This week, as I was studying the Gospel text that we have before us this morning, I was led to contemplate the God we worship–I was led by the Spirit to think about who He is and what He has done and is doing. And my thoughts turned to the fact that God needs nothing from us. He needs absolutely nothing from us. The ancient Jews understood that God was complete and whole in and of Himself. He has all power; all authority; all might; all wisdom; and all knowledge. He created this world, and it and everything that is in it belongs to Him. In the relationship of the Holy Trinity, God has in Himself all the love, joy, care, and compassion that He would ever need. Because of this, He needs nothing from us. He does not need our prayers. He does not need our money. He does not need our worship. He does not need our actions or our goodness. He needs nothing from us.
But the opposite is not true. We cannot say that at all about God, for we are completely and totally dependent upon Him. God provides all that we need. God gives us this earth and its resources for our food, clothing and shelter. God sustains this world and upholds it–He need only to remove His hand from it for catastrophe to befall us. God gives us knowledge and understanding and minds that can comprehend such things so that we can build and work and prepare. As Luther says in his explanation to the petition of the Lord’s Prayer “Give us this day our daily bread,”: God gives daily bread, even without our prayer, to all wicked men; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. Oh how blessed we are by God!! For most of us who gather here this morning have roofs over our heads; we have clothes on our backs; we have food in our homes and refrigerators; we have cars to drive to worship and other places; we have a bit of money in the bank; we are not wondering where our next meal is coming from or whether or not our home will be taken from us. We have so much!
But I am struck by how often we seem to want so much more. I have been reading through the Old Testament, and I am in the midst of the book of Deuteronomy. This means I have just finished reading about the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt and their meanderings until they are about to head into the Promised Land. All along this journey, God has provided for His people. He first of all freed them from deplorable conditions in Egypt; He freed them from rulers who demanded that all of their first born sons be killed. He utterly demoralized the Egyptians to the point that when the people left, the Egyptians were giving the Israelites gold and jewelry as they left–filling the Israelites with wealth and riches. God gave the Israelites commands and rules to live by promising that should they follow them, then all would go well with them. God provided them direction by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. God protected them from armies that were raised against them. God gave them enough food for every day of the week. And yet, the people were not satisfied. The people oftentimes cried out and complained against God. The people actually longed for a life of slavery back in Egypt. They were not content with all that God had done and was doing for them. Their example is our example. For we too seem to never be satisfied. We too seem to long for more. We cry out to God for more financial security; for a better job; for more prestige; for more power.
We are not unlike those Israelites being led through the wilderness. We are not unlike Jesus’ very own disciples as they walked with Him on a daily basis. This leads us straight to our Gospel lesson today from the ninth chapter of the book of Mark. Jesus and His disciples are traveling through Galilee. They are staying away from the crowds because Jesus is giving them some very important instructions. “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” This is the second time in the book of Mark that Jesus makes His assertions about what it means to be the Messiah. We heard the first one last week. That session didn’t turn out too well for His disciples. This one won’t either. We get a hint of this right off the bat as Mark then tells us that the disciples didn’t understand the teaching, and they were too afraid to ask.
This is really not surprising. Remember, the disciples were all good Jews. They had been taught from the time that they were little that the Messiah would rise up and do three things: He would cleanse the temple. He would defeat those who were oppressing the Jews, and He would usher in the Kingdom of God. It was expected that these things would be done by a mighty hand raising a mighty army. The end result would be a world governed by Israel. All of this was common knowledge. It was deeply ingrained into Jewish thought, and what Jesus taught was completely and totally different from this. What Jesus taught was insane. No one believed that the Messiah would be betrayed, suffer, be killed, and rise again. No one. The disciples couldn’t understand this. It was too mind boggling. It was too out there. If they were to accept it, they would have to literally rethink everything they had once been taught about their faith. Folks, most of us are totally and completely unwilling to do such a thing. So when we, like those disciples, hear something that challenges our faith, we won’t seek to understand it either. We tend to be afraid of it. That’s probably why the disciples wouldn’t ask Jesus about it. They didn’t want to be challenged by it. They didn’t want to have to wrestle with it. It was much easier to hold onto the comfortable teachings of their youth.
And so they did. I am quite sure that at this point in the gospel of Mark, the disciples really believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but they rejected that he would suffer, die, and rise. I am quite sure they thought that Jesus was just pulling their leg and that He would ascend to become God’s chosen king of Israel. And that left them with a burning question. If Jesus was the Messiah and He was going to be King of Israel, where would the rest of us end up? Which one of us would be second in command? Which one of us would be Jesus’ personal adviser? What part will each of us have in the Kingdom of God? And so they began to argue about which one of them was the greatest. Oh, I can hear the argument now. “Well, don’t you think it’s Peter. Isn’t he sort of our spokesperson?” “Yeah, but don’t you remember that Jesus called him Satan? There’s no way Jesus will pick him.” “But what about James and John, they went up on the mountain with Jesus.” “Yeah, but have you seen the temper on those two. There’s a reason they are called the sons of thunder. Surely that is a major strike against them.” “Matthew?” “Tax collector. You know they all cheat. Can’t be him.” And on and on and on the conversation went. On and on and on they argued–not satisfied listening to Jesus’ teaching and content to be walking with the Son of God, but instead focusing on their desires for more power and prestige.
Jesus knows what’s going on. Like any good teacher, He knows when He’s lost His class, so when they arrive at their destination, Jesus confronts them. “What were you arguing about on the way?” Dead silence. Like a kid whose mom caught him with his hand in the cookie jar, the disciples know they’ve been busted. They know they should have been listening to Jesus. They know they’ve been focusing on their own agendas and endeavors. They know they’ve been seeking their own personal satisfaction and well being. Guilty is written all over their foreheads.
Jesus’ reaction is rather stunning. Unlike when He confronted Peter, there is no anger. There is no chiding. Jesus sits down. Now, this is actually a pretty important point that the scriptures are making here. In the rabbinic tradition, when the rabbi sat down, that meant he was saying something really, really important. In those days, the teacher sat and the students stood when an such a point was being made. Just a hint: this means, the teaching Jesus is giving us now is really, really important.
“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”
This was not expected. No one wanted to be a servant. Everyone wanted to climb the ladder of power and prestige. Everyone wanted to be at the top of the totem pole. The entire society was governed by status and privilege. No one wanted to be at the bottom. No one wanted to live down at the dregs. Servants were lowly. They were held in contempt. They could give you nothing. Couldn’t help you in any possible way. What in the world was Jesus saying? This couldn’t be possible.
Jesus doesn’t back down. Jesus then illustrates His point. He takes a child, puts that child into their midst, then wraps His arms around that child. He embraces that child. Oh, we need to picture this. We need to get this image in our heads. Don’t picture some kid who looks all neat and washed and clean. That was not what kids looked like back then. Imagine a kid whose hair is all disheveled; who is wearing stained and dirty clothes. The kid has dust and dirt all over her body; grime underneath her fingernails; smudges on her cheeks. This is who Jesus embraces, and then He says, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
Jesus’ comment goes far beyond just welcoming children. There is a much deeper meaning to this. Because children in Jesus’ day were not like children today. Today, we’ll do anything for kids. We’ll spend tons of money on them. We’ll give them preferential treatment. Oftentimes, we’ll cater to their wishes and desires before our own. Kids have a special place in our society, but they had no such place in Jesus’ day. Kids were looked at as “not having arrived.” This meant that they were resource drains on society. They couldn’t contribute anything. They were unable to work and produce. In a society where most folks were living day to day wondering where their next meal would come from, children meant extra work for parents who had to provide. There was an extremely high infant mortality rate, so a child could easily die from sickness or exposure. There was no use getting attached. Children represented the lowest of the low–those who received but who couldn’t give.
Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes someone who is at the bottom rung–whoever welcomes someone who cannot give you anything; who cannot provide you anything; who drains your resources without giving you anything in return–when you welcome someone like that, then you are welcoming God Himself.
Let’s rephrase that for just a moment–whenever you welcome someone who needs you but you don’t need them, you welcome God Himself.
This, my brothers and sisters, cuts to the heart of the Gospel. You may wonder just how, but remember how I began this sermon? Remember how I talked about how God doesn’t need us? And yet, what did God do for us?
When we sought only ourselves and what we wanted, God sought us. Whenever we rebelled against God, God loved us. Whenever we wanted to go our own way and shook our fist at God for not giving us everything we wanted, God welcomed us. When we stood in front of God, guilty of breaking His commandments; guilty of chasing after false gods, guilty of hating our neighbor, God forgave us.
And when we deserved just punishment for our sins; when we deserved the fires of hell and torment; when we deserved death and eternal separation from God for all that we have done, God paid the price to redeem us. God paid the price to ransom us. God gave His only begotten Son to die for us so that when we trust in Him and His action we have abundant life now and eternal life with Him. This is sheer grace given to us by our Father in heaven. It is grace that costs us nothing, but it cost God everything. He gets nothing from us, but He gave everything for us.
When we are grasped by this grace. When we are grasped by this kind of love, we long to be like the Father; we long to be like Jesus; we long to give to those who cannot give us anything in return. And so we must ask: who are those around us who can give us nothing? Who are those around us who need us? Who need our time? Who need our money? Who need our energy? Who are unable to repay or give anything in return? Are we seeking them out? Are we longing to care for them and welcome them? For when we do such things we are not simply following a command; we are not simply doing the right thing; we are imitating God and we are welcoming God. We are doing what God has already done for us. We are receiving and we are giving sheer grace. Amen.
Showing posts with label Discipleship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Discipleship. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Jesus' Help Wanted Ad
I wonder what it would be like to write a “Help Wanted” add for church membership? I mean, if you were going to write something trying to get people to join the church, what might it look like?
Here’s my tongue in cheek version:
Come to church so that Jesus can give you your best life now.
Easy, flexible scheduling. No commitments. No pressure. Work church around your current lifestyle.
Receive irrevocable benefits with no obligation on your part. Attend when you want, involve yourself where you want, little or no financial obligation necessary.
Be comforted that you are loved and accepted just as you are with no need to change or grow, and receive assurance that the problems you are experiencing are just temporary and are caused by something outside yourself.
Okay, maybe that’s a little bit over the top, but maybe not by too much. I tend to think that we like our Christianity easy. We like our Christianity comfortable. We want it to be like that free ice cream cone some restaurants give you as you walk out: sweet, satisfying, leaving you with a pleasant taste in your mouth and a smile on your face.
But Jesus’ own help wanted ad, is far, far different from such a thing. Jesus’ help wanted ad that he sets forth today is far less sweet, far less pleasant, and far less appetizing.
It all starts when Jesus and his disciples are walking around Caesarea Philippi. Ever the teacher, ever the instructor, Jesus asks his disciples: “Who do people say that I am?” What’s the going word on the street? What do people think about all the things that I’ve done?
Jesus gets an ear-full. “Some say you are John the Baptist. Other folks think you are Elijah. Some say you are a prophet.”
It’s not much different today. All sorts of folks have their opinions about who Jesus was. Some say he was just a great moral teacher. Others put him as a founder of a religion on the par with Buddah or Mohammed. Others even say he didn’t exist. There’s all sorts of stuff going on about who Jesus was and what he really did or didn’t do. The more things change the more they say the same.
But, ultimately, the question of who Jesus is isn’t about those folks out there. Ultimately, the question of Jesus identity comes down to every single one of us in here (points to heart). And Jesus knows that. Jesus understands that greatly, and so he brings it home. “Who do you say that I am?”
I’m sure there was a pregnant silence. I’m sure the disciples sat there for a few seconds waiting. Thinking. What was the right answer? What should they say? They’d seen a lot. They’d seen Jesus feed the five thousand. They’d seen him calm the storm. They’d seen Jesus cast out demons; heal the paralyzed; and bring the dead back to life. They’d heard his preaching and teaching. They had knowledge that few others had. What could they say that would bring it all together? How could they answer and account for all of these things?
Peter finally breaks the silence, “You are the Messiah.” And Jesus sternly warned everyone to keep quiet.
Do you wonder why Jesus said this? Do you wonder why, after such a big announcement, after such an important revelation that Jesus would demand silence?
It’s really no wonder if you understand what everyone believed the Messiah was supposed to do. The Messiah was supposed to cleanse the temple. The Messiah was supposed to defeat Israel’s enemies. And the Messiah was supposed to bring God’s justice to the world. Of course, the way the Messiah was supposed to bring God’s justice was to enthrone himself as the king of Israel, and Israel would then rule the world. These were the expectations of the Messiah. This is what every single good Jew was taught about the Messiah. This is why the Jewish people longed for the Messiah. They wanted a temple free from corruption. They wanted their enemies, in this case the Romans, off their backs. And they wanted the power and prestige that came from being the world’s powerhouse. For Peter to announce that Jesus was the Messiah and for Jesus to offer him no correction otherwise was a HUGE deal.
And Jesus knew that. Jesus knew what the expectations were, but he also knew he would accomplish them in quite a different fashion. For he would cleanse the temple–but not as expected. And the enemy he would seek to overthrow was not any earthly power, but a power that enslaved every person on earth–from the most powerful king to the lowest slave. The power and enemy that must be overthrown was the power of sin. And God’s justice would be revealed in the most unexpected of places–on a cross at Calvary. Jesus knew all of these things. Jesus knew that his path was far different than the expectations of his followers and of his fellow Jews.
And so, Jesus began to break them in. Jesus began to teach them, openly and plainly. He didn’t want to sugar coat it. He didn’t want to leave them with any doubts or questions. “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.”
This was too much for the disciples to hear. This was too off. This wasn’t right. This was unheard of. Never had this idea ever been expressed by any single teacher of Israel. Never had this idea entered into any conversation about the Messiah. This could not be the way that things would happen. Jesus must be out of his mind, and so Peter takes it upon himself to correct Jesus. In fact, it’s a bit stronger than correct. You see, the Bible here reads rebuked. Peter rebuked Jesus. This is the same word the Bible uses when demons are rebuked. Peter thinks Jesus has a demon. Think about that for just a minute. Peter speaks to his teacher in the same way his teacher spoke to demons. That’s not good.
And Jesus responds in kind. Jesus rebukes Peter in the strongest of terms, “Get behind me Satan for you are setting your mind on human things instead of divine things.” Somehow, Jesus’ response is much more forceful. Somehow Jesus response puts Peter to shame. It might just be because the same voice that calmed the storm and brought the dead to life is now the one offering the rebuke. And that rebuke stings. There is no hint of softness in it. There is no hint of tactfulness. There’s no, “You might want to think about what you are saying, Peter. Your opinion might be wrong.”
No. I’m quite sure that if Jesus would have said this in a church, there would have instantaneously been a movement to get rid of him. “He needs anger management.” “He needs counseling.” “No good religious leader should ever call one of his flock Satan.” Jesus’ actions here are very, very uncomfortable.
But he’s not done. If you think his words to Peter are out of bounds, just wait until you hear what he says next. Just wait until he gives you his help wanted ad. “If anyone wants to be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For if anyone wants to save his life, he will lose it, but if anyone loses his life for my sake and the sake of the gospel, he will find it.”
This is discipleship according to Jesus.
This is discipleship according to the Bible.
Deny yourself. Give up your expectations. Give up your hopes. Give up your dreams and desires. Give up all the things you wanted and what you wanted God to do for you. Put them all away. Deny your self.
Pick up your cross. Do you know how the disciples would have heard this? Do you know how revolted they must have been when Jesus said this? Jesus basically told them, prepare to die. When we think of carrying a cross, oftentimes we think of the trials and tribulations we face in life. And they are tough, boy are they tough. It’s tough to face a chronic illness. It’s tough to work at a job you hate. It’s tough to deal with broken relationships in your family. There are many, many tough things we face in life, but they are not the cross. The cross was an instrument of torture and death. If you were carrying it, you were headed towards suffering. You were headed towards pain and agony. You were headed towards death.
Give up all your hopes and dreams and desires, prepare to die, and follow me. For if you want to save your life, you will lose it. But if you lose your life for my sake and the sake of the Gospel, you will find it.
That’s discipleship. That’s the job description. There is no sugar coating it. There is no explaining it away. This is the demand Jesus puts on his followers.
And if you are like me right now, you are thinking, “There’s no way. There’s no way I can do that. There is no way I can give up all of my hopes and dreams and desires. There is no way I can die to all of these things. There is no way I can lose my life like this. This is impossible.”
And it certainly is impossible. The disciples couldn’t even do it. When Jesus was arrested, they all ran away. When Peter tried to follow and was confronted, he denied Jesus three times. None of them were willing to face the cross. None of them were willing to lose their lives. They all fell far short of Jesus’ call. And they knew it. They, like we know that we haven’t even come close to what Jesus demands.
At this point you may be sitting there thinking, “Then why am I even here? If Jesus’ disciples couldn’t do this and if I can’t do this, then why do I even bother showing up here?”
It’s because Christianity isn’t primarily about what you do. It’s about what God has done in Jesus. It is darn near impossible for us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Jesus. But guess who did deny himself? Guess who did pick up his cross?
You know the answer to that question. You know who carried his cross to Calvary. You know who was hung on that cross, and you know who suffered and died on it. He did this precisely because he knew that we couldn’t. He knew that the power of sin is too great within each and every one of us. He knew that the power of sin would keep us focused on ourselves; would keep us trying to preserve ourselves. He knew we couldn’t break out of sins power on our own. And so he died for us. When we couldn’t follow him and didn’t deserve to be his disciples, he died for us. He bore our shortcomings. He bore our sinfulness. He suffered on our behalf.
And then he gave us his righteousness. He gave us his glory. He gave us his status as a beloved child of God. We didn’t earn this status. We didn’t deserve this status, but it is given to us by sheer grace. And when we are grasped by that sheer grace; when the Gospel becomes real to us, something happens. We are changed.
This change was evident in the lives of the disciples. You know, the ones I told you about earlier who ran when Jesus was arrested; who denied him when confronted. Those same disciples, when Jesus appeared to them after the resurrection and offered them peace; offered them forgiveness; then went out into the world and suffered for him. They went out into the world leaving behind themselves and most of them dying in proclaiming the love of God in Christ Jesus. When they understood how much they were loved and how they had been forgiven, they were changed. And they gathered together to hear what Christ had done for them so they would never forget the sheer grace of God.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, you have received the same love that the disciples received. You have received the same grace that the disciples received. Jesus has poured out his life for you and redeemed you. When you walk out into the world and find that you are being dragged away from discipleship; when the cares and concerns of the world try to entice you and whisper sweet words of temptation; when the Evil One tries to tell you that you aren’t worthy to follow Jesus; look to the cross. Look to the Savior who is the Messiah. Let your heart be filled with His love and His power, and you will find something surprising. You will find something contrary to the way the world works. You will find that you are denying your self. You will find that you are seeking God’s will instead of your own. You will find that you are losing your life, but that you have found something much greater. You have found the Risen Lord; you have found Jesus. And in him, you have found abundant life. Amen.
Here’s my tongue in cheek version:
Come to church so that Jesus can give you your best life now.
Easy, flexible scheduling. No commitments. No pressure. Work church around your current lifestyle.
Receive irrevocable benefits with no obligation on your part. Attend when you want, involve yourself where you want, little or no financial obligation necessary.
Be comforted that you are loved and accepted just as you are with no need to change or grow, and receive assurance that the problems you are experiencing are just temporary and are caused by something outside yourself.
Okay, maybe that’s a little bit over the top, but maybe not by too much. I tend to think that we like our Christianity easy. We like our Christianity comfortable. We want it to be like that free ice cream cone some restaurants give you as you walk out: sweet, satisfying, leaving you with a pleasant taste in your mouth and a smile on your face.
But Jesus’ own help wanted ad, is far, far different from such a thing. Jesus’ help wanted ad that he sets forth today is far less sweet, far less pleasant, and far less appetizing.
It all starts when Jesus and his disciples are walking around Caesarea Philippi. Ever the teacher, ever the instructor, Jesus asks his disciples: “Who do people say that I am?” What’s the going word on the street? What do people think about all the things that I’ve done?
Jesus gets an ear-full. “Some say you are John the Baptist. Other folks think you are Elijah. Some say you are a prophet.”
It’s not much different today. All sorts of folks have their opinions about who Jesus was. Some say he was just a great moral teacher. Others put him as a founder of a religion on the par with Buddah or Mohammed. Others even say he didn’t exist. There’s all sorts of stuff going on about who Jesus was and what he really did or didn’t do. The more things change the more they say the same.
But, ultimately, the question of who Jesus is isn’t about those folks out there. Ultimately, the question of Jesus identity comes down to every single one of us in here (points to heart). And Jesus knows that. Jesus understands that greatly, and so he brings it home. “Who do you say that I am?”
I’m sure there was a pregnant silence. I’m sure the disciples sat there for a few seconds waiting. Thinking. What was the right answer? What should they say? They’d seen a lot. They’d seen Jesus feed the five thousand. They’d seen him calm the storm. They’d seen Jesus cast out demons; heal the paralyzed; and bring the dead back to life. They’d heard his preaching and teaching. They had knowledge that few others had. What could they say that would bring it all together? How could they answer and account for all of these things?
Peter finally breaks the silence, “You are the Messiah.” And Jesus sternly warned everyone to keep quiet.
Do you wonder why Jesus said this? Do you wonder why, after such a big announcement, after such an important revelation that Jesus would demand silence?
It’s really no wonder if you understand what everyone believed the Messiah was supposed to do. The Messiah was supposed to cleanse the temple. The Messiah was supposed to defeat Israel’s enemies. And the Messiah was supposed to bring God’s justice to the world. Of course, the way the Messiah was supposed to bring God’s justice was to enthrone himself as the king of Israel, and Israel would then rule the world. These were the expectations of the Messiah. This is what every single good Jew was taught about the Messiah. This is why the Jewish people longed for the Messiah. They wanted a temple free from corruption. They wanted their enemies, in this case the Romans, off their backs. And they wanted the power and prestige that came from being the world’s powerhouse. For Peter to announce that Jesus was the Messiah and for Jesus to offer him no correction otherwise was a HUGE deal.
And Jesus knew that. Jesus knew what the expectations were, but he also knew he would accomplish them in quite a different fashion. For he would cleanse the temple–but not as expected. And the enemy he would seek to overthrow was not any earthly power, but a power that enslaved every person on earth–from the most powerful king to the lowest slave. The power and enemy that must be overthrown was the power of sin. And God’s justice would be revealed in the most unexpected of places–on a cross at Calvary. Jesus knew all of these things. Jesus knew that his path was far different than the expectations of his followers and of his fellow Jews.
And so, Jesus began to break them in. Jesus began to teach them, openly and plainly. He didn’t want to sugar coat it. He didn’t want to leave them with any doubts or questions. “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.”
This was too much for the disciples to hear. This was too off. This wasn’t right. This was unheard of. Never had this idea ever been expressed by any single teacher of Israel. Never had this idea entered into any conversation about the Messiah. This could not be the way that things would happen. Jesus must be out of his mind, and so Peter takes it upon himself to correct Jesus. In fact, it’s a bit stronger than correct. You see, the Bible here reads rebuked. Peter rebuked Jesus. This is the same word the Bible uses when demons are rebuked. Peter thinks Jesus has a demon. Think about that for just a minute. Peter speaks to his teacher in the same way his teacher spoke to demons. That’s not good.
And Jesus responds in kind. Jesus rebukes Peter in the strongest of terms, “Get behind me Satan for you are setting your mind on human things instead of divine things.” Somehow, Jesus’ response is much more forceful. Somehow Jesus response puts Peter to shame. It might just be because the same voice that calmed the storm and brought the dead to life is now the one offering the rebuke. And that rebuke stings. There is no hint of softness in it. There is no hint of tactfulness. There’s no, “You might want to think about what you are saying, Peter. Your opinion might be wrong.”
No. I’m quite sure that if Jesus would have said this in a church, there would have instantaneously been a movement to get rid of him. “He needs anger management.” “He needs counseling.” “No good religious leader should ever call one of his flock Satan.” Jesus’ actions here are very, very uncomfortable.
But he’s not done. If you think his words to Peter are out of bounds, just wait until you hear what he says next. Just wait until he gives you his help wanted ad. “If anyone wants to be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For if anyone wants to save his life, he will lose it, but if anyone loses his life for my sake and the sake of the gospel, he will find it.”
This is discipleship according to Jesus.
This is discipleship according to the Bible.
Deny yourself. Give up your expectations. Give up your hopes. Give up your dreams and desires. Give up all the things you wanted and what you wanted God to do for you. Put them all away. Deny your self.
Pick up your cross. Do you know how the disciples would have heard this? Do you know how revolted they must have been when Jesus said this? Jesus basically told them, prepare to die. When we think of carrying a cross, oftentimes we think of the trials and tribulations we face in life. And they are tough, boy are they tough. It’s tough to face a chronic illness. It’s tough to work at a job you hate. It’s tough to deal with broken relationships in your family. There are many, many tough things we face in life, but they are not the cross. The cross was an instrument of torture and death. If you were carrying it, you were headed towards suffering. You were headed towards pain and agony. You were headed towards death.
Give up all your hopes and dreams and desires, prepare to die, and follow me. For if you want to save your life, you will lose it. But if you lose your life for my sake and the sake of the Gospel, you will find it.
That’s discipleship. That’s the job description. There is no sugar coating it. There is no explaining it away. This is the demand Jesus puts on his followers.
And if you are like me right now, you are thinking, “There’s no way. There’s no way I can do that. There is no way I can give up all of my hopes and dreams and desires. There is no way I can die to all of these things. There is no way I can lose my life like this. This is impossible.”
And it certainly is impossible. The disciples couldn’t even do it. When Jesus was arrested, they all ran away. When Peter tried to follow and was confronted, he denied Jesus three times. None of them were willing to face the cross. None of them were willing to lose their lives. They all fell far short of Jesus’ call. And they knew it. They, like we know that we haven’t even come close to what Jesus demands.
At this point you may be sitting there thinking, “Then why am I even here? If Jesus’ disciples couldn’t do this and if I can’t do this, then why do I even bother showing up here?”
It’s because Christianity isn’t primarily about what you do. It’s about what God has done in Jesus. It is darn near impossible for us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Jesus. But guess who did deny himself? Guess who did pick up his cross?
You know the answer to that question. You know who carried his cross to Calvary. You know who was hung on that cross, and you know who suffered and died on it. He did this precisely because he knew that we couldn’t. He knew that the power of sin is too great within each and every one of us. He knew that the power of sin would keep us focused on ourselves; would keep us trying to preserve ourselves. He knew we couldn’t break out of sins power on our own. And so he died for us. When we couldn’t follow him and didn’t deserve to be his disciples, he died for us. He bore our shortcomings. He bore our sinfulness. He suffered on our behalf.
And then he gave us his righteousness. He gave us his glory. He gave us his status as a beloved child of God. We didn’t earn this status. We didn’t deserve this status, but it is given to us by sheer grace. And when we are grasped by that sheer grace; when the Gospel becomes real to us, something happens. We are changed.
This change was evident in the lives of the disciples. You know, the ones I told you about earlier who ran when Jesus was arrested; who denied him when confronted. Those same disciples, when Jesus appeared to them after the resurrection and offered them peace; offered them forgiveness; then went out into the world and suffered for him. They went out into the world leaving behind themselves and most of them dying in proclaiming the love of God in Christ Jesus. When they understood how much they were loved and how they had been forgiven, they were changed. And they gathered together to hear what Christ had done for them so they would never forget the sheer grace of God.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, you have received the same love that the disciples received. You have received the same grace that the disciples received. Jesus has poured out his life for you and redeemed you. When you walk out into the world and find that you are being dragged away from discipleship; when the cares and concerns of the world try to entice you and whisper sweet words of temptation; when the Evil One tries to tell you that you aren’t worthy to follow Jesus; look to the cross. Look to the Savior who is the Messiah. Let your heart be filled with His love and His power, and you will find something surprising. You will find something contrary to the way the world works. You will find that you are denying your self. You will find that you are seeking God’s will instead of your own. You will find that you are losing your life, but that you have found something much greater. You have found the Risen Lord; you have found Jesus. And in him, you have found abundant life. Amen.
Monday, August 1, 2016
Follow Him
(A word of note: This was not the final form of the sermon delivered this past Sunday. The gist of the final product is included below, but there were some significant changes as I was led to deliver the sermon quite differently.)
For the majority of our lives, we are constantly having to prove ourselves, and we have developed a system that uses rewards to ensure that we work hard at proving ourselves. What do I mean by that?
Well, think about how our lives generally operate, especially when we enter into school. There are certain things society deems important for us to know, so we develop a grading system. If you study and work hard, you get higher rewards–higher grades. To prove that you are ready to advance in learning, you must reach a certain standard, and if you do not, then you are required to repeat a class or a grade. Once you manage to prove yourself in the advancement of basic knowledge, you move into specialized knowledge. Once again, you have to prove that you can master a set of knowledge and its application. You either head to a trade school or to college. Once again, the same set of rules apply. Master the knowledge and you will be rewarded with grades according to how well you have learned. If you prove yourself capable in these areas, then it is usually time to apply for a job.
The job process is once again where you must prove yourself to your employer. You must convince a person or a group of people that you have the personality and capability of handling a job. You produce a resume. You show your knowledge of a given subject. You call in others who can vouch for you. If you do a good job of proving yourself to an employer, you are hired. But the process of proving yourself does not stop there. You must then prove yourself as you work. You must be able to accomplish the tasks of your job. The reward is your paycheck. For if you do not prove yourself and produce, you can easily be fired. And, if you are at a company where you are reviewed on a yearly basis, you know that this is again, you having to prove yourself that you are worthy of a raise or worthy to stay on for another year.
Sometimes, this process even trickles its way into our families. Oftentimes we are unconsciously proving to our family members that we still love them. We strive to receive affirmation from our parents, grand-parents, children, and grand-children. The reward is the affection they give to us; the respect they give to us; perhaps as we grow older, the time they share with us when they are not working. What I am saying now, is that even when you might retire from working, there are still places where you must prove yourself.
You must prove that you can still see well enough to drive a car. You must prove that you have insurance to have your car inspected. You must prove that you have enough finances to obtain a loan. If you move into some areas of our state and nation, you must prove that you care for the land and the community in order to be accepted by the “locals.” And even then, you will not necessarily be accepted even if you have lived in that place and cared for it for 20 years or more. Over and over you must prove yourself in order to receive rewards. This is the world we live in, and it is costly.
Over and over, we have to invest ourselves: our time, our talent, and money to prove ourselves. We have to pay registration fees. We have to pay for our education. We have to use up time that we could have spent with family and friends to earn our way and further our knowledge. We have to constantly sacrifice ourselves to hopefully earn that reward at the end of the day. And if something happens that we don’t achieve the reward; if we are somehow unable to prove ourselves; the effects on our psyche’s can be devastating. We see this over and over again particularly in sports when an athlete’s body begins to age and fade and no matter what they have done in the past; not matter how big of a star they have been; no matter how many championships they have won; they are summarily cut, benched, or excluded from the team. No longer able to prove themselves, they sometimes spiral into depression because they sense that they no longer have value.
I took a little bit of time to set this up because I want to starkly contrast the way the world works with the way that Christianity works. The two are vastly different, and this becomes blatantly apparent in our Gospel lesson today from the book of Mark.
This is a very short text about Jesus calling the first disciples, and without understanding the historical situation, one is left with the idea that this is really no big deal. Jesus walks up to some fishermen, says, “Follow me,” and they follow Jesus. It’s over and done with in a matter of moments. But this is just what we see on the surface. There is much, much more going on.
For you see, Jesus is unlike any other Rabbi of his day. In almost every instance that we know of, in order to follow a Rabbi, you had to undergo a rigorous application process. You had to prove yourself. You had to approach a Rabbi and inquire as to whether he was accepting student. You had to pass that Rabbi’s entrance exam which would be to see whether or not you knew the Jewish Bible backwards and forwards. For instance, the Rabbi might begin a sentence from Leviticus 20, and you were expected to finish that sentence. Then, you might be asked what it meant. If you passed the Rabbi’s examination and proved that you were capable of learning from him, then he may accept you as a student.
We see no such examination from Jesus. The first disciples do not approach Jesus; rather Jesus approaches them! This was unheard of! And it could be one of the reasons Peter, Andrew, James and John leave their nets immediately and follow Jesus. This was something new. This was something extraordinary–a rabbi calling his students and not vice versa! A rabbi calling students without having them prove themselves! And rabbis usually took only the best of the best of the best to be their students. They certainly didn’t take fishermen. This was a huge honor being bestowed upon Peter, Andrew, James and John.
But the honor did not come without cost. Let me first quote renowned scholar N.T. Wright:
So, following Jesus would be to walk away from your family and your job security. But that’s not it.
According to the New Interpreter’s Bible:
To the ancient reader, the summons to follow Jesus–i.e. to become a disciple–was an extraordinary disruption in a person’s life. It might even have seemed offensive. If the labor of the sons was critical to the fishing enterprise in which the two families were engaged, then such a departure might appear to put the welfare of the whole family at risk.
So, following Jesus might cause quite a bit of anger to be produced within one’s family. And it would certainly impact Peter, Andrew, James, and John’s pocket books. I mean, these individuals weren’t poverty stricken. There is every indication these folks were pretty well off. Peter could afford a house where he took care of his mother-in-law. James and John had servants working with them–poor people did not have servants. When these disciples left their nets, it was a costly decision. What could make them walk away in this fashion? What could make them walk away from lives which were labor intensive but at least provided a pretty good income and manner of living?
“Come with me and I will begin to make you fishers of men.”
What was it about this statement that caused Peter, Andrew, James and John to walk away from everything they had ever known; ever trusted; ever invested in? Let me read to you what Mark Edwards says about this.
...Jesus is the unqualified subject of the call. As he passes along the shore and sees two pairs of brothers, he issues a summons, “Come, follow me.” On this particular point, Jesus was a very different leader from the rabbis and scribes of Judaism. There are no rabbinical stories analogous to the calling of disciples, for rabbis did not consummate the teacher-student relationship by the summons, “Follow me.” Unlike the decisive call that comes from Jesus, entry into rabbinical school depended on the initiative of the aspiring student, not the call of the rabbi. The personal prominence that Jesus assumes in the call of the four fishermen is highly unusual in Jewish tradition as a whole. The chief allegiance of rabbinic students was to the Torah rather than to a particular rabbi.
Let me repeat that last sentence again. The chief allegiance of rabbinic students was to the Torah–the Jewish Bible–rather than to a particular rabbi. Jesus wasn’t inviting the disciples to follow the Law. He was inviting the disciples to follow Him–trust Him–trust that God was doing something through Him. Little did they know exactly what was happening. They certainly didn’t know that Jesus was the Son of God at this point, so there must have been something that absolutely grasped them and compelled them to follow Jesus. There must have been something in His demeanor; His call that grasped their hearts and inspired them to take such a risk. We may never know what it was exactly that grasped them, but we can know the power that grasps us.
For you see, Jesus still calls to you and I and says, “Follow me.” He still asks us to become His disciples, and to this day, there is still no qualifying exam. There is still no need to prove ourselves. There is no series of hoops to jump through to make ourselves worthy to be a disciple. The price of our proving has already been paid, but it was not paid by us. It was paid by Jesus.
Christianity unequivocally says that we could never prove ourselves worthy enough to be a disciple. Christianity unequivocally says we cannot know the Bible well enough. We cannot follow God’s commands perfectly enough. We would fail miserably if it were up to us. One example I hope will suffice although I could offer many. Let’s say you want to be a disciple of Jesus. Let’s say you want this position tremendously. Let’s say you are willing to do whatever it takes to be a disciple. You will put in countless hours of Bible study. You will attend college and seminary. You will devote yourself to doing good works and acts of kindness. You will never cuss; never get angry; never get drunk. You will promote justice and peace. You will seek harmony within the church and pray without ceasing. And here is the kicker; you actually accomplish it. You actually manage to do these things. Surely you are qualified to be a disciple. Surely you have proven yourself worthy of a position as a disciple. You have dedicated your life to achieving this position. You are good, right?
Wrong. You may wonder how. Here’s how. You are striving to achieve the position of a disciple. You are doing all of these things to become a disciple. You are therefore doing them because it is something you want. You are doing it for yourself. You are not doing it for God and His glory. You are acting selfishly. This is not in accord with God’s will. Selfishness is so dominant a force in our hearts that it often goes unnoticed by us.
But it does not go unnoticed by God. He knows we need a change of heart in order to be effective disciples. He knows that deep down we must have our hearts turned to him instead of toward ourselves. And how does a heart change? How does a heart aspire for something other than its own self interest?
The answer is when it is filled with love for another. The answer is when it is filled with love for God. And God knows He cannot force you to love Him. God knows He cannot legislate your love. He has to effectually earn it, and so he does this by dying for you. He does this by loving you when you don’t deserve it. He does it by dying for you while you are caught up in your self-interest. He does it on the cross.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.
The cross is God’s call to the world, “Follow me.” It is His invitation to you and me to leave behind all that we once trusted and to put our trust in Him. And it will be costly–leave no doubt about that. It will change the way you live, but you will find yourself experiencing freedom. You will sense deep down that your self worth is no longer governed by the rewards society promises. You will sense deep down that you no longer have to prove yourself to anyone and everyone. You will know that you are deeply loved and accepted by the author and Creator of the universe. Your trust will be in Him and Him alone. This is the reality of discipleship. This is the reality of following Jesus. Amen.
For the majority of our lives, we are constantly having to prove ourselves, and we have developed a system that uses rewards to ensure that we work hard at proving ourselves. What do I mean by that?
Well, think about how our lives generally operate, especially when we enter into school. There are certain things society deems important for us to know, so we develop a grading system. If you study and work hard, you get higher rewards–higher grades. To prove that you are ready to advance in learning, you must reach a certain standard, and if you do not, then you are required to repeat a class or a grade. Once you manage to prove yourself in the advancement of basic knowledge, you move into specialized knowledge. Once again, you have to prove that you can master a set of knowledge and its application. You either head to a trade school or to college. Once again, the same set of rules apply. Master the knowledge and you will be rewarded with grades according to how well you have learned. If you prove yourself capable in these areas, then it is usually time to apply for a job.
The job process is once again where you must prove yourself to your employer. You must convince a person or a group of people that you have the personality and capability of handling a job. You produce a resume. You show your knowledge of a given subject. You call in others who can vouch for you. If you do a good job of proving yourself to an employer, you are hired. But the process of proving yourself does not stop there. You must then prove yourself as you work. You must be able to accomplish the tasks of your job. The reward is your paycheck. For if you do not prove yourself and produce, you can easily be fired. And, if you are at a company where you are reviewed on a yearly basis, you know that this is again, you having to prove yourself that you are worthy of a raise or worthy to stay on for another year.
Sometimes, this process even trickles its way into our families. Oftentimes we are unconsciously proving to our family members that we still love them. We strive to receive affirmation from our parents, grand-parents, children, and grand-children. The reward is the affection they give to us; the respect they give to us; perhaps as we grow older, the time they share with us when they are not working. What I am saying now, is that even when you might retire from working, there are still places where you must prove yourself.
You must prove that you can still see well enough to drive a car. You must prove that you have insurance to have your car inspected. You must prove that you have enough finances to obtain a loan. If you move into some areas of our state and nation, you must prove that you care for the land and the community in order to be accepted by the “locals.” And even then, you will not necessarily be accepted even if you have lived in that place and cared for it for 20 years or more. Over and over you must prove yourself in order to receive rewards. This is the world we live in, and it is costly.
Over and over, we have to invest ourselves: our time, our talent, and money to prove ourselves. We have to pay registration fees. We have to pay for our education. We have to use up time that we could have spent with family and friends to earn our way and further our knowledge. We have to constantly sacrifice ourselves to hopefully earn that reward at the end of the day. And if something happens that we don’t achieve the reward; if we are somehow unable to prove ourselves; the effects on our psyche’s can be devastating. We see this over and over again particularly in sports when an athlete’s body begins to age and fade and no matter what they have done in the past; not matter how big of a star they have been; no matter how many championships they have won; they are summarily cut, benched, or excluded from the team. No longer able to prove themselves, they sometimes spiral into depression because they sense that they no longer have value.
I took a little bit of time to set this up because I want to starkly contrast the way the world works with the way that Christianity works. The two are vastly different, and this becomes blatantly apparent in our Gospel lesson today from the book of Mark.
This is a very short text about Jesus calling the first disciples, and without understanding the historical situation, one is left with the idea that this is really no big deal. Jesus walks up to some fishermen, says, “Follow me,” and they follow Jesus. It’s over and done with in a matter of moments. But this is just what we see on the surface. There is much, much more going on.
For you see, Jesus is unlike any other Rabbi of his day. In almost every instance that we know of, in order to follow a Rabbi, you had to undergo a rigorous application process. You had to prove yourself. You had to approach a Rabbi and inquire as to whether he was accepting student. You had to pass that Rabbi’s entrance exam which would be to see whether or not you knew the Jewish Bible backwards and forwards. For instance, the Rabbi might begin a sentence from Leviticus 20, and you were expected to finish that sentence. Then, you might be asked what it meant. If you passed the Rabbi’s examination and proved that you were capable of learning from him, then he may accept you as a student.
We see no such examination from Jesus. The first disciples do not approach Jesus; rather Jesus approaches them! This was unheard of! And it could be one of the reasons Peter, Andrew, James and John leave their nets immediately and follow Jesus. This was something new. This was something extraordinary–a rabbi calling his students and not vice versa! A rabbi calling students without having them prove themselves! And rabbis usually took only the best of the best of the best to be their students. They certainly didn’t take fishermen. This was a huge honor being bestowed upon Peter, Andrew, James and John.
But the honor did not come without cost. Let me first quote renowned scholar N.T. Wright:
We have no idea how many generations the Zebedee family had been fishing on the sea of Galilee, but it was quite likely a lot more than four. In that country and culture, as in many countries and cultures to this day, a small family business can be handed on not only through generations but through centuries.
Only when you think a bit about the sort of life Peter, Andrew, James and John had had, and the totally unknown future Jesus was inviting them into, do you understand just how earth shattering this little story was and is. Leave everything you’ve known, all your security, your family (and family solidarity was hugely important in that culture), and follow Jesus.
So, following Jesus would be to walk away from your family and your job security. But that’s not it.
According to the New Interpreter’s Bible:
To the ancient reader, the summons to follow Jesus–i.e. to become a disciple–was an extraordinary disruption in a person’s life. It might even have seemed offensive. If the labor of the sons was critical to the fishing enterprise in which the two families were engaged, then such a departure might appear to put the welfare of the whole family at risk.
So, following Jesus might cause quite a bit of anger to be produced within one’s family. And it would certainly impact Peter, Andrew, James, and John’s pocket books. I mean, these individuals weren’t poverty stricken. There is every indication these folks were pretty well off. Peter could afford a house where he took care of his mother-in-law. James and John had servants working with them–poor people did not have servants. When these disciples left their nets, it was a costly decision. What could make them walk away in this fashion? What could make them walk away from lives which were labor intensive but at least provided a pretty good income and manner of living?
“Come with me and I will begin to make you fishers of men.”
What was it about this statement that caused Peter, Andrew, James and John to walk away from everything they had ever known; ever trusted; ever invested in? Let me read to you what Mark Edwards says about this.
...Jesus is the unqualified subject of the call. As he passes along the shore and sees two pairs of brothers, he issues a summons, “Come, follow me.” On this particular point, Jesus was a very different leader from the rabbis and scribes of Judaism. There are no rabbinical stories analogous to the calling of disciples, for rabbis did not consummate the teacher-student relationship by the summons, “Follow me.” Unlike the decisive call that comes from Jesus, entry into rabbinical school depended on the initiative of the aspiring student, not the call of the rabbi. The personal prominence that Jesus assumes in the call of the four fishermen is highly unusual in Jewish tradition as a whole. The chief allegiance of rabbinic students was to the Torah rather than to a particular rabbi.
Let me repeat that last sentence again. The chief allegiance of rabbinic students was to the Torah–the Jewish Bible–rather than to a particular rabbi. Jesus wasn’t inviting the disciples to follow the Law. He was inviting the disciples to follow Him–trust Him–trust that God was doing something through Him. Little did they know exactly what was happening. They certainly didn’t know that Jesus was the Son of God at this point, so there must have been something that absolutely grasped them and compelled them to follow Jesus. There must have been something in His demeanor; His call that grasped their hearts and inspired them to take such a risk. We may never know what it was exactly that grasped them, but we can know the power that grasps us.
For you see, Jesus still calls to you and I and says, “Follow me.” He still asks us to become His disciples, and to this day, there is still no qualifying exam. There is still no need to prove ourselves. There is no series of hoops to jump through to make ourselves worthy to be a disciple. The price of our proving has already been paid, but it was not paid by us. It was paid by Jesus.
Christianity unequivocally says that we could never prove ourselves worthy enough to be a disciple. Christianity unequivocally says we cannot know the Bible well enough. We cannot follow God’s commands perfectly enough. We would fail miserably if it were up to us. One example I hope will suffice although I could offer many. Let’s say you want to be a disciple of Jesus. Let’s say you want this position tremendously. Let’s say you are willing to do whatever it takes to be a disciple. You will put in countless hours of Bible study. You will attend college and seminary. You will devote yourself to doing good works and acts of kindness. You will never cuss; never get angry; never get drunk. You will promote justice and peace. You will seek harmony within the church and pray without ceasing. And here is the kicker; you actually accomplish it. You actually manage to do these things. Surely you are qualified to be a disciple. Surely you have proven yourself worthy of a position as a disciple. You have dedicated your life to achieving this position. You are good, right?
Wrong. You may wonder how. Here’s how. You are striving to achieve the position of a disciple. You are doing all of these things to become a disciple. You are therefore doing them because it is something you want. You are doing it for yourself. You are not doing it for God and His glory. You are acting selfishly. This is not in accord with God’s will. Selfishness is so dominant a force in our hearts that it often goes unnoticed by us.
But it does not go unnoticed by God. He knows we need a change of heart in order to be effective disciples. He knows that deep down we must have our hearts turned to him instead of toward ourselves. And how does a heart change? How does a heart aspire for something other than its own self interest?
The answer is when it is filled with love for another. The answer is when it is filled with love for God. And God knows He cannot force you to love Him. God knows He cannot legislate your love. He has to effectually earn it, and so he does this by dying for you. He does this by loving you when you don’t deserve it. He does it by dying for you while you are caught up in your self-interest. He does it on the cross.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.
The cross is God’s call to the world, “Follow me.” It is His invitation to you and me to leave behind all that we once trusted and to put our trust in Him. And it will be costly–leave no doubt about that. It will change the way you live, but you will find yourself experiencing freedom. You will sense deep down that your self worth is no longer governed by the rewards society promises. You will sense deep down that you no longer have to prove yourself to anyone and everyone. You will know that you are deeply loved and accepted by the author and Creator of the universe. Your trust will be in Him and Him alone. This is the reality of discipleship. This is the reality of following Jesus. Amen.
Monday, June 8, 2015
A Family Intervention
We all have that one relative. You know the one I am talking about. It’s generally the relative that you absolutely loved when you were a kid. Maybe it was that crazy uncle or the cousin who was always doing risky stuff. This relative always pushed the boundaries and brought some excitement into your life. As a kid, you absolutely, positively loved it! You couldn’t wait to see this particular relative, but as life moved on and you matured, you started viewing things a bit differently. As you matured, you found out that your relative didn’t. While you stopped acting like a child, your relative never did. The risks actually became greater. The behavior became more self destructive. You wondered why you ever thought your kin was so cool.
Sometimes, such family members begin to have very destructive behavior. Sometimes they begin to drink heavily or delve into drugs. Sometimes they become abusive. Sometimes they begin gambling or neglecting themselves or the rest of their family. In such cases, family members get together and work to change their loved one’s behavior. We have such a word for this process. It’s called an intervention. These can be very important times in a family’s life. They can bring healing and wholeness and restoration–not only for the one committing the destructive behavior, but for the entire family as a unit. Interventions are sometimes very, very necessary.
Jesus’ family thought so too. Jesus’ family believed they needed to intervene in His life as well. We have a very interesting bibilical snippet before us this morning from the book of Mark. It’s actually two stories sandwiched together by the writer Mark. Now, I personally believe Mark is a tremendous writer and storyteller. I believe there is very much a purpose behind much of Mark’s writing. Details are important to Mark as he conveys to us the story of Jesus’ life and teaching. There is a reason Mark puts these two stories together. He is trying to tell us something very important.
As I said before, the story begins with Jesus’ family deciding they need to perform an intervention. The translation from the Greek we have before us is a little muddied. The English in the NRSV is not exactly what is portrayed in the Greek. It should read, “21When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for they were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.” The Greek does not add any extra “people.” Jesus’ family believes He has gone out of His mind.
This presents a bit of a conundrum as we take a look at the rest of the Gospel stories. I mean, included in Jesus’ family, we find just a few verses later, is Jesus’ very own mother. Mary is included in those who are coming to arrest–that’s literally what it says later–Jesus. This is the Mother of our Lord who had the angel announce to her that she would give birth to the Savior. This is Mary who heard the witness of the wise men and pondered these things in her heart. This is Mary who had stood up at the wedding at Canaan and pronounced, “Do whatever He tells you to do.” If Mary knew her child was the Son of God; if she knew He was the Messiah; then why did she allow the rest of the family to proclaim Jesus crazy? Why did she go with them to arrest Him and participate in the intervention?
As I thought about it, I wondered if Mary didn’t quite understand exactly how her son would fulfill His Messianic duties. I wonder if the rest of the family had the wrong idea about what Jesus was supposed to be doing as the promised Messiah–I mean you don’t really think Mary would have kept that a secret from the rest of them, do you? Before I get too convoluted with the questioning, let me explain.
You see, Jesus was going around the region proclaiming, “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the good news.” Jesus had also been proclaimed the Son of God at His baptism, and as Jesus went about the region casting out demons, the demons would shout out, “You are the Holy One of God!” Even though Jesus commanded them to be silent, word was spreading. Jesus was also coming into conflict with the religious authorities. He was forgiving people of their sins even though they had not offered the appropriate sacrifices. He was healing on the Sabbath. Such behavior was a recipe for disaster. How so?
Well, if Jesus was going around saying, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He was directly undercutting the ruling, Roman authorities. The Romans had instituted the Kingdom of Caesar. Proclaiming the Kingdom of God was seen as sedition. It carried the death sentence. By casting out demons; healing the sick; making the lame to walk; and proclaiming a forgiveness of sins while undercutting some of the laws of the Old Testament, Jesus placed himself squarely in opposition to the religious authorities. They would not have been pleased with one undercutting thousands of years of tradition. They would not have been happy with one who was teaching things which were borderline blasphemy. If they believed Jesus was leading the people astray, they could try Him and convict Him of blasphemy and ask that the Romans put Him to death. Do you find it interesting that this is exactly what happened to Jesus later?
His family could see this. They could see the end. They could see Jesus’ self-destructive behavior. They could see where this path was leading. They knew that He knew this as well. “He must be crazy!” they thought. “This is not how the Messiah is supposed to act. We’ve got to put a stop to this. It’s time for an intervention.”
And now we have a break from this story as Mark inserts a related anecdote. The scribes send a delegation from Jerusalem to deal with Jesus. Remember what I said earlier about Jesus’ teaching and healing. The scribes are not happy with Jesus, and they want to discredit Him. They begin to tell the people, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of demons, Jesus casts out demons.” They are obviously trying to paint Jesus as evil–as outside the bounds of the Law and the Prophets. They are saying Jesus is not from God and anyone who associates with Jesus is buying into such deceit.
Jesus points out the flaw in their logic. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” In other words, “We can all agree that getting rid of a demon and freeing a person is a good thing. No one would argue that. Why would evil seek to do good? If evil seeks to do good, then it is divided and its kingdom will fall. If Satan is casting out Satan, then he is ushering in his own demise. Do you really think Satan would do that?” The answer is obviously no. Not a chance. Satan would do no such thing. But Jesus isn’t finished. He makes one more pronouncement, “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— 30for they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’”
This passage gives some folks difficulty. It’s not surprising. What is such an eternal sin? Have I committed an unforgivable sin? Several commentaries noted, “If you are asking whether or not you have committed this sin, then you haven’t.” That’s a bit comforting, but it still leaves us asking, “What is it? What is this unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit?”
I think Mark closes things out and brings us full circle by bring us back to Jesus’ family and their attempts at intervention. I think Mark gives us an answer to that question. Let us turn there now.
As I said earlier, Jesus’ family, including His mother, show up to arrest Him. They didn’t just show up to restrain Him. They want to arrest Him; seize Him; stop Him from this insanity. They can’t get into the house because of the crowd, so word spreads through the crowd that Jesus’ family has arrived. Jesus hears, and He makes a startling pronouncement:
33And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ 34And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’
Now, if you aren’t shocked by that statement, then you really don’t understand the ancient world. For family was everything in that world. From your family, you received your identity. You received your value. You received your worth. Think about that for a moment as you hear Jesus say, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Essentially, Jesus is denying His origin! He is denying where everyone would find the source of their identity; their value; and their worth. No one in His right mind would do such a thing!! At least in that time and place.
But then, Jesus does something more. Looking at those around Him–most commentaries suggest that Jesus looks at His disciples–Jesus says, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
Let’s think about this for just a moment. Jesus points to those sitting around Him–they may be the disciples. They maybe the entire crowd in the house. It doesn’t really matter in my estimation. The question that I want to ask is, “What are they doing?” Jesus says they are doing the will of God, so what are they doing? What activity are they participating in? Are they living perfect and upright lives? Are they staying free from any and all sexual sins? Are they doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God? Are they loving God and loving neighbor? Are they offering sacrifices for sin and atoning for their wrongdoings? Are they feeding the hungry; giving drink to the thirsty; visiting the sick and imprisoned; and trying to transform the world into the Kingdom of God. No. They are doing no such things.
What are they doing? They are turning to Jesus for healing. They are turning to Jesus for identity. They are turning to Jesus to understand God. They are placing their trust in Him and following Him. They have made Jesus the most important thing in their lives. Jesus’ family was placing a higher value upon the status of the family and their own expectations of what Jesus should be. The scribes were putting a higher value upon Jewish law and upholding their status as religious leaders. Neither were letting Jesus be who He was intended to be: The Lord and Savior of the world.
Which leads us to the sin against the Holy Spirit. What is that sin? It is the Holy Spirit which brings us to the knowledge that Jesus is no lunatic or liar. It is the Holy Spirit which calls us through the Gospel to see Jesus as the Savior and Redeemer of the world. It is the Holy Spirit which leads us to place our trust in Him above any and every other thing. To sin against the Holy Spirit is nothing less than to place our trust in something other than Jesus–to desire something else more than Jesus–to trust in our own selves and our own actions or in the actions and promises of something other than Jesus. And why should you put your trust solely in Him?
No other God is willing to die for you. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.”
C.S. Lewis once said the following, “A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.” Jesus’ family thought He was a lunatic. The scribes thought Him a liar. The crowd and the disciples saw Him as Lord. What about you? Amen.
Sometimes, such family members begin to have very destructive behavior. Sometimes they begin to drink heavily or delve into drugs. Sometimes they become abusive. Sometimes they begin gambling or neglecting themselves or the rest of their family. In such cases, family members get together and work to change their loved one’s behavior. We have such a word for this process. It’s called an intervention. These can be very important times in a family’s life. They can bring healing and wholeness and restoration–not only for the one committing the destructive behavior, but for the entire family as a unit. Interventions are sometimes very, very necessary.
Jesus’ family thought so too. Jesus’ family believed they needed to intervene in His life as well. We have a very interesting bibilical snippet before us this morning from the book of Mark. It’s actually two stories sandwiched together by the writer Mark. Now, I personally believe Mark is a tremendous writer and storyteller. I believe there is very much a purpose behind much of Mark’s writing. Details are important to Mark as he conveys to us the story of Jesus’ life and teaching. There is a reason Mark puts these two stories together. He is trying to tell us something very important.
As I said before, the story begins with Jesus’ family deciding they need to perform an intervention. The translation from the Greek we have before us is a little muddied. The English in the NRSV is not exactly what is portrayed in the Greek. It should read, “21When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for they were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.” The Greek does not add any extra “people.” Jesus’ family believes He has gone out of His mind.
This presents a bit of a conundrum as we take a look at the rest of the Gospel stories. I mean, included in Jesus’ family, we find just a few verses later, is Jesus’ very own mother. Mary is included in those who are coming to arrest–that’s literally what it says later–Jesus. This is the Mother of our Lord who had the angel announce to her that she would give birth to the Savior. This is Mary who heard the witness of the wise men and pondered these things in her heart. This is Mary who had stood up at the wedding at Canaan and pronounced, “Do whatever He tells you to do.” If Mary knew her child was the Son of God; if she knew He was the Messiah; then why did she allow the rest of the family to proclaim Jesus crazy? Why did she go with them to arrest Him and participate in the intervention?
As I thought about it, I wondered if Mary didn’t quite understand exactly how her son would fulfill His Messianic duties. I wonder if the rest of the family had the wrong idea about what Jesus was supposed to be doing as the promised Messiah–I mean you don’t really think Mary would have kept that a secret from the rest of them, do you? Before I get too convoluted with the questioning, let me explain.
You see, Jesus was going around the region proclaiming, “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the good news.” Jesus had also been proclaimed the Son of God at His baptism, and as Jesus went about the region casting out demons, the demons would shout out, “You are the Holy One of God!” Even though Jesus commanded them to be silent, word was spreading. Jesus was also coming into conflict with the religious authorities. He was forgiving people of their sins even though they had not offered the appropriate sacrifices. He was healing on the Sabbath. Such behavior was a recipe for disaster. How so?
Well, if Jesus was going around saying, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He was directly undercutting the ruling, Roman authorities. The Romans had instituted the Kingdom of Caesar. Proclaiming the Kingdom of God was seen as sedition. It carried the death sentence. By casting out demons; healing the sick; making the lame to walk; and proclaiming a forgiveness of sins while undercutting some of the laws of the Old Testament, Jesus placed himself squarely in opposition to the religious authorities. They would not have been pleased with one undercutting thousands of years of tradition. They would not have been happy with one who was teaching things which were borderline blasphemy. If they believed Jesus was leading the people astray, they could try Him and convict Him of blasphemy and ask that the Romans put Him to death. Do you find it interesting that this is exactly what happened to Jesus later?
His family could see this. They could see the end. They could see Jesus’ self-destructive behavior. They could see where this path was leading. They knew that He knew this as well. “He must be crazy!” they thought. “This is not how the Messiah is supposed to act. We’ve got to put a stop to this. It’s time for an intervention.”
And now we have a break from this story as Mark inserts a related anecdote. The scribes send a delegation from Jerusalem to deal with Jesus. Remember what I said earlier about Jesus’ teaching and healing. The scribes are not happy with Jesus, and they want to discredit Him. They begin to tell the people, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of demons, Jesus casts out demons.” They are obviously trying to paint Jesus as evil–as outside the bounds of the Law and the Prophets. They are saying Jesus is not from God and anyone who associates with Jesus is buying into such deceit.
Jesus points out the flaw in their logic. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” In other words, “We can all agree that getting rid of a demon and freeing a person is a good thing. No one would argue that. Why would evil seek to do good? If evil seeks to do good, then it is divided and its kingdom will fall. If Satan is casting out Satan, then he is ushering in his own demise. Do you really think Satan would do that?” The answer is obviously no. Not a chance. Satan would do no such thing. But Jesus isn’t finished. He makes one more pronouncement, “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— 30for they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’”
This passage gives some folks difficulty. It’s not surprising. What is such an eternal sin? Have I committed an unforgivable sin? Several commentaries noted, “If you are asking whether or not you have committed this sin, then you haven’t.” That’s a bit comforting, but it still leaves us asking, “What is it? What is this unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit?”
I think Mark closes things out and brings us full circle by bring us back to Jesus’ family and their attempts at intervention. I think Mark gives us an answer to that question. Let us turn there now.
As I said earlier, Jesus’ family, including His mother, show up to arrest Him. They didn’t just show up to restrain Him. They want to arrest Him; seize Him; stop Him from this insanity. They can’t get into the house because of the crowd, so word spreads through the crowd that Jesus’ family has arrived. Jesus hears, and He makes a startling pronouncement:
33And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ 34And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’
Now, if you aren’t shocked by that statement, then you really don’t understand the ancient world. For family was everything in that world. From your family, you received your identity. You received your value. You received your worth. Think about that for a moment as you hear Jesus say, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Essentially, Jesus is denying His origin! He is denying where everyone would find the source of their identity; their value; and their worth. No one in His right mind would do such a thing!! At least in that time and place.
But then, Jesus does something more. Looking at those around Him–most commentaries suggest that Jesus looks at His disciples–Jesus says, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
Let’s think about this for just a moment. Jesus points to those sitting around Him–they may be the disciples. They maybe the entire crowd in the house. It doesn’t really matter in my estimation. The question that I want to ask is, “What are they doing?” Jesus says they are doing the will of God, so what are they doing? What activity are they participating in? Are they living perfect and upright lives? Are they staying free from any and all sexual sins? Are they doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God? Are they loving God and loving neighbor? Are they offering sacrifices for sin and atoning for their wrongdoings? Are they feeding the hungry; giving drink to the thirsty; visiting the sick and imprisoned; and trying to transform the world into the Kingdom of God. No. They are doing no such things.
What are they doing? They are turning to Jesus for healing. They are turning to Jesus for identity. They are turning to Jesus to understand God. They are placing their trust in Him and following Him. They have made Jesus the most important thing in their lives. Jesus’ family was placing a higher value upon the status of the family and their own expectations of what Jesus should be. The scribes were putting a higher value upon Jewish law and upholding their status as religious leaders. Neither were letting Jesus be who He was intended to be: The Lord and Savior of the world.
Which leads us to the sin against the Holy Spirit. What is that sin? It is the Holy Spirit which brings us to the knowledge that Jesus is no lunatic or liar. It is the Holy Spirit which calls us through the Gospel to see Jesus as the Savior and Redeemer of the world. It is the Holy Spirit which leads us to place our trust in Him above any and every other thing. To sin against the Holy Spirit is nothing less than to place our trust in something other than Jesus–to desire something else more than Jesus–to trust in our own selves and our own actions or in the actions and promises of something other than Jesus. And why should you put your trust solely in Him?
No other God is willing to die for you. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.”
C.S. Lewis once said the following, “A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.” Jesus’ family thought He was a lunatic. The scribes thought Him a liar. The crowd and the disciples saw Him as Lord. What about you? Amen.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Can Our Actions Bring Us Closer to God?
This question stuck in my craw as I read through a blog post highlighted by Living Lutheran.
The post was titled: "Failing at our Lenten Disciplines."
Here are some pertinent quotes:
Our failed Lenten discipline will bring us closer to God, as we try again, as we ask for help and guidance, as we try to be resolute again.
It is tempting to agree. In fact, there is great danger in disagreeing.
I mean, if we say that our actions do not have any merit in getting us closer to God, then what would be the point of praying, fasting, acts of service, kindness, Bible study, meditation, and the like? If these things do not draw me closer to God, then why should I set aside any time, energy, and effort to engage in them?
Surely when I pray, I draw myself closer to God.
Surely when I fast, I draw myself closer to God.
Surely when I engage in Bible study, I draw myself closer to God.
Surely when I act kind toward others, I draw myself closer to God.
Part of me says, "Yes." But there is an important caveat to this, something that has actually plagued Christianity. For if I am drawing myself closer to God with all these disciplines, and I feel like I am achieving such closeness, then why aren't others doing it too? Why aren't others praying like I pray? Why aren't others fasting like me? Why aren't others studying the Bible like me? Why aren't others being kind like me? I am drawing closer to God every time I do these things. Shouldn't others want to be close to God like I am close to God?
The idea that my actions are drawing me closer to God in this fashion leads to self-righteousness.
Bishop Eaton in her Lutheran Magazine article this month hits the proverbial nail on the head regarding this. The money quote:
These practices serve to draw us closer to and make us more aware of the love of God shown through Jesus’ death and resurrection that justifies sinners, but they aren’t what justifies us.
These practices serve to draw us closer to...the love of God shown through Jesus' death and resurrection.
There is a subtle, but very, very important distinction between the blog on Living Lutheran and Bishop Eaton's statement. Bishop Eaton grasps it. Our actions do not draw us closer to God. Our engagement in the disciplines of Lent or otherwise do not draw us closer to God--they draw us closer to the love of God as it was expressed in Jesus' death and resurrection.
These actions makes us aware that (excuse me for shouting):
GOD HAS ALREADY COME CLOSE TO US!!!! GOD HAS ALREADY COME DOWN TO US!!! GOD IS STILL WITH US AND HAS NEVER DEPARTED FROM US!!!
Now, I could cite a whole lot of Bible verses to back up this point, but I will refrain for now. The point is this: our actions do not draw us closer to God, but they do make us aware of what God has already done. They draw us closer to the knowledge of the grace and mercy poured out for us through Jesus. They draw us into the mystery of God's great reconciliation project wherein we could not work our way to Him, but He worked His way to us at great cost to Himself.
So often, our disciplines fail for the very reason they are not focused upon Jesus. They are not focused upon what He accomplished, but they are focused on our own desires and wants. I desire to come closer to God. I want to walk closer with God. Two things: 1) If it is my self-driven desire instead of loving obedience and thankfulness, it will fail. 2) If I think I can achieve it because of my desire and because of my actions, I will fail.
However if my desire comes not from me but from Jesus, I cannot tear myself away from it. If I am engaging in a discipline because of obedience to Him and a response to what He has done, then I will happily engage and continue. If I am aware of the great love of Jesus who is already close to me, and I know that in my prayer I am entering into that awareness that Christ is there beside me listening to my voice and speaking in return, I cannot wait to engage Him. There is no amount of busy-ness that can ever tear me away. (For all I know, the original author may have this intent, but it is unfortunately not expressed in her writing.)
Thank you, Bishop Eaton for your powerful, strong statement. May we all be drawn to the love of God in Jesus Christ who comes close to us. May our actions ever make us more aware of His action on our behalf that we may live in the knowledge, hope, and abundant life that God is already with us!
The post was titled: "Failing at our Lenten Disciplines."
Here are some pertinent quotes:
We
have lived in the land of self-loathing long enough. Hopefully, we
chose our Lenten disciplines because we wanted to become closer to God.
We didn't choose them so that we'd have additional reasons to hate
ourselves. - See more at:
http://www.elca.org/Living-Lutheran/Blogs/2015/03/150305-Failing-at-our-Lenten-disciplines#sthash.aOdtyMkY.dpuf
We have lived in the land of self-loathing long enough. Hopefully we chose our Lenten disciplines because we wanted to become closer to God. We didn't choose them so that we'd have additional reason to hate ourselves.Our failed Lenten discipline will bring us closer to God, as we try again, as we ask for help and guidance, as we try to be resolute again.
It is tempting to agree. In fact, there is great danger in disagreeing.
I mean, if we say that our actions do not have any merit in getting us closer to God, then what would be the point of praying, fasting, acts of service, kindness, Bible study, meditation, and the like? If these things do not draw me closer to God, then why should I set aside any time, energy, and effort to engage in them?
Surely when I pray, I draw myself closer to God.
Surely when I fast, I draw myself closer to God.
Surely when I engage in Bible study, I draw myself closer to God.
Surely when I act kind toward others, I draw myself closer to God.
Part of me says, "Yes." But there is an important caveat to this, something that has actually plagued Christianity. For if I am drawing myself closer to God with all these disciplines, and I feel like I am achieving such closeness, then why aren't others doing it too? Why aren't others praying like I pray? Why aren't others fasting like me? Why aren't others studying the Bible like me? Why aren't others being kind like me? I am drawing closer to God every time I do these things. Shouldn't others want to be close to God like I am close to God?
The idea that my actions are drawing me closer to God in this fashion leads to self-righteousness.
Bishop Eaton in her Lutheran Magazine article this month hits the proverbial nail on the head regarding this. The money quote:
These practices serve to draw us closer to and make us more aware of the love of God shown through Jesus’ death and resurrection that justifies sinners, but they aren’t what justifies us.
These practices serve to draw us closer to...the love of God shown through Jesus' death and resurrection.
There is a subtle, but very, very important distinction between the blog on Living Lutheran and Bishop Eaton's statement. Bishop Eaton grasps it. Our actions do not draw us closer to God. Our engagement in the disciplines of Lent or otherwise do not draw us closer to God--they draw us closer to the love of God as it was expressed in Jesus' death and resurrection.
These actions makes us aware that (excuse me for shouting):
GOD HAS ALREADY COME CLOSE TO US!!!! GOD HAS ALREADY COME DOWN TO US!!! GOD IS STILL WITH US AND HAS NEVER DEPARTED FROM US!!!
Now, I could cite a whole lot of Bible verses to back up this point, but I will refrain for now. The point is this: our actions do not draw us closer to God, but they do make us aware of what God has already done. They draw us closer to the knowledge of the grace and mercy poured out for us through Jesus. They draw us into the mystery of God's great reconciliation project wherein we could not work our way to Him, but He worked His way to us at great cost to Himself.
So often, our disciplines fail for the very reason they are not focused upon Jesus. They are not focused upon what He accomplished, but they are focused on our own desires and wants. I desire to come closer to God. I want to walk closer with God. Two things: 1) If it is my self-driven desire instead of loving obedience and thankfulness, it will fail. 2) If I think I can achieve it because of my desire and because of my actions, I will fail.
However if my desire comes not from me but from Jesus, I cannot tear myself away from it. If I am engaging in a discipline because of obedience to Him and a response to what He has done, then I will happily engage and continue. If I am aware of the great love of Jesus who is already close to me, and I know that in my prayer I am entering into that awareness that Christ is there beside me listening to my voice and speaking in return, I cannot wait to engage Him. There is no amount of busy-ness that can ever tear me away. (For all I know, the original author may have this intent, but it is unfortunately not expressed in her writing.)
Thank you, Bishop Eaton for your powerful, strong statement. May we all be drawn to the love of God in Jesus Christ who comes close to us. May our actions ever make us more aware of His action on our behalf that we may live in the knowledge, hope, and abundant life that God is already with us!
We
have lived in the land of self-loathing long enough. Hopefully, we
chose our Lenten disciplines because we wanted to become closer to God.
We didn't choose them so that we'd have additional reasons to hate
ourselves. - See more at:
http://www.elca.org/Living-Lutheran/Blogs/2015/03/150305-Failing-at-our-Lenten-disciplines#sthash.aOdtyMkY.dpuf
We
have lived in the land of self-loathing long enough. Hopefully, we
chose our Lenten disciplines because we wanted to become closer to God.
We didn't choose them so that we'd have additional reasons to hate
ourselves. - See more at:
http://www.elca.org/Living-Lutheran/Blogs/2015/03/150305-Failing-at-our-Lenten-disciplines#sthash.aOdtyMkY.dpuf
Monday, January 19, 2015
Truly Satisfied
How many of you made New Year’s resolutions this year? How many of you have already broken them? How many of you didn’t even bother making New Year’s resolutions figuring you would break them anyway? Yeah, I’m guilty of that last one.
Among the many things I find fascinating about the human condition is that we seem to be caught in this tug of war–a tug of war between forces which try to tell us “you are perfect just the way you are” and forces which tell us “you will never be happy or satisfied until you change and do this.” Perhaps you have not noticed this trend in our society and culture, but I assure you, it is there.
I mean, you don’t have to go very far to hear voices saying things like, “I don’t have to change anything about myself. I’m fine just as I am.” Or “You don’t have the right to tell me what to do, I can do whatever I want as long as I’m not hurting anyone.” If you scroll through the news feeds any given week, you will see at least a story or two about accepting all sorts of body types; accepting people no matter what color they are; accepting people no matter their religion; or accepting people no matter their sexual orientation. These things are front and center, a lot.
And yet...even though this is being articulated over and over and over, we are also constantly bombarded with advertisements and even stories which tell us the exact opposite. I mean for every story on accepting your body type, you probably see two or three stories about appropriate diets; what foods will get you a flat belly; what exercises will tone all your muscles. For every story you read about how women are beautiful just the way they are, there are more than enough ads out there trying to sell make up and other items to cover up flaws. Men are challenged to be rugged, handsome, and well cut while at the same time being caring, compassionate, and “in touch with their feminine side.” And we can’t seem to escape this. We cannot seem to get out of this back and forth, back and forth reality of folks telling us we are okay and fine; and then other voices telling us we need to improve ourselves and get better. It can be maddening.
Those of you who remember Mark Chapman remember that he was a poet, and in one of his books of poetry, he wrote this poem entitled Dis-satisfaction
Take a look–I’ve got it all
A great wife, health
Bank account that’s not small
Yet what is that sporadic, niggling burr
that nestles underneath my saddle?
Is it the ebbing of the physical
or a flaw in my gear box?
Maybe nature’s perverse trick to ruffle my feathers
Or one last long squall before the water calms.
I wrestle with this wisp of unease
It pins me more than not
A twinge of craziness asks
Am I a gerbil on a treadmill?
A captive in a cosmic joke?
A malcontent without a cause?
Is my chain being yanked because I care?
Maybe it is a plague of self absorption?
Blind faith would–could–be a lifeline
But for whatever reason no solace there.
Is the question unanswerable?
A maddening changing of the guard
Truth unacceptable
An accelerating slide down a slope
To a place I don’t want to go.
What was Mark saying in that poem? I think, he was saying that despite all the things in his life that he had; despite having wealth and love and possessions; despite living the American dream, there was still something nagging at him. There was still something causing him discomfort. There was still something eating at him which could not find satisfaction.
I think all of us know this feeling. I think all of us have that gnawing deep in our core–for despite all we have and every time we’ve been told that we are fine just the way we are, we don’t believe it. We don’t think we have achieved any sort of perfection. There is still something within us that desires transformation, but we don’t often know what that transformation is. “Blind faith would–could–be a lifeline, but for whatever reason, no solace there.”
Here we enter an interesting twist in Mark’s poem, and in the world around us. For we in the church proclaim a path to deal with such dissatisfaction. We in the church proclaim a path to solve this back and forth bouncing between feeling fine about ourselves and yet knowing there is something missing. We in the church believe we have that answer, and I would argue it’s not blind. It’s tangible, but I will get there in a minute.
First, I would like to say what the answer is not. The answer is not come and see what our church is doing. The answer is not come and see how well our pastor preaches. The answer is not come and see all of our programs that we have for youth. The answer is not come and see how good a people we are. The answer is not come and see all the good things we do. The answer is not come and see us.
That might sound strange to your ears–especially since I have been known in my previous years to tell you that we should be doing all sorts of things, and that when people see us doing good things, they will want to do those things too, and then they will join the church. (How’s that for a run-on sentence!!!) Yes, I have said such things in the past, but I was wrong. People do not have life changing experiences–experiences which literally transform a person inwardly and outwardly by coming in contact with a church. They only have such transformational experiences when coming in contact with Jesus.
I mean, take a look at our Gospel lesson today from John. It’s the story of how Jesus began assembling His group of disciples. Jesus finds Philip and says, “Follow me.” This is all we have regarding the encounter, but it must have had quite the effect on Philip. Whatever transpired between Philip and Jesus, it was enough to cause Philip to rush to Nathanael and say, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Think about that. From a simple encounter where Jesus says, “Follow me,” Philip rushes to Nathanael with words about Jesus being the Messiah! Something deep happened to Philip. Something very deep indeed.
And what is Nathanael’s reaction to Philip? How does Nathanael respond to this change in Philip? Does he say, “Wow, Philip. I can see that your life has been transformed. I can see that God has done something to you, and my meeting with you has changed my life. I want to follow Jesus so that I can have the same transformation as you.”? Was this Nathanael’s reaction? No. Not in the least. Natahanael is skeptical. Nathanael doesn’t believe Philip. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip responds with the only thing he can, “Come and see.” Come and see what though? Well, the answer is obvious. Come and see Jesus! The invitation Philip ends up giving is not, “Come and see me.” The invitation is to come and see Jesus!
Ah, now, only now, can we see the potential for transformation. Only now can Nathanael’s skepticism be met. Nathanael actually does go. He actually has an encounter with Jesus, and what happens? What happens when Nathanael comes in contact with the Messiah? Well, his life is changed. He comes to believe. He becomes a disciple. Philip pointed the way, but Jesus brought about the transformation. Jesus brought Nathanael to belief.
This is important to realize–very important because you and I will never transform anyone. You and I will never be able to help anyone overcome their dissatisfaction. You and I will never be able to solve the dilemma of being caught between the forces which tell us we are okay and we need to change. It is only Jesus who can solve that problem.
And how does He do that? How does He transform us and bring us to a place of satisfaction? Here is how: by loving us while we are sinners. By dying for us when we are broken.
You see, when we accept that we are sinful, that we are broken, then we know we need to change. We know that we need to be transformed. And hopefully, we discover that no amount of material possessions, money, sex, food, clothing, or activities can bring about that transformation. Many of you know this. Mark articulated this brilliantly in his poem. These things will not bring about the deep change necessary. There will always be that nagging piece deep within that says, “I’m not there yet. These things haven’t really changed my character. I am still deeply flawed.”
But when you encounter Jesus with this frame of heart, something changes within you. When you have an encounter with Jesus and He looks deep within your heart and He sees your flaws; He sees you as you are, and He still embraces you and loves you, you can’t help but marvel at His love and compassion. You can’t help but be deeply affected because you know that He is the Messiah. He is what we should be. He is what we were made to be before our selfish nature took over. And He was willing to offer himself in our place to die the death we deserved. It’s like the child who was caught and knows he’s in trouble. Who knows he’s done wrong. Who knows he’s disappointed his parents to no end. Whose shame is tangible and who expects to receive punishment but instead receives forgiveness along with the words, “You have done wrong, but we will love you because you are our child.” At that moment, nothing else matters. Nothing else will ever bring that kind of satisfaction. You are loved in the midst of your brokenness, and you need nothing else.
I remember vividly the Sunday before Mark suffered his stroke. When I asked for prayer requests, he said, “That we may come to understand what you are preaching.” I hope and pray that I am preaching Jesus. For it is He who we must point to. It is He whom we invite people to come and see. It is He who transforms us and all those whom He comes to. It is He who came for the sake of the world to bring us such satisfaction.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but so that the world may be saved through Him. Amen.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Why Worship...In (a) Church...That You Disagree With
Because of a lack of time--and the lengthiness of the post, I did not come full circle as I wrote about worship. Today, I'd like to finish the thoughts on worship and come back to the extended quote by Timothy Keller:
If we worship to come in contact with Jesus--to hear about what He has done and how we are saved purely and solely by His action...
And if it is at worship where we attempt to shut out all the other false gods of the world and concentrate on Jesus...
And if in the midst of doing so, Jesus begins tuning our hearts toward Him...
...then we should feel quite a bit of discomfort.
And I know we do not like feeling uncomfortable. Take another quick look at the reasons I wrote for folks skipping worship on a given Sunday (or for an extended period of time):
Me. Myself. And I.
It's understandable, really. We live in a consumer oriented culture. We live by the mantra, "Have it your way." (Even though I detest Burger King.) If we find a restaurant does not tickle our taste buds, we find another. If a repair shop does not satisfy us with the job of repair, we find another. If we do not like the prices at one store, we find another. Hey, I'm just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to this. I needed a part for my SUV, and after consulting with a few shops, I gleefully ordered it online and saved $30!!! Saving money made me happy and much more comfortable.
And we really, really like our comfort zones.
In quantum mechanics, there is a rule which governs atomic particles: those particles like to remain at the lowest possible energy state. It takes extra energy to get them "excited" and changing or maintaining a particular position. If everything is same ol', same ol', they simply will not change or move to another level.
The more I have studied humankind, I believe we too are influenced in the same manner. We are all to happy to remain right where we are. We are all to happy to stay entrenched in our thought processes, beliefs, and actions. Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing in all circumstances. For instance, you would be hard pressed to get me to change my belief that Jesus is the Son of God, second person of the Trinity, and resurrected Savior. But am I so comfortable in that belief that I do not ask myself why I believe it to be true? Am I so comfortable in that belief that it makes little difference in what I do and how I do it? What challenges that belief and makes me think through why I believe what I believe and do what I do?
If I go to a church where I never end up asking myself those kinds of questions, I have a Stepford Church. I have a church/congregation that simply affirms me and makes me feel good about myself. I have a church that never challenges my ideas or makes me do the messy work involved in a REAL relationship.
And face it, real relationships are messy at times. We disagree with others. We misunderstand others. We are forced to examine our own contributions to the problems in relationships. We have to invest time and energy and money into real relationships. We argue. We fight. Sometimes we don't talk to one another for a while. But within those real relationships, we also find love, compassion, caring, and intimacy at a level far beyond most of the superficiality we experience each and every day.
You will find neither challenge nor true intimacy without engaging an "other" who is different from you and does not see everything just like you.
A few have asked me why I remain in a denomination that I tend to disagree with on many levels theological and philosophical. Why stay in a denomination that I feel has gone astray doctrinally?
Unless said denomination has people within it who challenge it (and vice versa) it will never grow, and neither will I. Unless said denomination has people of differing theologies, it simply has Stepford Members, and if I find a denomination that fits all my beliefs, then I have a Stepford Denomination. There is no growth, and there is no intimacy.
Whether it is a Stepford God, Stepford Denomination, Stepford Congregation, or Stepford Member, none of these are real relationships. Relationships should make us uncomfortable as we engage the "other." It's how we grow.
And if you are not engaging the Holy Other--Jesus the Christ, on an extremely regular basis, you are not growing; your heart is not being changed; you are maintaining your comfortable place at the lowest energy state.
Perhaps you are happy with such a thing. Perhaps you believe you have no need to change or become a better person than you are. Then church and worship definitely isn't for you. Church is for people who know they fall short. Church is for those who know they miss the mark. Church is for those who know there is more to life than what they currently experience. Church is for those who know they have plenty of room to grow. Church is for those who want transformation of themselves, their relationships, and the world.
And that transformation comes from Jesus who changes hearts at worship.
If you don't trust the Bible enough to let it challenge and correct your thinking, how could you ever have a personal relationship with God? In any truly personal relationship, the other person has to be able to contradict you. For example, if a wife is not allowed to contradict her husband, they won't have an intimate relationship. Remember the (two!) movies The Stepford Wives? The husbands of Stepford, Connecticut, decide to have their wives turned into robots who never cross the wills of their husbands. A Stepford wife was wonderfully compliant and beautiful, but no one would describe such a marriage as intimate or personal.
Now, what happens if you eliminate anything from the Bible that offends your sensibility and crosses your will? If you pick and choose what you want to believe and reject the rest, how will you ever have a God who can contradict you? You won't! You'll have a Stepford God! A God, essentially, of your own making, and not a God with whom you can have a relationship and genuine interaction. Only if your God can say things that outrage you and make you struggle (as in a real friendship or marriage!) will you know that you have gotten a hold of a real God and not a figment of your imagination. (Kindle Location 1901-1907)
If we worship to come in contact with Jesus--to hear about what He has done and how we are saved purely and solely by His action...
And if it is at worship where we attempt to shut out all the other false gods of the world and concentrate on Jesus...
And if in the midst of doing so, Jesus begins tuning our hearts toward Him...
...then we should feel quite a bit of discomfort.
And I know we do not like feeling uncomfortable. Take another quick look at the reasons I wrote for folks skipping worship on a given Sunday (or for an extended period of time):
- I am spiritual, but not religious.
- I can worship God anywhere. I do not need to be in church to do so.
- I do not find anything compelling when I attend worship.
- This person hurt me, and I do not want to run into them at worship.
- I do not like the decision the church made, and I will not worship.
- I do not like the way the pastor preaches.
- I do not like the music.
- I want more organ music.
- I want more contemporary music.
- I like being anonymous when I go to church and do not like small crowds.
- I like being welcomed and part of an intimate group and do not like large worship services.
Me. Myself. And I.
It's understandable, really. We live in a consumer oriented culture. We live by the mantra, "Have it your way." (Even though I detest Burger King.) If we find a restaurant does not tickle our taste buds, we find another. If a repair shop does not satisfy us with the job of repair, we find another. If we do not like the prices at one store, we find another. Hey, I'm just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to this. I needed a part for my SUV, and after consulting with a few shops, I gleefully ordered it online and saved $30!!! Saving money made me happy and much more comfortable.
And we really, really like our comfort zones.
In quantum mechanics, there is a rule which governs atomic particles: those particles like to remain at the lowest possible energy state. It takes extra energy to get them "excited" and changing or maintaining a particular position. If everything is same ol', same ol', they simply will not change or move to another level.
The more I have studied humankind, I believe we too are influenced in the same manner. We are all to happy to remain right where we are. We are all to happy to stay entrenched in our thought processes, beliefs, and actions. Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing in all circumstances. For instance, you would be hard pressed to get me to change my belief that Jesus is the Son of God, second person of the Trinity, and resurrected Savior. But am I so comfortable in that belief that I do not ask myself why I believe it to be true? Am I so comfortable in that belief that it makes little difference in what I do and how I do it? What challenges that belief and makes me think through why I believe what I believe and do what I do?
If I go to a church where I never end up asking myself those kinds of questions, I have a Stepford Church. I have a church/congregation that simply affirms me and makes me feel good about myself. I have a church that never challenges my ideas or makes me do the messy work involved in a REAL relationship.
And face it, real relationships are messy at times. We disagree with others. We misunderstand others. We are forced to examine our own contributions to the problems in relationships. We have to invest time and energy and money into real relationships. We argue. We fight. Sometimes we don't talk to one another for a while. But within those real relationships, we also find love, compassion, caring, and intimacy at a level far beyond most of the superficiality we experience each and every day.
You will find neither challenge nor true intimacy without engaging an "other" who is different from you and does not see everything just like you.
A few have asked me why I remain in a denomination that I tend to disagree with on many levels theological and philosophical. Why stay in a denomination that I feel has gone astray doctrinally?
Unless said denomination has people within it who challenge it (and vice versa) it will never grow, and neither will I. Unless said denomination has people of differing theologies, it simply has Stepford Members, and if I find a denomination that fits all my beliefs, then I have a Stepford Denomination. There is no growth, and there is no intimacy.
Whether it is a Stepford God, Stepford Denomination, Stepford Congregation, or Stepford Member, none of these are real relationships. Relationships should make us uncomfortable as we engage the "other." It's how we grow.
And if you are not engaging the Holy Other--Jesus the Christ, on an extremely regular basis, you are not growing; your heart is not being changed; you are maintaining your comfortable place at the lowest energy state.
Perhaps you are happy with such a thing. Perhaps you believe you have no need to change or become a better person than you are. Then church and worship definitely isn't for you. Church is for people who know they fall short. Church is for those who know they miss the mark. Church is for those who know there is more to life than what they currently experience. Church is for those who know they have plenty of room to grow. Church is for those who want transformation of themselves, their relationships, and the world.
And that transformation comes from Jesus who changes hearts at worship.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Jesus is not Done with You Yet: The Road to Emmaus Sermon
Why did it take Jesus so long to identify Himself to those two disciples who were walking along the road to Emmaus? That was the question that popped into my head this week as I was preparing for my sermon. I mean, stop and think about this story for just a moment and ask yourself the same thing. Couldn’t Jesus have simply appeared and said, “Look at my hands. Feel my side. I am alive! Tell my brothers that I will see them soon.” Jesus could have done this. Why didn’t He?
Let’s look at the text. First off, we have a couple of guys who are walking along the road to Emmaus, and Jesus pops in. The guys are talking about “the things that have happened,” and Jesus wants to join in on the conversation. “What are you discussing?” Jesus asks.
We get an interesting clue to our puzzle right off the bat when Luke tells us, “They stood still looking sad...” These guys are sad. Which leads us to ask, “Why are they sad?” What has got them upset? Clopas, one of the two guys gives us the answer. First, I’m going to read everything that Clopas says, then I’m going to work our way through it step by step.
‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ 19He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’
Why are these two guys sad? Look at how Clopas begins, “Jesus of Nazareth was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all people, and He was killed. We hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” Stop right there. “We hoped He was the one to redeem Israel.” You know what this meant, right? You know what kind of hopes these men had pinned upon Jesus, right? They hoped, they desperately wanted Jesus to be a king who would lead the Jewish people in an uprising to free them from the control of the Roman empire. They desperately wanted Jesus to use His power and authority from God to free Israel and establish them as a world power once again. They wanted him to be like Sampson who slew the Philistines; Gideon who drove away the Midianites, Elijah who overthrew the prophets of Baal. They wanted Jesus to be the guy who would deliver to them their hopes and their dreams, and they were sad because Jesus didn’t deliver that. Their hearts, like the hearts of so many who followed Jesus, weren’t right. They were not attuned to what Jesus was really about.
I find quite a few parallels in how many people treat Jesus today. I mean, I see it a lot. Heck, I also fell into the trap myself, so I don’t just see it, I’ve done it! Many folks, yours included, try to use Jesus as a means to an end. The two disciples were trying to use Jesus as a means to the end of the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. More than a few folks try to use Jesus as a means to the ends of health, wealth, prosperity, and status. If you just believe in Jesus and have enough faith, then all of these things will come to you because God wants to bless you. God wants to give you everything He possibly can. He doesn’t want you to be trapped by fear of finances–He wants you to have in abundance. He wants to give you the victory! Now, just believe in Him enough and give us 10% of your gross income as a sign of your faithfulness, and then all these things will be given to you as well. O.K. Sorry about that little bit of parody, but it’s true! There are more than a few folks out there who announce such things. But it gets worse, because folks aren’t only trying to use Jesus as a means to an end of health, wealth, status and prosperity. No. They also use Jesus as a means to feel better about themselves and give themselves meaning and purpose in what they do. You can spot these folks when they say, “You really ought to help others because it makes you feel good about yourself.” “You ought to work for justice because it makes you feel better to address the world’s problems.” “We have to work for justice because Jesus worked for justice, and just like He took on the problems of the world, we have to take on the problems of the world.”
Now, there’s nothing wrong with helping others, or working for justice, or obtaining wealth and status, and health for that matter. These things aren’t bad in and of themselves, and working for justice and helping others are very, very good things, but there are more than a few folks who do all of these things and find absolutely no peace, no satisfaction, no joy or fulfillment. They may be trying to do the right things, but personally, they are still sad, angry, and overwhelmed. Why? If they are people of faith, they are trying to use Jesus as a means to an end and not an end Himself. As I told you in my Easter sermon, I’ve been there and done that. I tried to use Jesus as a means to an end of becoming a famous and well respected pastor. I tried to use Jesus as a means to an end to grow a congregation. I didn’t have peace. I didn’t have satisfaction. I didn’t have joy. I was miserable, fearful, anxious, and sad. My heart wasn’t in the right place.
Back to those two disciples now. Clopas not only lays out where his heart was, he also lays out that the tomb was empty and that angels had appeared to the women disciples telling them that Jesus was risen. This news wasn’t enough to gladden the men’s hearts. They still were down in the dumps. So much for knowing that something is different changing you. So much for having it in your head that Jesus is raised from the dead making a tremendous impact.
Again, many parallels. Many of us have heard that Jesus is risen from the dead. Many of us have heard that Jesus is savior of the world. Many of us have heard that Jesus changes our hearts and our lives. But it hasn’t made the impact in our hearts. The head knowledge is there, but it hasn’t dropped into our hearts to change us. We are still fearful; we are still sad; we are still anxious; we are still depressed. Doesn’t sound too hopeful at this point, does it. Well, let’s continue on.
Jesus, after hearing Clopas’ explanation reacts in a very intriguing fashion, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?”
What congregation member is going to stand around if his pastor said something like this to him? How foolish you are and how slow of heart you are to believe...” Most folks would get offended and say, “See you later. I’m going down the street to the next church that doesn’t insult me.” But Jesus doesn’t hold back any punches. He doesn’t try to sugar coat anything. He’s confrontational, and He’s willing to push these two disciples’ buttons. “You just don’t get it, do you?” Jesus basically says. “You are pretty thick headed. You’ve got your priorities all wrong. You don’t understand what has been foretold by the prophets. Your assumptions are completely misguided.”
And then, Jesus continues to walk with them. Jesus continues with them on their journey, and He cuts them to the heart. We are told that Jesus then proceeds to open up the scriptures to them and tell them all about how He fulfilled the Scriptures beginning with Moses and working through to the prophets.
The group finally arrives at its destination, and Jesus is going to walk on; however, the disciples beg Him to stay. They beg Him to eat with them. Mind you, they still do not recognize Jesus. They still don’t know who He was. Until, they sit down to eat. Jesus breaks the bread, and then their eyes are opened. They realize, they’ve been in Jesus’ presence the entire time.
And then, I think a key statement is uttered, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
Were not our hearts burning? Since John Wesley came along–the founder of the Methodist church--,
most folks have interpreted this particular saying to mean a burning sensation of warmth that spreads over a person and makes them know they are coming to faith and belief.
I’d like to challenge that a little bit this morning. What if, just what if the burning in our text was a little different? What if that burning is closer to the understanding of the Greek which connotes burned up or consumed by fire? What if their hearts were burning because Jesus was burning up their old ways of thinking? What if Jesus was burning up and consuming their thoughts about how they thought Jesus should have operated? What if Jesus was burning up all of their thoughts about how they believed they would achieve salvation; and wholeness; and joy; and peace; and fulfillment? What if Jesus was burning up all of their desires to use Him as a means to an end and changing their hearts so that He would be the end Himself?
What if Jesus is doing that to each and every one of us all throughout our lives? What if Jesus is working, even though we do not recognize Him, burning up all that stuff that is preventing us from placing Him at the center of our lives? What if He is operating, silently, diligently in the backgrounds of our lives piece by piece arranging our hearts so that at the right moment, at the right time, when we are finally ready to see, He will appear to us in such a way that we will know Him. He will be revealed to us in our lives as the one who came into the world to save us–to redeem us–to be the center of our hearts and the center of our lives.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that the world may be saved through Him.
Let that news sink in. Let that news inform your life so that you may know that Jesus is walking along with you. Let that news offer you encouragement that Jesus is burning away all the stuff that is preventing you from knowing Him and seeing His work in your life. And let that news give you patience–patience to know that Jesus isn’t done with you yet. Just as it took Him a while to reveal Himself to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, it may take Him a while to reveal Himself to you. But He will. He always does. He loves you too much not to. Amen.
Let’s look at the text. First off, we have a couple of guys who are walking along the road to Emmaus, and Jesus pops in. The guys are talking about “the things that have happened,” and Jesus wants to join in on the conversation. “What are you discussing?” Jesus asks.
We get an interesting clue to our puzzle right off the bat when Luke tells us, “They stood still looking sad...” These guys are sad. Which leads us to ask, “Why are they sad?” What has got them upset? Clopas, one of the two guys gives us the answer. First, I’m going to read everything that Clopas says, then I’m going to work our way through it step by step.
‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ 19He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’
Why are these two guys sad? Look at how Clopas begins, “Jesus of Nazareth was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all people, and He was killed. We hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” Stop right there. “We hoped He was the one to redeem Israel.” You know what this meant, right? You know what kind of hopes these men had pinned upon Jesus, right? They hoped, they desperately wanted Jesus to be a king who would lead the Jewish people in an uprising to free them from the control of the Roman empire. They desperately wanted Jesus to use His power and authority from God to free Israel and establish them as a world power once again. They wanted him to be like Sampson who slew the Philistines; Gideon who drove away the Midianites, Elijah who overthrew the prophets of Baal. They wanted Jesus to be the guy who would deliver to them their hopes and their dreams, and they were sad because Jesus didn’t deliver that. Their hearts, like the hearts of so many who followed Jesus, weren’t right. They were not attuned to what Jesus was really about.
I find quite a few parallels in how many people treat Jesus today. I mean, I see it a lot. Heck, I also fell into the trap myself, so I don’t just see it, I’ve done it! Many folks, yours included, try to use Jesus as a means to an end. The two disciples were trying to use Jesus as a means to the end of the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. More than a few folks try to use Jesus as a means to the ends of health, wealth, prosperity, and status. If you just believe in Jesus and have enough faith, then all of these things will come to you because God wants to bless you. God wants to give you everything He possibly can. He doesn’t want you to be trapped by fear of finances–He wants you to have in abundance. He wants to give you the victory! Now, just believe in Him enough and give us 10% of your gross income as a sign of your faithfulness, and then all these things will be given to you as well. O.K. Sorry about that little bit of parody, but it’s true! There are more than a few folks out there who announce such things. But it gets worse, because folks aren’t only trying to use Jesus as a means to an end of health, wealth, status and prosperity. No. They also use Jesus as a means to feel better about themselves and give themselves meaning and purpose in what they do. You can spot these folks when they say, “You really ought to help others because it makes you feel good about yourself.” “You ought to work for justice because it makes you feel better to address the world’s problems.” “We have to work for justice because Jesus worked for justice, and just like He took on the problems of the world, we have to take on the problems of the world.”
Now, there’s nothing wrong with helping others, or working for justice, or obtaining wealth and status, and health for that matter. These things aren’t bad in and of themselves, and working for justice and helping others are very, very good things, but there are more than a few folks who do all of these things and find absolutely no peace, no satisfaction, no joy or fulfillment. They may be trying to do the right things, but personally, they are still sad, angry, and overwhelmed. Why? If they are people of faith, they are trying to use Jesus as a means to an end and not an end Himself. As I told you in my Easter sermon, I’ve been there and done that. I tried to use Jesus as a means to an end of becoming a famous and well respected pastor. I tried to use Jesus as a means to an end to grow a congregation. I didn’t have peace. I didn’t have satisfaction. I didn’t have joy. I was miserable, fearful, anxious, and sad. My heart wasn’t in the right place.
Back to those two disciples now. Clopas not only lays out where his heart was, he also lays out that the tomb was empty and that angels had appeared to the women disciples telling them that Jesus was risen. This news wasn’t enough to gladden the men’s hearts. They still were down in the dumps. So much for knowing that something is different changing you. So much for having it in your head that Jesus is raised from the dead making a tremendous impact.
Again, many parallels. Many of us have heard that Jesus is risen from the dead. Many of us have heard that Jesus is savior of the world. Many of us have heard that Jesus changes our hearts and our lives. But it hasn’t made the impact in our hearts. The head knowledge is there, but it hasn’t dropped into our hearts to change us. We are still fearful; we are still sad; we are still anxious; we are still depressed. Doesn’t sound too hopeful at this point, does it. Well, let’s continue on.
Jesus, after hearing Clopas’ explanation reacts in a very intriguing fashion, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?”
What congregation member is going to stand around if his pastor said something like this to him? How foolish you are and how slow of heart you are to believe...” Most folks would get offended and say, “See you later. I’m going down the street to the next church that doesn’t insult me.” But Jesus doesn’t hold back any punches. He doesn’t try to sugar coat anything. He’s confrontational, and He’s willing to push these two disciples’ buttons. “You just don’t get it, do you?” Jesus basically says. “You are pretty thick headed. You’ve got your priorities all wrong. You don’t understand what has been foretold by the prophets. Your assumptions are completely misguided.”
And then, Jesus continues to walk with them. Jesus continues with them on their journey, and He cuts them to the heart. We are told that Jesus then proceeds to open up the scriptures to them and tell them all about how He fulfilled the Scriptures beginning with Moses and working through to the prophets.
The group finally arrives at its destination, and Jesus is going to walk on; however, the disciples beg Him to stay. They beg Him to eat with them. Mind you, they still do not recognize Jesus. They still don’t know who He was. Until, they sit down to eat. Jesus breaks the bread, and then their eyes are opened. They realize, they’ve been in Jesus’ presence the entire time.
And then, I think a key statement is uttered, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
Were not our hearts burning? Since John Wesley came along–the founder of the Methodist church--,
most folks have interpreted this particular saying to mean a burning sensation of warmth that spreads over a person and makes them know they are coming to faith and belief.
I’d like to challenge that a little bit this morning. What if, just what if the burning in our text was a little different? What if that burning is closer to the understanding of the Greek which connotes burned up or consumed by fire? What if their hearts were burning because Jesus was burning up their old ways of thinking? What if Jesus was burning up and consuming their thoughts about how they thought Jesus should have operated? What if Jesus was burning up all of their thoughts about how they believed they would achieve salvation; and wholeness; and joy; and peace; and fulfillment? What if Jesus was burning up all of their desires to use Him as a means to an end and changing their hearts so that He would be the end Himself?
What if Jesus is doing that to each and every one of us all throughout our lives? What if Jesus is working, even though we do not recognize Him, burning up all that stuff that is preventing us from placing Him at the center of our lives? What if He is operating, silently, diligently in the backgrounds of our lives piece by piece arranging our hearts so that at the right moment, at the right time, when we are finally ready to see, He will appear to us in such a way that we will know Him. He will be revealed to us in our lives as the one who came into the world to save us–to redeem us–to be the center of our hearts and the center of our lives.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that the world may be saved through Him.
Let that news sink in. Let that news inform your life so that you may know that Jesus is walking along with you. Let that news offer you encouragement that Jesus is burning away all the stuff that is preventing you from knowing Him and seeing His work in your life. And let that news give you patience–patience to know that Jesus isn’t done with you yet. Just as it took Him a while to reveal Himself to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, it may take Him a while to reveal Himself to you. But He will. He always does. He loves you too much not to. Amen.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
A Lesson in Trust and Evangelism: A Sermon on Doubting Thomas
Years ago, my dad and I were discussing the fact that the Sunday after Easter was one of the worst attended in most congregations--obviously this isn't the case here this morning! :-) Most folks show up on Easter and then say, "Well, I'm good for the next six weeks." But that wasn't good enough for my dad and I, and as we talked dad recognized the fact that every Sunday after Easter, the Gospel lesson is always "Doubting Thomas." Dad reasoned, "No wonder folks don't want to come to church the next Sunday. They go from hearing that Jesus is risen from the dead to doubting." There might be something to be said for that.
However, the more I have preached on our Gospel lesson in my years of preaching, the more I have come to appreciate this text. There are so many layers of rich material to probe and learn from. Like a many faceted, beautiful diamond, this text reveals more and more as you read and look at it. This morning, I would like to approach this text from the standpoint of evangelism and where any one of us at any given moment might fit given the circumstances.
First off, the text begins with the disciples huddled in a room for fear of the Jews. Actually, if we were a little more honest with the Greek, we would probably make the word fear a little stronger. We would probably use the word, “terrified.” The disciples were terrified; scared; dazed and confused. I think it interesting to note a couple of points. First, they had already discovered the empty tomb at this point. Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved had been there and seen it. Secondly, they had heard the report of Mary Magdalene who had seen the resurrected Jesus. But despite these two things: the empty tomb, and Mary’s report, they were not filled with rejoicing. They were not filled with hope. They were not filled with excitement and abundant joy. They were huddled in fear. Why?
Well, if Mary’s report were true, that Jesus was actually alive and resurrected, then their whole view of life would be turned upside down. It could no longer be business as usual. They couldn’t just return to their semi-normal lives that they had before encountering Jesus. They couldn’t go back to being fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, or what have you. Their entire lives would be changed. Their response to this was expected: fear.
Why do I say the response is expected? Well, think about how many of our lives function. Think about how comfortable we tend to get in our lives. Sure, we may be busy. We may be stretched thin. We may feel unfulfilled, dissatisfied, hungry for something more than we are getting now, but we are reluctant to change. We are reluctant to say no to all the things we are pursuing. Why? Why can’t or won’t we change? We are afraid. We know that the moment we begin saying no to the pursuits we have engaged in, we will face anger, we will face retribution, we will face the loss of our investments of time and energy and money. We will face the loss of the small feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment that we currently receive. And even though these small feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment only leave us wanting more, we dread the thought that even this will be taken away. And so we fear change. We fear walking away, even though we too have heard the good news. We have heard Jesus is alive. We have heard that when Jesus is the center of our hearts and the pursuit of our lives, we will be at peace; we will be filled. When Jesus is the end goal of that which we seek, all things will be added. We have heard this, but we too sit in fear and trembling. We too sit in terror, not for fear of the Jews, but for fear of having our total world turned upside down. The thought of taking that risk is simply too unbearable.
But then Jesus enters. Into the midst of that locked room; into the midst of that group of terrified people, Jesus arrives. He stands before them and says, “Peace be with you.” He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit, as the Father has sent me, so I send you. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” When the disciples were incapable of overcoming their fears, Jesus came to them. Jesus instructed them. Jesus put them at peace. Can Jesus do the same for you who are terrified? Can Jesus enter into your life at an unexpected moment and change your heart? Absolutely. Do you expect Him to? That is another question totally, but one worth asking yourself, I think.
Of course, this encounter changed the disciples. They went from terrified to peaceful, joyful, and satisfied. Their lives now had meaning and purpose. They were to spread the news of Jesus Christ, and who do you think they would first tell? Who do you think they would first run to with the news of Jesus’ appearance? Of course, you know, at least by the story–they would go to one of their closest friends; one who saw Jesus’ miracles; one who at one point was willing to die for Jesus: Thomas. For some reason or another, Thomas wasn’t with the rest of the disciples when Jesus appeared, and I am sure those who saw Jesus believed that Thomas would accept their testimony. Boy, were they wrong. Completely and utterly wrong. Thomas would not accept their witness. Thomas would not accept what they saw. He doubted.
At this point, I want to stop for just a moment and make it clear about what Thomas doubted. I mean, think about this for just a moment. Who did Thomas doubt? Did He doubt Jesus? Did Thomas doubt the existence of God? Thomas doubted the resurrection, of course, but he also doubted his friends. He doubted those whom he had lived with, walked with, talked with, ate with, and bonded with over the years. He doubted those who were witnessing to him about what happened to Jesus and what they had seen.
I think this is such an important lesson for those of us who have found ourselves transformed by Christ’s presence in our lives. I mean, when we have been captured by the grace of God; when we know that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life; when we know that God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it; when these things are held deeply in conviction by us, we share that news. We want others to know down deep what it means to have Christ as the center of our lives. We want others to know the inexpressible peace, joy, and satisfaction this brings. But we too are often met with skepticism. We too are often met with doubt. And the temptation is to keep hammering and hammering and hammering away. The temptation is to keep bugging and bugging and bugging others until they either walk away or give into our rambling just to shut us up. But this does not bring anyone to faith. It didn’t bring Thomas to faith. Once again, Jesus steps into the picture.
Jesus appears to the disciples once again, and rather than chide Thomas from the get go, Jesus goes straight to him. Jesus tells Thomas, “Hey buddy, look, put your finger here in these nail marks. Touch my side.” Jesus comes to Thomas and brings him to faith. It is only then that Jesus chides Thomas. It is only then when Jesus says, “Do not doubt. Believe.” Of course, we must ask, “Doubt what?” Is Jesus saying we shouldn’t have doubts about the resurrection? Is Jesus saying we shouldn’t have doubts about God? Is Jesus saying we must have absolute conviction in our hearts and that any fleeting thought to the contrary is sinful? I don’t believe so.
Remember what Thomas doubted. Remember who Thomas doubted. He doubted the testimony of others. He doubted that they had actually seen Jesus. He didn’t trust anyone else, and he only relied upon himself.
In my estimation, there is a two-fold lesson here. The first lesson has to do with those of us who truly want to engage others with this faith we have received. We simply cannot bring someone else to faith through argument; through coercion; or bribe. Faith comes from Christ Himself, and we can only plant the seeds and be patient. We do not need to be frustrated when our efforts at evangelism fall upon ears that seem deaf. We must do our work and then wait for Christ to do His. This is a very, very important lesson.
The second lesson I think we must learn has to do with trust. “Do not doubt, but believe.” There is an element of trusting God that is implicit in this statement, but given the circumstances of this story, I think there is also an element of trusting one another. There is also an element of Jesus saying, “Trust one another’s testimony about how God is working in your life. Trust one another when you share your stories about how I have worked in your life.” This sometimes is hard. This sometimes is extremely difficult because we oftentimes doubt one another. There is so much in the world these days which purposely seeks to divide us and cause us to distrust each other. We also know that there is an element of selfishness which drives us. How can I know that you aren’t trying to take advantage of me? How do I know you are believable and not just trying to manipulate me? These are good questions. Tough questions. Questions which I think we must wrestle with together.
And that is where I think I will begin to end this sermon–by asking you what it means to develop trust. How does a group of people come to trust one another? How does a group of people let down their guards and become vulnerable enough to listen to one another? How does a group of people find some sort of common bond so that they can share stories and testimony about how God has worked in each other’s lives? Have we come to the point in our society where such a thing is forbidden? Have we come to a point in society where we can keep people at a digital distance so that we never, ever have to truly engage another’s spirit as we communicate? Why is it now so hard to get a group of people to really sit down and talk after worship? Why don’t we strive very hard to establish deep, lasting relationships with someone outside of our comfort zone? Maybe Jesus has a lot of work to do on each and every one of us. Maybe we all are somewhat huddled in fear for fear of being hurt. How long before Jesus appears to us to give us peace?
Well, the good news is that the grave is empty. Jesus is alive, and His Spirit is present right here and right now. He does not want you to feel alone and isolated. He does not want you to sit in fear and doubt. He has shown His love for you on the cross and has shown you the hope you will experience in the resurrection. And He has given you a community to connect to. I don’t care what society says being connected means. True relationships are not built digitally. They are built upon human flesh and blood. They are built upon trust. Can you trust each other here this morning? You may find it difficult, but think of this: Jesus trusts you, doesn’t He? Jesus trusts you enough to give you His story, trusts you enough to share that story and pass it on to others, and trusts you enough to give you the Holy Spirit as your comfort and guide along the way. Do not doubt, believe. Jesus comes to you. He will come to others. Just be patient. This is the lesson of evangelism. Amen.
However, the more I have preached on our Gospel lesson in my years of preaching, the more I have come to appreciate this text. There are so many layers of rich material to probe and learn from. Like a many faceted, beautiful diamond, this text reveals more and more as you read and look at it. This morning, I would like to approach this text from the standpoint of evangelism and where any one of us at any given moment might fit given the circumstances.
First off, the text begins with the disciples huddled in a room for fear of the Jews. Actually, if we were a little more honest with the Greek, we would probably make the word fear a little stronger. We would probably use the word, “terrified.” The disciples were terrified; scared; dazed and confused. I think it interesting to note a couple of points. First, they had already discovered the empty tomb at this point. Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved had been there and seen it. Secondly, they had heard the report of Mary Magdalene who had seen the resurrected Jesus. But despite these two things: the empty tomb, and Mary’s report, they were not filled with rejoicing. They were not filled with hope. They were not filled with excitement and abundant joy. They were huddled in fear. Why?
Well, if Mary’s report were true, that Jesus was actually alive and resurrected, then their whole view of life would be turned upside down. It could no longer be business as usual. They couldn’t just return to their semi-normal lives that they had before encountering Jesus. They couldn’t go back to being fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, or what have you. Their entire lives would be changed. Their response to this was expected: fear.
Why do I say the response is expected? Well, think about how many of our lives function. Think about how comfortable we tend to get in our lives. Sure, we may be busy. We may be stretched thin. We may feel unfulfilled, dissatisfied, hungry for something more than we are getting now, but we are reluctant to change. We are reluctant to say no to all the things we are pursuing. Why? Why can’t or won’t we change? We are afraid. We know that the moment we begin saying no to the pursuits we have engaged in, we will face anger, we will face retribution, we will face the loss of our investments of time and energy and money. We will face the loss of the small feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment that we currently receive. And even though these small feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment only leave us wanting more, we dread the thought that even this will be taken away. And so we fear change. We fear walking away, even though we too have heard the good news. We have heard Jesus is alive. We have heard that when Jesus is the center of our hearts and the pursuit of our lives, we will be at peace; we will be filled. When Jesus is the end goal of that which we seek, all things will be added. We have heard this, but we too sit in fear and trembling. We too sit in terror, not for fear of the Jews, but for fear of having our total world turned upside down. The thought of taking that risk is simply too unbearable.
But then Jesus enters. Into the midst of that locked room; into the midst of that group of terrified people, Jesus arrives. He stands before them and says, “Peace be with you.” He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit, as the Father has sent me, so I send you. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” When the disciples were incapable of overcoming their fears, Jesus came to them. Jesus instructed them. Jesus put them at peace. Can Jesus do the same for you who are terrified? Can Jesus enter into your life at an unexpected moment and change your heart? Absolutely. Do you expect Him to? That is another question totally, but one worth asking yourself, I think.
Of course, this encounter changed the disciples. They went from terrified to peaceful, joyful, and satisfied. Their lives now had meaning and purpose. They were to spread the news of Jesus Christ, and who do you think they would first tell? Who do you think they would first run to with the news of Jesus’ appearance? Of course, you know, at least by the story–they would go to one of their closest friends; one who saw Jesus’ miracles; one who at one point was willing to die for Jesus: Thomas. For some reason or another, Thomas wasn’t with the rest of the disciples when Jesus appeared, and I am sure those who saw Jesus believed that Thomas would accept their testimony. Boy, were they wrong. Completely and utterly wrong. Thomas would not accept their witness. Thomas would not accept what they saw. He doubted.
At this point, I want to stop for just a moment and make it clear about what Thomas doubted. I mean, think about this for just a moment. Who did Thomas doubt? Did He doubt Jesus? Did Thomas doubt the existence of God? Thomas doubted the resurrection, of course, but he also doubted his friends. He doubted those whom he had lived with, walked with, talked with, ate with, and bonded with over the years. He doubted those who were witnessing to him about what happened to Jesus and what they had seen.
I think this is such an important lesson for those of us who have found ourselves transformed by Christ’s presence in our lives. I mean, when we have been captured by the grace of God; when we know that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life; when we know that God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it; when these things are held deeply in conviction by us, we share that news. We want others to know down deep what it means to have Christ as the center of our lives. We want others to know the inexpressible peace, joy, and satisfaction this brings. But we too are often met with skepticism. We too are often met with doubt. And the temptation is to keep hammering and hammering and hammering away. The temptation is to keep bugging and bugging and bugging others until they either walk away or give into our rambling just to shut us up. But this does not bring anyone to faith. It didn’t bring Thomas to faith. Once again, Jesus steps into the picture.
Jesus appears to the disciples once again, and rather than chide Thomas from the get go, Jesus goes straight to him. Jesus tells Thomas, “Hey buddy, look, put your finger here in these nail marks. Touch my side.” Jesus comes to Thomas and brings him to faith. It is only then that Jesus chides Thomas. It is only then when Jesus says, “Do not doubt. Believe.” Of course, we must ask, “Doubt what?” Is Jesus saying we shouldn’t have doubts about the resurrection? Is Jesus saying we shouldn’t have doubts about God? Is Jesus saying we must have absolute conviction in our hearts and that any fleeting thought to the contrary is sinful? I don’t believe so.
Remember what Thomas doubted. Remember who Thomas doubted. He doubted the testimony of others. He doubted that they had actually seen Jesus. He didn’t trust anyone else, and he only relied upon himself.
In my estimation, there is a two-fold lesson here. The first lesson has to do with those of us who truly want to engage others with this faith we have received. We simply cannot bring someone else to faith through argument; through coercion; or bribe. Faith comes from Christ Himself, and we can only plant the seeds and be patient. We do not need to be frustrated when our efforts at evangelism fall upon ears that seem deaf. We must do our work and then wait for Christ to do His. This is a very, very important lesson.
The second lesson I think we must learn has to do with trust. “Do not doubt, but believe.” There is an element of trusting God that is implicit in this statement, but given the circumstances of this story, I think there is also an element of trusting one another. There is also an element of Jesus saying, “Trust one another’s testimony about how God is working in your life. Trust one another when you share your stories about how I have worked in your life.” This sometimes is hard. This sometimes is extremely difficult because we oftentimes doubt one another. There is so much in the world these days which purposely seeks to divide us and cause us to distrust each other. We also know that there is an element of selfishness which drives us. How can I know that you aren’t trying to take advantage of me? How do I know you are believable and not just trying to manipulate me? These are good questions. Tough questions. Questions which I think we must wrestle with together.
And that is where I think I will begin to end this sermon–by asking you what it means to develop trust. How does a group of people come to trust one another? How does a group of people let down their guards and become vulnerable enough to listen to one another? How does a group of people find some sort of common bond so that they can share stories and testimony about how God has worked in each other’s lives? Have we come to the point in our society where such a thing is forbidden? Have we come to a point in society where we can keep people at a digital distance so that we never, ever have to truly engage another’s spirit as we communicate? Why is it now so hard to get a group of people to really sit down and talk after worship? Why don’t we strive very hard to establish deep, lasting relationships with someone outside of our comfort zone? Maybe Jesus has a lot of work to do on each and every one of us. Maybe we all are somewhat huddled in fear for fear of being hurt. How long before Jesus appears to us to give us peace?
Well, the good news is that the grave is empty. Jesus is alive, and His Spirit is present right here and right now. He does not want you to feel alone and isolated. He does not want you to sit in fear and doubt. He has shown His love for you on the cross and has shown you the hope you will experience in the resurrection. And He has given you a community to connect to. I don’t care what society says being connected means. True relationships are not built digitally. They are built upon human flesh and blood. They are built upon trust. Can you trust each other here this morning? You may find it difficult, but think of this: Jesus trusts you, doesn’t He? Jesus trusts you enough to give you His story, trusts you enough to share that story and pass it on to others, and trusts you enough to give you the Holy Spirit as your comfort and guide along the way. Do not doubt, believe. Jesus comes to you. He will come to others. Just be patient. This is the lesson of evangelism. Amen.
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