Mark #2: Building Up our Neighbor Spiritually

Today, we come to the second mark of the church presented in Romans chapter 15 verses 1-6.  Verse 2 reads, “Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor.” 

On the surface, this looks to be rather simple.  Most world religions and philosophies teach that we should be kind and compassionate.  Most world religions and philosophies teach us to care for those in need and ease the needs of the poor and downtrodden.  Nearly every world religion and philosophy has some form of the teaching, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  So, we as Christians are supposed to be nice people.  We are supposed to be kind people. We are supposed to treat others with such niceness and kindness.  That’s it, right.  End of sermon.  Done.  Let’s call it a day.

You knew it wouldn’t be that simple, didn’t you?  The Greek wording of this sentence adds a little bit of nuance.  A better reading would be this: Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor spiritually.  One of the marks of the church that first falls deeply in love with Jesus is the deep desire to build up our neighbors spiritually.

Now, first off, let me say that this does not excuse us from helping those who are in need.  There is wisdom in the statement that it’s awful hard to hear someone saying, “God loves you,” when your stomach is rumbling; you’re cold and shivering, and you have no place to sleep.  Furthermore, Jesus is very, very clear that when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned, we are feeding, clothing, and visiting him.  We must care for our neighbor’s physical needs, but we are called to care for our neighbor’s spiritual needs as well–to build up our neighbor spiritually.  This is where things can become complicated.

How do we build up our neighbor spiritually?  It’s easy to give someone something to eat when they are hungry.  It’s easy to give someone a drink when they are thirsty.  It’s easy to give someone clothing when they are naked.  It’s easy to visit someone when they are sick or in prison.  These needs are visible.  We can see them without difficulty.  But how do we build up our neighbor’s spirituality?  How do we help them grow in their relationship with God–and in particular grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ?  That’s not so easy, not so easy at all because we cannot see where people are at.  We cannot see if they even believe in God.  We cannot see how deeply they believe in Jesus Christ.  We don’t know where their faith is at; if they have faith at all; or even if they want to grow in their faith.  How can we begin to build up others spiritually if we cannot see where they are at?

Some of you may have heard the parable about the blind men and the elephant.  For those of you who haven’t let me tell it once more.  A group of blind men stumble upon an elephant in the jungle.  They all want to figure out what the elephant is like, so they each touch a piece of the elephant.  Afterwards, as the men continue their travels, they begin arguing what the elephant is like.  One who touched the tail argues, “The elephant is like a rope, long and stringy.”  One who touched the torso says, “The elephant is like a wall, solid and strong.”  One who touched the tusk says, “The elephant is like a spear, long and with a sharp point.”  One who touched the leg says, “The elephant is like a tree stump, short and stout.”  And on and on it goes as the men argue with one another what the elephant is like.  Now, this parable is usually used to talk about religion saying that each religion has part of the truth, but none has the full truth.  Don’t get too comfortable with that conclusion–it’s easily refutable.

But I don’t want to use that conclusion today.  What I would like to comment on is that oftentimes we do such things with one another when it comes to the faith life of another person.  We observe from afar.  We see someone going to church, and we assume that their faith is very strong and that they are a Christian.  We observe someone staying home every Sunday, and we infer that they have no faith.  We observe someone covered with tattoos and body piercings, and we think they are an atheist.  We observe someone clean cut and wearing a suit on Sunday morning, and we assume they are a deacon in a congregation.  Oh, this is just a short list.  We could add many other observations.  And oftentimes, we base our conclusions on just these observations.  Meanwhile, others make different observations and come to different conclusions.  Then, we end up like all of those blind men arguing on the roadside.

But here is a revolutionary thought–it’s not mine.  I actually heard a pastor by the name of Kevin DeYoung use it.  What if the elephant could talk?  What if the elephant could express itself?  What if the elephant had the capability of describing itself to you and telling you exactly what it was like?  How would that change the parable?

Well, if you refused to talk to the elephant, it wouldn’t change things much at all.  You’d still be left guessing, but if the elephant could talk, and you actually engaged the elephant, you might find out some very, very interesting things.  You might find out a whole lot more than you ever thought you knew. 

Now, I am certainly not trying to call our neighbors elephants.  God forbid!  That might cause a bit of a stir, but what I am suggesting, rather strongly, that in order to truly build up our neighbors spiritually, we have to get to know our neighbors.  I mean, really get to know our neighbors.  This isn’t a superficial, “Hey how are you?” kind of knowing.  This isn’t a, “I know your name, your address, and your phone number kind of relationship.”  This is an engagement so that we come to know the height, depth, and length of our neighbor’s relationship with God or lack of it.  For if we don’t know about our neighbor’s relationship with God, how can we even begin to build it up?

The answer is, “We can’t.”  Before I continue just a moment, let me please dispel one thing that sometimes arises at this point.  Sometimes, good intentioned people say, “But pastor, isn’t the church supposed to worry about growing the faith of its members?”  The answer to that is absolutely, positively yes!!  Indeed, the church is here to help the faith of its members grow, but let me add this note–Paul here is very intentional in his wording.  He uses the term neighbors after a long stretch of using the word brothers.  He changes the terminology because for him, brothers means fellow Christians.  He intentionally indicates here that as your faith grows and deepens, you no longer just look to your own growth and building up; you no longer just look to the building up of your fellow Christians, you look outside yourself and outside your church into your community to help others come into a relationship with Jesus Christ and grow into that relationship.

And so, the mark of a church that is growing in its relationship with Jesus Christ is that its members seek out people in the community; seeks out their neighbors to get to know them; to learn about them; to understand them as people; to come to love and cherish their relationship, and then to lead them to Jesus Christ or help them deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ.

I am reminded about the story of two literary giants.  Perhaps you have heard their names: J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis.  Tolkein wrote The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  C.S. Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, and a host of other well known Christian books.  What you may not know is that C.S. Lewis was originally an atheist.  He railed against Christianity and called it a myth like any Norse mythology.  False.  Untrue.  For five years, J.R.R. Tolkein talked with his friend C.S. Lewis.  For five years, Tolkein got to know Lewis; ate with him; drank with him; engaged him with conversation.  Then, on September 19, 1931, Lewis converted from atheism to theism.  Lewis came to believe in God.  But, Lewis did not convert to Christianity.  It was not until two years later that while staying up past 3 a.m. with Tolkein and another professor that C.S. Lewis came to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the world.  For you mathematicians, you know that this took seven years.  Seven years of investing in a friend.  Of engaging.  Of questioning.  Of not becoming offended. Of caring.  Of genuine concern for the building up of the neighbor.

The question becomes, are we as a church; are we as individual Christians willing to invest so much time?  Are we willing to grow in our faith so that we can help others grow over such a long time?  Are we willing to be long term people in a short term world?  Are we willing to do what it takes to really and truly get to know our neighbors, understand where they are coming from, and truly seek their coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior?  Will we be willing to invest in our neighbors like Jesus invested in us and continues to invest in us to help us grow?

For Jesus sought to win our hearts by dying for us when we least deserved it.  He did not coerce us with fear or anger, but with grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  Yes, He confronted us with our sin, but he did not hold that sin against us.  Instead, He took that sin upon Himself and paid the price for those sins by dying on the cross and facing hell for us.  He then showered us with hope as He showed us what awaits for us when we trust in Him–resurrection and the reversal of all evil.  And now, He walks with us daily living enthroned upon our hearts whispering to us of his love; whispering to us of his grace; whispering to us his guidance and continued support; whispering to us that no matter what we face in life, He will see us through and bring us to something glorious–the Kingdom of God.  It is this love that we are called to share.  It is this love that we are called to pass on to our neighbor.  It is this love that will build our neighbor up.  Amen.

A Heart Burning to Make Christ Known: Romans 9:1-5

On YouTube, there are a whole lot of videos titled “Fails.”  They are kind of like America’s Funniest Home videos without commercials.  One after another, you see people crashing skateboards, bicycles, and cars.  One after another you see people diving into the water and belly flopping or landing on their backs.  One after another you see people trying to do gymnastics and landing on their head, back, or belly.  And oftentimes, you can see it coming.  Oftentimes, you can see exactly where the video is headed, and you wonder, “Why in the world would people be doing this kind of stuff?  Why in the world would they be putting themselves in a position to get hurt or even worse?  Why doesn’t someone try to stop them?”

And I would like to ask you this morning, “Would it do any good to try to stop them?  Even though you know the potential and likelihood of someone getting hurt doing such things, even though you see that the behavior could lead to destruction and pain; even though you know that it would be best to change course and walk away; do you think it would do much good to try and convince someone otherwise?”

I do not ask this question lightly because it is a question that I am oftentimes faced with, and I know it is a question that many folks are oftentimes faced with.  And I know how frustrating it can be.  Do you need an example?

I can’t tell you how many times I have watched the behavior of a bride and groom to be and thought, “This is not good.”  The way these two act; the way they think about the future; the way they talk about relationship; it’s not good.  They need to wait.  They need to think about what they are doing.  They need a cooling off period.”  But there is no stopping what is happening–such folks are infatuated with one another, and there is nothing you can say or do that will prevent them from carrying on with their plans.

I can’t tell you how many families I have seen dealing with an alcoholic.  They see the destructive and abusive behavior.  They hold their loved one to account.  They try to get rid of the alcohol.  They try to reign the behavior in.  “I DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM!”  And the downward spiral continues damaging the whole family until everyone just goes into survivor mode.

Perhaps as a parent you have watched your kids making choices that are not in their best interests.  And no matter how hard you push; no matter what discipline you institute; no matter how reasonably you try to explain things to them; they keep doing things that will hurt them in the long run.

And you get frustrated.  You get angry.  You get annoyed.  And as time passes, you become exhausted; beat down; depressed.  Eventually, you wonder if there is any point in fighting; any point in arguing; any point in caring.  Is the struggle even worth it?

Let’s pray.  Heavenly Father, sometimes in life we run into situations where it looks like no matter what we do or say, we don’t make any difference at all.  It’s so easy to give up.  It’s so easy to walk away.  Help us today to see that we are not the only ones at work in such situations and that ultimately, we look to you to bring change not only in others, but especially in ourselves.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Today, we start chapter nine in the book of Romans.  There is a definite break in the letter, so much so that some scholars have thought that chapters nine through eleven could easily be set on the margins–that these chapters are not really a part of the letter’s main argument or theme.  For in the next three chapters, Paul turns his attention to the problem of Israel.  God made specific promises to Israel throughout the Old Testament.  Are these promises now null and void?  The short answer is no.

But on a more practical level, I had some concerns about preaching through these three chapters.  I mean, does this problem that Paul is dealing with have any relevance to our lives today?  Does Paul’s wrestling with what God is going to do with Israel after the coming of Jesus have anything to say to our situation as Christians and the church today?  This week, as I sat down in sermon preparation, I read through these three chapters, and I didn’t have to go too far for the answer.

In the opening verses of chapter nine, Paul is experiencing exactly the feelings and emotions that I began this sermon with.  He is in anguish as he watches his countrymen–his kinfolk–travel down a path that leads to danger, destruction, and alienation from God.  To show you his anguish, it actually might be better for us to handle these first five verses kind of in reverse.

You see, Paul loves his fellow Israelites.  He know how God has acted in their past.  He knows the promises that God has given through the years.  He knows how God has worked to set the Israelites apart to bless them that they might be a blessing.  In verses 4-5, Paul lays all of this out, “4They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; 5to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed for ever.”  This is an impressive list of gifts that God has given.  Each term deserves consideration and careful dissection.  Unfortunately, we don’t have time to delve into each one and give it justice, so I am simply going to do one giant brush stroke–Paul lays out eight highly significant blessings that God has bestowed upon the Israelites–eight highly significant blessings that show just how much God cares for His people.  And in Paul’s mind, these blessings; these manifestations of God’s love should have led them to see the inevitable conclusion: that God has sent Jesus to be the suffering servant; the Messiah; the Savior of the world.  But, alas, Paul’s kinfolk have not come to see this.  By and large they have rejected the Gospel.  By and large they have not come to faith in Jesus as the Messiah.  Most have flat out rejected this notion.

And it’s not that Paul hasn’t tried to reach them.  When we read through the book of Acts, we see clearly that when Paul went into a city, he oftentimes started in the local synagogue–that is the place of Jewish worship.  He would begin preaching the Gospel there, and more often than not, he was rejected.  He was considered a blasphemer.  He was cast out of the synagogue and sometimes shunned, verbally assaulted, beaten, and even stoned.  His message simply was not accepted by his fellow Jews.

And it hurt Paul deeply.  The first three verses of chapter nine testify to this, and these verses are almost beyond comprehension.  “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh.”  Paul begins by doubly emphasizing, in both a positive and negative fashion that he is telling the truth.  It’s like swearing on the King James, New Revised Standard, New International Version, and English Standard Translation of the Bible all at the same time.  Paul wants to leave no doubt that what he is saying is true.  And what he says is astounding for someone who has just written what he has written in chapters 1-8.

Paul says: If it were possible, I would suffer eternal separation from Christ; I would suffer the torment of hell for eternity if it would bring my kindred–the people of Israel–to Jesus Christ.  Stop and think about that for a moment.  Stop and think about what Paul is saying in that statement.  He is willing to give up his everlasting salvation; his everlasting place in heaven; his sure foundation and security in life and death–if it would bring his countrymen to faith in Jesus Christ.

Think about this on top of all the persecution and hatred he has received from preaching to his countrymen.  Think about what Paul has just said given that he has been rejected time and again by his fellow Jews.  Think about this in light of how many times he has had the authorities called on him; has been arrested; has been whipped and even stoned.  He has suffered tremendously at the hands of his fellow Jews, and yet, despite this, there isn’t a hint of apathy.  There isn’t a hint of resignation.  There isn’t a hint of wanting to give up.  The fire of the Gospel runs so deeply within him that he would even give up his own salvation to bring his fellow countrymen to faith in Jesus.
The fire of the Gospel runs so deep, that he would sacrifice what is most dear to him, so that his fellow Jews might find salvation in Jesus.

I look at Paul’s fire here, and am put to shame.

I mean, in a very real way, I am like Paul.  I grieve that people don’t seem to come to belief and trust in Jesus in our culture.  I grieve that the ELCA is a shrinking church.  I grieve that our congregation is essentially a stagnant congregation within that larger church.  I grieve that we don’t have pews filled with people who are wondering about the Christian faith and what kind of impact it might have in their lives.  I grieve that it seems like more and more people are becoming irreligious or becoming Christian in name only instead of the deep down conviction and heart changing faith that Jesus
Himself calls us to.  Oh, yes, I grieve these things deeply.

But, what am I willing to do about it?  What am I willing to give up to change things?  The answer shames me.

You see, I look at Paul’s fire here and see my own reluctance to give up anything precious to myself for the sake of the Gospel.

I look at Paul’s fire here and see how selfishly I guard my self and how I shy away from argument and trial and tribulation.

I look at Paul’s fire here and see how willingly I give up and become resigned that folks will not change.

I look at Paul’s willingness to give up his salvation for others and see how I get jealous when I have to give up my day off.

The Gospel does not consume my heart like it did Paul’s.

I would argue the Gospel does not consume most of our hearts’ like it did Paul’s.

I would argue we don’t have near the passion for bringing people to faith like Paul did.  It’s easier to simply let things go.  It’s easier to stay away from conflict.  It’s easier just to do our own thing and let others do their own thing.  It’s too easy to buy the modern day cliche, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are kind to others.”

But the problem with that cliche is that even though we know we should be kind to one another, we aren’t.  Even though we talk about being kind, we see what goes on in our nation. We see what goes on in the world.  If people think they can get away with it: People lie.  People cheat.  People treat one another badly.  I was reminded of this when I saw a video posted on Facebook of a baseball player intentionally missing third base to score.  The desire to win; the desire to be ahead; the desire to put myself in front of others is simply too strong.  As Christians, we know this.  As Christians, we have had it all laid out in front of us by Paul in this letter to the Romans. We know that belief matters.  We know that if you don’t have faith in the right things, the wrong actions will transpire.  The power of sin–the power of self-love is too strong.

And it is the Gospel which takes us out of ourselves.  It was the Gospel that took Paul out of himself.  It was the Gospel which inspires us to sacrifice; to commit; to avoid depression; to give of our time, talent, and treasure for the sake of the world–for the sake of our kindred who do not believe.

For if we know that we are sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God;

If we know that we deserve God’s wrath instead of His love because of our sinfulness;

If we know that instead of giving us wrath, God sent Jesus into the world to live the life that we should live and die the death that we deserved;

If we know that it should have been us on that cross instead of Jesus, and that He willingly took our place there;

If we know that Jesus did that of His own free will not because we deserved it, but precisely because we didn’t;

If we know that Jesus died there because He loved us even in our brokenness;

Our hearts of stone melt because of the love that has been poured out for us.

Our hearts become full of thankfulness and love for the One who gave Himself for us.

Our hearts deeply desire Him, and we long to live for Him.

Our hearts long to bring others to the saving grace and love poured out on the cross.

Our hearts burn to tell others the good news of Jesus, and we are willing to do so even at great cost to ourselves.

If you are like me and are not quite there yet, then we need to hear what Jesus has done for us over and over and over.  We need to hear that God so loved us that He gave his only begotten Son so that all those who believe in him should not perish but have eternal life.  We need to have the Gospel pounded into us so that our hearts become inflamed–so that our hearts burn with the desire to bring people to Jesus; so that our hearts desire to share the love of God with those who reject us time and time and time again; so that we never become apathetic or depressed because we know that it isn’t about us.  It isn’t about us at all.  Paul knew this.  We need to know it.  It’s all about Jesus.  Let us tell the story of Jesus.

Let’s pray.  Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.  Renew our hearts by the power of the Gospel.  Help us to remember what Jesus has done to redeem us, and may our hearts burn like Paul’s burned that we may sacrifice ourselves to bring others to the saving grace of Jesus.  In his name we pray.  Amen.

Arguments and Exhortations

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday--the day the Church remembers the bestowing of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples empowering them to go out and proclaim the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus' death and resurrection.

Pentecost is usually one of my favorite Sundays of the Church year.  There are no external trappings like Christmas Trees and presents or bunnies and eggs to deal with.  This Church festival has yet to be co-opted by society, and for this I am thankful.  I am also thankful for the opportunity to wear my red stole--it rarely gets used during the year.  I am thankful to preach about the power from on high that fell upon the disciples upon that day.

As part of my sermon preparation, I read the entirety of Acts chapter two.  There are 47 verses in the chapter, and we will only be publicly reading 21.  Chalk such matters up to time restraints and to those who pick out what texts constitute the Revised Common Lectionary.  I could add additional verses, but lengthy Bible passages plus lengthy sermons can equal mumblings and grumblings.  Better to keep things a bit shorter and sweeter.  :-)

Yet, there is so much in the second chapter of Acts which needs proclaiming.  There is so much which needs examining and revisiting as we see the empowerment of the Church and its initial proclamation as articulated by Peter.  Pentecost happened so that Jesus could be proclaimed!!!

It is worth taking some time to read through Peter's proclamation.  It cut many to their hearts, but I was also struck by another verse included by Luke in this text.  Verse 40:

⁴⁰And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’  (New Revised Standard Version translation)

"Intriguing," I thought to myself.  Arguments?  Exhortations?  Wasn't it enough just to proclaim the mighty acts of God in Jesus?  Apparently not. 

I decided to dig into the Greek to catch any nuances of the words:

The two words which most concerned me were διεμαρτύρατο (diemartyrato, translated as arguments) and παρεκάλει (parekalei, translated as exhorted). 

Diemartyrato has as its root word "witness."  The "die" adds emphasis, so there is often some wiggle room in translating this word.  Strong's Greek concordance translates it "solemnly testify." 

The King James Bible translates it testify and exhort.

The New International Version translates it warned and pleaded.

As I look at this particular statement, there is a sense of some strongly worded testimony by Peter.  There is a sense of urgency; a sense of working to convince the crowd; a sense of working hard to explain the new reality rooted and grounded in Jesus' death and resurrection.  There is not just a presentation of the events that occurred, but there is a need to explain the reasons for those events and their implications for life.

What is the take home point?

The Church cannot simply be nice to everyone and expect people to come to faith.

The Church cannot simply be engaged in doing justice and expect people to believe in Jesus.

The Church cannot simply say, "Jesus is risen," and expect people to come to faith.

The Church cannot simply say, "Follow these rules because God says so," and expect people to believe in Jesus.

There must be a willingness to engage, argue, exhort, explain, and so on and so forth.  There must be a willingness on behalf of the Church to present the Christian worldview from the beginning and show how that worldview addresses life's biggest questions.  There must be a willingness to show how various worldviews fall short in how they address those questions and exhort others to "save themselves from this corrupt generation."

There's nothing really nice about that last statement.  In fact, it can be seen as pretty arrogant.  It can be seen as pretty exclusive.  And if it is spoken without the proclamation of grace and mercy shown by Jesus on the cross; if it is spoken by someone who looks down one's nose at another while speaking it; if it is spoken in arrogance and self-righteousness, then the message will be lost as well.

The challenge, I think, is to engage the world with great love and compassion with absolutely no compromise in the belief that Jesus is the risen Lord who alone can offer salvation--not only for eternity, but for our world today.  Jesus is the risen Lord who can bring about abundant life--a life of joy, peace, and reconciliation now.  

If you think not, I'm ready to argue.  :-)

Only the Cross

I find myself in a bit of a pickle as I think long and hard about my relationship with the larger church (ELCA).  I love my church.  There is no doubt about this.  I want her to grow and thrive.  I want the God-awful state of decline she has been in to reverse itself and for people to fill her pews on a given Sunday morning.  I long for the day when all of our congregation's pews: Lutheran, Baptist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, and the like are filled to overflowing as people come from far and wide to worship.

I do not wish for any church body to decline and die.

And yet, many are.  Some slowly.  Some spiraling out of control.

Now, this is not some sort of "the Church must change or die" sort of post.  God knows, I've heard so many of those lectures and read so many of those blogs that I have started tuning them out.

That goes for those folks who say that we need to become more moralistic.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to focus more on justice.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to change our doctrines.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to stop being so liberal.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to stop being so conservative.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to implement more programs.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to implement less programs.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to have more "contemporary"/modern worship.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to have more "traditional" worship.

In each and every one of these things, we are focusing on ourselves.  We are trying to figure out what the surrounding culture wants and give it to them.  It's as if we believe the Church is here to satisfy the needs and desires of the culture, and if we want our pews to be full, then we need to be giving the culture what it wants.

I can see the early Church trying to take such action. 

"Well, you see those Jews over there.  They expect a Messiah who will come and establish power and peace by military force.  The Messiah will overthrow the Romans and free the nation of Israel.  Let's shun the cross and what Jesus did and talk about such power and might.  Let's give them what they want."

"Well, you see those Gentiles over there.  They want comfort and security.  They want a god who is omniscient and omnipotent who can favor them.  Let's get rid of the cross where God dies and give them a god who allows them joy and pleasure in their lives."

"For the cross is a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles."  --1 Corinthians 1:23.

Indeed, the cross still is foolishness.  It must be.  That's the only reason I can think of that it didn't make an appearance at the Synod Assembly I attended last week.  Can you imagine a Synod Assembly whose focus was intended to be evangelism that didn't mention the cross?  That didn't mention the acts of God on that cross?  Can you imagine a Lutheran Synod Assembly whose focus was supposedly evangelism--whose founder espoused and coined the phrase the theology of the cross--who didn't spend a single minute asking the question, "How do we convey the message of the cross in this day and age?  How do we talk about God's reconciling the world unto Himself in this postmodern age?"

So, what was the Synod Assembly focused on? 

Essentially, it was one giant pep-rally trying to get us to do good things.  Yep, that was it.  Work hard at being especially nice.  Work hard at listening to your neighbors.  Work hard at loving everyone.  That is evangelism.  Your works are evangelism.  What you do is evangelism.

So, you might ask, what is the problem with that?  I'd like you to read the following quote from a young man who served on a panel of young adults at the Synod Assembly.  He leans atheist/agnostic, and he offered this scathing criticism of the church:

But the part of me that lives on the edges has to stop and ask this...why?  Why is the christian church trying to recruit "youths ages 18-35 who make up the blah blah blah???  What does having more people in church do?

The people I asked to help me with this do amazing things, why doesn't the church stop trying to pull them into their crowd and instead go out and be with them? ...The question I want answered is, when will the church stop trying to make itself the center of everyone's world and go out and do something like so many 18-35 year olds are doing, because I have to tell you, we are just waiting for the day the church joins us.

What response can one give to such a scathing criticism IF the church's job is "doing good things?" 

There is no response.  The criticism stands, and the Church is convicted.  (Although to be fair, in the omitted examples this gentleman listed in his screed where he asked "Where is the Church?", in all reality, the Church was already in all of those places.  One can easily ask the question: why can't you see it there?)

In fact, as I was debriefing with one of my members, I was brutally honest.  I said, "I don't want this guy in my church.  He reminds me of myself not too long ago.  Arrogant.  Self-righteous.  He'd be a troublemaker.  But it doesn't matter if I want him in church or not.  There is One who does want Him.  There is One who wants His heart and soul."

Indeed, there is one part of the young man's criticism that is Truth: the Church should never try and make itself the center of everyone's world.  Never.  Ever!  At the center of everyone's world should be a cross with a suffering God who is stretching His arms out to suffer and die to make sure the world is reconciled to their Heavenly Father.  At the center of everyone's world should be Jesus.

If anyone in the Christian Church disputes this, then I simply think you cannot call yourself a Christian.  (Read my extended quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer from a few days ago.)  If at the center of your world is anything less than Jesus, then you are committing idolatry.  You have a false god.

And so, the answer to the young man's question is Jesus.  The Church doesn't want you, sir.  Jesus does.  The Church will go on without you too, but there is One who doesn't want to go on without you.  There is one who was willing to die for you.  I know you probably don't see that or get that.  You are completely and totally focused on your actions and the actions of the world and the Church.  You want to make a difference.  I understand that.  I really do.  I wanted to change the world myself.

But I found out something.  It was a hard lesson.  A very hard one.  I couldn't make that difference.  I couldn't change people.  I couldn't change the world.  I might be able to feed a person for a day.  I might be able to lobby government officials.  I might even be able to lead a movement to change laws, but I can never, ever change someone's heart.  I can't make people love each other.  I can't make people get along and see each other a fully human.  I can't convince people to stop looking out for their own interests and look out for the interests of another. 

I know you are a studious sort of person.  It came across very strongly in your presentation.  Read Nietzsche?  You understand, don't you, that if there is no transcendence, no God, then everything we do are simply power plays, right?  You do understand that essentially we are all working out our own wills to power even if we say we are looking out for another?  You could argue that you aren't looking out for yourself, but Nietzsche would scoff at you and say, "Yeah right.  The only reason you are trying to help others is because you get some benefit.

You see, there is One who indeed came and lived for no benefit to Himself.  Jesus didn't need anything from us.  He was totally satisfied, loved, and glorified in His relationship with His Father and the Spirit.  He needed and needs nothing from us.  Yet, He came to us for a reason--to change our hearts that we might experience the same kind of love He knows living with the Father and the Spirit.  He came that we might be able to love one another without any sort of contempt or anger towards those who are different than we are.  And He showed that not with power and might but with a cross.

It's all about Jesus and the cross.  If you can't get someone to the foot of the cross, then...well, you might be doing some good things, but you are not doing evangelism.  And if the Church exists solely for doing good things, then we have no need of worship.  We have no need for buildings and Bible Study.  All we essentially need is to have someone urge us, remind us, sometimes whip us into submission to "Love our neighbors as we love ourselves."

But Christianity isn't about that.  Evangelism isn't about that.  It's all about Jesus.  It's focal point is the cross. 

Somehow, this has been pushed to the periphery.  No longer is it at the center.  

To our detriment.

What will it take to reclaim our cross-centeredness? 

I frankly don't know, but I know what I will do from henceforth:

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. ²For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  -- 1 Corinthians 2:1-2.

If that message changed hearts then, it will still change hearts now.  Here I stand...

Speaking Truth to Power

I remember vividly conversations held time and again while I was in college, seminary, and then amongst colleagues.  Well, perhaps I shouldn't sound like my memory is infallible for I do not remember vividly the details of said conversations, but I do remember a theme which has been prevalent--especially with those who believe Christians should work to influence the political process and seek laws which are in accord with biblical theology:

We must speak truth to power!

In my particular denomination, this phrase connotes a strong prophetic theme.  Just as the prophets confronted the rulers of Israel and Judah for their injustices, we too must be prophetic.  We too must convince our rulers to seek justice: to care for the widow, the orphan, and the needy.

My schooling was heavily influenced by liberation theologians of one flavor or another, and this theme ran prevalent in all of them as well.  Those in power must be confronted.  We must speak truth to power!

The Church indeed must wrestle with a very important question: how are we to live together?  Many argue that this is the nature of politics.  How do we live and move and work with one another.  This is a question that the Church must enter into regularly as we engage Christians, non-Christians, religious and secular.  We are not isolated from our surrounding communities, and ethics always plays a role in the midst of our daily lives.

Yet, how do we engage the powers of our day?  How do we engage the leaders in our respective cities, states, and nations?  (Obvious American bias right there.)

One of the most interesting things, at least to me, regarding Christianity is how it has managed to thrive under just about every type of government imposed by humanity.  It has survived monarchies, democracy, communism, socialism, and everything in between.  No government has been able to squash it fully--although some have managed to repress it severely.

Sometimes, Christians have the privilege of engaging governmental powers without fear of reprisal.  Sometimes engaging governmental powers is a life or death matter.  It depends upon which type of government you engage.

Which leads us to the point where we must ask: how should we engage our government?  How should we seek to influence the political process?  How should we "speak truth to power?"

For I think the phrase is well worth using, but perhaps in a not so conventional way.

Len Sweet at the Theological Conference I attended a few weeks ago nailed the group with a question.  It was a question yours truly has wrestled with previously and made an argument for.  "When you hear the word Truth, what picture do you get in your head?"  Sweet asked.

In my head, I saw Jesus.  "I am the way and the truth and the life," He said.

Sweet followed up, "For we believe truth is not a concept but a person."

A definite point of agreement here.

Truth indeed, for the Christian, is not a concept but a person.  I think we tend to forget this when we seek to influence the writing of legislation.  We tend to focus on getting certain laws passed thinking that in so doing we are proclaiming the truth.  We are not.  Laws do not proclaim Jesus.

Interestingly enough, Scripture provides a fascinating look into the early Church and its engagement with the powers that be.  I encourage readers to take a look at Acts 24 and following. 

Notice how Paul handles himself as he comes before the powers that be of his day.  See what he is trying to accomplish.  Pay particular attention to Agrippa's statement in Acts 26:

Agrippa said to Paul, ‘Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian?’ 

Paul replied, ‘Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that not only you but also all who are listening to me today might become such as I am—except for these chains.’

Speaking the Truth to power.

Speaking Jesus to power.

That all may become as we are.

I have to wonder about my denomination's "advocacy" office in Washington, D.C.  Are they operating like St. Paul or like the prophets?  Are they speaking the truth to power or speaking The Truth to power? 

One of these things is not like the other.

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.

Proclaiming God's Deeds of Power: Penetcost Sermon

    There’s an old joke that has gone around and around and around that still bears some truth.  What do you get when you cross a Lutheran and a Jehovah’s Witness?  Answer: Someone who goes around knocking on doors but doesn’t know what to say.

    That’s a shot at those of us who have a hard time with evangelism.  When it comes to telling the story of faith; when it comes to introducing others to Christianity, many of us become silent.  Many of us don’t know what to say or how to proceed.  We know we should tell others about Jesus, but when the rubber hits the road and we come across someone who doesn’t attend church or who doesn’t believe in Jesus, we find ourselves tongue tied.  We find ourselves strangely silent.  And then we feel guilty because we didn’t say anything to this person.  We’ve fallen down on the job, so to speak.

    And, of course, we pastors haven’t exactly been all that helpful when it comes to equipping everyone to share the story of Jesus Christ.  Furthermore, we haven’t exactly done a very good job of sharing that story ourselves.  We too are often afraid to engage people and invite them to consider becoming a follower of Jesus.  We too are concerned about offending others.  We too are concerned that we might not say the right thing.  And the advice we often offer isn’t all that great either.  We pastors will oftentimes either say, “Don’t worry about what to say, the Spirit will just give you the words.”  And if you are engaged in a conversation and you know you should say something but don’t, did the Spirit forget you?  Or, we tell you, “Just be an example of what it means to live a Christian life.  If people see how you live and how you love, they will want to be just like you and seek Jesus.”  That’s kind of a stretch for us to say something like that, isn’t it?  It took me quite a few years to realize this myself, because for most of the fourteen years I’ve been a pastor, I’ve said exactly this.  But I finally realized something–it is an impossibility to be an example of Jesus.  It is an impossibility to live out what Jesus taught.  It is an impossibility to do the things Jesus did.   Anyone here ever fed a multitude with five loaves of bread and two fish?  Anyone here ever walk on water?  Anyone here ever give up all their possessions, roam around the countryside, depend on everyone for food and drink and shelter while criticizing the religious authorities and telling everyone to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand?  Didn’t think so.  None of us even come close to being an example of Jesus.  None of us.

    And yet, we are called to proclaim Jesus Christ.  Before He left this world and was taken up into heaven, Jesus looked at His disciples and said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  Yes, this is the calling of each and every Christian–to make disciples of all nations.  But how do we do this?  How do we do this when we don’t know what to say?  How do we do this when we cannot be a great example?

    Let’s look at our first lesson from this morning to perhaps get the beginnings of an answer to these questions.  Our text lifts up the events of the day of Pentecost.  We see that the followers of Jesus are gathered together praying.  As they prayed, a huge rush of wind blows through their midst.  This is the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised them–the Advocate.  Tongues of flame were seen on their heads, and then something marvelous happened!  The followers of Jesus began speaking in different languages!  Words rolled off their tongues in a manner they had never experienced before!

    And we know why they started speaking in all these languages.  We know, according to Luke, that there were Jews from all over the Roman Empire who were in Jerusalem that day to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Weeks.  These Jews were part of the Diaspora.  They had been living throughout the Empire, many of them for their whole lives.  They had adopted the languages of their various cultures and lost their native tongues.  But on this day, God wanted to make sure they would understand. God wanted to make sure they would be able to know about His great deeds of power.

    And so the message is clear for each and every one of us, right?  The Spirit made the followers of Jesus talk in different languages, so we should all go out and purchase Rosetta Stone software right after worship this morning.  This part of the church can get Spanish; this part can get Czech; this part can get German; this part can get Arabic; and I’ll get Gaelic, just for the fun of it.  This is the whole meaning of Pentecost, right?  No.  I don’t think so.  The point of Pentecost isn’t for us to simply go learn other languages.  We can most certainly do that if we choose, but I think the point is stated by Luke in verse 11, “In our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”

    Let me narrow that down a little more, “We hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”  It’s all about God’s deeds of power.  Which deeds of power?

    For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him may not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it. 

    In fact, if we actually had the entire story before us this morning from Acts chapter 2, we would see that this is exactly what Peter gets into right after he makes those comments about the prophet Joel.  Here are some of Peter’s words verbatim:

    22 ‘You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— 23this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. 24But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.

    I’ll skip down a little more and read what happened when the crowd heard Peter’s words and testimony

    37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ 38Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ 40And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ 41So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. 42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

    Well, you might say.  This all sounds well and good, but how does that help me with evangelism?  How does that help me in this day and age?  What does this mean for the church in its present form?  I don’t see us adding three thousand people to the church in this day and age. 

            And you are right.  We don’t see this, but that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t happen again.  And I think it could, but we are going to have to look at how we proclaim the Gospel–the good news.  For God’s deeds of power are good news.  What am I trying to get at?
    Just this: there is a difference between good news and advice.  I need to acknowledge that the following

comes from a lecture I heard given by Timothy Keller.  There is a big difference between good news and advice.  Advice givers are a dime a dozen these days.  They are all over the place.  I’ve personally been one for a long time, but I am trying to be a bearer of good news.  I am trying to be a herald.  What is the difference?

    Think of it in this fashion: a foreign army invades a country, and the king heads off to do battle.  If the king wins the battle, he sends back heralds–messengers who proclaim good news.  “The battle is over.  The enemy is defeated.  You did nothing to win the victory, but your king has conquered.  Live in the freedom of victory!”  This is proclaiming good news!!!  But if the king loses, he sends back military advisers.  “Put up the breastworks here!  Calvary over here!  Archers over here!  Prepare to fight for your lives!!!”  Big difference, right.  Big difference.

    Just about every philosophy in the world; just about every religion in the world; just about every particular political institution or club that you will join in this world sends military advisers–this is how you should live your life.  These are the things you should consider important.  These are the habits of highly effective people.  These are the things you should do to become really, truly happy.  These are the things you must do to please God.  Every one of these things is advice.  Every one of these things tries to tell you how to live; and there are many in the broader church who have taken this tract.  There are many in the church who spend a lot of time trying to tell us how we should live and the things we should do.  I’ve spent a lot of time in that camp, and it makes evangelism hard.  Because when you try to tell someone how to live and give advice, you are better off sending an example–being an example.  Living the right way.  Doing the right things.

    And none of us can do it.  None of us can be that kind of example, but the good news is that God wins the victory for us despite the fact that we are poor examples of what He would like us to be.  God wins the victory through the cross and the grave–He defeats sin; He defeats evil, and He promises resurrection while we are still sinners.  He showers His love down upon you and me even in the midst of our brokenness.  This is not advice.  This is good news! 

    And what do you do when you get good news?  What do you do when you have a piece of information that is so fulfilling; so exciting; so life changing?  You share, not because you are trying to tell someone what to do or how they should act or how they should live–you are sharing because it has made a difference in your life, and you know it could make a difference in other peoples’ lives as well. 

    God has performed great acts of power.  He has reconciled the world unto Himself.  He has died for you and for me despite our brokenness.  We are not perfect, but God loves us and He redeemed us.  This is good news!  May it be heard and shared!  Amen.

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.

I Decided to Know Nothing Except Christ Crucified

    St. Paul writes, “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.”

    Most of my life and in most of my time as an ordained minister, I have tried to do the exact opposite of what St. Paul says in these opening words of the second chapter of 1 Corinthians.  I hate to admit this.  I really do.  I hate to admit that for most of my career, I have tried diligently to learn as much as I can and then show how learned I am.  I have tried using lofty words of wisdom in my sermons, on my blog, in Bible study, and in conversation.  I have oftentimes been convinced that such lofty words of wisdom will convince many in today’s society of the reasonableness of Christianity.  I have oftentimes been convinced that Christianity has all the answers to all the questions that exist and that if I just learn them and articulate them, well, then I can have a tremendous impact in the lives of others.  I have oftentimes been convinced that our churches simply need to get with the right train of theological thought–the right train of wisdom, and then all will be well. 

    I don’t think I am alone in what I have done and to some extent continue to do.  It’s the way the world works.  I mean, just browse through the comments section on any particular political article.  Jump onto an internet message board and read through any particularly controversial thread.  Look at what stands out when people engage in dialogue about such subjects.  Well, first filter through the comments which are simply baseless attacks.  Then, read the more serious ones.  See what they do.  Time and again, they list: point by point; reason by reason why their “side” is correct.  Time and again, they will provide links to studies, articles, and citations to bolster their particular point of view.  Time and again, they will show statistics and numbers to prove their particular position.  All of the facts must be shown, and once the facts are presented, then one shouldn’t be able to argue with my position.  After all, I am right!  I have the facts on my side.  I have thoroughly researched this issue, and by God, I know what I am talking about.

    Oftentimes, the rebuttals are swift, and one of my favorite ones is, “So, you have a degree in whatever subject matter is at hand, I suppose?  You are a climate scientist, a social scientist, a biologist, a biblical scholar, a doctor, a political science major, a lawyer, or what have you.  The rebuttal is that unless you have studied the subject matter and have a degree in it, then you are not qualified to speak with any kind of authority on the matter.

    It’s part and parcel in the way the world works.  We love appealing to our experts.  We love appealing to those who have numerous letters behind their names.  Of course, if certain experts disagree with us, then we will find other experts, but hey, that’s the game, isn’t it?  Lofty titles.  Large degrees.  Plenty of status.  That’s what awes people into believing what you have to say. 

    I am reminded at this point of a joke I love to tell.  It’s about a church congregation president who decided to call on several members who hadn’t been in church for some time.  He goes to see Farmer Joe. 

    Farmer Joe is out in the field chopping cotton.  Bob parks his car down in the turning row and walks up to Joe.

    “Hey Joe! How’ve you been?”

    “Aiiight,” Joe replies.

    Bob continues, “Haven’t seen you in church in a while, Joe.  Thought you might like to come back.”

    Joe wipes the sweat off his brow, spits in the dirt and says, “Well, why should I come back to church?”

    Bob says, “Joe, you have got to come and hear the new preacher we got!  He’s fantastic!”

    Joe slowly says, “Well, what makes this here preacher so special?”

    Bob replies enthusiastically, “Joe, he’s got a B.S. an M.S. and a PhD!”

    Joe shakes his head and says, “Well, that settles it.  I ain’t a comin’ to church as long as that preacher’s there.”

    Bob is taken aback.  He can hardly believe his ears.  “W-w-w-why?” he stammers.

    Joe spits in the dirt and says, “Well, we all know what B.S. is.  M.S. is just more of the same.  And PhD is piled high and deep.”

    Don’t laugh too hard now.  I personally have a master’s degree.

    But there is something to be said here.  There is something to be said regarding those who try to proclaim the message of God based in wisdom and lofty words.  There is something to be said about those who claim to have special knowledge of God and how God operates.  There is something to be said for those like myself and others who have tried time and again to use knowledge and reason and other such things to talk about God–to try and convince everyone that we’ve got it down pat when it comes to knowing and understanding God and His ways.

    And that something is not necessarily pretty.  You see Paul was onto something when he proclaimed the Gospel to the Gentiles. “I didn’t come with words of wisdom.  I chose only to know Christ crucified that your faith may not rest on worldly wisdom but on the power of God.”

    You see, Paul knew it wasn’t what he knew that counted.  Paul knew it wasn’t about what he had accomplished.  Paul knew his resume wasn’t the important part of the equation.  Paul knew very well that it wasn’t about anything he had done that mattered.  If people were resting their faith on what Paul had done, there would be problems.  But if they rested their faith on what God had done, well, then that was quite a different story.  And now we must ask: what has God done?

    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 may be saved through Him.

    On the cross, Jesus died–God died–to reconcile the world unto Himself.  God died to pay the price of forgiveness–to take away our shame, our guilt, our debt to Him.  It was on the cross that the world’s redemption took place.  “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

    I am beginning to change, my brothers and sisters.  I am trying to leave behind this notion that I must be filled with lofty wisdom and knowledge and understanding.  I am trying to leave behind the notion that I have to be super-knowledgeable about Christianity, the Bible, all sorts of theology.  I am working to focus on the main thing: Christ crucified and the grace that flows from the cross.  It’s all about that grace.  It’s all about what God has done.  None of us need a degree to proclaim it.  All of us can do it, and when we do, we live God’s Word daily.  Amen.

You are not Stones

    We love to build our temples out of beautiful stones.  Brick by brick we build them.  We try to make them as large and as grand as possible.  Oh, I am not necessarily talking about physical temples–no, not in the least.  Not many of us physically construct such a thing in our lives, but metaphorically.  Yes, we build our temples as best as we can trying to make them as beautiful as we possibly can.

    •    Here is a brick for getting a good education.
    •    Here is a brick for graduating in the top 10% of the class.
    •    Here is a brick for getting scholarships to the university.
    •    Here is a brick for getting a good paying job.
    •    Here is a brick for finding a good spouse.
    •    Here is a brick for having children.
    •    Here is a brick for having well behaved children.
    •    Here is a brick for getting involved in the community.
    •    Here is a brick for helping out at the local food pantry.
    •    Here is a brick for volunteering at the YMCA.
    •    Here is a brick for going to church.
    •    Here is a brick for putting something in the offering plate.
    •    Here is a brick for having a nice house.

And we keep adding bricks.  We keep building and building, and sometimes, just sometimes we step back and say to ourselves, “What a beautiful building I have built.”  Of course, sometimes the building doesn’t go as planned.  Sometimes the stones aren’t as beautiful as we would like.  Sometimes they don’t fit as well as we would like them too, but with just enough effort–just enough maneuvering around, we alter the construction to hide those flaws.  After all, it would be a terrible thing if someone were to see that the facade of that temple wasn’t necessarily perfect. 

    So often, our lives revolve around building such temples.  So often our lives are consumed with having such places of beauty and pristine, and before we realize it, our lives find their meaning only and solely in that temple we have constructed and are constructing.  It is then that something dangerous begins to happen to us.  When we find meaning in life from constructing such temples and maintaining their beauty, that meaning and purpose can be shaken to the core if the stones start falling apart or if they are discovered to be flawed.  What do I mean by that?

    When I was in college, one Christmas, I asked my parents for one gift and one gift alone: a gold cross necklace.  I didn’t want anything else.  That was it.  I wanted to wear my faith around my neck–so to speak.  I didn’t get the cross for Christmas, much to my chagrin.  But, my parents had a trick up their sleeve.  Since my birthday is just a couple of weeks after Christmas, they decided to surprise me by giving me that necklace then.  When I opened the box, I was on cloud nine.  I loved the gift.  I loved that little gold cross necklace.  I put it on and steadfastly resolved to never, ever take it off.

    And I didn’t.  I wore it every waking and sleeping moment.  I was proud of that necklace and what it represented.  I could argue that the necklace literally was a part of me. 

    One day, I played an intra-mural football game at school.  It was a hard-fought game, and we were pretty physical even though we had no padding on.  After the game, I noticed my necklace was gone!  I was not happy.  I searched and searched the field on which we played.  I went out after dark with a flashlight hoping to catch a glimpse of the gold in the ground.  Nothing.  I despaired.  I literally was crushed.  I felt like a part of me was gone.

     Jesus said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

    That’s not a comforting thought.  It’s not a comforting thought at all.  When we’ve spent so much time constructing these things; when we’ve spent so much time with building blocks and necklaces that mean so much; when we’ve made our purpose in life to construct more and better and beautiful temples, these are not the words we want to hear.  Now, Jesus may have been speaking about the upcoming destruction of the Jewish Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D.  Some scholars believe this, but what if there indeed is a deeper thought here.  What if Jesus is forcing us to go deeper.

    For the thought of the destruction of the Temple was a horrible one.  The Jews had endured this once in their history.  The Temple represented God’s presence on earth.  It represented where God lived.  It represented the place where people could go and be guaranteed to be near the presence of God.  If it were destroyed?  What then?  If the Temple were gone?  How would God’s presence be felt? 

     “Do not be terrified,” Jesus says.  “Lots of things are going to happen.  But don’t fear.  I’ve got a plan.”

    After searching futilely for my necklace, I picked up the phone.  It was not a phone call I wanted to make.  I called my mom and dad.  I broke down in tears as I told them that my beloved necklace that they had purchased for me was gone.  I sobbed as I told them of my search and how nothing turned up.  I apologized for losing what they had given me.

    “Kevin, it’s just a necklace,” they said.  A word of grace.  Whether my parents meant it or not, the message to me became loud and clear–you are not that necklace.  Your identity is not wrapped up in that necklace.  You did not lose a piece of you when that necklace somehow was ripped from your neck.  It is a just a stone–a beautiful stone, but a stone none-the-less.  Stop worrying about the stone.  There are more important things.

    It’s hard to stop worrying about those bricks we use to build up our lives.  It’s hard to stop worrying about even building those temples.  Somehow, we have come to think that we should be judged by those temples.  Somehow we have come to think our self worth depends upon those temples.  Somehow we have come to think that how others should or should not view us depends upon those temples. 

    It’s not just necklaces which drive us to despair.  Sometimes, if a person loses his or her job, that person feels like the purpose of life is gone.  If a house is broken into and goods are stolen, sometimes people feel violated.  If a project does not go as planned, sometimes a person agonizes and spends countless hours worrying about what went wrong.  If children do not live up to expectations, parents seek out professional help to “fix” their kids.  Hey, even we pastors are not immune from such things.  When worship attendance is up, we are on cloud nine.  When it is down, we get depressed.  We all build temples, and most of the time, our emotional state is completely dependent upon how that temple looks. 

    And the scariest part is that the temple will indeed be torn down.  Not one stone will be left upon another.  It will all disappear in a heart beat; in the blink of an eye.  Or, rather in the ceasing of the heart to beat when mine eyelids close in death.  And what will become of that which we have slaved over for all of our years?

    Hear now a word of grace: you are not that temple.  Your worth is not wrapped up in that which you strive to build.  Your worth comes from something completely different.  Your worth; your purpose; your value comes from God. 

    For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes 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.

    Each and every day, my brothers and sisters, opportunity knocks.  Opportunity breaks into this world as Christ comes to us to remind us that He has a plan and a purpose for us.  Our temples may be knocked down.  Our lives may fall apart.  We may lose our jobs, our families, our friends, but we can never lose God’s love.  Never.  Ever.  We have an assurance that not one hair on our head will perish.  Is it any wonder then that Jesus says such things are opportunities to testify?  When our identity rests in Him, we have nothing to fear.  And that is what it means to Live God’s Word Daily.  Amen.