not equal eternal life. Feeding the poor is NOT the gospel, it is the law. Bread cannot free you from hunger forever. This is why, despite Jesus’ love and compassion for the hungry masses, despite his passion for social justice, today’s gospel lesson is not about filling people’s stomachs with bread but, instead, about filling peoples’ hearts with faith in the bread of life, Jesus Christ himself.
That brings us to today’s story. What you might call Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner: Part Two. The same crowd of people that followed Jesus before is still following him. The question is: why are they going through so much trouble? For you and I we might think, well that’s obvious isn’t it? They’ve just seen the power and majesty of Jesus Christ after all! Who wouldn’t follow him after a miracle like that? But Jesus tells them, and us, the truth behind the crowd and their actions: “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus says, “you are looking for me NOT because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” In other words, when five thousand people were fed off of two fish and five loaves of bread, these people did not see this as a sign of Jesus’ divinity—they saw a free meal ticket. They saw Jesus as a walking, talking free buffet line and they were lining up to partake once again.
You know these types of people. Perhaps you are this type of person. How many times do we pray to God to get us out of a big jam (just this once!) and then we’ll start going to church, or start praying or start acting more “Christian-like” only to let the moment pass without anything changing in our lives or in our hearts. “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus says, “You are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” It appears that the crowd in the story DIDN’T actually SEE the signs. Well, they saw the sign saying “Free Buffet!”, but they didn’t really SEE who Jesus was and couldn’t appreciate what was actually happening.
We keep asking Jesus for money to pay our mortgage, or a better relationship with our spouse, or for the government to focus more on our favorite social issue. But how often do you pray for a closer relationship to God? Jesus says, “Do not continue working for the food that dies, that perishes, but work for the food that endures, the food that lives and continues all the way into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
The crowd asks Jesus, “What must we do then to perform the works of God?” Jesus says, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” They don’t have to DO anything—it’s a gift.
It’s hard to believe that something like eternal life or forgiveness could possibly be a gift, something given and not worked for. A few months ago, my wife and I were staying up late and she had to call customer service about a problem with a bill. She was being kind, but direct, about getting a refund that we expected to receive. After forty-five minutes of not winning this battle I felt the need to throw in MY two cents. But once I was on the telephone and felt that all of my rational arguments were not winning the day, I started getting really frustrated and angry and mean. When my rant was over, the guilt flowed over me like water pouring down from Kent Falls. Kristy’s eyes were big and I just started feeling sick to my stomach. I told the woman that I was sorry and then handed the phone back to Kristy while I began beating up on myself.
After berating myself both out loud and within my own mind for being an awful person, an awful pastor, and an awful Christian, my wife told me that she forgave me and reminded me that Jesus forgave my sins as well. He didn’t die for perfect people, but for sinners. And what did I do with that free gift of forgiveness and love? Well, I kept beating up on myself of course.
This is called penance, and even though the Lutheran Reformers thought they put it to rest in the 16th century, my own heart and mind dig it out of its grave all too often. Penance means that you can only trust God’s forgiveness if you do a little work first, say a few Hail Mary’s say a few Lord’s prayers, do community service, that type of thing. Doing the work is thought to help you know that you are truly sorry and, thus, truly forgiven. But, in fact, it only makes you trust in your own work rather than in God’s word of forgiveness.
After doing such a horrible thing on the phone, I wanted to do something, earn God’s forgiveness, so that I felt that I deserved it. But no matter how much you beat yourself up, you don’t deserve forgiveness any more than before. Jesus points out quite clearly, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one that was sent.” If you are still beating yourself up for some sin along the way: feel free to stop and believe that Jesus Christ died for that sin too. Yes, he died for even you, though you do not and never will deserve it.
In one of my favorite movies, Bruce Almighty, there is a man, played by Jim Carey, named Bruce, who feels like God hates him because God doesn’t give him everything he wants. God, played by Morgan Freeman, decides to let Bruce be God for awhile and try to answer the prayers of everybody asking for miracles each day. Bruce decides to just answer “yes” to every prayer request (there are so many after all). Within a week, everything is messed up. In one of the last lines of the film, God says this, “A single mom who's working two jobs, and still finds time to take her son to soccer practice, that's a miracle. A teenager who says "no" to drugs and "yes" to an education, that's a miracle. People want me to do everything for them. What they don't realize is THEY have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.”
Today, this week, this month, this year, be radical in your passion for social justice. Work at it. Don’t just pray for a miracle from the Jesus Christ buffet line, pray and then BE the miracle. But when it comes to your salvation, take a vacation. Stop working and receive as a free gift that which is more important than anything else you could ever work for, the gift of forgiveness that is yours in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sermon for July 26th
What are your gifts? What are you good at? What do you love doing? What comes easy for you? If you had all the money in the world and all the time in the world, what would you do? If you could do anything for the church—anything in the name of Jesus—what would it be? If you knew that you didn’t have to do anything, what would you do? What your gifts? Both the gifts that God has given you naturally as well as the spiritual gifts God has blessed you with. What are your gifts?
Apart from Jesus Christ, you don’t have gifts, you have abilities. Strengths, based on your genetics or upbringing, to help you out on your personal journey of self-exploration and self-improvement. And these powers of yours will seem to be the most natural of things proving your own sense of self-worth; strengthening your independence. You can be the best basketball player this world has ever seen. You can be the most perceptive leader this world has ever known. You can be the hardest worker in your town. With your abilities, you can be all that you can be all by yourself!
But Jesus says, “Apart from me YOU can do nothing.” All those amazing strengths of yours, those supernatural abilities, those astounding powers . . . God says those are gifts. Gifts given to you from God. Gifts given to you for the sake of the world, not just for your own pleasure. You have been given gifts not primarily for your own enjoyment but in order to bear fruit—fruit for the kingdom of God. This is not something you would have come up with on your own. Like I said, your abilities, your talents, your interests no doubt feel quite innate. Only the Holy Spirit can make you believe something different.
In your bulletins, you each received a note card. First, write your name on the top of the card. In your pews, there are extra cards as well as pens and pencils. Now we are going to pray that God might help you discern some of your gifts, then you will write two of them down. You might write down natural gifts like the gift of song or the gift of mechanical inclination or the gift of organization or the gift of athleticism. These also might be spiritual gifts, like the gift of prayer or the gift of hospitality or the gift of administration or the gift of evangelism.
Remember, the first step to help you realize your gifts is to ask yourself: What are you good at? What do you love doing? And if you knew that you didn’t have to do anything at Saint Peters, what would you CHOOSE to do. What would you like to start at church? After we pray, I want you to write down what you think two of your gifts might be. Let us pray . . . Start now.
You each received a picture in your bulletin. It looks like this. A wagon, full of circular wheels, being pulled on four square wheels. This picture represents how churches function most of the time. It’s looks like pretty hard work? The thing is that it doesn’t have to be, does it? Those round wheels that are just being carried along, they represent you, people with gifts. God has given each one of you talents, abilities and desires to do wonderful things in this world and in this church. And if you knew your gifts and were willing to utilize them, if you realized that you were a round wheel in that wagon and were tired of being unused, through the power of God you might do some amazing things. And some amazing things might happen here in this church and in this community.
Imagine what might happen here at Saint Peters if you used your gifts on behalf of Jesus Christ. One of the best side effects of using your gifts is the fact that you usually enjoy using them. When you are doing something you love to do it doesn’t even seem like work. Do some of you remember Michael Jordan? When he slam dunked a basketball, I think he actually liked it; in fact, he loved it. Did you ever have a grandmother who seemed to actually enjoy cooking huge complicated meals for you? I have two.
Do you enjoy what you do here at Saint Peters? If not, you are probably one of those square wheels in the picture—that must not be much fun. Do you have any ministry tasks at church? If not, then you are like one of those round wheels just sitting there unused. When you are using your gifts, you are all round wheels that make work more fun and noticeably more effective for the sake of the kingdom of God.
But when you are forced to do something that you aren’t gifted at, there is nothing worse. Imagine what might happen here at Saint Peters, if you ONLY used your gifts. Not because you weren’t willing to be challenged. Not because you didn’t care. Not because you were too busy and stressed out, but because if the task was something that God intended on getting done then there MUST (there MUST!) be someone in the community gifted in that area. If we all want to start a drum band and no one here plays the drums and no one wants to learn . . . maybe God doesn’t intend there to be a drum band here after all. God has placed you here for a reason. And he has given you gifts. Once you start realizing those gifts, you might also realize what God has in store for you as an individual and for the people this church serves.
Eventually, once you’ve discovered the gifts you love to do and the gifts that others see in you, it will be time to see what gifts you can better develop, the gifts that stretch your faith and challenge you to grow. Just because you don’t WANT to do something, just because you aren’t PERFECT at doing something, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it. The FIRST step in realizing your gifts is to do what you are good at, but don’t just stop there. As Paul says again in Corinthians, “God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. . . . But strive for the greater gifts.” Once you’ve discovered what you love to do, strive to find the gifts that you will LEARN to love to do.
Moses complained that he was slow of speech and couldn’t lead the Israelites, but God called him to be their leader. Isaiah complained that he was a man of unclean lips living among an unclean people, but God forgave him and blotted out his sins. Jeremiah complained that he was only a boy, too young to be useful to God, but God used him as his great prophet.
What has God called you to do? What are your gifts? During today’s offering, I would like you each to place into the offering plate the note card with your name and gifts written on it. The money that is offered each week is used to serve our church community and the wider world. That should give you a clue why God gave you your other gifts as well. Imagine what might happen if you got out of the wagon and started using your gifts at church? What would you do? What would you start? Don’t just think about it, tell someone so we can make it happen. Imagine what might happen if we trusted God to provide people with the gifts to do the ministries he has called us to fulfill?
What has God called you to do? What are your gifts? If you are hoping to use your own strengths and abilities to accomplish all that God demands of you, you will never succeed. For, as Martin Luther put it, God says, “Do this!” and it is never done. I pray that God will give you the imagination, the hope, the power and the motivation to use the GIFTS that God has GIVEN you. Believe in Jesus Christ and the power of God to work through your gifts and everything is done already. Amen.
Apart from Jesus Christ, you don’t have gifts, you have abilities. Strengths, based on your genetics or upbringing, to help you out on your personal journey of self-exploration and self-improvement. And these powers of yours will seem to be the most natural of things proving your own sense of self-worth; strengthening your independence. You can be the best basketball player this world has ever seen. You can be the most perceptive leader this world has ever known. You can be the hardest worker in your town. With your abilities, you can be all that you can be all by yourself!
But Jesus says, “Apart from me YOU can do nothing.” All those amazing strengths of yours, those supernatural abilities, those astounding powers . . . God says those are gifts. Gifts given to you from God. Gifts given to you for the sake of the world, not just for your own pleasure. You have been given gifts not primarily for your own enjoyment but in order to bear fruit—fruit for the kingdom of God. This is not something you would have come up with on your own. Like I said, your abilities, your talents, your interests no doubt feel quite innate. Only the Holy Spirit can make you believe something different.
In your bulletins, you each received a note card. First, write your name on the top of the card. In your pews, there are extra cards as well as pens and pencils. Now we are going to pray that God might help you discern some of your gifts, then you will write two of them down. You might write down natural gifts like the gift of song or the gift of mechanical inclination or the gift of organization or the gift of athleticism. These also might be spiritual gifts, like the gift of prayer or the gift of hospitality or the gift of administration or the gift of evangelism.
Remember, the first step to help you realize your gifts is to ask yourself: What are you good at? What do you love doing? And if you knew that you didn’t have to do anything at Saint Peters, what would you CHOOSE to do. What would you like to start at church? After we pray, I want you to write down what you think two of your gifts might be. Let us pray . . . Start now.
You each received a picture in your bulletin. It looks like this. A wagon, full of circular wheels, being pulled on four square wheels. This picture represents how churches function most of the time. It’s looks like pretty hard work? The thing is that it doesn’t have to be, does it? Those round wheels that are just being carried along, they represent you, people with gifts. God has given each one of you talents, abilities and desires to do wonderful things in this world and in this church. And if you knew your gifts and were willing to utilize them, if you realized that you were a round wheel in that wagon and were tired of being unused, through the power of God you might do some amazing things. And some amazing things might happen here in this church and in this community.
Imagine what might happen here at Saint Peters if you used your gifts on behalf of Jesus Christ. One of the best side effects of using your gifts is the fact that you usually enjoy using them. When you are doing something you love to do it doesn’t even seem like work. Do some of you remember Michael Jordan? When he slam dunked a basketball, I think he actually liked it; in fact, he loved it. Did you ever have a grandmother who seemed to actually enjoy cooking huge complicated meals for you? I have two.
Do you enjoy what you do here at Saint Peters? If not, you are probably one of those square wheels in the picture—that must not be much fun. Do you have any ministry tasks at church? If not, then you are like one of those round wheels just sitting there unused. When you are using your gifts, you are all round wheels that make work more fun and noticeably more effective for the sake of the kingdom of God.
But when you are forced to do something that you aren’t gifted at, there is nothing worse. Imagine what might happen here at Saint Peters, if you ONLY used your gifts. Not because you weren’t willing to be challenged. Not because you didn’t care. Not because you were too busy and stressed out, but because if the task was something that God intended on getting done then there MUST (there MUST!) be someone in the community gifted in that area. If we all want to start a drum band and no one here plays the drums and no one wants to learn . . . maybe God doesn’t intend there to be a drum band here after all. God has placed you here for a reason. And he has given you gifts. Once you start realizing those gifts, you might also realize what God has in store for you as an individual and for the people this church serves.
Eventually, once you’ve discovered the gifts you love to do and the gifts that others see in you, it will be time to see what gifts you can better develop, the gifts that stretch your faith and challenge you to grow. Just because you don’t WANT to do something, just because you aren’t PERFECT at doing something, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it. The FIRST step in realizing your gifts is to do what you are good at, but don’t just stop there. As Paul says again in Corinthians, “God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. . . . But strive for the greater gifts.” Once you’ve discovered what you love to do, strive to find the gifts that you will LEARN to love to do.
Moses complained that he was slow of speech and couldn’t lead the Israelites, but God called him to be their leader. Isaiah complained that he was a man of unclean lips living among an unclean people, but God forgave him and blotted out his sins. Jeremiah complained that he was only a boy, too young to be useful to God, but God used him as his great prophet.
What has God called you to do? What are your gifts? During today’s offering, I would like you each to place into the offering plate the note card with your name and gifts written on it. The money that is offered each week is used to serve our church community and the wider world. That should give you a clue why God gave you your other gifts as well. Imagine what might happen if you got out of the wagon and started using your gifts at church? What would you do? What would you start? Don’t just think about it, tell someone so we can make it happen. Imagine what might happen if we trusted God to provide people with the gifts to do the ministries he has called us to fulfill?
What has God called you to do? What are your gifts? If you are hoping to use your own strengths and abilities to accomplish all that God demands of you, you will never succeed. For, as Martin Luther put it, God says, “Do this!” and it is never done. I pray that God will give you the imagination, the hope, the power and the motivation to use the GIFTS that God has GIVEN you. Believe in Jesus Christ and the power of God to work through your gifts and everything is done already. Amen.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sermon for July 19th
When you read through the gospels, especially the gospel of Mark, have you ever noticed how busy Jesus is? Why was Jesus so popular? Have you ever wondered that? He certainly wasn’t popular among the religious leaders of his time, but whenever he went out into the countryside or entered into a village, it seems like all kinds of people were after him. Why?
The end of today’s gospel reading tells us why, “Wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Jesus that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.” That’s why. Jesus healed. He cured their sick. He cured their diseases. He brought salvation, not just with words, but with deeds. You all know people who are sick. You all have some physical, spiritual or emotional issue that you want healed. If you knew that Jesus could heal you, wouldn’t you go after him too? Know this: God not only hears your prayers for healing, but he loves you enough to actually heal you.
Jesus did many things during his ministry besides simply healing. He fed five thousand people. He calmed a storm. He turned water into wine. He even cast out demons. But, most notoriously, he forgave sins.
Remember the scene where Jesus was teaching and a crippled man lying on a mat was lowered down from a rooftop by some friends? When Jesus saw their faith he said to the crippled man, “Your sins are forgiven.” But the scribes and the Pharisees questioned him saying, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus replied, “Which is easier, to say, your sins are forgiven or Stand up and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—he said to the one who was paralyzed—I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home. And immediately the man stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God.”
Now, when someone is healed of a sickness in the Bible, we need to be aware that, eventually, they become sick again. When a demon is cast out of a person it is quite possible, Jesus says, that seven more demons might come to take its place. Even when Lazarus was raised from the dead we can be assured that, heartbreakingly enough, he had to die again. True glory and complete healing for us, only come after death.
God’s true glory is found in the last place we want to look, in a crucified Jesus. Nobody wants to look at the cross, not now and not then. Jesus was very popular when he was healing, but when he forgave sins dying on the cross, everyone abandoned him. We want glory! We want to see Jesus come down! We want him to be healed! We want to be healed! But God’s glory in healing us on Earth will always be secondary to what God has done for us on the cross.
In other words, I would encourage you all to trust in the cross of Jesus Christ rather than in seeing God’s glory in some other place, I would encourage you all to trust in the forgiveness of sins rather than in the temporary healing of even your greatest suffering. Knowing that you will live eternally in God’s sight, that you are pleasing in the eyes of the Lord of heaven in earth, is a greater comfort than anything else.
But—thankfully!—God does not demand that you choose one or the other. Believe this: God not only hears your prayers for healing, but he loves you enough to actually do it. Healing and forgiveness do not negate one another, they complement each other, “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—Jesus said to the one who was paralyzed—I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home. And immediately the man stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God.”
If Jesus had wanted to, he could have come to Earth to forgive sins and stopped there. When the sick came to him asking for healing he could have compassionately told them, “Though you suffer now, one day, you will suffer no more” and left it at that. When the demoniac came to Jesus beating upon himself and clanking his chains, Jesus could have said, “God loves you.” When people came to touch Jesus’ cloak believing that they would be healed, Jesus could have simply turned and said, “My fringe is not magical! Your leprosy, your cancer, your epilepsy, even your death cannot separate you from God. Go in peace.”
Jesus could have said these things, since the forgiveness of sins is obviously of more lasting importance than temporal physical healing or exorcism, but Jesus preached salvation and healing by actually healing and freeing people from evil, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion or them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” So Jesus taught them, proclaimed the good news of the kingdom, AND cured every sickness and disease. That’s what a loving God does. That’s what your loving God STILL does. Believe this: God not only hears your prayers for healing, but he loves you enough to actually heal you.
If Jesus had wanted to, he could have come to Earth to forgive sins and heal and cast out demons and then, stopped the healing ministry at his death. But he did not do this, “He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent (and they didn’t stop there). They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”
If Jesus had wanted to, he could have let the healing ministry go no farther than these apostles, but he did not stop there. Instead, “the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said, cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
And, if God had wanted to, he could have let the healing ministry, these acts of glory, go no farther than the twelve apostles and then these seventy, but God did not stop there. Instead, as the book of James points out, “Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” You see, the forgiveness of sins is, indeed, the most important gift God could give you, but, because God loves you and cares for you in this life as well as the next, he has promised to hear your prayers for healing.
But a final word of caution. The forgiveness of sins leads you to look at the cross. Prayers for healing lead you to look for glory. I tell you this because there will be times when you feel like your prayers for healing aren’t doing any good. That your prayers are pointless. You will be tempted to blame your lack of faith or blame God’s cruelty because you are seeing no healing, no glory. This is where you must trust the heal-ER more than the healing.
Jesus’ love for you is shown primarily through HIS suffering and the cross. The healing you experience in this life is temporal, it’s temporary, and, therefore, when all is said and done, it will last only as long as you do. But Jesus’ love for you has no bounds. He died to give you freedom from sickness and injuries and disease on this earth—YES!—but, more importantly, freedom from sin, death and the devil forever.
God gives you food and water. He gives you medicines invented by great research scientists as well as the gifts of doctors, nurses, psychologists and physical therapists. These are all good gifts of God to be used and appreciated by all of you as Christians. You wouldn’t feel guilty or “unspiritual” by going to a doctor to heal your health problems so don’t forsake the wonderful gifts of prayer and healing that God has ALSO blessed you with. You wouldn’t stop seeing a psychologist just because you didn’t feel “cured” after the first treatment, so don’t stop coming for prayer even if the healing you want doesn’t take place immediately.
Each week, here at Saint Peters, we pray for the sick. Maybe you will even come up for prayer after this service. But sometimes I think we pray without expecting anything to really, truly happen. But the next time you pray, or you are prayed for, believe this: God not only hears your prayers for healing, but he loves you enough to actually heal you. Amen.
The end of today’s gospel reading tells us why, “Wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Jesus that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.” That’s why. Jesus healed. He cured their sick. He cured their diseases. He brought salvation, not just with words, but with deeds. You all know people who are sick. You all have some physical, spiritual or emotional issue that you want healed. If you knew that Jesus could heal you, wouldn’t you go after him too? Know this: God not only hears your prayers for healing, but he loves you enough to actually heal you.
Jesus did many things during his ministry besides simply healing. He fed five thousand people. He calmed a storm. He turned water into wine. He even cast out demons. But, most notoriously, he forgave sins.
Remember the scene where Jesus was teaching and a crippled man lying on a mat was lowered down from a rooftop by some friends? When Jesus saw their faith he said to the crippled man, “Your sins are forgiven.” But the scribes and the Pharisees questioned him saying, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus replied, “Which is easier, to say, your sins are forgiven or Stand up and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—he said to the one who was paralyzed—I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home. And immediately the man stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God.”
Now, when someone is healed of a sickness in the Bible, we need to be aware that, eventually, they become sick again. When a demon is cast out of a person it is quite possible, Jesus says, that seven more demons might come to take its place. Even when Lazarus was raised from the dead we can be assured that, heartbreakingly enough, he had to die again. True glory and complete healing for us, only come after death.
God’s true glory is found in the last place we want to look, in a crucified Jesus. Nobody wants to look at the cross, not now and not then. Jesus was very popular when he was healing, but when he forgave sins dying on the cross, everyone abandoned him. We want glory! We want to see Jesus come down! We want him to be healed! We want to be healed! But God’s glory in healing us on Earth will always be secondary to what God has done for us on the cross.
In other words, I would encourage you all to trust in the cross of Jesus Christ rather than in seeing God’s glory in some other place, I would encourage you all to trust in the forgiveness of sins rather than in the temporary healing of even your greatest suffering. Knowing that you will live eternally in God’s sight, that you are pleasing in the eyes of the Lord of heaven in earth, is a greater comfort than anything else.
But—thankfully!—God does not demand that you choose one or the other. Believe this: God not only hears your prayers for healing, but he loves you enough to actually do it. Healing and forgiveness do not negate one another, they complement each other, “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—Jesus said to the one who was paralyzed—I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home. And immediately the man stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God.”
If Jesus had wanted to, he could have come to Earth to forgive sins and stopped there. When the sick came to him asking for healing he could have compassionately told them, “Though you suffer now, one day, you will suffer no more” and left it at that. When the demoniac came to Jesus beating upon himself and clanking his chains, Jesus could have said, “God loves you.” When people came to touch Jesus’ cloak believing that they would be healed, Jesus could have simply turned and said, “My fringe is not magical! Your leprosy, your cancer, your epilepsy, even your death cannot separate you from God. Go in peace.”
Jesus could have said these things, since the forgiveness of sins is obviously of more lasting importance than temporal physical healing or exorcism, but Jesus preached salvation and healing by actually healing and freeing people from evil, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion or them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” So Jesus taught them, proclaimed the good news of the kingdom, AND cured every sickness and disease. That’s what a loving God does. That’s what your loving God STILL does. Believe this: God not only hears your prayers for healing, but he loves you enough to actually heal you.
If Jesus had wanted to, he could have come to Earth to forgive sins and heal and cast out demons and then, stopped the healing ministry at his death. But he did not do this, “He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent (and they didn’t stop there). They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”
If Jesus had wanted to, he could have let the healing ministry go no farther than these apostles, but he did not stop there. Instead, “the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said, cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
And, if God had wanted to, he could have let the healing ministry, these acts of glory, go no farther than the twelve apostles and then these seventy, but God did not stop there. Instead, as the book of James points out, “Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” You see, the forgiveness of sins is, indeed, the most important gift God could give you, but, because God loves you and cares for you in this life as well as the next, he has promised to hear your prayers for healing.
But a final word of caution. The forgiveness of sins leads you to look at the cross. Prayers for healing lead you to look for glory. I tell you this because there will be times when you feel like your prayers for healing aren’t doing any good. That your prayers are pointless. You will be tempted to blame your lack of faith or blame God’s cruelty because you are seeing no healing, no glory. This is where you must trust the heal-ER more than the healing.
Jesus’ love for you is shown primarily through HIS suffering and the cross. The healing you experience in this life is temporal, it’s temporary, and, therefore, when all is said and done, it will last only as long as you do. But Jesus’ love for you has no bounds. He died to give you freedom from sickness and injuries and disease on this earth—YES!—but, more importantly, freedom from sin, death and the devil forever.
God gives you food and water. He gives you medicines invented by great research scientists as well as the gifts of doctors, nurses, psychologists and physical therapists. These are all good gifts of God to be used and appreciated by all of you as Christians. You wouldn’t feel guilty or “unspiritual” by going to a doctor to heal your health problems so don’t forsake the wonderful gifts of prayer and healing that God has ALSO blessed you with. You wouldn’t stop seeing a psychologist just because you didn’t feel “cured” after the first treatment, so don’t stop coming for prayer even if the healing you want doesn’t take place immediately.
Each week, here at Saint Peters, we pray for the sick. Maybe you will even come up for prayer after this service. But sometimes I think we pray without expecting anything to really, truly happen. But the next time you pray, or you are prayed for, believe this: God not only hears your prayers for healing, but he loves you enough to actually heal you. Amen.
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