Stan and Jan Berenstain have written a series of children's books called the Berenstain Bears. The stories are all wonderful lessons of life for young children as Mama and Papa Berenstain Bear along with Brother Bear and Sister Bear encounter things like a bad dream, trouble at school and going to the dentist.
"The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room" is a lesson about house cleaning. The introduction warns:"When small bears forget to pick up, store and stash, Some of their favorite things end up in the trash."
The crisis in the story comes when Mama Bear gets fed up with the mess in Brother and Sister's room is too much to take. It goes this way: "Well, the mess just seemed to build up and build up until one day... maybe it was because Mama's back was a little stiff, or maybe it was stepping on Brother's airplane cement, or maybe she was just fed up with that messy room, but whatever it was... Mama Bear lost her temper!
She stormed into the cub's room with a big box. 'The first thing we need to do is get rid of all this junk!' she said. Brother and Sister were watching in horror as Mama began to throw things into the box."
It's like that sometimes with our lives, isn't it? Things pile up until it is just too much to take. We have to clean up the mess. Whether it is a messy room or a messy set of circumstances at work or at home, the time comes when we just want the mess cleaned up.
I have a messy study at home. Someday I am going to clean my messy, but I never seem to get around to it and I can only imagine how nice it would be to have a whole desk top on which to write my sermons.
There are times when a mess can be so serious, nothing but radical housecleaning will correct the situation.
That's what today's gospel lesson is all about. Jesus finds a horrible mess in the temple and becomes very angry. He actually took a whip and drove the merchants out of the temple courtyard where they were conducting business. He overturned the tables where the accountants were making change and he told the merchants to take their merchandise away.
You have to picture the scene to even begin to appreciate the spiritual bombshell Jesus set off with his actions. The moneychangers scrambling after their coins, the people who came to the temple standing in shock and the officials frozen with rage and indignation would have been something to see. Who in the world does this peasant from Galilee think he is?
This isn't the "Gentle Jesus meek and mild" we are accustomed to -- not the Jesus who "wants me for a sunbeam." What is it that has created such anger in him?
Jesus’ anger is focused against the economic activities going on outside the Temple. The celebration of Passover brought observant Jews from all over the region to the Temple, pilgrims eager to make the required sacrifices and pious offerings in order to ensure their standing in the eyes of God and community. The animals displayed in the outer courtyard of the Temple, the Gentiles’ courtyard, made it unnecessary for long-distance travelers to bring creatures for sacrifice along with them. Instead they could be purchased at the Temple site itself - kind of a 7-11 convenience store for sacrifices. Likewise the money-changers took in coins of all sorts, from all regions, and exchanged them for the only accepted currency for the Temple, Tyrian money, so that the pilgrims could pay their annual Temple tax.
The animal sellers and money changers alike, were not breaking any laws. In fact, the services they were offering were supposed to be helping the faithful practice their faith. But the reality of this situation was a rip-off. The sounds and smells of the animals, cattle, sheep, birds, filled the air. The space that had intentionally been set aside for Gentiles to pray, those whose faith was determined not by birthright but by a personal spiritual yearning, was overwhelmed by the economic activities of Temple business. Of course, all these exchanges of money were making the Temple establishment very rich.
The place reserved for the prayers of seekers had become a shopping mall and banking house for the chosen.
Jesus’ actions and words not only reclaim a courtyard for Gentiles to gather in and pray. They point the way forward to the fundamental change in the relationship between God and God’s people.
No longer will the cleansing from sins have to be repeatedly purchased by animal blood. Jesus’ very presence at the Temple, the mission he is living, declares the reality of God’s new plan and purpose. When the Jews who witnessed Jesus’ rowdy righteousness demand he back up his actions with some sort of miraculous “sign,” his response is cryptic — but so unusual that it stayed in the minds and hearts of those who heard him: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The final sacrifice, the destruction of death that would be accomplished by Christ’s resurrection, the possibility of a restored relationship between God and all creation, all those events motivated Jesus’ thorough “spring cleaning” of the Temple. A new way of being in right relationship with God was already under construction.
“Cleansing” is not something that is a once-and-for-all-time practice. Tell your kids to clean their rooms one Saturday and by the next weekend they are a huge mess again. Do the dishes Tuesday and, guess what . . . there is a sink-full again on Wednesday.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Jesus “cleansing” the Temple at the end of his public ministry. It is, in fact, the act that gets Jesus hauled before the authorities. So why does John put this event at the very start of Jesus’ mission?
John’s placement lets us consider the recurring necessity of “cleansing.” Jesus cleared out the Temple courtyard. But it is unlikely that it remained clear and clean for long. Does anyone really doubt that the moment Jesus left the Temple mount, all those oxen and sheep and doves, all the money-changers, found their way back to their stalls and their sales? The description of two “cleansing” scenes — one at the beginning of his ministry and one at the end remind all gospel readers that “roughing up” and sloughing off the dead weight of bad habits and bad attitudes is an every-day ritual.
During this season of Lent a lot of Christians still symbolically “give up” something as part of their spiritual preparation for the events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Some give up meat.
Some give up sweets.
Some give up television.
Some give up alcohol.
Some give up being a couch potato.
Has anyone dared to suggest giving up “Twitter,” or a fast from “Facebook?”
The point is: we voluntarily choose to give up some part of our ordinary lives in order to let something new be exposed. The only reason to “give up” something for Lent is if every time you crave a chocolate or long for a steak or television, that moment reminds you of why you have given sweets or meat or television.
Every craving should remind you of Christ. If you are “cleansing” your temple, your mind/body/spirit through some daily act, then there should be a daily renewal, a daily encounter with a new perspective, a daily experience of Christ’s sacrifice for our sake.
Lent is a time to get house cleaning It is a time to work at wiping off and washing away the built up layers of everyday evils — a hardened heart, a shortened temper, self-absorption, greed and gluttony, envy and covetousness.
Lent is a time to scrub hard and rub away all the crud that make us able to walk by the homeless, turn the channel at reports of genocide, ignore our children, exploit our environment, put self-advantage above God.
Lenten house cleaning brings Easter resurrection.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Do You Know Your Place?
Do You Know Your Place?
Mark 8:31-38
Preached on the Second Sunday in Lent
March 4, 2012
By Rev. Dan Osgood
The world of sled dog racing is famous for a saying: “If you aren’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.”
In other words, only the lead dog gets to see what is up ahead. Only the lead dog gets to sniff out new possibilities, gets to choose a new path. For the rest of the pack, there is nothing but a view of bushy backsides. No wonder in life we are all constantly striving to be “lead dogs.”
Across the political spectrum, there is one common refrain. As the 2012 political races heat up every candidate, Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal or libertarian, calls for America to reclaim her leadership status — in manufacturing, technology, production, influence, economic growth. Whatever the topic, it is being “in the lead position” that is the most important point.
We all want to be “in charge.” Who doesn’t want to chart our own destiny? Who doesn’t want to choose our life pathway? Who doesn’t want to decide for oneself? The problem for Christians is that Jesus had a rather startling response to that kind of an attitude: “Get behind me, Satan!”
Jesus’ harsh “rebuke” of Peter (“rebuke” here is a word used in demonic exorcisms) doesn’t sound so bad when it is directed at a dimwit disciple who had the audacity to try and tell Jesus he was wrong. It is another thing to have Jesus’ words directed at each one of us, reminding twenty-first century disciples that none of us are “lead dogs,” that none of us get to be “in charge.”
Jesus’ disciples are reminded by today’s gospel text to “know our place.” And where is our “place?” Our place is “behind Jesus.” We must “get behind” Jesus, our leader. In this community of Christ, there is only one Leader: Jesus. The rest of us are called to be followers. How did the Apostle Paul put it: “Follow me as I follow Christ.”
Even after twenty-one centuries of trying, it is hard for us to “get behind Jesus” and follow him. We may be willing to “take up our cross.” But we would still like to “take the lead” on that journey. Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, as the Messiah. But his first response to his Messiah was to try and tell him what he can and cannot do! In other words, Peter tried to lead Jesus in the direction he thought Jesus should go rather than follow Jesus where the Father was leading him.
In Jesus’ passion prediction Peter heard a message that was so completely unexpected, a messianic mission so radical, that he decided Jesus was wrong. The Christ, the chosen one of God, the “Beloved Son,” the Incarnation of the divine presence, “God with us,” was wrong. Peter puts himself and all his preconceived messianic hopes in the driver’s seat, and then tries to throw Jesus and all God’s plans for salvation into the back seat. Peter wants nothing less than to be in control — in control of his life, in control of Jesus’ life, in control of God’s plans for all life. No wonder Jesus doesn’t mince words — “Get behind me, Satan!”
If you try to take charge you will die. You will lose your life by trying to save it. It is only in following; in letting Jesus have the driver’s seat, that our lives are saved and we have the ability to live: to fully live.
And so I ask you this morning: “Do you know your place?”
Yet there is nothing that challenges our spirit and yanks our chain quite as much as being told to “know your place.”
“Know Your Place.” The world uses that phrase to degrade some people to second-class status.
Second place! Second place is “the place” Jesus asks his disciples to occupy until he comes.
Do you know your place? My place is behind Jesus!
Jesus models powerfully what true following means as he denies self, takes up the cross, and follows God’s lead. Jesus tells Peter to get behind him. That is the only place a true disciple can ever be if they are to follow Jesus. In light of Jesus prediction about his own sacrificial future, the message is all too real.Ultimately, discipleship means giving up everything. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it best in his book, The Cost of Discipleship: “When Jesus calls a person he bids him come and die.”
Do you know your place? My place is behind Jesus!
In that second place, you will be guided by grace. In that second place you, will be fueled by love. In that second place, you will be led by peace . . . . the grace, love and peace of Jesus.
Do you know your place? My place is behind Jesus!
The more we find our place “behind Him,” the more we faithfully follow Him. The more we faithfully follow Him, the more we find our place behind Him. The more we find our place behind Him, the more we faithfully follow Him. And so it goes.
Do you know your place? My place is behind Jesus!
Mark 8:31-38
Preached on the Second Sunday in Lent
March 4, 2012
By Rev. Dan Osgood
The world of sled dog racing is famous for a saying: “If you aren’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.”
In other words, only the lead dog gets to see what is up ahead. Only the lead dog gets to sniff out new possibilities, gets to choose a new path. For the rest of the pack, there is nothing but a view of bushy backsides. No wonder in life we are all constantly striving to be “lead dogs.”
Across the political spectrum, there is one common refrain. As the 2012 political races heat up every candidate, Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal or libertarian, calls for America to reclaim her leadership status — in manufacturing, technology, production, influence, economic growth. Whatever the topic, it is being “in the lead position” that is the most important point.
We all want to be “in charge.” Who doesn’t want to chart our own destiny? Who doesn’t want to choose our life pathway? Who doesn’t want to decide for oneself? The problem for Christians is that Jesus had a rather startling response to that kind of an attitude: “Get behind me, Satan!”
Jesus’ harsh “rebuke” of Peter (“rebuke” here is a word used in demonic exorcisms) doesn’t sound so bad when it is directed at a dimwit disciple who had the audacity to try and tell Jesus he was wrong. It is another thing to have Jesus’ words directed at each one of us, reminding twenty-first century disciples that none of us are “lead dogs,” that none of us get to be “in charge.”
Jesus’ disciples are reminded by today’s gospel text to “know our place.” And where is our “place?” Our place is “behind Jesus.” We must “get behind” Jesus, our leader. In this community of Christ, there is only one Leader: Jesus. The rest of us are called to be followers. How did the Apostle Paul put it: “Follow me as I follow Christ.”
Even after twenty-one centuries of trying, it is hard for us to “get behind Jesus” and follow him. We may be willing to “take up our cross.” But we would still like to “take the lead” on that journey. Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, as the Messiah. But his first response to his Messiah was to try and tell him what he can and cannot do! In other words, Peter tried to lead Jesus in the direction he thought Jesus should go rather than follow Jesus where the Father was leading him.
In Jesus’ passion prediction Peter heard a message that was so completely unexpected, a messianic mission so radical, that he decided Jesus was wrong. The Christ, the chosen one of God, the “Beloved Son,” the Incarnation of the divine presence, “God with us,” was wrong. Peter puts himself and all his preconceived messianic hopes in the driver’s seat, and then tries to throw Jesus and all God’s plans for salvation into the back seat. Peter wants nothing less than to be in control — in control of his life, in control of Jesus’ life, in control of God’s plans for all life. No wonder Jesus doesn’t mince words — “Get behind me, Satan!”
If you try to take charge you will die. You will lose your life by trying to save it. It is only in following; in letting Jesus have the driver’s seat, that our lives are saved and we have the ability to live: to fully live.
And so I ask you this morning: “Do you know your place?”
Yet there is nothing that challenges our spirit and yanks our chain quite as much as being told to “know your place.”
“Know Your Place.” The world uses that phrase to degrade some people to second-class status.
Second place! Second place is “the place” Jesus asks his disciples to occupy until he comes.
Do you know your place? My place is behind Jesus!
Jesus models powerfully what true following means as he denies self, takes up the cross, and follows God’s lead. Jesus tells Peter to get behind him. That is the only place a true disciple can ever be if they are to follow Jesus. In light of Jesus prediction about his own sacrificial future, the message is all too real.Ultimately, discipleship means giving up everything. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it best in his book, The Cost of Discipleship: “When Jesus calls a person he bids him come and die.”
Do you know your place? My place is behind Jesus!
In that second place, you will be guided by grace. In that second place you, will be fueled by love. In that second place, you will be led by peace . . . . the grace, love and peace of Jesus.
Do you know your place? My place is behind Jesus!
The more we find our place “behind Him,” the more we faithfully follow Him. The more we faithfully follow Him, the more we find our place behind Him. The more we find our place behind Him, the more we faithfully follow Him. And so it goes.
Do you know your place? My place is behind Jesus!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
“WHAT IS LENT REALLY ALL ABOUT?”
“WHAT IS LENT REALLY ALL ABOUT?”
Luke 18:9-14 “
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” the man says.
“But sir, you’ve just been in a terrible car accident. You’re bleeding and have some deep bruises. There may be internal damage!”
“There’s nothing wrong with me!”
“At least have a doctor check you out, sir. We have an ambulance right here – it wouldn’t take very long..”
“I told you, there’s nothing wrong with me!”
“But sir.”
Then the man walks away from the car accident. His wife picks him up and drives him home. Later he dies from internal bleeding.
“There’s nothing wrong with me” can be a dangerous thing to say. Spiritually, it is probably the worst thing a person could possibly say. For a person to stand before God and say, “There’s nothing wrong with me” – that’s incompatible with Christianity, and unacceptable to God. What is the opposite of “there’s nothing wrong with me”? Wouldn’t it be “there’s everything wrong with me”? According to the Bible, a Christian is someone who stands before God and says “there’s everything wrong with me.” A Christian is also someone who says, “But Jesus Christ has overcome my sin. He has taken away all the things that are wrong with me.”
Today is the first Sunday in Lent. What exactly what is Lent, anyway? What’s it all about? We find the answer as we focus on a story Jesus tells about two opposite people – one who said “there’s nothing wrong with me” and one who said “there’s everything wrong with me.” One of them represents what Lent isn’t, and one of them represents what Lent is. Today, we focus on these two people as we seek to learn better what Lent really is, and what it means to us.
Jesus told this story to people who were confident in their own righteousness, and looked down on everybody else. “Two men” Jesus said “went up to the temple to pray – a Pharisee and a tax collector.” Remember, the Pharisees were the people who lived good, clean lives. The tax collectors were people who swindled and intimidated others out of their money. Both of them came to church – went to the temple to pray. “The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” Maybe you can sum up his prayer this way: “I thank you, God, that there’s nothing wrong with me.”
Maybe he was right! He was a good citizen. He obeyed the law, lived a moral and upright life. He even did the religious things you were supposed to do – he gave ten percent of his income to church, and he even fasted twice a week. Really, there’s wasn’t much wrong with him.
Then Jesus focuses on the tax collector in his story – the opposite of the Pharisee. He had been stealing money from people his whole life – ruining the lives of others so that he could live it up. He knew that his whole life had been a disaster, and that he deserved to go to hell when he died. Jesus says that “the tax collector stood at a distance” – he wouldn’t even walk up to the front of the temple – “He would not even look up to heaven” – he was so ashamed of his sin – “but beat his breast and said, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.’” His prayer was the opposite of the Pharisee’s, wasn’t it – maybe you can sum it up this way, “God, there’s everything wrong with me. Help me.”
Jesus goes on to say that the sinful tax collector was the one that was forgiven by God, and not the perfect Pharisee. Why? Jesus tells us: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” The Pharisee was proud, looking down on others, exalting himself. The tax collector was humble, sorry for his sins. What is Jesus saying there? Is Jesus saying that you earn the forgiveness of sins by being humble? “Look at how humble that tax collector is,” says God. “That tax collector deserves to be forgiven, because he is so humble!” Is that how it works?
That’s what a lot of people think, but that’s not how it works. If that’s why God forgives you, then your salvation would be completely dependent on you, and your level of humility. Then, you could never be sure if you’re forgiven by God or not, because you will never know if you have been humble enough for God to forgive you.
The truth of the matter is, neither the Pharisee nor the tax collector deserved God’s forgiveness. The Pharisee didn’t because he was conceited and self-righteous – thought he was a very good religious person, even though he thought he was perfect. The tax collector didn’t deserve God’s forgiveness because of the terrible life he had led. Neither one deserved to be forgiven by God.
God forgives people purely out of his mercy. As a result of his undeserved love, God forgives people. God forgives people because Jesus Christ has taken away the sins of the world. Because of that sacrifice Jesus made on the cross – cleansing the world of all of its sin, he offers forgiveness to all. In this story, God offered forgiveness to both the Pharisee and the tax collector. But only the tax collector received God’s forgiveness. Why? Because, in his mercy, God chooses to forgive only those who humble themselves before him. Those who stand before God and say, “There’s everything wrong with me. Lord have mercy on me. I am a sinner” – those humble people who recognize their sin, recognize their need for God’s help – those are the people that receive God’s forgiveness. Not because they’re earning it by groveling, but because God shows undeserved love to all who are humble and sorry for their sins.
This humble tax collector is a picture of Lent. This proud Pharisee is the opposite of Lent. Which one are you? How will you observe Lent this year? Do you plan to act extra religious? Many people observe Lent that way: “Maybe I will give up something for Lent – I will no longer watch my favorite TV show for Lent. I will no longer eat chocolate for Lent. I will no longer listen to my favorite CD for Lent. Look at how religious I am. God must be extra happy with me as I refrain from eating chocolate and listening to that favorite CD.”
Today Jesus speaks to us through his Word, and he tells us that Lent is a time of self-denial, a time to give up something. But Jesus isn’t concerned with chocolate and CD’s – he’s concerned with what’s going on in our hearts. Lent is a time to give up the sins in our lives. It’s a time to give up the sin of hypocrisy – acting like a Christian on the outside, but being proud and self-centered on the inside. Lent is a time to give up the sin of duplicity – being a Christian on Sundays, but being an unbeliever on Fridays. It’s a time to give up the sin of being lethargic – “someday I’ll get my act together spiritually. Right now, though, I’m just too busy focusing on everything except God.” What is Lent? Lent is that man who stood in the back of the temple, and looked down at the ground, and prayed to God, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Lent is a time for us to be like that man, to give up our sinful habits, our sinful attitudes, to stand before God and to ask him to forgive us, to wash our sins away, and to empower us to turn away from our sinful past and to live new lives that are dedicated to God.
And after we lay our sins before Christ, Lent is also a time to give up our guilty feelings. Just as that tax collector walked home justified before God, so can we walk away, knowing that we have been forgiven. “I no longer have to feel guilty about my sins. I no longer have to beat myself up about the way I’ve been living. I have been forgiven. My sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. I can start over.”
Lent is an attitude, isn’t it? It’s an attitude of honesty and humility, as we confess our sins to God. But Lent is also an attitude of relief and joy, knowing that our sins have been forgiven.
These next seven weeks is a time for you and I to look deep into your heart, to think about our life and how we’ve been living it. What sin are you going to give up for Lent, and for the rest of your life? Jesus will forgive that sin, wash that sin away at the cross. And Jesus promises to empower us to live a new life that glorifies you.
If people want to temporarily give up certain things for Lent as a sign of love for their Savior, that’s fine. But what Christ is really concerned about is what’s in your heart. Today, we begin that long walk to the cross, where we see just how serious and terrible our sins are. But there we also see how wonderful and deep our Savior’s love is for us. The road doesn’t end there, but at the empty tomb, where Jesus rises from the dead to prove that all of our sins have been forgiven. May God bless us as we begin your Lenten journey.
Luke 18:9-14 “
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” the man says.
“But sir, you’ve just been in a terrible car accident. You’re bleeding and have some deep bruises. There may be internal damage!”
“There’s nothing wrong with me!”
“At least have a doctor check you out, sir. We have an ambulance right here – it wouldn’t take very long..”
“I told you, there’s nothing wrong with me!”
“But sir.”
Then the man walks away from the car accident. His wife picks him up and drives him home. Later he dies from internal bleeding.
“There’s nothing wrong with me” can be a dangerous thing to say. Spiritually, it is probably the worst thing a person could possibly say. For a person to stand before God and say, “There’s nothing wrong with me” – that’s incompatible with Christianity, and unacceptable to God. What is the opposite of “there’s nothing wrong with me”? Wouldn’t it be “there’s everything wrong with me”? According to the Bible, a Christian is someone who stands before God and says “there’s everything wrong with me.” A Christian is also someone who says, “But Jesus Christ has overcome my sin. He has taken away all the things that are wrong with me.”
Today is the first Sunday in Lent. What exactly what is Lent, anyway? What’s it all about? We find the answer as we focus on a story Jesus tells about two opposite people – one who said “there’s nothing wrong with me” and one who said “there’s everything wrong with me.” One of them represents what Lent isn’t, and one of them represents what Lent is. Today, we focus on these two people as we seek to learn better what Lent really is, and what it means to us.
Jesus told this story to people who were confident in their own righteousness, and looked down on everybody else. “Two men” Jesus said “went up to the temple to pray – a Pharisee and a tax collector.” Remember, the Pharisees were the people who lived good, clean lives. The tax collectors were people who swindled and intimidated others out of their money. Both of them came to church – went to the temple to pray. “The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” Maybe you can sum up his prayer this way: “I thank you, God, that there’s nothing wrong with me.”
Maybe he was right! He was a good citizen. He obeyed the law, lived a moral and upright life. He even did the religious things you were supposed to do – he gave ten percent of his income to church, and he even fasted twice a week. Really, there’s wasn’t much wrong with him.
Then Jesus focuses on the tax collector in his story – the opposite of the Pharisee. He had been stealing money from people his whole life – ruining the lives of others so that he could live it up. He knew that his whole life had been a disaster, and that he deserved to go to hell when he died. Jesus says that “the tax collector stood at a distance” – he wouldn’t even walk up to the front of the temple – “He would not even look up to heaven” – he was so ashamed of his sin – “but beat his breast and said, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.’” His prayer was the opposite of the Pharisee’s, wasn’t it – maybe you can sum it up this way, “God, there’s everything wrong with me. Help me.”
Jesus goes on to say that the sinful tax collector was the one that was forgiven by God, and not the perfect Pharisee. Why? Jesus tells us: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” The Pharisee was proud, looking down on others, exalting himself. The tax collector was humble, sorry for his sins. What is Jesus saying there? Is Jesus saying that you earn the forgiveness of sins by being humble? “Look at how humble that tax collector is,” says God. “That tax collector deserves to be forgiven, because he is so humble!” Is that how it works?
That’s what a lot of people think, but that’s not how it works. If that’s why God forgives you, then your salvation would be completely dependent on you, and your level of humility. Then, you could never be sure if you’re forgiven by God or not, because you will never know if you have been humble enough for God to forgive you.
The truth of the matter is, neither the Pharisee nor the tax collector deserved God’s forgiveness. The Pharisee didn’t because he was conceited and self-righteous – thought he was a very good religious person, even though he thought he was perfect. The tax collector didn’t deserve God’s forgiveness because of the terrible life he had led. Neither one deserved to be forgiven by God.
God forgives people purely out of his mercy. As a result of his undeserved love, God forgives people. God forgives people because Jesus Christ has taken away the sins of the world. Because of that sacrifice Jesus made on the cross – cleansing the world of all of its sin, he offers forgiveness to all. In this story, God offered forgiveness to both the Pharisee and the tax collector. But only the tax collector received God’s forgiveness. Why? Because, in his mercy, God chooses to forgive only those who humble themselves before him. Those who stand before God and say, “There’s everything wrong with me. Lord have mercy on me. I am a sinner” – those humble people who recognize their sin, recognize their need for God’s help – those are the people that receive God’s forgiveness. Not because they’re earning it by groveling, but because God shows undeserved love to all who are humble and sorry for their sins.
This humble tax collector is a picture of Lent. This proud Pharisee is the opposite of Lent. Which one are you? How will you observe Lent this year? Do you plan to act extra religious? Many people observe Lent that way: “Maybe I will give up something for Lent – I will no longer watch my favorite TV show for Lent. I will no longer eat chocolate for Lent. I will no longer listen to my favorite CD for Lent. Look at how religious I am. God must be extra happy with me as I refrain from eating chocolate and listening to that favorite CD.”
Today Jesus speaks to us through his Word, and he tells us that Lent is a time of self-denial, a time to give up something. But Jesus isn’t concerned with chocolate and CD’s – he’s concerned with what’s going on in our hearts. Lent is a time to give up the sins in our lives. It’s a time to give up the sin of hypocrisy – acting like a Christian on the outside, but being proud and self-centered on the inside. Lent is a time to give up the sin of duplicity – being a Christian on Sundays, but being an unbeliever on Fridays. It’s a time to give up the sin of being lethargic – “someday I’ll get my act together spiritually. Right now, though, I’m just too busy focusing on everything except God.” What is Lent? Lent is that man who stood in the back of the temple, and looked down at the ground, and prayed to God, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Lent is a time for us to be like that man, to give up our sinful habits, our sinful attitudes, to stand before God and to ask him to forgive us, to wash our sins away, and to empower us to turn away from our sinful past and to live new lives that are dedicated to God.
And after we lay our sins before Christ, Lent is also a time to give up our guilty feelings. Just as that tax collector walked home justified before God, so can we walk away, knowing that we have been forgiven. “I no longer have to feel guilty about my sins. I no longer have to beat myself up about the way I’ve been living. I have been forgiven. My sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. I can start over.”
Lent is an attitude, isn’t it? It’s an attitude of honesty and humility, as we confess our sins to God. But Lent is also an attitude of relief and joy, knowing that our sins have been forgiven.
These next seven weeks is a time for you and I to look deep into your heart, to think about our life and how we’ve been living it. What sin are you going to give up for Lent, and for the rest of your life? Jesus will forgive that sin, wash that sin away at the cross. And Jesus promises to empower us to live a new life that glorifies you.
If people want to temporarily give up certain things for Lent as a sign of love for their Savior, that’s fine. But what Christ is really concerned about is what’s in your heart. Today, we begin that long walk to the cross, where we see just how serious and terrible our sins are. But there we also see how wonderful and deep our Savior’s love is for us. The road doesn’t end there, but at the empty tomb, where Jesus rises from the dead to prove that all of our sins have been forgiven. May God bless us as we begin your Lenten journey.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Baptism of Jesus
Baptism of Jesus
Genesis 1:1-5 The beginning of creation
Psalm 29 The voice of the Lord
Acts 19:1-7 Baptism and the Holy Spirit
Mark 1:4-11 Jesus baptized by John
"Back to Basics!” We hear that phrase a great deal these days. It is a term tossed around the political arena in relation to our government. It is a term spoken of in relation to how we consume and in terms of the environment. This morning I would like to use this term as the bases for our reflecting together on our baptism.
Let’s start with water. There is no substance more basic to our survival than water. What do you know about water? A lot. You drink it, you bathe in it, you swim in it, wash your clothes in it. Water can be just there, as when we use it for washing, it can be healthful, as when we use it for drinking, and it can be downright dangerous as when there is a flood. When we refer to water as a used in our baptism, it is much more symbolic of the dangerous waters of a flood than the just there water of washing or the healthy waters of drinking. Turns out that then John the Baptizer baptizes Jesus the water was very dangerous. And the waters of baptism are still very dangerous.
The baptism of Jesus is an epiphany, it is a revelation, a manifestation of God made flesh. “I am your God and you are my people” says God. This is water made dangerous. It is dangerous being God’s people. If you don’t believe me, go ask the long list of those who have given their very lives for the faith.
Baptism is a covenant. A covenant (Hebrew berith, Greek diatheke) is a legal agreement between two or more parties. The word "covenant(s)" occurs 284 times in the Old Testament (as found in the New American Standard Bible). "Covenant(s)" occurs 37 times in the New Testament, which gives a total of 321 occurances.
Using covenants is how God communicates to us, redeems us, and guarantees us eternal life in Jesus. He does this because a covenant is a promise, and God's promises cannot be broken since they rest in his infinite, pure character. The Bible is a covenant document. The Old and New Testaments are really Old and New Covenants. The word "testament" is Latin for Covenant..
The disturbing part of all this is very few of us, understand, really understand, what a dangerous thing baptism is? This is not surprising since we know that the church has been transformed by the culture into something resembling a feel-good, warm and fuzzy country club. Who in their right mind would want to give their heart and soul to the person we know Jesus to have been? Who among us would truly want to follow this One who never had 5 cents to call his own, who ate with tax collectors and sinners, who welcomed prostitutes and all other sorts of unsavory people, and ended up arrested and hanging on a cross. Sure isn’t the American dream, is it?? Who would have thought that baptism, whether of an infant or an adult, was so radical, so dangerous?
And so it has been for 2000 years. Literally millions of us have been baptized. God has said to each one of us, “You are mine,” but very few have joined the dangerous covenant of baptism: to die to the dominant culture, and rise with Jesus the Christ to new life.
A fellow Covenant pastor told me about a 10 year-old boy in her congregation named Cameron. Cameron walked into her office and said he needed to talk to her. Fresh from soccer practice, and wearing his Red Sox baseball cap, he had a request for her. "I'd like to be baptized," he said. "We were learning about Jesus' baptism in Sunday School. The teacher asked the class who was baptized, and all the other kids raised their hands. I want to be baptized too."
Using her best pastoral care tone of voice, she said, "Cameron, do you want to be baptized because everyone else is?" He replied, "No. I want to be baptized because it means I belong to God."
She was touched by his understanding. "Well, then," she said, "How about this Sunday?" His smile turned to concern and he asked, "Do I have to be baptized in front of all those people in the church? Can't I just have a friend baptize me in the river?" She asked where he came up with that idea. "Well, Jesus was baptized by his cousin John in a river, wasn't he?"
Caught off guard, she conceded, "You have a point. But, if a friend baptized you in the river, how would the church recognize it?"
"I guess by my new way of living" he said.
Here was a boy who understood something about the dangerous covenant of baptism.
There are many ways of thinking about Jesus and baptism. It seems clear that Mark—the earliest of our four Gospels—saw something extremely important in God’s calling Jesus His son. It was not just about Jesus, but about each member of the Church.
Your baptism is a dangerous covenant with God, a covenant sealed in the blood of Jesus, a covenant that says you will not live as a mere follower of the culture, or the politically correct, or the official government pronouncement. No, the covenant of baptism is a covenant that says because of God’s love, you will demonstrate a new way of living, a way that may have to oppose the culture, the politically correct, or the official government.
God’s love is not shown through cheap grace where baptism is an initiation rite into a warm fuzzy feel good type of club that does little service, doesn’t care about attendance, essentially expects nothing. God’s love is shown through a dangerous covenant, a life and death covenant, a covenant that results in a new life of worship, tithing, serving, and prayer. God expects His people to live UP toward Him, not DOWN toward “what’s in it for me.”
The baptism of Jesus Christ is a covenant that means life is lived in a different way, a new way, a way through which God works to redeem the world. Baptism means something and requires something. Baptism is a dangerous covenant.
Some of you have a deep appreciation for C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles. Anyone who has read the books or seen the movie knows that C.S. Lewis wrote a kind of mythology that reflects the Christian story. In the movie, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, there is a scene where the forces of good, supported by the boy Peter, are facing a battle for life and death against the forces of the evil White Queen. Though the forces of evil are greater than those led by Peter, he, nevertheless, expresses courage and commitment. He turns to his second in command, and asks, “Are you with me?” The response is instantaneous: “To the death, sir.”
“To the death, Sir:” the covenant made at our baptism.
“To the death, Sir:” the covenant we made when we became members of the church.
"To the death, Sir:” the covenant we are invited to reaffirm today. It is obviously a dangerous covenant, and I urge you NOT to renew it if you prefer to feel good and want to be in control of things. “To the death sir:” a covenant that requires our trust and our transformation, that this church, this region, this state, this country, this planet may finally realize what it is to live as the people of God.
Genesis 1:1-5 The beginning of creation
Psalm 29 The voice of the Lord
Acts 19:1-7 Baptism and the Holy Spirit
Mark 1:4-11 Jesus baptized by John
"Back to Basics!” We hear that phrase a great deal these days. It is a term tossed around the political arena in relation to our government. It is a term spoken of in relation to how we consume and in terms of the environment. This morning I would like to use this term as the bases for our reflecting together on our baptism.
Let’s start with water. There is no substance more basic to our survival than water. What do you know about water? A lot. You drink it, you bathe in it, you swim in it, wash your clothes in it. Water can be just there, as when we use it for washing, it can be healthful, as when we use it for drinking, and it can be downright dangerous as when there is a flood. When we refer to water as a used in our baptism, it is much more symbolic of the dangerous waters of a flood than the just there water of washing or the healthy waters of drinking. Turns out that then John the Baptizer baptizes Jesus the water was very dangerous. And the waters of baptism are still very dangerous.
The baptism of Jesus is an epiphany, it is a revelation, a manifestation of God made flesh. “I am your God and you are my people” says God. This is water made dangerous. It is dangerous being God’s people. If you don’t believe me, go ask the long list of those who have given their very lives for the faith.
Baptism is a covenant. A covenant (Hebrew berith, Greek diatheke) is a legal agreement between two or more parties. The word "covenant(s)" occurs 284 times in the Old Testament (as found in the New American Standard Bible). "Covenant(s)" occurs 37 times in the New Testament, which gives a total of 321 occurances.
Using covenants is how God communicates to us, redeems us, and guarantees us eternal life in Jesus. He does this because a covenant is a promise, and God's promises cannot be broken since they rest in his infinite, pure character. The Bible is a covenant document. The Old and New Testaments are really Old and New Covenants. The word "testament" is Latin for Covenant..
The disturbing part of all this is very few of us, understand, really understand, what a dangerous thing baptism is? This is not surprising since we know that the church has been transformed by the culture into something resembling a feel-good, warm and fuzzy country club. Who in their right mind would want to give their heart and soul to the person we know Jesus to have been? Who among us would truly want to follow this One who never had 5 cents to call his own, who ate with tax collectors and sinners, who welcomed prostitutes and all other sorts of unsavory people, and ended up arrested and hanging on a cross. Sure isn’t the American dream, is it?? Who would have thought that baptism, whether of an infant or an adult, was so radical, so dangerous?
And so it has been for 2000 years. Literally millions of us have been baptized. God has said to each one of us, “You are mine,” but very few have joined the dangerous covenant of baptism: to die to the dominant culture, and rise with Jesus the Christ to new life.
A fellow Covenant pastor told me about a 10 year-old boy in her congregation named Cameron. Cameron walked into her office and said he needed to talk to her. Fresh from soccer practice, and wearing his Red Sox baseball cap, he had a request for her. "I'd like to be baptized," he said. "We were learning about Jesus' baptism in Sunday School. The teacher asked the class who was baptized, and all the other kids raised their hands. I want to be baptized too."
Using her best pastoral care tone of voice, she said, "Cameron, do you want to be baptized because everyone else is?" He replied, "No. I want to be baptized because it means I belong to God."
She was touched by his understanding. "Well, then," she said, "How about this Sunday?" His smile turned to concern and he asked, "Do I have to be baptized in front of all those people in the church? Can't I just have a friend baptize me in the river?" She asked where he came up with that idea. "Well, Jesus was baptized by his cousin John in a river, wasn't he?"
Caught off guard, she conceded, "You have a point. But, if a friend baptized you in the river, how would the church recognize it?"
"I guess by my new way of living" he said.
Here was a boy who understood something about the dangerous covenant of baptism.
There are many ways of thinking about Jesus and baptism. It seems clear that Mark—the earliest of our four Gospels—saw something extremely important in God’s calling Jesus His son. It was not just about Jesus, but about each member of the Church.
Your baptism is a dangerous covenant with God, a covenant sealed in the blood of Jesus, a covenant that says you will not live as a mere follower of the culture, or the politically correct, or the official government pronouncement. No, the covenant of baptism is a covenant that says because of God’s love, you will demonstrate a new way of living, a way that may have to oppose the culture, the politically correct, or the official government.
God’s love is not shown through cheap grace where baptism is an initiation rite into a warm fuzzy feel good type of club that does little service, doesn’t care about attendance, essentially expects nothing. God’s love is shown through a dangerous covenant, a life and death covenant, a covenant that results in a new life of worship, tithing, serving, and prayer. God expects His people to live UP toward Him, not DOWN toward “what’s in it for me.”
The baptism of Jesus Christ is a covenant that means life is lived in a different way, a new way, a way through which God works to redeem the world. Baptism means something and requires something. Baptism is a dangerous covenant.
Some of you have a deep appreciation for C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles. Anyone who has read the books or seen the movie knows that C.S. Lewis wrote a kind of mythology that reflects the Christian story. In the movie, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, there is a scene where the forces of good, supported by the boy Peter, are facing a battle for life and death against the forces of the evil White Queen. Though the forces of evil are greater than those led by Peter, he, nevertheless, expresses courage and commitment. He turns to his second in command, and asks, “Are you with me?” The response is instantaneous: “To the death, sir.”
“To the death, Sir:” the covenant made at our baptism.
“To the death, Sir:” the covenant we made when we became members of the church.
"To the death, Sir:” the covenant we are invited to reaffirm today. It is obviously a dangerous covenant, and I urge you NOT to renew it if you prefer to feel good and want to be in control of things. “To the death sir:” a covenant that requires our trust and our transformation, that this church, this region, this state, this country, this planet may finally realize what it is to live as the people of God.
Presented to God
Presented to God
Isaiah 61:10 to 62:3 You shall be a crown of beauty
Psalm 148 Praise the Lord form the heavens
or Psalm 113 Praise O servants of the Lord
Galatians 4:4-7 God sent his son born of a woman
Luke 2:22-40 The baby Jesus presented in the temple
It is fortunate that New Year's Day rarely falls on a Sunday. Many who stayed up last night to greet the New Year are in no condition to worship today. [Though I understand that a few could be heard this morning moaning, "Oh God . . . Oh God . . . Oh God . . . "] And then, of course there is football, the real religion of many in our land. New Year's Day is always a day of worship for the true football devotee. But here you and I are in the house of God. This, of course, is where we ought to begin a New Year.
I want to begin with a sports story, but you don't have to be a sports fan to appreciate it. It's about a young man named Kyle. Kyle Maynard was born with birth defects. Most people would consider him to be handicapped. But most people don't know Kyle Maynard. This young man, who chooses not to use prosthetic limbs, constantly challenges himself to break physical barriers. He played middle school football alongside much bigger kids. In high school, Kyle began weight training and joined the wrestling team. He and his coach developed moves that made the most of Kyle's physical assets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFke91pbfUo
In fact, Kyle Maynard has such a positive attitude that a juvenile court judge once sentenced a troublesome kid to spend the day with Kyle. The judge wanted the teen to understand that our lives are shaped much more by our attitude than by our circumstances. After spending a day with the troubled teen, Kyle commented, "People think I have a bad life. Look at my life compared to this kid's. I have a beautiful family who loves me. Everybody has struggles. My struggles are just more apparent." (1)
Isn't that amazing? You and I see people every day with perfectly good bodies, healthy in every way, who are mired in unhappiness. And then we run into a Kyle Maynard with his stunted arms and legs, and he is so positive. How does that happen? Obviously it helps to have people who love you and believe in you.
Does it make a difference when people love you and believe in you and encourage you? Of course, it does. I feel for children brought up by negative parents--critical, demanding, quick to admonish, slow to praise. I see people every day who are scarred by parents who could give them everything except what they needed most--unconditional love and acceptance.
Sometimes, because we think of Jesus as the Son of God, we may not give Mary and Joseph enough credit as his earthly parents. They were not wealthy people, as today's story from the Gospels makes clear. But they gave him what he needed and what all of us need more than anything else; they helped Jesus know he was loved. And they taught him about God. The 22nd verse of the second chapter of Luke reads like this: "When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord . . ."
This was the custom in New Testament times. Couples brought their first born and presented them at the temple [just as parents in our church bring their children and present them to God.]
Mary and Joseph presented Jesus as an infant to God and they lived godly lives when they returned home. Note how Luke sums up Jesus' childhood years, "When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him."
I wish everybody could have an affirming adult in their lives. Some of you know about that kind of love. That was the kind of love you experienced from your parents. And you know how precious it is.
But some of you didn't receive that kind of positive love. Your parents were good people. But somehow they were not able to affirm you the way every child deserves to be affirmed. You never got the message that you are smart and worthy. And there is something missing in your life. A confidence, a sense of self-worth, what is often termed by psychologists, healthy self-esteem. And so you are continually sabotaging yourself. And you find yourself withholding love from your children and your spouse and other people important in your life. You were never really presented to God--not as a person of worth, of value, a person who deserves to enjoy abundant life. Is it too late? Are you doomed to always feeling a sense of inadequacy?
The answer is no. There is hope--if you realize that you and I have been presented to God--by Christ. This is the meaning of the atonement. Christ has presented us to the Father. He has placed his seal of approval on each of us. He has presented us unblemished and complete before the Father and said, "These people are my beloved. They are those for whom I laid down my life." And the Father looks upon us not as the flawed people we see ourselves, but as a new creation in Christ.
Galatians 4:4-7
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
Christ has presented us, you and I, to the Lord. Give thanks and go from this place as one accepted and loved by God.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FGRbUrfvZ8&feature=related
Isaiah 61:10 to 62:3 You shall be a crown of beauty
Psalm 148 Praise the Lord form the heavens
or Psalm 113 Praise O servants of the Lord
Galatians 4:4-7 God sent his son born of a woman
Luke 2:22-40 The baby Jesus presented in the temple
It is fortunate that New Year's Day rarely falls on a Sunday. Many who stayed up last night to greet the New Year are in no condition to worship today. [Though I understand that a few could be heard this morning moaning, "Oh God . . . Oh God . . . Oh God . . . "] And then, of course there is football, the real religion of many in our land. New Year's Day is always a day of worship for the true football devotee. But here you and I are in the house of God. This, of course, is where we ought to begin a New Year.
I want to begin with a sports story, but you don't have to be a sports fan to appreciate it. It's about a young man named Kyle. Kyle Maynard was born with birth defects. Most people would consider him to be handicapped. But most people don't know Kyle Maynard. This young man, who chooses not to use prosthetic limbs, constantly challenges himself to break physical barriers. He played middle school football alongside much bigger kids. In high school, Kyle began weight training and joined the wrestling team. He and his coach developed moves that made the most of Kyle's physical assets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFke91pbfUo
In fact, Kyle Maynard has such a positive attitude that a juvenile court judge once sentenced a troublesome kid to spend the day with Kyle. The judge wanted the teen to understand that our lives are shaped much more by our attitude than by our circumstances. After spending a day with the troubled teen, Kyle commented, "People think I have a bad life. Look at my life compared to this kid's. I have a beautiful family who loves me. Everybody has struggles. My struggles are just more apparent." (1)
Isn't that amazing? You and I see people every day with perfectly good bodies, healthy in every way, who are mired in unhappiness. And then we run into a Kyle Maynard with his stunted arms and legs, and he is so positive. How does that happen? Obviously it helps to have people who love you and believe in you.
Does it make a difference when people love you and believe in you and encourage you? Of course, it does. I feel for children brought up by negative parents--critical, demanding, quick to admonish, slow to praise. I see people every day who are scarred by parents who could give them everything except what they needed most--unconditional love and acceptance.
Sometimes, because we think of Jesus as the Son of God, we may not give Mary and Joseph enough credit as his earthly parents. They were not wealthy people, as today's story from the Gospels makes clear. But they gave him what he needed and what all of us need more than anything else; they helped Jesus know he was loved. And they taught him about God. The 22nd verse of the second chapter of Luke reads like this: "When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord . . ."
This was the custom in New Testament times. Couples brought their first born and presented them at the temple [just as parents in our church bring their children and present them to God.]
Mary and Joseph presented Jesus as an infant to God and they lived godly lives when they returned home. Note how Luke sums up Jesus' childhood years, "When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him."
I wish everybody could have an affirming adult in their lives. Some of you know about that kind of love. That was the kind of love you experienced from your parents. And you know how precious it is.
But some of you didn't receive that kind of positive love. Your parents were good people. But somehow they were not able to affirm you the way every child deserves to be affirmed. You never got the message that you are smart and worthy. And there is something missing in your life. A confidence, a sense of self-worth, what is often termed by psychologists, healthy self-esteem. And so you are continually sabotaging yourself. And you find yourself withholding love from your children and your spouse and other people important in your life. You were never really presented to God--not as a person of worth, of value, a person who deserves to enjoy abundant life. Is it too late? Are you doomed to always feeling a sense of inadequacy?
The answer is no. There is hope--if you realize that you and I have been presented to God--by Christ. This is the meaning of the atonement. Christ has presented us to the Father. He has placed his seal of approval on each of us. He has presented us unblemished and complete before the Father and said, "These people are my beloved. They are those for whom I laid down my life." And the Father looks upon us not as the flawed people we see ourselves, but as a new creation in Christ.
Galatians 4:4-7
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
Christ has presented us, you and I, to the Lord. Give thanks and go from this place as one accepted and loved by God.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FGRbUrfvZ8&feature=related
Sunday, May 29, 2011
The Fitting Room
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12
The Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of putting on the virtues like you put on your clothes, but for much of my life I felt more like I was wrestling them on. Like when you're in the fitting room and your arms are above your head and you start what appears to be a frenetic shimmy into an outfit that should have had an extra button, zipper or should simply be a large. I don't think that is what Paul had in mind.
My greatest hope is that you will believe how chosen, set apart and dearly loved you are by Jesus. And that in this believing you'll discover a new set of virtues you don't have to fight, but simply get to wear.
The Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of putting on the virtues like you put on your clothes, but for much of my life I felt more like I was wrestling them on. Like when you're in the fitting room and your arms are above your head and you start what appears to be a frenetic shimmy into an outfit that should have had an extra button, zipper or should simply be a large. I don't think that is what Paul had in mind.
My greatest hope is that you will believe how chosen, set apart and dearly loved you are by Jesus. And that in this believing you'll discover a new set of virtues you don't have to fight, but simply get to wear.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
A Hope Based on Faith Not Hype!!
Hebrews 11:1-3
The beauty business is big business. Adorning ourselves, perfecting every perceived imperfection, curling what is straight, straightening what is curly, bleaching this/highlighting that, products that promise to make youngsters look older and oldsters look younger never lose their appeal. “Stuff” made out of low-tech squished fruit or high-tech spliced genes all promise to adorn and ultimately to transform our faces, save our skin, and sanctify our souls.
If only we will buy just this ONE product.
An Arizona based cosmetics firm calling itself “Philosophy” sells a moisturizer it calls “Hope in a Jar.” The label on this jar of “hope” declares” “Where there is hope there can be faith. Where there is faith, miracles can occur.” Here the cosmetics company provides (for a hefty price) the “hope in a jar.” But the consumer must supply their own “faith” if they expect a “miracle” to occur.
We all KNOW that nothing we smear on our face, or rub through our hair, or massage into our “love handles” or pop bellies is really going to defy the time and strip away everything wrinkled, grey, or saggy. We all KNOW that if that super-secret skin serum being hawked on that late-night infomercial could really do what it claims, its manufacturers wouldn’t have to be advertising it on a late-night infomercial.
But.
And every cosmetic manufacturer in the world loves, depends, exists on this “but.” BUT we do have “hope.” The problem with this “hope” is that too often it is rooted in “hype.” Unlikely. Unproveable. Unrepeatable. Unreliable.
Hope based on hype leads nowhere at best, hell at worst.
The writer of the “Letter to the Hebrews” didn’t give a message of “hope” based on hype. He didn’t tell a story about a perfect life that was just around the corner. Instead, he spoke about FAITH. Faith was that which stood firm even as the years passed and the promise of a “promised land” seemed to be a lie in the distant future.
In fact, none of the examples of great “faith” offered by the Hebrews’ author seems to have much of a happy ending.
Life is unpredictable. Life is filled with uncertainties. Trouble seems to have a way of finding us. As all know, we can't always avoid trouble.
The thing about trouble--it rarely announces itself before it comes. Trouble hardly ever says, "Here I come! Get ready!" We wish it would. At least we could prepare for it, or better yet, we could avoid it altogether. But life doesn't work that way. In fact, you are one of three people today--you are coming out of trouble, you are in the middle of trouble, or you about to get into trouble. That's life.
It is because of this truth that our lives are defined by how we respond to trouble. Think about it. Addicts are defined by their ability to numb themselves to trouble. Criminals act out destructively to trouble. Atheists blame the absence of God for trouble. Narcissistic victims exploit trouble to avoid responsibility. Look at many unhealthy people and you will see lives which have been defined by unhealthy responses to trouble. The late M. Scott Peck, who wrote The Road Less Traveled, even went so far as to say that the reason for much human dysfunction is the inability to face trouble.
At the bottom of all unhealthy responses to trouble is one bad word. This word is the enemy to all that brings life and joy and peace and hope. The word is "panic." Panic is the feeling of being out of control. Panic is grabbing anything that makes you feel like you are in control, even if it's unhealthy.
Sound familiar? Maybe you are putting on a good show to others, but inside you are coming apart at the seems. Perhaps your business is failing. Maybe you can't find a job in this economy and the bills are piling up. Maybe your marriage is on the rocks. Maybe you're living between doctor appointments and you are scared to death. Maybe the trouble you are facing is sending you into a panic.
I want you to know something. There is another choice besides panic. You can find peace in the midst of your storm. You can calm the raging tempest inside you. You can find help and hope. All that is needed is one thing.
Oh, I know people who have this one thing. Countless people have had it over the years, and it has made all the difference to their lives. It has given them strength to deal with trouble.
What is it? It goes all the way back to Abraham. Oh, you remember Abraham, right? It all started with him. Because he had it, all the rest of us can have it. He had it when God told him to leave everything he knew, and he didn't know where he was going. He had it when God told him and his wife Sarah they were going to have children, when, huh, they no longer had the resources to procreate. Abraham had it. You know what it is? Faith. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
You see, Christians are not perfect. Christians are not in control. Christians don't have all the answers. Christians are not better than other people. Christians are not folks that can give the perfect theological answer to every question. Christians are those who have learned, like Abraham, that God can be trusted. God can be trusted to give peace in the midst of the storm. God can be trusted to take what is evil and transform it into something good. God can be trusted to empower you in the midst of trouble. God can be trusted to receive you when you die. God can be trusted!
The late great spiritual writer Henri Nouwen received the greatest revelation about faith at, of all places, the circus! Nouwen went to see the German trapeze group "The Flying Rodleighs" perform. He was mesmerized by their breath-taking performance as they flew gracefully through the air. At the end of the show, he spoke with the leader of the troupe, Rodleigh himself. Nouwen asked him how he was able to perform with such grace and ease so high in the air. Rodleigh responded, "The public might think that I am the great star of the trapeze, but the real star is Joe, my catcher...The secret is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When I fly to Joe, I have simply to stretch out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me. The worst thing the flyer can do is try to catch the catcher. I'm not supposed to catch Joe. It's Joe's task to catch me" (Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1999), pp.195-196).
When trouble comes, so often we try to grab on to God. We think if we do enough fanciful praying, we can somehow catch God. It's not our job to catch God. God catches us.
I remember it well. It had been a difficult time for me. Real trouble had come.
"I'm in deep," I cried out to God.
"I'm deeper," God replied.
"How deep?" I asked.
"Let go and see," God sighed.
Let us pray.
Lord, we don't give up, but we give in to you. We let go and allow you to take over. It's in Christ's name we pray. Amen.
The beauty business is big business. Adorning ourselves, perfecting every perceived imperfection, curling what is straight, straightening what is curly, bleaching this/highlighting that, products that promise to make youngsters look older and oldsters look younger never lose their appeal. “Stuff” made out of low-tech squished fruit or high-tech spliced genes all promise to adorn and ultimately to transform our faces, save our skin, and sanctify our souls.
If only we will buy just this ONE product.
An Arizona based cosmetics firm calling itself “Philosophy” sells a moisturizer it calls “Hope in a Jar.” The label on this jar of “hope” declares” “Where there is hope there can be faith. Where there is faith, miracles can occur.” Here the cosmetics company provides (for a hefty price) the “hope in a jar.” But the consumer must supply their own “faith” if they expect a “miracle” to occur.
We all KNOW that nothing we smear on our face, or rub through our hair, or massage into our “love handles” or pop bellies is really going to defy the time and strip away everything wrinkled, grey, or saggy. We all KNOW that if that super-secret skin serum being hawked on that late-night infomercial could really do what it claims, its manufacturers wouldn’t have to be advertising it on a late-night infomercial.
But.
And every cosmetic manufacturer in the world loves, depends, exists on this “but.” BUT we do have “hope.” The problem with this “hope” is that too often it is rooted in “hype.” Unlikely. Unproveable. Unrepeatable. Unreliable.
Hope based on hype leads nowhere at best, hell at worst.
The writer of the “Letter to the Hebrews” didn’t give a message of “hope” based on hype. He didn’t tell a story about a perfect life that was just around the corner. Instead, he spoke about FAITH. Faith was that which stood firm even as the years passed and the promise of a “promised land” seemed to be a lie in the distant future.
In fact, none of the examples of great “faith” offered by the Hebrews’ author seems to have much of a happy ending.
Life is unpredictable. Life is filled with uncertainties. Trouble seems to have a way of finding us. As all know, we can't always avoid trouble.
The thing about trouble--it rarely announces itself before it comes. Trouble hardly ever says, "Here I come! Get ready!" We wish it would. At least we could prepare for it, or better yet, we could avoid it altogether. But life doesn't work that way. In fact, you are one of three people today--you are coming out of trouble, you are in the middle of trouble, or you about to get into trouble. That's life.
It is because of this truth that our lives are defined by how we respond to trouble. Think about it. Addicts are defined by their ability to numb themselves to trouble. Criminals act out destructively to trouble. Atheists blame the absence of God for trouble. Narcissistic victims exploit trouble to avoid responsibility. Look at many unhealthy people and you will see lives which have been defined by unhealthy responses to trouble. The late M. Scott Peck, who wrote The Road Less Traveled, even went so far as to say that the reason for much human dysfunction is the inability to face trouble.
At the bottom of all unhealthy responses to trouble is one bad word. This word is the enemy to all that brings life and joy and peace and hope. The word is "panic." Panic is the feeling of being out of control. Panic is grabbing anything that makes you feel like you are in control, even if it's unhealthy.
Sound familiar? Maybe you are putting on a good show to others, but inside you are coming apart at the seems. Perhaps your business is failing. Maybe you can't find a job in this economy and the bills are piling up. Maybe your marriage is on the rocks. Maybe you're living between doctor appointments and you are scared to death. Maybe the trouble you are facing is sending you into a panic.
I want you to know something. There is another choice besides panic. You can find peace in the midst of your storm. You can calm the raging tempest inside you. You can find help and hope. All that is needed is one thing.
Oh, I know people who have this one thing. Countless people have had it over the years, and it has made all the difference to their lives. It has given them strength to deal with trouble.
What is it? It goes all the way back to Abraham. Oh, you remember Abraham, right? It all started with him. Because he had it, all the rest of us can have it. He had it when God told him to leave everything he knew, and he didn't know where he was going. He had it when God told him and his wife Sarah they were going to have children, when, huh, they no longer had the resources to procreate. Abraham had it. You know what it is? Faith. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
You see, Christians are not perfect. Christians are not in control. Christians don't have all the answers. Christians are not better than other people. Christians are not folks that can give the perfect theological answer to every question. Christians are those who have learned, like Abraham, that God can be trusted. God can be trusted to give peace in the midst of the storm. God can be trusted to take what is evil and transform it into something good. God can be trusted to empower you in the midst of trouble. God can be trusted to receive you when you die. God can be trusted!
The late great spiritual writer Henri Nouwen received the greatest revelation about faith at, of all places, the circus! Nouwen went to see the German trapeze group "The Flying Rodleighs" perform. He was mesmerized by their breath-taking performance as they flew gracefully through the air. At the end of the show, he spoke with the leader of the troupe, Rodleigh himself. Nouwen asked him how he was able to perform with such grace and ease so high in the air. Rodleigh responded, "The public might think that I am the great star of the trapeze, but the real star is Joe, my catcher...The secret is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When I fly to Joe, I have simply to stretch out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me. The worst thing the flyer can do is try to catch the catcher. I'm not supposed to catch Joe. It's Joe's task to catch me" (Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1999), pp.195-196).
When trouble comes, so often we try to grab on to God. We think if we do enough fanciful praying, we can somehow catch God. It's not our job to catch God. God catches us.
I remember it well. It had been a difficult time for me. Real trouble had come.
"I'm in deep," I cried out to God.
"I'm deeper," God replied.
"How deep?" I asked.
"Let go and see," God sighed.
Let us pray.
Lord, we don't give up, but we give in to you. We let go and allow you to take over. It's in Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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