I want to begin this morning by assuring you that you are indeed one of the luckiest beings to ever exist. Now, you might be going through an awful lot in your life right now and you may beg to disagree with me, but I would like to lay out a few facts for you this morning to help you see why you are extremely lucky.
First off, do you know that you live in a universe that is perfectly tuned for your existence? What do I mean by that? Let me quote to you what John Lennox wrote in his book God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God:
Theoretical physicist Paul Davies tells us that if the ratio of the nuclear strong force to the electromagnetic force had been different by 1 part in 1016, no stars could have formed. Again, the ratio of the electromagnetic force-constant to the gravitational force-constant must be equally delicately balanced. Increase it by only 1 part in 1040 and only small stars can exist; decrease it by the same amount and there will only be large stars. You must have both large and small stars in the universe: the large ones produce elements in their thermonuclear furnaces; and it is only the small ones that burn long enough to sustain a planet with life.
To use Davis’ illustration, that is the kind of accuracy a marksman would need to hit a coin at the far side of the observable universe, twenty billion light years away. If we find that difficult to imagine, a further illustration suggested by astrophysicist Hugh Ross may help. Cover America with coins in a column reaching to the moon (380,000 km or 236,000 miles away), then do the same for a billion other continents of the same size. Paint one coin red and put it somewhere in one of the billion piles. Blindfold a friend and ask her to pick it out. The odds are about 1 in 1040 she will.
Those odds are almost incomprehensible, and let me now say that this is just one–yes THIS IS JUST ONE mechanism that requires fine tuning. There are several others which are also inconceivably small. If you struggle with math and the odds, let me be blunt. We should not be here. There is literally a zero chance that all the things that should happen for a universe to sustain life could actually come together and happen–and yet it did. If you believe that this universe is here by chance, then you have more faith than I do because the odds are not in your favor.
But, this is not the end of our luck because we are highly privileged in this universe on this particular planet. You may scoff at such a statement because you might say: with all of the billions of stars and billions of planets in the billions of galaxies, surely there are other planets with life on them. Quoting Eric Metaxis in his opinion piece to the Wall Street Journal: “astronomer Carl Sagan announced that there were two important criteria for a planet to support life: The right kind of star, and a planet the right distance from that star. Given the roughly octillion—1 followed by 27 zeros—planets in the universe, there should have been about septillion—1 followed by 24 zeros—planets capable of supporting life.”
Well, it just so happens that Carl Sagan was quite wrong. There are not simply two important criteria for a planet to support life. As astronomers and physicists continued to study the conditions that made for life as we know it, more criteria started to come to light. The numbers grew from two to ten; then to twenty; then to fifty; to the present day where we know that there are more than 200 known parameters needed for a planet to sustain carbon based, intelligent life. What does this mean? It means that the SETI project–the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, is a waste of money. The odds are almost nil that there is another planet in the universe that life as we know it exists.
So, to reiterate the point that I began with, do you know how lucky you are? Do you realize how special you are? And, given the non-existent chance that this universe just happened and was a product of chance; and given that this universe very much looks like it was finely tuned for life by some sort of intelligence; and given that if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and eats like a duck, then it is a duck, then this universe and this planet were put here by some sort of intelligence. Why is all of this important?
Let’s now turn to our biblical text this morning from the 13th Chapter of the book of Mark. Last week, we saw how Jesus spoke about the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and how God had turned His judgement toward that Temple because it was rotten on the inside even though it was a structure of absolute beauty and magnificence on the outside. The disciples asked when these things would occur, and Jesus began to teach them.
First, Jesus said that there would be false Messiahs, then wars and rumors of war; there would be earthquakes and famines. The disciples would be handed over to councils and synagogues and beaten. Families would turn against one another, and these would be the beginnings of the birth pangs.
Some scholars have tried to link these things with the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70 A.D., but as I have continued to study this text and read the commentaries, I am not sure that these statements of Jesus and the temple destruction walk hand in hand. Why? First off, we know that there are still stones standing upon stones in Jerusalem. You have heard of the Wailing Wall, no doubt? Secondly, if Mark knew about the destruction of Jerusalem, he probably would have written this section differently because the city was destroyed by a great siege and then with a horrendous fire. There is no mention of this. Thirdly has to do with what Jesus teaches today.
He begins with these words, “‘But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains...” How to interpret Jesus’ words here depend greatly on what exactly the “desolating sacrilege” is. Walter Liefield in the Expositors Bible Commentary says this: The first word of the phrase, bdelygma (abomination) suggests something repugnant to God, while the second, eremosis (desolation) suggests that because of the abomination the temple is left deserted, desolate. The holy and pious worshipers vacate it.
The question is, has such a “desolating sacrilege” appeared in the Temple? That is a matter of historical debate–if what Jesus is saying here has already come to pass. If it hasn’t yet come to pass, then this is a future event–an event that we must be watchful for because it’s going to be bad. It’s going to be bad, but it is not going to be the end of the days.
Some of you who might have gotten caught up in all the rig-a-ma-roe about the end times might be scratching your head at that comment, but hear me out. Look at what Jesus says and then ask yourself, “If what Jesus is talking about is the very end of the world, then why run?” Why flee to the hills if this is the end of the world? Why come straight down from the house tops and flee without going in to get anything? Why take off straight from the field without going back into the house to get your coat if this is the end of all time? Why try to save yourself–if this is the end of the ages? At the end of the ages, there will be no escape. At the end of the world, it doesn’t matter if you run or if you stand still, you are screwed!!!
But Jesus encourages His followers to run when they see this desolating sacrilege. It is one of those moments when you have to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, and know when to run. This is a moment to run! –Because there will be great suffering; for everyone. There will be such a suffering as has not been seen since the creation of the world. This means, things are going to get really, really bad.
Last week, I talked about those preachers who paint a rosy picture of following Jesus–how He will make your life absolutely perfect; how He will make you healthy, wealthy, wise, and loved. Somehow, I think those preachers missed this part too. There will be suffering, and then I think we get to the crux of the matter. Jesus says, “21And if anyone says to you at that time, “Look! Here is the Messiah!” or “Look! There he is!”—do not believe it. 22False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23But be alert; I have already told you everything.”
This is the second time in a few short verses that Jesus warns against false Messiahs and false teachers, and this time He places that warning in conjunction with suffering and the threat of death. I don’t think there is a coincidence in the placement of this teaching.
You see, more than any other time in people’s lives, people question the goodness and graciousness of God in the midst of suffering. More than any time in people’s lives, people question the love and mercy of God when they experience suffering. “Why has God done this to me?” is a pleading question. “Has God abandoned me?” is another gut wrenching plea. As I have talked with people whose bodies are wracked with pain; whose bodies are being devoured by cancer; who are sitting at the bedside of a dying spouse; who are shedding tears next to the casket of a child taken far too early, they want answers. They want understanding. They want to know the meaning and purpose behind all these trials and tribulations. Oftentimes, I don’t know.
And when things are falling apart in society, people want solutions. When terrorism hits close to home; when stock markets crash; when people lose their jobs; when the Supreme Court overturns what many consider common sense values; when churches see more empty pews than full ones; people want answers. People want solutions. People want someone to swoop in and make everything right. When anxiety rises because of suffering and perceived threat; people want a savior, and anyone who comes along with a glib tongue who seems to give them the answers they want can easily lead them astray.
Just believe enough, and your problems will vanish.
Just give enough, and your cancer will cease.
Just change the core of your teaching, and your church pews will be filled.
Just vote for me, and I will make all the problems disappear.
Trust what I tell you and do what I say, and all will be well.
The words are seductive, especially when you feel like you are abandoned; especially when you are hurting; especially when you are in the despair of suffering.
But do you know how special you are? Do you remember how the Creator of this universe has designed this universe for life? Do you remember how the Creator designed this planet for you to live on? Do you remember that given the odds, you shouldn’t even be here? You are a special creation.
And if you have difficulty remembering that, let me tell you how much the Creator cares for you. You see, the Creator knows about your suffering. The creator knows about your pain. The creator knows about your despair, and He is not above it. It pains Him to see what has happened to His creation. It pains Him to see how people are in agony and the trials they face. And He knows the cause. He knows that the creation does not live in accordance with the Creator’s will. He knows that creation has rebelled against Him and lives apart from it.
And so, He enters into creation. He becomes like you and me, clothed with human flesh. He lives the life we should live, and then He faces death. He faces the ultimate in suffering. He faces the brokenness of human relationships as He is betrayed, denied, and abandoned. He faces the injustice of the human “justice” system as He is falsely accused and sentenced to death. He faces the pain of human brutality as He is tortured, mocked, beaten, and nailed to a cross. He faces abandonment by God and cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?!” He feels utter darkness; utter punishment; utter abandonment. He dies in such a state and is buried in a tomb. The God who created this universe with you in mind has entered this world and suffered as we suffer; died as we die. He is not above our suffering, and He has taken that suffering upon Himself. And He redeems that suffering. He changes that suffering. He changes that brokenness.
For on the third day, He rose again from the dead to transform all that was evil into good. He rose again from the dead to make darkness into light, despair into hope, evil into good, hate into love. This is the God who 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.
Anyone else who promises you salvation is a false Messiah. Anyone else who claims to offer you true freedom or redemption is a liar. Anyone who demands something from you without first laying down his or her life for you isn’t worthy of consideration. They want your trust with no cost to them. Jesus wants your trust, and He has already given His life for you. He has told, shown, and done everything for you already. In the midst of your trials and tribulations, never forget this. Never forget the one who has already died for you and has shown you what the end will be. Hold on to Jesus. Amen.
Showing posts with label redemption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label redemption. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2016
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Doing Versus What Has Been Done
This week, I stumbled upon another video lecture by Timothy Keller.
When I attended seminary, it was rare that I took notes in class. Rarely did I find myself engaged and hanging on the words of my professors to the point that I felt it necessary to jot down the words they spoke.
Well, that was certainly not the case with this lecture. I watched it three times: two just to listen, and a third to write down notes. It took me almost two hours to make it through the video as I paused and wrote; paused and wrote.
As Keller spoke about "Gospel Centered Ministry", I reflected upon much of my career as an ordained minister. I thought about my preaching all those years. I thought about the state of the church in our American society and its decline. I thought about all the seminars I have attended in those years of seminary and since becoming ordained. I thought about all the debates I have gotten into with others concerning how Christianity should address what is happening our culture these days. And I thought about my focus--and often the focus of many of my colleagues and fellow Christians.
What can we do to stem the tide of decline?
That's been the operative question. And, of course, the answers usually revolve around a couple of things:
1. Make sure we are adhering to the right doctrine.
2. Make sure we are doing the right things.
We've had some tremendous intramural battles over these things. Tremendous battles. And we've continued to decline.
Much of our conversations revolve around what can we do better. We need to do justice. We need to do evangelism. We need to do social media. We need to do different forms of worship. We need to do. We need to do. We need to do.
Action is part of the Christian faith. Of this, there is no doubt.
But, we must ask the question: Is Christianity MAINLY about what we do or is it about what God has done?
That's the operative question, and it changes the way you think, preach, and act.
I love Keller's illustration of this using the comparison of a king who goes off to battle an invading foe.
If the king wins, he sends back heralds who proclaim the good news! Victory has been achieved for you. No longer are you under any threat! Live into the peace that has been brought to you!
If the king loses, he sends back military advisers. Put up the breastworks here! Archers here! Calvary here! Get ready to fight for your life!
All of the world's religions send military advisers. They all say, "This is how you live so that you will not endure the wrath of God. This is how you live to escape the cycle of karma. This is how you live to escape desire." They all give advice on life and how to achieve salvation.
Only Christianity sends heralds. Salvation is achieved without any action on your part. The battle with the evil one is over. Reconciliation between God and man is accomplished. Live into that freedom!
Both of these proclamations receive a response. Both of these proclamations bring about action, but their motivations are very different.
Military advisers produce fear.
Heralds produce joy.
As people of faith, are we advisers or heralds?
Do we tell people what they should do to live a particular type of life, or do we tell folks what God has done to bring them a fulfilled life?
The gospel is Good News. Really, it's Greek for Good News. It is not something people do. It's a proclamation!
Live into that freedom!
When I attended seminary, it was rare that I took notes in class. Rarely did I find myself engaged and hanging on the words of my professors to the point that I felt it necessary to jot down the words they spoke.
Well, that was certainly not the case with this lecture. I watched it three times: two just to listen, and a third to write down notes. It took me almost two hours to make it through the video as I paused and wrote; paused and wrote.
As Keller spoke about "Gospel Centered Ministry", I reflected upon much of my career as an ordained minister. I thought about my preaching all those years. I thought about the state of the church in our American society and its decline. I thought about all the seminars I have attended in those years of seminary and since becoming ordained. I thought about all the debates I have gotten into with others concerning how Christianity should address what is happening our culture these days. And I thought about my focus--and often the focus of many of my colleagues and fellow Christians.
What can we do to stem the tide of decline?
That's been the operative question. And, of course, the answers usually revolve around a couple of things:
1. Make sure we are adhering to the right doctrine.
2. Make sure we are doing the right things.
We've had some tremendous intramural battles over these things. Tremendous battles. And we've continued to decline.
Much of our conversations revolve around what can we do better. We need to do justice. We need to do evangelism. We need to do social media. We need to do different forms of worship. We need to do. We need to do. We need to do.
Action is part of the Christian faith. Of this, there is no doubt.
But, we must ask the question: Is Christianity MAINLY about what we do or is it about what God has done?
That's the operative question, and it changes the way you think, preach, and act.
I love Keller's illustration of this using the comparison of a king who goes off to battle an invading foe.
If the king wins, he sends back heralds who proclaim the good news! Victory has been achieved for you. No longer are you under any threat! Live into the peace that has been brought to you!
If the king loses, he sends back military advisers. Put up the breastworks here! Archers here! Calvary here! Get ready to fight for your life!
All of the world's religions send military advisers. They all say, "This is how you live so that you will not endure the wrath of God. This is how you live to escape the cycle of karma. This is how you live to escape desire." They all give advice on life and how to achieve salvation.
Only Christianity sends heralds. Salvation is achieved without any action on your part. The battle with the evil one is over. Reconciliation between God and man is accomplished. Live into that freedom!
Both of these proclamations receive a response. Both of these proclamations bring about action, but their motivations are very different.
Military advisers produce fear.
Heralds produce joy.
As people of faith, are we advisers or heralds?
Do we tell people what they should do to live a particular type of life, or do we tell folks what God has done to bring them a fulfilled life?
The gospel is Good News. Really, it's Greek for Good News. It is not something people do. It's a proclamation!
Live into that freedom!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Filling in the Blind Spot (Sermon on the Man Born Blind John 9)
I want to begin this morning by doing something a little different. In your bulletin this morning on the insert, you will see something quite strange. On one side, you have all the announcements and stuff, but on the other, you simply have the letter “X” toward one of the ends. I’d like for you to take that piece of paper and look at the side with the “X” on it. Hold it out in front of your face at arm’s length with the “X” either on the right or on the left hand side. Close the eye opposite the “X” so that the X remains on the side with your opened eye. Now, stare at the center of the page and slowly move the paper toward your face. Keep staring at the center and move the paper toward you until you see the X disappear. If you didn’t quite get it, keep practicing. Eventually, it will happen to you. The X will be gone, and all you will see is the blank piece of paper.
What I have just done for you is illustrate something we all have in common. We all have a blind spot. Yes, you heard it correctly. Everyone has a blind spot on each eye. Furthermore, did you notice that when you were looking at the paper, only the X disappeared? Did you notice that there wasn’t a hole in your vision? Do you know why? Your brain fills in the blanks. Yes, that’s right. That wonderful organ laying between your ears literally fills in the blanks and puts into place what it is expecting to see. Now, you can believe me or not, but if you don’t I suggest you do a bit of research. Google the blind spot. Look it up on Youtube. Talk to your optometrist. It’s there. I promise you. And it is quite startling for those of us who have believed all along that our vision is totally reliable. But that’s not necessarily true. You aren’t necessarily seeing what you thought you were seeing. Your brain is constantly filling in the blanks.
I think we need to process this reality for just a moment. I mean, the implications of this can be a bit disconcerting. What is reality? What is the nature of reality if our brains are constantly filling in the blanks? What is the nature of truth? Can we ever believe that we have the full picture of things if we all have a blind spot? These are tough questions. Tough questions indeed.
And there are many who believe the answer is no. Many people say, “Well, everyone has a piece of the truth, but no one grasps the whole truth.” That’s a fashionable thing to say in this day and age. Usually, they refer to a well-known parable to illustrate this thought. It’s the parable of the blind men and the elephant. Perhaps you have heard it before.
A group of blind men encounter an elephant. Each wants to figure out what the elephant “looks” like, and so each begins to feel a particular part of the beast. After each touches a part of the elephant, the blind men hold a conference and argue about what the elephant “looks” like.
The first argues the beast is like a hose. He felt the trunk.
The second argues the elephant is like a spear. He felt the tip of the tusk.
The next argues the animal is like a brick wall. He felt the torso.
The next argues the beast is like a tree stump. He felt the leg.
The last guy argues the elephant is like a rope. He grabbed the tail.
The men argue and argue and argue, each convinced he has the truth of what the animal looks like, but none have the total picture. Each is right. And each is wrong. Oftentimes at this point, someone will say this is the way religious people are. Each religion has a part of the truth–each religion gets some things right about the nature of God, but none grasps the whole truth.
The argument sounds good on paper. It seems to grasp the nature of reality. It seems to level the playing field when it comes to religious pluralism and doesn’t allow anyone to have any sort of superiority when it comes to beliefs. Right?
Well, wrong, actually. I mean, this parable only works if someone else can see the whole elephant. No one knows the blind guys are both right and wrong unless he can see the whole beast himself. In other words, how can you say that these folks are all blind unless you yourself can see? How can you say that everyone has a part of the truth but no one has the whole truth unless you yourself know the whole truth? Either you have the whole truth or your are just as blind as everyone else. Which is it?
I’ve just shown you through a simple illustration, we all have a blind spot. So guess what the reality is? We are all blind. We are all grasping at reality. Who really knows what the truth is? Who really knows who God is?
This would pose a massive problem for us IF, and I want to emphasize that IF for a second, IF we as humans had to try and discover God all on our own. IF we had to work our way up to God and try to discover the nature of God using our own devises, we would never, ever arrive at any sort of understanding of the Truth. We would never, ever come to understand who God is and how God cares for us. We would never be able to grasp the total reality as our brains would keep filling in the blanks putting stuff in that we want to be there instead of what is actually there. If it were all up to us, this would be the case.
Fortunately, it is not completely and totally up to us. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. Since we could not discover the nature of God on our own. Since we could not grasp the reality of God because we are blind, God came to us to reveal Himself to us. “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.” Jesus Christ entered the world to help us see.
Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the 9th chapter of the book of John. The story begins with a man who was born blind. The disciples look at this guy and say, “Jesus, who sinned that this man was born blind? Did he sin or did his parents sin?”
Remember, at this time, the prominent belief was that if you had some sort of malady, God was punishing you for your sin. This belief is still strong in some folks today because it is all about works-righteousness. If you aren’t doing the right things, God will punish you. If you are doing the right things, God will reward you. Jesus wasn’t about the works-righteousness narrative. Jesus operated and still operates by grace. The disciples haven’t gotten there yet, so Jesus uses this as a teachable moment.
Jesus responds, “Neither this guy nor his parents sinned, but his blindness is there as an opportunity to show God’s might.” This is a radical statement. Illness? Disability? Pain? Suffering? As opportunity to show God’s might? Yep. As Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” That’s what grace is. God’s light breaking into the darkness.
Jesus places mud on the man’s eyes and then tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man does, and low and behold, he can see.
You would think that this would be an occasion for great celebration and joy. You would think that people would take note and go crazy that someone had experienced such a miraculous healing. But they do not. They become skeptical. You know, there are those who say that ancient people were ignorant and believed in miracles because they didn’t know anything about the laws of nature and physics. I submit to you exhibit A that they actually did. People didn’t fall on their knees praising God and celebrating when they saw this guy now able to see. They were terribly skeptical and started asking all kinds of questions. Is this really the guy who couldn’t see or is it someone else? If this is really you, who made your eyes open? Question after question after question.
And the guy is dumbfounded. I mean, really, he’s dumbfounded. He couldn’t see and now he can, and everyone is asking him 20 questions. He knows the guy who healed him was Jesus, but he’s never seen Jesus. He hasn’t seen anyone until this point. There is no way he would recognize Jesus at all. All he knows is that Jesus healed him.
This fact actually gets him into more trouble. The religious leaders catch wind of what has happened. Jesus is a threat to these religious leaders. Jesus is breaking through their facade of works-righteousness. Jesus is telling folks they don’t have to earn favor from God but that God loves them–even sinners. When your power is threatened, you react. The scribes and Pharisees do just this and question the man who was healed, and then the man’s parents, and then the man once more. You can go through and read this for yourself again if you like later. What is interesting to me is how they blatantly refuse to see what is right in front of their faces. Do you remember when I said that everyone had blind spots?
The Pharisees rant and rave and even say they don’t know where Jesus comes from. They are blinded by their own position, and in an interesting twist, the guy who was once blind strives to help them see. “32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
And what was the Pharisees’ response? They cast him out. They threw him out of the synagogue and forbid him to worship with them any longer. So, let’s look at this for just a second again. When the blind guy has an encounter with Jesus, Jesus heals him. And what happens? Everyone is skeptical of him. He is questioned thoroughly by the religious authorities, and he is excommunicated. So much for your life becoming perfect when you have an encounter with Jesus.
And the guy may have thought just that until his eyes were opened a second time. The man who was once blind has one more encounter with Jesus. 35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ 36He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ 37Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ 38He said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshiped him. 39Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.”
Grace does that. God in human flesh does that. When the Word became flesh, the nature of God became known. God revealed Himself to us. The truth either opens your eyes, or it makes you want to purposely close them. You will either embrace the truth and enter into the peace that it gives, or you will go to war with it choosing to remain in your blindness. But thankfully, because it is all about grace, the truth will not fight against you. It will wait patiently for you embracing you though you may not embrace it.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found
Twas blind, but now I see. Amen.
What I have just done for you is illustrate something we all have in common. We all have a blind spot. Yes, you heard it correctly. Everyone has a blind spot on each eye. Furthermore, did you notice that when you were looking at the paper, only the X disappeared? Did you notice that there wasn’t a hole in your vision? Do you know why? Your brain fills in the blanks. Yes, that’s right. That wonderful organ laying between your ears literally fills in the blanks and puts into place what it is expecting to see. Now, you can believe me or not, but if you don’t I suggest you do a bit of research. Google the blind spot. Look it up on Youtube. Talk to your optometrist. It’s there. I promise you. And it is quite startling for those of us who have believed all along that our vision is totally reliable. But that’s not necessarily true. You aren’t necessarily seeing what you thought you were seeing. Your brain is constantly filling in the blanks.
I think we need to process this reality for just a moment. I mean, the implications of this can be a bit disconcerting. What is reality? What is the nature of reality if our brains are constantly filling in the blanks? What is the nature of truth? Can we ever believe that we have the full picture of things if we all have a blind spot? These are tough questions. Tough questions indeed.
And there are many who believe the answer is no. Many people say, “Well, everyone has a piece of the truth, but no one grasps the whole truth.” That’s a fashionable thing to say in this day and age. Usually, they refer to a well-known parable to illustrate this thought. It’s the parable of the blind men and the elephant. Perhaps you have heard it before.
A group of blind men encounter an elephant. Each wants to figure out what the elephant “looks” like, and so each begins to feel a particular part of the beast. After each touches a part of the elephant, the blind men hold a conference and argue about what the elephant “looks” like.
The first argues the beast is like a hose. He felt the trunk.
The second argues the elephant is like a spear. He felt the tip of the tusk.
The next argues the animal is like a brick wall. He felt the torso.
The next argues the beast is like a tree stump. He felt the leg.
The last guy argues the elephant is like a rope. He grabbed the tail.
The men argue and argue and argue, each convinced he has the truth of what the animal looks like, but none have the total picture. Each is right. And each is wrong. Oftentimes at this point, someone will say this is the way religious people are. Each religion has a part of the truth–each religion gets some things right about the nature of God, but none grasps the whole truth.
The argument sounds good on paper. It seems to grasp the nature of reality. It seems to level the playing field when it comes to religious pluralism and doesn’t allow anyone to have any sort of superiority when it comes to beliefs. Right?
Well, wrong, actually. I mean, this parable only works if someone else can see the whole elephant. No one knows the blind guys are both right and wrong unless he can see the whole beast himself. In other words, how can you say that these folks are all blind unless you yourself can see? How can you say that everyone has a part of the truth but no one has the whole truth unless you yourself know the whole truth? Either you have the whole truth or your are just as blind as everyone else. Which is it?
I’ve just shown you through a simple illustration, we all have a blind spot. So guess what the reality is? We are all blind. We are all grasping at reality. Who really knows what the truth is? Who really knows who God is?
This would pose a massive problem for us IF, and I want to emphasize that IF for a second, IF we as humans had to try and discover God all on our own. IF we had to work our way up to God and try to discover the nature of God using our own devises, we would never, ever arrive at any sort of understanding of the Truth. We would never, ever come to understand who God is and how God cares for us. We would never be able to grasp the total reality as our brains would keep filling in the blanks putting stuff in that we want to be there instead of what is actually there. If it were all up to us, this would be the case.
Fortunately, it is not completely and totally up to us. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. Since we could not discover the nature of God on our own. Since we could not grasp the reality of God because we are blind, God came to us to reveal Himself to us. “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.” Jesus Christ entered the world to help us see.
Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the 9th chapter of the book of John. The story begins with a man who was born blind. The disciples look at this guy and say, “Jesus, who sinned that this man was born blind? Did he sin or did his parents sin?”
Remember, at this time, the prominent belief was that if you had some sort of malady, God was punishing you for your sin. This belief is still strong in some folks today because it is all about works-righteousness. If you aren’t doing the right things, God will punish you. If you are doing the right things, God will reward you. Jesus wasn’t about the works-righteousness narrative. Jesus operated and still operates by grace. The disciples haven’t gotten there yet, so Jesus uses this as a teachable moment.
Jesus responds, “Neither this guy nor his parents sinned, but his blindness is there as an opportunity to show God’s might.” This is a radical statement. Illness? Disability? Pain? Suffering? As opportunity to show God’s might? Yep. As Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” That’s what grace is. God’s light breaking into the darkness.
Jesus places mud on the man’s eyes and then tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man does, and low and behold, he can see.
You would think that this would be an occasion for great celebration and joy. You would think that people would take note and go crazy that someone had experienced such a miraculous healing. But they do not. They become skeptical. You know, there are those who say that ancient people were ignorant and believed in miracles because they didn’t know anything about the laws of nature and physics. I submit to you exhibit A that they actually did. People didn’t fall on their knees praising God and celebrating when they saw this guy now able to see. They were terribly skeptical and started asking all kinds of questions. Is this really the guy who couldn’t see or is it someone else? If this is really you, who made your eyes open? Question after question after question.
And the guy is dumbfounded. I mean, really, he’s dumbfounded. He couldn’t see and now he can, and everyone is asking him 20 questions. He knows the guy who healed him was Jesus, but he’s never seen Jesus. He hasn’t seen anyone until this point. There is no way he would recognize Jesus at all. All he knows is that Jesus healed him.
This fact actually gets him into more trouble. The religious leaders catch wind of what has happened. Jesus is a threat to these religious leaders. Jesus is breaking through their facade of works-righteousness. Jesus is telling folks they don’t have to earn favor from God but that God loves them–even sinners. When your power is threatened, you react. The scribes and Pharisees do just this and question the man who was healed, and then the man’s parents, and then the man once more. You can go through and read this for yourself again if you like later. What is interesting to me is how they blatantly refuse to see what is right in front of their faces. Do you remember when I said that everyone had blind spots?
The Pharisees rant and rave and even say they don’t know where Jesus comes from. They are blinded by their own position, and in an interesting twist, the guy who was once blind strives to help them see. “32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
And what was the Pharisees’ response? They cast him out. They threw him out of the synagogue and forbid him to worship with them any longer. So, let’s look at this for just a second again. When the blind guy has an encounter with Jesus, Jesus heals him. And what happens? Everyone is skeptical of him. He is questioned thoroughly by the religious authorities, and he is excommunicated. So much for your life becoming perfect when you have an encounter with Jesus.
And the guy may have thought just that until his eyes were opened a second time. The man who was once blind has one more encounter with Jesus. 35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ 36He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ 37Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ 38He said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshiped him. 39Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.”
Grace does that. God in human flesh does that. When the Word became flesh, the nature of God became known. God revealed Himself to us. The truth either opens your eyes, or it makes you want to purposely close them. You will either embrace the truth and enter into the peace that it gives, or you will go to war with it choosing to remain in your blindness. But thankfully, because it is all about grace, the truth will not fight against you. It will wait patiently for you embracing you though you may not embrace it.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found
Twas blind, but now I see. Amen.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
You are More than Dust: Ash Wednesday Sermon
How do you measure your worth?
Think about this question for just a moment or two.
How do you measure your worth?
Do you immediately think about your bank account?
Do you immediately think about your house and the items in it?
Do you immediately think about your family; your wife; your children?
Do you immediately think about yourself; your personhood; and your rights?
Do you think about that sign that was around for many, many years that said, “I know I’m somebody ‘cause God don’t make no junk!”
How do you measure your worth?
Do you think about the value you have to the company you work for?
Do you think about the history of your family and how deep your family’s roots run here or wherever you hail from?
Do you think about the things you have accomplished in life? The trophies both real and imagined that you have gathered?
Do you think about the work you have done to help others?
What is your value? Is it possible to measure?
On the one hand there are those who will tell you that you are more precious than anything in the world. They will tell you that your value is tremendous. They will tell you that you have certain rights, and that no one can take those rights away from you. Most of us who grew up here in the U.S. have been told this over and over and over again.
But then, we fly straight into reality, and reality fails to match what we have been told. Do you think I am making a false claim? Do you think I am standing up here this evening to tell you lies? “Prove it to me!” you may want to shout! “Prove to me that I’m not valuable like I’ve been told.”
Fine. I will, but please don’t shoot the messenger.
If you think you are so valuable, try to sway the next election on your own. See if your vote really does make a difference.
If you think you are so valuable, go apply for a job, but try to do so without appealing to any degree you have or any experience you have. Try getting that job simply because you are you.
If you think you are so valuable, dress in rags and then try to go to any business around and beg for a morsel to eat telling folks you are unable to pay.
If you think you are so valuable, go tell someone they are completely wrong in how they live their lives and that they should do what you tell them to do because, after all, you are valuable, and folks should listen to you.
If you think you are so valuable, try to contemplate just who will remember you 200 years from now. Try to contemplate whether or not you will simply be a name on a gravestone or a name on a family tree. Who will remember you after that amount of time has passed?
What gives you value?
My God, how we want to be valued. We want to leave our mark. We want others to see our accomplishments–to be more than just a name. We work and we slave. We give up our time. We live vicariously through our children and grandchildren. We invest in our families; in our work; we run our selves frazzled. And for what? What difference do we really make?
The end result is much the same for many of us: stress, burnout, worry, fear of losing our jobs, our homes, our possessions, and our freedoms. We become obsessed with doing everything, seeing everything, having everything or making sure our kids can have all the things we never did. And all it ever earns us is a hole in the ground. Six feet deep and three feet wide. Or it earns us an urn full of ashes. Eight inches by ten inches to be placed on a mantle and forgotten or simply scattered around.
“Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
This is the reality each and every one of us face. All our work. All our striving after value. All our attempts to make ourselves shine and look good. All our attempts to have bigger houses and faster cars and multiple bank accounts and stock portfolios end in one thing: death.
And what will we be worth then? What will our value be at that moment?
As your pastor, I wrestle with such things. I am caught in a very vicarious position. I know my job is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know my job is to lead a people in being faithful to God. To do this job faithfully means that sometimes a congregation will grow and sometimes it will not. Sometimes people will accept the words I preach and sometimes they will not. I know this, but it is difficult to put such a thing into practice?
Why?
I’ll tell you why. Because I like to be liked. I don’t like it when people disagree with me. I don’t like it when people say that I am wrong or that my leadership needs tweaking. I don’t like it when people stop attending church for one reason or another. I want everyone to come and get a long and be happy. I want a congregation to keep growing and growing and growing and adding programs and staff. I know that oftentimes pastors are not judged on their faithfulness but on whether or not worship attendance keeps going up and whether or not offerings continue to be at a level where they keep the bills paid. I know that pastors who are considered successful have huge followings on Facebook and on their blogs and they write books and they are invited to give lectures at congregations and conventions. These are the pastors who have everything. They are very much valued. And if any of these things don’t happen, or if worship attendance declines or offerings slip, the easiest thing for a congregation to do is simply say, “It’s the pastor’s fault.”
I know this. I know it very, very well. And for the longest time, I thought it was my job to make a congregation grow. I thought it was my job to make a congregation get along. I thought it was my job to bring people in and make them stay. My worth was tied to worship attendance and offering and seeing people in church on Sunday morning.
And I was stressed. And I burned out. And I got depressed. And I’ve had to heal.
During Thanksgiving, my family and I traveled up to Arkansas to see my 94 year old grandfather. He was extremely excited to see us, and we spent hours just sitting and talking. Grandpa shared the stories of his time serving as a pastor in mostly rural congregations. At no time did he ever preach at a mega-church or have several hundreds in worship. But that didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, I know it didn’t bother him because at a particularly crucial junction in our visit, Grandpa looked at me and said, “I didn’t accomplish much in the eyes of the world, but the Lord and I are on pretty good terms.”
And my eyes became teary.
In one fell swoop, Grandpa had cut me to the core and helped me see what was really important as a person of faith. Not worship attendance. Not building up a huge church. Not making people get along. None of these things impacted my value. None. The value I have comes from the Lord.
The value we all have comes from the Lord.
“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.”
You are more than dust. You are a child of God. Turn to Him and you will truly find out how precious you really are. You will understand why St. Paul writes, “...we are alive; ...as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” For when you realize God has worked through Jesus Christ to redeem you, you will know that you have all you need. Amen.
Think about this question for just a moment or two.
How do you measure your worth?
Do you immediately think about your bank account?
Do you immediately think about your house and the items in it?
Do you immediately think about your family; your wife; your children?
Do you immediately think about yourself; your personhood; and your rights?
Do you think about that sign that was around for many, many years that said, “I know I’m somebody ‘cause God don’t make no junk!”
How do you measure your worth?
Do you think about the value you have to the company you work for?
Do you think about the history of your family and how deep your family’s roots run here or wherever you hail from?
Do you think about the things you have accomplished in life? The trophies both real and imagined that you have gathered?
Do you think about the work you have done to help others?
What is your value? Is it possible to measure?
On the one hand there are those who will tell you that you are more precious than anything in the world. They will tell you that your value is tremendous. They will tell you that you have certain rights, and that no one can take those rights away from you. Most of us who grew up here in the U.S. have been told this over and over and over again.
But then, we fly straight into reality, and reality fails to match what we have been told. Do you think I am making a false claim? Do you think I am standing up here this evening to tell you lies? “Prove it to me!” you may want to shout! “Prove to me that I’m not valuable like I’ve been told.”
Fine. I will, but please don’t shoot the messenger.
If you think you are so valuable, try to sway the next election on your own. See if your vote really does make a difference.
If you think you are so valuable, go apply for a job, but try to do so without appealing to any degree you have or any experience you have. Try getting that job simply because you are you.
If you think you are so valuable, dress in rags and then try to go to any business around and beg for a morsel to eat telling folks you are unable to pay.
If you think you are so valuable, go tell someone they are completely wrong in how they live their lives and that they should do what you tell them to do because, after all, you are valuable, and folks should listen to you.
If you think you are so valuable, try to contemplate just who will remember you 200 years from now. Try to contemplate whether or not you will simply be a name on a gravestone or a name on a family tree. Who will remember you after that amount of time has passed?
What gives you value?
My God, how we want to be valued. We want to leave our mark. We want others to see our accomplishments–to be more than just a name. We work and we slave. We give up our time. We live vicariously through our children and grandchildren. We invest in our families; in our work; we run our selves frazzled. And for what? What difference do we really make?
The end result is much the same for many of us: stress, burnout, worry, fear of losing our jobs, our homes, our possessions, and our freedoms. We become obsessed with doing everything, seeing everything, having everything or making sure our kids can have all the things we never did. And all it ever earns us is a hole in the ground. Six feet deep and three feet wide. Or it earns us an urn full of ashes. Eight inches by ten inches to be placed on a mantle and forgotten or simply scattered around.
“Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
This is the reality each and every one of us face. All our work. All our striving after value. All our attempts to make ourselves shine and look good. All our attempts to have bigger houses and faster cars and multiple bank accounts and stock portfolios end in one thing: death.
And what will we be worth then? What will our value be at that moment?
As your pastor, I wrestle with such things. I am caught in a very vicarious position. I know my job is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know my job is to lead a people in being faithful to God. To do this job faithfully means that sometimes a congregation will grow and sometimes it will not. Sometimes people will accept the words I preach and sometimes they will not. I know this, but it is difficult to put such a thing into practice?
Why?
I’ll tell you why. Because I like to be liked. I don’t like it when people disagree with me. I don’t like it when people say that I am wrong or that my leadership needs tweaking. I don’t like it when people stop attending church for one reason or another. I want everyone to come and get a long and be happy. I want a congregation to keep growing and growing and growing and adding programs and staff. I know that oftentimes pastors are not judged on their faithfulness but on whether or not worship attendance keeps going up and whether or not offerings continue to be at a level where they keep the bills paid. I know that pastors who are considered successful have huge followings on Facebook and on their blogs and they write books and they are invited to give lectures at congregations and conventions. These are the pastors who have everything. They are very much valued. And if any of these things don’t happen, or if worship attendance declines or offerings slip, the easiest thing for a congregation to do is simply say, “It’s the pastor’s fault.”
I know this. I know it very, very well. And for the longest time, I thought it was my job to make a congregation grow. I thought it was my job to make a congregation get along. I thought it was my job to bring people in and make them stay. My worth was tied to worship attendance and offering and seeing people in church on Sunday morning.
And I was stressed. And I burned out. And I got depressed. And I’ve had to heal.
During Thanksgiving, my family and I traveled up to Arkansas to see my 94 year old grandfather. He was extremely excited to see us, and we spent hours just sitting and talking. Grandpa shared the stories of his time serving as a pastor in mostly rural congregations. At no time did he ever preach at a mega-church or have several hundreds in worship. But that didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, I know it didn’t bother him because at a particularly crucial junction in our visit, Grandpa looked at me and said, “I didn’t accomplish much in the eyes of the world, but the Lord and I are on pretty good terms.”
And my eyes became teary.
In one fell swoop, Grandpa had cut me to the core and helped me see what was really important as a person of faith. Not worship attendance. Not building up a huge church. Not making people get along. None of these things impacted my value. None. The value I have comes from the Lord.
The value we all have comes from the Lord.
“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.”
You are more than dust. You are a child of God. Turn to Him and you will truly find out how precious you really are. You will understand why St. Paul writes, “...we are alive; ...as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” For when you realize God has worked through Jesus Christ to redeem you, you will know that you have all you need. Amen.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Singing in Harmony with God
I do not know if it is my age or if it is something else, but my tastes in music have changed. For the longest time, I thoroughly enjoyed it when a soloist would take the stage and belt out a particular piece of music. I thought this was the best singing had to offer. Perhaps it is singing in our gospel group that has changed my taste, but I now have a much, much higher appreciation for harmony. For some reason, music becomes more meaningful, more touching when several voices sing together and fill out the chord. Recently, I was introduced to Pentatonix an a capella group. They did a cover of Lourde’s “Royals”, and in my estimation, if you listened to Pentatonix, you’d wonder why their’s isn’t more popular. I think it’s 100 times better because of the harmony. So, what does all of this have to do with our lessons for this Sunday, especially that Gospel lesson from the 5th Chapter of the book of Matthew?
The core Gospel proclamation of Christianity is obvious. John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all 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 that the world might be saved through Him.” Further, this core proclamation occurred by pure grace. It happened without any action on our own part. Christ died for us while we were still sinners and completely unrepentant. For those of us who know this message at our deepest core, we also have come to know that no matter how hard we try–no matter what kind of new leaf we try to turn over, we cannot stop sinning. We know we still fall short of the glory of God. We are not perfect. Sometimes, it’s painfully obvious.
With this in mind, we hear Jesus tell us this morning, “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Whoa! Wait a minute. What happened to grace? What happened to God’s unconditional love and mercy? What happened to Christ dying for us while we are still sinners?
Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. What’s going on here?
Let’s look at this within the context of ancient Israel. First, let’s recognize who the Scribes and Pharisees were. These were two Jewish groups who thrived during Second Temple Judaism. The Scribes were, of course, those who wrote on and interpreted the Law. They were held in very high esteem as those who were blessed by God as they wrestled with interpreting and living the Torah. The Pharisees are often Jesus’ main nemesis throughout the Gospel stories. The Pharisees longed and yearned for the coming Kingdom of God, and they had a very particular understanding of how that Kingdom would arrive. They believed that the Jewish people needed to be holy and pure so that the Kingdom would come. They believed that the Jewish people needed to be obedient to the purity code with all its various intricacies in order for God to take notice. Basically, the Pharisees believed if a person ate the right food, associated with the right people, washed hands in the right way and right times, tithed to the temple appropriately, offered the right sacrifices, and so on and so forth, then they would be seen by God as holy and righteous. Once they were seen by God to be holy and righteous, God would finally forgive Israel for its sins, drive off Israel’s enemies, and establish Israel as the world power and beacon of light and hope God promised Abraham it would be. When it came to keeping this code, the Pharisees were the supreme example of righteous living–at least as far as most of the populace was concerned.
So I am sure Jesus caused a few heads to be scratched when He said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of God.” Is it possible to be more righteous than the scribes and the Pharisees?
Apparently so, because Jesus then begins laying out what it means to be truly righteous. #1. “You have heard it was said, ‘You shall not murder.’ but I say if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment.” Stop and think about that one for a minute. Anger must disappear. This is true righteousness.
#2. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ but I say if you even look at a woman with lust in your heart, you have committed adultery.” Stop and think about that one for a minute as well. Lust toward a person of the opposite sex must disappear. That is true righteousness.
#3. “It was also said, ‘You can give a woman a certificate of divorce.’ but I say if you divorce a woman except on the grounds of unchastity, you cause her to commit adultery. And if you marry a divorced woman, you commit adultery.” Pause once more to consider Jesus’ words. Life-long commitment is the only option. That is true righteousness.
#4. And last, at least for this little snippet of the Sermon of the Mount. “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ but I say, don’t swear at all. Let your word be yes, yes or no, no.” Reflect on that for just a second. How many of us accomplish that one? True righteousness makes no excuses, doesn’t try to be tactful, doesn’t try to explain one’s position or be nuanced about it. True righteousness says yes or no. No wiggle room. Period.
Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. How is that possible? Jesus gives it to His disciples on the hill that day and to us without hesitation.
You see, the Scribes and Pharisees had all the externals going on. They were doing all the commands of Torah to keep themselves holy and pure. They were following the law, and from the outside, they looked squeaky clean. They looked like they were pure. They looked like they were holy. But in reality, they were a brand new Corvette Stingray with a flawless exterior with a rusty modified Fort Pinto engine underneath. The inside didn’t match the outside.
This was problematic, and for this reason Jesus made that intriguing comment in the middle of this teaching, “29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.”
Now, when you first hear this, you might think Jesus was being literal. Go cut your hand off if it causes you to sin. Go pluck out your eye if it causes you to sin. But everyone would have recognized what Jesus was really getting at. A HAND DOES NOT CAUSE YOU TO SIN. AN EYE DOES NOT CAUSE YOU TO SIN. Where does sin come from? Where does anger come from? Where does lust come from? Where does a lack of commitment come from? Where does the fear of being straightforward and honest come from?
It comes from the heart. Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of God. How is this possible? Well, the Scribes and the Pharisees weren’t righteous. They had the externals, but their internals weren’t so good. Their hearts weren’t oriented toward God. Their hearts were oriented toward themselves. For, by God, you know that everything revolves around me. If I do the right things; if I say the right things; if I follow the commandments the right way; if I believe the right things and tell everyone I love Jesus; if I come to church every Sunday of the month; if I put the right amount of money in the offering plate; if I do all these things and more, then I have a claim on God. He has to listen to me! He has to give me what I ask for! He has to unleash the Kingdom of God. He has to grant me health, wealth, and security. I hope you catch the sarcasm here.
So often, we think the externals save us. We think the externals bring about the kingdom of God. We think the things we do make us holy and righteousness. But we can and do a lot of good things for the wrong reasons. And Jesus calls us on it.
If your heart isn’t in line with God, then you will never enter the kingdom of God. Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of God.
So, get your hearts in place! Make your hearts right! Turn them toward God!
If it were only so easy!
Me telling you to do that this morning is equivalent to me telling you, “You have a blockage in your heart, give yourself a bypass.” Do you think you are capable of doing such a thing?
St. Paul writes in the seventh chapter of Romans, “I know the good that I am supposed to do, but I cannot do it...Wretched man that I am! Who will save me from this body of sin?”
Paul knew he suffered from a heart condition. We suffer from that same condition? Who will save us from this body of sin? Who will save us?
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all 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.”
You see, by Jesus’ death and resurrection and the unleashing of the Holy Spirit into the world, God works to turn our hearts toward Him. Through the Word become flesh, God acts in you and me to pound our hearts into submission and orient them toward Him and His love. God enters into our very being to stomp out anger and lust and lack of commitment and selfishness and fear. God lives within us as our hearts are convicted by the power of the Gospel. And when our hearts are convicted by the Gospel, they beat in line with God’s heart. They begin to sing–not a solo by any means, but they sing in harmony with God. They join the chorus of God’s own song for the world which says, “I love you. I died for you. You are my child!”
Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Because of Jesus, your righteousness does exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, not because it is your own but because it is based on Jesus’ righteousness. Jesus died for you that your heart may be turned toward Him. And when your heart is singing with Gods, then you are truly Living God’s Word Daily. Amen.
The core Gospel proclamation of Christianity is obvious. John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all 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 that the world might be saved through Him.” Further, this core proclamation occurred by pure grace. It happened without any action on our own part. Christ died for us while we were still sinners and completely unrepentant. For those of us who know this message at our deepest core, we also have come to know that no matter how hard we try–no matter what kind of new leaf we try to turn over, we cannot stop sinning. We know we still fall short of the glory of God. We are not perfect. Sometimes, it’s painfully obvious.
With this in mind, we hear Jesus tell us this morning, “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Whoa! Wait a minute. What happened to grace? What happened to God’s unconditional love and mercy? What happened to Christ dying for us while we are still sinners?
Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. What’s going on here?
Let’s look at this within the context of ancient Israel. First, let’s recognize who the Scribes and Pharisees were. These were two Jewish groups who thrived during Second Temple Judaism. The Scribes were, of course, those who wrote on and interpreted the Law. They were held in very high esteem as those who were blessed by God as they wrestled with interpreting and living the Torah. The Pharisees are often Jesus’ main nemesis throughout the Gospel stories. The Pharisees longed and yearned for the coming Kingdom of God, and they had a very particular understanding of how that Kingdom would arrive. They believed that the Jewish people needed to be holy and pure so that the Kingdom would come. They believed that the Jewish people needed to be obedient to the purity code with all its various intricacies in order for God to take notice. Basically, the Pharisees believed if a person ate the right food, associated with the right people, washed hands in the right way and right times, tithed to the temple appropriately, offered the right sacrifices, and so on and so forth, then they would be seen by God as holy and righteous. Once they were seen by God to be holy and righteous, God would finally forgive Israel for its sins, drive off Israel’s enemies, and establish Israel as the world power and beacon of light and hope God promised Abraham it would be. When it came to keeping this code, the Pharisees were the supreme example of righteous living–at least as far as most of the populace was concerned.
So I am sure Jesus caused a few heads to be scratched when He said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of God.” Is it possible to be more righteous than the scribes and the Pharisees?
Apparently so, because Jesus then begins laying out what it means to be truly righteous. #1. “You have heard it was said, ‘You shall not murder.’ but I say if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment.” Stop and think about that one for a minute. Anger must disappear. This is true righteousness.
#2. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ but I say if you even look at a woman with lust in your heart, you have committed adultery.” Stop and think about that one for a minute as well. Lust toward a person of the opposite sex must disappear. That is true righteousness.
#3. “It was also said, ‘You can give a woman a certificate of divorce.’ but I say if you divorce a woman except on the grounds of unchastity, you cause her to commit adultery. And if you marry a divorced woman, you commit adultery.” Pause once more to consider Jesus’ words. Life-long commitment is the only option. That is true righteousness.
#4. And last, at least for this little snippet of the Sermon of the Mount. “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ but I say, don’t swear at all. Let your word be yes, yes or no, no.” Reflect on that for just a second. How many of us accomplish that one? True righteousness makes no excuses, doesn’t try to be tactful, doesn’t try to explain one’s position or be nuanced about it. True righteousness says yes or no. No wiggle room. Period.
Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. How is that possible? Jesus gives it to His disciples on the hill that day and to us without hesitation.
You see, the Scribes and Pharisees had all the externals going on. They were doing all the commands of Torah to keep themselves holy and pure. They were following the law, and from the outside, they looked squeaky clean. They looked like they were pure. They looked like they were holy. But in reality, they were a brand new Corvette Stingray with a flawless exterior with a rusty modified Fort Pinto engine underneath. The inside didn’t match the outside.
This was problematic, and for this reason Jesus made that intriguing comment in the middle of this teaching, “29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.”
Now, when you first hear this, you might think Jesus was being literal. Go cut your hand off if it causes you to sin. Go pluck out your eye if it causes you to sin. But everyone would have recognized what Jesus was really getting at. A HAND DOES NOT CAUSE YOU TO SIN. AN EYE DOES NOT CAUSE YOU TO SIN. Where does sin come from? Where does anger come from? Where does lust come from? Where does a lack of commitment come from? Where does the fear of being straightforward and honest come from?
It comes from the heart. Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of God. How is this possible? Well, the Scribes and the Pharisees weren’t righteous. They had the externals, but their internals weren’t so good. Their hearts weren’t oriented toward God. Their hearts were oriented toward themselves. For, by God, you know that everything revolves around me. If I do the right things; if I say the right things; if I follow the commandments the right way; if I believe the right things and tell everyone I love Jesus; if I come to church every Sunday of the month; if I put the right amount of money in the offering plate; if I do all these things and more, then I have a claim on God. He has to listen to me! He has to give me what I ask for! He has to unleash the Kingdom of God. He has to grant me health, wealth, and security. I hope you catch the sarcasm here.
So often, we think the externals save us. We think the externals bring about the kingdom of God. We think the things we do make us holy and righteousness. But we can and do a lot of good things for the wrong reasons. And Jesus calls us on it.
If your heart isn’t in line with God, then you will never enter the kingdom of God. Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of God.
So, get your hearts in place! Make your hearts right! Turn them toward God!
If it were only so easy!
Me telling you to do that this morning is equivalent to me telling you, “You have a blockage in your heart, give yourself a bypass.” Do you think you are capable of doing such a thing?
St. Paul writes in the seventh chapter of Romans, “I know the good that I am supposed to do, but I cannot do it...Wretched man that I am! Who will save me from this body of sin?”
Paul knew he suffered from a heart condition. We suffer from that same condition? Who will save us from this body of sin? Who will save us?
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all 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.”
You see, by Jesus’ death and resurrection and the unleashing of the Holy Spirit into the world, God works to turn our hearts toward Him. Through the Word become flesh, God acts in you and me to pound our hearts into submission and orient them toward Him and His love. God enters into our very being to stomp out anger and lust and lack of commitment and selfishness and fear. God lives within us as our hearts are convicted by the power of the Gospel. And when our hearts are convicted by the Gospel, they beat in line with God’s heart. They begin to sing–not a solo by any means, but they sing in harmony with God. They join the chorus of God’s own song for the world which says, “I love you. I died for you. You are my child!”
Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Because of Jesus, your righteousness does exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, not because it is your own but because it is based on Jesus’ righteousness. Jesus died for you that your heart may be turned toward Him. And when your heart is singing with Gods, then you are truly Living God’s Word Daily. Amen.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Getting Rid of Santa and that Cheeky Little Elf on the Shelf
Don't get me wrong. I still play the game with my children. I do it because they have fun with it, but more and more I am ready to chunk the whole Santa Claus get up as well as that Elf on the Shelf thing. Not because it isn't fun playing with such things but because of the implicit message being sent to kids.
I know I risk being labeled a fuddy-duddy or theological purist because of this post, but please think about what we are conveying to kids through these things, and then think about what Jesus proclaims to us--and the real meaning of Christmas.
You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He's making a list.
He's checking it twice.
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake.
He knows when you've been bad or good, so be good, for goodness sake!
So goes the Christmas song. And what is this song teaching?
Be good or else you won't be getting any presents. It's reinforced by those of us who are well intentioned parents who say, "If you aren't good, Santa's going to be bringing you a lump of coal."
That Elf on the Shelf reinforces this thought process.
Sure, it's fun to put that little guy all over the house in different and varying poses. I personally enjoy my kids getting out of bed and searching around the house until they find the guy doing whatever he is doing on a particular morning. It's all in good fun--for the most part.
But again, the implicit message of the elf, "He's watching you all day, and at night, he reports to Santa about the things you've been doing today." If you aren't being good, the elf will tell Santa, and you won't get any good gifts.
The modern Santa and Elf on the Shelf are perfect examples of works/righteousness, theology of glory thinking. If I am good... If I am doing the right things... If I follow the law just perfectly.... then I will get goodies in the end. Whether we like it or not, this is the message we are sending to our kids which is a far cry from the reality of Christmas.
Christmas is about grace--unmerited, undeserved grace. Period.
Christmas is about God's plan of reconciling the world unto Himself by taking on flesh and dwelling among us.
Christmas is about the babe in the manger who would one day hang on the cross taking our sin, our shame, our suffering, our frailty, our death with Him and putting such things to death that we might live.
Christmas is about remembering the One who does such a thing all the while praying for His enemies, blessing those who persecuted Him, and saying, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
Christmas is about the One who died for us even though we weren't being good and gave us the gift of eternal life despite our refusal to live our lives for God and for our neighbor.
You cannot draw a deeper contrast between the incarnation of Santa Claus in the U.S. along with his partner Mr. Elf on the Shelf and the Lord of lords and King of kings who became Emanuel--God with us.
I will play this little game for a few more years because my kids enjoy it, but I'll be doing just a little extra work to let them know what grace really is as well. For in the long run it makes quite a difference as illustrated by the following two sentences differentiated by one simple mark:
So be good, for goodness sake.
So be good for goodness' sake.
One of these is works/righteousness.
One of these is responding to grace.
One is Christian. One is not.
Want to keep Christ in Christmas?
Teach and live grace.
I know I risk being labeled a fuddy-duddy or theological purist because of this post, but please think about what we are conveying to kids through these things, and then think about what Jesus proclaims to us--and the real meaning of Christmas.
You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He's making a list.
He's checking it twice.
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake.
He knows when you've been bad or good, so be good, for goodness sake!
So goes the Christmas song. And what is this song teaching?
Be good or else you won't be getting any presents. It's reinforced by those of us who are well intentioned parents who say, "If you aren't good, Santa's going to be bringing you a lump of coal."
That Elf on the Shelf reinforces this thought process.
Sure, it's fun to put that little guy all over the house in different and varying poses. I personally enjoy my kids getting out of bed and searching around the house until they find the guy doing whatever he is doing on a particular morning. It's all in good fun--for the most part.
But again, the implicit message of the elf, "He's watching you all day, and at night, he reports to Santa about the things you've been doing today." If you aren't being good, the elf will tell Santa, and you won't get any good gifts.
The modern Santa and Elf on the Shelf are perfect examples of works/righteousness, theology of glory thinking. If I am good... If I am doing the right things... If I follow the law just perfectly.... then I will get goodies in the end. Whether we like it or not, this is the message we are sending to our kids which is a far cry from the reality of Christmas.
Christmas is about grace--unmerited, undeserved grace. Period.
Christmas is about God's plan of reconciling the world unto Himself by taking on flesh and dwelling among us.
Christmas is about the babe in the manger who would one day hang on the cross taking our sin, our shame, our suffering, our frailty, our death with Him and putting such things to death that we might live.
Christmas is about remembering the One who does such a thing all the while praying for His enemies, blessing those who persecuted Him, and saying, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
Christmas is about the One who died for us even though we weren't being good and gave us the gift of eternal life despite our refusal to live our lives for God and for our neighbor.
You cannot draw a deeper contrast between the incarnation of Santa Claus in the U.S. along with his partner Mr. Elf on the Shelf and the Lord of lords and King of kings who became Emanuel--God with us.
I will play this little game for a few more years because my kids enjoy it, but I'll be doing just a little extra work to let them know what grace really is as well. For in the long run it makes quite a difference as illustrated by the following two sentences differentiated by one simple mark:
So be good, for goodness sake.
So be good for goodness' sake.
One of these is works/righteousness.
One of these is responding to grace.
One is Christian. One is not.
Want to keep Christ in Christmas?
Teach and live grace.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Who Wouldn't Want to Prepare?
My brothers and sisters in Christ, you and I both know the world is not at all like what our first lesson from the book of Isaiah describes. The world is far from the reality the prophet spoke about long, long ago. Take another listen to his words, and then reflect on just how far away we are from this sort of reality:
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. –Isaiah 11:5-9
To this day, these things are not happening. To this day, there is still war and strife and death. To this day, something must die in order for something else to live. To this day the earth still rebels against God and His knowledge–it is far from full of this. Indeed, our world remains broken and battered by the reality of sin, and just one glimpse of reality can set us on edge. One glimpse about the way things really are can lead us to a state of frustration and depression. Just a cursory read of the news shows this. The headlines tell us of greed, power grabs, destruction by natural disaster, rising poverty, government debt, people forced to give up what they are pleased with, and so on and so forth. This is the world we live in, and it can be overwhelming.
It can be so overwhelming that the promise of God set forth by the prophet can be lost. The promise of God can be forgotten. The promise of God can indeed be seen as an empty promise–false hope to hold onto in the midst of all our pain and suffering. Indeed, there are those who say that religion is simply a crutch that many hold onto to deal with the reality of brokenness in our world.
God knows how easily we can fall into such despair. God knows how easy it is for His creation to lose sight of His promise and His Word. God knows that we humans function on a different reality of time than He does. For us, thousands of years is an eternity. For God thousands of years are a fleeting moment. It’s easy to lose sight of this in the midst of this world.
Knowing this, God realized we needed something to hold onto. God realized we needed something concrete to grasp whenever hope starts to fade. God knows we need more than a promise to hold onto. In the old days, a handshake solidified a deal, but today, we need lawyers and legal documents to make sure we are covered. One would think that God’s Word would be enough, but the history of God’s people shows us differently. Scripture shows us how even the people of God who witnessed God’s miraculous deeds soon forgot them in the midst of their trials and tribulations. We need something more to hold onto.
And God understood this. God realized we needed assurances. God realized something more than a vision was needed so that we had evidence of God’s intent to make all things right. And God provided that evidence. God took on flesh and lived among us.
“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 not to condemn the world, but so that the world may be saved through Him.”
Jesus Christ entered this broken world. Jesus Christ, God in flesh, entered into this reality and began the process of redemption. Sure, He performed miracles. Sure, He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the hungry, and proclaimed God’s Kingdom. There is no doubt about these things. But these things were simply leading up to the grand finale–the reconciliation of humankind unto God.
This, of course, took place on the cross. Sometimes, it’s hard to let this sink in. Sometimes, it’s hard to remember what that cross represents. That cross represents all that is wrong with this world. That cross represents pain, suffering, brokenness, blood, injustice, selfishness, greed, depression, illness, and death. That cross does not today carry the same connotation it did 2000 years ago. Today, we see redemption. Long ago, it meant death. And that is exactly what happened to Jesus upon that cross. He was murdered. He suffered. He bled. He felt abandonment. It was not a glorious experience at all. But it was necessary. For in reality, it was us who should have been hanging on that cross. It was us who deserved punishment and death for our failure to measure up to God’s standards. We deserved to be hanging there for our participation in and failure to fix this broken world. Yet, instead of letting us take our deserved punishment, God intervened and Himself died.
This is a powerful statement of God’s love for us. There is no doubt about that. But the story is not yet done. For remember the promise of Isaiah? Remember the vision Isaiah tells us–a vision that came from God?
A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. –Isaiah 11:1-10
This could not come to pass if the God incarnate suffered and died and that was the end. This could not be the true vision of the hope to come if the cross were the end. If suffering; if injustice; if despair; if punishment; if death were the end, then there is no real hope. God died. We are reconciled unto Him, but is there more?
The answer came three days later. Three dark days passed, but then the ground was shaken, the angels rolled the stone away, and Christ rose from the dead. St. Paul made no bones about what this meant, “20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 21For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. 23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”
Christ is God’s handshake. Christ is God’s assurance that the promise of Isaiah is real. Christ is God’s way of showing us the fulfillment of the promise has begun, and we have something to hold onto in the midst of this world.
But more than that, for we do not simply hold onto the promise as if it were something only to be treasured by ourselves. For we know that around us is a world that is indeed hurting. We know that around us is a world that is broken and suffering in ways both big and small. We know that around us is a world in need of good news.
And we also know the foolishness of trying to make the world perfect. We know it is an impossibility on our part; yet we also know we cannot remain idle. We have been touched deeply by the promises of God, and so we work to prepare the way for Christ’s return. For who wouldn’t want to do this? Who wouldn’t want to prepare for the time of ultimate peace and justice? Who wouldn’t want to prepare for the time when all people can join with one another at the marriage feast of the Lamb? The vision is glorious!
And how do we prepare? How do we get ready for this vision? By trying to implement as much of it as we can in our daily lives right here and right now. By showing God’s love through kindness and caring and involvement with others both inside and outside our community of faith. For this is what it means to Live God’s Word Daily. Amen.
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. –Isaiah 11:5-9
To this day, these things are not happening. To this day, there is still war and strife and death. To this day, something must die in order for something else to live. To this day the earth still rebels against God and His knowledge–it is far from full of this. Indeed, our world remains broken and battered by the reality of sin, and just one glimpse of reality can set us on edge. One glimpse about the way things really are can lead us to a state of frustration and depression. Just a cursory read of the news shows this. The headlines tell us of greed, power grabs, destruction by natural disaster, rising poverty, government debt, people forced to give up what they are pleased with, and so on and so forth. This is the world we live in, and it can be overwhelming.
It can be so overwhelming that the promise of God set forth by the prophet can be lost. The promise of God can be forgotten. The promise of God can indeed be seen as an empty promise–false hope to hold onto in the midst of all our pain and suffering. Indeed, there are those who say that religion is simply a crutch that many hold onto to deal with the reality of brokenness in our world.
God knows how easily we can fall into such despair. God knows how easy it is for His creation to lose sight of His promise and His Word. God knows that we humans function on a different reality of time than He does. For us, thousands of years is an eternity. For God thousands of years are a fleeting moment. It’s easy to lose sight of this in the midst of this world.
Knowing this, God realized we needed something to hold onto. God realized we needed something concrete to grasp whenever hope starts to fade. God knows we need more than a promise to hold onto. In the old days, a handshake solidified a deal, but today, we need lawyers and legal documents to make sure we are covered. One would think that God’s Word would be enough, but the history of God’s people shows us differently. Scripture shows us how even the people of God who witnessed God’s miraculous deeds soon forgot them in the midst of their trials and tribulations. We need something more to hold onto.
And God understood this. God realized we needed assurances. God realized something more than a vision was needed so that we had evidence of God’s intent to make all things right. And God provided that evidence. God took on flesh and lived among us.
“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 not to condemn the world, but so that the world may be saved through Him.”
Jesus Christ entered this broken world. Jesus Christ, God in flesh, entered into this reality and began the process of redemption. Sure, He performed miracles. Sure, He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the hungry, and proclaimed God’s Kingdom. There is no doubt about these things. But these things were simply leading up to the grand finale–the reconciliation of humankind unto God.
This, of course, took place on the cross. Sometimes, it’s hard to let this sink in. Sometimes, it’s hard to remember what that cross represents. That cross represents all that is wrong with this world. That cross represents pain, suffering, brokenness, blood, injustice, selfishness, greed, depression, illness, and death. That cross does not today carry the same connotation it did 2000 years ago. Today, we see redemption. Long ago, it meant death. And that is exactly what happened to Jesus upon that cross. He was murdered. He suffered. He bled. He felt abandonment. It was not a glorious experience at all. But it was necessary. For in reality, it was us who should have been hanging on that cross. It was us who deserved punishment and death for our failure to measure up to God’s standards. We deserved to be hanging there for our participation in and failure to fix this broken world. Yet, instead of letting us take our deserved punishment, God intervened and Himself died.
This is a powerful statement of God’s love for us. There is no doubt about that. But the story is not yet done. For remember the promise of Isaiah? Remember the vision Isaiah tells us–a vision that came from God?
A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. –Isaiah 11:1-10
This could not come to pass if the God incarnate suffered and died and that was the end. This could not be the true vision of the hope to come if the cross were the end. If suffering; if injustice; if despair; if punishment; if death were the end, then there is no real hope. God died. We are reconciled unto Him, but is there more?
The answer came three days later. Three dark days passed, but then the ground was shaken, the angels rolled the stone away, and Christ rose from the dead. St. Paul made no bones about what this meant, “20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 21For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. 23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”
Christ is God’s handshake. Christ is God’s assurance that the promise of Isaiah is real. Christ is God’s way of showing us the fulfillment of the promise has begun, and we have something to hold onto in the midst of this world.
But more than that, for we do not simply hold onto the promise as if it were something only to be treasured by ourselves. For we know that around us is a world that is indeed hurting. We know that around us is a world that is broken and suffering in ways both big and small. We know that around us is a world in need of good news.
And we also know the foolishness of trying to make the world perfect. We know it is an impossibility on our part; yet we also know we cannot remain idle. We have been touched deeply by the promises of God, and so we work to prepare the way for Christ’s return. For who wouldn’t want to do this? Who wouldn’t want to prepare for the time of ultimate peace and justice? Who wouldn’t want to prepare for the time when all people can join with one another at the marriage feast of the Lamb? The vision is glorious!
And how do we prepare? How do we get ready for this vision? By trying to implement as much of it as we can in our daily lives right here and right now. By showing God’s love through kindness and caring and involvement with others both inside and outside our community of faith. For this is what it means to Live God’s Word Daily. Amen.
Monday, November 11, 2013
I Know that My Redeemer Lives!
23 ‘O that my words were written down! O that they were inscribed in a book! 24 O that with an iron pen and with lead they were engraved on a rock for ever! 25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; 26 and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. --Job 19:23-27
These words were uttered by Job as recorded in the book which bears his same name. As we read these words, we may detect a hint of triumph within them. They sound ultimately hopeful! They sound like words we too might utter if we have stumbled upon fortune. Perhaps we got lucky enough to win the lottery. Perhaps we were fortunate enough to be declared cancer free after fighting an arduous battle with cancer. Perhaps we heard our child received a full ride scholarship to his or her preferred university. “I know that my redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth!” It is so easy to give God glory and thanks when things are going in our favor.
But there is an interesting twist with these words which were uttered by Job–an interesting twist indeed. Let’s set the background.
Job was a pretty wealthy guy. He was happily married; had several children; large flocks of sheep and goats. He loved the Lord and worshiped Him and only Him. Now, we are told that God and Satan are having an argument, and they decide upon a wager: Satan believes Job’s faith is only skin deep. Satan believes that if calamity were to befall Job, then Job would curse God. God has more trust in Job than Satan does. God believes Job will remain steadfast in His faith. In order to settle the bet, Satan is given reign to torment Job.
Satan is pretty thorough. He afflicts Job mightily. He sends disaster upon Job’s flocks; his crops, and his family. He afflicts Job’s health and covers him with painful sores. Job goes from the top of the world having everything, to the top of the ash heap having nothing. While sitting on the ash heap, Job’s friends come to visit with him. It’s a really interesting conversation which takes up many chapters in the book of Job–it’s particularly fascinating that they continually believe Job must have done something to deserve the calamities which have befallen him. They say God punishes sinners in such a manner, and that Job should repent or curse God and walk away from Him. Job steadfastly refuses to walk away from God, and he says that he has done nothing to deserves such punishment.
Job’s friends are unrelenting. He must have done something to have earned God’s wrath and punishment.
Let’s stop here for just a moment because Job’s situation gives us a chance to talk about grace. Some of you might scratch your heads at this. How in the world does this story about a guy whose family has been taken from him; who has lost his wealth; who has lost his health; whose friends are telling him he is a sinner; and who is now sitting on an ash heap give us an opportunity to talk about grace?
Well, remember what I started this sermon off with? Remember those words, “I know that my redeemer lives!”? Remember how they are often spoken when things are going good? What do we usually say when things are going badly for us? What do we utter when it seems like the world is against us?
Many times, we don’t need friends to sit next to us and tell us. Many times we say it ourselves, “What have I done to deserve this?” You would be surprised how many times I have heard someone say this in the time that I have served as a pastor. Cancer strikes: what have I done to deserve this? A child is stricken with disease: what did we do to have this happen to us? A loved one suffers a debilitating health issue: she doesn’t deserve this. Over and over and over again.
What is behind this? Perhaps not in all circumstances, but I think there is a bit of commonality running through each and every one of these situations: it’s the idea that somehow we can still save ourselves. It’s the idea of works/righteousness. It’s the idea that if I just do the right things; believe the right things; say the right things, then everything will work out for me in the long run. It’s the idea that if I do the right things, then I will be accepted and be blessed. And so when things don’t turn out the way we think they should, we start asking ourselves what we might have done or not done to deserve what has befallen us.
We must stop here and ask: is this the way God, as revealed in Jesus Christ acts? Is this the modus operandi of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
Actually, no. Not in the least, because as we see God revealed in Jesus Christ, we do not see this kind of working at all. Instead, we see a God who operates by pure grace. We do not see a God who demands that we work out our own salvation, but we see a God who works out salvation for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. We see a God who literally dies for us so that we might live. There is nothing we have to do to earn this. There is nothing we have to do to make this happen. There is nothing we have to say to earn God’s favor. There is no mountain we have to climb or ocean we have to swim.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever 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 might be saved through Him.” That’s the beauty of grace. And God acted in this manner while we were still sinners.
So, what does that mean in relation to when those bad things start happening? Well, a person functioning under the works/righteousness model says, “Why is this happening to me?” The person who operates under the grace model says something quite different. The person working under the grace model says, “I know that I am a broken person. God has every right to punish me in whatever mode He sees fit. I know that I have sinned against Him in thought word and deed by things that I have done and things that I have left undone. I have not loved Him with my whole heart. I have not loved my neighbor as myself. Never-the-less, God has removed the discipline of the law. God no longer punishes me or anyone by sending death, disease, or misfortune. This is not God’s will. I may not know why these things are happening to me, but I do know that God is operating in the midst of this in some way, shape or form. I know God is working to transform this situation. I know that God has promised me hope, and I will have faith in Him no matter what happens.”
How can we know that God has promised such a thing? How do we know God is working in the midst of such turmoil and struggle and pain and suffering? Well, we look to the cross. Yes, the cross. That instrument of death is the focal point of the Christian faith, and there is little wonder why. For if there was anyone who didn’t deserve to die, it was the God incarnate who hung on it. If there was anyone who had actually lived up to the works righteousness end of the bargain, it was Jesus. If there was anyone who should not have suffered, it was him indeed. But that’s not what happened. Jesus was nailed to that cross. Jesus bled. Jesus suffered. Jesus died.
But death was not the end. Suffering did not provide the final answer. Evil did not carry the day. For on the third day, Christ rose from the dead showing the power and desire of God to conquer evil, suffering and death. Christ rose from the dead to show us that the final answer rests with God and will forever be God. Grace leads us right to this spot.
“For I know that my redeemer lives!” Job spoke these words from the top of the ash heap. He spoke these words after his friends tried to convince him that he had done something wrong to anger God, to provoke God’s wrath, to make God send him suffering. But Job would have none of it. He would not blame himself. He would not blame God. Instead, he would put his trust in the one who gave him hope. In the midst of his pain; in the midst of his suffering; in the midst of those who would call him to do otherwise; Job spoke words of faith.
“For I know that my redeemer lives; what comfort this sweet sentence gives. He lives! He lives, who once was dead. He lives my ever living head!” We will sing those words in just a moment, and whatever your situation in life–whether you are struggling mightily with what life has given you or whether you are satisfied and happy with what is going on–sing them not because you believe you have earned your lot, but because you trust that God loves you whatever you may be facing. For that is what we do when we Live God’s Word Daily. Amen.
These words were uttered by Job as recorded in the book which bears his same name. As we read these words, we may detect a hint of triumph within them. They sound ultimately hopeful! They sound like words we too might utter if we have stumbled upon fortune. Perhaps we got lucky enough to win the lottery. Perhaps we were fortunate enough to be declared cancer free after fighting an arduous battle with cancer. Perhaps we heard our child received a full ride scholarship to his or her preferred university. “I know that my redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth!” It is so easy to give God glory and thanks when things are going in our favor.
But there is an interesting twist with these words which were uttered by Job–an interesting twist indeed. Let’s set the background.
Job was a pretty wealthy guy. He was happily married; had several children; large flocks of sheep and goats. He loved the Lord and worshiped Him and only Him. Now, we are told that God and Satan are having an argument, and they decide upon a wager: Satan believes Job’s faith is only skin deep. Satan believes that if calamity were to befall Job, then Job would curse God. God has more trust in Job than Satan does. God believes Job will remain steadfast in His faith. In order to settle the bet, Satan is given reign to torment Job.
Satan is pretty thorough. He afflicts Job mightily. He sends disaster upon Job’s flocks; his crops, and his family. He afflicts Job’s health and covers him with painful sores. Job goes from the top of the world having everything, to the top of the ash heap having nothing. While sitting on the ash heap, Job’s friends come to visit with him. It’s a really interesting conversation which takes up many chapters in the book of Job–it’s particularly fascinating that they continually believe Job must have done something to deserve the calamities which have befallen him. They say God punishes sinners in such a manner, and that Job should repent or curse God and walk away from Him. Job steadfastly refuses to walk away from God, and he says that he has done nothing to deserves such punishment.
Job’s friends are unrelenting. He must have done something to have earned God’s wrath and punishment.
Let’s stop here for just a moment because Job’s situation gives us a chance to talk about grace. Some of you might scratch your heads at this. How in the world does this story about a guy whose family has been taken from him; who has lost his wealth; who has lost his health; whose friends are telling him he is a sinner; and who is now sitting on an ash heap give us an opportunity to talk about grace?
Well, remember what I started this sermon off with? Remember those words, “I know that my redeemer lives!”? Remember how they are often spoken when things are going good? What do we usually say when things are going badly for us? What do we utter when it seems like the world is against us?
Many times, we don’t need friends to sit next to us and tell us. Many times we say it ourselves, “What have I done to deserve this?” You would be surprised how many times I have heard someone say this in the time that I have served as a pastor. Cancer strikes: what have I done to deserve this? A child is stricken with disease: what did we do to have this happen to us? A loved one suffers a debilitating health issue: she doesn’t deserve this. Over and over and over again.
What is behind this? Perhaps not in all circumstances, but I think there is a bit of commonality running through each and every one of these situations: it’s the idea that somehow we can still save ourselves. It’s the idea of works/righteousness. It’s the idea that if I just do the right things; believe the right things; say the right things, then everything will work out for me in the long run. It’s the idea that if I do the right things, then I will be accepted and be blessed. And so when things don’t turn out the way we think they should, we start asking ourselves what we might have done or not done to deserve what has befallen us.
We must stop here and ask: is this the way God, as revealed in Jesus Christ acts? Is this the modus operandi of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
Actually, no. Not in the least, because as we see God revealed in Jesus Christ, we do not see this kind of working at all. Instead, we see a God who operates by pure grace. We do not see a God who demands that we work out our own salvation, but we see a God who works out salvation for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. We see a God who literally dies for us so that we might live. There is nothing we have to do to earn this. There is nothing we have to do to make this happen. There is nothing we have to say to earn God’s favor. There is no mountain we have to climb or ocean we have to swim.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever 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 might be saved through Him.” That’s the beauty of grace. And God acted in this manner while we were still sinners.
So, what does that mean in relation to when those bad things start happening? Well, a person functioning under the works/righteousness model says, “Why is this happening to me?” The person who operates under the grace model says something quite different. The person working under the grace model says, “I know that I am a broken person. God has every right to punish me in whatever mode He sees fit. I know that I have sinned against Him in thought word and deed by things that I have done and things that I have left undone. I have not loved Him with my whole heart. I have not loved my neighbor as myself. Never-the-less, God has removed the discipline of the law. God no longer punishes me or anyone by sending death, disease, or misfortune. This is not God’s will. I may not know why these things are happening to me, but I do know that God is operating in the midst of this in some way, shape or form. I know God is working to transform this situation. I know that God has promised me hope, and I will have faith in Him no matter what happens.”
How can we know that God has promised such a thing? How do we know God is working in the midst of such turmoil and struggle and pain and suffering? Well, we look to the cross. Yes, the cross. That instrument of death is the focal point of the Christian faith, and there is little wonder why. For if there was anyone who didn’t deserve to die, it was the God incarnate who hung on it. If there was anyone who had actually lived up to the works righteousness end of the bargain, it was Jesus. If there was anyone who should not have suffered, it was him indeed. But that’s not what happened. Jesus was nailed to that cross. Jesus bled. Jesus suffered. Jesus died.
But death was not the end. Suffering did not provide the final answer. Evil did not carry the day. For on the third day, Christ rose from the dead showing the power and desire of God to conquer evil, suffering and death. Christ rose from the dead to show us that the final answer rests with God and will forever be God. Grace leads us right to this spot.
“For I know that my redeemer lives!” Job spoke these words from the top of the ash heap. He spoke these words after his friends tried to convince him that he had done something wrong to anger God, to provoke God’s wrath, to make God send him suffering. But Job would have none of it. He would not blame himself. He would not blame God. Instead, he would put his trust in the one who gave him hope. In the midst of his pain; in the midst of his suffering; in the midst of those who would call him to do otherwise; Job spoke words of faith.
“For I know that my redeemer lives; what comfort this sweet sentence gives. He lives! He lives, who once was dead. He lives my ever living head!” We will sing those words in just a moment, and whatever your situation in life–whether you are struggling mightily with what life has given you or whether you are satisfied and happy with what is going on–sing them not because you believe you have earned your lot, but because you trust that God loves you whatever you may be facing. For that is what we do when we Live God’s Word Daily. Amen.
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